All in on IT
I love the original Microsoft free power toy called SyncToy. It had its limitations, but as a free tool for syncing and comparing data between two sources, it was quite a gem. The latest version, v1.4 has been released and it looks like they have listened to our feedback with some obvious improvements. Go out and give it a try, you wont be sorry! The ability to type in a UNC path; Support for longer folder pair names and ability to widen the left pane to see those longer names; The ability to support ......
I took a spin through the TechNet Virtual labs for Exchange 2007 and I was very impressed! The experience was smooth and very well organized. I even learned a few interesting things. When running through the installation for a new server, one of the steps is to query you for the versions of Outlook you will be running in your environment. All Outlook 2007 or a mix of previous versions of Outlook? I wondered why you are prompted for this information. I had an inkling as Exchange 2003 is able to restrict ......
I stumbled across this excellent utility enhancement in the latest issue of Microsoft's TechNet Magazine in an article by Joshua Hoffman. Robocopy, as I am sure many of you know, is a great utility for copying large amounts of data from one location to another. It is highly customizable and is especially adept at mirroring data from one place to another, including changes. However, the syntax is a beast. Enter a GUI interface that makes creating the proper command line arguments for Robocopy a snap. ......
Exchange 2007 has a new feature where it can be installed from a command line. This also allows for easily scripted mass installs for the enterprise, or a way to better standardize builds across many engineers or locations. You can test it out at the TechNet virtual labs mentioned in my previous post. "To ease deployments in large environments, Exchange Management Shell scripts can be used to automate server installation and provisioning." >exsetup /roles:clientaccess /mode:install ......
Anyone who knows me knows I am an outrageous Ohio State football fan. I saw this commercial about a year ago and have been looking for it ever since online. You would think ESPN, who makes the best sports fan commercials would have all these in one place online, but no. However, the goodness that is YouTube has found it for me - and I am complete. If you love college football and great college football rivalries (or just hate Michigan - you Notre Dame fans are welcome) than watch and enjoy. Technorati ......
From Eileen Brown's excellent Exchange-focused (usually) blog comes some links to TechNet Virtual Labs* for Exchange 2007: *For a limited time they are also giving away XBox 360's to lucky people who complete a lab and survey. Exchange Server 2007: Installing Exchange Server 2007 Exchange Server 2007: Using Management Console and Shell Exchange Server 2007: Administering Exchange Server 2007 Server Roles and Mailboxes Exchange Server 2007: Remote Client Access with Exchange Server 2007 Exchange Server ......
I have finally returned from Hong Kong after another not-so-fun fifteen hour flight. At least I had a window seat this time but as bad as I thought Delta was at times, I was being spoiled in comparison to what you get on a United flight. A couple of tiny bags of snacks a tiny little cup of a drink - not even a whole can of soda or mini-bottle of water! They open a big bottle and pour out of it. The screens for the movies during the flight (what else do you have to do - there are no power adapter ......
Windows Defender is finally out of (what seemed like a perpetual Google-like) beta. You can download the relased version here. From the website: Windows Defender is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected and minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive. Now with 2 free ......
On Monday I stepped on a plane for a 14+ hour ride in coach (ouch) to Hong Kong to do some Exchange migrations for our Asian offices. Apart from the plane ride from hell (they should hand out drugs to all in coach) the trip has been a pleasure. Never having been to Asia before I was worried as to what to expect. I have traveled to Europe before and have always felt comfortable even if I didn't speak the language as it seemed that I could always figure out what I needed to know for the given situation. ......
I am formally announcing the November meeting for the Southern Ohio Exchange Users Group. Details and directions can be found here at the registration site. While not required, please register so we can properly gauge the right amount of food and drink. Speakers will include Microsoft's Matt Hester and Symantec's James Kelly. Join us for a fun and engaging couple of hours with your fellow Microsoft Exchange enthusiasts ......
Eileen Brown, a Microsoft UK Technical Evangelist Manager, emailed me some comments on my last post. Apparently IE7 wasn't playing nice with the comments engine! Thanks for your persistence Eileen. BTW she has an awesome blog - especially for those with a bent towards Exchange! Below are her comments. It does much more than that... You can cancel all of your meetings, record a voice mail attachment and send that out too. You can get a reading of your email and calendar items too. From whatever phone ......
Now this rocks! I am in an organization for the first time in a long while that does not routinely give mobile devices (Blackberries or Windows Mobile) out to all IT staff members (or even us important ones). I have had to get used to not having access to my calendar and upcoming appointments when away from my desk or laptop (on the upside I am not a slave to the crackberry). Being that my memory is terrible (just ask my wife) I was close to resorting to printing out my calendar each day and carrying ......
Brian, who runs the excellent Blogcast Repository, recently shared with me how he could not use a host computer's wireless NIC with a guest OS when running Virtual PC when Windows Vista is the host OS. I even tried it on my laptop and sure enough, no luck. It just doesn't appear as an option under settings > network. After doing some digging in the readme that came with Virtual PC 2007 I stumbled upon: Virtual PC fails to open the network services driver after an upgrade of Windows Vista. It didn't ......
Grab it here while you can! Read more about it here. Features include: Support for hardware virtualization (Intel and AMD) Support for Windows Vista as a host operating system Support for Windows Vista as a guest operating system Note: No support for Aero Glass though - just Aero Basic Support for 64-bit host operating systems Note: Virtual machines are 32-bit only Improved performance Technorati tags: Virtualization, VirtualPC, VirtualPC2007 ......
Everyone out there that has been using and beta testing both Windows Live One Care and Windows Vista rejoice! One Care is now Vista (build 5500 or later, RC1 recommended) compatible. Version 1.5 has all the goods and the details can be found here. Technorati tags: Windows Live, One Care, Vista, Windows Live One Care ......
Windows Vista RC2 (build 5744-16384) has been released to Technical Beta testers.
I live in the Midwest and sometimes the storms can get pretty nasty. Not tornado nasty, but days of raining nasty. Flooding nasty. Basements full of water nasty. Knock on wood I have never had to deal with the downside of this after living in Ohio for fifteen years. The company I work for has an on-call arrangement for the infrastructure engineers where we take turns being on-call 24/7 for a week once each quarter. Its a good arrangement. Two days ago severe rain and thunderstorms passed through ......
Microsoft's podcast page. Find links and RSS feeds for mp3 and wma versions of all podcasts as well as feeds for product specific podcasts like SQL, Exchange, Vista, Active Directory and Scripting.
Link to Podcasts: Download Audio of Webcasts and Hear Them on the Go
Kevin Remde, Microsoft TechNet Presenter and uber blogger presents Q&A with the Microsoft Exchange 2007 team members. Earlier this year at TechReady he cornered the team and talked about deployment, unified messaging and disaster recovery. Introduction by the sultry-voiced Aurora Queen. tags: Exchange, Exchange2007, Kevin+Remde, unified+messaging, disaster+recovery, Aurora+Queen, TechNet ......
The Infrastructure Architecture blog at the Microsoft sponsored SkyScrapr website has finally put up another post (<rant> the first since 6/9/06 - what is it with Microsoft blogs? One post per 90 days ... I thought the Tablet PC blog was on a roll and then nothing ... </rant>) this time highlighting a tool called the Windows Server System Reference Architecture. A prescriptive guide to knitting together all the bits and bobs that make up the plumbing of an infrastructure. The cool part ......
I am honored to say that my mug has found its way to the front of the the Microsoft MCP* homepage for a little while. I was profiled in the latest MCP Flash newsletter as part of a series that started at this year's TechEd in Boston when they gathered a bunch of us MCP's up and took our pictures, asked us some questions and decided to profile us on the site. *Microsoft Certified Professional tags: MCP, Microsoft+Certified+Profess... TechEd ......
Now taking submissions for topics for the November meeting. Currently slated for 6:30pm on November 16th at Max Technical Training in Dayton, Ohio. Tentative speakers so far include Microsoft TechNet's Matt Hester and Symantec. Please hit the email link or leave a comment with topics and I will endeavor to get an expert to speak. See you there. tags: Exchange, SOEUG, IT+Pros, Southern+Ohio+Exchange+User... ......
Microsoft is really starting to ramp up its production of pod and screencasts. And the TechNet team is also converting webcasts in to podcasts so you can listen to them as well (at least until you get that great Zune device with its luscious video screen in a month). If you drive a lot as a consultant or for other reasons (roadtrip??) these are great to have! Get the mp3 version or the wma version. Abstract: How Microsoft IT Defends Against Spam, Viruses, and E-Mail AttacksDetailed discussion on ......