Springboard Series - The Resource for Windows Desktop IT Professionals : Announcement

Windows 7 Release Candidate Available for Immediate Download

Stephen L Rose — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:30:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce that Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) is available for immediate download to the general public here. Windows 7 Ultimate is the Release Candidate edition; it is available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions in English, French, Japanese, German, and Spanish.

To learn more about Windows 7 from an IT professional perspective, check out our screencasts including our “What’s New in the RC” as well as our resources on Deployment, Application Compatibility, Security, Imaging, and more—all of which are available through the Springboard Series on TechNet.

Test drive Windows 7 RC today to see for yourself—and to show your colleagues, users, and customers—how Windows 7 delivers improved management, security, reliability, productivity and performance.

Windows 7 RC is available for TechNet and MSDN subscribers to download

Stephen L Rose — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:00:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce that the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) is available for immediate download to our TechNet and MSDN subscribers. If you’re not a TechNet Plus subscriber, please click here to learn about the benefits of becoming one.

Windows 7 RC will be made available to the general public on May 5, 2009. You will then be able to download Windows 7 RC here, through the Springboard Series on TechNet. Windows 7 Ultimate is the Release Candidate edition; it will be available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions in English, French, Japanese, German, and Spanish.

Windows 7 RC offers many improvements over the beta release, including:

DirectAccess User Experience — Corporate Connectivity Notification has been removed to simplify the user experience; only Internet Access is displayed.
User Account Control (UAC) — In the beta release, a user could change the notification level in the UAC control panel without receiving a prompt for administrative credentials. The UAC control panel now runs in a high integrity process; changing the level of the UAC will prompt for confirmation. When a user is logged on with a standard user account, that user must provide administrative credentials to change the default UAC notification level.
AppLocker — The AppLocker UI includes a new Group Policy administrative template, which can be configured by an administrator to display a customized URL when AppLocker blocks an application from starting. The message can be used to reduce help desk calls by directing users to a helpdesk intranet site.
System Partition Size — The Windows 7 partition drive size (required for Bit Locker and Windows Recovery Environment) has been reduced from 200MB to 100MB.
Network Troubleshooting — Support for diagnostics is greatly enhanced, including a new Windows Troubleshooting Pack for DirectAccess within Control Panel. If a resource is not reachable (for example, a Web site fails to load), use 'Diagnose Connection' in Internet Explorer or 'Troubleshoot problems' diagnostic entry points to help determine the cause of the issue.

To learn more about Windows 7 from an IT professional perspective, check out our screencasts as well as our resources on Deployment, Application Compatibility, Security, Imaging, and more—all of which are available through the Springboard Series on TechNet.

Test drive Windows 7 RC today to see for yourself—and to show your colleagues, users, and customers—how Windows 7 delivers improved management, security, reliability, productivity, and performance.

Some things to be aware of with the Windows 7 Release Candidate:

Please plan ahead for Windows 7 Beta and Windows 7 RC expiration dates. To avoid interruption, you’ll need to rebuild your test machine using a genuine version of Windows 7 before the software expires. Windows will remind you when the expiration process is beginning; two weeks after this notification your PC will begin shutting down every two hours.
- Windows 7 Beta expires on August 1, 2009, and bi-hourly shutdowns will begin July 1, 2009.
- Windows 7 RC will expire June 1, 2010, and the bi-hourly shutdowns will begin on March 1, 2010.
In both cases, you’ll need to rebuild your test PC to replace the operating system and reinstall all your programs and data.
Since Windows 7 RC is not the final release, your PC will gather and send information to Microsoft engineers to help them check the fixes and changes made based on testing of Windows 7 Beta.
Windows 7 RC requires that you do a clean install. Before installing Windows 7 RC, please read the Release Notes and Things to Know for important information.*
Keep your PC updated. Be sure turn on automatic updates in Windows Update in case we publish updates for Windows 7 RC.
Microsoft doesn’t offer technical support for prerelease software, including Windows 7 RC. If you have problems or questions, we encourage you to visit our online forums, where you can get answers from our Windows Community and Support Professionals.

*These documents will be updated on May 5, 2009.

Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 is Released to Manufacturing

Celine Allee — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:55:00 GMT

Today we are proud to announce the Release to Manufacturing of Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Service Pack 2 (SP2) represents the latest step in Microsoft’s commitment to continuous improvement. It includes all of the updates that have been delivered since SP1, as well as support for new types of hardware and emerging hardware standards. And since it comes with a single installer for both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, SP2 will be easy for IT Pros to manage, deploy, and support. For an overview of the changes introduced in SP2, check out the notable changes document.

Business customers with Windows Vista will find that the transition to Windows 7 will be significantly more straightforward due to the high degree of compatibility between Windows Vista and Windows 7. If your Windows Vista SP1 deployment is already underway we recommend you continue with SP1 as planned. Then you can deploy SP2 using your systems management infrastructure. If you are in the early stages of deployment or still planning Windows Vista deployment our best advice is that you plan on testing and deploying Windows Vista SP2.

The Infrastructure Planning and Design team has released a new guide: Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization.

Celine Allee — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:13:00 GMT

This guide outlines the critical infrastructure design elements that will help ensure a successful implementation of Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V). This guide walks you through the four-step process of designing components, layout, and connectivity in a logical, sequential order. Identification of the MED-V server instances needed is presented in simple, easy-to-follow steps, with the result being the delivery of managed virtual machines to end users. This guide will help you create a design that is sized, configured, and appropriately placed, while also considering the performance, capacity, and fault tolerance of the system.

Infrastructure Planning and Design specifically helps you by:

Enabling you to quickly select the end users, locations, and virtual machines (VMs) that will be included in the project scope.
Assisting you in determining how many MED-V server instances will be required in order to deliver managed virtual machines to end users.
Defining the technical decision flow through the planning process.
Listing the decisions to be made and the commonly available options and considerations.
Relating the decisions and options to the business in terms of cost, complexity, and other characteristics.
Stepping you through MED-V infrastructure design in a logical, sequential order.

Get Download Here:
Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) guides download

Read More:
http://www.microsoft.com/IPD

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2009 is Now Available

Celine Allee — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:55:00 GMT

MDOP 2009 includes MED-V 1.0, App-V 4.5 CU1 and AIS 1.5 Updates

I wanted to let you know that Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2009 is now available for purchase to Software Assurance customers. MDOP 2009 includes the first release of Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V 1.0), a Cumulative Update to Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V 4.5 CU1), and an update to the Asset Inventory Service (AIS). Alongside these updated releases, MDOP 2009 also includes the other standard MDOP tools: Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset, Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management, and Microsoft System Center Desktop Error Monitoring.

MED-V 1.0 helps enterprises upgrade to the latest version of Windows even when some applications are not yet compatible. MED-V builds on top of Microsoft Virtual PC to run two operating systems on one device, adding virtual image delivery, policy-based provisioning and centralized management.

In addition, App-V 4.5 CU1 is now available as part of MDOP 2009. App-V 4.5 CU1 adds support for Windows 7 Beta, so customers can move ahead with application testing in preparation for enterprise deployments. It also contains a few improvements such as instant access or removal of applications assigned to end users. When Windows 7 releases, we are committed to supporting the final product within 90 days of general availability.

AIS 1.5 update, now available to all MDOP end users through Windows Update, enhances the license reconciliation feature and the task scheduler. It now provides a detailed report for each application (e.g. whether license type is retail or volume license) to simplify license inventory tasks and to improve licensing compliance. The inventory scan scheduling has been improved to ensure data is collected even from devices that are turned off regularly.

MDOP 2009 is available for MDOP subscribers at the Microsoft Volume Licensing Site (MVLS).

Announcing the Release Candidate of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008

Celine Allee — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:55:00 GMT

As you probably know, the Windows Client team has been developing Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, representing our commitment to continuous improvement. Last week, on February 25, the Release Candidate (RC) was made available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers; this week we’re pleased to announce broad availability under the Customer Preview Program as of today, March 4. Your automated feedback will help us deliver the highest quality final release possible.

SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 builds on the advancements delivered in SP1, and simplifies administration by enabling the deployment and support of a single service pack for client and servers. SP2 includes all of the updates that have been delivered since the release of SP1, along with support for new types of hardware and emerging standards that will grow in importance in the coming months.

A few of the highlights are:

Hardware and Standards support

Bluetooth 2.1 feature pack to support the most recent Bluetooth device specifications
Windows Connect Now (WCN) WiFi configuration
Enhanced exFAT file system to support correct file synchronization across time zones

Performance, Reliability and Security improvements

All previously released updates since SP1
Improved wireless reconnection performance for mobile PCs resuming from hibernation
Reduced audio and video streaming performance for specific hardware configurations
Windows Search 4, with improved indexing performance, extended file types, and improved Group Policy integration

Deployment and Support enhancements

A single installer covers both client PC and servers
Driver detection that will either block SP2 installation or warn users of functionality loss, whichever is more appropriate
Improved error handling and more descriptive error messages
Event logging support for administrators who use quiet-mode installations
Includes the Service Pack Clean-Up tool to restore hard disk space by removing redundant files from RTM and SP1

Many of you also manage server infrastructure. If you are testing out Windows Server 2008 R2, here are a few other things you’ll see in this Release Candidate:

Easier virtualization—Hyper-V RTM is included in the Service Pack
Reduced power consumption—Windows Server 2008 R2 is up to 10% more power efficient than Windows Server 2008 RTM
Unified—there is one package for 32 bit and one package for 64 bit that covers both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008

For more detail on these and other changes in SP2, please check the Windows Team Blog.

Windows 7 Beta Update Tests Begin February 24, 2009

Celine Allee — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:13:00 GMT

As part of the regular beta testing cycle, the Windows 7 Engineering team will be releasing “test updates” to Windows Update. Users of beta build 7000 will receive notification of the “test update,” but it will not install automatically.

While these test updates will not contain any fixes or features, we encourage you to install the updates to help us test the serviceability of Windows 7.

Additional information can be found on the Microsoft Update Team Blog.

Windows 7 Beta Program Updates

Celine Allee — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:33:00 GMT

Response to the beta has been fantastic, and we now have more than enough customers enrolled in the Beta to provide the feedback that Engineering needs to finish the product.

Because interest in the beta is so high, we have decided to extend availability of the beta through the Customer Preview Program (CPP) until 2/12.

Note that MSDN and TechNet subscribers will continue to have access to the beta after the public program closes.

Also, even after we shut off downloads from the CPP, you will still be able to register and get a key; just not be able to download the product.

No new downloads (2/10)
You will no longer be able to initiate new downloads of the beta in this phase, but you will be able to complete a download that you had previously initiated. You will still be able to obtain product keys to use with a DVD or bits you have previously downloaded.

No downloads (2/12)
The beta will no longer be available for download, but you can still obtain product keys to use with a DVD or bits you have previously downloaded.

Thank you again and if you need any help or support for the beta, please visit our Windows 7 Support Forum here.

Got questions for our Windows 7 Springboard Series Virtual Roundtable? Here’s your chance.

Celine Allee — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:59:00 GMT

I wanted to take a moment to offer our blog readers a direct invitation to submit questions for our upcoming Virtual Roundtable Windows 7: To the Beta and Beyond, airing live February 12, 2009 at 11:00am Pacific Standard time. The panel will be answering questions live during the show; any questions we are unable to answer during the show will be posted in a Q&A on our blog following the broadcast.

The Virtual Roundtable panel includes:
Mark Russinovich -- Microsoft Technical Fellow
Mark Minasi -- Technical Writer/Speaker
Erik Lustig -- Microsoft Sr. Product Manager
Jason Leznik -- Windows Product Management Group
Jeremy Chapman -- Windows Product Management Group
Rhonda Layfield -- Enterprise Deployment Expert
Sandeep Singhal -- Microsoft Director/Program Manager

Please submit your questions to vrtable@microsoft.com

Want to know what our virtual roundtables are all about? Check out our September roundtable on Windows Vista performance.

Windows Service Pack Blocker Toolkit

Celine Allee — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:21:00 GMT

Here’s an update for those of you who have installed the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista. This code temporarily prevents the installation of a service pack through Windows Update, typically for one year after general availability of the service pack. The expiration date for the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows Vista SP1 is April 28, 2009; for Windows XP SP3 the tool expires May 19, 2009.

For more information on the Service Pack Blocker Tool, please see the FAQ available through the Springboard Series on TechNet.

New deployment tools available for Windows 7 Beta!

Celine Allee — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 04:00:00 GMT

We know many of you have downloaded the Windows 7 Beta (enough to overwhelm our servers!), and are likely putting the new operating system through its paces. Now that you’ve had a chance to explore the new UI and some of the advanced end-user features, it might be time to begin working with the management and deployment capabilities.

Microsoft has just released two complementary deployment tools you will want to take a look at:

The Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) is a tool to help IT pros create and deploy Windows images to new hardware. The Windows AIK is a collection of tools and documentation that help you automate Windows OS deployments with a high degree of flexibility—allowing you to configure many deployment options, which is helpful in highly customized environments. Tools such as the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT—discussed below) and products like System Center Configuration Manager use components of Windows AIK to create system images and automate their installation. This latest release of Windows AIK is designed to work with Windows 7 images, and supports the new Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool that is part of Windows 7. The User State Migration Tool (USMT 4.0) is now installed as part of Windows AIK, to help streamline and simplify the migration of user accounts, files, OS settings and application settings. You can download the latest Windows AIK here.

The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Beta is also now available as an open beta on Connect. MDT 2010 is the fourth generation deployment Solution Accelerator from Microsoft. Along with detailed guidance, MDT 2010 provides unified tools and processes for desktop and server deployments from a common deployment console, delivering standardized images across both your server and client infrastructure. MDT 2010 also supports Hard Link Migrations using USMT 4.0 for refresh scenarios, which will reduce your user state back-up and restore time. MDT 2010 supports deployment of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, in addition to supporting Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP SP3 and Windows Server 2003.

Check out other Solution Accelerators at www.microsoft.com/solutionaccelerators, and visit the Springboard Series on TechNet for more information and guidance on Windows technology adoption!

Beta 1 for Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization 1.0 (MED-V) is now available

Celine Allee — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:00:00 GMT

It’s been a busy week for beta software downloads—we had a tremendous response to the Windows 7 Beta, to the point where we needed to add server capacity just to keep up! And if you haven’t downloaded the Windows 7 Beta yet, you can still do so here.

Right on the heels of Windows 7 is the Beta 1 for Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization 1.0 (MED-V), one of six technologies in the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP). MED-V helps to overcome application-to-OS compatibility issues (for example, allowing an application built for Windows XP to operate on a Windows Vista PC), and provides deployment, management and user experience capability for Virtual PC images in an enterprise environment. MED-V is a client-hosted virtualization technology, making it ideal for circumstances where the end user is regularly offline (such as mobile laptop users) or on a limited network connection. The beta is available to the public for free. The final release of MED-V v1.0 will be available through the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack—your organization must have or purchase Windows Client Software Assurance on your Windows desktops to buy MDOP.

You can download the MDOP MED-V Version 1 Beta here. Please note—you will need to answer a short five question survey before downloading the software.

For more information on the MED-V Version 1 Beta, there is also an FAQ document and Quick Start Guide available on the download site. And for topical resources on managing a Windows environment, please see the Springboard Series on TechNet.

Windows 7 Beta Has Officially Launched!

Celine Allee — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:23:00 GMT

After much anticipation, Microsoft has now made Windows 7 Beta available for evaluation and testing to IT professionals! For TechNet subscribers, you can download Windows 7 Beta today here. On January 9th, the beta will open to all IT professionals on the Springboard Series for Windows 7.

In fact, it will be useful to add the Springboard Series to your favorites as you’ll see a Windows 7 tab emerge January 9th that will offer helpful real-time content such as video walkthroughs, articles, podcasts, and deeper resources for evaluating Windows 7. You can access there the new Microsoft TechNet Windows 7 Beta Forums too and join the conversation!

The Beta is your chance to help us with feedback that targets the fundamentals—the “quality bar” that we are setting for Windows 7 on security, reliability and performance. If you are interested in getting even more involved, the Windows Feedback Program is your chance to directly influence future versions of the Windows operating system. This program is limited to the first 500 IT professionals to sign up, so don’t delay! Send an e-mail to winpanel@microsoft.com with the Subject “Request to sign up for Windows Feedback Program on Windows 7” and we will send the first 500 users a link to enroll in the program.

A major focus of Windows 7, from an IT professional perspective, has been to improve overall PC manageability, security, and end user and IT productivity—especially given the more mobile and distributed work environments that we see today. You will find key advancements that will impact you and your end users every day—such as accessing information and network resources across the enterprise; implementing security and compliance policies, and automating the management of physical and virtual PCs. For a more in-depth view of Windows 7 and how it will impact your day-to-day work, take a look at the feature articles on the Springboard Series, "First Look at Windows 7 for IT Professionals," and "Ten Things IT Professionals Should Know About Windows 7.” Or, for even more background on the fundamentals, visit the Engineering Windows 7 blog.

Many of you will be interested in what has changed since the M3 pre-beta build (available at the Professional Developer’s Conference in October), for those of you that had access, you’ve probably found that Windows 7 is remarkably stable and mature for the point in its development cycle. Most applications and drivers retain compatibility if you are coming from a Windows Vista environment, and you’ve probably even noticed some improvements to boot time and operating system performance.

The beta version of Windows 7 has matured from the M3 build, but the changes you’ll see are refinements and a few new capabilities. Most prominent are the new Taskbar and Jump Lists, that help you and your end users access commonly used resources more directly, Aero Peek to allow a quick look to the desktop to see gadgets or files, and refinements to the Action Center to help streamline troubleshooting by end users.

With this, we encourage you to download and install the OS, dive into the new elements and capabilities, and visit the Springboard Series for Windows 7 after January 9th for topical resources and discussion!

Celine Allee
Director, Windows Client IT Pro

Windows Vista SP2 - What's Inside? What's Important?

Celine Allee — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:15:00 GMT

With today's launch of the Customer Preview Program (CPP) for Windows Vista® Service Pack 2 (SP2), we wanted to provide a brief synopsis of the elements in this service pack, and encourage you to download and test this release. Windows Vista SP2 is a traditional service pack release with all cumulative released security updates available since the SP1 release in March 2008. In addition, Windows Vista SP2 includes support for new types of hardware and emerging standards that will grow in importance in coming months, along with fixes discovered via automated error reporting as part of our Customer Experience Improvement program.

What makes the Windows Vista SP2 release unique is that it represents a single service pack which applies to both client (Windows Vista SP1) and server (Windows Server 2008) operating systems—since the code base for Windows Vista is shared with that for Windows Server® 2008, a single update can be deployed across your infrastructure. This service model also provides the ability to detect an incompatible driver and block service pack installation, or warn users of any loss of functionality during installation. Other highlights for IT pros include:

Emerging Hardware Support

Bluetooth 2.1 feature pack
Ability to record data on Blu-ray media
exFAT file system now supports UTC timestamps, which enables correct file synchronization across time zones
Support for the new VIA 64-bit CPU
Support for ICCD/CCID smart cards

Hyper-V *

Windows Vista SP2 includes Hyper-V™ technology, enabling full virtualization of server workloads

*To clarify, Hyper-V is not included in Windows Vista SP2, it is part of the Windows Server 2008 service pack. This means that when you install SP2 for Windows Server 2008, or if you install a slipstreamed version of Windows Server 2008 with SP2, the RTM version of the Hyper-V role will be included. Hyper-V was released after Windows Server 2008, which means that the role you currently install is a pre-release role and needs to be updated to bring it up to RTM. This update will be applied (only if necessary) automatically when you install SP2.

Security

Windows Vista SP2 incorporates previously released reliability updates, as well as addressing crashes discovered since the launch of Windows Vista SP1

Performance

Inclusion of Windows Search 4 for improved indexing performance, improved relevancy in search, broader indexing scenario inclusion, as well as new Group Policy integration for Windows Search
Reduction of resources required for sidebar gadgets

Wireless

Windows Vista Feature Pack for Wireless
Fixed issue where Wi-Fi connection was no longer available after resume from sleep

Administration and Support Improvements

Service pack clean-up tool: Restores hard disk space by permanently deleting the previous versions of the files (Windows Vista RTM and Windows Vista SP1) that are being serviced by Windows Vista SP2

We encourage you to download this service pack and test it on your lab machines. You should find that most if not all of your applications continue to function properly with this release. Also, we should point out that either Windows Vista SP1 or Windows Server 2008 is a prerequisite for installing this service pack.

Additional information on Windows Vista SP2 can be found in the Notable Changes in Windows Server 2008 SP2 Beta and Windows Vista SP2 Beta document. For more information on deploying and managing Windows Vista and related service packs, bookmark this blog and the Windows Client TechCenter at www.microsoft.com/springboard.