Powercfg -Energy
The interesting thing about Microsoft sometimes is that they do some really interesting and innovative functionality with a new operating system. However they don’t always document what these advances are. Take PowerCFG for example. Here is a great tool, to help manage your default and custom Power Plans on a Windows 7 machine. This tool has been around since Vista and helps to be able to configure, export, import and even delete a Power Plan.
What is new and different in Windows 7 as opposed to Windows Vista with PowerCFG is that Microsoft added a new switch. The “-Energy” switch allows an administrator to take an in-depth look at what are the energy drainer on a desktop or more importantly on a laptop.
If we take a look at the command line options for -Energy, you will see the syntax and more specifically what it is going to do.
Powercfg -Energy
It is suggested that the computer is running idle when this feature is initiated. You can define how long the trace as well as if the report is to be made into .XML. If no duration is set then the default is 60 seconds. Below is a batch file that was created to run this command.
Batch file Powercfg -Energy
Once the application has run its course, an HTML report is produced showing the processes that are energy hungry. The report is divided into Error, Warnings, and Information. This will also include any USB devices that do not support “Suspend”, thus causing issues with power consumption.
This is a great tool that can help the administrator help to configure and maintain the Power Plans for a PC. Enjoy!!
Win741
Recently Microsoft announced a deal for College and University students that allow them to purchase Windows 7 for $29.99. On their 741 website, students can choose from either Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional versions for the really low price.
There a couple of catches. First is that this is a download and if anybody would like the media, it would be another $13.00. The second is that the student must have an .edu e-mail address. The website does mention that if the student does not have an e-mail address with the college or university needs to be on the pre-approved school list. They also require that the student be enrolled in 1/2 a credit of college classes to be eligible. Once signed up, the student will receive their single license in the confirmation e-mail.
Interesting enough, this matches Apples deal with Leopard which launched in August of this year.
Pre-orders are available now with the offer being good until January 3rd, 2010. Students will start receiving their downloads as soon as Windows 7 becomes public on October 22nd.
So check out their website Win741.
Besides all the new user interface features that are a welcomed addition to the realm of productivity for the average user, there are some great tools that will be of benefit to IT and computer enthusiasts alike.
Windows Disc Image Burner
Windows 7 has the functionality of taking any .ISO or .IMG files and burning them directly to a disc. No need to have a third-party tool to create a disc from these formats.
All that needs to happen is right click on the file and the option is available:
Opening Windows Disc Image Burner
Once the Windows Disc Image Burner window opens, choose which burner is available. To ensure the burn was successful, select the Verify disk after burning option. If you are pressed for time, do not choose this option.
Windows Disc Image Burner dialog window
Attach VHD
Alright so some of you are probably saying, what is this even relative to what I am doing? I have come across my times when I personally have needed to add files to a VHD file. I would typically have to mount the VHD in VirtualPC or Virtual Server 2005 and then add the files or get into the System folder to tweak a setting. This is time consuming.
Now with Windows 7, we can attach a VHD and open the files in Windows Explorer to make our changes. This functionality is found in Disk Managment console and it includes the ability to Create VHD and Attach VHD. The Create a VHD is a great functionality if your a familair with Microsoft’s deloyment tools found in Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool where an image can captured installation DVD and then mounted in the VHD. Attach VHD utilizes an already created VHD and mounts this in the Disk Management window as well as makes the content available through Windows Explorer.
Get into Disk Management through Administrator Tools or Computer Management console. Right click on Disk Management and select Attach VHD.
Attach Virtual Hard Drive
Then choose the location of where the VHD and choose if this is a read-only mount or not.
Attach Virtual Hard Drive location of Drive
Once the VHD is attached then Windows 7 give the you AutoPlay options. Choose Open folder to view files and now you are in the VHD information.
AutoPlay Attached VHD
Both of these tools really help with some of the day to day activites that we come across and now do not need another tool. Now I can maybe I can get that SharePoint re-design finished. Good luck!
Microsoft just release expected delivery dates of Windows 7 on a day that saw them change the product version to Ready To Manufacturer (RTM). So what does this mean to you. Here are some of the important dates to remember:
August 6th – OEM release, TechNet Plus Subscribers (English version), MSDN Subscription (English version)
August 7th – Volumn Licensing with Software Assurance
August 16th – Gold and Certified Microsoft Partners (English version)
August 23rd – Action Pack Subscribers (English version)
September 1st – Volume Licensing without Software Assurance
October 1st – Gold and Certified Microsoft Partners (Other Languages), Action Pack Subscribers (Other Languages),TechNet Plus Subscribers (Other Languages), MSDN Subscription (Other Languages)
October 22nd – PC’s available for retail sale and purchase of the software available to the public.
For those who would like to wait and continue with Windows 7 RC, the software will reboot every two hours March 1, 2010 and will expire June 1, 2010.
As an interesting side note, Microsoft is said to start providing Family Pack licensing for purchase with Windows 7. This will allow consumers to purchase 3 licenses of Windows 7 Home Premium in select markets. Unfortunately this is all that has been started about this license version. Stay tuned for more!
Some information was gathered from the following Windows 7 Team Blog site: http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windows7/archive/2009/07/21/when-will-you-get-windows-7-rtm.aspx
I am happy to report that my first Windows 7 Seminar “Welcome to Windows 7″ went very well. I asked fellow STEP member Kevin Remde to help out and he did a great presentation on Management and Control Panel. I found out a lot about PowerShell v2.0 which I need to dive into a lot more after seeing his demos.
Because of the popularity of the first seminar, many people had to be turned away. We added another Welcome to Windows 7 seminar on July 31. Please check New Horizons of Minnesota’s website for more information and to register for this and other free Window 7 events.
Many organizations are in the process or assessing if they are going to stay on Windows XP or move to Windows 7. What are the benefits for moving to Windows 7? Should we wait until Windows 7 SP1? Many organizations are having to weigh moving the technology forward, having a more efficient means to manage the technology as well as doing this in a very cost effective manner. It is also a very hard pill to swallow when organizations move forward into a new platform. That is a considerable investment in resources; including application compatibility, physical hardware, updates to current monitoring tools, and do not forget about the training that should be done for the support personnel and the end users.
Ultimately, when it comes down to it there is an eventuality that will need to happen with moving to Windows 7. Microsoft has already stated that Windows XP has moved to “Extended Support” status until the year 2014 (It’s My Windows 7 blog talks about this). This means that any incidents, warranty claims, design changes and feature requests are not available anymore. All non-urgent hotfixes will not be available (unless purchased an agreement with Microsoft witnin 90 of support ending). So many organizations will need to move off of XP or at least start the process of upgrading applications relatively soon.
So why else would an organization want to migrate to Windows 7? Many organizations have some of these types of issues:
- Application Compatibility: With any move there is alot of money that is sunk into making sure applications will work on a new client.
- Productivity Anywhere: The business users would like to connected to their information no matter where they are.
- Security in Mind: Companies are very concerned about proprietary and personal information being lost. Reports out suggest that more than 30,000+ mobile devices have been left behind in New York city taxi cabs (reported in September, 2008). These devices included laptops, cell phones and USB flashdrives.
- Power Management: One area of cost reduction is the use of power by clients.
- Centralized and Streamlining of Client Management: Having to work on individual clients is very time consuming and an issue with many small, medium and large IT shops. This takes away from being more proactive in maintaining the infrastructure. This also increases IT costs.
By utilizing Windows 7 and associated tools, many organizations can find that their ROI will increases.
Application Compatibility: Included in Windows 7 is Application Compatibility troubleshooting tools that can help with setting up some of the security and access features to allow an application to work. Windows 7 XP Mode also gives an organization the ability to temporarily have apps that work in Windows XP to also work in Windows 7.
Productivity Anywhere: Through the use of DirectAccess and BranchCache, Enterprise search individuals within the organization will have immediate access to their data no matter where it resides in the network.
Security in Mind: BitLocker and BitLocker-To-Go, AppLocker and User Account Control allow the IT organization to allow access to pre-approved applications and limit who has access to data.
Power Management: Advanced features within Windows 7 allow organization to create Power Plans that will help reduce power consumption. Potential savings can range from $35-$100 per PC (check out Energy Star site that talks about Power Management what this means). This can also be centrally managed through the use of Group Policies.
Centralized and Streamlining of Client Management: New and improved Group Policies and Group Policy Preferences will help with managing the clients. There are more than 1000 new Group Policies that were added with Windows Vista was introduced and this has continued with Windows 7. Microsoft has also introduced the next version of PowerShell (v2) that includes the ability to remote as well as adding new scripting and automation ability. This will definitely help improvement PC Managability.
When it comes down to it, organizations will eventually move to a new version of their client operating system. The question will be when and to which one. I hope this has helped a little as your organization is trying to make that decision.
Over the next couple of months, Donald Donais will be giving three different presentations on Windows 7. These sessions will deal with some of the main changes with Windows 7.
The first seminar on July 2nd will concentrate primarily on getting to know what is different about Windows 7. What makes this client operating system different than Windows XP? This seminar titled “Welcome to Windows 7” will touch base on:
- New user interface
- Aero
- System Improvements: Problem Step Recorder, Boot from VHD, and Windows 7 XP Mode
- Changes in Management Tools
- Control Panel
Security is something that many companies are concerned about. This concern ranges from locking down data that is found on and off a client to making sure only certain applications are allowed to run on the organizations infrastructure. This August 7th Seminar “Security in Mind – Windows 7” will talk about:
- User Account Control
- Enhanced Auditing
- Improved Network Security
- AppLocker
- BitLocker
Finally on September 10th “Moving Ahead with Windows Networking – Windows 7”, we will be showcasing improvements with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Both of these applications will be released at the same time and they include some great functionality you will only get by teaming them up.
- DirectAccess
- VPN Reconnect
- BranchCache
- DNS Security
All of these events are associated with New Horizons of MN and co-sponsored by Microsoft’s Springboard Technical Expert Program (STEP). STEP is an evangelist program that was created to help promote Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Because of this sponsorship by STEP, if there are 50 or more registrations for a Windows 7 seminar, you will be entered into a drawing for a one year subscription to TechNet Plus, valued at $349.99. All registrations for the TechNet Plus subscription giveaway are based on completed surveys for each event.
All of the Windows 7 seminars are available local or remote. To register for these events go to www.nhmn.com and type in Windows 7 and these events will be available. Click on the event desired and there will be a link to Register. Hope to see you there.
Over the last couple years that I have been an instructor I have noticed a big trend from Microsoft. They are opening the resources of the teams that create the Microsoft products in many different ways. Many of the team have blog sites that talk about what they are working on, new developments or even how to use the current version. Personally I have frequented the Exchange and InfoPath team blog sites for added value to my classes and personal knowledge as I work on those products.
Recently, Microsoft launched the Talking About Windows site. This site gives some very interesting information about Microsoft client application Windows 7. This site makes available the engineering team for Windows 7. This really gives the IT Professional a way to get into Microsoft’s head when it comes to Windows 7. I personally enjoyed Mark Russinovich and Jon Devaan videos. Again another great way to understand why Microsoft created Windows 7. Anything to get a leg up on Microsoft prior to a release, the better.
Happy testing!!
Microsoft’s Partner Readiness site just made the announcement that Windows 7 RC is now available for download from Microsoft. If you have a TechNet Plus or MSDN subscription, it now available. This probably means that the rumors of a May 5 or 11th release of RC are more and more likely now.
Some of the changes made between Beta and RC include:
- Minor tweaks to how the Jump Lists and Thumbnails work.
- Windows Explorer – changed the address bar so the Parent folder is always visible so it can be clicked on.
- Something minor, but a nuisance is the New Folder button wasn’t always available. So it was a guess where it would pop up. Now it is there all the time.
- Microsoft is working with more manufacturers to have more devices to be used with the Device Stage.
- The Safely Remove feature is not renamed aptly “Eject”. This is still available from the Notification area. This will work for media drives to eject a CD/DVD or your USB device.
- Reduction in Page File size as well as system partition size.
Microsoft’s Engineer Windows 7 team blog does a great job talking about all of the updates that happened in RC. http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/03/13/a-few-more-changes-from-beta-to-rc.aspx.
So get your engines ready and let’s see what we can do with this version of already great OS.
I recently did a presentation at TechFuse 2009 for New Horizons of MN this week and I talked about how somebody can utilize SharePoint 2007, InfoPath 2007 and SharePoint Designer 2007 to expose Metadata. I was really amazed by the interest level generated by this subject and decided that I would put out the information.
I had received comments on the sessions as to this was a different way of looking at Metadata within a SharePoint site. Getting metadata into SharePoint to be able to use for Search, Information Rights Management, Workflows can be done using SharePoint and Office 2007 products. Making it easy for a SharePoint user to add the information without having many extra steps is very important.
Let’s not change the process, but work within the process that already exists.
That is how I look at metadata and the architecture around this concept.
To look at this, we need to look at some SharePoint concepts:
Site Content Types
This SharePoint object allows the creation of a specific wrapper when I can include other SharePoint objects. Document types can be added into the Site Content Types. This document type is a template to be used within libraries. There is a particular style and layout for the document that is added into SharePoint as a template associated with a content type. Site columns and workflows can also be associated with the site content type. Use this to have consistency with documents, metadata and workflows across the enterprise.
SharePoint Content Type
Site Columns
Columns created at the site level allow consistency across the entire site. Columns can then be added across the site to have the consistency of metadata for each. As an best practice, always add the keyword site column to your document libraries. This one is already created with the installation of the site.
Document Information Panel (DIP)
This works specifically with Office 2007 products. This where the document properties can be defined in Word, Excel or PowerPoint. When coupled with SharePoint, server side properties or metadata becomes exposed in SharePoint. This DIP can be modified using InfoPath 2007 and metadata information can be automated.
Document Information Panel
Workflows
Workflows allow SharePoint to work within the processes that the organization has in place. This includes document management, approvals, and disposition. Advanced workflows through SharePoint Designer and Visual Studio 2008 allow more complicated workflows and document management to happen by utilizing specific pieces of metadata found within the list or library.
SharePoint Designer Workflow
Web Services
These allow developers and administrators to tap into information that is running in the background. These services are used to run SharePoint. In the currently version there are 16 different services that help with meetings, sites, users and groups and even web part pages. For metadata, a developer can tap into that information to help automate the process.
Individually these SharePoint ideas can be helpful in customizing, standardizing and automating a SharePoint environment. However, used in tandem they can be extremely helpful in using metadata to find information on SharePoint.
In the next part, we are going to start looking at Site Content Types and how Site Columns and Workflows can be added to help make a customized template for the site.
