Off Campus

Vista SP1 - Standalone Update now on MVLS

Yesterday I promised the stand alone update would be coming soon.  I just checked and the 32-bit version is now available on the Microsoft Volume License Services website (MVLS).  I am expecting the 64-bit version to follow soon.  I'll Read More...

Where do I find Vista Enterprise on the Volume Licensing site?

Popular question this week - I would like to install Vista Enterprise SP1 but I am unable to find it on the volume license website for download.  Can you assist? There is a trick to locating it, just remember that Vista Enterprise is only available Read More...

Troubleshooting KMS Activation - Part 1, the client

Windows activation is simple and straightforward if you understand the components. I have had a few customers that stumbled when getting a KMS online and in every case it has been an issue with name resolution, network connectivity, or they simply did not understand how to use the keys. Activation is designed to help you with deployments and sustain your environment even in the event a key gets lost. KMS is the simplest of all the activation methods because you only need to worry about putting a key in one machine. You can then deploy new machines without having to ever worry about keys unless your device will be off the network for more than 6 months. This is the first of a two part series to break down KMS troubleshooting in to a process that should help identify exactly what is at fault. I don't want to mislead or instill fear to those who are just starting out - the process is normally simple by design. However, for those who have run in to trouble, I'd like to publish a guide that will help you isolate and correct the issue you've encountered without spinning your wheels. Part 2 will be published next week with a focus on troubleshooting the server. Part 1, Troubleshooting The Client Let's assume you are a consultant from outside the organization and you know nothing about the environment, server or workstation. The first thing you'll want to do is understand how the client was built. It is possible the machine is retail or OEM, and neither of those use KMS for activation. Any of the "Home" versions, Basic, Premium, or Ultimate, are retail builds and do not use volume licensing methods at this time. This is no change from XP, Media Center and Home were not capable of using the VLK. If you are using the OEM media such as a recovery DVD you would see the machine come online "pre-activated". This is a result of a marker in the BIOS that corresponds with the OEM media. Note: if this marker is not present, such as the case of "naked" OEM workstations, then KMS is not an option for activation. So we are assuming the machine was built using volume media and is capable of being a KMS client. You can test this to be sure by running a the command line and looking for the Name and Description. Right click on the command line icon on the start menu and select "Run As Administrator". Then type - c:\windows\system32\cscript slmgr.vbs -dlv My machine returned this output, I replaced any sensitive data with <>: Read More...

Should school computers be thick, thin, or virtual?

A recent whitepaper linked from the UK Higher Education Blog delves in to this topic and explains the options with detail. This is a very important discussion in my opinion and it encompassed over half of our LabMan 2007 closing keynote presentation last Read More...

Reducing application conflicts on unmanaged faculty/staff machines

Yesterday a press release snuck out with several announcements regarding virtualization. For full detail, link to Kevin's post and then to the press announcement after the jump. Kevinsul's Management Blog : Announcing the 'Windows Installer Utility for Read More...

Step 1 to check if an application will work on Windows Vista

... is to search for it on this site! There is now an online resource dedicated to listing applications that have been certified for Windows Vista. Almost a year from RTM, you will find a ton of applications are ready! http://windowsvista.com/appreadiness Read More...

Free Training - Windows Vista Application Compatibility

Windows Vista application compatibility training recording available for download! There are 4 sessions ranging from 1-2.5 hours each! From the site: This Application Compatibility Training has been delivered worldwide to MCS Consultants, partners and Read More...

Novell Client for Windows Vista

From the site: The Novell® Client™ for Windows Vista* provides Windows connectivity to NetWare® and OES Linux servers. With the Novell Client, you can browse through authorized Novell directories, transfer files, and use advanced Novell services directly Read More...

4 Tech Tips for Teachers Presenting With Vista

I have connected my HP laptop to a wide variety of projectors and since Vista RTM I have had a very good experience. I've had the occasional bad cable but Vista is yet to blame. This may be due to excellent video drivers but I also think Vista in general Read More...

2 new hotfixes released for Vista to better performance

Official sources: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=938194 http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=938979 Community announcements: Brad Rutkowski's Blog : Vista: Two hotfixes now released to improve performance, compatibility, and reliability. Windows-Now Read More...

How to bring back your stock Vista sidebar gadgets

I long ago deleted the stock RSS gadget in Vista since I wasn't using it. Just the other day I decided I wanted it back for a special application. All is not lost. Those gadgets are stored in Program Files, presumably just to prevent people like me from Read More...

Automatically put your laptop to sleep when it detects motion!

This is one of the most useful systray apps I have seen in a long, long time. This would resolve a major issue for me. I have a weirdness lately where sometimes I put my laptop to sleep and then it doesn't really go to sleep, it's like a child that wants Read More...

WDS/Multicast info from TechEd

This is a great blog entry about a TechEd session focused on Multicast in Windows Server 2008 Windows Deployment Services. Some very interesting information about special options to detect and deal with the slowest clients on your network. Josh's Windows Read More...

More deep-down analysis of Vista

As a follow-up to the links I posted to the series of articles in TechNet magazine, here is another good analysis from ArsTechnica. This is a very respectable piece with constructive criticism. From the intro: Editor's Note: In " Windows Vista: more than Read More...

You cannot mod XP to Vista

A few times while visiting customers I've been asked the question: "So, if I apply all the latest patches, I install IE7, and I install Defender, does XP give me the same security as Vista?" Read More...