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Windows 7 Service Pack 1 RTM Leaked On Torrent Sites

After having used almost every Microsoft Operating System since MS-DOS, I’ve to say that Windows 7 is the best Microsoft OS to be released since Windows 98 Second Edition. W7 addressed many flaws that were present in its predecessor Windows Vista and according to Microsoft it was a phenomenal success in terms of sales as well. Anyways here’s some news that might interest you if you are one of the millions running Windows 7 on your PC or Laptop - A Release To Manufacturing (RTM) build of the first Service Pack (SP1) for Windows 7 has reportedly been leaked online. The files, which were initially posted by Russian release site WZOR, are now out in the wild and readily available on various file sharing networks including public BitTorrent sites and private torrent trackers.

Quoted below is the NFO file from one such torrent (this appeared to be a repacked version of files originally posted on WZOR):

Windows.7.Service.Pack.1.RTM.Build.7601.17514.WAVE1-WW

Type................: Service Pack 1 Final for Windows 7
Build String........: 7601.17105
Full Build String...: 7601.17105.101119-1850
Size................: 1,40 GB
Leaked Date.........: January 14th, 2010
Torrent Date........: January 14th, 2010

Note: This is not a full install, this is just an upgrade only. It contains x86 / x64 . This Service Pack can be applied to any version of Windows 7. All you need is to run the update kit. Please uninstall all the previous versions before installing this!

Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 (RTM) x86
Build: 7601.17514.101119-1850
File: windows6.1-KB976932-x86.exe
Size: 563,934,504 byte
SHA-1: C3516BC5C9E69FEE6D9AC4F981F5B95977A8A2FA
MD5: 4BF28FC00D86C936C89E2D91EF46758B
CRC: 5EB0FA87
Wave1: Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese-Hong Kong SAR, Chinese-Simplified, Chinese-Taiwan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese-Brazil, Portuguese-Portugal, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and Ukrainian.

Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 (RTM) x64
Build: 7601.17514.101119-1850
File: windows6.1-KB976932-x64.exe
Size: 947,070,088 byte
SHA-1: 74865EF2562006E51D7F9333B4A8D45B7A749DAB
MD5: 28D3932F714BF71D78E75D36AA2E0FB8
CRC: 068C79C6
Wave1: Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese-Hong Kong SAR, Chinese-Simplified, Chinese-Taiwan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese-Brazil, Portuguese-Portugal, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and Ukrainian.

Thanks goes to: Misaki for providing the SP1 files, to Zukona for making this leak possible, and to OVH for helping with the upload!

Microsoft it yet to confirm that the leaked build is indeed RTM. However, WZOR, the Russian site from which the leak originated from, has been around for many years and it’s got a reputation for posting reliable information about leaked MS software in the past.

Now, we wouldn’t post a direct download link to this RTM since we’re not sure if that would be illegal or not (after all, this is still unreleased software). However, anyone wanting to download this release on a file sharing network should have enough information to do so in the above NFO itself :) If you are feeling adventurous, go ahead and check it out. If you want to download Service Pack 1 through official channels, it should hit the Microsoft Download Center in the coming weeks (or months, I’m not sure about the exact release date yet).

Windows Live Messenger, Writer 2011 Beta Build 15.4.3002.810 Standalone, Offline Installer

If you use any of Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta applications on your machine (Messenger, Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery or Movie Maker) you might want to check this out. Microsoft recently released a beta refresh (aka beta 2) of Windows Live Essentials 2011 (Wave 4) which included significant updates to almost all applications in the suite. This updated Windows Live Messenger (WLM), probably the most popular app in the bunch, to build 15.4.3002.810. Microsoft promises faster connectivity, improved video chat and improved Facebook integration in this new build. Other applications too have been improved, for example with better facial recognition in Photo Gallery, support for larger uploads in Movie Maker, etc. If you are looking for the full standalone, offline, redistributable installer of the latest Windows Live Suite, we have the download link below.

If you try to download Windows Live Essentials suite from it’s official download location, you will by default be provided with the web installer. This is good if you want to download selected applications and install them only once. However, the web setup will blow when there are multiple computers – you’ll have to run it on all PCs separately. Although not exposed to the public, Microsoft hosts a redistributable installer of the live suite on their download servers. This includes all files required for the installation of full Windows Live Essentials suite on your PC and it can be used multiple times on multiple computers, even on those without an internet connection. Since the setup package includes all Live apps, it weighs around 135MB in file size – you can however select and install only the components you need during setup.

Download

[Click Here] to download Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta 2 Full Redistributable, Standalone, Offline Installer

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Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 Beta – How To Select And Install Components You Need

Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 Beta – How To Select And Install Components You Need

Microsoft has released a major update to their Windows Live products suite - Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 is currently in beta and is now available to the public. The WL Essentials suite consists of 9 different software; Windows Live Messenger, Writer, Mail, Sync, Photo Gallery & Movie Maker, Family Safety, Bing Bar and Outlook Connector Pack. All of the above apps have received major upgrades over their older Wave 3 versions. For example, WLM 15 (aka WLM 2011) now features Facebook integration including Facebook chat and other social updates from the service. Although there have been leaked builds available on various 3rd party sites for a while, you can now download the official Wave 4 beta suite directly from Microsoft. And contrary to popular belief, you can select and install only the components you need – installing all 9 apps is not mandatory.

I came across several different popular tech blogs where it was mentioned that you needed to install the entire Windows Live Essentials suite on your computer if you wanted to test out at least one app from the bunch. This is not exactly true – there are two versions of Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 installer. One will start installing the entire suite without any user prompt but the other would give a screen (see image above) where you can select and deselect which components to install. Personally, I only use two software in the Live suite – Writer and Messenger. It would be stupid to install 7 other apps I’d never use and clutter my system just to try these two out.

Download

[Click Here] to download Windows Live Essentials Installer – this installer will give you an options screen where you can deselect applications you don’t want to install

[Click Here] to download Windows Live Essentials Automatic Installer – this will download and install all live apps on your computer without prompt.

Manage Multiple Remote Desktop Connections With Microsoft RDCMan

If you work with multiple remote desktop connections simultaneously, here’s a software that’ll make your life easier. RDCMan (Remote Desktop Connection Manager) is a tool from Microsoft that will let you easily connect and manage several remote desktop sessions at once. This can be a useful tool for network administrators as well as for software developers who need to deploy and test applications on multiple machines. RDCMan is a small download which is sized around ~750KB and the app is distributed as freeware. I haven’t had a lot of time to test drive this app but it looked like a solid piece of software with no showstopper bugs during the short period of time I used it.

First thing you’ll want to do after installing RDCMan would be to create and save a new group. You can do this through the File menu. Then, you can start adding servers to the group, create sub groups, etc. The interface is not the most user friendly but since the app is not targeted at novice users, this wouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Download

You can download this software free from Microsoft Download Center. If you use a relatively older operating system such as Windows XP or Windows 2003, you’ll need to obtain version 6 or newerof the Remote Desktop Connection client software.

[Click Here] to download RDCMan 2.2 from official download page.

DirectX 9.0c February 2010 Standalone, Offline, Redistributable Installer Download

This is not exactly a new update but since there seem to be many folks out there who are unaware of this release we thought of posting it here. As of 25/4/2010, the latest available DirectX 9 end user runtime is version 9.28.1886 or better known as ‘DirectX 9.0c February 2010’ edition. Most people seem to overlook DX runtime updates but according to my experience, having the latest runtime can avoid a lot of crashes, freezes and other hiccups when running latest games. If you don’t believe it, go through our PC game troubleshooting articles and see how many comments say “updating DirectX fixed it for me” :p. So if you are using a Windows XP powered computer to play latest PC games, you should strongly consider this update.

If you try to download the latest runtime from Microsoft download center, you will by default be prompted to download the web installer. The web installer has one main advantage and a disadvantage. Advantage is that it will only download the files that need updating - your download size could vary between 20kb to 90mb. Disadvantage is that you cannot save the downloaded files to HDD and run the installer later (or reuse it on a different machine such as your home PC or another computer on the network).

If you know where to find it, Microsoft releases a separate version of DX runtime for developers. This is a fully redistributable, standalone copy of DirectX that may be installed anywhere, anytime and as many times as you want (seen the DXSETUP folder that usually comes on the game DVD?). You not need to have an internet connection to install this version as it does not download components on the fly.

Download

We have included download links to both standalone and web installer of DX9 below. Choose whichever you prefer most.

[Click Here] to download DirectX 9.0c February 2010 Web Installer

[Click Here] to download DirectX 9.0c February 2010 Standalone/Offline Installer

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Office 2010 Beta Now Available For Download

Looking forward to Microsoft’s next major update for Office suite, Office 2010? Now you can preview the software way before its launch; an official public beta has now been made available. Just like all Microsoft software usually do before release, multiple builds of Office 2010 too were leaked online. A technical preview build as well as pre release build 4536 was made available to the public by an independent scene group (iND) and then by group WinBeta. Anyways you will no longer have to rely on leaked versions to sample Office 2010 – the first public beta is here.

Note that this is a very early build of Office 2010. Microsoft advises users to install it on a test PC. It is also advised that you remove all previous Office installations before installing this build. Supported operating systems include Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 (both 32 and 64-bit versions). Other system requirements are not that high either; You only need to have 500 MHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor or higher and just 256 MB of system memory or more.

Public beta is of ‘Office 2010 Professional Plus’ version. It includes the following software:

Like most betas, Office 2010 too has an expiration date; It’ll expire on November 2010, roughly an year later. Additionally, this version will require online activation via Windows Software Protection Platform.

Download

You can download the setup file directly from Microsoft. Size is around 700MB (1CD).

[Click Here] to download Office 2010 Professional Plus Beta from official download page

DirectX 9 August 2009 Runtime - Standalone, Offline, Redistributable Installer

Here is some important news for gamers (or for anyone who’s using software that makes use of Microsoft’s DirectX API) – the latest monthly DX runtime is here and it’s strongly recommended that you update to this version ASAP. DirectX 9 August 2009 runtime (v9.27.1734) is the first monthly update after March 2009 edition which was released about 6 months ago. This will of course be a must have update for Windows XP users as the operating system does not support DX10 and all games will run on DX9 mode by default.

Although many people are unaware, the all too common missing dll errors when trying to launch new games (ex- missing d3dx9d.dll , d3dx9_25.dll, missing d3dx9_27.dll, etc) are mostly caused by an outdated DirectX version. Installing the latest DX runtime update should easily rectify such problems as well.

Download

As mentioned in the title, this post features the full standalone, redistributable version of DX9 August 2009 runtime – this is not a web setup. You can download the file directly from Microsoft’s official servers.

[Click Here] to download DirectX 9 v9.27.1734 Runtime

Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8089.726 Standalone/Offline Installer

A new build of Windows Live Messenger (WLM) 2009 beta is now available. WLM 14.0.8089.726 seems to be the successor to previous 14.0.8064.0206 build – however there is little to no information available on what’s changed in this version. This primarily looks like a QFE (Quick Fix Engineering) release and Microsoft has been a little discreet about its release. Existing v14.0.8064.0206 users are not being prompted to automatically update to the new build which hasn’t been the case with previous updates. It seems that even Softpedia were asked to remove the download from their servers, at least temporarily.

I initially thought that Microsoft had refreshed all of their their Live Wave 3 apps when I saw the release of Windows Live Movie Maker 14 Final (Build 14.0.8091.0730), alongside WLM update. However this does not seem to be the case. Right now it’s not known for certain if WLM 14.0.8089.726 is even considered as an official update.

Download

As i said earlier there are no direct download links for this version from Microsoft as of yet. However I found the full standalone/offline MSI installer package to be online at BetaNews’s FileForum.

[Click Here] to visit FileForum download page for Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8089.726 (Standalone Installer)

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Windows Live Messenger 9 Final 14.0.8064.0206 Standalone/Offline Installer

Games for Windows Live 3.0 – Offline standalone installer direct download

We’ve been seeing a lot of ‘Games for Windows Live (GFWL)’ titles lately and by the look of things this trend is not going to subside anytime soon. Microsoft yesterday launched a brand new version of Games for Windows Live 3.0 and this component is now freely downloadable from Microsoft download center. Included in the new version is a new theme, an in-game marketplace, improved account management tools and of course two new anti piracy measures. I found the new anti piracy measures to be particularly interesting – one of them involves server side authentication.

Following bit about piracy protection is quoted from release notes:

Starting with new title releases this fall, publishers can optionally take advantage of two new methods to ensure everyone's playing with a legitimate copy of their games.

Server Side Authentication links the game license to your Gamertag. The advantage of this method is that it allows installation of the game onto any PC, anywhere — only you can access the LIVE service from the game. Server Side Authentication has no affect on offline play.

Zero Day Piracy Protection keeps games from launching before the street date the publisher has set for the game.

If you are a pirate, server side authentication can never mean any good. Although not much is revealed about how this works in GFWL 3.0, this type of protection is always harder to break. On the positive side, Microsoft uses similar methods to validate copies of Windows and people still manage to emulate the authentication servers and hoodwink them so hope is not lost for pirates. Either way something tells me that this would just be one extra step for those who legally purchase games.

Download

[Click Here] to download Games for Windows Live 3.0 Standalone/Offline installer from official server

Windows Tiny7 – A Windows 7 ISO that fits on a single CD?

If you have been trying out the soon to be released OS Windows 7 (which is already leaked), you might have noticed that it comes in a DVD image that usually exceeds 2GB in file size (installation on HDD takes much more). Would you believe it if I told you there is a Windows 7 version that fits on a single CD (700MB)? Yes, there is - Windows Tiny7 is a severely hacked (or chopped) version of Windows that is based on Windows 7 Ultimate x86 build 6.1.7600.16385 RTM. As you might have guessed, this is not an official Microsoft release – it’s a 3rd party, custom release made by an individual/group which goes by the name ‘eXPerience’.

Windows Tiny7 comes as a 700MB bootable disk image (which looks like it’s created using vLite). ISO has an unattended setup program which paves way for a silent installation. And it’s not some sort of magical compression that makes this release so small in file size – actual Windows features are removed. A complete list of what’s ripped off and what’s still available is given in the release NFO.

Some statistics about this ultra slim version of Windows is also included in the NFO:

Statistics:

ISO File Size.............................. 699 Mb
RAM Usage On First Installation............ 145 Mb (idle for 5 mins)
Entire Installation Size................... 2.46 Gb
WINDOWS Folder Size........................ 2.40 Gb
Running Processes, total................... 24
Running Processes, Windows................. 22
Install Time In VMware..................... 10 to 15 minutes*

Now I don’t know if the above states are true or not since I have not installed this version myself. If the actual values are anywhere close to those mentioned above, it would be pretty cool stuff indeed. However don’t forget the fact that actual features are removed to free up space – you may be installing a version of Windows that’s crippled in some form.

Note: Since this is still a pirated release, no torrent or download links will be posted. Please do not ask for them here.

Pirates crack Windows 7 RTM before official release

Sh1t has hit the fan again for Microsoft – pirates have managed to crack Windows 7 copy protection mechanism even before the OS’s official release. It’s nothing surprising though – everybody knew this was going to happen and it was just a question of when. Well that nagging question has now been answered. Windows 7 Ultimate RTM build 7600.16385 (which was leaked a few days ago) has been cracked and this time it’s not with a time stopper hack or a trial period re-arm workaround – the new exploit makes use of Microsoft’s OEM activation 2.1 to bypass WGA and pre activate illegitimate copies of Windows 7 even in offline mode.

They key used for activation seems to have leaked through a Chinese OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) distribution partner. As we Tweeted a few days ago, several OEM product keys were leaked online but these were immediately blocked by Microsoft so online activation was not possible. However it does not matter if the keys are blocked or not with the latest hack – activation bypass happens offline. The leaked DVD image gives pirates access to OEM-SLP (System-Locked Pre-installation) product key along with the OEM certificate for Windows 7 Ultimate via boot.wim file. I wouldn’t go into much detail about how the latest exploit works but it’s something similar to those BIOS emulation cracks that were hugely popular with Windows Vista. The hack seemingly works only with Windows 7 Ultimate. Pirates wouldn’t complain though – it’s the most featured filled Windows 7 edition out there yet.

We wouldn’t directly link to cracks or leaked product keys for obvious reasons but it’s a fact that they are now all over the internet, readily available for download. It’s safe to assume that warez community will keep improving the OEM hack and eventually more easy to use versions of it such as one click activators and pre-cracked editions will surface, taking Windows 7 piracy to the masses. It would now be interesting to see Microsoft’s next move. Maybe they’ll come out with a completely new WGA mechanism that hopefully would not be too intrusive than it already is. Maybe they’ll roll out a hotfix to detect and disable the OEM hack via Windows Update like they did for Windows Vista (with minimal success of course). Anyways right now it’s Pirates 1 and Microsoft 0. The battle continues…

Windows 7 Ultimate RTM leaked on torrent sites (build 7600.16385)

This time it’s real and confirmed news – no more speculations. The Release To Manufacturing (RTM) build of Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system has leaked online. Untouched ISO images of both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the OS can now be downloaded from various BitTorrent trackers across the world. There had been several different leaked builds of Windows 7 floating around the web for some time - some of these were mislabeled as RTM and some could not be verified as the official RTM build. However this time there is confirmation. How was this possible? With the help of Microsoft itself of course.

It was none other than a Microsoft employee who posted CRC and hash values of all available official RTM DVD ISOs on his blog on Technet. These values precisely match the allegedly leaked DVD images now being tracked by various public and private BitTorrent trackers. It couldn’t get any more real than this – Windows 7 build 7600.16385 is RTM and it has leaked online.

Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULFRER_EN_DVD.iso Size: 2501894144 bytes Date Modified: Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 17:32:44 PM CRC: C1C20F76 MD5: D0B8B407E8A3D4B75EE9C10147266B89 SHA-1: 5395DC4B38F7BDB1E005FF414DEEDFDB16DBF610

Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso Size: 3224686592 bytes Date Modified: Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 17:40:25 PM CRC: 1F1257CA MD5: F43D22E4FB07BF617D573ACD8785C028 SHA-1: 326327CC2FF9F05379F5058C41BE6BC5E004BAA7

As we mentioned earlier leaked version is an untouched DVD ISO – it’s exactly the same as the one that’ll be released by MS and there are no modifications, cracks or activators embedded with the release. For those who are still unclear what an RTM build (in Microsoft’s terms) is, it’s an advance release given to PC manufacturers to bundle with their future hardware sales. In simpler words Win 7 RTM will have the same code as the final retail of Windows 7 that is supposed to be released to the public later this year.

Note: Please do not post/ask-for torrent or direct download links to any of the leaked images here. This post is for informational purposes only.

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Final Direct Download Links

Final build of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (update KB948465) ) was released to the public by Microsoft two days ago. I’m not sure if it’s available via Windows Update yet (i don’t use the service) but direct download links for SP2 final are now available. Some of the notable features included in Service Pack 2 include Bluetooth 2.1 feature pack, Blu-Ray media record support, Windows Search 4.0, better streaming capabilities for HD audio and video, a sh1tload of security and reliability updates and many other smaller fixes and enhancements. Both 32-bit 64-bit editions are available.

Although Vista SP2 Final was officially released to the public on the 27th of May, leaked versions have been available on BitTorrent trackers as early as the 13th of May. Warez scene group ZWTISO (ISO division of Zero Waiting Time) even released SP2 integrated untouched versions of Vista ISOs way before the official release.

The effects of installing SP2 on a pirated (cracked) version of Vista is not known. It does not seem to include the hotfix that can detect and disable some BIOS emulation cracks (KB94510). This update has been available on Windows Update for some time but the full list of Vista SP2 features available on Microsoft TechNet does not include kb94510 in the list. I guess pirates are pretty safe in this case.

Anyway you need to have Vista Service Pack 1 installed before you install Service Pack 2. Also, you need to uninstall any pre release builds of SP2 before the installation.

Download

Following are direct download links that point to files hosted on official Microsoft servers. No 3rd party links are included. Vista SP2 standalone installer size is around 350MB.

[Click Here] to download Windows Vista Sp2 x86 (32-bit) Standalone Installer

[Click Here] to download Windows Vista Sp2 x64 (64-bit) Standalone Installer

Windows 7 Build 7127 post RC build leaked on BitTorrent

You’ve got to be kidding me – another leaked Windows 7 build from Microsoft. Just after a week MS opened Windows 7 Release Candidate Build 7100 to the public, a post RC version carrying build number 7127 has hit BitTorrent sites across the world. The importance of this release is that this could be one of the few builds between RC and the actual RTM (release to manufacturing) build of Windows 7. Microsoft has already mentioned that there will only be one RC build of Windows 7 – in other words RC1 will be the last public Windows 7 release before the RTM.

So does this mean build 7127 is the RTM vision? Hell no. This seem to be an internal build that is post RC1 and pre RTM. It carries full version number 7127.0.090507.1820 and seems to be mainly a bugfix release.

We will not link to the leaked build of Windows 7 as usual. However, if you want to download the now officially public Windows 7 Release Candidate (build 7100) from Microsoft, you can get it from here.

Windows 7 build 7106 leaked on internet

Build 7106 of Microsoft’s upcoming operating system Windows 7 has leaked on the internet. Significance of this build is that it’s speculated to be the first build in the RTM (Release To Manufacturing) branch of the OS. Initially a Chinese version of Windows 7 Build 7106 was leaked and shortly after English and Russian versions (in the form of patched ISO images) were released. The latest version of Windows 7 officially released to the public as of 15/4/2009 is Windows 7 Beta 1 (build 7000).

Although it’s been more than three months since a pre-release build was officially released by Microsoft, almost all subsequent builds of Windows 7 (7022, 7077, 7106 and so on) have leaked on the internet. Sources of these leaked versions were various – some were leaked by p2p oriented sources while some builds were released by scene groups such as WinBeta. It is not exactly known who released build 7106 first. I have seen on several places download links (both HTTP and torrent) being provided for the leaked build along with few serial numbers that are supposed to work with it. There is a leak at your house Redmond, you better patch it up soon! (or are you doing it on purpose :P ?)

Note: Do not post download links, serial numbers, key generators or anything of that sort here. We are a news blog only.

DirectX 9.0c March 2009 Runtime – Redistributable, Standalone, Offline Installer

This is a very important update if you are using Windows XP to play latest PC games. Microsoft have released the latest DirectX 9.0c runtime libraries, updated in March 2009. It’s been quite a while since a new update for DX9 was released as the last one was released way back in November, 2008. Installing DirectX 9.0c March 2009 will ensure that you will have maximum compatibility with latest PC games, optimal performance and added reliability.

Download

You can download the redistributable installer directly from Microsoft. There are two versions of the installer available – the web setup which will download necessary files over the internet and the SDK which includes a full standalone isetup and more.

[Click Here] to download DirectX Redistributable 9.0c March 2009 (Web Installer) directly from Microsoft

[Click Here] to download DirectX Redistributable 9.0c SDK March 2009 full standalone installer directly from Microsoft

Internet Explorer 8 Final Standalone/Offline Installer Direct Download Links

Microsoft released the final build of highly anticipated Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) two days ago. IE8 is packed with new features such as smart address bar, session saving, tab groups, CSS 2.1 support, accelerators, web slices, instant search as well as various other reliability and security enhancements. Also, web browsing/loading speeds on IE8 were considerably faster compared to predecessors. It’s definitely a huge improvement over Internet Explorer 7 and perhaps the best IE release yet by Microsoft.

The new IE8 feature list is quite long and would mess up the post if published here. Those who want more info can find the full list here. You can now download the full installer for IE 8 final directly from Microsoft. It’s a recommended upgrade for anyone who is using IE7 or pre-release/RC builds of IE8.

Download

Download links below are for the United States English version of Internet Explorer 8. Click on a link below to download for the operating system of your choice:

If you want to download localize versions of IE8 (other languages, etc), you can download them from here.

Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta – All you need to develop web applications

Microsoft have released v2.0 of heir Web Platform Installer suite. This is a useful utility for both students and professionals who are interested in developing web applications. Web Platform Installer basically integrates several web development tools and technologies together so that you don’t need to waste time downloading various apps and frameworks scattered in several dozen places. Note that this is a web setup – only the components you select will be downloaded over the web.

What's included

Popular Web Apps - Install free popular ASP.NET and PHP web apps such as DotNetNuke and WordPress.
.NET Framework - Install the latest version of the .NET Framework. This includes everything you need to work with ASP.NET.
IIS and Extensions - Install the latest version of IIS, including latest IIS Web extensions like IIS Media Services.
SQL Server - Install the latest version of SQL Server 2008 Express. This includes both the database engine and tools.
Visual Web Developer - Install the latest version of Visual Web Developer Express, Our full featured free web development tool.
Extra and Goodies - In addition to everything above, the Web PI also includes the latest community version of PHP for Windows.

Note that there are more downloads available other than the ones listed above. This includes CMS, DB management tools and more.

Download

All download links are direct links that point to official Microsoft servers. No 3rd party links are given.

[Click Here] to download Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 RC Standalone Direct Download (32/64-bit)

The release candidate (RC) version of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) has finally been released to the public. Vista SP2 RC (and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2) was initially only available to Microsoft Technet subscribers and MSDN subscribers. Although not quite the final release, SP2 RC includes a number of new improvements over the SP2 Beta released earlier. If you are thinking of downloading this release, we’ve included direct download links to Service Pack 2 RC 32/64 bit standalone installer towards the end of this article.

According to Microsoft, Vista SP2 is built with performance enhancements in mind. It’s supposed to include over 650 hotfixes that address various performances, security and reliability issues. Some of the new features you can look forward to in Vista SP2 are listed below:

Windows Search 4.0 with faster searching and more relevant results
The ability to record onto Blu-Ray Media through Vista instead of a third-party application
Bluetooth 2.1 Feature pack to support emerging Bluetooth technology
Simplified Wi-Fi configuration tool
Improved file synchronization across time zones
Support for new 64-bit CPUs from VIA technologies
Improved performance for Wi-Fi connections after your computer comes out of sleep mode
Improvements to DirectX multimedia with an improved graphics experience for gamers
Better streaming capabilities for high-def audio and video
Improved content protection for TV programs recorded with Windows Media Center

Download

Note that the standalone installer featured here is capable of updating both 32/64 bit editions of Windows Vista (size is ~1.3GB). This can also be used to install Service Pack 2 RC for Windows Server 2008. All download links point to official files hosted on Microsoft servers. Download managers are supported.

[Click Here] to download Windows Vista Service Pack 2 RC 32-bit and 64-bit standalone installer (ISO Image)

Windows Live Writer, Mail, Photo Gallery - Standalone, Offline installer (14.0.8064.0296)

FILEnetworks Blog has been regularly posting offline/standalone installers for several leading software which are usually distributed using web based installers (aka web setups). Some users including those with limited or unstable internet connectivity, those with multiple computers, those who prefer redistributable installers, etc usually find web setups a pain in the ass. So here is the offline, standalone, redistributable installer for Windows Live Essentials v14.0.8064.0296 (Build 8064).

Included Live Apps

Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8064.0296
Windows Live Mail 14.0.8064.0296
Windows Live Photo Gallery 14.0.8064.0296
Windows Live Writer 14.0.8064.0296
Windows Live Toolbar
Windows Live Family Safety
Windows Live Movie Maker

Download

All download links are from official Microsoft servers and support download managers. No 3rd party links have been included. Download size is 134MB.

[Click Here] to download Windows Live Essentials 14.0.8064.0296 (Build 8064) – Direct Download

Looking for the web setup? Try the Live download page.

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