CastMedium » Paul Thurrott

Windows Weekly 133: A Fish Called Windows Audio Only

Jon Cole — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:06:55 +0000

Windows Weekly kicks off with some obligatory talk about Modern Warfare 2 and it seems that Paul is still addicted to the game. Paul also got a chance to appear on last week’s TWiT, which leads into some conversation about the future of TWiT (definitely worth listening if you’re invested in the content on Leo’s network, starts at about the 9:00 mark).

Apparently, web browsers are still stuck in the past and Microsoft isn’t too happy about it. Security issues with Internet Explorer 6 are getting more and more overwhelming every day and Paul can’t stress automatic updates enough. With Chrome and Firefox quickly gaining market share, both of the guys think that Microsoft has to do more to encourage usage of IE8 and new software in general.

The last big topic is the notorious “Black Screen of Death”, which Microsoft claims is not nearly as notorious as it should be. The error screen hasn’t been nearly as bad as tech blogs would have you think and just shows that Microsoft gets far more bad press than it deserves.

Covered news and topics: Modern Warfare 2, TWiT.tv video, Windows 7 USB download tool/GNU licensing, AT&T vs Verizon, IE usage stats down, Microsoft Office 2010, Office software on Mac, Outlook, Black Screen of Death, Audible pick (I, Alex Cross), Windows 7 Starter ad-hoc network, 7-Stacks

The best way to answer the Call of Duty, the nicest Windows Mobile phone, and the screen’s not dead yet.

Runtime – 1:36:31

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Windows Weekly 132: Google Bing

Jon Cole — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:46:22 +0000

Office 2010 is the big topic for this week, with Leo Laporte and Paul Thurott coming through to give you some tips on getting started. The Office Beta is currently public and Paul notes his preference of the Office Home and Business 2010 option, which offers Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Outlook, and OneNote. The Click-2-Run option for the beta is also a hot issue, considering Leo really enjoys the virtualization aspect and believes we’ll see many similar applications in the future.

Leo talks about his recent attempt to use the developer build of Chrome OS on his MSI Wind with little success. Paul isn’t necessarily convinced that this up-and-comer is going to have a big footprint in the landscape, but thinks that this is a huge move for Google nonetheless. In the end, Google has the money and mindshare to challenge Microsoft in a way that nobody else has and that’s what has Paul convinced that this is a big foot in the door.

Covered news and topics: Office 2010, Office Starter, Office Home and business, Click-2-Run, Office To Go, Windows Home Server PP3, Chrome OS, Kindle news, Black Friday, YouTube automatic captioning, AlternativeTo

The new office is here the new office is here, Bing’s got big deals for Black Friday, and why Chrome OS could mean trouble for Microsoft.

Runtime – 1:36:45

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Windows Weekly 131: PDC 2009

Jon Cole — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:00:06 +0000

Professional Developers Conference (PDC) talk starts off this edition of Windows Weekly, with Paul telling stories about the segment of most press groups that consist of LiveJournal “professional” bloggers who pal around with real journalists.

After a short flashback to last week’s episode with talk about Modern Warfare 2, Paul discusses the biggest news to hit the scene, namely Internet Explorer 9. While the information on IE9 was scarce, it’s clear that Microsoft will be toying with GPU acceleration of the browser similar to the recent revisions in Adobe Flash. It’s also notable that IE9’s release will not coincide with a major Windows release, which is a telling sign of big changes at Microsoft.

Paul and Leo talk about the silly restrictions on OEM Windows 7 distribution, which continues to be mind boggling. Silverlight comparisons Flash and the Office 2010 open beta discussion close out the show.

Paul is live from PDC 2009 with news on Windows 7 OEM, Silverlight 4, IE 9, the Office 2010 Public Beta, and more.

Runtime – 1:04:00

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Windows Weekly 130: Trapped, Like Carrots

Jon Cole — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:57:53 +0000

Modern Warfare 2 has seemingly infected all media this week, dominating the first half hour of Windows Weekly. The Call of Duty franchise leads to the topic of PC game distribution and Leo and Paul agree that Steam and Good Old Games take the cake.

Paul discusses Windows 7 on netbooks, deciding that productivity is still difficult on the small screen though he thinks they’re capable of light computing and/or watching ripped movies. Leo shares his experiences with Windows Mobile 6.5 and Paul tries to reveal some of the features of the OS that really do compete with the front runners.

The guys talk briefly about the integration of Wolfram|Alpha into Bing and well as Microsoft’s video content partnership with YouTube. The Tip of the Week is installing the new Zune HD firmware, which gives access to the new 3D games for the platform.

Paul calls Modern Warfare 2 the best shooter EVAH!

Runtime – 1:26:37

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Windows Weekly 128: The Upgrade Conundrum

Jon Cole — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:43:17 +0000

This is a big week for Windows Weekly with the launch of Windows 7, for obvious reasons. At the top of the show, Paul and Leo talk at length about all of the issues on Microsoft’s end considering abrasive anti-piracy tactics implemented at the expense of consumers, including notorious false positives in the authentication process.

Paul has been under plenty of scrutiny for the registry hack that he discovered that allows users to easily perform a clean install using upgrade-branded Windows 7 disks. Nonetheless, it’s a very useful, relatively simple, and budget conscious technique, so if you’re interested check out the guide on his website.

The podcast doesn’t completely revolve around Windows 7, though, with a news story that Google is taking the Los Angeles municipality by storm with a full transition from Microsoft Office/Exchange to Google Docs/Mail. The show wraps up with some straightforward security advice, specifically the debunking of the thought that disabling Windows Update somehow improves security.

Tackling the Windows 7 upgrade conundrum, office in the cloud, and bottom line security advice.

Runtime – 1:43:08

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Windows Weekly 120: Bing Is My Back-End

Jonathan Downin — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:54:15 +0000

Paul and Leo starts out this week’s episode by talking Windows 7 in the context of today’s OS X Snow Leopard release. Paul points out that at the launch of a new Mac OS, people don’t worry about things working how they expect them to, but this is a very real problem for Windows. This introducing a lot of unneeded trepidation at every Windows launch.

After quickly going over the Xbox price drop and reliability issues, the guys move onto the issue with Microsoft Word and the current litigation going on in Texas over the matter. Microsoft has been ordered to stop selling Word due an issue with their “.docx” format, but they are currently appealing the judgment.

Leo and Paul also touch on Yahoo staying the search market, Apple’s FCC issue and Nokia’s new “mini laptop.” Closing out the discussion this week Paul drives home the fact that no one should be getting Windows Home Start Edition. Even slower PCs will actually run better with Home Premium Edition, so there is really no justification to get the lowest version unless price is absolutely an issue.

Windows 7, Yahoo competition, Xbox 360 prices, Word, Nokia, Snow Leopard, and more.

Runtime – 1:25:52

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Windows Weekly 116: Bring On The Bugs

Jonathan Downin — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:09:16 +0000

Windows 7 is finished and in the hands of PC manufacturers. This sounds good, but unfortunately it won’t be commercially available until October. You can always still grab the release candidate though.

If you ever doubted that Paul knows what he is talking about when it comes to Windows, consider this, he has the screens and button presses of the Windows 7 install memorized. This means he can basically do a full Windows 7 install, from scratch, without looking at the screen. That speaks volumes not only about him, but also about the simplicity of the Windows 7 install.

Office 2010 is going to the cloud. This means a Google Docs style implementation of Microsoft Office. Also, it will run equally well in IE, Firefox and Safari. This will offer amazing convenience. Microsoft is doing a lot to win people over again with this and Windows 7.

Windows 7 RTM, Windows 7 E, Home Server Power Pack 3, Chrome OS, and more.

Windows 7 RTM is done, OEMs have it now, MSDN/Technet get it August 6th, and you can get it October 22nd.

Windows 7 E

Windows 7 E Editions

Office 2010 Technical Preview

Google Chrome OS, and what it means for you, Microsoft, and Apple.

Runtime – 1:13:02

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Windows Weekly 106: One Hundred Little Changes

Jonathan Downin — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:40:27 +0000

It is a pretty technical episode of Windows Weekly this week. There is not much going on in Microsoft land other than the Release Candidate of Windows 7 now being available to the general public.

Paul discusses a lot of the smaller changes that have taken place from the beta to the RC. One strange thing about the recently reveals XP virtual mode is that it requires hardware that supports virtualization and a lot of Intel chips, even the newer one, do not. Why do things always have to be so complicated?

Microsoft in court again, Genuine Advantage rebranding, Windows 7 upgrades, XP mode, and more.

Runtime – 1:03:41

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Windows Weekly 105: Paul’s Itties

Jonathan Downin — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:14:40 +0000

Windows 7 is the focus this week, as it tends to be every week. The big feature recently revealed with the Release Candidate of Windows 7 is the built-in virtual XP mode. We speculated that this would be great for gamers, but as it turns out it is only allocated 256MB of RAM on load so nix that.

Paul and Leo also touch on the rumors swirling around the Zune world recently and as far the “pink” platform Microsoft denies that they have any sort of phone device in the works. This isn’t saying much as they never produce phone hardware though so the Zune could become a phone software platform. On the flip side they offered no such denial in regards to a Zune HD, hmmm. Hopefully we will see something about that sooner rather than later.

Windows 7 Release Candidate, Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC, Windows Vista and Server 2008 Service Packs, Zune Rumors, and more.

Runtime – 1:11:32

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Windows Weekly 103: A New Kind of Death

Jonathan Downin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:40:34 +0000

As weeks go by it is hard to imagine what new there would be to talk about in the world of Windows, but there are also some new facets of things to think/talk about.

It is hard to hear, but even the Windows man himself, Paul Thurrott, says that Windows 7 is not that far off from Vista. So many have been viewing Windows 7 as the rejuvenation of Windows, but when one of the most in-the-know people of Windows world says something like this it can’t be anything but a little disheartening. Maybe it’s time for a revolution, where is it?

The state of dynamic and virtual folders in Windows 7 sounds horrible. If Leo is confused you can be sure that 95% of computer users will find themselves completely baffled about how or why Windows 7 is doing what it is doing all-to-often.

Office 2010, Windows 7 Build 7106, PC Marketshare, Internet Explorer 8, and the Xbox 360 E-74 errors.

Runtime – 1:09:17

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Windows Weekly 102: Now With Unicorn Tears

Jonathan Downin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 04:32:17 +0000

The Windows advertisements that have come out are casuing quite a stir. There have been a lot of bad sentiments about them, but at least they are getting people talking it seems. It is weird tosee Microsoft firing directly back at Apple when they are clearly not even close in terms of market-share. Maybe they should have stuck with the Seinfeld ads for a little while.

When is something truly exciting going to happen in the Windows world? Things are moving along so incrementally these days. There are rumors of that new HD Zune though–

Windows 7 build 7077 leaked, Release Candidate info, The Apple Tax, and more.

Runtime – 1:09:36

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Windows Weekly 101: The Turbo Button

Jonathan Downin — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 05:49:47 +0000

Windows 7 will ever be the first topic of this podcast, but this is Windows Weekly.

Nothing too exciting here. One interesting thing is that Encarta is officially dead. If you have been using computers for over ten you surely remember buying a computer and getting a 10 CD set of Encarta. CD-ROMS were viewed as the way of the future for a long time and the internet has made that notion go away very quickly.

Take a minute to feel the nostalgia, if you are too young to remember when CD-ROMS were all the rage– enjoy your youth.

Windows 7 build 7068, Server 2008 Foundation, Encarta dead, Conficker dud, DOSBox, and more.

Runtime – 56:50

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Windows Weekly 100: Crysis In The Cloud

Jonathan Downin — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:07:16 +0000

Apparently there are a fair amount of changes coming to Windows 7. Paul is privy to some of the details, but he is not letting anything slip. With the beta out earlier in the year seeming surprisingly polished many didn’t expect too many changes beyond that, but apparently Microsoft has been holding out. Maybe it won’t be launching so soon.

Unsurprisingly OnLive gets a lot of discussion time here. The talk starts at the 46 minute mark and Paul is very up on it. He makes a good point that no matter how skeptical you are, OnLive has signed many high profile publishers and that lends a lot more cache to the system working than anything. They also agree that the prospect of the service being bought by a bigger player such as Microsoft, Apple or Amazon is highly likely.

Windows 7 RC, Windows Home Server, Windows Mobile 6.5, OnLive cloud gaming, and more.

Runtime – 1:25:07

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Windows Weekly 99: The Turrican Enigma

Jonathan Downin — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:44:54 +0000

Internet Explorer 8 is finally out and it sounds like there are some good improvements, but nothing mind-blowing. Paul has done a review which you see over at the SuperSite for Windows. All we really need is for IE to be standards compliant.

Silverlight has seen some changes and is now capable of running local code similar to Adobe Air. This is very different from what Microsoft said they were doing with it when they first introduced it. Adobe Air has already taken off to some extent so Microsoft will have another uphill battle on their hands.

Paul has a few thoughts on iPhone OS 3.0, but it basically boils down to him saying the iPhone is finally getting features that it should have had from the beginning.

Internet Explorer 8, Silverlight 3, Microsoft legal battles, iPhone 3, and more.

Runtime – 1:18:15

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Windows Weekly 98: We Get Letters

Jonathan Downin — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:43:31 +0000

Leo and Paul start here with a little check-in on the state of Windows 7 as they tend to do every episode. It sounds like the new leaks are actually quite a bit less stable than the initial beta that was released in January. So if you are tempted to update from the beta, you might be best to just stick with what you have.

Paul has a few things to say about browsers as has probably managed make even more Mac people who like Safari upset. It seems like it really is somewhat of a mess under Windows though.

Although invites are no longer available, Google’s newly refreshed and renamed Grand Central is getting Leo pretty excited. It sound like it does offer many unique and useful features including phone number portability and voicemail transcription.

More changes to Windows 7, browser performance, Microsoft Marketplace, Google Voice, and more.

Runtime – 1:23:06

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