OK, I know we’re all anticipating the release of Windows 7 (OK, maybe not everyone) but, there are going to be quite a few who will stay with either XP or Vista. If you are one of those, then the following Windows Vista & XP run commands thread should be useful to you.

A new computer worm called Downadup as infected 3.5 million personal PCs by exploiting a vulnerbility Microsoft patched last October. It reached 3.5 million in such a short period of time, using several different methods to spread, and has the ability to download new versions of itself.

This worm is actually pretty clever. It will attempt to call home to a variety of random domains that haven’t been registered which infected machines attempt to establish contact with. All its creators have to do is register one of the generated domains and bingo – they have your personal information

F-Secure’s CFO, Mikko Hyppönen explains: “The bad guys only need to predetermine one possible domain for tomorrow, register it, and set up a website, and they then gain access to all of the infected machines — pretty clever.”

F-Secure also managed to take a peek at the inner workings of the worm by registering one of the randomly generated domains. This has allowed them to analyze the connections that Downadup is making and, in fact, they have gained the ability to modify the worm’s update mechanism to remotely disinfect affected systems. However, for legal reasons, the company has decided not to do so.

Now is a very good time to run an anti-virus scan and also make sure you are using a strong password. And don’t forget to install Microsoft’s latest security updates. Additionally, Microsoft has added detection to the latest version of its free Malicious Software Removal Tool, which is available here.

While Windows Vista did have some success with a small pocket of the user base, for the most part people were ranting and raving that it was a massive failure. And with that part of the user base still reeling from Vista’s apparent misdeeds, Microsoft is already going to be rolling out a new operating system in the late end of 2009.

Windows 7 will supposedly be a big change from Windows Vista, sporting various improvements and tweaks at our request, which will hopefully make it far better than Vista. However, some of the previews being given suggest something altogether different.

Here is a sample of them: http://www.thinknext.net/archives/2268

What’s this? At the surface, it still looks almost exactly the same as Windows Vista! It is even projected that Windows 7 is going to be running on exactly the same system requirements as Vista. Is Windows 7 really that much different? Is it going to be such a huge change?

The answer is both simple and complex: yes, and no. Windows 7 will be a huge change because it will finally be running on the hardware that Vista should have been running on when it was released. This means that people can’t complain that their system runs it too slowly because almost every system will be able to handle it by then. It will also certainly contain various tweaks and improvements that people strongly disliked in Vista as shown in the previews. Reorganized toolbars, a few new features for Windows Media Player, and some other things that are thus far only interface related. However, people may be turned off by how strikingly similar it is to Windows Vista.

The problem comes in the form of the user mindset. Vista, contrary to popular belief, was not a terrible operating system. It was just too demanding for the time. Windows 7 will have the advantages that Windows Vista didn’t. And I for one believe Windows 7 has the potential to surpass XP by a long shot if people would finally let go of XP and give something new a chance. People will simply be scared off by the user interface because it will remind them too much of their bad experiences.

However, the fact that Windows 7 runs almost exactly like Vista is not necessarily a bad thing entirely. Since the standard for most systems is rapidly shifting to two gigabytes of memory, a decent video card, and a dual-core processor of some sort, this means that Windows 7, unlike Vista at the time of its release, will be able to run very comfortably on just about any system. Had Vista been released in 2009, it would have probably been given a much better reception.

A smooth performance will likely win back some of Microsoft’s users and get them to stop clinging onto XP for dear life. We will all have to make the switch eventually. At least Windows 7 shows some promise despite inconclusive previews. If Microsoft is smart about it, Windows 7 will be very affordably priced too.

The first one was a little disappointing, but the second ad is a little more entertaining.

Some sources appeared to jump the gun and reported that the ads had been cancelled, however Gizmodo is reporting that the ads have not been cancelled. Microsoft did however request that the “I’m a PC” spots become the new focus. They’re saying “Crispin Porter has another completed spot featuring the lovable, affluent couple in the can, ready to air (even though it won’t quite yet).”