Daily News : Microsoft Windows

A researcher has discovered a zero-day flaw in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 that could be exploited to remotely crash a computer. Microsoft is aware of the hole and is currently working on a patch. The recommended quick-fix is to disable TCP ports 139 and 445.

"Microsoft is concerned that this new report of a vulnerability was not responsibly disclosed, potentially putting computer users at risk," the advisory said. "We continue to encourage responsible disclosure of vulnerabilities."

Yesterday, an employee of Microsoft was quoted as saying that the Windows 7 design team tried to match the graphical beauty of Apple's OS X software in the Redmond, Washington company's latest operating system release. It now appears that one of the design team's members has come in to bat cleanup and dispel any rumors that have surfaced as a result of the quote.

[...] the post, written by Brandon LeBlanc, continued, "Unfortunately, this came from a Microsoft employee who was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7. I hate to say this about one of our own, but his comments were inaccurate and uninformed."

A new zero-day flaw discovered in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 does not affect Windows 7 as previously reported. While the vulnerability is present in Windows 7's Release Candidate, the issue has been fixed for the final version of the software. Microsoft has yet to report when it will release a patch for Vista and Server 2008.

The flaw could allow an attacker to gain control of a system, although Microsoft said that "most attempts to exploit this vulnerability will cause an affected system to stop responding and restart."

A regulator in Russia is dropping its investigation of Microsoft's decision to stop selling the eight year old Windows XP operating system. The issue arose over Microsoft killing off the OS despite demand. But fear not, Microsoft still faces investigation over shady dealings with Russian laptop makers.

Microsoft is obviously keen to move customers on to its newest operating systems not just to increase licensing payments but also to reduce support costs.

BusinessWeek reports that Microsoft's new OS might not have the economic impact its predecessors once had. While many feel Windows 7 trounces Vista, the sagging economy could dampen any prospective surge in sales.

Before Vista, a new Windows release could set off a corporate and consumer buying binge--not only for PCs, but also printers, mice, and software. Some analysts have pointed out that the Windows pop this time could be especially pronounced, since many people never bothered to buy Vista and some 600 million PCs are running the nine-year-old Windows XP.