Nick MacKechnie

Reducing Bandwidth Utilization with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 BranchCache

Microsoft IT Showcase is pleased to announce the publication of Reducing Bandwidth Utilization with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 BranchCache, which discusses how Microsoft IT uses the BranchCache feature to improve performance and availability to branch offices.

Learn how Microsoft IT uses the BranchCache™ feature available in the Windows® 7 operating system and the Windows Server® 2008 R2 operating system to improve performance and availability to branch offices. Services at the branch office level include file and print management, offline folder redirection, operating system and application distribution, and patch management.

Technical Case Study

Win a trip to the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference in LA!

Hi All,

If you’d like to win a trip to the next Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles, simply fill out our survey and you will go into the draw!

We are really interested in your opinions – so we can better communicate with you and where possible tailor international resources and information for you. We want to hear from you today! Complete the short 10 minute survey by clicking here.

URL LINK: http://www.buzzchannel.co.nz/SE/default.aspx?u=25f9038de6064c22a815967a7949e2ad  or http://bit.ly/NZdevsurvey

Nick.

Spark your ideas into life! Turn your dreams into reality with the best software from Microsoft.

To help accelerate New Zealand web and software start-up companies, we are giving them a great deal on software from Microsoft. Its part of our vision of providing the next generation with the best platform and software we can. To help make new business ideas become reality. There are three programmes designed to do so.

DreamSpark supports breakthrough learning for students. DreamSpark is designed to help tertiary students create the next tech breakthrough, or launch their career with professional level developer and designer tools for free from Microsoft.

BizSpark is all about giving software start-ups a rev-up. If you’re developing software BizSpark will help you take it to the next level. Get tools to build, test and run your applications from Microsoft to use for three years and pay just US$100 at the end.

WebsiteSpark offers tools to develop and design website projects and businesses. Through WebsiteSpark you can also receive Windows Web Server and SQL Server Web Edition from Microsoft.   You can use all the software for three years and pay just US$100 at the end.

Find out more and apply at www.microsoft.co.nz/spark today.

New Series of MOF Reliability Workbooks—Now Available for Download

Hi All,

Download the MOF Reliability Workbooks now:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/C/5/4/C54EFAA7-117E-44FE-8776-9ABF03CE1210/Reliability%20Workbooks%20-%20All.zip

This series of workbooks provides the knowledge, specific tasks, and schedules needed to keep technologies running smoothly so you can deliver the services your organization expects. Each workbook includes maintenance and monitoring tasks, common risk areas, and standard changes for the ongoing care of specific technologies. The series also includes an administrator’s guide for customizing these technologies for your organization.

The MOF Reliability Workbooks present hands-on tasks that you can fine tune to meet the goals of your organization and the technologies you employ. The first workbooks in the series address Active Directory, System Center Operations Manager, Hyper-V, Windows Server 2008 R2, and System Center Virtual Machine Manager.

Thank you for your participation in this Beta review program. We value your feedback, and appreciate your input on this latest guide. The MOF team will be releasing new Beta content soon. You will be notified via e-mail when these materials are available.

Tell your peers about MOF 4.0! Please forward this to anyone who wants to learn more about Microsoft Operations Framework.

More information about MOF 4.0: Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) 4.0 incorporates the core requirements of industry best practices and frameworks into one free, easy-to-understand set of guidance. MOF 4.0 delivers practical guidance for everyday IT practices and activities, helping IT professionals establish and implement reliable, cost-effective IT services. It integrates community-generated processes; governance, risk, and compliance activities; management reviews; and Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) best practices. MOF 4.0 is a framework that provides guidance across the IT service lifecycle.

Join the MOF Beta: Additional MOF content is periodically available for open Beta download. For more information on current Beta releases, visit the Connect MOF program page.

Join the Microsoft Operations Framework Beta today: https://connect.microsoft.com/InvitationUse.aspx?ProgramID=1880&InvitationID=SAMI-HWK9-XB3Y&SiteID=14

Already a member? Bookmark this link for direct access to the Beta program: https://connect.microsoft.com/content/content.aspx?ContentID=10313&SiteID=14

Related Resources: Check out all the MOF team has to offer! For additional resources, including our latest companion guides, action plans, and case studies, visit the MOF page on TechNet: http://www.Microsoft.com/MOF.

We appreciate your comments and feedback. Please send mail to MOF@microsoft.com.

Already using MOF 4.0? We’d like to hear about your experiences. Send mail to the MOF team: MOF@microsoft.com.

Nick.

MOF Management Reviews—Now Available for Beta Download and Review

Hi All,

Thank you for your continued participation in the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) beta review program. The MOF team is pleased to announce its first beta release of 2010—a series of MOF Management Reviews. The beta package will include the first three management reviews in the series: Operational Health, Portfolio, and Release Readiness.

Download the beta materials on Microsoft Connect: https://connect.microsoft.com/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?SiteID=14&DownloadID=15056

The MOF Management Reviews will help organizations ensure that their IT services are on track to deliver expected business value. The first releases in this series—Portfolio, Release Readiness, and Operational Health—offer guidance to help management set goals, evaluate progress, and confirm results.

These extensions of MOF core content function as management controls, providing a deeper level of insight to the reviews already identified throughout the IT service lifecycle. Since the lifecycle phases have distinct objectives, each management review involves different stakeholders, decisions, and data. Each document identifies scope, decisions, and focus areas, and includes considerations for planning and preparation, conducting a review, and analyzing and acting upon the review, as well as a summary checklist. Using the MOF Management Reviews will help you to effectively assess the state of organizational activities and their status and will result in improved processes and goal achievement.

Take an early look at the MOF Management Reviews, and use this opportunity to provide feedback and influence the development of this series. Download the beta materials on Microsoft Connect: https://connect.microsoft.com/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?SiteID=14&DownloadID=15056

Tell us what you think! Please send constructive and honest feedback to the MOF team at MOF@microsoft.com. Are the management reviews useful? Are you satisfied with the level of detail of each review? Are there other considerations you’d like us to address or areas you’d like us to expand upon?

Tell your peers about MOF 4.0! Please forward this to anyone who wants to learn more about Microsoft Operations Framework.

More information about MOF 4.0: Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) 4.0 incorporates the core requirements of industry best practices and frameworks into one free, easy-to-understand set of guidance. MOF 4.0 delivers practical guidance for everyday IT practices and activities, helping IT professionals establish and implement reliable, cost-effective IT services. It integrates community-generated processes; governance, risk, and compliance activities; management reviews; and Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) best practices. MOF 4.0 is a framework that provides guidance across the IT service lifecycle.

Join the MOF Beta: Additional MOF content is periodically available for open beta download. For more information on current beta releases, visit the MOF Connect program page.

Join the Microsoft Operations Framework beta today: https://connect.microsoft.com/InvitationUse.aspx?ProgramID=1880&InvitationID=SAMI-HWK9-XB3Y&SiteID=14

Already a member? Bookmark this link for direct access to the beta program: https://connect.microsoft.com/content/content.aspx?ContentID=10313&SiteID=14

Related Resources: Check out all the MOF team has to offer! For additional resources, including our latest companion guides, action plans, and case studies, visit the MOF page on TechNet: http://www.Microsoft.com/MOF.

We appreciate your comments and feedback. Please send mail to MOF@microsoft.com.

Already using MOF 4.0? We’d like to hear about your experiences. Send mail to the MOF team: MOF@microsoft.com.

Cumulative Update Package 5 for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1

Hi All,

Cumulative Update 5 for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 contains hotfixes for the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 issues that have been fixed since the release of SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1.
Note This build of the cumulative update package is also known as build 10.00.2746.

We recommend that you test hotfixes before you deploy them in a production environment. Because the builds are cumulative, each new fix release contains all the hotfixes and all the security fixes that were included with the previous SQL Server 2008 fix release. We recommend that you consider applying the most recent fix release that contains this hotfix. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

970365 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970365/ ) The SQL Server 2008 builds that were released after SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 was released

SQL Server 2008 hotfixes that are included in Cumulative Update 5 for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1

Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that discuss these hotfixes will be released as they become available.
For more information about the SQL Server bugs, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

360274
972893 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972893/ )
SQL Server 2008 Express supports .NET Framework 4 Beta 2 after you install Cumulative Update 5 for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1

339469
972937 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972937/ )
FIX: A performance issue in which SQL Server Management Studio checks the fragmentation data of an index in a large database

365457
973643 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/973643/ )
FIX: The synchronization of a merge publication that uses Web synchronization takes a very long time to finish after the initial synchronization in SQL Server 2005 or in SQL Server 2008

365511
974067 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974067/ )
FIX: You use the COUNT function on a column that is returned by a subquery that returns no rows in SQL Server 2005 or in SQL Server 2008, and an incorrect result is returned

365463
974130 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974130/ )
FIX: A memory leak may occur if you use a linked server query to retrieve a sql_variant column from a remote server in SQL Server 2005 or in SQL Server 2008

365529
974205 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974205/ )
FIX: Error message in the Errorlog file of SQL Server 2005 or of SQL Server 2008 after the SQL Server service stops responding: "Timeout occurred while waiting for latch"

365468
974319 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974319/ )
FIX: Error message when you use database mirroring in SQL Server 2005 or in SQL Server 2008, and an assertion failure occurs intermittently: "SQL Server Assertion: File: <loglock.cpp>, line=823 Failed Assertion = 'result == LCK_OK'."

343231
974559 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974559/ )
FIX: Error message when you run a SQL Server 2008 Integration Services package that uses a configuration table in SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio: “The connection "<Connection Name>" is not found”

365482
974777 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974777/ )
FIX: Database restore operation may fail during the recovery phase when the database uses query notification in SQL Server 2005 or in SQL Server 2008

365475
974785 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974785/ )
FIX: An API cursor plan that is created by a plan guide is not reused when the cursor is active in SQL Server 2005 and in SQL Server 2008

362926
975027 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975027/ )
FIX: You take a long time to stop the SQL Server service and you cannot restart the SQL Server service in a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 cluster environment when the server is under stress

362619
975037 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975037/ )
FIX: Error message when two or more merge agents are trying to adjust a publisher identity range in parallel in SQL Server 2008: "Msg 548, The insert failed. It conflicted with an identity range check constraint"

365490
975089 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975089/ )
FIX: The restore operation takes a long time when you restore a database that has query notification enabled in SQL Server 2005 or in SQL Server 2008

365492
975090 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975090/ )
FIX: Deadlocks may occur when multiple concurrent query notification subscriptions are fired on same objects in SQL Server 2005 or in SQL Server 2008

365455
975134 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975134/ )
FIX: Capitalization and accent changes on a column of user-defined data type are not propagated in SQL Server 2005 merge replication or in SQL Server 2008 merge replication

365486
975159 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975159/ )
FIX: For SQL Server Compact Edition (CE) Subscribers, only schema without data is replicated for newly added articles to an existing Merge Publication using “ExchangeType.Upload”

351263
975284 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975284/ )
FIX: The mean and median lines are not shown when you view a report that contains a Boxplot chart in SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services

361096
975414 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975414/ )
FIX: The connection information is incorrect after you use "Change Connection" to connect to another server before the initial connection is completed in SQL Server Management Studio in SQL Server 2008

365470
975417 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975417/ )
FIX: A SELECT statement returns an incorrect result set if a linked server is being used in SQL Server 2005 or in SQL Server 2008

354975
975681 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975681/ )
FIX: The database mirroring session is suspended when you add more than one log transaction file to a folder on the principle server that does not exist on the mirror server in SQL Server 2005 or in SQL Server 2008

354794
975719 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975719/ )
FIX: An assertion failure may occur when you run a query that joins columns on a table with compression enabled in SQL Server 2008

365504
975748 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975748/ )
FIX: You cannot process an object when you change or delete another unrelated object at the same time in the same database in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services or in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services

355213
975756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975756/ )
FIX: Toggled items display incorrectly when you print or export a SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services report

354793
975772 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975772/ )
FIX: An access violation occurs intermittently during message processing for service broker after you set up a database mirroring between two SQL Server 2008 servers

365509
975783 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975783/ )
FIX: You receive an incorrect result when you run an MDX query against a dimension that has a parent/child relationship after you install a cumulative update in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services or in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services

365513
975860 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975860/ )
FIX: A full backup with snapshot may cause SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2008 to stop responding

356786
975915 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975915/ )
FIX: An arithmetic overflow error occurs intermittently during the "Collect a snapshot of sys.dm_exec_query_stats" phase after you enabled data collector in SQL Server 2008

365515
976030 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976030/ )
FIX: Error message after you perform a Process Update on a dimension used on a cube that contains a writeback partition: "Errors in the high-level relational engine. The data source view does not contain a definition for the <tablename> table or view"

365506
976041 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976041/ )
FIX: You receive an incorrect result when you run a query that uses a parallel execution plan in SQL Server 2005 or in SQL Server 2008

359218
976124 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976124/ )
FIX: After you install SQL Server 2008 SP1 for the IA-64 version of SQL Server 2008 with Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) installed, SQL Server hangs during startup and cannot be started

360422
976231 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976231/ )
FIX: Error message when you install SQL Server 2008 Express edition on a computer that is running the Chinese Traditional version of Windows Vista for Hongkong: “Performance counter registry hive consistency”

361939
976359 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976359/ )
FIX: Error message when you export a report that uses the Code39(1:3) font to a .pdf file in SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services: “There was an error processing a page. There was a problem reading this document(135)”

353439
976367 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976367/ )
FIX: The Date data type may be corrupted when you use the SAP BI Destination component of Microsoft Connector 1.0 for SAP BI in a SQL Server 2008 Integration Services package

361363
976391 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976391/ )
FIX: A MDX query that involves multiple calculated measures may return an incorrect result in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services

362130
976413 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976413/ )
FIX: Error message when you try to transfer data by using the Transfer object with the WithDependencies property enabled in SQL Server 2008: "Object reference not set to an instance of an object."

362019
976414 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976414/ )
FIX: Full-text search functionality does not work in SQL Server 2008 Express Edition even after you installed SQL Server 2008 CU2

364070
976603 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976603/ )
FIX: Different results may be returned when you concurrently run the same query with the RECOMPILE option in SQL Server 2008

365337
976761 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976761/ )
FIX: Error message when you perform a rolling upgrade in a SQL Server 2008 cluster : "18401, Login failed for user SQLTEST\AgentService. Reason: Server is in script upgrade mode. Only administrator can connect at this time.[SQLState 42000]"

367233
976935 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976935/ )
FIX: The execution of a parameterized CTE-based query takes a long time to complete in SQL Server 2008

347187
977058 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977058/ )
FIX: Cascading parameters have incorrect values after you customize the schedule for a new subscription on a SharePoint site of SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services

For more information, check out this Knowledge Base Article - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975977

Nick.

Windows 7/2008 R2 Internet Communication White Paper Is Now Available

Hi All,

Using Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2: Controlling Communication with the Internet, is now available on TechNet.

You can access this document from the following locations:

Windows 7 TechLibrary	http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/ee126105(WS.10).aspx
Windows Server 2008 R2 TechLibrary	http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/ee126105(WS.10).aspx
Download Center	http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=00345a67-a86a-4294-8ea2-52124f565767

This document provides information about the communication that flows between the features in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and sites on the Internet. It also describes steps to take to limit, control, or prevent that communication in an organization with many users.

This paper follows up on similar papers that were published for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. All have been extremely popular and highly rated by our customers.

Previous versions of this document discussed the client and server versions of Windows separately, although most of the information and guidance pertained to both. This document combines in a single document the information about Internet communication as it pertains to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

This document includes 38 chapters and appendices and covers a diverse range of Windows features and technologies.

Nick.

The new TechNet Widget is live at http://www.technetwidget.com

We are happy to announce that the new TechNet Widget is live at http://www.technetwidget.com

· The widget provides the latest content from TechNet on to your blogs and drives higher repeat traffic to your blogs or give yet another reason (besides your blog) to visit on a more regular basis. The Widget has integration built into Social networking sites Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon etc. and provides latest Tech Content from Microsoft on your blogs.

· The widget pulls the latest RSS feeds from TechNet and has selections from Videos, Webcasts, TechNet Magazine, TechNet Flash and TechNet Podcasts.

Click on the http://www.technetwidget.com and either create your own Widget (i.e. customize by keywords, form factors and product lines) or get the default widget. You can even brand your custom TechNet Widget with your own logo from your blog or website, get the embed code that is easily be inserted in your blogs, websites, Myspace pages and more.

Last chance for a 28% discount on TechNet Subscription in New Zealand

Hi All,

If you are an IT Professional, you’d be crazy not to have a TechNet Plus Direct subscription.  It’s a great way to test and use the latest and greatest products from Microsoft including full versions of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Office 2010 and other great products.  Evaluate Windows 7 at your own pace without feature or time limits.

In addition, to help with your evaluation experience you’ll also receive access to the TechNet knowledgebase library, prioritised online forum support, online chat assistance, eLearning, support incidents for problem solution support and other resources and tools.

28% off new TechNet Plus Direct Subscription.  Promotion Code: TNWIN7L.  Offer expires December 31, 2009

Visit http://bit.ly/nztechnet, enter the promo code: TNWIN7L and get 28% off a new TechNet Plus Direct Subscription. Valid until December 31, 2009.

Act now to get your TechNet Plus subscription and receive convenient access to over 70 full-version Microsoft software titles for evaluation – without time limits including early access to pre-released versions of Microsoft software.
Enhance your evaluation experience with Professional Support incidents, online training and more all included with your subscription.

Nick.

Project Server 2007: December 2009 CU Released!

Hi All,

The biggest area of fixes in this release relate to changes in the handling of administrative time, actual work and calendar exceptions – and this is embodied in fixes on both the server and client.  Best to patch both to this release to get the full benefit of these fixes, but this isn’t a requirement and will not break anything if you stagger the loading of client and server patches.

In Rob’s words, first some details of getting ready to apply the CU, with either SP1, or preferably SP2, and then the CUs themselves:

This CU include a number of fixes, so Microsoft strongly recommends that you test this in a test environment based on your production environment before putting this fix live in production.

The article below provides information on how to deploy the Project Server Cumulative Update.

Deploy cumulative updates (Project Server 2007)

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd239177.aspx

We strongly recommend that you install WSS and Office Servers 2007 Service Pack 2.  The KB articles below provide information on how to download and install SP2 if you have not already done so.

Description of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SP2 and of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Language Pack SP2

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953338

Description of 2007 Microsoft Office servers Service Pack 2 and of 2007 Microsoft Office servers Language Pack Service Pack 2

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953334

Description of Office Project 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2) and of Office Project Language Pack 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953326

The server patches require that WSS and Office Servers 2007 SP1 be installed.  For clarity, SP1 is required and SP2 is strongly recommended.  Here are the links to the SP1 Server Patches for your convenience:

Description of the 2007 Microsoft Office servers Service Pack 1 and the 2007 Microsoft Office servers Language Pack Service Pack 1

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936984/en-us

How to deploy the 2007 Microsoft Office servers Service Pack 1 and Office Server Language Pack 2007 Service Pack 1

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/945013/en-us

The Server CU is released in two different versions.  The first version is in Individual Packages specific to a particular product like WSS and Project Server.  These are smaller downloads but they do not include language packs or patches for other products so patches for those products would have to be downloaded and installed separately. 

The second version is the Server Rollup Packages.  This is a set of two rollup packages which contains all the fixes for WSS, Project Server and MOSS.  These packages should be used when MOSS is part of the deployment and/or you have language packs installed.  The Server Rollup Packages are much larger (~200MB each) but they will greatly simplify MOSS patch deployment.

You can read about the fixes included in the December CU from the following articles:

Note:  This CU contains an important fix for a group of Actual Work issues surrounding Administrative Time and Calendars.  There are fixes for this issue in both the Client and Server patches. As such, we strongly recommend that you install both the Client and Server patches from this CU.  This is not a patch requirement, however, as there will be no added negative effects if only the server or client are patched.  You will just not have the whole fix until both patches are installed.

Server Rollup Packages:

Description of the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Cumulative Update Server Hotfix Package (WSS server-package): December 15, 2009

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977027

Description of the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Cumulative Update Server Hotfix Package (MOSS server-package): December 15, 2009

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977026

Individual Product Packages:

Description of the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Cumulative Update Server hotfix package (Sts-x-none.msp): December 15, 2009

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977022

Description of the Office Project Server 2007 hotfix package (Pjsrvapp-x-none.msp, Pjsrvwfe-x-none.msp): December 15, 2009

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977028

Description of the Office Project 2007 hotfix package (Project-x-none.msp): December 15, 2009

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977266

Nick.

Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Hi All,

The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool allows you to create a copy of your Windows 7 ISO file on a USB flash drive or a DVD. To create a bootable DVD or USB flash drive, download the ISO file and then run the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool. Once this is done, you can install Windows 7 directly from the USB flash drive or DVD.

The ISO file contains all the Windows 7 installation files combined into a single uncompressed file. When you download the ISO file, you need to copy it to some medium in order to install Windows 7. This tool allows you to create a copy of the ISO file to a USB flash drive or a DVD. To install Windows 7 from your USB flash drive or DVD, all you need to do is insert the USB flash drive into your USB port or insert your DVD into your DVD drive and run Setup.exe from the root folder on the drive.

Note: You cannot install Windows 7 from the ISO file until you copy it to a USB flash drive or DVD with the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool and install from there.
The copy of the ISO file that the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool creates is bootable. Bootable media allows you to install Windows 7 without having to first run an existing operating system on your machine. If you change the boot order of drives in your computer's BIOS, you can run the Windows 7 installation directly from your USB flash drive or DVD when you turn on your computer. Please see the documentation for your computer for information on how to change the BIOS boot order of drives.

For Windows XP Users
The following applications must be installed prior to installing the tool:

•Microsoft .NET Framework v2 must be installed. It can be downloaded at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0856EACB-4362-4B0D-8EDD-AAB15C5E04F5&displaylang=en.
•Microsoft Image Mastering API v2 must be installed. It can be downloaded at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=B5F726F1-4ACE-455D-BAD7-ABC4DD2F147B&displaylang=en.

Also see - Creating a bootable Windows 7 USB Flash Drive

Help IT Pros Deploy The New Efficiency - today!

Increase technical readiness, accelerate deployment, fuel usage and boost platform adoption.

Saving Money with Virtualization

· Conflict: As you fill the last empty slot on the server rack, a question comes to mind, "Why so many server boxes? Is there a better way?”

· Resolution: By using Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and virtualization, you can consolidate the total number of physical servers running on both Windows and Linux operating systems.

· Benefit: Interoperable

· Products and Technologies: Windows Server 2008 R2, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007 R2, Hyper-V

· Top online technical assets to help you deploy and provide further support:

1. Virtualization in a Nutshell webcast,

2. IPD guide for Selecting the Right Virtualization Technology,

3. Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) tool,

4. Find more top resources here!

Powering the Desktop

· Conflict: “With the data center humming along, you turn to the desktop. System Center reveals pockets of Windows XP, Windows Vista and even Windows 2000.”

· Resolution: Evaluating Windows 7 and looking at best practices for configuration and deployment is going to help rationalize the desktop and reduce costs.

· Benefit: Familiar and supported

· Products and Technologies : Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, System Center Configuration Manager 2007, MED-V, App-V, Remote Desktop Services

· Top online technical assets to help you deploy and provide further support:  Across three chapters you will get an overview of options for deploying Windows 7, alternative desktop models using virtualization and using application virtualization to package and distribute your application portfolio.

1. Chapter 1 Deploying a Modern OS, such as Windows 7: Focuses on deployment of an actual Windows 7 Client. The majority of the information covers the technologies that make deploying a Windows 7 client easier, either deploying as a new client, upgrading from Windows Vista or migrating from Windows XP.

2. Chapter 2 - Reducing Desktop Costs by Virtualizing the Desktop: Walks through the desktop virtualization options. This section covers Remote Desktop Services and MED-V. The information describes each technology is and when to use it.

3. Chapter 3 Reducing Desktop Costs through Application Virtualization: Dives into Application virtualization. This final segment focuses on technologies that allow older applications to run side-by-side with new applications without causing conflicts.

The Power of Software-based Communication

· Conflict: “My work force wants access to information and people regardless of the device they use. The ability to instantly see the status of colleagues and chat with them is a business requirement. They want to be communicating via voice, email or video and access corporate information anywhere anytime. I want to embrace this new thinking, but I have responsibly to keep our network and information secure."

· Resolution: Office Communication Server combined with Live Meeting and the Office Communicator client allows you to provide a VoIP and conference solution your work force can use anywhere. With Exchange Server, you can integrate all your messages (including fax and voice mail messages) into one inbox and provide access via any Device.

· Benefit:  Simplified Communications Management and Security

· Products and Technologies: Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Exchange Server 2010, Office Communicator 2007 R2, Office Communicator Mobile 2007 R2, Office Live Meeting 2007, VOIP, Unified Conferencing, Unified Messaging, Instant Message

· By implementing this simplified communications solution, an organization can realize both cost savings and environmental benefits. These top resources provide additional details on these benefits:

1. Reduce Travel and Travel related Expenses,

2. Reduce Telephone costs and Mobile Phone Charges,

3. Lower Real Estate and Facility Costs,

4. Reduce Conferencing Services Charges,

5. Find more top resources here!

Datacenter Wizard:  Managing a Complex Heterogeneous Virtualized Environment

· Conflict: “Now that I have my data center virtualization up to speed, how am I going to manage the data center, and while I am at it, how about all my other stuff?”

· Resolution: The Microsoft System Center family of products allows IT managers and administrators to control and manage all the assets (physical and virtual), including a Non-Windows platform (Linux) from a single console.       

· Benefit:  Easier Management

· Products and Technologies: Windows Server 2008 R2, System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, PowerShell V2, Systems Management, Scripting

· Top online technical assets to help you deploy and provide further support:  Across three chapters you will get an overview of how Microsoft Systems Center Virtual Machine Manager effectively manages an expansive heterogeneous virtualized environment.

1. Chapter 1: Managing your Microsoft World: The first part of this episode covers an introduction to management. The episode introduces Essentials 2007 and Operations Manager 2007 R2 as the primary best of breed tools to manage a Microsoft environment.

2. Chapter 2: Managing your Virtual World: This second part of this episode covers management of virtual images using System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM). The focus is on virtual scenarios and the features within SCVMM that help enable better management of virtual images and benefits of virtualization.

3. Chapter 3: Managing your Entire World: This final part of the episode concentrates on the new Cross-Platform functionality and connectors in System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 that helps deliver a unified management experience for the modern datacenter.

Improved Employee Interface:  Improving Collaboration with SharePoint

· Conflict: “Customers are using my self-service site, but my employees are still manually passing data and processing requests”

· Resolution: Using SharePoint, you can create internal team portals to respond to customer requests and applications, gaining the full benefit of an end-to-end solution.    

· Products and Technologies: Office SharePoint Server and Collaboration

· Benefit:  Connecting people and information

· Top online technical assets to help you deploy and provide further support to improve organizational collaboration with SharePoint:

1. Chapter 1: focuses on what SharePoint offers in collaboration, the thought Microsoft has put into the product to make it easy to install, configure and manage for the IT Department as well as ease to use for End Users.

Nick.

Office 2010 Application Compatibility Tools Beta Now Available

Hi All,

Today we are pleased to announce that a public beta of Office Environment Assessment Tool, a beta of Office Code Compatibility Inspector and a draft of the Assessment and Remediation Guide are now available for download at the new Office 2010 Application Compatibility resource page on MSDN. These tools and documentation are made available to you as per our announcement of the Office 2010 Application Compatibility program at SPC09 in October.

http://blogs.technet.com/gray_knowlton/archive/2009/12/04/office-2010-application-compatibility-tools-beta-now-available.aspx

Deployment Tool:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ea33f615-188d-464e-bc64-3ab06aa43961&displaylang=en

Nick.

Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool 2.1 - Now Available!

Every day, attackers attempt to invade customers’ networks and access their servers—to infect them with viruses or steal information about their customers or employees. Because offline machines are often not kept up to date with the latest security patches, the moment these machines are brought back online, they become instantly vulnerable to penetration.

The Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool 2.1 has free, tested guidance and automated tools to keep customers’ virtualized machines updated and safe from attackers.

What’s New in OVMST 2.1 – Benefits

Release 2.1 of OVMST is a direct response to customer requests to support the R2 wave. OVMST 2.1 now supports the following products:

• Microsoft Hyper-V R2

• System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2

• System Center Configuration Manager SP2

• Windows Server Update Services 3.0 SP2

• OVMST 2.1 also supports updates to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 virtual machines.

In More Detail

Using the Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool

The Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool 2.1 manages the workflow of updating large numbers of offline virtual machines according to their individual needs. To do this, the tool works with Microsoft® System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or 2008 R2 and with either of the following software update management systems:

• Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 SP1 or WSUS 3.0 SP2
• System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Configuration Manager 2007 SP1, SP2 or Configuration Manager 2007 R2.

The following figure illustrates the workflow.

How information flows between the tool and other system components

The tool uses “servicing jobs” to manage the update operations based on lists of existing virtual machines stored in VMM. Using Windows Workflow Foundation technology, a servicing job runs snippets of Windows PowerShell™ scripts to work with virtual machines. For each virtual machine, the servicing job:

• “Wakes” the virtual machine (deploys it to a host and starts it).
• Triggers the appropriate software update cycle (Configuration Manager or WSUS).
• Shuts down the updated virtual machine and returns it to the library.

Next Steps

· Download the Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool 2.1.

· Learn more about the Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool 2.1.

Nick

New Series of MOF Reliability Workbooks-Now Available for Beta Review

Hi All,

This guide will show you how to fine-tune the Reliability Workbook task lists that are used to monitor and maintain the health and reliability of specific Microsoft® technologies. This guide can be used with any of the technology-specific Reliability Workbook task lists (Microsoft Excel® spreadsheets). The output of using this document is a list of, monitoring and maintenance tasks, health risks, and authorized standard changes that have been customized to the goals of your organization and the technologies you employ.

A reliable service or system is dependable, requires minimal maintenance, performs without interruption, and allows users to quickly access the resources they need. These characteristics are not only true for business-as-usual conditions; they must also apply during times of business change and growth and during unexpected events.

Documenting management’s objectives for reliability is the starting point. Then the risks to achieving these objectives are identified, ways to address and mitigate these risks are determined, and controls are put in place to guide and monitor mitigations and work activities. Monitoring and maintaining the reliability of key IT services minimizes disruptive, reactive work and enables an IT organization to be proactive, predictable, and reliable.

The Reliability Workbook Series

The Reliability Workbook Series is organized around the following service layers into a service map designed to deliver IT value for the business:

· Component technologies. These are individual technologies such as Microsoft Active Directory®, Internet Information Services (IIS), or Domain Name System (DNS). These components are the building blocks of IT technical services. A reliability workbook task list that contains specific tasks for monitoring and maintaining reliability along with health risk analysis and standard changes is provided for each selected technology. You can find these workbooks at www.microsoft.com/mof.

· IT technical services. These consist of component technologies that work together to provide a technical service. Examples of IT technical services include identity and access management, data life cycle management, and unified communications management. IT technical services combine to provide IT business services.

· IT business services. This layer combines various IT technical services to support line-of-business (LOB) applications––those services offered in a business context that provide the technology needed for business processes. Examples of IT business services include enterprise resource management (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), e-mail, or any custom LOB application used to support a special business process.

Download the beta materials on Connect: https://connect.microsoft.com/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?SiteID=14&DownloadID=15056

This series of workbooks provides the knowledge, specific tasks, and schedules needed to keep technologies running smoothly so you can deliver the services your organization expects. Each workbook includes maintenance and monitoring tasks, common risk areas, and standard changes for the ongoing care of specific technologies. The series also includes an administrator’s guide for customizing these technologies for your organization.

The MOF Reliability Workbooks present hands-on tasks that you can fine tune to meet the goals of your organization and the technologies you employ. The first workbooks in the series address Active Directory, System Center Operations Manager, and Hyper-V.

Take an early look at the Reliability Workbooks, and start getting the most from your organization’s technologies.

Tell us what you think! Preview these beta materials, and send your honest feedback to MOF@microsoft.com. Is the presentation of these activities helpful? How accurate are these workbooks? Is there any additional information you’d like included? What other technologies would you like to see addressed? Does the administrator’s guide provide the information you need to customize for your organization? We appreciate your comments, and we’ll work to make each resource as helpful and useful as possible.

Tell your peers about MOF 4.0! Please forward this to anyone who wants to learn more about Microsoft Operations Framework.

More information about MOF 4.0: Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) 4.0 incorporates the core requirements of industry best practices and frameworks into one free, easy-to-understand set of guidance. MOF 4.0 delivers practical guidance for everyday IT practices and activities, helping IT professionals establish and implement reliable, cost-effective IT services. It integrates community-generated processes; governance, risk, and compliance activities; management reviews; and Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) best practices. MOF 4.0 is a framework that provides guidance across the IT service lifecycle.

Join the MOF beta: Additional MOF content is periodically available for open beta download. For more information on current beta releases, visit the Connect MOF program page.

Join the Microsoft Operations Framework beta today: https://connect.microsoft.com/InvitationUse.aspx?ProgramID=1880&InvitationID=SAMI-HWK9-XB3Y&SiteID=14.

Nick.