Windows Vista

• Direct2Dell Week in Review 6-8-08

  Sun. Jun. 08, 2008
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  Here are some items of interest from last week:

  • Dell started shipping Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) to customers in the English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. We'll ship it in more  languages as it becomes available. We knew SP1 has different ramifications for different customers, and that's why Geoff Knox wrote two different posts—one for home users and a second for small business users. On the corporate side, while  we didn't have a post, I think it's worth mentioning that over the last couple of weeks, Microsoft's recent hints about Windows 7 may be a good reason for more corporate customers to upgrade to Vista. If you're interested in reading a bit more about this, take a look at my last week in review and Michael's comments about Windows 7 from earlier in the week.
  • Jesse Leonard who's one of our OS and open source gurus, published a blog post about the Mozilla Foundation's upcoming browser, Firefox 3  I've been playing around with FF3 for a while now, and I tend to agree with Walt Mossberg's  recent assessment: Firefox 3 features put it in front of Internet Explorer 7 and Apple's Safari 3.1. If you want to make that decision for yourself, click here to download the latest Firefox 3 release candidate.
  • Dell hosted a group of reporters representing China, India, Australia, Korea and Japan. These reporters met with several Dell executives while they were here. Anne B. Camden posted a recap of Alex Gruzen's session, and I posted my take on Michael's meeting on Direct2Dell.

  It's also worth mentioning that late last week, we upgraded to Community Server 2008—the latest version of our blogging platform software. Right now, we're still working through some glitches. This upgrade will, however, lead to some improvements over time... some of which Direct2Dell readers have wanted for quite some time. Soon, I'll explain more.

  Oh, and one more thing.. like Biz and the folks at Twitter, a few of us here will be watching to see what comes out of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.
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• Michael Dell Discussion with Reporters from APJ

  Fri. Jun. 06, 2008
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  Earlier this week, Dell hosted a group of thirteen reporters who represented several countries in Asia for two days at Dell's campus in Round Rock, Texas. During their time here, these reporters met with several Dell executives to discuss Dell's 5 key growth areas in more detail. This event culminated in a group discussion with Michael Dell.I wanted to take some time to recap that discussion.

  One of the things Michael talked about was growth in Asia Pacific and Japan, but also other places outside the U.S. He made the point that Q1 was the first time in Dell's history that revenue from outside the United States surpassed revenue from the U.S. He also reiterated that global growth was led by Brazil, Russia, India and China where Dell saw a 73% year-over-year increase in terms of unit shipments. Dell grew 2x faster than the Lenovo in China and 6x HP in India. Because of that strong global growth outside the U.S., Michael said that we will continue to invest heavily in countries like China, India and other emerging markets to facilitate continued growth.

  Michael also said that retail in the global consumer space is a huge opportunity moving forward—Dell currently offers products in 13,000 retail locations. The channel is another big growth opportunity: Dell currently has about 16,000 channel partners and that business is currently at a $12B run rate. 

  When asked what type products from Dell would serve the next billion people coming online, Michael made the point that these new users don't think in terms of the type of the device they will use—instead, they think about connecting to the Internet. We're focused on developing products in emerging countries like the Dell 500 laptop for China and India and beyond and the upcoming mini laptop. He also said that more products coming in the second half of the year.

  When Michael was asked about the mobile phone space, he suggested that would be a better question for next year. Before then, Dell will focus on big growth opportunities like consumer and commercial laptop and desktop sales—both through retail and the channel. He also mentioned that there's opportunity for a range of smaller devices between 9-inch ones like the upcoming mini notebook, and smaller ones.

  From a technology perspective, Michael was asked about progress in input devices. The multitouch functionality that Windows 7 will bring is good for some activities, though it will enhance what we're already used to with keyboard and mouse, instead of replacing them. Same goes for voice recognition.

  And speaking of Windows 7, when asked if many corporate customers will wait for it before upgrading from Windows XP, Michael made the point that it's hard to say with certainty since there are lots of variables. Still, things like the recent availability of Vista SP1, the major progress that has been made with Vista driver compatibility and because Windows 7 will be based on the Vista driver framework, it seems like more companies will upgrade to Vista before Windows 7 comes out.

   
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• Updating an old Friend

  Tue. Jun. 03, 2008
  by Mark Anderson, Client OS Development Mgr.

  Internet browsing represents a significant amount of the time many of us spend on our computers. Whether it is searching out the latest stock quote, shopping or doing homework; Internet browsing has become a large part of our computing experience. Since the introduction of Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft has sought to improve various aspects of the browsing experience with each succeeding version (Now up to IE 7). IE 7 was a major change that introduced significant security changes (such as an Anti Phishing Filter, tabbed browsing (which allows you to have multiple web pages open without opening multiple instances of the browser), compatibility and toolbar enhancements. The toolbar enhancements expanded the ability of users to enhance their browsing experience by allowing users to utilize 3^rd party add-ins. Add-ins can be in the form of Toolbars or browser helper objects.

  While toolbar add-ins can greatly enhance the browsing experience by allowing the user to do more and have more flexible access to information, they can also be the source of a number of problems including poor performance and browser crashes. A malicious, poorly written or behaving add-in can cause a host of problems. However, there are a few excellent add-ins out there and some simple rules to follow that not only enhance the user experience, but provide very helpful tools.

  Security/Fraud Prevention:

  IE7 has several industry-leading security and fraud-prevention features that offer added protection to users:

  • Support for Extended Validation Certificates (EV SSL) – first in the industry to implement EV certs in the browser.  Recommended by PayPal.
  • Industry leading anti-phishing filter: http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2005/09/09/463204.aspx; http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=B4022C66-99BC-4A30-9ECC-8BDEFCF0501D&displaylang=en

  Performance:

  Often times the single biggest issue with respect to performance in IE7 is related to multiple toolbars.  Users frequently install multiple toolbars in order to obtain enhanced flexibility.  This impacts both performance and reliability/crashes in the browser.  If a user wants to speed up IE7 they should first look to see if they have a number of different browser toolbars, then disable and/or uninstall unnecessary, redundant, or unused toolbars. This can be done within the manage addons console in IE (tools/manage addons).  One addon that does improve IE7 performance is the free IE7 pro add-on available here: http://www.ie7pro.com/ . The user could also look for a more inclusive toolbar that has multiple functions that they would wan. Some of the more inclusive toolbars include Google, Yahoo and the MS Live toolbars.

  Ease of use:

  Popular helper addons that make IE7 easier to use:

  • Roboforms  - simple password and form autofill tool: http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/details.aspx?view=info&itemid=2849307
  • Leech-Get – download manager: http://www.leechget.net/en/

  Internet Explorer 8:

  Finally, before the release of Win 7 Microsoft has made the beta of IE 8 available to users. I would encourage you to try it and see the enhancements MS will be making in its next version of IE: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie/ie8/default.mspx
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• Direct2Dell Week in Review 6-1-08

  Mon. Jun. 02, 2008
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  Sorry for being late with this. Let me just jump right in.

  • D6: Last week,the D6: All Things Digital conference kicked off lots of conversations in the blogosphere.  That previous link highlights several of those discussions, but for those that don't want to click through, Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates previewed some of the functionality that Windows 7 will bring to the masses. It was nice to see Microsoft showing off part of the multi-touch functionality on the Latitude XT Tablet. More on Windows 7 in a bit. I also noticed that Jeff Bezos  let folks know that Amazon soon has plans to offer a for-pay video streaming service. It's unclear at this point where it will fit among Amazon's Unbox service or in the broader digital streaming landscape of iTunes and the Apple TV, or the soon-to-be-released Roku $100 set top box that will let Netflix customers stream movies via their "Watch Now" service. Michael Dell was one of the speakers at D6. Here's a text summary of some of what Michael discussed, and here's the video highlight reel. I've just scratched the surface on everything that happened there. If you're interested in more of a deep dive with all the folks who took part in D6, take a look at the D6 Highlights section of the blog.
  • Dell's Secret Mini Laptop: Speaking of D6, a Gizmodo post about a forthcoming Dell mini notebook sparked hundreds of reactions in the blogosphere. Anne B. Camden reacted and shared a few more pictures in her post on Your Blog. Reaction was pretty positive. Seems like a lot of folks are interested in a small notebook at an affordable price. Still, others in the blogosphere want a sub-notebook that doesn't skimp on performance (take a look at the comment threads from Gizmodo and Engadget to see what I mean). When we can share more details on this product, we'll blog about it.
  • Dell's Service Partner Program: Katie MacDonald discussed this in her Direct2Dell post and FAQ. I know that folks still have questions... this will be a topic we'll blog about more in the future.
  • Windows 7, Vista and XP: Even before the Windows 7 buzz that was started at D6, there was Windows 7 talk from Windows Chief Steven Sinofsky in an interview he did with CNET. While lots of folks thought there wasn't a whole lot of news there, I tend to agree with Larry Dignan. In his post, I thought he outlined the key points that came out of that interview really well. He makes the case that since Windows 7 will use the Vista driver stack (among other things), there's not much of a reason for companies to wait to make the jump straight from XP to Windows 7. One thing I disagree with Larry on though is that businesses won't care about multi-touch. If it's implemented effectively, seems like multi-touch could be a benefit to business users as well as consumers. Speaking of Vista, we'll soon be shipping Service Pack 1 on Vista machines. More coming up on that topic very soon across several of our blogs. And before I leave the subject of operating systems, seems worth mentioning that over at our Small Business blog, Jenni Doane published a post that reiterated the deadline for ordering a small business system with Windows XP is June 18. After that date, customers who order a machine with either Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate have the option of ordering it with a downgrade option to Windows XP Professional. Click on the Windows Vista Downgrade Service link for more details.
  • Q1 Earnings Results: We released our Q1 earnings results after the market close on Thursday last week. At the same time, Rob Williams published a post at the DellShares Investor Relations blog that recapped some of the highlights and provided some insight into how we're now reporting four operating segments: Americas Commercial, EMEA Commercial, APJ Commercial, and Global Consumer. While it's good to see positive reactions like the one from New York Times, many folks know we have lots of work ahead of us to keep the momentum going.

  Like I mentioned in the first D2D Week in Review post, I want to make this more useful to Direct2Dell readers. If you have ideas on how I can do that, please let me know. And if you're interested in getting these updates automatically via RSS, you can subscribe to the weekly feed here.
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• Microsoft Releases Vista SP1

  Mon. Feb. 11, 2008
  by Mark Anderson, Client OS Development Mgr.

  Last week, Microsoft released Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) to manufacturing. Mike Nash from the Windows Vista Blog team shared the news last week, and followed up with a second post that explains a bit more how Microsoft plans to make it available to customers.

  SP1 introduces several improvements that customers will see, especially to battery life, performance, reliability and applications compatibility. In order to provide the best customer experience for our customers, Dell has already incorporated many of the most important fixes in our current OS load. Dell customers will begin seeing the entire service pack 1 on new systems ordered from Dell later in May this year. Additionally, customers should soon be able to download it from the Microsoft Windows Update. More information from Microsoft on testing and deploying Service Pack 1 is available here.

  Dell recommends that users of Vista migrate to SP1 as quickly as possible. More details on this topic to come in the future.
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• Dell improves Windows Vista notebook battery life

  Thu. Jan. 31, 2008
  by Daniel Judd, Product Group Strategist

  When I talk to customers, I get lots of questions about overall performance in Windows Vista—especially in the area of laptop battery life. I saw an idea called Make longer lasting batteries for better portability from IdeaStorm user winoffice on the topic. While Vista brings a number of improvements to the table like enhanced security and graphics, it's a new and sophisticated code stack. We've been working with Microsoft to address some of the factors that impact overall notebook battery life.

  Microsoft enabled a new set of power management tools that allow Dell to fine tune the operating system to the hardware. This is a great example of the unsung improvements Microsoft has made to the OS which will become more apparent over time.

  In November, Dell took advantage of these tools to make almost 40 configuration changes and updates. Some enhancements were straightforward, like making more intelligent use of hibernation sleep states, while others were more complex, like optimizing multi-core power management.

  If you are looking for optimal Windows Vista performance on a new system; consider a Dell. A good example is the Inspiron 1525 and you can read more about its strong battery performance in this recent review in Laptop Magazine.

  PS. If you are running Windows Vista on your Dell today and would like to utilize our optimizations, we'll post them to support.dell.com (and we'll update this post) in the coming weeks.
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• Dell Joins Microsoft and (PRODUCT) RED in the Fight Against AIDS in Africa

  Thu. Jan. 24, 2008
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

   

  You've probably seen some of the reaction about this in places like Gizmodo, and now I can confirm it. Today, we're making it easy for Dell customers who want to make a difference. Anyone who wants to join us to fight AIDS in Africa can do so by purchasing any of our (PRODUCT) RED-branded PCs. For Dell, this initiative represents an important step in our ongoing commitment to fight the spread of HIV around the globe.

  Dell (PRODUCT) RED products are all distinguished by bright red accents and (PRODUCT) RED branding. Each of these systems will come with a special version of Windows Vista Ultimate. Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED includes six unique desktop wallpapers, a screen saver, and two Windows Sidebar gadgets and a (RED)-themed Windows DreamScene.

  Dell and Microsoft will make a combined contribution of $50 - 80 depending on the PC purchased to the Global Fund. Dell will contribute $5 for every (PRODUCT) RED printer sold. 100% of the contributed finds will go toward Global Fund-financed grants in Africa. To put it in perspective, the $80 contribution generated by the purchase of the (PRODUCT) RED XPS One with Vista Ultimate  is equivalent to more than six months of life-saving antiretroviral treatment for someone living with AIDS in Africa.

  Update 1/24, 10:30am—Here's a cool photo from Davos with Bill Gates, Bono and Michael Dell to celebrate the launch of these products. You can click on it for an enlarged version.

  

  Dell (PRODUCT) RED products are now available for order at www.dell.com/joinred. They will also be available in Best Buy stores throughout the United States by the end of the week. And beginning January 31, these products will be available through Dell in nearly 30 additional countries.

  Now for some details about the (PRODUCT) RED systems. Clicking on the images below will give you a larger picture.

  XPS One (PRODUCT) RED:

  • This is Dell's all-in-one product that I've blogged about before. Starting price is $1,599—every purchase results in an $80 contribution to The Global Fund.

   

  XPS M1330 (PRODUCT) RED:

  • This is our award-winning sub-four pound notebook that regular Direct2Dell readers are pretty familiar with. Starting price of $1,149—purchase results in a $50 contribution to the Global Fund.  

   

  XPS M1530 (PRODUCT) RED:

  • This is the larger 15" version of the XPS M1330. Lots of the same design and feature enhancements with a larger display. Starting price oof $1,149—purchase results in a $50 contribution to the Global Fund.  

   Dell 948 All-in-One Printer:

  • The 948 printer integrates fax, scan, copy, print and photo-printing capability together into an easy-to-use package without requiring a connection to a computer. Starting price of $149—purchase results in a $5 contribution to the Global Fund.

  

   
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• Blu-ray & Vista

  Wed. Nov. 21, 2007
  by Mark Anderson, Client OS Development Mgr.

  A while back, Peter Gutmann published a report discussing content protection under Vista; that report has led to some discussion in the blogosphere about Blu-ray playback. I wanted to take a few minutes to clarify some things.

  Much of the discussion has related to Vista's content protection methods, including HDCP. Much of the information currently floating around the blogosphere is outdated, especially that related to Blu-ray playback and HDCP.

  Most of the commercial content for Blu-ray (and HD-DVD for that matter) has protection policies that must be enforced by the playback device. Previous versions of Windows have contained similar content protection policies that have not adversely affected the use of the Windows platform as an excellent playback method, including Macrovision ACP on standard definition playback, Certified Output Protection Protocol (COPP) and S/PDIF.  None of these methods, including HDCP have made the windows platform a less reliable playback vehicle. Further, these requirements are the same on most commercial and consumer electronics devices that offer playback functionality. Dell systems provide a robust playback vehicle. Prior to offering Blu-ray for sale on any system, Dell validates the configuration for great playback on Vista. 

  Currently, with the exception of the XPS One, all Dell systems with Vista will playback Blu-ray correctly with any HDCP 1080p-capable monitor. The only exceptions are the XPS One (as Lionel pointed out) and configurations with the some entry-level versions of ATI cards which will have HDCP content protection but will not have the memory bandwidth to play back in full 1080p.  For additional information on Blu-ray playback in full 1080p with HDCP, please see this entry on the Microsoft Vista blog.

   
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• Vista Service Pack One

  Wed. Oct. 17, 2007
  by Mark Anderson, Client OS Development Mgr.
  You may have heard some of the early rumblings about Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) back in May. In August, Nick White on the Vista blog team officially announced it's existence, and late last month, Microsoft began a private beta of it.

  I wanted to share some basic details about SP1. It includes a number of fixes that will provide greater battery life for mobile systems and greater overall reliability and application compatibility. 

  Here are some basic questions that I wanted to provide some perspective on:

  What is a Service Pack?

  Once a major OS is released, issues will begin to crop up.  In the case of Microsoft, they will release a number of fixes until a critical mass is reached.  Once the requisite number of fixes is complete, Microsoft will test and deliver a Service Pack.  This is because it is necessary to test the fixes as a cohesive whole to ensure that they all work and play well together.  In the case of Vista the Beta level version of the 1st service pack has just been released for early testing. 

  What fixes are in Windows Vista Service Pack 1?

  In Vista Service Pack 1 has added 300+ fixes (approximately 50 Mb) many of which the casual user will not notice.  However, there are several fixes designed to improve Battery Life, Performance, Reliability and Application Compatibility.  The performance improvements that are most noticeable are around media and file copying.  There will also be changes to the way wireless connectivity works.  For the Business IT department, Vista SP1 makes a number of changes related to way Vista is administered on a network.  Overall, the service pack provides everyone with a better product.

  What will Dell do to ensure that Vista SP1 works best on Dell Systems?

  Dell has been working with Microsoft on Vista Service Pack 1 for several months now.  Much of our time, early on, has been around working with Microsoft to determine what fixes and design changes to the existing OS will be included in the final release of the Service Pack.  In addition we have been working with Microsoft on verifying individual fixes before they are included in the service pack.  We have also been busy working with Microsoft on the test plans for the service pack.  Now that we have Beta 1 in house we will begin our comprehensive testing of the OS.  In all by the time of release we will have tested the service pack with teams from all over the world to ensure Vista Service Pack 1 works well with Dell systems.  Much of our testing will not only be testing the Service Pack for factory installation, but also verifying the upgrade path to ensure that our customers who purchased Vista will be able to upgrade their Dell systems to Service Pack 1 with no problems. 

  Should I upgrade to Vista Service Pack 1?

  Remember that we are still in the Beta testing stage, but with the changes to battery life, reliability, and application compatibility that are in build and working the answer is an unqualified YES.   While there is much testing left to do and I am sure several changes to come, Vista SP1 resolves the vast majority of the issues and annoyances I have had with Vista Gold.  I would not recommend for the casual user to go out and join the beta program to get a copy now, when the beta is complete, Vista SP 1 will be available on Windows Update and all users should then strongly consider installing the update.  Windows Update provides an excellent and reliable mechanism to get SP1 once it is released and will allow all Windows Gold customers to get up to SP1 quickly and easily. 
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• Making Support Easier Through Dell Support Center

  Mon. Jun. 25, 2007
  by Julie Lary, Dell Client Services

  If you wanted to find the address for a restaurant in another city or locate the closest bookstore, you’d probably look online. For a lot of folks, the Internet is the first place they look for the name, address and telephone number of businesses and services. It's easy and it's quick.

  Update, 12-6: Some of you have reported errors with earlier versions of Dell Support Center. I just posted more details on how to uninstall and reinstall Dell Support Center. I hope this helps any of you who are still having problems with it. Sorry for the inconvenience.

  We're about to roll out a new tool called Dell Support Center, and our hope is that it makes getting online support easier. When you click on the desktop icon, the application opens and presents links to:

  • Self-help tools
  • Dell support contact information
  • Resources that are specific to your systems
  • Other support and service resources

  Dell Support Center makes it easier for you to find the service, support and system-specific information you need… when you need it. The Dell Support Center was designed by users for users. We started with a clean slate and asked customers to tell us what they look for on Dell.com. One clear message is that customers want to have information about their system at their fingertips.

  At the very top of the Dell Support Center, you’ll find the model number for your system along with its service tag, express service code and warranty expiration. When you give permission to Dell to use your service tag, we can provide additional details about your system, such as available memory, disk space, installed hardware, network addresses and modem, installed security software, and much more. In addition, using your service tag, we can link you to the most relevant Dell.com web pages for renewing your warranty, ordering accessories and installing recommended drivers and downloads.

  Having this system-specific information at your fingertips can save you time and effort when maintaining your system or working with a Dell support technician.

  We know how challenging it can be to quickly contact a support technician. That’s why the Assistance from Dell section of the Dell Support Center provides links to Dell Technical Support via email, chat or phone. You can also access online training materials and tutorials.

  Dell Support Center launches soon and it will be available in multiple languages. During its development, over 160,000 Dell customers tested the software. One of the most popular sections was Self-Help Tools. In two-clicks you can check the performance of your system, access a network assistance tool, or learn about security and backup solutions.

  We invite you to download this free application and try it for yourself. Visit www.dell.com/dellsupportcenter. If you're interested in seeing the kind of functionality Dell Support Center provides, take a look at this video. It joins tools like PC Tune-Up and the updated DellConnect remote service to provide new ways to help you prevent issues altogether or to make it easier to diagnose problems when they do occur.
  

  Format: flv Duration: 6:29

  Downloads WMV  MP4  OGG

   
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