The primary focus of Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is improved security. In addition, the service pack includes roll-ups of all reported customer issues found after the release of the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1. Of particular note, SP1 provides better support for consuming WSDL documents, Data Execution prevention and protection from security issues such as buffer overruns.
SP1 also provides support for Windows XP Service Pack 2 to provide a safer, more reliable experience for customers using Windows XP.
Download
here
The Windows Server 2003 version can be downloaded
here
And if you are still using version 1.0 of the .NET framework, go
here for SP3
Want to get a better understanding of how to architect, deploy, administer, and operate MOM 2005? Download the MOM 2005 Technical Walkthroughs, a 300-level self-paced course designed to help you get ramped on using MOM 2005 and MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition today.
Download
here
Thank you for your interest in the Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 Migration Toolkit (VSMT) Beta. A free, downloadable tool for Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, VSMT automates the migration of an operating system and installed applications from a physical server to a server running within a virtual machine that is provided and managed by Virtual Server 2005. With Virtual Server 2005, you can set up multiple virtual machines running different operating systems and applications on the same physical computer.
Go to the BetaPlace Web site
Sign in using a Microsoft .NET Passport account
After you sign in, In the Guest ID box, type vsmt_beta, and then click OK
Fill in the Survey to get access to the Beta program
Microsoft on Wednesday announced the release to manufacturing of Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005 and MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition, a new edition that the company previously called MOM 2005 Express. Microsoft executives say the product will be generally available in about six weeks.
MOM is designed to improve IT efficiency by providing operations management of Microsoft infrastructure products. MOM 2005 is the second Microsoft version of a technology the company bought from NetIQ. Extended Management Packs (XMPs) from NetIQ are available to extend the MOM infrastructure to allow management of non-Microsoft infrastructure products. NetIQ on Wednesday also announced that a new series of its XMPs will be available for MOM 2005 in September.
(more)
Microsoft is cutting back its Longhorn client's planned feature set so as to be able to make its current delivery targets: Beta 1 by next year and final release some time in 2006.
Microsoft officially confirmed what had been leaked by developer sources late on Friday: changes to its future roadmap for the desktop version of Longhorn. And while developers and customers who expected they'd be required to rewrite their applications to take advantage of Longhorn may be happy with Microsoft's roadmap changes, others who were banking on promised Longhorn features, such as the next-generation Windows File System, will be far less so.
(more)
Earlier this summer we emerged from shipping Windows XP Service Pack 2 and reviewed our "Longhorn" plans and all the feedback we've gotten since PDC. There was a lot of feedback to go through. The core feedback that came up time and again was "get the 'Longhorn' advances into the hands of customers sooner rather than later" and "make WinFX available on previous versions of Windows."
There are three core things that stand out for me in our plans:
We are focusing on delivering "Longhorn" in 2006 and making appropriate tradeoffs, including reducing interdependencies in the OS to make this schedule.
We plan to make the "Avalon" and "Indigo" pillars of WinFX available for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
In order to deliver the "Longhorn" innovations to customers as quickly as possible, we now intend to deliver WinFS after the initial availability of the "Longhorn" client. We continue to be committed to WinFS. It is expected to beta when the "Longhorn" client is broadly available. (more)
It's not yet time for Beta 2, but the "Visual Studio 2005 Beta 1 Refresh with the Team System" will include the beta bits for Microsoft's Team Foundation Server. Microsoft will begin rolling out to testers next week an interim beta of its Visual Studio 2005 release, which will include for the first time the bits for its Team Foundation Server product.
Microsoft in late June rolled out the first beta of Visual Studio 2005, code-named Whidbey. The first beta also included the bits for the Team Architect piece of the new Visual Studio Team System, code-named Burton, that Microsoft is set to roll out alongside its regular development-tool suite.
Microsoft has said it plans to make Beta 2 of Visual Studio 2005 available this fall. The final release is due out by mid-2005.
(more)
REDMOND, Wash. -- Aug. 27, 2004 -- Microsoft Corp. today announced it will target broad availability of the Windows® client operating system code-named "Longhorn" in 2006, and make key elements of the Windows WinFXTM developer platform in "Longhorn" available for Windows XP and Windows ServerTM 2003.
"Longhorn" will deliver major improvements in user productivity, important new capabilities for software developers, and significant advancements in security, deployment and reliability.
Press release at Microsoft
At Microsoft they have put a new simplified (blue-ish) design of their corporate website's frontpage online. A big part is focussed on Windows XP SP2. To start browsing several popular categories are listed on the frontpage:
Popular Downloads
Popular Searches
Support
Popular Destinations
Visit microsoft.com
Windows XP Service Pack 2 promises to raise the security bar for the sometimes beleaguered operating system. Unfortunately, one of the new features could be spoofed so that it reports misleading information about system security, or worse, lets a malicious program watch for an opportunity to do damage without being detected.
The feature is the Windows Security Center, which displays the status of the key elements of your defenses: Firewall, Updates, and Antivirus. If your firewall has been disabled, or your antivirus is out of date, that news will display here. The information is stored in an internal database managed by the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) subsystem built into Windows.
Based on an anonymous tip, we looked into the WMI and the Windows Security Center's use of it, and found that it may not only be a security hole, but a crater. Due to the nature of WMI, it could potentially allow attackers to spoof the state of security on a user's system while accessing data, infecting the system, or turning the PC into a zombie for spam or other purposes.
View: Full Story
Source: PC Magazine via MSFN (more)
To comply with current Internet standards, Internet Explorer limits the number of simultaneous downloads to two downloads, plus one queued download. This configuration is a function of the browser. However, as connection speeds increase, and the number of total connections that are allowed to Internet servers increase, the two-connection limit may be restrictive.
Please Note: Changing the maximum number of connections beyond two is a violation of Internet standards; use at your own risk!
To increase the number of simultaneous connections that are allowed, follow these steps:
1. Start the Registry Editor
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Internet Settings
3. Select New > DWORD Value from the Edit menu
4. Name the new value MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server
5. Right-click the MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server value and choose Modify
6. Under Base, click the radio button next to Decimal
7. In the Value Data: box enter the number of simultaneous connections you want to set (for example 10 is a good value), and 8. click OK
9. Repeat steps 3 - 7 using the new value MaxConnectionsPerServer
10. Exit the registry editor
Source: Nick MacKechnie's Weblog
Microsoft Corp. today announced availability of the Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 operating system, the successor to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition introduced in November 2002. Included as part of Microsoft® Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Windows XP SP2) with Advanced Security Technologies, this free upgrade offers Tablet PC users deeper pen-and-ink support including a redesigned input panel to create and enter text anywhere within Windows XP and familiar Windows XP-compatible applications.
full article
These Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 release dates have just been confirmed by Microsoft:
MOM 2005 RTM on 13 september
MOM 2005 worldwide launch on IT Forum, Kopenhagen
Product will be general available the week after IT Forum
Customers with a Software Assurance program will receive MOM 2005 in November at no extra cost when they are currently running MOM 2000.
In a knowledge base article by
Microsoft it is explained how to use the Automatic Recovery feature to recover your computer if the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Setup program is not completed successfully.
This article discusses how to use the Automatic Recovery feature to restore your computer to its previous configuration if the installation of Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) is not completed successfully and you cannot start your computer. Follow these steps if your computer does not start correctly after you try to upgrade your computer from Windows XP to Windows XP SP2. This article also discusses how to collect information about the Windows XP SP2 installation and about your computer to help troubleshoot issue. The Windows XP SP2 Setup logs, the System Information tool, and the event logs contain information that can help a Microsoft Product Support Services professional who may be working with you to diagnose the issue. (KB article)
To most of the computer-using world, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Office is the familiar workhorse of the desktop, a collection of software for creating documents, spreadsheets and presentations. But for Microsoft, which is starting to see its growth slow, reinventing that suite of old reliables including Word, Excel and PowerPoint has become nothing less than a key to its future.
"Office defines business productivity," Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman, told financial analysts in July. "The productivity area is probably the most important franchise that we have." With that focus, Microsoft is now pursuing a strategy to transform Office from a bundle of programs on personal computers into a family of software that can put Microsoft's technology deeper into the operations of corporate data centers.
(more)
Security researchers have discovered another vulnerability in Windows XP Service Pack 2, but it doesn't appear to be an immediate threat. The researcher who uncovered the drag-and-drop flaw in Windows XP SP2 earlier in the week has reported that a new vulnerability exposes a hole in the lockdown of Internet Explorer's My Computer security zone.
The lockdown of the My Computer zone is one of the major security enhancements in SP2. Web pages in Internet Explorer run in one of several security "zones," each of which has different security rules. Prior to SP2, the My Computer zone—designed for Web pages stored on the computer itself—had extremely permissive rules. In order to take advantage of them, malware attacks frequently exploited vulnerabilities to get their Web-based pages to execute. Microsoft tightened the rules in SP2 to make it a less inviting target.
(more)
When you look at the MSDN download site you might have noticed that there are 2 version of the Windows XP servicepack 2. These are:
Windows XP servicepack 2 - Network Install (266.01 MB)
Windows XP servicepack 2 (475.35 MB)
The difference is that the network install version only contains the update for the I386 directory while the other version also contains updates for the support tools, a Citrix ICA client and some develop stuff.
We've all experienced it with setting up an Exchange Server with Outlook Web Access (OWA). Users are connecting with HTTP while they should use HTTPS. Normally they would get an 403.4 error when connecting with HTTP, telling them to use HTTPS, which they have to type in manually. Wouldn't it be easier if they were redirected to HTTPS? With IIS 6 you can do just that! Follow these steps:
Create a redirect.asp and place it in \Inetpub\wwwroot with this content:
<% If Request.ServerVariables("SERVER_PORT")=80 Then
Dim strSecureURL strSecureURL = "https://"
strSecureURL = strSecureURL & Request.ServerVariables("SERVER_NAME")
strSecureURL = strSecureURL & "/exchange"
Response.Redirect strSecureURL
End If %>
In IIS manager, choose properties for the Exchange virtual directory
Choose the Custom Errors tab and double click 403.4, then select URL as the Message Type
In the URL box, type /redirect.asp and choose OK
Users will now be redirected to HTTPS if they mistakenly type HTTP in the URL!
A Microsoft representative alerted me yesterday that the company has issued new public betas of its upcoming 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP. In addition, the company revealed that it plans to change the names of these products to conform to AMD's x64 naming scheme.
(more)
Out of all the new features that windows 2003 provide, Network Access Quarantine Control is a feature which is least spoken about and less understood. However if understood properly and put in to practice, this could be an invaluable feature for most of us.
(more)
The previous poll was already online for some weeks and made absolutely clear that Firefox is a running up the hill and giving IE6 a nervous breakdown. IE6's marketshare is about 40% while Firefox's marketshare is approximately 33%. It's great to see that almost nobody is using IE5 or older these days (about 1%). On the left you will find a new poll which should tell us if you have deployed SP2 for XP already or when you are going to do so. So, your votes please! And below you will find the result of the previous poll:
According to a new study if unpatched Windows machines are left connected to the Internet, within 20 minutes that computer will become compromised. Compromised by viruses, spyware, adware, etc.... This is according to a study performed by the SANS Institute.
Is it true that within 20 minutes your unpatched Windows machine will compromised by malware, the answer is yes. A computer administrator for the University of Massachusetts performed a test, which later showed that within 20 minutes an unpatched Windows machine will become compromised. Last year the same study was performed, which stated that it took 40 minutes for a system to become compromised. With a 20 minute difference this has become a serious problem for users, especially if users don’t patch their systems.
(more)
On a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2), programs that connect to IP addresses that are in the loopback address range may not work as you expect. For example, you may receive an error message that says that you cannot establish a connection.
(KB article)
The feature will provide synchronization of data from AD to ADAM (Active Directory Application Mode) and keep the ADAM data consistent with the source AD data. Application administrators and developers can use a configuration file and a scriptable command line interface to specify a filtered and scoped subset of data to be pulled from AD to ADAM.
There will be no data written back to AD and the objects and values in ADAM are not “transformed” in any way. Object or attribute based evaluation rules cannot be implemented and all values from the source AD are authoritative so while the target ADAM app may extend the data, any shared data will be overwritten with AD data values.
Download
here
In this article a Step by Step solution on how to rename a Windows 2003 domain with Exchange 2003 installed is explained. This article will not explain every step how to do a domain rename. This is documented in the “Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing Domain Rename“. You will find the link at the end of this article. The Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Domain Rename Tool provides a supported methodology to rename one or more domains in an Active Directory forest. The DNS name and the NetBIOS name of a domain can be changed using the domain rename procedure. Note that implementing domain rename is a complex undertaking that requires thorough planning and a good understanding of the domain rename procedure.
Continue at
MSExchange.org
This article lists the problems that are fixed in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Service packs are cumulative. This means that the problems that are fixed in a service pack are also fixed in later service packs. For example, Windows XP SP2 contains all the fixes that are included in Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1). You do not have to install an earlier service pack before you install Windows XP SP2.
Read more at
Microsoft (KB 811113)
For those of you trying out their setups in a Virtual PC lab, this is a nice article. I was setting up a NLB lab with 2 Windows Server 2003 machines in Virtual PC the other day when I got the error message "no interface available for installing a new cluster". I never managed to find out what it was and the strange thing was that at the customer's site all worked fine. Just now I found a MS knowledgebase article (
Q828258) explaining that you basically never should use OS images for a NLB test lab. As it seems, the Network GUID stay the same, causing unpredictable results. Grmbl!
Service pack 1 for Office System 2003 is out some weeks now, but hardly anyone noticed the changes. Our collegeau Steven Bink found out that the Junk Email filter has been updated to support top-level domain blocking. This is a very nice feature and a great extension indeed. Click the thumbnail to see more:
Office 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Proofing Tools ensures that Office 2003 performs with complete functionality when you use Office 2003 Proofing Tools.
You can get specific information about this update in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article (843188):
Description of Office 2003 Service Pack 1 for Proofing Tools.
On the 16th of August Windows XP SP2 has been released to SUS.This synchronization log below shows that the update has been added:
Automatic Sync Started- Tuesday, August 17, 2004 3:00:09 AM Successful
Updates Added:
Windows XP Service Pack 2 - xpSP2_f8e85320da933bb0ec76a2ba3a2f7a8.exe
Updates Removed:
None
Reissued Update(s):
Detailed item description files (Read This First and End User License Agreement for all items) - aurtf1.cab
Sync Finished-Tuesday, August 17, 2004 4:31:58 AM
(more)
Techlog now has LiveMessage Alerts for MSN Messenger. New posted news articles will popup as an alert in your MSN Messenger, e-mail or mobile device. LiveMessage uses the Microsoft Alerts network to deliver to a device of your choice. Click
here to signup, or the orange button below. Please note that the service is still beta, but everything seems to be working fine.
Virtualization.info reports: More than one person last week rumored we should expect a SP1 for VPC, addressing performance issues when it's installed on the new Windows XP SP2.
Actually nothing is confirmed and the release date is unknown.
More news about this to come.
Here is a quick how-to guide on publishing multiple internal RDP servers using ISA 2004, a single external IP Address and a mildly edited TSWeb connection page that allows you to specify the connection port number as well.
Read the whole story at
TristanK's Orthogonal Learning Weblog (more)
This template allows NT4 domains to manage Windows Firewall policy settings. By importing this ADM file in the policy editor you can make changes to your NtConfig.POL and manage Windows Firewall settings across your NT4 domain
Download
here
Among the new ports used by Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, is TCP port 445 which is used for SMB over TCP.
The SMB (Server Message Block) protocol is used among other things for file sharing in Windows NT/2000/XP. In Windows NT it ran on top of NetBT (NetBIOS over TCP/IP), which used the famous ports 137, 138 (UDP) and 139 (TCP). In Windows 2000/XP/2003, Microsoft added the possibility to run SMB directly over TCP/IP, without the extra layer of NetBT. For this they use TCP port 445.
(more)
The programs that are listed in this article may experience issues after you upgrade to Windows XP SP2. You may not notice some of these issues. Additionally, software vendors may have resolved some of these issues. Contact the software manufacturer or vendor for more specific details.
You can also search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for specific issues that are related to your program and for the effects of the increased security features that are offered in Windows XP SP2. (Use the WINXPSP2 keyword in your searches.)
Many of these issues are related to the introduction of the Windows Firewall feature.
For additional information about Windows Firewall, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
842242 Some programs seem to stop working after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2
875357 Troubleshooting Windows Firewall settings in Windows XP Service Pack 2
875351 You receive a "Data Execution Prevention" error message in Windows XP Service Pack 2
In an article from PC World the new firewall of XP SP2 is discussed, some statements:
- PCs will have a firewall switched on by default
- Windows Firewall filters only incoming traffic, allowing any application to send outbound packets
- rival firewall makers claim that the Firewall API could also be used by attackers to modify the software or turn it off
read the entire article
here
Windows XP SP2 provides more than
600 new Group Policy settings to help administrators manage policy settings related to Windows Firewall, Internet Explorer, Internet Communication Management, Automatic Updates, security, Terminal Services, user profiles, and other network-related features. This white paper includes information to help administrators assess, deploy, and use the new Group Policy settings delivered with SP2.
Download
(here)
Do you wonder why your websites on your Windows 2003 server are not functioning properly? One of the reasons could be that you forgot to configure mime types..
(more)
When you use FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Names) to connect file shares on your network, you have to keep in mind that Windows XP applies the Internet Explorer Security Settings to that connection. Most of the times that means that when you want to run an program on that share you get an dialog-box saying: “
Some files can harm your computer. If the file information below looks suspicious, or you do not fully trust the source, do not open or save this file”.
The reason that this dialog-box appears is because of the fact that the FQDN connected drive letter is in the IE ‘Internet’ security zone. Note that this also applies when you start programs from the command line, when you use UNC. For example \\server.techlog.org\executable.exe
A way to solve this ‘behavior’ is to put the common part of your domain name in the ‘trusted sites’ security zone. For example “*.techlog.org”. In this case the “Trusted Sites” IE security settings apply and you can usually open the executable right away.
While doing some research for a customer who wants to implement a Terminal Server farm with NLB, I found this article in the Microsoft knowlegebase:
Q822134 "The Function of Terminal Server CALs in Windows Server 2003". The last section is the most interesting one, as it states that a TS running with user CALs will
not decrement the CALs when a user logs on. In short: that means that you can run a production TS server without proper licensing, if you just use user CALs instead of device CALs.
"Currently, Window Server 2003 does not manage User CALs. This means that even though there is a User CAL in the license server database, the User CAL will not be decremented when it is used. This does not remove administrators from End User License Agreement (EULA) requirements to have a valid terminal server (TS) CAL for each user. Failure to have a User CAL for each user, if Device CALs are not being used, is a violation of the EULA. In the future, this behavior will be changed and User CALs will be managed."
Microsoft Corp. today announced a five-country pilot program for Windows® XP Starter Edition, a low-cost introduction to the Microsoft® Windows XP operating system designed for first-time desktop PC users in developing technology markets. Designed as a result of Microsoft's ongoing collaborations with international governments, the Windows XP Starter Edition Pilot Program is part of Microsoft's comprehensive commitment to enable individuals, communities and countries to gain access to the technology tools, skills and innovation they need to realize their potential. Windows XP Starter Edition will offer an affordable and easy-to-use entry point to the Windows family of products that is tailored to local markets, in local languages, and is compatible with a wide range of Windows-based applications and devices.
Source
New version, MBSA 1.2.1, needed for Windows XP SP2 compatibility
MBSA Version 1.2 includes a graphical and command line interface that can perform local or remote scans of Windows systems. MBSA runs on Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 systems and will scan for common system misconfigurations in the following products: Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Internet Information Server (IIS), SQL Server, Internet Explorer, and Office.
MBSA 1.2 will also scan for missing security updates for the following products: Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, IIS, SQL Server, Internet Explorer, Exchange Server, Windows Media Player, Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC), MSXML, Microsoft Virtual Machine, Commerce Server, Content Management Server, BizTalk Server, Host Integration Server, and Office.
Download:
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 1.2
Newssource:
The Tweaking Experience (more)
The Network Interface Card (NIC) that Virtual PC 2004 uses is not PXE compliant. PXE is short for Pre-Boot Execution Environment. PXE-enabled NICs allow a computer to boot from the network - just like they can boot from a CDROM or a floppy drive. They access an image on a server over the network that allows them to boot up and run operating systems, software, diagnostics, etc.
(more)
About this download: A security issue has been identified that could allow an attacker to run programs and access data on a computer running Microsoft® Exchange Server 5.5. You can help protect your computer by installing this update from Microsoft.
Download:
Security Update for Exchange 5.5 (KB842436)
View:
More Information About This Download
The Microsoft SQL Server Health and History Tool (SQLH2) allows you to collect information from instances of SQL Server, store this information, and run reports against the data in order to determine how SQL Server is being used.
Download:
SQL Server Health and History Tool (SQLH2) (more)
This Microsoft signed executable creates the registry value and sets the associated value that temporarily blocks the delivery Windows XP SP2 to the system via Automatic Updates (AU) or Windows Update (WU). The key used is HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate. The executable creates the key value name ‘DoNotAllowXPSP2’ and sets its value to ‘1’
Please note that the executable has been tested only as a command-line tool and not in conjunction with other systems management tools or remote execution mechanisms.
Download:
Executable to Temporarily Block Delivery of Windows XP SP2 to a PC Through Automatic Updates and Windows Update
Download:
Executable to Un-block Delivery of Windows XP SP2 to a PC Through Automatic Updates and Windows Update
Raymond has posted several posts about the
/3GB switch and about how it
affects the Kernel. This is a frequent topic of discussion for highly scaled Exchange 2003 servers due to the recommendation that most servers with >=1gb RAM have this switch applied (see
KB.823440 or
KB.810371 or
KB.328882 or
KB.266096 or... well, that's enough for now; there are a bunch of KBs on the Exchange memory management topic.)
Since Exchange is such a memory intensive app people talk about this a bunch, but I was in a conversation the other day where the /3GB switch was discussed in terms of relating directly to physical memory. I think it's critical to understand the virtualized nature of the way memory is used on modern operating systems, and Raymond hits it on the head here.
(more)
A service pack is a product-specific collection of updates that fix security, program compatibility and system reliability issues. It also provides enhancements, administration tools, drivers and additional components that have been developed since the product's release. In short, a service pack helps to keep your product current and extends its functionality.
This guide will describe the easiest way possible to slipstream (also known as 'Integrate') a Service Pack into Windows 2000, XP or 2003.
Continue at
MSFN
Are you (planning to) run systems equipped with AMD Opteron processors or Intel Xeon with Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T) processors? If so, make sure to join the
Windows Server 2003 for 64-Bit Extended Systems Beta Customer Preview Program or the
Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for 64-Bit Extended Systems Customer Preview Program! (more)
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) provides new proactive security technologies for Windows XP to better defend against viruses, worms, and hackers. In addition to a more robust security infrastructure, SP2 improves the security configuration options of Windows XP and provides better security information to help users faced with security decisions.
Download
here (more)
The Windows XP Corporate Deployment Tools (deploy.cab) assists system administrators in installing Windows XP Service Pack 2 on multiple computers.
This file contains updates to Setup Manager, the Sysprep utility, and related documentation.
For more information please see Knowledge Base article
838080.
Download
here
This spreadsheet lists the full set of Group Policy settings described in Administrative Template (.adm) files shipped with Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 Release Candidate 2. This includes all policy settings supported on Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003. The spreadsheet includes separate worksheets for each of the .adm files shipped, as well as a consolidated worksheet for easy searching. Using column filters, the spreadsheet allows simple filtering by operating system, component and machine/user configuration, as well as regular text search of keywords through Excel.
As a pre-release list, this spreadsheet includes new policy settings added in the Release Candidate 2 version of Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2.
Download
here
The Windows Support Tools for Microsoft Windows XP are intended for use by Microsoft support personnel and experienced users to assist in diagnosing and resolving computer problems. For individual tool descriptions, see the Windows Support Tools documentation (Suptools.chm).
The Windows Support Tools for Windows XP can be installed only on a computer that is running the Windows XP operating system. The Windows Support Tools for Windows XP cannot be used to upgrade Microsoft Windows NT or Microsoft Windows 2000 Support Tools installed on Windows NT or Windows 2000.
It is highly recommended that you remove all previous versions of Support Tools, including beta versions of the Windows Support Tools for Microsoft Windows XP, before you run the Support Tools installation program.
(more)
"Microsoft says it is readying synchronization technology that makes it easier and safer for companies to build directory-enabled applications that sit on Windows servers in certain departments or outside corporate firewalls.
New technology in the works for the next version of Windows Server, code-named R2, would let the applications make use of select data from a corporate Active Directory infrastructure without exposing the internal directory to the Internet. The release is slated for next year."
(continue)
Many users have questioned why illegal Product IDs are being allowed on a Windows XP SP2 installation when they were blocked in previous betas. This is due to Microsoft's new approach on security in Service Pack 2 to prevent any further Windows XP machines from getting infected with viruses and malicious attacks.
Source:
The Tweaking Experience (more)
Got questions about Windows XP SP2? Running into problems with hardware or programs now that you've installed the service pack? This portal can help you find answers and troubleshoot SP2 on your home computer, notebook or network. Look for answers and solutions to the three most common topics.
Goto
Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Support Center
Neowin has managed to find a few working mirrors that are simply just SP2 RTM and without any patches or dodgy torrents :)
Please ensure you check this file with an MD5 checksum verifier to ensure it's authenticity. The MD5 you should get for the exe is : 59a98f181fe383907e520a391d75b5a7
Download:
MD5 Checker
Download:
Windows XP SP2 - Limited to 50 connections
Bink.nu reports: After all those delays, Windows XP Service Pack 2 is finished. It has gone up on WindowsBeta for all of the Windows XP Service Pack 2 beta testers to download.
View:
Screenshot of WindowsBeta with XP SP2 Final
MSN Web Messenger lets you talk online and in real-time with friends and family using just a web browser! Use it on any shared computer - at school, at work, at a friend's house or anywhere you can't install the MSN Messenger software.
Goto MSN web messenger (more)
Neowin Reports: Once again Windows XP SP2 has hit another delay. Although last night the SP2 team were partying at the "release of SP2" it wasn't clear what build was RTM and whether anyone had agreed on RTM. One thing that is for sure at the moment is that SP2 final will make it onto Windows Update/Automatic Update on the 25th August, anything before that (RTW network install etc) has been knocked back.
On the weblog of Greg Reinacker's you can find an interesting example on how to monitor Windows OS event logs by using a RSS feed. Greg Reinacker speaks of a 'Poor mans SNMP monitor' but i think it's quite usefull.
Greg Reinacker's Weblog (more)
This (updated) document focuses on the changes in Windows XP Service Pack 2 and its implications for developers. Examples and details are provided for several of the technologies that are experiencing the biggest changes. Future versions of this document will cover all new and changed technologies.
Download
Changes in Functionality in MS Windows XP SP2 (more)
We were all a little confused yesterday when Microsoft Australia issued a statement claiming XPSP2 had gone into manufacturing. Some sites are claiming that the final build is 2178 which is false since 2179 was compiled on the 2nd of August. Hopefully whilst writing this 2180 will have compiled on the 3rd of August and if Microsoft are syncing build numbers between their Windows Update 5 (2181) and Windows XP SP2 then 2181 will compile today as RTM, otherwise 2180 will most likely be signed as RTM.
The dates for release are as follows:
5th August RTM Announcement
10th August RTW (release to web)
24th August Windows Update/Automatic Updates release
Microsoft informed premier support customers that their own customers will begin receiving XPSP2 by automatic updates on the 25th August.
Newssource:
Neowin.net
OSNN.net reports the following:
A Microsoft source, who shall remain nameless, let me know the following exclusive bit of information:
The release schedule is now
August 4th RTM and RTAU (Auto Update)
August 5th Release to MSDN and Download Centre August 25th Release to Windows Update (and SUS)
August 5th will be the date people can download the full package.
A sensible move, of course, to ensure that Microsoft's servers don't get overloaded. I don't know what build this will be, but of course it won't matter as it is the final version!
Winbeta reports that the build will probably be 2178
OSNN.net
Beta testers of Microsoft's Systems Management Server 2003 feature packs received an e-mail that reads (partially) as follows:
"We're proud to announce that the Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 Operating System Deployment (OSD) Feature Pack (Beta) beta build is available! OSD provides support for SMS to create and deploy images of Windows Operating Systems. The OSD Feature Pack allows the deployment of Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows 2003 Operating Systems to systems currently running NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows 2003 via SMS advertisements or CD based installation with the following features
· Support for unattended image deployment to Windows Desktops
· Support to create and distribute OS images using SMS 2003 advertisements or CD triggered installations
· Fully integrated with SMS 2003 SP1 leveraging SMS inventory based planning and targeting, advertisement status and site to site content replication
· Built in imaging using advanced Windows Imaging (WIM) format
· Advanced image installation task scheduler supporting scripts to perform installation custom actions
· Includes Microsoft Windows Pre-Execution (WINPE) version 1.5
· Leverages the new Microsoft Windows User State Migration Tool (USMT) 2.6 to capture and restore user state.
Download @
Betaplace (Login Required)
Newssource:
Winbeta (more)
Most companies use roaming profiles. When a user places a lot of big files on their desktop, every time a user log on those files are copied from the profile server to the desktop. When a user logoffs those files are copied back to the profile server. Users often start complaining that the performance is poor.
(more)
Here's the description from the webpage:
This technical reference guide presents a system architect's view of Exchange Server 2003. It includes a general overview of Exchange Server 2003 messaging system design, together with more specific details, such as services dependencies, Active Directory® directory service integration, Exchange System Manager architecture, routing architecture, SMTP transport architecture, X.400 architecture, Exchange store architecture, and cluster architecture. This information will help you design, maintain, and troubleshoot an Exchange organization and also develop custom solutions for administrators. (more)
