Odd Jobs In Tech

How to Restart and Shutdown Windows 8

2012-01-26T08:23:17Z

The Windows 8 Developer Preview has introduced us to the new touch screen friendly Metro-based Windows Start Screen, which at this point appears to be slated to replace the Start Menu for both desktop/laptop and tablet form factors. For desktop and laptop users the new Start Screen is creating some challenges, such as the ability to easily locate the restart, shutdown, or log off options. These options have traditionally been found on the Start Menu, but since Windows 8 is being “reimagined” by Microsoft as a “touch first” operating system, optimized for tablets, which generally do not require shutting down or restarting, the new Metro-based Start Screen only provides options for locking the screen and logging off the current user. However, you can properly shutdown and restart your computer using a couple different methods.

Method #1

Open the Settings pane on the Start Screen by hovering your mouse pointer over the bottom left corner of the screen where the Start Button used to be, and a pseudo-looking Start Menu (called the Start Orb) will appear.

Click on Settings, and the Settings pane will appear on the right side of the screen.

Click on the Power button and select Shut down, Restart, or Sleep (if your system supports the Sleep function) from the menu that pops up.

Method #2:

From the Start Screen or an Explorer window you can press Alt+F4 and it will bring up a classic Windows shutdown screen where you can select Shut down, Restart, Sleep, or Log off.

Microsoft Windows Defender Offline Beta Released

2011-12-14T07:05:34Z

Microsoft has released a beta version of a new anti-malware utility that should be in every IT Pro’s toolbox. This new utility is similar to Windows Defender found in Windows 7, with the addition of anti-virus capabilities similar to Microsoft Security Essentials. What makes this tool special is that it is designed to remove malware without Windows running. This addresses a key shortcoming of most other anti-malware solutions, in that many deeply embedded rootkits and other malicious software are sometimes near impossible to remove while the OS is running. The offline tool is designed to be installed to CD, DVD, USB Thumb Drive, or virtually any other media that you can boot from and can hold 214MB.

To use the tool, you will need to download it from Microsoft’s download site, and an optical disk or a flash drive you can erase. The tool will format the media that you selected, make it bootable, and then copy the Windows Defender Offline package to the media. After you have installed Windows Defender Offline to your media of choice, you simply reboot the computer you wish to run it on, and select your media as your boot device. It will then boot into a WinPE-type environment and automatically load Windows Defender, allowing you access to all of the normal scanning capabilities found in the online version. If the software can locate a proper driver for your computer’s network card it will allow you to download the latest malware signature files from Microsoft.

Windows Defender Offline Beta

This tool could prove to be very useful, along the lines of or even better than MalwareBytes because of its offline capabilities. I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent previously trying tool after tool to remove deeply entrenched malware because it was running as a protected background process, this should solve this.

Microsoft Exchange 2010 SP2 Released for Download

2012-01-26T08:25:56Z

Microsoft Exchange Service Pack 2 has been released and is available for download.

SP2 is a major update to Exchange 2010 provides the following enhancements Exchange 2010.

Hybrid Configuration Wizard - provides customers with a streamlined process to configure a hybrid deployment between on-premises and Office 365 Exchange organizations.
Address Book Policies - determines the global address list (GAL), offline address book (OAB), room list, and address lists that are visible to the mailbox user that is assigned the policy. Address book policies provide a simpler mechanism to accomplish GAL separation for the on-premises organization that needs to run disparate GALs.
Cross-Site Silent Redirection for Outlook Web App - enables a silent redirection when a Client Access server receives a client request that is better serviced by a Client Access server located in another Active Directory site.
Mini Version of Outlook Web App - a lightweight browser-based client, similar to the Outlook Mobile Access client in Exchange 2003.
Mailbox Replication Service - parameters have been added to the New-WebServicesVirtualDirectory and Set-WebServicesVirtualDirectory cmdlets so that you don’t have to perform the manual configuration: MRSProxyEnabled and MaxMRSProxyConnections.
Mailbox Auto-Mapping - administrators can turn off the auto-mapping feature by setting the value of the new Automapping parameter to $false on the Add-MailboxPermission cmdlets.
Multi-Valued Custom Attributes - introduces five new multi-value custom attributes that you can use to store additional information for mail recipient objects.
Litigation Hold - you can’t disable or remove a mailbox that has been placed on litigation hold.

Update Rollup 6 for Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Released

2012-01-26T08:11:16Z

Last month, October 28th to be precise, Microsoft released Update Rollup 6 for Exchange Server 2010 SP1.

Here are the details from the Microsoft Exchange Team blog:

This update contains a number of customer reported and internally found issues since the release of RU5. In particular we would like to specifically call out the following fixes which are included in this release:

2627769 Some time zones in OWA are not synchronized with Windows in an Exchange Server 2010 environment

2528854 The Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Replication service crashes on a computer that has Exchange Server 2010 SP1 installed

2544246 You receive a NRN of a meeting request 120 days later after the recipient accepted the request in an Exchange Server 2010 SP1 environment

2616127 “0×80041606″ error code when you use Outlook in online mode to search for a keyword against a mailbox in an Exchange Server 2010 environment.

2549183 “There are no objects to select” message when you try to use the EMC to specify a server to connect to in an Exchange Server 2010 SP1 environment

Which Version Of Windows 7 Is Right For Your Business?

2012-01-26T21:48:39Z

With the release of Windows 7, Microsoft is again offering a wide array of choices in versions of the operating system. However, if you are looking at buying Windows 7 for your business you should only really be looking at three versions, Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate.

Windows 7 Professional boasts all the functionality that is needed for virtually any small to medium sized business. It offers compatibility with many programs designed for Windows, new and old. One of the big downsides to Windows Vista that prevented many businesses from upgrading was that Vista broke functionality in older programs that were not designed to work with the added security features of the operating system. If those programs have not yet been updated Windows 7 Professional can help solve that problem, and allow you to finally upgrade from Windows XP. The way that Windows 7 solves this problem is through a feature called Windows XP Mode, which uses a virtualization technology that is nearly transparent to you and your staff, which allows you to continue using your older programs without breaking them. Windows XP Mode is not available in any of the Home versions of Windows 7.

Security is (or it should be) a concern of all businesses today. Windows 7 Professional can help your business in this area as well. Professional, unlike the Home versions, offers an Encrypting File System, which is a technology that protects your files and folders from prying eyes. Backing up data is also something that everyone should be doing, however many do not because of the hassle involved in making those backups. With the Automatic data backups functionality, data can be backed up to your network without having to remember to manually run the backup, thus taking the pain out of the process.

With Windows 7 Professional, you also have the ability to join a Windows Active Directory Domain at your business. An Active Directory Domain is a system that runs on a Windows Server and manages your staff’s network passwords and other settings. All businesses with more than 10 employees should have an Active Directory Domain. With the any of the Home versions of Windows 7 you cannot join an Active Directory Domain, and must manually manage your passwords and computer settings.

If your business requires more complex functionality Microsoft offers the Windows 7 Enterprise version. This version of Windows 7 gives your staff access to all of the functionality found in the Professional version of Windows 7 and more. One technology, not found in any of the other versions of Windows 7 is BranchCache, which if enabled with Windows 2008 R2 Servers, can limit the amount of redundant network data that is passed between remote offices and your main office or data center. This allows your remote staff to be more productive as they will not have to wait on certain network functions, such as password authentication. These network functions would be processed locally in their office instead of being sent over a slower network link.

Enterprise also offers added security through Microsoft’s Bitlocker technology, which allows you to securely encrypt the data on the hard drive of your computers. This is especially useful in the event that a computer is lost or stolen, as the data on the hard drive, including Windows itself is useless unless Bitlocker is deactivated by the user upon boot or login. Bitlocker can also be extended to protect mobile devices and usb keys through Bitlocker To Go.

Finally, Microsoft also offers the Windows 7 Ultimate edition. In Ultimate you will find virtually the same functionality as you found in Windows 7 Enterprise. Yes, they are the same, except for one main thing, you cannot buy Windows 7 Enterprise. The Enterprise version is only available to businesses that buy their Microsoft licenses though a Volume license with a Microsoft Software Assurance agreement. For everyone else there is the Ultimate version.

As you can see, there are a plethora of things to take into account when choosing the right version of Windows 7 for your business to maximize value on your investment. Luckily, there are many resources available to you to help you make the right decision. Many of these resources can be found on the Web, but you should also consider speaking with an independent IT expert or a Microsoft Licensing specialist get the right fit.

Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition: Is It Good Enough?

2012-01-26T22:55:47Z

Microsoft is planning on releasing Office 2010 Starter Edition to replace their Microsoft Works product next year alongside the rest of their traditional Office 2010 lineup. Works has long been distributed on new consumer level PC’s as an entry level gateway to Microsoft Office, however it has long been maligned by users as a poor alternative to the Office suite. Works has traditionally maintained different and sometimes incompatible file formats with the rest of the Office lineup. New computer buyers dislike Works so much that some PC manufacturers have been distributing Openoffice.org on new computers in addition to Works. However, it does not look like Starter Edition is going to cut it for anyone but home users that have little use for anything that does not come from a web browser, it is definitely not designed for business users.

With Starter Edition, Microsoft is leaving out some core Office functionality, as it only includes Word & Excel. It does not include Powerpoint, Outlook, Access, and many other smaller Office component applications.

While Starter Edition is not going to include many things that hardcore Office users have grown to expect, it is going to include one thing that the fullblown Office does not have: Ads. It is not uncommon for web-based apps to contain ads alongside the workspace, Gmail has been doing this for years, but it is a relatively new concept to include it in actual installed application on your hard drive.

The question is really where does this fit into Microsoft’s Office strategy?

Office Starter 2010 is being positioned by Microsoft to encourage new computer buyers to purchase the an upgrade to the full version of Office. In this case it will be one of Microsoft’s “Instant Upgrades”, as users will be able to purchase a CD Key online that will disable the Ads and unlock the rest of the Office goodness that it is already installed, but hidden on the computer. Microsoft is also using this as an opportunity to eliminate the Microsoft Works product of which sales have always been minescule compared to its bigger Office brother. It also allows Microsoft to make a stand against the growing tide of free Office-like suites that are emerging and being distributed on new computers.

Most new home computer buyers will not think twice about this, but Office workers will likely continue to use paid versions of the full-featured Office suite or use the upcoming web version of office.

Speaking of the upcoming Web version of Office, would Office Starter not have been better distributed as a web app with Google Gears-like functionality?

Quick Tip: Move Your Outlook Type-Ahead List to Another Computer

2012-01-26T23:05:59Z

Microsoft Outlook has a neat feature that will help you fill in email addresses as you type. The addresses come from a type-ahead list that is populated as you send emails to people. After a while most people come to depend on this list, so much so that they often stop adding contacts to their address book. Then the shock comes when they get a new computer or have to reload their existing one, and the addresses are all gone. These addresses are not stored in your Outlook PST file and as such will not make move with the file.

But alas, there is an easy way to move your type-ahead list to another computer. The list is stored in a NK2 file stored in an obscure directory in your profile.

In Windows XP, Server 2003 & 2008 the file can be found in:
C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

In Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 the file can be found in:
C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Simply locate all of the files with the extension “NK2″ and copy them to your new computer or back them up before you reload.

Workamajig Tip: How To Use the Project Diary

2009-06-29T21:05:54Z

Within Workamajig, the Project Diary is an important, but often misunderstood, functionality that provides you with the ability to quickly communicate brief, informal messages to other people, such as co-workers, clients, and vendors that have access to a given project. This tutorial will help you use the Project Diary more efficiently and correctly.

The Project Diary is your central place to capture communications for a project. This is useful to ensure that important data that needs to be associated with a project becomes part of the permanent record of a project. This correspondence tracking can be useful when you need to document client changes, particularly if you have to document changes in a budget, and relay communications to co-workers, clients, & vendors.

Project Diary notes are intended to be informal in nature, and should not be treated with the same formalities as email. If the content of your message needs to be formal, and requires a full To, CC, or Subject line, use should use email. If you do opt to use email, you can then use the method described in the next paragraph to get a copy of your email inserted into the Project Diary. This methodology helps keep your inbox tidy, and prevents the Diary from becoming cluttered and excessively long. It should also be noted that Diary notes are listed in chronological order, in other words, the newest notes are listed at the bottom.

Creating Notes From Email

You can use the Project Diary function to store email you send outside of Workamajig to the Project within Workamajig. This is as simple as sending and email to or CC’ing the email address provided to you by your System Administrator that is setup to receive Diary notes. Within the body of the email you simply need to include the project number in double brackets “[[PROJECT Number]]“. You can also attach files that you would like appended to the Project Diary, however it is important to remember that these files are not stored in Digital Assets/Files and will not show up when searching for files.

You can also add Diary Notes directly from the Project Central screen. From Project Central you can enter a new note, browse all of the notes that you and others have posted, as well as reply to notes. When adding notes from Project Central you also have the option to email a copy of the notes to others who have access to the project.

Creating Notes From Project Central

To send a new note Click on the “New Note” button, enter the text of your note, choose whether or not this note should be allowed to be seen by Clients if they have access to the project, and select people that should receive a copy of your note in their email, and click “Save”. This will post your email to the diary and email copy of the note to those that you selected.

To reply to a note in the Diary, click on the link to the right of the original Sender’s name and Date of the original note labeled “(Reply)”. This will allow you to type and post a response to the original sender’s note. After hitting the “Save” button your note will now appear in the Diary indented below the original note.

Did Microsoft Miss The Boat On Windows 7 Pricing?

2009-06-25T16:50:13Z

Microsoft announced the Windows 7 retail pricing structure for all of the various versions of the operating system today, and at first glance it looks at though they missed the boat. While Windows 7 looks very promising thus far, as seen in the betas and Release Candidates, it looks as though they are going to drive folks away from it by maintaining nearly identical pricing to Vista, which the world seems to agree was one of Microsoft’s worst efforts to date. However, as usual Microsoft has an ace in the hole.

Pricing is as follows:

Home Premium       $199.99 Full / $119.99 Upgrade / $49 Pre-order before July 11
Professional              $299.99 Full / $199.99 Upgrade /$99 Pre-order before July 11
Ultimate               $399.99 Full / $219.99 Upgrade

Most Consumers Don’t Buy Windows

What Microsoft normally banks on is the fact that most people don’t buy individual copies of Windows and install them on their existing computers, they get Windows when they buy a new computer. Which in my mind is why Microsoft should lower the retail price significantly, so that they can fight the public perception that Windows is expensive, but they won’t because that would require them to undercut what they are selling the licenses to OEMs and businesses at. Doing so would cause an uproar with some of their biggest partners and clients.

Microsoft also knows that Windows 7 seems to run better than Vista on existing computers that are currently running Vista and XP. This has not traditionally been the case. In the past with every new Windows release, if you simply upgraded your existing computer there was a performance hit, your computer usually would run slower than under the old operating system. This does not seem to be the case under Windows 7, which seems to fly on older computers and lower powered systems like Netbooks. All of this means that the potential market for retail boxed copy licenses for Windows 7 is greater than previous versions of Windows. Also with the current economic conditions people are more likely to upgrade than spend money on a whole new computer.

Pre-Ordering Offers The Most Value

If you are one of the many that are actually planning on buying a retail boxed copy of Windows 7, I encourage you to pre-order it before July 11th, 2009, as this would entitle you to the lower pricing of $49 and $99 for Home Premium and Professional respectively.

8 Technology Investments to Help Small & Medium Sized Businesses Dominate the Recession

2009-06-24T05:44:48Z

When the economy takes a turn for the worse most business try and make swift budget cuts to give themselves a better financial runway. Usually these cuts impact Marketing and IT with great severity, when ideally these are the two areas you should be at the very least maintaining budgets. With that in mind over the next couple weeks we will be highlighting 8 areas where you can make relatively minor investments in technology to help your business Small or Medium sized business dominate in the recession by doing more with less to gain competitive advantages.

The 8 Technology areas that we will be highlighting:

1. Communications
2. Data Deduplication
3. Cloud Computing
4. Learning how to use the tech that you already have
5. Electronic Document Storage
6. Virtualization
7. Hardware Upgrades
8. Going Mobile