Herleson Pontes - IT Professional : Windows Vista

Windows 7 Release Candidate available for download!

herleson — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:50:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

It´s with great happiness that I share with you, as break news, that Microsoft announced the release of the RC build of Windows 7 for download! This is a moment expected by many professionals and enthusiasts, who already test and use this new OS of Microsoft. The mainly change of this release is the solved of many bugs, including driver incompatibility.

So, let´s talk a little more about this new build of Windows 7, and some tips for those that already use it.

General Information and Download

From today (April 30th), Windows 7 RC is available for download in 32-bits (2.47GB Aprox.) and 64-bits (3.2GB Aprox.) versions. Professionals who has the Technet/MSDN Subscriptions or are registered as beta testers in Microsoft Connect site can already download the images and start to use it! For professionals who don´t have a subscription and aren´t registered in the beta program, Microsoft will provide the download of images in May 5th, in Microsoft Download Center site (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/).

An important note about this new build is about the Product Key: the PID used in Beta 1 of Windows 7 WON´T WORK in this new build. So, you must request new PIDs to install Windows 7.

In this build, we will still work only with the Ultimate edition. Only in July Microsoft should define the features of each edition and starts the regionalization of this version.

Windows 7 RC will expire in two phases. At March 1st 2010, the machine will start to reboot every two hours of use. At June 1st 2010, the system will stop completely. Since RCs always expire after the release of the final version (RTM), we can see that Microsoft maintain its schedule, which projects the release of Windows 7 to market in the ending of 2009/beginning of 2010.

OS Upgrade

Windows 7 RC allows the upgrade from Windows Vista to this new build. Users of Windows 7 Beta 1 must execute a clean installation to install the Release Candidate performing a boot from the DVD of from the OS.

ATTENTION WINDOWS XP USERS: Because many changes in the architecture made through the Beta 1 period, Windows 7 RC DON´T SUPPORT UPGRADE OF WINDOWS XP CLIENTS! Users who wish to upgrade from XP to 7 must perform a clean installation. Another way available is to upgrade Windows XP to Vista, then upgrade Vista to 7.

If you have files and setting in previous versions of Windows and want to transfer these to Windows 7, Microsoft provides a complete set of tools and guidances in Windows site (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/). Also, inside the DVD is available the Windows Easy Transfer software, tool which allow you to migrate files and settings.

Reporting Bugs

Windows 7 has improved, but there is still a long way to go. Bugs and Feedbacks should be reported to Microsoft, so they can improve this new OS. To send feedbacks, professionals must perform the Feedback Wizard by executing this command at Search box (or Run box):

Rundll32.exe FeedbackTool.dll ShowWizard

The Send Feedback links that appear in all windows of Beta 1 release (Figure below) are gone.

Since we´re now at Release Candidate phase, all features that Windows 7 will ship are defined. It means that the next step is to tune this features, removing the small bugs. Microsoft are looking for feedbacks that report:

Problems that blocks the install/upgrade of Windows
Problems that results in data loss
Security Issues
Features that works in Beta 1 and aren´t working now
Application and Drivers incompatibility
System crashes that may be reproduced

I submitted some feedbacks to Microsoft related to drivers and applications, and they returned after some days. That´s why you should continue to collaborate in the development of a better Windows for you and your daily tasks as a professional.

Conclusion (Well, ti´s only the beginning indeed…)

For more information about Windows 7, visit the site: http://www.microsoft.com/windows. For technical resources and guides, visit the Springboard site: http://www.microsoft.com/springboard/.

Well, that´s it! Now it´s time to you download the images and starts the diversion! This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Windows 7.

Regards,

MICROSOFT EVENT (Brazil) - Windows 7 Springboard Series

herleson — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:43:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

It's with great happiness that I invite all IT Professionals from Ceará and beneath states to attend a presentation about the new Microsoft client OS: Windows 7 Springboard Series. This presentation will be in Portuguese, and will happen on May 8th, at Faculdade Evolução in Fortaleza (Ceará, Brazil).

Windows 7 proposes a new way to use the computer, and will be a mark in the OS world. In this presentation, the professionals will see many new features of Windows 7 and its impacts in usability, security and compatibility. We´ll see what changed from XP and Vista, and how this new version of Windows brings great benefits in many areas, since users to IT Pros.

This great event will happen on May 8th, at 06:00PM (GMT-3), at Faculdade Evolução (Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil). This is a Live presentation, and the language is Portuguese. But don´t worry: we will be holding English events soon.

Ah, it´s good to remember that all Microsoft events hosted by us are TOTALLY FREE! And, at the end of each presentation, we´ll draw some gifts among the participants. In other words, you keep your knowledge up to date, don´t pay anything, and you can still win prizes!

So, what are you waiting for? Don't lose time: register now and assure your seat! The registrations are made by using the following URL: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032414781&Culture=pt-BR

And don´t forget: today (Thursday) we will share great news! You wanna know what is it? Visit my blog later and see by yourself!

I wait you there! It will be a fantastic event!

Regards,

Windows 7 - News about the Beta Exam!

herleson — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:12:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

Let´s talk about some news related to the topic of the moment: Windows 7. I wish to share with you some news about the beta exam 70-680, available since April 27th.

The first news is that this exam is the MOST CONCURRED OF HISTORY. When the registrations were open, ALL the seats were filled in ONLY TWO HOURS! Since this fact affected negatively Brazil, US and Europe professionals, Microsoft opened more seats at the same day.

One of our readers (Alex) commented that the Promocode doesn´t work anymore. This means that all seats are filled, again. In this case, unfortunately, Microsoft won´t open registration for this exam. For those how lost this registration, the only thing that they can do now is wait for the final release of this exam, which must happen in June.

However, there is a hope for IT Professionals who are already certified in Windows Vista. For professionals who have the Enterprise Support Technician credentials, Microsoft should release in May or June an upgrade exam. In this case, probably, there will be a beta phase.

If you still aren´t certified in Windows Vista, you´d better run! For those who holds the MCDST credentials in Windows XP can upgrade their credentials to Vista with only one exam.

The second news is about a problem that I crossed when I schedule my exam, and another reader of this blog commented: the Retake Policy Notification message that appears every time you choose a test center at Prometric´s site. Since this message comes without any text describing the details, many professionals don´t understand what the real problem is.

The explanation is quite simple: The Windows 7 beta exam will be realized between days 05 and 18 of May. However, this is a bed time for test centers, because this is the last month of Second Shot promotion. Many professionals scheduled their exam to May months ago, filling up all seats available in the test centers. So, when you select a test center and Prometric´s site returns this message, without any additional text, it means that the test center´s schedule is FULL.

For those who scheduled the exam successfully, great news: Microsoft provides the topics that will be covered by the exam. Two of these topics called my attention: Image Management (WIN Files, ImageX, etc.) and VHD Support. These topics were covered only in Windows Vista 70-622 exam. So, beware: this won´t be an easy exam!

The URL with the details about this exam and its topics is: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-680.aspx.

For those who live in Fortaleza (Ceará, Brazil), we will held a Microsoft Event focused on Windows 7 at May 8th. The presentation starts at 06:00PM, at Faculdade Evolução. You can already register and learn a little more about the features of this new OS. More details in the next post.

To finish, today (Thursday) we will share great news! You wanna know what is it? Visit my blog later and see by yourself!

Regards,

BETA EXAM 70-680 - TS: Windows 7, Configuring

herleson — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 04:05:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

Finally, the first beta exams of 2009 will be available soon!

Microsoft has just announced to public the first beta exam of Windows 7 for IT Professionals: 70-680 (TS: Windows 7, Configuring). This exam belongs to the MCTS (Technology Specialist) credential, and it can be taken by professionals for free.

The coolest thing about beta exams is, if you approved in a beta, you win the credential when the final version of this exam becomes available. The only problem is that the result of beta exams, differently of final exams, is sent to you three or four months later.

The exam 70-680 is Windows 7, Configuring. This exam, developed for IT Professionals and Support Technicians, tests the professional’s knowledge in installing, configuring and managing computers and networks with Windows 7 computer.

The period of this beta exam will start on April 27th, and will be on until May 18th.

If you want to take this exam, access Prometric website (www.2test.com) and schedule the desired exam. The code of these beta is in the format 71-XXX. On the last step (Payment), inform the promotional code (Promocode): WIN7J. After you inform the code, the system will discount the whole value of the exam. Then, you confirm the appointment and get ready for the exam!

Since the exam still aren´t available, there is no information about the topics that are covered. So, the best you can do is to install Windows 7 and start to study its new features and components.

So, schedule in you agenda and get ready for this exam! The seats are limited.

Regards,

Microsoft Event - Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

herleson — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:57:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

Microsoft will present in February 28th, starting at 08:00 AM (Pacific Time), the first event about its newest OS: Windows 7. In this presentation, Joey Snow and Stephen Rose, Microsoft Windows Client managers, will share their knowledge about the new features and functionalities that this new version will bring to users and professionals. This presentation will be hosted in Irvine, CA and all seats are filled. But you can still attend this key event!

Microsoft is providing 300 seats in a Live Meeting session. In other words, you can watch this event live in your home or office! To attend, you only need to register using the following URL and you will receive information about how to access the Live Meeting room and watch the presentation.

It’s always good to remember that this event is TOTALLY FREE! The presentation will be in English. Below is the agenda of this event.

Better Together: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7
Is Vista Still Relevant? Windows Vista - The Path to 7
Welcome to Windows 7
- Task Bar/System Tray Improvements
- Aero Features
- System Improvements
- Control Panels and Features
- Desktop Improvements
- IE 8
- Under The Hood
Windows 7 Deep Dive
- Microsoft’s understanding of the needs of IT Pros when designing Windows 7
- Hardware Readiness
- Improved Applications
- Application Compatibility
- AIK
- VHD Images and Imaging
- DISM
- Dynamic Driver Provisioning
- Multicast Multiple Stream Transfer
- Streamlined Installation and File Migration
- USMT
- DHCP Hint
- Enterprise Application Compatibility
- Windows Troubleshooting Platform

So, what are you waiting for? Register now and confirm you seat! It’s only 300 seats for this online presentation. Registrations are made in the following URL: https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=135966.

Regards,

Windows Vista Springboard Series - Recognition

herleson — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:18:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

On the last semester of the last year, many presenters and collaborators promoted a series of events in many states of Brazil about Windows Vista and its first Service Pack. This series was known as Windows Vista Springboard Series, and had the support of Microsoft Brazil, Culminis and INETA.

In our case, we promoted presentations in five cities of Brazil: Fortaleza (State of Ceará), Picos (State of Piauí), Boa Vista (State of Roraima), Salvador (State of Bahia) and Manaus (State of Amazonas). In resume, more than 250 professionals were present in these events, and learned about features and functionalities of Windows Vista and the improvements brought by SP1 to users. In all cases, we had many professionals who changed their minds about Windows Vista, and understood that this version is far superior from its previous version.

To recognize the efforts made to promote these presentations, Microsoft Brazil created a gallery with the 10 mainly collaborators of Springboard events in Brazil. And is with great happiness that I share with you that I was one of these ten collaborators of Windows Vista events in our country! Below is a picture with the list of these professionals in Microsoft’s Technet site. The URL for this page is http://www.microsoft.com/brasil/technet/comunidade/premiacao_springboard/default.mspx.

I wanna say thanks to all professionals that attended these events, because we couldn’t achieve this recognition without you. Also, I want so dedicate this victory to my wife Priscila, who is a fortress in hard moments. Thank you, my Priscila. I LOVE YOU!

To finish, we will begin a new series of efforts to promote the new Microsoft OS: Windows 7.

Regards,

March – Microsoft Events are BACK!

herleson — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:31:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

After a good break, it´s time to return to our work! And nothing is better than meet other IT Professionals to share knowledge and news about Microsoft products. That why I announce, with great happiness, that Microsoft Events are back!

After two great events in the city of Teresina (State of Piauí), which I´ll blog later, Salvador (State of Bahia) and Fortaleza (State of Ceará) are the next cities where we will present Microsoft events. For the month of March, we scheduled at least five presentations: four in Fortaleza and one in Salvador.

In Fortaleza and Salvador, we´ll have three events about the newest Microsoft´s operational system: Windows 7. For those who aren´t familiar with, Windows 7 proposes a new way to use the computer, and will be a mark in the OS world. In this presentation, the professionals will see many new features of Windows 7 and its impacts in usability, security and compatibility. We´ll see what changed from XP and Vista, and how this new version of Windows brings great benefits in many areas, since users to IT Pros.

Another great event will be about MED-V: the new software of MDOP. Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) eases the deployment and management of virtual machines in Windows Desktops, while it provides access to virtualized environments, regardless their PC configurations. Compatibility problems are minimized and migrations between OS are fastened. In this session, which will happen in Fortaleza, the professionals will see how MED-V provides all this functionalities, simplify administrative tasks, turn you business highly available and integrate heterogeneous IT environments.

And, to finish March with the gold key, we´ll have our traditional Microsoft Certification event. In this event, directed to all professionals in the area of information technology (from users and technicians until administrators and architects), participants learned all about Microsoft Certification. We saw what are the existing certifications, prerequisites, the careers and the benefits of becoming a certificated professional.

Below are the list of events with dates and locations. You can register by clicking on the title of the presentation that you wish to attend (Events hosted in Brazil: GMT-3).

March 03rd – Undefined (Salvador):

Windows 7 Springboard Series – Salvador (07:00 PM)

March 10th – FANOR (Fortaleza):

Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (06:30 PM)
Windows 7 Springboard Series – Fortaleza (08:30 PM)

March 28th –Violeta School (Fortaleza):

Microsoft Certification - The road to success! (08:30 AM)
Windows 7 Springboard Series – Fortaleza (10:30 AM)

So? What are you waiting for? Register now and confirm your presence. Call your friends and learn more about Microsoft solutions.

We´re waiting for you!

Regards,

Windows Installer 4.5 - Available for Download

herleson — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:11:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

Few professionals know it, but since the beginning of June Microsoft released the version 4.5 of Windows Installer for download. For those who don’t know, the Windows Installer allows the install of software and the configuration of services in Windows systems, using the *.msi files and its derivates (For example, the *.msu files allow the installation of HotFix).

The version 4.5 of Windows Installer brings some interesting functions, like:

Multiple Package Transaction: Now you can create a single transaction from multiple packages. In a multiple package transaction, a chainer is used to dynamically include packages in the transaction. If any of the packages do not install as expected, you can roll back the installation.
Embedded UI Handler: You can embed a custom user interface (UI) handler in the Windows Installer package. This makes a custom UI easier to integrate. You can also invoke an embedded UI handler from the Add or Remove item in Control Panel.

There are other interesting things, like the Shared Component Patching Resiliency During Uninstall and the Custom Action Execution On Update Uninstall.

But, the problem is that this version of Windows Installer is not installed automatic via Windows/Microsoft Update utilities. Users must download the installer according their version and language of Windows.

That why some users are experiencing problems in installing some standalone components of SQL Server 2008. When you start the SQL Server 2008 installation, the setup program installs the .NET Framework 3.5 and the Windows Installer 4.5, so no errors will arise. But, if you download and try to install a component, such as the Books Online, an error will appear, telling that the Windows Installer version is out of date.

To download the installer of this new version of Windows Installer, go to the URL http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=5a58b56f-60b6-4412-95b9-54d056d6f9f4 and download the file according to the version of your Windows system.

This version supports all editions of Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP1, Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008.

Regards,

MCTS: Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, Configuring

herleson — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:03:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

Some posts ago, we announced here that Microsoft released the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) and a promotion for the exam 70-656, that allow the first 500 IT Pros to take the exam through Prometric for FREE. The complete post you can read here: http://msmvps.com/blogs/herlesonpontes/archive/2008/08/21/1645413.aspx

]Also, I posted at my Portuguese blog that the MVP Cleber Marques (http://www.clebermarques.com/) created a set of articles about MDOP and the solutions that compose it in the Portuguese language. You can read more information about it at the URL: http://herleson.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!8ACB9B8FAEDBCB6F!1427.entry

And today, after almost one month of news about MDOP and its exam, I wish to share with you a great victory: I PASSED at the exam 70-656! I took it last Friday, and passed in an exam that requests a deep knowledge in Microsoft Application Virtualization (ex-called SoftGrid), beside the other solutions: AGPM, DEM, DaRT and AIS.

And there is more: I took a look at Microsoft site to see how many professionals passed in the MDOP exam so far (http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/certified.mspx) and I found out that only 74 professionals worldwide have passed until September 22, which means that I´m a MDOP CHARTER MEMBER!

I want to say thank you to my friend Cleber Marques, that prepared an excellent material about MDOP and share it freely in his site. This material was essential to obtain this certification.

I dedicate this victory to my only and forever wife, Priscila, who always supports me and helps me in all moments of my life. I LOVE YOU, MY PRISCILA!

Regards,

Daylight Saving Time (DST) patches for Windows available

herleson — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:56:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

Some weeks ago, Microsoft announced a set of update packs very important for users from many countries. These packs alter the Date and Time system of Windows OS, updating in them the Daylight Saving Time (DST) support.

In countries like US, the DST has its period constants: it begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. Meanwhile, in some countries like Brazil, the DST starts and ends in different dates every year.

For Windows knows when will be the day that DST starts, Microsoft releases yearly a set of patches, that tells to the system which dates the DST will start and end.

This year, the patches released are supported by the x86 and x64 versions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

To download these patches, go to the URL http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951072/ and choose the correct patch, according to your OS version.

After applied the update, your Windows is ready to change the date and time setting automatically in the DST start date.

Regards,

Windows Vista Connected Experience (Media Center) - Final Exams Results

herleson — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:24:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

In February of this year, I posted here about two BETA exams of Windows Vista focused on the connected experience: Windows Vista Connected Experience: Home Theater for Sales Professional (70-626) and Windows Vista Connected Experience: Home Theater for Technologists (70-625).

These exams cover the ability of Media Center (In my opinion, the best Vista application) to connect and interact with other devices, allowing media streaming. These devices could be an Xbox 360, a Windows Home Server or a Media Extender.

At that time, I posted twice. In the first one, I explained a little more about this technology, its functionalities and advantages, and also commented about the topics covered by these two exams. In the second one, I posted about the beta period of these exams, which were extended to March 31st.

For those whom haven’t read these posts, the links are (Portuguese): http://herleson.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!8ACB9B8FAEDBCB6F!962.entry and http://herleson.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!8ACB9B8FAEDBCB6F!980.entry.

Today, after seven months since the day that I took these exams, I wanna to share a great new: I was approved in BOTH exams! I’m really happy with these positive results, ‘cause I studied only two days before the exams, and the beta period was almost at the end (It was before the extend).

I wish to dedicate these two great conquests to my only and truly love, Priscila, for all the support and dedication that she has with me. I LOVE YOU, MY SWEET PRISCILA.

If you want to learn more about Media Center features in Windows Vista, enter this site: http://www.microsoft.com/mediacenter/. There you can find everything about these features and how to set up them at your house. I also recommend you to access Windows Home Server website, at the URL: http://www.microsoft.com/homeserver/.

To learn more about the topics that are covered by these exams, access these websites:

Sales Professionals: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-626.mspx
Technologists: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-625.mspx

Regards,

Windows Sysinternals - Advanced Utilities for Windows

herleson — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:42:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

By Default, Windows offers various tools to help IT professionals to accomplish daily tasks and solve problems. In Vista and Server 2008 versions, these tools were improved, resulting in a more efficient management and monitoring.

One of my favorite tools is Performance and Reliability Monitor. An evolved version of the Performance option from the Control Panel, this monitor group real-time information about the four main subsystems of the PC (Disk, Network, Memory and Processor) in one place. Also, it organizes log entries in reliability graphs.

Although these tools help professionals, there is some technical and specific information that these built-in tools don’t show. For these situations, Microsoft offers a set of advanced utilities for specific tasks, such as show regedit entries. These software are known as Windows Sysinternals.

The Sysinternals web site was created in 1996 by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell to host their advanced system utilities and technical information. Acquired ten years later by Microsoft, the web site host many advanced system utilities and technical information, helping IT Professionals and Developers to manage and diagnose Windows systems and applications.

Sysinternals offers more than 30 utilities that execute various tasks in areas like registry, network, Active Directory and system. These utilities are divided in six categories:

File and Disk Utilities: Utilities for viewing and monitoring file and disk access and usage.
Networking Utilities: Networking tools that range from connection monitors to resource security analyzers.
Process Utilities: Utilities for looking under the hood to see what processes are doing and the resources they are consuming.
Security Utilities: Security configuration and management utilities, including rootkit and spyware hunting programs.
System Information: Utilities for looking at system resource usage and configuration.
Miscellaneous Utilities: A collection of diverse utilities that includes a screen saver, presentation aid, and debugging tool.

Some of my favorites are AdExplorer, Process Monitor and ZoomIt. All these utilities are fantastic and work in all Windows versions. At the website you can download each utility at time or download the Sysinternal Suite (8MB), a pack that holds the most important utilities. This is a mandatory download for System Administrators and IT Consultants.

And this week, two utilities from Sysinternals were update:

Autoruns 9.3: This Autoruns update adds support for several additional shell extension points, including copy hook, property sheet, and drag and drop handlers, fixes a bug in the Vista gadget parsing code and better handles malformed paths.
AccessChk 4.2: AccessChk v4.2 reports non-canonical security descriptors (ones that have access control entries in an unsupported order) and adds a new switch, -a, that dumps account rights and privileges.

You can get more information and download all these “toys” at Windows Sysinternals web site, at the URL: http://technet.microsoft.com/sysinternals/.

Regards,

Welcome to my first English post!

herleson — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 02:16:00 GMT

Hi Friends,

Welcome to the first post of my English blog! It’s a pleasure for me to share news, articles, webcasts, events and many other things about Microsoft Technologies and Solutions to my worldwide IT Professional friends.

I live at the beautiful city of Fortaleza (Brazil). Here the sun shines almost every day and the beaches are places for fun and rest.

I’m Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) on SQL Server since July 1st 2007, Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), Microsoft Certified IT Professional, Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist and Microsoft Office Specialist.

I work as an IT consultant and instructor of Desktop, Web and Mobile environments, with more than seven years of expertise. My first contact with the IT world was with a TK90X computer, where I learned how to develop small algorithms with BASIC language (Ah! Old times!), about 17 years ago.

Here in Brazil, I contribute freely with the IT community, presenting many events and webcasts, writing articles, answering questions at Microsoft forums and by emails. I believe that the growth of a community and its professionals comes with sharing: When I share my knowledge, I’ll be helping others to work efficiently in their jobs. One day, it will be them that will help me to accomplish a task at my job. It’s a two-lane way: both sides win! (It’s like the Imagine Cup motto: You win! We all win!)

We started to develop the concept of community here in my state five years ago. Before that, professionals were incapable to learn more about Microsoft software and technologies, because all the things were happening in São Paulo. Then, we started to change this reality and calling all professionals to attend our initiatives, like events and meetings.

Nowadays, Ceará is the third state of our country that present Microsoft Events, and twice a year Microsoft Brazilian office sends speakers to present events for local professionals. Also, I travel all the country showing Every day, more professionals are studying and sharing knowledge with others. I’m really proud of being a part of this change, and I hope to help more professionals to learn more about Microsoft products, such as SQL Server, Windows Server and Windows Vista.

That is the motivation of this blog: to expand my work to professionals from all parts of the world, helping them to build their careers and learn more about this amazing world of IT.

The official URL of this blog is http://www.herlesonpontes.com.br/. There, you can choose the language (Portuguese or English). Spanish soon!

I also contribute with articles, webcasts and presentations for Microsoft Technet Brazil. I’m writer of SQL Magazine, WebMobile and DevMedia portal.

To end, I dedicate this post to my wife, Priscila. Thank you, my love, for being at my side in this new moment of my life. I LOVE YOU!

So, fell welcome here and count on me to help you to improve your skills in Microsoft solutions.

Let’s start!

Regards,