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Former Microsoft Employee offers fix for XP SP3 Reboot Issue

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(TheForceField.Net) May 15, 2008 — A former security employee for Microsoft issued a fix for computers plagued by the constant reboot issue caused by Windows XP Service Pack 3 yesterday.  In a series of posts in his blog, Jesper Johanssen, Microsoft Security MVP and former Microsoft employee, discussed the reboot problem and released a script written in Visual Basic to resolve it.

The issue is caused when Windows XP Service Pack 3 is installed on a PC with an AMD processor. It affects certain OEM computers in particular, most notably HP. The problem was first reported the day after the re-release of SP3 to the mainstream and was the cause of much angst among Windows users in a Microsoft TechNet forum, leading to speculation that once again, Microsoft had released another buggy service pack.

In reality, it may actually be the OEM at fault. The problem appears to manifest itself after Service Pack 3 is installed on a computer with an AMD processor and pre-installed with an XP image that was originally created on an Intel based PC. The image installs intelppm.sys, a driver for power management in Intel PCs and amdk8.sys, a power management driver for AMD based computers. Running intelppm.sys on an AMD processor will cause it to reboot constantly. In reality it causes a STOP error 0x0000007e, however if the computer is configured to automatically restart it will endlessly reboot too fast to display the blue screen.  If you set the computer to "disable the automatic restart on system failure" and you see that error code, you have the issue.

You can download the fix from his web site at Jesper's Blog .

 

 

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Windows XP SP3 causes reboots on AMD PCs

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(TheForceField.Net ) May 9, 2008 — Windows XP Service Pack 3 causes an endless cycle of reboots when installed on certain computers with AMD processors, according to users in a Microsoft TechNet forum who experienced the issue after installing Service Pack 3.

The new service pack, which was pulled two weeks ago for a compatibility issue with another Microsoft product was re-released to the public Tuesday. According to users who posted in the forum, the issue is most prevalent with AMD systems. Several reported the issue with an Asus ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard. At least one user experienced the issue with an Asus board and an Intel processor.

Users said they were unable to fully boot the PC, even in Safe Mode. One user known as Fragem said "I downloaded SP3 from the update website last night and went to restart, and got to "How do you want to start Windows", tried all options, and they all reboot my computer". 

Several posters said they were able to get into their computer after connecting a USB flash drive. There was one caveat. "You have to keep the memory stick everytime that you boot the computer", said someone called esadof. "If you take it off, it comes back to the endless loop."

Users were understandably upset, given the recent recall of Windows XP Service Pack 3 a few days after its initial release to the public. "WAY TO GO MICROSOFT!  You know, most people in the business world would be FIRED for this kind of lousy programming!!!", user known as Olykev wrote. "I'm not sure I have enough faith in you people to try reinstalling sp3 again and will NEVER go to your POS vista", Olykev added. "Dirty money grubbing Microsoft.  Build an OS that works for pete sake!"

A Microsoft  employee allegedly asked users on the forum to submit more information but did not comment further.

 

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OpenOffice.org Releases version 3.0 beta

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(TheForceField.net ) May 7, 2008 — The OpenOffice.org Community announced the release of OpenOffice.org 3 beta to the public this morning. OpenOffice.org 3.0 is the latest release of the open source office suite originally developed by Sun Microsystems and is considered by many to be one of few serious competitors of Microsoft Office.

In an e-mail announcement distributed to members of the OpenOffice.org community Marketing Group, John McCreesh, OpenOffice.org Marketing Project Lead, told members of the marketing group that the beta was released publicly to provide a broader base for testing the new version but was not intended for use in a production environment.

OpenOffice.org Logo

According to McCreesh, New features to the office suite include an ability to display multiple pages in the word processor called Writer,  a solver component and an increase to 1024 columns in the Calc spreadsheet,  chart enhancements and an improvement to the crop feature used in Draw and the Microsoft Powerpoint-like presentation program known as Impress.

The new version will support ODF 1.2 and will work with Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac and Microsoft Office binary file formats.

In the e-mail, McCreesh told members of the Marketing Group that the new version would also be more compatible with OS X.  "OpenOffice.org 3.0 will be the first version to run on Mac OS X without X11, with the look and feel of any other Aqua application. It introduces partial VBA support to this platform", McCreesh wrote. "In addition, OpenOffice.org 3.0 integrates well with the Mac OS X accessibility APIs, and thus offers better accessibility support than many other Mac OS X applications", he added.

According to McCreesh, OpenOffice.org 3.0 is due for release in September.

The Office suite is released under the GNU/GPL and is freely available. OpenOffice.org v3.0 beta is currently available for download in English for Windows, Linux, OS X and OpenSolaris at http://download.openoffice.org/3.0beta . 

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CompTIA Certifications Earn ANSI Accreditation

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Internationally recognized measurement of quality for CompTIA A+, Network+ and Security+ certifications

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. (Vocus/PRWEB ) April 30, 2008 — The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the leading provider of vendor-neutral certifications for the world’s technology workforce, announced today that three of its professional certifications – CompTIA A+, Network+ and Security+ – have achieved accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

CompTIA Logo

Accreditation of the three certifications is the culmination of a multi-month process to verify compliance with requirements outlined in internationally accepted standards for assessing personnel certification programs (ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024); and for the operation of accreditation bodies (ISO/IEC 17011).

“The ANSI accreditation process provides certification bodies with an internationally recognized measurement of quality and benchmarks by which to evaluate and improve their practices,” said Dr. Roy Swift, ANSI director of personnel certification accreditation. “Accreditation by an independent body that conducts an impartial review under the auspices of ISO/IEC 17011 and ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 creates an extremely valuable distinction for a personnel certification program. This value extends through the service network – from certification body, to certificate holder, to employer, to the public they serve.”

ANSI is a global leader in the accreditation of personnel certification programs and is the only U.S. accreditor that requires a week-long assessor training as well as a mandatory annual training update to meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011.

“We are extremely pleased that our certification programs have achieved this important accreditation,” said John Venator, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA. “This highly-desired status further affirms that CompTIA certifications are the recognized industry benchmark for a broad range of foundation-level IT skills.”

CompTIA A+ certification validates skills needed by computer support professionals, including installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance, basic networking, security, safety, environmental issues, and communication and professionalism.

CompTIA Network+ validates an IT professional’s ability to install, configure and troubleshoot basic networking hardware, protocols and services.

CompTIA Security+ validates knowledge of communication security, infrastructure security, cryptography, operational security, and general security concepts.

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the voice of the world’s $3 trillion information technology industry. CompTIA membership extends into more than 100 countries and includes companies at the forefront of innovation; the channel partners and solution providers they rely on to bring their products to market; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their technology investments. For more information, please visit www.comptia.org.

Contact:
Steven Ostrowski
Director, Corporate Communications
CompTIA
Phone: 630-678-8468
Email: sostrowski @ comptia.org

Windows XP SP3 to be released next week, according to Neowin

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(TheForceField.net ) April 16, 2008 — Technology news site Neowin.net posted a list of release dates for Windows XP Service Pack 3 yesterday. According to the schedule, SP3 is scheduled for release April 21, 2008.

The announcement, posted by Christopher Vendemio on April 15, claims the information was obtained internally from Microsoft. According to the schedule, Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3 will be available to OEM's, Volume License, Connect, MSDN and TechNet Subscribers next week. SP3 will be released through Microsoft Update, Windows Update and Download Center April 29.

Other sources pegged the middle to end of April as possible release dates of SP3. Microsoft declined to formally announce a specific date, saying only that the long awaited service pack for the seven year old operating system  would be released sometime in the first half of 2008.

Microsoft said SP3 would be the final service pack and major update of Windows XP. The popular OS is scheduled for End of Life Support June 30, 2010 or soon after the release of Windows 7, which according to Microsoft is scheduled for release sometime between 2009 and 2010.

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IEEE Computer Society to Launch Professional Certification for Entry-Level Software Developers

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Certified Software Development Associate Certification Will Validate Job Seekers' Expertise; Aid Employers in Identifying Competent Applicants and Focusing Employee Training

Los Alamitos, Calif. (PRWEB) April 15, 2008 — The IEEE Computer Society, the world's leading organization of computing professionals, today launched a new professional certification for entry-level software developers to complement its existing certification for mid-career software professionals.
Formal announcement of the Certified Software Development Associate (CSDA) program will take place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas on Tuesday, 13 May at 5 p.m. in conjunction with the IEEE Computer Society's annual meeting. The first CSDA exam will be held the same day, featuring students from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It will be administered at the Rio by testing partner Prometric.

The Computer Society developed the certification in response to industry's requests for a way to evaluate the skill and knowledge of those entering the software field. The CSDA exam covers core software-engineering principles and validates an entry-level candidate's knowledge of the foundations of computer science, mathematics, and engineering. It is designed to complement the Computer Society's Certified Software Development Professional program.

"Software engineers should take the CSDA because it offers them the opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency in, and commitment to, software-engineering principles," said Susan K. (Kathy) Land, CSDP and president-elect of the IEEE Computer Society. "Individuals should strive to separate themselves and to show that they possess this fundamental understanding. This can be accomplished by taking the CSDA and then ultimately the CSDP."

Steve Tockey, chair of the CSDA Certification Committee and a principal consultant with Construx Software, said the CSDA has distinct benefits for both job seekers and potential employers. "For the job seeker, it independently verifies their capability to perform as a professional, enhances their credibility, and opens doors to professional growth opportunities," he said. "The CSDA gives employers independent assurance that an employee can perform on real-world projects."

Land, principal software and systems engineer at MITRE Corp., said there's a difference between individuals who can code and individuals who understand the engineering discipline as it's applied to the software lifecycle. She added that employers are searching for well-rounded information technology experts. Unlike vendor- or application-specific certifications, a broad range of topics are covered by the CSDA, which is based on the IEEE's Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge. The CSDA certification was developed through rigorous adherence to internationally accepted procedures. It features a self-directed learning system that consists of print modules, an online course, and instructor materials. Prometric will administer the exam through its thousands of testing centers around the world. Individuals interested in the CSDA can visit http://www.computer.org/csda and sign up to take the exam at their convenience. Proctors can be also arranged for companies interested in having groups of their employees take the exam.

About the IEEE Computer Society
With nearly 85,000 members, the IEEE Computer Society is the world's leading organization of computing professionals. Founded in 1946, and the largest of the 39 societies of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the CS is dedicated to advancing the theory and application of computer and information-processing technology, and is known globally for its computing standards activities.

The CS serves the information and career-development needs of today's computing researchers and practitioners with technical journals, magazines, conferences, books, conference publications, and online courses. Its Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) program for mid-career professionals and Certified Software Development Associate (CSDA) credential for recent college graduates confirm the skill and knowledge of those working in the field. The CS Digital Library (CSDL) provides an excellent research tool, containing more than 145,000 articles from 1,500 conference proceedings and 29 CS periodicals going back to 1988.

About Prometric
Prometric, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ETS, is the recognized global leader in technology-enabled testing and assessment services. Its comprehensive suite of services, including test development, test delivery and data management capabilities, allows clients to develop and launch global testing programs as well as accurately measure program results and data. Prometric reliably delivers and administers tests on behalf of 450 clients in the academic, professional, healthcare, government, corporate and information technology markets. It delivers tests flexibly via the Web or by utilizing a robust test center network in 135 countries.

Worldwide PC Shipments to Exceed 485 Million Units by 2012, According to a New Report

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Global Personal Computer shipments are poised to grow at a robust rate over the next 4 years, driven mainly by a boom in the notebook computers segment. A general slowdown in growth rate of desktop PC shipments in the developed markets is expected to be offset by a strong performance in emerging regional markets, particularly in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Other key factors driving the PC market include replacement of older systems, high growth in Asia-Pacific and Latin American regions, lower prices, and a relatively stable short-term economic outlook in major regional markets.

San Jose, California (PRWEB) April 15, 2008 — The PC industry is highly volatile and is characterized by strong competition, pricing pressures, changing customer preferences, rapid technological developments, competition from well established high-tech and electronics companies and continuous disputes over intellectual property and antitrust issues. With a large number of competitors, the market is characterized by price pressures from competitors and price sensitiveness on part of the customers. Robust growth in the desktop and notebooks segments continues to fuel the global PC market. Demand for notebooks has also increased mainly due to lower pricing, wireless capabilities, and the increasing need for mobility.

Frequent product launches, changing industry standards, and high level of price competition in the PC market has resulted in short product life cycles and frequent reduction in selling prices. Despite high growth rates in recent years, the market has not stabilized and is sensitive to decline in sales or sales growth. Manufacturers constantly face the risk of excessive inventories, due to the unpredictability of market conditions.

Europe is the largest regional market in terms of unit shipments with an estimated share of 28.5% in 2007 while Asia-Pacific is projected as the fastest growing market over the next 4 years. PC Shipments in the Unites Sates totaled an estimated 66.66 million units in 2007 and are projected to exceed 82.8 million units by end of the year 2012.

Desktop PCs constitute the largest product segment in terms of unit shipments with an estimated share of 55.1% in 2007 while Notebook PCs are projected to be the fastest growing segment with a CAGR of 18.04% over the years 2000 through 2010. Easing prices, shrinking performance gap in relation to desktops, increased access through retail channels and enhancing wireless connectivity continue to drive notebook PC sales. PC server shipments are projected to exceed 17.5 million units by 2012, as against an estimated 9.6 million units in 2007.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) reclaimed the No. 1 slot in 2007 in the Worldwide PC market in terms of unit shipments, trailed by Dell. A strong performance in both consumer and business PC segments in almost all regional markets fueled a shipment growth at HP, overriding a spying scandal on its board of directors, which resulted in the resignation of chairwoman, Patricia Dunn in 2006. An accounting investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission only added to Dell's profit performance woes in 2006. Cost cutting strategies aimed at bolstering market share eroded the company's profit margins in United States, its No. 1 market.

Aided by acquisition of Gateway, Acer currently ranks third in terms of unit shipments, overtaking Lenovo in 2007. Companies such as Dell and Acer have employed new sales distribution channels. Dell recently commenced selling through giant retail chains. Drastic retail expansion propelled Dell's volume sales in consumer segment while channel partnership initiatives boosted commercial segment.

"Personal Computers: A Global Strategic Business Report" published by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., analyzes the global market with hard-to-find data and analytics for key regional markets such as the United States, Japan, Europe and others, alongside up and coming markets such as Asia-Pacific and Latin America. The report provides a comprehensive review of market trends and issues, drivers, business profile, players, competitive landscape, recent developments, mergers, acquisitions, alliances, product launches and other strategic industry activities. Analytical estimates and projections are presented in terms of unit shipments over the years 2000 through 2010, along with long-term projections over the years 2011 through 2015. Product segments independently analyzed include Desktop PCs, Notebook PCs, and PC Servers.

For more details about this research report, please visit http://www.strategyr.com/Personal_Computers_Market_Report.asp.

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a reputed publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company is globally recognized as one of the world's largest market research publishers. The company employs over 700 people worldwide and publishes more than 880 full-scale research reports each year. Additionally, the company also offers a range of over 60,000 smaller research products including company reports, market trend reports, and industry reports encompassing all major industries worldwide.

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Telephone 408-528-9966
Fax 408-528-9977
Email press @ StrategyR.com
Web Site www.StrategyR.com

Firefox Add-On is on Fire with One Million Downloads and Counting

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The popularity of iMacros for Firefox, an innovative Firefox add-on that automates online activities within the web browser, is growing by leaps and bounds. Since the product's launch enthusiastic users have already downloaded the software more than one million times.

Heidelberg, Germany (PRWEB) April 14, 2008 — The popularity of iMacros for Firefox, an innovative Firefox add-on that automates online activities within the web browser, is growing by leaps and bounds. Since the product's launch in November, 2006, enthusiastic users have already downloaded the software more than one million times.

Internet users who struggle with the boredom of repetitive online activities are increasingly embracing iMacros as the long-awaited solution to their problems. Anyone who faces tedious, repetitive, and time-consuming tasks online can now fully automate those tasks so that they are completed with the simple click of a button.

As stated in the product's tagline, "Whatever you do with Firefox, iMacros can automate it," yet the number and variety of uses continues to astound the creators of the original add-on. Their site for iMacros script-sharing on del.icio.us is a treasure trove of useful user-created macros, including those for extracting online stock quotes, comparing prices at online stores, and getting daily downloads of page rankings, among many other tasks.

Mozilla, the software company behind the Firefox web browser, collects and categorizes Firefox add-ons, where iMacros is a Recommended Add-On and one of the ten most downloaded extensions in the "Bookmark," "Privacy and Security" and "Web Developer" categories on the Mozilla site. No doubt this has contributed to the rapid adoption of iMacros, as demonstrated by the millionth registered download earlier this week. Currently more than 50,000 new users download iMacros each week.

iMacros for Firefox is unique because it pioneers social scripting, which allows users to share macros and scripts in a way that is similar to how they share bookmarks on the many social-bookmarking websites. With a single click, users can share their macros in a link via email, websites, or a blog.

The iMacros for Firefox software is free for personal and commercial use. Users may opt to upgrade to the business version with guaranteed response times and advanced features. Additional information and the software download link are available online at http://www.iopus.com/imacros/firefox. Alternatively, the software may be downloaded directly from the official Mozilla site for extensions at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3863.

About iOpus – iOpus is a global provider of web automation, data extraction and web testing solutions. Every day, millions of Internet macros run all over the world using iOpus' iMacros products. The company's client roster includes one-fourth of the Fortune Global 500 companies. Additional company information is available online at http://www.iopus.com/company/.

Canonical Announces Ubuntu Desktop Training

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Online Course Designed for Corporate and Home Users

London, UK (PRWEB) April 14, 2008 — Canonical Ltd., the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, today announced training for corporate and home desktop users to get started with Ubuntu.

The Ubuntu Desktop Training program provides simulations, practical exercises and information to make daily tasks easy. No prior knowledge of the Linux-based operating system is required, although computer literacy is a pre-requisite. The course is more effective if Ubuntu 7.10 is installed on the computer hard disk before starting.

"This desktop training is designed with new users in mind, so they can experience first hand how easily Ubuntu, and free software, can fit into their work and personal lives," said Billy Cina, training manager, Canonical.

By the end of the comprehensive, self-paced course, users will be able to:
– Understand the concepts of open source and how they tie in with Ubuntu
– Customize the look and feel of the Ubuntu desktop
– Navigate through the file system and search for files
– Connect to and use the Internet
– Perform basic word-processing and spreadsheet functions using OpenOffice.org
– Install and play games
– Add, remove and update applications
– View, draw, manipulate and scan images
– Play, edit and organize music and video files
– Seek help on Ubuntu from free and commercial sources
– Create partitions and dual-boot options

Pricing and Availability
The retail price for this course is $100 and can be purchased through shop.canoical.com. Bulk discounts for corporations are available upon request. Any queries regarding this and other Ubuntu training courses should be directed to: training@ubuntu.com.

About Canonical Ltd
Canonical Ltd, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, is a global organisation headquartered in Europe committed to the development, distribution and support of open source software products and communities. World-class 24×7 commercial support for Ubuntu is available through Canonical's global support team and partners. Since its launch in October 2004 Ubuntu has become one of the most highly regarded Linux distributions with millions of users around the world. Ubuntu will always be free to download, free to use and free to distribute to others. With these goals in mind, Ubuntu aims to be the most widely used Linux system, and is the centre of a global open source software ecosystem. For more information visit www.canonical.com or www.ubuntu.com.

Contact:
Bill Baker
Baker Communications Group
860-350-9100

lefora Reforms Forums

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Today, lefora launched a free service that allows anybody to create their own free forum hosting and participate in many-to-many discussions in under a minute. This is a free, easy and much-needed solution for the 200 million+ forum users.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) April 9, 2008 – Today, lefora launched a free service that allows anybody to create their own free forum and participate in many-to-many discussions in under a minute. Aimed at the 200 million+ users of forums (a market bigger than Facebook, LinkedIn, and Bebo combined), lefora aims to transform an often-overlooked part of the Internet which has remained unchanged for over 10 years, as well as introduce new users to these vibrant communities.

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While blogs have seen strong uptake with their one-to-many conversational style, they do not address the online communication needs for most communities to hold a discussion. Unlike social networking sites, to participate in a forum, there is no requirement to join a social network, create a profile, launch a blog, or subscribe to anything. It is this simplicity that has attracted so many millions of people. However, by lowering the barrier to create and participate in a forum, lefora is also opening up new opportunities for communities and interest groups to use free forums for their discussions. Whether it's a technical support forum, discussing how to deal with problems using Apple's Leopard, parents trading parenting secrets, or fans following their favorite band, forums facilitate many-to-many discussions in a way that is not offered anywhere else.

The current process of creating a forum involves lengthy and cumbersome software installations, coupled with monthly hosting fees charged by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). lefora removes these barriers while introducing new functionality that has never previously been available. lefora is also introducing new features to users of traditional forums, such as: news and blog importers to kickstart conversations, automatic newsletters for forum administrators, as well as tools for rich media, including visual text editors and the ability to embed videos.

"lefora will do for forums what Blogger did for blogs, but with a pre-existing audience of over 200 million forum users to get it going," said David Shen, investor in lefora and previously head of Yahoo User Experience and Design. "Millions of forums currently exist on the Web, with some of the top forum sites receiving millions of pageviews each day. lefora's goal of making the creation of forums really simple, means that this number is set to sky-rocket."

"Forums have been around since Roman times, yet the online equivalent is still antiquated compared to the rest of the Web," said lefora founder and CEO Paul Bragiel. "lefora is bringing forums into the 21st century, and providing their millions of users with an experience that everybody else takes for granted."

About lefora
lefora is founded by a core team of Internet and games pioneers who have finally had enough of hanging out in online places that time has left behind. lefora's mission is to transform one of the largest and most active parts of the Internet – forums – and let anybody create their own forum in under a minute.

lefora is a privately-held company based in San Francisco, CA and is backed by high-profile angel investors and advisors.

For additional information please visit http://www.lefora.com.