Windows OS

Good to have around when Visual Studio 2008 applications start coming out in full force.
Download: x86 / x64 / ia64

As noted here, the Windows 2008 certification tests are starting to trickle out. These are the non-upgrade type of exams, i.e. not an upgrade exam from MCSE 2003 to MCSE 2008. To a certain extent, MCSE 2008 doesn't really exist.

Tests available now:
70-640: TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring
70-642: TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring
70-643: TS: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuring

Beta exam period runs: November 27, 2007– December 21, 2007

Want to take them for free during the beta exam period? Register at Prometric's website.

Use these codes
70-640: B640
70-642: 642J
70-643: J643

Please let me know what you think of the 70-642 and 70-643 exams.
I want to know. I have my reasons.

Note: During beta, the tests are listed as 71- instead of 70- on Prometric's site.

Want to pass? Learn Server 2008 inside and out.

Great little app that is best described as a cross between Apple's Expose (tiled windows) and Flip3d (because it uses Aero and can replace the [Win]-Tab shortcut easily).

Not sure what I am talking about? Then take a look at the screenshot here.

You can download Switcher from here.

Since 2001, almost every laptop and desktop system that I use on a day to day basis does not use the default mouse cursors that come with Windows XP and Vista.

I have always used the XsX alpha-blended cursors because:
#1 The cursors change color based on the action performed (Normal/Link Select/Etc)
#2 They are easy on the eyes, professional looking, and most importantly, easy to locate on a laptop LCD.
#3 They work well on Citrix and Terminal Server sessions with low color depth.

Screenshot of the XsX cursors


Original screenshot of all the cursors


Unfortunately, locating and using this cursor set is hard to do in 2007 for the following reasons:
#1 All the links (1 and 2) on XsX's Deviant Art page have expired long ago.
#2 The original ZIP file XsX-winxpstylecursors2.0.zip requires you to create a mouse scheme on your system, and select each cursor manually.
#3 The Windows 9x/ME/2000 non-alpha-blended cursors are even harder to find online.

Solution:
Today, I created a self-extracting .EXE that includes .INF files that will automatically copy and register the correct cursors for ease-of-use. Simply double click the .EXE and extract the files into a temporary folder.

For Windows XP, Vista and Server 2008
With administrator rights, from the extracted temporary folder, go into XsX-alphablendedcursors folder and right click the XsX-alphablendedcursors-Install.inf file and select Install. Press [Win]-[R] and type control main.cpl into the Run dialog and press [Enter]. Click on the Pointers tab and select XsX - Alpha Blended Cursors from the Scheme dropdown list. Click OK and enjoy!

For Windows 95, 98, ME, and 2000 (currently untested)
From the extracted temporary folder, go into XsX-normalcursors folder and right click the XsX-normalcursors-Install.inf file and select Install. Press [Win]-[R] and type control main.cpl into the Run dialog and press [Enter]. Click on the Pointers tab and select XsX - Normal Cursors from the Scheme dropdown list. Click OK and enjoy

If you missed the .EXE link above, you can download the package here.

Update: I remade the .EXE so that it no longer requires the C++ runtime (msvcr71.dll). I plan on making a .MSI soon.

Update 2: Go here for the latest version. It is now a full blown installation package.

Service Pack 1 for .NET Framework 2.0 and 3.0 is out.

Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 1 provides cumulative roll-up updates for customer reported issues found after the release of Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. In addition, this release provides security improvements, and prerequisite feature support for .NET Framework 3.0 Service Pack 1, and .NET Framework 3.5.

Download 2.0 SP1 x86 here.
Download 2.0 SP1 x64 here.
Download 3.0 SP1 here.

Windows Home Server will automatically backup your home computers to the home server and allow you to easily restore the entire computer or an individual file or folder to a previous point in time. The Windows Home Server Backup solution backs up only the data that has not already been backed up. This makes it efficient in the time it takes for backups to complete and the amount of space that is used on your home server.

Read more about the backup and restore functionality here.

Not only is there fine-grained password control, there is also enhanced auditing.

Vista and 2008 now support granular auditing, meaning that instead of a couple large categories you can specify very specific elements to be audited. The advantage here is that instead of turning on Object Access auditing then wading through miles of chaff, you can get something as specific as just network file share usage information, or just account lockouts, or just process creation. To see all your options execute (from an elevated CMD prompt):

auditpol /list /subcategory:*
This will return all the new categories and subcategories.

A good in-depth article, which the above paragraph came from, about it can be found here.

The Windows SteadyState 2.5 Beta supporting Windows Vista is now available for testing. Whether you manage computers in a school computer lab or an Internet cafe, a library, or even in your home, Windows SteadyState helps make it easy for you to keep your computers running the way you want them to.

Jaime Travez let me know about this and it is worth passing on.

WSUS 3.0 administrators take note - if your WSUS servers error out today or tomorrow, read this article here.

If you are looking for a (sort of) quick unofficial workaround, go here.

It makes me wonder about WSUS's SQL sanitizing overall if something as simple as this could break the application. Makes me wonder about SQL injection and other 'bad' things that might be able to run.

I suspect/expect an official fix will come out soon.

Update - 11/13/07 12:30am EST: It looks like they are fixing it.

This is pretty much what I did with my Thinkpad T60 a few months ago, although I am crippled with a Core Duo and not a Core 2 Duo, so I could not get any 64-bit goodness. I have been looking at eBay auctions of Core 2 Duo chips and they are very tempting, especially around Christmas time.

Anyway, if you want a very nice step by step install guide for 64-bit Vista with newer Thinkpads, check out the article here.

About the only thing I do differently is keep the amount of Lenovo add-on applications to a minimum. I don't use the Lenovo update program. I also scour the series of tubes of the internet for newer wireless and wired network drivers. I have the ATI X1400 chipset, which means I need to use Mobility Modder on the newer releases to keep ahead of Lenovo. It is pretty much essential if you want decent graphics performance.

The last thing I do, especially due to having two SATA hard drives in my laptop, is install the Intel Matrix AHCI/RAID drivers, which are now up to v7.8.0.1012.

If you have used BDD 2007, you should check out Microsoft Deployment. It is the next gen version of BDD 2007. It is also incredibly handy when doing DDPS (Desktop Deployment Professional Services) engagements for Microsoft EA/SA customers.

What's new? A lot.

As noted here, integration with SCCM 2007 and more.

Microsoft Deployment also enhances the Lite Touch Installation (LTI) for deploying desktops and servers. This release allows LTI users to:

1. Deploy pre-release versions of Windows Server 2008, including support for Server Core.
2. Automate server role definition using Server Manager.
3. Configure disk and network interface cards (NICs), including static TCP/IP configuration.
4. Migrate from LTI to Configuration Manager 2007.
5. Create custom task sequences or modify task sequences based on new templates for: Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 and a replace scenario template.
6. Invoke Web service calls from rules.
7. Deploy operating system images using the new multicast feature in Windows Server 2008 Windows Deployment Services.

You can grab it here.

It is still free too.