Useful Mac Application

It's still in beta and still free but I'm really liking Hyperdock.  It emulates Windows 7 Aero Peek feature.

The Godfather

We haven't watched the Godfather in a few years and just started watching the first one last night.  First, even though I'd readily note it as one of my all time favorite movies, just the first 5 minutes remind you of how good it is.  I thought I knew who everyone was but I'd forgotten a couple of bits.  Gratefully Wikipedia has a nice page with a list of characters and their roles in not just the movies, but also the books and the video games.

So if you've never watched the movies or if it's been a while, sit down for a great set of movies sometime this fall or winter and enjoy the legend.

Geek of All Trades: Automatically Deploying Microsoft Office 2010 with Free Tools

Nice TechNet article on deploying Office 2010 automatically.

 

Geek of All Trades: Automatically Deploying Microsoft Office 2010 with Free Tools: "

You can’t avoid Office 2010, but you can find other ways to automate installation with any of these free tools.

Greg Shields

TechNet Magazine September 2010

"

 

(Via TechNet Magazine: RSS Feed.)

Installing System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer Update 1

Thanks, Petri!

I great way to peek into your existing infrastructure to see if virtualization might work well for you.

Installing System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer Update 1: "

Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer (VMMCA) Update 1 is a diagnostic tool that you can use to evaluate important configuration settings for computers that are either serving, or might serve, Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) roles or other VMM functions. I recommend to using it whenever SCVMM2008 is planned for installation, on all involved servers and/or computers (when the console is installed separately).

When I received this tip from my old friend - Sorin Solomon, I decided to immediately upload it to the site. Thanks Sorin!

Note:  this version is intended for use with SCVMM2008 only. For the previous SCVMM2007 version, see here:

Download details - VMMCA 2007:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ae7c6a09-e8df-4adc-8686-f4d140a3a3f4&displaylang=en

The VMMCA tool can be downloaded from Microsoft's site. As a prerequisite, the 64-bit version of Microsoft Baseline Configuration Analyzer needs to be installed prior the installation of this tool.

Download details - SC Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer Update 1:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=02d83950-c03d-454e-803b-96d1c1d5be24&displaylang=en

Download details - Microsoft Baseline Configuration Analyzer:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=DB70824D-ABAE-4A92-9AA2-1F43C0FA49B3&displaylang=en

1) MBCA Setup

After the two tools are downloaded, start by running MBCASetup64.msi . The following message will appear. Click Next.

Accept the EULA and click Next.

On the Microsoft Update screen, use the default setting and click Next.

You can then install in the default folder or change it as needed. Click Next.

The setup program now has all the info it needs. Click Back to review it or change it, or click Install to start the installation.

At the end of the installation process, you will get the following screen. Click Finish.

The Readme.txt file will be presented:

The MBCA tool is now installed. Time to move to the next tool's installation.

2) SCVMM Configuration Analyzer Setup

Start the installation by running VMMCA.msi file you downloaded. The following screen will appear. Click Next.

Accept the EULA and click Next.

Change the installation folder by clicking Change or leave the default and click Next.

Click Install to start the installation.

At the end of the installation process, the following screen will show up. Click Finish.

3) Running the SCVMM Configuration Analyzer

From the Start -> Programs -> Virtual Machine Manager Configuration Analyzer menu, run the Configuration Analyzer.

The main screen will show up. Choose the machines you want to check, with their specific roles. Click Scan.

At the end of the scanning process, the created report will show up.

In my case, the server was missing the PowerShell  feature and the IIS role was not installed.

I installed them both and ran the tool again. This time, the report gave me the OK I needed.

Done.

"

 

(Via Petri IT Knowledgebase.)

Misc.

Some Outlook 2010 Tips from TechRepublic.

Extract still images from video (Mac).

Clean up text in Word

Backup Windows program settings and data

 

 

Using Quick Migration to Migrate a VM Between Hyper-V Hosts

Using Quick Migration to Migrate a VM Between Hyper-V Hosts: "

With quick migration, you can rapidly migrate a running virtual machine from one physical host system to another with minimal downtime.

Using Windows Server Hyper-V or Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V, and the quick migration capability, you can consolidate physical servers while maintaining the availability and flexibility of business-critical services during scheduled maintenance, or quickly restore services after unplanned downtime.

FREE Virtualization Management for Virtual Machines

Spiceworks provides 100% Virtualization Management Software to IT Pros to discover virtual machines and hypervisors, view VMware virtual machines, and make hardware configurations.


There are no tricks or fine print with Spiceworks – the virtualization management software is completely free including support and upgrades and features a wide range of useful IT management functionality.

Download Now – IT’s Free, Forever!

In order to use this method you must install System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 (preferably R2, and this is the version I will be referring to from now on), and use it to perform the migration.

When used on a failover cluster, Quick Migration is an automatic process:

For a planned quick migration, the operation saves the state of a running guest VM (memory of original server to disk/shared storage), moves the storage connectivity from one physical host to another, and then restores the guest VM to the second host (disk/shared storage to memory on the new server). When migrating the VM, there will be some downtime for the migrated VM. The length of this downtime is related to the amount of RAM that is configured for the VM and the speed of the network subsystem.

In the case of unplanned downtime, the system cannot save the state of the workload and running VM. Instead, the entire VM would be failed over to another host in the cluster, automatically, and there it will be booted from a cold state.

Important: You do NOT need to have a failover cluster of 2 or more Hyper-V hosts to allow Quick Migration. However, without deploying a failover cluster, there will be no solution for unplanned server failure, and the entire process will need to be a manual process. If you do decide to use a failover cluster, you must use Windows Server 2008 Enterprise or Windows Server 2008 Datacenter editions.

Note that this article only deals with Hyper-V R2, and not with the RTM version of Hyper-V. Therefore, there may be changes in functionality, and if you're using the RTM version (isn't it time to upgrade already?), you may find that some of the options listed here are not available to you.

Also, I will not deal with the automatic failover feature of Quick Migration, and instead I will use it to move a VM from one host to another with as little downtime as possible for this type of migration.

Considerations before performing the migration

When you want to move a virtual machine from one Hyper-V host to another, you must use the built-in migration option from SCVMM.  Also, there are basically 2 things you should do to make the import process go smoothly:

Make sure the same Virtual Network is defined on the target host - this means it will connect the moved VM to the correct network on the target host. Without doing this, you will need to manually set the network on the VMs' Settings page.

Make sure you use processors from the same manufacturer on the source and target hosts. If the CPUs are from the same manufacturer but not from the same type, you may need to use Processor Compatibility. More about this in a future article.

Performing the migration

Open the SCVMM 2008 R2 console, and expand Virtual Machines > All Hosts. Find the host on which the VM is running.

The VM that you're about to move does not need to be turned off or in a saved state. It can be running, servicing users and applications. However, remember that there will be some minimal downtime while the migration takes place, so users connected to that machine might experience some symptoms related to a machine loosing temporary network connection. For most applications, the timeout of the application is longer than the downtime, therefore the users will not need to reconnect to the machine.

Right-click the VM and select 'Migrate'. Note that this command will either do a Quick Migration or a Live Migration, based upon the system's settings. In this case, because I do not have Failover Clustering in place, it will do a Quick Migration.

You will get a message telling you that there's going to be a temporary downtime for the VM. Click 'Yes'.

You'll be presented with a list of all your Hyper-V (and actually - VMware ESX/ESXi hosts - which I do not have in place for this example). Select the host you wish to migrate the VM to. Note how SCVMM automatically generates performance ratings based upon CPU, disk, memory and network loads for the target hosts. Select the target host and click 'Next'.

Select the path of the VM on the target host. Ideally, this should be identical with the source host, but I don't think they must be identical. Make sure you've got enough disk space. Click 'Next'.

If networking is properly configured, the target network will be automatically selected and identical to the source network. If not, you'll need to manually select it (more on this in a future article). Click 'Next'.

Examine the summary and when satisfied, click 'Move'. Note you can also copy the PowerShell script used to perform the migration and use it in the future. Clicking 'Cancel' at this point cancels the process without making any change.

The Jobs window will open showing you the completion percentage of the job.

Back in the SCVMM console, you can see a progress bar. Note how the status is 'Under Migration'.

During this time, the VM is actually running with no downtime yet. In the background, SCVMM creates a snapshot (or more precisely - a checkpoint) of the VM. This causes all new hard disk I/Os to be written to a temporary AVHD snapshot file. Then, the VM's VHD files are copied to the target host. This takes some time, depending on the size of VHDs and on the network speed.

Notice how during this time, the VM is still active, however by looking at the Network tab in Task Manager we see that there is some massive network activity going on.

If we ping the machine during this time, you will receive a reply (unless ICMP replies were disabled in the firewall).

The moment the VHD copying is over, the VM state will be saved, meaning there can be no more writing to the AVHD file.

The VM's state is then sent to the target host. This will take several seconds, depending on the amount of activity, network speed and so on.

When the transfer of the saved state is over, we see how the VM is restored from its saved state on the target host.

During that time, we see a temporary loss of connectivity, but it soon comes back online when the VM is fully loaded from the saved state.

Bingo. Virtual Machine is now up and running on the target host.

"

(Via Petri IT Knowledgebase.)

In Depth: PC slow? Try these tips, tricks and tweaks

TechRadar, with more useful tips.

In Depth: PC slow? Try these tips, tricks and tweaks: "

When a new computer first arrives, it generally feels snappy, responsive and much faster than your old system.

But, within a few months you might notice that boot and shutdown times are lengthening, applications take longer to load, and your whole system seems a little slower than it used to be. So what's going on?

There are all kinds of reasons why a computer's performance might tail off over time. Many applications install extra components that Windows must load when it starts, for instance, which both extend boot time and consume valuable RAM.

Other programs fill your hard drive and registry with junk files and redundant entries. The more of this clutter you have, the longer it takes to defragment drives, carry out file searches, scan for viruses and more.

On top of this, Windows may simply not be set up properly. Software will sometimes change important Windows settings in a way that cuts performance, without warning – all you'll notice is that your computer feels slower, for no apparent reason.

• 10 Windows speed tips that don't work

Don't despair, though. This slowdown isn't inevitable. You can fight back by streamlining Windows, identifying unwanted applications, removing junk files and re-optimising your settings. It's surprisingly quick and easy – Windows provides many tools that can make a real difference, and others are available online, for free.

And streamlining is very effective. When you've finished, you won't just have restored your computer to its original performance levels – it could be even faster.

Unwanted applications

Streamlining starts by taking a close look at the programs on your PC. You might have hundreds of installed applications, for instance, but do you really need them all?

Removing any you no longer need frees up valuable system resources. To begin, click Start ➜ Control Panel, then select Uninstall a program (or Add or Remove Programs in Windows XP). If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7, then right-click the Name column header, click More, and choose the details you'd like to see about each program.

We'd recommend checking the Name, Size, Installed On and Last Used On boxes. Now choose to sort by Date Last Used in Windows XP, or click the Last Used On column header in Windows Vista or Windows 7, and you'll see your applications sorted by when they were last run.

Browse the list carefully. If you've not run something in the last year, say, will you ever want to run it again? If the answer for any program is 'no' then select it, and click Uninstall.

Next, choose Size in the Windows XP Sort box, or click the Size column header to sort your programs by the amount of space they consume, and take a look at the largest. Some games, in particular, can consume a huge amount of hard drive real estate, perhaps 10 or 15GB. Are they really worth it?

If you decide you can do without a particular program, again, select it and click Uninstall. You can also click Turn Windows features on or off or Add/Remove Windows Computers to remove Windows applets you're not using, but this generally has less effect.

If you never run an applet then it won't slow you down, and turning a feature off won't free up much, if any, disk space either.

Pull the plug-ins

Many applications support plug-ins, add-ons or extensions, tiny tools that deliver all kinds of new features and functionality. And this is generally a good thing.

There is a price to pay, though. The more extensions you install, the slower their parent application is to load, the more RAM it consumes, and the greater the chance of instability. So it's wise to review them occasionally, and remove any you no longer use.

In Internet Explorer, click Tools > Manage Add-ons to see the extensions youve installed. If you spot something youre sure you dont need, choose it and click Disable. In Firefox, click Tools > Add-ons > Extensions. Look for add-ons that you no longer use, click them and select Uninstall.

Microsoft Office 2007 comes with many extensions that most people dont need at all. In Office Outlook 2007, for instance, click Tools > Trust Center > Add-ins > Go to see the selection available on your system. If youve installed iTunes, youll see an iTunes Outlook Add-in and Outlook Change Notifier. These are useful if you want to exchange Outlooks calendar with your iPhone, but if youve no Apple mobile devices, then its safe to clear the checkboxes to remove them from your system.

You can also clear the Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server Colleague Import Add-in if you don't use Sharepoint Server (if you've never heard of it, you don't, it's a business feature), disable the Microsoft Outlook Mobile Service if you don't send SMS messages from Outlook, and clear Microsoft VBA for Outlook Addin if you're not using Visual Basic for Applications macros. Click OK when you're done, restart Outlook and you should find it loads faster, as well as saving RAM.

Repeat the process in other Microsoft Office tools. In Office Word, for instance, click the Office button, then Word Options > Add-Ins > Go and clear the box next to any toolbars or other options you dont need.

Free drive space

With even budget computers including 1TB hard drives, it's tempting to stop worrying about how your drive space is used. After all, does it really matter whether you've 600GB or 800GB free? The answer, surprisingly, is yes.

Hard drive performance can vary considerably, depending on where your data is stored. Windows stores files on the fastest part of the drive at first, but as you install more applications and create new documents, so transfer speeds for those files drop. The less free hard drive space you have, the slower your PC becomes.

The good news is that you've made a start on improving the situation, by uninstalling surplus programs. And Windows has a Disk Cleanup tool that can help even more, by locating files that can safely be deleted.

Click Start, then Run if you have Windows XP, type cleanmgr.exe and press Return. Choose the drive you'd like to clean, click OK, then wait while Windows scans your PC. When the report appears you'll see a list of file types that can be deleted: thumbnails generated by Explorer, temporary files, the contents of the Recycle Bin and more.

Check the box next to every file type you're sure you don't need, click OK and Windows will delete those files for you.

While this helps a little, specialist drive cleaning tools can find and delete even more redundant files. CCleaner is one of the best.

Defrag properly

As you use a computer, files become fragmented, scattered in chunks all over your hard drive. Windows still loads them correctly, but it takes longer as the hard drive has to move to each piece of the file. Run a defrag tool, though, and it fixes this, defragmenting files into single blocks, then relocating them all to the fastest part of your hard drive.

This can take a long time, sometimes hours, but its worth it. To get started, click Start > Computer, right-click your main system drive, and select Properties > Tools > Defragment Now. In Windows XP, you can then click Analyze for a report on the degree of fragmentation, or Defragment to defrag right away.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 are a little different. They should defragment your drives automatically, and if that's set up you'll see a message saying that 'scheduled defragmentation is enabled'. If you don't see this, turn it on by clicking Configure Schedule (Windows 7 only), then checking the Run on a schedule box (Windows Vista and Windows 7).

Even if your drive has been recently defragmented, it's worth doing it again, particularly if you've just uninstalled lots of programs and cleared your hard drive. Click Defragment Now, and leave the tool to do its work. And later, think about trying a third-party defrag tool for even better results. See the 'Defrag your hard drive' walkthrough below for an example.

Windows services

When your system starts, Windows loads many services – background programs that can provide useful functions for the operating system and your applications. Some of these may be unnecessary, though, extending your boot time and wasting resources. Pruning them can offer small performance benefits.

Tweaking services can be very risky, however. If you disable the wrong service then you can crash your computer immediately, and it may not boot next time, either. So if you're a PC novice or at all unsure about how to recover from disasters, skip to the next section.

If you're happy to give this a try, click Start (then Run in Windows XP), type services.msc and press Return to launch the Services applet. Scroll down the list, looking for services you don't need.

If you don't use Media Center, for instance, the Windows Media Center Extender, Receiver and Scheduler services are all useless (these are present in Windows Vista and Windows 7 only, not Windows XP). Double-click each in turn, set their Startup type to Disabled and click OK.

The Distributed Link Tracking Client manages file links over a network. We don't use the feature, you probably don't either. Again, double-click and set its Startup type to Disabled to turn the service off next time.

Other services that can usually be turned off include IP Helper (only useful with an IPv6 network), Offline Files (if you don't use this feature), the Tablet PC Input Service (unless you have a Tablet PC), and the Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol Service (unless you use this to connect to a virtual private network, plugging in to a server at work maybe). And many third-party applications install services you may not need.

Apple's iTunes, for instance, adds Apple Mobile Device and iPod Service, both of which can be turned off if you don't have an iPod or iPhone. The Nvidia Stereoscopic 3D Driver Service can be disabled if you don't have the 3D glasses to take advantage of nVidia's 3D Vision. And if you've installed Nero Burning ROM, but don't use Nero BackItUp, it's safe to disable the Nero BackItUp Scheduler, which may free up a few resources.

Start-up programs

Many applications install components that launch when Windows starts, often without asking. The more you have of these, the longer your computer takes to boot, and the less RAM you have for your other programs.

It's a good idea to streamline your start-up programs list occasionally, to make sure you're only loading software that you really need. This process begins by scanning the icons in your system tray.

Do you see any you never use? If you've installed iTunes, for instance, you may have an Apple QuickTime icon (a blue 'Q'); right-click this and you can launch QuickTime, open recent files and so on. If you find this handy, there's no problem.

But if you never use it, tell QuickTime not to launch when Windows loads. (Right-click the icon, select QuickTime Preferences, click Advanced, clear the Install QuickTime icon in system tray box.)

It's the same story with other icons. If they're from an essential program, like an antivirus tool, or something you use all the time, leave them alone. But if they're surplus to requirements, right-click the icon, and look for a Settings, Options or Preferences dialogue where you can tell it not to launch when Windows starts.

You may have other start-up programs that don't leave icons in the system tray, but these can be viewed from the Windows System Configuration tool. Click Start, then Run if you have Windows XP, type msconfig.exe and press Return to launch this, then click the Startup tab to view your Windows start-up programs.

Scroll down the list, and if you see a program you're sure is unnecessary, clear the box to its left and it won't be loaded when you next boot. Click OK when you're done, then restart your system.

All this streamlining means Windows should boot more quickly, but that's just the start; by freeing up RAM and CPU time, as well as rearranging hard drive folders, your entire system should feel noticeably faster and more responsive.

Related Stories

• Guide: How to build a slipstream Windows 7 install disc

"

 

(Via TechRadar: All latest feeds.)