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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