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Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 185 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 234722 |
| Visitors Out: 3648 |
| Total Visitors Out: 4235 |
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| Looking for the Logo: Update on Certified for Windows Vista |
| 2008-05-09 02:58:00 |
I caught up with Deryl McCartney, Marketing Manager for the Windows Vista Logo Program, to get a general update on Certified for Windows Vista product as of today.
Just to re-cap: Certified for Windows Vista products are products that carry the above logo. This logo represents a group of applications and hardware that have gone through an extensive certification process that means they work great with Windows Vista. We want users who are looking for devices, applications, or PC components to easily be able to identify the ones that will give them the best experience in Windows Vista today. When I go into a store looking for something for my PCs I always "look for the logo".
As of April, we currently have over 5,000 products that are Certified for Windows Vista. Since last July, the amount of Certified for Windows Vista products has almost doubled! As you can see - we've seen quite a bit of growth with new Certified for Windows Vista products entering the market.
Deryl is...
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| Best Practices for keeping your Windows Live ID safe |
| 2008-05-05 22:35:00 |
Your Windows Live ID is essentially your online identity for all of the Windows Live services, Xbox Live, Zune and other third party websites (such as Expedia.com) that utilize Windows Live ID. If you're using Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger, your Windows Live ID stores all your contacts and email messages. Your Windows Live ID is definitely something you don't want to have compromised and I've got several pointers - or best practices - in keeping your Windows Live ID safe.
Do not hand out your password! Don't give anyone your password to your Windows Live ID. Handing out your password to anyone is simply asking for trouble. Don't even give out your password to friends or family. I can't imagine a reason why they would need it. Just don't give out your Windows Live ID credentials at all.
Be careful giving your Windows Live credentials on non-Microsoft websites. There are some websites out there that will claim they "require" your Windows Live ID credentials for their ...
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| Into Digital Photography? Check out Microsoft Pro Photo Tools V1 |
| 2008-05-01 18:17:00 |
Microsoft today has made available a new tool for photographers using Windows for their digital photos: Microsoft Pro Photo Tools V1. This application lets you quickly edit the metadata on digital photos you've shot with your camera - including RAW formats.
Microsoft Pro Photo Tools also allows photographers to use geotagging for their photos. Geotagging is the ability to "tag" something with location information - and in the case of photos the location of where your photo was taken. You can quickly add location data from a GPS device or Live Search Maps to a photo's metadata.
Download: Microsoft Pro Photo Tools V1 (x86)
I use Windows Live Photo Gallery to manage all my photos. I'd like to note that changes in any specific photo' s metadata using Microsoft Pro Photo Tools will be reflected of course in Windows Live Photo Gallery - including title and tags.
You'll see here I've added a title, description, and keywords (aka tags) in Microsoft Pro Photo Tools to one of my photos.
In...
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| Show your Mom some love with the Portraits of Mom Photo Contest |
| 2008-05-01 01:48:00 |
Mother's Day is fast approaching and what better way to show your Mom you care than to enter her in a photo contest! While I'm still working to get my Mom to join the online community, we have a fun way you all can recognize your own Mom and help her learn how to share all those family photos on her PC with the family and friends! Portraits of Mom is a contest that lets you showcase Mom using Windows Live by either posting her picture to Windows Live Spaces or visiting one of our temporary retail locations to have her photo taken by a professional. Anyone who doesn't work at Microsoft can enter their Mom's photo into the contest for a chance to win awesome prizes.
Visit http://www.portraitsofmom.com/ and use Windows Live Photo Gallery to upload your favorite photo of your Mom. Show off your photo on your Windows Live Space, and tell your Mom she's featured along with all the great Moms on the site. Then get her friends and family to vote for her picture posted on http:...
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| Microsoft takes steps to “Integrate IT” at the Microsoft Management Summit |
| 2008-04-30 10:26:00 |
I'm relaying the following article on behalf of my colleague Shanen Boettcher, General Manager of Windows Product Management for the enterprise. During Virtualization Briefing Day in January, Shanen posted to give you background on what we're doing to make it simpler and easier to introduce and get the most out of virtualization of Windows in enterprise environments. He's back again today with an update on virtualization, as well as other components that illustrate our commitment to improving the optimized desktop.
This week at the Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) in Las Vegas, we've talked about Microsoft's role in improving the optimized desktop and emphasized Microsoft's commitment to virtualization. I want to tell you about some news coming out of the show today, which includes details on the product roadmaps for specific tools within the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) for Software Assurance.
The combination of MDOP and Windows Vista gives customers the tools t...
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| Origami Experience 2.0 Part 1: Web Browsing |
| 2008-04-30 03:10:00 |
In Part 1 of my 4 part series of blog posts looking at the Origami Experience 2.0 software, I am going to talk about one of the most important new experiences in the new release: browsing the web directly in Origami Central. Origami Central, one of the three apps in the Origami Experience, has the built in capability to browse webpages just as you would in IE7. ActiveX controls work just fine in the browsing experience of Origami Central - as does Flash and Silverlight (demo video below!).
In Origami Central, the browsing experience is tied to the toolbar that auto-hides at the top of the window.
Because the toolbar auto-hides, I get a full screen web browsing experience and with a UMPC running at 1024x600 resolution without toolbars and other things taking up useful screen real-estate.
Just like in IE7, I can use the address bar in Origami Central to do web searches. But in Origami Central, when I type something in the address bar (a phrase or URL), it searches through the histor...
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| Check out Windows Speech Recognition Macros |
| 2008-04-26 01:47:00 |
The Windows Speech Team has announced the availability of Windows Speech Recognition Macros (WSRMacros) Technical Preview. The WSRMacros is a tool designed to extend the Windows Speech Recognition capabilities already in Windows Vista today using Macros. These Macros are triggered using spoken commands using Windows Speech Recognition in Windows Vista.
Download: Windows Speech Recognition Macros Technical Preview
These Macros can perform a single task or a series of tasks. These tasks can be very complex using custom JScript/VBScript actions or as simple as inserting your email address someplace.
You can send feedback on Windows Speech Recognition Macros to listen@microsoft.com. Your questions and comments will help make Windows Speech Recognition Macros even better! ...
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| Taking a Closer Look at the Origami Experience 2.0 |
| 2008-04-25 23:07:00 |
In the next couple weeks, I'll be doing a 4 part series on the Origami Experience 2.0 which was announced at CES this year. The Origami Experience software is a "pack" of applications designed specifically for the Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) running Windows Vista.
The Origami Experience 2.0 software comes with 3 applications that do specific tasks on the UMPC. I'll give a quick overview of these applications in which I'll go into greater detail in my 4 part series of posts about the Origami Experience 2.0.
Origami Central:
Origami Central provides quick access to your Media Library on your UMPC. That means your music, photos and videos. Origami Central lets you play your music, watch your videos and watch photo slideshows. On top of letting you access your media, it also gives you quick access to favorite programs on your UMPC like Microsoft Office OneNote 2007. In the Origami Experience 2.0 - Origami Central comes with a brand new browsing experience. You can now browse the web using Or...
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| Automatic distribution of Windows Vista SP1 begins today |
| 2008-04-23 13:55:00 |
We're excited about the progress we've made with Windows Vista Service Pack 1. On March 18th, Windows Vista SP1 was made available for customers who chose to manually download and install it from the Microsoft Download Center or Windows Update in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. Last week, we made the remaining languages available - giving WU users the ability to download and install Windows Vista Service Pack in any of 36 supported languages. Today, we're happy to announce that we are beginning automatic distribution of SP1 in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese.
So what does this mean? Over the next few months Microsoft will automatically distribute Windows Vista SP1 to PCs that have automatic updates turned on (Learn how to turn on automatic updating) and running English, French, German, Spanish, or Japanese via Windows Update. Automatic distribution will only occur, according to user settings, on PCs ready for SP1. After Windo...
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| Updated Language Packs Released |
| 2008-04-23 01:12:00 |
We have made available updated Language Packs for users using Windows Vista SP1 as well as those running Windows Vista RTM. For those running SP1, the Language Packs should be showing up for you under Windows Update. The specific language packs which are being released are as follows:
German
English
Spanish
French
Japanese
Korean
Bulgarian
Czech
Danish
Greek
Estonian
Finnish
Hungarian
Italian
Lithuanian
Latvian
Norwegian
Dutch
Polish
Portuguese (Portugal)
Romanian
Slovak
Slovenian
Swedish
Arabic
Hebrew
Croatian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Serbian (Latin)
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Russian
For more information on the Language Packs, click here. ...
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| New Ultimate Extras Released |
| 2008-04-23 01:02:00 |
If you're running Windows Vista Ultimate and noticed two new Ultimate Extras have shown up on Windows Update - don't worry, your eyes do not deceive! Today we released two new Ultimate Extras: Windows Sound Schemes and Windows DreamScene Content Pack #3.
Windows Sound Schemes is a pack of 2 new sound schemes for Windows Vista: Glass and Pearl. For more details on the Windows Sound Schemes - click here. Brandon tells me his favorite sound scheme is the Glass scheme.
Windows DreamScene Content Pack #3 brings you 3 new DreamScenes for your Windows Vista desktop. For more information on Windows DreamScene - click here. Here is a small preview of the new DreamScenes in Content Pack #3:
And be sure you keep your eyes on UltimatePC.com for more Ultimate Extra news in future as well as hot Ultimate Exclusives for Windows Vista Ultimate users. ...
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| Live Mesh Technology Preview Announced |
| 2008-04-22 23:14:00 |
Today Microsoft is unveiling a technology preview to a really neat new software+services platform called Live Mesh. Live Mesh is a brand new platform that helps your devices act together through the internet enabling users such as you and me to manage, access, and share their files and applications from nearly anywhere. By bringing user's files, applications, and devices together along with the combination of social networking (such as with news feeds) - Live Mesh creates a unique platform experience.
First and foremost Live Mesh is a new platform. The first phase of the technology preview process provides a foundational experience that exposes core concepts and functionality of the platform. In the near future developers can expect to be able to take advantage of Live Mesh to extend their software to the Web, and their services to the desktop and devices.
Today's technology preview is a pre-Beta release designed to get early feedback to make the platform even better.
I'...
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| Check out these new Sidebar Gadgets for Windows Vista |
| 2008-04-22 00:49:00 |
Today I've got some pretty neat new Sidebar Gadgets to tell you about for Windows Sidebar.
If you're into Baseball, you'll like this new Gadget. Fox Sports on MSN is offering a Fantasy Baseball Gadget brought to you by People-Ready Business from Microsoft.
With this Gadget, you can check up on Fantasy Baseball news, check player stats, and create your own roster. This Gadget requires Adobe Flash so if you're running Windows Vista x64 (like me), you'll need to run Windows Sidebar under 32-bit. To do that in Windows Vista x64 - just go to C:/Program Files (x86)/Windows Sidebar and execute sidebar.exe from there.
Download the People-Ready Fantasy Baseball Gadget here.
Another new Gadget to check out is the brand new MSN Video Gadget for Windows Sidebar. The MSN Video Team announced its availability today along with some highlights as to what you can do with the Gadget on their blog.
Download the MSN Video Gadget here.
Got a Sidebar Gadget recommendation? Would love to hear them!...
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| Releasing Windows Vista SP1 for more languages |
| 2008-04-15 13:00:00 |
It has been almost a month since we released Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Update in 5 languages. To date: millions of people have successfully installed Windows Vista SP1 on their PCs. So we're happy to announce the next step for Windows Vista SP1 availability.
We are excited to report that today we are making Windows Vista SP1 available to folks running Windows Vista in any of the supported languages. Starting today, users will be able to choose to manually install Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update or download the standalone installer from the Microsoft Download Center (x86 and x64) for any of the 36 supported languages, not just English, Spanish, German, French, and Japanese. For now, it is available for users who visit Windows Update or the Microsoft Download Center. We encourage most users to get Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update-which will provide the best update experience.
Now, Windows Vista PCs of any supported language can update to SP1. You may be aware we a...
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| Everest Team INSPI(RED) on Windows Live Spaces |
| 2008-04-11 20:37:00 |
Jeff Dossett, Executive Producer and General Manager at MSN, is doing something amazing. He, and two other elite mountaineers, are heading up to the summit of Mt. Everest build awareness of (PRODUCT) RED and to inspire individuals to do amazing things. Windows is an Official Sponsor of this expedition along with Dell, MSN, MSNBC.com and several supporting partners.
A Windows Live Space has been set up called Everest Team INSPI(RED) for you to show your support for their endeavor and to follow their journey with blog posts, photos and videos. You will also be able to sign the guestbook and share your personal inspirations.
The (PRODUCT) RED Theme Pack is also available where you can download Windows Live Hotmail Signatures as well as Emoticons and Winks for Windows Live Messenger. You'll find the links to the downloads on the right sidebar of the Everest Team INSPI(RED) Windows Live Space under "Show your support!". And a desktop gadget is available for Windows Sidebar in...
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| Indexer Status Sidebar Gadget for Windows Search |
| 2008-04-11 01:47:00 |
Brandon Paddock, who works on the Windows Shell Team here at Microsoft, wrote a Windows Sidebar Gadget that displays the status of the Windows Search Indexer.
Download the Indexer Status Gadget here.
I don't know about you but I think it's kind of neat being able to see how many files Windows Search has indexed on my PC right from my desktop. For folks giving the Windows Search 4.0 Preview a try, you can enable "Index Now" functionality (which is reflected in the above screenshot).
Brandon Paddock developed this gadget on his own time and isn't officially supported by Microsoft. Brandon also developed the Start++ search add-on for Windows Vista. ...
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| New Languages Available for Windows Search 4.0 Preview |
| 2008-04-10 12:18:00 |
We're announcing quite a few new languages available of the Windows Search 4.0 Preview today.
The following languages are available for download for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008:
Arabic (Only for Windows Vista/Windows Server 2008)
Brazilian Portuguese
Bulgarian
Chinese - Simplified
Chinese - Traditional
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
English (There is no MUI pack for English)
Estonian
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Hebrew (Only for Windows Vista/Windows Server 2008)
Hungarian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Latvian
Lithuanian
Norwegian - Bokmål
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Russian
Serbian - Latin
Slovak
Slovenian
Spanish
Swedish
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Please take note that the following languages are available on Windows XP/Windows Server 2003 only with an MUI pack:
Bulgarian
Croatian
Estonian
Latvian
Lithuanian
Romanian
Serbian - Latin
Slovak
Slovenian
Thai
Ukrainian
Got feedback on the Windows Search 4.0? We've got se...
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| Windows Live OneCare 2.5 Now in Beta |
| 2008-04-07 15:33:00 |
As you may have read, the Beta release of Windows Live OneCare 2.5 is now available on Microsoft Connect for folks to start testing. I of course went ahead and installed Windows Live OneCare 2.5 to give it a spin myself. So what's new with Windows Live OneCare 2.5? After installing the Beta myself, I didn't notice anything different over the non-Beta version. I decided to ping the Windows Live OneCare team to see what we can expect with Windows Live OneCare 2.5. They tell me that the Windows Live OneCare 2.5 release is mainly what they call an "under-the-hood" release. That means that we won't see any big new features like the great OneCare Circle introduced in 2.0. Going forward with the Windows Live OneCare 2.5 Beta - continue to expect the improvements and changes to remain "under-the-hood" and not very noticeable in the UI.
In testing the Windows Live OneCare 2.5 Beta, I noticed after installing it on one of my PCs and signing in with my Windows Live ID that contains...
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| Windows Vista SP1 Update |
| 2008-04-07 12:32:00 |
I have a quick update for you about Windows Vista SP1. The Microsoft Update Blog contains some important information about updates to the SP1 prerequisite distribution plan. Starting tomorrow, we are resuming the automatic update and installation of the Servicing Stack Update.
In mid-April, we will begin distributing SP1 (in the first 5 languages) using the Automatic Update system. We have a lot of Windows users, so not everyone will get it on the same day. In fact, it will go to a small percentage of Windows Vista users each day. The exact timing of when you will receive it depends on when your PC is ready for Windows Vista SP1.
In addition to starting the automatic delivery of the first 5 languages, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you that also we're on track for the initial release of SP1 in the remaining languages in mid-April....
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| New Wallpaper for your Windows Vista Desktop: Made by me! |
| 2008-04-05 20:21:00 |
For the last week, I had been using one of the photos I took on my recent trip around Washington State as my desktop wallpaper. It was an image I took in the Columbia River Gorge near an abandoned railroad track. I got down really close to the railroad track for a really interesting shot. I think it looks really neat as a desktop wallpaper so I thought I'd create a range of different sizes of the image to share with you - the readers of the Windows Vista Team Blog - to use as your desktop wallpaper on your PC.
I've created a range of sizes of the wallpaper for you to download depending on your display resolution via Windows Live SkyDrive:
The shot was taken using the Certified for Windows Vista DSLR Canon Digital Rebel XTi.
Let me know what you think!...
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| Microsoft Introduces $10,000 Digital Home Makeover Contest |
| 2008-04-03 10:11:00 |
Did you know that the Windows Media Center team is conducting a Digital Home Makeover Contest to celebrate the consumer availability of new Extenders for Windows Media Center? For one lucky winner, a makeover team will transform their disconnected digital lifestyle into a home entertainment dream with a prize package totaling up to $10,000!!!
The Digital Home Makeover Contest is designed to address the real challenges people face when adopting today's digital lifestyle. Today's consumers have a wide variety of digital content in their homes-thousands of digital pictures, MP3's, TV shows and movies- and homes may have dozens of devices which allow people to interact with and enjoy this content. But wouldn't it be nice if digital media could be seamlessly viewed and accessible around the home?
The winner of the Digital Home Makeover Contest will receive what they need to take control of connecting their entertainment options and start enjoying content from ...
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| Experiencing the goodness that is Windows Mobile 6.1 |
| 2008-04-02 01:58:00 |
Yesterday, our friends on the Windows Mobile Team have announced Windows Mobile 6.1 at CTIA Wireless 2008 in Las Vegas. Windows Mobile Program Manager Mel Sampat made the announcement on the Windows Mobile Team Blog which also includes information on devices and carriers that will get upgrades to Windows Mobile 6.1. Keep your eyes on their blog for more Windows Mobile 6.1 information in the near future.
I've had the pleasure of running around with Windows Mobile 6.1 on my Samsung BlackJack II for the last few weeks and would like to share some notable improvements and new features I've taken notice of with you.
The first thing I took notice of with Windows Mobile 6.1 was the new Home Screen. The Home Screen has been redesigned to accommodate easier navigation with "tiles". This is pretty much my most favorite feature and improvement in Windows Mobile 6.1.
Video: Demo: Windows Mobile 6.1 Home Screen
By default, I had tiles for my clock, communications (missed calls, emails, etc), Ap...
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| Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2008 Released |
| 2008-04-01 11:59:00 |
Today marks the release of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2008 - a set of tools for IT Pros managing IT environments for companies who have purchased MDOP plus Windows Software Assurance agreements with Microsoft. There are two key product updates in this release I'd like to highlight that I think IT Pros will find very useful - Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset 6.0 (DaRT) and Desktop Error Monitoring 3.0 SP1 (DEM).
For those of you not familiar with DaRT, it provides a set of tools for IT Pros to debug and troubleshoot unbootable PCs. DaRT 6.0 brings in some new tools worth taking note of. Tools such as Locksmith can reset a local administrator password, while Hotfix Uninstall can remove a bad hotfix. This is especially useful if the hotfix was the cause of the PC crash. Perhaps one of the simplest uses for DaRT is to recover files from the PC, even if they have been removed from the recycle bin. One of the new features in DaRT 6.0 is the ...
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| My curtain call |
| 2008-03-31 14:20:00 |
Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.
-Plato
(I’ll let you decide which half applies.)
They say all good things must come to an end, and that is the case today: I want to share with you the bittersweet news that I am moving on to a role outside Microsoft. It's a bit deflating to know that this constitutes my last post to the Windows Vista Team blog. But by the same token, I'm thrilled, amazed and humbled at the success that this blog has become. Our aim has always been to share the Windows story in an open and approachable manner. Given the role we play today as a community resource, I'd wager that we're doing pretty well in that regard.
While this good thing ends for me today, in actuality, it continues for you: I leave you in the extremely knowledgeable and capable hands of my colleague Christopher Flores, a Director on the Windows Communications team. Christopher has been with ...
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| Announcing the Windows Search 4.0 Preview |
| 2008-03-27 17:08:00 |
To search for files on my PCs, I use Windows Search - Windows Vista's desktop search feature. I use Windows Search specifically to find photos that I've tagged in Windows Live Photo Gallery or important emails and Word documents. I also rely on saving specific searches that I can go back to later on. Searching and being able to find important files quickly on my PC is very important to me. And Windows Search allows me to "find my stuff" whenever I need to. Today we get to see a little "preview" of the next step for Windows Search. The Windows Search Team is making available Windows Search 4.0 Preview - a preview of the next version of desktop search for Windows.
Windows Search 4.0 introduces several improvements I'd like to call out making search even better in Windows Vista:
With Windows Search 4.0, the Windows Search Team has fixed most of the reported bugs causing a majority of distractions users have seen since Windows Vista RTM - many of those bugs were reported by you.
...
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| Panoramic Stitches from Around the Pacific Northwest |
| 2008-03-26 00:44:00 |
This last weekend, my friend and I headed into Central Washington State for a "Spring Break" roadtrip adventure. Our first stop was Seattle, and then we headed over the Snoqualmie Pass into Central Washington where we stopped by Grand Coulee Dam before heading down to the Tri-Cities area before heading home. I took with me my Dell XPS M1530 (PRODUCT) RED Laptop with me running of course Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED. I also took my Canon HV20 HD Camcorder, and a Canon Digital Rebel XTi - both of which are Certified for Windows Vista.
On the road, I focused mostly on photography. Many of the places we visited didn't really work well for video and I didn't feel me standing in front of the camera playing "tour guide" would be of any real value. I relied heavily of course on Windows Vista and Windows Live Photo Gallery to import and manage my photos. Because the Canon Digital Rebel XTi is Certified for Windows Vista - it was hassle free to import sometimes up to 400 pictures i...
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| Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) Now Available for Windows Vista SP1 |
| 2008-03-25 16:12:00 |
Many of you have asked us when the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) would be available for download now that Windows Vista SP1 has been released. As of today, you can!
RSAT is an excellent set of tools for IT Pros wanting to manage their Windows Server environment right from their desktop. RSAT also includes an updated Group Policy Management Console (GPMC), which was previously removed in Windows Vista SP1.
Download: Remote Server Administration Tools (x86) Download: Remote Server Administration Tools (x64)
RSAT is an updated version of what is called ADMINPAK.MSI and can be used by IT Pros to manage computers running Windows Server 2008. Because many of these tools also work for managing computers running Windows Server 2003, it is essentially "the next version" of ADMINPAK.MSI.
The following are a list of the tools you will find in RSAT:
Role Administration Tools:
Active Directory Certificate Services Tools
Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Tools
Active Director...
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| We Are The People We’ve Been Waiting For |
| 2008-03-25 00:31:00 |
Back at the end of January, Nick posted about the (PRODUCT) RED presence all around Microsoft's Redmond campus in promoting the (PRODUCT) RED cause. We had banners hung all around campus (which are still up today) as well as table tents in many of Microsoft's cafeterias. However there was one element we didn't mention I thought was worth sharing:
(Front)
(Back)
Folks in the cafeterias wore these t-shirts the week we announced joining Dell and (RED) in helping fight AIDS in Africa. Many Microsoft employees could also be seen wearing these t-shirts which were created as a demonstration of Microsoft's partnership with (RED).
Remember, you can purchase a (PRODUCT) RED Dell PC with Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED online at Dell.com or at your local Best Buy too. $50 from either purchasing either a M1330 or M1530 Dell XPS (PRODUCT) RED laptop goes to the Global Fund. For the Dell XPS One (PRODUCT) RED PC - $80 goes to the Global Fund. And stay tuned... I've got more to say on the Dell...
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| Deployment gets easier with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 |
| 2008-03-20 12:18:00 |
We've reached a pivotal moment in time, the release to Web of Windows Vista SP1 on Tuesday and, to complete the picture, today we released Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008, the latest generation of the Microsoft Solution Accelerators designed to simplify and ease your deployment experience.
There are a lot of things to consider when deploying a new OS and, if your organization has 50 desktops or more, MDT is designed to help you navigate the potentially complex desktop environment. Our goal is to save you lots of time and effort in planning and building out a standard desktop experience all the way to rolling OS images out into production.
Don't worry, this is not something unproven and new -- just fewer than 1 million of you across industries have been active users of MDT's predecessor, Business Desktop Deployment (BDD). Past customers include companies like Unilever, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and Fred Weber, who reduced their deployment costs from $300 to $35 per PC...
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| Dell (PRODUCT) RED Systems Now Available in UK, France and Germany |
| 2008-03-20 04:51:00 |
Dell has announced that customers in the UK, France, and Germany can now purchase (PRODUCT) RED Dell PCs and help eliminate AIDS in Africa.
Those (PRODUCT) RED PCs come with Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED, including (RED)-inspired desktop wallpapers, a new DreamScene, a screensaver, and Sidebar Gadgets.
Remember, Dell and Windows will contribute $50 when you purchase either the Dell XPS M1530 or M1330 (PRODUCT) RED laptops to the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Dell and Windows will contribute $80 when you purchase a Dell XPS One (PRODUCT) RED PC to the Global Fund as well. $80 can buy 6 months of antiretroviral treatment for a single person living with AIDS in Africa. And $50 can buy 416 single dose treatments that help transmission of HIV from mother to baby. You can make a difference with your Dell and Windows (PRODUCT) RED PC purchase. ...
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| Windows Vista SP1 Released to Windows Update |
| 2008-03-18 11:52:00 |
Today, you can now download Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update. For those of you eager to receive the benefits of Windows Vista SP1 - you can now do so! We've seen quite a bit of questions in our comments so we want to communicate as much as possible surrounding Windows Vista SP1 and today's release to Windows Update as we can.
For those of you happy to wait - sit tight because SP1 will start downloading to PCs automatically beginning in mid-April (Remember, this happens only if you have your Windows Update configured to automatically download updates and SP1 will automatically download but not automatically install). But if you want to get the benefit of a year's worth of improvements right now, go check Windows Update today...(Hit the Start Menu, All Programs, and select Windows Update).
If in running Windows Update you do not see Windows Vista SP1 listed, there are a number of good reasons for this (Eight in fact, see the whole list). Below are a few of the most common rea...
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| Get Green and Stay Green with Windows Live OneCare |
| 2008-03-17 17:36:00 |
To help celebrate St. Patrick's Today - the Windows Live OneCare Team is kicking off a brand new campaign: Get Green Stay Green.
The Get Green Stay Green campaign is designed to make sure Windows Live OneCare users are staying "green" - meaning their PC Health Status. Here is Amy Barzdukas, Senior Direct here at Microsoft, to talk about Windows Live OneCare and keeping your PC safe. Amy leads the Windows Live OneCare Team.
Video: Microsoft Windows Live OneCare
I use Windows Live OneCare on my 3 personal home PCs - which are connected together in an OneCare Circle (you can have up to 3 PCs in an OneCare Circle). This lets me manage the PC Health for all my personal PCs. If any of my PCs in my OneCare Circle have their PC Health Status change to yellow or red, I can quickly see which PC it is and why. I can then do what is needed to bring that PC back to green. Keeping all my PCs green is very important to me. If any of my PCs slip into yellow or red - I fix it immediately.
I have a f...
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| Announcing Windows Live FolderShare Beta Refresh for PC-to-PC Sync |
| 2008-03-10 11:39:00 |
I use about 2-3 different PCs throughout the week for work - including my laptop when I travel away from the office. In doing this - I have files scattered on multiple PCs. I'll go to one PC and find I need a file from another PC. So to make sure all my PCs are in-sync with all the important files I need and use - I use Windows Live FolderShare. Windows Live FolderShare is a service that lets users sign-in to set up Libraries that consist of folders on multiple PCs. These Libraries are synced using the Windows Live FolderShare client that sits on each PC. Users can have multiple Libraries setup as well as Shared Libraries with friends.
Today, the FolderShare Team is shipping a Beta Refresh of both the Windows Live FolderShare website and client that offers some great improvements to the Windows Live FolderShare service at http://www.foldershare.com/. Those improvements include:
Improved usability with the Windows Live FolderShare website - UI aligns with other Windows Live services. ...
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| Need a webcam? Try the Microsoft VX-7000 LifeCam |
| 2008-03-07 17:18:00 |
Back in September, Nick blogged about two new LifeCams from Microsoft Hardware: the VX-7000 and NX-3000. Recently, I've been looking for a new webcam. I already owned the VX-3000 - but I wanted something a little more powerful and higher quality. And the VX-7000 is just that! I went ahead and picked one up last week and thought I'd share some notes on my experience with it so far.
First off, let me give you a brief introduction to the device. The VX-7000 is the top-of-the-line webcam in the VX series of LifeCams from Microsoft Hardware. The VX series LifeCams are designed for desktop PCs while the NX series LifeCams are designed for laptops. The VX-7000 is a Certified for Windows Vista device so it is designed to work great with Windows Vista. All LifeCams are optimized for Windows Live - specifically being used with Windows Live Messenger for video calls. The VX-7000 comes with a pretty slick set of specs (you can also read the specs here from the Microsoft Hardware site):
2.0...
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| Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 announced at MIX08 |
| 2008-03-05 14:42:00 |
The Internet Explorer team hit an important milestone today and divulged as much at MIX08. IE's General Manager Dean Hachamovitch today announced the availability of IE8 Beta 1, downloadable for testing by all from here.
You can read more on IE8 at the IEBlog, where Dean explains eight specific advances comprised in IE8.
Soon Brandon will have a post up on the Windows Experience Blog talking about his experience using IE8 Beta 1 and what's new in it, so watch for that.
You can get the latest on MIX08 taking place this week in Las Vegas via MIX08 Online....
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| Keep up with MIX08 with MIX Online |
| 2008-03-05 03:15:00 |
Are you like me and not in Las Vegas attending MIX08 starting today? Not to worry - they have some excellent resources available to us that let us keep up with MIX08 as it happens!
All things MIX08 will come via MIX Online. MIX Online is your ultimate source for MIX this year.
Starting at 9:30am Pacific Standard Time - MIX Online will stream the keynote live from MIX08. Steve Ballmer, Ray Ozzie, Dean Hachamovitch, and Scott Guthrie are all keynote speakers this year along with Guy Kawasaki. Click here to read the keynote speaker bios. Should be a fun keynote!
You will also be able to view all sessions that happen at MIX08 shortly after they occur.
And you can even add a little taste of MIX08 to your desktop with Adam Kinney's MIX08 wallpaper.
Now you have all you need to keep up with all the cool stuff coming out of MIX08 this year. Oh and pay attention to us here too ;-)...
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| Using S/PDIF to send audio from your PC |
| 2008-03-04 17:29:00 |
The following is an article from another of my colleagues on the Windows Vista Sound team, Kristin Carr. Kristin is a Program Manager and works with Steve Ball, who previously has shared his insights into how Windows Vista handles sound. If you have questions for Kristin, please leave a comment below.
Many people have a general idea of what S/PDIF is -- perhaps by seeing it as a label on an audio output, or on a feature list for a product. But what is it exactly, and how do you use it? This post will cover some of those details.
On a PC, the audio is stored and processed digitally until the final output stage when it is usually converted to an analog signal that directly feeds your speakers. However, there may be times when you want to transmit the signal digitally to a different device that will be used to play the sound, such as a receiver. In these cases, you may want to postpone converting the signal to an analog one, and instead transmit th...
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| Language Packs and Windows Vista SP1 |
| 2008-03-03 15:24:00 |
We have some information we'd like to share in regards to Windows Vista SP1 and folks running Language Packs. Some of you may have noticed that after installing Windows Vista SP1 on Windows Vista Ultimate - the Language Packs fail to appear on Windows Update (KB947875).
We will be releasing Windows Vista SP1 in two "waves". The first wave will only provide Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Vista Ultimate PCs running the following 5 Languages: English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. The second wave will follow shortly after - supporting all 36 languages.
For Windows Update, PCs running the 5 initial languages from the first wave only will be provided with Windows Vista SP1. PCs running Windows Vista Ultimate with any of the other Language Packs installed will not be offered Windows Vista SP1 through Windows Update until they are released. Once the Language Packs are released, Windows Vista SP1 will then be offered for installation.
When installing Windows Vista SP1 from the standal...
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| Microsoft Readying Customers with New Assessment and Deployment Tool for the Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1 Launch! |
| 2008-02-27 04:43:00 |
Hello IT Pros!
February 27 is a big day. Windows Server 2008 will be officially launching in Los Angeles with Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, kicking off in just a few hours.
In support of this very important technology milestone as well as the Windows Vista SP1 release, the Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team has just released the third-generation of the agent-less infrastructure assessment platform called Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator 3.0 (or simply MAP). Through the use of remote WMI calls and secure inventory engines, the MAP tool enables you to quickly inventory a wide variety of networks (AD-managed, IP ranges, and workgroups), securely assess IT environments of servers, desktops, applications and devices, and auto-generate specific and actionable reports and proposal documents in a matter of hours.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE BLOG POST...
GO HERE TO DOWNLOAD MICROSOFT ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING (RTM BITS)
Thank you,...
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| Springboard Series: Windows Vista Deployment & Adoption Roundtable |
| 2008-02-26 18:38:00 |
On Wednesday March 5th, Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich will be hosting a virtual roundtable session live over the Internet on Windows Vista Deployment and Adoption. Joining Mark on the panel for the roundtable will be independent industry experts and IT Professionals from organizations that have already deployed Windows Vista as well as Microsoft MVPs. This roundtable offers IT Professionals worldwide an opportunity to ask questions about deploying Windows Vista.
To attend the event, just visit http://ms.istreamplanet.com/events at 9:00am Pacific Time on March 5th. You will be able to ask your questions live during the event. You are also welcome to submit your questions in advance by sending them to vrtable@microsoft.com between now and when the event starts. The panel will be 60 minutes long and try to answer as many questions as possible within that timeframe. The event will also be available on-demand afterwards as well.
For additional guidance, resources, tools...
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