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New FolderShare

FolderShare has gotten a face lift, new client, and has moved to the Windows Live platform. If you are not familiar with FolderShare Microsoft bought them a couple years ago and the concept is that you can setup shares among computers that sync with each other. I have been using it for years to sync computers and make sure that I have the same documents on each computer. You can set the sync to be automatic or on demand, you can also share your FolderShare libraries with your friends. It is similar...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, Microsoft, Office 2007, Blog, ConfigMgr, Cool Tools, Downloads

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator

Use this new version of the WVHA to determine if your hardware is ready to migrate to Vista and determine if you can migrate to Server 2008. It can also help you assess if you can virtualize servers by migrating them to Virtual Server or Server 2008's Hyper-V and if you can safely migrate your applications into the virtualization world as well using Microsoft Application Virtualization . You can download Server 2008 RC1 with Hyper-V here . Microsoft Assessment and Planning Overview Introduction...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, Virtual Server, Application Virtualization, Server 2008

Download The Microsoft Application Virtualization Guide

More info Here , or download directly here . Related Downloads: Microsoft Application Virtualization Platform v. 4.5 sign in with your LiveID and sign up for the Beta. MSI Utility for Microsoft Application Virtualization Overview This trial guide walks you through a step by step creation of a Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 system including the Sequencing of two applications. Once you have completed these setup steps, you will be able to test the benefits of Microsoft Application Virtualization...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, Documentation, SoftGrid, Application Virtualization

Windows Server 2008 RTM on Jan 16

If the other offerings RTM at the same time we should see server 2008, Vista SP1, Visual Studio 2008, and SQL Sever 2008 all in a few weeks. This means NAP, Hypervisor, multicasting... Source . If you would like to attend the launch event in Los Angeles on Feb. 27th or any of the other launch events you can register here . Regards, Anthony Anthony Clendenen | Solutions Engineer | 1E http://configmgr.com © 2007 - 2008 Anthony Clendenen I Recommend These Books! SMS 2003 Administrator's Reference...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: SQL , Beta, News, Microsoft, Virtual Server, ConfigMgr, Server 2008

Cool Tools For Friday

There are always so many each week! Microsoft Popfly went into public Beta a couple weeks ago. Popfly allows you to make mashups, web pages, gadgets, so on all in in online easy to use editor that includes tutorials. Want to install DirectX 10 ? How about Leopard on your PC ? Shoot - I gotta run, literally, I have a training session in 30 minutes! Have a great weekend, I will be in New York next week if you want connect email me. Regards, Anthony Anthony Clendenen | Solutions Engineer | 1E http:...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, Microsoft, Hack, ConfigMgr, Cool Tools

Microsoft Deployment Release Candidate 1 Available for Download

The latest installment of BDD, code named Deployment 4, now named Microsoft Deployment (MD) is available for download on the Microsoft Connect site. This is the much anticipated version that integrates with ConfigMgr's OSD and is the next evolution of BDD. With this new version you can expect to have a single solution for the deployment of both desktops and servers as well as WDS, and ACT. See below for more details on what is included. Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) is now Microsoft Deployment...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, News, OSD, WAIK, SMSWakeUp, SMSNomad Branch, OSD Plus Pack, ConfigMgr, Server 2008, Configuration Manager

Server 2008 RC0 Free Download

If you want to give Server 2008 a spin prior to its release next year you can download the release candidate zero here . Regards, Anthony Anthony Clendenen | Solutions Engineer | 1E Inc. http://configmgr.com © 2007 Anthony Clendenen Technorati Tags: Server 2008 , Beta , Download , ConfigMgr.com  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, News, Microsoft, ConfigMgr, Server 2008

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 SCSI Driver Demystified

There seems to be a lack of information around the virtual SCSI driver in Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, or at least information that is easy to find so here are some tips on getting the most out of this driver and how it compares to the IDE driver. You don't have to have a physical SCSI card or SCSI hard drives to use SCSI in Virtual Server 2005. The SCSI driver is a virtual SCSI driver for a virtual SCSI bus, it does not need to use a real SCSI card. The SCSI driver only has limited support...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, Longhorn, News, Blog, Virtual Server, Virtual PC, ConfigMgr, Server 2008

BDD 2008 Beta 3 Available On Connect

The ConfigMgr compatible version of BDD (Beta 3), which I will call BDD 2008 for now, is available through open beta on the Connect site. The RTM version is expected to be out in November of this year. In this version there is the previously discussed multicasting , USMT, WAIK, and ACT 5.0. On Friday October 5th there is also a webcast on deploying an OS with ConfigMgr, you can register for it here . Official announcement below. Deployment 4 is the code name for the next version of Business Desktop...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, News, Microsoft, SCCM 2007, Blog, OSD, Webcast, WAIK, BDD, SMSNomad Branch, OSD Plus Pack, ConfigMgr, Server 2008

Multicasting in Server 2008

Kevin is right, this has already been talked about , but he does a nice job of explaining the two types of multicasting. Two drawbacks to this however...First you cannot multicast across subnets, well you can but if your network supports this you are wide open to a SQL Slammer type of attack where one laptop brings your network to its knees. Second, you have to have Server 2008 to make this work. A simple, less costly solution, that you can utilize now is to use the 1E OSD Plus Pack , or SMSNomad...  ... Read the full post or  the first comment. Filed under: Active Directory, Group Policy, Packaging, Patching, Beta, Longhorn, News, Microsoft, SCCM 2007, OSD, SMSNomad Branch, OSD Plus Pack, ConfigMgr, Server 2008

Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 Delayed

What is the status? Windows Server 2008, formerly Longhorn, will be delayed until Q1 of 2008 but will be available to SA and MSDN subscribers prior to RTM. SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 are scheduled to be released with Server 2008 so I can only assume they will be delayed as well. Vista SP1 also suffers from the same fate, delayed until Q1 of 08. The BETA of Vista SP1 will be available to participants in about two weeks however. And SP3 for XP is moving along with its BETA also being out...  ... Read the full post or  the first comment. Filed under: Active Directory, System Center, Beta, Vista, Longhorn, News, Microsoft, SCCM 2007, NAP, ConfigMgr, Server 2008

ConfigMgr SDK BETA 2 Available For Download

You can download the BETA 2 version of ConfigMgr's SDK from the Connect site. Details of SDK are copied and pasted below. I got to sit down with several of the Tech Writers for ConfigMgr today at lunch and there was some very interesting conversations. The most important of which was probably that they have plans to release many more of the SuperFlows, I don't know if you have seen the one that is available publicly but they make the flowcharts look like hieroglyphics. The documentation online...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: SMS Tools, Scripting, Tools, Beta, SCCM 2007, VB Script

Vista Service Pack 1 Beta - Not For Public Consumption

From Bink.nu...and I quote... Microsoft asked us to inform you on the current state of Windows Vista SP1 beta: "There will be a Windows Vista service pack and our current expectation is that a beta will be made available sometime this year. Service packs are part of the traditional software lifecycle — they’re something we do for all Microsoft products as part of our commitment to continuous improvement, and providing early test builds is a standard practice that helps us incorporate customer...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, Vista

Configuration Manager 2007 RC1 Available

On Connect you can now download RC1 of ConfigMgr. Configuration Manager 2007 RC1 (Build 5831) available! Configuration Manager 2007 RC1 (Build 5831) is now available for download! Go here to download: https://connect.microsoft.com/Downloads/Downloads.aspx?SiteID=16 Configuration Manager 2007 RC1 (Build 5831) available! Regards, Anthony Anthony Clendenen | Solutions Engineer | 1E Inc. We are considered a premier SMS Solution Provider by Microsoft. See us at http://www.microsoft.com/smserver/partners...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, News, SCCM 2007

Vista SP1 Beta In Mid-July

According to Mary-Jo we should see the release of Beta 1 the week of July 16th, with the final release in November of this year, right around the launch of Windows Server 2008. Based on this release schedule this would give Microsoft a Beta window of only 4-5 months! Some of the expectations for SP1? Zippier copy of files! Desktop search modification to please Google EFI boot capability for 64bit Shutdown speed BitLocker to allow a single volume to be encrypted Regards, Anthony Anthony Clendenen...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, Vista, Microsoft

SoftGrid 4.5

Update: Thanks to Brian Leary who sent me an email and pointed out in my haste to post this before leaving for the airport that the nominations are closed, they were accepting them from June 1 - 15th. Details of version 4.5 are listed below however. Microsoft was accepting nominations for the SoftGrid 4.5 TAP program. More details can be found here . Version 4.5 looks to go RTM about the same time as MMS 2008. SoftGrid 4.5 The Microsoft SoftGrid team is currently wrapping up our SoftGrid 4.2 release...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, SoftGrid, MMS 2008

Windows Home Server Hits RC

It's on the Microsoft Connect site if you are part of the Beta. Regards, Anthony Anthony Clendenen | Systems Engineer | 1E Inc. We are considered a premier SMS Solution Provider by Microsoft. See us at http://www.microsoft.com/smserver/partners "1E's tools add significant value to SMS in particular, around patch management, simplified branch designs and desktop migration. Having been a trusted Microsoft partner for five years, 1E's track record in consultancy and software solutions...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, News, Microsoft

Download The Free Hotmail/MSN Outlook 2007 Connector Beta

Last month, Microsoft had intended to provide free access to Hotmail and MSN through Outlook 2003 and 2007 after a long period of paid subscription. Today, Microsoft released a Beta version of the Outlook Connector Beta for Microsoft Outlook 2003/2007 on Windows XP or Vista. With Outlook Connector Beta, you can use Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007 to access and manage your Windows Live Hotmail or Office Live Mail accounts, including e-mail messages and contacts for free . Main features include: -Outlook...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, Microsoft, Office 2007

New Windows Live Betas

Windows Live Messenger 8.5 and Windows Live Writer as well as Windows Live Mail have been released. If you are up for some Messenger beta testing beta' read the rest of this post If you aren't up for beta testing beta' check back next time Important Details: Get Messenger 8.5 Beta1 (build 517) here Send feedback here Talk about it here Get support here Markets (Country + Language) in order to get this Beta out asap we limited the number of supported markets. If your market is not listed...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, Microsoft

SCCM RC Available For Download

Update: "Technically, this is * not * the RC1 build. It’s a build from the RC1 branch of the source, but the actual RC1 is still a few weeks away. -Michael" Maybe it really will be out in August!?! We all know how much Bill loves it when we speculate... SCCM 2007 Release Candidate (RC) available for TAP customers The Release Candidate (RC) version 5790 of System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007 has been released. It is currently available through the Microsoft Connect site for TAP...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, News, SCCM 2007

Microsoft System Center Capacity Planner 2007 (SCCP) beta is now available!

SCCP 2007 provides the IT professional with the guidance required to plan new deployments of Exchange Server 2007 and Operations Manager 2007 in the most efficient manner, while also delivering "what-if" analysis to optimize existing implementations. At this point the results are based on models that are not fully complete so the predictions should not be used as guidance as they currently will not represent real world deployments accurately. That said, the SCCP team really needs feedback as to whether...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, Microsoft

SCCM 2007 How To - Site Configuration

In the first two articles of this series I discussed the preparation for setup and the installation process. In the third installment I go over the configuration of SCCM. To set the scenario, I am running a single site on VPC 2007, the guest OS is Windows 2003 SP1 already installed is IIS with BITS, SQL 2005 SP2, .NET Framework 2.0, MMC 3.0, and several hotfixes. During the installation I installed all the client components minus the NAP, without Longhorn (Server 2007) I cannot install NAP. I also...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, SCCM 2007, Documentation

SCCM 2007 What's New? Day 1 - Software Update Points

The Open Beta 2 of the next version of SMS went live yesterday. So what is new with SMS? For one thing Software Update Point is a new role, this is what handles the patching synchronization between your SMS servers, Microsoft, and companies that supply custom updates through Microsoft. This role is installed on a server that has WSUS 3.0 installed, the WSUS server can be a local or remote sever to your site server, but WSUS must be installed prior to installing the role, hence selecting the role...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, News, SCCM 2007

New Version of SCCM 2007 Beta 2 Availabe on Connect

On Connect there appears to be a new version of SCCM 2007 it is labeled build 5578, and release date of yesterday. I haven't used SCCM in seveal months and don't recall the build number and haven't seen this confirmed anywhere yet. Main page here , and main Connect page here . As Rod points out , as we closer to MMS you can expect a flood of new SCCM and SCOM information and downloads. Regards, Anthony Anthony Clendenen | Senior Technical Consultant | Microsoft Practices | Dimension Data “ Dimension...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Beta, News, TechNet, myITforum, SCCM 2007

Windows Vista Hardware Assessment Beta Program Now Available for Download

If you are planning on deploying Vista this is a tool for you. If you are doing it in house or for a customer this tool will tell you if your hardware is Vista ready or not. It works without installing an agent and runs from a single, centralized server. It scans your network and evaluates the hardware for Vista readiness. For those computers that are on the network but are not Vista ready it recommends specific hardware upgrades that need to get them Vista ready. This is a beta, but it is a public...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Tools, Beta, Vista, News

SMS 2003 SP3 - Initial Impressions

A coworker of mine in Australia, Brian T., has taken a look at the beta of SP3 and his hopes were not met. Below you will find his review. Thanks again Brian! The open beta only has the following: · A snapshot of the AssetMetrix database · Extended WMI classes for improved inventory · Additional reports What it doesn’t have is more important: · No method of inputting license information into the system · No automatic reconciliation of license information · No hardware lease tracking capability You...  ... Read the full post or  the first comment. Filed under: SMS 2003, Beta

Network Montior 3 Open Beta

To enroll in the beta go to connect . Original source: sniffer, Network Monitor, is coming back. Network Monitor 2.1 is included as optional component in every Windows installation but has a severe limitation: it cannot put the network interface in promiscous mode, preventing capture of all packets passing on the cable (to have a full version of Network Monitor 2.1 you have to buy Microsoft System Management Server (SMS)). Upcoming Network Monitor 3 will offer several new features and will finally...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Tools, Beta, News, Microsoft

Get IE7 to Work on Any Site

This utility will tell sites that you are running IE6 instead of 7 to make sites that do not function with 7 work [better]. I have not started using IE7 yet, but I think I am the only IT person on the planet that hasn’t. I like IE6 with the live tool bar. Original source: Spyware Sucks : IE7: User Agent String Utility Tool V.2 . '> Listen to this article  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: Tools, Beta, Microsoft

Microsoft Codename Max

This is a pretty cool twist on the picture sharing trend. It requires .NET Framework 3 RC to run so I haven’t been able to check it out. Original source: What is Max? Microsoft® Codename Max is your opportunity to try a new, exciting experience from Microsoft. Today Max lets you make beautiful photo slideshows to share with your family and friends. You can also use the newsreader to keep up with the latest news updates from around the world. Microsoft Codename Max . '> Listen to this...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: et. all, Beta, Microsoft

Save As PDF for Office 2007

Original source: Add-ins: Save As PDF for Office 2007 & Inline Search for Internet Explorer By Nathan Weinberg First off, Amit Agarwal writes that Microsoft has delivered the promised Save As PDF plugin for Office 2007. Rather than face years of legal battles with Adobe, Microsoft agreed to remove the native ability for Office 2007 programs to save documents as PDF or XPS files, so long as they could make the functionality available as a plugin. Those plugins are now available at microsoft.com...  ... Read the full post or  the first comment. Filed under: Beta, News, Microsoft

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