Get your cheap Windows 8 upgrade now

Anyone even considering Windows 8 should grab the upgrade special now before it expires this week.

Users of Windows 7, Vista, and XP can purchase the upgrade to the new operating system for just $39.99 per PC. Those of you who bought Windows 7 after June 2 last year can score Windows 8 for just $14.99. And that's for the Pro version.

After January 31, the upgrade price skyrockets to $119.99 for the regular edition and $199.99 for the Pro version.

However, Windows 7 users who bought their computer between June 2 of last year … Read more

Microsoft Surface tablet hit by update glitch, say some owners

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet may have caught a bug from a recent firmware update.

Since January 10, several Surface users have chimed in on Microsoft's Community forums, complaining that Windows Update is not responding.

The initial message in the thread sums up the problem in a nutshell:

After applying the patches this Tuesday my Surface RT will not connect to Windows Update. It gets stuck on the progress circle after selecting Windows Update from PC Settings and the circle eventually stops. I can confirm this behavior on 2 of our 3 Surfaces but have not checked the 3rd … Read more

IE10 for Windows 7 inches closer

Microsoft is getting closer to delivering the final version of its Internet Explorer 10 browser for Windows 7.

In a recent private e-mail message to select testers, Microsoft officials said a recently delivered private test build will be the "last pre-RTW (release to Web/final) build of the browser that will be made available through Connect."

"While there is still no RTW date to announce at this time, please make sure you are filing prompt feedback if any issues are found," the note added.

The newest build was made available to select testers via Connect, Microsoft'… Read more

Only 1M Surface tablets sold last quarter -- analyst

Microsoft's Surface tablet may not have rung in much holiday cheer last quarter, at least according to one analyst.

Microsoft sold just 1 million Surface RT tablets in the fourth quarter, projects UBS analyst Brent Thill, down from a prior forecast of 2 million. In an investors note out today, the analyst cited two reasons for his dour projection in a single sentence:

"Surface RT is a consumer device with [fourth-quarter] sales suffering from the difficult iPad compare and narrow distribution."

Early last month, IHS iSuppli analyst Rhoda Alexander told CNET that she expected Surface sales of 1.3 million … Read more

Microsoft updates Skype for Windows with Outlook integration

Microsoft's Skype division today rolled out a new version of Skype for Windows (version 6.1).

The updated version is for PCs running 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. (This is not an update for Skype for Windows 8, but since users can run Skype in the Desktop on Windows 8, they can run this update that way if they want.)

The 6.1 update allows users to call and chat with contacts directly from Microsoft Outlook; search and add contacts more easily; and manage accounts from a new profile page, according to officials.… Read more

Windows RT hack? Don't sweat it, Microsoft says

Windows RT can be hacked to run unsigned desktop apps, but Microsoft sees no reason to worry.

As described yesterday, the hack allows someone with a certain amount of savvy to change code in the Windows RT kernel so the tablet-based OS can run desktop apps. Officially, the only desktop programs that Windows RT supports are Microsoft's own Internet Explorer and Office suite. Otherwise, the OS can run only Windows Store apps.

But the hack isn't geared for the average Windows RT user.

Besides requiring the necessary programming chops, the hack can only change code in memory. So … Read more

Windows RT hacked to run unsigned desktop apps

Microsoft's Windows RT can apparently run unsigned desktops app with a little bit of hacking.

In a blog posted yesterday, a hacker dubbed clrokr described how he was able to change a value in the Windows RT kernel to bypass certain restrictions set up by Microsoft. The blog details how clrokr tracked down the right value to open up the types of apps that RT can run. And it includes his code for other enterprising hackers.

The specific value can't be permanently altered on devices enabled with Secure Boot, but it can be changed in memory. As a … Read more

Maybe Microsoft should have shown up to CES 2013

LAS VEGAS--It's getting more popular for companies to bail on the Consumer Electronics Show, but at least one should reconsider: Microsoft.

When the Las Vegas gadget conference kicks off this week, it will be missing the longtime CES presenter that declared 2012 to be its last hurrah at the show.

Microsoft doesn't really need CES to get attention for its products, but the company should have stuck it out one more year. Sure, the show is big and noisy and expensive, but Microsoft is trying to turn itself into a major computer hardware vendor with its Surface tablet. … Read more

Microsoft's next Patch Tuesday won't resolve IE zero-day flaw

Microsoft's regular Patch Tuesday rolls around next week. But one flaw that won't be fixed in the mix is the latest zero-day exploit in Internet Explorer.

Last Saturday, Microsoft warned about the zero-day flaw in IE 6, 7, and 8 that could allow attackers to gain control of Windows computers to host malicious Web sites. In its advisory, the company noted that IE 9 and 10 are unaffected by the vulnerability and suggested a variety of workarounds to those running the older browser versions.

On Monday, the company issued a temporary fix that prevents the flaw from being … Read more