The other steveb - Steve Banks' Blog on SBS, EBS, and other Small Business Technology Topics : Microsoft

Microsoft's Digital Locker is going away

steveb — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:58:00 GMT

If you have used Microsoft's Digital Locker for anything (like Vista Anytime Upgrades) you better head on over to the locker room and get your things because this school is a closin' (they must have took a page from the Seattle Public Schools' administrative handbook this week).

From: Microsoft [mailto:Microsoft@newsletters.microsoft.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 3:54 PM
To: Steven Banks
Subject: ACT NOW: Closing your digital locker account

Your Digital Locker Account Will Be Closed in August, 2009.

Dear Digital Locker Customer,

This is to notify you that on November 20, 2008 Windows® Marketplace transitioned from an e-commerce site to a reference site. On Windows Marketplace you will find links to sites such as Microsoft Store, Windows Vista® Compatibility Center, and other destinations with compatible software, hardware and devices that support Microsoft platforms. As part of this transition, the digital locker service affiliated with Windows Marketplace will be closed in August, 2009.

If you made a purchase on Windows Marketplace, you acquired a digital locker account in order to purchase, download and install products from Windows Marketplace. You may be using your digital locker account to store and maintain information about software you purchased, including license information to enable you to reinstall your software or get assistance from the software reseller.

The digital locker service will continue to be available until August, 2009. During this time, you should back up the contents of your digital locker account before they are permanently deleted:

1. To maintain your software records, go to your digital locker account and print a copy of the software information located there.

2. To backup your software to a CD so that you always have a copy, follow the CD back-up instructions in the “What happens to digital locker?” Section in the Windows Marketplace FAQ.

More information is available at Windows Marketplace FAQ.

Sincerely,

The Windows Marketplace Team

Microsoft respects your privacy. Please read our online Privacy Statement.

Microsoft Store Windows Marketplace FAQ Digital Locker Account Privacy Statement

Eric Ligman has left the building...

steveb — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:45:00 GMT

Congratulations Eric! You had me worried there when I was first reading your post this morning that you are no longer with the US Small Business team at Microsoft, but now I see you are on a much bigger mission to help our colleagues world wide. Keep up the great work and make sure you stop by the PSSBS meetings occasionally to say hi. :-)

Thank you to you for all you do Eric. You and your family have a wonderful week as you take some much deserved time off.

Steve

5W/50 Series - Hiring Your First Employee, How to do it right the first time!

steveb — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:44:00 GMT

Starting in about 15 minutes from this post, is a Microsoft Partner 5W/50 Webinar that looks interesting if you are a consultant looking to expand your business. URL for MSFT Partners to get details and register is:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=249937

Event Title : 5W/50 Series - Hiring Your First Employee, How to do it right the first time!

5W/50 Series - Hiring Your First Employee, How to do it right the first time!

Expanding your business and hiring employees can be a daunting task for new and established partners. When you hire someone you take on added responsibility, yet you are also taking an important step in moving beyond being self-employed. Employees become your face to the community and can make or break your business.

This session will review how to move from being self-employed to an employer. Robert Lindley with ISI will share his experiences both positive and negative. In this session he will address the following questions: Why should I hire an employee? When is it time to hire an employee? What qualifications do I need in an employee? Where can I find an employee? Who should I hire?

Presenter:

Robert Lindley, President, Innovative Systems, Inc.

Robert is the president of Innovative Systems, Inc. (www.isi.cc) a consulting firm he founded in 1994 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has been in the computer industry since 1978, started ISI as a one-man operation, and has grown to a staff of 8. Robert has been the technician, has evolved to manager, and now an entrepreneur. He is the President of the International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners - Arkansas Chapter. (www.iamcp.org), serves on the Microsoft TS2 advisory panel, a member of HTG Peer Group 5 (www.htgmembers.com), and serves on several IT advisory committees for local colleges.

ISI is a Microsoft GOLD Certified Partner and Small Business Specialist with competencies in advanced network infrastructure, network infrastructure, information worker, mobility, and security. ISI received the SBSC Award from Microsoft South Central Area for the first quarter of 2007. ISI provides computer network services to small and medium sized businesses in central Arkansas. ISI’s mission is: “We focus on your technology, so you can focus on your business.

John Endter, E Squared C

Nick Bock, Five Nines Tech Group

Event Details

Location & Provider:	Online	Event ID:	249937
Dates & Times:	Friday, September 26, 2008 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Time Zone : (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada); Tijuana	Duration:	1 Hour
Role:	Exec/Owner	Level:	200 - Intermediate
Format:	Web Seminars (Live)

Microsoft releases the Malware Removal Starter Kit

steveb — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 19:39:00 GMT

This is from an email I received this week from Mark Clagett over at Microsoft. Running into an issue today where I sent it to an end user so figured I would post it here as well. Thanks Mark for sending out the notice! - Steve ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I thought you’d be interested in this new Solution Accelerator from Microsoft – it’s called the Malware Removal Starter Kit. It’s a free download from TechNet, and provides you with excellent guidance and tools to help you restore PCs infected with malware. Here’s a quick overview of what the kit can do for your organization. Suggest you take a look!

PCs Infected with Malware? Every day, adversaries attempt to invade your networks and infect your systems with viruses, spyware, and other malware. In other cases, employees can open the door to malware by visiting infected Web sites, opening the wrong e-mail attachments, or running macros that contain viruses.As an IT professional focused on security, you know the risks first hand. You’ve installed antivirus software and you keep your protection updated. Sometimes, though, attacks are successful, and computers get infected. And once they are inside the organization, malware outbreaks can spread with alarming speed, compromising or destroying mission-critical data or personal information. Restore Infected PCs with the Malware Removal Starter Kit!When you discover PCs that have been infected with malware and your current antivirus tools can’t solve the problem, where do you turn next? Is there a way to restore infected PCs without completely rebuilding them from scratch? The Malware Removal Starter Kit, the newest Solution Accelerator from Microsoft, provides free, tested guidance to help you combat malware attacks and restore infected systems—so users can safely get back to work. The kit shows you how to use the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) to discover malware by performing a thorough offline scan of your computers, uncovering malware that may be hiding in the operating system. And once malware is located and identified, it can be quickly removed from infected PCs with a number of free anti-malware tools, like the Malicious Software Removal Tool from Microsoft.The Malware Removal Starter Kit answers questions like:

· What are the keys to a reliable, effective response plan to remedy malware outbreaks?

· How do I build a bootable CD that lets me perform offline virus scans?

· How can I discover and remove viruses and other malware hiding in the operating system?

· How does the Malware Removal Starter Kit augment Microsoft’s anti-malware strategy?

Key Benefits

The Malware Removal Starter Kit is:

· Effective: Helps you to uncover malware that’s difficult to expose.

· Flexible: Lets you use best approach for the specific problem you’re facing.

· Reliable: Provides guidance thoroughly tested by Microsoft security experts.

· Simple: Offers a solution that is easy to configure and use.

· Free: The Malware Removal Starter Kit is a free download from TechNet. Download the free Malware Removal Starter Kit

Accessing the kit is easy, and it’s free! Click here to learn more or to download the kit.