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December 2007
Happy New Year
31 December 2007
Another year has flown by and 2008 is now upon us. As a PC gamer reflecting on 2007, I note the vast array of new games released this past year, including such long-anticipated titles as Crysis, S.T.A.L.K.E.R and Half Life 2: Episode 2. It seems 2008 will bring many more new games including such potential hits as Far Cry 2, Alan Wake, and Fallout 3 to name a few. I do admit however that I'm now more than a little worried as to what I perceive to be a decline in the overall quality of PC games. PC gaming isn't dying, but the 'consolization' of many PC games, along with a focus on the usual formula-driven storylines and get-it-out-the-door-ASAP quality control all add up to make PC games fall far short of their true potential. Here's hoping 2008 sees a return of some innovation, excitement and quality in the world of PC gaming.
In any case, I want to thank all of you for your ongoing support of TweakGuides, and wish all of you a very happy and prosperous 2008. I end this post with a quote to ponder as we see in the New Year: "Our ignorance of history makes us libel to our own times" - Gustave Flaubert.
Game Patches
29 December 2007
Realtek HD Audio 1.84
27 December 2007
Realtek has released Version 1.84 of its HD Audio drivers.
Crysis Tournament Map Pack
25 December 2007
Crytek has released a Christmas present for Crysis fans - the free Crysis Tournament Map Pack containing five new multiplayer maps.
ALchemy for X-Fi 1.00.30
24 December 2007
Creative has released an updated Version 1.00.30 of the ALchemy software which allows advanced audio functionality for the X-Fi series under Windows Vista. This version adds support for more games.
Nvidia Beta Forceware 169.28
24 December 2007
Nvidia has released the Beta Forceware 169.28 for Windows XP and Vista. These drivers are designed specifically for Unreal Tournament 3. Note also that they still appear to suffer from the Anti-Aliasing issue mentioned further below.
Merry Christmas
23 December 2007
I want to wish all TweakGuides readers a Merry Christmas and a safe and enjoyable holiday season. There's certainly no shortage of games for you to get stuck into during the holidays, whatever your preferred genre. And whether online or offline these holidays, whether with family, friends or total strangers, be sure to treat each other right :)
Forceware Forced Anti-Aliasing Issues
23 December 2007
The latest Official Forceware 169.21 and 169.25 have problems with allowing many users to force Anti-Aliasing via the game-specific profiles in the Forceware Control Panel. Any forced Anti-Aliasing for specific applications or games may not work; you can only force AA via the Global Settings tab, but clearly this will then apply equally to all your games, which is generally undesirable. For this reason, you may wish to try an older or newer Beta version instead. I've switched to using the recent 169.13 Beta Forceware which doesn't suffer from this issue and seems quite good. You can obtain it from here: XP 32-bit, XP 64-bit, Vista 32-bit, and Vista 64-bit.
Game Patches
23 December 2007
Crysis Patch Delayed
22 December 2007
The highly anticipated first patch for Crysis has been delayed until January 2008. Crytek promises that the patch will not only contain fixes, but also performance improvements in both DX9 and DX10, as well as on SLI and Crossfire systems. They are also working simultaneously on a second more substantial patch, but the due date for it is not clear.
Game Patches
22 December 2007
ATI Catalyst 7.12
21 December 2007
ATI has released the Catalyst 7.12 graphics driver. The driver contains an Avivo update and enhanced Overdrive for HD2900 series cards. It also has performance improvements and a range of fixes.
Nvidia Official Forceware 169.25
21 December 2007
Nvidia has released the Official Forceware 169.25 for Windows Vista. These are the same as the earlier 169.25 release, however they are now WHQL certified and not beta.
Winamp 5.51
21 December 2007
A new Version 5.51 of the media player Winamp has been released, containing a range of new features, improvements and fixes.
Game Patches
21 December 2007
Nvidia Official Forceware 169.21
20 December 2007
Nvidia has released the Official Forceware 169.21 for Windows XP. These are the same as the earlier 169.21 release, however they are now WHQL certified and not beta.
nForce System Tools Beta 6.00
20 December 2007
Nvidia has released the Beta 6.00 of their nForce System Tools, a collection of system monitoring and adjustment utilities - essentially an updated nTune - designed specifically for nForce 680 and 780 motherboards.
Game Patches
20 December 2007
Opera 9.25
20 December 2007
The free Opera browser has been updated to Version 9.25. The changes include several security-related fixes, as well as a stability fix.
AutoRuns 9.0
19 December 2007
Microsoft has released AutoRuns 9.0, updating this free startup software identification utility. There are several changes in this version, adding detection of new startup locations, and more details.
Windows XP SP3 RC Update
19 December 2007
Microsoft has released an updated Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate. This package includes all previous service pack updates, however it is for testing purposes only and not the final SP3 release.
Game Patches
19 December 2007
Realtek HD Audio 1.83
18 December 2007
Realtek has released Version 1.83 of its HD Audio drivers.
Game Patches
18 December 2007
Game Patches
15 December 2007
QuickTime 7.3.1
14 December 2007
Apple has released a new Version 7.3.1 of the QuickTime media player. The latest update addresses security issues.
Nvidia Beta Forceware 169.25
14 December 2007
Nvidia has released the Beta Forceware 169.25 for Windows Vista. These drivers have a range of fixes.
Game Patches
14 December 2007
Sandra 2008 SP1
13 December 2007
SiSoftware has released a new SP1 Build 13.12 of the free system information utility Sandra.
Game Patches
13 December 2007
nLite 1.4.1
13 December 2007
The free XP installation customization tool nLite has been updated to Version 1.4.1. The latest version fixes a major bug with SFC.
Windows Vista SP1 RC1 Public
12 December 2007
After releasing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) Release Candidate 1 (RC1) to testers last week, it is now Publicly Available for everyone to download. Detailed installation instructions are at the link above, and you can also view the Release Notes.
Game Patches
12 December 2007
Nvidia Beta Forceware 169.21
12 December 2007
Nvidia has released the Beta Forceware 169.21. These drivers contain a range of fixes for GeForce 6,7,8 series cards in Windows XP and Vista, and are recommended by Nvidia for the latest games. These are a WHQL candidate, which means a WHQL-certified final version of these betas should be out shortly.
Office 2007 Service Pack 1
12 December 2007
Microsoft has released Office 2007 SP1. The Service Pack contains a range of stability, performance and security updates.
Microsoft Security Updates
12 December 2007
Microsoft has released its monthly set of Windows security updates which you can get through Windows Update, or if not there by viewing and downloading them from here.
VirtualDub 1.7.7
12 December 2007
A new Version 1.7.7 of the free video editing utility VirtualDub has been released. The changes are several bug fixes.
Unreal Tournament 3 1.1 Patch
11 December 2007
Epic has released the final version of the 1.1 Patch for UT3. There are a large number of changes, and I will update the UT3 Tweak Guide shortly to cover all of these.
Update: The guide has now been updated, see pages 4-6 in particular for details.
Nvidia Beta Forceware 169.17
11 December 2007
Nvidia has released the Beta Forceware 169.17. These drivers were leaked a few days ago, but they are now available directly from Nvidia. They are specifically recommended only for users playing Final Fantasy XI.
Game Patches
11 December 2007
Steam Gameplay Statistics
9 December 2007
If you play any Steam-based games, it might interest you to know that Valve collects Gameplay Statistics for some of its top games. For example you can now view detailed stats for Team Fortress 2, showing the most popular classes, weapons and maps. You can even view the most common areas on each map where players die, and the weapons which have the highest chance of getting criticals. Aside from giving you an interesting insight, the stats help Valve detect imbalances and improve the game.
Game Patches
8 December 2007
7-Zip 4.57
8 December 2007
The final Version 4.57 of the free 7-Zip archival utility has been released. The changes include a range of bug fixes and several new features since the last final release.
Nvidia Beta Forceware 169.13
7 December 2007
Nvidia has released Beta Forceware 169.13 for all GeForce 6,7,8 series graphics cards. This driver is specifically designed to improve Crysis SLI performance after the first Crysis patch is released. Since the Crysis Patch is not yet available, it appears the driver may have been released early by accident, especially since it is only available for download from the UK Nvidia site via these links: XP 32-bit, XP 64-bit, Vista 32-bit, and Vista 64-bit.
Game Patches
7 December 2007
Windows Vista SP1 RC
6 December 2007
Microsoft has released a Release Candidate of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) to Connect users today, and it will be available to Technet and MDSN users tomorrow. More importantly, the SP1 RC will be available to the general public next week. Microsoft plans to release the final (RTM) version of Vista SP1 in the first quarter of 2008. For those who are interested, you can read the Release Notes as well.
Windows Server 2008 RC
6 December 2007
Microsoft has publicly released the Release Candidate 1 of Windows Server 2008. The RC of this server OS can be used for free until June 30 2008, however the final version of the product is due for release on February 27, 2008.
Game Patches
6 December 2007
Windows Updates
6 December 2007
Microsoft has released a Hotfix which SLI or Crossfire users can request to resolve slow or problematic performance in Vista. Two other relatively obscure updates have also been released: one for Windows Server 2003, adding support for Storport Virtual Miniport functionality; and one for Windows Vista, fixing a DFS issue.
Flash Player 9.0.115
5 December 2007
Adobe has released a new Version 9.0.115 of the Flash player software for browsers.
DivX 6.8.0.11
5 December 2007
The DivX video codec has been updated to Version 6.8.0.11. The changes include improved HD playback on multicore CPUs.
Game Patches
5 December 2007
BioShock 1.1 Patch
4 December 2007
2K Games has finally released the 1.1 Patch for BioShock, and it brings with it a range of fixes and some enhancements. I've updated the BioShock Tweak Guide for the changes, see pages 4-6 in particular.
Windows XP SP3 Overview
4 December 2007
Microsoft has released an official PDF Overview of the upcoming Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3).
Game Patches
4 December 2007
Firefox 2.0.0.11
1 December 2007
Mozilla has released another update with days of the last one, bringing the Firefox browser up to Version 2.0.0.11. The latest version corrects an issue created by the previous update.
Game Patches
1 December 2007
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