Windows 7 Ultimate Integrated, Pirates Claim No Activation/Serial Is Necessary
Last Updated on Monday, 28 December 2009 02:47 Written by Mire_B Monday, 28 December 2009 02:47
Despite the efforts made by Microsoft to protect Windows 7 from piracy, hackers have found more than one way around the mitigations built into the platforms. The latest bits I came across involve 32-bit and 64-bit OEM copies of Windows 7 Ultimate Integrated. The “Integrated” label was obviously added by the authors of the pirated Win 7 copies, which claim that the operating system needs no serial and no activation. I haven’t tried the downloads in question as of yet, but they’re on my ‘to do’ list. The names of the files are as follows: Microsoft.Windows.7.ULTIMATE.x86.Integrated.December.2009.OEM.DVD-BIE and
Microsoft.Windows.7.ULTIMATE.x64.Integrated.December.2009.OEM.DVD-BIE, but you won’t get download links from CodenameWindows.com.
Platform Update for Windows Vista Disappears in Vista to Vista Upgrades
Last Updated on Thursday, 17 December 2009 01:15 Written by Mire_B Thursday, 17 December 2009 01:15
When upgrading from one Vista edition to another Vista edition, the functionality in KB 971644 – “Platform Update for Windows Vista” may be lost. This scenario occurs when the original Vista edition had KB 971644 installed.
When upgrading from one edition of Windows Vista with KB 971644 – “Platform Update for Windows Vista” to another edition of Windows Vista (for example, upgrading from Professional to Ultimate), the registry keys added by KB 971644 will be removed from the registry and pre-existing binaries which were updated by Windows 7 IP will be replaced with the non-updated versions provided by the new edition of Vista. New binaries introduced by KB 971644 that did not previously exist in Windows Vista will remain but without their corresponding registry key entries.
To resolve this issue, reinstall the KB 971644 – “Platform Update for Windows Vista” update after upgrading to the new edition.
The following scenario is provided as an example of this behavior.
Steps:
1. The user has installed Windows Vista Home Premium edition with appropriate service packs
2. The user then installs KB 971644 – “Platform Update for Windows Vista”
3. Later, the user upgrades to Windows Vista Ultimate edition with appropriate service packs
Result:
· KB 971644 – “Platform Update for Windows Vista” is overwritten on the system
o All KBs related to KB 971644 under “Installed Update” entries are removed
o Pre-existing Vista binaries that were updated by KB are replaced with the pre-KB 97164 versions provided in the Vista upgrade.
o New binaries introduced to Vista through KB 971644 will remain unchanged in the system folders
o All registry keys for all binaries in KB 971644 are deleted
· Upgraded Windows Vista functions normally but KB 971644 functionality is no longer available.
Required Steps to restore functionality:
1. Re-install the KB 971644 – “Platform Update for Windows Vista” update .
Result:
All KB 971644 updates are applied and KB 971644 functionality is available to the upgraded system.
Learn MoreWindows 7 64-bit Loses RAM (System Memory)
Last Updated on Thursday, 17 December 2009 01:11 Written by Mire_B Thursday, 17 December 2009 01:11
On a 64-bit version of Windows 7, if your computer has an amount of random-access memory (RAM) installed, the amount of system memory reported in the System Information dialog box in Windows 7 may be less than the amount of installed RAM.
For example, the System Information dialog box may report (7.1 GB Usable) of system memory on a computer that has 8 GB (8,192 MB) of memory installed. Note You can access the System Information dialog box on Windows 7-based computers in any of the following ways:
· Click Start, type System in the Search programs and files box, and then click System under Control Panel.
· Double-click System in Control Panel.
· Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties.
On the System Properties window, look at the Installed memory (RAM): entry under System
To View the installed RAM and how it’s allocated in Windows, see the physical Memory section in the Resource Monitor. To do this, follow these steps:
· Click Start, type Resource Monitor in the Search programs and files box, and then click Resource Monitor under Programs.
· Click the Memory tab and see the Physical Memory section on the bottom of the page.
This is expected behavior on Windows 7-based computers. The reduction in available system memory depends on the devices that are installed in the computer and the amount of memory reserved by those devices, the motherboards ability to handle memory and the BIOS version and settings and other system configuration settings. Note When the physical RAM installed on a computer equals the address space that is supported by the chipset, the total system memory that is available to the operating system is always less than the physical RAM that is installed. For example, consider a computer that has an Intel 975X chipset that supports 8 GB of address space. If you install 8 GB of RAM, the system memory that is available to the operating system will be reduced by the PCI configuration requirements. In this scenario, PCI configuration requirements reduce the memory that is available to the operating system by an amount that is between approximately 200 MB and approximately 1 GB. The reduction depends on the configuration.
There are several additional situations that might cause the amount of usable RAM listed in the System Properties to be less than expected. These issues and possible solutions are listed below:
Memory has been reserved by Hardware
· Memory can be reserved by video cards and other devices; this is listed as Hardware Reserved. The amount of Hardware Reserved RAM is listed on the Memory Tab of the Resource Monitor.
System Configuration settings may be incorrect
· If you upgraded a 64-bit version of Windows it’s possible that the Maximum memory setting was enabled on your system and was transferred to the upgraded version. This setting sets the maximum memory to 4GB or below. You can disable this setting by clicking on Start, and typing msconfig in the Search programs and files box, and then click msconfig from the Programs list. In the System Configuration window click the Boot tab, click Advanced options…, and uncheck Maximum memory:, click OK, close the System Configuration window, close all other applications and then reboot your computer.
Your system BIOS may be out dated
· Your system BIOS may not have been updated, if you have an older computer, your system may not be unable to access all of the installed RAM. Update your BIOS to the latest version by either browsing the web site of your computer manufacturer or contact the computer manufacturer for assistance and download any available BIOS updates for your computer.
BIOS settings may be incorrect
· Check your BIOS settings to see if memory remapping has been enabled, memory remapping gives Windows access to more memory. You can enable the memory remapping feature in your BIOS by booting to the system setup. See the Users Guide for your computer for instructions on how to boot to Setup on your computer. The name for the memory remapping feature may be different for different hardware vendors. This can be listed as memory remapping, memory extension or other similar descriptions.
· Check your BIOS settings to see how much memory you may have allocated to AGP video aperture? This is memory that your SYSTEM is sharing with your video card that is used for texture mapping and rendering. This memory would not be utilized by your system, as it is locked by your video card. You can adjust your AGP video aperture size in the BIOS, standard settings are 32Mb, 64Mb, 128MB, Auto. For troubleshooting purposes you can adjust this setting in the BIOS, and then reboot your computer and then check the amount of usable memory. Test each setting to see which offers the best results.
There may also be issues with the physical RAM installed in your computer
You may have bad memory modules
The physical memory modules installed in your computer can be bad. You can test this by shutting down and unplugging the computer, swapping the order of the memory and then rebooting the computer.
Memory Arrangement:
· Check your users guide to see what order your memory modules should be inserted into the memory slots, some systems require using specific slots when not using all available slots. (Example: some systems that have 4 slots available require you to use slots 1 and 3 instead of 1 and 2 when only using 2 memory modules)
Memory Standoff Cards:
· Are you using memory standoff cards, (a card inserted into the memory slot that holds multiple memory modules)? This allows you to utilize more memory modules than the system was originally designed for. Some systems may require specific configurations for this scenario.
Learn More