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July 03
Key Features:
- Antivirus - Give computer viruses like Trojans and worms no chance.
- Antispyware – Protect yourself from identity theft and online fraud.
- Powerful Virus Scan and Removal - Search out and destroy any viruses that might already be on your computer.
- Firewall – Protect your computer from unwanted intruders like hackers.
- Spamfilter – Keep your inbox clean from junk mail and phishing attempts.
- Backup – Easily secure your important files from computer crashes, damage and theft.
Maximum Security:
- Constant optimum virus detection
- For many years the quickest response time to new viruses
- The latest methods for detecting unknown viruses (behaviour blocking, heuristics, cloud security)
Simple User Interface:
- With new “one click” user interfaces - everything at a glance
- Automatically carries out all protection functions undetected in the background
- Silent firewall without annoying querying
WINDOWS 7 TRAINING VIDEOS, HELP & TIPS:
Features & Screenshots
Walkthrough Screencasts to Help Learn Windows 7
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AppLocker is a flexible, easily administered mechanism that enables IT professionals to specify exactly what is allowed to run on user desktops. It provides the flexibility to allow users to run the applications, installation programs, and scripts they need to be productive. Learn how you can realize the security, operational, and compliance benefits of application standardization by using AppLocker.
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BitLocker and BitLocker to Go - In Windows 7, core BitLocker Drive Encryption functionality is enhanced to deliver an improved experience for IT professionals and end users—from simple enhancements such as the ability to right-click on a drive to enable BitLocker protection to the automatic creation of the required hidden boot partition. Learn about these enhancements and the new BitLocker To Go, which gives system administrators control over how removable storage devices can be used and the strength of protection required.
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BranchCache is the next step to improving end user productivity in branch offices. BranchCache caches content from remote file and Web servers in the branch location so that users can more quickly access this information. The cache can be hosted centrally on a server in the branch location, or can be distributed across user PCs.
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Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) is a new command-line tool for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. This demonstration explores how DISM consolidates the core image management functions of multiple tools found in the Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) and enables IT professionals to view components of an applied or mounted operating system image and add or remove packages, software updates, and drivers.
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Enterprise Application Compatibility - Explore enterprise application compatibility in Windows 7 with this video feature walkthrough shows how creating compatibility fixes for an incompatible application running in Windows Vista can be used on a Windows 7–based computer.
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Migrating from Windows XP highlights how the User State Migration Tool (USMT), included in the Windows Automated Installation Kit for Windows 7, can be used to migrate user files and settings from Windows XP to Windows 7 using a default installation.
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PowerShell 2.0 helps increase the productivity of IT professionals by providing a powerful, complete scripting language to automate repetitive tasks and conduct remote troubleshooting. Explore how it delivers a growing set of cmdlets that can be used to manage Windows–based PCs and servers, and it can be easily extended.
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Problem Steps Recorder enables users to record their interactions with an application and provide a detailed screen-by-screen view with accompanying information. Learn how this feature works and how the recording can be used to quickly identify problems and help reduce time spent with the help desk.
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User State Migration Tool (USMT) provides fast and flexible options to migrate user profiles and data from one operating system to another. The new Hard-Link Migration feature highlighted in the demonstration can dramatically reduce migration time for in-place operating system migration or computer refresh scenarios.
Windows 7
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HomeGroup: bringing your family closer, one file at a time (1:34)
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Microsoft Internet Explorer 8
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Web Slices: a piece of the Internet, whenever you need it (1:04)
Windows Live Services
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SkyDrive: with 25GB of free online file storage space - the sky is the limit (1:36)
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WINDOWS 7 LEARNING SNACKS
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Introducing Windows 7: Benefits of Windows 7, Improved Accessibility, Enhanced Security, Imporved Operation Efficiency, & Managing Images Using DISM.
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OFFICIAL WINDOWS 7 TRAINING COURSES:
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Clinic 10125 - What's New in Windows 7 for Consumers: 1-hour clinic provides you with an overview of key enhancements in Windows 7 that help you work more efficiently and easily with your computers. It describes the new features and tools that you can use to organize, find, protect, and share your information.
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ADDITIONAL WINDOWS 7 ONLINE RESOURCES:
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input.microsoft.com - help Microsoft improve products by submitting feedback sent directly to the folks working on the features.
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I.T. & DEPLOYMENT RESOURCES FOR WINDOWS 7:
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BranchCache Early Adopter's Guide - overview of the BranchCache feature introduced in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. After a thorough introduction of BranchCache and its modes of operation, the document describes BranchCache configuration. It then provides troubleshooting details and a list of tools to be used by BranchCache administrators.
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BranchCache Technical Overview explains the different modes in which BranchCache operates, and describes how BranchCache is configured. The paper also explains how BranchCache works with Web servers and file servers and the steps BranchCache takes to determine that the content is up-to-date.
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DirectAccess Early Adopter's Guide introduces DirectAccess concepts, defines new terms, explains requirements for installation, discusses how to design DirectAccess architecture, and then steps you through installation and deployment.
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DirectAccess Technical Overview - Describes DirectAccess in technical detail, covering why the technology is useful to enterprises with a mobile workforce and the different architectures and technologies that DirectAccess uses to manage mobile connection, authentication, and authorization. Compares selected server and full enterprise network access architectures, describes the step-by-step connection process for mobile computers and users, and summarizes requirements.
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Enterprise Search in Windows 7 Overview - outlines how Windows 7 provides users with an improved and seamless search experience across local and networked corporate data directly within Windows Explorer.
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Federated Search Provider Implementer's Guide describes how to build a basic web service that leverages the Windows OpenSearch provider for federated search.Federated search enables users to search remote data sources from within Windows Explorer and to interact with that remote data from within Windows Explorer.
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Managing Shims in an Enterprise provides reusable guidance for reducing the cost of deployment for Windows 7 by accelerating the mitigation of blocking application compatibility issues—including understanding how shims work, when to consider applying shims, and how to manage the shims you do apply.
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Power Management in Windows 7 Overview provides an overview of the power management features in Windows 7. Discover how Windows 7 reduces power consumption and makes power management easier.
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Virtual PC Evaluation Guide describes how to install Windows Virtual PC and set up a virtual environment, such as Windows XP mode or a custom virtual machine. It also shows you how to try out some of the key features of Windows Virtual PC. ( Notes & Home Page)
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Windows Search - Part of the IT Pro at Home: Tips and Tricks series, this screencast shows you how Windows Search can make Windows 7 your one-stop-search-shop at work and at home.
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Windows 7 VHD Boot (command line) demonstration explains how to build a bootable Windows 7 VHD image from a Windows 7 “install.wim” file using diskpart.exe and imagex.exe. The demonstration continues with an explanation of how to configure the boot entry using bcdedit.exe and explains the limitations of VHD Boot.
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Windows 7 What’s New Guide covers many new and changed Windows 7 features of interest to IT professionals, including DirectAccess, BranchCache and other networking technologies, VHD boot and other deployment technologies, and AppLocker, Biometrics, and other security technologies.
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Windows 7 Manageability Overview - Windows 7 introduces a number of manageability improvements that can reduce total cost of ownership by helping to increase automation, improve user productivity, and provide flexible administrative control to meet compliance requirements. This paper provides an overview of each of these improvements.
DEVELOPER RESOURCES FOR WINDOWS 7:
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Windows Driver Kit (WDK) 1.3 fully integrated driver development system containing material formerly found in the Windows Driver Device Kit (DDK) and tests for stability and reliability of Windows 7 drivers.
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Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1: RC ( ISO or WEB) provides documentation, samples, header files, libraries, and tools (including C++ compilers) designed to help you develop Windows applications using both native (Win32) and managed (.NET Framework) technologies. ( Notes, MSDN)
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ROAD TO KNOW WHERE RESOURCES FOR WINDOWS 7:
Lack of access to an Arabic keyboard or lack of familiarity with one are two of the most common problems preventing Arabic users from communicating in their own language.
Microsoft Maren is a Windows extension that comes to the rescue, allowing you to type Arabic in Roman characters (Romanized Arabic, Arabizi, Arabish or Franco-Arabic) and have it converted on the fly to Arabic script.
Maren integrates seamlessly with Windows and works in most Windows applications and websites.
June 30
Mozilla has released their Firefox 3.5 upgrade for Windows, Mac & Linux.
Performance - The Fastest Firefox Yet
Things move quickly online, and we’ve beefed up the engine that runs Firefox to make sure you can keep up: Firefox 3.5 is more than twice as fast as Firefox 3, and ten times as fast as Firefox 2.* As a result, Web applications like email, photo sites and your favorite social networks will feel snappier and more responsive.
Security - More Ways to Keep You Safe
Keeping you safe while you surf is our top priority, which is why we’ve upgraded our anti-phishing and anti-malware technologies and have added private browsing and “forget this site” options to ensure your privacy.
Plus, our open source security process means we have experts around the globe working around the clock to keep you (and your personal information) safe.
Customization - One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Everybody uses the Web differently, so why should your browser be exactly like the next guy’s? Whether you’re into chatting, cooking or coding, Firefox has more than 6,000 add-ons to help you customize it to fit your exact needs.
New Features - Advancing the Web
We’ve been working hard to make sure Firefox 3.5 brings you the best of the modern web. With new features like private browsing, tear-off tabs and enhancements to the Awesome Bar, plus major performance enhancements, you’ll enjoy life on the cutting edge.
Firefox vs. IE - See How We Stack Up
We’ve told you about what makes Firefox great, but how do we compare against Internet Explorer? Check out our handy browser comparison chart to see for yourself.
June 27
Microsoft has released two free Application Compatibility Toolkit Training Handouts for Windows 7:
June 26
WebRadio Add-in plays radio streams from the internet, and comes with a list of 65 radio stations. Your last selected station will be saved for the next startup.
Settings:
How to Upload Stations:
NOTE: To store or submit a radio station, you must type the direct URL to the stream and not the URL to the page where you can hear the music!
Example:
Microsoft's Deployment Team has released their USMT Progress Monitoring Tool to provide feedback during an OS delpoyment. They wrote a VBS script that shows the current progress of the USMT. It works by parsing the progress file, looking for the percentage progress of the process.
June 25
Microsoft TechNet blogger, Matt McSpirit, found a free access code for the "Course 6319 - Configuring Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008”
Course 6319 Overview:
- An overview of the Hyper-V technology
- Creating a virtual environment
- Deploying systems in a virtual environment
- Configuring high availability in a virtual environment
- Administering a virtual environment with SCVMM
Aaccess Code: 9350-Y2W6-3676
Microsoft has released (estimated) retail pricing for the upcoming October 22nd release of Windows 7 -- along with a information on special pre-release pricing starting tomorrow (6/26)!
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Windows 7 Home Premium - $119.99
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Windows 7 Professional - $199.99
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Windows 7 Ultimate - $219.99
FULL PACKAGE PRICING:
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Windows 7 Home Premium - $199.99
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Windows 7 Professional - $299.99
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Windows 7 Ultimate - $319.99
June 24
There are a total of four clips: The PKE Meter, Capturing Sequence and two clips of an angry Stay Puft Marshmallow man available in high-res WAV and 96k MP3 versions.
To Download: <Right-Click> and select "Save as"
Microsoft Hohm is a free online beta application that helps you save energy and money. With Microsoft Hohm you can better understand your home energy usage, get recommendations to conserve energy and start saving. As with any recommendation engine, Hohm will provide increasingly more accurate and relevant suggestions for energy conservation as its users contribute home energy input and feedback. One of the objectives during our beta period is to refine our tool and further increase the value our product can offer to you.
June 23
NextWindow has released a Beta of their Windows 7 Multi-Touch Screen Driver for HP TouchSmart computers (Models: IQ504, IQ506, IQ804, IQ816)
CA has begun taking sign-ups for their CA Internet Security Suite Plus 2010 Beta for all current versions of Windows:
Supported OS (32 bit): Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Home/Pro/Media Center Edition, Windows Vista Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate, Windows 2003 Home Server, Windows 7 (all client)
Supported OS (64 bit): Windows Vista Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate, Windows 7 (all client)
While Microsoft prepares to retire their Windows Live OneCare antivirus software in September 2009, today they've released "Microsoft Security Essentials Beta" that also provides Virus & Spyware Protection for consumers.
NOTE: This Microsoft Security Essentials Beta will be capped at 75,000 downloads ( already met), and is only available to those in the US, Israel (English only), People's Republic of China (Simplified Chinese only) or Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese). The beta is available in 32- and 64 bits for Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3); Windows Vista; Windows 7 (Beta or Release Candidate) and will require WGA validation.
TCP Analyzer (x64) analyzes network traces of TCP connections. Given a Microsoft Network Monitor trace, the analyzer provides various performance statistics and visualizations for the captured TCP connection. Included are plots of the time-sequence graph, round-trip time measurements, and more. The tool also contains an analysis engine that attempts to explain what the limiting performance factor of a particular connection was, such as limited physical bandwidth, network congestion, or a receiver or sender window size that is too small. The tool helps determine why a particular TCP connection is slow and enhances understanding of what a connection is doing.
June 22
I've had a few people send me a link to Rick Broida's PC World article on "Windows 7 Features on a Vista or XP System" -- they asked what I thought of PC-World's article compared to my own two popular articles on the same subject.
My first reaction was: Wow, once again a part-time blogger like myself continues to prove that today's professional journalists barely research their topics. They can simply slap together a quick list of a few 3rd party applications, and present this as "new information" that span two pages with advertisements!
I'm not really sure who spent more time on this PC-World article, the author Rick Broida, or Harry Campbell, who drew the illustrations. (^_^)
But if you REALLY wish to install "Windows 7 Features on a Vista or XP System" pah-lease ignore PC-World . . . and follow my commercial free advice here at the "Road to Know Where"
June 20
AutoHistory for Word 2007 provides a local history for documents. AutoHistory automaically creates backups every time you save a Word document allowing you to view and restore each version you've ever saved.
June 18
TCP Analyzer (x86) analyzes network traces of TCP connections. Given a Microsoft Network Monitor trace, the analyzer provides various performance statistics and visualizations for the captured TCP connection. Included are plots of the time-sequence graph, round-trip time measurements, and more. The tool also contains an analysis engine that attempts to explain what the limiting performance factor of a particular connection was, such as limited physical bandwidth, network congestion, or a receiver or sender window size that is too small. The tool helps determine why a particular TCP connection is slow and enhances understanding of what a connection is doing.
June 16
MSDN Blogger, Tatiana Racheva, thinks you can have a "do over" on the Internet -- but once you post something on the Internet . . . it's public. If you wish to recant what you said online, you simply need to write a new article.
I promise I'm not picking on Tatiana personally, it's just that when I read their article I was impressed that a Microsoft employee would openly criticize HealthVault. However, by the end of the day they had a "change of heart" and now their article states:
MSDN Tatiana Racheva: "On a second thought, I'd rather talk about this on my personal blog :)"
HERE'S THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE -- YOU CAN'T DELETE THE INTERNET . . , WATCH WHAT YOU POST!
I'd rather Facebook manage my Personal Health Record
I tried HealthVault today, as well as Google Health. The following qualified opinion is from a user's perspective and probably contains factual errors because I didn't understand the products' designers' intent. Also, this is just my first impression.
In the end, I deleted my Google Health account, and deleted everything from HealthVault (which I believe it let me do by mistake). To paraphrase Michael Pollen's view of nutrition science, this field of Personal Health Record management is very, very young, and I prefer to wait for it to mature.
To begin with HealthVault - it seemed like a mere skeleton, and not even an attractive one. I felt that it lacked content and had a really awkward, sometimes inexplicable user interface. For instance, how is it that I can delete my Personal Demographic Information record and not be able to add it back? Or, why couldn't I figure out how to specify my blood type? The feedback form is simply abysmal - it makes you rate every aspect of the service every time you want to leave a feedback comment, and the comment field is limited to 1000 characters (of course, it lets you type more and doesn't tell you how many you're over, so you have to try again and again before you successfully submit).
I have to admit that Google Health was much nicer, with lots of fun things to do that appeal to me, some of which were:
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Adding medical contacts from the list of providers, and creating ones on the fly was super easy, and also useful.
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Adding health events (like a concussion you've had 3 years ago) and modify them later - very easy and intuitive
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"Exploring" 3rd-party services, like importing files from online pharmacies and linking with sites that are supposed to help me be healthier (as an aside, the arrogant aspect of all these initiatives that are supposed to help me "make healthier choices" is insulting)
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I found out right away how to add my blood type information :)
Some UI snags - an annoying datepicker that doesn't let you type in a date and insists on making you use the selector. But overall - very nice, I didn't feel like I wanted to do something that I couldn't figure out how, which was what my whole experience with HealthVault like. Importing files into Google Health was also much less vague and hinted at being almost meaningful. HealthVault let me upload my Visio diagram - what for? Google Health delegates to other services to import records from there - that makes lots more sense.
Still, both services don't have a convincing access/permissions story. I ended up using HealthVault in the first place because I had to create the account for the Navigenics study. Navigenics collects a saliva sample for a genetic test, and makes you take a survey (powered by SurveyMonkey - why???). As a result, HealthVault requires me to give Navigenics an ongoing read/write access to most of my health record. This is so strange to me - why can't HealthVault arrange the survey on their end and just hand the info over to Navigenics? I don't want Navigenics to have ongoing access to my HealthVault account at all!
Google Health has a similar story there.
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It only let me share read access to my account with my boyfriend for 30 days. Although I like it that the only choice is a conservative one, the functionality is lacking.
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Next, I chose to link my account with TrialX.org - a website that can crunch through my health conditions and suggest medical trials in which I could participate. Once you link your account, TrialX also gets ongoing read (/write?) access to basically everything. Also, linked services don't appear in your sharing page, as they do on HealthVault. I had to search online to find out how to unlink a service from my profile (go to Google Health Settings). For a second, I kind of freaked out.
The bottom line is, both Google Health and HealthVault are eager to share my information with third parties without giving me enough control over exactly how much and in what manner. This aspect is absolutely a Priority Zero [that is, higher than Priority One :)] for personal health record (PHR) software.
What I would like to see before I would consider to seriously use either of these services is (and given that I work for Microsoft, what I'm saying is that I would love to see this be implemented in HealthVault):
- A way for me to give my information to such services Anonymously, on a one-way, one-time basis. For instance, TrialX doesn't need on-going access to my health record. Neither does it need to know my name and other personal information. I want to provide it with my conditions, and I want to see the list of matching trials. That's it. If I want notifications, I still don't want TrialX to connect my conditions to my personal info - hell no!
- The ability to approve updates from services that I grant write access to my health record. For instance, Navigenics has write access to my insurance plan info. What? Do I really want Navigenics to change that information without my approval? The answer, again, is NO.
- The ability to grant to and withhold access from specific entities to individual types of information and even individual items.
- Ensure that entities other than HealthVault cannot keep copies of this information - it I want to suddenly delete something, how can I be sure that it will be deleted from everywhere and not just HealthVault?
In essense, I'm expecting titanium-clad security, privacy, and access control that feature Real innovative solutions. I currently see more promise from social networking sites such as 2Chan/4Chan and Facebook in those regards, which is surprising.
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