Cody Taylor

TechForensics writes “A few days’ testing of Windows 7 has already disclosed some draconian DRM, some of it unrelated to media files. A legitimate copy of Photoshop CS4 stopped functioning after we clobbered a nagging registration screen by replacing a DLL with a hacked version. With regard to media files, the days of capturing an audio program on your PC seem to be over (if the program originated on that PC). The inputs of your sound card are severely degraded in software if the card is also playing an audio program (tested here with Grooveshark). This may be the tip of the iceberg. Being in bed with the RIAA is bad enough, but locking your own files away from you is a tactic so outrageous it may kill the OS for many persons. Many users will not want to experiment with a second sound card or computer just to record from online sources, or boot up under a Linux that supports ntfs-3g just to control their files.” Read on for more details of this user’s findings.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

CWmike writes “A post-beta version of Windows 7, Build 7022, leaked to Internet file-sharing sites also includes an updated version of IE8, according to searches at several BitTorrent trackers. With Microsoft halting new Windows 7 beta downloads on Tuesday, and blocking all downloads as of noon (EST) today, users are again turning to illegal sources to get the new operating system.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Program offering free or low-cost upgrades from Vista could kick off in July, sources say. While it won’t say so publicly, Microsoft is pushing to have PCs with the new OS for the holidays.

Microsoft is happy to avoid the naysaying it saw with the last operating system. However, all that happy Windows 7 talk has made it harder to convince businesses to move to Vista.

crazyeyes writes “With Windows 7 set for release in Dec. 09, Microsoft is getting ready with their free upgrade program, which allows Vista users to switch to Windows 7 when it arrives. The folks at TechARP have consistently scored accurate scoops on Microsoft software releases. They have now revealed Microsoft’s upgrade plans, schedules and even screenshots of the upgrade process.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

They said Windows 7 was just a cosmetic upgrade, a more polished version of Vista with little to offer beyond the new wallpaper. They couldn’t have been more wrong. Look beyond the headlines about interface tweaks and you’ll find Windows 7 is crammed with lesser known, but still important, new and enhanced features, which taken together deliver…

crazyeyes writes “With Windows 7 set for release in Dec. 09, Microsoft is getting ready with their free upgrade program, which allows Vista and XP users to switch to Windows 7 when it arrives. The folks at TechARP have consistently scored accurate scoops on Microsoft software releases. They have now revealed Microsoft’s upgrade plans, schedules and even screenshots of the upgrade process.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.