Tag: toolkit
December 28, 2009 by
Jason
In addition to the performance enhancements built into its latest iteration of the Windows client, Microsoft is offering additional tools for download for customers and partners that want to squeeze all the extra juice from the OS. Case in point, the Windows Performance Analysis Tools, also referred to as the Windows Performance Toolkit, was released ahead of Windows 7, and included as an integral part of the operating system’s software development kit. Microsoft underlines that while “the WPT Kit is useful to a broad audience,” the tools will serve better specific audiences including “system builders, hardware manufacturers, driver developers, and general application developers.”
End users are missing from the enumeration above, and for good reason. The Windows 7 RTM Performance Analysis Tools are, in fact, designed to ensure a high level of hardware and software performance before the finalized products and solutions make it into the hands of home users. In this sense, the Windows Performance Toolkit is set up to permit the analysis and measuring of both system and application performance not just on Windows 7, but also Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008. Read More»
Posted in Software, Windows 7 | No Comments »
September 10, 2009 by
Jason Microsoft has made available for download the gold version of its solution accelerator designed to automate the deployment of its latest Windows client and server operating system released. The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010 was released to manufacturing over a month following the RTM of Windows 7 itself. MDT 2010 comes to the table with support not just for the deployment of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, but also for previous releases of Windows, including Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP.
“MDT provides you with the following benefits: unified tools and processes required for desktop and server deployment in a common deployment console and collection of guidance. Reduced deployment time and standardized desktop and server images, along with improved security and ongoing configuration management. Fully automated Zero Touch Installation deployments by leveraging System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2 Release Candidate and Windows deployment tools. For those without a System Center Configuration Manager 2007 infrastructure, MDT leverages Windows deployment tools for Lite Touch Installation deployments,” Keith Combs, Microsoft evangelist, revealed. Read More»
Posted in Software, Windows 7 | No Comments »
September 04, 2009 by
Jason Microsoft is currently hard at work on the evolution of the resource that was formerly labeled Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios Solution Accelerator. According to the Redmond-based company, the building phase hasn’t actually started, as the software giant still has to deal with the planning of the next iteration of the solution accelerator. In this regard, customers that are already leveraging or intend to take advantage of the Windows Optimized Desktop Toolkit can share their insights with Microsoft.
The software giant is offering all users the possibility of sending feedback on the solution accelerator, with the promise that input will be integrated into the next version of the Windows Optimized Desktop Toolkit. Customers interested in helping shape the future of the Windows Optimized Desktop Toolkit can access a survey hosted on Microsoft Connect.
“The Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team is currently planning the next release of the Windows Optimized Desktop Toolkit (previously known as Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios Solution Accelerator). To help identify and prioritize features to include in the toolkit, we have created a survey to gather information about our customers’ desktop infrastructures,” revealed a member of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit Team. “The survey is now available on Connect and will be open until September 22, 2009.” Read More»
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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»
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Microsoft’s Solution Accelerator designed to streamline the deployment of Windows operating system has evolved to the Release Candidate stage. Testers are now free to download and test drive the RC development milestone of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010, a product which has already been tailored to the gold releases of the company’s latest iteration of Windows client and server operating systems. As was the case for the Beta Build, Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 RC is available for download via Microsoft Connect.
“We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of the release candidate of MDT 2010. This release contains numerous bug fixes since MDT 2010 Beta 2. MDT 2010 RC has been tested and will work with Windows 7 RTM and Windows Server 2008 R2 RTM as well as all previously supported operating systems,” revealed Microsoft Evangelist Keith Combs.
In addition to the RTM Builds of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 RC also delivers support for technologies including: Hyper-V for Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Hyper-V for Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, 2007 Microsoft Office, Microsoft Application Virtualization, Microsoft Online Services (e.g. Exchange Online) and Forefront Client Security, etc. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
The Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5 is an integral part of Microsoft’s focus to drive a high level of application compatibility for its next iteration of the Windows client, the Release Candidate build. Still, Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5 is by no means limited to Windows 7, as the resource also streamlines the deployment of Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 8. The resource is designed to provide a comprehensive inventory that spans from apps to hardware and even devices in order to check their compatibility with Windows 7, Vista, Window Update and IE8. At the same time, ACT is not limited to just checking the compatibility of applications and websites, but also offer mitigations to resolve issues, including Compatibility Fixes or “shims.
Jeremy Chapman, a senior product manager in the Microsoft Core Infrastructure Solutions team, explained that the Windows 7 compatibility evaluators were in fact approximately identical to what ACT 5.0 had to offer for Windows Vista. “We made the process of sending and receiving files to the application compatibility web service much more transparent in ACT 5.5. Now you can tell exactly what are sending through to the web service from your application inventory,” Chapman stated. “This is the fastest way to sync application data with the same data used in the Windows Compatibility Center. This is what you see now when using the “Send and Receive” function of ACT 5.5.” Read More»
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Just like their precursors Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 client and Windows Server 2008 R2 do not feature Windows Help by default. Windows Help is a program designed to allow end users to access Help files. Microsoft has discontinued the integration of WinHlp32.exe into Windows after the release of Windows XP. Instead, the application is available via the Microsoft Download Center as a standalone download. At this point in time, the Redmond company has informed that Windows Help will come to Windows 7 only after the next iteration of Windows will be released to manufacturing.
“There is currently no WinHlp32.exe download available for Windows 7. However, a download will be available after the RTM version of Windows 7 is released,” the software giant stated. Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 users are now able to grab the Windows Help bits in order to access .HLP files. Windows Help is only offered as a standalone program from Microsoft, and is no longer available to third-party developers to be included and distributed with their software products. But this is only valid for Vista and Windows Server 2008. Windows 7 users will have to wait after the operating system’s RTM in order to grab a copy of Windows Help tailored to the operating system. Read More»
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While laboring to produce the first Release Candidate of the next iteration of Windows, Microsoft is making available for download the Windows Demo Toolkit, an offering with Windows 7 as its nucleolus. Both the 32-bit and the 64-bit variants of the Foundation Suite (what the software giant referred to as the heart of the Windows Demo Toolkit) are up for grabs via Microsoft Connect, the Redmond company revealed. Via the two downloads packaged as ISO images, customers will be able to access preconfigured installations of Windows 7 Beta Build 7000. Microsoft informed that once Windows 7 Release Candidate would be made available, the Windows Demo Toolkit would be upgraded with the RC bits.
“Are you Gold Certified or Certified partner who wants a way to demo your software on Windows 7? If so, the brand new Windows Demo Toolkit (WDT) is a collection of resources that makes demoing the Windows operating system as easy as possible. You can use WDT to create engaging and reliable demos in a fraction of the time. WDT is available exclusively for Certified and Gold Certified Partners,” revealed Bruce Kyle, Microsoft ISV Architect Evangelist. “The heart of the Windows Demo Toolkit is the Foundation Suite, a deployment of Windows 7 Beta tailored specifically for use in demonstrations.” Read More»
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January 06, 2009 by
Jason
You will use the following tools when you prepare images and deploy Windows Vista throughout your organization:
Sysprep This is the updated version, modified for Windows Vista.
Setup A new installation tool for Windows Vista that replaces WINNT and WINNT32.
ImageX The new command-line tool for creating WIM images.
Windows SIM A tool for creating and modifying Unattend.xml files.
PEimg The tool for customizing Windows PE 2.0 images.
Windows DS The new version of RIS, which adds the ability to deploy Windows Vista images as well as Windows PE 2.0 boot images. Read More»
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