Evaluation Copies of Microsoft Products

by Zubair Alexander @ 7:33 am. Filed under Applications, Exchange/Outlook, Microsoft Office, SQL Server, Security/Firewalls, SharePoint, Virtualization, Windows 2008, Windows 7, Windows Home Server

My students are always asking me where to get the evaluation copies of various Microsoft products. I’ve put together a list of some of the latest software evaluation downloads. My goal is to try and keep this list updated but frankly it is going to be challenging because Microsoft is known for changing the URLs without any redirection.

WARNING! I should warn you that sometimes when you download a trial software you may think that you are opting out of receiving phone calls and e-mails from Microsoft but you are not. For more information read my blog post: When Microsoft Says No, It May Mean Yes.

Microsoft offers more free products to consumers than any software manufacturer I know. And I am not talking about free evaluation software, I am talking about free tools, utilities and various products and services. Besides software, Microsoft offers these free TechNet and MSDN labs. These are a series of guided, hands-on labs which can be completed in 90 minutes or less.

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Virtual Migration Environment (VME) for Project 2010 and SharePoint 2010

by Zubair Alexander @ 7:00 am. Filed under SharePoint

Virtual Environment which enables Microsoft Office Project Server 2003 and Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 customers to migrate to 2010 versions of the respective products.

The Virtual Migration Environment is a set of two virtual disks that provide Office Project Server 2007 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 environments, sample content, and scripts design to assist customers with upgrade and migration from Office Project Server 2003 and Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 to Project Server 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010. The Virtual Migration Environment provides the tools and resources to assist with upgrade and migration and planning and preparation resources to determine upgrade approaches and address common issues.

The Virtual Migration Environment can be used to attach your existing production Project Server 2003 or SharePoint Portal Server 2003 databases for upgrade to Project Server 2007 or Office SharePoint Server 2007 or can be used with sample databases to test and understand the upgrade process.

For more information, please visit the following Upgrade and Migration Centers on Microsoft TechNet:

To download VME, click here.

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Videos: SharePoint Setup and Admin Basics

by Zubair Alexander @ 7:28 am. Filed under SharePoint, Training, Videos

SharePoint is a huge product and this latest video series, created by SharePoint expert and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) Sharee English will teach you some of the most important aspects of SharePoint planning, installation and configuration.

SharePoint technology is really broken down into two separate administrators, the Server Administrator and the Site Collection Administrator. The video series from TrainingSpot.com covers the planning, installation, and configuration of SharePoint. Sharee will walk you through the installation choices and provide best practices on how to install SharePoint in various environments. She will show you how configure your farm for basic needs and dive into the Central Administration application in full detail. Finally, she will wrap up with configuration of the Shared Services Provider.

Total Time: 5 Hour 39 Minutes

Video Tutorials: 36

Series Author: Sharee English

If you are looking for additional SharePoint resources, you might want to check out Sharee’s blog.

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WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007 Templates

by Zubair Alexander @ 7:42 am. Filed under SharePoint, Tips & Tricks

There are numerous templates in WSS and Microsoft Office Server (MOSS) 2007 that you can use. If you end up using a wrong template (e.g. a WSS template when you meant to use a MOSS 2007 template) you can’t go back and update your site so it will use a MOSS 2007 template. You will have to start all over and install the correct template. Therefore, it is imperative that you know what type of template you are working with. It would be nice if the templates were clearly label so everyone knew the difference between WSS and MOSS templates but unfortunately that is not the case.

The following list identifies WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007 default site templates.

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64-Bit Versions of IE 7 & IE8 Are Not Fully Compatible with SharePoint 2010

by Zubair Alexander @ 10:53 am. Filed under Articles, SharePoint, Tips & Tricks

As you may know, most new computers are 64-bit and come with a 64-bit version of Windows 7. By default, the 64-bit Windows 7 uses the 32-bit version of IE 8, however, if you use the 64-bit version of IE8 you should know that your browser is not fully compatible with SharePoint 2010. According to Microsoft’s own testing, the 64-bit versions of IE 7 and IE8, and Mozilla Firefox are not fully compatible with SharePoint 2010. Although there are several SharePoint features that will work, but there are more than a dozen features that won’t in Microsoft’s 64-bit versions of IE7 and IE8. For example, you cannot edit in Microsoft Office applications or use the Datasheet View on Microsoft’s latest 64-bit browsers (IE7 & IE8) and Microsoft does not offer any workarounds as of April 16, 2010.

IE8 (64-bit) Limitations

According to Microsoft, the following features have known limitations in IE 8 (64-bit). Microsoft does not offer any workarounds in most cases.

Note: The 32-bit version of IE8 has no known limitations.

Feature	Limitation
Connect to Outlook, Connect to Office, and Sync to SharePoint Workspace	Works with an ActiveX control and the stssync:// protocol. Therefore, functionality may be limited without an ActiveX control, such as the one that is included in Microsoft Office 2010. The feature also requires an application that is compatible with the stssync:// protocol, such as Microsoft Outlook.
Datasheet view	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
Edit in Microsoft Office application	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
Explorer view	Removed in SharePoint Server 2010. Libraries that have been upgraded from earlier versions of SharePoint Server 2010 may still have Explorer views and these may not work.
Export to Excel	Downloads a file with an .iqy extension to the Web browser. If Microsoft Excel is not installed, and if no other application is configured to open this file, then this feature will not work.
File upload and copy	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
Microsoft InfoPath 2010 integration	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 Picture Library integration	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control, such as the one that is delivered in Microsoft Office 2010. The user can use the following workarounds when no control has been installed: If a user wants to upload multiple pictures in a picture library, the user must upload one picture at a time by using Upload.aspx. If a user wants to edit a picture in a picture library, the user must download the picture, edit it, and then upload the picture to the picture library. If a user wants to download more than one picture from a picture library, the user must download one picture at a time by clicking on the picture link.
Microsoft Visio 2010 diagram creation	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
New Document	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control. Although the New Document command may not work, you can use the Upload Document functionality. If you install and configure Office Web Applications on the server, the New Document command works, and you can create an Office document in your browser.
Send To	Can leverage a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control. Without the control, files cannot be sent from one SharePoint farm to another SharePoint farm. However, files can still be sent from one site to another site.
Signing Forms (InfoPath Form Services)	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
Spreadsheet and Database integration	Require a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control. The user can use the following workarounds when no control has been installed: If a user wants to edit a document, the user must download the document, edit it, and then save it back to the server. In a list that requires a document to be checked out for editing, a user must use the Edit menu to check out the document, edit it, and then check it in by using the Edit menu. Export to spreadsheet. Users can export a SharePoint list as a spreadsheet by clicking Export to Spreadsheet on the List tab on the ribbon.
Web Part to Web Part Connections	May require deactivation of browsers pop-up blockers for SharePoint sites.
Slide library and PowerPoint 2010 integration	Require a 64-bit ActiveX control. The user can use the following workarounds when no control has been installed: Delete a slide. Users can delete a slide by first clicking the slide, and then clicking Delete Slide. Repeat for each slide.

IE 7 (64-bit) Limitations

According to Microsoft, the following features have known limitations in IE 7 (64-bit). Microsoft does not offer any workarounds in most cases.

Note: The 32-bit version of IE8 has no known limitations.

Feature	Limitation
Connect to Outlook, Connect to Office, and Sync to SharePoint Workspace	Works with an ActiveX control and the stssync:// protocol. Therefore, functionality may be limited without an ActiveX control, such as the one that is included in Microsoft Office 2010. This feature requires an application that is compatible with the stssync:// protocol, such as Microsoft Outlook.
Datasheet view	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
Edit in Microsoft Office application	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
Explorer view	Removed in SharePoint Server 2010. Libraries that have been upgraded from earlier versions of SharePoint Server 2010 may still have Explorer views.
Export to Excel	Downloads a file with an .iqy extension to the Web browser. If Microsoft Excel is not installed, and if no other application is configured to open this file, then this feature will not work.
File upload and copy	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
Microsoft InfoPath 2010 integration	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 Picture Library integration	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control, such as the one that is delivered in Microsoft Office 2010. The user can use the following workarounds when no control has been installed: If a user wants to upload multiple pictures in a picture library, the user must upload one picture at a time by using Upload.aspx. If a user wants to edit a picture in a picture library, the user must download the picture, edit it, and then upload the picture to the picture library. If a user wants to download more than one picture from a picture library, the user must download one picture at a time by clicking on the picture link.
Microsoft Visio 2010 diagram creation	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
New Document	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control. Although the New Document command may not work, you can use the Upload Document functionality. If you install and configure Office Web Applications on the server, the New Document command works, and you can create an Office document in your browser.
Send To	Can leverage a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control. Without the control, files cannot be sent from one SharePoint farm to another SharePoint farm. However, files can still be sent from one site to another site.
Signing Forms (InfoPath Form Services)	Requires a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control.
Spreadsheet and Database integration	Require a 64-bit ActiveX control. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a 64-bit version of this control. The user can use the following workarounds when no control has been installed: If a user wants to edit a document, the user must download the document, edit it, and then save it back to the server. In a list that requires a document to be checked out for editing, a user must use the Edit menu to check out the document, edit it, and then check it in by using the Edit menu. Export to spreadsheet. Users can export a SharePoint list as a spreadsheet by clicking Export to Spreadsheet on the List tab on the ribbon.
Web Part to Web Part Connections	May require deactivation of browsers pop-up blockers for SharePoint sites.
Slide library and PowerPoint 2010 integration	Require a 64-bit ActiveX control. The user can use the following workarounds when no control has been installed: Delete a slide. Users can delete a slide by first clicking the slide, and then clicking Delete Slide. Repeat for each slide.

Mozilla Firefox Limitations

Unfortunately, you can’t use Mozilla Firefox as a workaround. When it comes to SharePoint, Firefox too has numerous limitations and Microsoft does not offer any workarounds in most cases.

According to Microsoft, they tested the latest version of Firefox 3.6 and found the following limitations on Windows operating systems.

Feature	Limitation
Connect to Outlook, Connect to Office, and Sync to SharePoint Workspace	Works with an ActiveX control, but requires a Firefox control adaptor. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a Firefox control adaptor for this control. The feature also requires an application that is compatible with the stssync:// protocol, such as Microsoft Outlook.
Datasheet view	Requires an ActiveX control, such as the one that is delivered in Microsoft Office 2010, and a Firefox control adaptor. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a Firefox control adaptor for this control.
Drag and Drop Web Parts	Cannot be moved by using drag and drop on Web Part pages. Users must click Edit on the Web Part, select Modify Web Part, and then select the zone from the Layout section of the Web Part properties page. Web Parts can be moved using drag and drop on Pages.
Edit in Microsoft Office application	Requires an ActiveX control, such as the one that is delivered in SharePoint Server 2010, and a Firefox control adaptor. Firefox users can read more about the control by visiting Microsoft Office 2010 Firefox Plug-in. If you install and configure the Office Web Applications on the server, the Edit functionality works and you can modify Office documents in your browser.
Explorer view	Removed in SharePoint Server 2010. Libraries that have been upgraded from earlier versions of SharePoint Server 2010 may still have Explorer views, and these may not work. Explorer view requires Internet Explorer.
Export to Excel	Downloads a file with an .iqy extension to the Web browser. If Microsoft Excel is not installed, and if no other application is configured to open this file, then this feature will not work.
File upload and copy	Requires an ActiveX control, such as the one that is delivered in Microsoft Office 2010, and a Firefox control adaptor. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a Firefox control adaptor for this control.
Microsoft InfoPath 2010 integration	Requires an ActiveX control, such as the one that is delivered in Microsoft Office 2010, and a Firefox control adaptor. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a Firefox control adaptor for this control.
Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 Picture Library integration	Requires an ActiveX control, such as the one that is delivered in Microsoft Office 2010, and a Firefox control adaptor. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a Firefox control adaptor for this control. The user can use the following workarounds when no control has been installed: If a user wants to upload multiple pictures in a picture library, the user must upload one picture at a time by using Upload.aspx. If a user wants to edit a picture in a picture library, the user must download the picture, edit it, and then upload the picture to the picture library. If a user wants to download more than one picture from a picture library, the user must download one picture at a time by clicking on the picture link.
Microsoft Visio 2010 diagram creation	Requires an ActiveX control, such as the one delivered in Microsoft Office 2010, and a Firefox control adaptor. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a Firefox control adaptor for this control.
New Document	Requires an ActiveX control, such as the one delivered in Microsoft Office 2010, and a Firefox control adaptor. Firefox users can read more about the control by visiting Microsoft Office 2010 Firefox Plug-in. Although the New Document command may not work, you can use the Upload Document functionality. If you install and configure Office Web Applications on the server, the New Document command works, and you can create an Office document in your browser.
Rich Text Editor – Basic Toolbar	Requires Internet Explorer.
Send To	Can leverage an ActiveX control, such as the one that is delivered in Microsoft Office 2010, and a Firefox control adaptor. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a Firefox control adaptor for this control. Without the control, files cannot be sent from one SharePoint farm to another SharePoint farm. However, files can still be sent from one site to another site.
Signing Forms (InfoPath Form Services)	Requires an ActiveX control, such as the one that is delivered in Microsoft Office 2010, and a Firefox control adaptor. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a Firefox control adaptor for this control.
Spreadsheet and Database integration	Require ActiveX controls, such as those that are delivered in Microsoft Office 2010, and Firefox control adaptors. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a Firefox control adaptor for this control. The user can use the following workarounds when no control has been installed: If a user wants to edit a document, the user must download the document, edit it, and then save it back to the server. In a list that requires a document to be checked out for editing, a user must use the Edit menu to check out the document, edit it, and then check it in by using the Edit menu. Export to spreadsheet. Users can export a SharePoint list as a spreadsheet by clicking Export to Spreadsheet on the List tab on the ribbon.
Web Part to Web Part Connections	May require deactivation of browsers pop-up blockers for SharePoint sites.
Slide library and PowerPoint 2010 integration	Require ActiveX controls, such as those that are delivered in Microsoft Office 2010, and Firefox control adaptors. Microsoft Office 2010 does not provide a Firefox control adaptor for this control. The user can use the following workarounds when no control has been installed: Delete a slide. Users can delete a slide by first clicking the slide, and then clicking Delete Slide. Repeat for each slide. The following features do not work on this platform: Copy a slide to a presentation. This feature enables users to add a slide to a PowerPoint 2010 presentation. Publish a slide. This feature enables users to upload a single slide from a PowerPoint 2010 presentation to a slide library. Microsoft Office must be installed on the client computer.