This article comes from the Digibarn Computer Museum. Description: The following is the installation and boot-up sequence for the first release version of perhaps the most important software currently in the world: Microsoft Windows. Includes screenshots as well.(
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Screenshots are a great way for users to get a glimpse of upcoming products. Every time Microsoft releases an update for Vista or for Office 2007, screenshots are always available somewhere on the 'Net, and with them comes an enormous amount of user feedback which is typically dispersed between two categories: love and hate. The problem is that screenshots don't really show how the product runs, just how it looks. Opinions are formed before the product is ever seen in action. Luckily, Microsoft has released some new Office 2007 footage so that users don't have to form opinions based on screenshots any longer.
The movie covers several different features touted in the next Office release including galleries, the ribbon interface, the Office menu, live preview, and contextual tabs. It also displays how the Office 2007 user interface can give real-time previews of documents before edits are applied. More than anything else, the video shows just how beneficial the ribbon interface can actually be to a user.
View the Office 2007 footage video
One of the key tools for troubleshooting issues with Windows computers is Event Viewer. Using this console, you can view events recorded in the Application, System, and Security logs and use this information to try and resolve problems with your computer.
Domain controllers have additional logs such as Directory Services, DNS Server, and File Replication Service that can be used to troubleshoot issues involving Active Directory replication and DNS name resolution. Unfortunately, Event Viewer in pre-Vista platforms suffers from several limitations that make it underperform as a troubleshooting tool.
These limitations include a lack of support for centralized logging, inability to query across multiple logs, limited event filtering capability, and a general lack of "software intelligence" in terms of helping you understand how different events correlate with possible problems and how they can be resolved.(
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There’s something about using the words Security and Internet Explorer in the same sentence that tends to make administrators want to laugh. Perhaps it’s the fact that prior to Windows XP Service Pack 2, security in Internet Explorer 6 was pretty much non existent.
Windows XP Service Pack 2 took care of some of Internet Explorer’s security issues, but security was still mediocre at best. In Internet Explorer 7 though, Microsoft seems to have addressed many of the security issues that have plagued Internet Explorer for the last decade.(
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Kevin Remde has summarized many of the Q&A's concerning the webcast on Exchange
Server 2003 - Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts.
“I hear how we can use Windows SharePoint and/Or SharedPortal server to replace Public Folder. However, I can't seem to find good resources to how we're supposed to do this or get more information. So my question is where can I get more information about using SharePoint for replacing Public folder? Thanks.”
You make a very good point here. The reason you don't see much documentation on this is because the majority of this is going to be exposed in SharePoint with Office System 12 (now named 2007 Office System) and not really in the current release of WSS / SPS.
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Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols from eweek Magazine writes:
How many times must IE be shown to be totally insecure before people turn to the more secure Firefox?
OK, how many times must Internet Explorer be ripped open like a hot 16-year-old in a summer slasher movie before people finally get it: IE is not safe. Period. End of Statement.
I don't care if you only run it around the Web on Sundays and to the nicest sites. If you run IE, you're just asking to me slammed by worms, bots, adware, and every other kind of malware on the planet. No, it doesn't matter that you're using XP SP2 and you've downloaded all the patches. The only version that appears to be immune is IE7 beta-2.(
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Microsoft Corp. has launched a public bug database for Internet Explorer 7, which is currently in beta.
Access to the Internet Explorer Feedback site requires a Passport account and signup is through
Microsoft Connect. The new site is similar to Bugzilla, a bug-reporting site set up for Firefox by Mozilla Corp.
"The intent of this work is to give everyone a better place to give IE7 feedback and to prepare the ground for future versions of IE," Microsoft said in its IE blog.
The IE public database, launched on Friday, is not for reporting security issues, Microsoft said. Those problems should be reported through the
Microsoft Security Response Center.
A recently uncovered vulnerability in Internet Explorer can expose computers to "drive-by downloads", Trojan horse programs that are installed through innocuous looking pop-up windows. The team at Microsoft's Security Response Center is working on a patch and plans on releasing it next month.
The vulnerability was outlined in a recent Microsoft security advisory and several malicious websites have already be set up to push the Trojan horse to web surfers. Dubbed the "Sdbot" Trojan horse, the program opens up an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel and allows hackers to take complete control of the victim's computer.(
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Microsoft's recent announcements gave many a reality check when their previous 'solid' November 2006 release date for the next installment of the Windows operating system, Windows Vista, was pushed back once again due to the need for 'tweaking security' on consumer versions of the OS along with their Office 2007 suite for a co-launch in January 2007.
Not too long ago Microsoft also announced some changes to the Platform and Services Division; specifically the move of Microsoft Office's overseer, Steve Sinofsky, to Microsoft's Windows and Windows Live engineering group. Now, according to an anonymous Microsoft blog site which EETimes.com has reported on, many employees are unhappy with the recent happenings at Microsoft and the blog comments do not sugar coat the feelings of posters.(
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Up to 60% of the code in the new consumer version of Microsoft new Vista operating system is set to be rewritten as the Company "scrambles" to fix internal problems a Microsoft insider has confirmed to SHN.
In an effort to meet a dealine of the 2007 CES show in Las Vegas Microsoft has pulled programmers from the highly succesful Xbox team to help resolve many problems associated with entertainment and media centre functionality inside the OS. The team are also working closely with engineers from the Intel Viiv team. and it is now expected that the next version of Viiv could be delayed to line up with the launch of the consumer version of Vista at the 2007 CES Show in Las Vegas.
One of the key components of the consumer version of Vista is the Media Centre code. This will be an optional package in the same way that Microsoft currently sell a Professional and Home version of XP. With Vista there will not be a seperate Media Centre SKU.
Microsoft has also admitted that it has major problems in it's Windows division and has has immediatly initiated a total restructure of the division, a move that comes after a costly delay in rolling out its Vista program. (Continue at source)
Policy-based Quality of Service (QoS) in Microsoft® Windows Server™ "Longhorn" (now in beta testing) and Windows Vista™ (now in beta testing) allows you to configure QoS profiles that specify how to mark or throttle outbound traffic. Policy-based QoS settings are distributed using Group Policy.
The architecture of Policy-based QoS takes advantage of the Next-Generation TCP/IP stack, the Windows® Filtering Platform, and a new Network Device Interface Specification (NDIS) 6.0 lightweight filter driver.
Read the Cable Guy Article:"Policy-based QoS Architecture in Windows Server "Longhorn" and Windows Vista"
Microsoft Corp. plans to revamp its blogging service MSN Spaces under the new Windows Live brand in the summer.
The upcoming "more powerful version of MSN Spaces," called Windows Live Spaces, was announced on the Spaces homepage.
The company said it would unveil the new version in the summer, and also posted a help wanted ad. Microsoft is looking for developers in AJAX and DHTML, technologies used in developing interactive user interfaces for Web applications. (
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Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday offered "free, unlimited technical support" to rivals interested in making their software work with Microsoft servers, saying it wanted to comply with a landmark EU antitrust ruling.
"We are committed to doing everything in our power to address the (European) Commission's concerns," Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith said in a statement.
A spokesman for the EU's antitrust office said the Microsoft offer "seems to be a constructive proposal," but said the company needed to make more efforts to fully fall in line with the EU's 2004 ruling.(
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Shares of Microsoft Corp. fell Wednesday after the software maker delayed the consumer release of its new operating system until January 2007, after the holiday shopping season.
Shares of Microsoft dropped 59 cents, or 2.1 percent, to close at $27.15 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
The Redmond, Wash.-based company made the announcement about its new system, dubbed Vista, after financial markets closed on Tuesday. Analysts said the delay would hurt computer makers and retailers most of all, since they were likely looking forward to a new operating system to boost holiday sales.
Microsoft is planning a management shake-up in its Windows division and will appoint Steve Sinofsky, currently head of the company's Office division, to oversee Windows development, according to a source close to the company.
The move, which could come as early as Wednesday, comes in the wake of yet another delay in shipping Vista, the long anticipated update to the client version of Microsoft's Windows operating system.
Sinofsky will head Windows development, reporting to Kevin Johnson, who will continue to lead the the Platform Products and Services division. Johnson's division will include eight new and existing organizations related to Windows and Windows Live, the source said.(
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Giving an indication that yesterday's stunning delay of Windows Vista would not impact the plans of the server division, posters to Microsoft's internal developers' blogs revealed more details today about a software design review (SDR) event to be held at a hotel in Bellevue on 11 April.
While the itinerary for sessions to be held during the three-day conference is just now being finalized, one Microsoft developer shared his opinion that he wished more attention was being paid to the 64-bit realm, as it will only be spotlighted in two sessions. Apparently Intel isn't the only company reducing its focus on 64-bit processing.(
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Security researchers have given Microsoft more work to do as the company prepares an upcoming Internet Explorer security fix. On Wednesday, they disclosed a critical vulnerability in Microsoft's (Profile, Products, Articles) browser -- the third flaw to be disclosed in the past week.
This bug is rated critical because it could allow an attacker to seize control of a victim's machine, according to U.K.-based Computer Terrorism, which posted an advisory on the flaw.(
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Microsoft Corp. is readying an update to Internet Explorer (IE) following the recent discovery of two unpatched IE vulnerabilities, including one bug that could allow attackers to seize control of a victim's PC.
"We're working on an update to Internet Explorer and that update is currently in our testing process and could come out as early as April," said Stephen Toulouse, a security program manager with Microsoft's security response center. "However, there's no firm date."
The most significant of the two vulnerabilities was discovered earlier this month by Web developer Jeffrey van der Stad. He claims to have uncovered a way for attackers to trick IE into executing HTA (HTML application) files without the user's permission. HTA is a Microsoft-created format that is used to create HTML-based applications.(
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Those of you running Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) will notice a new product available on your synchronization options page tonight. Selecting this new product, called Microsoft Client Protection, provides update support for Microsoft’s upcoming corporate antivirus solution (Codename Jamaica). However, unless you’re involved with the Jamaica TAP or TechBeta this change will do you absolutely no good. In fact, it will only clutter your WSUS interface. So, instead of going through the trouble of enabling it just to get a peek – check out the screen shots instead.(
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In this article from MCP Magazine Chris Wolf explains how you can access the Virtual Server administration webpage from within a Remote Desktop Connection.
Remote Desktop and Terminal Services can do some strange things. Many of us at one time or another have found ourselves scratching our heads over a particular program or installation sequence that would not work when launched from within a Remote Desktop connection.
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Deutsche Telekom (DT) is hooking up with Microsoft as part of plans to roll out broadband TV (IPTV) in Germany later this year. The service is to be carried via a new VDSL (Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line) network capable of bandwidth up 50 meg and has already been tested by boffins at the giant telco.
The IPTV service is due to go live in ten major German cities - including Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Munich - from the summer letting viewers access regular TV programmes, video on demand, interactive programming and personal video recording. Punters can also expect a range of special interest channels and pay-TV programmes.(
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Developers have an opportunity to derive revenue from developing mini-applications, called Gadgets, for Microsoft's Windows Vista OS, a company executive said at MIX 06 Tuesday.
During his keynote at the Las Vegas conference, Joe Belfiore, vice president of Microsoft's eHome division, said that developers can build Gadgets for hardware OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to pre-install on computers running the Vista OS once it ships later this year.
"OEMs can prepopulate machines with Gadgets," he said. Gadgets are Web-connected mini-applications that run independent of the browser and display real-time information, such as stock quotes or news headlines. They also can offer quick-view ways for users to stay connected to Web-based applications they use all the time, such as music players and e-mail. (
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Coming form Activewin:
Microsoft has officially announced to ActiveWin the release date of Windows Vista. Windows Vista will be made officially available to consumers in January 2007, while making Windows Vista available to businesses only in November 2006. In addition, there will be a feature complete Beta 2 CTP released in the next quarter. "...we need a few more weeks, quality is paramount...we are on the home stretch here...we need to know what kind of testing that needs to be done in order that this is the most secure and safe system" and "quality is till the top thing..and I am going to stay here until things are right...it will be done this year", said Jim Allchin, co-president, Platforms & Services Division, Microsoft regarding the delay. Also check out the
Microsoft Watch story.
Coming from the OldNewThing blog:
Windows File Protection works by replacing files after they have been overwritten. Why didn't Windows just apply ACLs to deny write permission to the files?
We tried that. It didn't work.
Programs expect to be able to overwrite the files. A program's setup would run and it decided that it needed to "update" some system file and attempt to overwrite it. If the system tried to stop the file from being overwritten, the setup program would halt and report that it was unable to install the file. Even if the operating system detected that somebody was trying to overwrite a system file and instead gave them a handle to NUL, those programs would nevertheless notice that they had been hookwinked because as a "verification" step, they would open the file they had just copied and compare it against the "master copy" on the installation CD.
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Google was hit with a lawsuit on Friday by a Web publisher that alleges it has suffered significant financial harm because its site got dropped from the search engine's index.
KinderStart.com, which operates a Web site for parents of children under 7 years old, filed its lawsuit as a class action in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division.
KinderStart.com, based in Norwalk, California, charges Google (Profile, Products, Articles), among other things, with violating its right to free speech under the U.S. Constitution; violating section 2 of the Sherman Act by using a monopoly position to harm competitors; engaging in unfair practices and competition under California law; and committing defamation and libel.(
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MICROSOFT'S spiritual and temporal ruler Sir William Gates III has admitted that the company messed up when it forgot to release new versions of Internet Explorer.
Speaking to the company's Mix06 conference, Gates said that Vole was moving very rapidly to get the next version of Internet Exploder to the market "because we see great opportunities there".(
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Microsoft silently opened up Windows Live Messenger to all Microsoft Passport holders, several enthusiast sites including LiveSide.net reported on Monday. Previously, access to the client was restricted to those who had been approved through an invitation process, frustrating those who had obtained the beta through channels other than Microsoft.
Several sites erroneously reported last week that the client had been opened up after the discovery of a Web page on the MSN UK Web site, however it still required an invite into the program. Along with the capability for all Passport users to sign in, version 8.0.0566 of Live Messenger Beta was made in several new languages.
Coming from Aaron Tiensivu:
One of the R2 feature specific management tools that is in the admin tool pack that a lot of people don't realize can be used on non-R2 servers is the Print Management Console. I've blogged about it before, but I try to put it on any XP box or server I'm maintaining due to the ability to get a nice quick snapshot of what drivers are loaded on servers at a location. The 'published printers' section will be empty on non-R2 systems.
With the official release of MMC 3.0 for everyone, it makes sense to install this now more than ever.
Admin tools webpage
This week at Microsoft Corp.’s MIX06 conference, Web designers, developers and decision-makers are exploring ways to harness the latest Web technologies to deliver better customer experiences. Hosted by Microsoft, MIX06 features participants from leading Web, media and design companies including Amazon.com Inc., Avenue A/Razorfish, BBC, eBay Inc., Fluid Inc., MySpace and RezN8 Productions Inc. Monday’s opening day keynote, “The Next Web Now,” featured Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates discussing the myriad ways companies can use software to forge distinctively new types of customer connections, highlighting new technologies along the way that will change the face of business on the Web.
“As the Internet becomes an increasingly powerful way for companies to interact with customers, software and services provide almost unlimited opportunities to extend these interactions,” Gates said. “We’re here this week to talk about how software is transforming the way companies connect with their customers as they embrace a new generation of Web technologies.” (
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When you’re looking for information you have stored on your computer, you have a couple of choices. You can search for it, using, for example, Windows® Desktop Search. Or you can browse for it in your file structure. Those tactics commonly are considered two separate, discrete options.
PHLAT is a project from Microsoft Research’s Redmond lab that attempts to streamline the process of sifting through the exponentially growing avalanche of information with which PC users must cope.(
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In a bid to capture the huge audience for handheld entertainment gadgets, Microsoft is designing a product that combines video games, music and video in one handheld device, according to sources familiar with the project.
The Microsoft product would compete with Sony, Nintendo and Apple Computer's products, including the iPod. And Microsoft has some of its most seasoned talent from the division that created its popular Xbox 360 working on it. Game executive J Allard leads the project, and its director is Greg Gibson, who was the system designer on the Xbox 360 video game console. Bryan Lee, the finance chief on the Xbox business, is leading the business side of the project.(
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At its Mix '06 designer confab next week, Microsoft will distribute a 'layout-complete' IE 7.0 test build, yet another step along the way toward the final IE 7.0 release, and talk IE futures, too.
At Mix '06, Microsoft's Web 2.0 conference in Las Vegas next week, tools for designers won't be the only hot button. Microsoft also will be showcasing Internet Explorer 7.0, distributing new browser bits and sharing ideas on the next version(s) of IE in the works.
Microsoft will dole out at the show what officials are describing as a "layout-complete" version of IE 7.0.
"The important thing about this release is that no further layout changes will be made for IE 7.0," said Microsoft developer Cyra Richardson during a recent online chat on IE.(
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Microsoft released a website which enables you to sign up to either: Beta 2 of Windows Vista, Beta 2 of 2007 Microsoft Office System, and/or Beta 2 of Microsoft Exchange "12".
According to the website: "You will be the first to be notified when the Windows Vista, Office "12," and Exchange "12" public beta releases become available."
Go to the Technet Pre-Beta Release Registration website
The world's richest man is about to open up his big, fat wallet for New Yorkers. Millions of New Yorkers who bought personal computers could score $12 coupons or more, no questions asked, as part of a massive antitrust settlement from Microsoft, headed by Bill Gates. "Almost all of your readers could be eligible," said David Stellings, a lawyer who helped negotiate the $350 million deal. "They are throwing away cash by not participating."
Here's how it works. Virtually anybody who bought a personal computer using most Microsoft software - basically any computer other than an Apple - between 1994 and 2004 is eligible to get a $12 coupon for each computer. No receipt or proof of purchase is necessary for individuals claiming purchases of five computers or less. Anyone who bought popular Microsoft software products like Word, Excel or Office during the same time frame is eligible for $5 vouchers.
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Download the Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1. The Community Technology Preview (CTP) version of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1 is now available. You can use these packages to upgrade any of the following SQL Server 2005 editions: Enterprise, Enterprise Evaluation, Developer, Standard and Workgroup.
Note: To upgrade SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, obtain the SP1 CTP version of Express Edition. These packages have been made available for general testing purposes only. Do not deploy the CTP software in production. Peer-to-peer support is available in the SQL Server 2005 forums.
SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1 (CTP)
Jim McBee writes: "I finally got the right combination of DLL's that are required to manage Exchange mailboxes using Active Directory Users and Computers without having to install the Exchange System Manager. This is a hassle for Windows XP desktops or servers that don't have Exchange on them because ESM requires IIS components (IIS Admin, SMTP, and W3SVC)."
From an Exchange 2003 server, copy the following DLLs from the \program files\exchsrvr\bin folder in to a common folder (preferably in the path) such as \windows\system32 on the machine on which you want to manage Exchange attributes:
address.dll
escprint.dll
exchmem.dll
glblname.dll
maildsmx.dll
pttrace.dll
Once these are copied on to that machine, run REGSVR32.EXE \windows\system32\maildsmx.dll to register that DLL. When you re-open Active Directory Users and Computers, the Exchange extensions will show up!
I've taken the liberty of installing the 2007 Microsoft Office System Beta 1 Technical Refresh on the February CTP on Windows Vista (Build 5308). I took a few screenshots too.
Screenshot: Microsoft Office Word 2007
Screenshot: Microsoft Office Excel 2007
Screenshot: Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007
My experience so far with the Office 2007 Refresh on Vista hasn't been too bad so far. All the applications seem to work and function with no crashes so far. The "ribbon" applicatioons seem to come up fast and perform nicely with the new UI. I am impressed with how the new UI looks in black and on Vista. I am, however, unimpressed with how Outlook looks in Vista. The black, or obsidian, skin makes Outlook look absolutely terrible. And you can't choose one application in Office 2007 to use one color while the others use another. Also: the "ribbon" applicatiions aren't using Glass yet in the February CTP.
Screenshot: Word 2007 with no Glass and in Blue
I will talk more extensively of my experiences with Office 2007 and Vista as I continue to test it out. These are just a few observations and first impressions. I still need to dive into the functionality. As requested, here is also a screenshot of how "unimpressive" Outlook 2007 looks in Windows Vista. Now, mind you, this is just how it looks. Outlook 2007 performs great in Vista and some of the updates and enhancements made to Outlook (like RSS) are alone worth using it even if it does look, well - a bit off.
Screenshot: Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
The confusion probably started after a red colored "Windows Live Messenger" text link appeared on MSN UK's homepage by the end of last week. It links to a
product page still showing screenshots of older Beta-versions and claiming that "the new Windows Live Messenger Beta is [...] as always [...] free to download".
Indeed, it is free to download but you still have to sign up for the trial first (don't worry if your country's not listed) and wait a couple of days before you get invited. Admittedly, if a beta version is being used already by about one million users the definition of "public" is contestable. But let's just conclude that there's still
NO instantly available direct download link for just anybody.
BRUSSELS (Reuters)—Microsoft Corp. has set out a "poisoned honeypot" by offering to open source code in its antitrust case, a rival said in a confidential filing to the European Commission, which it opened on Tuesday. The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) and software group Samba followed the lead of Microsoft by opening up confidential filings to the European Commission.
The FSFE/Samba filing responded to a Commission questionnaire seeking industry comment on Microsoft's proposal to open up its confidential "source code" for those who license it server software. Microsoft has said its proposal would solve problems of much of the industry, but said it was never aimed at solving disputes with "open source" groups such as FSFE/Samba. "The source code reference license is a poisoned honeypot, from which free software operators shall stay away as much as possible," FSFE/Samba said in its filing.
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Keystroke loggers take the form of hardware or software that record the keyboard activity of the target system. There's an interesting
article discussing both hardware and software keystroke loggers on the InternetSecurityOnline blog.
Reading the article led me to conduct a little ad hoc research to grasp the prevalence on keystroke loggers. I browsed to a popular software download site (
download.com) and searched for "keystroke logger" - thanks to the site for the following titles and download statistics..
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The purpose of creating this guide is to make it short, simple, and to the point! This is the only guide you will find on the Internet that has gone into so much depth. The sections above do not have to be taken in any particular order, but for the full Workstation experience it's recommended you do it step-by-step! I won't go into too much detail here, besides who loves reading too much? Not many people I bet, so I will go straight to the point in these sections, allowing a quick and easy configuration of your Server to convert it to act like a Workstation!
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When selecting hardware for your Exchange servers, there are many things that you must consider. Two of the most critical resources are processor and memory. This blog provides rough guidelines for processor/memory configurations that provide good performance for Exchange 2003 while also providing a strong platform for Exchange Server 12. Recommendations will also be made on how server hardware deployed for Exchange 2003 roles can be re-utilized for Exchange Server 12 on a per server role basis (e.g. Mailbox, Client Access Server (CAS) etc). With this in mind, I have tried to make safe/highly confident predictions concerning what processor/memory configurations work well for E12 server roles to help administrators maintain current Exchange 2003 environments with an eye toward the future.
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Beta-1 Technical Release Now Available! Thank you for participating in the 2007 Microsoft Office Technical Beta program. The 2007 Microsoft Office Beta-1 Technical Refresh software is now available for you to download on BetaPlace (http://beta.microsoft.com). As previously mentioned, we have two goals for this release:
We want you to be able to validate that the fixes to issues you've previously reported about 2007 Microsoft Office do meet your organization's needs.
We also want to provide a build of 2007 Microsoft Office that functions on Windows Vista Feb CTP. With this build, we will begin accepting bug and newsgroup submissions regarding the 2007 Microsoft Office Beta1TR build on Windows Vista Feb. CTP.
Microsoft BetaPlace
Microsoft confirmed reports that at least the initial Intel Macs from Apple would not support Windows Vista, telling BetaNews Friday that its next generation operating system would not support the EFI boot process being used by the new systems.
Apple decided to use Intel's new Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) over the older Basic Input Output System (BIOS). As previously reported by BetaNews, Windows XP cannot run on the Macs due to its lack of EFI support, however Windows Vista was expected to change that.
While Vista would support EFI, Microsoft has only decided to do so for 64-bit CPUs. The Intel processors being used with the first-generation Intel Macs have all been 32-bit.(
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The new Exchange Management Shell in Exchange 12 makes it possible for you as an Exchange administrator to manage all types of Exchange tasks such as mail-enabling users, move mailbox stores between storage groups, configure the forms-based authentication page used by OWA, configure SMTP connectors through the Management Shell instead of through the sometimes rather awkward Exchange System Manager (which in Exchange 12 is called the Exchange Management Console). Actually all tasks (plus additional tasks) that can be performed via the GUI can be performed via the Management Shell as well.
In addition to the above mentioned tasks the Exchange Management Shell also provides a very robust as well as flexible scripting platform, which means you no longer need to play with long complicated Visual Basic scripts etc. in order to get a script that performs a specific task. The Exchange Management Shell will do this for you, typically only with a few lines of code. Some of you may think the Exchange commands must be very difficult and complex, but actually this is not the case. If you have ever played with PERL, either in a UNIX or Windows environment, or a similar scripting language.(
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Microsoft and its partners seem to believe there is room for another PC form factor: one that is bigger than a handheld, but smaller than a laptop. Microsoft is betting that these devices, dubbed ultra-mobile PCs or "Origami" systems, "will eventually become indispensable and ubiquitous as mobile phones are today," according to officials with the Redmond software maker.
Prototypes of a variety of Origami systems will make their official debut at the CeBIT trade show in Germany on March 9. The first Origami devices from Samsung and Foundry are due to start shipping in April. ASUS Origami devices will start shipping in June. While device makers will be determining their own prices, Microsoft is expecting the first generation of devices to be in the $599 to $999 per unit range, officials said. The new devices are expected to weigh in at less than 2 pounds, with 7-inch screens offering a variety of stylus, touch and keyboard input choices.
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Yesterday Microsoft released some new features for the Windows Live Favorites Beta.
These new features include:
- A completely redesigned UI that will make using Live Favorites a lot easier and more fun.
- Now you can organize your favorites with Folders and by using Tags.
- With the new sort options, you can sort by Top Favorites, Title, Tags, Last Modified and Address.
- There is a new one click Add Favorites feature.
- Complete support for Firefox and a new/updated import for Netscape, Firefox and Del.icio.us.
- There is a new Pre-View Pane so you can select a favorite and see it in the view pane.
- Updated import and export
The Live Favorites tool bar has been busy working hard to get Sync to work the way we all want it to. We now have Auto Sync that will Sync your IE favorites over to Live Favorites automatically. There is a configuration page that allows you to configure how auto sync works.
We also have a new Gadget for the http://www.live.com site that will give you another way to use your favorites. There are a lot of features and bug fixes in this release and even more in the next.
While testers have been all over the newest Windows Vista Community Technology Preview build, the new Longhorn Server test build, which Microsoft also delivered at the end of February, has gotten far less attention.
What's new in the latest Longhorn Server test build? According to the Longhorn Server 5308 release notes, a copy of which is posted on activewin. com, the latest server code has some rough spots.
Microsoft officials have said Longhorn Server will be customizable for specific workloads via role management and a role management tool. Longhorn Server will be role-based, allowing administrators to choose from among 20 "levels of functionality" (such as print server, DHCP server and so on) when configuring and deploying Windows Server systems for specific tasks, the officials said.
In the newest build, the role management tool won't allow testers to install the Rights Management Services subsystem of Longhorn Server, according to the release notes. And there is no workaround for the problem. There also seem to be problems around roles and the Security Configuration Wizard, according to the notes.(
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If you have ever worked as a consultant or even just helped out a friend with a computer problem, then you have probably been in a situation in which you sat down at an unfamiliar workstation and had to get an idea of how the system was configured prior to working on the problem.
Although Windows XP’s network configuration options are pretty straightforward, you usually can’t get all of the particulars of a machine’s network connectivity at a glance. In Windows Vista though, Microsoft has made it a lot easier to quickly gather information about how a workstation is connected to a network through a new component called the Network Center. (
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Intel and Microsoft lifted the veil on further collaborations around the chipmaker’s virtualization technologies, including efforts to let two of the companies’ key management products interoperate.
At the top of the list is a coming Intel add-in for Microsoft’s Systems Management Server that will let it interoperate with Intel’s Active Management Technology (AMT). Intel also trotted out a specification for assigning input and output devices to virtual environments.
The AMT add-in will enable network managers, using SMS, to perform management tasks on PCs on their networks equipped with Intel AMT. Because AMT stores hardware and software information in non-volatile memory, tasks can be performed even if the computers are turned off, or have a failed hard drive or operating system.(
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Today at the O’Reilly Emerging Technologies Conference, Microsoft Corp. announced the availability of Windows Live™ Search beta, designed to help people simply find the information on the Web that matters most to them. The new search service offers a new innovative design with rich viewing and organizational tools, extensive search categories such as image and local search, and services that help people customize results. Other core technologies that complement Windows Live Search, including an updated version of Live.com and a Windows Live Toolbar beta, were also released today. These services are now available in the U.S. and in select international markets in which feature availability will vary.
Christopher Payne, corporate vice president of Windows Live Search at Microsoft, offered details during a talk at the conference. “We’re unveiling a range of innovations that deliver an outstanding level of power and simplicity to search,” Payne said. “Combined with the rich browsing and integrated searching services delivered by Windows Live Toolbar and Live.com, the new search service offers customers the next generation of unified services today.”(
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Go to the new Windows Live Search on live.com
Ray Ozzie’s new idea is a clipboard for the web. A brief summary of the idea follows; it’s fully explained on
Rays blog.
Narrative
Let’s say you have two sites both of which understand calendar data. I want to move an appointment from one site to another. In Ray’s scheme, there’s now an icon on each site, next to each piece of data that can be transported. The icon is a picture of a scissor. Bring site A to the front, click on the scissor and choose Copy, then bring site B to the front, click on the scissor and choose Paste.
At first, you’d think it has to be some terrible ActiveX hack, but it’s not — it’s a hidden text field and a bit of JavaScript that moves the data around.
Personal note: Looks like this Live Clipboard will have simalar functionalities as Clipmarks,which in my opinion as a great website
Windows Starter 2007 is aimed at beginner computer users in emerging markets who can only afford a low cost PC. As with the XP version, Windows Starter 2007 (note that it’s not branded as Window Vista) is a subset of Vista Home Basic, and will ship in a 32-bit version only (no 64-bit x64 version).
Starter 2007 will allow only three applications (and/or three windows) to run simultaneously, will provide Internet connectivity but not incoming network communications, and will not provide for logon passwords or Fast User Switching (FUS). Starter 2007 is analogous to XP Starter Edition. This version will only be sold in emerging markets.
Windows Starter 2007 is lacking a number of unique features found in most of the other Vista product editions. There is no Aero user interface, for example, and no support for Castle-based networking. Other missing features include DVD Authoring, gaming common controller support, and image editing with enhanced touchup.
Software Requirements:
- Windows Starter 2007 Beta has a restriction of opening only three applications at a time.
- No domain access and no inbound connection.
- You cannot share your printer, files, folders or internet however you can have access to other computer’s resources, i.e, you can access their resources however vice versa is not true. Its only a one way communication.
View the screenshots of Windows Starter Edition 2007
Changa_Lion has posted an
interesting screenshot on Flickr which shows the existence of an Panther folder during installation of the latest Vista CTP on his computer.
While installing the February CTP of Vista I noticed you could open a dos prompt recovery console and still go through the install.
During the install I noticed it was making a temp "Panther" directory as one of the sources directories.
Is this Microsoft admitting to copying OSX Panther?
The question is, is this fake? Anyone can make a directory and make a screenshot out of it. And if it isn't fake, what is the meaning of this Panther directory? Someone mentions in the comments "I did wonder if the guy making the installer was having a good laugh."
Here is another screenshot with the contents of this Panther folder.
It seems that Panther is the codename of Vista's unattended install engine, and this folder has been available on earlier builds of vista/longhorn. What a coincidence !
Thats right! You know where you saw them first. Techlog has collected a series of 24 screenshots about the Beta 1 release of Exchange 12. The images feature the new Outlook Web Access client, which looks just like the Outlook 12 client. They also feature the installation steps, Exchange Management Console (based on MMC 3.0) and the Monad-based Exchange Management Shell. Beta 1 of Exchange 12 was released to MSDN and Technet subscribers and TAP customers. Go have a look yourself, when you are one of those lucky people to be in those programs.
Exchange 12 Beta 1 Screenshots
The first beta of Microsoft's upcoming Exchange 12 product, which offers calendaring and unified messaging, is private.
Microsoft has broadened the group of testers for the first beta of its upcoming Exchange 12 e-mail, calendaring and unified messaging server product, announcing March 1 that it had released a community technology preview build to its 200,000 global TechNet and MSDN subscribers.
"The CTP is a beta one release, which is still a private beta, which means that testers are bound by a Non Disclosure Agreement and cannot share the build with anyone else. However, while they can talk about those features we have announced and made public, they are not allowed to talk about their experience with working with the code and which features do and do not work.(
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Coming from
Ed Bott of ZDNET:
Yesterday Microsoft released information about how Windows Vista will be packaged when it’s ready for retail delivery later this year. (The press release, unfortunately, is written in very broad strokes. I hope Microsoft publishes a detailed feature matrix soon.)
When the rumors of Vista versions first began flying several months ago, I read many complaints about the potential for mass confusion among Windows consumers. Now that the official announcement is out, those fears seem overblown.
Set aside the Starter version, which is designed for use on cheap PCs in emerging markets (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, Brazil, India, and many more) and won’t be sold in the U.S., Europe, and other major markets. Forget about the N versions, too - those are the Media Player-free versions the European Commission required Microsoft to make available to OEMs as part of its antitrust decree, and they’ve been a spectacular flop in the marketplace.(continue at source)
Josh from WindowsConnected posted an interesting article on how to create a Windows Vista image using the WAIK (Windows Automated Installation Kit ) which is the new toolkit which helps you deploying Windows Vista.
In this post we are going to walk through the basics of creating a Windows Vista 5308 - Feb CTP image. This will be a single partition image, but the concept here can be used for creating any type of image. Before you begin make sure you have downloaded the WAIK for the FEB CTP and the Windows Vista Feb CTP build.
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Expo is a dynamic social listing service that allows members to find and sell items, discover information, and meet other parties in their area – all for free!
With Expo, you can browse and post listings to those you trust, like your buddies, co-workers, and fellow students, or, to all Expo visitors.
In addition, you can map listings easily using MSN Virtual Earth, post a free listing in less than a minute with our easy-to-follow steps, and use instant messages to communicate quickly with other members.
Visit the Windows Live Expo website
A new portable media device that allows users to listen to music, play video games, browse the internet and jot hand-written notes is the initial vision of a product in development by Microsoft and its partners, the software giant confirmed.
Microsoft acknowledged that an early version of its new hand-held PC-like device was featured in a video on the website for marketing firm Digital Kitchen.
"While Origami is a concept we've been working on with partners, please know that the video seen on Digital Kitchen's website is a year old and represents our initial exploration into this form factor, including possible uses and scenarios," a Microsoft spokesman said.
While some media reports flagged the product as a possible rival to Apple Computer's iPod digital music player or Son's PlayStation Portable game device, "Origami" seemed to incorporate more functions and appeared to be much larger than those gadgets.(
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Microsoft has said it will introduce a search engine better than Google in six months in the United States and Britain.
"What we’re saying is that in six months’ time we’ll be more relevant in the US market place than Google," Neil Holloway, Microsoft president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, told a technology conference held by Reuters in Paris today.
"The quality of our search and the relevance of our search from a solution perspective to the consumer will be more relevant," he went on to say.
To give it the edge it needs Microsoft is expected to integrate the search engine into the company’s widely used communications tools Windows Messenger and Hotmail rather than directly integrated into in its new operating system Windows Vista due out later this year.
"Should we add a Google-like search engine but twice as good hard-core into Windows? Guess what. If we did that, I don't think a company called Google would be very happy," he said.(
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A system crash: If you're lucky, it only ruins your day. More than likely, you're in for several bad days followed by a few stressful weeks or months. After all, systems rarely fail only once. Rather, they keep crashing until you find the cause and fix the problem.
This primer will show you how to solve problems quickly. Using a tool that costs nothing, you can solve approximately 50% of Windows server and workstation crashes in a few minutes. The tool is WinDbg , the free Windows debugger.
You've probably never used the debugger, don't have it and don't want it. After all, it's a developer's tool, not an administrator's, right? Yes, but what you need to know is remarkably easy to learn, and even a rudimentary familiarity with the debugger could enhance your skills and your resume.(
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Microsoft has shipped a new version of its Internet Explorer browser to permanently change the way multimedia content is rendered on Web pages.
The cumulative non-security IE update was released Feb. 28 as an optional download for IE6 on Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and is a direct result of the multimillion-dollar patent spat with Chicago-based Eolas Technologies.
The modifications mean that IE users won't be able to directly interact with Microsoft ActiveX controls loaded by the APPLET, EMBED, or OBJECT elements without first activating the user interface with an extra mouse click.
Some widely deployed programs that use ActiveX controls within the browser include Adobe's Reader and Flash, Apple's QuickTime Player, Microsoft's Windows Media Player, RealNetworks' RealPlayer and Sun's JVM (Java Virtual Machine).(
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While testers have been all over the newest Windows Vista Community Technology Preview build, the new Longhorn Server test build, which Microsoft also delivered at the end of February, has gotten far less attention.
Testers confirmed that Microsoft has posted on the Connect beta-download site the Longhorn Server Build 5308 bits for download.
Microsoft officials acknowledged that the company released Longhorn Server 5308 to a set of private beta testers last week.
"Because the Windows Vista and Windows Server 'Longhorn' development cycles are synched, Longhorn code is also going out as part of the Windows Vista CTP, but is accessible to private beta testers only," a company spokesperson said.
In December, Microsoft released simultaneous builds of Windows Vista and Longhorn Server (build number 5270 for both). (
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ActiveWin.com has learned Microsoft has quietly changed the FolderShare beta into a Windows Live Service. Check the website out for additional information.
"FolderShareTM allows you to create a private peer-to-peer network that will help you to synchronize files across multiple devices and access or share files with colleagues and friends. You no longer need to send large files via email, burn them to CDs/DVDs and mail them, or upload them to a website.
FolderShare allows you to share and sync important information instantly with anyone you invite, making it the perfect solution for personal or small business use. "
Major Kernel Overhaul
Many users view Windows XP (and Windows 2000, and previous Windows versions) as unsafe. No matter how many patches and updates Microsoft releases, the foundation of the OS itself—the kernel—is designed and built in a way that prevents it from being truly secure. The only solution, it is argued, is to redesign and rebuild the kernel with a focus on security and stability.
Well, that's exactly what Microsoft is doing with Vista. The whole kernel has been reorganized and rewritten to help prevent software from affecting the system in unsavory ways. In Vista, it should be much more difficult for unauthorized programs (like Viruses and Trojans) to affect the core of the OS and secretly harm your system.
That's not all, of course. Microsoft has made it their aim to make life easier on developers by improving and simplifying the way software interfaces with the system and the underlying hardware. Naturally, performance has been a major concern, too. (
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Virtual PC Express, a feature of Microsoft's new Enterprise and Ultimate versions, will be designed to run older editions of Windows as a subsystem.
"Virtual PC Express will be able to run any previous version of the Windows operating system," the spokesperson wrote. "Customers who have annuity agreements with Microsoft automatically are granted a second license to install Windows as well as downgrade rights. This enables a customer to install an older version of Windows on top of Virtual PC Express without having to acquire an additional license."
What can be inferred from that statement is that some users who purchased retail editions of Windows XP, or found it pre-installed on their new PCs, may not be able to install XP into the Virtual PC Express subsystem without purchasing an additional license. Currently, most retail editions of XP require some form of product activation, in which a product key is checked against a database of installed systems at Microsoft, to make certain the OS isn't installed on more PCs than the license permits. A user can install one copy of Windows XP on the same PC multiple times, but not on two PCs.(
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There are some special cases in which you want to separate your Active Directory Forest from your Exchange configuration. Without a separate Forest, the separation of administration from Exchange and Windows objects could be very difficult. So it is possible to create a dedicated Exchange Forest, called the Resource Forest. An Exchange Resource Forest is a Forest running Exchange and hosting mailboxes. With a Resource Forest you place only Exchange resources in this Forest and the user accounts, groups and so on resists in the normal Active Directory Forest, called the Account Forest. To establish this scenario you must create a Windows Trust between the Exchange Resource Forest and the Windows Account Forest. In most environments you will also need a provisioning process that synchronizes created Active Directory Accounts in the Account Forest to the Exchange Resource Forest. The provisioning process creates a disabled user with an Exchange Mailbox in the Resource Forest.
One other reason for the implementation of an Exchange Resource Forest is the sharing of FreeBusy information and the possibility to enable the delegation features in Exchange between two different Active Directory Forests which don't trust the other in all ways.(
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The Microsoft Office team has a problem, and it’s no huge secret: They are their own biggest competitors. Oh, sure, every once in a while someone buys a copy of Word Perfect, or gets a bee in their bonnet and declares that henceforth only OpenOffice will be permitted to run on their network. But for the most part, the reason that people don’t upgrade to the latest and greatest version of Microsoft Office is that they’ve decided that some existing version of Office is good enough.
The first time I really noticed this happening with my own clients was when Office 2000 was released and people didn’t see a good reason to switch from Office 97. Some of those people still don’t see a good reason to switch. Meanwhile others have settled on Office 2000 or Office 2002 as their own “good enough” version. All of this has to be maddening to the Office marketers, who, of course, would prefer to have everyone running Office 2003 right now, and salivating for their chance to upgrade to Office 12 in 2006.(continue at source)
Step User Interface (Step UI), an innovative technology prototype that encourages people to control their computers using their feet in addition to their hands, is among more than 150 innovative concepts to be featured at the sixth annual Microsoft Research TechFest this Wednesday and Thursday at Microsoft Corp.’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash.
Open only to Microsoft® employees and select invitees, TechFest provides a unique forum for generating discussions and new ideas about the future of technology. The event stimulates further collaboration between researchers and the broader Microsoft community, usually resulting in the adoption of these research innovations by product groups across the company. More than 6,000 Microsoft employees are expected at this year’s TechFest, with presentations by more than 400 Microsoft Research staff members from the organization’s five worldwide labs.
“TechFest is a prime opportunity for our researchers to share the results of their work with the rest of the company, get input and feedback, and discuss how to take their research forward,” said Kevin Schofield, general manager of Strategy and Communications for Microsoft Research. “The technology shown at TechFest is a combination of our own internal work and several projects resulting from open collaboration with academics from the worldwide research community. This is exciting because Microsoft employees can come to one place to see our own groundbreaking work and also catch up on some of the best research from the broader community.” (
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Get a free USB Drive from Microsoft. Click on the image of the USB drive "Valuable Information - Get Yours".
Here are the answers to the four questions:
Q1. How many ways are there to obtain a full Microsoft® Windows® Desktop license?
Answer:: 2
Q2: Volume License Agreements cover Windows Desktop operating system upgrades only.
Answer: True
Q3: OEM operating system licenses are non-transferable.
Answer: True
Q4: The most cost-effective way to acquire an initial, full underlying Windows Desktop license is preinstalled.
Answer: True
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