Full of I.T.

O.M.G.T.A.F!

(Oh my gosh these are FUNNY!)

UPDATE: Shoot.. looks like this last one was just too too popular.  Or perhaps just a little too over-the-top. ("gut-wrenchingly" funny!)  It was pulled.  Too bad.

Microsoft Windows 7 on USB: Two Reasons Why

Good article.. and I do hope Microsoft decides to package and sell Windows 7 on USB sticks.. because on hardware that supports it, booting to USB and installing the OS from that is pretty cool.. and pretty fast.

But I’m not sure what all the fuss is about.  It’s very easy to create your own bootable USB stick and copy the contents of the Windows 7 (or Windows Server 2008 R2) installation to it, and then boot into it. 

“Oh yeah?”

Yeah.  In fact, I’ve attached a document to this blog post that I created for a user group “Load Fest” I helped with several weeks ago.  It gives you a step-by-step on how to prepare the USB stick prior to copying the DVD (or a mounted .ISO) onto it.

Hope you find it useful!

For the first 75,000 people who want it, the first beta of the new free antivirus solution from Microsoft is available to download now.

“Now?”

Well.. it is now.. but by the time you read this it may not be any longer.  There is a limit, and high demand to try it out.

“What exactly is it?”

Remember Windows Live OneCare?  This is it's replacement.  No more subscription – just free antivirus.  When installed, it replaces Windows Defender and becomes a superset of it's functionality – adding antivirus protection in a very high-performing, non-intrusive way.

“Did you download it?”

No.

“Why not?”

Because I work for Microsoft, and it would be wrong of me to get one if other people want it.  I’ll try and get it through Microsoft internal resources.  I want YOU to be able to try it!

And please let us know what you think!

---

UPDATE: Looks like all 75,000 copies have been downloaded.

Don’t let that stop you from learning more about it.  And keep watching the Security Essentials page for more details.

Just for fun - Saw this on the Springboard Series Blog:

http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/springboard/archive/2009/06/22/you-ve-angered-the-great-master-russinovich.aspx

Happy Friday!

On June 11, 2009 I delivered part 2 of a 2 part TechNet Webcast Series on Windows Server 2008 R2.   It was the second of a series of Windows Server 2008 R2 TechNet Webcasts.  Lately, as you may know, I’ve also been recording the webcast demos as screencasts.** 

I thought you might find them useful.  They’re up on TechNet Edge:

• Demo 1 – IIS 7.5 on Server Core
• Demo 2 – IIS 7.5 Configuration Editor
• Demo 3 – PowerShell and IIS 7.5
• Demo 4 – IIS 7.5 and FTP
• Demo 5 – Configuring DirectAccess

If you’re interested in seeing the entire webcast, you can see it HERE.

The resource page I put together for the webcast is HERE.

And HERE is the “Best of Q&A” from the webcast.

I hope you find these resources useful!

Kevin

**PS - If you’re interested, here are the other sets of screencasts I’ve done recently:

• Screencasts of Windows Server 2008 R2 Demos (Set 1 of 2)
• Screencasts of Windows 7 Demos

As promised, here are the “Best of Q&A” from the webcast I delivered on June 11, 2009, entitled "TechNet Webcast: Windows Server 2008 R2 Technical Overview (Part 2 of 2)”

A BIG THANK YOU to Dan Stolts for assisting in answering questions during the webcast!  This blog post is primarily a result of his efforts.

Thanks for attending!  ...and if you haven't seen the webcast yet, you can click on the link above (or the picture to the left) to get to the registration page.

Also - Here the RESOURCES I pulled together for this webcast

I hope you find these useful!

Kevin

---

Questions and Answers

“Is the Windows Management Service the service that manages the WMI protocols?”

No, WMI has it's own services structure. isolating these functions is important from both a performance (do not run it unless you need it), ease of use (disable, restart, easily), and security (no security foot print if not needed because the services are not installed/ disabled).

“Ok, then, in a nutshell, what does Windows Management Service do? When did it first become a part of windows server NT, 2000, 2003, or 2008?”

I may have misunderstood your first question. The term "Windows Management Service" is probably what threw me off. Windows Remote Management (WS-Management): Windows Remote Management (WinRM) service implements the WS-Management protocol for remote management. WS-Management is a standard web services protocol used for remote software and hardware management. (used to communicate with WMI) The WinRM service listens on the network for WS-Management requests and processes them. The WinRM Service needs to be configured with a listener using winrm.cmd command line tool or through Group Policy in order for it to listen over the network. The WinRM service provides access to WMI data and enables event collection. Windows Management Instrumentation: Provides a common interface and object model to access management information about operating system, devices, applications and services. If this service is stopped, most Windows-based software will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. This is the WMI Featureset.

“Can direct access client be run on other operating systems such as Windows XP or Vista?”

No, there is not a client for Windows XP or Windows Vista. To my knowledge there are no plans to make these as add-in clients. DirectAccess requires Windows 7 client and 2008 R2 server. (In the webcast, I explain more specifically why that is.)

“Is there a new version of the RDP client for Windows 7? If so, will it be backported to run on XP and Vista as well?”

Yes, there is a new RDP client in Windows 7 that supports enhanced multimedia, multi-monitor, and other new features. I don’t know what the plan is to make it available as an upgraded client for Windows Vista or Windows XP.

“When you are connected to a remote system via DA you can see their screen as they logged on but are you running your session with your administrative rights?”

When I connected in the demo using Remote Desktop, I was logging in with the same account that was already logged-in on the desktop. So it locked the desktop at the client side, and allowed me to continue that same session from the LAN-side. As far as it relates to DirectAccess, there, really is nothing special here (and that’s the big news, really). It’s just a remote desktop connection like any other – except that I was able to launch it from inside the LAN, and connect to that client that is somewhere online and on the Internet. And to be able to do it BY NAME is also pretty cool. (Remember the IPv6 addresses we saw in DNS for that client?)

“How will the direct access feature integrate with SCCM 2007?”

As long as your SCCM Management Servers are able to see the clients, I don’t know of any issues. It’s not so much a special integration as it is those machines appearing to be available. As long as you have your networking configured properly (the required IPv6 and IPSec parts), I don’t see why SCCM would have any issues; while gaining the benefit of having access to those clients more often.

“Did I understand right? DirectAccess requires IPv6?”

Yes. You heard right.

“Can you comment on this - with so many features in Win 7 require 2K8 R2, what would be the incentive for enterprise to upgrade sooner rather than later. My view, it just increases the overall complexity and scope.”

Well, of course every business and every person is going to have to make the decision for themselves based on the new features in either product (Server or Client), and then the additional features gain when you have both. There are great reasons to move to Windows 7. There are great reasons to move to Windows Server 2008 R2. And the added functionality you get with both is icing on the cake; but you will have to decide for yourselves whether things like DirectAccess and BranchCache are of great-enough value to your organization to justify rolling out both. (You probably can guess what my opinion is.. but it’s not coming out of MY budget.)

Hey all,

On June 4, 2009 I delivered part 1 of a 2 part TechNet Webcast Series on Windows Server 2008 R2.   It was the first of a whole series of Windows Server 2008 R2 TechNet Webcasts.  Lately, as you may know, I’ve also been recording the webcast demos as screencasts (See my recent set of Windows 7 Screencasts here). 

I thought you might find them useful.  They’re up on TechNet Edge:

• Demo 1 – Hyper-V Live Migration
• Demo 2 – Boot From VHD 
• Demo 3 – Windows PowerShell 2.0 Remoting
• Demo 4 – Active Directory Enhancements

If you’re interested in seeing the entire webcast, you can see it HERE.

The resource page I put together for the webcast is HERE.

And HERE is the “Best of Q&A” from the webcast.

“Hey Kevin.. your title reads ‘Set 1 of 2’.  Does that mean we can expect more of these from you soon?”

Yes.  Very soon.  I’ve also recorded the 5 demos from the other part of this 2 part webcast series (from the June 11 webcast).  They’ll be up here in a day or two.

I hope you find these resources useful!

Kevin

As promised, here are the “Best of Q&A” from the webcast I delivered on June 4, 2009, entitled "TechNet Webcast: Windows Server 2008 R2 Technical Overview (Part 1 of 2)”

A BIG THANK YOU to Dan Stolts and John Weston for assisting in answering questions during the webcast.  This blog post is primarily a result of their efforts.

Thanks for attending!  ...and if you haven't seen the webcast yet, you can click on the link above (or the picture to the left) to get to the registration page.

Also - Here the RESOURCES I pulled together for this webcast

UP'DATE: I've just published the 4 screencast recordings I made of the 4 demos from this webcast.  You can see them HERE.

I hope you find these useful!

Kevin

---

Questions and Answers

“Do I understand right? Powershell 2.0 will be available on Server Core R2?”

Yes

“Will PowerShell 2.0 be available for install on Windows Server 2008 SP2?”

It is not listed on the features list. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/SP2.aspx.

You can download the PowerShell 2.0 CTP (Community Technology Preview) from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=60DEAC2B-975B-41E6-9FA0-C2FD6AA6BC89&displaylang=en, and try it out. When it is released, I’m sure that it will either be a download you can install, or perhaps installed as a Microsoft Update.

“Will we have the demo in the recorded webcast too?”

Yes. The recorded webcast is available 24-48 hours after the live session. Webcast recordings are currently available at the same link you used to register for the webcast. (see the top of this post). Also, I (Kevin) have recorded the demos, and will be posting them up on TechNet Edge as screencast videos. I’ll post links to them here on my blog when they’re ready.

“When will powershell v2.0 be available for download? It looks like there is on the the CTP available at this time.”

The CTP is available from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=60DEAC2B-975B-41E6-9FA0-C2FD6AA6BC89&displaylang=en I do not think the release date has been announced yet. My guess is that, since it’s being included in the next version of Windows (R2 and Windows 7), that the PowerShell 2.0 release will coincide with the RTM (Release to Manufacturing) of those products.

“Can we expect something similar to the features in the new Windows PowerShell in Exchange Management Shell (Exchange 2010 or later?)”

That would be logical to expect. We haven't released details that I am aware of how PowerShell, or what version Exchange 2010 will include.

“How can we migrate from 2003 AD to 2008 R2 AD?”

We will cover that is a later part of this Webcast series.

“When will it be so i can register it and dont lose it”

June 18^th, 2009.
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032416243&EventCategory=4&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US
John Weston will be the presenter. (Excellent!)

“Can I restore an accidentally deleted AD object if it has been deleted by another administrator?”

Yes. The recycle bin isn’t associated with a computer or any particular user account. It’s a container in the directory, so it is replicated as a part of the directory and available to anyone who has admin rights to it.

“In the demo he restored a object he personally deleted!”

Yes, but that is not a condition. It could have been deleted by others. Or others with the proper credentials could have done the restore.

“If PowerShell 2.0 can be installed on top of Windows Server 2008 SP2, will remote management using PowerShell 2.0 be possible without having to install R2?”

Yes, as long as you meet all conditions for PowerShell 2.0 including WS-Management.

“There's no GUI approach to the AD recycler?”

In regards to the lack of GUI, it came down to making decisions on work that is happening in Active Directory for the R2 release and they placed priority on other workloads. Another major point is AD Recycle Bin once enabled cannot be disabled!

I fully expect that there will eventually be a GUI for it. If we see it anywhere, it will be in the new Active Directory Management Console. Not likely in ADUC.

“Are there any time parameters for the date/time of the deletion?”

In terms of time, there are two things to consider, 1) you cannot restore an object until after the deletion has been fully replicated to all domain controllers. 2) the tombstonelifetime of the object. (180 days by default). You can read more about this at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd379542.aspx

“Does the [new] AD [management] console work in lower domain functional levels than 2008 R2?”

Yes.

“Thank you so much,,, too over whelming,,, will there be an inplace upgade from 2003”

I wasn’t sure of the answer to this, and I never want to guess, so I asked the question up on the Windows Server forums. Here was the reply I got:

You can perform in place upgrade from windows 2003 64 to windows 2008 64 bit.
Upgrade
You can upgrade in-place from Windows Server 2008 to the final (RTM) version of Windows Server 2008 R2, without losing any data, since Microsoft has a policy on supporting upgrading from products that enjoy mainstream support. You should however consider the following conditions:

• Only the x64 edition of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 offer Hyper-V, Microsofts Server Virtualization solution. Your Windows Server 2008 installation should be the same architecture as the Windows Server 2008 R2 version you want to upgrade to. Since Windows Server 2008 R2 will be available only as a 64bit version, you're required to have a x64 installation of Windows Server 2008.
• You Windows Server 2008 R2 edition  to install should be the same as the installed Windows Server 2008 edition. Some more upgrade paths might be available (for instance: from standard to enterprise) but no details available yet.
• You need to have sufficient free hard disk space to perform an in-place upgrade. The amount of hard disk space has not been detailed (yet), but when the in-place upgrade from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 is an indication, you should at least need 14062 MB of free space.
• Your physical box will need to comply with the minimum system requirements for Windows Server 2008 R2. Details are not yet finalized, but you should base your judgement on the requirements for Windows Server 2008.
• Installed Windows Features on the Windows Server 2008 installation should not have problems when upgrading and should not be de-emphasized for Windows Server 2008 R2.

Your Windows Server 2008 installation should have the minimum required patchlevel for upgrading.

“Can 2008 CALs be used with 2008 R2 like it was for Server 2003?”

Yes

“What are the implications to add a Server 2k8R2 into 2k3 Domain?”

There are none that I can think of. Certainly if you want to take advantage of new capabilities that are in the new functional level, you’ll need to upgrade to a R2 level (which would require all DCs be running Server 2008 R2), but if you’re okay with the functionality you have, you can run a server 2008 machine as a member server or even as a domain controller.

Here are some resources relating to webcast I delivered on June 11, 2009, entitled "TechNet Webcast: Windows Server 2008 R2 Technical Overview (Part 2 of 2) (Level 300)”

I will also be recording the demos as screencast videos.  Watch my blog for when those go live on TechNet Edge. 

I hope you find these resources useful!

-Kevin

—

Introduction to Windows Server 2008 R2
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2.aspx

Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2–Hyper-V Live Migration Overview and Architecture
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=fdd083c6-3fc7-470b-8569-7e6a19fb0fdf&DisplayLang=en

Enabling Server and Desktop Virtualization
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2-virtualization.aspx

Internet Information Services 7.5 (Hierarchy of Managed Entities)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd364124.aspx

Windows PowerShell Snap-In for IIS 7.0
http://www.iis.net/extensions/PowerShell

What’s New in AppLocker
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd378941.aspx

Making the Experience Better Together with Windows 7
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2-better-together.aspx

Microsoft TechNet Springboard
http://www.microsoft.com/springboard

Microsoft TechNet
http://www.microsoft.com/technet

Live TechNet Events
http://www.technetevents.com/

Microsoft Events page:
http://www.microsoft.com/events

HURRY – ENDS June 30, 2009! 
Save 15% on a TechNet Plus Subscription (including beta access like Windows 7, non-timeout evaluation software, 2 support calls, and more!)

Hey all,

Last week I delivered a couple of TechNet Webcasts, the first of which was on Windows 7.  It was the first of a whole series of Windows 7 TechNet Webcasts.  Immediately prior to the delivery of the webcast, I recorded my demos.  I’m finally done editing/rendering them, so I thought you might find them useful.  They’re up on TechNet Edge:

• Demo 1 – DirectAccess
• Demo 2 – Using Search Federation
• Demo 3 – Using Windows PowerShell 2.0
• Demo 4 – Configuring AppLocker
• Demo 5 – Troubleshooting Windows 7

If you’re interested in seeing the entire webcast, you can see it HERE.

The resource page I put together for the webcast is HERE.

And HERE is the “Best of Q&A” from the webcast.

I hope you find these resources useful!

Kevin

Hey Yahoo.. Bing this: 

Enterprise Software - Bing Zips Past Yahoo To Be Number Two in Search

My take…

As much as I love the news that Bing is now ahead of Yahoo! search, I’m not ready to celebrate just yet.  Sure, it’s cool that Bing has moved into the number two spot world-wide, but is that just as a result of people first trying something new, only to eventually go back to their old habits?  Or have they really found that they like to “Bing it” better than to “Yahoo it”?

And I’d also like to know if we’ve taken an equal (or greater) number of Googlers out there and converted them to Bingers.

Only time will tell.  Keep on Binging. 

Here are some resources relating to webcast I delivered on June 4, 2009, entitled "TechNet Webcast: Windows Server 2008 R2 Technical Overview (Part 1 of 2) (Level 300)”

UP'DATE: I've just published the 4 screencast recordings I made of the 4 demos from this webcast.  You can see them HERE.

I hope you find these resources useful!

-Kevin

—

Introduction to Windows Server 2008 R2
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2.aspx

Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2–Hyper-V Live Migration Overview and Architecture
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=fdd083c6-3fc7-470b-8569-7e6a19fb0fdf&DisplayLang=en

Remote Desktop Services
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd371765(VS.85).aspx

How to Install
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb204630(VS.85).aspx

Windows Server 2008 – Active Directory
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/active-directory.aspx

Windows Server 2008 - Server Management
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/server-management.aspx

Microsoft TechNet Springboard
http://www.microsoft.com/springboard

Microsoft TechNet
http://www.microsoft.com/technet

Live TechNet Events
http://www.technetevents.com/

Microsoft Events page:
http://www.microsoft.com/events

Save 15% on a TechNet Plus Subscription (including beta access like Windows 7, non-timeout evaluation software, 2 support calls, and more!)

As promised, here are the “Best of Q&A” from the webcast I delivered on June 3, 2009, entitled "TechNet Webcast: Windows 7 Feature Overview (200)”

A BIG THANK YOU to Dan Stolts and Matt Hester for assisting in answering questions during the webcast.  This blog post is primarily a result of their efforts.

Thanks for attending!  ...and if you haven't seen the webcast yet, you can click on the link above (or the picture to the left) to get to the registration page.

UPDATE: I'm done posting the screencast recordings I made of the demos for this session.  Check out THIS BLOG POST for the list of and links to the demo screencasts!

Also - Here the RESOURCES I pulled together for this webcast

I hope you find these useful! 

Kevin

---

Questions and Answers

“I would like to know what the status is on supported drivers for Windows 7 i.e. what is the new figure above 47,000. Last time I was told "98 of the top 100 devices are now supported, and more than 47,000 drivers have been added since Windows Vista was released. 99% of Windows Vista PC’s have drivers for every single supported device installed.”

There are no available statistics as of yet, however 7 will retain Vista's driver model, ensuring hardware drivers written for Vista will work with the new operating system when it ships. I know also early on in the process we were required 64-bit device drivers to be signed. This was/is mandatory.

“Will Direct access allow for users on Windows 7 to reset their AD password against the DC”

Yes, the same ways you have done in the past. And yes, even while connected via DirectAccess.

“How does direct access work with a 2 factor authentication?”

Right now the only 2-factor authentication we allow for DirectAccess scenarios is SmartCard.

“Will the DirectAccess Server replace the NAP/NPS server feature of W2K8 SP1?”

DirectAccess is not directly related to NAP/NPS. DA is for connectivity – but using IPv6 across untrusted networks. NAP can be used in DA the same as you would use it on the LAN, for verifying health and granting access based on that health. But the one doesn’t replace the other.

“This technology (DirectAccess ) will be replace NAP?”

No, NAP or Network Access Protection confirms the machine meets all security requirements for corp policy. DirectAccess allows external machines to connect to the corp network.

“Is Windows 7 a new Windows 2010 OS?”

Windows 7 is a new OS from MS and will be available Oct-22-2009: http://blogs.technet.com/matthewms/archive/2009/06/03/windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2-ga-and-rtm-dates-announced.aspx

Yes, Matt.. I’ll even let you promote your blog on my blog. (smile)

“Has the BrancheCache feature been tested against WAN Accelerators that do the same thing from a hardware perspective?”

Nothing I am aware off, but they really are for two different things, the WAN acclerators traditional help compress traffic on the wire, while branchcache's goal is to avoid having the traffic go on the wire, by storing the file locally. For example your WAN accelerator could help with the initial download of the file, but then branchcache systems in the branch office would handle any other requests for the file locally and not cause traffice on the WAN link.

I know there are WAN accelerators that do provide similar functionality, but the beauty of BranchCache is that A) it’s included with the OS, and B) it is not using any special protocol or special tunneling of traffic to make it work. Those hardware accelerators sometimes get in the way of standard networking. For example, they make it impossible (or at least difficult) to encrypt traffic end-to-end.

“Is only Windows client going to be available this year? When is new server version going to come out?”

Windows 7 will be released in Oct and Windows Server 2008 R2 is expected to be released at about the same time. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2009/Jun09/06-02SteveGuggenheimer.mspx

(No promises here.. but I’m hoping they release it on the very same day – like they did with the Betas and the Release Candidates.)

“How is bitlocker to go compatible with previous versions of windows or even linux?”

For previous versions of windows they should be able to read the bitlocker unlocak file on the USB drive to be able to unlock the drive, I believe for all other OS's the drive will not be readable.

It’s actually pretty clever… there is an ordinarily hidden, very small partition on a BitlockerToGo encrypted drive. If I put it into, say, and XP machine (and who runs XP these days? Oh yeah.. almost everyone. L) , you’ll have the ability to run a little application from that partition that will add the ability to enter the password (or recovery key) and then read the drive. Smart stuff.

“If I purchase a new PC now, will I qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 7 or do I need to wait until October?”

I don’t think the timing on this has been officially announced, but there will likely be a day (soon) after which a purchase of Windows Vista (and likely only certain versions) will be freely upgradable to Windows 7.

“When is W7 RC2 available?”

There is no RC2. There is just RC. Beta was just beta. Next up: RTM

“What is recommended RAM for Windows 7?”

At the time of the RC, the requirements are:

• 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 GB of RAM (32-bit)/2 GB of RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB of available disk space (32-bit)/20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with Windows Display Driver Model 1.0 or higher driver

“Is Windows 7 RC deployable through WDS?”

Absolutely. We’re using the same imaging technology. You definitely should look at http://www.microsoft.com/deployment for links and information about the current state of deployment, and the free tools and guides available. For example – there is a beta of the WAIK and of the Microsoft deployment Toolkit that have additional functionality to support deploying Windows 7. But even without additional updates, WDS will deploy a Windows 7 image as readily as it will a Windows Vista one.

“Will hardware drivers written for Vista work in Windows 7?”

Yes. Or more correctly, “it’s overwhelmingly likely”, since the driver model is the same.

“What is the airspeed velocity of an un-laden Swallow?”

What do you mean? An African or European Swallow?

Here are some resources relating to webcast I delivered on June 3, 2009, entitled "TechNet Webcast: Windows 7 Feature Overview (Level 200)”

This is part 1 of a many-part series on Windows 7.

I have also recorded the demos as screencast videos.  Watch my blog for when those go live on TechNet Edge.  UPDATE: They're live!  Check out THIS BLOG POST for the list of and links to the demo screencasts!

I hope you find these resources useful!

-Kevin

—

DirectAccess
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/network/dd420463.aspx

TechNet Edge Interview: BranchCache in Windows 7
http://edge.technet.com/Media/Branch-Cache-in-Windows-7/

Windows 7 for the Enterprise
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/enterprise/products/search-information.aspx

Windows PowerShell 2.0 CTP
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/topics/winpsh/newin2.mspx

Windows 7 Walkthrough: AppLocker (Video Download)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7a919629-4d8b-43c5-8115-78bc30a187c2&DisplayLang=en

Windows 7: Troubleshooting and Support
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd349347.aspx

Windows 7 Energy Efficiency (“Engineering Windows 7” Blog)
http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/01/06/windows-7-energy-efficiency.aspx

Microsoft TechNet Springboard
http://www.microsoft.com/springboard

Microsoft TechNet
http://www.microsoft.com/technet

Live TechNet Events
http://www.technetevents.com/

Microsoft Events page:
http://www.microsoft.com/events

Save 15% on a TechNet Plus Subscription (including beta access like Windows 7, non-timeout evaluation software, 2 support calls, and more!)

A few minutes ago I got an e-mail from Steve Balmer.  Microsoft today announced the new name and new functionality of the new search engine.  The new name is the sound I suppose I should hear when I find what I’m looking for.  But I can’t help but thinking of old Christmas TV Specials with a large family drinking Florida Orange Juice and singing “White Christmas”.

I won’t outline the new features here, because I haven’t yet investigated them myself (to be honest.  Actually, I’ve been using “Kumo” (the codename) automatically for awhile now.  Microsoft employees are redirected to Kumo automatically whenever we opened up a Live Search while connected to the corporate network.)

You (and I) can learn more at the Bing Blog (say that pair of words several times out loud.. and then notice the stares of people around you.  Good for a laugh.) or at the official press announcement.

“Where can I try it out?  I want my bing bing!”

Of course you do.  You’ll find it here: http://www.bing.com/

“Hey!  There’s nothing there!”

Oh.. I should have warned you that the site goes live June 3, 2009.  Check back then. 

UPDATE: Until then, you can learn more at http://www.discoverbing.com/.  They’ve got some videos there that walk you through what it is and some of the new functionality.  Here’s the “Product Tour Video”…

So… Make it your default search.  I dare you.  Try it out.  “Bing it.”

(“Bing it”?  “Bing on it”?  “Bing it on”?  "Bing Cherries”?)

__

What do you think?  Like the name?  Hate the name?  (Personally I’m on the fence.)  What about the promising new features?  Come back after you’ve tried it and tell me what you think.