Article: IT Workers battle to keep up with technology

Hmm just got done reading the article at http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2179110,00.asp in PC week magazine, saying how stressed IT workers are in trying to keep up with technology.

I am surprised it has taken them this long to figure this out...I am also surprised more of us don't go postal.. ; ) LOL

Having been in IT for 25+ years I've gone from learning machine language, dos, os2, VMS, Windows 3, Windows 95, ME, XP, 2000, 2003, and Vista over the years to name a few. This doesn't include all the software packages and computer type iteratations throughout the years. Does it ever stop? Do we really need a supercomputer on our desktop? My favorite OS is Windows 2000, I've never had it blue screen on me, and been using my little 600 mhz compaq m300 laptop for years to get me by. I don't need anything more powerful since Terminal Services RDP and ICA came along. ; ) I can connect to a more powerful machine if I need to and work like I am on it.

All the bells and whistles of Vista are great, but you need a new PC to do it. I've tried upgrades on about 10 different machines with little success and I'm supposed to be a pro. Can you image the common man trying to install on his home PC? I already have been inundated with several horror stories about people trying to upgrade. Many have given up. So how are we to cope... we have to keep up at work and AT home because we end up being the resident/family computer guru whom everyone including family, friends and neighbors, comes to and are expected to help them for no compensation of our time. How are we not going to be stressed?

Truthfully though I love the variety of the job, never a dull day, I love helping people, I love the daily challenges of problem solving and I'd would not want to do anything else. I guess I am not only stressed but maybe a bit crazy? : )

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Download Picks: From MS: GP Diag Best practice, Malware removal kit, Vista Tech center, updated sysinternals utilitilies

Hi All,
I have been notified of several updated utilities of interest to you all from Microsoft so here they are:
Windows Vista Techcenter
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/default.aspx

Group Policy Diagnostic Best Practice Analyzer for Windows Server 2003 (KB940122)
The Microsoft Group Policy Diagnostic Best Practice Analyzer (GPDBPA) for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 is designed to help you identify Group Policy configuration errors or other dependency failures that may prevent settings or features from functioning as expected.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=47f11b02-8ee4-450b-bf13-880b91ba4566&DisplayLang=en

Malware Removal Starter Kit
Many small- and medium-sized organizations use antivirus software, and yet new viruses, worms, and other forms of malicious software (malware) continue to infect large numbers of computers in these organizations. Malware proliferates at alarming speed and in many different ways, which makes it particularly widespread today.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/guidance/disasterrecovery/malware/default.mspx

Tcpview v2.5

This update to Tcpview adds support for Vista, including IPv6, and displays counts of active and connected endpoints in a status bar

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/tcpview.mspx

Process Monitor v1.21

This release adds XML as a new export format, includes performance optimizations, and fixes a number of minor bugs

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/processmonitor.mspx

PsExec v1.85

PsExec v1.85 adds a new switch that takes advantage of new memory and I/O priorities on Vista, -background, for running processes with low CPU, memory and I/O priority.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/psexec.mspx

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Download Pick: AltDesk 1.8 PORTABLE is released!

Hi Guys,
Back at home for a bit till I go back to the hospital for surgery. Here is my download pick of the week, I got this one from Gladiators software whose program Altdesk I absolutely adore. It lets you swap desktops in older OS's ala Vista. They have released a PORTABLE version. This is great for me, put it on the key walk up to a users desktop who has a ton of apps running, plug in the key, run up altdesk and switch to a clean desktop, do your stuff and then switch back to their desktop and stop Altdesk, their apps stay intact and it makes you look like a guru... very cool! Lots of skins available too! See below for info:

Dear Jim Kenzig,

AltDesk 1.8 PORTABLE is released!

Let's say you travel a lot, or you have to work on several computers located in different offices, or just use Internet cafes or kiosks very often, but regardless of that you want your personal registered copy of AltDesk always to be at hand. Impossible? Not at all!

Gladiators Software company has released portable version of AltDesk, which can be stored on any removable data medium (CD, USB flash drive, etc.) and used on any computer you need. Just plug in the removable drive, start AltDesk, work (or play:)) and take your AltDesk with you after you finish.

AltDesk is powerful, flexible and easy to use Virtual Desktop Manager for Windows.

With AltDesk you'll be able to ease your daily work by managing numerous task more efficiently than before. Virtual Desktops technology, implemented in AltDesk, allows you to work with a single display nearly as effective as if you used several monitors at once. Unlike competing products, AltDesk uses icons and thumbnails to represent tasks, which makes task management more effective as you can reach any given task in the shortest time. AltDesk doesn't use a lot of screen space, you can even hide its window and manage Desktops with hotkeys. You can also change program's appearance by applying skins, which can be found on our home page.

Our company is very thankful to Mr. Jason Black aka "Liderc", who suggested this idea and who helped us greatly with the program testing and polishing, for the wonderful job he did.

AltDesk 1.8 PORTABLE can be downloaded here:

http://www.astonshell.com/files/AltDesk_Portable.zip

If you an already registered AltDesk user, you are welcome to download AltDesk 1.8 PORTABLE and register it with your key - no need to purchase another serial number!

This is an automatic message; no response is necessary.
--
Best regards,
Gladiators Software
http://www.astonshell.com

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WhitePaper: Migration to Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 made simple, quick and reliable, Why and how to migrate to Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 with enteo Management Suite for Citrix Presentation Server.

I have offered to host a White Paper for Enteo on using their software suite to migrate to Citrix Presentation Server 4.5. The paper is titled:

Migration to Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 made simple, quick and reliable, Why and how to migrate to Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 with enteo Management Suite for Citrix Presentation Server.

Have a look at:

 

http://www.thinhelp.com/autothin/Citrix-Enteo_WhitePaper.pdf

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Microsoft Releases Malware Removal ToolKit

Microsoft has released a Malware removal kit!!

PCs Infected with Malware?

Every day, adversaries attempt to invade your networks and infect your systems with viruses, spyware, and other malware. In other cases, employees can open the door to malware by visiting infected Web sites, opening the wrong e-mail attachments, or running macros that contain viruses.

As an IT professional focused on security, you know the risks first hand. You've installed antivirus software and you keep your protection updated. Sometimes, though, attacks are successful, and computers get infected. And once they are inside the organization, malware outbreaks can spread with alarming speed, compromising or destroying mission-critical data or personal information.

Restore Infected PCs with the Malware Removal Starter Kit!

When you discover PCs that have been infected with malware and your current antivirus tools can't solve the problem, where do you turn next? Is there a way to restore infected PCs without completely rebuilding them from scratch?

The Malware Removal Starter Kit, the newest Solution Accelerator from Microsoft, provides free, tested guidance to help you combat malware attacks and restore infected systems—so users can safely get back to work. The kit shows you how to use the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) to discover malware by performing a thorough offline scan of your computers, uncovering malware that may be hiding in the operating system. And once malware is located and identified, it can be quickly removed from infected PCs with a number of free anti-malware tools , like the Malicious Software Removal Tool from Microsoft.

The Malware Removal Starter Kit answers questions like:

· What are the keys to a reliable, effective response plan to remedy malware outbreaks?

· How do I build a bootable CD that lets me perform offline virus scans?

· How can I discover and remove viruses and other malware hiding in the operating system?

· How does the Malware Removal Starter Kit augment Microsoft's anti-malware strategy?

Key Benefits

The Malware Removal Starter Kit is:

· Effective: Helps you to uncover malware that's difficult to expose.

· Flexible: Lets you use best approach for the specific problem you're facing.

· Reliable: Provides guidance thoroughly tested by Microsoft security experts.

· Simple: Offers a solution that is easy to configure and use.

· Free: The Malware Removal Starter Kit is a free download from TechNet.

Download the free Malware Removal Starter Kit

Accessing the kit is easy, and it's free! Click here to learn more or to download the kit.

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Download Pick: RemProf, Bomb Prof

Warren Simondson of Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy, has released another FREE Microsoft Terminal Services / Citrix utility. REMPROF was written to replace the command DELPROF.EXE currently found in the MS Windows Resource Kit. This utility offers extra features that will be of benefit to all admins. REMPROF has the ability to delete user profiles on the local machine based on age, username, or SID association. If a username has been deleted from a Domain or Workgroup, the profile often still exists with only a SID assigned to identify it. REMPROF can delete these profiles completely from the file system and registry regardless of the profile age, and without removing existing profiles of the same age.

This tool could be simply run from the command line at any time, or added as a SCHEDULED TASK for regular cleaning of user profiles, reducing the overall disk space used for locally based profiles.

REMPROF will only function when executed by a user with ADMIN rights to the profile directory.

He also has a utility called BombProf that allows for Multiple profile deletion. Go get them at:

http://www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au/CAD_TSUtils.htm

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Citrix releases a sample VHD of Presentation Server 4.5

The Citrix Evaluation Virtual Appliance (EVA) is a new pre-configured, ready-to-go, virtual machine system for evaluating Citrix Presentation Server Platinum Edition™. Based on a Microsoft .VHD Test Drive base image of Windows 2003 Server R2, the Citrix EVA will enable evaluators to interact with the Citrix management interface, and evaluate our application delivery infrastructure from both the administrative and end-user perspectives within as little as 10 minutes after completing the download.

Check it out at: http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/products/feature.asp?contentID=658703

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Link Pick: Managing Roaming User Data Deployment Guide

Windows Vista handles User data and Profiles much differently than Windows XP. For that reason you will need to think carefully when migrating to Vista. I found a good document that explains some of the key differences in profiles between Windows Vista and XP that is definitely worth checking out. It is called the Managing Roaming User Data Deployment Guide and is available at:

http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/fb3681b2-da39-4944-93ad-dd3b6e8ca4dc1033.mspx?mfr=true

One interesting tidbit from this document is that the problem of profiles getting "stuck" and not unloading at logoff is supposedly totally fixed by Vista and it should never happen. Here is the text from the document...

Profile unload failures at logoff

"Sometimes, earlier versions of Windows falied to unload the registry portion of the user profile. Many times this failure prevented the user from subsequent logons to the same computer. Windows Vista always unloads the registry portion of the user profile, even if it must forcefully do so, prior to synchronizing the profile to the profile server. Windows, when forcefully unloading profiles, writes an event message to the event log. The description of the event contains the name of the process that prevented the registry from unloading and the closed registry path."

Woo Hoo!

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Connecting Wirelessy with Vista

If you just got a new Vista laptop and are confused about setting up your Wireless connection here are a few links for you:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy/cg0406.mspx

and

http://www.techwarelabs.com/guides/misc_mod/vistaconnection/

There are a few differences between Windows XP and Vista when it comes to wireless.

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FAQ: Windows Vista Volume Activation: Can a Windows 2003 Server SP1 machine run Key Management Services for Windows Vista?

Well as you start to get Windows Vista systems in, the question of licensing is going to come up. I've had to do some research on this topic to answer my own questions and now am sharing my results.

In the enterprise you mainly have a choice of either Vista Business or Vista Enterprise. The big difference in Vista Enterprise over Business is that Enterprise will allow you to make up to 3 VM's with the same license on one Vista Machine. Useful for developers!

At any rate you have a choice of licensing Vista with either what is called a Mutilple Access Key(MAK) or setting up your own Key Managment server (KMS) on site. Microsoft tries to explain its Vista licensing for volume activation users a bit at:

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/resources/vol/default.mspx

Vista can be activated in a few ways. It does this either by contacting Microsoft Servers using the MAK or by contacting a KMS server you have set up in your environment. There is a stipulation about having the ability to have a KMS and it is there must be at least 25 Vista nodes to run it. Obviously if you do not allow internet access to your users your choice is limited to KMS. If you have less than 25 machines in your Office and don't allow internet access you probably will be SOL after a few months until you connect to the MAK and activate your licences. : (

KMS Vista activated machines must call home to the KMS server at least every 6 months. If you are using MAK you only need to connect 1 time to the Microsoft servers for activation, the machines will not have to be reactivated. There is a good guide to licensing Vista at:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/bb335288.aspx

Anyways the whole point of my article here is the rumour going around I have been getting told is that a Vista KMS can only be run on either a Vista Machine or on Server 2008 (formerly code named Longhorn and still not available yet!). This is not the case though!

Microsoft in March of this year released Key Management Server software that WILL run on Windows Server 2003 SP1 or later Servers. You can go out and get it now from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=81d1cb89-13bd-4250-b624-2f8c57a1ae7b&DisplayLang=en


You will also want to have a look at the Windows Vista Volume Activation Technical guide which also has included a web page you can set up to recover licenses that have gone into Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM) (go read up on that one!) Check it out at:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9893F83E-C8A5-4475-B025-66C6B38B46E3&displaylang=en

Hope this gets a few of your questions answered about Windows Vista Volume licensing and gets you pointed in the right direction to get started as Windows Vista Systems will be coming your way sooner than later!

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Download Pick of the Week: DTaskManager Task Manager Replacement

Hi all,

Been a while since I posted a download pick but here is one I just had to share. It is called DTaskManager. This utility is written by a guy named Dimitrios Coutsoumbas and really revs up TaskMan in Windows XP and Vista. Some cool features are that you can click on an application and choose the "Go to process" button and it will take you directly to the process that is associated with the app.

It also gives you the ability to see all active ports and find out what file is using that port. You can also temporarily suspend processes, or really kill a process. Lots of goodies with this one!

The program is available on Dimitrios site along with several other useful freeware utilities (check out Dshutdown to shutdown a workstation with a plethora of options) at http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/ or from Snapfiles.com at http://www.snapfiles.com/get/dtaskmanager.html

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Dear Apple... stay off of my desktop, out of my quick launch, and out of my System tray and Registry Run Key!

Ok I don't usually rant too often but I've just about had my fill with Apple Software. They have recently released a beta version of their Safari Web Browser that runs on Windows. Good for them.

/Rant On
On the few Mac's I have used, I'll admit, I really like the Safari browser it is quick and intuitive. That being said, Apple decided to bundle Safari Beta 3 with its hailed Quicktime media player. The incessant beast that no matter what you do plants itself in to your registry Run key and insists on reappearing even if you delete it.

Apple feels that it is in their right without even asking you during installation, to place icons on your desktop, in your quicklaunch, in your system tray and on your start menu not to mention in the root of your start menu, not even in its own folder! This combined with the fact their Quicktime qttask app getting put on the run key of the registry and can not be removed no matter how hard you try, makes this Apple software a piece of crap that should not ever be put on a Windows PC.

Yeah, I know it is a beta but here is more crappola, because it included Quicktime, the Safari beta uninstalled my version of quicktime that I had all set up nicely and had already added my plugins to, and wiped it all out leaving me to have to reconfigure quicktime again and go out and find the plugins. 1st thing of course I have to do again, is to get that incessant icon out of my system tray and quick launch bar. WTF?

Apple, you are supposed to be a major player in the computer industry, why can't you learn how the install process works in Windows and not be so virulent? Ask users if they want you in all up in their face.. don't just assume they do!

Get a clue!

/Rant off

I feel better now.

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Site Pick: Free Windows Vista drivers

Here is a good site I came across to help yout find those needed drivers for Windows Vista:

 

http://www.radarsync.com/vista/

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Windows Longhorn officially named...

Bink.nu is reporting that Windows Longhorn will be named ..drumroll please...you guessed it.. Windows Server 2008 http://bink.nu/Article10091.bink

Hopefully it will be released well before that. ; )

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Microsoft Releases WSUS 3.0 earlier than expected

Microsoft has been busy releasing beta's and new products and this past Monday April 30th they released Windows Software Update Services Version 3.0 to the public.

"Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 delivers new features including an MMC-based user interface with advanced filtering and reporting, improved performance and operational reliability, flexible deployment options to improve branch office support, and more content access through the Microsoft Update Catalog site."

Download it at:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=E4A868D7-A820-46A0-B4DB-ED6AA4A336D9&displaylang=en

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Remote Desktop Client V6.0 Update (beta) is now Available

Microsoft last week released an Updated (beta) version of the RDP 6 client that takes advantage of some of the new features in Longhorn and Windows vista.

Some of the new features include TS Gateway, Remote Programs, and it now supports 32 bit color and font smoothing.

Check it out and Login with your windows Passport at:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/925876

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System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007 Beta 2 Now available

This is a cool beta to get in on and check out. SCVMM lets you do fast P2V conversions as well as convert VMware VMs to Microsoft VHD's. There is even a full VHD VM of W2K3 with it fully installed that you can download and have it up and going in no time.

Follow the directions to sign up for the beta here:

http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/scvmm/default.mspx

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Link Pick: Microsoft: A Guide to Installing Terminal Services

Here is a recent article from the May Technet Magazine....it is basic but may help.

In this article, they show you how to enable Terminal Services on an existing Windows Server^® 2003 installation, how to apply Terminal Services Group Policies, and how to use the Custom Installation Wizard to automate Microsoft ^® Outlook^® profile settings. When we're finished, you will have a fully deployed Terminal Server to serve up applications to your users.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2007/05/TerminalServices/

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Download Pick: Irfanview 4.0 is now Available

For those of you who know what it is Irfanview version 4.0 was released yesterday. Irfanview is a very fast and small graphic viewer for Windows. It is freeware for non commercial use. There are many plugins for it work with many types of video and graphics formats.

Check out http://www.irfanview.com

Direct download from CNET is

http://www.download.com/IrfanView/3000-2192-10021962.html?part=dl-IrfanView

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Download Pick: CTX112588 - Dynamic USB Utility

Citrix last week released a cool new utility called DynamicUSB to connect a usb drive AFTER you are already connected to a presentation server.

JAK

CTX112588 - Dynamic USB Utility

This document was published at: http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX112588

Document ID: CTX112588, Created on: Apr 13, 2007, Updated: Apr 13, 2007

Products: N/A

Attachment: DynamicUSB.zip (40.9 K)

Dynamic USB Utility for the 32-bit Windows Presentation Server Client Version 0.1.6 Created Date: November 01, 2006 Updated Date: February 27, 2007 Citrix Advanced Products Group investigates emerging technologies relevant to the Citrix business mission, and creates research, prototypes and first release versions of products addressing these technologies. As part of this effort, the Advanced Products Group periodically releases technical preview versions of products to the Citrix community to encourage feedback. Overview • DynamicUSB allows you to access a USB drive in a Presentation Server session in situations where the device is connected to a client system after the Presentation Server session is established. The utility creates a directory under C:\CitrixUSBStore in the client file system for each USB drive that is inserted into the client device. This linked directory reflects the contents of the USB drive; thus, all directories and files in the USB drive appear as directories and files under the linked directory. If the USB key is subsequently removed, the utility deletes the corresponding link directory. • The user can access the linked directory from a Presentation Server session using client drive mapping functionality. Prerequisites This utility is designed to work only on client systems that support the New Technology File System (NTFS). A Windows XP or later variant of the client operating system is a prerequisite. Installing DynamicUSB There is no specific installer for this utility. Extract the executable DynamicUSB.EXE and proceed to use it as described below. How to Use DynamicUSB 1. Run DynamicUSB.EXE on the client workstation. It creates a system tray icon. 2. Plug in a USB key. DynamicUSB creates a directory called C:\CitrixUSBStore\Drive_X where: • X: is the USB drive letter assigned to the USB key by the client operating system • Drive_X is a link to X:\ 3. When you unplug the USB key, the utility deletes the directory Drive_X. You can observe directory Drive_X being dynamically created or destroyed in the Presentation Server session as you plug or unplug your USB key. Modify the Default Root Directory for Linked Directories To modify the default directory in which linked directories are created (C:\CitrixUSBStore), launch DynamicUSB with the following command line: DynamicUSB FullPathoftheDesiredRootDirectory If FullPathoftheDesiredRootDirectory has spaces, enclose it with double quotation marks as shown below: DynamicUSB "Full Path of the Desired RootDirectory"

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Download Pick: Free Citrix/ Terminal server Tool - TSMsg

Below is a new download from Warren Simondson at CTRL-Alt_del.com.

Jim

Hi All

I hope all is well around the world. TSMsg is yet another freeware tool I wrote from the requests of the thin community around the world.

As always it can be downloaded at http://www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au/CAD_Utils.htm

TSMsg is a command-line tool to message Citrix or Terminal Server

Sessions on any server within a Domain.

This utility was written to replace the command MSG.EXE currently found in the MS Windows Operating System. This utility offers an extra feature that will be of benefit to all admins - the /SERVER:* switch.

Using this switch, an administrator can message all users on all Citrix/TS servers with one command or multiple servers with a common structure e.g. /Server:MySer*. This command can also be used in a script.

This utility is FREEWARE and was written by Warren Simondson of Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy, Australia. www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au

Thank you to the WINDOWS SDK available from http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads

Usage:

TSMsg [UserName | SessionID | *] [/SERVER:servername | *] [Message]

UserName - Identifies recipient of the message

(NOT case sensitive)

SessionID - [Optional] Identifies Session ID of recipient of the message

* - [Optional] Send message to ALL users on chosen server

/SERVER:servername - [Optional] Specifies the Terminal server containing the user session to send message (default is current).

/SERVER:* - [Optional] Send message to ALL servers for the chosen

user/s

Message - [Optional] The message to send. If none is specified,

sends a test message.

/? - This help information.

E.G. TSMsg Bob My test message

This command will message the user BOB on the current TS or Citrix Server within the current Domain.

E.G. TSMsg Mary /Server:MyServer My test message

This command will message the user Mary on the TS or Citrix Server called MyServer within the current Domain.

E.G. TSMsg 5 /Server:MyServer My test message

This command will message session ID 5 on the TS or Citrix Server called MyServer within the current Domain.

E.G. TSMsg * /Server:MyServer My test message

This command will message all users on the TS or Citrix Server called MyServer within the current Domain.

E.G. TSMsg * /Server:* My test message

This command will message all users on all TS or Citrix Servers within the current Domain.

E.G. TSMsg * /Server:MySer* My test message

This command will message all users on any TS or Citrix Server with a server name beginning with MySer within the current Domain.

i.e. MyServer, MyServer1, MySerdemo.

The freeware version is offered AS IS. Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy has made

every effort possible to ensure that TSMsg is free of any bugs or errors, however in no way is TSMsg to be considered error or bug free.

You assume all responsibility for any damages or lost data that may result from any errors or bugs in TSMsg.

IN NO EVENT WILL CTRL-ALT-DEL IT CONSULTANCY BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY GENERAL,

SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF

THIS PRODUCT.

Warren Simondson

Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy Pty Ltd

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Jim at the Museum of flight during MVP Summit 2007.. I don't know where that plane came from behind me..

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New Utility from CTRL-ALT-DEL: ENVTSCIP

Warren Simondson from CTRL-ALT-DEL.com has released yet another free utility (YAFU) for you to peruse

Hi All

ENVTSCIP is a minor extension of GETTSCIP whereby it sets the client IP address of a user session to an environment variable called CLIENTIP.

This utility was written due to the high demand in emails asking Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy to produce this tool.

There are another 5 Utilities in the pipeline all due out soon.

As always, get the utilities from http://www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au/CAD_Utils.htm

ENVTSCIP is a command-line tool for Terminal Servers to query the current session's client ip address and display it in the command line, as well as set it to a VOLATILE ENVIRONMENT

 VARIABLE - %CLIENTIP%.

 This utility is FREEWARE and was written by Warren Simondson of

Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy, Australia.  http://www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au/

Thankyou to the WINDOWS SDK available from  http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads

Usage: 

ENVTSCIP

 E.G. ENVTSCIP

This command will return the client ip address of a session as:

 WTSClientAddress: 192.168.0.141 and also store it as an environment variable %CLIENTIP% 

E.G. ENVTSCIP>ipaddress.txt  

This command will return the client ip address of a session as: 

WTSClientAddress: 192.168.0.141  and store it in the text file ipaddress.txt.

It will also store it as an environment variable %CLIENTIP%

Using ENVTSCIP in assigning an Environment Variable is best  executed from startup or the RUN section located in the registry. 

This will ensure it can be used throughout an active session. For  using ENVTSCIP in logon scripts, please see ENVTSCIP.txt included  in this package.

The freeware version is offered AS IS. Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy has made  every effort possible to ensure that ENVTSCIP is free of any bugs or errors,  however in no way is ENVTSCIP to be considered error or bug free. You assume all responsibility for any damages or lost data that may result from any errors or bugs in ENVTSCIP. IN NO EVENT WILL CTRL-ALT-DEL IT CONSULTANCY BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY GENERAL,  SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF  THIS PRODUCT.

 USRLOGON.CMD EXAMPLE

====================
 @Echo Off
:: call the client ip utility that assigns the environment variable
 call "%SystemRoot%\System32\envtscip.exe"
::Becasue this is run in usrlogon.cmd, the environment variable cannot be broadcast to the windows shell
::thus we use the old classic Terminal Server tool ACRegL to enforce the variable during the logon script
 "%systemroot%\Application Compatibility Scripts\ACRegL.exe" "%TEMP%\getpaths.cmd" CLIENTIP "HKCU\Volatile Environment" "CLIENTIP" ""
 If Not ErrorLevel 1 Goto Cont1
Echo.
 Echo Unable to retrieve path.
Echo.
 Goto Finish
:Cont1
Call "%TEMP%\getpaths.cmd"
 Del "%TEMP%\getpaths.cmd" >Nul: 2>&1
::The environment variable %clientip% can now be used throughout this script
::To use the environment variable %clientip% within a session run ENVTSCIP.exe in the startup of the user's session
 ::or the RUN section of the registry
::just as a test echo the variable to the screen
 echo %CLIENTIP%
:Finish  

Warren Simondson
Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy Pty Ltd

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Download Pick of the Week: Unofficial Daylight Savings Time fix.

The DST time change had come and gone but some Windows 2000 workstations on your network may be still experiencing time problems. Here is a nifty utiltity that makes it so you don't have to jump through hoops to get the right patch applied. It works on NT/2000/XP/2003 (note they also offer a 98/ME version)

http://www.intelliadmin.com/DaylightSavingNotice.asp?File=DaylightSavingFix.exe

The utility can be run silently from a command line therefore has the ability to be pushed out as a scipt. Simply type:

DaylightSavingFix.exe /qinstall

See this blog article for more info:

http://www.intelliadmin.com/blog/2007/01/unofficial-windows-2000-daylight.html

While you are at the Intelliadmin site check out some of their other great Free and Commercial utilities from their downloads area.

http://www.intelliadmin.com/Downloads.htm

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Bill holding up the podium...I was in the front row.

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Yeah right I was on stage....(when no one was looking)

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He is the richest guy in the world but still a geek true and true! LOL Think he would go to the tailor. Thats OK we still love ya Bill.

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Here I am at the MVP Summit with Sean O'Driscoll

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Tell us: What New features do you want in Terminal Services?

Hi All,

I will be off to Redmond and the Microsoft MVP Summit next week. Brian Madden has posted a synopsis and Microsoft wants to know what new features should be added to Terminal Services in Future releases.  

 

Please respond to the thread at http://www.brianmadden.com/content/content.asp?id=680  with your ideas.

 

(PS I will be on a mission to meet Bill and get a pic with him, wish me luck)

 

Thanks,

--
Jim Kenzig
Microsoft MVP - Terminal Services
http://www.thinhelp.com
Citrix Technology Professional
Provision Networks VIP
CEO The Kenzig Group
http://www.kenzig.com
Blog: http://www.techblink.com

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Download Pick of the Week: Unlocker.

Hi All,

I came across this FREE utility called Unlocker this morning and thought I would pass it along. I tested it out and it does work.

 

From the Readme:

How often have you tried to delete or rename a file or folder and got
"Cannot delete xxx: It is being used by another person or program." ?

Unlocker is a tool which will help you removing this scandaleous Windows
bug.

Simply right click the file or folder and select Unlocker. If the file
or folder is locked then a window will appear with a list of processes
locking the file or folder. Select the locks and click Unlock and you
are done.

It is recommended to Unlock wisely and to close open processes locking
files or folder if any, but if only Explorer.exe is the culprit, do not
hesitate ! :D

See http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/#download

 

Direct download Link is:

http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/unlocker1.8.5.exe

--
Jim Kenzig
Microsoft MVP - Terminal Services
http://www.thinhelp.com
Citrix Technology Professional
Provision Networks VIP
CEO The Kenzig Group
http://www.kenzig.com
Blog: http://www.techblink.com

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CTRL-ALT-Del Releases Terminal Server Load Balancing Client

Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy is proud to release a Terminal Server Load Balancing suite for Microsoft Terminal Services, absolutely FREE.

Download it from: http://www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au/CAD_Utils.htm

The first release is a Terminal Server Client extension that allows load balancing of Terminal Servers in a single Domain. The process balances sessions across a farm of terminal servers within a domain, applying a user load criteria to distribute the sessions evenly. This program also reconnects a client to a disconnected session based on computer name only.

Release 1.0 includes the following features:

- Basic Load balancing among Terminal Services in a single domain

- Administrative server selection to create Server farm

- User load balancing Criteria to distribute sessions evenly

- Reconnect a Disconnected session in the TS Server farm (reconnects based on Computer name only).

This addon requires the Microsoft Terminal Server Client to be installed on the operating machine. The Microsoft Terminal Server Client (MSTSC.EXE ) must be located in %systemroot%\system32 of the client machine.

This addon is currently only designed for clients running Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP (All Versions) and Windows Vista. A Windows 98 version is also in development, a linux edition may also be release, depending on user interest.

The next edition of TSLoadBal - Client Edition will include:

- Client option control such as screen size, colors etc..

- Application specification - Launch applications from a load balanced server farm

-More to come ..

TSLoadBal - Server Edition will be available soon, that will provide a central database for load balancing. The current client version calculates load balancing from the client end.
How TSLoadBal -Client Edition works:
1. The TsLoadBal Client works on a simple principle.

2. The client is launched.

3. The client Enumerates the list of Terminal Servers in the Current Domain.

4. The client checks the Terminal Server farm list as compiled by the user or administrator. All settings are stored in CURRENT_USER registry key 

5. The client checks to see if the server farm has a disconnected session that matches the computer name of the current machine running the program. If a session exists, the Microsoft Terminal Server Client native to the OS is launched with the server information predefined.

6. The client checks to see which server has the least load based on user sessions.

7. The client launches the Microsoft Terminal Server Client native to the OS with the server information predefined


If you would like to offer feedback, ideas or comments on the TSLoadBal Suite, please go to http://www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au.

Please remember the TSLoadBal Suite is freeware. The freeware version is offered AS IS. Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy has made every effort possible to ensure that this product is free of any bugs or errors, however in no way is this product to be considered error or bug free. You assume all responsibility for any damages or lost data that may result from any errors or bugs in this product.

 IN NO EVENT WILL CTRL-ALT-DEL IT CONSULTANCY BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY GENERAL,SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THIS PRODUCT. IN NO EVENT WILL CTRL-ALT-DEL IT CONSULTANCY BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THIS PRODUCT.

Warren Simondson
Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy Pty Ltd
Website: http://www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au

--
Jim Kenzig
Microsoft MVP - Terminal Services
http://www.thinhelp.com
Citrix Technology Professional
Provision Networks VIP
CEO The Kenzig Group
http://www.kenzig.com
Blog: http://www.techblink.com

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Download Pick of the Week: More on US/Canada Time Zone Change TZMove

This year in the US, daylight savings time will start 3 weeks earlier than normal. This will throw off several applications that use time syncing. Exchange and Outlook appointments may also be affected by this change. Microsoft has released a document on how to address the daylight saving time change at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931667/

Microsoft has also released a tool called TZmove on Feb 19, 2007 to adjust single Outlook account appointments to be adjusted properly. This utility can be found at:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e343a233-b9c8-4652-9dd8-ae0f1af62568&DisplayLang=en

I highly reccomend that you read the information at all of the above two links prior to using the utility.
Check my previos post at http://kenzig.blogspot.com/2007/02/exchange-2003-dst-critical-update-for.html for info on updating your Exchange server for the time change.

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LINK: Login Consultants forum Moved (Flex profile Kit, Reconnact, True control template, etc. ) downloads

UPDATE 11/12/2012
Since writing this post I have learned that Flex Profile kit is now only available at Immidio website at the following link http://immidio.com/flexplus/

Please use the above link to find the FlexProfiles Kit.

Since this page gets so much traffic, I will leave intact the link to Login Consultants because they do have many other great utilities available.

FYI
 

Login Consultants now has a new site for their Forum and also is now the place to obtain their famed utilities.

 

The new site is at:  http://www.loginconsultants.com/forum/

 

 

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MICROSOFT AND EXCHANGE 2003 DST CRITICAL UPDATE FOR U.S. USERS

Hi All,

If you are running Microsoft Exchange in your organization and are in the US please be aware that there is a hotfix for the daylight savings time change.

For Exchange Server 2003 SP1 the fix is at:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=931978

If you are running Exchage Server 2003 SP2 the fix is at:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926666/

This fix must be in place by March 11, 2007.

If you do not install this fix your users will be an hour early for every appointment they have for 3 weeks until Outlook catches up. (which could be considered a good thing I guess if you have chronically late users I guess) ; )

There are several other Microsoft Products that need to be updated. Check this article from Microsoft to see what you need to do and if your product is affected:

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/dst_topissues#a2&SD=tech

There is also an article on how to fix and configure DST via the registry at:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914387/en-us

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Download Pick: Free Citrix/ Terminal Server Utility - TSReboot

Hi Folks,

Heres another great Freebie from Warren Simondson!

Jim

 

Hi All

 

I tapped out this little freeware utility the other day and thought it may be of some use to the community.

You can download the utility from http://www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au/CAD_Utils.htm.

 

 

TSReboot is a command-line tool to reboot selected or all Citrix and Terminal Servers within a Domain with specified intervals.

 

This utility was written to replace reboot commands currently found

in the MS Windows Operating System. This utility offers an extra

feature that will be of benefit to all admins - the ALL switch.

Using this switch, an admin can centrally reboot all Citrix/TS servers

within a Domain with one command, and at specified intervals.

An EXCLUDE switch is also available to exclude selected servers from the

ALL option. It is recommended that you run TSREBOOT LISTALL first to

list what Citrix/TS servers are available in the Domain.

This command can also be used in a script. This command can only be used

with administrative privileges.

You can run this command as a scheduled task. If this command is executed

with the ALL option from a Citrix/ TS server within the domain, then the

executing server will be rebooted last.

Servers are not rebooted all at once with the ALL command. The delay between

the reboot of each server is set at the command line (default: 20 minutes).

All users on each server are sent a message to logoff prior to the reboot.

Any user failing to logoff 2 minutes prior to reboot will be gracefully

logged off by the system.

 

 

This utility is FREEWARE and was written by Warren Simondson of

Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy, Australia. www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au

 

Thankyou to the WINDOWS SDK available from http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads

 

Usage:

TSReboot [LISTALL] [wait_time] [/SERVER:servername | ALL [/EXCLUDE:]]

 

     LISTALL             [Optional] LISTS all TS and Citrix Servers in

                         the current Domain. DOES NOT REBOOT.

     wait_time           [Optional] Minutes to wait after user notification

                         before rebooting each server (default is 20).

     /SERVER:servername  [Optional] Specifies the server to reboot

                         (default is current).

     ALL                 [Optional] Reboot ALL TS and Citrix Servers.

     /EXCLUDE:servername [Optional with ALL] Exclude particular servers

                         from reboot when ALL option is provided. Can accept

                         multiple entries, seperated by comma. Must be last

                         command line argument.

     /?                  This help information.

 

TSReboot with no parameters lists the help information.

 

E.G. TSReboot ALL

This command will reboot all TS or Citrix Servers in the current Domain.

 

E.G. TSReboot ALL /EXCLUDE:MyServer2,MyServer3

This command will reboot all TS or Citrix Servers in the current Domain

except for MyServer2 and MyServer3.

 

E.G. TSReboot 30

This command will reboot the current TS or Citrix Server in 30 minutes.

 

E.G. TSReboot ALL 10

This command will reboot all TS or Citrix Servers in the current Domain with

10 minute intervals.

 

E.G. TSReboot 5 /SERVER:MyServer

This command will reboot MyServer in 5 minutes.

 

All the TS utilities I have written to date can be executed from a Windows XP or Vista PC.

Warren Simondson

Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy Pty Ltd

Website: http://www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au

---

Need a quick answer? Get one in minutes from people who know. Ask your question on Yahoo! Answers.

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OT: Are you getting inundated with Ringers/Text Charges on your Cell phone bill you did not sign up for and can't stop them?

(I am writing this because it is National Consumer Protection Week http://www.consumer.gov/ncpw/ Feb 4-10 in hopes it might help someone else out there)

This is the story of a 4 month ongoing saga with my cell phone carrier and a 3rd party Texting company. You may be in the this situation or you may know someone in this situation and I can assure you the light at the end of the tunnel is very dim.

Over the last few years we will call them Text Entertainment companies (aka short code providers) have been inundating childrens TV stations with advertising for "Free Ringers", Jokes, Horoscope and other types of entertainment content. The companies tell you to just text a phrase to a 5 digit number and you will get a "Free ringer" or other item. In tiny print the ads state that you are signing up for a service and will be billed a weekly or monthly amount on your phone bill for extra provided content.

Back in October of 2006 one such company was advertising heavily on Cartoon Network. My 16 year old son sent a text to this company to get a "Free Ringer" and was signed up for such a service. I was shocked the following month when I received my PCS bill and it was $40 more than it usually was. When I got to my sons portion of the phone bill, I immediately saw that there were multiple charges under text messaging to a five digit number. I am not going to put this number in this article because I do not want anyone calling it and getting into the same boat I did.

My first response was to call my carrier (Sprint) and ask how to stop the messages. I was told to text STOP or QUIT to the the 5 digit number. We tried this to no avail and the messages just kept right on coming. Another month went by more charges, I called my carrier again and asked to have text messaging turned off for the telephone. I was told that even if I turned off text messaging the messages and charges would not stop because it was a "Premium Service". I had to contact the company to stop the messages. I asked for the number and name of the company from Sprint and was told that they could not give it to me. We tried to text STOP, Quit and whatever else we could think of to the number but the messages still kept on coming along with the charges. More hours on the phone with Sprint reps asking about the company got me no satisfaction. I refused to pay my bill until it was taken care of. Another month went by, the messages and charges kept coming and with no help from Sprint I finally cancelled the phone by porting it over to an ATT account. That stopped the messages, at least from the Text entertainment company that is.

Now came the collections calls from my phone carrier. Daily at 8 am. I told them over and over again that I would pay my bill in full as soon as the charges for the text messages were reversed, removed or deducted. I got nowhere. After 5 days in a row of spending over an hour on the phone with them and asking to get to a supervisor I finally got to a person who could give me the information about the company that was sending the text messages. Three months after I had asked for it! The company name was FunkyFones. Calling the 800 number gave me a choice to stop messages or "other". Pressing the other choice got me hung up on. I jumped on the internet to find out more about this company and to see if anyone else had my problems. I learned I was not alone! The company is apparently a subsidiary of Jamster which has a pending class action suit against it ( http://cmwcomplex.com/jamster.htm) I found out about the lawsuit from http://www.jamsterscam.com/more_stories/ which is a page with a story about people in the same situation I am in. At the bottom of the page there is a listing of key contacts of the different Cell providers CSC Representatives that may be able to help.

I have also, in reading the above listed lawsuit filed, learned that the phone companies do indeed profit from this service yet they appear to be ignorant of any information about them when it comes to trying to resolve billing disputes with these companies. At least until you press them for it over and over.

More searching on the web found an excellent resource page that lists some of the web sites for many of these "short code" providers that may assist people in getting out of these services. That url is http://www.usshortcodeswhois.com/

Our only defense is to talk to our children about these miscreant short code providers and contact as many news and print organizations as possible to get the word out about them. Please pass this on to people whom you think could help do this.

Update 8/22/2008 Sprint is still sending me $4000 (yes that is thousands)collection notices for this garbage. I reply to every one that I will pay the $400 I owe and only that as soon as they send me a bill for the proper amount and remove the charges. I get nowhere. This is criminal.

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NUMA NUMA, Laugh for the day.

Seen this on Youtube? The misheard lyrics (last link) one is hilarious!!!

 

Article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numa_Numa

 

original song:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0HR4hp_-kSI

 

original parody:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PK12XrnHcxs

 

This one is really funny - the misheard lyrics:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KfEE_nYehZ8
Enjoy,
--
Jim Kenzig
Microsoft MVP - Terminal Services
http://www.thinhelp.com
Citrix Technology Professional
Provision Networks VIP
CEO The Kenzig Group
http://www.kenzig.com
Blog: http://www.techblink.com

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Link Pick: Vista Remote Desktop Authentication FAQ

The MSTS Team blog has a great FAQ on the Vista Remote Desktop Authentication flow at:

Check it out at:

http://blogs.msdn.com/ts/archive/2007/01/22/vista-remote-desktop-connection-authentication-faq.aspx

 

--
Jim Kenzig
Microsoft MVP - Terminal Services
http://www.thinhelp.com
Citrix Technology Professional
Provision Networks VIP
CEO The Kenzig Group
http://www.kenzig.com
Blog: http://www.techblink.com

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"Some" KB Articles on Windows Vista .... upgrade nightmare ...

Man oh man... I tried to do an upgrade on my computer last night to my new shiny version of Vista I got for free for watching some MSDN videos. It gets all the way through the installation upgrade (which took a couple of hours.. a clean install takes about 15 minutes) and then when it gets to the final step of finalizing settings the computer freezes with a blue line down the middle of the screen and just sits there.

Now I went through the upgrade Advisor Wizard (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=42B5AC83-C24F-4863-A389-3FFC194924F8&displaylang=en ) originally and removed everything it said to remove and even got rid of everything in my Run key in the registry. Something I highly recommend doing! It said I was fine.

Luckily you can roll back easily enough to your previous version of Windows which I had to do...see this KB on how to do that http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927522/en-us but that is not the point. Windows Vista did it for me though when I decided had to shut the machine off after it sat idle for 2 hours with the blue line down the middle of the screen. When the machine came back up I was notified that "Vista installation did not succeed" and that it was "Restoring my previous version of Windows" A scary message I know but persistent me went through the installation a second time after removing a few more things just for good measure and ended up with the same blue line results, the rollback the second time around worked the same way and just as well as the first time around.

This should not be that difficult..alas but it is.

There are already over 200+ KB articles on Vista woes ( http://support.microsoft.com/search/default.aspx?catalog=LCID%3d1033&1033comm=1&spid=global&query=Vista&pwt=false&title=false&kt=ALL&mdt=0&res=20&ast=1%2c2%2c3%2c4%2c7&mode=a&adv=1&range=1-200 )

And even a KB article that lists the error messages that you might have.. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930733/en-us (which is not that long believe it or not.)

And yes even the validation system seems like it had issues and needed an update... http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929391/en-us

So this evening I get to go through the log files ( http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928901/en-us ) and try and figure out just what went wrong. But in light of the seemingly huge surge of KB articles over the last few days on second thought maybe I should wait awhile before I make the plunge...such is life when you are living on the edge and want to be at the forefront of technology I guess. At least my Office 2007 is workingl though...

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Download Pick: Word 2007 Guide: Word 2003 to Word 2007 interactive command reference guide

So you just loaded Office 2007 and can't find any of the familiar commands? You'll need this.

 

This visual, interactive reference guide helps you find your favorite Microsoft Office Word 2003 commands in the new 2007 interface.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9044790b-4e24-4277-b714-66d7b18d0aa1&DisplayLang=en

--
Jim Kenzig
Microsoft MVP - Terminal Services
http://www.thinhelp.com
Citrix Technology Professional
Provision Networks VIP
CEO The Kenzig Group
http://www.kenzig.com
Blog: http://www.techblink.com

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Download Pick: Windows Vista Security Guide

Heres a new tool from MS for getting your environment Vista Ready.

 

The Windows Vista Security Guide provides guidance and tools to further protect Windows Vista against real-live threats such as malware and information theft. This solution accelerator recommends the Enterprise Client (EC) configuration for organizations of all types. Only in extreme security situations does the guide recommend the Specialized Security – Limited Functionality (SSLF) configuration, which considerably limits client computer functionality. The Solution Accelerator includes recommendations about how to use new and enhanced security technologies in Windows Vista to better defend the client computers in your organization against malware. The guide also provides recommendations and best practices on how to use encryption and access control technologies in Windows Vista to protect corporate data. Application compatibility testing recommendations are included. This Solution Accelerator includes several files, such as the Windows Vista Security Guide.doc, the detailed Appendix A of the Windows Vista Security Guide.doc, the Windows Vista Security Guide Settings.xls, and the GPOAccelerator tool to help you easily implement the guidance.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a3d1bbed-7f35-4e72-bfb5-b84a526c1565&DisplayLang=en

--
Jim Kenzig
Microsoft MVP - Terminal Services
http://www.thinhelp.com
Citrix Technology Professional
Provision Networks VIP
CEO The Kenzig Group
http://www.kenzig.com
Blog: http://www.techblink.com

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