ARCHIVED NEWS
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May 2008
Battlefield 2142 1.50 Patch
31 May 2008
EA has released the final version of the 1.50 Patch for Battlefield 2142. Aside from bug and exploit fixes, the patch adds two new maps called Wake Island 2142 and Operation Shingle, and also finally adds proper widescreen resolution support. The BF2142 Tweak Guide has been updated, see pages 4 & 6 for details.
CCleaner 2.08.588
30 May 2008
A new Version 2.08.588 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. This version fixes several bugs, and adds some minor features including the option to clean the Vista thumbnail cache, ImgBurn cleaning, and an enable/disable checkbox and sorting of listview for the Startup tool.
Mass Effect DLC
30 May 2008
Mass Effect for PC has been released in North America, and BioWare will soon make available the free Bring Down the Sky Downloadable Content (DLC) for the PC version. To make sure you can access this DLC quickly when available, register for a BioWare Community account at the link above. Note: I will be looking at possibly doing a Mass Effect Tweak Guide, however the earliest I can get the game here is June 5.
Game Patches
30 May 2008
Sysinternals Live Beta
29 May 2008
Microsoft has released a beta of Sysinternals Live. This allows users to execute or download the latest version of one of the many useful Sysinternals tools in one directory. You can also apparently launch a Sysinternals tool directly from the web using the following command in Windows Explorer or a Command Prompt: \\live.sysinternals.com\tools\<toolname>.
Process Explorer 11.20
29 May 2008
Microsoft has released Version 11.20 of the free Process Explorer utility which is a more detailed version of Task Manager. The changes include the display of thread permissions, process working set minimum and maximum columns, and a 64-bit bug fix.
Game Patches
29 May 2008
Windows 7
28 May 2008
Amid great speculation, Microsoft has revealed more details about the next version of Windows, codenamed Windows 7. It has been confirmed for example that Windows 7 will not have a new kernel; instead it will be based on a refined version of the existing Vista kernel. Furthermore, Windows 7 is currently on schedule to be released in 2010 as planned.
Windows Updates
28 May 2008
Microsoft has released a range of non-critical updates addressing several issues under Windows XP and Vista. You can view the full list and download them from here.
Game Patches
28 May 2008
Realtek HD Audio 1.94
25 May 2008
Realtek has released Version 1.94 of its HD Audio drivers.
Foxit Reader 2.3
24 May 2008
The free Foxit PDF Reader has been updated to Version 2.3 Build 2923. The changes include a range of new features and enhancements.
Game Patches
24 May 2008
3DMark Vantage 1.0.1 Hotfix
23 May 2008
Futuremark has released a hotfix for 3DMark Vantage, updating the benchmark to Version 1.0.1. This hotfix addresses several bugs, however scores from Version 1.0.1 are still compatible with those from Version 1.0.0.
Game Patches
23 May 2008
ATI Catalyst 8.5
22 May 2008
ATI has released the Catalyst 8.5 graphics drivers. This version includes several new TV-out related features, WHQL certified support for XP SP3, performance improvements in several DX9 and DX10 games, and a range of fixes.
mIRC 6.32
22 May 2008
A new Version 6.32 of the chat client mIRC has been released. The changes include a range of stability and performance fixes and improvements, and several minor new features.
Ad-Aware 2008
22 May 2008
Lavasoft has released the Ad-Aware 2008 free adware and spyware scanner. Setup and usage instructions for Ad-Aware 2008 are virtually identical to that of Ad-Aware 2007, however I recommend uninstalling previous versions of Ad-Aware first. Note that the name of the additional Service the program installs is now 'Lavasoft Ad-Aware Service' instead of 'Ad-Aware 2007 Service' - it can be set to Manual in XP but must be left at Automatic in Vista.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars 1.5 Patch
22 May 2008
A major 1.5 Patch has been released for Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, containing a large number of changes as detailed here. I will update the ET:QW Tweak Guide for all these changes shortly.
Update: The Guide has now been updated - see in particular pages 4,5,8 and 9 for details of the changes.
Game Patches
22 May 2008
Realtek HD Audio 1.93
21 May 2008
Realtek has released Version 1.93 of its HD Audio drivers.
Game Patches
20 May 2008
Logitech SetPoint 4.60
18 May 2008
Logitech has released Version 4.60 of the SetPoint software for mice and keyboards.
Firefox 3 Release Candidate 1
17 May 2008
The first Release Candidate (RC1) for Firefox 3 is now available on the Mozilla FTP site. Firefox 3 is the redesigned successor to the current Firefox 2 Internet browser, and unlike the previous Betas, this RC1 build is likely to be almost identical to the final version which is due for release in late June 2008. As such I would recommended it for general usage. I will be updating the Firefox Tweak Guide closer to the date of the final version's release.
Update: Firefox 3 RC1 is now also shown on the Official Site. Note that to experience Firefox 3 properly, you will first need to uninstall all traces of Firefox 2 - follow all the steps under 'Uninstalling Firefox' on this page of the Firefox Tweak Guide.
Game Patches
17 May 2008
Valve Hardware Survey
16 May 2008
Valve has released an updated snapshot of over 1.7 million gaming PCs which use the Steam client in the form of their Hardware Survey. The results are interesting as always, and include such facts as: a 42% vs. 58% split between AMD and Intel systems; a 62% vs. 30% breakdown of Nvidia vs. AMD graphics card users; approximately 74% of users on 4:3 aspect ratio monitors; and almost 40% with 2GB of RAM or more.
Creative ALchemy 1.10.01
16 May 2008
Creative has released an updated Version 1.10.01 of the ALchemy software for Windows Vista. This version resolves some issues with Vista SP1. Note that ALchemy is now free for both Audigy and X-Fi users, however to download the latest version you will need to go to the Creative Support Site and look under the Applications downloads for your sound card.
Microsoft WorldWide Telescope
15 May 2008
Microsoft has launched a beta of the WorldWide Telescope application. Similar to Google Sky, it allows users to view a range of space imagery from various ground- and space-based observatories.
AutoRuns 9.21
14 May 2008
Microsoft has released AutoRuns 9.21, updating this free startup software identification utility. The only fix is a correction to the version number in the about box.
Nvidia Official Forceware 175.16
14 May 2008
Nvidia has released the Official Forceware 175.16 drivers for Windows XP and Vista. These drivers are the WHQL certified versions of the recently released 175.16 Beta Forceware drivers - the only change is the certification. They are for all GeForce 6,7,8 and 9 series graphics cards, and contain a range of fixes and new features. Having tested this driver in both XP and Vista I highly recommend it as it provides excellent image quality and performance, and does not suffer from any obvious bugs or broken features.
Microsoft Security Updates
14 May 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.
Assassin's Creed 1.02 Patch
14 May 2008
Ubisoft has released the 1.02 Patch for Assassin's Creed. The changes include a range of bug fixes, proper support for 64-bit Windows, and a DirectX 10.1 fix. I have updated the Assassin's Creed Tweak Guide for the changes - see page 4 for details.
Realtek HD Audio 1.92
14 May 2008
Realtek has released Version 1.92 of its HD Audio drivers.
Game Patches
14 May 2008
AutoRuns 9.2
13 May 2008
Microsoft has released AutoRuns 9.2, updating this free startup software identification utility. This version fixes some 64-bit issues, adds support for Winsock notification DLLs, and allows importing and exporting of scan results.
CPU-Z 1.45
13 May 2008
A new Version 1.45 of the CPU-Z information utility has been released. This version includes support for new chipsets.
Game Patches
13 May 2008
Game Patches
10 May 2008
Ageia PhysX 8.04.25
9 May 2008
Nvidia has released a new Version 8.04.25 driver for the Ageia PhysX PPU. The driver updates the PhysX runtime, resolves reinstallation issues on Vista and updates the demo applications. Importantly, this driver does not yet add PhysX support for Nvidia GPUs.
nLite 1.4.5
9 May 2008
The Windows XP installation customization tool nLite has been updated to Version 1.4.5. The latest version fixes slipstreaming XP SP3 under Vista.
Game Patches
9 May 2008
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 15.9
8 May 2008
Intel has released Version 15.9 of the Graphics Media Accelerator driver for a range of Intel graphics chipsets under Vista. This driver fixes several issues and adds DirectX 10 support for some chipsets.
ALchemy for Audigy
8 May 2008
Creative has announced that shortly they will release the ALchemy for Audigy software - which allows DirectSound games to run with hardware audio support under Vista - as a free download to all users. Existing purchasers are therefore entitled to a Refund of their $9.99 purchase price.
Game Patches
8 May 2008
Game Patches
7 May 2008
Windows XP Service Pack 3
7 May 2008
Microsoft has finally officially released Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Windows XP. It is available as a standalone package, or can be downloaded via Windows Update. I recommend the full package version as it's likely to be the least problematic.
Nvidia Beta Forceware 175.16
7 May 2008
Nvidia has released a new Beta Forceware 175.16 driver for Windows XP and Vista. These drivers are for all GeForce 6, 7, 8 and 9 series graphics cards. They contain a range of fixes over the previous 175.12 Betas, and add Hybrid SLI support on several motherboards.
vLite 1.1.6
6 May 2008
A new Version 1.1.6 of the Windows Vista installation customization utility vLite has been released. This version contains several new components as well as fixes.
Game Patches
6 May 2008
Unlocker 1.8.7
3 May 2008
A new Version 1.8.7 of the free Unlocker utility has been released, allowing deletion of locked files marked as in use. The changes include bug fixes, improved functionality and UI, and the addition of Ebay ads.
Game Patches
3 May 2008
Thunderbird 2.0.0.14
2 May 2008
Mozilla has released a new Version 2.0.0.14 of the free Thunderbird email client. The updated version has security fixes.
Game Patches
2 May 2008
TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for XP
1 May 2008
The TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Windows XP has undergone a major revision, bringing it up to Version 4.0. The guide has not only been updated for all the changes resulting from XP SP3, it has also had a significant number of additions and improvements to ensure that it remains the most comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date XP guide available. Both the Regular and Deluxe Editions have been updated, and the full change list is provided at the bottom of the TGTC download page.
Game Patches
1 May 2008
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