Beta Release of Windows Azure Drive

Today we are providing access to a beta release of Windows Azure Drive (announced as XDrive at PDC 2009).

Customers have told us that they want to take their already running Windows applications and run them in the cloud using the standard Windows NTFS APIs, and make sure that the data is durable. With Windows Azure Drive, your Windows Azure applications running in the cloud can use existing NTFS APIs to access a durable drive. This can significantly ease the migration of existing Windows applications to the cloud, enabling customers a more seamless migration experience while simultaneously reducing the amount of time it takes to move their applications from your own Windows environment to a Windows Azure environment. The Windows Azure application can read from or write to a drive letter (e.g., X:\) that represents a durable NTFS volume for storing and accessing data. The durable drive is implemented as a Windows Azure Page Blob containing an NTFS-formatted Virtual Hard Drive (VHD).

Link – http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsazure/archive/2010/02/02/beta-release-of-windows-azure-drive.aspx

Introducing Windows Live Messenger Web Toolkit V3.7

We are happy to announce the immediate availability of the Windows Live Messenger Web Toolkit (MWT) Version 3.7 in all markets!

You can find more details about our changes in the updated documentation. 

Give it a try at http://dev.live.com/messenger.

There will be so much Windows Mobile, Microsoft can’t fit it in one event in February

Something big must be brewing in Windows Mobile land because apparently it will be such a revelation Microsoft can’t even explain it all in one day, let alone one event.

Moments ago, Microsoft sent out a press release detailing the February schedule for upcoming events for the financial analysts and investors community.

Link – http://www.istartedsomething.com/20100128/so-much-windows-mobile-cant-fit-one-event/

There will be so much Windows Mobile, Microsoft can’t fit it in one event in February

Something big must be brewing in Windows Mobile land because apparently it will be such a revelation Microsoft can’t even explain it all in one day, let alone one event.

Moments ago, Microsoft sent out a press release detailing the February schedule for upcoming events for the financial analysts and investors community.

Link – http://www.istartedsomething.com/20100128/so-much-windows-mobile-cant-fit-one-event/

BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Service Pack 1

Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is an update for BizTalk Server 2006 R2. The SP1 installation program that’s available on this page offers a unified installation experience: It will automatically detect and update all of the BizTalk Server components that are currently installed on your machine. It will also detect all BizTalk Server hotfixes currently installed, and will distinguish between hotfixes that predate this service pack, and those which were issued after this service pack was released. An SP1 Guide document is also available for download on this page, and describes the installation experience in detail.

Link –http://bink.nu/news/biztalk-server-2006-r2-service-pack-1.aspx

Google phases out support for IE6

Google has begun to phase out support for Internet Explorer 6, the browser identified as the weak link in a cyber attack on the search engine.

The firm said from 1 March some of its services, such as Google Docs, would not work "properly" with the browser.

Link – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8488751.stm

Microsoft releases tool to restore NTBackup files on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

This week Microsoft released an update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 with a utility for restoring backups made on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 to computers that are running Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2.

Link – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=d9a3d988-bd82-41ca-acf4-39dea08ff7ab

Apple iPad tablet makes debut (live blog)

After months of rumors and speculation about a slate-like device, Apple will has its say on Wednesday. We’re bringing you live coverage from the high-profile press event, which kicked off in San Francisco at 10 a.m. PST.

In the meantime, here’s a column about what we expect to see and what we hope we’ll see. Check back in this post once the event starts for all the live, up-to-the minute updates.

Link – http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-10440943-260.html

Windows 7’s XP Mode: what it is, how it works, who it’s for

The bespoke line-of-business application is a common feature of the corporate world, and a thing that has been instrumental in cementing Windows as the corporate desktop OS standard. These applications—I’ve worked on a few myself—are typically crummy affairs. The foundation of such applications is typically some combination of Visual Basic 6 and obsolete versions of Access and Excel. On top of this mound of [redacted], these apps usually contain one or more third-party components to draw graphs or something, from vendors that have long since gone out of business.

These applications often grow organically (though you should be thinking "mold" or "bacterial infection" rather than "rose" or "kitten") over a period of years, acting as a time-capsule of sorts—if you want to know how software was written in 1993, there is no better place to look than the bespoke line-of-business application—and they have a tendency to outlast their creators. The result is that many of these programs are unmaintained, with no one entirely sure how they work or how it is that they do whatever it is that they do. But one thing is common to all: they’re all essential to the continued operation of the business. If the app won’t run, the business won’t run either.

Link – http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/reviews/2010/01/windows-xp-mode.ars/

The Man Behind Windows 7’s Fast Start

REDMOND, Wash. – Jan. 25, 2010 – Months before Windows 7 launched, Aaron Dietrich’s boss forwarded him an early product review from CNET, an online technology news site. Until then, Dietrich hadn’t heard an outsider’s take on the new operating system. When he read the article, he found a prominent—and glowing—mention of lightning-fast start-up times.

“I always viewed myself as just one piece of the whole Windows puzzle,” Dietrich says. “It’s really when we brought it all together that we got such a great product.”

"It gave me a really good feeling," Dietrich says. "I thought, ‘Wow, it’s not just that we’re on the right path, but we’re really making a change in perception for reviewers and the general public here.’"

Link – http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2010/jan10/01-25windows7profile.mspx?rss_fdn=Custom

The Man Behind Windows 7’s Fast Start

REDMOND, Wash. – Jan. 25, 2010 – Months before Windows 7 launched, Aaron Dietrich’s boss forwarded him an early product review from CNET, an online technology news site. Until then, Dietrich hadn’t heard an outsider’s take on the new operating system. When he read the article, he found a prominent—and glowing—mention of lightning-fast start-up times.

“I always viewed myself as just one piece of the whole Windows puzzle,” Dietrich says. “It’s really when we brought it all together that we got such a great product.”

"It gave me a really good feeling," Dietrich says. "I thought, ‘Wow, it’s not just that we’re on the right path, but we’re really making a change in perception for reviewers and the general public here.’"

Link – http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2010/jan10/01-25windows7profile.mspx?rss_fdn=Custom

New Microsoft Express Site

Looking for the latest versions of our free developer tools?  Checkout the new Microsoft Express Site at http://www.microsoft.com/express/

Office 2010 System Requirements

Can I use Office 2010 on the same hardware I’m using to run Office 2007?

In most cases, yes! CPU and RAM requirements for Office 2010 are the same as for Office 2007, so if your computer meets the Office 2007 system requirements, you can run Office 2010. A graphics chipset will help boost the performance of certain features and disk footprint has increased (more on these points later), but as general rules:

  • If your current computer can run Office 2007, it can run Office 2010.
  • If you’re purchasing a new laptop or netbook, it can run Office 2010.
  • If you have a computer with a multi-core processor, it can run Office 2010 even faster.
  • If your computer is currently running Office 2003, it’s possible that it can run Office 2010 (check the requirements to be sure).

Link – http://blogs.technet.com/office2010/archive/2010/01/22/office-2010-system-requirements.aspx

Microsoft System Center Essentials 2010 RC

Microsoft System Center Essentials 2010 provides IT professionals in mid-sized organizations, a unified physical and virtual management experience. It enables you to better secure, update, monitor, and troubleshoot from a single console, so you can efficiently and proactively manage your IT environment.

Link – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=c0c696b9-29a9-4a5c-97a0-574c84a4ec1d

Support for Windows 2000 ends on July 13, 2010

The Windows 2000 End-of-Support Solution Center is a starting point for planning your migration strategy from Windows 2000 to Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

For more information please see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy.

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