Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Everything you need to get started using Power BI for free is now in one place. Sign up for the starter kit and you’ll be able to start wrangling huge amounts of data into useful information and creating beautiful presentations with Power BI right away.

The kit contains the following:

• Video: Getting Started with Power BI, for all the basics needed to get up and running.
• Video: Getting Started with the Power BI Designer, for insights into creating reports.
• Video: Building Reports with the Power BI Designer, for a deeper dive into creating reports.
• Video: Getting Started with Power BI (the extended version), for a more comprehensive walk through.
• eBook: The Cloud for Insights E-Book. Learn more about the potential of the cloud and big data generate insights for business.

Download it by signing up here:

• Get Started Using Power BI for Free Today with the New Starter Kit
  https://info.microsoft.com/US-PowerBI-CNTNT-FY15-06Jun-GetStartedKit_Register.html

Sign up for Power BI for free here:

• Free sign up for Power BI
  http://www.microsoft.com/click/services/Redirect2.ashx?CR_EAC=300304162

UPDATE 7/21/15:
Besides my Surface Pro 3 becoming more responsive, it has an i7 & runs 90% cooler after running this troubleshooter, and is 100% quieter… because the fan no longer turns on at all.  It’s as quiet as my Atom-based Surface 3 now.

————-
ORIGINAL POST 7/21/15:

Does your computer seem like it’s bogged down?

Do you see a “swirl” next to your mouse every second or so?

Does the snapshot to the right look familiar?

There’s a number of steps you can take to resolve this.  The following article goes over many of the most common issues that cause the engine to go into overtime or simply results in failed synchronization.

• SUPPORT: Fix OneDrive sync problems with Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1
  http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/troubleshoot-sync-problems

One of the bigger steps the article highlights is to try the “OneDrive Troubleshooter”.  It’s an actual installable diagnostic tool that detects problems in the file system and OneDrive itself that can cause your CPU utilization to skyrocket.

The OneDrive troubleshooter is a tool that can find and automatically fix these common problems with OneDrive in Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1:

• OneDrive doesn’t appear in the left pane in File Explorer.

• Even though you’re connected to the Internet, you can’t connect to OneDrive.

• Some of your OneDrive files or folders are missing on your PC.

• Some files or folders won’t upload from your PC to OneDrive.

• The OneDrive icon doesn’t appear in the notification area, at the far right of the taskbar. (In Task Manager, the sync engine process doesn’t appear.)

• You get the message "You don’t have permission to save to this location. Contact the administrator to obtain permission."

Note:  When you click on the link, you will be prompted to download and install a Diagnostic CAB file.  This is the actual tool itself and it will start the troubleshooting process once you download and run it.

• DOWNLOAD: OneDrive Troubleshooter
  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=613568

Here are the datasheets for all 6 products in the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack.

• Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V): http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/F/3/6F39FF02-683C-4C65-B998-B4ED05174A37/MDOP_AppV_Datasheet_0313.pdf
• Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM):
  http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/0/C/A0C156F1-F55C-4378-ADD0-BCDEDB953B8B/MDOP_AGPM_Datasheet_r2.pdf
• Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UEV):
  http://download.microsoft.com/download/3/B/E/3BEEBFA5-E435-4D79-B217-75831E1F8FD2/MDOP_UEV_Datasheet_0313.pdf
• Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MEDV)
  http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/B/7/FB7822F4-9480-4AEF-9C18-EE4433F1366A/MDOP_Datasheet_MEDV_Enterprise_FINAL.pdf
• Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DART)
  http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/4/f/64f5dc66-832a-4df3-baf4-3b4e7fb9e500/MDOP_Datasheet_DRT_r1.pdf
• Microsoft Bitlocker Administration & Monitoring (MBAM)
  http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/9/1/A91C185B-B8E0-4760-A930-1DA4C87BEAC4/MDOP_MBAM_Datasheet_0313.pdfereere

We’re announcing a couple things for you script jockeys specifically around Office 365:

• Get started on PowerShell for Office 365
  Starting today, PowerShell for Office 365, a new website designed to help Office 365 IT administrators get started on Windows PowerShell for Office 365 is now live. Announced at Microsoft Ignite, this website is targeted at IT administrators with little to no experience with Windows PowerShell. The website is focused on simple scenarios that are focused entirely for Office 365 administration.
  https://blogs.office.com/2015/06/30/get-started-on-powershell-for-office-365/
• Use PowerShell to manage Office 365 Groups
  Groups in Office 365 are intended to be created and managed by end users. If you, the global administrator, need to perform bulk operations or want to monitor Group activity from the command line, you can use Windows PowerShell and the following cmdlets to accomplish those tasks.
  https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Use-PowerShell-to-manage-Office-365-Groups-aeb669aa-1770-4537-9de2-a82ac11b0540?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

I found this bio of Phil Spencer in the media assets site and thought it was interesting enough to post.  Wow.  He’s been around at Microsoft for a long time.

Phil Spencer

Head of Xbox

As Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer leads the teams responsible for games and entertainment at Microsoft across Xbox, Windows, Surface and Windows Phone. His global creative and engineering teams are transforming the way people play around the world by pushing the boundaries of creativity and technical innovation.

A 25-year veteran of Microsoft, Spencer has been with Xbox from the beginning. Now responsible for Xbox including Xbox Live and Microsoft Studios, Spencer has been instrumental in building a community of more than 95 million Xbox owners and over 48 million Xbox Live members in 42 countries. His influence on blockbuster franchises such as “Halo,” “Gears of War,” “Fable” and “Forza Motorsport” opened up Xbox to other inventive entertainment offerings including a landmark partnership with the NFL and collaborating with Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg to bring a “Halo” TV series to life. Under Spencer’s direction, Microsoft acquired Mojang AB, maker of the popular videogame “Minecraft,” in 2014, furthering Xbox’s mission to lead gaming and premier entertainment at the company.

Spencer previously served as general manager of Microsoft Studios and Microsoft Game Studios EMEA, working with the European development community. Before that, he held various roles across Microsoft within Microsoft Encarta, Microsoft Money, Microsoft Works and Microsoft Picture It!

Spencer has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and currently serves on the boards of the First Tee of Greater Seattle and the Entertainment Software Association. He lives in Bellevue, Washington with his wife and two daughters.

Twitter: @XboxP3

Gamertag: P3

If you attended E3 (or saw the broadcast) and was wondering… “Hey, where can I get more detailed info on those games?”

It turns out we have it all at a place called the Xbox Wire Media Assets library.  And it’s a treasure chest of great stuff.  Videos, factsheets, photos, screenshots, logos, etc.  (Great for blogging!)

(Weird that they don’t make this stuff more readily available… especially considering us geeky types that are into gaming are all OCD about our hobbies.  I once created a indexed Excel spreadsheet that laid out all the optional weaponry for my character class & populated it with the statistical buff characteristics of each pience, for an MMORPG I was playing simply to identify & plan for the most optimal configuration for each NPC encounter… and the sick thing is, there are bunch of people reading this right now thinking, “Feh. Such an amateur. I do that for every MOD release, dude.  Go back to the kiddie table.”)

Anyway, here’s the stuff they distribute to the media:

• Microsoft E3 Media Assets:
  http://news.xbox.com/media/?AssetType=fact-sheets

For example, here’s the “Fact Sheet” for Halo 5: Guardians:

• Halo 5 Guardians Fact Sheet 06 12 2015 FINAL v 3
  http://news.xbox.com/api/
  mediacart/download/
  5fb1b02bf4ba445
  bb236c9577b47a1d7

Enjoy!

Forrester Research has written a Total Economic Impact study around the ownership of Surface Pro 3. 

The study is available for download in the links below however the following infographic summarizes Forrester’s findings:

Download the study & the summary below:

• DOWNLOAD: Forrester Research Total Economic Impact (TEI) Executive Summary
  http://1drv.ms/1KI5Mzx
• DOWNLOAD: Forrester Research Total Economic Impact (TEI) Full Report
  http://1drv.ms/1KI5UiA
• DOWNLOAD: Infographic for Forrester Research Total Economic Impact (TEI)
  http://1drv.ms/1H5ceuj

Also, here are the following documents for Surface Pro 3 itself, for reference:

• DATASHEET: Surface Pro 3 Enterprise Features
  http://1drv.ms/1KI6jBn
• GUIDE: Surface Pro 3 Users Guide
  http://1drv.ms/1KI6mNM

With the coming release of Office 2016 for Mac, the following resources are available for folks diving into the new product for their users.

• ARTICLE: What’s New for Office 2016 for Mac
  https://support.office.com/en-CA/article/What-s-new-in-Office-2016-for-Mac–2a0540c7-4ce7-4c4a-8b64-6d97ebca92b9
• BLOG: Office for Mac Support Team Blog
  http://blogs.technet.com/b/office_for_mac_support_team_blog/
• FORUM: Office for Mac Community Discussions
  http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoutlook
• SYSREQS: System Requirements for Office 2016 for Mac
  https://support.office.com/en-CA/article/System-requirements-for-Office-2016-for-Mac-ceadc70b-2143-4cc2-8b91-8e2cc0d64a5f
• HELP: Office 2016 for Mac Help Pages
• Outlook 2016 for Mac
  https://support.office.com/en-CA/article/Outlook-2016-for-Mac-Help-6dd15f3c-b096-436f-95dc-6f4ad08e1980
• Word 2016 for Mac
  https://support.office.com/en-CA/article/Word-2016-for-Mac-Help-c3292414-89c0-46e5-82a7-d55a1720f3bd
• Excel 2016 for Mac
  https://support.office.com/en-CA/article/Excel-2016-for-Mac-Help-2010f16b-aec0-4da7-b381-9cc1b9b47745
• PowerPoint 2016 for Mac
  https://support.office.com/en-CA/article/PowerPoint-2016-for-Mac-Help-89809457-4470-4f79-a4d6-835cd366f7d7
• VIDEO: Meet the new Outlook 2016 for Mac (MSIgnite, May 2015)
  https://channel9.msdn.com/events/Ignite/2015/BRK2204 

Today we’re pleased to announce the availability of the Skype for Business app for Windows Phone.

Most people who have the Lync 2013 app on their Windows Phone will be automatically updated to the new Skype for Business app, but here are the particulars depending on which version of Windows Phone you use:

• If you have a Windows Phone 8.1 and higher but do not have the Lync 2013 app, you can download the new Skype for Business app in the Windows Store.
• If you have Windows Phone 8.1 and higher and currently have the Lync 2013 mobile app, the new Skype for Business app will replace your existing app and tile automatically.
• If you have Windows Phone 8.0, you will continue to use Lync 2013 or Lync 2010, which remains compatible even if your organization is running the new Skype for Business Server.

Download at:

• APPSTORE: Skype for Business
  http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/skype-for-business/d85d8a57-0f61-4ff3-a0f4-444e131d8491

Read more at:

• BLOG: Skype for Business Windows Phone app is here!
  https://blogs.office.com/2015/07/06/skype-for-business-windows-phone-app-is-here/ 

Everyone running Windows 7, 8, 8.1 & 10 needs to upgrade to Internet Explorer 11.  Customers have until January 12, 2016 which leaves, at the time of this post, 6 months remaining.  The deprecation of versions prior to IE11 was announced back in August 2014 by Roger Capriotti, Director of Product Development for Internet Explorer:

…After January 12, 2016, only the most recent version of Internet Explorer available for a supported operating system will receive technical support and security updates. For example, customers using Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, or Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 7 SP1 should migrate to Internet Explorer 11 to continue receiving security updates and technical support. For more details regarding support timelines on Windows and Windows Embedded, see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle site.

(This has been repeated by most media outlets here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, so hopefully, as a savvy IT professional, this does not come as a surprise to you.)

Windows 10 browsing
Now that that’s out of the way, here’s guidance around what to do about browser compatibility & the direction you should move your users toward – specific to customers looking to move to Windows 10.  It includes:

• Enterprise guidance
• Internet Explorer 11
• Microsoft Edge

Read about your options and what to do here:

• IE TECHCENTER: Windows 10 browsing
  https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/mt163706.aspx