Microsoft Insider News

[Lee]

Here is the latest from "Microsoft Insider" news letter:

[FONT=&quot]NOTE FROM THE EDITOR[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Before we jump into our usual what's coming up, I want to take a moment to thank all of you who subscribe to this newsletter. It's always great to hear your feedback on the content we feature here, as well as your thoughts on Windows 7 and the Springboard Series on TechNet. Thank you so very much for your support. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This month's newsletter focuses on deploying and stabilizing your Windows environment. From leveraging troubleshooting packs to troubleshooting your operating system (OS) deployment, check out some great tips and tricks to help you get a handle on your Windows 7 pilots and deployments-and help make the steps involved easier. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We have also have some great content that is newly available on how to get your Windows Internet Explorer 6 application to work in Windows 7 (see the New Resources section below). Want more help with Internet Explorer compatibility? Join us live at 9:00 AM Pacific Time on Thursday, September 30, 2010 for a virtual, interactive roundtable discussion on migration strategies, standards, and support for organizations moving from Internet Explorer 6 to Internet Explorer 8. Ask your questions during the live event with our online tool-or submit your questions in advance to [email protected]. In addition, watch for a new article, frequently asked questions and other great resources on this topic this month on the Springboard Series blog. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In other news, Springboard is coming to Europe! Watch for details next month on how to register for the Springboard Series tour (representing Windows 7, Office 2010, MDOP, and Internet Explorer 9) that will visit the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Austria in late October and early November. The tour will wrap up with a full week at Tech•Ed EMEA in Berlin, Germany from November 8th-12th. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If you're planning to come to Tech•Ed EMEA in November, the TechDays Canada Vancouver event on September 14th, or the TechMentor Conference in Las Vegas on October 19th, make sure to find me and tell me you're a Springboard Series Insider! [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Stephen Rose[/FONT]

Will post more from the news letter as I read through it.

Enjoy, Lee

 

[Lee]

Microsoft Insider News - Page 2

Internet Explorer compatibility Information.
[FONT=&quot]Addressing Application Compatibility When Migrating to Internet Explorer 8 as Part of a Windows 7 Deployment
Get more information on Internet Explorer 8 compatibility issues and helpful insight into remediation strategies for migrating web applications, as well as the tools and processes available to help make migration easier. To learn more about understanding and addressing Internet Explorer 8 application compatibility from the developer perspective, check out the companion piece on MSDN. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Internet Explorer 8 Application Compatibility List
Download a spreadsheet listing software applications which are compatible or not compatible with Internet Explorer 8, based on public support statements from software publishers, or statements made to Microsoft from software publishers. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Step-by-Step Video Tutorials: Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM)[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), Advanced Group Policy Management can help you overcome the challenges that can affect Group Policy management. Watch a short introduction on how AGPM can help simplify offline editing, change control, and role-based delegation then dive deep into videos on specific tasks related to creating, configuring, and managing Group Policy objects in your environment: [/FONT]

• [FONT=&quot]Installing AGPM [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Configuring AGPM [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Controlling Group Policy Objects [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Delegating Roles for Group Policy Objects [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Editing Group Policy Objects [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Reviewing Group Policy Objects [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Approving and Deploying a Group Policy Object [/FONT]

• [FONT=&quot]Rolling Back a Group Policy Object to a Previous Version [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Deleting and Restoring Group Policy Objects [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Using Templates to Create New Group Policy Objects [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Advanced Search Features in AGPM [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Migrating Group Policy Objects [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Even More Step-by-Step Video Tutorials! Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT)[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Also part of MDOP, the Microsoft DaRT is a powerful set of tools that can help you diagnose and troubleshoot computers. Start with the three-minute overview then delve into the other short videos in this series to familiarize yourself with the tools included in DaRT and put them to use in your organization: [/FONT]

• [FONT=&quot]Creating Boot Media [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Starting a Computer [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Resetting Passwords [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Analyzing Crash Dumps [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Disabling Device Drivers [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Recovering Files [/FONT]

• [FONT=&quot]Repairing Disks [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Exploring the PC [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Repairing System Files [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Scanning for Malware [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Removing Hotfixes [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Wiping Disks [/FONT]

More to come, Enjoy

 

[Lee]

Microsoft Insider News - Page 3

[FONT=&quot]Here are some good ideas for those of you who are always looking for a way to improve on your Windows Seven skill.
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[FONT=&quot]TIPS AND TRICKS[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Creating Tools to Do the Troubleshooting and Repairing for You in Windows 7[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[FONT=&quot]By Jeremy Chapman, Senior Product Manager - Windows Division, Microsoft Corporation[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Windows has evolved over the years with various tools to diagnose and repair issues. Everyone probably remembers the in-box tools to repair wireless connections in Windows XP. They started getting better in Windows Vista, then Windows 7 comes along with PowerShell in-box and an engine to diagnose, repair, and validate fixes automatically. If you open "Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Troubleshooting" on a Windows 7 machine, you will see all of the in-box Troubleshooters to diagnose and repair things like network connections, Aero desktop effects, and audio playback. What you may not know is that you can build your own Troubleshooters, so they look and feel just like the in-box items and troubleshoot issues specific to your environment. You might have been doing this for a while with custom scripts, but now you can convert those so they look like the ones natively in Windows-in this article, I will tell you how. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

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[FONT=&quot]This is an image of a custom troubleshooter I built to diagnose and repair issues with a custom application and connection broker called IT Connection Manager. In this case, I needed to look for a service state required by the application and correct it if not set correctly. The first thing you need to do is download and install the Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 (Could the title be longer? Yes, we could have spelled out "SDK" and "SP.") Once installed, the tool you'll need to use is the Windows Troubleshooting Pack Designer in the Tools folder of the SDK in your Start menu. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A Troubleshooting Pack consists of Root Causes and each Root Cause has: a [FONT=&quot]Troubleshooter[/FONT] to detect issues, a [FONT=&quot]Resolver[/FONT] to fix issues if detected, and a [FONT=&quot]Verifier[/FONT] to see if the Resolver worked (usually you would rerun the Troubleshooter script for the Verifier). Each of these items contains simple rules, but the scripts are where the actual detection and fixing is done. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]PowerShell is the scripting engine behind the Windows Troubleshooting Platform and anything you can do in PowerShell can be integrated into your Troubleshooting Packs. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Once you've defined your root causes and written your Troubleshooter, Resolver, and (optional) Verifier scripts, you can create the Troubleshooting Pack by clicking on the Build menu item in the Designer and selecting Build Pack. The output of the Designer and the Troubleshooter itself is a .diagcab file and the file once finished needs to be code-signed for the Troubleshooter to work. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]That was just a crash course on building Troubleshooting Packs. For more information, check out the TechNet Library articles for the Windows Troubleshooting Platform. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
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[FONT=&quot]Happy troubleshooting. [/FONT]


Enjoy your reading. . .
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]

 

[Lee]

Microsoft: Sneak Peek: For Insiders Only

[FONT=&quot]SNEAK PEEK: FOR INSIDERS ONLY[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The following resources will be released in September on the Springboard Series on TechNet. Bookmark or subscribe to the Windows Client Headlines feed and receive automatic notification when these and other resources, announcements, and downloads are released. [/FONT]

• [FONT=&quot]On September 15th, when Internet Explorer 9 Beta is released, check out our exclusive Internet Explorer 9 Beta IT pro content which includes a technical overview, FAQ, and screencast to help you make the most out of your evaluation. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]New Desktop Virtualization "Top Task" zone to help you quickly locate step-by-step technical guidance, tools, and expert advice on the latest virtualization options for your client computers and applications. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]New content on how to create a steady state using Group Policy settings and Microsoft technologies.

Lee . . .
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[Lemur]

This is why I like to deploy first on a virtual pc. Thank you for this information!

 

[whs]

Good stuff, thanks.