You can help save Windows XP
Alexander Muse , April 29, 2008
InfoWorld has an online petition to help save XP. I would recommend everyone take a minute to fill it out here. Other posts on the topic including:
Microsoft
Remote Server Admin for Vista
Alexander Muse , April 28, 2008
Remote server administrator tools for Vista SP1 have been released in ALL server languages:
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Language |
X86 |
X64 |
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German |
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Japanese |
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Spanish |
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French |
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Chinese |
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Italian |
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Chinese - Taiwan |
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Chinese – Hong Kong |
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Russian |
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Korean |
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Portuguese |
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Dutch |
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Swedish |
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Portuguese |
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Polish |
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Turkish |
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Czech |
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Hungarian |
Windows CoreConfigurator
Alexander Muse , April 28, 2008
Steve Bink is excited about the CoreConfigurator GUI. He also points out the irony of the effort - ‘the whole point of Server Core is a cut down version of Server OS without the overhead of GUI’ and yet he explains,
…there is more-or-less predefined set of tasks that you need to do in order to get the installation of Server Core up and running (activation, IP and firewall configuration, domain join, feature installation, configuration of Remote Desktop and etc…). All the tasks are performed at command line, but there is no single utility/interface and for each task you need to know what command to use and what are the parameters required in order to complete the task.
The features of CoreConfigurator:
- Product Activation
- Configuration of display resolution
- Clock and time zone configuration
- Remote Desktop configuration
- Management of local user accounts (creation, deletion, group membership, passwords)
- Firewall configuration
- WinRM configuration
- IP configuration
- Computer name and domain/workgroup membership
- Installation of Server Core features/roles
Download it here.
Dell helps businesses avoid Vista
Alexander Muse , April 27, 2008
Even if you have to purchase Vista on your new PC from HP or Dell, Dell has an option for its clients to ‘protect business customers’ right not to use Vista‘. According to Scott Fulton,
A recent revision to Dell’s policy for business PC customers lets them take full and open advantage of an apparent loophole in Microsoft’s operating system licensing, though they’ll pay full price for it: Assuming Microsoft goes forth with its plan to discontinue sale of all versions of Windows XP after June 30, Dell will still enable its business customers who purchase Windows Vista Business or Vista Professional to exercise certain “downgrade rights” and have Windows XP Professional installed instead.In other words, a business purchasing new computers from Dell and that already own licensed copies of XP Professional can have that version installed on new systems, provided they go ahead and purchase Vista anyway.
Customers will receive factory support for XP Professional when they elect to have Dell pre-install it for them on new systems — provided, of course, they’re already XP licensees. The company will also officially support Vista even if it’s not pre-installed, which most likely means it will provide assistance to customers when (or if) they choose to upgrade.
The stand-alone version of Service Pack 3 for Windows XP went live for MSDN subscribers on Wednesday. It should be downloadable by the general public this coming Tuesday.
“Dell has the ability to exercise ‘Windows Vista downgrade rights’ on your behalf in the factory if your business is still reliant upon Windows XP and you’d prefer to have Windows XP Professional preinstalled on your PCs,” reads its amended policy page on Windows XP. “Downgrade Rights means that anyone with a Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate operating system can downgrade to Windows XP Professional provided they have the media for Windows XP Professional.”
XP Wins! (Vista died today)
Great news: Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer, indicated to day that, “if you want XP, we’ll keep XP!” This is great news for businesses who have delayed switching to the bug-riddled Vista operating system. We are recommending that our clients wait for Windows 7 due out next year as a replacement for XP.
Windows Server 2008
Shannon Barrett , April 23, 2008
Recently several of our clients have contacted us because they have received Windows Server 2008 disks in the mail from Microsoft and they’re not sure what to do with them. In most cases this software is sent to clients who are currently using Windows Server 2003 as part of the Microsoft Software Assurance program.
Unless there is a significant business need compelling you to upgrade we recommend that most clients wait until Windows Server 2008 SP1 has been released, otherwise you can simply store those CD’s for now.
