Microsoft News Archive 2002 - 2003

Microsoft General

ENTmag.com: Patching Microsoft's Patch Process [26/9/03]
Microsoft has changes up its sleeves when it comes to its patching strategy. What has the company changed about the patching process in the last two years? Which moves have been successful? Where is the company failing? You may be surprised to learn of some of the changes Microsoft plans for its patching process...
 

What You Should Know About the Blaster Worm and Its Variants [18/8/03]
This page details the latest information on the the worm known as W32.Blaster.Worm and its variants ...
 

ENT Newsline: Microsoft Patches 3 Security Holes [28/7/03]
Microsoft issued three security bulletins this week fixing a critical flaw in DirectX, some important problems with SQL Server and a moderate security bug in Windows NT 4.0 Server…
 

ENT Newsline: Windows 2000 SP4 Available [27/6/03]
Microsoft on Thursday officially posted the fourth service pack for Windows 2000. SP4 comes about 11 months after Service Pack 3 and, like SP3, is a recommended update. The fix list includes more than 650 issues with an emphasis on security, application and hardware compatibility, Windows 2000 setup and operating system reliability…
 

Microsoft Patches Windows 2000 Server Flaw [26/6/03]
Microsoft patched two security holes in Windows 2000 Server and Media Player 9. A buffer overflow flaw in Windows Media Services for Windows 2000 Server could allow an attacker to run malicious code on a server or crash them. The other flaw threatens to reveal the music library data on any PC running Windows Media Player 9…

This information has been reproduced from a SearchWin2000 newsletter. To sign up for any of the SearchWin2000 newsletters please click here: http://searchWin2000.com/r/0,,4943,00.htm?
 

ENT Newsline: Microsoft Reiterates SQL Slammer Warning [16/6/03]
In response to the publication of the SQL Slammer source code in a major industry magazine, Microsoft officials are warning users to make sure they've taken advantage of the rash of SQL Slammer defences on the Microsoft Web site...
 

ENT Newsline: Microsoft Buys Antivirus Vendor [11/6/03]
Microsoft on Tuesday announced that it has bought the intellectual property and technology assets of a small Romanian antivirus vendor, but Microsoft left its intentions very fuzzy for how extensively it intends to get involved in the antivirus market. Terms of the deal to purchase the assets of Bucharest-based GeCAD Software Srl., an 11-year-old company, weren't disclosed...
 

Microsoft Release Management Community Pages [9/6/03]
We're delighted to announce that Microsoft have released the Management Community Pages on the Management Portal, the App Center product website, the SMS product website, and the MOM product website. These pages provide a consolidated list of available community resources: newsgroup, webcasts, 3rd-party websites (including us), user groups, and community resources for related Microsoft products. Customers (and you too!) should now have an easier time locating and using Management Community support resources. Check them out at:

• http://www.microsoft.com/management/community/default.mspx

• http://www.microsoft.com/applicationcenter/community/default.asp

• http://www.microsoft.com/smserver/community/

• http://www.microsoft.com/mom/community/

ENT Newsline: Microsoft's Charney Promises Patch Management Improvements [5/6/03]
The patch management problem is in Microsoft's crosshairs. During a TechEd keynote, Microsoft chief security strategist Scott Charney said he has created a patch management working group inside Microsoft. Current projects include a white paper that will lay out the company's patch management strategy and an engineering effort to reduce the company's number of patch installation technologies from the current eight to two by the end of the year…
 

ENT Newsline: Four New Flaws Found in IIS [29/5/03]
Microsoft on Wednesday issued a cumulative patch for Internet Information Services that fixed four newly discovered flaws in the Web server. The most serious problem affects IIS 5.0 and 5.1 and is rated "important" by Microsoft. The Trustworthy Computing-scrubbed IIS 6.0, released as part of Windows Server 2003, is not affected by any of the flaws…
 

Microsoft signs up suppliers for antivirus alliance [27/5/03]
Microsoft has joined forces with antivirus suppliers Network Associates and Trend Micro to form the Virus Information Alliance, an initiative to keep users better informed about virus threats to Microsoft products...

Reproduced by kind permission of Computer Weekly - www.computerweekly.com
 

MCP Magazine: Microsoft Continues Push Into Management Arena [2/5/03]
Many new management variables are trickling out this year, including the new Microsoft System Center. By Mark Wingard...

Reproduced from the MCP Magazine Newsletter.  To sign up click here: http://lists.101com.com/NLS/pages/main.asp?NL=mcpmag
 

ENT Newsline: Microsoft: Beware Bogus Bulletins [9/4/03]
In an otherwise light week for infrastructure security news, Microsoft issued a reminder to customers to beware of bogus security bulletins that look like they come from Microsoft...
 

Group Policy Management Console ready for the masses [8/4/03]
Microsoft's Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) has left the mother ship for the masses. The GPMC is a free "snap-in" that is designed to help you manage Group Policy jobs in Windows 2000- and Windows Server 2003-based AD domains. GPMC is also compatible with Win2k domains as long as it's installed on a Windows XP system running SP1 and the .NET Framework or a Windows 2003-based server...

This information has been reproduced from a SearchWin2000 newsletter. To sign up for any of the SearchWin2000 newsletters please click here: http://searchWin2000.com/r/0,,4943,00.htm?
 

Technology will have to prove its worth [8/4/03]
UK head of Microsoft, Neil Holloway believes technology will continue to drive rapid business change, but new products have to prove their worth, he says…

Reproduced by kind permission of CW360.com - www.cw360.com
 

NT 4.0 Users Upset Over Microsoft Patch Decision [28/3/03]
Users of Windows NT 4.0 are wondering about Microsoft's commitment to support the operating system through the end of 2004 after it declined to patch a security vulnerability in the OS last week. A vulnerability in the Remote Procedure Call protocol could expose computers running Windows 2000, XP and NT 4.0 to a denial of service attack. Windows NT 4.0 customers were advised to put affected systems behind a firewall that blocks traffic on TCP/IP port 135, the port used by the flawed RPC Endpoint Mapper process...

This information has been reproduced from a SearchWin2000 newsletter. To sign up for any of the SearchWin2000 newsletters please click here: http://searchWin2000.com/r/0,,4943,00.htm?
 

Special Report: Microsoft Management Summit 2003 [24/3/03]
Microsoft rolled back the curtains on a glitzy new vision at the Microsoft Management Summit in Las Vegas last week. Click here for SearchWin2000.com's in-depth show coverage, including exclusive interviews on the state of Windows manageability with Microsoft executives and partners at NetIQ, Ecora, Quest, Wise Solutions and InstallShield...

This information has been reproduced from a SearchWin2000 newsletter. To sign up for any of the SearchWin2000 newsletters please click here: http://searchWin2000.com/r/0,,4943,00.htm?
 

ENT Newsline: Critical Flaw Affects All Supported Versions of Windows [21/3/03]
Microsoft late Wednesday alerted customers to a critical flaw affecting all versions of Windows since Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98. The problem in the Windows Script Engine could allow attackers to run code of their choice on the systems of users who visited a malicious Web page or opened a malformed HTML e-mail...
 

ENT Newsline: Microsoft Preps Server Deployment, Admin Tool for Large Enterprises [20/3/03]
While the Microsoft Management Summit this week was long on promises, with the far-off Microsoft System Center product taking centre stage, Microsoft did announce one deliverable designed to make Windows server deployment and administration easier at very large enterprises.

Microsoft released a beta version of Automated Deployment Services for Windows Server 2003, which will be available in final form in the second quarter. ADS joins a number of technologies that customers can get just after Windows Server 2003 ships April 24...
 

ENT Newsline: Microsoft Unveils Management Roadmap [19/3/03]
Microsoft will combine Systems Management Server and Microsoft Operations Manager into a unified product called Microsoft System Center over the next few years, the company revealed in a management roadmap keynote Tuesday in Las Vegas.

The first step will be to offer SMS 2003, due to ship in September, and Microsoft Operations Manager 2004, newly unveiled Tuesday, in a Microsoft System Center suite next year. Later on the products will be consolidated into a single server.

The streamlined product comes in response to customer pressure for Microsoft to do a better job at providing management tools for the sprawling IT infrastructures that the Windows server-based computing model has created...
 

ENT Newsline: Next Version of MOM Coming in 2004 [19/3/03]
Microsoft plans to release the next version of Microsoft Operations Manager in 2004 with ease of use, rapid deployment and better management packs being the top priorities for Microsoft's first full rewrite of the technology it bought from NetIQ.

Microsoft Operations Manager 2004 made its debut at the Microsoft Management Summit in Las Vegas on Tuesday...
 

Microsoft phones key customers to warn of 'critical' security flaw [19/3/03]
Microsoft spent Monday afternoon calling hundreds of UK IT managers to give them advanced notice of a "critical" security hole in the Windows 2000 operating system...

Reproduced by kind permission of CW360.com - www.cw360.com
 

Microsoft Plans Major Manageability Shift [17/3/03]
And then there was one. One management product, that is. At this week's Microsoft Management Summit, the software maker will unveil its plans for Sydney, a project that sources say will combine Microsoft's three Windows manageability products into one...

This information has been reproduced from a SearchWin2000 newsletter. To sign up for any of the SearchWin2000 newsletters please click here: http://searchWin2000.com/r/0,,4943,00.htm?
 

Microsoft Re-Aligns Management Group [13/3/03]
Microsoft is shifting responsibility of its Systems Management Server (SMS) from the Windows operating system group to its storage group.  Microsoft officials say Kirill Tatarinov, head of the newly renamed Enterprise Management division, will report to storage chief Bob Muglia. One analyst said the move signals Microsoft's acknowledgement that an overemphasis on the Windows OS was hurting sales of its management products in a market that demands greater platform flexibility...

This information has been reproduced from a SearchWin2000 newsletter. To sign up for any of the SearchWin2000 newsletters please click here: http://searchWin2000.com/r/0,,4943,00.htm?
 

ENT Newsline: Next Generation of MOM to be Unveiled [12/3/03]
Microsoft is set to unveil its plans for the next version of Microsoft Operations Manager next week. The venue will be the Microsoft Management Summit in Las Vegas. SMS 2003 will also be on the conference agenda....
 

Microsoft to simplify the issue of security patches [27/2/03]
Microsoft plans to simplify the way it issues security patches over the next 12 months as one of the key steps in its $100m (£63m) drive to improve the security of its software and Windows operating systems...

Reproduced by kind permission of CW360.com - www.cw360.com
 

Microsoft to Issue Less 'Geeky' Security Bulletins [13/2/03]
Microsoft is taking a bite out of geekspeak. The company plans a security bulletin that's more legible to the layperson in an effort to raise awareness among small businesses and home users. Terms like "buffer overflow" and other IT esoterica won't be in there. The security newsletter should be out sometime this month -- it is an addition to Microsoft's existing Security Update newsletter....

This information has been reproduced from a SearchWin2000 newsletter. To sign up for any of the SearchWin2000 newsletters please click here: http://searchWin2000.com/r/0,,4943,00.htm?
 

EC to get new complaint on Windows [11/2/03]
A trade group is arguing that the European Commission should examine Microsoft's tactics as an overall, coordinated effort designed to maintain a monopoly...
 

ENT Newsline: Microsoft Reposts Windows NT Patch [11/2/03]
Microsoft posted a fixed version of a botched security patch from December that had been causing Windows NT 4.0 systems to crash. The botched patch was contained in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-071, which fixed what Microsoft called an "Important" security vulnerability allowing privilege elevation in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. There were no reported problems with the separate patches for Windows 2000 or Windows XP....
 

Early bird vendors beating MS to software-tracking worm [10/2/03]
If you don't want to wait for Microsoft's SMS 2003 to hit the market this fall, then don't. There's a raft of applications available now that can track software licenses and usage....

This information has been reproduced from a SearchWin2000 newsletter. To sign up for any of the SearchWin2000 newsletters please click here: http://searchWin2000.com/r/0,,4943,00.htm?
 

Microsoft pulls Security Patch that Crashes NT 4.0 [7/2/03]
Microsoft has pulled a security patch for Windows NT 4.0 because installing it can cause the operating system to crash...
 

Linklaters merger prompts switch to Office 2000 and AD [6/2/03]
Global law firm Linklaters has embarked on a major IT standardisation project.  The firm is upgrading from Microsoft NT4 and Office 97 to Exchange 2000, Office 2000 and Active Directory supported by systems management technology...

Reproduced by kind permission of CW360.com - www.cw360.com
 

ENT Newsline: Microsoft Extends Windows NT 4 Server Support [29/1/03]
Microsoft this week pushed back the support deadline for its Windows NT 4.0 Server products by a year to the end of 2004. So-called "extended support," which includes security support and  paid incident support, will be available until Dec. 31, 2004.

When Microsoft unveiled its new support roadmap in October, the company had planned to retire all Windows NT 4.0 Server support on the last day of 2003...
 

IT pros chafed about Microsoft's handling of summit [22/1/03]
This is the year that Microsoft is in charge of its own Management Summit. And IT pros say: don't bet on a great turnout at the Las Vegas event. Why? Let's just say Microsoft could use some help in the planning department...

This information has been reproduced from a SearchWin2000 newsletter. To sign up for any of the SearchWin2000 newsletters please click here: http://searchWin2000.com/r/0,,4943,00.htm?
 

Nationwide aims to save £400,000 a year through centralised management system [21/1/03]
Nationwide building society aims to save £400,000 a year by using centralised systems management technology to cut the number of visits IT staff have to make to PCs and cash machines, writes Karl Cushing....

Reproduced by kind permission of CW360.com - www.cw360.com
 

TechTarget: MS Releases SP1 FOR MOM [15/1/03]
Microsoft is being good to its MOM -- the company has released the first service pack for the server management software along with more than two dozen other tweaks. The company says what you get in SP1 is critical, but some people outside of Redmond think MOM needs more work -- the kind of work a service pack can't do...

This information has been reproduced from a SearchWin2000 newsletter. To sign up for any of the SearchWin2000 newsletters please click here: http://searchWin2000.com/r/0,,4943,00.htm?
 

TechRepublic: Keep Windows 2000 Longer, But Don't Skip XP [14/1/03]
Microsoft's extension of support for Win2K Pro is good news for enterprises that want to run it longer and increase their degree of standardization. But Gartner believes it will be difficult to skip Windows XP entirely...
 

MCPMagazine: Windows Server 2003 Delayed [9/1/03]
The general release of Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 has been pushed back until at least April and could easily slip past that timeframe. By Keith Ward, Senior Editor...
 

TechRepublic: How Microsoft's new client-OS support plan will affect your OS rollouts [7/1/03]
Find out how Microsoft's new "5 + 2" support life cycle policy announced on the 15th October last year affects the operating system you run on your clients...
 

TechRepublic: Is your Windows client OS dead yet? [2/1/03]
Windows 95, 98, and NT Workstation 4.0 aren't getting any younger. But Gartner believes most enterprises can run them beyond the date Microsoft stops supporting them, depending on the risks, costs, and benefits...
 

SearchWin200.com: Microsoft Gives MOM a Care Package [31/12/02]
The Microsoft folks who work in the Management Business Group had better enjoy their New Year's Day, because they're going to be a busy bunch in January. In the early part of the month, they'll offer up a care package for MOM, including a service pack, management pack updates, new software development and resource kits, and an updated MOM road map...

This information has been reproduced from a SearchWin2000 newsletter. To sign up for any of the SearchWin2000 newsletters please click here: http://searchWin2000.com/r/0,,4943,00.htm?