Order Now!
Windows 7 for XP ProfessionalsUpdating Support Skills from XP to Windows 7by Bink.nu's Raymond Comvalius
There are 75 guest(s) online.
There are 0 member(s) online.
MSMobiles.com
Welcome to Bink.nu
Yesterday, Microsoft started the announcements about Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. The one thing that struck me was the fact that Windows 7 will only get some minor updates and bug fixes from the Service Pack. Even though Windows 7 is sweet and looks very good from the beginning, I think there still are a few rough edges in the OS to work on. I was really hoping that Microsoft did some work to add some more sweetness to Windows 7. But I'm afraid that we have to wait a little bit longer. Here is my shortlist of issues to be fixed or better said features to be finished and enhanced in an upcoming update of the OS.
1. Libraries
Libraries in Windows 7 are a wonderful thing as long as your data is on the local system or made available offline with the offline files option. The problem is that this is exactly where the story ends. Many people have been plagued with the dreadful "this location cannot be added because it is not indexed" message when they try to add a network shared folder to their libraries. The current solutions are:
Why not have an option to disable the indexing requirement per library? This is much less intrusive than option C, that removes more functionality than any user would want. You can also read about this in my blog at www.xpworld.com.
2. Libraries for system admins
Libraries are nice from the end-user perspective, but what happened to the administrator's perspective? Why can administrators still only redirect the My Document, My Pictures, My Music etc. folders and not configure the complete contents of the library. I would have loved to add the departmental share to the documents library for my users from a policy instead of fixing this by hand on each system. When I can configure libraries from Group Policy? Microsoft please also add the option to export and import library configurations as implemented in the Win7 Library Tool?
3. Search support for Distributed File System (Dfs)
Distributed File System was once one of Microsofts first attempts to virtualize the network......
Continue at source
Although Windows 7 SP1 will not contain any new enhancements or features,Server 2008 R2 will add couple of new features thats been announce. Here they are.
Jeff Woolsey: I’ve had the pleasure of talking with customers in the last few months and the Hyper-V R2 reception has been nothing but unequivocally positive. Whether it’s been folks in small, medium or the enterprise, they appreciate the new capabilities in Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V and the free Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2. At the same time, we’re always listening to our customers to better understand their business requirements and requests so we know know what to build for subsequent releases. Today, we’re pleased to announce new capabilities that will enhance both virtualized server and virtualized desktop deployments:
More news to add to the slew of news coming out from Redmond today.
We’re announcing an update to Windows XP Mode today that will make it a more accessible to PCs in small and midsize businesses who want to migrate to Windows 7 Professional but have applications that still require Windows XP. Windows XP Mode will no longer require hardware virtualization technology to run. This change makes it extremely easy for businesses to use Windows XP Mode to address any application incompatibility roadblocks they might have in migrating to Windows 7. Windows XP Mode will of course continue to use hardware virtualization technology such as Intel VT (Intel Virtualization Technology) or AMD-V if available. You can find more information and download the update which will go live later today here.
Continue At Source
Today during our online Desktop Virtualization Hour event, we’ll be talking a little bit about Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
For Windows Server 2008 R2, SP1 will be introducing two new desktop virtualization features: Microsoft RemoteFX and Dynamic Memory. These features are designed to meet the increasing needs of our customers as they utilize virtualization in their environments with Windows Server 2008 R2. You can read more about RemoteFX and Dynamic Memory on the Windows Server Division WebLog.
For Windows 7, SP1 includes only minor updates, among which are previous updates that are already delivered through Windows Update. SP1 for Windows 7 will, however, deliver an updated Remote Desktop client that takes advantage of RemoteFX introduced in the server-side with SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2.
Microsoft will host a webcast at 9 a.m. (Pacific) today to discuss the new licensing model, the alliance with Citrix and share more about the company’s evolving virtualization strategy. You can watch the webcast streaming live here: http://www.desktopvirtualizationhour.com/
You can read more about today’s announcement in Brad Anderson’s post on the Windows team blog and on STB News Bytes.
Microsoft Corp. today announced new investments around desktop virtualization technologies and solutions, including virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), to help organizations of all sizes increase flexibility, employee productivity and IT cost savings. During a webcast at 9 a.m. PDT, the company will detail new technologies, simplified licensing models and an alliance with Citrix Systems Inc., furthering its virtualization strategy from the desktop to the datacenter.
“Employees crave options in where and how they work. And yet, IT still needs to enforce security and compliance of devices. The business is being pulled in two directions,” said Brad Anderson, corporate vice president of the Management and Services Division at Microsoft. “Microsoft’s desktop virtualization strategy is unique in addressing this balance. It builds on existing investments and comprehensive management to mitigate risks and control costs, while still equipping end users to be more productive from anywhere.”
Customers are also looking at desktop virtualization as a means to reduce costs and accelerate delivery of new applications. A new Microsoft total cost of ownership study on the use of application virtualization technology showed that customers using a Microsoft virtualization technology called Microsoft App-V achieved a 27 percent labor savings, and equivalent cost savings of $82 per PC per year, in application life-cycle management compared with those not using application virtualization. The study also demonstrated how Microsoft App-V helps IT professionals deliver applications more quickly and efficiently.
“We have a strong philosophy that IT is an enabler for the business, and we are always looking for the best IT solutions to meet the needs of our employees and customers,” said Chaz Spahn, senior systems engineer for Expedia Inc. “We’re working with Microsoft on our desktop virtualization projects. We’re using App-V in production and looking to virtualize about 90 percent of our applications. In addition, we have two use cases where we are exploring hosted desktops and foresee about 30 percent of our users could move to this platform. Microsoft was our choice since they have the right solutions to increase our speed of application and desktop provisioning, improve security and compliance, and provide integrated management across our physical and virtual environments.”
Microsoft outlined improvements that make it easier to access desktop virtualization. More information on today’s announcement and Microsoft’s virtualization strategy is available here.
“By joining forces in desktop virtualization, Citrix and Microsoft can provide customers of all sizes with groundbreaking solutions that are profoundly simpler, richer and more cost-effective,” said Gordon Payne, senior vice president and general manager, Desktop Division, at Citrix Systems. “Today’s announcements mark a historic milestone in our 20-year relationship that will dramatically simplify desktop computing for years to come.”
Microsoft Accelerates Desktop Virtualization Expands desktop virtualization strategy to offer ch
Also: Microsoft’s Approach to Virtualization & It’s Role in Your Desktop Management Strategy - Windows
The Microsoft Hardware team have launched a new Microsoft Hardware blog -
"Welcome to the Microsoft Hardware blog. If you’re looking for a new product, or want to make the most out of the one you already have, then this is a great place for you. We’re going to use this space to tell you about new mice, keyboards, webcams, headsets and gaming devices, keep you up-to-date on new software or product features, and give you insight into how we design our products for you that maybe you weren’t aware of.
But the most important thing is that you can use this blog to give us feedback and ask us questions. If you like something – tell us! If you don’t like something – tell us!
You’ll hear from a variety of people on this blog, and each of us look forward to telling you more about what we do, and hearing from you.
Again – welcome to the Microsoft Hardware Blog.
Brett Ostrum, General Manager"
Exchange Team blog:
No matter how many lines of code it has, every software application has scalability limits.
Some limits can be caused by limits that are external to the application itself, while others can be inherent within the application. As a software engineering team, it is important for us to understand the scalability limits of the solution as a whole; this includes the limits of both external dependencies and internal code. Not only does this enable us to document and communicate this information to our customers, but it also helps us make better software. It provides us with a deeper understanding of our application within the most demanding environments.
Exchange 2010 is new and different from its predecessors in that, unlike all previous versions of Exchange, Exchange 2010 is the first version designed specifically to run as an on-premises application, as a hosted service in the cloud, and as a combination of both (cross-premise). At 20 million mailboxes and growing, it's more important than ever that our understanding of the limits of Exchange be crisp.
A while ago, we began the process of documenting the scalability limits of both Exchange 2007 SP2 and Exchange 2010. We've looked at all areas: things like organization sizing, rules sizing, IRM-protected messages, secure channels, named properties, load balancing, network latency, and more.
Here's our initial version of Exchange Scale Limitations spreadsheet documenting our findings thus far. There's a lot of great information in there, including issue descriptions, mitigations, and links where appropriate.
Microsoft Corp. employees are passionate users of the latest tech toys. But there is one gadget love that many at the company dare not name: the iPhone.
The iPhone is made, of course, by Microsoft's longtime rival, Apple Inc. The device's success is a nagging reminder for Microsoft executives of how the company's own efforts to compete in the mobile business have fallen short in recent years. What is especially painful is that many of Microsoft's own employees are nuts for the device.
In a discussion about employee iPhone use, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer once told executives that when his father worked at Ford, his family drove Fords. Mr. Ballmer is pictured at an industry conference in February.
The perils of being an iPhone user at Microsoft were on display last September. At an all- company meeting in a Seattle sports stadium, one hapless employee used his iPhone to snap photos of Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer. Mr. Ballmer snatched the iPhone out of the employee's hands, placed it on the ground and pretended to stomp on it in front of thousands of Microsoft workers, according to people present. Mr. Ballmer uses phones from different manufacturers that run on Microsoft's mobile phone software.
A Microsoft spokeswoman declined to comment and declined to make executives available for this story.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs referred an email asking about iPhone use at Microsoft to a spokeswoman, who declined to comment.
Despite Mr. Ballmer's theatrics, iPhone users are in plain sight at Microsoft. At the sprawling campus here in a Seattle suburb, workers peck away on their iPhone touch-screens in conference rooms, cafeterias and lobbies. Among the top Microsoft executives who use the iPhone is J Allard, who helped create the Xbox game console and is chief experience officer for the entertainment and devices division.
Employees at Apple, in contrast, appear to be more devoted to the company's own mobile phone. Several people who work at the company or deal regularly with employees there say they can't recall seeing Apple workers with mobile phones other than the iPhone in recent memory.
IPhone usage at Microsoft is the latest twist in the rivalry between Apple and Microsoft, tech-industry titans that have mixed it up in everything from computer operating systems to digital music players.
For many top Microsoft executives, seeing so many iPhones around the office is a bit like how a Coca-Cola Co. manager might feel seeing underlings drink Pepsi—especially since Microsoft makes its own operating system, Windows Phone, that powers handsets.
Continue:
Microsoft Employees Love Gadgets, but iPhone Fans Lie Low - WSJ.com
Over the years, displaying recipient photographs in the Global Address List (GAL) has been a frequently-requested feature, high on the wish lists of many Exchange folks. Particularly in large organizations or geographically dispersed teams, it's great to be able to put a face to a name for people you've never met or don't frequently have face time with. Employees are commonly photographed when issuing badges/IDs, and many organizations publish the photos on intranets.
There have been questions about workarounds or third-party add-ins for Outlook, and you can also find some sample code on MSDN and elsewhere. A few years ago, an IT person wrote ASP code to make employee photos show up on the intranet based on the Employee ID attribute in Active Directory (AD) - which was imported from the company's LDAP directory. A fun project to satisfy the coder alter-ego of the IT person.
Luckily, you won't need to turn to your alter-ego to do this. Exchange 2010 and Outlook 2010 make this task a snap, with help from AD. AD includes the Picture attribute (we'll refer to it using its ldapDisplayName: thumbnailPhoto) to store thumbnail photos, and you can easily import photos— not the high-res ones from your 20 megapixel digital camera, but small, less-than-10K-ish ones, using Exchange 2010's Import-RecipientDataProperty cmdlet.
The first question most IT folks would want to ask is— What's importing all those photos going to do to the size of my AD database? And how much AD replication traffic will this generate? The attribute is limited to 10K in size, and the cmdlet won't allow you to import a photo that's larger than 10K. The original picture used in this example was 9K, and you can compress it further to a much smaller size - let's say approximately 2K-2.5K, without any noticeable degradation when displayed at the smaller sizes. If you store user certificates in AD, the 10K or smaller size thumbnail pictures are comparable in size. Storing thumbnails for 10,000 users would take close to 100 Mb, and it's data that doesn't change frequently.
Note: The recommended thumbnail photo size in pixels is 96x96 pixels.
Continue: You Had Me At EHLO... GAL Photos in Exchange 2010 and Outlook 2010
Active Directory Explorer (AD Explorer) is an advanced Active Directory (AD) viewer and editor. You can use AD Explorer to easily navigate an AD database, define favorite locations, view object properties and attributes without having to open dialog boxes, edit permissions, view an object's schema, and execute sophisticated searches that you can save and re-execute.
AD Explorer also includes the ability to save snapshots of an AD database for off-line viewing and comparisons. When you load a saved snapshot, you can navigate and explorer it as you would a live database. If you have two snapshots of an AD database you can use AD Explorer's comparison functionality to see what objects, attributes and security permissions changed between them.
Download AdExplorer (227 KB)
Run AdExplorer now from Live.Sysinternals.com
Forefront Identity Manager 2010 (FIM 2010), the next generation release of Identity Lifecycle Manager, delivers an integrated identity management solution with powerful self-service capabilities for Office end-users, rich administrative tools and enhanced automation for IT professionals and .NET and WS-* based extensibility for developers. FIM 2010 provides organizations with unique workflow driven solutions to manage user accounts, passwords, groups and distribution lists as well as certificate-based credentials such as smart cards, using identity-based policies that can span across Windows and heterogeneous environments.
Download the latest evaluation software and you're automatically registered to access valuable resources assembled in one convenient location.
After registering you will receive technical resources to help you evaluate FIM:
Today is an exciting milestone for MSN. We are beginning the launch of our new homepage to our customers in the U.S. The new MSN homepage cuts through the clutter with a clean, new design and offers search, news, local and social networking – all in one place. We encourage you to try the new homepage today and learn more about the many cool features.
Since the preview of our new homepage began in November, we’ve been very busy gathering over 70,000 pieces of customer feedback and introducing over 30 updates in our quest to deliver the best homepage to stay in the know.
Check it out here: http://www.msn.com/preview.aspx
Source: http://msnblog.msn.com/blogpost.aspx?post=1686726