Posted in 2011
What’s new in Windows 8 Developer Preview SDK headers
- 17 September 2011
This is by no means a complete list but just some observation on files that caught my eye. Some are just regular header file updates for Windows 7 and does not necessary require Windows 8. Some other APIs moved to header files with more readable names.
Improvements are focused, of course, in natural input, efficiency, gaming experience and IE. You can hear the silence scream of “Tablet!Tablet!Tablet!” here. Note Windows 8 is still a developer preview and there is no guarantee any new feature will survive the final cut or there won’t be new API for existing features add in Beta/RC/Gold.
Where is the forum for Internet Explorer?
- 21 July 2011
People get confused by various Microsoft IE forum sites so here is the steps to find the forum closer to IE related questions Basically, the mentality of different Microsoft forum brand is: MSDN: How can my software do something on my customers’ machines. Technet: How can I manage things on machines in my network. Answers: How can I do something on my own machine. So for the case involving IE:
using IE http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/forum
Windows Update KB2538242 or KB2538243 offered repeatedly
- 24 June 2011
Recently (this post was originally published in 2011) there is an outburst of posts related to the KB2538242 update being offered repeatedly on MSDN’s Visual C++ forums, TechNet’s various Windows security forums and the Windows Update forum on Microsoft Answers forums. Questions about KB2538243 appear as well, but to a less degree.
To save your time going to the forums or calling Microsoft’s free security hotline, this is my answer:
Bug in Security Update for Visual C++ Redistributable Package: April 12, 2011 causes program error on Windows 2000
- 17 April 2011
Update:Microsoft’s Visual C++ team has released workarounds on the problem. AVG has released an utility that can revert the KB2467175 update, downloadable at http://twitter.blog.avg.com/2011/04/avg-feedback-update-26411.html
Avira is reporting that its AntiVir software throws “The procedure entry point FindActCtxSectionStringW could not be located in the dynamic link library KERNEL32.dll.” error after installing the update released earlier this week.
How to solve LNK2001 errors related to Windows SDK CLSIDs
- 08 April 2011
User IMFCoder wants to know how to solve a LNK2001 error related to CLSID_CMpeg4sDecMediaObject. The user has no problem linking a lib file in the project but couldn’t find which lib the CLSID is in.
The Windows SDK is strangely cryptic on which lib file the CLSID is exported from. Luckily you can find out the library file you need to link with, if you execute the following command line in the SDK command prompt.
More ADO issues with KB983246/Windows 7 SP1: a reference count leaking when event is used
- 14 March 2011
Update: Microsoft fixed the issue in Windows 8.
User Angus Robertson is reporting that in an application that references ADO 2.1 type library and getting records using the adAsyncExecute method, each execute call leaks three handles and about 20K of memory.
Breaking change in ADO update KB983246 (included in Windows 7 Service Pack 1)
- 24 February 2011
Update2: Microsoft fixed the issue in Windows 8 in a way that old programs would work without change. Those who recompiled with the KB983246 version either need to roll out KB983246 to customer computers or switch back to the old type libraries. New programs are encouraged to use the KB983246 version of type library when they no longer need to support computers without KB983246.
Update: please refer to the knowledge base article kb2517589 An ADO application that is re-compiled on a Windows 7 Service Pack 1-based computer does not run on down-level operating systems for walkarounds
Microsoft MVP again
- 25 January 2011
Image by EJeffson via Flickr
The award email is almost identical to last year’s, so I assume Microsoft would go greener and more renewable with the Microsoft MVP award program each year, maybe that’s the reason I got a frosted glass lug instead of a trophy like previous years.