While creating the logo, the relation to Windows Live should be evident. Another must was that it should be in a square frame so to get a nice favicon as well. And the last requirement was that it had to look good when used in right-to-left mode, which is necessary for Arabic and other languages.

For this logo, I kept Segoe UI, being Microsoft’s default font currently, so this was the best match. The logo itself was designed and created by Mauro Júnior, who took great delight in realizing his inspirations. A big thanks to him!

The logo change is timed just at the right moment. The current set of updates to Windows Live — dubbed “Wave 4” — being nearly finished, and with news about a new generation of applications at the dawn, I felt that the simple Windows flag with “4” on it had to be replaced by something more remarkable. What do you think?

Today Microsoft unvealed its new format for the MSN.com homepage in a public preview.
What are the most interesting changes?

• First of all, the new MSN is lighter.  All this stuffed, bloated site is gone.
• A new, simplified MSN butterfly logo has been introduced, trademarked on October 12.

• Easy pastel colors highlight the topic areas of the site.
• A prominent Bing search bar has been embedded on top.
• There is a local version of the site with information around your city/region (see photo below).
• You have a number indicator how many unread mail you got in your Hotmail, right on the top.
• Widgets for Hotmail, Windows Live, Facebook and Twitter give you fast access to your social networks, with a single mouse click.  Of course, Facebook and Twitter are accessed with their respective authentication flows (Facebook Connect and Twitter OAuth).

In my opinion, MSN is now a worthy homepage, with info you want and access to stuff you need.  What do you think?

Windows 7 is generally available since yesterday. Never have the expectations for a new operating system been as high as this time, as we as end users have never been integrated into finding ideas for a new Windows, like we have this time. On top of that, Windows Vista has moved to the storage siding and is called a big flop by some people. Surely expectations climb up then—can Windows 7 embrace them?

Comparing the editions

What should run with Windows Vista is also suitable for the new Windows. That is because the system requirements have not been elevated, like normally. The lights are green for programs as well: Either a software runs directly, or you can convince it to run with the integrated Windows XP. Just in case. That’s called “Virtual XP Mode.”

But not every Windows 7 edition contains this mode. Which versions exist, and what are their differences? The editions important for us are Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate.

Windows 7 Home Premium

The successor of Windows Vista Home Premium will be the version sold most. It is preinstalled on PCs by manufacturers, and includes all features necessary to work and play.

Windows 7 Professional

The professional edition can do everything that Home Premium can, and additionally supports Windows Virtual PC as well as data backup and restore on network places.

Windows 7 Ultimate

The high-end edition has all that and on top of it, the BitLocker encryption. Furthermore, you can install more language packs here and for example use your Windows in German—without any reinstall, just a logoff/reboot is required.

Other versions

Thanks to the European Union, there are the “N” variants, coming without Windows Media Player and more media features. They cost the same as the normal versions, so rather don’t touch them.

Windows 7 Home Basic, Starter and Enterprise remain, where the first 2 are only interesting for developing countries and the last one is only offered to companies that can take advantage of extended network features.

Buy Windows 7

What does Windows 7 cost?

That depends totally on your home country. Sorry… =)

All editions are also available as OEM versions. These are normally only meant for computer manufacturers, but depending on your local laws, they might also be sold independently of hardware. You have no right for support by Microsoft, in exchange, the OEM versions are much cheaper than editions in the colored boxes.

You’re a student? Even better. If you have the corresponding legitimations, you can get Windows 7 for as low as $29.99 USD. More info on this special offer at www.win741.com.

Is my computer ready?

You can find out if your computer is ready to run Windows 7 with Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. This is a free program that checks your system for known problems. If something is found, you get a notice. This way, you know where problems might arise even before you install Windows.

Some update tips:

• Please take some minutes for backing up your data. If you don’t and something goes wrong, you’re going to have a problem. (We don’t want to hope, but who knows.)
• You are using Windows Vista: Upgrading to Windows 7 is possible.
• You are using Windows XP: You cannot upgrade to Windows 7 directly. The system must be reinstalled.
• You want to take your settings and data with you? Have a look at Windows EasyTransfer (for Windows Vista and Windows XP). Moving is easier with this tool.

Summary

Long awaited, now published—the new Windows sounds solid. That is what the prerelease tests confirm as well. How Windows 7 will work in the wild remains to be seen.

What do you think about Windows 7? Tweet me your opinion!

1. Open the registry.
   • Windows XP: Click Start, Run. Enter regedit, then click OK.
   • Windows Vista: Click Start, type regedit into the search box, then press Enter.
2. Now open the folder User Shell Folders. Use the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/User Shell Folders.
3. Now, a list with several entries appears on the right side. Double-click AppData.
4. At Value, enter the following and click OK:
   • Windows XP: %USERPROFILE%\Application Data
   • Windows Vista: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming
5. In Windows Vista, do the same for the entry Local AppData with its value %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local.
6. Close Windows Registry Editor, and reboot your computer.

Source: http://messengermaximal.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!40F43EC9BA81D814!8064.entry

We immediately requested that the credentials be removed and launched an investigation to determine the impact to customers. As part of that investigation, we determined that this was not a breach of internal Microsoft data and initiated our standard process of working to help customers regain control of their accounts.

On October 1, data sets of customers whose e-mail addresses start with A or B had been published on pastebin.com, a service storing any kind of text snippets. According to Microsoft, the data are like to have been stolen with a widespread phishing attack. In the meantime, the Windows Live team has locked access to all compromised accounts, whose domains ended in hotmail.com, msn.com and live.com.

Make your Windows Live Hotmail account safe

If your account has been locked by Microsoft to prevent abuse, follow these simple steps to unlock it:

1. Open the site https://support.live.com/eform.aspx?productKey=wlidvalidation&ct=eformcs&scrx=1.
2. Fill in the form as accurately as possible, then submit it.

What to think about

• Make sure to renew your Hotmail password every 90 days. I will write a step-by-step guide about this shortly.
• You cannot find out whether a contact of yours has blocked you in Windows Live Messenger. Sites and services claiming to be able to tell you this are fake and were only created to steal your Windows Live password.
• Enter your Windows Live password only on websites when the URL starts with “https://login.live.com/” and is marked by a valid security certificate.
• Install and keep your anti-virus software up-to-date, e.g. by using Microsoft Security Essentials.
• If you use the same password for other services, too (not recommended anyways!), change it there.

1. Start Windows Live Mail.
2. Right-click on its icon in the notification area.
3. In the opening context menu, check the item Hide window when minimized.
4. Now minimize Live Mail’s Inbox window—done!

• End of Life reached
• What people think
• Technical reasons
• Get Messenger 2009
• In case of problems

End of Life reached

Starting September 15, 2009, users are required to have the latest version of Messenger installed on their computer in order to sign in and continue using the Messenger service. To download the latest version of Messenger, go to the Windows Live Messenger website.

—help.live.com

Messenger 2008, introduced in late 2007, has many friends. Easy to use, clean glossy design. However, now has come the time to say good-bye to this version that was replaced by Messenger 2009 in January, as the Messenger servers will no longer accept clients using Messenger 8.1—Messenger 8.5 will follow shortly.

What people think about Messenger 2008

I have asked some people what they think of Messenger 2008. Here is what they said:

WLM 8.5 was user-friendly and efficient, while Messenger 2009 is more efficient and comes with a much sleeker design.

—Gregory Sampson, Messenger user

When Messenger 2008 came out, I was very enthusiastic, but then Messenger 2009 has topped this.

—Dennis Ziolkowski, Messenger user

It has now been a while since I used Messenger 8.5. I have completely switched to version 14, except for development purposes.

—Yousef El-Dardiry, BuddyFuse developer

Messenger 8.5 was the first sign of Microsoft maturing in how they designed the client itself. It was good while it lasted, but people really need to move on now…

—Will Ingles, interface and graphic designer

I miss the shared folders, otherwise I am very happy with 2009. I never had problems with it up to now.

—Max Messenger, Community evangelist

I always like the new Messenger versions when they are released, so I also liked Messenger 8.5 when it came out. With the current version in mind, though, I don’t like Messenger 2008 anymore…

—Frank Mänz, Product Manager Windows Live, Microsoft Germany

Messenger has been updated a lot, but it is not enough. Features such as contact card, what’s new, groups feature… need a complete update.

—Zhu Yan, Editor LiveSino.net

Technical reasons to upgrade Messenger

There is a security issue found in the Microsoft’s Active Template Library, which is only fixed in the latest version of Messenger.

Get Messenger 2009

You can get Messenger 2009 by downloading its installer from http://download.live.com/messenger.

In case of problems…

Several people have informed me about various error codes when trying to sign in to Messenger with the new version. Here are some troubleshooting tips if you cannot sign in properly:

• Reboot your computer and retry.
• Check for Windows Updates. For example, Messenger 2009 requires at least Windows XP Service Pack 2. To install the latest available updates, visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/, using Internet Explorer (even if you are using a different browser normally).
• In the error window, click on and take note of the displayed Error code. Then paste this error code into a web search engine (like Bing), type a space, the word “Messenger”, and submit your query.
• Visit http://people.live.com/ and try using the Web Messenger embedded there.
• I will make more information about solving Messenger sign-in problems available shortly—stay tuned!

1. Apri la foto cliccandoci due volte sopra.
2. Scegli il menu Strumenti cliccando sulla voce del menu.
3. Clicca su Ritaglia foto.
4. Fai uno o più dei seguenti passi:
   • Scegli una proporzione dal menu a tendina corrispondente per cambiare la dimensione della foto conformemente. Le dimensioni predefinite sono le migliori per tagliare una foto poiché essa si adatta completamente alla pagina di stampa, senza tagliare nessun lato.
   • Se intendi selezionare una dimensione a piacere, clicca su Personalizzato nel menu Proporzione. Poi, trascina i lati del fotogramma di ritaglio finché la foto non ha la dimensione che desideri.

   

   • Se cambi le dimensioni di una proporzione predefinita, il rapporto viene preservato.
   • Clicca Ruota fotogramma per scambiare tra la posizione orizzontale e verticale per il tuo ritaglio.
5. Clicca Applica.

Fonte: http://windowsliveblog.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!720E46AE746458F7!5771.entry

Screencast — Messenger 2009: Szene einstellen

Erste Schritte mit Messenger-Szenen

1. Melde dich bei Messenger an.
2. Zeige mit der Maus auf die obere rechte Ecke deiner Kontaktliste: Sie pellt sich.
3. Klicke auf das erscheinende Pinsel-Symbol.
4. Wähle aus einer der vielen vordefinierten Szenen, …
5. …oder klicke auf “Durchsuchen…”, um dein eigenes Lieblingsbild zu laden.
6. Klicke auf OK, und das gewählte Bild erscheint sofort in deiner Kontaktliste.
7. Deine Freunde sehen deine Szene auch in den Chat-Fenstern mit dir!

1. Doppio click sulla foto che vuoi modificare, e aprila.
2. Cliccca Modifica nella barra di Windows Live Photo Gallery, poi clicca su Correggi occhi rossi.
3. Ritaglia un rettangolino attorno all’occhio da correggere, dopodiché rilascia il mouse.
4. Ripeti questo passo un numero adeguato di volte necessario a rimuovere completamente l’occhio rosso. Non c’è bisogno di salvare la foto ora, i cambiamenti vengono applicati automaticamente.

Fonte: http://windowsliveblog.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!720E46AE746458F7!5729.entry

Ci siamo impegnati di procurare un’esperienza sicura, affidabile e positiva per tutti i nostri 300 milioni di utenti sparsi per il globo che utilizzano Windows Live Messenger ogni mese. Per portare a termine l’impegno, iniziato il 25 Agosto, abbiamo cominciato a chiedere ai nostri utenti di passare dalle versioni 8.1,8.5 e 14.0 di aggiornare all’ultima versione di Messenger.

Questo è ciò che ha annunciato il team di Windows Live Messenger in relazione al ritiro graduale delle vecchie versioni di Messenger nelle prossime settimane. Ecco una roadmap:

• 25 Agosto, 2009: Agli utenti di Messenger 8.1 e 8.5 verrà chiesto di aggiornare il loro client.
• Metà Settembre 2009: Agli utenti di Messenger 8.1 e 8.5 verrà richiesto di aggiornare la loro versione.
• Inizio Ottobre 2009: Agli utenti di Messenger 2009 (esclusa la build 8089) verrà chiesto di aggiornare.
• Fine Ottobre 2009: Agli utenti di Messenger 2009 (esclusa la build 8089) verrà chiesto di aggiornare obbligatoriamente.

Entro fine Ottobre 2009, con le seguenti versioni di Messenger non sarà più possibile connettersi:

• Windows Live Messenger 8.1.0178
• Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1302 (2008)
• Windows Live Messenger 9.0.1107
• Windows Live Messenger 14.0.5027 (2009 Beta)
• Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8050 (2009)
• Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8064 (2009 QFE1)

Nota: ci vorranno diverse settimane per completare il processo di aggiornamento, anche l’aggiornamento verrà lanciato agli utenti dopo diverse settimane.

L’aggiornamento è comunque possibile già da ora. Basta visitare http://download.live.com/ e scaricare l’ultima versione di Messenger.

Tutti i clienti di Windows Live Messenger con le versioni 8.1, 8.5 o 14.0 riceveranno una notifica di aggiornamento. A partire dal 25 Agosto, verrà consigliato di aggiornare il client a tutti gli utenti di Messenger 8.1 o 8.5. Gli utenti che hanno installato Windows Live Messenger (14.0) prima del 19 Agosto, 2009 comincieranno a ricevere la notifica da Settembre 2009. Gli utenti con versioni vecchie di MSN Messenger su Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, Windows Me o Windows 98 non riceveranno la notifica di aggiornamento.

Vi terremo aggiornati inviandovi una richiesta di aggiornamento quando la data si avvicina. Maggiori informazioni a riguardo sono disponibili sul blog Messenger says.

Fonte: http://messengersays.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!5B410F7FD930829E!82557.entry

“Questo messaggio contiene un allegato con un tipo di file considerato pericoloso. Il file è stato disattivato.”

Questo è ciò che leggo nel pannello di anteprima di Windows Live Mail, ogni (!) volta che ricevo una ricevuta di ritorno da un destinatario che usa Microsoft Outlook. Quale allegato viene bloccato? I file sembrano “ATT000XX.txt”!

Perché vengono bloccati dei semplici file di testo (*.txt)?!

“This message contains an attachment whose file type is considered dangerous. The file has been deactivated.”

This is what I read in the Windows Live Mail preview pane, each (!) time when I receive a read receipt from a recipient who is using Microsoft Outlook. What attachment is blocked? Files like “ATT000XX.txt”!

Why are text-only files (*.txt) blocked?!

• Windows Live Mail può importare correttamente le impostazioni degli account e-mail di Outlook Express che erano state trasferite da un Windows XP ad un nuovo Vista o Windows 7 usando il Windows Easy Transfer.
• Abbiamo parlato di un problema che alcuni utenti avevano avviando Windows Live Mail. In alcuni casi, dopo aver chiuso Windows Live Mail, il programma sembrava chiudersi, ma il processo di wlmail.exe continuava a rimanere aperto in background. Questo processo impediva un nuovo avviamento del programma, se si tentava di riaprirlo.
• Abbiamo risolto un problema che capitava con i sistemi Vista e Windows 7, dove Windows Live Mail non si connetteva in modo corretto ai server POP e-mail usando il secure socket layers (SSL). Questo problema è stato riscontrato da alcuni utenti Yahoo! Mail, ma con questo nuovo aggiornamento è tutto risolto.

Hai installato la nuova versione di Live Mail, ma il “tuo” bug non è stato ancora corretto? Riporta il tuo problema al team di Windows Live Mail e sarai sicuro di ottenere una risposta.

• Come posso aggiornare Messenger? Devo farlo?
  Puoi aggiornare Messenger scaricando il suo installer web. L’aggiornamento è raccomandato, ma non ancora obbligatorio.
• Funzioneranno gli add-on per Messenger con questa versione aggiornata?
  Sì. Ecco una lista degli add-on per Messenger che funzionano:
  • Messenger Plus! Live
  • MessengerDiscovery
  • LiveScratcher
  • BuddyFuse
• Funzioneranno le skin per Messenger in PLSK?
  Questo dipende dalla skin e dalle impostazioni di “restrizione”. Per esempio, Plus!Patch ha bisogno di un aggiornamento per lavorare con questa versione. (Se sei un utente esperto, potresti facilmente modificare il file SkinInfo.xml e farlo partire; il numero di questa build di Messenger è 8089.) Will Ingles nota:

  Tutti possono aggiornare in modo sicuro la loro versione senza preoccupazioni per le loro skin. Messenger Plus! sembra funzionare alla perfezione con questa nuova build.

• Posso tenere ancora spenti i frame di Windows Aero?
  Per tua convenienza, sto lavorando ad una versione aggiornata di Messenger Aero Switcher. Torna qui per maggiori informazioni a riguardo.