Revelations of a Confused Mind : Windows Client

Download Internet Explorer 8 RTM Today!

shawnt — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:33:00 GMT

It’s a great thing when I can truly throw my full support behind a Microsoft release. Well, I’ve been using IE8 for a number of months now, and I find the product to be solid, secure, and a worthwhile upgrade. One of my favorite changes is that each tab runs under its own process – This feature saved me several times on beta builds while adding MySpace friends to build my Mob Wars Family. :) Frequently, I’d get 20+ tabs open to different MySpace pages and some of these pages had, I’m not kidding, 20 or more Flash instances running at the same time. This overloaded the IE8 Beta (it seems the issue has since been addressed as I haven’t come across this problem in recent builds), and IE would stop unexpectedly, but I’d only lose that tab, and if I happened to lose more than just that one tab, IE8’s new autorecover feature would automatically ask me if I wanted to reopen the pages that had closed unexpectedly. No lost data, no lost pages, problem solved.

Other features I love are the XSS filter (I’ve haven’t seen it activate yet in real life, but it still makes me feel more secure knowing it’s there), faster phishing filter (yes, you can actually turn it on now), colored tabs, tab management, tab grouping, the ability to manage all my add-ons in one place (it makes it so much easier to find and turn off those nagging misbehaving add-ons), and of course in-private browsing (yeah, I’ve used it and it rocks the house when you’re trying to keep your wife from finding out about that anniversary gift you searched for from your shared PC).

Anyway, if you too want to find your favorite features in the new IE8, you can get it free from the official IE8 web site.

And, if it turns out you don’t like it as much as I think you will, there is one other handy new feature: Uninstall.

Get IE8 Today for Windows XP/Vista/Server

Expired PINs in Vista SP1 Giveaways at TechNet Events [UPDATE]

shawnt — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:19:34 GMT

Well, we have received a LOT of feedback about the Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1 giveaways that we handed out at TechNet events during the second half of 2008. It seems we did not do a great job of informing attendees that the PINs would expire on December 31, 2008. So, today, I have some good news to pass on!

We are currently in the process of extending the expiration date, probably to the end of this month or the end of February. Please check back at http://www.registerwindowsvistasp1.com/ in the next week or so and the site should be live again for registrations.

Thanks for your patience in this matter, once the site is live again please register ASAP.

Want to Download the Windows 7 Beta? Start Here...

shawnt — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:25:49 GMT

If you want to download the just-released Windows 7 Beta, you'll need a TechNet Plus subscription. And, if you are not a TechNet Plus subscriber, you can get one for 15% off using the discount code: TMSAM12.

To order a TechNet subscription, go here:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/bb892754.aspx

I recommend the TechNet Plus DIRECT subscription - that way you can download it today, rather than wait for the DVD's to arrive in the mail in a few weeks. The product keys you'll need to activate you Beta software are available through the web site as well.

Don't forget to use code: TMSAM12

Connecting Your PC to the Internet Using Your Windows Mobile Phone is Easier Than You Think!

shawnt — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:58:46 GMT

I spent a couple of weeks a while back trying to figure out how to tether my AT&T Tilt to my Windows Vista PC. I wanted to use the relatively fast unlimited data plan on my Windows Mobile Phone to access the internet from my PC. Well, being an IT Pro, I assumed I would need to use ActiveSync, install new drivers, update software and use Internet Connection Sharing. Alas, that was not the case. In the end, it turned out to be surprisingly, almost unbelievably easy. All I had to do was find the right application in my Windows directory on my phone, click connect, and plug it into my PC. That's it.

So, here are the four simple steps I took to tether my Windows Mobile 6 AT&T Tilt (it might work for other versions of Windows Mobile or other devices in nearly the same way, but I can only speak to my experience):

Open File Explorer (on your phone), browse to ‘My Device\Windows’
Look for an application called ‘Internet Sharing’ (If the application is not there, you might need to contact your service provider for help.)
Open the application and click Connect.
Connect your phone to your PC with a standard USB cable. The necessary drivers will be automatically detected and installed by Windows Vista/XP/2008 and you should be online at this point. Simply open your browser to check connectivity.

Note: You must perform these steps in the order listed above. If you connect your Mobile Device to your PC prior to clicking "Connect" in the 'Internet Sharing' App, Windows Vista will attempt to sync, rather than connect to the internet. If this happens, just disconnect your device, and start over at step 1 above.

Note: You may need to tell your phone company that you are tethering and pay any necessary charges (usually $5 or so per month). Also, I recommend an unlimited data plan, otherwise costs could skyrocket.

Any questions, comments, or personal experiences with your device? Feel free to post them below...

Get Help with Your Pilot from Microsoft - IT Pro Momentum!

shawnt — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 04:08:25 GMT

Need some help to test/pilot the latest Microsoft infrastructure technologies list here?

Windows Server 2008
SQL Server 2008
IIS7
Forefront Edge (ISA)
Forefront Client & Server
Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 or Windows Server Virtualization
Windows Vista
MOSS 2007
System Center
Windows PowerShell
Network Access Protection

What is the Momentum Program?

Momentum is a Microsoft program focused on supporting “early adopters” – IT professionals who bet on the newest technologies to drive business value for their companies and advance their career.

Is IT Pro Momentum right for you?

Interested in learning more about the newest Microsoft technologies?
Need help to evaluate different Microsoft products and features?
Willing to test and pilot in production Microsoft beta products?
Would like to have access to exclusive forums and Microsoft product support?
Want to share your early adoption experience with the IT Pro community world-wide?

Through the Momentum Portal, participants will have access a number of benefits including:

In-Depth Technical Content
Managed Forums
TechNet+ Direct Subscription
Help from me
PSS Support Requests

What's in it for you?

Exposure and Career Opportunities
By sharing early adoption successes, IT Pro's receive community recognition and increase their opportunities for networking and career growth.
Your Voice is Heard
Through Momentum, IT Pros establish a direct, two-way communication channel with Microsoft which allows you to provide feedback and influence the future of our products and services.
Reduce Risk of Failure
Momentum benefits such as free TechNet subscription and PSS support requests reduce the risk and complexity of deploying new technologies.
Competitive Advantage – Be the First to Use & Know

Program participants have access to the latest information and cutting-edge technologies developed by Microsoft.

Does this sound interesting to you? Then click here to get in touch with me.

Now’s the time for you to get involved!

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit - Your First Stop for Deployment

shawnt — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:41:09 GMT

The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008 was released a couple of months ago with little fanfare. But, I believe this rather mundane sounding solution accelerator is actually a diamond that deserves being put on display, at least a little bit. Although being described on the Microsoft download page as simply "the fourth generation deployment accelerator," it is actually a pretty exciting tool that can give IT Pros of small and medium businesses everywhere a HUGE leg up on their deployment process. In fact, if you are stressed about an upcoming refresh cycle, downloading the MDT 2008 Update 1 may just make you want to stand up and cheer. Let me explain...

You see, what we've done with the MDT is to finally capture and combine all of our knowledge of deploying Windows clients AND servers into one, free, easy to use download. So, you can get pretty much everything you need to know on deployment in one place, rather than digging around for days or weeks trying to find it. And, if the MDT doesn't have it, you can be darn sure that the MDT links to it. Essentially, we've made it so that if you are an IT Pro tasked with deploying Windows, the MDT is the first thing you should grab. In it you'll find whitepapers, sample surveys, timelines, compatibility assistance, and a whole gob of additional documentation Microsoft has amassed over years of working with customers and OEMs. We know how to build Windows images and we know the process to deploy them, and now you will too.

And before you say it won't work for your deployments because you're still working on the previous OS, let me politely stop you, and say the MDT works for Windows XP SP2 or higher and Windows Server 2003 R2 and higher, as well as, of course, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Not only that, but it explains how to do Zero Touch Installs (aka ZTI - essentially, no administrator input required on the target machine), as well as the familiar Lite Touch Installs (LTI) from the old BDD 2.0.

Again, in short, what the MDT does is put everything regarding deployment in one place. It's that "in one place" thing that we don't see nearly often enough as IT Pros, and it makes me want to smile a quirky little comforting smile whenever it does. So, get it now and save yourself a whole lot of headaches later.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008 Update 1

New "Wormable" Exploit Discovered Affecting Windows OS's...

shawnt — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:51:50 GMT

There was a new critical vulnerability announced today that could lead to remote code execution against Windows Operating Systems. (Specifically, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008.) And, unless you are running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008*, this exploit even works for non-authenticated users - remotely!

In short, this means that this exploit could be turned into a new Internet Worm. In fact, consistent exploit code has already been discovered in limited, targeted attacks, which is precisely why this update is a "zero day" update. It needs to be patched now, folks. Don't delay. Again, the vulnerability can be exploited consistently, remotely, and without authentication. These three factors are not good in combination.

Needless to say, this kind of exploit is potentially very damaging, and the wise administrators among us will reduce their exposure immediately - either by applying the update, or, if updating is not an option due to a lengthy testing and deployment process, then by disabling the computer and server browser services temporarily. Check out this bulletin for more details on how to perform these actions.

For more information and to download the update (Select your OS version): http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx

To get the Update directly from Microsoft Update (US Site): http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us

* If you are running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, the update severity is mitigated by the likelihood that the exploit will only work for authenticated users, even with UAC turned off. Plus, improvements like ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) further reduce the ease of exploit. It's nice to see the security investment we made in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 paying off in situations like this.

SAVE 15% ON YOUR new TECHNET SUBSCRIPTION with code: TMSAM12

shawnt — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:43:00 GMT

Hey folks! Microsoft recently announced a new worldwide subscription code that gets you 15% off a new TechNet subscription. This code is your key to savings, so make sure you enter it when you place your order.

Discount Code: TMSAM12

Order your subscription now!

So, why would I want to subscribe???

TechNet Plus subscriptions are the best way for IT Professionals to test Microsoft software. Period. Why?

Because with a TechNet Plus subscription you get product keys that are good ad infinitum - a.k.a. forever. So, you can install and test your machines without ever having to reinstall. You'll never worry about losing your investment in that testing environment from an infuriating "The evaluation period has expired" pop up message. You can log on in 2048 and it'll still work. That's assuming, of course, that your hardware lasts that long. :)

Oh, and if you opt to go with a TechNet PLUS Single User Subscription, you'll also get the support database (Think "Q" articles) sent to you on DVD every month. So, you could troubleshoot that pesky Exchange Server bug from the first class seat on your flight to Orlando over an ice cold Jack and Coke, which is a bit better than doing it from your office chair if you ask me. :)

If you want to learn more about TechNet Subscriptions, try this: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/bb892759.aspx

To order a TechNet subscription, go here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/bb892754.aspx

Remember to use code: TMSAM12

Issues Uninstalling VM Additions going from Virtual PC 2007 to Hyper-V

shawnt — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:04:34 GMT

A colleague of mine, Chris Avis, had a great post on his blog recently. It's exactly the kind of post I love, since it only takes a minute to read, but it has the potential to eliminate hours of excruciating troubleshooting. Here's the link.

The problem:

You boot a VHD in Hyper-V and install Integration Services.
You realize VM additions from Virtual PC 2007 are still installed on VHD.
You get lots of weird little "issues" in the virtual machine. For example...

The mouse jumps around the screen
Text in text boxes is not displaying properly
Key strokes are repeated of their own accord
Numerous other quirky problems

You uninstall the Virtual PC 2007 VM additions. You reboot.
You install Hyper-V IS Components again. You reboot.
YOU CONTINUE TO HAVE ISSUES. You reboot.
You drive your fist through the wall!!!
You realize you can't fix the issues by going back to Virtual PC 2007.
You give up.

The solution:

You read Chris Avis' blog post on the topic and breathe a sigh of relief. (The fix is about 3/4 of the way through the post where he says to "run MSCONFIG....").
You take your kids to a ball game with the 5 hours of your life Chris has just given back to you. Enjoy. :)

Windows Vista SP1 is Fully Baked!

shawnt — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 23:15:00 GMT

That's right! If you haven't already heard, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is finished, complete, in the can, DONE! As of yesterday, February 4, 2007, SP1 is officially released to manufacturing (RTM) - which means that OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) like Lenovo, Dell, HP, etc, have the final code. However, as Mike Nash, Corporate VP, Windows Product Management, tells us in his blog post, SP1 will not be available to the general public (a.k.a. you) until Mid-March. The reason? Those pesky IHV drivers. It seems some of the installation executables for various Vista drivers are written such that they would need to be reinstalled after upgrading to SP1. We figured John Q. Public wouldn't like that experience, so we are working closely with the IHVs to get the issue fixed. Again, look for general availability in Mid-March with Automatic Updating turned on for SP1 in mid-April. For more information, here's a couple of links for your reading pleasure:

Mike Nash's Post

More About SP1

How to Create a Standard User Account in Windows Vista

shawnt — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:48:00 GMT

Okay, this post is for the less technical among us. As part of a team project, I created a nice, little Camtasia recording a while back to help people make a standard user account in Windows Vista, but I never had the opportunity to publish it. So, since I'm on vacation and I can do whatever I want, I thought I'd post it now. I didn't want the video to go completely to waste, not that it's amazing or anything but it did take me a while to learn Camtasia and put it together. But, first, I'll include a few words about why standard user accounts are important and why they should be used by every single person who logs onto a computer. After that, you can find the links at the bottom of the post.

Standard user accounts (restricted accounts, basic accounts, non-administrator accounts, least-priviledge accounts, or whatever you want to call them) are essential to good security. Whenever anyone is browsing the web or checking email, they should be logged on as a standard user. This way, even viruses that are not detected by your virus scanning software will be unable to infect you. By using a standard user account, you greatly limit your security risk exposure. Malware (spyware, adware, viruses, worms, etc) will not have permissions to install themselves onto your computer, and that's a very good thing. You'll especially, definitely, without a doubt want to use them whenever you are performing high risk activities like, for example, browsing to less-trusted websites or opening attachments to emails that you are not 100% sure of. You shouldn't open those attachments or go to those sites at all, but, if you have to, being logged on as a non-administrator will hugely reduce your risk of infection.

So, what do you do if you need to install a program or change an administrator-level setting? You have two options....either log off and back on as an administrator (usually the first account you created when you bought your computer), or right click on the installation executable or setting and choose "run as administrator" from the drop down list.

Also, if you want to use the new parental controls in Windows Vista, you'll need to create a standard user account for each or your children (and, of course, make sure you set the password on the administrator account to something they don't know and won't be able to guess). When your children log on with their standard user account, they won't be able to turn off parental controls, and you will be able to monitor what sites they are visiting and what they are emailing to friends or writing to each other through instant messenger. You can also restrict what games they can play based upon the game's ESRB rating.

Well, now that you know why standard user accounts are so important, here's a quick video to walk you through the process of creating one. Unfortunately, you may need to click on this link a few times before it works. I've noticed the streaming media server has been a bit glitchy lately. If you can't get it to work, I've got a low fidelity version on MSN's Soapbox Beta.

Vista_Standard_User_Account_Creation - Hi Res (Unreliable, sorry)

Vista_Standard_User_Account_Creation - Low Res (More reliable)

Thanks for checking it out.

How to Use the Powershell 1.0: A Beginner's Guide

shawnt — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 04:13:00 GMT

If you're already convinced that the Powershell is right for you, skip ahead to the section: "Getting Started with the Windows Powershell". However, if you still need some convincing, read on. So, in case you haven't had a chance to use the Windows Powershell yet, I'm here to tell you - It is a nice powerful tool for automating repetitive tasks in Windows. If you find yourself doing many of the same tasks day after day via the GUI and it's starting to wear you down, you will almost certainly benefit from spending a few minutes learning the Windows Powershell, or at least stealing the scripts from the repository (See Step 5 below)! You don't have to get deep to start saving yourself a lot of clicksteps - just spend a few minutes going through my walkthrough and download one of the sample scripts. I think you'll find you'll be able to give yourself back several hours a week. Check out steps below on how to get started with the Windows Powershell...

Did you know?

The Windows Powershell 1.0 can....

perform what-if analysis (to help you decide if you really do want to run a certain command or script)
perform "do while" and "do until" loops
accept runtime input via the command line. So, for example, you could create a tool to give you information about a specific Windows Service, and it would ask you which Windows Service you were interested in via the command line interface.
autoComplete using the Tab key (so you don't have to remember every noun-verb command - just tab 'til you find the right one.)

The Windows Powershell 1.0 uses...

It's own scripting language. That's right, it's not VB Script, C# or any of the others. It's new. If you want to know why, read the documentation linked to in step 3 below.
the .NET object model, so all output from the Powershell is treated as an object which can be manipulated and piped into other methods
or, actually, is used by the Exchange Management Console. The Exchange functionality in the EMC is just an add-in to the Windows Powershell. It adds Exchange related tasks, like move-mailbox, to the Powershell.

In addition, if you'd like to learn more, please check out the webcast I just delivered on the Windows Powershell 1.0. It should be available in streaming format here in the next few days. It's called "TechNet Webcast: Prepare Yourself for Windows Server 2008 (Part 7 of 8): Windows PowerShell and Manageability Improvements."

Getting started with the Windows Powershell:

DOWNLOAD: Download Powershell 1.0. (It's about a 5.0MB download)
INSTALL: Double-click the downloaded .msu to install the Powershell. There are different .msu's for Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2003 SP1, and Windows Vista. Make sure you get the right one for your OS. (Windows Server 2008 has the Powershell built in.) The Powershell only runs on Windows, so if you need to run it on another OS, you'll need to build a Virtual Machine and install the Powershell into it.
READ: Read the Powershell 1.0 Documentation. The documentation is automatically installed along with Powershell and is very helpful, especially at first. If you've never worked with Powershell before, you'll want to read these. The first thing you should read is "GettingStarted.rtf", which is a nice, easy to follow, 32-page overview. Then, you can graduate to the 116-page "UserGuide.rtf". Finally, if you get past all of that, see the "Other helpful links" at the bottom of this post. If you want to read the documentation without downloading the Powershell, you can find it here: Download the Powershell 1.0 Documentation Pack.
PLAY!: Open a Powershell Command Window and try a few simple, interactive commands (e.g. "write-host This is a test." or "get-childitem <AnyFolderPath>"). It's really quite easy to get used to. I've typed a couple below that you might want to try.
HOW TO RUN SCRIPTS - THE EASY WAY: Now, take your Powershell experience to the next level by running scripts! And, if you ask me, the best way to run scripts is to start with someone else's scripts, and build from there. So, go get some sample scripts from the Microsoft Powershell sample script repository online. Of course, you can write your own scripts from scratch, but the sample scripts are so powerful and easy that I recommend you start there. Don't try to recreate the wheel when you don't have to.

------> Microsoft's Sample Powershell Scripts Repository <------

Alright, Shawn, but how do I run those blasted scripts? I keep getting error messages. Well, here's how...

First, change the executionpolicy setting. The default executionpolicy setting is restricted, and it will prevent all scripts from running, allowing you to run the Powershell only interactively. (If you want to know why we do this, check out the "go" link below just before step 2.) If you want to run scripts, even the ones you create, you'll need to change that setting. Here's how you do that:
- If security is NOT an issue and you want to run all scripts unsigned. (Not recommended):
- If security IS an issue and you want to run signed scripts (signed locally or remotely):
  - PS C:\Users\Administrator> set-executionpolicy remotesigned
  - Check out this TechNet article that talks all about how to properly sign your code and explains the executionpolicy settings in more detail - even gives you the commands you should use: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=106498&clcid=0x409
Then, just copy and paste the sample scripts directly from the Microsoft repository website into Notepad. Save the file with any name and a .ps1 extension (you'll need to get rid of the .txt extention as shown in the screenshot below.)
Run the script from the Powershell prompt. For example:

PS c:\Users\Administrator> c:\scripts\ListDesktopSettings.ps1 ****You must type the full path for the script to run****

Now that you've got one script under your belt, you can try some other examples of sample scripts from the website. Here is a list of the available sample scripts.

Active Directory - Sample scripts for managing Active Directory and Active Directory objects.
Applications - Sample scripts for managing software and applications on servers and client computers.
Desktop Management - Sample scripts for managing such things as desktop settings, computer startup and shutdown, and System Restore.
Hardware - Sample scripts for managing and monitoring computer hardware.
Logs - Sample scripts for managing event logs and plain-text log files.
Networking - Sample scripts for managing and monitoring network configurations and network applications.
Operating System - Sample scripts for managing and monitoring the Windows operating system.
Other Directory Services - Sample scripts for managing directory services other than Active Directory.
Printing - Sample scripts for managing printers, print jobs, print servers, and other parts of the Windows printing infrastructure.
Scripting Techniques - Sample scripts demonstrating a wide variety of scripting tips, tricks, and techniques useful to script writers.
Searching Active Directory - Sample scripts for searching Active Directory.
Service Packs and Hot Fixes - Sample scripts for retrieving information about service packs and hot fixes installed on a computer.
Storage - Sample scripts for managing files, folders, file systems, and storage devices.
Terminal Server - Sample scripts for managing Windows Terminal Server.

Well, that's it - by now you should be off and running with the Windows Powershell 1.0. I tried to go through all the basics here just to get everything working, as well as some of the gotchas you might run into. Still, it's a big world once you start to go deep into the Powershell, so here are some more helpful links that will get you to that next echelon. If you have any thoughts or questions, please feel free to post a comment.

Other helpful links:

The Windows Powershell Blog Team Site

The Windows Powershell Script Center

Windows Powershell Help on TechNet - Check it out!

Windows Powershell Owner's Manual - Highly recommend - there is a TON of information very easily accessible from here and it starts you off on the bunny slope.

Thanks!