Archive for News – Page 4

MVP Summit 2015 Wrap-Up

I returned home Thursday evening from this year’s Microsoft MVP Summit in Bellevue WA. Due to non-disclosure agreements, I am not allowed to go into detail about what was presented or discussed. But I can tell you it was a great opportunity to meet with Microsoft product teams and spend time talking with fellow MVP’ers, some whom I have known for 12 years or longer.

My MVP designation is for Windows Server Small and Medium Businesses (WSSMB), so most of my attention was focused on server related topics. But I also had opportunities to learn more about Windows 10, Office, and the new Surface Book that was just released in October.

The weather was a mix of rain, clouds  and some sunshine. In Florida we do not really experience the changing colors of the seasons, so it was very enjoyable to see the yellow and red and orange colors in the trees while walking around the Microsoft Campus.

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On a travel note, I was able to fly Alaska Airlines which now has a non-stop flight from Tampa to Seattle – less than 6 hours. Yea!!! The flight on Sunday left Tampa at 6:10pm and landed in Seattle at 9:25pm (which is after midnight Tampa time). The return flight left Seattle at 8:40am, and arrived in Tampa at 5:09pm.

Attending Microsoft Global MVP Summit 2015

I will be attending the Microsoft MVP Global Summit from November 1-5, 2015. This will be my 12th Summit, and I look forward to renewing contacts with other MVPs, as well as Microsoft product managers, and to provide feedback on Microsoft products and technologies.

Details as to what will be presented and discussed is under strict NDA (non-disclosure agreement), so I cannot share any such information. More later!

Splashtop Business New Enhancements

Back in January 2015 I started testing and using Splashtop Business as a remote control/support replacement for LogMeIn, which was getting too expensive for me. Splashtop is not my primary remote control solution, but I needed an alternative to LogMeIn for specific on-demand situations.

For the most part, I have been very happy with Splashtop. It does what I need it to do —

  • Easy setup to remote control into a user’s computer
  • Provides built –in file transfer capabilities
  • Supports mutiple monitors (on remote side)

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And with their Version 3.0 release which just came out, they now support multiple concurrent connections, and have redesigned the Splashtop Business window interface for easier use.

My only complaint with Splashtop had been some occasional slow performance when remoting into servers. We resolved that issue earlier this month (see blog post).

It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles with products like ScreenConnect, LogMeIn Central, and others – but the price is right ($60/year) for my needs!

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Windows 10 Phone Update

I have been using a Lumia 920 phone for almost 3 years now, and love it, in spite of a few quirks. I have been anxiously awaiting news of a Windows 10 phone.image

On the heels of releasing Windows 10 operating system back in July, Microsoft did announce the Microsoft Lumia 950/950XL Windows 10 phones. Both phones will come with a 20-megapixel camera. The 950 will have a 5.2” screen size, and the 950XL will be 5.7”. AT&T has already announced that will carry the phone.

However, availability of these phones are still up in the air.

But wait … there’s more!

Surface Phone Next?

News is slowly coming out that Microsoft may release a new Windows Phone next year that may be marketed as a Surface Phone, rather than a Lumia. Attachments could include a pen and a mini-attachable keyboard.

Read more at the Latin Post.

Office 2016 Released

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Microsoft’s Office 2016 goes on sale today (September 22, 2016). It’s hard to believe that Microsoft Office has been around for 25 years. I’ve been using it for the past several months on my laptop.

If you have already been using Office 2013, the user interface has not changed much.

What has changed is the emphasis on collaboration. One Microsoft person describes it this way: “We clearly have caught up with Google” on the collaboration front (see link).

For example, with Word 2016, two people can work on the same document and see changes real time. This will use OneDrive’s collaborative workspace. Outlook 2016 includes a Groups feature, allowing a business team or just a group of friends planning a trip to manage messages and documents. PowerPoint will have a new tool (Sway) that will allow making instant PowerPoint presentations.

Here’s a PC World article explaining some of the new features.

Recycling Old Computer Equipment

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For years now, the Hillsborough County Solid Waste department (Tampa FL) has provided a place to drop off household hazardous waste, including old electronic equipment, batteries, and chemicals. I have used their service on a regular basis, and encourage people to find a similar solution in their local community.

I also did a post earlier this year on a company (Urban e Recycling) that will come to your business or residence for free to pick up and recycle old computer equipment.

I recently had the need to call on them. This time they came out to my house to remove and recycle a pile of old computer towers, monitors, battery backups, boxes and boxes of old cables, and destroy about a dozen disk drives for me.

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20th Anniversary of Windows 95

Happy 20th anniversary to Windows 95!

It was on August 24, 1995 that Microsoft released Windows 95 (codenamed “Chicago”) with this video, featuring music from the Rolling Stones:

WordPress 4.2 EasyWPGuide for Free!

imageI don’t do a lot of website development for clients, but when I do, I use WordPress.

For several years now, I will provide my clients with a PDF copy of EasyWPGuide, which is available for free! There is also an online version.

The manuals were recently updated to reflect the changes in WordPress 4.2.

Anthony Hortin, the author, writes:

“I created the Easy WP Guide for WordPress consultants to give to clients as a form of training. I know it’s not always possible to physically go to a clients location to provide them hands-on training. Instead, give them a copy of my popular WordPress manual and in simple, easy to read language, you can teach your clients how to use their new WordPress website.”

Flash Player Action Script Warnings on IE11

After Tuesday August 11, 2015, many users began to report receiving Flash Player alerts or warnings when using Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) on Windows 8.1 or Windows 2012R2. These popups warn about action scripts and other flash features.

The good news is that there is nothing to worry about. Your computer was NOT hacked or infected.

What happened was that in the August 2015 Windows updates, Microsoft accidentally updated the embedded flash player in IE11 with the “debugger” version of flash player instead of the normal version.

Microsoft has updated the notes for KB3087916 to reflect this known issue, which Microsoft says should be fixed by August 18th.

Windows 10 Editions

There are 4 primary editions of Windows 10 – Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education. Microsoft has published a table comparing the features of each edition.

Existing Fundamentals

Home

Pro

Enterprise

Education

Device Encryption1

x

x

x

x

Domain Join

 

x

x

x

Group Policy Management

 

x

x

x

Bitlocker2

 

x

x

x

Enterprise Mode Internet Explorer (EMIE)

 

x

x

x

Assigned Access 8.1

 

x

x

x

Remote Desktop

 

x

x

x

Client Hyper-V

 

x

x

x

DirectAccess

   

x

x

Windows To Go Creator

   

x

x

AppLocker

   

x

x

BranchCache

   

x

x

Start Screen Control with Group Policy

   

x

x

Management and Deployment

Side-loading of line of business apps

x

x

x

x

Mobile device management

x 6

x

x

x

Ability to join Azure Active Directory, with single sign-on to cloud-hosted apps7

 

x

x

x

Business Store for Windows 108

 

x

x

x

Granular UX Control

   

x

x

Easy Upgrade from Pro to Enterprise Edition

 

x

x

 

Easy Upgrade from Home to Education Edition

x

   

x

Business experiences

Security

Home

Pro

Enterprise

Education

Microsoft Passport

x

x

x

x

Enterprise Data Protection8

 

x

x

x

Credential Guard9

   

x

x

Device Guard9

   

x

x

Delivering Windows as a Service

Windows Update

x

x

x

x

Windows Update for Business

 

x

x

x

Current Branch for Business

 

x

x

x

Long Term Servicing Branch

   

x

 

1 – Requires InstantGo or device that passes the “Device Encryption Requirements Test”
2 – Requires TPM 1.2 or greater
3 – Cortana is available only in certain markets; Experience may vary by region and device; Requires Microsoft Account to use
4 – Windows Hello requires specialized hardware, including fingerprint reader, illuminated IR sensor or other biometric sensors
5 – Requires touch screen capabilities; App experiences may vary
6 – Coming Later. Subject to Change. Learn moreabout delivering Windows as a service
7 – Separate license for Azure Active Directory required
8 – Coming Later. Subject to Change
9 – Requires UEFI 2.3.1 or greater; Virtualization Extensions such as Intel VT-x, AMD-V, and SLAT must be enabled; x64 version of Windows; IOMMU, such as Intel VT-d, AMD-Vi; TPM 2.0; BIOS Lockdown