Aaron Tiensivu's Blog

Thanks to the author of the program leaving a note on my original HOWTO blog post on custom presence. You can check out the program here.

If you are unsure of what I am talking about, read my original post.

Two worldwide FCS promotions in Open & Select:
25% off FCS Subscriptions
35% off FCS Subscriptions for SMS/SCCM Customers

Your LAR (Large Account Reseller - someone like CDW) will have information on the promotion including part numbers. The promotion ends July 31st, 2008.

Full details can be found in the Promotion Data Sheet.

Originally spotted here.

A quick post which takes advantage of a new Windows 2008 Server feature to workaround the lack of tools available today.

Need to admin your Server 2008 Server from Vista? Publish the Server Manager and/or MMC from the server as a RemoteApp.

I know a lot of you might be thinking, "Thanks Captain Obvious" but it can come in handy if you haven't thought about it. It also works for Server Core installs.

The only caveat I can think of is that I think you might need a Terminal Service license to do this for longer than 120 days.

The Administration Tools Pack allows administrators to install the Windows Server 2003 SP2 management tools onto a computer running Windows XP Professional or a Windows Server 2003 family operating system to perform remote server management functions.

Although it doesn't seem to mention what has changed in this release, it was updated on 1/14/08. It also notes that this is the final version, which makes me wonder if this is the last release they will do, especially considering the direction that Windows 2008 is going with RSAT (remote server administration tools)/etc.

You can download the updated x86 version here and the x64 version here.

You can read about the known issues here. Unfortunately, it looks like they still haven't added 'official' support for Vista.

Hopefully I will be posting more later this week. I have a backlog of goodies but no time to post them. This entry was actually written a few days ago.

Microsoft headsets and webcams are optimized for Windows Live Messenger through the Call Button. Until now, there has not been a simple means to configure the Call Button to start Office Communicator. The goal of the Call Button Integration Support kit is to change that.

By setting a Group Policy (or registry setting) and installing the kit, Microsoft headsets and webcams can be set up to start Office Communicator instead of Windows Live Messenger.

The kit is intended for use by workgroup or enterprise administrators in organizations that are using Office Communications Server 2007 and Office Communicator 2007.

The kit enables an organization-wide change in the configuration of Microsoft LifeChat (headset) and LifeCam (webcam) software so that the Call Buttons on the headsets and webcams start Office Communicator instead of Windows Live Messenger.

This kit requires the following Microsoft Hardware Product versions:
LifeChat v1.2 (headsets)
LifeCam v1.4 (webcams)

This kit requires Office Communicator 2007. Earlier versions of Office Communicator are not supported.

Download the kit here.

Originally spotted here.

WebGuide for Windows Home Server enables you to remotely access, listen, watch and stream your music, photos and videos stored on your home server while away from home.

1. Integrates with Windows Home Server remote website via homepage link and single-sign on.
2. Access your photos with thumbnails, "zoom" and EXIF-data.
3. Browse your music library and listen to it via the web.
4. Stream your videos/movies at multiple resolutions and bit-rates.
5. Mobile access to your music and videos from Windows Mobile devices.

Download it here.

Originally spotted here.

You can download it here.

This is the v.744 build I was talking about the other day. I will be posting more soon hopefully. Last week and this week have been very hectic, to say the least.

Now we just need more driver writers to adopt 64-bit Windows. Download it from here using a web browser that identifies itself correctly as a 64-bit browser, such as the 64-bit version of Internet Explorer.

If you want to download the 64-bit version directly without relying on the problematic website detection routine, grab the new 64-bit edition directly from here.

Mild rant: I hate websites that to try be clever and do not let you manually specify what version of a program you want to download. I know it tends to make it easier for end users but there are many times when I am on a 32-bit OS and need to download a 64-bit program.

Update: A reader named Mark left an excellent link in the comments page of this blog that shows how to install iTunes and iPhone support on Windows XP 64-bit. I really wish Windows XP 64-bit had better support when it was launched because I suspect we'd have more Vista and Windows 2008 64-bit drivers by now.

Curious how to interpret the "v.744" tacked onto the end of the version you see when you run winver?



Take that number, and add 16384 to it. So, for the Vista SP1 RC Refresh, it is build 17128.

I heard this interview on NPR the other day and found it interesting. It explains why $39.99/month cell phone deals end up being $72/month cell phone deals. Unfortunately, the FTC has much less staff than it used to a few decades and deals with many more issues these days. Basically, the consumer is left to fend for themselves.

The update was made to allow for the Windows Sidebar to perform the following actions:

1. Generate unique identifiers for all gadgets that run in the Windows Sidebar
2. Receive a list of known vulnerable gadgets from Microsoft by using Windows Update
3. Stop a gadget from running in the Windows Sidebar if the gadget has been determined to be vulnerable
4. Stop a gadget from being installed if the gadget has been determined to be vulnerable

The list of known vulnerable gadgets is released by Microsoft on the Windows Update Web page in the Windows Sidebar Protection update. The update prevents vulnerable gadgets from being installed or from running if the gadget is already installed.

You can read more about the update here, and download the update here.

If you are going to this event, and see a guy that looks like the picture in the upper right hand corner of my website, say Hi.

I'm excited to be going because it will be the first demo of Forefront codename Stirling, plus I can pick the brains of the Microsoft folks.

It looks like some people inside MS are talking about it here too.

If you go to the Black Crowes website here, you can listen to the new single Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution.

Although I won't hotlink the song, if you put http://www.blackcrowes.com/ into your browser and then added gdotr.mp2 to the end of it, it might actually download the song that would normally play in the Flash code of the website.

Just saying..

And based on the ID3v2 title, it looks like it is the radio edit version, so hopefully there is an actual guitar solo on the album version of the song!

I like the song quite a bit.

These commands assume administrative rights on the PC.

To temporarily disable the PC Speaker beep:
net stop beep

To disable the PC Speaker beep for good (until you undo this setting):
sc config beep start= disabled

So, if you are bothered right now by PC Speaker beeps and want them to go away even after a reboot, run net stop beep and then run sc config beep start= disabled.

The space between start= and disabled is required.

The most noteworthy item, to me, is x64 support for the Connector software. There are plenty of other cool additions too. Read more about it here.