ARCHIVED NEWS
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March 2010
Chrome 4.1.249.1045
31 March 2010
Google has released Version 4.1.249.1045 of the Chrome browser. The changes include a crash fix and the addition of an option to disable translation prompts.
QuickTime 7.6.6
31 March 2010
Apple has released a new Version 7.6.6 of the QuickTime media player. This version has security, compatibility and bug fixes.
iTunes 9.1
31 March 2010
Apple has released a new Version 9.1 of the iTunes software. This version brings iPad sync support, Genius mix changes, as well as various stability, security and performance fixes.
ATI Catalyst OpenGL 4.0 Preview
31 March 2010
ATI has released an updated version of the Catalyst OpenGL 4.0 preview graphics driver which was originally released last week. These appear to be newer than the other recent preview drivers. These drivers provide full support for OpenGL 4.0 on the HD 5000 series, and OpenGL 3.3 support on the HD 2000, 3000, 4000 and FirePro series.
Windows Update
31 March 2010
Microsoft has released a Security Update for all supported versions of Internet Explorer. You can download this update from the link above or via Windows Update.
Realtek HD Audio 2.46
31 March 2010
Realtek has released Version 2.46 of its HD Audio drivers.
Java Runtime Environment 6.19
31 March 2010
Sun has released an Update 19 to the Java Runtime Environment 6.
FRAPS 3.2.1
31 March 2010
A new Version 3.2.1 of the FPS measurement, benchmarking and video capture utility FRAPS has been released. This version improves recording speed on SLI configurations, and fixes several bugs including screen capture of large resolutions and the disappearing counter in some games.
Nvidia Forceware 197.16
30 March 2010
Nvidia has released the official Forceware 197.16 driver for Windows XP, Vista and 7. These WHQL drivers are primarily for the notebook GeForce cards including 8M, 9M, 100M, 200M and 300M. They add notebook support for 3D Vision on external displays, improve performance in a range of games, add or improve SLI support for recent games, and fix a range of bugs. The driver package contains the 9.10.0129 PhysX drivers and the 1.0.9.1 HD Audio drivers.
CCleaner 2.30.1130
30 March 2010
A new Version 2.30.1130 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. This version improves Firefox and Opera cleaning, adds several new settings to the options, and has a range of minor improvements and fixes.
Game Patches
30 March 2010
GPU-Z 0.4.0
28 March 2010
GPU-Z, a free graphics card information utility, has reached Version 0.4.0. The changes include support for more chipsets, as well as a range of fixes and improvements.
Game Patches
28 March 2010
FRAPS 3.2.0
27 March 2010
A new Version 3.2.0 of the FPS measurement, benchmarking and video capture utility FRAPS has been released. This version adds the ability to buffer and then record 30-second video loops, as well as an option to disable stereoscopic capture, and major optimizations for recording DirectX 10 and 11-based games.
ATI Catalyst 10.3b Preview
27 March 2010
ATI has released a Catalyst 10.3b preview graphics driver for the HD2000 series and newer. This version adds support for Eyefinity 6, fixes a desktop mouse cursor enlargement issue, and fixes severe flickering/flashing in Battlefield 2: Bad Company.
Game Patches
27 March 2010
Process Explorer 12
26 March 2010
Microsoft has released Version 12.00 of the free Process Explorer utility which is a more detailed version of Task Manager. This version includes several significant new features, as well as genereal improvements and fixes.
ATI Catalyst OpenGL 4.0 Preview
26 March 2010
ATI has released the Catalyst OpenGL 4.0 'preview' graphics driver. The primary change in this release compared to the previous Catalyst 10.3 drivers is the addition of full support for OpenGL 4.0 on the HD 5000 series, and OpenGL 3.3 support on the HD 2000, 3000, 4000 and FirePro series.
nForce 15.53
26 March 2010
Nvidia has released the nForce 15.53 drivers for selected 5, 6, and 7 series nForce motherboards under Windows 7.
Ubisoft Compensation
26 March 2010
Ubisoft has sent an email to all owners of Assassin's Creed 2 and Silent Hunter 5 providing compensation for earlier outages of their DRM servers caused by DDOS attacks. Depending on the edition you purchased, the compensation ranges from free additional content to a free game such as HAWX or Prince of Persia.
Game Patches
26 March 2010
Nvidia Forceware 197.13
25 March 2010
Nvidia has released the official Forceware 197.13 driver for Windows XP, Vista and 7. These drivers are for GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300 and ION series cards. They are identical to the 197.13 Beta Forceware released earlier this month, however they are now WHQL certified. The driver package contains the 9.10.0129 PhysX drivers.
CPU-Z 1.54
25 March 2010
A new Version 1.54 of the CPU-Z information utility has been released. This update provides support for new chipsets and introduces validation rooms.
ATI Catalyst 10.3
25 March 2010
ATI has released the Catalyst 10.3 graphics drivers for the HD2000 series and newer. This WHQL-certified release is slightly older than the 'Preview' Catalyst 10.3 drivers released last week but contains new application profiles. This version provides performance improvements in a range of games including Aliens vs. Predator, Crysis, Dirt 2, Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead 1 & 2, STALKER and HAWX. The drivers also include several new Eyefinity features, support for 3D Stereoscopic gaming options, and a range of fixes.
Unigine Heaven 2.0
25 March 2010
Unigine has updated the free DirectX 11 benchmark Heaven to Version 2.0. The changes include heavier tessellation load with new 'moderate' and 'extreme' tessellation modes to choose from, geometry optimizations, new elaborated objects, and more dynamic lights.
Game Patches
25 March 2010
Chrome 4.1.249.1042
24 March 2010
Google has released Version 4.1.249.1042 of the Chrome browser. The changes include fixing an issue with some extensions not installing from the extensions gallery.
Windows Updates
24 March 2010
Microsoft has released non-critical updates for Windows Vista and 7 which you can get through Windows Update. Alternatively you can view and download them individually from here - click the 'Released' column header once to sort by date.
Nvidia Beta Forceware 197.25
24 March 2010
Nvidia has released the Beta Forceware 197.25 driver for Windows XP, Vista and 7. These drivers are for GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300 and ION series cards. They are identical to the recent 197.13 Beta Forceware with the exception of adding compatibility fixes for the StarCraft II beta and some DirectX 8 applications. The driver package also contains the 9.10.0129 PhysX drivers.
Sandra 2010 SP1
24 March 2010
SiSoftware has released a new 2010 SP1 Build 16.36 of the free system information utility Sandra.
Game Patches
24 March 2010
Firefox 3.6.2
23 March 2010
Mozilla has released Version 3.6.2 of the Firefox browser. The changes include security and stability fixes.
Realtek HD Audio 2.45
23 March 2010
Realtek has released Version 2.45 of its HD Audio drivers.
Game Patches
23 March 2010
Opera 10.51
23 March 2010
The free Opera browser has been updated to Version 10.51. This version includes a range of security and bug fixes.
Site Update
20 March 2010
The site has now been moved to a new server and should be consistently responsive. My thanks to long-time supporters EuroVPS for their ongoing generosity and expertise.
Game Patches
20 March 2010
Windows 7 Service Pack 1
19 March 2010
Microsoft has announced details of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Windows 7 SP1 will include only minor updates - most of which have already been delivered through Windows Update - along with an updated Remote Desktop client that takes advantage of RemoteFX. There is currently no indication of the official release date for SP1.
Nvidia Developer Forceware 197.15
19 March 2010
Nvidia has released the Forceware 197.15 driver for Windows XP, Vista and 7. These drivers are for selected Quadro, GeForce 8, 9, 100, 200, 300 and ION series cards. They are primarily intended for developers as they provide OpenGL 3.3 and GLSL 3.30 support. The driver package also contains the 9.10.0129 PhysX drivers.
Driver Sweeper 2.1.0
19 March 2010
Guru3D has released a new Version 2.1.0 of the free Driver Sweeper driver file residue cleanup utility. This version adds parameters for desktop icon restoration and fixes several bugs.
Game Patches
19 March 2010
Site Update
18 March 2010
Some of you may have noticed recently that the site cannot be accessed or is slow to load at times. I apologize for this inconvenience, the issue is being examined and will hopefully be resolved shortly.
Update: A server move is planned to resolve this issue, I'll provide more details as relevant.
Chrome 4.1.249.1036
18 March 2010
Google has released Version 4.1.249.1036 of the Chrome browser. The changes include the addition of the translation infobar and new privacy settings, as well as bug fixes.
Game Patches
18 March 2010
ATI Catalyst 10.3
18 March 2010
ATI has released the Catalyst 10.3 graphics drivers for the HD2000 series and newer. This version provides performance improvements in a range of games including Aliens vs. Predator, Crysis, Dirt 2, Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead 1 & 2, STALKER and HAWX. The drivers also include several new Eyefinity features, support for 3D Stereoscopic gaming options, and a range of fixes.
Nvidia Beta Forceware 197.13
17 March 2010
Nvidia has released the Beta Forceware 197.13 driver for Windows XP, Vista and 7. These drivers are for GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300 and ION series cards. Importantly they fix the fan speed issues reported in the 196.75 drivers. These WHQL-candidate drivers are similar to the removed 196.75 drivers in that they provide performance improvements in Crysis: Warhead, HAWX and Left 4 Dead, as well as adding SLI and multi-GPU support for a range of new games including Assassin's Creed II, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Metro 2033, Command & Conquer 4: Tiberium Twilight, Mass Effect 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes from Liberty City. They also add Anti-Aliasing support for Mass Effect 2, Ambient Occlusion for several games, and contain various bug fixes. The driver package contains the 9.10.0129 PhysX drivers.
DivX Plus
17 March 2010
The DivX video software has been given a major update to be called DivX Plus, rather than DivX 8.0. There are a large number of changes including a redesigned DivX Player and Converter, free DXVA hardware acceleration, free MKV and free DivX to Go video converter.
Game Patches
17 March 2010
Realtek HD Audio 2.44
16 March 2010
Realtek has released Version 2.44 of its HD Audio drivers.
Game Patches
16 March 2010
WinRAR 3.93
15 March 2010
The archival utility WinRAR has been updated to Version 3.93. The changes include two minor bug fixes.
Game Patches
14 March 2010
Game Patches
13 March 2010
Safari 4.0.5
12 March 2010
Apple has updated the Safari browser to Version 4.0.5 for Windows. This update includes compatibility, stability, security and bug fixes.
Foxit Reader 3.2
12 March 2010
The free Foxit PDF Reader has been updated to Version 3.2.0.0303. This version adds new features including undo and redo, bookmark sync and improved printing speed, along with fixing several issues.
Game Patches
11 March 2010
IntelliPoint & IntelliType 7.1
10 March 2010
Microsoft has released Version 7.1 of its IntelliPoint and IntelliType mouse and keyboard drivers.
Microsoft Security Updates
10 March 2010
Microsoft has released its monthly set of Windows security updates which you can get through Windows Update. Alternatively you can view and download them individually from here - click the 'Released' column header once to sort by date.
Game Patches
10 March 2010
Game Patches
9 March 2010
Game Patches
7 March 2010
Game Patches
6 March 2010
FRAPS 3.1.2
6 March 2010
A new Version 3.1.2 of the FPS measurement, benchmarking and video capture utility FRAPS has been released. This version fixes several issues, including problems with Guild Wars, Stalker: Call of Pripyat, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
Nvidia Forceware 196.75 Removed
5 March 2010
Nvidia has removed the Forceware 196.75 drivers from its site due to fan control issues as reported here. The previous drivers from January are recommended if you are experiencing the issue in the link above.
Assassin's Creed 2
4 March 2010
I recently purchased Assassin's Creed 2, as it's just been released in Australia, and is due for release in Europe and North America in the next few days. I will shortly provide an HD YouTube video of some gameplay. However, given that it also introduces a controversial new DRM system, I will post a full page of detailed and factual information, along with screenshots, on how this protection system works in practice. This will be posted in the next few hours.
Update: the HD YouTube Video is now available, along with the page of information on the new DRM here.
Game Patches
4 March 2010
Game Patches
3 March 2010
Nvidia Forceware 196.75
2 March 2010
Nvidia has released the Official Forceware 196.75 driver for Windows XP, Vista and 7. These drivers are for GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200 and ION series cards. These WHQL drivers provide performance improvements over the previous WHQL drivers, and add SLI and multi-GPU support for a range of new games including Assassin's Creed II, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Mass Effect 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes from Liberty City. They also add Anti-Aliasing support for Mass Effect 2, Ambient Occlusion for several games, and contain various bug fixes. The driver package contains the 9.10.0129 PhysX drivers.
Opera 10.50
2 March 2010
The free Opera browser has been updated to Version 10.50. This is a major update with a range of changes, fixes and new features, including improved Windows 7 integration, a faster engine, and private browsing mode.
Game Patches
2 March 2010
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