David Overton's Blog

Tech days 2010 – UK, covering Virtualisation, Office 2010, Windows 7, SQL Server 2008 R2, Visual Studio, the Essential Mix, Rich Client and Windows Phone

David Overton — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:27:11 GMT

Registration for UK Tech Days events from 12^th to 16^th April is open!.

UK Tech Days 2010 is a week-long series of free events run by Microsoft and technical communities to celebrate and inspire developers, IT professionals and IT Managers to get more from Microsoft technology. Our day events in London will cover the latest technology releases including Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, Microsoft Office 2010, Virtualisation, Silverlight, Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 plus events focusing on deployment and an IT Manager day.

Please visit our website for full details: http://www.microsoft.com/uk/techdays and follow what’s happening @uktechdays

The agenda looks like this:

	Monday 12th April	Tuesday 13th	Wednesday 14th	Thursday 15th	Friday 16th
IT Pro Days	Virtualization Summit	Office 2010 - the next wave	Windows 7 - Deployment	SQL Server 2008 R2 - The Platform	Raising the profile of IT
Dev Days	Visual Studio 2010 Launch	Visual Studio 2010 and .NET	The Essential MIX	Rich Client	Windows Phone

ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: Virtualisation,Office 2010,Windows 7,SQL Server 2008 R2,Visual Studio,the Essential Mix,Rich Client,Windows Phone

Windows and other products coming End of Support information

David Overton — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:26:33 GMT

Microsoft has an industry leading support lifecycle for it's products with business software generally getting 10 years support and consumer products 5 years, but even then the end of support surprises some individuals and you need to be aware to ensure you are not caught out. Our support also requires people to adopt service packs within 12-24 months of them being released, depending on the products.

here along with all the obsolete products here.

Why do I mention all this now, after all, this is not new information, well, we have some significant Windows End of Support (EoS) dates coming up.

With these date looming reminding your customers that moving to Windows 7 and utilizing the many features built into the product can help you achieve simplier support and them a more secure and compliant platform for your users, reduce your help desk costs, and increase performance and reliability for your end users. Remember that a Windows 7 user can record the steps of a problem and send them through to you using the Problem Step Recorder which simplifies support.

Here are some key dates to remember:

March 1, 2010 – Windows 7 RC pre-expiration shut downs begin.

Beginning March 1, the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) will start to shut down every two hours in preparation for its expiration on June 1, 2010. That means you will need to migrate your RC systems to a released to manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows 7; or your previous operating system. Remember to back up all your data as either option will require a clean installation. For more information, read this post on the Windows Team blog.

April 13, 2010 – Support for Windows Vista RTM ends.

To help ensure your Windows Vista PCs stay secure and up to date, make sure they are running Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Service Pack 2 (SP2).

July 13, 2010 – Support for Windows XP SP2 and Windows 2000 ends.

If you are running Windows XP, stay more secure by moving to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) or migrating to Windows 7. Updating your Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista–based PCs before the end of mainstream support dates will ensure that your PCs stay supported and receive security updates. Migrating to Windows 7 provides the longest support lifecycle for your organization, helping to ensure protection, support, and timely updates.

http://www.microsoft.com/eos.

If you or your customer needs more time to test your application and hardware compatibility in Windows 7? If so, the Windows 7 Enterprise 90-Day Trial provides a great opportunity for you to finish critical testing with a full version of Windows 7 Enterprise.

Also, don't forget that you have the ability to deploy Windows 7 through your partner program memebership. The exact details depend on your level, but more details can be found here along with other benefit information.

ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,Windows,Window 7,Windows XP,Windows Vista,Support

Windows 7 appreciation continues to grow

David Overton — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:23:18 GMT

I saw these three articles and thought I would share. How are you getting on with Windows 7? And for those who say that Vista adoption was very poor, it was not statistically different to that of Windows XP, so you can't just say "oh, that was Vista, XP was much better!"

Adoption of Windows 7 Continues to Swell

Computerworld - February 01, 2010

Windows 7 took just three months to reach a penetration benchmark that Windows Vista needed almost a year to reach, according to a report by NetApplications.

SMBs Step Up Plans to Adopt Windows 7

eWeek - February 02, 2010

Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are accelerating plans to migrate to Windows 7, according to a global survey conducted by network management specialist Spiceworks.

Customer Satisfaction with Windows 7 Rises

Bloomberg News - February 01, 2010

Microsoft has received a bigger boost in customer satisfaction from Windows 7 than Apple did from its most recent upgrade of Mac OS X, according to market research firm YouGov.

On my own site, Windows 7 has clearly overtaken Windows Vista and is having an impact on Windows XP too.

ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,Microsoft

Snow around the home

David Overton — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:20:42 GMT

It appears to be a snowy time for many people at the moment, so I thought I would share a few pictures from chez Overton.

I hope your enjoying the weather and not freezing.

take care

David

Technorati Tags: Snow Personal

Late post on the Christmas lights on my house for Christmas

David Overton — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:53:33 GMT

I was late putting the lights up for Christmas due to an operation on my hand, however they made it. You can see them here -http://davidoverton.com/media/p/12744.aspx and http://davidoverton.com/media/p/12743.aspx

and

Thanks and Happy New Year

David

Technorati Tags: Christmas,Christmas lights,personal

Snow and power outages keep bringing UKSBSGUY down

David Overton — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:51:29 GMT

Just a quick note to say that power problems around my home keep taking the servers out. Until I get around to hosting my box, this will be an issue.

Sorry

David

Need to buy a copy of Windows 7 or Office 2007 for someone in education - get an educational discount

David Overton — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:58:06 GMT

HI,

I've been asked this many times, so I thought I would blog on it. Microsoft offers great discounts for people in education (beyond those who work in education). The best options are:

For university students:

http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-uk/default.aspx - – Office £38.95, Windows 7 Pro - £30

For any age group in education - Office 2007 for around £39- £52 depending on which edition (Standard to Enterprise) and Windows 7 upgrades for £40-56 depending on the edition

There are obviously some conditions you have to meet to qualify to use these products and each site has information about them. If you are in full time education or a parent of someone who is then you likely qualify. To learn more about Microsoft and education in the UK, have a look at http://www.microsoft.com/uk/education/default.aspx. You will notice that both the organisations I linked above are linked on the Microsoft page, but I have experience with the above two.

Thanks

David

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,Office 2007,Education,Student discount,Microsoft

Server line-up for small businesses (and home) is increasing in options (or complexity for some) - SBS 2008, Home, Foundation, Windows Standard Server or BPOS - how do you choose?

David Overton — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:47:00 GMT

This is a long running question that people ask me - how to position the various server options from Microsoft for small businesses. The more choice Microsoft offers, the more complex it can become if you do not have a starting point to find the right product for a customer. So, Home Server, Foundation Server and SBS - what is it all about, especially when you look at something like Windows 7 or BPOS too?

N.B. To get a detailed feature comparison between SBS 2003 and SBS 2008 have a look at the excellent work of Sean at http://sbs.seandaniel.com/2008/08/what-different-between-sbs-2003-and-sbs.html.

Well, in the home or the smaller sized business market (think sweet spot of 1-7 users IMHO) there are a number of MS products that could fit the bill…

Windows Client PC as a server (don't do this for businesses)
Windows Home Server
Foundation server
Windows Server
Small Business Server
Online solution

Server Options

I suspect people know the options here, but here is a very short run-down on each and why you might or might not look at them:

Windows 7 Client PC as a server

Great to share files between a few PCs on a trusted network. Only with Windows 7 do you start to get better sharing security via the home group and many server oriented pieces of software can't run on it. Great for home hub (my Media Center does a bit of this), but please save your self trouble and get a server for the work environment. You will save of time and money of management very quickly in a business. Also note that server software will often not install on a Client PC.

Windows Home Server

This is a fantastic home hub server with functionality to hold and protect your shared files by duplicating them, backing up desktop PCs and providing remote access. Today it is built on Windows Server 2003 technology, but it does the job well. If in a business you simply want a place to store files and backups without managed security or any other server functionality and web based accessed to those files, it can do an OK job. For more info of the use in the business environment, look at the Home Office / Small Office server - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/soho/default.mspx

Foundation server

A simple implementation of Windows Standard server with a limitation of 15 users on the server, it must be the root of the domain and cannot have trust relationships. There are no SBS-like wizards, so this is pure Windows Server management. You can add products like Windows SharePoint Services to this product. One nice feature is no requirement for the Windows CAL (all other CALs still required). Also some software may refuse to work on Foundation Server. More information at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/foundation.aspx

Windows Standard Server

The fully functional base platform of all Windows Servers. This provides Web, File sharing, domain security and management and a platform for other tools such as WSUS and WSS. As there are so many options and configuration choices for Windows Server some might find this overwhelming and beyond their understanding. While there are wizards they are focused on configuration rather than simplifying overall IT setup for a small business.

Small Business Server

A Server designed to be easy to configure and use for small businesses that provides all their Server IT in one package. This provides file server functionality, intranet and internet access and management, server and security management, remote access, e-mail, calendar and contact functionality and much more. The configuration process is all designed to be simple and driven by business need rather than technical implementation and wizards translate the business need into technical changes.

Online solution

An online solution, such as BPOS enables all e-mail, calendar and contact management, as well as Instant Messenger and presence information and hosted SharePoint to be made available to users without the need to install a server to deliver this. You must be connected to the internet to use this functionality and it does not solve any "in-house" IT functions which means these need to be separately managed.

Comparison Table

Below are some of the key features and differences in using each of the products. If something is not clear, please just post a comment and I can get back to you. Also, this is my own information and view on the world and is not an official statement in anyway from Microsoft, which means there might be errors too.

	Windows 7	Foundation	Windows Server Standard	Home Server	SBS (current non-R2 version)	Purely Online
Operating System Foundation	Windows 7	Server 2008 R2 (x64 only)	Server 2008 R2 (x64 only)	Server 2003 (32-bit only)	Server 2008 (x64 only)	Not relevant
Objective	General Desktop solution	General Server	General Server	SOHO Solution	Small Business Solution	Cloud Solution
Skills required	Technical	Deep Technical	Deep Technical	Home User / some technical	Technical / some business	Some Technical / some business
Disk Protection	Raid in h/w	Raid	Raid	Disk duplication	Raid	Host provided
Network Security	None	WSUS as option	WSUS as option	None	WSUS with wizard	None
e-Mail	None / BPOS	None / BPOS	None / BPOS	None / BPOS	Exchange, but Wizard driven	None / BPOS
Management	Traditional Windows	Traditional Windows	Traditional Windows	Wizard	Wizard	Web wizard for online - none for local
FAX integration	Standard Services on a per PC basis	Standard Services	Standard Services	None	Wizard	per PC only
Reporting	None	None	None	Alerts via balloon popups	E-mail and in Console	None / e-mail
Account Management	Workgroup	Workgroup or Domain	Workgroup or Domain	Workgroup	Domain, but wizard driven	Workgroup
User Limit	20	15	Unlimited	10 (or perhaps higher)	75	Unlimited
User licensing	No CALs	No CALs	CALs	No CALs	CAL	Subscription only
DNS / remote site access	None	None	None	Wizard	Wizard and Office Live	None
Remote access to PC's inside LAN	None	None	None		Yes via web portal	None
Windows SharePoint Services	Hosted Only	As an option on server or hosted	As an option on server or hosted	Hosted Only	Pre-built, Hosted or Office Live	Hosted only
2^nd Server option for SQL / RDS	No	As an option	As an option	No	Premium Edition	Yes
Server Software support	No	Yes (mostly)	Yes	No	Yes (mostly)	No
Additional Software over standard server	None	None	None	Client PC backup Remote Access Site WHS Wizards	Exchange Server 2007 Windows SharePoint Services v3 WSUS v3 SBS Wizards	None

This leaves some simple questions to ask to qualify which products are available to your customers:

How many users will access the system - if <15 then all available, if > 20 then only Windows Server, SBS or hosted are options
Do they want a common management of users with the ability to log in on any PC and see their files, if so only Domain Account Management will work for them
How much control over e-mail, quotas and the rest of their IT destiny do they want (BPOS has little control without cost impact and all others except SBS do not have e-mail at all)

I appreciate there are many more questions, but I hope this makes it easier to see where it all fits. Hopefully the two diagrams below will help a little. You may notice that I have not included on-line solutions in the model below because they either only overlap with SBS 2008 (Exchange and SharePoint) or the answer depends on the task at hand as to where it fits and who is providing it.

ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: Small Business Server 2008,Foundation Server,Windows Home Server,Servers,Small Business,Microsoft

How to put Windows 7 (either purchased ISO or DVD) onto a USB stick for faster installation or installation onto a Netbook without a DVD drive

David Overton — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:25:34 GMT

I've had to tell a few people about this recently, so I thought I should actually write a blog post on this. The options are very simple and easy.

Buy Windows 7 on DVD and use or buy a 4GB (or larger) USB Stick and then make a USB stick bootable and copy the files to the stick. Details on how to make it bootable can be found here - http://www.techmixer.com/install-windows-vista-from-bootable-usb-flash-memory-drive/. You literally copy all the files from the DVD to the USB stick for this to work. To do this, enter this command into the run box (press Windows-Key + R) or a command prompt window - robocopy d:\ e:\ /s - this assumes that the DVD drive is D: and that the USB stick is E: - change them as required.
Buy Windows 7 as an ISO from the Microsoft store (http://emea.microsoftstore.com/uk/) and use the Microsoft tool from http://store.microsoft.com/Help/ISO-Tool to copy this to a USB stick (as mentioned above)
buy a USB DVD Drive (not my preferred option)

I hope this helps.

David

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,Windows,ISO,Microsoft,Tips and Tricks

List of Windows 7 compatible applications that have been registered with Microsoft and how to get yours registered if you have an application

David Overton — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:44:00 GMT

I’ve been asked a few times about what software is registered with Microsoft as compatible with Windows 7 or has a certified status with Windows 7. The answers can be found on either of these two web sites:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/en-us/default.aspx – Web based tool to search for software
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/confirmation.aspx?familyId=890e522e-e39e-4278-aebc-186f81e29173&displayLang=en – Download an Excel spreadsheet with the information on it

If you are an ISV who wishes to register your information, have a look at the downloadable template or web form here - https://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/windows-7/en-us/partner/submission.aspx

To learn more about developing for Windows 7, look here for Independent Software Vendors. You should also look at the ISVAppCompat site - https://www.isvappcompat.com/uk which gives details for how to certify your application and also make a press release about the fact. One of the ISVs I work with is Iris and they have just released their press releases at http://www.iris.co.uk/news__press/news_folder/newswindows_7_strategy.aspx.

It all helps customers get what they want from Windows 7.

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year

David

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,Windows Client,Microsoft,ISV,Application Compatibility

What are the legal options for Licensing Windows 7 or Windows Vista? Or how to avoid mis-licensing

David Overton — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:08:00 GMT

I’m often told that Microsoft licensing is complex, but what I actually find are that this either translates to “I have too many choices - ahhhh!” or “I can’t license in the way I want to” or “I can’t find the information I want to”. Option 1 is always going to happen – the more choice, the more complexity in making the right choice. Option 2 is often “I don’t want to buy lose licenses, why do I have to..” and Option 3 is poor communications on the part of Microsoft.

To help with the Option 3 situation there is a new guide on the Microsoft Partner portal that explains one of the areas I’m often asked about – i.e. Windows client licensing. It is really simple. Here are the rules in summary (non-legally binding and please read the guide for full details):

A PC has to licensed with a Full retail product (FPP, bought from a shop) or supplied with an OEM license (the OEM option can’t be used after the PC has been bought and supplied to the end user)
Volume Licenses for Windows client is only available as an upgrade to the FPP / OEM eligible license
Volume Licenses upgrade only apply to business versions, not Home editions, unless you are a qualifed academic customer and there is more information in the guide.

I don’t think that is complex. To “Get Legal” there are various options too.

For more details, have a look at this “Windows Licensing Fact Sheet” - download from here.

Thanks

David

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,Windows Client,Windows,Licensing,Microsoft,Partners,MSPP,Microsoft Partner Network

Windows 7 adoption is storming

David Overton — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:17:00 GMT

[Updated]

I thought I would share two facts that show me just how good the take-up of Windows 7 will be.

I was in York yesterday and while sat in the pub one of the ladies working there told me about her new laptop and just how fabulous it was with Windows 7. I’m not used to people telling me how great a product is from the “other side” of the bar.

The second was when I started looking at the switch from Windows Vista and Windows XP on my web site – Over 20% of all visitors now are using Windows 7.

I've updated the figures until 28th November 2009

I hope you have as much fun with Windows 7 as I am and the bar lady is.

ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,Windows,Microsoft

David Overton on Channel 4's 3 minute wonder - Crisis - my depression!

David Overton — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:31:00 GMT

It seems like an age ago that I spoke with a film crew about my daughter's at Microsoft's nursery and about the depression that first came visiting over 3 years ago now. As a result they spent some time with us as we put up the Christmas lights on the house. This is always a cheerful time of the year for me, but as the video shows I am still very aware of my unhappy side and the understanding my family, especially Melanie show towards me.

This simple 3 minute video aired mid-August on Channel 4, but until now was not legally available on line. Martin, the producer has made mine and the other 7 videos available at http://vimeo.com/channels/microsoftbabies. All the videos show how the families of Microsoft employees live, work and look after their loved ones. Mine, shockingly titled Crisis is embedded below:

CRISIS from Martin Hampton on Vimeo.

I hope you get to see the very human side of the people that make up Microsoft UK.

thanks

David

Must attend UK event - filling up fast - Wembley 7th October - Microsoft Partner Network

David Overton — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:45:00 GMT

[updated with correct URL]

I saw this and thought I should pass it on.

Microsoft Partner Network 2009 will explore strategies that enable you to continue to meet customers' needs and exploit new opportunities. Designed for Partner executives and sales leads, this event follows on from the Worldwide Partner Conference in July and provides more details of our UK execution plans.
Join us for:
- Insights from Microsoft executives as they share the Microsoft vision and strategies together with business growth opportunities and product innovation

- A range of Partner-to-Partner online and offline networking opportunities, plus strategic and practical guidance on how to collaborate successfully with other Microsoft Partners

- Market insights and guidance on developing customer opportunities

- Useful resources to help you sell, market and deploy Microsoft technology, particularly when you find yourself in competitive technology situations

- A glimpse into future industry trends and innovation, with exciting demonstrations

- An introduction to the UK award winners from the Worldwide Partner Conference 2009.

To register your place at this essential event, click the button below and enter invitation code 22BAF4 . You can also register by phone: call 0870 166 6670.

Check the Microsoft Partner Network 2009 website for more details about the event over the coming weeks. You can also sign up to our RSS service, or follow us on Twitter.
We look forward to seeing you at Wembley Stadium on 7 October.
Kind regards,
Scott Dodds
General Manager
Small, Medium Enterprises & Partners Group - Microsoft UK

ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,Partners,MPN,MSPP,Event

How to get SBS 2008 to "fix" managing WSUS after you have manually upset it

David Overton — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:08:06 GMT

Today's post covers what to do when SBS says it no longer can change the WSUS settings from the console. The exact message is "Windows Small Business Server Update Service is not running because it automatically turns off if you customize Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)".

One way round this problem is to manually change all the settings in the WSUS console (from Administrator Tools, select Microsoft Windows Update Services 3.0 SP1) and change the settings as per instructions found at http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/archive/2006/07/13/441594.aspx. I'm a sort of "quick fix" kind of guy, so the easier way is to go to the same tool, but then run the wizard. The steps are:

Start the Wizard

Click through the first two screens and set the updates to come from Microsoft Update

Configure the proxy if required and press next. Then press Start Connecting. When done, press Next again.

Select the language(s) you want to download

Make sure "All Products" has been ticked

Tick all the classifications - you can optionally leave out "Drivers" if desired

Set the schedule - for me, 5am is a good quiet time on my server

Tick to begin sync and press Finish. Now SBS Console will be back on the case for you.

Ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: SBS 2008,Small Business Server 2008,Microsoft,SBSC