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When Microsoft launches Windows 8 Release Preview next month the operating system will have improved navigation features for users who like more than one monitor to display all their applications.

The upgrade - the last major tune-up expected before the final version launches sometime this fall - addresses task bars, desktop backgrounds and that no man's land, the common edge shared by adjacent screens, according to the Building Windows 8 blog.

The current problem with that common edge is that when users mouse over to them - for example to hit the minimize button - they sometimes overshoot and wind up on the next screen instead of the screen they started off on. They either have to slow down or adjust the window size so there's a buffer between the edge of the window and the edge of the screen.

With Windows 8 Release Preview, Microsoft has created interface corners that are larger than 6 pixels tall so users can pull up a little short of the edge but still hit the active interface. The active area extends a little beyond the corner itself to present a larger target.

These corners have new uses with Windows 8 that they didn't have with Windows 7. Corners contain access to applications, charm bars and the Start screen.

PC World

File-sharing website The Pirate Bay (TPB) has been hit by a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.

The site has been largely inaccessible for the last 24 hours, and the service is intermittent in the UK.

The Pirate Bay has confirmed the attack on its Facebook page, saying that it did not know who was behind it, although it "had its suspicions".

A provider of DDoS defence systems said that it was unlikely that the attack came from hacking group Anonymous.

"There will be further attacks, but what's significant about this whole story is that people think that it is the Anonymous attacking a site which is typically a type of site that they defend," said Andre Stewart of Corero Network Security.

"It could be the record labels, or a government somewhere that has had enough of not being able to catch The Pirate Bay, it could be just one person who had rented some cloud power from Amazon and is sitting in a cafe, and is able to launch an attack."

Although some users may have attempted to access the site using proxies, TPB itself warned them against doing so.

Illegal file sharing

"Use proxies at own risk. Don't login unless you trust the proxy supplier. Don't freak out. You'll get your TPB fix tomorrow," said the site.

BBC News

Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system will include new tools designed to make it easier for parents to monitor their children's computer and Internet usage without having to peer over their shoulders.

The new Family Safety features built into Windows 8 include weekly usage reports that are emailed to parents or guardians, and tools that allow them to block certain websites and apps, set time limits, and review Windows Store purchases.

"Computers give children access to many positive experiences; however, parents face challenges in monitoring what their children see online, the people they meet, and the information they share," said Phil Sohn, Microsoft's senior program manager for family safety, in a blog post.

Microsoft recommends that family PCs be set up in a common room so that parents can keep an eye on what their kids are doing online. "Parenting techniques like this are important, but they may be difficult to employ if your household has multiple PCs or if your kids use laptops and tablets. And glancing over a teenager's shoulder can be awkward for both parents and kids," said Sohn.

InformationWeek

German security firm Avira yesterday issued a service pack for its antivirus software that crippled an unknown number of Windows machines, with one customer calling the gaffe "catastrophic" to his company.

Today, Avira updated the software to sidestep the problem.

"Following the release of Service Pack 0 (SP0) for Avira Version 2012, the ProActiv feature blocked legitimate Windows applications on customers' PCs," Avira acknowledged on its support site. "We deeply regret any difficulties this has caused you."

Avira is the world's second-biggest antivirus maker, according to usage statistics.

The service pack included an update to ProActiv, a behavioral-based monitoring system that watches for suspicious events that may hint at a malware attack or point to an infection.

Users quickly reported that the updated ProActiv was blocking almost every legitimate Windows executable file -- those with the ".exe" extension -- meaning that most applications refused to launch. Even worse, ProActiv prevented critical Windows files from running, which in many cases "bricked" PCs, or kept them from even properly booting.

The inadvertent blocking impacted Avira Professional Security, Avira Internet Security 2012 and Avira Antivirus Premium 2012, paid products priced between $30 and $60. Avira's free antivirus software, which has limited functionality -- and does not include ProActiv -- was not affected.

Computerworld

Microsoft will charge users who buy a new Windows 7 PC $14.99 for an upgrade to Windows 8, according to a report.

The cost of the upgrade was revealed yesterday by Paul Thurrott, a popular blogger who writes SuperSite for Windows.

An earlier report by CNET had claimed that Microsoft would charge a fee for the upgrade, but had not spelled out the amount. CNET said that the program would kick off alongside the delivery of Windows 8 Release Preview.

Microsoft has said it will ship the preview the first week of June. If the company follows the same schedule it used in 2009 to deliver Windows 7's release candidate, the most likely date is Tuesday, June 5.

Eligible customers must purchase a new Windows 7-powered PC between June 2012 and January 2013.

Computerworld

Microsoft will kick off a Windows 8 upgrade program for buyers of Windows 7 PCs in early June, according to a report.

But unlike past deals, this one may come with a price tag.

The program will, said CNET yesterday, provide a discounted upgrade to Windows 8 to anyone who purchases a new Windows 7-powered PC between June 2012 and January 2013.

Citing unnamed sources, CNET said that the upgrade offer would let buyers of Windows 7 systems purchase Windows 8 Pro -- the highest-priced edition that will be sold at retail -- for an undisclosed price.

The offer will debut at the same time that Microsoft launches Windows 8 Release Preview, which the company has pegged to the first week of June. The most likely date is June 5, assuming Microsoft follows the same schedule it used in 2009 to deliver Windows 7's release candidate.

Three years ago Microsoft ran a similar program for Vista-to-Windows 7 upgrades, which was itself a repeat of a 2006 deal that promised buyers of Windows XP machines an upgrade to Vista.

Both deals provided the newer operating system for either no cost or for a small fee. Details varied, as computer makers actually fulfilled the offer, with some charging shipping and handling fees while others gave the upgrade to earlier buyers gratis.

Computerworld

ThePirateBay, the notorious file-sharing site consistently accused by opponents of file-sharing of being the source of much of the piracy and deviltry in the world, launched an online survey trying to measure the habits and opinions of file sharers worldwide as part of an effort to counter what it calls entertainment-industry propaganda.

That "propaganda" includes surveys, industry research and claims about the impact of content piracy consistently found by courts to be unsubstantiated, misleading and designed only to support the anti-piracy goals of sponsors such as RIAA and MPAA rather than reflect results of legitimate research.

The Pirate Bay survey is a follow-up to one last year that polled 75,000 users about how they use file-sharing sites as well as how, when and why they use pirated content. It also compared respondents' use of pirated content with their media-buying habits, finding that those who download the most pirated content also tend to be the ones who buy the most content through paid file-sharing services, iTunes, and through other means.

ThePirateBay is outsourcing the actual research to the Cybernorms research group at the Lund University Internet Institute, which did last year's survey and has published a series of studies and analyses on the changes in behavior caused by online file sharing as well as the ongoing battle between file sharers and groups trying to stop it.

ThePirateBay survey is another designed to map what kinds of file-sharing behaviors can be considered "normal" on the Internet, as well as various efforts by file sharers to protect their anonymity, location or activities.

PC World