Microsoft has now confirmed that they started working on Internet Explorer 9 and it seems that they have big plans for this browser. Three demo videos have been released by Channel 9 that show some of the Internet Explorer 9 developers showcasing some of the improvements that they already build into the web browser. The Sunspider Javascript benchmark comparison looks very interesting as the new Internet Explorer 9 JavaScript engine closes the gap to Firefox 3.6 Beta 1 to about 100 ms.

Standards and Interoperability

JavaScript performance:

Surfing On The GPU

The most interesting changes that have been announced so far:

• New Javascript engine
• GPU enhanced page rendering
• Better interoperability and web standards support

It is interesting that Microsoft is giving the public a chance to view the progress that they are making. They already changed their strategy during the Windows 7 development phase where they created blogs, videos and other means of showcasing the development progress and features to the public.

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System administrators can download the kit from the website which also provides access to an online help and other documentation to aid these administrators customize the Internet Explorer experience. To outline some of the customization that is possible with the Internet Explorer Administration Kit 8:

Administrators can use it to install custom components, select the language, search provider, homepage and support urls, install favorites or feeds, configure connection settings, change privacy, security and proxy settings or customize other features of Internet Explorer.

Detailed information about the various options are provided on the What Internet Explorer Administration Kit Can Do For You page on the Microsoft website. Microsoft has also released documentation and a IEAK 8 deployment guide to get administrators and technicians started.

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Additional differences become apparent in the web browser plugin development and availability. Some browsers offer thousands of plugins while others only a handful. Plugins can be a very effective way of adding additional protection to the web browser. This article is about the top 5 security plugins for the most popular web browsers. If you know of a plugin that is missing in the list let us (and everyone else) know about it in the comments.

Mozilla Firefox

No Script – The one add-on that many security experts do not want to live without. No Script can block script execution on websites. It does so on all websites by default with the option to enable specific scripts temporarily or permanently. The add-on can prevent script based attacks (most of them are) if used correctly.

Last Pass – The password manager for Firefox. It can generate and remember secure passwords, fill out forms and even auto login the user into websites. The three important security related features are secure password generation, password storing and auto login. Secure passwords have the weakness that they are hard to remember. It is simply easier to remember 123456 than f&z_cU!;re4xZ especially if you consider that unique passwords should be used one every website. With Last Pass users get unlimited secure passwords with the need to only remember the master password. The auto login feature can be very effective against phishing attacks as it won’t work on phishing websites that use a different url than the original.

No Redirect – A versatile add-on that handles several things at once. It will reveal the destination url of short url services and prevent that Internet providers and other companies use DNS hijacks to show their (search pages). This does happen for instance with many major ISPs if the user mistypes a domain extension.

Link Extend and Web of Trust – Link Extend and Web of Trust provide a similar functionality. They provide website ratings to inform the user about potentially dangerous websites. Both display ratings in major search engines but also in a toolbar for the active page.

CS Lite – Cookie permissions on a per-site basis. Allows the user to block or allow cookies permanently or temporarily.

Backup: Febe Firefox Backup. It is always a good idea to create regular backups to be prepared when data gets corrupted or deleted. Febe is a Firefox add-on that can backup all profile data of the web browser including bookmarks, settings, extensions and passwords.

Google Chrome

Last Pass – The Last Pass password manager is also available for the Google Chrome web browser. Extension support is currently only available for dev releases of the Google browser. The functionality on the other hand is similar to that of the Firefox add-on. It is possible to generate passwords, store them and use the auto login feature.

Flash Block – This is the closest to the No Script Firefox add-on. Flash Block will only block Flash content but not other script related objects.

McAfee Site Advisor bookmarklet – There are not many Google Chrome extensions yet. Bookmarklets try to close that gap by allowing all Google Chrome users – and not only those that use a dev version – to make use of additional features. This bookmarklet will display McAfee Site Advisor ratings when executed. Comparable to Wot or Link Extend with the difference that it has to be executed manually.

Adsweep and Adblock+ – Two options to disable most advertisement that is displayed on websites. These add-ons are more about the annoying objects on websites and less about security. They can however be helpful in situations were rogue ads are displayed that spread malware.

Backup: Fav Browser – Fav Browser 2 can backup and restore all settings of Google Chrome 2, 3 or 4.

Internet Explorer

Last Pass – Did we mention that we love Last Pass? The password manager is available as a plugin for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. It offers the same functionality on all supported web browsers including password generation and secure storage of passwords.

Web of Trust or Trend Protect – Both display ratings for the active websites and websites that are listed in the major search engines (Google Search, Yahoo Search, MSN). They can be used as an indicator if a site’s potentially dangerous to visit.

IE7 Pro – A great plugin for Internet Explorer (not only 7 but also Internet Explorer 8) that offers ad blocking and many additional features. It comes closes to the No Script Firefox add-on. The ad blocker includes a Flash Blocker. Another interesting module is userscript support which can be also beneficial to security.

Backup: Fav Backup – You can use the tool to backup and restore Internet Explorer profile settings.

Only four for Internet Explorer. Do you know of additional Internet Explorer security add-ons? Let us know in the comments.

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Seven different color coded ratings are used in the browser plugin. Most important ratings are green for a safe website, red for a dangerous website and yellow which indicates undesirable and suspicious contents.

The second indicator becomes only visible on the supported search engine results pages. Every url on these pages, even the advertisements, will be rated by TrendProtect to give the user an indication of the possible dangers on these websites.

The ratings of the service are calculated by taking page and site reputation, phishing scam detection and content categories into account. It is possible to influence some values in the options of the plugin. This includes selecting categories like gambling or adult as undesirable. Another option is the addition of websites to a list of trusted websites.

TrendProtect is available for Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 (although it is not mentioned on the page) only at this moment. TrendMicro has plans to port the plugin to the Mozilla Firefox web browser.

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One of the most advanced tools for that job is IEController by Matthias Withopf. The portable software program can be used to configure Internet Explorer rights that cannot be configured from within the web browser. It is an advanced users tool which lacks a help file and does not offer a lot of explanations in its interface.

It is still one of the best choices to secure Internet Explorer properly. The configuration is handled in several tabs that are displayed in the program’s interface after startup. It is for instance possible to define the features that are allowed for ActiveX applications, read access to files in the browser cache or temp folders, disallow write processes to Windows and system directories (including the Windows Registry), disallow registration and usage of browser helper objects or disable access to specific programs (like Acrobat Reader or Windows Media Player).

IEController comes with logging options (including logging wininet and winsock data) and various other options like preventing the sending of sensitive information unnoticedly over the Internet. The program for Internet Explorer can be downloaded (via Addictive Tips) from the (German) website of the project.

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Google Chrome Frame is basically an Internet Explorer plugin that allows Internet Explorer users to use the Google Chrome engine instead of the Internet Explorer engine. So far so good. The major problem here is that the Google Chrome engine only kicks in if it is detected by a website that is supporting it. The other limitation is that users need to be able to install plugins to use it. Home environments usually do not impose web browser limitations to the user which leaves corporate environments as the most likely targets.

These however usually secure Internet Explorer to a point where users cannot do fancy things like installing plugins or changing core settings. There might be businesses with lower security standards but the majority is probably dead serious about security.

Which leaves two types of users who might be a target.

• Users who work exclusively with Internet Explorer and like to use Google Chrome Frame on some websites to experience better performance and technology support.
• Users who are forced to work with Internet Explorer, like Google Chrome better and are allowed to install plugins.

The plugin has a size of about 500 Kilobytes and will download Google Chrome during the installation process. Check out the plugin’s homepage for additional information and downloads. It is compatible with Internet Explorer 8, 7 and 6. If you give it a try let us know how you feel about it. Google is a bit shy about test pages not listing a single one on the project page yet. Users do have the option to force the Google Chrome Frame plugin to take over by adding cf: in front of any url.

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It adds itself as a toolbar button which can be used to trigger the screen capturing process. It is possible to capture the visible area of the browser window or the entire website. This leads to another menu with options to edit, save, print, upload or email the captured area. It is furthermore possible to open the output directly in an external image editor.

Fireshot comes with a basic editor if the edit option has been selected. This opens the screen capture in a new window that contains a preview and buttons in an header area. It is possible to add text or images, highlight areas, add annotations or pointers to the screen capture.

Every option can be customized. The font, size, alignment and typographic elements like bold, underline or italic can be customized for example when adding text to the screen capture. It is then possible to use the same export options that are available directly from the Fireshot button.

Fireshot could be an interesting screen capture software for users who only need to take screen captures of websites. The only negative aspect is that the edit window of the free version of Fireshot blocks the web browser window. Firefox for Internet Explorer and Firefox can be downloaded from the developer’s website.

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There are various options to test a website in different versions of Internet Explorer. Some, like IETester, make it possible to install multiple versions of Internet Explorer on the same computer system. Others, like Browsershots, are online tools that can test a website in various web browsers as well.

A third possibility is now offered by Microsoft directly in the form of virtual PC images. Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 are provided as virtual PC images. It is possible to download a virtual PC image for each web browser running under Windows XP or Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8 images running under Windows Vista.

The Windows XP images have a size of around 600 Megabytes each while the Windows Vista images triple that size. The only limitation is an expiration date for the virtual PC images. The Windows XP images will expire in January 2010 while the Vista images will expire 120 days after their first execution. These expiration dates make the virtual PC images a less than favorable solution but its probably better than not testing the various editions of Internet Explorer at all.

Users who are interested in the virtual PC images can download them directly from the Microsoft website.

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The web browsers of the test were: Internet Explorer 8, Firefox 3.5.2 with and without adblock add-on, Google Chrome 2, Opera 9.64, 10.0b3 and Safari 4. Three laptops were used in the test. Two entry level Gateway laptops with AMD and Intel cpus and the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA netbook.

Gateway NV52

Gateway NV58

Asus EEE PC 1005HA

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 is the web browser that drains the least amount of battery on the two entry level laptops. Most other web browsers with the exception of Safari come close to that results, especially Firefox with the adblock add-on. The benefit of the adblock add-on suggests that web advertisement does have an impact on battery usage. Safari 4 is the only web browser in the test that performed worst in all three tests.

Google Chrome 2 was first in the netbook test with all other web browsers close by except for Safari which completely drained the battery of the netbook more than two hours earlier than the other web browsers.

Even if the test needs to be replicated with a larger website sample size it seems to indicate that laptop users are better off without the Safari web browser. Internet Explorer 8, Mozilla Firefox with adblock and Google Chrome were the best performing web browsers in the test.

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In this article we will deal with installing Internet Explorer with the help of Wine and IEs4Linux. The installation is not difficult and in the end you should have ever possible browser available to you for all your testing needs. Even though this installation will require the use of WINE you will not have to go through any complicated WINE set up. In fact the most difficult aspect of this setup is downloading and running a script that will take care of the most difficult part of the installation for you.

Preparing for the installation

The first thing you need to do is to make sure you have the right repositories in your /etc/apt/sources.list file. Open that file up and check to make sure the Universe repositories are uncommented. If you are using Januty (9.04) you will see the lines:

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ jaunty universe
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ jaunty universe
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ jaunty-updates universe
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ jaunty-updates universe

Makes sure none of those lines begin with the “#” character. If they do, remove that character and save the file. If you had to make changes to the file you will need to update apt with the command:

sudo apt-get update

Now you are ready to begin the installation.

Installing

The first thing you need to do is install a couple of applications with the help of apt-get. From within the same terminal you checked the sources.list file issue the following command:

sudo apt-get install wine cabextract

Once this has finished you need to download the IEs4Linux installation script from this site. When that file is downloaded go back to your terminal window and change to the directory that file was downloaded to and issue the following commands:

tar xvzf ies4linux-XXX.tar.gz

Where XXX is the release number.

cd ies4linux-XXX

Where XXX is the release number.

You are now inside the directory that contains everything necessy to install three different versions of Internet Explorer for Linux (5, 5.5, and 6 Sorry – no 7 or 8). Issue the following command:

./ies4linux

Figure 1

The above command will open the GUI installation tool (see Figure 1). From within this tool you can select which version(s) of Internet Explorer to install, the language, if you want Flash Player 9 installed, and where you want icons to be placed.

You can also click the advanced button for more options. Within the advanced section you can select to install IE7 which is very much in beta. I attempted this installation only to have python segfault. There is a hack for this but it’s not really worth the trouble. The problem is that IE7 is not yet supported by WINE. As soon as it is IEs4Linux will add this support.

Once you have made those choices click OK and the installation will proceed.

Figure 2

When the installation begins a new window will pop open (see Figure 2). The last line in this window instructs you how to run Internet Explorer. In my case the executable is located in /home/jlwallen/bin/ie6. There is a rather odd behavior I have found with this installation. Upon completion of IEs4Linux you may not be able to run Internet Explorer without the help of sudo. Do not do this. Before you run the ~/bin/ie6 command issue the following command:

sudo chown -R USER.USER ~/.ies4linux

Where USER is the user name you log in with (in my case jlwallen)

The problem is that some of the files/directories in the ~/.ies4linux directories are installed as the root user. Your standard user will not be able to issue those command or use those files. So changing the ownership of the files and directories within the ~/.ies4linux directory solves that issue.

Final thoughts

Having IE 6 on your machine will not solve a lot of problems. But having the ability to test features of your web sites with as many browsers as possible is always good. Hopefully IE 7 will be supported soon which will bring even more validity to the IEs4Linux project.

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Microsoft has released two charts that show the severity and exploitable index and the deployment priority. The former interesting for all users while the latter probably only for network administrators.

• Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-045 – Critical – Vulnerability in JScript Scripting Engine Could Allow Remote Code Execution (971961) – This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the JScript scripting engine that could allow remote code execution if a user opened a specially crafted file or visited a specially crafted Web site and invoked a malformed script. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
• Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-046 – Critical – Vulnerability in DHTML Editing Component ActiveX Control Could Allow Remote Code Execution (956844) – This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the DHTML Editing Component ActiveX control. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Web page. When a user views the Web page, the vulnerability could allow remote code execution. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged-on user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
• Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-047 – Critical – Vulnerabilities in Windows Media Format Could Allow Remote Code Execution (973812) – This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in Windows Media Format. Either vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opened a specially crafted media file. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
• Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-048 – Critical – Vulnerabilities in Windows TCP/IP Could Allow Remote Code Execution (967723) – This security update resolves several privately reported vulnerabilities in Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) processing. The vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if an attacker sent specially crafted TCP/IP packets over the network to a computer with a listening service. Firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect networks from attacks that originate outside the enterprise perimeter. Best practices recommend that systems that are connected to the Internet have a minimal number of ports exposed.
• Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-049 – Critical – Vulnerability in Wireless LAN AutoConfig Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (970710) – This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Wireless LAN AutoConfig Service. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a client or server with a wireless network interface enabled receives specially crafted wireless frames. Systems without a wireless card enabled are not at risk from this vulnerability.

The patches can be download and applied by visiting the pages that are linked above or by using any of the update options that are provided by Microsoft operating systems including Windows Update, Automatic Updates or Microsoft Updates. Additional information can be found at the Microsoft Technet page.

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Search Selected makes the process easier by enabling a global hotkey that will automatically launch a search for the selected phrase. Global hotkey means that search can be launched from any application in Windows where text can be selected.

Search Selected runs silently in the background until the keyboard shortcut [CTRL Shift C] is activated. The tool will automatically launch a search for the selected search phrase in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. The only option that is offered by the program is a selection of search engines including Google Search, Bing or Yahoo Search.

The only aspect of the program that some users might not like is the fact that searches are opened in Internet Explorer with no option to change the web browser. This happens even if Internet Explorer is not the default web browser.

The background process is lightweight and uses less than 5 Megabytes of computer memory. Users who are interested in the software program can download it from the developer’s website.

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Some plugins and add-ons help against these types of exploits and attacks. Notable is for instance the NoScript add-on for the Firefox web browser which disables script unless the user has explicitly given permission. The problem with these exploits on the other hand is that they might appear on trusted websites in the form of manipulated banner advertisement.

F-Secure Exploit Shield could be the solution against most of these attacks and exploits. The security software program, which is currently offered as a beta version for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, uses a vulnerability shield and proactive measures to protect computer systems against these forms of attacks,

Vulnerability shields offer patch equivalent protection. They are usually hotfixes created by F-Secure employees that protect against known web browser exploits. The proactive shield on the other hand uses heuristics to identify and block unknown or unidentified web browser exploits.

F-Secure Exploit Shield can be downloaded from the Labs section of the company’s website. It is currently compatible with 32-bit editions of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 and protects Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer web browsers on these computer systems.

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Xmarks, a company that is offering plugins to sync bookmarks between installations of Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Safari, have now announced that a limited beta release for the Google browser is available on their website. Limited beta in this case means that users with an Xmarks account can join the waiting list of the Google Chrome Xmarks beta plugin. They will be notified once they are able to download the plugin for the Google Chrome web browser.

The developers mention scaling and stability reasons for limiting the beta downloads in this stage. Google Chrome users who are interested in the plugin should sign up for the alpha on the Xmarks website. They also need to ensure that they are running a development build of the Google browser with extensions enabled. Several features of the bookmark syncing plugin are currently not included in the Google Chrome version of the plugin including missing support for custom bookmark servers, syncing profiles and the discovery feature.

Xmarks for Chrome is the first Google Chrome plugin that syncs bookmarks between different web browsers.

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The test analyzed the web browser’s phishing protection. Both Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 (that is Firefox 3.0.11 and not Firefox 3.5) managed to score an average block rate of 83% and 80% during the 14 days of testing. Opera 10 managed to block 54%, Google Chrome 26% and Safari a whopping 2%.

The average phishing URL catch rate for browsers over the entire 14 day test period ranged from 2% for Safari 4 to 83% for Windows Internet Explorer 8. Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 were the most consistent in the high level of protection they offered. Statistically, Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 had a two-way tie for first, given the margin of error of 3.96%. Opera 10 beta came in third due to inconsistent protection during the test. Chrome 2 was consistent, albeit at a much lower rate of protection, and Safari offered minimal overall protection.

The test analyzed the average response time to phishing attacks. Internet Explorer 8 finished first with an average response time of about 5 hours closely followed by Firefox and Google Chrome. It took Opera about double the time and Safari more than 10 times to protect against emerging phishing attacks.

Many users will criticize the test because it has been sponsored by Microsoft. This alone should not be reason to dismiss the findings as inaccurate. There have however been accusations of manipulated reports by NSS Labs in the past which are for example mentioned in a blog post at the Opera website. Some of the points of criticism like mixing beta and final versions or limiting test urls to a very low number are also valid points in the new report.

Even critics have to admit on the other hand that Microsoft has made progress with Internet Explorer 8. The web browser might still not be as fast as the others but it is definitely a solid web browser which could be the most secure web browser when it comes to protecting users from phishing attacks. It has to be noted that the test is only considering the automated protection.

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Some users might therefor like to switch to the new Google Search engine. The sandbox search engine can be opened directly by pointing the web browser to this url: http://www2.sandbox.google.com/

The manual approach works nicely but there is also the option to add the Google search engine to the web browser’s search box. The following guide will show how to add the new Google search engine to various web browsers:

Firefox

Firefox users can download the Add To Search Bar extension for Firefox. This add-on makes it super-easy to add new search forms to the search box in the Firefox web browser. All they need to do after installation is to visit the Google Sandbox search engine, right-click it and select Add to Search Bar from the context menu.

Opera

Opera users can right-click the Google search form to add the search engine to the Opera search box. The entry Create Search opens a menu that can be used to add Google Search to the search box. Users need to add a keyword for the search which will then appear as one of the search engines the Opera user can pick from.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome users need to right-click the address bar of the Google browser and select Edit Search Engines once they have opened the sandbox search engine. Google Chrome will automatically detect the new search engine and display it as one of the available search engines. The Google Sandbox search engine can then be added as a default search engine.

Internet Explorer 8

Internet Explorer 8 users need to open the following website in Internet Explorer [link]. The Google Search engine can be added by pasting the url of a TEST search in the Google Sandbox search engine in the URL field on the page and selecting a name for it. A click on Install will open a menu to add the Google Sandbox search engine to Internet Explorer.

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All Microsoft Fix It solutions can be accessed at the Microsoft Fix It Solution Center. The website does not display the fix it solutions in a comfortable way which is why all of them have been added to the list below. Each entry describes the problem and links to the fix it page at the Microsoft Support website.

Windows Update Fixes

• Error message when you use the Windows Update or Microsoft Update Web site to install updates: “0×8007000B” [link]
• Error message when you try to update a Windows XP-based computer: “0×80072EE4″ [link]
• MBSA 2 and other programs do not offer Windows Server 2003 SP2 as an update on a Windows Server 2003-based computer that has the Windows Server 2003 SP2 Blocker Toolkit installed [link]
• Error message when you try to perform a backup on a Windows Vista-based computer: “0×80071A91″ [link]
• Error when you download updates using Windows Update or Microsoft Update: 8000FFFF [link]
• How do I reset Windows Update components? [link]
• You are not offered the option to install Windows XP Service Pack 3 when you use Windows Update or Automatic Updates [link]
• Why doesn’t my computer detect my new USB device when I’m running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003? [link]
• Error message when you check for updates on the Windows Update site: “0X800A138F: There are no updates available at this time” [link]
• MapPoint or Streets & Trips does not respond or gives an error message about the license when you try to start the program [link]
• Description of the Receive Window Auto-Tuning feature for HTTP traffic on Windows Vista-based computers [link]
• I cannot open Help files that require the Windows Help (WinHlp32.exe) program [link]

Windows fixes

• How do I enable User Account Control in Windows Vista? [link]
• The Recycle Bin icon does not refresh automatically in Windows Vista or in Windows XP [link]
• The Bluetooth item in Control Panel on a Windows Vista SP2-based computer does not work as expected when you click the item [link]
• How can I disable wireless configuration services and enable the Windows XP Wireless Zero Configuration services [link]
• How do I enable the NUM LOCK key for the logon screen? [link]
• How do I open the firewall port for SQL Server on Windows Server 2008? [link]
• When I used the Online Media feature of Media Center Extender on a Windows Vista-based computer, I received an error message: “Video Error” [link]
• You may receive error messages when you install the .msp files that are contained in hotfix 950009 [link]
• Navigation is canceled when you browse to Web pages that are in different Internet Explorer security zones [link]
• 10060 Connection timed out error with proxy server or ISA Server on slow link [link]
• On a Windows XP-based computer, icons are displayed as a red X [link]
• Error message when you perform various System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2007 operations after you install DPM 2007 Service Pack 1: “An Unexpected error occurred during a VSS operation” [link]
• How do I reset Windows Update components? [link]
• Information about the discontinuation of Encarta Encyclopedia Research Service in Microsoft Office [link]
• You cannot open the “C:\Programme” folder in the German version of Windows Vista or Windows 7 Beta [link]
• How can I recover items that I have “hard deleted” in Outlook? [link]
• Error message when you start Outlook: “Unable to open the Outlook window,” “No profile has been created,” or “The list of Profiles cannot be loaded” [link]
• Microsoft Security Advisory: Vulnerability in Microsoft DirectShow could allow remote code execution [link]
• How to fix MSI software update registration corruption issues [link]
• How do I reset the hosts file back to the default? [link]
• Description of the Receive Window Auto-Tuning feature for HTTP traffic on Windows Vista-based computers [link]
• Terminal Services event messages 1100 or 1114 in Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 [link]
• You cannot open a PowerPoint attachment in Windows Mail in Windows Vista [link]
• How do I uninstall the 2007 Office suites if I cannot uninstall it by using the “Add or Remove Programs” feature? [link]
• An optional update is available to update the Daylight Saving Time for Bangladesh for the year 2009 for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 based computers [link]

Internet Explorer

• The Internet Explorer icon is missing from your desktop [link]
• Fix Runtime Errors in Internet Explorer [link]
• How to solve Internet Explorer 7 installation problems [link]
• How to reset Internet Explorer settings [link]
• How to solve Internet Explorer 8 installation problems [link]
• How can I configure my Internet Explorer browser settings after I have removed malicious software from my computer? [link]
• How to troubleshoot network connectivity problems in Internet Explorer [link]
• There are no options under Settings on the Advanced tab of the “Internet Options” dialog box in Windows Internet Explorer 7 [link]
• How do I move the Standard toolbar to a location that is above the Address bar in Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8? [link]
• After I install Windows Internet Explorer 7 on a computer that is running Windows XP with Service Pack 2, a “Restore My Active Desktop” button appears on the desktop [link]
• The menu bar and the toolbar are missing in Internet Explorer on Windows Vista or Windows XP or in Windows Explorer on Windows XP [link]
• How do I configure Internet Explorer to download more than two files at one time? [link]
• After you upgrade to Internet Explorer 7, hyperlinks do not work in Outlook Express [link]
• Navigation is canceled when you browse to Web pages that are in different Internet Explorer security zones [link]
• How to optimize Internet Explorer [link]
• You cannot log in to or connect to secured Web sites in Internet Explorer [link]
• A new window opened in Internet Explorer displays a blank white page [link]
• Outlook 2007 does not honor the folder structure that was created in Internet Explorer 7 for the RSS Feeds folder [link]
• The Windows Search feature does not work correctly, you receive script errors in Internet Explorer, or some information is missing after you upgrade to Windows XP or after you uninstall Norton SystemWorks 2003 from a Windows XP-based computer [link]
• When I tried to open Device Manager or the Computer Management window, I received an error message: “MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\devmgmt.msc” [link]
• You are not offered the option to install Windows XP Service Pack 3 when you use Windows Update or Automatic Updates [link]
• A Visio 2003 drawing control does not load and the Visio drawing contents are not displayed when you visit a Web page that contains the drawing control [link]
• Application errors occur after you run Xmlinst.exe on production servers [link]
• Error message when you check for updates on the Windows Update site: “0X800A138F: There are no updates available at this time” [link]
• How to determine and to recover from Winsock2 corruption in Windows Server 2003, in Windows XP, and in Windows Vista [link]

Configuration Manager

• Distribution Manager in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 may require several hours after startup before it begins to process packages [link]
• Stop error message when a Windows Server 2008-based computer randomly restarts: “0×000000BE ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY” [link]

Exchange

• The installation of the Exchange Server 2007 Hub Transport role is unsuccessful on a Windows Server 2008-based computer [link]
• Mail flow to certain domains does not work when you run Exchange Server 2007 on a Windows Server 2008-based computer [link]
• How can I recover items that I have “hard deleted” in Outlook? [link]
• Application errors occur after you run Xmlinst.exe on production servers [link]
• When users access their Free/Busy information, the Outlook Web Access service stops on the computer that is running Exchange 2007 [link]
• You cannot prevent Office Communicator 2007 from controlling the call forwarding settings [link]
• Outlook 2003 users may not be able to use Outlook in offline mode [link]
• Network connectivity fails when you try to use Windows Vista behind a firewall device [link]
• An update to turn off default SNP features is available for Windows Server 2003-based and Small Business Server 2003-based computers [link]
• Update for Windows Search 4.0, December 2008 [link]
• Client connections return a “STATUS_INVALID_PARAM” error code when you use a “Send NTLMv2 response only” authentication level in Windows Server 2008 or in Windows Vista [link]

Internet Application Gateway

• Endpoint detection fails when a client computer connects to IAG [link]

Microsoft Message Queuing

• How to avoid routing queries with no routing servers in the site [link]

SharePoint

• Problems occur when you try to open an Office document from a Web site hyperlink in a 2007 Office application on a Windows Vista-based client computer [link]
• Error message when you try to open multiple instances of an InfoPath 2007 form at the same time by using different input parameters [link]
• Description of the Receive Window Auto-Tuning feature for HTTP traffic on Windows Vista-based computers [link]
• After you upload encrypted files from a computer that is running Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 to a WebDAV share, the files remain encrypted [link]

Windows Server

• How do I open the firewall port for SQL Server on Windows Server 2008? [link]
• How to remove administrative shares in Windows Server 2008 [link]
• PS/2 mouse is not connected to a Windows Server 2008-based computer or a Windows Server 2003-based computer when the computer starts [link]
• An optional update is available to update the Daylight Saving Time for Bangladesh for the year 2009 for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 based computers [link]
• How to reset Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) [link]
• How do I disable balloon tips in the notification area in Windows XP or Vista? [link]
• MBSA 2 and other programs do not offer Windows Server 2003 SP2 as an update on a Windows Server 2003-based computer that has the Windows Server 2003 SP2 Blocker Toolkit installed [link]
• Microsoft Security Advisory: Vulnerability in Microsoft DirectShow could allow remote code execution [link]
• Terminal Services event messages 1100 or 1114 in Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 [link]
• Microsoft Security Advisory: Vulnerability in Microsoft Video ActiveX control could allow remote code execution [link]
• An update to turn off default SNP features is available for Windows Server 2003-based and Small Business Server 2003-based computers [link]
• The print queue status is displayed as “Offline” on a Windows Server 2003-based print server if SNMP is enabled and if the printer devices do not respond to SNMP commands [link]
• DCOM Error 10021 is logged when you run a WinRM command against a remote computer that has update 936059 applied [link]
• Stop error message when a Windows Server 2008-based computer randomly restarts: “0×000000BE ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY” [link]
• How to avoid routing queries with no routing servers in the site [link]
• 10060 Connection timed out error with proxy server or ISA Server on slow link [link]
• Error message when you try to view an ASP Web page that is hosted on IIS 6.0 or on IIS 5.0: “HTTP 500: Internal Server Error” or “The requested resource is in use” [link]
• When you send and receive e-mail messages by using a POP3 e-mail account, you receive one of the following error messages: “0×8004210A” “0×800CCC0B” or “0×8004210B” [link]
• How do I enable the NUM LOCK key for the logon screen? [link]
• When I used the Online Media feature of Media Center Extender on a Windows Vista-based computer, I received an error message: “Video Error” [link]
• You may receive error messages when you install the .msp files that are contained in hotfix 950009 [link]
• How can I disable wireless configuration services and enable the Windows XP Wireless Zero Configuration services [link]
• How do I enable User Account Control in Windows Vista? [link]
• The Recycle Bin icon does not refresh automatically in Windows Vista or in Windows XP [link]
• The Bluetooth item in Control Panel on a Windows Vista SP2-based computer does not work as expected when you click the item [link]

Office

• When you try to open an Office file that contains a damaged AutoShape object in Office 2003 Service Pack 3, you receive an error message: “ experienced an error trying to open the file” [link]
• The Templates dialog box does not appear for three or four seconds when you try to create new documents by using the templates in Office 2003 [link]
• Information about the discontinuation of Encarta Encyclopedia Research Service in Microsoft Office [link]
• How do I uninstall the 2007 Office suites if I cannot uninstall it by using the “Add or Remove Programs” feature? [link]
• Problems occur when you try to open an Office document from a Web site hyperlink in a 2007 Office application on a Windows Vista-based client computer [link]
• Description of the 2007 Office system hotfix package: June 10, 2008 [link]
• You cannot prevent Office Communicator 2007 from controlling the call forwarding settings [link]
• A graphic image changes unexpectedly when you copy it from Excel 2003 to another Office 2003 program in a spanned RDP session [link]
• The text in a Graph object in an Office 2003 application seems to overlap or seems to be squeezed together when you use Excel 2003 on a Terminal Services client that is running in Monitor Spanning mode [link]
• Project 2003 crashes when you expand many subprojects in a master project [link]
• Some text is unexpectedly inserted into a new e-mail message from OneNote 2007 [link]
• Error message when you click a hyperlink in an Office 2003 document: “The address of this site is not valid”" [link]
• Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook disables Outlook to search the Outlook data [link]
• The changes in the TOC and PageRef fields do not appear when you compare Word 2007 documents [link]
• A hotfix is available for Outlook 2003 that enables certain MAPI applications to create new items in a .pst file after the PstDisableGrow registry entry is configured [link]
• Project 2007 takes longer than expected to add new values to a lookup table [link]
• Pictures that have certain shadow settings display incorrectly in PowerPoint 2003 [link]
• A Visio 2003 drawing control does not load and the Visio drawing contents are not displayed when you visit a Web page that contains the drawing control [link]
• An Outlook 2003 user cannot open a network share from a hyperlink in an RTF e-mail message if the e-mail message is sent from an Outlook 2007 user [link]
• How do I fix the problem that I experience after I install an automatic update for Word 2007 on a Windows Vista-based computer? [link]
• How can I configure Outlook to read non-digitally-signed e-mail messages or nonencrypted e-mail messages as plain text in Office XP SP1? [link]
• Finish date of a project plan may change in Project 2003 [link]
• You cannot open a PowerPoint attachment in Windows Mail in Windows Vista [link]
• Error message when you start Outlook: “Unable to open the Outlook window,” “No profile has been created,” or “The list of Profiles cannot be loaded” [link]
• You may receive error messages when you install the .msp files that are contained in hotfix 950009 [link]

Outlook and Outlook Express

• A hotfix is available for Outlook 2003 that enables certain MAPI applications to create new items in a .pst file after the PstDisableGrow registry entry is configured [link]
• Error messages when you create a new MAPI form or you try to open custom forms in Outlook 2003 [link]
• Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook disables Outlook to search the Outlook data [link]
• An Outlook 2003 user cannot open a network share from a hyperlink in an RTF e-mail message if the e-mail message is sent from an Outlook 2007 user [link]
• After you upgrade Outlook 2003 to Outlook 2007, Outlook 2007 crashes when you start the program [link]
• Error message when you start Outlook: “Unable to open the Outlook window,” “No profile has been created,” or “The list of Profiles cannot be loaded” [link]
• Outlook 2007 does not honor the folder structure that was created in Internet Explorer 7 for the RSS Feeds folder [link]
• If you change the Appointments font setting for the calendar in Outlook 2007, the new font setting is not used when you print the calendar [link]
• Outlook 2007 may stop responding when you select an e-mail message that is restricted by Information Rights Management [link]
• A hotfix is available for Outlook 2007 that enables certain MAPI applications to create new items in a .pst file after the PstDisableGrow registry entry is configured [link]
• When you use Outlook 2007 to send an e-mail message, the recipient of the message sees an attachment that is called Winmail.dat [link]
• A hotfix is available to enable Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) messages to use INTERNALDATE as the delivery date of a message in Outlook 2007 [link]
• A Color Category that uses a dark color may print lighter than other Color Categories in Outlook 2007 [link]
• You cannot disable the “No end date” option for appointments, meeting requests, tasks, or task requests in Outlook 2007 [link]
• It takes much longer than expected to download an e-mail message from a POP3 server in Outlook 2007 [link]
• How can I configure Outlook to read non-digitally-signed e-mail messages or nonencrypted e-mail messages as plain text in Office XP SP1? [link]
• Outlook 2003 users may not be able to use Outlook in offline mode [link]
• How can I recover items that I have “hard deleted” in Outlook? [link]
• When users access their Free/Busy information, the Outlook Web Access service stops on the computer that is running Exchange 2007 [link]
• When you send and receive e-mail messages by using a POP3 e-mail account, you receive one of the following error messages: “0×8004210A” “0×800CCC0B” or “0×8004210B” [link]
• Network connectivity fails when you try to use Windows Vista behind a firewall device [link]
• Error message when you try to use a keyboard shortcut in an Outlook 2003 custom form that has an embedded Web Browser control: “The operation failed” [link]
• An e-mail message does not appear in a user’s mailbox if the e-mail message was sent on behalf of the user by a delegate in Outlook 2003 [link]
• Error message when you click a hyperlink in an Office 2003 document: “The address of this site is not valid”" [link]
• Hyperlinks do not work in Outlook Express or in Word [link]

Windows Media Player

• When I try to use Windows Media Player 11, the program does not start, or some UI elements are blank [link]
• Windows Media Player stops responding after you install a third-party product that registers its own version of the Wmp.dll file [link]
• How can I enable or disable automatic updates in Windows Media Player? [link]
• How to troubleshoot sound problems that you experience after you install a Windows Vista Service Pack [link]
• How can I disable changes in Windows Media Player that are introduced after I install security update 936782? [link]

Xbox

• You tried to set up your Xbox 360 console as a Media Center Extender, but the Setup program did not start [link]
• Error message when you try to install a program for the Xbox 360 Media Center Extender in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Service Pack 3: “There is a problem with the installation of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005″ [link]

Zune

• When you try to play music that you downloaded from the Zune Marketplace, you receive an error message: “C00D11B1” [link]
• Your CD drive or DVD drive is missing or is not recognized by Windows or other programs [link]

Games and Consumer Products

• How can I troubleshoot activation issues or error messages for Games for Windows, Streets and Trips, and MapPoint? [link]
• When you try to start MapPoint or Streets & Trips, you receive an error message: “A removable device or network share cannot be found” [link]
• MapPoint or Streets & Trips does not respond or gives an error message about the license when you try to start the program [link]
• Error message when you try to use Street & Trips 2008: “Construction information for routes could not be downloaded” [link]

Windows Media Player

• When I try to use Windows Media Player 11, the program does not start, or some UI elements are blank [link]
• Windows Media Player stops responding after you install a third-party product that registers its own version of the Wmp.dll file [link]
• How can I enable or disable automatic updates in Windows Media Player? [link]
• How to troubleshoot sound problems that you experience after you install a Windows Vista Service Pack [link]
• How can I disable changes in Windows Media Player that are introduced after I install security update 936782? [link]

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• Windows Media Player Light (2)
• Windows Media Player 11 Download (25)
• Validation removed from Internet Explorer 7 (5)
• Use Multiple Internet Explorer Versions Simultaneously (10)
• Uninstall Internet Explorer 8 (33)

This security update is being released out of band in conjunction with Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-035, which describes vulnerabilities in those components and controls that have been developed using vulnerable versions of the Microsoft Active Template Library (ATL). As a defense-in-depth measure, this Internet Explorer security update helps mitigate known attack vectors within Internet Explorer for those components and controls that have been developed with vulnerable versions of ATL as described in Microsoft Security Advisory (973882) and Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-035.

This security update also resolves three privately reported vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. These vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

This security update is rated Critical for Internet Explorer 5.01 and Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1, running on supported editions of Microsoft Windows 2000; Critical for Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, and Internet Explorer 8 running on supported editions of Windows XP; Critical for Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 running on supported editions of Windows Vista; Moderate for Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, and Internet Explorer 8 running on supported editions of Windows Server 2003; and Moderate for Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 running on supported editions of Windows Server 2008. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.

Windows users should make sure to download the security update as soon as possible. It is available at the usual sources including automatic updates, Windows Update or Microsoft Update.

Related posts

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• Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Comparison Chart (23)
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• Log Into Multiple Accounts At The Same Site With Internet Explorer 8 (9)
• Internet Explorer Vulnerability Fix (5)

Microsoft not only lists the installed toolbars, plugins and add-ons but also their loading time. This loading time is added on top of the normal tab loading time in Internet Explorer. It is now easy with the tools at hand to analyze the toolbars and plugins that increase the tab and window loading time in Internet Explorer the most and find ways to deal with the situation.

A right-click on any toolbar or plugin in the add-on’s menu provides the option to disable it right away. Internet Explorer 8 will automatically search for related add-ons giving the user the choice to disable them as well. The loading time of some plugins and toolbars is not displayed in the manager. Disabling these can also have a positive effect on the tab and window loading times in Internet Explorer.

Related posts

• Take Back Your Privacy By Disabling Auto Suggest In IE8 (3)
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• Internet Explorer Add-on: Report a Webpage Problem (6)
• Internet Explorer 8 Final (16)
• Internet Explorer 8 Command Line Arguments (12)

There are a few options that European customers have to get a web browser. They can download one from another computer system, start the computer from a Live CD and move a web browser to a removable device, buy a computer magazine that comes with a web browser or order Internet Explorer right from Microsoft.

Amazon customers can add Internet Explorer 8 to their shopping cart for about 4 Euro. It is also possible to buy Internet Explorer directly from Microsoft for roughly the same price. Customers who want to order Internet Explorer directly from Microsoft can visit the website that is offering information about Windows 7 in Europe and options to either download or order Internet Explorer 8.

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