ARCHIVED NEWS
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September 2008
STALKER: Clear Sky 1.5.05 Patch
30 September 2008
GSC has released the 1.5.05 Patch for STALKER: Clear Sky. Importantly, saved games from 1.5.04 can be used with 1.5.05, so the patch will not require restarting the game. It will however reset all your settings and lose any advanced tweaks you have applied. Since the patch is primarily a bug fix and game balance patch, there are no major changes to the Clear Sky Tweak Guide.
WinRAR 3.80
30 September 2008
The archival utility WinRAR has been updated to Version 3.80 final. The changes include a range of new features and bug fixes.
Game Patches
30 September 2008
VLC Media Player 0.9.3
27 September 2008
The free VLC Media Player has been updated to Version 0.9.3. This is a bugfix release.
Update: Use this mirror if the link above doesn't have the latest version.
Firefox 3.0.3
27 September 2008
Mozilla has released an update for the Firefox 3 browser, bringing it up to Version 3.0.3. This update fixes a bug where users were unable to retrieve saved passwords or save new passwords.
Game Patches
27 September 2008
Crysis Warhead Tweak Guide
26 September 2008
As promised earlier, I'm releasing a short Crysis Warhead Tweak Guide. For the most part, tweaking Crysis Warhead and Crysis Wars is almost identical to Crysis. However there are a range of differences that I felt needed to be spelled out, so I've put together this brief guide - to be used in conjunction with the original Crysis Tweak Guide. It should give you everything you need to know to get Crysis Warhead up to speed on your machine.
Nvidia Official Forceware 178.13
26 September 2008
Nvidia has released the Official Forceware 178.13 drivers for Windows XP and Vista. These drivers are for all GeForce 6,7,8,9 and 200 series cards, and contain a range of performance improvements over the last official Forceware release, as well as bug fixes and full support for Nvidia PhysX on GeForce 8,9 and 200 series cards.
Nvidia PhysX 8.09.04
26 September 2008
Nvidia has released the 8.09.04 PhysX drivers, available as part of the Official 178.13 Forceware package above, or on their own, for both Ageia PhysX hardware and Nvidia PhysX-capable GPUs.
CCleaner 2.12.615
26 September 2008
A new Version 2.12.615 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. This version adds support for Google Chrome, improves cleaning functionality, and has some bug fixes.
Game Patches
26 September 2008
DivX 6.8.4.7
25 September 2008
The DivX video codec has been updated to Version 6.8.4.7.
Game Patches
25 September 2008
Firefox 3.0.2
24 September 2008
Mozilla has released an update for the Firefox 3 browser, bringing it up to Version 3.0.2. This update contains primarily security, stability and bug fixes.
Firefox 2.0.0.17
24 September 2008
Mozilla has released an update for the Firefox 2 browser, bringing it up to Version 2.0.0.17. This is a security update only as Firefox 2 is now a legacy product, and users are strongly advised to update to Firefox 3.
Vista Ultimate Extras
24 September 2008
Microsoft has released three new Ultimate Extras for Vista Ultimate users, available through Windows Update: A new Sound Scheme Pack, a new Windows DreamScene Pack, and a new game called Tinker.
Game Patches
24 September 2008
Windows Updates
23 September 2008
Microsoft has released a range of non-critical Windows Updates which you can download from here, or wait for them to appear on Windows Update.
VirtualDub 1.8.6
23 September 2008
A new Version 1.8.6 of the free video editing utility VirtualDub has been released, fixing a range of bugs.
Game Patches
23 September 2008
Game Patches
20 September 2008
Game Patches
19 September 2008
Nvidia PhysX 8.09.04
18 September 2008
Nvidia has released the 8.09.04 PhysX drivers, for both Ageia PhysX hardware and Nvidia PhysX-capable GPUs.
Site Update
18 September 2008
Crysis Warhead has now been released in many parts of the world, although it is still not available yet here in Australia. For the moment, all accounts indicate that the game is almost identical to the original Crysis in terms of tweaking, so please see the Crysis Tweak Guide for details. Once I get my copy, I will probably release a short two or three page guide for Crysis Warhead which covers the major differences and any new tweaks or tips.
ATI Catalyst 8.9
18 September 2008
ATI has released the Catalyst 8.9 graphics drivers. This version adds a new display mode for HDTVs, Overdrive support for Quad CrossFireX, OpenGL 3.0 support and fixes a range of issues.
Foxit Reader 2.3
18 September 2008
The free Foxit PDF Reader has been updated to Version 2.3 Build 3309. The changes include two bug fixes.
RivaTuner 2.11
17 September 2008
Unwinder has released RivaTuner 2.11. The latest version has some bug fixes and further improvements and support for the latest graphics cards and drivers.
STALKER: Clear Sky Tweak Guide
17 September 2008
Since STALKER: Clear Sky is not dramatically different to the original STALKER in many respects, much of the customization and tweaking advice in Clear Sky is the same as that in Shadow of Chernobyl. However because there are two entirely new rendering modes, a whole range of additional settings and new tweaks, as well as tweaks which no longer work in Clear Sky, I've written this STALKER: Clear Sky Tweak Guide to allow users to fully understand and customize Clear Sky thoroughly to better meet their needs.
Game Patches
17 September 2008
Game Patches
16 September 2008
VLC Media Player 0.9.2
15 September 2008
The free VLC Media Player has been given a major update to Version 0.9.2. The changes include a new Qt4 interface, improved subtitles support, improved metadata support, support for new codecs and new localizations.
SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium Beta 2.17.0005
14 September 2008
Creative has released a Beta 2.17.0005 driver for the SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium series under Windows XP and Vista. These drivers fix an occasional BSOD error on multi-processor systems during audio playback on Windows XP SP3.
Realtek HD Audio 2.04
14 September 2008
Realtek has released Version 2.04 of its HD Audio drivers. Note if you have problems with the link, click the 'High Definition Audio Codecs' link at the top of the page and select 'Software'.
nForce 15.23 Driver
13 September 2008
Nvidia has released a new nForce 15.23 driver under both XP and Vista for most nForce 4 and newer motherboards.
iTunes 8.0 Re-release
13 September 2008
Apple has re-released Version 8.0 of the iTunes software. The new version specifically addresses a Blue Screen error when connecting an iPod to a Windows Vista PC as detailed in this Support Article.
vLite 1.2
13 September 2008
A new Version 1.2 of the Windows Vista installation customization utility vLite has been released. This version contains several fixes and a large number of new items.
PerfectDisk 2008 SP4
13 September 2008
Raxco has released an SP4 update for the PerfectDisk 2008 defragmentation utility. The changes include several bug fixes, as well as enhancements in the defragmentation driver.
Game Patches
13 September 2008
STALKER: Clear Sky 1.5.04 Patch
12 September 2008
GSC has released the second patch for STALKER: Clear Sky, bringing it up to Version 1.5.04. Note that the official site is quite slow, so you may want to wait for your favorite file hosting site to mirror it. Also note that my progress on the STALKER: Clear Sky Tweak Guide is quite slow because the game is frustratingly tedious and buggy to test; for example most changes require a full exit and restart of the game to implement, even for relatively minor settings. Hopefully the guide will be ready within the next week.
nLite 1.4.9.1
12 September 2008
The Windows XP installation customization tool nLite has been updated to Version 1.4.9.1. The latest version contains two fixes.
Game Patches
12 September 2008
IntelliPoint & IntelliType 6.30.191.0
11 September 2008
Microsoft has released Version 6.30.191.0 of its IntelliPoint and IntelliType mouse and keyboard drivers for Windows XP and Vista.
FRAPS 2.9.5
11 September 2008
A new Version 2.9.5 of the FPS measurement, benchmarking and video capture utility FRAPS has been released. The changes include new stereo and multichannel audio options in Vista, support for more games, and a range of fixes.
WinZip 12
11 September 2008
The archival utility WinZip has been upgraded to Version 12. This version includes improvements in compression of JPEG files, adds support for more archival formats including .7z, .ISO and .IMG, and has a range of interface improvements.
Game Patches
11 September 2008
Structured Exception Handling Overwrite Protection
10 September 2008
Microsoft has released a Knowledgebase Article which provides details on how to enable a new security feature in Windows Vista SP1 called Structured Exception Handling Overwrite Protection (SEHOP). Microsoft recommends that users enable this feature as it provides additional protection against exploits, however note that there are known issues with Cygwin, Skype and Armadillo-protected applications.
ZoneAlarm 8.0.020.000
10 September 2008
The ZoneAlarm firewall has been updated to Version 8.0.020.000. The changes include compatibility and stability improvements.
Sandra 2009
10 September 2008
SiSoftware has released a new 2009 Build 15.42 of the free system information utility Sandra. In particular this version provides several additional benchmarks for GPUs.
iTunes 8.0
10 September 2008
Apple has released a new Version 8.0 of the iTunes software. This version fixes bugs, and adds new features including Genius playlists, Tile view and HD content support.
QuickTime 7.5.5
10 September 2008
Apple has released a new Version 7.5.5 of the QuickTime media player. This version fixes several security holes, improves stability and supports the new version of iTunes.
Microsoft Security Updates
10 September 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
10 September 2008
Site Update
7 September 2008
With the recent release of STALKER: Clear Sky, and several major games including Crysis Warhead, Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3 scheduled for release in the coming months, I'll be looking at doing some more game guides. For the moment I can't necessarily confirm which games will get guides, but I'm going to start by trying to compile a STALKER: Clear Sky guide in the next week or two, so keep an eye out for that.
Game Patches
7 September 2008
Game Patches
6 September 2008
Realtek HD Audio 2.03
5 September 2008
Realtek has released Version 2.03 of its HD Audio drivers. Note if you have problems with the link, click the 'High Definition Audio Codecs' link at the top of the page and select 'Software'.
SoundBlaster Audigy 2.18.0001 Beta
5 September 2008
Creative has released the Beta 2.18.0001 driver for the majority of the SoundBlaster Audigy series under Windows XP and Vista. Confusingly titled with the same version number as the last official release, these drivers fix the missing Microphone option in the Surround Mixer which occurs as of the previous 2.18.0001 drivers.
Game Patches
5 September 2008
Game Patches
4 September 2008
AutoRuns 9.34
3 September 2008
Microsoft has released AutoRuns 9.34, updating this free startup software identification utility. This version fixes a single bug which can cause the program to exit immediately after finishing a scan.
Google Chrome Browser Beta
3 September 2008
Google has released a beta of the new Chrome Browser. Chrome is a free open source browser designed to be as streamlined and efficient as possible, and provide greater stability and protection.
Game Patches
3 September 2008
RivaTuner 2.10
1 September 2008
Unwinder has released RivaTuner 2.10. The latest version has some bug fixes and further improvements and support for the latest graphics cards and drivers.
nLite 1.4.9
1 September 2008
The Windows XP installation customization tool nLite has been updated to Version 1.4.9. The latest version fixes some issues, and adds support for Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 integration.
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