Results tagged “Microsoft” from ScottandMargo.net

I spent yesterday morning at the local Microsoft Technology Center today. F5 was using some of the meeting space there to host a discussion about PKI enabling applications using the Common Access Card. Specifically, they were looking for information on what challenges we were having as customers so they can work on figuring out how to get a more complete solution than they're currently offering. I think the discussion was helpful all around.

On the way to the conference room, I passed an Xbox kiosk that was playing Red vs Blue videos, which was actually what prompted this post. I just thought it was fantastic that someone decided to put up something funny and cool into a kiosk instead of just the expected demo versions of a couple of games.

Too bad I didn't bring my camera.

Technorati Tags: Collaboration, F5, Games, Machinima, Microsoft, Technology

This one's as much for me for future reference as anything else. I was having a hard time finding anything on Google that worked and wasn't overly complicated. Maybe I'll save someone else some time while I'm at it.

Situation: A development/test Windows 2003 server that's in a virtual machine on a VMWare ESX 3 server (I'm also using Virtual Center, but this should all hold for situations without Virtual Center and with ESX 2.x servers at least). It's been offline for a while, and is not a member of a domain in my case. Nobody seems to be able to find what the local admin account password was. Wiping and rebuilding it is an option of course, but I didn't really want to do that.

By default for Windows 2003 virtual machines, VMWare has it using the LSI logic virtual SCSI adapter rather than the Buslogic adapter. Your typical Windows account password reset program like the one found in the Emergency Boot CD (EBCD) doesn't have a driver for LSI SCSI adapters, so it won't see your virtual machine's disk.

If you shut the virtual machine down, you can reconfigure the virtual SCSI adapter as a Buslogic adapter. I don't know about how standalone ESX servers handle this change, but Virtual Center will ask a couple of times to be sure before it actually makes the change. If your Windows install was done on LSI and you switch to Buslogic, Windows will not boot..it'll bluescreen not long after the OS logo screen pops. But we're not booting into Windows now...we're going to boot up onto the password resetting tool of your choice. I know that EBCD has a driver for Buslogic adapters already so it'll boot up and see your Windows partition and do the password reset with no problems.

Instead of rebooting after the password reset, shut the virtual machine off and reset your SCSI adapter back to LSI. You'll get the same warnings about OS's having problems when you change the adapter type but it'll still do it. Then power your virtual machine back on.

It'll come back up like before, but with a known password this time. Maybe next time you'll remember to write down admin passwords even for quickie one-off test boxes that you might need later. I know I'm going to try. :D

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, VMWare, Security, Technology

I've been keeping an eye out on the buzz about Microsoft's iPod-killer...the Zune. I wasn't expecting a lot. A portable audio/video player is an portable audio/video player these days so there's not much to compete on for features anymore. What's left to do with one, anymore? On Thursday, Microsoft dumped out a lot more details on the Zune so I'm

With the Zune preview pictures that have been coming out, I was impressed by the screen size. I'm using a Nano now (not the new one), so the music I carry with me is pretty manageable, but I think that if I had a big iPod and was carrying my whole library around, it'd get a little tough to navigate in that little iPod screen. I have no interest in watching movies on the current iPod screen. I've written before on what I'm wishing for from Apple (besides the long rumored iPhone): The full touchscreen video iPod. I could see myself watching a movie on one of those while on the treadmill or something as long as I can use my own DVDs. The Zune's screen, while not ideal, comes closer to being video-friendly than the iPod does.

What other innovation can there be with a device like this? In spite of both company's reputations, Microsoft beat Apple to the next level for mobile audio/video devices.

Sharing.

The Zune has Wi-Fi and you can wirelessly beam songs from one Zune to another. Isn't sharing of music like that kinda illegal? Probably. Microsoft has an innovative solution to that issue too. Any music that you receive stops working in 3 days and you can't share it with anyone else...and if you like the song, you can flag it to buy it from the Zune Marketplace (through URGE?).

That's a smart solution to a difficult question of how to legally share your music with friends. I'm impressed, Microsoft. Great idea.

Is it enough for me to buy one? Not yet. The featureset is impressive and the UI is beautiful but I'm not in the market for a $300 device that holds all of my music...the nano is just fine for now, thanks. Since the Zune is a Microsoft product, I'd expect that it's Windows-only which is a showstopper for me since the only computer in the house here is a Powerbook. It's definitely something interesting to keep an eye on, and I'm especially interested to see what Apple does in response.

Microsoft's Zune Delivers Connected Music and Entertainment Experience
Microsoft Unveils Zune MP3 Player

Technorati Tags: Gadgets, iPod, Microsoft, Technology

Via Scoble: Wait, that was MY bug? Ouch!

Microsoft's Larry Osterman steps up and claims responsibility for the code that botched the demo I posted on Saturday.

Here's something new and interesting from Microsoft. Someone stepping up and saying that the demo got messed up because of code that they are responsible for. I think it's probably a natural extension of Microsoft's recent blogging strategy which is to put a more human face on the company.

While Microsoft tends to act like a giant faceless machine a lot of the time, most of its employees are just regular people, and it's good to remember that sometimes.

Technorati Tags: Blogging, Technology

Windows Vista speech recognition failed in demo I agree with the Slashdot post that this could be the new “All your base.” Or maybe, more appropriately, the new “egg freckles.” Stuff happens. Especially in live demos. It happens to everyone, but it's still fun to poke fun at Microsoft when it happens to them. I'm surprised that it had problems though...it was on their home turf. I would think that they would have been able to keep the conditions consistent between testing and the live demo.

Technorati Tags: Gadgets, Marketing, Microsoft, Technology

I've been playing around with the Microsoft Office 2007 Beta that was released last week and I really like most of what I've seen.

I don't use most of Office at work so I don't really wide range of experience yet. I'm looking forward to playing with Groove with the actual server for once. Also, I'm looking forward to seeing SharePoint 2007...especially the SharePoint Designer 2007 as it seems to be a little bit of a nod to Lotus Notes and its Domino Designer client.

I appreciate the new Notebooks structure in OneNote 2007. I don't have a tablet so I'm not using OneNote to its fullest but I'm getting a lot of use out of it typing out notes, ToDo lists, etc.

I did find one gotcha with Outlook 2007 so far. Outlook 2007 does not work with an Exchange 5.5 server. Actually, when I try to connect to my Exchange 5.5 server, Outlook 2007 doesn't even let me run in offline mode...it just errors out and quits.

That sucks. I know Exchange 5.5 is old and is unsupported. That doesn't change the fact that my legacy mail server is running Exchange 5.5 and it's not going to be upgraded. I also can't connect that client to my production Exchange server...so I'm kinda high and dry for Outlook 2007. Too bad, looks like it has a lot to offer.

Technorati Tags: Domino, Marketing, Technology