Kurt Shintaku's Blog

We are running an exclusive event that will provide you with hands on experience with Windows Server 2008 R2 across a variety of common workloads.   This event will take place at two locations:

• The Microsoft Office in Downtown Los Angeles (Dec 15th)
• The Microsoft Technology Center in Irvine (Dec 10th)

This is a one day session.  

• Windows Server 2008 R2 Session Description
  This overview event will give students a hands-on introduction to Windows Server 2008 R2, with built-in web and virtualization technologies, which enable you to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure.  New virtualization tools, web resources, and security enhancements help you save time, reduce costs, and provide a platform for a dynamic and optimized datacenter.  Powerful new capabilities like hosting ASP.NET application on Server Core, Live Migration of Virtual Machines, and Publishing Centralized Desktops provide cost saving solutions that ensure you have a flexible, manageable server infrastructure on which to build your business.

By attending this course you will become familiar with new capabilities across the four investment pillars – Web, Virtualization, Security and Management.

Registration:
Please RSVP with me if you are an Enterprise customer of mine and I will tell you when it is and how to register. 

Microsoft Southwest District – Los Angeles
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Hands On Labs  – Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
Address:
333 South Grand Ave, Suite 3300
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Phone: (213) 806-7300
See map and/or driving directions

Microsoft Southwest District – Irvine
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Hands On Labs  – Tuesday, December 10th, 2009
Address:
3 Park Plaza Suite 1600
Irvine, CA 92614
Phone: (949) 263-3000
See map and/or driving directions

One of the best Windows Phones out there, the Samsung Jack, is now upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5.

Why do you care?  Windows Mobile 6.5 will provide folks with the following:

• Windows Marketplace for Windows Mobile
• Internet Explorer 6.0
• Instant access to AT&T’s WiFi networks when you’re arounmd them
• Vlingo
• Performance & reliability updates from 6.5

Get this while you can!  Remember:  ROM updates are posted for a limited time.

DOWNLOAD: 
http://ars.samsung.com/customer/usa/jsp/faqs/faqs_view.jsp?SITE_ID=22&PG_ID=2&PROD_SUB_ID=557&PROD_ID=558&AT_ID=177858

[originally taken from the WMExperts]

Starting in December, a free instructor-led training, “Introduction to Office Communicator,” will be offered at no-cost at various times.

• This high level course will explore:
• Instant Messaging
• Presence
• Contact Management
• Audio and Video
• Desktop Sharing
• Live Meeting
• Live sessions, held in a virtual classroom, allow users hands-on experience and live demonstrations to build knowledge, skills, and confidence.
• Recorded sessions are also available for on demand viewing.
• Registration through Live Meeting
  https://events.livemeeting.com/967/15027/reg.aspx

The next one is on Dec 09, 2009, 10:00 AM Pacific.  Please click the link for dates & times.

Support for all editions of Windows 2000 (Server and Professional) and Windows XP SP 2 ends on July 13, 2010. This transition date marks the natural progression in the support of these products, and is in accordance with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy for Business and Developer products.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

• All machines must be upgraded to supported OS’s to ensure on-going support.  Failure to do so means accepting the risk & responsibility of operating without the assistance of Premier Support or the availability of any patches.  This includes monthly security patches as well as stability, performance, and functional patches.
• Enterprise customers with existing Premier Support agreements may establish a “Custom Support Agreement” to specifically provide support for Windows 2000 or Windows XP SP2.  This is a time-limited cost paid to provide continued support for these products, which also require a pay-per-fix fee in addition to the ongoing custom support fee.  Note:  These agreements are in excess of $100,000/year, and per-fix charges are often $25k+ so this is usually not an acceptable solution for most.  See below for more information.
• There are a number of migration options, resources, and offerings available to customers migrating from Windows 2000 & Windows XP SP2

BACKGROUND:

• Extended Support for all editions of Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Professional (including Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition, and, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server) ends on July 13, 2010. Customers running Windows 2000 will need to upgrade to supported products, such as Windows 7 and/or Windows Server 2008 R2.
• Additionally, support for Windows XP Service Pack 2 also retires on July 13, 2010. After this date, customers will need to be on Windows XP Service Pack 3 (or a supported product, such as Windows 7) to obtain support.
• After this date, public support for these products ends. After public support ends, Microsoft will no longer provide any assisted support or security updates to customers.
• This transition date marks the natural progression in the support of these products. It is in accordance with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy for Business and Developer products, which states that Microsoft will provide a minimum of 10 years of support to Business and Developer products. Windows 2000 has already received over 10 years of support. Windows XP has been supported since its RTM in 2001.

Support Options for Customers after July 13, 2010:

• Self-help Online Support
  All customers will still be able to access Self-help Online Support for Windows 2000, such as online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources, to help resolve common issues.
• Custom Support for Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2
  Custom Support is also available for purchase for those customers who have not been able to complete their migration to a supported product or service pack, and absolutely need additional support from Microsoft.

  Custom Support for Windows 2000 and windows XP SP2 includes security hotfixes for vulnerabilities labeled as “Critical” by MSRC at no additional cost, and access to Problem Resolution Support. Customers may also have the ability to request non-security hotfixes on new issues, for a per-fix fee. Additionally, they will also have access to Microsoft’s existing database of security and non-security hotfixes for Windows 2000 that may be critical to their organizations.

  Note: To enroll in Custom Support, customers must have a Premier Support contract. Additionally, customers are required to have a migration plan in place, prior to purchasing Custom Support.

  Remember, Custom Support should be considered the option of last resort for those customers who are unable to complete their migration off Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2. If you absolutely cannot complete their migration prior to support ending for Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2, we can work with you to create a migration plan and potentially leverage the Custom Support program.
   

• Migration Planning: Help Customers Realize the Potential of Microsoft Software
  The latest, supported products, such as Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 provide greater security, reliability, environmentally friendly features, and a host of other benefits that our customers want to take advantage of. Migration blockers sometimes force customers to delay migration and continue to run legacy products. In such cases they frequently opt for expensive alternatives like Custom Support.

  Microsoft Services is uniquely positioned to help customers overcome migration blockers and adopt these latest, supported products. Work with your account team to identify migration blockers and communicate those to your leadership. There are a number of Services offerings and services that are available to enable customers to migrate off Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2.

The new Bing Mobile 5.0 for Windows Mobile 6.1/6.5 devices in the US is out.  Non US locations or folks using older revisions of the OS (such as 6.0) must use the older Bing which is still available from the same link as the new 5.0 version.

Bing Mobile 5.0 now includes a variety of new features, including a facelift of the interface to more closely reflect the Bing site’s character:

• New Bing background/wallpapers.
• Traditional map views, satellite views, and traffic view which overlays the other two.
• Maps are now navigated using a finger-friendly menu bar/buttons at the base
• Optimized for cellular speeds, with inbound tiles coming in more frequently to constantly provide visuals
• Turn-by-turn directions
• “Locate Me”, leveraging GPS on phone which is on by default now
• “Speak to search”, providing look up of addresses and locations by voice
• Traditional directory of local services such as restaurants and other items one might find in the Yellow pages.
• New “News” section – providing current National & State news from Bing
• New “Zune-like” navigation

DOWNLOAD: Bing Mobile  (Visit the site from your Windows Mobile browser)
http://m.bing.com/download

The Microsoft Office 2010 Deployment Kit for App-V is required for sequencing and deploying Office 2010 client products with Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V). This kit includes the components required for Office license activation.
This product must be installed on the App-V sequencing station prior to monitoring the Office 2010 client installation.
This product must also be installed on the client machines to which virtualized Office 2010 client packages will be deployed. It can be configured to enable certain system components to interact with virtualized Office 2010, including:

• Fast search in virtualized Outlook 2010 using Windows Desktop Search
• Ability for virtualized Office 2010 applications to open, edit, and save Office files hosted with Windows SharePoint
• Search indexing support for Office file types
• URL protocol redirection to virtualized Outlook 2010
• Print to virtualized OneNote 2010

DOWNLOAD:  Microsoft Office 2010 Deployment Kit for App-V (Beta)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=fcacf32f-7da1-4e53-8181-c92fe8da4fd7

Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 is a new Windows product that allows multiple users to simultaneously share one computer. Ideal for educational institutions that want to provide more teachers and students with access to technology, Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 can provide a cost-effective solution for you!

Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 enables students to get the valuable 21st-century skills that come only from personal engagement with a computer. And, MultiPoint Server 2010 was designed to be easy for teachers to set up and use. It gives teachers and students the familiar Windows experience, allowing them to focus on teaching and learning the curriculum, not a new computer system.

And, since MultiPoint Server 2010 is based on the latest Windows technology, support can be obtained through a Microsoft authorized partner, you have access to its full capabilities, the latest updates, and the confidence that you are getting the experience you expect.

Coming in H1 of 2010.

MORE INFO: 
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/multipoint/default.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/multipoint/learn-more.aspx

BLOG:
http://blogs.technet.com/unlimitedpotential/archive/2009/11/12/expanding-education-s-access-to-technology-with-windows-multipoint-server-2010.aspx

All bias aside, this is the first toolbar I’ve installed and left on my browser in a long time.  I can’t say the same for the Windows Live Toolbar or the MSN Toolbar.

Bing Bar is a little different from most browser toolbars in that it provides a couple of really nice facilities over a brand new Silverlight driven user interface developed by Microsoft’s User Experience Research team.

Besides the obvious Bing search field, which provides intelligent filtering and both result & image previews, the Bing Bar adds a couple nifty things;

• Stocks Dropdown & Ticker – This is one of my favorite features.  It displays a ticker of watchable stocks and when click on, shows a 6 mo history of the stock along with the company report.
• Email Update – Hotmail or MSN email users see when new mail comes in as the Mail button glows, and clicking on it produces a wide drop down that displays all recent emails.  One can reply directly from the interface or start their own email.
• News & Weather Dropdowns – Single click views of today’s weather with the current weather displayed directly on the toolbar… or hot news stories sorted into one of 7 searchable categories.
• Autofill Manager – Manage the automatic entry of personal information from an encrypted store on your computer.  Personal address, email, phone number, etc.  all can be autopopulated into online forms if you choose using the autofill manager.
• Safety Center – A single location to manage all things Internet safety related including pop up blocking, phishing, and safe site designation.

Additionally, the buttons are dynamic:  As new features are made available, they’re dynamically loaded up at run time so in the future you can anticipate seeing a lot more on the Bing Bar. 

It’s a lot slicker than it probably sounds.  Give it a try!

• DOWNLOAD:  Bing Bar for Internet Explorer 6+ & Firefox 3+(Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2)
  http://www.discoverbing.com/toolbar/
• VIDEO:  “Discover Bing Toolbar”
  http://www.discoverbingtoolbar.com/

The latest Bing Maps Silverlight Beta has gone live!  You can access it via:

• Bing Maps Silverlight Beta
  http://www.bing.com/maps/explore/ 

…or just go to www.bingmaps.com and click on the new BETA Link.

We will keep the current AJAX control live on the consumer site, but look for the Beta to gain much momentum as it offers many new exciting features and content.

We have added some exciting new content/features.  Here is a quick brief look at a few of the highlights.

• Enhanced Birds-Eye:  Limitations on viewing large groups of bird’s eye imagery have been eliminated through the Silverlight control.  3D required a proprietary plug-in and did not previously work on Macs.  We have taken the hundreds of 3D cities and merged that with fully mosaiced/seamless Birds-eye to provide an exclusive oblique view of the world.  As per before you can see it from all four directions.
• Streetside imagery:  Initially the coverage is limited to 35 cities but based on a press release you may have seen we just entered into another partnership agreement with a large yet to announced company where we are driving, loading and updating 1.5M linear miles of US & European streets. 
• Maps Apps:  Check out the Maps Apps section by clicking on the arrow located to the right of ‘My Legend’ button.  We now have the tools enabling the creation of a highly Brand-able local search.  We are welcoming partners of ours to build their own custom applications which are hosted and visible to all Bing visitors.
• Improved Photosynth Integration:  Photosynth has now been better integrated into the experience.  Check out our Photosynth search application in the Maps Apps above.
• Much easier development:  All of the above and much more are now available to develop against.  Check out our new Interactive SDK.  If you do not already have an account, sign up for an account: http://www.microsoft.com/maps/developers/

If you are interested in learning more:

• VIDEO DEMO:
  Check out this recent video demonstration of the full features/content by our Technical Evangelist Chris Pendleton: http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/LauraFoy/First-Look-Streetside-in-Bing-Maps/
• WEBCAST:
  We have limited space but please Register today to attend our upcoming web cast Thursday, December 10, 2009,  10 A.M. Pacific Standard Time.

LINK:  Bing Maps Silverlight Beta
http://www.bing.com/maps/explore/

Remember how Symantec was the first Antivirus company to the podium to declare Microsoft’s Free Security Essentials antivirus/antimalware product “insufficient”, declaring 3rd party testing wrong, even going so far as to fabricate their own head-to-head test to try to prove their point?  (In case you forgot, here’s a few samples of their previous rants here, here, here, and here.)

Well, it turns out that AV-Comparatives – one of a couple generally recognized authorities on independent malware testing ran yet ANOTHER test on Microsoft’s free “Security Essentials” package in comparison to even Symantec’s newest antivirus solution – several months after MSE’s initial release.  The results?

“Believe it or not, but the recently introduced, free security solution from Microsoft manages to hold its own against fully-fledged, paid security suites from heavyweight players on the security market, at least when it comes down to generic detection and heuristic techniques. In fact, Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0, formerly codenamed Morro,  fared better than the products from security companies that were fast to downplay the relevance of a free basic solution from the Redmond company. According to AV-Comparatives, Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 outperformed no less than 10 rival products for heuristics detection.

AV-Comparatives compared a total of 16 products from various security companies, including AVIRA AntiVir Premium 9.0.0.446, G DATA Antivirus 20.0.4.9, Kaspersky AntiVirus 9.0.0.463, ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4.0.437.0, F-Secure Antivirus 10.00.246, Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 beta, Avast Professional Edition 4.8.1348, BitDefender Antivirus 13.0.13.254, eScan AntiVirus 10.0.997.491, AVG Antivirus 8.5.406, Trustport Antivirus 2.8.0.3017, McAfee VirusScan Plus 13.11.102, Symantec Norton Antivirus 17.0.0.136, Sophos Antivirus 7.6.10, Norman Antivirus & AntiSpyware 7.10.02, and Kingsoft Antivirus 2009.08.05.16.”

Read more at: 

• SOFTPEDIA: “Microsoft Security Essentials vs. Kaspersky, Nod32, BitDefender, Symantec, McAfee”
  http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Security-Essentials-vs-Kaspersky-Nod32-BitDefender-Symantec-McAfee-128482.shtml

————–

Y’know, when even Slashdot agrees that Microsoft Security Essentials is a good product, you know it’s antivirus engine should be considered by people looking for protection.  Note that Forefront Client Security, Microsoft’s enterprise solution, leverages this same anti-malware engine.

• IT: AV-Test Deems Windows Security Essentials "Very Good"
  http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/06/24/216231/