Hello Mark,
Hindsight is such a marvelous teacher, unfortunately, sometimes the things
learned are simply sad.
Well, I went around in circles again today. It is so amazing MS does not
require the contractor to support their customers. I am again waiting
for an escalation call back. I am sure it will be from the Windows Vista
Research Team that is of no help.
Mark, Microsoft *does* require OEMs to provide technical support to their
customers. Also, for specific not-defined reasons, Microsoft does not and
will not provide technical support for OEM product users.
So, you are between the proverbial rock and hard place.
Very seriously, my suggestion for your situation, bite the bullet and
attempt receiving a refund for the OEM (at least a credit) and then purchase
Genuine Microsoft Products.
Should you pay Microsoft for one or two technical support telephone calls,
likely that would equal or exceed the purchase price for Genuine Software
with free technical support.
Too many others before you experienced what currently you are experiencing.
Vista 64-bit has a much higher level of inherent security compared to Vista
32-bit, it will require OEMs a long time to self-educate regarding 64-bit
technology, be it XP or Vista.
Considering the inherent security provided by 64-bit technology, in the near
future 64-bit technology will be more common than 32-bit. Also, it will not
be long before 128-bit and higher technology will be the only options within
the market place and 32-bit will be equal to the original DOS OS, ancient
history.
Reference the below copy-and-paste from Microsoft (in part) as my premise
for the above conviction:
64-Bit Security Enhancements:
Kernel Patch Protection and Mandatory Driver Signing Some of the most dire
security issues arise from malicious software that manipulates the operating
system “kernel,†rendering malicious software undetectable to anti-virus
software and running unnoticed on a user’s system. These “rootkits†are often
used to cloak other potentially unwanted software, such as bots and spyware.
Beyond the serious security implications of rootkits, this class of malicious
software can reduce the stability, reliability and performance of the entire
system, including all user programs.
Addressing these problems has been difficult because many 32-bit Windows
drivers are not identified with a digital signature, or they modify the
kernel for legitimate purposes but by unsupported means. Implementing
stricter control over these modifications could create major compatibility
and performance issues. Some 32-bit security products that provide
behavior-blocking capabilities modify the kernel through unsupported methods;
accordingly, Microsoft is partnering with third-party security vendors to
investigate robust, secure and supported alternative platform mechanisms.
However, as computing moves from a 32-bit to a 64-bit architecture, the
smaller installed base of 64-bit software makes it possible to make
significant enhancements to the security of the kernel, reducing the
potential for rootkits and similar types of malicious software to negatively
impact users’ systems.
Kernel Patch Protection for x64. The 64-bit versions of Windows Vista
support Microsoft’s kernel patch protection technology (sometimes referred to
as PatchGuard), which prevents unauthorized software from modifying the
Windows kernel. Kernel patch protection works by preventing kernel-mode
drivers from extending or replacing operating system kernel services, and by
prohibiting all software from performing unsupported patches in the kernel.
In addition to improving security and making it more difficult for hackers to
modify the kernel for malicious purposes, kernel patch protection also helps
prevent other software from making unauthorized or unsupported modifications
to operating system data structures (such as the interrupt dispatch table),
thereby greatly improving the overall security, reliability and performance
of Windows.
Kernel patch protection is not a guarantee of security, but by blocking
unsupported and potentially malicious behavior in the kernel environment, it
improves the security and reliability of Windows Vista and enables future
improvements in the kernel environment that can address the evolving changes
in the landscape of malicious software. More information about kernel patch
protection is available at
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/driver/kernel/64bitpatching.mspx.
Mandatory Kernel Module and Driver Signing for x64.
To give users visibility into the source of drivers and other software
running in the operating system kernel, Microsoft introduced the concept of
“signed drivers†beginning with Windows 2000. Although it was possible to
prevent unsigned drivers from installing, the default configuration only
warned users if they were about to install an unsigned driver. IT
administrators could also block installation of unsigned drivers via Group
Policy, but the large installed base of unsigned drivers made this
impractical in most situations. Malicious kernel software typically tries to
install silently, with no user consent — and because no kernel load-time
check existed before Windows Vista, malicious kernel software was likely to
run successfully, assuming these actions were performed by a user with
administrative privileges.
With Windows Vista on 64-bit systems, security at the kernel level has been
greatly enhanced by requiring that all kernel-mode drivers be digitally
signed. Digital signing provides identity as well as integrity for code. A
kernel module that is corrupt or has been subject to tampering will not load.
Any driver that is not properly signed cannot enter the kernel space and will
fail to load.
Although a signed driver is not a guarantee of security, it does help
identify and prevent many malicious attacks, while allowing Microsoft to help
developers improve the overall quality of drivers and reduce the number of
driver-related crashes.
Mandatory driver signing also helps improve the reliability of Windows Vista
because many system crashes result from vulnerabilities in kernel-mode
drivers. Requiring the authors of these drivers to identify themselves makes
it easier for Microsoft to determine the cause of system crashes and work
with the responsible vendor to resolve the issue. System administrators also
benefit from digitally signed and identified drivers because they get
additional visibility into software inventory and install state on client
machines. From a compatibility perspective, existing Windows Hardware Quality
Labs certified x64 kernel drivers are considered validly signed in Windows
Vista.
Windows Vista
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