The error means that users of Windows 7 see a totally black screen after logging on to the system. The firm said it was looking into reports that suggest its latest security update was the cause the problem. Reports suggest the flaw also affects Vista, XP and other systems.Software firm Prevx, which has issued a fix for the problem, says “millions” of people may be affected.
“Users have resorted to reloading Windows as a last ditch effort to fix the problem,” the firm’s David Kennerley wrote in a blog post.
“We hope we can help a good many of you avoid the need to reload.”

Unknown problem
The firm said its fix did not work in all cases.
“There can be many causes,” said Mr Kennerley.
“But if your black screen woes began in the last two weeks after a Windows update or after running any security program (including Prevx) to remove malware during this time then this fix will have a high probability of working.”
Mr Kennerly said the firm had identified “at least 10 different scenarios which will trigger the same black screen conditions”.
“These appear to have been around for years now,” he said.
The firm reports that the problem affects editions of Windows 7, Vista, XP, NT, and Windows 2000.

Microsoft said that people who are affected by the problem should contact its customer service line.

A spokesperson said that the reports did “not match any known issues” documented by the firm.
It has not issued a fix for the problem, which causes the desktop, task bar, system tray and side bar to disappear, according to reports.
The “black screen of death” moniker is a play on the “blue screen of death”, which appears when Microsoft operating systems crash.

Source

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8388253.stm

Cybercriminals are improving a malicious software program that can be installed on ATMs running Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system that records sensitive card details, according to security vendor Trustwave.
The malware has been found on ATMs in Eastern European countries, according to a Trustwave report.

The malware records the magnetic stripe information on the back of a card as well as the PIN (Personal Identification Number), which would potentially allow criminals to clone the card in order to withdraw cash.
The collected card data, which is encrypted using the DES (Data Encryption Standard) algorithm, can be printed out by the ATM’s receipt printer, Trustwave wrote.
The malware is controlled via a GUI that is displayed when a so-called “trigger card” is inserted into the machine by a criminal. The trigger card causes a small window to appear that gives its controller 10 seconds to pick one of 10 command options using the ATM’s keypad.
“The malware contains advanced management functionality allowing the attacker to fully control the compromised ATM through a customized user interface built into the malware,” Trustwave wrote.
A criminal can then view the number of transactions, print card data, reboot the machine and even uninstall the malware. Another menu option appears to allow the ejection of an ATM’s cash cassette.
Trustwave has collected multiple versions of the malware. The company believes that the particular one it analyzed is “a relatively early version of the malware and that subsequent versions have seen significant additions to its functionality.”

The non-hybrid site is 100% powered on solar energy thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions and noise pollution, both of which are unfriendly to the environment. The solution also reduces pressure on Pakistan’s overall energy supply which further benefits the environment.

Environment-friendly Solar Powered Macro BTS allows Warid to extend its network reach to the rural areas of the country where there is no commercial power or frequent electric failures. Solar power system integrated with energy storage can also provide backup power during the worst power outages. Every residential PV system reduces greenhouse gas emissions as much as removing one car from the road.

In four year of operations Warid has covered 450 cities and having further ambition to aggressively expand its network coverage especially in small and medium sized cities, suburban areas, countryside, as well as in mountainous areas with poor transportation links.

Source => http://pakobserver.net/200905/28/news/business04.asp

The spy satellite launch also highlights growing defence ties between Israel and India. Israel is now the second biggest arms supplier to India after Russia.

The satellite will help Indian agencies monitor the country’s international borders and anticipate any troop build-up or infiltration attempts by militant groups, defence officials said.

“The launch was perfect and the satellite is in orbit,” a spokesman for the Indian Space research Organisation (ISRO) said by telephone from a southern Indian launch site.

The all weather spy satellite was capable of providing clear images throughout the year, he said.

India sped up the satellite launch after last November’s Mumbai attacks, in which at least 166 people were killed by 10 gunmen, catching the country’s security agencies completely by surprise.

“The satellite launch is yet another manifestation of India’s relationship with Israel,” Uday Bhaskar, a strategic expert, said.

The launch of an Israeli satellite last year from an Indian base created controversy after Iran alleged that the satellite would be used to take images of Iran. India and Israel denied this.

India is expanding its space capabilities and last year, it launched 10 satellites into orbit from a single rocket and sent its first unmanned moon mission, joining the Asian space race in the footsteps of rival China

Source => http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710753028&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Source => http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-39134120090420

When the iPhone OS v3.0 came out, there was talk of medical peripherals at Apple’s presentation.  While such thoughts might strike some as odd, the prospect of medical devices attached to smartphones is becoming increasingly considered.

A pair of computer engineers at Washington University has developed a USB-basedultrasound probe technology which connects to smart phones and an interface program to display the results directly on the phone screen.  The new device, invented by William D. Richard, Ph.D., WUSTL associate professor of computer science and engineering, and David Zar, research associate in computer science and engineering, won’t be used on Apple’s iPhone anytime soon, though — it was funded by Microsoft.

Researcher William D. Richard (left) takes an ultrasound probe of his colleague David Zar’s carotid artery. The pair designed the probe, which works on Windows smart phones over USB.  (Source: Washington University)

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Microsoft gave the researchers a $100,000 grant and it has paid off handsomely, as the pair has completed an intriguing device forWindows Mobile smartphones.  The task of porting the imaging algorithms to the phone APIs and making a peripheral that met the low power requirements were daunting, but in the end the pair succeeded.

Their device is capable of delivering imaging of the kidneys, liver, bladder and eyes, and comes with endocavity probes for prostate and uterine screenings and biopsies, and vascular probes for imaging veins and arteries for starting IVs and central lines.

The program on the phone is capable of creating medical quality images and resolving detail as fine as individual arteries. And best of all, the cost is under $2,000.  (Source: Washington University)

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Describes Professor Richard, “You can carry around a probe and cell phone and image on the fly now.  Imagine having these smartphones in ambulances and emergency rooms. On a larger scale, this kind of cell phone is a complete computer that runs Windows. It could become the essential computer of the Developing World, where trained medical personnel are scarce, but most of the population, as much as 90 percent, have access to a cell phone tower.”

Professor Zar adds, “Twenty-first century medicine is defined by medical imaging.  Yet 70 percent of the world’s population has no access to medical imaging. It’s hard to take an MRI or CT scanner to a rural community without power.”

From the size of a cabinet, the electronics for the scanner were shrunk over the years to a 1×3 inch circuit board which uses only the power provided by a USB connector.  (Source: Washington University)

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Professor Richard designed the probe electronics.  He was able to, over the course of over 25 years, shrink the probe from the size of a small cabinet, to a 1×3 inch design.  The costs also dropped, down from $30,000 to $2,000.  He believes the units will eventually cost $500, opening them up to the third world.  Professor Zar optimized the software, an equally daunting task.

The pair is currently demoing their device at Microsoft and health events across the country.  They have two main plans for deployment.  One is to potentially partner with researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to deploy the device in a series of field trials in the third world.

The other plan is to deploy the device in battlefields, such as Iraq or Afghanistan, to help diagnose soldier’s shrapnel wounds.  Such a deployment could literally save lives.  States Professor Richard, “We’re at the point of wanting to leverage what we’ve done with this technology and find as many applications as possible.”