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April 2008
Wndows XP SP3
30 April 2008
Microsoft was due to release XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) today, however it appears that they have delayed its official release due to an obscure issue affecting Microsoft Dynamic RMS users. For the moment if you want the final version of SP3, you can download it directly from Microsoft here, as this has been confirmed to be the correct final version standalone installer.
Team Fortress 2
30 April 2008
Valve has released a Major Update for Team Fortress 2. The update contains a new map called Goldrush, new Medic achievements and weapons, and a range of other gameplay and engine changes. The update is available via Steam.
RivaTuner 2.09
30 April 2008
Unwinder has released RivaTuner 2.09. The latest version has some bug fixes and further improvements for the latest graphics cards and drivers, including an updated D3DOverrider utility.
Game Patches
30 April 2008
ATI Catalyst Hotfix
29 April 2008
ATI has released a Hotfix Driver for Vista specifically to address issues with the newly released 3DMark Vantage.
Nvidia Beta Forceware 175.12
29 April 2008
Nvidia has released a new Beta Forceware 175.12 driver for Windows Vista. These drivers are for all GeForce 6, 7, 8 and 9 series graphics cards. They contain a range of fixes, performance improvements in both DX9 and DX10, as well as PureVideo HD, display resolution and positioning features.
VIA Hyperion Pro 5.17A
29 April 2008
VIA has released the Hyperion Pro 5.17A chipset drivers for VIA-based motherboards.
CCleaner 2.07.575
29 April 2008
A new Version 2.07.575 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. This version has a range of fixes, support for Firefox 3, and memory management improvements.
3DMark Vantage
29 April 2008
Futuremark has released 3DMark Vantage, a new DirectX 10 graphical benchmark. This version of 3DMark can only be used under Windows Vista. It is free to download, however you need to register for a trial key, and you can only run the free version once.
Update: I've uploaded a video of a run through 3DMark Vantage in YouTube and High Quality versions.
Game Patches
29 April 2008
Foxit Reader 2.3
25 April 2008
The free Foxit PDF Reader has been updated to Version 2.3. The changes include a range of new features and enhancements.
Sandra 2008 SP2c
25 April 2008
SiSoftware has released a new 2008 SP2c Build 14.24 of the free system information utility Sandra.
AVG Anti-Virus Free 8.0
25 April 2008
Grisoft has released Version 8.0 of the AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition. This version contains a range of changes and improvements, however it also seems to increase resource usage. My recommendations for configuring AVG 8.0 to reduce its intrusiveness and resource usage are here.
Game Patches
25 April 2008
Game Patches
24 April 2008
Windows XP SP3
24 April 2008
Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) is now available to Technet and MSDN users, after many complaints were received over Microsoft's initial decision to release it to them on May 2. However the full public release is still on 29 April.
Realtek HD Audio 1.91
24 April 2008
Realtek has released Version 1.91 of its HD Audio drivers.
Windows Vista Ultimate Extras
23 April 2008
Microsoft has released two additional Vista Ultimate Extras: a Windows DreamScene Content Pack #3 which contains new DreamScene animated desktop videos, and two new Sound Schemes. These Extras are available free to Vista Ultimate users through Windows Update.
SpeedFan 4.34
23 April 2008
Almico has released Version 4.34 of SpeedFan, a free utility for changing system fan speeds, measuring temperatures and voltages and adjusting clock speeds. The changes include support for the latest chipsets and a range of bug fixes.
Game Patches
23 April 2008
Windows XP SP3
22 April 2008
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) has been Released to Manufacturing (RTM) today, however Technet, Connect and MSDN users will not receive it just yet. It is on track for public release on 29 April.
Game Patches
22 April 2008
PerfectDisk 2008 SP2
19 April 2008
Raxco has released an SP2 update for the PerfectDisk 2008 defragmentation utility. The changes include improved boot time defragmentation and a range of bug fixes.
Assassin's Creed Tweak Guide
18 April 2008
The Assassin's Creed Tweak Guide is now available and contains not only full descriptions of exactly what all the in-game settings do, but also compares DX9 to DX10 mode, details all the advanced .ini tweaking possible with the game, and provides a range of troubleshooting tips spread throughout the guide.
Game Patches
18 April 2008
Safari 3.1.1
17 April 2008
Apple has updated the Safari browser to Version 3.1.1 for Windows. The latest version fixes several security exploits.
Firefox 2.0.0.14
17 April 2008
Mozilla has released an update to the Firefox browser, bringing it up to Version 2.0.0.14. The latest version fixes a security issue.
ATI Catalyst 8.4
17 April 2008
ATI has released the Catalyst 8.4 graphics drivers. The changes include a range of application and game fixes in both XP and Vista.
Process Explorer 11.13
17 April 2008
Microsoft has released Version 11.13 of the free Process Explorer utility which is a more detailed version of Task Manager. The changes include several bug fixes.
Realtek AC97 Audio 6.2.85
16 April 2008
Realtek has released Version 6.2.85 of its AC97 audio drivers for Vista.
Windows Vista CheckSUR Tool
16 April 2008
Microsoft has released a Check for System Update Readiness (CheckSUR) tool for Windows Vista. This tool will fix certain types of Windows Update installation failures, and prevent them in the future.
Windows XP SP3
16 April 2008
Both Neowin and TechARP are reporting that they have the final release schedule for Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) - and given both are providing the same details, it seems likely to be accurate. From the release schedule, SP3 is due for public release on April 29, with OEMs, Technet, Connect and MSDN users receiving it a week earlier on April 21, and additional languages released on May 5.
Windows Vista SP1 All Languages
16 April 2008
Microsoft has released the All Languages version of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1). As before, while this is available via Windows Update, it is recommended you use the Standalone version to minimize the potential for problems.
Game Patches
16 April 2008
Game Patches
15 April 2008
Site Update
14 April 2008
Just a heads-up that as promised, I'm working on an Assassin's Creed Tweak Guide, hopefully for release within the next week. The game isn't immensely tweakable given it's a console port, however there are still enough options and tweaks worth covering in a guide, so stay tuned.
Game Patches
12 April 2008
Windows Vista Language Interface Packs
11 April 2008
Microsoft has released Language Interface Packs (LIPs) for Windows Vista. These provide partially translated versions of the most widely used areas of Windows, and are only for English versions of Vista 32-bit.
Game Patches
11 April 2008
Adobe Media Player 1.0
10 April 2008
Adobe has released its new Media Player 1.0. This free flashed-based ad-supported media player is primarily designed to play streaming media from a range of content providers.
WinZip 11.2
10 April 2008
The archival utility WinZip has been upgraded to Version 11.2. This version is a free upgrade for existing WinZip 11.0 owners, and adds minor bug fixes and enhancements, unicode support, and integrated LHA support.
Diskeeper 2008 Build 781
10 April 2008
An updated Build 781 of the Diskeeper 2008 defragmentation utility has been released. The new version has bug fixes, improvements to I-FAAST, and importantly temporarily disables boot-time defragmentation on Vista SP1 due to an incompatibility, to be fixed in a future update.
Game Patches
10 April 2008
Flash Player 9.0.124.0
9 April 2008
Adobe has released an updated Version 9.0.124.0 of the Flash Player for browsers.
Game Patches
9 April 2008
Microsoft Security Updates
9 April 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.
Note also that Microsoft has released a new version of the KB938371 Update, which is a pre-requisite for Windows Vista SP1. Previously this update had installation problems on some systems, however if you've installed SP1 using the standalone installer, or you installed this update without any problems, then you don't need to install it again.
DivX 6.8.2.8
9 April 2008
The DivX video codec has been updated to Version 6.8.2.8.
Sandra 2008 SP2
8 April 2008
SiSoftware has released a new 2008 SP2 Build 14.20 of the free system information utility Sandra.
Game Patches
8 April 2008
Site Update
6 April 2008
It completely slipped my mind that April 1, 2008 marked the 4th Birthday of TweakGuides - time certainly flies by. The fundamentals of the site haven't changed much in the past four years, and they won't in the future. If you like what you see here, expect more of the same; if you're after quick fixes, blogger rants and sensationalist articles, it ain't gonna happen :)
As for upcoming material, I'm currently doing a major revision of the TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Windows XP, which should be out a few days after XP SP3 is released in mid-April. I'm considering an Assassin's Creed Tweak Guide, though that will depend on how much time I have, and more importantly on how 'tweakable' the game will be. I still have a regular 'Tech Tune-up' column in Games for Windows Magazine, however their parent company is having financial issues, so whether I continue with that is not clear.
Thanks again for all the support, and as we start the 5th year of TweakGuides, I'll continue in my attempts to demystify PC customization and optimization.
Game Patches
4 April 2008
Opera 9.27
3 April 2008
The free Opera browser has been updated to Version 9.27. The changes include stability and security fixes.
iTunes 7.6.2
3 April 2008
Apple has released an update for iTunes, bringing it up to Version 7.6.2. This version includes bug fixes and stability improvements.
QuickTime 7.4.5
3 April 2008
Apple has released a new Version 7.4.5 of the QuickTime media player. This version addresses security issues and improves reliability and compatibility with third party applications.
Office Updates
3 April 2008
Microsoft has released two updates for the Office Suite. The first Update fixes an error when installing Office 2007 SP1, and the second Update is for Office Communicator 2007.
Game Patches
3 April 2008
Nvidia Official Forceware 174.74
2 April 2008
Nvidia has made the recently released Beta Forceware 174.74 into an Official WHQL certified driver for the GeForce 9 series, as well as the GeForce 8300, 8200, 8100 and nForce 730a/720a chipsets under Windows XP and Vista. For other graphics cards these drivers are still available as a Beta.
Game Patches
2 April 2008
Game Patches
1 April 2008
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