This week saw the release of Windows 7 Release Candidate by Microsoft.  This is the latest version of Microsoft’s desktop operating system, scheduled for full release later this year and the replacement of the much maligned Vista operating system.

I downloaded Windows 7 RC as soon as it became available and I’m currently running it on my main laptop which I use all of the time.  So far, I have to say that I’m very impressed and my system is running significantly quicker than with Vista.  I’ve also installed 7 on an older low-spec netbook computer and performance is perfectly acceptable – I would have to say that it seems quicker than XP too! 

A couple of our clients have enquired about the new OS and we’ll be installing 7 for a couple of them to try out the RC.  If you would like to try it out, see the Microsoft Windows 7 site for more information.

Aside from the speed improvements, application compatibility will be far better than Vista when it was released.  Microsoft say that almost all applications that run on Vista will work on Windows 7.  There is also an “XP Compatibility” mode that will run older XP applications in a virtual machine, transparent to the user.

The lower hardware requirements of Windows 7 should mean than many users will be able to upgrade without having to fork out for new hardware.  Clients with Open Value Subscription Licensing or Software Assurance won’t even have additional licensing costs.

Windows 7 brings a whole load of improvements over previous versions in the areas of search, the taskbar/start menu and UAC whilst delivering useful new features such as encryption of removable drives, aero-shake, stacking and gamma-curve.  We’ll be bringing you more information about these in future blog articles.

Service pack 2, which will affect the Office 2007 suite and 2007 Office Server products is due out today, 28th April 2009.

The main update is the ability to save in the Open Document Format.  SP2 will also add support for upcoming operating systems including Windows 7.

Full detail of the service pack can be found on the Microsoft Technet site.

JamesCash.co.uk will deploy the update to clients as part of our IT security support patch management service when it is made available via Microsoft Update.

Microsoft is set to release eight security patches, of which five are rated as critical and fix vulnerabilities that could allow an attacker to execute remote code on unprotect computers. These updates will be released as part of the monthly “Patch Tuesday” release cycle.

Our IT support clients will have these updates taken care of automatically as part of our IT security support service.  Non-clients should ensure they run Windows Update on all computers.

Researchers at Trend Micro have discovered a variant of Conficker which has downloaded an unknown payload from servers connected to a botnet.  The encrypted payload is downloaded via built-in P2P connectivity.

Computer users have been warned not to be alarmed, and to continue to exercise caution and implement security best practices including keeping machines updated with the latest patches and ensuring antivirus definitions are up to date.  Small businesses should check with their IT support providers to ensure they are protected.  Clients of our Managed IT Support Service do not need to contact us; we update machines regularly and monitor to ensure antivirus definitions are current.

Find out more on the Trend Micro website.

According to a Microsoft security report, more than 97% of email that are sent via the Internet are SPAM.  The emails contain adverts for drugs, product pitches and frequently contain malicious attachments. Read the full article on the BBC News website

Unsolicited email presents a major threat to small businesses and can be a significant drain on resources. Clients subscribing to our IT support services have access to our optional email protection system which filters SPAM, removes dangerous content and provides a back-up email solution. Call 01384 880660 or complete our online enquiry form for further information.