Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for May 2012

We will offer two ways to acquire Windows Media Center:

Windows 8 Pro is designed to help tech enthusiasts obtain a broader set of Windows 8 technologies. Acquiring either the Windows 8 Media Center Pack or the Windows 8 Pro Pack gives you Media Center, including DVD playback (in Media Center, not in Media Player), broadcast TV recording and playback (DBV-T/S, ISDB-S/T, DMBH, and ATSC), and VOB file playback. Pricing for these Packs, as well as retail versions of Windows 8, will be announced closer to the release date. To give you some indication of Media Center Pack pricing, it will be in line with marginal costs.

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Making Windows Media Center available in Windows 8

Bing Desktop provides an automatic update of the Windows Desktop Background image to the Bing home page image each day. In addition, Bing Desktop offers an easily accessible yet unobstrusive search box to streamline searching without opening the browser.

Note: By clicking Download you agree to the Microsoft Service Agreement and Privacy Statement . You’ll get future updates to Bing Desktop and other Microsoft products from Microsoft Update. This software may also download and install some updates automatically.

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Download DaRT 8 Beta 1 Package

The scripts require PowerShell 2.0 and the Microsoft Online PowerShell modules. Windows PowerShell 2.0 can be downloaded from the Script Center Downloads page. The Office 365 modules can be downloaded from Office 365 Cmdlets

Download Office 365 Helper Scripts - Microsoft Download Center - Download Details

In order to help web designers and web developers test their websites in older versions of Internet Explorer, we’ve provided the following VHD with Windows set up with the specified version of Internet Explorer. The images are patched with the latest security updates and are otherwise clean installs of the operating system with very few modifications.
This download page contains different VPC images, depending on what you want to test. These images are specifically designed to run on Microsoft Virtual PC, and may or may not work in other hosting environments.
Due to the size of the Windows 7 and Windows Vista VHDs, it is split across several files, you’ll need to download all files for that version of the Internet Explorer and uncompress them to the same directory to unpack the VHD file.
The password to login to all of these images is Password1 and the username will be present when you first login.
*Note: You may be required to activate the OS as the product key has been deactivated. This is the expected behavior. The VHDs will not pass genuine validation. Immediately after you start the Windows 7 or Windows Vista images they will request to be activated. You can cancel the request and it will login to the desktop. You can activate up to two “rearms” (type slmgr –rearm at the command prompt) which will extend the trial for another 30 days each time OR simply shutdown the VPC image and discard the changes you’ve made from undo disks to reset the image back to its initial state. By doing either of these methods, you can technically have a base image which never expires although you will never be able to permanently save any changes on these images for longer than 90 days.
Windows XP Image
• Filename: Windows_XP_IE6.exe
• Contains: Windows XP SP3 with IE6 VHD file and was fully patched to April 2012. This image also contains the install files for IE7 and IE8. If you want to have separate base XP images for IE7 and IE8, you can copy the VHD, rename it, and install the other desired version of IE.
• Expires: This image will shutdown and become completely unusable on July 26, 2012.

Windows Vista Image

• Contains: Windows Vista SP2 with IE7 VHD file and was patched through March 2011. The install files for IE8 and IE9 are also available for install on the image.
• Filenames: Windows_Vista_IE7.part01.exe, Windows_Vista_IE7.part02.rar, Windows_Vista_IE7.part03.rar, Windows_Vista_IE7.part04.rar, Windows_Vista_IE7.part05.rar, Windows_Vista_IE7.part06.rar, Windows_Vista_IE7.part07.rar
• Expires: See *Note above

Windows 7 IE8 Image

• Contains: Windows 7 SP1 with IE8 VHD file and was patched through March 2011. The install files for IE9 are also available for install on the image.
• Filenames: Windows_7_IE8.part01.exe, Windows_7_IE8.part02.rar, Windows_7_IE8.part03.rar, Windows_7_IE8.part04.rar
• Expires: See *Note above

Windows 7 IE9 + Tools Image

• Contains: Windows 7 SP1 with IE9 VHD file and was patched through March 2011. This image also has the ACT Toolkit 5.6, IECTT, and Expression Super Preview software installed.
• Filenames: Windows_7_IE9.part01.exe, Windows_7_IE9.part02.rar, Windows_7_IE9.part03.rar, Windows_7_IE9.part04.rar, Windows_7_IE9.part05.rar, Windows_7_IE9.part06.rar, Windows_7_IE9.part07.rar
• Expires: See *Note above

Download IE App Compat VHD - Microsoft Download Center - Download Details

Learn about new features and functionality in the April 2012 pre-release of Windows Intune including updated administration consoles, mobile device management, enhanced group management, and others.

• Greater Control with a New Sign-in Service
• Updated and New Administration Consoles

• Mobile Device Management:

• The Windows Intune Company Portal: A New Self-Service Portal for Your End-Users
• Enhanced Group Management
• Integration with Microsoft Active Directory Domain Services
• Recommended Policy Settings

• Mobile Security Policy:

• Bandwidth Optimization

• Improved Alert Customization:
  

• New Updates Views for Update Compliance:

• Automatic Windows Intune Client Software Removal

Start download of the PDF with all the new features explained.

Also: Windows Intune Getting Started Guide

Release Notes

Deploy Windows 7, Office 2010 and 365, and Windows Server 2008 R2 with the newly released Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012. MDT is the recommended process and toolset for automating desktop and server deployment. MDT provides you with the following benefits:

• Unified tools and processes, including a set of guidance, for deploying desktops and servers in a common deployment console.
• Reduced deployment time and standardized desktop and server images, along with improved security and ongoing configuration management.

Some of the key changes in MDT 2012 are:

• Comprehensive tools and guidance to efficiently manage large-scale deployments of Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 365.
• An enhanced user-Driven Installation (UDI) deployment method that utilizes System Center Configuration Manager 2012. UDI lets end users initiate and customize an OS deployment on their PCs—via an easy-to-use wizard.
• Ease Lite Touch installation through integration with Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT).
• This release provides support for deploying Windows 8 Consumer Preview in a lab environment.

Choosing the Right Version
MDT is available for x86 and x64 platforms. Select the version that corresponds with your host hardware type. Both versions of MDT 2012 support deployment of x86 and x64 Windows operating systems.
The New in MDT 2012 guide and Release Notes are available as separate downloads on this page for those who want to quickly evaluate MDT 2012. The full package of guidance is available in .chm format as part of the toolkit. For those who want it in Word format, a separate download is available in the Files in this Download list.
Send questions or feedback about MDT 2012 directly to us via www.Connect.microsoft.com.

Download Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012 - Microsoft Download Center - Download Details

This Microsoft-Citrix virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) technical whitepaper describes the results of a study conducted at the Microsoft Enterprise Engineering Center (EEC) to evaluate the scalability of the Citrix XenDesktop 5.6 and Provisioning Services 6.1 (PVS) environment on Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers running Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) with the Microsoft Hyper-V role connected to a NetApp storage array.

Download Microsoft-Citrix Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

Full integration in Windows and Mac

Buy extra storage, cheap!

Access local PC storage from the web!

https://apps.live.com/skydrive

SkyDrive for Windows

SkyDrive for Mac

Add files to your SkyDrive and organize them right from the Finder.

Data Quality Services Performance Best Practices Guide

This guide focuses on a set of best practices for optimizing performance of Data Quality Services (DQS).

Microsoft JDBC Driver 4.0 for SQL Server

Download the Microsoft JDBC Driver 4.0 for SQL Server, a Type 4 JDBC driver that provides database connectivity through the standard JDBC application program interfaces (APIs) available in Java Platform, Enterprise Edition 5 and 6.

Test Lab Guide: Configure SharePoint Server 2010 as a Single Server with Microsoft SQL Server

Learn how to configure a single-server SharePoint Server 2010 test lab.

Microsoft® SQL Server® StreamInsight 2.0

Microsoft StreamInsight is Microsoft’s Complex Event Processing technology to help businesses create event-driven applications and derive better insights by correlating event streams from multiple sources with near-zero latency.

Microsoft ®SQL Server® 2012 FileStream Driver - Windows Logo Certification

Catalog file for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 FileStream Driver that is certified for Windows Server 2008 R2. It meets Microsoft standards for compatibility and recommended practices with the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems.

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Semantic Language Statistics

The Semantic Language Statistics Database is a required component for the Statistical Semantic Search feature in Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Semantic Language Statistics.

Microsoft® SQL Server® ODBC Driver 1.0 for Linux

The Microsoft SQL Server ODBC Driver for Linux provides native connectivity from Linux to Microsoft SQL Server.

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Privacy Statement and End User License Agreements

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Privacy Statement and End User License Agreements provide the legal terms and conditions for using the Microsoft SQL Server 2012 software.

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft® SharePoint® Technologies 2010

The SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 technologies allows you to integrate your reporting environment with the collaborative SharePoint 2010 experience.

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Report Builder

Report Builder provides a productive report-authoring environment for IT professionals and power users. It supports the full capabilities of SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services.

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 PowerPivot® for Microsoft® Excel® 2010

Microsoft PowerPivot for Microsoft Excel 2010 provides ground-breaking technology; fast manipulation of large data sets, streamlined integration of data, and the ability to effortlessly share your analysis through Microsoft SharePoint.

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Performance Dashboard Reports

The SQL Server 2012 Performance Dashboard Reports are Reporting Services report files designed to be used with the Custom Reports feature of SQL Server Management Studio.

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Master Data Services Add-in For Microsoft® Excel®

The Master Data Services Add-in for Excel gives multiple users the ability to update master data in a familiar tool without compromising the data’s integrity in Master Data Services.

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Feature Pack

The Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Feature Pack is a collection of stand-alone packages which provide additional value for Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012.

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Express

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Express is a powerful and reliable free data management system that delivers a rich and reliable data store for lightweight Web Sites and desktop applications.

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Data Mining Add-ins for Microsoft® Office® 2010

Download SQL Server 2012 Data Mining Add-ins for Office 2010. This package includes two add-ins for Microsoft Office Excel 2010 (Table Analysis Tools and Data Mining Client) and one add-in for Microsoft Office Visio 2010 (Data Mining Templates).

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 enables a cloud-ready information platform that will help organizations unlock breakthrough insights across the organization.

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 enables a cloud-ready information platform that will help organizations unlock breakthrough insights across the organization as well as quickly build solutions and extend data across on-premises and public cloud backed by capabilities for mission critical confidence.
SQL Server 2012 enables a cloud-ready information platform that will help organizations unlock breakthrough insights across the organization as well as quickly build solutions and extend data across on-premises and public cloud backed by capabilities for mission critical confidence:

• Deliver required uptime and data protection with AlwaysOn
• Gain breakthrough & predictable performance with ColumnStore Index
• Help enable security and compliance with new User-defined Roles and Default Schema for Groups
• Enable rapid data discovery for deeper insights across the organization with ColumnStore Index
• Ensure more credible, consistent data with SSIS improvements, a Master Data Services add-in for Excel, and new Data Quality Services
• Optimize IT and developer productivity across server and cloud with Data-tier Application Component (DAC) parity with SQL Azure and SQL Server Data Tools for a unified dev experience across database, BI, and cloud functions

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Documentation:

• What’s new in Microsoft SQL Server 2012
• Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Privacy Statement
• Microsoft SQL Server 2012 License Terms
• Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Systems Requirements
• Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Release Notes
• Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Readme

Note:

1. This fully functional trial software will automatically expire after six months. You can obtain the fully licensed version at any time. For information about the different editions of Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012, see the see the Editions page.
2. Some components in this release have certain Internet-enabled features, including the Customer Experience Improvement Program and Error and Usage Reporting component, enabled by default to help us identify and address issues that you may encounter while using SQL Server. For more information and instructions on how to disable these features, see the Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Privacy Statement.
3. Some components in this software have two different methods to complete the installation process:
   • Attended Installation – an interactive user interface will guide you through the set-up process and obtain all of the information and consent required to complete the installation. This includes displaying, acknowledgement, and archiving of the applicable SQL Server license terms.
   • Unattended Installation – this is a command line set-up process that does not have an interactive user interface to guide you through the set-up process. In this case, you will be required to enter a parameter during installation that indicates your acceptance of the license terms.

System requirements

Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2, Windows Vista Service Pack 2

• 32-bit systems
  • Computer with Intel or compatible 1GHz or faster processor (2 GHz or faster is recommended.)
• 64-bit systems
  • 1.4 GHz or faster processor
• Minimum of 1 GB of RAM (2 GB or more is recommended.)
• 2.2 GB of available hard disk space

You may also review the detailed Systems Requirements for more information.Instructions

There are two methods available to download and trial Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Evaluation as a DVD image and as self-extracting CAB file.
SQL Server 2012 Evaluation DVD Image: This image file contains X86 and X64 installable versions. You can use this image to burn your own DVD.

1. Click the download button for the .ISO file in the DOWNLOAD section on this page above
2. Using your DVD-burning software, select the options to burn a DVD from an .ISO image. When you are prompted for a file to use, select the image file that you downloaded. After burning the DVD, locate and double-click Setup.exe on the DVD to begin the installation.

SQL Server 2012 Evaluation CAB file

1. Download the following files to a temporary directory on your device:
   • SQLFULL_architecture_language_Lang.box
   • SQLFULL_architecture_language_Install.exe
   • SQLFULL_architecture_language_Core.box
2. Once the download(s) are complete, double click on the SQLFULL_architecture_language_Install.exe to begin the setup process.

Additional information

If you have questions about SQL Server 2012, please visit the SQL Server 2012 forums on MSDN. Your feedback is important. Help improve SQL Server 2012 by submitting bugs to Microsoft Connect.

• Customize devices from an easy-to-learn Windows 8 interface.
• Create new shortcuts that make tedious tasks a breeze.

Download: 32-bit version | 64-bit version

Device Center helps you personalize and customize how you work on your PC

• Tailor your mouse and keyboard to meet your unique needs and work style.
• Modify your mouse and keyboard settings to make it easier to use the unique features of most PC apps.

Effortlessly transition to Device Center from existing device management apps

• Launch the app from the Windows 8 Start screen.
• View and change basic and application-specific settings for all connected devices in one place.
• Explore features with pop-up descriptive and “how-to” InfoTips.
• Includes access to an online How-To/Troubleshooting library.
• Includes access to an online Healthy Computing Guide for tips on how to work more comfortably on your computer.

Tell us what you think!

We are interested in your experiences with Microsoft Device Center and your Microsoft device!

• Send your comments and questions to devicecenter@microsoft.com.

Many organizations today rely on some degree of virtualization. Whether it is a few virtual machines running on a single physical computer or a whole server farm across multiple root servers, virtualization optimizes investment in hardware and network infrastructure by:

• Increasing the utilization of underused hardware.
• Improving server availability.
• Reducing IT costs.

The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance and best practices for deploying Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 in a virtualized environment with Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper V technology. This paper has been carefully composed to be relevant to organizations of any size.

Start download

Fault-tolerant updating for failover clusters
Cluster-aware updating

• New cluster updating technology in Windows Server “8”
• Two modes: remote updating and self-updating (new in Beta)

“Self-updating cluster”:

• Updates cluster on a user-defined schedule
• Runs on the cluster, but resilient to unplanned and planned downtime

Key administrator benefits

• Scheduled, automatic installation of updates
• Simplified management of cluster-in-a-box deployments (e.g. branch office)

For protecting data on untrusted networks, end to end encryption of SMB data “in flight”. The date is protected from eavesdropping/snooping attacks on untrusted networks.

Deployment of SMB encryption is easy at zero costs, these is no need for IPSec, specialized hardware, or WAN accelerators. The setting is available through the server manager File & Storage Services role and through Powershell

It can be configured per share or for the entire server.

Scenarios where this is useful:

• Branch Offices over WAN networks
• Application workload over unsecured networks

Management Experience:

• Support for Win7 Guest OS in VM collections
• Highly available infrastructure
• Certificate management and other UI simplification
• RD Web Access support for third-party browsers and password change

User Experience

• DX11 support added to RemoteFX VGPU
• RemoteFX Media Remoting support for all video types (besides flash: Silverlight, HTML5, QuickTime.
• RemoteFX for WAN performance improvements. I have seen a demo on a simulated transcontinental WAN (<1.5 Mbps, ~250 ms round trip time latency) It showed smooth page live scrolling and Full screen PDF scrolling a CAD application moving live 3D rendered objects, and a youtube Video playing smooth compared to Windows 7 end point.

Below are Remote Desktop Services test lab guides:

Test Lab Guide-Deploying RD Licensing

Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server “8″ Beta

Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate Remote Desktop Services Desktop Virtualization in Windows Server “8″ Beta

The Outlook Configuration Analyzer Tool provides a detailed report of your current Outlook profile. This report includes many parameters about your profile, and it highlights any known problems that are found in your profile. For any problems that are listed in the report, you are provided a link to a Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article that describes a possible fix for the problem. If you are a Help Desk professional, you can also export the report to a file. Then, the report can be viewed in the Outlook Configuration Analyzer Tool on another client computer where the tool is installed.

It’s a window… not a flag

Microsoft and Windows are all about putting technology in people’s hands to empower them to find their own perspectives. And that is what the new logo was meant to be. We did less of a re-design and more to return it to its original meaning and bringing Windows back to its roots – reimagining the Windows logo as just that – a window.

Let’s look back at a few of the versions along the way.

Full Story At Source

The Kinect for Windows SDK includes the following:

• Drivers for using Kinect sensor devices on a computer running Windows 7 or Windows 8 developer preview (desktop apps only)
• Application programming interfaces (APIs) and device interfaces, along with technical documentation
• Source code samples

Download At Source