Alexander’s Blog

Jason Hiner, the Executive Editor of TechRepublic has written an interesting article Prediction: Microsoft will leapfrog Vista, release Windows 7 early, and change its OS business in which he states that “Microsoft will ultimately try to quell the embarrassing Windows Vista debacle by making a bold move with Windows 7 to win back customer loyalty and generate positive spin for its most important product.” He goes on to say that “My prognosis is that Microsoft will use smoke and mirrors to conjure up an early release of Windows 7, the next edition of the world’s most widely-used operating system. Then they will quietly and unofficially allow IT departments to migrate straight from Windows XP to Windows 7.”

Check out his prediction and the reasoning behind why in his opinion Microsoft will leapfrog Vista and change its OS business.

Microsoft Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) enables IT administrators to remotely manage roles and features in Windows Server 2008 from a computer running Windows Vista SP1.

It includes support for remote management of computers running either a Server Core or full installation option of Windows Server 2008. Click the links below to download RSAT:

RSAT for Windows Vista for x86-based systems
RSAT for Windows Vista for x64-based systems

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008 unifies the tools and processes required for desktop and server deployment into a common deployment console and collection of guidance. The fourth generation deployment accelerator adds integration with recently released Microsoft deployment technologies to create a single path for image creation and automated installation. MDT’s tools and end-to-end guidance reduce deployment time, standardize desktop and server images, limit service disruptions, reduce post-deployment help desk costs, and improve security and ongoing configuration management.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit technologies eliminate interaction time required to install desktop and server operating systems. Interaction at the targeted computer may take a few moments using the Lite Touch Installation (LTI) method or it can be completely automated using Zero Touch Installation (ZTI). Zero Touch Installation utilizes Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 or Systems Management Server 2003 with the Operating System Deployment Feature Pack. Lite Touch Installation can be used when software distribution tools are not in place.
Microsoft Deployment Tookit 2008 also uses Configuration Manager 2007’s stand-alone media-initiated operating system deployment feature. This release offers project management guidance for all deployment roles and separates technical documentation for the products and technologies to facilitate automation tasks.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 enables deployment of the following Microsoft products:

Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate (32 and 64 bit) RTM and SP1
Office Professional, Professional Plus, Enterprise, and Ultimate 2007
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2003 R2 (32 and 64 bit)
Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 (32 and 64 bit) or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

To download the toolkit click here.

Windows Vista SP1 is finally available for download from Windows Update.

If you have Windows Vista configured to download updates automatically then SP1 will start downloading to your computer automatically in mid-April. Just to make sure you know, Microsoft’s Windows Update will automatically download but will not install the service pack automatically.
If you don’t see SP1 as an option in Windows Update then you can manually download SP1 here. You might want to check this KB article before installing SP1..

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Solution Accelerator is an agentless tool that will find computers on a network and perform a detailed inventory of the computers using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), the Remote Registry Service, or the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). Using the inventory data, the tool will assess and report whether computers can run Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Application Virtualization (SoftGrid), and Windows Server 2008. This includes assessment of device driver availability and recommendations for hardware upgrades that may be required.

System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2003; Windows Server 2008; Windows Vista; Windows Vista Service Pack 1; Windows XP Professional Edition

Hardware Requirements:

• 1.6-GHz or faster processor minimum
• 1.5 GB of RAM minimum (2.0GB for Windows Vista)
• 1 GB of available hard-disk space required
• 10/100 Mbps network adapter required

Software Requirements:

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition for storing inventory and assessment data. Microsoft Word 2003 SP2 or Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Excel 2003 SP2 or Microsoft Excel 2007 for generating reports.

CPU Architecture:

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator can only be installed on 32-Bit versions of any of the supported operating systems.

Click here to download this free tool.