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January 2008
Nvidia Official Forceware 169.32
31 January 2008
Nvidia has released the Official Forceware 169.32 for Windows XP and Vista. These drivers are WHQL certified and specifically designed only for the new 8800 GS graphics card; as such you need to select 'GeForce 8800 GS' as the Product at the link above to access them.
Game Patches
31 January 2008
Spybot 1.5.2
30 January 2008
The free adware/spyware scanner Spybot has been updated to Version 1.5.2. The changes include bug fixes and performance improvements.
PerfectDisk 2008
30 January 2008
Raxco has released a new PerfectDisk 2008 version of their defragmentation software. This new version has a redesigned interface, several new features and improved performance.
Realtek AC97 Audio 6.2.80
30 January 2008
Realtek has released Version 6.2.80 of its AC97 audio drivers for Vista.
Game Patches
30 January 2008
Logitech SetPoint 4.40
29 January 2008
Logitech has released Version 4.40 of the SetPoint software for mice and keyboards.
Windows 7
29 January 2008
As reported earlier, there has been widespread speculation that Windows 7 may be released in 2009. Microsoft has confirmed recently that as per their original plans, this is not the case, and that Windows 7 is planned for release "3 years since the release of Vista" (i.e. 2010), and more specifically, that the actual date depends on meeting certain quality conditions, so it may take even longer.
Game Patches
29 January 2008
Game Patches
26 January 2008
Windows 7
25 January 2008
Microsoft appears to have released the first Milestone 1 (M1) build of the next-generation Windows OS - codenamed 'Windows 7' - earlier this month. While still surrounded in rumor and mystery, there are some speculated details regarding Windows 7, including an alleged hands-on account of its usage, and some recent purported screenshots. Windows 7 has a potential release date of late 2009, but once again it must be stressed that Microsoft has not confirmed any of these details. It is still very early in the development stage of the next Windows, so many things, including key features and the release date, may change dramatically.
Game Patches
25 January 2008
Game Patches
24 January 2008
Game Patches
23 January 2008
Windows Updates
23 January 2008
Microsoft has released a range of non-critical updates for Windows XP and Vista. You can view and download them from here. Note in particular that there is an Update for improving performance on Multi-GPU setups under Windows Vista.
Realtek HD Audio 1.85
22 January 2008
Realtek has released Version 1.85 of its HD Audio drivers.
vLite 1.1
22 January 2008
The final Version 1.1 of the Windows Vista installation customization utility vLite has been released.
Game Patches
22 January 2008
Game Patches
19 January 2008
Winamp 5.52
18 January 2008
The free Winamp media player has been updated to Version 5.52. Changes include a range of fixes and improvements.
Game Patches
18 January 2008
CCleaner 2.04.543
17 January 2008
A new Version 2.04.543 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. This version fixes several bugs, adds the option to minimize to system tray, and improves analysis and cleanup speed.
ATI Catalyst 8.1
17 January 2008
ATI has released the Catalyst 8.1 graphics driver. The driver introduces Multiview support, as well as a range of fixes.
iTunes 7.6
16 January 2008
Apple has released an update for iTunes, bringing it up to Version 7.6. This version fixes bugs, adds support for movie rentals, Apple TV and importantly introduces support for 64-bit Windows Vista.
Update: For 64-bit users to get the page to determine that you're running a 64-bit OS and give you the correct download link use IE7, or use this direct link to the 64-bit version.
QuickTime 7.4
16 January 2008
Apple has released a new Version 7.4 of the QuickTime media player. This version fixes several security holes and supports the new version of iTunes.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars 1.4 Patch
16 January 2008
A major 1.4 Patch has been released for ET:QW, bringing with it a large number of fixes and new features. I will update the ETQW Tweak Guide shortly for all the changes introduced in this patch.
Update: The Guide has been updated, see pages 4, 5 and 9 in particular for the changes.
Vista SP1 RC Security Patch
16 January 2008
Microsoft has released a security patch for those testing the Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate. You can download the 32-bit or 64-bit version as relevant.
Game Patches
16 January 2008
FRAPS 2.9.4
15 January 2008
A new Version 2.9.4 of the FPS measurement, benchmarking and video capture utility FRAPS has been released. The changes include several fixes, better support for 64-bit Windows, and improved compatibility with third party graphics utilities.
Game Patches
15 January 2008
Java Runtime Environment 6.4
14 January 2008
Sun has released an Update 4 to the Java Runtime Environment 6. This is not an essential update but if you run Java-based applications it is recommended.
SoundBlaster X-Fi 2.14.0001 Beta
13 January 2008
Creative has released a Beta 2.14.0001 driver for the X-Fi series under Windows XP. These drivers resolve issues on systems with 4GB of RAM as well as fixing I/O detection issues.
Game Patches
13 January 2008
Vista SP1 RC Refresh Public
12 January 2008
After releasing a Refresh of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) Release Candidate (RC) to testers a few days ago, it is now Publicly Available for everyone to download. Detailed installation instructions are at the link above, and note that the final release of Vista SP1 may be as early as next month.
AutoRuns 9.02
12 January 2008
Microsoft has released AutoRuns 9.02, updating this free startup software identification utility. This version fixes a single bug where Autoruns would crash when deleting the last item on the Everything page.
AMD Power Monitor 1.2.0
12 January 2008
AMD has released Version 1.2.0 of the Power Monitor utility. This utility displays the current frequency, voltage, utilization and power savings of each core of an AMD CPU.
Game Patches
12 January 2008
Nvidia Beta Forceware 169.28
11 January 2008
Nvidia has released a new Beta Forceware 169.28 for Windows XP and Vista. These drivers improve SLI performance on version 1.1 of Crysis. Confusingly, although these drivers were released just today, they have the same version number but a different change list as these drivers released to resolve UT3 issues last month.
Update: The problem of game profile Anti-Aliasing not working properly is still present in this version.
Game Patches
11 January 2008
Game Patches
10 January 2008
RealPlayer 11
10 January 2008
RealNetworks has released the final version of the free RealPlayer 11 media player.
Crysis 1.1 Patch
9 January 2008
The highly anticipated 1.1 Patch has been released for Crysis. Aside from containing a range of fixes and multiplayer tweaks, the patch also supposedly improves performance in both DX9 and DX10 modes, and on SLI/Crossfire setups. I tested the patch in both DX9 and DX10 mode, and in DX9 there wasn't any difference in performance whatsoever. DX10 mode did show some increase in FPS in some areas, but a notable decrease in FPS on the Ice level, however your results may vary. Note that the patch also adds a couple of new options and a new benchmark, and I've covered these on pages 4,5,7,10 and 13 of the updated Crysis Tweak Guide.
Update: Some users are having problems installing the patch, such as seeing Error 1334 - this appears to be a bug in the installer. The main solutions include changing your Crysis intro movie files back to their original names and location before patching, and also uninstalling and reinstalling Crysis and then attempting to patch again.
Microsoft Security Updates
9 January 2008
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.
Game Patches
8 January 2008
VIA Hyperion Pro 5.15A
8 January 2008
VIA has released the Hyperion Pro 5.15A chipset drivers for VIA-based motherboards.
CPU-Z 1.43
6 January 2008
A new Version 1.43 of the CPU-Z information utility has been released. This version includes support for new CPUs and chipsets and fixes a detection issue on unlocked Phenoms.
AutoRuns 9.01
5 January 2008
Microsoft has released AutoRuns 9.01, updating this free startup software identification utility. This version fixes a bug and adds awareness of several more shell extensions.
Game Patches
4 January 2008
Game Patches
3 January 2008
Game Patches
1 January 2008
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