Microsoft owns the ‘smartest antivirus’ product on the market with Forefront Security for Clients/Servers.

LEADER IN ENTERPRISE MALWARE DETECTION
This is REALLY COOL.  Basically, my understanding has been that Microsoft’s approach to AntiMalware has historically been “protect against active, “in the wild” & off-radar, “zero-day” malware first and foremost to ensure that users are protected from the most potentially recent, frequent and popular viruses/ spyware/ trojans in use today. 

We also deemphasize old viruses like Code Red, Nimda, SQLSlammer, etc. because frankly, while they’re still technically viruses, they not threats because they can’t infect today’s modern or patched systems/software.  Nimda for example has no relevance in a modern IT environment since the vulnerability points by which it infected its hosts are no longer available. 

The bottom line is that there are hundreds of thousands of viruses that are no longer in circulation because they simply don’t work against today’s software, so there’s no point in testing for them and otherwise slowing down the protection process, taking up monstrous amounts of memory and creating larger, longer to download malware definition libraries. (And I think you know what 3rd party product I’m talking about… <ahem>)

BEST IN DETECTING NEW THREATS & FALSE POSITIVES
Apparently, the latest 3rd party tests prove out our strengths in this area.

Microsoft’s anti-virus technology came out on top in the vaunted “AV-Comparatives” Proactive/Restrospective test, which this month tested 22,685 malware threats, beating such heavyweights as Symantec, McAfee, F-Secure, TrendMicro, Sophos, Kaspersky, etc. particularly in the area of proactive detection, which is arguably the most important area of testing.

The important thing to know is THIS TEST IS NOT BASED ON SIGNATURE DETECTION.  Proactive detection is essentially the science of stopping malware that isn’t in a signature library & ‘isn’t on anyone’s radar’.  To quote the test’s parameters:

In this retrospective test, any “in the cloud” technologies that were implemented in the products under test were, of course, disabled.  The retrospective test is performed using passive scanning and demonstrates the ability of the products under test to detect new malware proactively without being executed.  Even if “in the cloud” technologies provide very fast updates, they are still using an essentially reactive detection method based on signature detection.

If a malicious program is already detected “in the cloud” (that is, it’s already in the database) it isn’t unknown/”new malware”.  To leave “in the cloud” signature detection enabled would be unfair to other products under test that are being prevented from receiving signature updates.

Nowadays, hardly any anti-virus products rely purely on “simple” signatures anymore.  They all use complex generic signatures and heuristics, etc. in order to catch new malware, without needing to download signatures or initiate manual analysis of new threats.

As it can be seen above, most products are already able to detect much completely new/unknown malware proactively.  Such products can do this even without executing the malware, using passive heuristics, while other protective mechanisms like HIPS, behavior analysis, and behavior blockers, etc. add an extra layer of protection.

Additionally, from an accuracy perspective, Microsoft’s Forefront technologies also came out as the #1 product, creating the fewest false alarms out of any of the tested anti-malware products

<taken from the Forefront blog>

AV-Comparatives.org published the May edition of its proactive/retrospective testing to measure 16 anti-virus vendors’ capability in detecting new threats.  Microsoft anti-virus received one of only 3 Advanced+ ratings. Our detection rate was 60%, the second best among the participants, and we had the fewest false positive samples. 

This result is consistent with some recent proactive tests conducted by other industry test organizations.  In the VB100 April edition, VB introduced a new metric, Reactive and Proactive (RAP), in their test criteria.  Vendors scored from 8.0% to 94.7%.  Both Forefront Client Security and OneCare score at 80% in the RAP test cases.  In addition, in the Wild List response time testing by AV-test.org in 2008, Microsoft was in the clear leading position on proactive detection.

For details, see AV-comparatives May edition, published here.

DOWNLOAD:   Proactive/Retrospective May Edition Report from AV-Comparatives
http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/ondret/avc_report22.pdf

This video represents the exciting future of virtualization… and Microsoft is the only company that’s doing this. 

The days of maintaining an operating system for each application service deployed will hopefully soon be behind us, and today’s paradigm of running Virtual Machines will be old news.  Why migrate entire virtual machines with operating systems & applications when you can just migrate an Application between physical servers?  Why sustain all the overhead of running 10 instances of the same Windows Server operating system on a single physical host when all you care about are the Application Services that they’re running?

The future is “Virtualized Server Operating Systems”… aka Application Virtualization for Servers.

Notice in the demo that they’re using a ‘special’ alpha version of Virtual Machine Manager complete with Application Services stored as first class citizens in the library, along side virtual machines and operating systems.  Pairing application services (in this case, the FAST Search/Indexing Engine) with Virtual Machines is now a piece of cake since there’s virtually no ‘friction’ or ties between the running Operating System and the Application Service.  And most importantly, the entire Application Service state can be lifted off of a running OS and placed on an upgraded OS making system upgrades a snap, along with Application Service migration.

MMS 2009: Application Virtualization for Servers

As you'll see, Bill's demo was setup by talk about administering the compute fabric and managing deployment of a tightly bound OS can create challenges. By applying application virtualization to this challenge, we can separate apps from the server. This should mean a more simplified, and accelerated, approach to deploying those virtualized apps and patching. Bill pointed out that this leads to reduce image libraries, and accelerated migration.

Check out the demo - it's less than 6 minutes.

 

A very important paper got released at the beginning of the month that I thought you’d want to know about if you didn’t already.

When you’re moving from the older File Replication Service to Distributed File System Replication to propagate the contents of the SYSVOL which contains your logon scripts and your group policy object ADMX files, you’ll want something to guide you in the migration process and this document is just what the doctor ordered.

Here’s the announcement:

Ned here. It's done, it's out, come get it, stop yelling at me! :-)

• SYSVOL Replication Migration Guide: FRS to DFS Replication (TechNet Version) 
• SYSVOL Replication Migration Guide: FRS to DFS Replication (Word Doc Version)

Be sure to also run through some of these (possibly) useful accompanying pieces:

• Verifying File Replication during the Windows Server 2008 DFSR SYSVOL Migration – Down and Dirty Style 
• DFSR SYSVOL Migration FAQ: Useful trivia that may save your follicles 
• KB968733 (hotfix for migration under certain RODC scenarios) 
• KB967326 (hotfix for migration under disjoint name space scenarios) 

- Ned 'Yes, my middle name is DFSR' Pyle

Microsoft Management Summit 2009, held in Las Vegas annually, has several sessions on PowerShell. 

The content of some of these talks were posted on the PowerShell blog for your perusal. 

Take a look:

• MMS:  Easy Automation with Windows PowerShell
  http://blogs.msdn.com/powershell/archive/2009/
  04/30/se05-easy-automation-with-windows-powershell.aspx
• MMS:  Whats New in Windows PowerShell 2.0
  http://blogs.msdn.com/powershell/archive/2009/
  04/30/se06-whats-new-in-windows-powershell-2-0.aspx
• MMS:  Automating Your Infrastructure with Windows PowerShell 2.0
  http://blogs.msdn.com/powershell/archive/2009/
  04/30/se07-automating-your-infrastructure-with-windows-powershell-2-0.aspx
• TECHED:  Advanced Windows PowerShell Scripting
  http://blogs.msdn.com/powershell/archive/2009/
  05/19/powershell-session-at-teched-2009.aspx
• TECHED:  PowerShell Videos Online
  http://blogs.msdn.com/powershell/archive/2009/
  05/14/updates-from-tech-ed-09.aspx

Microsoft Research has released v1.1 of AutoCollage.

What is AutoCollage?

Photo collages celebrate important events and themes in our lives. Pick a folder, press a button, and in a few minutes AutoCollage presents you with a unique memento to print or email to your family and friends.

Create beautifully blended image collages with a click of your mouse. AutoCollage automatically selects, arranges, and blends your pictures into a collage suitable for printing or e-mailing.

For more information, visit the product/research site:
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/cambridge/projects/autocollage/
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/cambridge/projects/autocollage/Demos/

The technology has been productized into a $19.95 product that you can purchase from the Microsoft Store.

STORE:
http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/AutoCollage-2008/product/8D6DDFB5?WT.mc_id=autocollage

We’re offering free access to the eLearning course, Clinic 6258:  “New Features Of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services” for a limited time.

This Clinic cover topics on New Reporting Services Features in SQL Server 2008.

Objectives
At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• This online course addresses several of the new features and functionality of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
• It includes the new Microsoft Report Designer
• A look at the innovate tablix data region
• Enhancements in visualization through improved charting and gauges
• Exploration of new administration and management features are also explored

ENROLL: New SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services Free Training
http://co1piltwb.partners.extranet.microsoft.com/mcoeredir/mcoeredirect.aspx?linkId=11991762&s1=64f91b0f-009e-5a38-3cf5-2d4cb973e070

We’ve written a very useful 38-page paper that goes over in a fair amount of detail what the phenomenon of Social Computing is and what its value is to Microsoft’s enterprise customers – particularly those that own and leverage Sharepoint Technologies.

The paper goes over a few specific examples but unfortunately they left a few off that I think would have been valuable to include:

• Cadence Design Systems
  Social Networking Enhances Brand for Electronic Design Automation Firm WHITEPAPER:  http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=4000003532
  VIDEO:  http://hightech.telligent.com/blogs/video_clips_from_the_high_tech_summit/archive/2009/01/29/great-case-study-from-cadence-design-systems-and-speaktech.aspx
• Numonyx
  High-Tech Startup Creates Public Web Site and Collaborative Intranet in 80 Days
  WHITEPAPER:  http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=4000003568
  VIDEO:  http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/resources/Files/4000003568/Numonyx_1440K.wvx

Topics covered by the paper:

• Why Enterprises Adopt Social Computing
• Value of Social Computing to Enterprises
• Benefits of Social Computing to IT
• Usage Scenarios of Enterprise 2.0 Technologies
• How Social Computing with SharePoint Solves Business Problems
• Windows SharePoint Server 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 as Social Computing Platforms
• Real World Applications of Social Computing
• Microsoft’s Main Differentiators
• IT Benefits

Project Conference 2009 will be the biggest public disclosure event and the best conference to attend to get in-depth and hands-on technical training with Microsoft Project 2010. Let Microsoft Project help you save money, enhance efficiency and drive growth.

Register now for just $699 and attend Project Conference 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona from September 14-17, 2009. Use code PC09tecED.  This offer expires June 15.

LINK:
http://www.msprojectconference.com/registration.html

Microsoft is pleased to announce the 5th annual Microsoft Project Conference being held September 14-17, 2009 at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, AZ.

This year’s conference will exclusively disclose the powerful capabilities included in Microsoft Project 2010 and Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solutions while providing real world guidance on how Microsoft Project 2007 and Microsoft EPM Solutions are helping customers today with Project and Portfolio Management to save money, enhance efficiency and prepare for future growth. With in-depth content and hands-on opportunities to learn about Microsoft Project 2010 and Microsoft EPM Solutions, obtain unique insights into how the next release will continue to support your business tomorrow.

No other conference will come close to delivering the quantity and quality of content and experiences that you’ll find at Project Conference 2009. It’s sure to be one of the most exciting and valuable yet with high-impact keynotes, 75+ in-depth breakout sessions, hands on and instructor led labs, demonstrations and many opportunities to connect and collaborate with your peers, industry practitioners and technologists, certified partners and the Microsoft Project team. In the current economic climate, it’s vital to keep both your individual skills and organizational capabilities moving forward! Don’t be left behind – there won’t be another opportunity elsewhere or during the next year to “Learn, Connect and Grow” like at Project Conference 2009.

There was a TechNet Webcast on File Classification Infrastructure (FCI) in Windows Server 2008 R2 the other day.

Windows Server 2008 R2 File Classification Infrastructure introduces an extensible built-in solution for file classification and management allowing administrators to classify file and apply policy based on classification. These capabilities help organizations to manage their file servers data based on their business policy. The infrastructure can be leveraged by products spanning Compliance, Information leakage prevention, HSM, Backup and Archival.

This session includes a walkthrough of the merits of using classification, showcase a demo, discuss the extensibility model and talk about the feedback from customers on using classification to manage file servers.

See the details below:

• WEBCAST:  File Classification in Windows Server 2008 R2
  http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032410139&Culture=en-US

Do more with less. This has been the server manager’s mantra for several years but never more so than now. Fortunately, Windows Server® 2008 R2 has got your back with numerous and varied features designed specifically to address IT’s current challenges while making day-to-day life a little easier. Here are the top 10:

#1. Migrating VMs Without Service Interruption

Windows Server 2008’s Quick Migration was an adequate feature, allowing administrators to move VMs between physical hosts with only short downtime. Trouble is, even that delay was long enough to drop any currently connected users or applications and that tends to arouse helpdesk ire. Windows Server 2008 R2 meets this challenge with Live Migration.

Live Migration leverages Windows Clustering Services and the Cluster Shared Volumes technology to transfer VMs in milliseconds. That means no dropped connections and a much more dynamic data center management environment. We’ve also added Live Migration features to System Center Virtual Machine Manager, including the ability to perform migrations based on policy. It’s a brave new virtual world. 

#2. Branch File Access Performance Up; WAN Costs Down

Branch offices can be the bane of both server and desktop administrators. Remote workers can’t find files due to lack of access or can’t get them fast enough because of bandwidth constraints. Enter another key Windows Server 2008 R2 feature: BranchCache™.

Administrators can use BranchCache to track file access requests at the branch office, and the files can be cached there. Files can be retrieved from other branch office client PCs (a peer-to-peer caching model, known as distributed mode) or from a dedicated BranchCache™ server at the remote site (also called hosted mode). A central BranchCache™ server keeps track of both existing file requests and file updates to ensure all requests receive only the most current content.

The result is an easy-to-configure and easy-to-maintain caching solution that speeds the servicing of remote client requests and lowers WAN bandwidth utilization at the same time.

#3. Self-adjusting Server and Data Center Power Management

Green IT may be the single hottest mandate from upper-level business management to IT in 2008, and the trend is likely to continue in 2009. To help harried IT managers go green quickly and easily, Microsoft is doing its part with new power management updates in Windows Server 2008 R2.

First, there’s an exciting new feature called Core Parking. When this feature is enabled, Windows Server 2008 R2 will constantly monitor the various workloads running across multi-core server systems. If certain processor cores are under-utilized or unnecessary, Core Parking can set just those cores into sleep mode, thus saving significant power. If workloads suddenly increase, R2 can spin up dormant cores in a matter of milliseconds. So a server with 64 logical cores can drop to just a 4-core machine during low-utilization times and rev back up to full CPU power as soon as workloads increase.

In addition, Windows Server 2008 R2 enables administrators to design active power policies that can cause servers to ‘throttle-down’ during off-hours by using DMTF-compliant remote management interfaces.

#4. Remote Server Management

Doing more with less includes traveling. Managing servers effectively no matter where they are physically located is always a problem. Windows Server 2008 R2 addresses this challenge with a Server Manager that can be installed on workstations and pointed at servers from afar. In addition, Server Manager has new management consoles devoted specifically to remote management tasks across all server roles.

#5. Squeeze the Most From Your Hardware

Virtualization might be a major boon when it comes to server consolidation, but the other half of that equation is squeezing every last drop of performance out of your virtualization hosts. Windows Server 2008 R2 has several new features designed to take full advantage of any hardware configuration.

First, because it takes advantage of the last two years of 64-bit server CPU manufacturing, Windows Server 2008 R2 is the first Microsoft server operating system to take only the 64-bit road. Your 32-bit applications will continue to run flawlessly on R2, but the 64-bit operating system is much better designed to take advantage of those high-end server CPUs from AMD and Intel.

And more of them, too—with Windows Server 2008 R2 scaling up to address as many as 256 logical processors in a single server, and Hyper-V in R2 is able to use more than 32 logical processors in a single VM. That’s twice the CPU support of Hyper-V 1.0! R2 can also take advantage of advanced CPU features, including Second Level Translation for much-improved memory management. It all adds up to more server muscle for your data center dollar. When combined with the consolidation power of Hyper-V, it means R2 can make a significant dent in your annual IT spend.

#6. Do Better At Managing Virtual Data Centers

Data centers have gone virtual with a speed that’s surprised even the experts. But although the technology’s potential is easily realized, tools to effectively manage large pools of virtualized resources have been slower to emerge. Windows Server 2008 R2 helps fill that void with a slick update to Hyper-V™.

The new Hyper-V™ sports numerous improvements over the old, including support for both 32- and 64-bit VMs, larger memory support (up to 64GB per VM), pass through disk access, and new hardware sharing architectures for resources like disk, networking, and video. But Hyper-V™ hasn’t left managers out in the cold—it includes new consoles for Live Migration and high-availability clusters, support for WMI management extensibility, and day-to-day tools to make life easier such as Virtual Machine snapshots. And last (but definitely not least), Hyper-V™ also sports a host of new support from PowerShell 2.0 with a slew of new dedicated cmdlets.

#7. Create Customized and Automated Management Tools

Canned management tools are great, but in large scenarios and especially vertical environments, being able to build your own management tool box is critical. Microsoft took an exciting step in this direction with the release of PowerShell 1.0 with Windows Server 2008. With Windows Server 2008 R2, we’ve reacted to the hugely positive customer feedback around this feature with a revamped and updated PowerShell version 2.0.

PowerShell v2 carries improvements across the board with improved remote management via WS-Management, better security with features like constrained runspaces, extended scripting functionality, and even improved script portability via XML. You’ll find a new Graphical PowerShell that adds pro developer-class IDE features, including colored syntaxing and better debugging tools for building your own cmdlets.  And let’s not forget about the over 240 new cmdlets that ship with R2 right out of the box.

#8. Use Virtualization to Ease Desktop Management

The Hyper-V™ server virtualization feature is only half of the virtualization message in Windows Server 2008 R2. Desktop and application management has always been a troublesome task because of the distributed nature of its targets. With R2, however, Microsoft presents a centralized solution to many of these difficulties via presentation virtualization.

The new Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) in Windows Server 2008 R2 figures largely in this vision, and builds on the solid presentation virtualization foundation we built into Windows Server 2008’s Terminal Services. With the advent of Window Server 2008 R2, this is now called Remote Desktop Services under which VDI encompasses  a centralized desktop delivery architecture that allows customers to centralize the storage, execution, and management of a Windows® desktop or application in the data center. This capability gives desktop and application administrators a whole new toolkit for better enablement of flexible work scenarios, including work-from-home and hot-desking as well as increased data security, compliance, and more efficient management of the desktop operating system and applications.

#9. Broaden Remote Access Adoption While Making it Easier to Manage

Green IT, skyrocketing gas prices, a slow economy, and a need to get the job done no matter where it might be—all these factors combine to make remote computing one of the most important and difficult IT management tasks at the moment. Windows Server 2008 R2 addresses this with an exciting new feature that seeks to turn your clunky VPN into something as easy to manage and reliable as a dial tone.

DirectAccess (DA) is a comprehensive anywhere access solution that enables organizations to provide always-on, secure connectivity to on-premise and remote users alike. It improves security and lowers total cost of ownership (TCO). DA eliminates the need to connect explicitly with the corporate network while roaming and provides organizations with the next generation of policy-based, secure connectivity. To end users, the concept of remote computing goes away because DA and Windows 7 combine to present them with an always-on connection to their corporate network whether they’re attached to a local, remote or even public network.

DA uses technologies already included with Windows Server 2008, including IPsec  and IPv6, but combines these with an easy wizard-style configuration and management toolkit that enables administrators to build and maintain DA. To maintain reliability and security, DA also takes advantage of many of the innovations found in other Microsoft products and services such as Network Access Protection, Server and Domain Isolation, and Forefront™ Client Security. In addition, the Microsoft Forefront Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) can enhance deployment and management.

#10. Take Your Web and Application Serving To The Next Level

Windows Server 2008 R2 includes many enhancements that make it the best Windows Server for Web applications and services yet, most notable of these: Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5.  Overworked server administrators will appreciate the updated Web server, which includes features that streamline management by extending the functionality of IIS Manager to include new configuration modules, by implementing a new Windows PowerShell Provider and task-based cmdlets for IIS, and by offering support  for .NET on Server Core—that means not just more application flexibility with ASP.NET now available on Server Core, but remote administration through IIS Manager and Server Manager as well. IIS 7.5 also integrates new support and troubleshooting features, including configuration logging and a dedicated Best Practice Analyzer, and integrates many of the more popular extensions for IIS, including updated versions of Secure FTP and WebDAV.

REDMOND, Wash. — May 7, 2009 — Microsoft Corp. today announced its intent to acquire BigPark Inc., an interactive online gaming company based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

BigPark was founded in 2007 by a group of industry veterans who led the creation and growth of two hugely successful software companies, Distinctive Software Inc. and Electronic Arts Canada. BigPark’s founding team is composed of business leaders with over 80 years of collective experience in the video game industry, having produced or overseen blockbuster franchises including “Need for Speed,” “FIFA Soccer,” “NBA Street” and “SSX.”

The acquisition will bring BigPark’s talented developers into Microsoft Game Studios, where the team will continue development on an exclusive Xbox 360 game. Over the past year, Microsoft and BigPark have worked closely on this project, providing Microsoft with a clear view into the caliber of talent and innovation at BigPark.

WEB SITE:
http://bigpark.com/

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/may09/05-07BigParkPR.mspx?rss_fdn=Press%20Releases

We’re excited to say that Miguel and team have made the Moonlight 2 Preview available today! 

For those that don’t know, Moonlight is an open source implementation of Silverlight for Linux built by Novell. We’ve been working with them since Silverlight 1.0, and the milestone today is a measure of our commitment to collaborate with Linux-based technologies to deliver our customers cross-platform interoperability. Those of you running Linux should check it out.

MORE:
http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2009/May-04.html

If you recall. when we released Windows Vista, there were still a lot of challenges involving 3rd party VPN clients from such companies as Cisco, Checkpoint, etc.

The following is a blog post that was made by the Routing & Remote Access blog addressing this concern with regard to the upcoming release of Windows 7.

---------------

When you upgrade your computer from an older version of Windows to Windows® 7 or Windows Server® 2008 R2, your 3rd-party virtual private network (VPN) client programs might not work. As Windows evolves, sometimes changes to the underlying infrastructure are required to implement new features, and these changes can sometime break compatibility with older programs. While Microsoft makes every effort to maintain compatibility with older programs, there are some categories of programs that are more likely to be impacted by these changes. VPN clients are one of them.

The tables below show the VPN clients available from different vendors. The tables include the minimum version number that has been tested and known to be compatible with Windows 7 and a link to the vendor’s Web site where you can download the client.

Be sure to review the More information column for any important notes that might be relevant to your use of the client.

Notes
Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.

• AT&T
• Checkpoint
• CISCO
• Citrix
• F5
• Juniper
• NCP
• NetGear
• Nortel
• SafeNet
• Sonic Wall

[taken from http://blogs.technet.com/rrasblog/archive/2009/05/05/vpn-client-compatibility-with-windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2.aspx]

Microsoft Corp. yesterday unveiled Bing, a new Decision Engine and consumer brand, providing customers with a first step in moving beyond search to help make faster, more informed decisions. Bing is specifically designed to build on the benefits of today’s search engines but begins to move beyond this experience with a new approach to user experience and intuitive tools to help customers make better decisions, focusing initially on four key vertical areas: making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business.

The result of this new approach is an important beginning for a new and more powerful kind of search service, which Microsoft is calling a Decision Engine, designed to empower people to gain insight and knowledge from the Web, moving more quickly to important decisions. The new service, located at http://www.Bing.com, will begin to roll out over the coming days and will be fully deployed worldwide on Wednesday, June 3.

The new service, located at http://www.Bing.com, will roll out over the coming days and will be deployed worldwide on Wed., June 3, 2009.

For more information visit the following links:

• http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/bing/default.mspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/may09/05-28NewSearchPR.mspx
• Bing Reviewer’s Guide
• Discover Bing- Interactive Product Guide

The download below includes updated Group Policy Administrative Template files and Office Customization Tool OPA files for use with the 2007 Microsoft Office system applications. It also includes an \Admin folder with an updated Office Customization Tool, and ADMX, ADML, and ADM versions of the 2007 Microsoft Office system Administrative Template files for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

For Administrative Template files, you may use the ADM files for any Windows operating system, or the combination of ADMX and language-specific ADML files on computers running at least Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008. This download also includes a workbook (Office2007GroupPolicyAndOCTSettings.xls) that provides information about the 2007 Office system Group Policy settings and OPA settings. This update assumes that you have updated your 2007 Office System applications with the 2007 Office System Service Pack 2 (SP2).

For more information about this download, see 2007 Office system Administrative Template files (ADM, ADMX, ADML) and Office Customization Tool updates.

For more information about ADMX and ADML files, see Managing Group Policy ADMX Files Step-by-Step Guide on the Microsoft TechNet Web site.

• DOWNLOAD:  2007 Office system (SP2) Administrative Template files (ADM, ADMX, ADML) and Office Customization Tool
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=73d955c0-da87-4bc2-bbf6-260e700519a8&displaylang=en
• WALKTHROUGH:  How to update the Office Customization Tool is posted here (Office Deployment Support Team Blog)
  http://blogs.technet.com/odsupport/archive/2009/04/30/2007-office-system-sp2-administrative-template-files-adm-admx-adml-and-office-customization-tool-are-available-for-download.aspx

This is a summation of the NEW and IMPROVED features in Active Directory in Windows Server 2008 that a coworker produced on the east coast.

This is a two page quick reference document that some of you AD admins will find interesting to learn from.

Enjoy!

(Download here.)

What’s in your phone that you can’t replace?  New numbers for old friends, photos of kids vacation memories?  Isn’t not just for calls and email… your phone lives with you.

Statistics say you should back it up.
Did you know that an estimated 12 million mobile devices are lost or stolen every year in the United States?*  Microsoft My Phone is a free** service that lets you confidently sync your phone to the Web, helping to keep your information protected even if you lose your phone.

Keep more and do more.
- Back up and restore your phone’s information with confidence.
- Access your text messages and make updates to your contacts and appointments from any computer.
- Share your photos with family and friends

Here’s a few important facts:

• 200MB of free storage
• Automatic backup each night (between 11PM-5AM)
• Beta only open to Windows Mobile 6 devices currently
• Backs up contacts, calendar appointments, tasks, photos, videos, text messages, music, and documents
• Provides access to backed up content online
• FREE!

HELP PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION.  USE MY PHONE TODAY!

• http://myphone.microsoft.com/mkweb/Start.po?mkt=en_US&ocid=eml_enus_WMTA_T_EM

* IDC Blackbook, Strategy Analytics, MCS Research
** Data charges may apply

Saw this on the Ask the DS Team blog and I know there are a bunch of you out there that have encountered this.

Howdy folks, Scott Goad again to talk about an issue that I thought you might find useful.

I recently worked with a customer who opened a case for an intermittent profile issue. Windows XP workstations would not load the local profile, resulting in the user receiving a temporary profile. The issue seemed to happen when a user logged off and then needed to log back into the workstation, resulting in the temporary profile.

We started the usual troubleshooting steps for working on this type of profile load problems. We enabled USERENV debug logging (more on that here). The customer readily enabled the logging and proceeded to reproduce the issue. They were able to gather a problematic log along with a saved copy of MSINFO32, which grabs the processes running and their associated Process ID. This is useful to identify what process is running, which is recorded in the USERENV log. The USERENV log did show a problem:

…

The short version is that the inability to open a user’s profile (resulting in the creation of a temporary profile and a slow logon) may be due to the usage of Citrix ICA client and a sharing violation that it can cause.

Read more at:
http://blogs.technet.com/askds/archive/2009/05/21/temporary-user-profiles-and-the-citrix-ica-client.aspx

This is pretty sweet.  I’m going to assume you already know what a Microsoft Tag is.  If you don’t look into it here:

• http://kurtsh.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!5124.entry

WHAT’S A CUSTOM TAG?
Basically a custom tag is simply a normal tag that’s disguised using normal pictures and photos.  So instead of a Microsoft Tag that you associate with your web site or contact info that looks like this:

 
A typical Microsoft Tag

You can have a Microsoft “custom” Tag that looks like this:

Here’s the video tutorial on how to accomplish this using Powerpoint:

For more information, go to:
http://blogs.msdn.com/tag/archive/2009/05/18/creating-a-custom-tag-for-the-tag-slaps-design-contest.aspx

Creating Custom Tags from Elliott Lemenager on Vimeo.

Y’know, I’ve had this issue with my wife several times when I’m travelling on business.  Windows Live Messenger won’t always establish a video camera conversation so we’ll have to switch to Office Communicator instead.

(The following was blatantly stolen from the Windows Live Messenger Support page at:
http://messenger-support.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!8B3F39C76A8B853F!15235.entry)

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If you are having difficulty establishing a video conversation with a contact in Windows Live Messenger, please try the following:

1. Make sure that your webcam device is configured properly with Windows Live Messenger by running the Audio and Video Setup…

1.a.  Start Windows Live Messenger. 
1.b.  Press Alt on the keyboard. Click Tools, then click Audio and Video Setup.
1.c.  Follow the directions in the wizard to select and configure the audio and video devices. 

If you encounter an error and you have a McAfee Site Advisor, please refer to our related article: http://messenger-support.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!8B3F39C76A8B853F!14323.entry

2. Disable the QoS Packet Scheduler

2.1  For Windows XP:
2.1.a.  Click Start, and then click Control Panel. 
2.1.b.  Click Network and Internet connections, and then click Network Connections. 
2.1.c.  Under LAN or High-Speed Internet, select the Local Area Connection that has a status of Connected. 
2.1.d.  Right-click that connection and then click Properties. 
2.1.e.  Clear the QoS Packet Scheduler check box. 
2.1.f.  Click OK to save the changes and close the window. 

2.2  For Windows Vista:
2.2.a.  Click Start Pearl, type Network and Sharing Center in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER. 
2.2.b.  Click Manage network connections. 
2.2.c.  Under LAN or High-Speed Internet, select the Local Area Connection that has a status of Connected. 
2.2.d.  Right-click that connection, and then click Properties. 
2.2.e.  Clear the QoS Packet Scheduler check box. 
2.2.f.  Click OK to save the changes and close the window.

3. Remove Third Party Applications

Look for any of the following: MyWebSearch Toolbar, Smiley Central, Messenger Plus, Kiwee Toolbar, Info Pen or MacroGaming SweetIM installed in your computer. These might be integrated with the Messenger but are actually third party add-ons which Microsoft did not author nor test and have been observed to cause conflicts with the Messenger program. If you have them installed, uninstall them.

3.1Windows Vista:
3.1.a. Click Start, type Control Appwiz.cpl in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.

3.1.b. In the list of installed programs, search for any third-party toolbars, such as MyWebSearch Toolbar, Smiley Central, Messenger Plus, Kiwee Toolbar, Info Pen or MacroGaming SweetIM and then uninstall the program. 

3.1.c. Restart the computer. 

3.2Windows XP
3.2.a. Click Start, click Run, type Control Appwiz.cpl in the Open box, and then press ENTER to open the Add or Remove Programs item. 

3.2.b.  In the list of installed programs, search for any third-party toolbars, such as MyWebSearch Toolbar, Smiley Central, Messenger Plus, Kiwee Toolbar, Info Pen or MacroGaming SweetIM and then uninstall the program. 

3.2.c.  Restart the computer. 

4. Disable Internet Protocol security (IPSec):

4.1 Windows Vista:
4.1.a.  Click Start , and then click Control Panel. 
4.1.b.  Click System and Maintenance, and then click Administrative Tools. 
4.1.c.  Double-click Services. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue. 
4.1.d.  Right-click IPsec Policy Agent, and then click Stop to stop the IPSec service. 
4.1.e.  If stopping the IPSec service does not resolve the issue, restart the IPSec service. To restart the IPSec service, right-click IPsec Policy Agent, and then click Start. 

4.2 Windows XP:
4.2a.  Click Start, and then click Control Panel. 
4.2.b.  Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click Administrative Tools. 
4.2.c.  Double-click Services. 
4.2.d.  Right-click IPSEC, and then click Stop to stop the IPSec service. 
4.2.e.  If stopping the IPSec service does not resolve the issue, restart the IPSec service. To restart the IPSec service, right-click IPSEC, and then click Start.