Michio Kaku: Tweaking Moore's Law and the Computers of the Post-Silicon Era - YouTube:
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Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Computer repair scammers claim to be from Microsoft
Telephone solicitation scams happen all the time, but now it seems a new type of phone fraud is starting to make itself known. Colorado's KKTV.com reports that this new phone scam involves a person claiming to represent Microsoft.
A woman by the name of Norma Charles recently received a call from a man who said he was from Microsoft. The man told Charles that her PC was just about to crash but that he could fix it by remotely going into her PC if she opened up her web browser to a specific site. The man then told her he could fix her problems for $300. It was at this point that Charles hung up.
Yet another similar scam was reported in a letter to the editor of Tampa Bay Online. This time the man, W. John Mullins, said a woman called him saying she was from "Windows" and basically offered him the same kind of remote PC repair service. Mullins then hung up but got another call the next day from a man who tried once again to go through the same scam.
Microsoft has sent out a statement about this kind of remote PC repair scheme, saying:
This is a known scam. Criminal organizations are using Microsoft's name to try to gain your trust. I can categorically confirm that neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls to help solve your computer problems. If you receive an unsolicited phone call that purports to be from Microsoft and requests that you send personal information, hang up the phone.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Death Watch: Microsoft to kill Windows XP in two years
The end is coming. Repent!
That's the message from Microsoft as it reminded consumers that its support for Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will end on April 8, 2014.
According to Microsoft marketing director Stella Chernyak that means the software giant will nix security updates, non-security hot-fixes and technical support after that date. So let the countdown begin. You now have less than two years to get your affairs in order and hightail it to more current software.
'Windows XP and Office 2003 were great software releases in their time, but the technology environment has shifted.'
- Stella Chernyak, Microsoft marketing director
Chernyak commented in a blog post that "Windows XP and Office 2003 were great software releases in their time, but the technology environment has shifted. Technology continues to evolve and so do people's needs and expectations." [How to Install Windows 8 Consumer Preview]
This should come as no surprise, since the announcement is consistent with Microsoft's 2002 support lifestyle policy that offers a minimum of 10 years of support (at least five years of mainstream support and five additional years of extended support).
But there's a large amount of users still using XP up to SP3, and not everyone will be happy about having to upgrade. And enterprise deployment can take anywhere between 18 to 32 months from business case through full deployment, so those who want to stick with Windows and Office should begin planning, well, now.
The company recommends switching to Windows 7 and Office 2010 rather than waiting for Windows 8. Microsoft wants to facilitate that migration and is thus offering a free download of Windows 7 and Office 2010.
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