Nvidia GeForce 6 & 7 Series GPUs Windows WDM Driver 4.13

Nvidia has released a new WDM driver v4.13 for GeForce 6 and 7 series only. This version is for Windows XP/2000/Me/98SE and supports graphics boards with video capture input (VIVO) only. NOTE: This WDM driver kit must be used with the latest ForceWare Graphics driver for GeForce GPUs. Please install that driver first before installing this WDM driver.

Raxco PerfectDisk 7.0 Build 46 Update Available

PerfectDisk Version 7.0 delivers speed, thoroughness, and ease-of-use for all Windows home, small business, and large enterprise users. Certified by Microsoft for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003, PerfectDisk is designed for today's largest disk drives. If you are serious about disk defragmentation, optimization, and free space consolidation, you'll find PerfectDisk meets your high demands and requirements.

What's new in PerfectDisk build 7.00.046

• We added support for the X64 processor. You cannot patch a 32 bit version of PerfectDisk to a 64 bit version due to limitations of Windows Installer. You will have to get a 64 bit installation of PerfectDisk in order to run on the X64 bit operating system. Please contact Raxco if you need assistance in getting a 64 bit version to install.
• Corrected a bug in the boot time defragmentation. If you exceeded 268,435,456 clusters, the verify stage of the boot-time defrag pass would fail.
• Corrected a bug on the enable/disable menu for Group Policy Schedules. The local User Interface (UI) should not be permitted to change the current status of a Group Policy schedule, however under certain conditions, the local UI could disable a Group Policy Schedule. This has been corrected.
• PerfectDisk Support Info feature will now gather additional information to assist in troubleshooting any issues.

Mozilla Firefox Browser 1.5 Released

The award-winning Web browser is better than ever. Browse the Web with confidence - Firefox protects you from viruses, spyware and pop-ups. Enjoy improvements to performance, ease of use and privacy. It's easy to import your favorites and settings and get started.

Firefox 1.5 has an intuitive interface and blocks viruses, spyware, and popup ads. It delivers web pages faster than ever. And it’s easy to install and import your favorites. Packed with useful features like tabbed browsing, Live Bookmarks, and an integrated Search bar. Enjoy quick page loading as you navigate back and forward in a browsing session. Improvements to the engine that powers Firefox deliver more accurate display of complex web sites, support for new Web standards, and better overall performance.

It also features automatic updates, tabbed browsing, improved pop-up blocking and more.

ATI Avivo XCode Video Encoder Software - In Development

CHIP Online had the opportunity to test a beta version of ATI’s still secret „Avivo XCode“ encoding tool. It uses the power of the GPU to reduce video encoding time –into virtually any format – drastically. Their results show: The new ATI solution easily does it 5 times faster than even the fastest CPUs available today!

Traditional video encoding tools rely solely on the PC’s main processor for the extensive calculations necessary when en- and decoding video sequences. The secret ATI Avivo XCode tool, however, additionally employs the power of ATI’s X1000 series’ architecture. They assume that the XCode tool mainly utilizes the programmable pixel shader units for it’s number-crunching.

There’s a hook however: Avivo XCode only runs on PCs with ATIs Radeon X1000 series VGA cards; i.e. X1300, X1600, X1800 in their respective Pro or XT versions, as well as their All-in-Wonder version. The tests indicate that even the cheapest model, a Radeon X1300 available for around 90 Euros in Europe, can achieve dramatic speed increases at crunching down videos.

For comparative benchmark results, the test configuration had to transcode two different MPEG-2 clips into the WMV9 format, using Microsoft’s Windows Media Encoder (WME) and ATIs Avivo Xcode, respectively. For WME we chose the options „File download“, „DVD quality (CBR)“ and „High definition quality audio (CBR)“. Since the beta version of Avivo’s XCode doesn’t offer any detailed settings, they let the tool convert the test clips into the output quality levels „High“, „Medium“ and „Low“. You can find the rest of the test specifications below.

The results are (to say the least) impressive: The Avivo XCode beta transcoded the video clips about five times faster than Microsoft’s encoder (!), with the chosen quality level showing no significant impact: Comparing the picture quality, clarity and smoothness of the converted clips, even our codec specialists couldn’t identify any visual difference.

Remarkable: During the encoding process, XCode uses the main CPU to its maximum – the task manager continually shows 100 percent usage. In contrast, the Windows Media Encoder (who’s supposed to use only the CPU) shows fluctuations from 75 to 100 percent.

Video codec support

Avivo XCode beta supports 11 video codecs/profiles: MPEG 1/2, VCD, S-VCD, DVD, MPEG 4 (DivX Compatible), WMV9, Portable Media Center, H.264 (AVI), MPEG-4 (Sony PSP Compatible Video) and H.264 (MP4 Apple iPod Compatible Video). So Avivo XCode is suitable for PSP and iPod Video fans as well as owners of modern cellphones - they support the H.264/3GPcodec, too.

Limitations

The Avivo Xcode version in their possession offers no detailed settings for important parameters like bitrate, resolution or audio quality. It’s also not possible to join separate video files. Hopefully, ATI will add these features before the final release of the tool.

Conclusion

It’s more than impressive to experience a first glimpse of what the Avivo architecture in ATI’s X1000 series is capable of. At everything video-encoding, even (extremely expensive) high-end CPUs will soon suffer a staggering defeat by even the cheapest entry-level VGA cards.

If the soon-to-be-published final version of Avivo’s XCode contains the features we specified above, video-enthusiasts will without any doubt suddenly find ATI X1000 series extremely appealing…

New Windows XP Update Released - KB909441

Microsoft has released a new update for Windows XP Home and Professional editions. This update fixes a problem in control panel, "Sounds and Audio Devices" which does not correctly display the setting in the "Speaker Setup" list.

Symptoms: After an application calls the Microsoft DirectSound SetSpeakerConfig method and specifies either the DSSPEAKER_7POINT1_SURROUND value or the DSSPEAKER_7POINT1_WIDE value, Sounds and Audio Devices in Control Panel does not correctly display the setting in the Speaker Setup list.

If an application specifies the DSSPEAKER_7POINT1_SURROUND value, Sounds and Audio Devices should display the description 7.1 home theater speakers. Instead, Sounds and Audio Devices incorrectly displays the description 7.1 wide configuration speakers.

If an application specifies the DSSPEAKER_7POINT1_WIDE value, Sounds and Audio Devices should display the description 7.1 wide configuration speakers. Instead, Sounds and Audio Devices incorrectly displays the description 7.1 home theater speakers.

Cause: This problem occurs because the DSSPEAKER_7POINT1_SURROUND value and the DSSPEAKER_7POINT1_WIDE value are mapped incorrectly when Control Panel is initialized in Microsoft Windows XP.

Symantec To Ditch Sygate Firewall

Another free Windows firewall bites the dust. Symantec Corp. has announced rather abruptly that as of next week it will no longer support or offer its Sygate line of firewall products.

The move comes little more than three months after Symantec bought Sygate Technologies along with its Sygate Pro and Sygate Free personal firewall products. Symantec's purchase of Sygate was widely viewed as a bid to solidify and consolidate its market position in the enterprise security space, as Sygate's business-oriented network access and security compliance products were its bread and butter.

With the announcement earlier this month that Kerio Technologies would discontinue its free personal firewall software, the field is narrowing. Still, there are several trusty options. To name just a few (and I'd welcome any other suggestions via the comment section below): Zone Alarm free ; 8Signs ; Tiny Personal Firewall ; Jetico

Intel Adds Follow-up Series To 915 Chipset Family

The successor to the 915 chipset has been recognized by Intel as the 946 series. This addition to the Broadwater family will be built on a 90 nanometer processor and will be paired the ICH7 southbridge:

Intel is scheduled to launch the 946-chipset family in conjunction with the ICH7 southbridge in the second quarter of 2006, the same time when the 965 series bundled with the ICH8 will also hit the market, indicated the sources. The full-line of Broadwater chipsets will be built using 90nm process technology and are aimed at pushing forward migration to DDR2 memory and dual-core CPU architecture, the sources noted.

Unpatched IE Flaw Is Worse Than Expected

Last week was shortened by the Thanksgiving holiday, and it seemed the malware guys took it off as well. There was not much going on of recent origin, and the biggest blip on the security radar was the realization by the security community that an Internet Explorer problem first identified six months ago was a lot worse than it appeared.

The realization caused Secunia to issue a rare "Extremely Critical" advisory. Once thought just to be a DoS vulnerability, it turns out that it also allows execution of arbitrary code. Benjamin Tobias Franz who figured out the original problem told Microsoft of the problem in March. Microsoft has done nothing to modify IE to reflect this information in the last six months. It may be because the risk of exploit was considered at the time to be "low".

Potential Xbox 360 Crash Fix Found

A gamer fed up with his new Xbox 360 crashing every 20 minutes has fixed the problem by raising the power supply off the ground with some string.

Dan, from Duluth, or 'goldeneyemaster' as he is known, told the GameSpot forum here that he thinks the main reason that the Xbox 360 freezes is because the powersupply overheats. The solution is to lift the power supply off the floor and allow the air to circulate better around it.
Another simple method involved getting a box with no cover and putting the power supply on the edges.

As a result, he was able to leave his machine on for a stonking seven hours without it freezing up. Other gamers to the site report that the idea works for them too. Many of them note with relief that since it is the powersupply that is clearly the problem, rather than the box itself, it should be fairly easy for Microsoft to replace.

Logitech G5 Laser Mouse Firmware Update v1.1

Logitech has released a firmware update to their recently launched G5 laser mouse, targeted at gamers. This update allows the G5 to track on more surfaces. If your mouse already has the current version 1.1 firmware, the program will say “Found a G5 with Firmware version 1.1” — there is no need to update your mouse. Note: The 64-bit version of Windows XP does not support this update.

Civilization IV Retail Patch v1.09

As promised, Firaxis has now issued the first retail patch for Civilization IV, advancing their history-spanning 3D turn-based strategy game to version 1.09. This upgrade adds new features, balance tweaks, gameplay enhancements, many bug fixes (ATI issue Failed to Init Renderer fixed), and other changes as detailed in the accompanying release notes.

New VIA Hyperion Pro Drivers 5.06A Released

The drivers are for any VIA chipset with any Microsoft Windows operating system from Win98 right through to WinXP x64. Having said that, here's some advise: VIA Hyperion Pro drivers are suitable for ANY VIA chipset - but they are particularly recommended for KT4## series, P4X4## series and newer, for example:

K7 chipsets: KT400, KT400A, KT600, KT880, KM400, KN400
K8 chipsets: K8T800, K8T800Pro, K8M800, K8N800, K8T890, K8T890Pro, K8T900
P4 chipsets: P4X400, P4X400A, PT800, PT880, PM800, PM880, PT880Pro, PT894, PT880 Ultra, PN800, PN880

Version 5.06A includes the following components:

INF V2.60A
AGP V4.50C
RAID V4.30H
IDE Filter V1.20D

Xbox 360 With Stability Issues

Only one day after the start of the Xbox 360 in the USA complaints of disappointed players, whose consoles fail frequently have arisen. In the meantime messages fill various forums and reports of crashes after approximately a half hour running time or when starting the on-line service Xbox Live were noted. According to reports of players, who contacted the technical support of Microsoft, the "problem is larger than expected" at Microsoft support employees. Quite frequently overheating of the system seems to be the cause for lock ups. The strong air flow of the rear fans may not be obstructed, so the information of the support crew.

Pperhaps some cases of crashes and lock ups can be explained, not however different crashes, as for instance only being able to drive one round in "Project Gotham Racing 3". If the problem does not cease to exist after troubleshooting, players could return their Xbox 360 for repair, which would last however four to six weeks, so the Microsoft support.

It is unclear whether only individual loads of consoles are affected by the problems or if it is a fundamental error in the design of the console. Game testers meanwhile reported of stuttering frame rates in Quake 4 or incorrect collision inquiries in Madden NFL 06.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Preview

Straight from the Xbox 360 launch party, PC.IGN has slapped up some impressions on Bethesda Softworks' upcoming RPG, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Here is a small snip:

Next, Pete guided the character through a forest area toward an area of stone ruins. Though the graphics in the area were gorgeous, there were a significant number of objects that would pop in and out of visibility. Pete was quick to say that this build is still being worked on, and that by the time TESIV releases later this year the framerate and popping issues will be resolved. Will this actually happen? We're assuming so. After all, it was basically the reason the game was delayed in the first place. As Pete said today, all the game's content is finished and now the development team is hard at work on fine tuning.

Nvidia nTune 3.00 Download

French site Station Drivers has Nvidia nTune software version 3.00.14.05 available for download. This is not an official Nvidia release as their website still has version 2.05 listed as latest available. The 3.0 release might officially be released at a later time.

The NVIDIA nTune is the easiest, fastest, and safest performance optimization and monitoring application available for your PC. Incorporating more features than any other system tuning or monitoring product, NVIDIA nTune is the only performance tuning application designed exclusively for your NVIDIA nForce-based PC. With NVIDIA nTune your system can automatically adjust to maximum performance settings for intense gaming or will detect that you’ve inserted a DVD and will set the system to quiet operation. This intelligent application offers the safest way to change bus speeds, memory timings, and even tweak voltages. Changes are made easily within a simple-to-use Windows interface - so you no longer need to make changes to the BIOS or reboot your system. nTune might NOT be compatible with your mainboard.

Battlefield 2 Retail Patch v1.12

Electronic Arts has released the eagerly-anticipated new patch for Battlefield 2, upgrading the 3D multiplayer action game by Digital Illusions (and its Special Forces expansion) to version 1.12. This patch insures multiplayer compatibility between original game and add-on, as well as fixing a handful of gameplay issues and bugs.

Microsoft Promises To Patch IE Zero-Day Bug

Microsoft late Monday responded to reports of a critical zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer with a security advisory that promised a fix but not a timeline.

Initially, the vulnerability was thought to only crash the browser, but new information, said researchers, point to a greater risk: that an attacker could run malicious code remotely on a compromised PC by luring users to a malicious Web site. The bug was labeled "extremely critical" by one security vendor Monday.

IE 5.01, 5.5, and 6.0 are open to attack, said Microsoft, even when running on up-to-date editions of Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2003 SP1, and Windows 2000 SP4. The advisory offered up several steps users could take to prevent an attack, including disabling Active scripting and requiring IE to prompt before running Active scripting.

VIA Begins Sampling Of New AMD Socket 939 Chipset - K8T900

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced that VIA's latest high performance chipset for the AMD platform, the VIA K8T900, is sampling to leading motherboard partners to create platforms tailored for the PC enthusiast market.

Integrating VIA's proprietary RapidFire™ technology that incorporates a number of PCI Express enhancements, the VIA K8T900 offers exceptional performance across the board, while also featuring industry leading low power consumption. With the Flex Express™ architecture the VIA K8T900 supports advanced connectivity options including dual x8 PCI Express connections for the latest multi-graphics card configurations or alternatively a standard single x16 PCI Express graphics connection. In combination with the VIA VT8251 South Bridge the K8T900 platform offers unparalled peripheral support with an additional six x1 PCI Express connections, as well as supporting up to four high speed SATA 3.0Gb/s hard drives, and VIA Vinyl High Definition audio.

Key Features

» Supports full range of AMD AMD Athlon 64 / Athlon 64 FX / Opteron / Sempron processors (939, 940 & 754-pin)
» Advanced VIA Flex Express Architecture
» PCI Express Dual x 8 Graphics / PCI Express x16 Graphics
» 4 PCI Express x1 high speed peripheral connections*
» VIA Hyper8 Technology with 1GHz/16-bit (per direction) HyperTransport processor-to-chipset link
» Asynchronous bus architecture
» Ultra V-Link 1066 MB/sec high bandwidth North/South Bridge interconnect
» Integrated VIA Vinyl HD Audio and support for Vinyl Gold Multichannel HD Audio Suite» Serial ATA support for up to 4 devices
» Integrated V-RAID with RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5 and JBOD (SATA) support
» Support for up to 4 SATA 3.0Gb/s devices
» Parallel ATA133/100/66 support for up to 4 devices
» Support for up to 8 USB 2.0/USB 1.1 ports, UHCI compliant
» Support for VIA Gigabit Ethernet companion controller & Integrated 10/100 Fast Ethernet MAC
» Integrated MC'97 Modem
» Advanced power management capabilities including ACPI/OnNow
» 933-pin BGA North Bridge
» 645-pin BGA VT8251 South Bridge

ASUS AGEIA PhysX Expansion Card Due In February

Varun Dubey from the CoolTechZone reports that since ASUS is the primary manufacturer of PhysX cards, everyone is interested in the actual launch date. After conversing with ASUS regarding the card’s availability, the company pointed out that the cards have been ready internally for quite some time, but ASUS doesn’t feel the right time is here yet for mass production and a global launch due to limited game compatibility.

A source close to ASUS forwarded our attention to a few images of the actual PhysX expansion card online, but confirmed that the cards depicted in those images were not functional. Moreover, the source said, ASUS will debut the card in February 2006 when more games become available to take advantage of AGEIA’s innovation.

Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) Build 1.0.701 Available For Download

Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) is a security technology that helps protect Windows users from spyware and other potentially unwanted software. Known spyware on your PC can be detected and removed. This helps reduce negative effects caused by spyware including slow PC performance, annoying pop-up ads, unwanted changes to Internet settings, and unauthorized use of your private information. Continuous protection improves Internet browsing safety by guarding over fifty (50) ways spyware can enter your PC.

The latest beta refresh, build 1.0.701, extends the Windows AntiSpyware beta expiration date to July 31, 2006 and provides new signature updates to help protect against recently identified spyware.

Official Nvidia ForceWare 81.95 WHQL - Windows 2000/XP/x64

Nvidia has released a new set of ForceWare drivers for their GeForce series of GPUs. This set is WHQL certified and is available in english as well as multilanguage versions. The Release Notes reveal the following single GPU issues as resolved:

• There is a possible incompatibility between the ForceWare graphics driver and the current WDM driver.
• GeForce 7 Series: Modifying any Performance and Quality Setting using the system tray icon turns off Gamma and Transparency Antialiasing.
• GeForce 6800 Ultra: Textures are corrupted upon the first time entering a zone in Guild Wars.

Furthermore the following SLI-related issues are resolved:

• GeForce 6 and 7 series, SLI: Updated F.E.A.R. SLI profile to achieve better SLI performance and compatibility.
• GeForce 6600, SLI: Blue-screen crash occurs when starting a new game in Civilization 4 with antialiasing enabled in the NVIDIA control panel.

Update for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Update - KB910393

This update is intended for systems running Update Rollup 2 for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Install this update to prevent Windows Media Player 10 setup from overwriting digital rights management (DRM) files installed by Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (KB900325). For more information about this update, read Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 910393.

Windows Media Encoder 9 Series x64 Edition

Windows Media Encoder 9 Series x64 Edition is a powerful tool for content producers who want to take advantage of the many innovations in Windows Media 9 Series including high-quality multichannel sound and high-definition video quality on x64 platforms.

AGP Radeon X1800 Confirmed As Misprint

Initial reports that Diamond Multimedia would offer an AGP version of ATI's Radeon X1800 appear to be false. A misprint on Diamond's web site caused the confusion, but the company has confirmed that it has no plans to offer a Radeon X1800 with an AGP interface. Interestingly, ATI says that there are no technical limitations preventing graphics card manufacturers from melding the Radeon X1800 to AGP using ATI's Rialto bridge chip. The market for such a product may not be large enough to interest graphics card manufacturers, though.

Nvidia Tray Tools Initial Release - NVTray

NVTray, provides some extra quality tweaks that both the default NVIDIA tray icon and control panel are lacking. The author especially wanted to be able to select more Antialiasing modes, as well as OpenGL and Direct3D options right from the tray icon. Also, the utility is able to run automatically at startup thus making it a bit easier to change settings before playing a game or running a benchmark. This program requires .NET Framework 2.0 to support a broader range of systems.

NVTray includes NVTweak, which unlocks many extra options in the NVIDIA control panel/driver, including but not limited to - Overclocking, AGP & Hardware settings, Fan control, Temperature settings, Debugging, Twin View, Video Mixing Renderer, OpenGL 2.0 support, 3D viewer types (for 3D Stereo drivers), and more.

Firefox 1.5 Release Candidate 3 Out

Firefox 1.5 Release Candidate 3 is now available for download. This is the third release candidate of the next generation Firefox browser, to be released later this year, and it is being made available to the developer and testing community for compatibility testing and to solicit feedback.

Note: This may not be the final release of the Firefox Web browser. Hit Read More for the release notes...

Here's what's new in Firefox 1.5 RC 3:

Automated update to streamline product upgrades. Notification of an update is more prominent, and updates to Firefox may now be half a megabyte or smaller. Updating extensions has also improved.

Faster browser navigation with improvements to back and forward button performance.

Drag and drop reordering for browser tabs.

Improvements to popup blocking.

Clear Private Data feature provides an easy way to quickly remove personal data through a menu item or keyboard shortcut.

Answers.com is added to the search engine list.

Improvements to product usability including descriptive error pages, redesigned options menu, RSS discovery, and "Safe Mode" experience.

Better accessibility including support for DHTML accessibility and assistive technologies such as the Window-Eyes 5.5 beta screen reader for Microsoft Windows. Screen readers read aloud all available information in applications and documents or show the information on a Braille display, enabling blind and visually impaired users to use equivalent software functionality as their sighted peers.

Report a broken Web site wizard to report Web sites that are not working in Firefox.

Better support for Mac OS X (10.2 and greater) including profile migration from Safari and Mac Internet Explorer.

New support for Web Standards including SVG, CSS 2 and CSS 3, and JavaScript 1.6.

Many security enhancements.

List of notable bug fixes since Firefox 1.5 Beta 2

Quake 4 Retail Patch 1.04

id Software has released new retail patches for Quake 4 to bring the Win32 edition of Raven's sci-fi first-person shooter sequel to version 1.0.4, and the Linux client/server to version 1.0.5. This release fixes a map copying problem, adds numerous Game Browser improvements, and applies a few other changes.

ATI’s Graphics Cards Partners Consider Radeon X1800 XT Boost

At least some partners of graphics chip maker ATI Technologies are reportedly considering to increase the speeds of ATI RADEON X1800 XT-series graphics cards in order to make the products more appealing to customers in the light of the NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX 512MB release.

Some manufacturers of ATI RADEON-based graphics cards are reviewing possibilities to increase the RADEON X1800 XT-series clock-speeds to 650MHz – 675MHz for the visual processing unit (VPU) and up to 1550MHz or higher for the memory. While no makers among those questioned by X-bit labs confirmed that they had made the decision, at least one confirmed the fact of considerations.

Sources close to ATI Technologies noted that the company is unlikely to forbid its partners to boost performance of ATI-based products, however, they said there are special product guidelines that contain maximum speeds at which ATI still provides warranties. If those frequencies are not left behind, manufacturers will still have the warranty on products supplied by the Markham, Ontario-based graphics chip designer.

Xbox 360 Dissected

The folks at AnandTech have gotten their hands on an Xbox 360 console and have taken it apart, snapping a raft of photos along the way. The hardware peep show includes nekkid pictures of the Xbox 360's CPU, GPU, motherboard, and other naughty parts. The dual-die GPU with its on-package interconnect looks especially fancy. Unfortunately, their servers are getting hammered right now like Ted Kennedy at a post-election cocktail party, so you may have trouble pulling up the images.

Sony Recalls XCP "Rootkit" Copy Protected CDs

Sony BMG Music Entertainment said Monday it will pull some of its most popular CDs from stores in response to backlash over copy-protection software on the discs. Sony also said it will offer exchanges for consumers who purchased the discs, which contain hidden files that leave them vulnerable to computer viruses when played on a PC.

"Sony BMG deeply regrets any inconvenience to our customers and remains committed to providing an enjoyable and safe music experience," the company said. Sony says more than 20 titles have been released with the XCP copy-protection software, and of those CDs, over 4 million have been manufactured, and 2.1 million sold. Details about how long it will take to replace the XCP CDs and about its consumer exchange program will come later in the week, Sony said.

Maxtor DiamondMax 10: Exploring NCQ & RAID

Our friends over at Hot Hardware are using a 250GB DiamondMax 10 SATA-II drive as a guinea pig for Native Command Queuing and RAID testing. Other participants in the test include a 300GB Maxtor DiamondMax 9 and a 74GB Raptor:

The performance improvement offered by NCQ and a faster SATA interface on the Maxtor DiamondMax 10 line of drives is more evolutionary than revolutionary when compared to the DiamondMax 9. And these new features are still not enough for the new Maxtor drives to take the overall performance spot from the Western Digital WD740GD Raptor drives.

However, when pairing the new NCQ enabled Maxtor DiamondMax 10 drives with the Intel ICH7 integrated RAID controller in the right combinations and quantities, some very impressive performance numbers start to emerge. The maximum theoretical combined transfer rate of three Maxtor DiamondMax 10 drives is 450 MB/s. In a RAID 0 configuration with a 4K stripe size, we recorded a burst speed of 343 MB/s, which is about 75% of the theoretical limit.

New Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Series Driver 2.07.0004

Creative Labs has finally released an updated driver for their X-Fi series of sound cards. This package contains an improved version of the driver found on the Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ installation CD. This driver includes the following application:

• Creative Audio Console The application enables you to use the Sound Blaster X-Fi features and functions.

Fixes:

• Removes randomly occurring audio distortion that may occur after you install drivers and restart your computer.
• Improves host CPU utilization performance when you play 3D/EAX games.
• Improves the usability of the Bit-Matched Playback feature in Audio Creation Mode.
• Resolves some MIDI/SoundFont® compatibility issues.
• Restores EAX presets properly when you select default settings in Entertainment Mode.
• Resolves the issue of a mode console sometimes not responding after you switch modes.
• Restores proper functionality to the EQ sliders when you select EAX effects in Entertainment Mode.
• Removes the error message that sometimes appears in THX Setup Console when you switch modes multiple times.
• Resolves the issue of your computer not responding when you change the Reverb Aux effect in Audio Creation Mode.

OCZ Technology Announces The Opening Of OCZ Europe

OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high-reliability memory, is pleased to announce the launch of the new OCZ European headquarters. To accommodate the growing European enthusiast market and to provide dedicated service and support to European customers, OCZ Europe will open its doors November 14th, in The Netherlands. OCZ products will now be more readily available to the entire European market.

“Our commitment to deliver the highest quality enthusiast grade memory and power management solutions to the global marketplace has a always been a priority,” stated Ryan Petersen, CEO, OCZ Technology Inc. “The opening of our European branch office allows us to provide a superior product offering and better serve the unique needs and requirements of both customers and end consumers in this key region.” "I am very excited to get our feet on the ground here, we have been very successful selling into Europe from our US office but having a presence in Europe will allow us to increase support and work closer with our customers to realize our maximum potential," said John Apps, VP of International Operations, who will act as General Manager for this location.

OCZ Europe’s office will begin operation on November 14th and is located at Kleveringweg 23, 2616LZ, Delft, Netherlands.

Nvidia GeForce 7800GTX 512MB Reviews

Yesterday Nvidia unveiled the latest incarnation of their 7800GTX the 512MB version. With beefed up GPU and memory clocks you might be intererested how it performs in comparison to ATI's X1800 XT with 512MB. Now fortunately there are enough reviews for you to base your opininion on:

• The Tech Report's GeForce 7800 GTX 512Mb Review
• PC Perspective's GeForce 7800 GTX 512Mb Review
• Techware Lab's GeForce 7800 GTX 512Mb Review
• Driver Heaven's GeForce 7800 GTX 512Mb Review
• Hot Hardware's GeForce 7800 GTX 512Mb Review
• Firing Squad's GeForce 7800 GTX 512Mb Review
• Anandtech's GeForce 7800 GTX 512Mb Review
• Beyond3D's GeForce 7800 GTX 512Mb Review
• PC Online's GeForce 7800 GTX 512Mb Review
• Hexus's GeForce 7800 GTX 512Mb Review

Nvidia Will Release New Official Forceware Today - 81.94

Aligned with todays lift of the non-disclosure agreement on Nvidia's new flagship GPU, the GeForce 7800GTX 512MB, the company will release a new set of Forceware drivers for its products. It is yet unclear if the new set will be WHQL certified or when Nvidia thinks it is time to release it. The version will be 81.94. Here are the release highlights:

• Adds support for GeForce 7800 GTX 512 and GeForce 6800 GS
• Improved performance for Quake 4
• Improved performance and compatibility for Call of Duty 2
• Mixed vendor support for NVIDIA SLI.
• TV-Out/HD-out support for NVIDIA SLI.
• Added support for VSync on Direct3D games when running NVIDIA SLI.
• Performance enhancements for dual-core CPUs.
• PureVideo high definition MPEG-2 de-interlacing support.
• Usability enhancements when connecting to an HDTV.
• Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0c and OpenGL® 2.0 support

For a full list of fixed and known issues please view the Release Notes.

ATI X1800 Available As AGP Version Too

Although both Nvidia and ATI decided to give AGP owners the boot with their last generation products, some companies aren't comfortable with the lack of options and are swimming against the stream. One of those companies is a resurrected creature from the very beginning of the 3D era, Diamond Multimedia.

The company announced its X1800 product, available for both PCI Express and AGP 8x slots. Specifications are scarce, and there were no clock speed information at press time. It's obvious that the custom-built PCB features RIALTo PCIe-to-AGP bridge chip, and only makes us wonder why no single vendor stepped up and offered 7800GT(X) on a custom PCB with nVIDIA's own BR02 bridge chip.

The board features 256MB of DDR memory and spots a fully-featured R520 chip, so it sounds like AGP owners could be in for one heck of an upgrade. The company website states a November 2005 availability.

ATI Has Been Testing R580 Since July – Sources

Sources close to ATI Technologies have said that the company has been testing its forthcoming high-end graphics processing unit (GPU) since July, 2005. The chip, which is due to be out early in 2006 is claimed to be a rapid one by persons familiar with the matter.

“It is really fast,” a person who knows approximate performance estimates of the code-named R580 graphics processor said. Another source noted that ATI Technologies has been “playing” with the code-named R580 part since early July, 2005, at least, trying to clock it at different speeds and measure its performance afterwards.

Rumours that have been circulating around the Web indicated that the internally known as the R580 graphics chip supports up to 48 pixel processors, 8 or more vertex processors and work at high clock-speeds. The chip, however, is expected to have from 16 texture mapping units (TMU), less that could be expected. The product is to support Shader Model 3.0, ring-bus memory controller, GDDR4 memory type and other innovations.

Real Patches Two Serious Player Flaws

RealNetworks patched two significant vulnerabilities that affect most versions of its Real Player software. One flaw, marked as a "high risk," allows a skin file to be downloaded and applied to the player without the user's permission. The file could contain data that causes a heap overflow, according to eEye Digital Security.

The other more serious flaw involves specially formatted .rm movie files. An attacker could use the file to trigger a direct stack overwrite and thus open up a backdoor to execute malicious code. "RealNetworks has received no reports of machines compromised as a result of the now-remedied vulnerabilities," the company said in an advisory, but pointed out that it "takes all security vulnerabilities very seriously." The patches are available through Real Player's built-in update mechanism.

Sony Suspends 'Rootkit' DRM Technology

Music company Sony BMG Music Entertainment has succumbed to mounting criticism, announcing plans to stop production of music CDs that use a controversial digital rights management technology called XCP. The company said Friday that it is temporarily suspending manufacture of CDs with XCP, which security experts said used malicious "rootkit" techniques to evade detection on Windows systems.

The company will also re-examine its copy protection initiative to make sure it has balanced ease of use for consumers with security, according to an e-mail statement. "I think they should have done it right away," said Mark Russinovich, chief software architect and co-founder of Winternals Software LP. Russinovich's analysis of the XCP technology drew international attention to Sony's dubious copy protection wares.

Nero Burning Rom 6 Reloaded 6.6.0.18 Released

Ahead has released a new update to Nero Burning Rom 6 Reloaded. No release notes are available yet.

Nvidia ForceWare 81.89 Beta Windows 2000/XP

Again a new set of Nvidia ForceWare drivers surfaced on the web. This time it's said to be the Geforce 7800GTX 512MB launch driver. This set is a multilanguage release and is NOT WHQL certified. It comes with an easy automated installer routine though. The driver files are dated 10/28/2005 which makes this driver the newest set available. Initial user comments on various forums report that the notorious Guild Wars ground texture corruption bug is fixed with these drivers. Other comments show quite large performance improvements in Quake 4 and some small improvements in F.E.A.R.

Download #1: Link
Download #2: Link

Mozilla Firefox Browser 1.5 RC2 Out

Firefox is Mozilla's award-winning next generation Web browser. Firefox 1.5 Release Candidate 2 is now available for download. This is the second release candidate of the next generation Firefox browser, to be released later this year, and it is being made available to our developer and testing community for compatibility testing and to solicit feedback.Note: This is not the final release of the Web browser, it has been made available for testing purposes only, with no end-user support. Here's what's new in Firefox 1.5 RC 2:

Several fixes to automated update system.

Half-Life 2: Aftermath Delayed

An Half-Life 2 Aftermath Update on Halflife2.net has word from Valve's Doug Lombardi on a Delay to the Half-Life 2 expansion:

Just wanted to give you a quick update on Aftermath, specically its ETA. We're working very hard to finish this new episode for HL2, however, its going to take us a bit more time to get it into top shape. As such, the target release for this one is now Feb/March of next year.

ATI Catalyst 5.11 Performance Analysis And Driver Download

TweakTown are hosting ATI's latest Catalyst drivers (5.11 Final - November 2005 for Windows XP with CCC and WHQL) for Radeon graphics cards exclusively on TweakTown one day before they appear on ATI.com, to coincide with our monthly driver performance analysis articles. No release notes are currently available from ATI as the drivers haven't been officially released on ATI.com yet. As a result, these drivers are NOT supported by ATI but rest assured they come directly from the driver team at ATI in Canada. These are the final drivers which will appear on ATI.com Friday 11th November at 3pm.

No Pre-owned Games To Be Allowed For Playstation 3?

A patent may allow Sony to ensure that no game would be playable from any console other than the one in which it was first read. Joystiq is reporting that this patent is the source of the many rumours that will mean as much to gamers as DRM is for music fans.

The technology would allow an authentication code to be read and then rendered unreadable, making the software unplayable on any machine but the one which first read it. But this has caused considerable backlash from the gaming community. While many are aware of the double profit companies make on pre-owned games, this would ensure the death of trading games between friends and even going to a friend's house to play a little multiplayer.

While the PS3 hasn't been expressly mentioned in the patent in English or Japanese it would be the obvious place to employ this new technology, regardless of how little gamers will appreciate it. Between this and the DRM scandal, Sony could be looking at a serious drop in interest in the PS3. You can be sure you'll see more on this as it develops.

Nikon Announces Massive Battery Recall

Nikon Inc. is asking your cooperation in connection with a voluntary recall of certain lot numbers of its Nikon Model EN-EL3 rechargeable lithium ion battery packs. The battery pack can experience a short circuit causing it to overheat and possibly melt, posing a potential hazard to consumers. There have only been four confirmed reports of incidents of the problem worldwide, and while no injuries have taken place, Nikon Inc. has initiated this recall of the affected lot numbers as a reflection of its commitment to safety and product quality.

They are asking that owners of the affected battery packs return them to Nikon Inc. for a free replacement.The Nikon EN-EL3 battery pack is provided as a supplied accessory with the purchase of Nikon's digital SLR D100, D70, and D50 cameras. It is also sold separately at retail under Nikon's model number 26265. The EN-EL3 battery pack involved in this recall was first distributed by Nikon in May 2004 and is still being sold at retail. EN-EL3 battery packs marked "made in Japan" are not affected by this recall. If your EN-EL3 battery pack does not have a lot number as indicated, please note this is not a genuine Nikon product and should not be used.

You can go to Nikon's website to see if your battery is affected and fill out a form to have your battery replaced (they even give you a pre-paid shipping label for the trip to Nikon).

ATI Ships Radeon X1800 XT

ATI Technologies Inc. is pleased to announce that the highly anticipated Radeon® X1800 XT, is now available for gamers and enthusiasts seeking an unprecedented level of 3D performance and image quality.

The new Radeon X1800 XT, which began shipping on November 3, ahead of schedule, features a radically new ultra-threaded 3D architecture and ATI's revolutionary Avivo™ video and display technology platform, designed to unleash visual and performance possibilities that gamers until now could only dream about getting from a PC graphics processor. Radeon® X1800 and Radeon® X1300 cards are currently available from retailers and e-tailers including CDW, CompUSA, Fry's, Monarch Computers, NewEgg, Tiger Direct and Radeon® X1600 is expected to ship later in the fall.

Nvidia Beta Forceware 81.86 WHQL Windows 2000/XP

A new set of Nvidia Forceware Drivers have surfaced on the web. They seem to originate from some motherboard maker as they extract as "61xx" which indicates that they were meant for the nForce integrated graphics chipsets. This set is WHQL certified (on 28/10/2005) and the driver files themselves are dated 17/10/2005, which places this set directly between the official 81.85 WHQL and 81.87 beta releases. 81.86 WHQL is a multilanguage release and comes with an easy setup installation routine.

Hit Read More for a list of supported display adapters and download link.


NVIDIA_NV11.DEV_0110.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce2 MX/MX 400"
NVIDIA_NV11.DEV_0111.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 100/200"
NVIDIA_NV11.DEV_0113.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro2 MXR/EX"
NVIDIA_CR11.DEV_01A0.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce2 Integrated GPU"
NVIDIA_NV17.DEV_0170.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 460"
NVIDIA_NV17.DEV_0171.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440"
NVIDIA_NV17.DEV_0172.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420"
NVIDIA_NV17.DEV_0173.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440-SE"
NVIDIA_NV17.DEV_0178.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro4 550 XGL"
NVIDIA_NV17.DEV_017A.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro NVS"
NVIDIA_NV18.DEV_0181.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8X"
NVIDIA_NV18.DEV_0182.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440SE with AGP8X"
NVIDIA_NV18.DEV_0185.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 4000"
NVIDIA_NV18.DEV_0188.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro4 580 XGL"
NVIDIA_NV18.DEV_018A.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro NVS with AGP8X"
NVIDIA_NV18.DEV_018B.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro4 380 XGL"
NVIDIA_CR17.DEV_01F0.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 MX Integrated GPU"
NVIDIA_NV20.DEV_0200.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce3"
NVIDIA_NV20.DEV_0201.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 200"
NVIDIA_NV20.DEV_0202.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 500"
NVIDIA_NV20.DEV_0203.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro DCC"
NVIDIA_NV25.DEV_0250.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600"
NVIDIA_NV25.DEV_0251.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4400"
NVIDIA_NV25.DEV_0253.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200"
NVIDIA_NV25.DEV_0258.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro4 900 XGL"
NVIDIA_NV25.DEV_0259.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro4 750 XGL"
NVIDIA_NV25.DEV_025B.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro4 700 XGL"
NVIDIA_NV28.DEV_0280.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4800"
NVIDIA_NV28.DEV_0281.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8X"
NVIDIA_NV28.DEV_0282.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4800 SE"
NVIDIA_NV28.DEV_0288.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro4 980 XGL"
NVIDIA_NV28.DEV_0289.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro4 780 XGL"
NVIDIA_NV30.DEV_0301.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5800 Ultra"
NVIDIA_NV30.DEV_0302.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5800"
NVIDIA_NV30.DEV_0308.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 2000"
NVIDIA_NV30.DEV_0309.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 1000"
NVIDIA_NV31.DEV_0311.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 Ultra"
NVIDIA_NV31.DEV_0312.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600"
NVIDIA_NV31.DEV_0314.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT"
NVIDIA_NV34.DEV_0321.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra"
NVIDIA_NV34.DEV_0322.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200"
NVIDIA_NV34.DEV_0323.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200LE"
NVIDIA_NV34.DEV_0326.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500"
NVIDIA_NV34.DEV_0327.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5100"
NVIDIA_NV34.DEV_032A.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro NVS 55/280 PCI"
NVIDIA_NV34.DEV_032B.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 500/FX 600"
NVIDIA_NV35.DEV_0330.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900 Ultra"
NVIDIA_NV35.DEV_0331.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900"
NVIDIA_NV35.DEV_0332.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900XT"
NVIDIA_NV35.DEV_0333.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra"
NVIDIA_NV35.DEV_0334.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900ZT"
NVIDIA_NV35.DEV_0338.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 3000"
NVIDIA_NV35.DEV_033F.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 700"
NVIDIA_NV36.DEV_0341.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra"
NVIDIA_NV36.DEV_0342.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700"
NVIDIA_NV36.DEV_0343.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE"
NVIDIA_NV36.DEV_0344.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700VE"
NVIDIA_NV36.DEV_034E.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 1100"
NVIDIA_NV40.DEV_0040.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra"
NVIDIA_NV40.DEV_0041.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800"
NVIDIA_NV40.DEV_0042.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 LE"
NVIDIA_NV40.DEV_0043.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XE"
NVIDIA_NV40.DEV_0045.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT"
NVIDIA_NV40.DEV_0048.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XT"
NVIDIA_NV40.DEV_004E.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 4000"
NVIDIA_NV41.DEV_00C1.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 "
NVIDIA_NV41.DEV_00C2.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 LE "
NVIDIA_NV41.DEV_00C3.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XT "
NVIDIA_NV41.DEV_00CD.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 3450/4000 SDI"
NVIDIA_NV41.DEV_00CE.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 1400"
NVIDIA_NV43.DEV_0140.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT"
NVIDIA_NV43.DEV_0141.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6600"
NVIDIA_NV43.DEV_0142.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE"
NVIDIA_NV43.DEV_0143.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6600 VE"
NVIDIA_NV43.DEV_0145.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6610 XL"
NVIDIA_NV43.DEV_014E.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 540"
NVIDIA_NV43.DEV_014F.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6200"
NVIDIA_NV44.DEV_0160.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6500"
NVIDIA_NV44.DEV_0161.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6200 TurboCache(TM)"
NVIDIA_NV44.DEV_0162.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6200SE TurboCache(TM)"
NVIDIA_NV44.DEV_0163.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6200 LE"
NVIDIA_NV44.DEV_0165.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro NVS 285"
NVIDIA_NV44.DEV_0221.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6200 "
NVIDIA_G70.DEV_0091.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX"
NVIDIA_G70.DEV_0092.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT"
NVIDIA_G70.DEV_009D.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500"
NVIDIA_NV48.DEV_0211.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 "
NVIDIA_NV48.DEV_0212.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 LE "
NVIDIA_NV48.DEV_0215.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT "
NVIDIA_C51.DEV_0240.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6150"
NVIDIA_C51.DEV_0241.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE"
NVIDIA_C51.DEV_0242.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6100"
NVIDIA_BR02.DEV_00F1.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT "
NVIDIA_BR02.DEV_00F2.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6600 "
NVIDIA_BR02.DEV_00F3.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6200 "
NVIDIA_BR02.DEV_00F4.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE "
NVIDIA_BR02.DEV_00F8.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 3400/4400"
NVIDIA_BR02.DEV_00F9.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Series GPU"
NVIDIA_BR02.DEV_00FA.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce PCX 5750"
NVIDIA_BR02.DEV_00FB.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce PCX 5900"
NVIDIA_BR02.DEV_00FC.1 = "NVIDIA GeForce PCX 5300"
NVIDIA_BR02.DEV_00FD.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro PCI-E Series"
NVIDIA_BR02.DEV_00FE.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 1300"

The file is hosted at free download service website Rapidshare. To download click the "Free" button and wait for the countdown to reach zero. Then your download link will appear. Usually this takes 30secs or less.

Download: Beta ForceWare 81.86 WHQL Windows 2000/XP

Contemporary CPUs And New Games: No Way To Delusions

New games come out one after another. In order to keep pace with the time Xbit Labs has tested 28 CPUs in 5 latest and more promising games: Battlefield 2, F.E.A.R., Serious Sam 2, Call of Duty and Quake 4. To test the contemporary CPUs in the latest graphics applications they used a testbed built with one of the fastest graphics cards of today: NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT with 256MB of graphics memory onboard. Also, in order to eliminate all potential bottlenecks of the test platform Xbit Labs selected the mainboards that have already stood the test of time and have proven to be the best solutions for enthusiast systems. They are: Socket 939 mainboard from DFI based on NVIDIA nForce 4 Ultra chipset and ASUS mainboard based on i955X Express chipset.

Find out now which CPU can be called “the gamer’s best choice”!

Futuremark Interview + Next 3DMark Shot

The good chaps over at Beyond3D have posted part 2 of their interview with Futuremark. They have also posted the very first tech preview screen shot from the next 3DMark. Here's a snip from the interview:

We think it's time to spill the beans (or at least, show us the can label) for
the next 3DMark? What snippets can you tell us - what shader model are you
considering as the default option (SM2.0 again)? What kind of effects are you
going to highlight this time - parallax bump mapping, tone mapping, soft shadow
edges?

I don’t think it is a secret that we have been working very hard
to bring out one more DirectX9 3D benchmark before we move over to the next big
thing, Windows Vista. I don’t want to spill all the beans about the next 3DMark
yet, since the benchmark is not done, and there are some things that may still
change. The minimum required shader model will be 2.0, but we will also have a
couple of graphics tests requiring SM3.0 with support for FP16 textures and
blending of these.

Updates For Microsoft Office 2003

Update for Office 2003 (KB907417)

Microsoft has released an update for Microsoft Office Excel 2003 and for Microsoft Office Word 2003. This update corrects a potential problem in which an add-in, a smart tag, or a smart document may not load if it uses the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0.

Download: Update for Office 2003

Update for Outlook 2003 Junk E-mail Filter (KB907492)

This optional update provides the Junk E-mail Filter in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 with a more current definition of which e-mail messages should be considered junk e-mail. This update was released in November 2005.

Download: Outlook 2003 Junk E-mail filter

Another Apple QuickTime Flaw Found

Less than three weeks after Apple Computer issued an update to patch four security flaws in its QuickTime media player, a new "critical" problem has been discovered. The unpatched vulnerability could allow remote execution of code, according to an advisory published Monday by eEye Digital Security. It affects various versions of Apple QuickTime running on all types of operating systems, the company said, but did not specify which versions in particular were at risk.

This newly discovered flaw could allow an attacker to pose as the logged-in user and launch remotely executable code. An intruder, for example, could access and do everything that a user could do on his computer. If the user had administrator rights, the hacker could also access everything that the administrator could.

"The Apple flaw works with their latest version of QuickTime," said Steve Manzuik, eEye product manager. "The only similarity with the earlier flaws is it's in QuickTime."

Apple told CNET News.com that it was not prepared to comment at this time. Manzuik said that on Monday Apple acknowledged receipt of eEye's advisory, but gave no indication of when, or if, it plans to patch the flaw. "It is something they will undoubtedly have to patch," he added.

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Q&A

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Q&A on XboxGamers is a conversation with Bethesda Softworks that took place before the recently announced delay to the RPG sequel to early 2006. Many of the questions focus on their console system of choice and how the Xbox360 version will differ from the PC edition: "The differences will be pretty minimal. We like to create the game we want to make and put it on as many platforms as possible without changing the game. So, same quests, same functionality, etc. We’ll have downloadable content for both versions so you can add new things to your existing game. The big thing for the Xbox 360 is that it’s a known level of performance, whereas the PC could be any of 10,000+ combinations of hardware, OS, etc. But the game itself will be the same."

CPU-Z 1.31 Released

CPU-Z is a diagnostic tool that provides information on your CPU, including: processor name and vendor, core stepping and process, processor package, internal and external clocks, clock multiplier, partial overclock detection, processor features, supported instructions sets, L1 and L2 cache information, location, size, speed, and technology.

Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool 1.10

The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom—and helps remove any infection found. When the detection and removal process is complete, the tool displays a report describing the outcome, including which, if any, malicious software was detected and removed. Newly added detection and cleaning capabilities for the following malicious software:

•Bugbear
•Codbot
•Mabutu
•Opaserv
•Swen

Microsoft November Patchday

As previously announced Microsoft has released one security hotfix for Windows 2000, XP and Server 2003. The bulletin rating is critical and is titled: Vulnerabilities in Graphics Rendering Engine Could Allow Code Execution (896424). The update fixes 3 security issues.

Microsoft Core XML Services (MSXML) 6.0 Released

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) was originally envisioned as a language for defining new document formats for the World Wide Web. XML is derived from the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), and can be considered to be a meta-language: a language for defining markup languages. SGML and XML are text-based formats that provide mechanisms for describing document structures using markup tags (words surrounded by '<' and '>'). Web developers may notice some similarity between HTML and XML, which is due to the fact that they are both derived from SGML.

MSXML 6.0 (MSXML6) has improved reliability, security, conformance with the XML 1.0 and XML Schema 1.0 W3C Recommendations, and compatibility with System.Xml 2.0.

Nvidia Launches GeForce 6800GS For The Holiday Season

Nvidia Corporation yesterday announced the immediate availability of the new NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GS graphics processing unit (GPU), the latest addition to the Company’s award-winning line-up of GPUs. Just in time to power the holiday’s hottest gaming titles, the new GeForce 6800 GS has astonishing horsepower and dramatically shifts performance expectations for graphics cards at midrange price points. The 6800GS was launched as a counterpart to ATI's Radeon X1600XT.

Based on the award-winning GeForce 6 architecture, the GeForce 6800 GS GPU features advanced gaming technologies—including Shader Model 3.0, high-dynamic range (HDR) lighting, and NVIDIA Scalable Link Interface (SLI™) multi-GPU technology. The GeForce 6800 GS GPU also has a 256-bit memory interface and a dedicated video processing engine that delivers high-definition video playback. The card has 5 geometry and 12 pixelprocessing pipelines. It is clocked at 425/500Mhz which places it between the vanilla GeForce 6800 and the GeForce 6800GT. GeForce 6800 GS-based graphics cards are available for immediate purchase at approximately $249 USD from many of the world’s leading add-in card makers.

Below a list of launch reviews for the GeForce 6800GS:

The Tech Report's GeForce 6800 GS Review
Driver Heaven's GeForce 6800 GS Review
Hot Hardware's GeForce 6800 GS Review
Firing Squad's GeForce 6800 GS Review
Anandtech's GeForce 6800 GS Review
Bit Tech's GeForce 6800 GS Review

Troubleshooting When Windows XP Hotfix Installations Fail

Microsoft has released a new knowledge base article which describes how to troubleshoot hotfix installations. I experienced this behaviour four weeks ago and could not find a solution. The problem arises due to a file permission misconfiguration. Here are the details:

The installation may fail in the following scenario under Windows XP Or Windows Server 2003:

• You are using a computer that is running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or Microsoft Windows XP.

• You try to install a hotfix package by using a version of the Update.exe program that is earlier than version 6.1.22.0.

Additionally, you may experience the following symptoms:

• During an attended installation, you receive the following error message:

Setup cannot copy the file branches.inf.

The message prompts you to retry or to cancel the operation.

• During an unattended installation, the Update.exe program fails and displays error code 0x1603. Error code 0x5 is displayed if you used the /er switch.

Cause: This problem occurs because the %windir%\Inf\Branches.inf file is set to read-only.

By default, the Branches.inf file is in the extracted installation package. If the read-only flag is set on the Branches.inf file, installations always fail. The only way to verify the cause of the error is to open the %windir%\KB######.log file for the package and see whether the file contains the following text:

DoInstallation: LoadOrInstallBranchesInf failed to install;
error=0x00000005.

Resolution: To resolve this problem, remove the read-only flag from the Branches.inf file on the computer. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the prompt, type attrib –r %windir%\inf\branches.inf, and then press ENTER.

Alternatively, you can use Windows Explorer to remove the read-only flag. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the %windir%\Inf folder in Windows Explorer.
2. Right-click the Branches.inf file, click Properties, and then click to clear the Read-only check box.

After you remove this read-only flag, the hotfix package installs correctly.

Microsoft's AntiSpyware Rebranded 'Windows Defender'

Microsoft Corp.'s Windows AntiSpyware technology has been renamed "Windows Defender" and has been expanded to detect and remove rootkits, keystroke loggers and other forms of malware. The revamped application will be bundled into the Windows Vista operating system, but users will be free to choose a competing spyware protection product from a redesigned Windows Security Center.

Jason Garms, group program manager for Microsoft's anti-malware technology team, made the announcement in a blog entry that also included confirmation that rootkit detection will be fitted into the product.

As previously reported, Microsoft will use rootkit detection technology from its Strider Ghostbuster research project. Strider Ghostbuster is a prototype tool developed by Microsoft's Cybersecurity and Systems Management Research Group.

The revamped product will be fitted with a new user interface and a significant change to the way malware signature updates are delivered. "The engine is now moved to a system service, and signatures are delivered over Windows Update. The detection mechanisms have also been radically improved by applying to spyware threats all the great detection technology we use in our anti-virus engine," Garms added.

Although the changes are being geared for Windows Vista, Garms said the enhancements will also be available to existing Windows XP users via a software refresh.

Tweak Windows Media Center Edition PowerToy 2.0

Tweak MCE gives you access to systems settings and options not normally exposed in the Windows XP Media Center Edition user interface, including remote control settings, Skip and Replay time customizations, user interface options, and more. It also helps you to optimize Media Center Extender for plasma and non-CRT displays.

New Windows XP SP2 Update (KB898439) - Unofficial

A new unofficial hotfix is now available for Windows XP SP2. Unofficial means that this hotfix is not yet officially downloadable from the MS Download Center or Microsoft Update. It is however 100% genuine.

Title: If you set the ATA_FLAGS_48BIT_COMMAND ATA flag, the returned PreviousTaskFile member is incorrect in Windows Server 2003 or in Windows XP

Symptoms: You can use the IOCTL_ATA_PASS_THROUGH structure or the IOCTL_ATA_PASS_THROUGH_DIRECT structure to send raw ATA commands to disk drives in a program. The ATA_FLAGS_48BIT_COMMAND ATA flag is introduced to enable 48-bit Logical Block Addressing (LBA) support in these structures. However, if you set the ATA_FLAGS_48BIT_COMMAND ATA flag in these structures, the returned PreviousTaskFile member in the ATA_PASS_THROUGH_DIRECT structure or in the ATA_PASS_THROUGH_EX structure is incorrect in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or in Microsoft Windows XP.

Cause: This problem occurs because of a bug in the Atapi.sys file. The bug causes the PreviousTaskFile member to be populated with incorrect data.

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes: Atapi.sys v5.1.2600.2714. Get the download via the headline link at Rapidshare. Click on "Free" and wait a few seconds for the download link to appear. It's free. Use this hotfix at your own risk.

Nero: Urgent Virus Warning

Ahead Software has issued the following warning to customers: Criminals are currently sending virus contaminated e-mails which appear to originate from Nero (e.g. register @ nero.com or sales @ nero.com ). Please delete such e-mails immediately and do not under any circumstances open the attachments.

Nero does not send any e-mails with attachments concerning registration.

Test Post

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World Of Warcraft Hackers Using Sony BMG Rootkit

World of Warcraft hackers have confirmed that the hiding capabilities of Sony BMG's content protection software can make tools made for cheating in the online world impossible to detect. The software--deemed a "rootkit" by many security experts--is shipped with tens of thousands of the record company's music titles.

Blizzard Entertainment, the maker of World of Warcraft, has created a controversial program that detects cheaters by scanning the processes that are running at the time the game is played. Called the Warden, the anti-cheating program cannot detect any files that are hidden with Sony BMG's content protection, which only requires that the hacker add the prefix "$sys$" to file names.

Despite making a patch available on Wednesday to consumers to amend its copy protection software's behavior, Sony BMG and First 4 Internet, the maker of the content protection technology, have both disputed claims that their system could harm the security of a Windows system. Yet, other software makers that rely on the integrity of the operating system are finding that hidden code makes security impossible.

New Matrox Graphics Drivers Available

Matrox has released new WHQL certified drivers for their Parhelia and Millenium P650 and P750 graphics cards running on Windows XP and 2000.

Lavasoft Launches Personal Firewall Solution

Lavasoft, the world leading anti-spyware vendor has established a partnership with Agnitum, the leader in security and privacy software for home and office PCs. Lavasoft will integrate Agnitum’s Outpost Firewall Pro engine – re-branded as Lavasoft Personal Firewall.
Lavasoft’s strategy is to forge and establish strong, significant alliances to deliver better protection to existing and new customers. For Agnitum, the partnership is a strategically important supplement to their existing and extensive product range.

Lavasoft Personal Firewall, is targeted for small and medium-sized business organizations and home users, providing seamless and powerful protection for both. This firewall product comes with simple configuration, "tick in the box" options and powerful, easy to use controls. Coupled with Ad-Aware SE Plus or Ad-Aware SE Professional, it is a great help to keep the home PC and small office free from intrusive Internet worms, Trojan horses, hijackers, cyber thieves, online extortionists, and more.

The Lavasoft Personal Firewall is now available as a standalone product and bundled with Ad-Aware.

Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client 1.5 RC1 Released

Thunderbird is Mozilla's next generation e-mail client. Thunderbird makes emailing safer, faster and easier than ever before. It features intelligent spam filters, built-in RSS reader, quick search, and much more. Thunderbird 1.5 RC 1 is meant for the early adopter community, and Extension developers. Here's what's new in Thunderbird 1.5 RC 1:

• Automated update to streamline product upgrades. Notification of an update is more prominent, and updates to Thunderbird may now be half a megabyte or smaller. Updating extensions has also improved.
• Sort address autocomplete results by how often you send e-mail to each recipient.
• Spell check as you type.
• Saved Search Folders can now search across multiple accounts.
• Built in phishing detector to help protect users against email scams.
• Podcasting and other RSS Improvements.
• Deleting attachments from messages.
• Integration with server side spam filtering.
• Reply and forward actions for message filters.
• Kerberos Authentication.
• Auto save as draft for mail composition.
• Message aging.
• Filters for Global Inbox.
• Improvements to product usability including redesigned options interface, and SMTP server management.
• Many security enhancements.

Microsoft Patch Day November 2005: 1 'Critical' Bulletin Planned

Next Tuesday, the Redmond, Wash.-based software maker plans to issue a solitary bulletin to cover a "critical" flaw in the Windows operating system. As is customary, the company is not releasing details on the vulnerability until Nov. 8.

Socket M2 Processor Roadmap; FX-62 And Athlon 64 X2 5200+

Socket M2, the 940 pin DDR2-ready Athlon 64 Socket, will launch a little bit later than we originally expected with mass production just starting in late April. However, even though the launch has been slightly delayed from the original March timeframe, there is still good news for those on DDR1; Socket 939 will stick around well into Q1'07 on the performance desktop - and well beyond that for Sempron. In fact, AMD's latest roadmap goes all the way to Q2'07 with Socket 939 Sempron. The new Pacifica enabled DDR2 processor code names expected to launch during the end of Q2'06 will be:

• Windsor: Dual Channel DDR2, Pacifica enabled Socket M2 dual core
• Orleans: Dual Channel DDR2, Pacifica enabled Socket M2
• Manila: Dual Channel DDR2 Sempron, Socket M2

The new chips will debut on NVIDIA's recently announced M2 platform, complete with MCP55 and C51XE.

Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX 512 MB Pictured

Our colleagues at MVKtech.net forums managed to get the picture of Nvidia's upcoming Geforce 7800 GTX 512 MB card. But Nvidia made the site take it off. However, you can find the original thread and the picture via the headline link.

The card has a monstrous cooler and we believe we have seen this card before, someone leaked it before but Nvidia has categorically denied it and said that this is a Quadro cardbut we now know it is not.

The same chaps managed to grab a BIOS from an XFX Geforce 7800 GTX 512MB and the chaps learned that XFX card obviously clocked even higher than the specs, it's working at 580MHz core and 1730MHz memory in 3D, the throttle frequency is 500MHz core and 1730MHz memory while in 2D card, you switch to a 275MHz core and 1730MHz memory. Since you can already download that BIOS here this means that XFX cards are almost available and that the company is just waiting for Nvidia's whistle to start selling them in retail. A week or two from now anyway.

Source: The Inquirer

Sony Unit To Distribute Software Patch For Hidden "Rootkit"

We reported earlier about Sony Music and their cloaking music CD copy protection that installs on Windows PC's when Sony Music CD's are played here. Now after a chorus of criticism, Sony Corp.'s music division said Wednesday it is distributing a free software patch to reveal hidden files that automatically installed to hard drives when some of its music CDs were played on personal computers. The offending technology was designed to thwart music piracy. Sony BMG Music Entertainment and its partner, UK-based First 4 Internet, said they decided to offer the patch as a precaution, not because of any security vulnerability, which some critics had alleged.

The controversy started Monday after Windows expert Mark Russinovich posted a Web log report on how he found hidden files on his PC after playing a Van Zant CD. He also said it disabled his CD drive after he tried to manually remove it. Russinovich made the discovery while running a program he had written for uncovering file-cloaking "RootKits." In this case, the Sony program hid the antipiracy software from view. Similar technology also has been used by virus and worm writers to conceal their code.

The copy protection technology, which limits how many times a CD can be copied, was included on about 20 titles, including discs from The Bad Plus and Vivian Green, among others. Gilliat-Smith and Sony BMG spokesman John McKay said the technology had been on the market for about eight months and there had been no major complaints prior to Russinovich's blog post. Still, a newer, similar technology was in the process of rolling out before the latest controversy erupted.

The patches that reveal the hidden files are being made available to antivirus companies as well as customers who visit the Sony BMG site. They do not remove the copy protection software, however. McKay said customers can request a program to safely uninstall everything by visiting the Sony BMG Web site at http://cp.sonybmg.com/. That site, however, requires a form to be filled out and submitted.

Users can download the anti-cloaking patch at this location.