Keep Up With Technology the Easy Way

Windows 7 Enterprise 90-day Trial            

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9701662

Download the Windows Server 2008 R2 Trial Software   

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9701666

Evaluate Forefront Server Security Management Console today  

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9701670

Download Microsoft System Center Essentials 2010 Beta Today  

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9701674

Evaluate System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 today  

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9701678

Evaluate Windows HPC Server 2008       

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9701682

Tip:  Next TechNet Event, we will show you how to create the Ultimate Test Environment so this post will help you get familiar with some of the tools we will use.

Virtualization Event Coming Soon to EVERYWHERE!

The event will take place on Friday, February 12, 2010.  It is a live event being simulcast to multiple locations.  It will also be recorded and made available online a few days after the event.  You do have to register to attend and to download the event. 

All the details and registration are outlined on the registration page(s).  There are multiple Live locations so watch the links for tickets to the the location you want to attend.  

More details can be found on the Virtualization Group Boston Home Page or the Deep Dive Day Landing Page. 

Though this is a community event and run completely by volunteers, they sure are doing things right.  From the great speaker and topic lineup to the online element and simulcast they have thought of everything.  Of course as you would expect at any community event, they will have plenty of stuff to give out to the attendees.  They are serving lunch and will likely have snacks as well.  Then at the end of the day, they have a bunch of stuff to be handed out for drawing prizes.

Check out the pictures of the drawing prize table so far…  They will have a Windows Server 2008 R2 with 5 Client Access Licenses, Windows 7 Ultimate, Office 2007 Standard, Xbox 360 Game Console, Zune Docking Station, some Xbox games and accessories, many, many books, T-shirts, hats, backpacks, and lots more to come.  Not all locations will have all prizes but rest assured, there will be plenty of giveaways at the LIVE events!

What Others Are Saying 

A sampling of the feedback from last year's event:

• "These guys were excellent presenters"
• "Usefull->Quite Intense, Lots of material covered"
• "HUGE SUCCESS, Every speaker was great.  How does any UG follow up this great day?"
• "The best IT User Group Event in years!"
• "This was an AWESOME EVENT!  Great job guys!"
• "This was a fantastic day - Thank you for all of your hard work and enthusiasm."
• "Thanks very much for a great event!"
• "Excellent Event!"

So go out right now and register:

New York City, Waltham MA, and Online registration is here.  The St. Louis Mo registration is here.   The Calgary Canada registration is here.  

Just to show you a few of the great sessions…

Virtualization 2020: The Future of Virtualization (Dan Stolts and Paul Thurrott)

In this session Dan Stolts and Paul Thurrott will tag team to bring you a glimpse of the past and a vision for the future. Virtualization is the basis for computing going forward.  We will take a short look at the massive changes that have happened in the technology industry and more specifically the virtualization space. We will then look into the crystal ball to see where things are going.  We will look at progressions of existing technologies like server virtualization, application virtualization, storage virtualization, desktop virtualization, IPv6 and a whole lot more.  Then we grab a sneak peek at some technologies that are on the drawing boards to see what we should expect in the coming decade.  We will look at what may be the next big breakout technology and show how Virtualization grows up in the decade to come by bringing the world of consumers into the space.  In a nutshell, we will show you why, in the not so distant future, almost everything will encompass virtualization. 

Microsoft XP Mode (Blain Barton)

In this session, Microsoft's own Blain Barton will explore the Windows 7 add-on feature known as "XP Mode".

Although this is not an official hands-on lab In this session, you may bring your Windows 7 Machine (Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate only) and Blain will walk you through the process of setting up windows XP mode and getting it working on your computer.  In order for XP-Mode to work, your computer must have hardware virtualization built in.   We will have a DVD with all the files you need so you just need to bring your Windows 7 LAPTOP.  (Laptops only please). 

Perceived Performance in a Virtual World (Tim Mangan)

Tim Mangan created the concept of "Perceived Performance" in his ground-breaking whitepaper of the same name in 2003.  That work, which looked at the impact, causes, and measurement of performance in a remote world (then Terminal Services/Citrix) is now updated to include the effects of Server/Desktop Virtualization and new technology in general.
In this session, you will learn how performance issues affect users perception of performance in ways that the "traditional texts" on performance do not address.

Then we will review the latest test results for performance impacts of using Hyper-V, XenServer, and Esx/VSphere for Terminal Server and VDI loads.

The Economics of Desktop Virtualization (Doug Lane)

Based on work with IDC, Join Senior Director Doug Lane of Virtual Computer as he dives into the art of cost and savings analysis when it comes to Virtualization projects.  Organizations of all sizes are now realizing the many cost-saving benefits of server virtualization, but for many the business case for desktop virtualization is less clear.  The total cost of ownership (TCO) advantages of desktop virtualization versus traditional approaches are very real, but it unlike server virtualization it has little to do with hardware costs and everything to do with operational efficiencies and improved security posture.  In "The Economics of Desktop Virtualization," Doug Lane of Virtual Computer will discuss the key TCO considerations when exploring a desktop virtualization initiative, including an in-depth review of the traditional PC management approaches, server-based virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) models, and emerging client-side desktop virtualization technologies.

There is a whole lot more…

Take a look at the complete lineup.  I am impressed!

Waltham, MA

New York, NY and Ontario

St. Louis, MO

Calgary, Albert, Canada

Registration Information… Friday, February 12, 2010:

New York City, Waltham MA, and Online registration is here.  The St. Louis Mo registration is here.   The Calgary Canada registration is here.  

PS. I heard a rumor that they may be doing something special for people that “bring a friend” so let’s help them get the word out. 

Tools to Build the Ultimate Virtual Test Network, Azure and Windows 7 Deployment All In One Great FREE TechNet Event near you!!

Interested in Windows Azure, Hyper-V or Windows 7 Deployment? Then sign-up for a FREE TechNet Event near you!!

Join your local TechNet Events team for a lively tour of the latest tools and resources for IT Pros. We’ll start with an overview of Windows Azure, and explore how you can use this high-performance hosted platform to build customer-facing applications and add horsepower to your computing infrastructure. Next, we’ll look at all the tools and techniques available for building virtual environments in Hyper-V version 2.0, then finish the day by demonstrating how to simplify your Windows 7 deployments. TechNet Events are free, live learning sessions packed with hands-on technical content.

If you live on the east coast check the table below for cities and dates, otherwise click HERE for complete listing of all US cities.

Note:  If you register and attend this event, you will be placed in a raffle to win a chance to bring home one (1) free copy of Windows 7 – you could be the lucky winner so register today!!!

What’s on the Agenda?

SESSION 1: The Next Wave: Windows Azure

The future of highly available, high-performance, secure, dynamically scalable, hosted computing is here.  It’s Microsoft’s new online service computing platform: Windows Azure.  In this session, we’ll discuss and demonstrate the basics of Windows Azure and how you can leverage it in your work.  We’ll show you real-world examples of how companies are using Azure today and help you think about applying it for customer-facing applications, or to quickly and dynamically add horsepower to your own computing infrastructure.  We’ll also touch on the exciting future of the platform – including what you can expect to see in the coming months and years.

SESSION 2:  Hyper-V: Tools to Build the Ultimate Virtual Test Network

Windows Server 2008 R2 and Hyper-V version 2.0 provide a powerful base upon which you can build a highly realistic, effective test bed for servers, clients, and networks. In this session, you’ll learn how to use the resources of a TechNet subscription, Windows Server 2008R2, Hyper-V, and a new, free sysinternals tool called Disk2vhd, to build the ultimate test or training environment.  We’ll show you how to import existing virtual machines and export virtual hard disks. You’ll see how to take point-in-time snapshots, and to build snapshot hierarchies that allow you to move both backward and forward to specific points in the time.  We’ll also demonstrate how to create a virtual machine from a running physical machine, and then import that VHD into Hyper-V.  By the end of this session, you’ll have a solid understanding of the tools and techniques currently available for building a great virtual environment in Hyper-V.   The Secret to Success is in the software

SESSION 3: Automating Your Windows 7 Deployment with MDT 2010

Deploying Windows 7 is easy if you’re using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010.  This session will walk you through the various tools that can help simplify your deployments.  We’ll drill down in the MDT Workbench and look at how the MDT process helps you create a reference image, which can then be easily deployed to the target computers.  We’ll look at how to configure the deployment environment, show how you can add operating systems, applications, drivers, and language packs using the Deployment Workbench, and then finish up by creating a task-sequenced deployment to a target computer.

Find a city near you and sign-up today!!!!

Get a NEW TechNet Plus Subscription with Windows 7 now and save 28%

TechNet Subscription Discount Code TMITE5 Starting Monday Jan 18th!

Windows 7 is here. Get a new TechNet Plus Subscription with Windows 7 now and save 28%. With the Subscription, you can evaluate over 70 full-version Microsoft software titles like Windows 7 without time or feature limits.  But hurry!  Offer ends 3/31/10.

This offer is only for TechNet Plus Direct NEW orders only and is only valid for redemption in US.  This offer is valid from 01/18/10 to 03/31/10, subject to change”

Go to the TechNet Subscription Center and use the code TMITE5 to get your savings.

As many of you know I present at TechNet and other live events around the country (mostly in the northeast). I've found that many of you already have a TechNet subscription and it has become your best friend.  However, some have not found this incredible program so here is your introduction to it... 

Check out what the subscription gives you!!!:

• Full-version software for evaluation - without time limits – including Microsoft operating systems, servers, and Office System software.
• Pre-release versions of Microsoft operating systems, servers and business applications.
• Complete access to a technical information library including knowledge base articles, resource kits, technical training, and security updates.
• Two (2) technical support calls and a 20% discount on additional phone support incidents to help you quickly resolve mission-critical technical issues.
• Unlimited managed newsgroup support and online concierge chat to provide the extra assistance you need to be successful.
• A free subscription to TechNet Magazine with hands-on information for the IT Professional.

See TechNet subscription for more information

New Subscriptions

Now, with this discount save $97.72 and get it for $251.28.

What if I already have a subscription?

Renewals are already automatically discounted, but please enter the code for referral purposes.

Go to the TechNet Subscription Center and use the code TMITE5 to get your savings.

More useful information...

Return on Investment with TechNet Plus

According to a recent case study, TechNet Plus provided the average business with a savings of approximately $7,095. When you break it down, that's an average of $4,313 saved in IT support, $1,158 saved with software evaluation, and $1,624 saved in IT career development. Find out more.

What Customers are Saying about TechNet Plus

• “TechNet Plus saves us a lot of time and helps keep our sanity.”—Renessen IT Department
• “TechNet Plus shows us what’s been tried and helps us stretch the idea further for our clients.”—EDS Microsoft Consulting Group
• “A TechNet Plus subscription gives our staff confidence because it provides the right answer—and quickly. We use its resources daily, and that’s saved us real money.”—Bill Brower, Network Operations Manager, Monroe County
• “With a TechNet Plus subscription, I find a guaranteed answer quickly. And it’s not just any answer—it’s an answer from the people who made the product.”—Jonathan Maltz, Senior Consultant, VisualWin.Com Consulting

Action Item...

Go to the TechNet Subscription Center and use the code TMITE5 to get your savings.

Help for Haiti

As I have seen the horrible pictures coming from Haiti, I have been wondering what I can do to help.  You want to help but you want to have some confidence that the help you send goes to people that will actually help the situation on the ground.  To this end, I would like to share with you an outlet that will allow you to help.  One of my good friends Esther has recently spent some time over there and she has some wisdom we can all use.  Please see her blog post and give if you can.

In advance, thank you for whatever you can do. 

http://www.monafoundation.org/give.htm

Community Virtualization Deep Dive Day 2010 Registration Is OPEN

With the New Year, comes a new Community Virtualization Deep Dive Day.  The event will take place on Friday, February 12, 2010 for the live event and anytime and anywhere you like for the online download after the event.  This year, the Virtualization Community has an even better lineup than last year.  In addition, they will simulcast part of the event to other locations across the country so people in other locations can enjoy the show!  Not only that, but they have opened up registration for people to view the recorded sessions after the show and it is an incredible full day of Virtualization Technology Training for only $15.00  Take advantage of the early bird discount (Code EarlyBird) and it is only 10 bucks!

All the details and registration are outlined on the registration page(s).  There are multiple Live locations so watch the links for the location you want to attend.  

New York City, Waltham MA, and Online registration is here.  The St. Louis Mo registration is here.  Notice both of the early bird discount codes are already entered if you use the above links.  Discount ends on Jan 17 so register right away if you can.

More details can be found on the Virtualization Group Boston Home Page or the Deep Dive Day Landing Page. Take a look at this lineup!  I am impressed!

Waltham, MA

New York, NY

St. Louis, MO

Let’s help them get the word out. 

Also, I understand they are still looking for a speaker for the SCVMM session and still have a few sponsor positions open.  email them at deepdive @ virtg.com (remove spaces) for the details

DISM Step By Step-Using Deployment Image Servicing Management Tool

In this 13 min Video we take an inside look at DISM.  We walk through the steps to mount an image (WIM) file, enable features, add drivers, remove drivers and finally unmount the image. 
Do you want to keep up with technology while growing your sphere of influence?  Join Toolbox for IT and share and compare information with peers who have similar experiences.

Checkout other great videos from Dan Stolts at his Edge landing page.  You might want to checkout Dan's blog here.  In case you missed the discount code in the video you can get your 25% discount on a TechNet Software Subscription using TMSAM15 here!

Add Chart to Excel Using Office 2007 Plus Some Formula Discussion

In this short 5 mins video, we walk through a couple formulas and then add a chart to an existing Excel spreadsheet. Learn how to setup your worksheet to use formula's to show data then use the results of those formulas to show the data graphically.

Why would you want to add a chart? 
Well, you know a picture paints a thousand words (or more). Charting gives you the capability to show what is often very boring data in a graphical, eye appealing form.  Let's look at some samples of how you might use it.  In this presentation, I used it to create a graphical view of some data that was collected in evaluations.  Not many IT guys do evaluations.  However, you might find if you did your own surveys for your organization you would find some data you collect could allow you to greatly improve the service you offer to your customers.  What's that, you do not service customers? I beg to differ... Everyone in your organization is your customer.  In fact, I would expand that to suggest that not only everyone in your organization but also any partners and even in some cases vendors.  Really though, why does an IT person need charting.  Think about all the scenarios where your company uses excel spreadsheets or access databases, or any king of database for that matter.  Excel can connect to almost any data source and generate graphical rollups of data.  Ever tried to do a dump of your event logs and report on that.  What a mess that kind of data would be without looking at it in a chart format. How about when you need to go to the boss to get more money for a project that you want to implement.  Do you think you will have more success if you show him/her where the money is already going.  Will they understand that if they are just looking at data?  Probably not.  How about the number of service calls you get in a week or month.  How much time you spend on the phone instead of doing the "stuff" that really needs to be done.  Getting this data into a spreadsheet and showing what is going on graphically can make a mountain of difference in your ability to get more money, get more help, provide better service to your customers, evaluate vendor proposals and many, many, many more things.  So, happy charting... :)

Do you want to keep up with technology while growing your sphere of influence?  Check out Toolbox for IT where you can share and compare information with peers who have similar experiences.

Checkout other great videos from Dan Stolts at his Edge landing page.  You might want to checkout Dan's blog here. 

SharePoint Saturday Coming Back to Boston on Feb 27th 2010

After a successful event in March, SharePoint Saturday Boston is returning for a second run on February 27th at the Jones Road Microsoft Offices in Waltham, MA. 

This free, all-day event offers a chance to learn through a variety of sessions and plenty of networking with hundreds of fellow SharePoint professionals.

Follow @SPSBoston on Twitter for event updates.

Registration is coming soon.

Call for Speakers

The first event had a great lineup of speakers, with about 25 sessions on various SharePoint-related topics. 

If you’re interested in volunteering as a speaker, see the SharePoint Saturday Boston site for the submission form and contact details.

Mother Nature Not Cooperating For Waltham TechNet Virtualization Tour – You Can Catch The Content Online Next Week If You Prefer

Yung and I are at the Waltham office and ready to roll but if you cannot make it, we have some other options for you… :)

You can catch the same content online as a webcast presented by Thrive tomorrow or in an Online stream on the 14th.

ThriveLive! Online IT Professional Virtualization Tour

Join our IT Professional Evangelists Yung Chou, Dan Stolts, Blain Barton and John Baker, as they bring you the highlights of Microsoft’s great virtualization solutions. They will go from the desktop to the enterprise, starting with VHD native boot – a new feature for Windows® 7 and Windows Server® 2008 R2. Next, they will move into Windows XP mode, Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V™, and finish with System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM).

Registrations for IT Professionals: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9697801

Date/Time: Thursday, December 10, 2009 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)

Event Type: Online

If that does not work for you, try the live streaming of the Orlando event next week.

TechNet Events Presents: TechNet Unleashed: The Microsoft Virtualization Tour!

12/14/09 8:30 AM-12:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9698699

For those that do brave the weather… Fret not, I am onsite and ready to Roll!  See you in a few minutes?

TechNet Virtualization Tour Goes ONLINE With The Help Of Thrive

ThriveLive! Online IT Professional Virtualization Tour

Join our IT Professional Evangelists Yung Chou, Dan Stolts, Blain Barton and John Baker, as they bring you the highlights of Microsoft’s great virtualization solutions. They will go from the desktop to the enterprise, starting with VHD native boot – a new feature for Windows® 7 and Windows Server® 2008 R2. Next, they will move into Windows XP mode, Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V™, and finish with System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM).

Registrations for IT Professionals: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9697801

Date/Time: Thursday, December 10, 2009 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)

Event Type: Online

AGENDA…

Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V , Presenter:  Yung Chou, IT Professional Evangelist

It’s time to focus on enterprise with an overview of Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V. In this session, we’ll look at how to create virtual machines in Hyper-V and demonstrate how the

snapshot feature can easily revert the virtual machine to a previous state. You’ll come away from this session with a sold understanding of all the capabilities and new features in Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V.

VHD Native Boot , Presenter:  Dan Stolts, Sr. IT Professional Evangelist
We’ll kick off the afternoon by exploring VHD Native Boot, which is a new feature for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. VHD Native Boot can be used as the running operating system on designated hardware – without a parent operating system, virtual machine, or hypervisor. This is one of the best virtualization features to date for technology professionals of every kind – from enterprise to small and medium-size business pros and consultants

Windows XP Mode, Presenter:  Blain Barton, Sr. IT Professional Evangelist

With Windows XP Mode, it’s easy to install and run multiple Windows XP productivity applications directly from your Windows 7-based PC. Do you have application compatibility issues? Windows XP Mode can ease those compatibility headaches, because it gives you the best of both worlds. You can easily run older Windows XP business software – including web applications that require an old version of Internet Explorer® – while taking advantage of the many benefits of your Windows 7 desktop. This is a can’t-miss session for IT pros who juggle both new and established software and web applications.

System Center Virtual Machine Manager, Presenter:  John Baker, Sr. IT Professional Evangelist
Finally, no virtualization discussion is complete without a conversation about management. When it comes to managing virtual infrastructures, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 (SCVMM) is the best of the best. This member of the System Center family of system management products provides a straightforward, cost-effective solution for unified management of physical and virtual machines

Bring a Friend to a TechNet Event and win a copy of Configuring Windows 7

Bring a Friend to TechNet Unleashed: The Microsoft Virtualization Tour and win a copy of ‘Configuring Windows 7’ (oh yeah, your friend gets one too!)

Its EASY!

• When you register for either a TechNet Event or MSDN Roadshow, simply type your friend’s name in the Referral Code field.

•When you check in at the event, both you and your friend must be present and you will both receive a copy of a book. (MSDN will be a different book)

On the 2nd page of registration,  Look for the box to enter referral  Bring as many friends as you like but only one book per person :) 

If you already registered and you did not put a name in the referral code or you find someone to come after you registered, you can go back in and update your profile.  Check your email for your “My Microsoft Events” profile link.  You can also get there by going to http://msevents.microsoft.com and looking in the upper right corner for the click on the “Sign-in” for My Microsoft Events.  

A quick reminder of the event locations:

Event Date City, State

• 11/30/2009 Reston, VA
• 12/1/2009 Alpharetta, GA
• 12/2/2009 Rochester, NY *
• 12/3/2009 Charlotte, NC
• 12/7/2009 Bridgewater, NJ *
• 12/9/2009 Waltham, MA *
• 12/11/2009 Malvern, PA
• 12/14/2009 Orlando, FL *

* Events where Dan Stolts is planning on presenting at least one topic

Topics of TechNet Unleashed: The Microsoft Virtualization Tour

• Native Boot to VHD
• Windows XP Mode sprinkled with a bit of Med-V for the enterprise
• Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V
• System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008

Detailed Topic Information can be found here!

TechNet Unleashed- The Microsoft Virtualization Tour… Registration OPEN!

Live TechNet Training On Boot to VHD (Natively), Windows XP Mode, Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V, and System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008

I was just starting to write a post about my upcoming schedule for the TechNet Tour and my outlook inbox “Binged” at me.  It was my good buddy Yung Chou who just posted about the same events. 

TechNet Events Presents “Microsoft Virtualization Tour” for IT Pros!

No point in recreating the wheel, so I copied the post here.  Thanks a million to Yung for doing this and sharing with the team!!!   PLUS++++ refer a friend and get a free Book ... See Bring a Friend to a TechNet Event and win a copy of Configuring Windows 7 for details.

TechNet Events Presents “Microsoft Virtualization Tour” for IT Pros!

Brought to you by your US East Microsoft IT Pro Evangelist: Blain, Dan, John, and Yung!

Come spend an afternoon with us as we highlight some of the great virtualization solutions Microsoft offers.  We’ll go from the desktop to the enterprise starting with VHD native boot, a new feature for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 where you will learn about some really cool command line tools like BCDEDIT.EXE and DISKPART.EXE as well as detailed information about Disk Manager followed by discussions of…

· Windows XP Mode sprinkled with a bit of Med-V for the enterprise

· Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V 

· System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008

We listened to you, our customers on how we could improve on the success of the TechNet branded events.  Topics chosen and details being provided will be of great value to all audiences.  We are not leaving anyone out especially not our enterprise customers and consultants. It will be fast and it will be furious. 4 Evangelists, 8 Cities, and one focus: getting you fully charged with virtualization. Not only do we have a full Virtualization agenda but we will be doubling up so there are two presenters at each location which means we will have plenty of time to take your questions and give you an incredible training experience! Act quick and act now to register as there are limited seats at these venues. Registration links by city:

Event Date City, State
11/30/2009 Reston, VA
12/1/2009 Alpharetta, GA
12/2/2009 Rochester, NY *
12/3/2009 Charlotte, NC
12/7/2009 Bridgewater, NJ *
12/9/2009 Waltham, MA *
12/11/2009 Malvern, PA
12/14/2009 Orlando, FL *

* Events that I am scheduled to present at. I hope to see you there!

More details on these event as well as other events this quarter coming very, very soon!!! 

PS.  Check out my About page… I have made some significant changes to it recently!  :)

Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7 System Will NOT Boot After Making Changes To Boot Manager Using BCDEdit

I messed up.  It happens to everyone from time to time.  In my case, I was playing around with my system boot manager because I wanted to setup Boot To VHD.  Well being tired and not thinking to clearly, I made the changes to the {current} boot item instead of the new one I had just created.  You guessed it… After making this mistake my machine would no longer boot.  Since it is Saturday late afternoon and I have to be on stage in Boston on Monday, I need to fix it NOW!

I had two options…

1) Restore from backup: Yes, I have a backup of my entire machine from just a few days ago.  However, since then I have added some 20 virtual machines to this windows Server 2008 R2 machine and I really do not want to do that again.   If I have to go this way, It is going to be a very long weekend.

2) Figure out how to fix my screw up:  This is the option I chose and I am glad I did.  After about 30 mins of playing with it, I got everything back up and running.  Add another couple hours to create this post for you and I am ready to get back to work. 

I am not going to bother telling you all the things that I tried that did not work,  it is safe to say that I got pretty familiar with the BCDEdit tool using the /? key :)  I also tried the automated repair but the first time I tried it I had several drives plugged into the system and the repair did not work so great. 

You can find details of the BCDEdit.exe tool here: 

Bcdedit.EXE  - I did not find this one particularly useful

BCDEdit.EXE Command-Line Options –  I am hopeful as the Windows 7 and 2008 R2 Product Releases to General Availability, that the documentation will get better!

I could not find any good resources for the tool (other than the /? for help on the tool).  There is a Microsoft site on BCDEdit but I found that link to be pretty useless because the word docx requires a password which I do not know.  I will see about getting that fixed.

However, I will share what did work so you do not have to struggle with it.

I disconnected all but my boot drive and DVD drive. I booted from a Windows Server 2008 R2 DVD (if you are on Vista or Windows 7 or Server 2008, use that DVD instead). While it was on the screen asking me what language I wanted I pressed Shift-F10 (sorry no screenshot, will try to add one next week when I have more time). This dropped me to a command prompt.  From the command prompt, I browsed to see what my drive letters were and what files I had.  The DVD for me happened to be the X drive.  I drilled down on my cd to the Sources folder then the Recovery Folder and I found an executable called StartRep.exe (hum, that is interesting… Let’s see what it will do)  I ran the file, it took about 20 seconds to scan my machine looking for problems and told me that if the problems were fixed, my machine would boot after doing a restart.  I restarted my machine and… OUTSTANDING my machine was booting normally.  Deep breath and sigh of relief.  Simple troubleshooting and I dodged a bullet.  So the complete path to the file for me was x:\sources\recovery\StartRep.exe.  I assume StartRep.exe stands for Start Repair. 

It worked wonders for me and I can tell you that I LOVE SERVER 2008 R2 AND WINDOWS 7!  

I could not get into my machine but my hypervisor would not boot any of my VM’s (major bummer).  I was getting Event ID 14050 error messages. One more thing was needed.  Because this is a Hyper-V machine I needed to tell the boot manager that it is using a hypervisor.  From an elevated command prompt, I had to run the following…

bcdedit /set {current} hypervisorlaunchtype auto

Then POWER OFF AND UNPLUG the machine (not just restart)

I left it off for a minute, booted it back up and fired up a couple VM’s… SUCCESS! 

Of, I am a bit particular because I noticed that the description of my boot was not “Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise (recovered)” and I did not want that so I needed to make one more change…

bcdedit /set {current} description “Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise” 

This renamed the boot item and I now believe I am done!  I ran BCDEdit again and all looks good.

If you want training on BCDEdit check out... TechNet Unleashed- The Microsoft Virtualization Tour… Registration OPEN!.  If it is already closed by the time you read this, check my blog for the complete session recording after the series is complete. 

Just in case you need it, after fixing my machine, I printed out the BcdEdit Details…

The TEXT Version…

C:\>bcdedit

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier              {bootmgr}
device                  partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
path                    \bootmgr
description             Windows Boot Manager
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {globalsettings}
default                 {current}
resumeobject            {3938319b-a727-11de-99f0-d2ca60b37081}
displayorder            {current}
toolsdisplayorder       {memdiag}
timeout                 30

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {current}
device                  partition=C:
path                    \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description             Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise
locale                  en-US
recoverysequence        {3938319f-a727-11de-99f0-d2ca60b37081}
recoveryenabled         Yes
osdevice                partition=C:
systemroot              \Windows
resumeobject            {91dd3e04-b052-11de-8ed0-806e6f6e6963}
hypervisorlaunchtype    Auto

Graphic Version…

Here is what the BCDEdit looks like on my Windows 7 Machine that is setup for dual boot with the second boot partition being on a separate hard drive.

The text version…

C:\>bcdedit

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier              {bootmgr}
device                  partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
description             Windows Boot Manager
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {globalsettings}
default                 {current}
resumeobject            {fdf03d8b-19b0-11de-98ce-001c2512ad0f}
displayorder            {fdf03d90-19b0-11de-98ce-001c2512ad0f}
                        {current}
toolsdisplayorder       {memdiag}
timeout                 15

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {fdf03d90-19b0-11de-98ce-001c2512ad0f}
device                  partition=D:
path                    \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description             Windows Server 2008 R2
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence        {fdf03d91-19b0-11de-98ce-001c2512ad0f}
recoveryenabled         Yes
osdevice                partition=D:
systemroot              \Windows
resumeobject            {fdf03d8f-19b0-11de-98ce-001c2512ad0f}
nx                      OptOut
hypervisorlaunchtype    Auto

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {current}
device                  partition=C:
path                    \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description             Windows 7
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence        {dfb74341-6571-11de-8673-002269c69093}
recoveryenabled         Yes
osdevice                partition=C:
systemroot              \Windows
resumeobject            {fdf03d8b-19b0-11de-98ce-001c2512ad0f}
nx                      OptIn

The Graphic Version…

I hope if anyone out there makes the same mistake as me, you find this post and can fix it pretty easily.  Once I get my Boot to VHD working (After Monday) I will do a Step By Step post on that process and put a link here.