KWSupport

Windows 7 Upgrade Paths

If you are interested in upgrading your Vista computer to Windows 7, here are the supported upgrade scenarios:

Microsoft Latest Antivirus Solution

Amongst all the Windows 7 activity, you may have missed the news that Microsoft released their latest free consumer level anti-virus / anti-crapware solution, named Microsoft Security Essentials. I've started installing it on some consumer systems to see how it performs.

But it got me to thinking about prior antivirus offerings that Microsoft has released. So, I put together a short list.  Hmmm .. wonder what was going on in the years between1994 and 2003!

1993: MSAV - Microsoft Anti-Virus for DOS, originally developed by Central Point
1994: MWAV - Microsoft Anti-Virus for Windows, also developed by Central Point
2003: Microsoft purchases antivirus software from GeCad and Pelican
2005: Microsoft AntiSpyware - based on code from Giant Antispyware
2006: Windows Defender - Microsoft renamed Microsoft Antispyware to Windows Defender
2007: Windows Live OneCare
2009: MSE - Microsoft Security Essentials, codename Morrow

Upgrade to Windows 7 in 3 Easy Steps!

I have been testing and doing presentations on Windows 7 for over 6 months. With Windows 7 officially release, it was time for me to step up to the plate, and move my production workstation over to Windows 7. This is the same workstation that I wrote about two years ago when I made the switch from XP to Vista.

So last night I took the plunge and did an in-place upgrade (IPU) of my Vista Ultimate desktop to Windows 7 Ultimate. Yes, I know there are those who will say that a wipe and clean is the only way to do it (see my blog post about it). However, my experience is that there will be lot's of people who will want (or need) to do an in-place upgrade, and the only way for me to give it a thumbs up or down was to do it myself.

OK, so how did the upgrade go for me? In one word -- FANTASTIC! The in-place upgrade went smoothly. And all my favorite and important applications are running flawlessly. So, I can wholeheartedly recommend an IPU if all prerequisites are followed. Is a wipe and clean preferred? You betcha. But an IPU can be very successful.

UPGRADING TO WINDOWS 7 IN THREE EASY STEPS:

System: Dell Optiplex 745 / 2.2Ghz Intel 6400 Core 2 / 4GB memory / 250GB primary C: drive

1. Run Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, and fix whatever is identified. For me, there were a couple of program and utilities (like iTunes) that needed to be uninstalled ahead of time.
2. Backup your system. For me, I did a backup to my Windows Home Server, and I did a second backup using StorageCraft ShadowProtect. Why two backups? Because I firmly believe you can't have enough backups!
3. Upgrade to Windows 7. Since this was an in-place upgrade, you run the upgrade straight from Vista. Please note: the upgrade process will take several hours to complete.

P.S. You may find your upgrade process hanging up during the "Expanding Windows" phase. Apparently different things may or may not cause this, including a bad DVD. Some people suggest putting the Windows 7 installation DVD onto a thumbdrive, which I may try for my next upgrade,

Windows 7 Rocks!

Are You Ready For Some Windows 7?

Windows 7 hits the street today. Find out if your PC is ready for Windows 7 by running the free Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft. If your computer is already running Windows Vista, it should run Windows 7. And there are many reports of people doing successful in-place upgrades of Vista to Windows 7.

Windows 7 - In Place Upgrade?

With the official release of Windows 7 just a day away, many will be asking: can or should I do an in-place upgrade (IPU) from Vista to Windows 7? Based on recent comments and feedbacks from many of my fellow MVP's, I can summarize my answer as follows:

1. Everyone agrees that doing a clean reload of Windows 7 is always preferred over an in-place upgrade.
2. However, there is also a strong concensus that an in-place upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 works very, very well

Some words to the wise:

1. Be sure to do a full image backup of your system beforehand. Those of you with Windoes Home Server, that job is as easy as clicking a button.
2. If you take the first approach (reformat/reload), be sure to utilize the terrific Windows Easy Transfer (WET) utility and backup all your data files and user settings on your Vista computer first. WARNING: Be sure you use the version of WET that comes on the Windows 7 DVD, and not the one that's already installed on your Vista system.

Windows 7 rocks!

WHS - Now ready for Business PrimeTime?

One of the knocks on Windows Home Server (WHS) is that it contains the word 'Home' in its name. If that issue has kept you from selling or installing WHS in businesses, then check out the news from HP -- they have released WHS with a new name: HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault! 

The equipment is almost identical to their HP MediaSmart Server models, except with a faster processor, and SKU's with larger (1TB and 1.5TB drives) in them.

I install WHS in all my business client offices -- even those with SBS servers. Are you?

Viva Las Vegas!

Harry Brelsford, CEO & President of SMB Nation, performed as Elvis at the recently concluded SMB Nation 2009 Fall conference.

Why Small Businesses use Windows SBS?

Microsoft's Small Business Server (SBS) has been a mainstay of my business for 8 years, and it is what I propose and install for my clients. If you are interested in using SBS for your small business, be sure to read the following blog post entitled: Why Small Businesses Use Windows Small Business Server?

WHS & SBS: Approved for Backups

For more than a year I have been promoting the use of Windows Home Server as a local backup solution in a Small Business Server (SBS2003/SBS2008) environment (per these two blogs: blog1 , blog2). I already have WHS installed at most of my SBS customer sites.

It now seems as if Microsoft is now willing to say "Yes" -- that using WHS to backup your workstations and servers is a viable and supported scenario!  Read more on Microsoft's Technet site.

SBS without Exchange?

I hear it all the time ... my customer wants an SBS server, but they don't want to use Exchange. I don't know about you, but the only reason I can think of why either the customer or the IT consultant would suggest not using Exchange is because they've never used it themselves, and therefore are scared that it's too difficult to install or manage. I have installed SBS servers for almost 9 years. I barely know how to spell Exchange, yet I find Exchange very easy to manage.

But, if you still need convincing, here is a short list of 8 reasons why you should consider using Exchange features with your SBS server.

1. Group calendering
2. Shared public folders
3. Centralized storage and management of all emails
4. Easy recovery of deleted emails
5. Email archiving
6. Centralized scanning of email for spam/viruses BEFORE they reach the user's inbox
7. Access to email remotely via OWA
8. Access to email via ActiveSync for cellphones and PDA's

Remember, if each user is using a POP3 account via Outlook, then those emails are generally only being stored on the user's computer, and therefore they are probably NOT being backed up. With Exchange, the emails are being stored on the server as well as being cached onto the user's workstation. Sbs and Exchange make a great team!

Cheers!

2009-08-04 He's a Real Nowhere Man

Ok, so it's been a long time between songs. Life does stay busy, doesn't it? That's why this song seems very appropriate. It was inspired by a recent post on Virtual PC and Windows 7. With a tip of the hat to Dana!

He's a real virtual man,

Sitting in his virtual land,

Connecting to his virtual lans

For nobody.

Doesn't have a physical view,

Knows not where he's loaded to,

Isn't he a bit like you and me?

Virtual man, please listen,

You're not real, just emulatin',

Virtual man, the world is at your command.

He's a guest, as you can see,

He just runs on a host PC,

Virtual man, can you see me at all?

Doesn't have a master view,

He's a slave, just passing through,

Isn't he a bit like you and me?

Virtual man, don't worry,

Take your time, don't hurry,

Just keep running till somebody else

Lends you a hand.

He's a real virtual man,

Sitting in his virtual land,

Making all his virtual plans

For nobody.

SMB Nation 2009 - Alumni Early Bird

Are you planning to go to SMB Nation in Las Vegas this year? If so, and you've attended a past SMB Nation conference, the special "Alumni" registration fee of $499 ends on July 31, 2009. That's a 50% discount off the regular $999 registration fee. Conference dates are Oct 2-4, 2009. See you in Vegas!

Microsoft Karaoke Server???

I just stumbled across a new software product from Microsoft called SongSmith. I can see it now: WHS + SongSmith = Microsoft Karaoke Server!!!

WHS Business Opportunities

If you are a Microsoft Partner, there will be a 5W/50 webinar entitled “Business Opportunities with Windows Home Server – Updated with PowerPack 2 Content” today at noon (EDT) given by Grey Lancaster and Kevin Royalty. If you think WHS is only for homes, then you're still thinking within the box! WHS is a perfect fit with SBS 2003/2008.

IT Pro Tiki Tour - Tampa/Lakeland

Blain Barton, Microsoft's Southeast IT Pro Evangelist, will be bringing his Spring Tiki Tour to the Tampa area on June 4th, 2009 (6p-9p) at the Polk Community College in Lakeland. Topics include: Moving to the Modern OS Roadmap, Windows Security, and Windows 7. I will be doing the Windows 7 presentation. (Yes, food is included!)

Space is limited. As of Tuesday 5/26, we already have 165 registered. Click here to register and for more information.

Hope to see you there!

WHS and the Acer Aspire easyStore H340

Talk about a deal too good to refuse! Acer recently came out with their WHS server, that competes straight up with the HP MediaSmart Server. For the rest of this post, I will refer to it as the 'easyStore'. A week ago I stumbled on a deal through NCIX (USA) that was offering the easyStore for $399, with a 1TB drive and 2GB memory, and for a limited time was throwing in a second 1TB drive. I jumped at the chance. And it arrived by FedEx this afternoon.

Within 30 minutes I had it unboxed, powered up, installed the WHS connector to my Win7 laptop and now running a full backup. A few random thoughts:

• It comes with a real honest-to-goodness printed manual (in 6 languages)!
• Astethics of the external box is very nice. Black color, USB port in front, 4 more in the back along with an Ethernet port
• System started up and was up and running without a hitch or issue. I like that!
• WHS PowerPack 1 is already installed on it. Be sure to get Power Pack 2 installed on it!

What's new or different with the easyStore versus HP?

• The easyStore comes with an IP Configuration tool to adjust the server's IP settings. Since this works from the rmeote WHS console, you no longer need to access the server via Remote Desktop to make such changes.
• Acer has implemented a one-touch USB backup. What you may say? Simply put, plug in a USB drive that contains various media files and press the USB button. The easyStore will automatically copy all the files on that USB drive to the Public shared folder on the server, and automatically place each file in it's appropriate sub folder (Music, Photo, Video)! How cool is that. You no longer have to logon to the WHS console in order to access the USB drive and copy files.
• The easyStore comes with a 6 month subscription to McAfee's Total Protection software pre-installed
• The easyStore also comes with the WHS Lights Out addon that allow you to suspend or wake up the server at specific times, such as when its time to backup workstations.
• The easyStore also comes with Digital Media Server (DMS) and an iTunes Server.

For a more in-depth review, along with pscreenshots, check out Andrew Edney's blog post on the Acer easyStore.

Once my first backup is completed, I'll test adding the second drive to this server and report on my findings!

Introduction to Windows Server 2008 Foundation

I previously blogged on April 1st about the new entry level Windows Server that Microsoft just released -- Windows Server 2008 Foundation (WSF). Microsoft has now published a new paper called Introduction to Windows Server 2008 Foundation.

WSF is NOT intended to be a "baby" version of SBS. Rather, it is a Windows 2008 Server limited to 15 users. It's designed to be sold into an existing very small business that is currently running a peer-to-peer (workgroup) network. There's no Exchange on it.

Enjoy!

New Entry Level Windows 2008 Server

Microsoft announced today (April 1, 2009) a new entry level version of Windows 2008 Server - called Foundations. And this ain't no April Fool's joke. It will support a maximum of 15 users. Read more in their press release.

WHS and Power Pack 2

Microsoft released Power Pack 2 for Windows Home Server today (KB 956587). This is a free update that offers several new features. It does require you to already have Power Pack 1 installed.

Free Utility for Exchange Custom Filter

I've blogged previously about Exchange 2003 IMF (Intelligent Message Filter). One of the somewhat hidden features of Exchange 2003 and IMF is the ability to implement a custom weighting feature via an XML file. This feature first came out in IMF v2. MsExchange.org has a good article on how to implement the custom weighting feature of IMF.

However, there has always been a small issue with using the custom weighting feature -- the custom XML file that you create has to be put inside a specific subfolder. The problem is that when Microsoft releases an update to IMF, the installation process creates a new sub folder automatically. However, the XML file is NOT autoimatically copied to the new folder.

What to do? Until recently, one had to remember to manually copy your XML file from the old folder to the new folder.

But now, Oliver Sommer (SBS/EBS MVP from Germany) has developed a free utility (Exchange Custom Weighting Feature XML Updater) that installs on your your server (works great with SBS 2003) and automatically copies your custom XML file to the new folder whenever a new IMF update has been installed. I've been personally running various beta and early versions of this utility successfully for more than a year.

Give it a try.

And if you like it, even though Oliver is offering the utiity for free, you may want to give him a small donation via PayPal. And while you are at his site, check out his Wake on Lan for SBS 2003 RWW utility!

Cheers!