These ISO-9660 CD image files contain the security updates for Windows released on Windows Update on August 8th, 2006.

Starting in early 2007, Microsoft will launch the release of Windows Vista, its first major operating system upgrade since Windows XP (2001). The BETA 2 release of the OS I tested has shown tremendous improvements in areas such as stability, allowing for the ability to use it on a daily basis. Like its predecessor Windows XP, Vista has improved deployment options and device driver detection; these options have proven to be very user friendly and reduced the time it takes to get Windows up and running.

Download the August security updates for Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Hey presto! It?s the next-generation MSN Messenger. Along with everything you already love about Messenger?your contact list, smilies, and instant access to your friends?there are brilliant new ways to connect and share photos (and other stuff). As always, it's free to download Messenger and use most of its features.

It's clear that Windows Vista will have a big impact on PC hardware. We've already written about how to plan for building a Vista system. Now we take a look at the near-term horizon for hardware.

I had mentioned a while back that we planned to call the version of IE7 in Windows Vista ?Internet Explorer 7+?. Well, the feedback we got on the blog was overwhelming ? many of you didn?t like it. So, as we?ve said on our website, we heard you. I?m pleased to announce that we?re switching the name back to ?Internet Explorer 7?. No plus. No dot x. Just ?Internet Explorer 7?.

Windows Media Player 11 for XP will RTM on September 14th, 2006. We obtained this information from the same very reliable Microsoft source who gave us a dead-on accurate date for the Public Preview of WMP11 a few months back.

TheHotfix.net

Todd from IEBlog yesterday posted on his MSDN blog about the future of IE7 as well as some tidbits about when to expect release candidate and final builds.

This download provides the DirectX end-user multi-languaged redistributable that developers can include with their product. The redistributable license agreement covers the terms under which developers may use the Redistributable. For full details please review the DirectX SDK EULA.txt and DirectX Redist.txt files located in the license directory.

To keep the motivation level up internally, Microsoft has stocked its refrigerators with its very own Windows Vista soft drinks. No, no, Microsoft didn?t spend its R&D budget to come up with a perfect drinking formula, it?s just Talking Rain sparking water disguised in a custom designed can. Talk about refreshing?

This DirectX SDK release contains updates to tools, utilities, samples, documentation, and runtime debug files for x64 and x86 platforms. This release also include a public pre-release Direct3D 10.

The Microsoft DirectX® End-User Runtime provides updates to 9.0c and previous versions of DirectX ? the core Windows® technology that drives high-speed multimedia and games on the PC.

In my Windows Live Messenger Review, I examine some new Messenger features like PC-to-PC calling, PC-to-phone calls and text messaging, Bots, and Yahoo Messenger compatibility!

The future of Exchange is here: In my preliminary review of Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2, I take a look at roles-based architecture, management improvements, and, other new features!

Paul Thurrott Windows SuperSite

The Messaging Security Suite includes Antigen for Exchange, Antigen for SMTP Gateways and Antigen Spam Manager and provides server-level protection against the latest e-mail threats.

When you use Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 together with Yahoo! Toolbar, you experience one or more of the following symptoms:

Today, I examine which of today's Windows versions can upgrade to which Windows Vista product editions. Can you upgrade to Windows Vista? Find out in my latest showcase!

Paul Thurrott Windows SuperSite

Photosynth takes a large collection of photos of a place or object, analyzes them for similarities, and displays them in a reconstructed 3-Dimensional space.

With Windows Media Components for QuickTime, by Flip4Mac?, you can play Windows Media files (.wma and .wmv) directly in QuickTime Player and view Windows Media content on the Internet using a Web browser.

Inside the upcoming Windows Vista, Microsoft has introduced a Windows System Performance Rating tool, which aims to assess the capability of a computer to run Vista?s new feature. Scoring from 1 to 5, however their meaning haven?t been revealed until a new guideline has given to PC market. In addition, the tool was revamped to be Windows Experience Index.