The World According to Mitch

Coffee and Code in Oakville

Mitch — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:23:40 GMT

Yesterday morning I was sitting in Artisano’s Bakery and Café in Oakville (as I am now) and twitted as much. Barry, a fellow Oakvillain whom I met in Seattle when I was living in Montreal replied that it was a great place, and would I be there in the afternoon… we could start our first Oakville Coffee and Code. I told him that I would not, but why not today? I posted something like ‘Coffee and Code in Oakville… come talk Windows 7’.

Barry replied that he couldn’t be here, but a few other people replied that they would be. The mayor of Oakville, Rob Burton, retweeted my message with the tag ‘Windows 7 is good’. All of a sudden we’ve got ourselves a ballgame!

I pinged a few people at Microsoft Canada… ‘Try to come by if you can, and tell people.’ Suddenly fifteen people are twitting that there’s a Coffee & Code in Oakville today. This is getting cool!

I came to the café early… my wife (who is pregnant) wanted to have lunch HERE. My pleasure, I got to see her in the middle of the day. As we are sitting having lunch Mayor Burton came to our table and expressed his regrets that he couldn’t join us today, but that he is running Windows 7 Release Candidate (Build 7100) on two machines, and is loving it. He spent a few minutes talking with Theresa and I before letting us get back to our lunch, and sitting down for his.

It is now nearly 1:30 and I have no idea who is going to come down to discuss Windows 7… or Server 2008, EBS, Home Server, or whatever; however I do know that whoever shows up is going to have a great time meeting colleagues and peers… and I can assure you that we WILL be holding these meetings more often! (Of course, as a lot of us are IT Pros and not Devs we might have to call it Lattés and LANs :) just like they do in Ottawa!)

What happened to my computer’s rating in Windows 7?

Mitch — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:54:03 GMT

I got a frantic call from a friend this morning. ‘I installed Windows 7 last night; When I checked my System Rating the Windows Experience Index was 5.9, and now it’s only 4.1! Why is my system slower?’

This is not the first time I have gotten this question, and indeed noticed the same thing when I first installed Windows 7. Let me reassure you that your computer has not lost any of its oomph… in fact, it will have gained some, as Windows 7 is a more efficient OS than Vista, with a smaller footprint.

Firstly let me say a quick word on the Windows Experience Index. Windows rates five key components in your computer that combine to determine your system’s performance, which are Processor, Memory, Graphics, Gaming graphics, and Primary hard disk. It assigns each a subscore between 1.0 and 7.9. The lowest of these scores is your computer’s Windows Experience Index. It does not mean that your computer will not perform well with a low score; the CPU and RAM on my laptop are rated 6.5 each, but the Graphics is a 4.3; Most of what I do that requires high performance is not video-intensive, so the lower subscore and consequent System Rating does not really affect me. If I were to resell my laptop to someone whose main interest is playing video games then they would probably think twice before buying it.

The only constant in the world of computers is that hardware gets better. Gordon Moore predicted in 1965 that “The number of transistors and resistors on a chip doubles every 18 months.” Ten years later he extended it to 24 months, but Moore’s Law has been remarkably accurate. Essentially what this means is that computers are MUCH faster now than they were 40 years ago… or 2 years ago. (to show how far we have really come, in 1965 there were about 60 transistors and resistors on a chip; Intel’s Itanium processor currently has in excess of 1,700,000,000 transistors)

All this to say that our computer components get faster. Rather than Windows 7 increasing the upper limit rating from 7.9 to 12.9, they have moved the bar without moving the goalposts; that is, your hard drive that used to have a 5.5 rating may now have a 3.5 rating, to make way at the top end for newer, higher-performance drives.

What does all of this mean to your system’s performance? Nothing. It will not run slower because its rating has been lowered… in fact because of the improvements to the way Windows works it will actually run better; it will simply have a lower rating… to which we ask the question: So? I drive my car at 110km/h on the highway; when I drive in the US I have to switch from metric to Imperial, so I am now driving 70mph… am I driving any slower? No, just measuring the speed differently. However since the Interstate highways in the US are better roads than the highways in Canada (well, not in Michigan…) I will have a more pleasant, quieter ride. It’s the same with your computer… same system, better and smoother ride. Enjoy it!

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

Bootable USB media for Windows 7

Mitch — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:58:35 GMT

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

My first computer had a cassette drive; my next had two 5.25” floppy disk drives (which cost nearly as much as the computer). Going forward my next computers had both 5.25” and 3.5” drives, as well as a new invention called a hard drive. The floppy drives went HD, and soon CD and DVD drives came (and would progress from being read-only, to write once, to write many over the course of a decade). All the while the hard drives went from 10MB to HUGE… terabytes. Recently I ordered my first computer that has only a hard disk (a solid state drive to be specific) that will not have any disk drive of any sort… a netbook.

For most software I can simply copy it over the network, but how am I supposed to install an operating system onto it? I can do that over the network too (more on that later), but the simplest way is to use media that I can connect directly to the netbook.

I actually have a few choices; I can connect an external DVD-ROM drive to it, which would effectively double the weight of the ultra-light machine. However there is a much simpler way that also has the benefits of speeding our installation up immensely… installing from a high-speed USB key. This article will give you the simple steps to create that USB key.

Firstly most of us downloaded our Windows 7 RC (Build 7100) as an ISO file. Rather than burning it to a DVD I usually mount the ISO using a free tool called Magic ISO. This tool creates a virtual DVD drive for us, and assigns it a new drive letter, which we will have to know later so take note of it… let’s call it Drive W.

We need a USB key that is at least 4 Gigs. We are going to wipe it so make sure you don’t have anything important stored on it.

Open a Command Shell (stop calling it a DOS window!) with elevated privileges. The elevated privileges are important later on.
Type the command ‘DISKPART’ and press Enter.
Make sure your USB key is connected and type LIST DISK into the Diskpart shell. Note the number of the USB key – in my case it was 1 but if you have multiple hard drives it will likely be different.
Type SELECT DISK 1 (or the number you got from LIST DISK) and press Enter.
Type CLEAN.
Type CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY.
Type ACTIVE.
Type FORMAT FS=NTFS. (This might take a few minutes… you could as easily do a QUICK FORMAT)
Type ASSIGN.
Type Exit to close the Diskpart shell.

At this point we need to know what drive letter Windows assigned the USB key. For this example we will call it X:.

Navigate to the BOOT directory of your Windows 7 disk (i.e.: W:\BOOT)
Type BOOTSECT /NT60 X:
Close the Command Prompt.

Once these steps are complete all that is left to do is to copy the entire contents of the Windows 7 disk onto the USB key… you could either use an XCOPY command, or do it within Windows Explorer.

That’s it! Your USB key is ready, and all you have to do is pop it into your workstation/laptop/netbook/tablet and boot up… remember that you must boot from the USB device though… you may have to set this in your BIOS, although for my Dell Inspiron Mini 9 all I did was press and hold 0 during boot to bring up the one-time boot menu.

One little gotcha… remember to create your USB stick with the right platform of Windows 7… so if your netbook has an x86 processor (most if not all of them do) then your x64 Windows 7 will not install… I won’t make THAT mistake again ;)

I hope this helps… in my next article in the series we will get a bit fancier and use the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit to create a USB deployment point that will include the application files and drivers!

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

Smartphones and Windows 7… VERY smart!

Mitch — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:06:05 GMT

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

I moved into my new office this week. I have a desk, a chair, a plethora of computer equipment, and a entire bookshelf. What I don’t have yet is an office phone, which frankly will come but is not really a priority right now. Everyone is still going to reach me on my mobile phone anyways, so there is nothing to worry about. Of course, because of the nature of my work I do spend a bit of time on conference calls which depending on the matter may last an hour or longer; this is uncomfortable to be sure – there are only so many times I can switch hands so my elbow doesn’t fall asleep, and besides, having to hold the phone makes it difficult to type notes. I am spoiled because for most of the past three years I have had a hands-free Bluetooth earpiece for just these occasions. Actually the earpiece was primarily for talking while driving, and since my new car has built-in Bluetooth I don’t need it anymore… and besides, Gingit (the devil puppy) ate it.

I came across this screen by accident, but have been wildly mad about it since. It is the Bluetooth Phone Operations and Settings screen, specifically paired to my HTC Touch Pro. This feature in Windows 7 has made my life much more comfortable, especially in my office with no land line. I have my smartphone paired to my laptop, and this new feature allows me to:

Use my phone to connect to the Internet;
Initiate a call through the smartphone;
Listen to audio from my phone through the computer speakers; and
Use the computer as a speakerphone for calls on my phone.

I have been tethering to my phone to connect to the Internet for a couple of years, but love the fact that all of these features are in a single screen. I also do not listen to a lot of music on my smartphone… it drains the battery, and besides, I have a Zune :) however the ability to use my computer (with, let’s face it, MUCH better audio than the phone) as a speakerphone makes my life much easier.

Because I do spend a lot of time talking to my computer (no, I have not lost my mind… I record podcasts, and stay tuned for my post on voice recognition in Windows 7!) I invested in a headphone with a good microphone (Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000) which I use to listen to music, as well as record any number of items. I have it connected to my laptop docking station’s USB port and when I am in the office I wear it… and when a call comes in I simply have to pause my music and take my call. I have so far conducted seven conference calls through this method and have been very impressed by the quality… not to mention the fact that my elbows are thanking me! In return I am thanking the dev team at Microsoft that came up with this quite intelligent bit of code!

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

How do YOU want to be supported?

Mitch — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:54:01 GMT

Over the past six years I have had the honour of leading and participating in two major Canadian IT Pro user groups; I have spoken at scores of user groups across the country and around the world, and have been in touch with so many of the user group leaders from around the world, both as a speaker, and MVP, and a council member. I have heard a lot of the same complaints about the difficulties involved with running a group that I have experienced myself.

We have tried to come up with the right equation that makes things work. So let's start with a simple equation, changing the numbers because a) I do not know what the actual numbers are, and b) the math is much simpler. You are Microsoft. You have $10,000, and ten user groups that need to be supported. Of those ten groups two have the ability to raise money through alternate sponsorship and the remainder to not, but that does not mean that those groups are any less passionate... they just do not have the same advantages. You know that the IT community is important across the country you have to figure out how to best use your money to maximize the benefit across the country. How would you do it? Remember that your $10,000 is not only money that you can give them; any prizes or other benefits that you dole out must be paid for out of your budget as well.

This morning I had this conversation with someone of influence and it is not a simple exercise... it is a real issue that Microsoft Canada needs to deal with. We came up with what I thought was an interesting idea. Please let me know in the Comments field below what you think, and how you would do it.

One of the greatest requests I have heard as a community leader is the need for training. In Montreal we started a study group a few years ago that helped more than twenty members achieve their first certifications, but also gave them their first exposure to certification training, as well as a better understanding of the value that certifications hold - not to mention the value the knowledge they gained has!

If a user group decided tomorrow to hold a study group for fifteen members on Windows Server 2008 and decided to fund it out of pocket the cost would be prohibitive. The Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC) courseware that are used in Instructor-Led Training (ILT) is closer to $400 per course. However the cost of taking one of those courses with a Certified Partner for Learning Solutions (CPLS) is between $1,200 and $1,500 per week. Of course we could use non-MOC courses or books... the MS Press books for Server 2008 cost between $60 and $80 per book. Either way, the cost is extreme.

Of course those prices are what you and I would pay as individuals... but for the sake of this exercise we are Microsoft Canada... and our internal costs are a fraction of what an individual would pay… although they are still real and need to be counted in our budget.

Now let’s switch back for a moment to being a community member, thirsty for learning but unable (or unwilling) to pay the thousands of dollars required to take a five-day ILT, not to mention the week I have to take off of work. If my local user group were to offer the same training, but in evening sessions over the course of three weeks rather than all day over a week, would I be willing to participate? And if so what would be the value to me, or more accurately, how much would I be willing to spend on it? If it were offered for $150 would I even hesitate? Probably not.

So let’s put our Microsoft hat back on for a minute; I know that I can buy ten training kits for a user group for $500. The group can then get ten members into a study group who are each willing to spend $150 for the three weeks of evening sessions. My $500 sponsorship of the group has now netted them ten certification kits, a full-blown study group in a box, PLUS $1500 cash! Not bad for a day’s work!

Let’s assume our last role for this discussion; the community leader. I am a community leader because I believe in the cause, but probably because I want to see what I can get from it as well; I want to help the community and one of the ways that I can do that is by helping them to become certified in the latest and greatest technology. However without the sponsorship money I can’t do much. Last year Microsoft gave me $1,000 so I was able to hold a few meetings, serve pizza, and so on; I couldn’t do much more because everything costs money. This year Microsoft is giving me the option of sponsoring the group for $500 (times are tough all around!), or giving me ten study group kits. I can get the study group together and charge each member $150, and rather than have half as many presentations as last year I can have twice as many, PLUS the study group! I could go one step further… if more than ten people are interested I can invite twenty members, and charge a lower fee to the members who will not have the material… this can be a real boon for my group!

Another benefit that I see as a user group leader is the ability to tailor the sessions to my group. I might have a couple of great MCTs who are willing to contribute their time, but how about if we were to make this more of an interactive study group instead of an ILT… we could assign modules to individuals who would have to learn them well enough ahead of time to present them to the group… each module would belong to a different member, and my MCTs could sit back and help them along, rather than present the whole module. Not only would individual members get to know their chapters better, but after ten modules I would have ten members who now have experience presenting in front of an audience; so when Member A becomes involved in a project on Technology Q he can send me an e-mail and say ‘Hey Lead, I would like to do a presentation on this really cool technology that I have gotten into!’ Ten new potential speakers for the group, rather than always having to rely on the same folks, or the guys from Microsoft.

Change hats once more, back to the user group member: Now I am thinking that being a member of a user group really does have value beyond just going to presentations… which, let’s face it, we can go to even if we are not members most of the time. Being a member of a user group can give me so much more… depending on what I am willing to put into it!

Back to the Microsoft Hat: So for seven of my groups this model works great… I have invested $3,500 for them and they have collectively raised $14,000… all the while delivering more value and benefits to their users, possibly building the next generation of UG leaders for when my current leads are ready to step aside, and have helped at least seventy people to earn current certifications on the technologies that are important to them. I still have $6,500 left in my budget… I can use some of that for the groups that cannot get a study group to work, but can also use it as a travel budget to be able to send my IT Evangelists out to more cities and to do more presentations for all of the groups. I can put some of the money towards better prizes for the UG events. I could even add extra cities to the TechDays Canada tour if I wanted to, thus allowing me to broaden our reach… and hopefully proving to Corp that the UG community is one of the best ways to really support communities across the country!

So let’s take off all of our hats now… I am me, and you are you. Hopefully you are a member of your local user group, and have enjoyed the benefits from it. Do you think that this model would work? Would you be willing to pay a nominal fee to join a study group in your area if the technology was relevant to you?

What would you do to improve upon this idea? What ideas would you have? In short, how would you, as a community member, want Microsoft to support the community in a time where budgets are down and expectations (and breadth) are increasing? Please let me know in the Comments space below, and I promise you that your ideas will be heard.

A sad day in the toy industry…

Mitch — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:10:52 GMT

Firstly let me be clear: I have absolutely nothing against Toys ‘R’ Us. I have no hidden agenda, no miserable experience, and no repressed memories (at least none that I know of!). I have very fond memories of the Toys ‘R’ Us in Times Square, where in the summer of 2005 and again with my then fiancé Theresa I rode the indoor Ferris Wheel then walked around wishing I were still a kid.

Having said that I was saddened by news today that the giant toy retailer acquired the New York City landmark FAO Schwarz. It is the death of an era.

My first visit to FAO was during my first visit to New York City with my parents; I was ten years old – give or take – and I remember very little about the visit except three things: I loved the myriad electronics discount stores where I got to look at computers, I loved seeing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and I absolutely loved FAO Schwartz, which for the first hour of our visit I was absolutely convinced was heaven. They let you play with toys, and they had every toy in the world!

The retailer is featured in countless movies… BIG comes to mind, with Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia play Chopsticks on the floor-keyboard. Of course there were many more, but what we see there cannot compare to the quarter-century old memories of a ten-year-old boy who felt like he had found Nirvana and never wanted to leave. That is of course how it is always portrayed in movies… as the greatest place on earth for children. That was what it was for me.

I remember sitting in Calories – a cafe in Montreal that served the greatest deserts, trying to describe it to my friends, years later. Of course I couldn’t remember the name… so I picked up the payphone, dialed 212-555-1212 and, feeling a little stupid, tried to explain to the operator that I needed to remember the name of this incredible toy store in Manhattan. She knew right away what I meant and gave me precisely the information I needed!

I hope that the change in ownership does not destroy this piece of my childhood – and that of countless others. I hope they maintain the name, location, and atmosphere, although I cannot see how they could. After all corporate run stores are seldom run the same as those run by people who love them and have a vested interest in them.

I hope they don’t remove the magic from this magical place. If they do I will never be able to take my children – both born and unborn – there to experience the same magical feelings of pure innocence and happiness that I felt when I was ten.

The other day I told Aaron (my son) that he didn’t know how lucky he was to have his life. Well, I might not have then, but I realize it now. Thanks Arthur and Miriam (Mom and Dad!) for taking me there, and to countless other places when I was a child.

The Quiet Demise of Truly Incredible Technology

Mitch — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:22:35 GMT

Of all of the innovative technologies I came face to face with at TechEd last month the most incredible of them all was a gentleman in a wheelchair.

It wasn’t just any wheelchair of course… it was (I would later learn) an iBOT… a wheelchair designed to free the disabled from the shackles that truly bind them. It climbs stairs and does much more, including let users have an eye-level conversation with an average-sized adult male. I believe it was developed by Dean Kamen (of Segway fame) and was sold by Johnson & Johnson for a staggering price tag of US$22,000… of which Medicare covered about US$6,000.

Of course for those who can afford it I am sure these incredible machines were well worth the money. After all what price can you put on your freedom of mobility? It was a great step forward in the equal rights that handicapped persons deserve in our world…

…and it is gone.

According to MSNBC they have been discontinued because it was simply not profitable, as they were only selling a few hundred of them per year. (See article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30929301/)

I am tempted to say that it is disgraceful that a corporation would put profits ahead of the rights of the handicapped, but I suppose that is the job of corporations – to answer first and last to their shareholders.

Still I cannot help but wonder if our governments (U.S. and Canada) who have been spending hundreds of billions of dollars bailing out industries such as the auto industry and financial institutions couldn’t have found some way to step in and subsidize the company. Those industries are important… I get it; but isn’t this too? If for no other reason than so that we could say that we did more than mandate that some buildings have access to the handicapped, we actually gave them access to all buildings!

Windows 7 Beta Beware :)

Mitch — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:27:16 GMT

I hope by now most of you are running Windows 7. I think it is important that IT Pros are up to speed before the actual product release! However if you are running the beta 2 release – that is Build 7000 it is time for you to upgrade! the Release Candidate (Build 7100) has been available since the end of April, and has a plethora of bug fixes included.

If that is not incentive enough then you should know that after June 1 your 7000 machines will be <revised> sending you warning messages, and on July 1 they will start shutting down every two hours… similar to unlicensed product.

I know, I know. It’s a pain. However with all that has been written about Deployment Technologies on Windows 7, especially the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, isn’t it time you tried out some of those great tools and upgraded to 7100?

Preparing for the new laptops!

Mitch — Sat, 23 May 2009 20:52:36 GMT

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

A lot of people cannot understand how IT Professionals and enthusiasts can get excited about some things. I ordered my new laptops last week; however the most exciting part of that has nothing to do with new toys (ok, maybe a little) but how I will be setting them up when I receive them.

At TechEd last week I spent most of my time at the Windows 7 Deployment booth. Among the people I got to work with were old friends Mike Niehaus and Tim Mintner, the MDT/BDD gurus that I have admired for several years. They gave me (and just about anyone who came by the booth, in case the folks with the rattan cane come back) a sneak peak of the next bits of the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 beta 2 release. In my mind it is the biggest change to the product since BDD 2007 was released, and it is definitely a technology that you should be looking at if you are interested in deployment.

When I told Tim that I was getting my new laptops he asked me if I wanted to build a deployment kit USB key. Of course Microsoft Deployment Toolkit has had the ability to create these for some time, but I couldn’t believe how easy it was. We took a 16 Gig USB key and created a Media Deployment Point. Creating a Media DP is something I have been doing for years… but not like this. You boot your computer to the USB key and the first thing you are prompted for is what OS you want to install. On this key our options are:

Windows 7, x64
Windows 7, x86
Windows Server 2008 R2, x64
Windows Server 2008 R2, x86

So once you select the operating system, you then have the option to select the applications you install. I am keeping it simple by deploying only the Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate Edition, but you can install any applications you like.

One tool that I use a lot is the SysInternals BGInfo program which allows me to see some information about the system on which I am working. Like most SysInternals tools it does not need to be installed, only placed in a directory on the computer. I did that, but also created a shortcut and placed it into the StartUp folder under the Start pearl <All Users>. That way when I start my new system it will ask me to configure the application for first use, and then run every time I start up.

I mentioned before that IT Professionals and enthusiasts do things differently… and because of that reality I often find myself reformatting my systems… either because a new release of the pre-release OS is out, or because I want to demonstrate something on a different platform. In truth that is one of the reasons I am buying a netbook, so that I can wipe and reinstall as the need suits me. Its solid state hard drive isn’t really big enough to support multiple boot scenarios. With the super-deployment key that Tim and I created I can do it with little or no effort… poof, what was Windows 7 x86 is now Server 2008 R2 x64.

I have written in several articles about how convenient it is for companies to install a deployment infrastructure… and have spoken to over 50 groups around the world on SMB deployment scenarios (Desktop Deployment for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses). This simplified technology will take it one step further, offering deployment scenarios to companies without a server, or even homes with multiple PCs whose residents… shall we say tend to download more than their share of malicious code through dubious sites :)

In a follow-up article I will go through the steps to create one of these Super Deployment Keys… with screen shots and all. However before you get to follow along you will have to sign up for the beta for the Solutions Accelerator tools and download the new beta release of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010! Let me know when you have done that… I’ll be ready :)

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

Springboard Buddies at TechEd

Mitch — Sat, 23 May 2009 01:47:25 GMT

Justin Rodino, Cem Erdal Ozkaya, and Daniel Nerenberg cornered me on the last day of TechEd with a video camera… I look like a dentist froze my face but trust me I was having a good time because they are all great guys! http://www.227volts.com/?p=867

Kai Axford is Coming to Town!

Mitch — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:11:24 GMT

If you do not live in the Greater Toronto Area, or say between here and Niagara, this is probably not for you. However if you can get to Oakville next Tuesday and are interested in IT then this session is for you!

**Special Event**

Seminar with World Renowned Security Expert Kai Axford
Sheridan College, Oakville, ON
Tuesday May 26th 2009
Welcome time 6:00PM Event 6:30PM-9:00PM
Click here for more details and to Register!.

Location:
Sheridan College - Trafalgar Road Campus
J Wing - Sheldon Levy Centre - RM J102
1430 Trafalgar Road (Ceremonial Drive, park in the left lot)
Oakville, ON, CA
L6H 2L1

* Don't Miss This Rare Opportunity to meet and hear Kai Axford , World Renowned Security Expert*

Part 1: Windows 7 Security Tidbits - Windows 7 is coming and the boss is asking you about all those new security features. Perhaps you've heard some buzz about AppLocker? What’s this about DirectAccess connecting securely to your corporate network without a VPN? What’s up with BitlLocker To Go? In this fun and interactive session, Kai Axford, a Microsoft Senior Security Strategist with Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing team, will demonstrate some of the new security features in Microsoft's newest desktop operating system. Bring your questions and get the scoop on these upcoming Microsoft security technologies!

Part 2: Understanding and Preventing Insider Threat – Many analysts have stated that the Number One issue facing corporate customers today is the threat of targeted corporate espionage coming from within the organization. Join Kai Axford, a security strategist from the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing team for an entertaining and engaging session, as he shares real stories from the trenches about the risk this threat presents for both you and your customers. He’ll demo the means by which these attacks occur and discuss the mindset of the attackers. Don’t miss the chance to see how this is done!”

This isn't for you? You're welcome to forward these details to a friend or anyone else you think might be interested.

XP Compatibility Mode in Windows 7

Mitch — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:44:58 GMT

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

of all of the legitimate reasons I have heard why people and organizations have not upgraded to Windows Vista application compatibility has been a big one. I have been telling people for years that this is because of the improved security features, and that ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) were going to have to program around the hardened security. As it happens they have been, but none of that is relevant if you have a piece of software sitting on your shelf that doesn’t work. At http://talkingaboutwindows.com/archive/2009/04/17/mitch-garvis.aspx I said that end users don’t care why their applications don’t work or who or what is to blame… they just want it to work.

Enter Windows XP Mode in Windows 7. This feature was released with the Release Candidate of Windows 7 a few weeks ago, and the buzz has been incredible. In short, with Windows 7 you have a virtual PC running Windows XP; you can install your applications on that XP machine (No additional license is required) and then as if by magic you can run those applications on your Windows 7 machine.

I have one set of applications that never ran on Windows Vista; the Readiness Review Suite that came with Microsoft Press Self-Paced Training Kit books for Windows 2003 never ran on Vista, and because of that I always had a Windows XP virtual machine on my laptop. In order to run the application I would have to run Virtual PC 2007, spin up the Windows XP machine, log on and run my app. There was no interconnectivity between that VM and my desktop.

As you can see I have installed it on the Windows XP VM on Windows 7 (Microsoft Press Readiness Review Suite). Let’s be clear… I can run it here if I want. Or I can look in my Windows 7 Programs and see the following:

All Programs – Windows Virtual PC – Virtual Windows XP Applications – Microsoft Press Readiness Review Suite.

I have not done any custom configuration here… the only thing I have to do is install my application within XP so that the icon is under the All Users profile, which is why Internet Explorer icons do require their own tweaking (by default they are installed per user). Why would I need this, you ask? You may have HTA applications that still need Internet Explorer 6.0, and rather than trying to install that onto Windows 7 you can simply leverage XP mode.

Another benefit of XP Mode is one you will be seeing in the next version of Virtual PC… it supports USB devices, both within the VPC and within XP Applications.

XP Mode does have a few requirements that you should be aware of. For one thing your CPU must support hardware virtualization. That means that you also have to enable hardware virtualization in the BIOS. Brad et al, make sure your CPU supports either Intel-VT or AMD-V before trying :)

Secondly the XP machine requires 256 Megabytes of RAM which will be taken from the total… so if you have memory issues beware. Also you should make sure you can comfortably allocate 16 gigabytes of hard disk space to the VPC, and more depending on what you are storing therein.

I find it convenient that physical drives and partitions on the host computer are immediately available in the guest OS. They are viewed as network drives, so it is easy to port content between the two.

It is important to remember that even if you are only loading the Virtual PC to install the applications, and then running the applications from within Windows 7 you are still running a second PC, and security considerations such as patch management and virus protection must still be run on both the host and the guest PC. Remember one of Mitch’s Rules of Virtualization: What must be done in the host must also be done in the guest. If you are a consultant supporting clients who will be using this remember that their SLAs (Service Level Agreement) might have to be revised to increase the scope.

XP Mode is not built into the RC of Windows 7, but it is a free download. Click on this link and follow the instructions: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx.

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

Knock Knock… Who’s there? Office 2010!

Mitch — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:42:34 GMT

One of the reasons I like attending conferences like TechEd is that very often attendees get news first… either by design or occasionally by accident. An example of the latter, I learned last night, is that one presenter accidentally showed off SharePoint 2010 to a packed room without realizing that it was strictly embargoed. Oops!

A better (or at least more positive) example is that it was announced today that attendees at TechEd 2009 will be the first invited to a Technical Preview Program for Office 2010, the long anticipated successor to the highly successful (not only in my opinion) Office 2007. Unfortunately we are going to have to wait until July for it.

Office 2007 was a major release. it introduced two huge changes over its predecessors: the ribbon toolbar (love it or hate it, it is here to stay!) and the new xml-based file formats. I have read others who do not feel that Office 2010 will consist of any changes as major as those. I disagree. There are two bits that will be introduced with 2010 which I consider major changes:

Office 2010 will be the first edition of the hugely successful application suite to offer a x64 (64-bit) edition in addition to the x86 (32-bit) version. Historically the x86 application suite installed on 64-bit operating systems in the C:\Program Files (x86) directory. With the direction of the computing world firmly heading toward 64-bit computing I am glad to see that the applications that most of us use most frequently are following the same trend.
With Office 2010 Microsoft will also be releasing web-based editions of the suite (known as Office Web Applications). I suspect that these will be offered both for companies to host their own application servers on IIS 7 rather than on a Terminal Services platform, in addition to hosted environments (cloud computing). Along with I suspect millions of others I have been using Outlook Web Access through two generations now (If memory serves it was introduced with Exchange 2000; I came on board with 2003) I am excited to see what its fellow applications will look like on-line.

Some of the rumors I have heard about 2010 are that it is blindingly fast (one commentator said uncomfortably so) and that it is much prettier than its predecessor. That I will wait to see, but in the meantime if you are like me and are not tired of having sore feet from living on the bleeding edge then look for Office 2010 beta to open to the public (i.e. those of you not at TechEd) sometime nearer the fall. See you there!

User Account Control in Windows 7

Mitch — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:27:00 GMT

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

User Account Control (UAC) has been one of the big complaints about Windows Vista. It certainly was the butt of one of the cutest ‘I’m a Mac’ commercials. The truth is, as I have mentioned previously, Microsoft had to make some tough decisions in developing the new, modern operating system, and UAC was a way of protecting users from themselves… ‘Open virus-infected program… are you sure you want to open virus-infected program?’

I’m pretty sure if that were the extent of it, people would have been much more forgiving of UAC, but because it was so much more, it was difficult to put up with; ‘I want to manage my computer. Are you sure you want to manage your computer?’ or ‘I want to install a driver for my printer. Are you sure you want to install a driver for your printer?’ People were ignoring it because they were seeing far too often.

In Vista there were two settings for UAC… on or off, and a lot of its detractors spent a lot of time bragging that most users were disabling it outright. In reality about 12% of users did disable it, hardly most, but that is irrelevant. In Windows 7 there are different settings to UAC… and by default user input will not bring up UAC windows, only when programs try to access protected areas of the OS. Users will still have the option of enabling the full UAC or disabling it, but most should be satisfied with the happy medium.

There are scores of improvements to Windows 7 over Vista, many of which I will talk (and write) about over the next few months, but instead of waiting for it why not download the release candidate and see for yourselves. Get on board with Windows 7 now and be ready for the most secure desktop operating system that Microsoft has ever come out with.

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

Windows 7… Catch It!

Mitch — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:24:18 GMT

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.

I was wondering out loud today if you were ready for Windows 7. Yes, you… and don’t look around because WE BOTH know who you are. You are an IT Professional, Developer, Partner, Consultant, Enthusiast, End-User. You have an above-average interest in computers, probably have more than one system between home and work, and know how to fix at least minor problems without calling Tech Support. You remember when operating systems were less stable than Vista SP1, and are willing to experience the occasional minor inconvenience when beta issues arise; all for a chance to be ahead of the curve.

We call it the Bleeding Edge. We’re well ahead of the curve, running systems and applications before they go to general release. It hurts a little from time to time when you encounter bugs that haven’t been fixed yet, but it pays off… and not just in bragging rights, although let’s be honest, those are fun too.

Microsoft had to make some very difficult decisions with Windows Vista; there were so many changes to the platform that caused a lot of initial pain, mostly revolving around application and driver compatibility. It was simply too much, and although the issues did get resolved as new versions of applications and device drivers that were programmed for Vista were released and with Service Pack 1, there was simply too much ‘bad air’ around Vista. Competing platforms had a ball in their marketing but even without the ‘I’m a Mac’ commercials the reputation of Vista was mud… even if the technology is vastly improved over both the RTM version and Windows XP.

On the first leg of my flight to Los Angeles on Sunday I sat next to Stuart Crawford, President of the International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners. He was telling me about the machines that he was planning to install the Release Candidate of Windows 7 on, and as we chatted he commented to me that he hadn’t heard one bad thing about the new OS version yet. I thought for a minute and realized… neither have I.

I have been sitting in any manner of places over the past few years where people have started telling me about their issues with Vista… and Microsoft. I work on my laptop in cafes and airport lounges and people start conversations with me, telling me why they don’t like Vista; sometimes their reasons are legitimate and often they are just ‘well I heard from a friend who heard from a friend.’ It started six months before Vista was released, and hasn’t stopped yet. That is why it’s a telling that nobody has yet told me ‘I don’t like Windows 7 because…’

Now it’s true, Seven is still a pre-release OS, so its distribution is limited to… us. None of you have told me anything bad about it either! The new OS is built on the lessons of Windows Vista, and streamlined to boot. Seven is the first version of an operating system that Microsoft will ever release that will be smaller and require fewer resources than its predecessor. One of the most common complaints I heard about Vista was the resource requirements; people are telling me that they are installing the pre-release Seven on five and six year old hardware that had been running XP because it just didn’t have the legs for Vista. Netbooks – tiny little seven and nine inch laptops that were meant to run Linux with a gigabyte of RAM and 16 gigabyte hard drives. I confess… I am going to buy one of those myself this week, for that very purpose.

There are a thousand reasons to start looking at Windows 7 now. Microsoft is not keeping quiet about them. At www.talkingaboutwindows.com they (okay, WE!) discuss the benefits of the modern operating system. It’s not just Microsoft employees, although some people you know are there too (Mark Russinovitch is still one of the smartest men I know). There are customers as well… and one particular trainer and MVP who just came off a deployment of Windows Vista (along with Office 2007, Forefront Client Security, Office Communicator, and a few third-party applications) for a client in preparation for the move to Windows 7. Watch our videos, listen to our stories, and then answer the question… why aren’t you on Windows 7 yet?

You should be… come see us on-line, and at TechEd to see what’s in store for you, your clients, families, and friends when the best, most stable, and most secure desktop operating system that Microsoft ever developed is released to the public, sometime in the next few months. After that you can stand up with me and proudly proclaim what I’ve been saying proudly for a year… I’m a PC!

For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.