The Platform and the Hardman

Tangible Savings of Windows 7 vs. Windows XP

Matthew Hardman — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:20:06 GMT

There are certainly a lot of different information about how a company can implement specific technologies to help reduce costs in the areas of TCO etc… however what about just basic off the operation of a business bill cost? Lets take electricity consumption for example. Windows Vista introduced new power savings features in to the OS which enabled the Vista OS to gracefully shut down hardware as it wasnt being used. The Info-Tech group has a free report you can download on this topic, and they showed for a couple of different desktops what the power savings features were when comparing Windows XP and Windows Vista. They found that in one instance over the period of a year, per PC you could save as much as $33.54 on a Vista PC rather than a Windows XP PC. Report can be found here http://www.infotech.com/partners/GreenerComputing/GreenerComputing0408.aspx?WT.mc_id=GreenerComputing

So I decided to do something similar, while I don’t have the luxury of a research team at my disposal, I have done some rough calculations & tests on an old Windows XP machine I have, which I bought when I moved to Singapore over five years ago. Here are the specs…

Shuttle XPC

1 Gb RAM

Pentium 4 3.2Ghz Chipset

256 Mb Video Card

First off I went and installed Windows 7 RC on the machine, to my delight, everything worked out of the box straight away, with a Windows Experience rating of 4.2, not bad for an original Windows XP machine.

So we started running the machine through a power monitor for an hour to see how the power savings kick in. On average we saw the power consumption with monitor added at about 100 Watts. When he computer was not in use for a period of time the system started to shut down the various elements of the hardware, and the consumption went down to approx 60 watts.

I then went back and did a clean install of Windows XP SP3 on the same machine, and ran the same visual test. This time even after an hour, Windows XP does not power down resources gracefully to help conserve power. So there were no power savings whether you were using the computer or not.

Results

State	Windows XP	Windows 7
Standard Use	100 Watts	100 Watts
Power Savings Mode	No power Savings mode	60 Watts

This is pretty significant in that if you have employees who leave their machine on all the time, their are substantial electricity savings your organization can have. However there is always the argument that people turn their machines off overnight when they go home, and that is fair enough. My one retort to that statement is, what happens during the lunch hour… what happens during meetings away from your computer.

The balanced power plan, which is the default for Windows 7, sets the power to shut down devices gracefully as follows;

Time	Power Saving Feature
5 minutes	Dim the Display (Laptop Only)
10 minutes	Turn off Display
30 minutes	Put computer to sleep

Conclusion

While power consumption wont vary while you are using the computer be on Windows XP or Windows 7, its the times when you are not using the computer that the substantial power savings will kick in for you. Maybe not overnight… but for the lunch hour or the 15 min coffee break.

Talking about Windows 7 to my favorite Audience.. the IT Pro community

Matthew Hardman — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:55:22 GMT

So I am working on a session for my good buddy Dennis Chung at MS to present Windows 7 to the IT Pro community. Its always interesting presenting to the IT Pro community as they are probably one of the most honest and enjoyable audiences to talk to. Marketing fluff is not high on the agenda for these guys and gals and I love that. What I do find interesting is that we constantly present the strategy and features relevant to a business, however when I think about it, they are just like everyone else in their personal life, they are also a consumer… a very tech savvy consumer :-).

So here is my dilemma, how much do you focus on the commercial aspect of Windows 7 vs. the consumer aspect of Windows 7?

Well I have 75 mins to present apparently, so what that does mean is plenty of time for some great demonstrations… no one gets excited at slides :-).

So maybe we check out the following;

UI Enhancements
Play-To
Desktop Virtualization

Booting from a VHD
Windows XP Mode

Remote Media Streaming

There are lots of things I guess, anyone got any suggestions on things they would really like to see?

New year, New Job…

Matthew Hardman — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 07:30:37 GMT

I am very excited to announce that I have just accepted the role as the Windows Client Business Group lead for Singapore. This has been a dream role of mine for a long time, and I am excited to be given the opportunity to run this segment of the business for Microsoft. The Windows operating system has and continues to help people achieve their goals both professionally and personally when it comes to using computers.

With Windows Vista SP2 and Windows 7 on the way there is a lot to be excited about and I look forward to working with the large expanse of passionate people in Singapore using their PCs to do more with technology.

If you have any ideas on what we can be doing better with you for Windows, please do not hesitate to let me know,

Thanks for your continual support,

Matty Hardman

Installing Win7 using a USB Stick | Media | TechNet Edge

Matthew Hardman — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:47:32 GMT

My good friend Dennis has just posted a “How-To” video on installing Windows 7 from a USB drive. Apart from the practicality of having it on a USB driver rather than a DVD, its a really fast install!

Installing Win7 using a USB Stick | Media | TechNet Edge

You received and Ecard!!!

Matthew Hardman — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:43:04 GMT

I am hoping most people have not been affected by these email spreading around. There is a proliferation of SPAM emails going around suggesting that you have received an Ecard from someone… DONT CLICK ON THE LINK.

The downside of a connected social experience is that as users we become a bit lax with regards to protecting ourselves against such devious attacks.

I love the concept of social networking, but just remember a few things…

1. Is the email from someone you know? Even if it is… I would be weary of it… if it says something like this…

Michelle has posted an e-card.

Visit the following web address to see it:

You can see your card at any time within 40 days

I guarantee you its a SPAM email trying to get you to head to a link to get infected.

2. If you dont know the person that is sending it to you, then they probably dont know you… they are phishing for you to get infected and further proliferate the virus.

So what should you do?

1. Have anti-malware software installed, you can get Windows Defender for free from here…

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx

2. Ensure your anti-virus signatures are up to date.

Hopefully we can avoid the nefarious actions these emails are trying to get out there!!!

Windows 7 – Acer Aspire 9500 Wireless Drivers

Matthew Hardman — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:13:28 GMT

So it would be silly to blog about the fact that Windows 7 is out there in beta now, and from everyone’s opinion its a solid build… very very solid build. I am running this on my production machine at work on a Lenovo T61p and on my Acer Aspire 9500.

One thing which continued to irritate the crap out of me was that I could not get the wireless drivers for the Aspire 9500 installed. Every time I tried to install the Vista drivers for wireless the process would timeout and error on me.

*SOLUTION*

Finally I tried the Win XP drivers for the wireless and it worked flawlessly. The internet is running fast and happy now on my Aspire, and I have to say working better than ever.

This is a great OS and I am excited that people are sharing my enthusiasm, even some of the most critical people internally are also telling me how excited they are about Windows 7.

If you want to get a copy, download it now…

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx

Microsoft to offer free consumer security suite | Security - CNET News

Matthew Hardman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:26:33 GMT

I'm really excited about this announcement. This is a great step forward in making protection of your PC available for all. In the second half of 2009 we will be releasing code-name Morro that will protect customers from trojans, viruses, spyware, rootkits etc.

The big thing for people to realise that with technology it is always a two part problem, there is the technology and then there is the human element. Hackers etc. are using social engineering tactics to gain the trust of the user to perpetrate hacks and unauthorized access, so we need to also be self aware of this tactic.

However to make security protection free for all means there is no reason not to have the technical element of your software secure.

Microsoft to offer free consumer security suite | Security - CNET News

Nissan unveils 370Z in 'Need for Speed Undercover' - USATODAY.com

Matthew Hardman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:45:23 GMT

I am excited about this one, being an avid owner of a Nissan 350Z Fairlady Roadster, its exciting to see that the next Nissan Z is having its coming out, in a video game of all places. Ever since I heard about the 370Z I have wanted one, at least this way my wife wont be too upset if I fork out the price of an XBOX360 game to get one... albeit virtually!

The 370Z in Need for Speed Undercover

The 370Z in real life

Nissan unveils 370Z in 'Need for Speed Undercover' - USATODAY.com

PDC 2008 / Agenda / Sessions

Matthew Hardman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:45:46 GMT

Getting out to LA for a Microsoft event is not always the easiest thing for people to do, so great to hear that all of the sessions from PDC are being hosted so you can watch them after the actual event. I remember the last few PDCs where you had to wait a couple of months before you could get the recorded sessions, now they are being released within a day… awesome progress for online media.

UPDATE: The technology behind this is cool, Silverlight and Streaming means you can easily and quickly jump around the content and video without having to worry about the buffering. Very Cool!

PDC 2008 / Agenda / Sessions

Smooth HD

Matthew Hardman — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:03:40 GMT

So what is Smooth HD?

The definition from the Akamai web site says...

"SmoothHD.com is an early glimpse of cutting edge new technology from Microsoft and Akamai that will raise the bar on the consumer video experience.

SmoothHD.com is powered by Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) 7.0 Smooth Streaming – a unique adaptive streaming technology that dynamically adapts video quality in real-time based on local bandwidth conditions - and Akamai AdaptiveEdge Streaming for Microsoft® Silverlight™ , a new solution for enabling high-quality, scalable video experiences over Akamai's global HTTP network of more than 36,000 servers around the world. "

Check it out at the following link! This is amazing stuff high definition content streamed instantly through your browser!

Smooth HD

I’d be lying if I wasn’t excited about this! Gears of War 2 Launch Trailer

Matthew Hardman — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:12:46 GMT

Cant wait to get this home and on the XBOX360, I need a thrilling game after finishing the awesome DeadSpace! If you are in to horror action games that have you on the edge of your seat, forget the rest, get yourself Deadspace, I have never had so much fun being scared out of my wits.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/d/deadspace/

Live Mesh Advertising Campaign

Matthew Hardman — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:37:13 GMT

Just came across this cool promo clip for Live Mesh, which really hits an emotional edge, sharing memories anywhere and on anything.

Some of the things I thought were cool:

* Photos being synchronized with the digital photo frame

* Sync being used in the car

* XBOX Sync

Pretty cool in a connected world!

Jeff Jones Security Blog : Download: H1 2008 Desktop OS Vendor Report - Vulnerabilities and Days-of-Risk

Matthew Hardman — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:21:45 GMT

Jeff Jones has released his six monthly report on desktop OS security vulnerabilities and Days-Of-Risk.

One highlight was the pie chart on security vulnerabilities in the different OSes.

This certainly is in contrast to what a lot people are saying that Linux and Mac are more secure.

Jeff Jones Security Blog : Download: H1 2008 Desktop OS Vendor Report - Vulnerabilities and Days-of-Risk

Ferrari will test-drive HPC Server 2008

Matthew Hardman — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:17:44 GMT

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9117619

Exciting story on the adoption of Windows HPC Server 2008 for data intensive compute scenarios.

While I am a McLaren fan, this is a cool story on how Microsoft is bringing High Performance Computing to a range of scenarios.

Check it out at http://www.microsoft.com/hpc/en/us/default.aspx

In addition to this, McLaren is using SQL Server 2008 to store and analyze terabytes of data from their Engine Control Units.

These are awesome stories where high performance teams need high performance solutions, and they choose Microsoft!

I love Windows Live Photo Gallery

Matthew Hardman — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:42:48 GMT

Just got back from my honeymoon and stitched this view together, its from the top of the Acropolis in Athens over looking the city. Windows Live Photo Gallery helped me to stitch it together.

Obviously my exposure needs a little work, but the technology to make this happen is amazing!