Treeduck

Microsoft 's new Security Essentials software has passed at least one exam so far--a review by security testing firm AV-Test.org.
Using the latest version and definition updates of Microsoft Security Essentials (MSSE) downloaded from the Web, AV-Test ran the product through a series of tests on Sept. 29 and 30 to judge its effectiveness at fighting malware.

(Credit: AV-Test.org)
To check static known malware, AV-Test pitted Security Essentials against the most recent WildList, a sampling of 3,732 viruses and other threats compiled by the WildList Organization. Microsoft's product successfully detected and blocked all of the samples in both manual and active scanning.
AV-Test also threw its current set of 545,034 viruses, worms, Trojans, and other threats at Security Essentials. MSSE successfully caught 536,535 samples for an overall good detection score of 98.44 percent.
In AV-Test's battle against adware and spyware, Security Essentials stopped 12,935 out of 14,222 samples, earning a detection grade of 90.95 percent. No false positives came up in a scan of over 600,000 clean files from Windows, MS Office, and other commonly used programs.
To check dynamic malware, which is based on its behavior rather than static lists, AV-Test found that MSSE had no "dynamic detection" in place as the software failed to find any of the recently released malware used in the test. AV-Test noted that other standalone antivirus products don't include behavior-based detection either, although that feature is typically found in full security suites.
MSSE also found and eliminated all 25 rootkits that AV-Test threw at it.
Security Essentials did only a fair job of cleaning up infections. Facing 25 different malware samples, the product removed all active components as part of its repair process. But in many cases, some remnants of the malware were left behind, as inactive executable files or empty Registry keys.
Finally, AV-Test found that the speed of Security Essentials scanning was about average compared with that of other security products.
AV-Test's review of Security Essentials was run on Windows XP with SP3, Windows Vista with SP2, and Windows 7 RTM, both the U.S. English and German 32-bit editions. A series of papers on the methodology used by AV-Test in its testing process are at the company's Web site.

A sensitive e-mail mistakenly sent by a bank to a Gmail address that prompted a court to order Google to deactivate the account was not viewed by the recipient and has been deleted, the bank said on Tuesday.
The e-mail, sent by an employee of Jackson, Wyo.-based Rocky Mountain Bank on August 12, contained names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and loan information of more than 1,300 bank customers.

The bank sent another e-mail asking that the data be destroyed and went to court to get Google to intervene on its behalf. Last week, a judge in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., ordered Google to deactivate the Gmail account and Google complied. Google and the bank quickly resolved the matter and the court granted their motion to dismiss the case and allowed Google to reactivate the Gmail account.
"Rocky Mountain Bank, working with Google (through court order), confirmed on Thursday of last week that the e-mail containing client information was never opened and has now been permanently destroyed by Google's system," Tina Martinez, general counsel for Rocky Mountain Capital, wrote in an e-mail response to questions.
"As a result, no customer data of any sort has been viewed or used by any inappropriate user during this data lapse," Martinez wrote. "Rocky Mountain Bank acted to protect its customer's confidential information. That objective was accomplished. The matter is now closed and the TRO (temporary restraining order) entered on September 23, 2009 is now vacated."
Asked for comment, a Google spokesman said: "To protect the privacy of our users, we do not comment on their use of Google services."
The case poses some interesting questions. For instance, should the person who registered the e-mail address lose access to the account or have items deleted without his or her permission, particularly through no fault of their own?
And what recourse would the bank have if the data had been sent via regular mail to the wrong address? The U.S. Postal Office certainly doesn't have the ability to see the envelope sitting on the recipient's desk and vaporize it.
Update 4:35 p.m. PDT:The bank did not take any action against the worker who sent the e-mail, the bank's lawyer said.

It's no secret that criminals are stealing credit card and bank account data and selling it underground. But most people would find it shocking to learn just how little their sensitive personal information costs.
Symantec on Thursday is launching its Norton Online Risk Calculator, a tool that people can use to see how much their online information is worth on the black market. The tool also offers a risk rating based on demographics, online activity, and estimated value of online information.
I tried the tool when I was initially briefed on it a few months ago and was surveyed about my gender and age range; online assets (including credit card and bank account data, brokerage accounts, e-mail accounts, and social network accounts) and an estimated value of all that information; whether I use security software; how cautious I am when online; and how much I think my information is worth.
I use security software (and do my financial transactions mostly on a Mac at home), am fairly cautious while Web surfing, and didn't put a high dollar figure on the value of my digital information. My security risk turned out to be 37 percent, or medium, and the black market worth of my online assets was calculated to be $11.29. Those figures didn't change when I modified the gender, age, and estimated value of the data.
A recent Microsoft Research report concludes that stolen data offered for sale in underground IRC channels is difficult to monetize because of all the--get this--con artists there.
Regardless of whether the underground revenue figures are overblown, the data is being harvested, sometimes in huge batches, during data breaches at large payment processors, and there is a market for it.
It's discomfiting to think a criminal could pay as little as $11 to get access to my sensitive personal data for identity fraud purposes, while I could end up spending lots of energy and time--years even--reporting the crime, trying to fix my credit rating, and getting my life back to normal.
Symantec isn't trying to scare consumers with the Norton Online Risk Calculator, but to raise awareness of the risks, said Marian Merritt, Internet safety advocate at Symantec.
"We still find consumers who think using just antivirus is sufficient," she said.
Merritt recommends that people use security suites that offer antivirus, firewall, and intrusion detection and prevention software, as well as keep their operating system and browsers updated.

Researchers at security firm Finjan have discovered details of a new type of banking Trojan horse that doesn't just steal your bank log in credentials but actually steals money from your account while you are logged in and displays a fake balance.
The bank Trojan, dubbed URLzone, has features designed to thwart fraud detection systems which are triggered by unusual transactions, Yuval Ben-Itzhak, chief technology officer at Finjan, said in an interview on Tuesday. For instance, the software is programmed to calculate on-the-fly how much money to steal from an account based on how much money is available.
The specific Trojan Finjan researchers analyzed targets customers of unnamed German banks. It was linked back to a command-and-control server in Ukraine that was used to send instructions to the trojan software sitting infected PCs. Finjan has notified German law enforcement authorities, Ben-Itzhak said.
"It's a next generation bank trojan," he said. "This is part of a new trend of more sophisticated Trojans designed to evade antifraud systems."
Finjan researchers were able to trace the communications from the code on an infected machine back to the command-and-control server, which was left unsecured, according to Ben-Itzhak. On that server, they saw the LuckySploit administration console and were able to see exactly what types of rules the Trojan was written to follow and statistics on victims.
About 90,000 computers visited the sites housing the malware and 6,400 of them were infected, a 7.5 percent success rate, he said. Of those whose computers had the Trojan installed, a few hundred had money stolen from their bank accounts, he added.
During the span of 22 days in mid-August, the criminals behind the Trojan stole the euro equivalent of nearly $438,000, according to the security company.

The Trojan code includes detailed instructions on how the trojan should calculate how much to steal from a victim's bank account.
(Credit: Finjan)
Here's how the trojan works:
Potential victims get their computers infected either by opening an e-mail and clicking on a link to a Web site created to distribute malware or by visiting a site that has been compromised and malware hidden on it.
In this case the malware, a toolkit called LuckySpoilt, exploits a known security hole in the browser, affecting the major browsers, and installs the Trojan on the computer. When the Trojan notices the computer user visiting the site of a targeted bank it springs into action.
While the computer user goes about his or her business on the site, the Trojan looks at the available balance and figures out how much money to steal. The Trojan is given a minimum and a maximum range that is below the amount that triggers antifraud systems and to leave a certain percentage in the account, Ben-Itzhak said.
After performing the calculation, the Trojan then makes the transaction, communicating with the bank site through the browser without the computer user knowing.
"The Trojan is sending requests to the bank and getting replies that your browser doesn't display," Ben-Itzhak said. "You are looking at your account and you don't see any of it."
The Trojan has the money sent to the bank account of a money mule, someone who has an account set up to receive the funds. Money mules are typically people recruited online as "independent contractors" or "financial managers" whose sole purpose is to wire the money placed into their account to someone else, typically out of the country, in exchange for a commission. Because their accounts are used only once or twice, they often do not realize the ruse immediately, Ben-Itzhak said.
Meanwhile, the Trojan hides the theft by erasing it from the report of account activity displayed to the computer user and shows a fake balance--what the amount would be if not for the theft. The victim will not notice something is wrong until a different, uncompromised computer is used to access the account, an ATM is used, or a transaction is denied because of insufficient funds.
The Trojan also keeps a log of the victim's bank account log in credentials, takes screenshots, and snoops on the user's other Web accounts, such as PayPal, Facebook, and Gmail, according to the Finjan report.
This is the first Trojan Finjan has come across that hijacks a victim's browser session, steals the money while the victim is doing online banking, and then covers its tracks by modifying information displayed to the victim, all in real time, Ben-Itzhak said.

The Zune HD represents a big step forward in Microsoft's war against the iPod, but when it comes to accessories, there's just no catching up to Apple. Step inside any local electronics store and you'll find yourself wading through a swamp of speaker docks, cases, cables, chargers, in-car FM transmitters, and alarm clocks, all made for the iPod. Try looking for the Zune section, though, and you'll be sorely disappointed.
Fortunately, the handful of accessories made for the Zune are all surprisingly high in quality. The iHome ZN9 alarm clock, for instance, is one of the better bedside speaker systems we've tested, regardless of what MP3 player you plug into it. Same goes for the Kicker ZK500--the thing is a first-rate, floor-shaking speaker dock that any Zune owner should count themselves lucky to have.
Some accessories are uniquely Zune, though. The HD AV dock, for example, has no equal in the iPod world. With it, you can output 720p video from your Zune HD to your TV, as well as show off your music collection, flip through photos, and tune into HD Radio channels.

Like many in the security industry are doing, Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 leverages anonymous data from its customer base to create a behavioral engine to further strengthen security safeguards. The new version also introduces several useful ancillary tools, including a sandboxing feature for running programs with a significantly reduced risk, and an auto-run disabler for closing up a pernicious Windows security hole. Frustratingly, a significant flaw in the interface design stands out because it's related to a key feature. Meanwhile, performance felt fine but benchmarking revealed inconsistencies.

Installation
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 will run on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. It costs about $20 more than its competitors, but one license can run on up to three computers. Installation offers a Custom method for advanced users to configure which components will be installed, including parental control, the various antivirus engines, and the virtual keyboard. There's also an option to not install the anonymous data collection that Kaspersky's new behavioral engine, the Urgent Detection System, relies on. If you choose to not install it, you won't be any less secure--you just won't be contributing your data to it. If you do, there's a data collection statement so you know what's going on legally, although I suspect that most users will treat it like any other legalese EULA and ignore it.

The program will also ask you if you want it to disable your firewall if it's active, and offers a protected install process so your computer is no less safe. People can activate the program through the trial period or by purchasing a license immediately, and they can also toggle the program's sensitivity to user input by choosing the less-intrusive "trust Kaspersky" option or the more customizable "ask for user input" when it detects a threat.

You can also configure definition file updates as automatic--which is the recommended option--scheduled, or manual, and users will be able to password-protect Kaspersky's settings. This is a smart safety feature for computers that have more than one user. The last configuration window under the advanced user installation will ask you what kind of malware you want KIS to detect.

Once you've finished the installation, KIS won't require a reboot as it has in the past, although uninstallation still does. The first window that opens will be a virus definition warning that your local virus definition database requires an update. Clicking the link will open the main Kaspersky window and begin updating the program.

Overall, only power users should choose the longer advanced installation process, but the experience was smooth and flawless on a Windows 7 RTM laptop. It had no conflicts with the already installed security program AntiVir, and after uninstallation only two minor traces of the program were found in the Registry. Uninstalling using the included Modify, Repair, or Remove tool allows users the opportunity to keep certain program data on the computer, such as the contents of the sandboxed Safe Run Shared Folder or activation data, and after the reboot KIS had reactivated the Windows Defender firewall.

Interface and features
The full-featured suite, Kaspersky Internet Security, offers a complete and competitive range of security options. The new features in the 2010 edition include the aforementioned behavioral-based detection system called the Urgent Detection Sytsem. The UDS utilizes the anonymous data of 10 million of Kaspersky's customers who choose to participate in submitting their system scans to Kaspersky's central servers for analysis, and it "red flags" suspicious behavior so that even if a program used to be safe, it can shut down a newly activated malicious intent.

Although this might sound insidious, it's actually a smart way to leverage a huge consumer base for security purposes as long as the data remains anonymous. Many other security suites are incorporating behavioral detection engines, so this is something that users will have to get used to if they're not. Among UDS's better sub-features include the capability to customize how long it takes to pass judgment on a new program and per-user configuration of the rules governing program behavior.

Even if a program has deep penetration, if it starts behaving badly, then Kaspersky will block it. If it's an unknown, Kaspersky will treat it skeptically, monitoring and restricting the program until it has been proven safe. The Vulnerability Scan option, available under the Scan tab, utilizes tech from Secunia to determine which programs are potential security risks because they lack recent updates or patches. For programs that may not warn you that they have a pending security update, such as Adobe Flash, having this tool baked-in could be exceptionally useful.

The tools offered under the My Protection tab are nothing short of robust. There's antivirus protection for files, e-mail, HTTP traffic, and instant messaging. Application control, the aforementioned UDS, includes options for customization, should you need to force access for a specific program that Kaspersky is identifying as a threat. There are protections against spam, phishing, and banner ads, firewall control, and a network monitor to track network activities for users who like to drill down deep into their system's behavior. There's also a Parental Control filter, with options to outright block children from particular sites or merely log events. By default, the Parental Control filter is off, and when activated it assigns all other users on the computer Child status until directed otherwise. There's a Teenager status, as well, for more granular control of restrictions.

The My Security Zone tab is where most of the application control features live. From here, a clean chart organizes your installed programs according to trustworthiness, the Digital Identity Protection feature allows you to uncover which files your personal information resides in according to the program, and the Safe Run sandbox can be controlled. Safe Run nearly doubles the amount of RAM the program uses, but provides a secure environment for launching a program. Safe Run also comes with a sandboxed folder into which you can save files without worry. The feature currently will not run on Windows 7 computers, but Kaspersky has told me that they expect to have the feature fixed before the October release of the new operating system.

Programs can be launched into Safe Run in one of two ways. You can add the program manually through the Kaspersky Security Zone panel, or you can launch it on the fly using the context menu. Hopefully, there will be casual launcher added to jump lists in Windows 7, but that feature doesn't exist now.

The Update Center tab offers a smooth update scheduler integrated into the main interface. Click on Run Mode to change the schedule. This isn't remarkable except to point out that only the definition file update offers an update like this. To schedule any other regular scan, you must click on the Settings option at the top right of the main Kaspersky window, choose the feature you want to schedule from the list on the left if it wasn't open in the main window when you hit settings, select Settings from within the window that opens, and then finally click the Run Mode tab on yet one final pop-up window. It's a tedious process and could be streamlined to great effect, but it makes one of the basic features of this security program unnecessarily hard to get to.

The program also comes with an auto-run disable feature and a virtual keyboard so that, in theory, you can enter passwords without worrying about a keylogger. In fact, security experts have warned that onscreen keyboards do not decrease the risks of password theft, and either way I think most users will find it superfluous. The new gamer mode, however, isn't. This basically keeps Kaspersky functioning while you play games, but kills interrupting pop-ups and strips memory usage down to its minimum.

The annoying yellow bar announcing that your computer security is at risk because you're running the trial can be toggled under the Report link at the top right of the main window. I'm not happy about the wording of the message as it appears in the program, falsely equating your computer's security with the status of your license when Kaspersky Labs itself offers the trial as full-featured.

Boot time (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
42
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
42.22
Standard Machine
40.03

Shutdown time (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Kaspersky Antivirus 2010
32.22
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
35.2
Standard Machine
30.75

Scan time (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
789
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
780
Standard Machine
N/A

Office performance (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
565
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
565
Standard Machine
483

iTunes decoding (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
195
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
195
Standard Machine
187

Media multitasking test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
785
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
849
Standard Machine
785

Cinebench
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
4,190
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
3,908
Standard Machine
4,217

Performance
Scans and definition file updates performed empirically as expected, with the Quick Scan taking less than 3 minutes. The Vulnerability Scan took less than 4 minutes, as well. The Full Scan, which was expected to be slow, took less than an hour, but as it approached 80 percent completion it oscillated between telling me that it would finish in 1 minute and 2 minutes. In fact, it would take another 11 minutes to finish.

Virus and malware efficacy scores for Kaspersky's 2010 products were not available at the time of writing, and will be updated here when they are announced. However, last year's Kaspersky 2009 has scored average or better in all areas of detection according to virus and malware detection results at AV-Test.org and AV-Comparatives.org. AV-Test noted that it detected more than 98.4 percent of malware on demand, and 98.3 percent of spyware on demand, with an average rate of false positives. AV-Comparitives.org awarded Kaspersky 2009 Advanced+ in both February 2009's on-demand comparative and in May 2009's retrospective/pro-active test, noting few false positives and a 50 percent detection rate, behind Microsoft, Eset, Avira, and G Data. The short version of these independent test results is that last year's Kaspersky scored above average in general, and was excellent at malware detection.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus contains most of the same engines and features as Kaspersky Internet Security. It lacks the personal two-way firewall, parental and privacy control, whitelisting and application control, safe run virtual sandbox, anti-spam protection, and banner ad blocking.

Support
Kaspersky's support looks organized and straightforward. Click the support link at the bottom of the main window to bring up a new window, with options to directly submit a ticket, browse the Kaspersky knowledge base, or visit the user forums. Users can e-mail or call a toll-free number for live technical support, and a link to the Help database appears on pop-ups as well as the main window.

Conclusion
No doubt that Kaspersky is an effective security suite, but it's the extra features available in Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 that make it worth paying for. There are some niggling problems with the interface, and the performance numbers could be stronger, but the inclusion of the behavioral engine bodes well for the future. Overall, Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 is more than adequate for both power users and set-it-and-forget-it types.

Manufacturer:Symantec Corporation
Part Number:20043745

General
Category Internet
SubcategoryInternet - internet security
License pricingStandard
Software
License TypeComplete package
License Qty 1 user
License Pricing Standard
Distribution Media Download
Package Type Retail
System Requirements
Min Processor Type 300 MHz or higher
Peripheral / Interface Devices CD-ROM , DVD drive
System Requirements Details Microsoft Windows 7 Starter - RAM 256 MB - HD 300 MB , Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic , Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium , Microsoft Windows 7 Professional , Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate , Microsoft Windows Vista Starter , Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic , Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium , Microsoft Windows Vista Business , Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate , Microsoft Windows XP Home SP2 , Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 , Microsoft Windows XP Media Center SP2

Minister of Communications and IT, Dayanidhi Maran inaugurated Symantec Corp.'s Center of Innovation in Chennai.

"Symantec's Center of Innovation at Chennai will play a key role in developing new solutions and enabling an environment of safe and secure computing for enterprises and consumers in India and globally," Maran said in a statement.

The firm already has an Innovation Center in Pune.

According to W Thompson, Chairman and CEO, Symantec, “The Chennai center would play a critical role in the development of the company's next generation of security products and solutions for enterprises and consumers the world over.”

The statement said that the new center would accommodate more than 1,000 employees. Its Pune center accommodates more than 2,100 employees and works on high-end product development in the security, storage and compliance domains.

“This center will further augment our already existing R&D and engineering strengths in India. Our focus is also to be the solution provider of choice in a rapidly 'Connected India,” Thompson said.

Anil Chakravarthy, VP, India Technical Operations, Symantec, said, "In the coming year the center will focus extensively on developing next-generation `Security 2.0' products including the distinguished Norton product line."

Along with keyloggers that track what you type, now we have to worry about malicious software that listens in on our voice over Internet Protocol conversations.

Gerry Egan
(Credit: Joris Evers/CNET)
A Symantec security blog on Thursday disclosed a new Trojan horse, Tojan.Peskyspy "that records VoIP communications, specifically targeting Skype." The posting, based on analysis from Symantec's Karthik Selvaraj, pointed out that "its existence isn't due to any problems with Skype itself" but that Skype may have been targeted "simply because it has such a large install base."
Gerry Egan, Symantec's director of security response, says the Trojan is capable of "hooking...through some Windows APIs into some audio streams" that "can be intercepted, turned into MP3 files, and then sent over a remote channel to a remote electronic eavesdropper."
A PC can be infected through the usual channels for malware, including an executable file in an e-mail you click on and a "drive by download" that's automatically triggered when you visit an infected Web site. The most recent trend, Egan said, "is a shift toward socially engineered attacks like a fake video site."
The code has been published on the Web by a Swiss researcher, Egan said, adding that "we've not seen any indications of it being used maliciously, but the published code opens up endless possibilities in the mind of a hacker."
The code would affect Skype or any other VoIP software on a Windows PC that uses an audio stream, Egan said.
Unlike most malware, Symantec does not anticipate the code being used to launch widespread attacks.
"To do this en masse really isn't practical," Egan said. Even if a "piece of malware gets on the machine of someone who is using (VoIP), and they are talking about interesting things, finding those interesting things among the many hundreds of thousands of hours of phone calls would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack." He said it might be more valuable in a targeted attack against a specific individual.
Eavesdropping is a risk, when it comes to industrial espionage, prying spouses or significant others, and political campaigns, as well as political dissidents. U.S. law requires a court order before a phone or a computer can be legally tapped by government or law enforcement officials.
The best way to avoid being infected with this or any other malware is to use good up-to-date security software and to be sure that your operating system and browser are updated. It's also a good idea to avoid clicking on e-mail attachments and consider using security software that warns you when you're about to visit a potentially malicious Web site.

Microsoft has over 150 FREE Windows & Office Programs available for download But its very difficult to find them at time. So am here posting of the list of Microsoft software which are usefull to us all.

WINDOWS XP GOODIES

Alt-Tab Replacement in addition to the icon of the application window you are switching to, you see a preview of the page.Calculator Plus also performs many types of conversions.

ConferenceXP enables you to see & hear others in a virtual collaborative space, called a venue. You collaborate on an electronic whiteboard or PowerPoint presentation, send messages and more.

Feeds Plus is an Internet Explorer 7 add-on for RSS pop-up notifications.

FolderShare keeps important files at your fingertips – anywhere. All file changes are automatically synchronized between linked computers, so you always access the latest files.

GroupBar desktop tool offers enhanced window management capabilities in a taskbar-like setting. Through simple drag-and-drop operations on window tiles within the bar, users can create lightweight, transient grouping relationships that allow them to perform certain higher-level window layout functions on multiple windows at once.

MapCruncher converts existing maps into an online format that’s easy to use as Virtual Earth. PDF and raster maps can be converted just by clicking on corresponding landmarks on the user’s map.

My Font Tool converts your handwriting into a TrueType font, making typed text appear written by hand.

Open Command Window Here adds an “Open Command Window Here” context menu option on file system folders, giving a quick way to open a command window.

Power Calculator graphd and evaluated functions as well as performs many conversions.

Snip IT can email selected text within Internet Explorer.

Taskbar Magnifier magnifies part of the screen from the taskbar.

Tweak UI gives access to system settings not exposed in the default user interface, including mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, and more.

USB Flash Drive Manager backup & restore files to/from a USB Flash Drive device.

Virtual Desktop Manager manages up to four desktops from the Windows taskbar

Virtual Machine is Microsoft’s Java Virtual Machine for Internet Explorer, allowing you to view java applets on Web pages.

Webcam Timershot takes and saves pictures at specified time intervals from a Webcam.

Windows Live Writer blogging authoring tool

XML Notepad 2007 provides browsing and editing XML documents. (Support: Design Doc)

XML Paper Specification Essentials Pack enables you to view, generate and index XPS Documents.

ZoomIt is screen zoom and annotation tool for technical presentations that include application demonstrations.

SECURITY, ANTI-SPYWARE & ANTI-VIRUS

Baseline Security Analyzer includes a graphical and command line interface that can perform local or remote scans of Windows systems. MBSA will scan for common security misconfigurations in the following products: Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, IIS 5.0 & 6.0, SQL Server 7.0 & 2000, MSIE 5.01 and later, and Office 2000, 2002 & 2003. MBSA also scans for missing security updates, update rollups and service packs published to Microsoft Update. (Support Tool: Visio Connector for MBSA 2.0, MBSA Homepage)

Malicious Software Removal Tool checks for infection by specific, prevalent malicious software (including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom) and helps to remove the infection if it is found. (Updated on the second Tuesday of each month.)

Windows Defender protects against pop-ups, slow performance and security threats caused by spyware and other potentially unwanted software.

Windows Live Safety Center – Web service designed to ensure the health of your computer with free scanning tools helping get rid of unwanted software.

MULTIMEDIA

CD Slide Show Generator can view images burned to a CD as a slide show.

“Decades” Auto Playlist Pack include dozens new auto playlists to organize your music by decades—from the 1940s through the new millennium.

Device Manager Software Development Kit (SDK) works with devices that support the new Media Transfer Protocol (MTP).

Easy Camera Calibration Tool determines a camera’s internal parameters (focal length, aspect ratio, radial distortion, etc.). The technique only requires the camera to observe a planar pattern shown at a few (at least two) different orientations. Either the camera or the planar pattern can be freely moved. The motion need not be known. (Support: Website)

GroupShot creates a composite image from a series of photos. The photos must be of the same scene, taken from the same point of view within a short period of time. (Support: Help, Website & Channel 9 Video)

HTML Slide Show Wizard creates an HTML slide show of your digital pictures.

Image Resizer resizes one or many image files with a right-click. (Support: How to . . .)

JetStream Image Editor with cut and paste tool, based on sequential curve growing with interaction. (Support: Website)

Media Audio 9 Lossless to PCM Converter - command line tool converts files encoded using Windows Media Audio 9 Lossless back into the original PCM WAV format.

Media Bonus Pack: utilities, PowerToys, visualizations, skins, sound effects, and much more. (Net Install Version)

Media Capture capture uncompressed AVI video files with mono, stereo, 5.1, or 7.1 channels of audio, with up to 24 bit resolution and sampling rates up to 192KHz.

Media Encoder provides support for high-quality multichannel sound, high-definition video quality, new support for mixed-mode voice and music content, and more. (Support: Introduction to . . .)

Media Encoder Studio Edition for video professionals, focused on the creation of high-quality, offline encoded content.

Media Mono to Multichannel Wave Combiner 9 Series - command line tool will combine 2, 6 or 8 mono WAV files into an audio-only AVI file that can be used as a source with the Windows Media Encoder 9 Series.

Media Player Software Development Kit (SDK) introduces a range of new features and functionality for customizing the Player and Player Control.

Media Professional Exhibitor intended for playback at full-screen resolution at all times. All transport and playlist controls appear on a (required) second monitor allowing for a theatrical viewing experience.

Media Transfer Protocol Porting Kit introduces the new Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), which enables you to manage content on any portable device.

Movie Maker create, edit, and share home movies easily with drag-and-drops. [Fun Packs: Winter 2002 & 2003 - Creative Audio, Titles, Custom Effects and Transitions] (Support: Blog Posting)

Photo Info allows photographers to add, change and delete common “metadata” properties for digital photographs from inside Windows Explorer. (Support: FAQ)

Paint.Net originated as a Computer Science senior design project at Washington State University, and is still developed by the two alumni Rick Brewster and Tom Jackson who now work for Microsoft. Don’t forget the Free Paint.Net Plug-Ins!

Photo Story create slideshows using your digital photos. With a single click, you can touch-up, crop, or rotate pictures. Add stunning special effects, soundtracks, and your own voice narration to your photo stories.

Producer 2003 for users of PowerPoint 2002 & 2003, includes improved audio and video quality, better synchronization, and presentation-sharing tools.

RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for serious photographers. Organize and work with digital RAW files in Windows Explorer, providing thumbnails, previews, printing, and metadata display for RAW images. (Support: White Paper)

UTILITIES

ActiveSync synchronization of Outlook information, Office docs, pics, music, videos and applications from your desktop to Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs & Smartphones.

Color Control Panel Applet adds a new “Color” item to the control panel, providing viewing and editing color management settings.Desktop Language Settings changes language, keyboard, and regional settings for Windows, Internet Explorer, and Office.
Font Properties Extension adds several new property tabs to the fonts dialog box. (Support: Website)

ISO Recorder Power Toy makes images of CDs & DVDs to create ISO images.

Keyboard Layout Creator create & modify keyboard layouts.

MSN Search Toolbar software and components.

Mount ISO Files Virtually – this tool allows ISO image files to be mounted virtually as a CD/DVD device.

Terminals is a “tabbed” terminal services/remote desktop client used for controlling multiple connection simultaneously.

Transliteration Utility (TU) tool for transliterating one natural language script to another (like Serbian Latin to Serbian Cyrillic or Latin to Inuktitut). Plus, it can be used to create, edit, debug, and test natural language transliteration modules used to convert one script to another. (Support: How to . . .)

Tweakomatic utility that writes Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) scripts enablimg you to retrieve and/or configure Windows and Internet Explorer settings locally or remotely.

User State Migration Tool (USMT) migrates user files and settings during large deployments by capturing desktop, network and application settings as well as a user files, and then migrates them to a new Windows installation. (Support: Homepage)

Virtual PC is a powerful software virtualization solution that allows running multiple PC-based operating systems simultaneously on one workstation. (Support: Technical Overview)

VirtualWiFi abstracts a single WLAN card to appear as multiple virtual WLAN cards to the user. The user can then configure each virtual card to connect to a different wireless network. Therefore, VirtualWiFi allows a user to simultaneously connect his machine to multiple wireless networks using just one WLAN card.

Windows SteadyState is designed for schools, libraries, Internet Cafés, and other public locations.

Wntipcfg This GUI tool gives you information about your IP configuration.