August, 2009 Archive
The Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK or WAIK) is among the free tools of choice when it comes down to building custom Windows 7 images and deploying them in a specific environment. But as much as the Windows Automated Installation Kit is capable of streamlining the installation process of custom-built Windows 7 images, it does come with a few limitations that IT administrators should be aware of. For example, they could find that it is impossible to put together an unattend.xml file from within the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 for a custom Windows 7 x32 image.
The reason is related to the limitations of WAIK. Specifically, “if you run Windows 7 x32 and WAIK x32 you can create unattends for both x64 and x32 custom images. If you run Windows 7 x64 and WAIK x64 you can not create unattends for x32 custom images. Running x32 WAIK on Windows 7 x64 is not supported,” revealed Richard Trusson, a senior consultant with Microsoft Services, UK.
Essentially, admins that are running 64-bit computers will only be able to build catalogs for x64 WIM’s. This limitation dates back to the Windows Vista period. Microsoft explained that WAIK in Vista leveraged the servicing stack binaries in the image in order to create the catalog. In this context, Microsoft did not see it necessary to include the binaries in WAIK. But the decision ended up impacting WAIK. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
Microsoft released the Multilingual User Interface Packs for Windows 7 RTM on August 25th 2009 via Windows Update. At the end of the past week, the direct download links for the Windows 7 RTM MUI Packs were also made public, allowing all users to grab the releases. Of course that not all Windows 7 users will in fact be able to take advantage of the MUI Packs. When it comes down to Windows 7, Microsoft went with the same strategy as for Windows Vista.
In this regard, only the Ultimate and Enterprise editions of Windows 7 are capable of integrating the Multilingual User Interface packs, just as it was the case with Vista’s Enterprise and Ultimate SKUs. Windows 7 Enterprise is of course available only to volume licensing customers with Software Assurance, while Ultimate is the high-end edition of Windows 7, and the most costly.
The MUI Packs allow end users to install more languages than just one in Windows 7 and to have the operating system’s graphical user interface be tailored for each specific additional language. The general strategy for Microsoft is to serve the MUI Packs as optional updates via WU to just Enterprise and ultimate users of Windows 7. But for those who want to grab the Windows 7 MUI Packs themselves, the direct download links are now available both for the 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) flavors of the operating system. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | 3 Comments »
Make USB Disk Bootable is a console based free tool which lets you create a MS DOS bootable USB drive which is created by using the system files on any windows xp PC. This bootable USB Disk is actually a MS-DOS Bootable USB Drive from the users XP source files.
Tip: Install Windows 7 From Bootable USB Drive
This free tool uses HP USB Dos Format Tool to make the USB disk bootable, if you do not have HP USB Format tool installed then it will download it from the HP Website and install it on your computer.
Note: You must accept the HP End User License Agreement during setup.
Here is the step by step procedure to do the same
Related Tip: Installing Windows XP Using A USB Flash Drive
1. Download Make USB Bootable Tool and extract the zip package in separate directory
2. Right click mkboot.cmd file and click edit to change the attributes in the config file.
3. Change USBDRV value R: to the drive letter that is been currently used by your USB Drive when you plug it in your computer.
4. Exit and Save then double click on mkboot.cmd to run this tool. Read More»
Posted in Computer | No Comments »
Microsoft released the Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Packs for Windows 7 RTM on August 25th, 2009 and started serving them to users via Windows Update. I just want to clarify exactly what goes into downloading and installing the MUI packs for Windows 7. First off all, no, the Windows 7 Multilingual User Interface packs are not available as standalone downloads. Microsoft is only offering the MUI packs to customers running Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate editions of the latest Windows client release.
“Windows 7 language packs are available for computers that are running Windows 7 Ultimate. The Windows 7 language packs can be installed only from the Optional Updates section on the Windows Update site. These language packs are not available on the Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) Web site or through the Microsoft Download Center,” Microsoft explained.
The Enterprise SKU of Windows 7 is considered on par with the Ultimate edition but is only available to Volume Licensing customers with Software Assurance. And as you can see in the screenshot included with this article I am running Windows 7 RTM Ultimate (100% genuine and from Microsoft) and all the MUI Packs were delivered through WU. As a rule I don’t need them, I keep my GUI in English, but it’s nice to know that they’re there. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
Microsoft is constantly tending to the evolution of its Windows client and server platforms, not only through major upgrades, such as service pack releases, but also through minor updates made available through the Windows Update infrastructure. It is the case of the latest application compatibility update for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. The refresh is currently served through WU, but as of August 25th, 2009 the bits can also be grabbed as standalone download via the Microsoft Download Center. If you don’t want to use WU to grab the August 2009 Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Application Compatibility Update simply use the links at the bottom of this article.
“Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update is a software update that addresses common application compatibility issues in Windows Vista. Microsoft regularly releases application compatibility updates for Windows Vista and for Windows Server 2008,” Microsoft noted.
The Redmond company explained that Application compatibility updates were designed to introduce modifications in the way Vista and in Windows Server 2008 were dealing with various programs that posed incompatibility problems. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista | No Comments »
Google is hard at work developing a 64-bit version of its open-source browser for Windows. The Mountain View-search giant indicated that work was in progress but delivered no specific availability deadline so far. According to Chromium developers Mads Sig Ager, a 64-bit (x64) flavor of Google Chrome will be offered to Windows users “soon.” There’s no telling just what the period of time “soon” can be translated into, but testers can already run 64-bit Chrome.
At the end of the past week, Google offered the first downloads of its true 64-bit version of Chrome, tailored to the Linux open-source platform. The Mountain View is focusing on adapting x64 Chrome to Linux and Mac OS X first, and only afterwards to Windows. According to Google, the heavy lifting is focused on porting the underlining V8 JavaScript engine to 64-bit platforms.
“V8 does not yet compile in 64-bit mode on Windows. We have focused on making the 64-bit version of V8 work on Linux and Mac at first. We are currently working on making the 64-bit version compile on Windows as well. We should hopefully have that done soon,” Ager stated when x64 Chrome for Linux was launched. Read More»
Posted in Internet | No Comments »
Even before the release of Windows 7 Release Candidate Build 7100 Microsoft announced that it would take extreme measures in order to increase end user protection and amputate the AutoPlay/AutoRun feature of the operating system. Over a months after Windows 7 has been released to manufacturing, Microsoft is applying the same security strategy to previous Windows releases. The Redmond company is making sure that the amputated AutoPlay/AutoRun in Windows 7 will make its way to Windows XP (including SP3), Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista (including SP2), and Windows Server 2008, for security reasons.
In this regard, Microsoft has already made available an update designed to limit the AutoPlay/AutoRun functionality in Windows 7’s precursors. Essentially, following the implementation of the refresh, the AutoPlay/AutoRun will no longer display the “Install or run program” option for USB drives.
“In Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2003, AutoRun entries were populated for all devices that had mass storage and had a validly formatted AutoRun.inf file in the root directory. This included CDs, DVDs, USB thumb drives, external hard disks, and any volume that exposed itself as mass storage. This update disables AutoRun entries in AutoPlay, and displays only entries that are populated from CD and DVD drives. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments »
Microsoft has made available for download the language packs for the gold development milestone of Windows 7. The Redmond-based company is attempting to help end users across the world tailor Windows 7 RTM to their specific language. According to the software giant, the language packs for Windows 7 have been released via Windows Update. In this regard, Windows 7 users will have to turn to WU in order to install extra languages into their copy of Windows 7 in addition to the default language.
By offering the language packs through Windows Update, Microsoft is following the same strategy that it did with Windows Vista. In this context, the company is restricting access to the language packs. And, of course, the limitations also survived from Vista. Microsoft permitted only users of the two high-end editions of Windows Vista to install additional languages, Enterprise and Ultimate. The same is the case for Windows 7.
“These language packs are available to our enterprise customers running Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate RTM versions only. Customers on the Windows 7 Release Candidate are not eligible for these language packs,” revealed Microsoft’s Stephen L. Rose. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | 2 Comments »
Microsoft is pushing forward with the availability process of Internet Explorer 8, with a new wave of downloads scheduled to hit today, August 25th, 2009. The Redmond company announced since the end of June 2009 that it would start serving IE8 RTW to business users by the end of August, and the bits come right on schedule. The gold build of Internet Explorer 8 will be offered to all companies leveraging the software giant’s update server distribution solution designed to help administrators manage Microsoft Update releases across corporate networks.
“Starting Tuesday August 25, 2009, Internet Explorer 8 will be made available as “update rollups” via WSUS (Windows Server Update Services). This is critical for customers who manage their desktops via WSUS; they need to be aware of these updates and make necessary preparation to insure there are no unintended upgrades to Internet Explorer 8 on their desktops,” revealed Kevin Dean, Microsoft technology specialist, Education.
Ahead of August 25, WSUS admins had the option to disable auto-approve for “Update rollup” packages in Windows Server Update Services. In such scenarios, IE8 would only be offered to machines across a network after the updates were manually approved by the administrator. Business users and admins should be aware that even in the context in which Auto-Approve for “Update rollup” is enabled, the IE8 EULA still has to receive manual approval before the browser is installed on all downstream clients. Read More»
Posted in Internet | No Comments »
If you want to share information stored on your computer with other people nearby and everyone’s computer has a wireless network adapter, a simple method of sharing is to set up an ad hoc wireless network. In spite of the fact that members must be within 30 feet of each other, this type of network presents a lot of possibilities. For example, you might consider establishing an ad hoc network at a meeting of mobile computer users so that you can share information with other attendees on their own screens rather than an overhead projector. (After establishing the network, you can do this by using Windows Meeting, for instance.)
Ad hoc networks are by definition temporary; they cease to exist when members disconnect from them, or when the computer from which the network was established moves beyond the 30-foot effective range of the others. You can share an Internet connection through an ad hoc network, but keep in mind that the Internet connection is then available to anyone logging on to a computer that is connected to the network, and thus is likely not very secure.
To set up an ad hoc network:
Read More»
Posted in Computer, Internet | No Comments »
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