Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010 is the newest version of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, a Solution Accelerator for operating system and application deployment. MDT 2010 supports deployment of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in addition to deployment of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP. MDT is the recommended process and toolset for automating desktop and server deployment.

MDT provides you with the following benefits:

  • Unified tools and processes required for desktop and server deployment in a common deployment console and collection of guidance.
  • Reduced deployment time and standardized desktop and server images, along with improved security and ongoing configuration management.
  • Fully automated Zero Touch Installation deployments by leveraging System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2 Release Candidate and Windows deployment tools. For those without a System Center Configuration Manager 2007 infrastructure, MDT leverages Windows deployment tools for Lite Touch Installation deployments.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Available: Windows Server Update Services 3.0 SP2

Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Service Pack 2 (WSUS 3.0 SP2) delivers updates to corporate environments from Microsoft Update. This release adds new features and fixes issues found since the release of the product. WSUS 3.0 SP2 delivers important customer-requested management, stability, and performance improvements. Some of the features and improvements include the following:

  • Integration with Windows Server 2008 R2.
  • Support for the BranchCache feature in Windows Server 2008 R2.
  • Support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 clients.
  • Compliance Report
  • Windows Update Agent (WUA) offers a collection of performance enhancements, user experience improvements, and bug fixes software updates.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Free eBook: Microsoft SQL Server 2008

image Microsoft is offering a free E-Book covering SQL Server 2008. [wikipop]Microsoft SQL Server[/wikipop] is a relational model database server produced by Microsoft. Its primary query languages are T-SQL and ANSI SQL.
Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008
by Peter DeBetta, Greg Low, and Mark Whitehorn
ISBN: 9780735625587

The E-Book covers major new features in SQL Server 2008 including security, administration, and performance with the following table of contents:

Chapter 1: Security and Administration
Chapter 2: Performance
Chapter 3: Type System
Chapter 4: Programmability
Chapter 5: Storage
Chapter 6: Enhancements for High Availability
Chapter 7: Business Intelligence Enhancements

Sign up today to get your own free copy of E-Book here.

NEPALI Language Interface Pack now available for Windows Vista

If you have wondered ever to use Windows Vista in Nepali Language, well the wait is now over. Microsoft has now published the official NEPALI Language Interface Pack (LIP) for Windows Vista that can be instantly applied to change the user interface. Do make sure that you have an English version of Windows Vista running as the NEPALI LIP can only be applied on such.

For folks requiring detailed installation instructions and someone who would like to see how the interface looks like (visual confirmation) before and after applying the NEPALI LIP, I have attached some screenshots for ease and access. ENJOY!

Start Virtual Machines (Virtual PC) through Script

Ben Armstrong, a Program Manager on the core virtualization team at Microsoft recently posted a blog with powershell and vbscript examples that will allow an administrator to boot up virtual machines (built with Windows Virtual PC) directly via scripting. He argues it will provide the following benefits:

  • Automated testing
  • Patch deployment
  • Faster launch

Read his blog to view and download the scripts.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Free e-Book: Microsoft Virtualization Technologies

image Microsoft is offering a free eBook covering its prominent virtualization technologies that include -

  • Server Virtualization ([wikipop]Hyper-V[/wikipop], Server 2008 Virtualization, Virtual Machine Manager 2008)

  • Application Virtualization ([wikipop]App-V[/wikipop])

  • Desktop Virtualization (Enterprise Desktop Virtualization and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure)

  • Presentation Virtualization (Terminal Services)

  • Profile Virtualization (Roaming Profiles, Folder Redirection, Offline Files)


Friday, July 31, 2009

Firefox reaches one Billion Plus downloads

image

Since its debut in November 9 2004, on July 30th 2009, Firefox reached one billion downloads recorded through spread Firefox download center. Firefox holds a Guinness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours. Posted on Mozilla’s Blog, this coming Monday, www.onebillionplusyou.com will go live and act as a hub of information concerning the billionth download of Firefox.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Rumors surface for cracked Windows 7 Activation

image In less than a week after Windows 7 was Released to Manufacturing (RTM), leading news sites are reporting the Windows 7 activation process being hacked and now possible to activate the licensing of the operating system with illegal licensing mechanism. According to pcworld, theregister, cnet and more, the hacked file makes use of a flaw in the OEM distribution of Windows 7 and will pass Windows Genuine Advantage Validation. Well, that didn’t take long to surface the news media and it’s very assumable that Microsoft will now come up with some identification/blocking mechanism of the OEM tweak!

BBC Reports: “Cable fault cuts off West Africa”

BBC is reporting that large parts of West Africa are struggling to get back online following damage to an undersea cable. The fault has caused severe problems in Benin, Togo, Niger and Nigeria. The blackout is thought to have been caused by damage to the SAT-3 cable which runs from Portugal and Spain to South Africa, via West Africa. Around 70% of Nigeria's bandwidth was cut, causing severe problems for its banking sector, government and mobile phone networks.

Read the in-depth news coverage @ BBC Technology Webpage

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Windows 7 is now Released to Manufacturing (RTM)

RTM indicates the code is now signed off and available for mass production for mass distribution, that just happened to Windows 7 today. The Operating System is the latest client OS from Microsoft with promises of security, feasibility, productivity and more, ever!  Windows 7 is an upcoming version of Microsoft Windows, a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs and media center PCs. Windows 7 has general retail availability set for October 22, 2009, less than three years after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista. Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2, is slated for release at the same time.

Windows 7 Family Pack is coming

Microsoft said it's planning to introduce a Windows 7 family pack that will allow buyers of the Home Premium version to install the operating system on up to three computers with a single purchase.

"We have heard a lot of feedback from beta testers and enthusiasts over the last 3 years that we need a better solution for homes with multiple PCs," wrote Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft's in-house Windows blogger, in a post Tuesday. "I'm happy to confirm that we will indeed be offering a family pack of Windows 7 Home Premium (in select markets) which will allow installation on up to 3 PCs," wrote LeBlanc. A pricing outline for the family pack has not been finalized or published yet.

Windows 7 RTM’ed today and is expected to be generally available on Oct. 22nd.

Windows Server 2008 R2 is now RTM

RTM, Release to Manufacturing, indicates the code is now signed off and available for mass production for mass distribution, that just happened to Windows Server 2008 R2, as it happened to Windows 7, both today. Some of the new features available at this release has been highlighted at Windows Server 2008 team’s blog.

Windows Server 2008 is the most recent release of Microsoft Windows' server line of operating systems. Released to manufacturing on February 4, 2008 and officially released on February 27, 2008, it is the successor to Windows Server 2003, released nearly five years earlier. Like Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 is built on Windows NT 6.0.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Samsung to invest more than $4 billion in ‘green future’

Samsung Electronics announced today to invest more than $4 billion for ‘green future’ initiative. The company has stated that over the next five years, the “PlanetFirst” project focuses on eco-management through low-carbon growth with more energy-efficient products.

It involves cutting greenhouse gas emissions from plants by 50 percent and reducing total indirect emissions from all products by 84 million tons through 2013, as well as ensuring all products exceed global eco-mark standards, AFP reports.

Microsoft opens Hyper-V adding Linux Drivers

Today, Microsoft contributed Linux drivers to Linux community that will enhance the performance of the Linux operating system when virtualized on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V or Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V. Although not an entirely new phenomena, Microsoft is rarely seen to embrace GNU General Public License (v2) and is very vocal about the licensing procedure although this is the first time ever of any direct code contribution (20000 lines) to GPL v2.

As a featured story inside Microsoft’s press release, Tom Hanrahan, director of Microsoft’s Open Source Technology Center, is seen through the Q&A session of this release, here’s what he has to say about the announcement -

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Toshiba to join Blu-ray manufacture’ list this year

image

One of the largest supporter of the HD-DVD format, Toshiba is now planning on releasing its first Blu-ray player, which will apparently be called the BD18 and be released by the end of the year. Toshiba, the main backer of the HD-DVD format, supposedly lost $1 billion USD as a result of HD-DVD hardliner with the demise of the HD-DVD format. The format war was forcefully fought, as Toshiba and Microsoft backed HD DVD format where other major electronics vendors as Sony and Panasonic promoted Blu-ray Disc.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Verizon to compromise some handsets to small Wireless Providers

Verizon Wireless today, under pressure from the government, announced it would allow small wireless companies to some of the cell phones that it offers on exclusive deals of handsets after six months. Starting today, after Verizon spends six months in an exclusive deal on any handset with vendors, small wireless providers that have fewer than 500,000 customers will be allowed to sell the phones, said in a letter sent to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the letter published at Wall Street Journal’s Blog. Such a provision would allow greater competition and customer flexibility including better deals for shopaholics that would crave for any typical phone deals, analyst predict.

Mozilla quickly fixes Firefox with newest version 3.5.1

Released late yesterday that fixes Just-in-Time (JIT) JavaScript compiler flaw with Firefox 3.5 that left users at risk of memory corruption and malware infection, Mozilla has been quick enough to patch the software with newest release of Firefox 3.5.1 that corrects the JavaScript flaw and also a problem that was causing the browser to take a long time to load on some Windows system. Exploit code for the vulnerability was posted to the Milw0rm.com malware site on Monday, four days after Mozilla developers had discovered the bug and began working on a fix.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Comcast mobile App now available on iPhone

Comcast Corporation, the largest U.S. cable company in terms of subscribers, announced today of a free mobile application on Apple’s App Store that lets you read your Comcast.net email, check your Comcast voicemail, read home phone logs, browse Comcast TV programming, and watch trailer videos for Comcast On Demand features. The full experience of the Comcast mobile app is available as an added benefit to Comcast Triple Play and existing SmartZone customers with an iPhone or iPod touch.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Google Voice now developed for BlackBerry, Android

Even with the few people that have the service and it’s still limited to invite only users, Google Voice officially started just 3 weeks ago and is now available for BlackBerry and Android Phones, as referenced from Google Voice Blog.  It is expected to be available soon to iPhone, per NY Times, and will be expanded to other compatible phones as well. Excerpt from the Google Voice Blog -

Thanks to some great work by the Google Mobile team, we now have a Google Voice mobile app for Blackberry and Android-powered phones. The mobile application makes using Google Voice with your cell phone simpler by letting you place calls and send SMS messages directly from your Google Voice number. You can call from your phone's address book or enter in numbers directly, and your outbound calls will display your Google Voice number as the caller ID. You can also listen to your voicemail and read transcriptions of your messages.

Apple’s nitpick over Microsoft’s Laptop Hunter’s Ad

Microsoft’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Kevin Turner revealed about Apple’s complains over Laptop Hunter’s Ad during the 2009 Worldwide Partner Conference held on New Orleans, LA. Here’s a transcript quote of Kevin divulging the Apple whine - 

And you know why I know they're working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey -- this is a true story -- saying, "Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices." They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I've ever taken in business. (Applause.)

I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said, "Is this a joke? Who are you?" Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we're just going to keep running them and running them and running them.

Facebook asserts connecting 250 million users

CEO Mark Zuckerberg of the most popular social network site on web, Facebook, announced today that the social networking site has now 250 million users connecting throughout the world. With tremendous competition growing through other sites (e.g. Twitter), Facebook continues to perform excellent with some 126 million hits in June 2009, way ahead than other competing social networks. Between April of this year and today, Facebook gained 50 million users worldwide. The following is an excerpt from Mark’s blog -

As of today, 250 million people are using Facebook to stay updated on what's happening around them and share with the people in their lives. The rapid pace of our growth is humbling and exciting for us, and it affirms that people everywhere are realizing the power of staying connected to everything they care about on Facebook.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Microsoft Security Updates for July 2009

Here are the new security updates, click on hyperlinks for details and downloads. If you are a home user, Microsoft recommends using Windows Update to download and install all updates for greater security and flexibility.

  • MS09-028 - Vulnerabilities in Microsoft DirectShow Could Allow Remote Code Execution (971633)
  • MS09-029 - Vulnerabilities in the Embedded OpenType Font Engine Could Allow Remote Code Execution (961371)
  • MS09-030 - Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Publisher Could Allow Remote Code Execution (969516)

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Microsoft IT Environment Health Scanner

The Microsoft IT Environment Health Scanner is designed for administrators who want to assess the overall health of their Active Directory and network infrastructure. The tool identifies common problems that can prevent your network environment from functioning properly.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 SP3 and System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Asset Intelligence Catalog Update

This Asset Intelligence Catalog Update can be installed on computers running Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 SP3 or System Center Configuration Manager 2007 with no service pack installed. This update adds new software titles and several additional updates to the Asset Intelligence catalog without modifying any custom Asset Intelligence catalog information.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Windows Server Hyper-V Management Pack for SCOM 2007

This management pack supports monitoring of Windows Server Hyper-V systems. This includes monitoring coverage of Hyper-V host servers, including critical services and disks, and Hyper-V virtual machines, including virtual components and virtual hardware.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Group Policy Preference Migration Tool (GPPMIG)

The Group Policy Preference Migration Tool (GPPMIG) is a console application designed to migrate PolicyMaker items to Group Policy preference items in the same or a different Group Policy object (GPO).

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Documentation: Windows User State Migration Tool 4.0

The Windows® User State Migration Tool (USMT) 4.0 is part of the Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) 2.0. USMT is a scriptable command-line tool, and it can be customized to your user file migration needs. USMT supports file migration from Windows XP, Windows Vista®, and Windows 7 to the Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating systems.

Download the Document

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Microsoft Security Updates for June 2009

Here are the new security updates, click on hyperlinks for details and downloads. If you are a home user, Microsoft recommends using Windows Update to download and install all updates for greater security and flexibility.

  • MS09-018 - Vulnerabilities in Active Directory Could Allow Remote Code Execution (971055)
  • MS09-019 - Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (969897)
  • MS09-020 - Vulnerabilities in Internet Information Services (IIS) Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (970483)
  • MS09-021 - Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution (969462)

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 - Five Language Standalone (KB948465)

Service Pack 2, the latest service pack for both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista, supports new types of hardware and emerging hardware standards, includes all of the updates that have been delivered since SP1, and simplifies deployment, for consumers, developers, and IT professionals.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Update Rollup 8 for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (KB968012)

Update Rollup 8 for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) resolves issues that were found in Exchange Server 2007 SP1 since the software was released. This update rollup is highly recommended for all Exchange Server 2007 SP1 customers. For a list of changes that are included in this update rollup, see KB968012.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Active Directory Migration Tool version 3.1

The Active Directory Migration Tool version 3.1 (ADMT v3.1) provides an integrated toolset to facilitate migration and restructuring tasks in an Active Directory Domain Services infrastructure.

The Active Directory Migration Tool version 3.1 (ADMT v3.1) simplifies the process of migrating objects and restructuring tasks in an Active Directory® Domain Service (AD DS) environment. You can use ADMT v3.1 to migrate users, groups, and computers between AD DS domains in different forests (inter-forest migration) or between AD DS domains in the same forest (intra-forest migration). ADMT can also perform security translation (to migrate local user profiles) when performing inter-forest migrations.

More Information & Download

Friday, May 15, 2009

Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) v3.0 Migration Guide

This guide explains how to migrate user, group, and computer objects to an Active Directory domain. It includes user interface, command line, and scripting procedures for migrating from Windows NT 4 to an Active Directory domain, guidelines for migrating from an Active Directory domain to another Active Directory domain in the same forest (intraforest migration) or in a different forest (interforest migration). For an interforest migration, the guide explains how to migrate while using SID history and without using SID history.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Microsoft security updates for May 2009

Here are the new security updates, click on hyperlinks for details and downloads. If you are a home user, Microsoft recommends using Windows Update to download and install all updates for greater security and flexibility.

  • MS09-017 - addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Office (KB 967340)

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Microsoft Office Visio 2007 Professional - System Center Operations Manager & System Center Configuration Manager Add-In

SCOM & SCCM Add-In
Visio Add-In for System Center allows IT professionals to visualize data from the System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) and System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) by generating the diagrams for each machine configured for it.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Error: SMS Advanced Client does not support per-user installations

Products: SMS 2003, SCCM 2007

Issue: SMS Advanced Client Installation

When you try to install SMS Advanced Client on a system, you receive an error log at ccmsetup.log file referring -

MSI: SMS Advanced Client does not support per-user installations

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Available: MSDN Library for Visual Studio 2008 SP1

MSDN Library provides access to essential programming information, including technical reference documentations, white papers, software development kits and code samples necessary to develop web services and applications. This is an updated version of the MSDN Library for Visual Studio 2008 and this library contains Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1 documentation.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Available: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with Service Pack 2

Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services helps teams share and manage information and documents in a Web site. WSS is a versatile technology that organizations and business units of all sizes can use to increase the efficiency of business processes and improve team productivity. With tools for collaboration that help people stay connected across organizational and geographic boundaries, Windows SharePoint Services gives people access to information they need.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Internet Explorer 8 Language Packs for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008

The Internet Explorer 8 Language Pack installs language specific resource files, allowing users to view the user interface (UI) of Internet Explorer 8 in a different supported language. Individual language packs are available for the following languages: Arabic, Bosnian (Cyrillic), Bosnian (Latin), Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Hong Kong), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic), Serbian (Latin), Slovakian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese. To use these language packs, you must install the matching OS language pack on Windows before proceeding.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Available: Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5

The Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) version 5.5 contains the necessary tools and documentation to evaluate and mitigate application compatibility issues before deploying Windows 7, Windows Vista®, a Windows Update, or a new version of Windows® Internet Explorer® in your environment. ACT 5.5 helps customers understand their application compatibility situation by identifying which applications are compatible with the Windows 7 RC and Windows Vista® operating system and which require further testing. Per Microsoft, ACT helps customers lower their costs for application compatibility testing, prioritize their applications, and deploy Windows more quickly

Monday, April 20, 2009

WSUS: Users not prompted or notified for reboot after updates installation

A group policy setting can suppress any notification for required reboot avoiding the system to never reboot (possible) neither notify the user for a reboot. This can affect corporate systems where users typically are not actively involved in cycled update patching and generally hate for any patching involving reboot. This article will discuss different group policy settings that can impact either a computer or a user’s configuration for setting Automatic Windows Update for the system.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Available: SQL Server 2008 Express Edition SP1

SQL Server 2008 Express is a free edition of SQL Server that is ideal for learning and building desktop and small server applications, and for redistribution by ISVs. It is a powerful and reliable data management system that delivers a rich set of features, data protection, and performance for embedded application clients, light Web applications, and local data stores. Designed for easy deployment and rapid prototyping, SQL Server 2008 Express is available at no cost, and you are free to redistribute it with applications. It is designed to integrate seamlessly with your other server infrastructure investments.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Microsoft security updates for April 2009

Here are the new security updates, click on hyperlinks for details and downloads. If you are a home user, Microsoft recommends using Windows Update to download and install all updates for greater security and flexibility. 

  • MS09-009 - addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Office (KB 968557)
  • MS09-010 - addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office (KB 960477)
  • MS09-011 - addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows (KB 961373)

Monday, April 13, 2009

Free Microsoft Press E-Book: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008

Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008
by Peter DeBetta, Greg Low, and Mark Whitehorn
ISBN: 9780735625587

Learn about major new features in SQL Server 2008 including security, administration, and performance.

Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008:
Chapter 1: Security and Administration
Chapter 2: Performance
Chapter 3: Type System
Chapter 4: Programmability
Chapter 5: Storage
Chapter 6: Enhancements for High Availability
Chapter 7: Business Intelligence Enhancements

Want a free Microsoft Certification Exam? Here’s your chance.

Through June 30 2009, you can take Microsoft Certification exam for free, if you are a student. The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certifications enable professionals to target specific technologies and to distinguish themselves by demonstrating in-depth knowledge and expertise in their specialized technologies. An MCTS is consistently capable of implementing, building, troubleshooting, and debugging a particular Microsoft technology.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Microsoft security updates for March 2009

Here are the new security updates, click on hyperlinks for details and downloads. If you are a home user, Microsoft recommends using Windows Update to download and install all updates for greater security and flexibility. 

  • MS09-006 - addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows (KB 958690)
  • MS09-007 - addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows (KB 960225)
  • MS09-008 - addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server (KB 962238)