WORKAROUND: WMF vulnerability work-around for Windows

In light of the newly found exploit for Windows Fax & Picture Viewer (when rendering a specially crafted WMF file) heres a quick way to reduce the impact whilst MSFT works on a patch is to unregister the main renderer shimgvw.dll (COM) library.

Run this to unregister:

regsvr32 -u %windir%/system32/shimgvw.dll

and later if you want to reenable it:

regsvr32 %windir%/system32/shimgvw.dll

Thats it! A patch should be available soon, until then its recommended to unregister the library, ofcourse images wont render without this library.

For more information on the exploit see Microsoft Security Advisory 912840.

UPDATE: Official Patch now Available

Well theres an official patch to fix this issue, for more information see my post UPDATE: Security update for WMF Security issue from Microsoft for download locations.

Need a prototype built? Why build it, just print it!

OK OK, so I know i've told you all that I fear printers, but after seeing this little beauty I'm going to start loving printers...

Imagine a machine which accepts CAD drawings, then produces a three dimensional prototype within a few hours for $100 - it now exists. The successful implementation of the technology points the way to this technology eventually finding its way into local bureau which produce while-you-wait samples as a service, and eventually to the home where designs could be downloaded from the internet and manifested at whim.

American Z Corporation now has several models of 3D printers that produce physical prototypes quickly, easily, and inexpensively from computer-aided design (CAD) and other digital data.

Is that sweet or what? Read the article for more information.

Printer Queue Issues? See the post about clearing printer queues.

Just found something else interesting, remember in movies we have those cool holographic displays? Well heres one I found earlier...

All these are from the awesome GizMag website! Highly recommended reading!

Intel releases Presler Jan 16th, reviews of 955 Extreme Edition CPU across the globe!

Now that the NDA has been lifted its time to come out of the box and say how impressed I am with the Presler 955 CPUs, compared to the previous (and initial) dual-core solution from Intel. But I wont go into too much detail as two hardware sites have done the bulk of the work for me, HotHardware's Review and X-Bit Labs Review details all the nicey details about the new CPU.

One other thing many may be contemplating is whether you need to upgrade your beloved motherboard to make use of this new CPU (i'm thinking the 955 here!) well you would have to move over to a 975X Chipset if you have not got a 955X based chipset, however my earlier investment in the ASUS P5WD2 Premium has paid off, with the recent BIOS updates (606 is the latest as of writing) I've been successfully using the new Presler 955 Extreme Edition CPUs without any issues. Not sure about the Gigabyte 8I955X Royal (which was a close contender as an alternative to the ASUS)

Going deep inside the Windows Kernel from Channel 9

A christmas present from Channel 9, indeep with the Architects of the Windows Kernel, this is some hardcore stuff, so watch it after new years...

Rob Short is the corporate vice president in charge of the team that architects the foundation of Windows Vista. This is a fascinating conversation with the kernel architecture team. It's our Christmas present to all of the Niners out there who've stuck with us day after day.

This is a very candid interview. We even ask "do you ever wish the registry had never been developed?" Charles Torre does this "going deep" interview. Out of all the interviews we've done this one is the most interesting because this team has such a deep impact on how reliable, scalable, secure, etc Windows Vista actually will be.

In this video you'll meet:

Darryl Havens, Architect.
Richard B. Ward, Architect.
Rich Neves, Architect.

Enjoy! And, don't be suprised if your brain hurt the way ours hurt after having this conversation.

Watch Going deep inside Windows Vista's kernel architecture

Merry Christmas to all!

Well I hope Santa brought something nice for everyone (or if he has yet to visit you, that he brings you something useful - like a pair of socks!).

While store's go crazy with sales and various marketing jargon the true meaning of christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ, not all the other definitions being paraded around hollywood & the media (although, it is ideal to share your happyness by giving to others less fortunate). So keeping that in mind, have a Happy, Safe and Merry Christmas. Dont forget to unhook and get out and enjoy the festivities around town even if your not Christian nor very religious.

Guess the release date of Vista and Office 12 and win some funky prizes!

From an email:

Welcome to the Beta Experience

Thank you for your registration for the Beta Experience campaign. We will keep you up-to-date on the new generation of the operating system Windows Vista as well as the new Office "12" up to the final product launch.

And, when will the big day be? Try your luck now and guess the official Vista launch date. The closer you guess, the better your chances of winning one of the 10 top prizes.

This is what you can win:

• 1st Prize: Be live at the Vista launch event in the USA: a full package with entry, flight, and 3 nights in a 4-star hotel.
• 2nd–4th. Prize: New XBOX 360
• 5th–10th Prize: XBOX Core System

All legal residents of Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, UK who are 18 years of age or older will have the chance to win.

So whatcha waiting for? Go guess...

COOL Trailers: Fun with D1ck and Jane / Lion the Witch and Wardrobe

Well this month's cool trailers are two funky new movies about to be released (or maybe have been, havent checked).

Fun with D1ck and Jane

First up is a Jim Carey comedy (what else?) with Tea Leonny in Fun with D1ck & Jane. For more info checkout Fun with *** & Jane on IMDB.

Plot Summary: In Columbia Pictures' larcenous romantic comedy "Fun with D1ck and Jane," D1ck (Jim Carrey) and Jane (Téa Leoni) are in love and living the American dream - until one day it becomes an American nightmare. When the company D1ck works for becomes involved in an Enron-like scandal and he is confronted with the prospect of losing everything, D1ck and Jane are forced to bag, borrow and steal to get it all back.

Clips
There are some nice clip from the movie (wrapped in a trailer-oriented advert):

• D1ck talks Cars
• D1ck at the ATM
• Jane's Aerobics Class
• Jane's Beauty Tips
• D1ck & Janes Coffee Run
  

View the trailer!

The Lion the Witch And The Wardrobe
C.S. Lewis's epic tale I first read/watched in Grade 2 or 3 much to my excitment has been remade. If theres a few things I recall from my primary school years, its this movie and The Never Ending Story (remake anyone?). Checkout the Official site for more info!

View the trailer!

Enjoy! Remember that these trailers are powered by the Vividas Player. (NOTE: D1ck is spelt with a 1 because of filters)

DivX v6.1 Released!

DivX 6.1 has been released, apparently has alot of improvements (including SSE2 support) and support for DC/HT (or DC+HT) CPUs, so head over to the DivX site and try it out!

DRIVERS: Catalyst v5.12 with dualcore support released!

One of the most exciting releases, v5.12 of the Catalyst drivers from ATI just got released! Why are they exciting? They have some extra juice for Dual-Core CPUs to make better use of the additional core, while most games may not benefit from the additional core it may be a step in the right direction.

As the late Kevin McQuay (who unfortunately passed away this week after a heart-attack) says, "I'm Excited!".
UPDATE:
Omega has released his 'optimized' driver released based on Catalyst v5.12, and so quickly too so go download the Omega drivers instead!

From the ATI Release notes page:

New Features

The Catalyst® 5.12 software suite introduces dual core support for CPU bound cases. This feature provides improved graphics performance for DX 9 supported graphics adapters installed in systems running the Windows XP and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition operating systems.

Performance Improvements

Catalyst 5.12 improves a variety of CPU-bound performance cases when an ATI product is installed in conjunction with a dual-core or hyperthreading CPU. Performance gains include:

• 3DMark05 gains as much as 5.7%
• 3DMark03 gains as much as 3.3%
• 3DMark2001 SE gains up to 10%
• Aquamark 3 gains up to 16%
• Comanche 4 improves as much as 20%
• Far Cry gains as much as 25% on some product configurations
• Half-Life 2 performance improves as much as 8%
• Splinter Cell improves as much as 8% in certain parts of the game
• Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness runs as much as 10% faster
• Unreal Tournament 2004 framerates improve as much as 10%

Issues Resolved in Catalyst® Software Suite 5.12

The following section provides a summary of the issues that have been resolved in the latest version of Catalyst®. These include:

• Doom 3 Resurrection of Evil: Playing the game under Windows XP MCE with CrossFire™ enabled no longer results in ghosting effect being noticed. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-21187
• EverQuest II: Playing the game on a system containing an ATI Radeon® X1800 series, no longer results in the operating system failing to respond after approximately 5 minutes of game play. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-21189
• FarCry: Launching the game on systems using an ATI Xpress 200 series product and running the Windows XP operating system no longer results in the operating system failing to respond. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-20978
• Quake4: Selecting the Ultra Quality option within the game no longer results in the game failing to load after the restart required by the game. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-20981
• Enabling clone mode, followed by playing a video clip, no longer results in the underscan/overscan option failing to work when using Theater mode. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-20973
• Connecting a display device using an interlink cable to the ATI Radeon® X800 CrossFire™ Edition, no longer results in CrossFire™ becoming disabled if the interlink cable is disconnected from the Radeon® X800 CrossFire™ and then reconnected. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-20977
• Catalyst® Control Center: Attempting to extend the desktop display when using a CRT, TV and DFP display devices no longer results in display corruption being noticed on the primary display adapter. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-20982
• Connecting a CRT and a TV to an ATI Radeon® X300/600 series and attempting to enable clone mode, intermittently no longer results in extended desktop mode being applied. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-20983
• Corruption is no longer noticed within the Catalyst® Control Center once a VPU Recover event is triggered. This issue is known to occur under the Windows XP MCE operating system when using an ATI Radeon® X1800 series product. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-20984
• Connecting an HDTV as the only display device using the component video connector on an ATI Radeon® X1300 no longer results in the display image shrinking when making changes to either AA or AF found in the 3D aspect page of the Catalyst® Control Center. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737- 21186
• Connecting a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display to an ATI Radeon® X1300 series that is installed in a system running Windows 2000, no longer results in the display image being off center. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-21188
• Color corruption is no longer noticed when hot unplugging and hot plugging an LCD display from an ATI Radeon® X1800 series using the DVI connector. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-21190
• The TV Format now matches the TV Output when enabling TV after boot of the operating system. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-21196
• Enabling extended desktop mode followed by playing a DVD at 480i no longer results in corruption being noticed when moving the playback window to the secondary display device. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-21191
• Connecting an Apple Cinema display device to an ATI Radeon® X1800 series no longer results in the failure to playback a DVD when using the ATI DVD Player. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-21192