Severud @ SFSU

Jerry Honeycutt writes that file-based disk imaging is a core capability of Windows Vista. Hooray!

Posted by Kevin at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

According to Jim Allchin the main focus of beta 1 is deployment (and a new componentized setup)

...in terms of who I think (will be interested), I think that if you're an IT professional and you're interested in the deployment aspects, then you're going to be interested in either the client or server, because it's the same basic technology that is being used there.

From Microsoft Windows Vista Beta 1 Fact Sheet:
Windows Vista will help make desktop deployment dramatically faster and easier. Deployment features included in Windows Vista Beta 1 include the following:

• The Windows Imaging (WIM) format provides a single file that contains one or more complete Windows Vista installation images. To conserve space, Windows Vista compresses the file and stores only a single copy of files that more than one image share. As a result, Windows Vista images help eliminate redundancy, decrease file size, and reduce installation or migration time. Image-based setup also is less error-prone than a scripted installation process."

I wonder what plans Symantec and Acronis have for this?

Categories: Windows Vista

Posted by Kevin at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

CleanBoot 1.0 Service Pack 1 has been released to fix a number of bugs:

1. Sometimes CleanBoot failed to install on Windows 9x and Windows ME platforms.
   
   
2. Under some circumstances you may have seen a message "This computer reports insufficient memory to run CleanBoot", and CleanBoot will exit.
   
   
3. Under some circumstances when CleanBoot cleaned a virus it was unable to reinstate the defaul values to a few important registry entries. If this happens programs such as CALC.EXE will not run.
   
   
4. Windows NT. Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows .NET can be configured to not use short filenames. Previous versions of CleanBoot did not support this configuration.
   
   
5. The previous Beta release of CleanBoot Disk required 48MB of RAM.
   RESOLUTION: We have identified the issue and CleanBoot Disk now requires 32 MB of RAM.
   
   
6. CleanBoot was unable to update DAT files if the DATs spanned beyond 3 disks.
   

Posted by Kevin at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

For a while now Symantec has had a near monopoly on image deployment with Ghost. A bit of competition came from PowerQuest which was purchased by Symantec. But now there's a viable alternative in Acronis Snap Deploy for deploying corporate PCs and servers. From its product page you can download a trial.

Key Features:

• Management Console — manage deployments from one central location
• Disk image deployment — apply images to bare systems, including the operating system and all applications
• Standard configurations — use a standard configuration for a new PC or server and save time on future deployments
• Configuration management tools — manage files, execute applications, and configure system settings
• Multicasting — minimize deployment time by sending image simultaneously to multiple machines
• Wizard-driven Graphical User Interface (GUI) — makes product easy to use
• Logs view — troubleshoot deployment issues
• Integration with Acronis True Image — use images created by Acronis True Image for deployment

Posted by Kevin at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

While we wait to see how much Microsoft may charge for the corporate version of its AntiSpyware product, Ad-Aware SE Enterprise Edition 2005 may obviate the need to wait for MSAS.

The Ad-Axis Management Console works as centralized management of Ad-Aware
execution including scheduled execution on corporate network clients. It
automatically reports of server status and Malware detection to Internet Mail
(SMTP). Ad-Aware reference files are centrally updated, which keeps Internet
traffic low and in addition makes reference file updating of your clients simple
and secure. The server and client run as Windows® services and therefore user
interaction is neither necessary nor possible.

Posted by Kevin at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

Webnote - an online tool for taking notes - is a tool for taking notes on your computer. It allows you to quickly write something down during a meeting, class, or any other time that you have a web browser available.

Posted by Kevin at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

Unfortunately ProtectionPilot doesn't support management of Virex for OS X but ePolicyOrchestrator does. Version 3.6 is now in beta and worth a look. Download at McAfee's beta site.

Posted by Kevin at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

The Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Calendar Views Add-in makes it easy for you to view your Outlook Calendar appointments through a filter that is based on Outlook labels and categories. For example, you can create a view that shows you only the appointments on your calendar that are labeled Must Attend, or are categorized as Important.

Download details: Office 2003 Add-in: Outlook Calendar Views

Posted by Kevin at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

Added my feedmap to the sidebar, toward the bottom.

Posted by Kevin at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer Tool, Version 2.0 (MBSA) has been released. Find out more at the MBSA site.

Posted by Kevin at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post