TechNet Flash: Get the Windows Vista SP2 Beta

Sign up for other newsletters | Unsubscribe | Update your profile

Volume 10, Issue 25: December 10, 2008 Note from the Editor Greetings and Welcome to TechNet Flash, Ah, the holidays. First, we give thanks before we overwork in order to overindulge, only to take stock and resolve to do it better next year. We do love our time-honored traditions. Here's your chance to take part in one of Microsoft's traditions: The Customer Preview Program, where you can play an integral part in our development process. Check out the Customer Preview Program (CPP) for Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2. This is a traditional service pack release containing all cumulative security updates available since the Windows Vista SP1 release in March 2008; however, either Windows Vista SP1 or Windows Server 2008 is a prerequisite for installing this service pack. What makes the Windows Vista SP2 release unique is that it is a single service pack for both client and server operating systems. Since the code base for Windows Vista is shared with Windows Server 2008, a single update can be deployed across your full infrastructure. For a summary of the key highlights of Windows Vista SP2 for IT pros – including support for new types of hardware and emerging standards and capabilities to improve system performance – see the Springboard Series Blog and bookmark the Windows Client TechCenter for ongoing updates and announcements. For a full list of changes in SP2, visit the Windows Server Division Weblog for Windows Server 2008 and The Windows Blog for the Windows Vista client. And just a reminder: If you're the type who completes your holiday shopping before the rush, you're probably the type who would prefer to get access to something as important as Windows vista SP2 prior to a CPP or general public availability. We have just the place for you. Swing by the TechNet Plus Subscription site. Vista SP2 Beta was made available to TechNet Plus subscribers on December 2. Already a TechNet Plus subscriber? Then go directly to your benefits and get the Windows Vista SP2 bits or the Windows Server 2008 SP2 bits. Is HPC for You? Would your server workloads benefit from high-performance computing (HPC)? Carl Claunch, Gartner Vice-President and distinguished analyst, pens a great synopsis on when enterprises should install Microsoft Windows HPC Server 2008 as the operating system for their computer clusters. Check out When to Choose Windows HPC Server 2008 for Your Computing Cluster. Then get a side-by side comparison of Windows HPC Server 2008 and its predecessor. For more quick takes on HPC Server 2008, see the HPC Show on Channel 9: • Five-Minute Intro to the Windows HPC Server 2008 Management Console • New Job Scheduler Features with Windows HPC Server 2008 New on TechNet Magazine: Tip of the Day Check out the helpful new Tip of the Day feature on TechNet Magazine. December is Windows Vista month, with a new tip posted every business day. Here are some recent tips: • Know the Tools You'll Need to Deploy Windows Vista • Use Msconfig to Disable and Enable UAC • Delete Files Permanently with SDelete Round 2 of the Cloud Computing Survey Thanks go out to those who participated in round 1 of this survey. Please give us your opinions in round 2. Do you have something to say about cloud computing? Click here, tell us more, and make your opinion count. Mitch Irsfeld Editor, TechNet Flash Your Featured Content Not Seeing Your Personalized Content? Let us know what interests you and we'll deliver your featured content here in the next edition of TechNet Flash. Evaluation Center Updates Download the VMM 2008 180-Day Free Evaluation There's no better way to experience System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 than to try it in your own environment. Try a fully functioning version of VMM 2008 for 180 days for free. Get the Free Windows Small Business Server 2008 Trial Get the Free Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Trial IT Management New Live Interview & Demo: Security Assessment Check out the demo in this Tech•Ed Online interview with the Group Product Manager behind the Microsoft Security Assessment Tool. Through the easy-to-use assessment process, you will find prioritized tasks with industry guidance, best practices, and recommendations to resolve security issues identified in the detailed reports. Scripting for IT Pros Hey Scripting Guy... • How Can I Kill Processes? • How Can I Easily Reconfigure Services? • How Can I Have Computer Configuration Information Written to an HTML File? See More Scripting Tips See previous comics in the TechNet Flash Web-based archive. Support and Troubleshooting Hotfixes • A hotfix is available that addresses a memory leak in the Virtual Disk Service on a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 • A Windows Vista-based or Windows Server 2008-based computer may stop responding during a storage stress test or under similar conditions • Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering WMI provider does not correctly handle invalid characters in the private property names causing WMI queries to fail • Error message when you use Windows Installer (MSI) 4.5 to install multiple MSI packages in Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP: "API call rejected - No actions in Context" Knowledge Base Articles • With Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 you are unable to Sequence Adobe Reader 7.x or 8.x due to NETOP FEAD Installer error • Application Virtualization Clients are not able to stream content from an Application Virtualization 4.5 Streaming Server • When upgrading to Vista SP2 from XP, you may get an Application Compatibility Warning for the Microsoft Application Virtualization Client See a selection of new Knowledge Base articles on the TechNet Web site. KB articles feature an Article Translations box in the right column. You can select a language from the drop-down list and read the article in the selected language. Also available via RSS Featured Downloads System Center Service Manager Beta 1 Released This beta includes the updated infrastructure components that will both deliver the performance we are targeting for the release and support our objective of delivering an IT service desk that is tightly integrated with the rest of the System Center product family. Migrate Your Servers to SQL Server 2008 with the New Version of Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit Quicker SQL Server 2008 migration starts with the new Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 3.2. Bypass the labor-intensive task of locating and discovering SQL instances. Download the free toolkit today. Upcoming Webcasts Server Message Block 2.0 in Action (Level 300) December 12, 2008, 9:30 A.M. Pacific Time We look at what the new SMB 2 protocol does, how its performance is influenced by the new TCP/IP stack, and how other network parameters like Jumbo Frames contribute to overall network performance. More Webcasts Security Assess Your Desktop Security and Forefront Readiness with the New Security Assessment Tool Find out how to assess whether your desktops are vulnerable to viruses and spyware with the new Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 3.2. This free toolkit also assesses Forefront Client Security and Network Access Protection (NAP) readiness of your PCs. Need to Share Methods and Practices of Writing Secure Code? The Security Development Lifecycle provides you and your team with corresponding levels of guidance and tools for strategy, assessment, and implementation of your security. Security Center On Demand Identity Lifecycle Manager "2" (Part 1 of 3): Empowering Users with Self-Service Identity Management Solutions (Level 200) In this webcast, we focus on showing you how to use ILM "2" to address self-service group management and password management scenarios, with an eye toward planning and deployment guidance for real-world production implementation. How to Implement Microsoft Hyper-V Server and Intel Virtualization Technology (Level 200) In this webcast, we discuss current and future Intel VT technologies and describe the Intel vision of hardware-assisted virtualization. We also address installation, management, and high availability of the Hyper-V Server role on an Intel server chipset platform. More On-Demand Webcasts Virtual Labs SQL Server 2008 Resource Governor After completing this lab, you will be better able to understand appropriate uses for the Resource Governor, create resource pools, create workload groups and also monitor resource usage. More Virtual Labs Received TechNet Flash from a Friend? The TechNet Flash is full of pointers to in-depth technical information that we encourage subscribers to forward to friends and co-workers. If you've received this issue from someone via e-mail and would like to receive the free TechNet Flash newsletter biweekly, all you have to do is register. Download the SP2 Beta In This Issue: Your Featured Content Evaluation Center Updates IT Management Scripting for IT Pros Support and Troubleshooting Featured Downloads Upcoming Webcasts Security On Demand Virtual Labs Received TechNet Flash from a Friend? Inside TechNet Magazine Managing the Root Password on Your Mac Active Directory: Understanding Proxy Authentication in AD LDS Toolbox: New Products for IT Pros Training & Books • Help Your Career Thrive in Any Economy: Get Certified in Virtualization Stand out with a Microsoft certification. You'll get a second chance on any of the four Virtualization certifications when you register for your exam with Second Shot. This offer is available for a limited time. • Free Copy of SQL Server 2008 with Select Training Courses Receive a free copy of SQL Server 2008 when you attend select SQL Server 2008 courses with Microsoft Certified Partners for Learning Solutions. Limited-time offer. • Browse the Learning Catalog to find the training that works best for you. • Manage your learning experience with the Microsoft Learning Manager. • New & Upcoming Books • More Training... National and Global Events • Attend the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Launch Free Online February 3, 2009 We will offer the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 launch event through a Web site that mimics a live event, including keynote speakers, breakout sessions, customer evidence and partners' booths. Find out everything there is to know about the new release all in one place. Register for the virtual launch here. • Find a TechNet Event in Your Local Area Resources • Community News • Solution Accelerators • Case Studies • How Microsoft Does IT • Support News • TechNet Flash Archive • TechNet Magazine • MSDN Flash Newsletter • Security Newsletter • Learning Paths for Security • IT Manager Connections Newsletter TechNet Plus Direct Enjoy the Privileges of a TechNet Plus Direct Subscription Benefits include: • Full library of Microsoft software for evaluation without limits • Immediate access through subscriber downloads • Two Professional Support incidents • Access to beta software before public beta releases • Exclusive tools and utilities Personalize Your Flash Let us know your technology interests. When you personalize your Flash experience, additional content for your selected topics can be found in every edition in Your Featured Content. © 2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Microsoft Dynamics, Expression, Forefront, Hyper-V, Internet Explorer, Outlook, Silverlight, SoftGrid, SQL Server, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows Mobile, Windows Server, and Windows Vista are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. To cancel your subscription to this newsletter, reply to this message with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject line. You can also unsubscribe at the Microsoft.com Web site. You can manage all your Microsoft.com communication preferences at this site. Legal Information. This newsletter was sent by the Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington, USA 98052 Sign up for other newsletters | Unsubscribe | Update your profile © 2008 Microsoft Corporation Terms of Use | Trademarks | Privacy Statement