Windows 2003 Hotfixes Available

Alexander Muse , February 27, 2007

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Arian noted that Windows 2003 post SP2 hotfixes appearing in KB’s. He wonders is SP2 is gold then. Well no, it is not yet done, but it is in RC stage, so no more fixes get in the SP. Bug fixes that are now made will be part of SP3, but I’m sure by then MS decides to cancel SP3 and come up with some crappy roll-up pack.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931310

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931134

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931311

[via]

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Windows Vista: Not ready for prime time!

Alexander Muse , February 27, 2007

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Turns out lots of folks think Vista isn’t ready for wide release. Chris Pirillo said, “Windows Vista Im’breaking up with you. No, seriously. When I know I have time, I’m “upgrading” from Windows Vista to Windows XP.”

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Work at Architel, Get Fit Too!

Alexander Muse , February 26, 2007

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Starting today Architel employees have access to a new, state-of-the-art gym. Check it out if you have some time:

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Exchange 2007 SP1

Alexander Muse , February 24, 2007

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According to the Exchange blog:

Standby Continuous Replication (SCR)

For such a great feature, we obviously needed a new name!

With Exchange 2007, we introduced Clustered Continuous Replication (CCR) for replication of data between 2 servers within a cluster within the same datacenter. With SCR, data replicates to a non-clustered server in a remote datacenter. If the primary datacenter becomes unavailable, the standby replica in the second datacenter is readily available to be activated.

Mobility

We’ll have new policies for:

• Enforcing encryption of main memory contents on device
• Enforcing which applications are allowed/blocked from running on the device
• Enforcing networking capabilities: disable wifi, Bluetooth, infrared, external storage
• Enforcing communication capabilities: disable SMS, MMS, POP/IMAP, disable camera

OWA

SP1 will fill in the feature holes that we just didn’t have time to complete by RTM:

• Personal distribution lists
• S/MIME
• Rules
• Monthly calendar view
• Deleted items recovery

OWA 2007 SP1 spell checking will add support for:

• Arabic
• Korean

OWA 2007 SP1 will add support for viewing Office 2007 file formats as HTML.

Exchange Management Console

SP1 will fill in the GUI holes that we just didn’t have time to complete by RTM, including:

• Public folder configuration
• POP and IMAP configuration
• SendAs permission configuration
• Delegation wizard scenarios

Web Services

New web service coverage will include:

• Public folder access
• Delegate management
• Folder permission management

IPv6

On Longhorn Server, we will support Exchange 2007 on native IPv6 networks.

Move Mailbox

This vital tool administrator tool has been beefed up to include import and export to a .pst

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Google having a hard time fighting spam. . .

Alexander Muse , February 22, 2007

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For a time it seemed like Gmail was immune to spam, but everyone and I mean everyone is starting to notice more and more Gmail spam.

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Upgrading BIOS on 64-bit machines

Alexander Muse , February 22, 2007

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So here, for your reading enjoyment, is the Definitive Guide to creating a Windows Vista Bootable USB Key. You’ll need a key with a minimum of 256MB to make this happen.

1. Download and install the Windows Automated Installation Kit.
2. If the key is not already formatted FAT32, then do so.
3. Copy everything in the “C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\x86″ directory (except for the “EFI” folder, ESPECIALLY if you only have a 256MB key) to the root of the key. This is IMPORTANT. “bootmgr” must be in the root, and “boot” muse be a 1st level folder.
4. Open an Administrative command prompt, navigate to the USB key, and run “bootsect /nt60 X:”, where X is the letter of the USB key. This will initialize the Vista boot loader on the USB key.
5. Create a folder on the USB key for the 32-bit Windows-based flash utility, and copy all the BIOS files to it.
6. Make sure there is at least 64MB of free space left on the key. If there is not, redo steps 2-5 on a bigger key.
7. Reboot your computer to the BIOS settings menu and adjust the settings so you can boot to the USB key.
8. Reboot again, and select the USB key as your boot device.
9. After several minutes, you’ll be presented with the Aurora background and a command prompt. Drive X is the WinPE environment. Your USB key will be the next in line after your hard drives and DVD, respectively. Navigate to the Windows flashing executable, and run it.

If you have a bigger key, you can add other utilities to it, as long as they are stand-alone apps. I’m still working on an easy tutorial for installing a full-fledged copy of Vista to a microdrive. One of the biggest frustrations I’ve had with Vista x6 has been with updating the BIOS on my Ferrari 5000. BIOS providers haven’t realized that BIOS upgrades happen on 64-bit machines too, and have apparently been in a a hole for the last 5 years. I tried a whole bunch of things, including downloading 3 separate DOS-based flashers by Phoenix Technologies. When my Windows 98-based USB boot keys didn’t work, I knew I’d have to bring out the big guns. More on that later. [via]

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Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool

Alexander Muse , February 22, 2007

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Roland suggests, “The Windows Memory Diagnostic tests the Random Access Memory (RAM) on your computer for errors. The diagnostic includes a comprehensive set of memory tests. If you are experiencing problems while running Windows, you can use the diagnostic to determine whether the problems are caused by failing hardware, such as RAM or the memory system of your motherboard.”

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

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Source for old versions of Symantec

Alexander Muse , February 22, 2007

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Brian discovered that anytime we need get an update or an older version we can go to https://fileconnect.symantec.com then put in the serial number, and be taken to all the current downloadable versions.

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Microsoft DST Errors (Daylight Savings Time Tool Update)

Alexander Muse , February 22, 2007

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Trisha noted, “If users, who are affected by the DST update, call complaining that their all day appointments are now scheduled for 1AM to 1AM, you’ll need to install the following tool:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA102086071033.aspx

The following from William Lefkovics:

Daylight Savings Time (DST) Tool Update

I have been avoiding saying anything about the DST update process for Exchange, mostly because it is challenging to hit a moving target.

But I think today, we may be where we need to be to get this adjustment implemented on Exchange servers. Version 2.0 of the Exchange Calendar Update tool has been posted to the Microsoft download site. This one addresses resource mailboxes more effectively, with the Outlook tool, described in KB 931667, as a prerequisite. It has a couple of added command line options and manages public folder changes as well.

Look for KB 930879 How to address daylight savings time with the Exchange Calendar Update tool to be updated today.

Be wary of using internet searches and finding solutions prior to this version of the tool. I think the best resource for the process has come from the horse’s mouth, namely the Exchange Team blog, including videos on implementing the tool.

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Ironport Spam System Tweaking

Alexander Muse , February 22, 2007

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