Microsoft wants you to put the power of Bing on your very own website - without learning any actual code.

 

The search box powered by Bing provides a fast, customizable search solution for your website or blog. Visitors to your site can search the entire Web, just your site, or any sites that you choose.  (Thanks Sebastien)

 

• Basic Search Box - Displays results on the Bing website. Searches a single site that you specify, or the entire Web.
• Advanced Search Box - Displays results on your site. Searches multiple sites you specify, the entire Web, or applies a Bing Macro.

--> Add Bing Search to Your Website

 

Microsoft's Seadragon can share any image on the web as a zoomable photo. Point Seadragon at any image you've got on the web, and you've got a zoomable viewer. Share the link on Facebook, Twitter, or through email or IM. Or embed it directly on your blog, eBay listing or virtually any site.

Seadragon allows you to share virtually any size image on the web, whether it is a five, ten or two hundred megapixels. The embedded viewer adjusts dynamically to the layout of your page, or can be customized to a specific size with just a quick change to a script size, so now any size image fits perfectly on your site. And because Seadragon uses a dual-mode Silverlight & AJAX control, it works on virtually any browser--automatically using Silverlight to provide a smoother experience and better performance when available, and defaulting to a scripted viewer when it is not.

--> Try Seadragon Here

 

Bing Map Control SDK 6.2 software development kit (SDK) provides programming reference and how-to topics for getting started with the map control for Bing Maps. You can use this control to build your own Web sites that use Bing maps.

Bing Maps Web Services SDK 1.0 software development kit (SDK) provides programming reference and how-to topics for getting started with the Bing Maps Web Services.

 

Bing for Windows Mobile 6.x Devices - Quickly search for local businesses, get maps and directions, see latest traffic conditions, and even find local movie showtimes, wherever you are.

 

Microsoft retired MSN Web Messenger on June 30th, leaving us without MSN's Web (Based) Messenger.

 

Now, BuddyFuse, the creators of the MSN Messenger  extension, has released an early preview of their new Azure hosted version of Web (Based) Messenger.  (Thanks Sunshine)

--> Try BuddyFuse Web Messenger for Windows Live

Page Hunt: Rules of the Game

1. Take a look at the web page shown.
2. Guess the words to "hunt" it down.
3. If the web page is in the top 5 results, you win!
4. Get bonus points by avoiding frequent queries!

--> Click to Play "Page Hunt"

 

While Microsoft will NOT allow "direct" upgrades from Windows XP to Windows 7 -- Laplink's "PCmover" WILL offers an upgrade path from Windows XP to Windows 7.

NOTE 1: I've successfully used Laplink "back in the day" migrating Windows 98 computers to Windows XP. I'll update this blog with a review later.

 

NOTE 2: (Obviously) PCmover will NOT upgrade some types of programs which ARE Operating System specific (i.e. AntiVirus, AntiSpyware, Firewall, Network Monitoring, Low-Level Hard Drive Utilities).

 

NOTE 3: TechNet has a (new) website Windows XP to Windows 7 Migration for resources & tools.

 

Fellow Windows Desktop Experience MVP, Vishal Gupta, has released "A Bootable USB" application to automatically create a bootable USB drive to install Windows 7 on your computer without an optical drive. (Thanks TechNet) 

--> Download "A Bootable USB"

 

Microsoft's CodePlex has released a Windows Live Writer: Plug-in Paste VS Code that helps you paste Visual Studio code into your blog with font/color info preserved.

Paste VS Code Features:

 

• Retains background color
• Unindents and trims leading/trailing blank lines
• Supports unicode
• Customizable with user provided xslt (in progress)

 

--> Download Paste VS Code Plug-in

Mobile Media Center Features:

 

• Listen to Music
• Watch Pictures
• Play Videos
• Keep up with RSS Feeds / Podcasts / Vodcasts  

 

--> Download Mobile Media Center

 

Security Audit Events an Excel spreadsheet listing all security audit events for Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 R2.

"You can use Windows security and system logs to record and store collected security events so that you can track key system and network activities to monitor potentially harmful behaviors and to mitigate those risks. You customize system log events by configuring auditing based on categories of security events such as changes to user account and resource permissions, failed attempts for user logon, failed attempts to access resources, and attempts to modify system files. The information in this download can help you analyze the data included in event log data."

 

To celebrate Windows Live Messenger's 10-Year Anniversary -- Microsoft has released a free Messenger 10-Year Anniversary Theme Pack.

--> Download "Messenger 10-Year Anniversary Theme Pack" - Messenger Theme Pack: Celebrate a decade of chatting and sharing with free winks, emoticons, and more.

 

Virtual Hard Disk Getting Started Guide provides an introduction to virtual hard disks (VHDs) in Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 R2. It includes an overview of technologies that you use to configure VHDs, as well as procedures to help guide you through deploying VHDs.

--> Download Free Inkd Sample Design Templates 

 

• Free Brochure
• Free Letterhead
• Free Business Card
• Free Datasheet
• Free Flyer
• Free Envelope
• Free Newsletter
• Free Postcard

 

Windows Live Services Plug-in for Moodle - Moodle site administrators can now include Microsoft Live Services in the list of features provided to teachers and students through Moodle. With the Microsoft Live Services Plug-in for Moodle, students and teachers can use their Windows Live IDs to sign in to Moodle and access Live Services, such as e-mail, instant messenger, and calendar without leaving Moodle. (Thanks Ken)

--> Download Live Services Plug-in for Moodle

Unsupported Windows 7 Upgrade Scenarios:

 

• Upgrades to Windows 7 from the following operating systems are NOT supported: 

Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows Millennium Edition
Windows XP
Windows Vista RTM
Windows Vista Starter
Windows 7 M3
Windows 7 Beta
Windows 7 RC
Windows 7 IDS
Windows NT Server 4.0
Windows 2000 Server
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 R2

• Cross-architecture in-place upgrades (i.e. x86 to x64) are NOT supported.
• Cross-language in-place upgrades (i.e. en-us to de-de) are NOT supported.
• Cross-SKU upgrades (i.e. Windows 7 N to Windows 7 K) are NOT supported.
• Cross-build type in-place upgrades (i.e. fre to chk) are NOT supported.
• Pre-release in-place upgrades across milestones (i.e. Windows 7 RC to Windows 7 RTM) are NOT supported.
• Upgrades from Windows Vista to Windows N, Windows K, Windows KN, or Windows E are NOT supported. 

 

Supported Windows 7 Upgrade Scenarios:

Upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7

 

• Windows Vista Business --> can be upgraded to --> Window 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate
• Windows Vista Enterprise --> can be upgraded to --> Window 7 Enterprise
• Windows Vista Home Basic --> can be upgraded to --> Window 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, or Ultimate
• Windows Vista Home Premium --> can be upgraded to --> Window 7 Home Premium, or Ultimate
• Windows Vista Ultimate --> can be upgraded to --> Window 7 Ultimate

Upgrading Windows 7 Using Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade

 

• Windows 7 Home Basic  --> can be upgraded to --> Window 7 Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate
• Windows 7 Home Premium --> can be upgraded to --> Window 7  Professional, or Ultimate
• Windows 7 Professional --> can be upgraded to --> Window 7  Ultimate
• Windows 7 Starter --> can be upgraded to --> Window 7 Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate

MDT provides you with the following benefits:

 

• Unified tools and processes required for desktop and server deployment in a common deployment console and collection of guidance. 
• Reduced deployment time and standardized desktop and server images, along with improved security and ongoing configuration management. 
• Fully automated zero touch installation deployments by leveraging System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2 beta and Windows deployment tools. For those without a System Center Configuration Manager 2007 infrastructure, MDT leverages Windows deployment tools for lite touch installation deployments.
• MDT 2010 will support deployment of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in addition to deployment of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP. New features such as flexible driver management, optimized user interface workflow, and Windows PowerShellTM can simplify deployment and make your job easier. Deploy faster and easier with MDT 2010.

Improvements in MDT 2010 Beta 2 will allow you to:

 

• Access deployment shares from anywhere on the network and replicate files and settings across organizational boundaries or sites.
• Organize and manage drivers, operating systems, applications, packages, and task sequences with an improved UI.
• Automate UI functionality using the Windows PowerShellTM command line interface.

--> Join the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Beta 2 Review Program

Accessibility Features Fact Sheets - Quick overview of the accessibility features of major Microsoft products.

 

• Accessibility Overview
• Accessibility in Office 2003 & 2007
• Accessibility in Internet Explorer 6 & 7
• Accessibility in Windows XP & Vista

Step-by-Step Tutorials for Office Applications and Windows OS - Accessibility training documentation for Office applications and Windows OS.

 

• Internet Explorer 5, 6 & 8 (Huh, no 7?)
• Outlook 2000 & XP (Huh, no 2003 & 2007?)
• Windows 98, 2000, Me, XP & Vista
• Word 2000 & XP (Huh, no 2003 & 2007?)

Mastering PowerShell Chapters:

1. The PowerShell Console
2. Interactive PowerShell
3. Variables
4. Arrays and Hashtables
5. The PowerShell Pipeline
6. Using Objects
7. Conditions
8. Loops
9. Functions
10. Scripts
11. Finding and Avoiding Errors
12. Command Discovery and Scriptblocks
13. Text and Regular Expressions
14. XML
15. The File System
16. The Registry
17. Processes, Services, Event Logs
18. Windows Management Instrumentation
19. User Management
20. Your Own Cmdlets and Extensions

--> Download "Mastering PowerShell"

New in Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta:

Windows 7 Backup & Recovery - Windows Home Server performs a full image-based backup of Windows 7-based computers, allowing for a complete computer recovery in the case of a hard drive failure, or restoration of a single file or folder in the event of accidental deletion or loss. After the Windows Home Server Connector software has been installed on a computer running Windows 7, Windows 7 Backup warnings will be suppressed and users will no longer receive a notification to back up their computer. Windows Home Server can back up Windows XP SP2 or later, Windows Vista and Windows 7-based computers.

 

Windows 7 Libraries - Power Pack 3 Beta will add Music, Photos and Videos shared folders on the home server to Windows 7 Libraries making the content available for applications such as Windows Explorer, Windows Media Center, Windows Media Player and other applications that use Windows 7 Libraries. This allows users to quickly access all their content in one organized place that is always available, searchable and expandable. Users can also search a specific library without having to know where the files are stored.

 

Windows Search - Windows Search 4 has been included with Power Pack 3 Beta to improve query search times, indexing times and reliability. If users are searching across multiple computers, extended remote discovery increases the efficiency of searching across all document libraries. Files encrypted with Encrypting File System (EFS) are now supported with search.

 

TV Archiving - The TV Archive tile in Windows Media Center will give users the option to move recorded TV content to the home server in a variety of resolutions. The recorded TV shows are archived in the correct resolution for the type of device that will be used for playback. TV Archive is optimized for Windows Media Center computers, Windows Mobile-based phones, and the Zune player, however, any device capable of playing WMV files can take advantage of this feature.

 

• TV – Original Resolution
• Windows Mobile – 320 x 240, 500 Kbps, .WMV
• Zune – 640 x 480, 1500 Kbps, .WMV

Users can select individual TV shows, a series of shows, or all TV recordings to automatically be moved to the home server. Because Windows Home Server storage space can be easily expanded, users can keep all the TV shows that they want in their collection.

Console Quick View - Console Quick View allows users to see statistics about the home server through Windows Media Center and Windows Media Center Extenders. This is a convenient way to view many aspects of the home server without needing to access the Windows Home Server Console. This feature allows users to view and monitor a number of home server indicators:

 

• Storage – Pie chart listing the percentage allocation of the home server storage
• Drives – List, size and health of hard drives installed on the home server
• Backup – List of computers being backed up and their current backup status
• Shared Folders – List of Shared Folders by name with health status and duplication status
• Media Counters – Count of music, photos, videos and recorded TV files on the home server
• Health – Health of the entire home network
• Home Server – System information of the home server’s hardware and manufacturer info

--> Sign-up for Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta