Microsoft – Windows 7 Service PACK 1 – AVAIALABLE!

Well…. Microsoft released Service Pack 1 today…  For those that have  been keeping up to date and using the automatic update feature of Windows 7 – there should be very little to update.  The good thing about this is that if you use the Automatic update, the Service pack will only update the items that you have not installed over the last year.

Similar to other Service Packs – there are very few items that are new, no real new features but a few bug fixes.  The nice thing about this for those that install WIN7 often,  or like to do clean installs – this will make the hundreds of updates a lot quicker.

You can just go to Windows update and tell it to update or you can go to the Windows update web page to download it yourself.

Windows 7 SP1 now available for everyone – Microsoft BLOG

HOW TO – Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Arrives – Supersite for Windows

Related Articles

• Okay folks, prep your back-up. Windows 7 Service Pack 1 now available for all. (winextra.com)
• “Preparing for Windows 7 Service Pack 1” and related posts (windowsobserver.com)
• You: Microsoft: Windows 7 service pack available (washingtonpost.com)

Tablets / Touch – PALM O/S or WEBOS & HP – Coming to stores soon!

And the race begins….  It has taken over a year and really there are no REAL competition to the iPAD yet! 

BUT THEY ARE COMING and not one’s using Windows either which is sad!

The first to market looks like it will be the PLAYBOOK from RIM, this units looks great and in the Enterprise space will do amazing things, some verticals are already planning on moving forward with this product with APS being available or being worked on.  HP yesterday announced their product based on PALM O/S or WEBOS that they purchased last year.  HP is going full stop with this O/S and you will see tablets, phones and possibly Notebooks and PC running it.  If this OS is to be saved, HP is the company that has the money and sure weight to do it.

 arc technica – had a piece on the HP product yesterday and there has been everyone else putting information out today!

Related Articles

• HP unveils new webOS smartphones (gizmag.com)
• HP TouchPad and Pre: New Products, Not New Ideas (pcworld.com)
• HP launches first run at the tablet market (macworld.com)

Windows – 7 – Should you – Shouldn’t you – WHY?

Came across a great article today that goes through 7 reasons you should be moving to Windows 7 sooner than later!

Summary: Evolution vs. Revolution

At the end of the day, what makes Windows 7 compelling isn’t any significant feature. In fact, it is the lack of major features that makes Windows 7 so important. Like XP, its spiritual predecessor, Windows 7 tweaks a working formula.Vista introduced the new kernel, the new interface, UAC and other features. Introducing change is painful. Windows 7 takes what works and makes it better. Windows 7 is the long term, strategic desktop decision because it is a polished system that introduces small, incremental updates and relies on established features to drive its overarching value. If Vista was revolutionary, think of Windows 7 as evolutionary.

 

The REASONS:

1. Inevitability
2. Performance
3. Security
4. Solid State Drives
5. XP Mode
6. Branch Cache
7. Direct Access

Read the details for each @

7 Reasons to Migrate to Windows 7

Windows 7 – Personalize Your System – USING THEME’S

Most people like to make their computers fit with who they are, they want to personalize to make it more enjoyable to work on them. 

Windows 7 allows you to do more then XP ever did….  Theme packs are for sure one way to really make your computer yours…

I have found several sources that go through the process….

Tips for creating great Windows 7 themes, part 1 – Microsoft BLOG

Create a theme – Microsoft Windows BLOG

Windows 7 Tip of the Week: Personalize Your Desktop with Wallpaper and Aero Themes – Supersite for Windows

Theme File Format – MSDN Library

 Take a look, all of these are good to get you started making your computer special.

Windows 7 Deployment – An Insider’s Guide – Webinar

For many thinking of moving to Windows 7 can be a huge task, you have been using XP for what seems like forever.  You know all there is to know about Windows XP.  You had a reason to delay when VISTA arrived, but today you may not have a choice in moving to Windows 7.

Why not take an hour out of your busy schedule and attend the webinar from Microsoft, learn about moving to Windows 7 – the tools and issues etc…

Need to build your Windows 7 deployment knowledge?  Looking to for some deployment tips and tricks that can help save you time (and headaches)?  Join Steve Campbell, Microsoft Services, Deployment Architect and myself at 9am (PST) on February 2 for a webinar: “Windows 7 Deployment – An Insider’s Guide.”   

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE and details about the Webinar

Virtualization – VirtualBox – FREE – Learn about Virtualization & Start using it!

As many Districts are moving to Virtualization, many more are thinking about. 

This by any means is not a simple process, it requires an enormous amount of  planning and time.  All of which we all know, no one has!  But if you don’t spend that time and do that planning up front, you’re in for a very difficult ride.  Things can go REALLY BAD – REALLY QUICKLY!

My thought has always been start small with servers that are not critical – take your time and do lots of research.

This is where VirtualBox can come into play – This is open source product that has matured to a point where someone who is not fully up on virtualization can get it up and running with ease.  This is a full featured product with lots of information on the WEB and full manual to help you get up and running.

 Lifehacker asked the question – What is your favorite Virtual Machine – with 22,393 votes – VirtualBox got 50% of the vote!  Take a look at the top 5 packages…

FINDOUT more @ VIRTUALBOX

Migrate to WIN7 OR Not! – MED-V Might get you moving forward!

Microsoft really wants you to move to Windows 7 – Yes they sell more licenses, but it is also very expensive to support multiple O/S.  To that end they are trying to make the switch as painless as possible, but the bottom line in most educational districts – they are working with older software that just doesn’t work on WIN7.

MED-V looks like it might just solve that issue and doing it cleanly at least for the user, possibly not for the IT person setting up?  Since I have not done this setup I cannot answer that question.  Certainly require more research if it does what they are saying!

MED-V is a bridge to help you create a longer term plan for your more complex applications that may not be compatible with Windows 7 and are too costly to migrate at this exact moment.  MED-V can accelerate your migration to Windows 7 by removing legacy application barriers.  It delivers a seamless user experience, consolidates legacy desktop hardware and allows users to access the legacy applications from a single desktop experience. It also enables the business to move all desktops to a better performing, more secure operating system, Windows 7.  READ FULL POST

Touching Windows 7: The Facts (via McAkins Online)

I have heard similar things from various people and I have not been able to say anything different as I have not seen WIN7 on a tablet. Strong opinioned article, but the two links really get to the core of the issue and do show that WIN7 works on tablets and does it well.

For all of you complaining that Windows 7 is not fit for Touch, you need to be informed before coming to this conclusion. Most of you have not used Windows 7 with a Touch-enabled device, I think the misconception arise from this lack of reference. The windows you see when you are using your desktop with mouse and keyboard is not the same windows you will see when Windows 7 is installed on a Touch-enabled device. Windows 7 literarily lets the beas … Read More

via McAkins Online

Tablets are COMING – look out!

Rumours have been going wild from everyone about what product is going to go up against Apple and the iPad.  They are starting to arrive and I bet there will be many more for the Christmas session.  It’s going to get very confusing very quickly – Android 2.2 or 3.0 in the new year – Palm O/S – WIN7  and RIM with QNX.  You are going to see lots of options with Android as any manufacture can use this.  Palm O/S you will only see HP most likely, but HP will have and does have a WIN7 versions.  Others will also be using WIN7 and QNX will be only on RIM offering.

One of the key features most if not all of these products will be a USB Ports and Flash support.   Memory I believe will be key and one of the limiting factors with the iPad, what are people doing with these – reading and listening to books – Picture slide shows – what do these things use a lot of – MEMORY. 

Samsung Galaxy Tab – Android 2.2 7″

RIM – BlackPad – QNX  – 7″ – Might be announced next week

Viewsonic ViewPad 100 – 10″ WIN7 Atom N455

Just to mention a few, this market will be changing and I see too many options – key to success is the backend, the applications and ease of use.