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Following up on the earlier rumors, HP has begun to officially offer the Mini-Note 2133 with Windows XP. Although HP has commented that Windows XP will be pre-installed they are doing it by way of the free Vista downgrade option, so when the notebook arrives it should include an install disk for both XP and Vista Business.

In addition to the Windows XP offering, HP has also added a few new configurations to the Mini-Note line-up. Instead of the original four configurations to choose from there are now eight. This should sound like welcome news with more to choose from, however it makes the XP downgrade offering seem just a little on the shady side. 

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Microsoft has released Windows XP SP3 to the masses and also re-added Vista SP1 as an automatic update. After having some recent compatibility issues, Microsoft had delayed SP3 for XP and although SP1 for Vista remained available, it had to be manually downloaded.

It seems everything has been fixed and both updates are now available and waiting to be installed. Simply wait for Windows Update to kick in, or if you feel like you cannot wait any longer lunch the Update get the satisfaction on having an up to date system, at least for a little while.

Via [Engadget]

It turns out that April 29 was not the day for Windows XP SP3 to be officially released. However it was not just SP3 that was delayed, all of the updates for both Windows XP and also Vista have been stopped temporarily. The issue is due to another product called Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System, which was causing some incompatibility issues. In addition to XP’s SP3, the SP1 for Vista is also being affected. The update for XP was put on hold, while the update for Vista is still available, its just not available as an automatic item. Microsoft is encouraging anyone who is running Microsoft Dynamics RMS to not install Vista SP1.

Via [CrunchGear]

While we have already seen confirmation from Microsoft that Windows 7 was set for a 2010-2011 launch, it seems that they may be running a little ahead of schedule. According to Bill Gates, they are ahead of schedule and the OS could come “within the next year.” Of course he was not specific enough and he could have been referring to an early testing version as opposed to the regular retail version.

After the launch of Vista and all the bad press that followed I would imagine that most people would rather have them take their time and make sure its truly ready for a public release. Of course with the recent end-of-life extension that was given to Windows XP, this could be a good way to get rid of XP once and for all. If you remember the extension gave Windows XP until at least June 2010 or for one year after Windows 7 was released, which means that XP could officially die in June 2010, assuming Windows 7 was released on or before June 2009.

Read [CNET]

If you live in Japan and you don’t have Vista yet, why not pick up this Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Live OneCare bundle that is packaged in a hot pink box decorated with cherry blossoms, which are called sakura in Japan. The Live OneCare subscription is good for one year, and the box also includes a Vista tips and tricks book. It makes sense that this is for Vista Home Premium as I can’t imagine Vista Business being in a pink box! This is sure to be a collector’s item, as this special edition is limited to only 2500 copies. So whoever buys this better not throw that box away. Yes, the pink color and the petals are girly, but that goes along with the Japanese cuteness concept.

Via [i started something]

If you were an early Windows Vista adopter, you might have had a rough time with Microsoft’s newest operating system last year. Crashes? System hangs? BSODs? Shockingly, Microsoft isn’t at fault for your less than perfect experience. Ars Technica has reported that a 158-page bundle of email correspondence (PDF) regarding the ongoing “Vista Capable” lawsuit has been made public. The data reveals that NVIDIA accounted for 28.8% of Windows Vista crashes last year. In total, 1,663,748 system crashes had been reported to Microsoft in 2007 and NVIDIA was the problem in 479,000 of those cases. In comparison, Microsoft was responsible for 19.9%, ATI took 9.3%, and Intel with 8.8%.

Microsoft was quick to release a statement:

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Microsoft will soon be releasing Service Pack 3 for Windows XP. How soon is soon? Reports have it coming as early as April and will be released in two groups. Service Pack 3 (SP3) will come first for those users with the Simplified English, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, and Korean versions with any remaining versions to follow about 3-weeks later.

Microsoft has also confirmed that SP3 for Windows XP Media Center and Windows XP Tablet Edition will not be available as an integrated version, meaning those users will only be available to update to SP3 using Windows Update. Its also safe to say that this will be that last major update Microsoft will push out before they stop selling XP this June. Which hopefully becomes a point where users will finally feel comfortable enough to make the move to Vista.

Via [Gizmodo]

Microsoft is offering free support to Vista users who have encountered problems when updating their installations to the recently released Service Pack 1. What was normally offered free by Microsoft to those who purchased the retail product is now also available even for users who have OEM copy installations of the operating system.

The free support was caused by the numerous complaints from users who have installed the Vista SP1 update on their machine and then later on experienced endless reboot cycles and struggled with broken Vista application. Under the support plan, Vista users will have three options to get the free support. Users can either send an email and Vista support staff will reply within one business day, chat online with Vista customer support, or call the customer support hotline. The last option though is applicable only to Vista users who have software assurance agreement, professional contract, TechNet subscription or MSDB subscription or for those who belongs to the Microsoft Partner Program.

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Following yesterday’s round of rumors about SP1, it’s now officially available for download courtesy of the Microsoft web site. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Five Language Standalone is the fancy name that it goes by, and it’s supposed to address “specific reliability and performance issues”, and has added support for new types of hardware (Blu-Ray drives?) So if your PC needs some serious updating, your are now free to do so.

Product [Microsoft]

Microsoft’s Windows Vista SP1 OS gets an “unofficial” release date via Amazon’s Windows Vista comparison page. Though Microsoft has failed to issue an official statement concerning the said release date, Amazon had this to say:

You can pre-order Windows Vista with SP1 or Windows Vista with SP1 Upgrades now to get SP1 included in the box. Or buy the current versions of Windows Vista now, then update to SP1 online--free of charge--when the new versions are released on March, 18, 2008.

Well, it was bound to be released someday, and it’s already past mid-March so this news shouldn’t come as as a surprise. It always proves interesting to see when another company leaks a release date, lets see if this one holds true.

Read [Amazon] Via [Engadget]