No More Pre-Installed Windows XP on New Laptops/Workstations/Netbooks

Today is the 1 year anniversary of the release of Windows 7.  And it is also the first day that Microsoft is no longer allowing Windows XP to be preinstalled on any workstations/laptops/netbooks. 

For the most part, our Clients have been switching to Windows 7 when buying new workstations and laptops.  We have seen very few issues.  The phase out of Windows XP has been publicized for quite some time now, so it should be a shock to no one.  It’s time to move forward!

Largest Windows Update Release Ever

On Tuesday, Microsoft released its largest set of security patches ever.  Patches for 16 security related issues were released.  10 of these patches are rated critical, 5 are rated important and 1 is less critical.  We have begun our testing process and will start releasing the updates to our Monitoring Plus Clients on Monday October 18th.  More detailed information on these patches can be found here. 

Problem with a Windows Update

One of the Windows Updates released Tuesday is causing BSODs and making the device not bootable.  The Update is MS10-015.  I have disabled the update on our monitoring system.   So Clients that get the updates from us will not be affected. However, Clients that self update could have problems.  So far it looks like only Windows XP is affected and it appears that the affected machines may be in fact infected with malware that causes the problem.  Microsoft has pulled the update from Windows Update and Microsoft Update.

Microsoft Changes Windows XP Deadline...Again

Jun 09 was the latest date that Microsoft pegged for the end of Windows XP sales. Through that date system builders such as ourselves could sell workstations with Windows Vista but then apply downgrade rights and actually install Windows XP. This week Microsoft moved the date out to April 2010.

While I understand that many companies are reluctant to start migrating to Vista for various reasons, I do not think this is the best move for Microsoft. My reasoning may not be what you you expect. By continually extending the end of life of Windows XP, Microsoft is allowing major software vendors to continue to drag their feet in making sure their applications will run properly in Windows Vista and now Windows 7 which is expected to ship later this year.

If the April 09 date was kept, many major software vendors will still not be ready. This is just ridiculous. Windows Vista was released in 2007 and available to software vendors as far back as 2006 in beta versions. And at this point Windows Vista will be replaced with Windows 7 later this year. This affects you. If the June 08 date was kept, you would be in a situation where you would not be able to run these applications on new computers. This is not a good thing. Software vendors need to move faster in migrating to new operating systems. I don't think 4 years fast enough.

At least Windows 7 is fairly close to Windows Vista as far as software development is concerned, so software vendors should be able to migrate to Windows 7 fairly easily as long as they are at least close to rolling out there Windows Vista versions of their applications. Let's hope that is doesn't take another 4 years.

Crtical Patch For Internet Explorer

As has been reported in the news, a serious security issue was recently acknowledged in most versions of Internet Explorer. On Wednesday at 1:00pm EST, Microsoft released a critical patch that mitigates the problem. Following our process of installing new patches on various machine configurations for testing, we installed the patch on several machines on Wednesday and Thursday. I also attended a Webinar presented by Microsoft regarding the issue. At this time we have seen no problems with the patch and advise all Clients to install the patch as soon as possible.

For Clients that are on our Remote Monitoring Plus service which includes Windows Updates, we have released the patch and your machines will receive the patch automatically. Note that the patch requires that the device is rebooted in most cases.

Clients that need the patch installed can simply call us to schedule service or download and install the patch themselves. The link to the patch is here. Be sure to select the proper patch for the workstation that it is being installed on. Please do not attempt to install the patch on your servers. We will do this remotely. As a general rule Internet Explorer should not be used on servers, therefore it is less urgent to install the patch on the servers.

Some notes about the patch

1. The patch will require that the device it is installed on gets rebooted. The patch will not take affect until the machine is rebooted. In some cases the patch may not require a reboot. Every machine we have installed it on has required a reboot.

2. Don't forget those laptops and other remote workstations. Those employees working from home need to install this update on the remote devices.

Links to KB958644 Security Patch

I have posted the links to the KB958644 security patch on our Answers Website.  You can find them here.  I have also posted instructions on how to determine if the patch has been installed on your computer.  You can find that here.

Don't forget to install these patches on your home computers as well!

Microsoft Releases Critical Patch

Generally, Microsoft releases patches on the 2nd Tuesday of every month.  This schedule is used to minimize the amount of server and workstation reboots that must be done as this process interrupts businesses.  It also gives Microsoft time to properly test the patches against the various configurations of operating systems that are available, a major task.

On occasion Microsoft will release an "Out of Band" patch.  The most common reason for an "Out of Band" patch is a serious security related issue.  If the issue is serious enough and there are known exploits that are being seen they will release a patch as soon as it is available.

This is the case with a patch that they released on October 23rd.  The patch resolves a very serious security issue with all versions of Windows although Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are a little less of a concern but not immune.

We are in the process of completing in-house testing of the patches on the various operating systems.  I believe the patch is safe to apply at this point although there are some potential problems with some configurations of Windows Server 2003.  We have fixes for these problems if they should occur.  Installing the patch will require a reboot of both workstations and servers.

We are strongly recommending that all our Clients install the patch for their servers and workstations.  For Clients that are on our Remote Monitoring Service the patches will be released over the weekend.  We will be contacting you early next week to install the patches on your servers and to rebooot the servers. Note that this does not include Clients that are running the free trial of our Monitoring Service. 

For Clients that are not covered by Remote Monitoring, we have 2 options.  First, simply give us a call and we will take care of it for you.  Second, we will be posting the various patches to our Answers Website later today.  Please do not attempt to do these patches yourself unless you fully understand how to apply which patch to which operating system.  The process is not difficult but you must do it right.  We do NOT recommend users install the patch on any servers themselves.  Again, the patch WILL require a reboot after it is installed.

As always, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to call us.

CCH ProFx Vista Compatibility

CCH has posted this document which describes its roadmap for Vista compatibility for its products. It looks like by the end of 2007 its products should be compatible with Vista and Office 2007. Note that Vista Home versions will not be supported. The document describes several Office 2007 issues that you should be aware of.

I would suggest that accounting firms do not attempt a Vista or Office 2007 migration until after the upcoming tax season. Tax season is not the best time to see if something will work or not!

Windows Vista Modem Driver Update

When I first installed Windows Vista on my workstation I found that my modem did not work. I checked the vendor website and found that there were no Vista drivers available for it. No problem, I can just get another modem. At least that was what I thought. I searched everywhere for a Windows Vista compatible modem. No luck. I have been living without a modem since then.

Over the weekend I spent some time revisiting the modem situation as I really need to send faxes from my workstation and I still connect to a couple of Clients via good old fashion dial up believe it or not. I was pleased to find that the situation is much better. US Robotics, Zoom, and Hawking Technologies have updated most of their current modem lines with Vista drivers. And they even work! Although I noticed a couple of interesting things when using the Vista dialer.

So the Vista modem situation is much better than it was a few months ago. For those of you using PCAnywhere, you must use version 12 or higher for Vista.

What's New In Windows Vista?

Windows Vista replaces Windows XP as the next desktop operating system. Microsoft has spent several years building what it calls its best operating system yet. While Vista is still Windows, there are many changes, some visible and some under the hood, that will both help and frustrate users. Over the next several posts I will review some of these changes.

When Vista starts up the user interface presents changes immediately. The login dialog looks different but acts the same. You supply your password and you're in. The desktop has some major changes. First, there is no Start button, or at least it doesn't say Start. It's just a round button with a Windows flag in it. When you click on it, the menu make look similar at first but it really is a much better place to "start". I will get into more detail of the Start Menu in another post.

When you start Windows Vista you may also see the Vista Sidebar. The Sidebar is a place where you can put little gadgets (small programs) That can be fun and even useful. The Sidebar can be turned on or off and there are hundreds of gadgets that can be downloaded and run in the Sidebar. At first this may seem a little silly, but I have actually found some gadgets that are very useful.

You will also notice that when you right click on the desktop the menu presented is different than Windows XP. In fact, instead of selecting Properties from the menu, you now select Personalize. This brings up a whole new menu of items. At first I found this frustrating as I couldn't find things that I could easily find before. However, as I continue to work with Vista I am getting used to the new locations for things and for the most part, I like where they are located.

Click here for a short demo of some of the new Vista features. (Click on See it now)

It's Time To Think About Windows Vista and Office 2007

At the end of January 2007 Microsoft released Windows Vista, the replacement for Windows XP, and Office 2007, the newest Office Family release. As is always the case, we have been advising Clients that they should not jump out and purchase new releases of software as soon as they become available. In the case of Windows Vista, there are several issues that need to be evaluated before a plan is put into place to upgrade to the new operating system.

However, this does not mean that Clients should not plan on doing the updates at some point, and the time to develop that plan is now. I'm not saying to start buying computers with Windows Vista on them or buying Office 2007. I am saying that you need to start evaluating these two products now so that you will be ready to migrate when the time comes. The issue is that you will no longer be able to purchase Office 2003 after June 30, 2007 and you will not be able to purchase a computer without Windows Vista after January 31, 2008. So its time to get to work on determining what this means to your organization!

We are here to help our Clients with this process. Over the next several weeks I will be writing articles on this Blog that will overview Windows Vista and Office 2007. We will be presenting a couple of seminars in July that are intended to present an overview of these products and yes, we will be demonstrating both products during the seminars. We will also assist our Clients in setting up a test environment at their locations to help them test their applications and look for issues specific to their environment. We have installed and have been using both products in our own office for some time now. This will help us help our Clients with issues that may arise during their implementation of these products.

So let's get started! Check back here regularly to catch the articles or better yet, subscribe to this feed with your RSS reader. If you don't have an RSS reader (one is built into Internet Explorer 7 and Outlook 2007), you can simply enter your email address on the sidebar and click Subscribe to this Blog. When I post new articles an email will be sent to you. Details on the seminars will be posted here and will be emailed to you as they are finalized.

More DST Updates

This Daylight Savings Time issue is getting fun! Microsoft has updated a couple of its fixes and moved most of them to the Critical Update section of the Microsoft Update Service. One nice thing is that they have created a website where Windows Mobile 5 cell phone users can browse to to download the DST fix directly to their phone. I've tried it and it worked flawlessly. I have updated our DST document to reflect the most recent changes. It can be found here. Just open the PDF attachment. I will update this document as more information is available.

One new thing since I updated the DST document; Symantec has indicated that Backup Exec uses the Windows date and time functions for backup scheduling. As long as you have the Windows DST updates installed you should be good. However, if your backup is scheduled between 2:00am and 3:00am, you may have problems. When DST comes on in March there will be no 2:00am to 3:00am and when DST ends in November there will be two 2:00 to 3:00am! Fun right?

2007 DST Changes Need Some Attention

The beginning and ending dates for Daylight Savings Time will change this year. The start date will be the second Sunday in March (March 11) instead of the first Sunday of April (April 1). The end date will be the first Sunday of November (Nov 4) instead of the last Sunday of October (Oct 28). Because Windows is aware and adjusts for DST, it will need to be updated to properly handle the change. I have created a document that details the changes and what need to be done. You can locate the document here.

Microsoft is still in the process of testing and releasing patches for the various programs that are affected. I will update this document as new information is available.

It would also be a good idea to check with your other software vendors to see if the change affects their software. This would be mostly applications that use date and time functions like scheduling applications.