Microsoft Dec 2009 updates-MS Updates Dec 2009

This is the month that I declare Microsoft is “insane.”
They have released a number of patches that are clearly security patches as “non security patches.” What galls me about this is that many administrators have various group policies or WSUS systems in place to automatically push out critical security patches; patches that are improperly labeled as “non-security” fall through the cracks, leaving systems vulnerable longer than intended.
In addition, it looks like they’ve unofficially declared the fourth Tuesday of each month to be a secondary Patch Tuesday. They are consistently releasing non-security patches and updates then as well. A few months ago, this made sense, because Windows 7 and Window Server 2008 R2 had just dropped, and a bunch of minor issues were being found and fixed as quickly as possible. But now there is no excuse for it; things like a Daylight Savings patch can and should wait until Patch Tuesday. I tend to stick up for Microsoft, but in this case, there is no excuse and this situation needs to be changed immediately.

Security Patches

MS09-069/KB974392 - Important (XP, 2000, 2003): This patch resolves a DoS (Denial of Service) vulnerability in Windows’ Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS). This patch is not super critical but you should definitely install it on your next patch cycle. 600KB - 1.3MB
MS09-070/KB971726 - Important (2003, 2008): There is a hole in ADFS (Active Directory Federation Services) which could allow a remote code execution exploit. Luckily, the attacker already needs to be authenticated to trigger the exploit. Microsoft calls this “important” but I call it “critical”. 450KB - 1MB
MS09-071/KB974318 - Moderate (XP)/Important (Vista, 2000, 2003)/Critical (2008): Problems with PEAP authentication in Windows can lead to remote code execution vulnerabilities when working with MS-CHAP v2 authentication. You’ll want to get this fixed immediately on your servers. 275KB - 1.2MB
MS09-072/KB976325 - Moderate to Critical (IE5, IE6, IE7, IE8): This patch resolves five problems in Internet Explorer which can result in remote code execution exploits, some via “specially crafted Web pages” and some through ActiveX. The criticality matrix on this patch is crazy. Let’s just call it “critical” for all versions IE and Windows, install it immediately, and move on. 3MB - 48.7MB
MS09-073/KB975539 - Important (2000, XP, 2003, Office XP, Office 2003, Works 8.5, Office Converter Pack): Issues in WordPad and some versions of Office allow an attacker to perform remote code execution exploits with a bad Word 97 file. The attacker would get the same privileges as the user. Microsoft doesn’t consider this a top level issue, but given the prevalence of Office files and user behavior around them, I suggest that you install the patch as soon as you can. 855KB - 2.6MB
MS09-074/KB967183: Important (Project 2002, Project 2003)/Critical (Project 2000): This is another “specially crafted files can lead to remote code execution” patch, this time for Microsoft Project. You will want to install this immediately as well.
KB954157 and KB976138: A problem in the Indeo codec in 2000, XP, and 2003 can allow an attacker with a specially crafted media file to perform a remote code execution attack. Somehow, Microsoft has not released a security bulletin for this issue and they are not labeling it as a security update in the system! It doesn’t matter what Microsoft chooses to call this, it is a critical security patch. 689KB - 1.6MB

Other Updates

KB954157: A problem in the Indeo codec in 2000, XP, and 2003 can allow an attacker with a specially crafted media file to perform a remote code execution attack. Somehow, Microsoft has not released a security bulletin for this issue, and they are not labeling it as a security update in the system! It doesn’t matter what Microsoft chooses to call this, it is a critical security patch. 689KB - 1.6MB
KB970430, KB971737, and KB973917: This trio of patches upgrades the security for authentication in HTTP and IIS on XP, Vista, 2003, and 2008. 530KB - 4.0MB
“The Usual Suspects”: Updates to the Malicious Software Removal Tool (9.4 - 9.7MB) and Junk Email filters (2.2MB).

Changed, but not significantly:

IE8 for 2008 and Vista
MS08-037/KB051748 - Security update for 2000

Updates since the last Patch Tuesday

We did not have any security patches release out of band since the last Patch Tuesday.
There have been a number of minor items added since the last Patch Tuesday:

Root Certificates Update (KB931125) for XP. 324KB
Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 (KB968249) adds features like W7 compatibility, better searching, and fixes a number of bugs. 27.3MB
Remote Desktop Connection 7.0 Client for XP and Vista (KB969084) adds support for the new Remote Desktop features in W7 and 2008 R2. 2MB - 3.3MB
Update to XML Core Services 4.0 SP3 (KB973685) resolves a problem which can cause the XML processing library to get stuck and put out far too any HTTP calls. They aren’t calling this a security update, but it really is, and it should be installed immediately. 2MB
Update XML Core Services 6.0 SP2 (KB973686) is the same as the patch for XML Core Services 4.0, for the same problem. It too should be installed ASAP. 956KB - 2.7MB
Update for Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP (KB973687) also addresses the XML issue. 937KB - 3.7MB
Update to XML Core Services 4.0 Service Pack 2 (KB973688) - same problem, different version of the library. 5.6MB
Update for W7 (KB976092) which fixes a possible data corruption problem when moving data to SD cards. 75KB
Daylight Savings Time Update (KB976098) to account for new DST laws around the world. 140KB - 1.1MB
Update for 2008 and Vista (KB976470) which resolves an issue where the “Date and Time” applet in Control Panel displays an error message for no reason. 413KB - 834KB

Changed, but not significantly:

MS08-076/KB952069 - Security update for Windows Media Components for Windows XP

Are digital ants the answer to malware?

One of my favorite topics is anti-malware technology, especially when it portends “outside-the-box” thinking. Collective Intelligence, leveraged in Cloud Antivirus is one such example. Recently, I came across another interesting concept and it’s definitely unconventional.

PNNL’s research

Research coming out of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) always interests me. First, one of the lab’s mission is to resolve cyber-security issues. Second, their conclusions can be unorthodox. Case in point, Dr. Glenn Fink, Senior Research Scientist at PNNL believes Nature provides examples of how we can protect computers by using collective intelligence.
To help defend his position, Dr. Fink enlisted Dr. Errin Fulp, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Wake Forest University, specifically because of Dr. Fulp’s ground-breaking work with parallel processing. Together, the two researchers developed software capable of running multiple security scans contiguously, with each scan targeting a different threat. A technique it seems, Dr. Fink acquired from studying behavior exhibited by ant colonies.

Why ants?

In the Wake Forest University article, “Ants vs. Worms” by Eric Frazier, Professor Fulp describes why the researchers chose to mimic ants:
“In nature, we know that ants defend against threats very successfully. They can ramp up their defense rapidly, and then resume routine behavior quickly after an intruder has been stopped. We are trying to achieve that same framework in a computer system.”

All one has to do is watch a National Geographic special about ants to appreciate their collective capabilities. So, the doctors’ reasoning does makes sense.

Swarm Intelligence

The researchers call their technology Swarm Intelligence and for a good reason. According to Wikipedia, Swarm Intelligence is a system:
“Typically made up of a population of simple agents or boids interacting locally with one another and with their environment. The agents follow very simple rules, and although there is no centralized control structure dictating how individual agents should behave, local, and to a certain degree random interactions between such agents lead to the emergence of “intelligent” global behavior, unknown to the individual agents.”
The digital Swarm Intelligence consists of three components:
Digital ant: Software designed to crawl through computer code, looking for evidence of malware. The researchers mentioned that ultimately there will be 3000 different types of Digital Ants employed.
Sentinel is the autonomic manager of digital ants congregated on an individual computer. It receives information from the ants, determines the state of the local host, and decides if any further action is required. It also reports to the Sergeant.
Sergeant is also an autonomic manager, albeit of multiple Sentinels. If I understand correctly, the size of the network determines how many Sergeants are used. Also, Sergeants interface with human supervisors. The following slide courtesy of the researchers and the IEEE, depicts the collective arrangement:

In my world, Swarm Intelligence is complicated. So I needed to ask some questions:

Question: How do Digital Ants work? Are they similar to local anti-virus scanners?
Dr. Fulp’s answer: Ants migrate about the system checking for evidence. The evidence is typically a simple check (network statistics, process-table info), and different ant populations check for different things. If an ant finds something abnormal, it leaves a pheromone trail which will attract more ants to the same computer. Given more ants (which provide different pieces of information), a clearer understanding of the threat can be obtained. This is different from an AV program, since they have to continuously run all the scans (looking for the different pieces of evidence). Using our approach, the population of ants can change based on the threat level.
Question: On the surface, the Digital Ant, Sentinel, and Sergeant relationship appears sophisticated. Could you please explain how it works?
Dr. Fulp’s answer: Ants are simple agents that check for a piece of evidence (malware) and leave pheromone (so other ants can locate the evidence) if malware is found. Sentinels reside on individual computers and interact with ants to discover any threats based on the ants’ findings. Sergeants interact with Sentinels and can observe changes over multiple computers.
Question: When Digital Ants are checking for evidence, how do they know if a particular parameter is out-of spec? Is an initial system footprint taken?
Dr. Fulps’ answer: Yes, the Sentinel has to be initially trained to understand “normal”.
Question: How are more Digital Ants created?
Dr. Fulp’s answer: If an ant is successful (its evidence is helpful in finding a threat) then it is duplicated, if not it dies. Of course a base population of ants is maintained.
Question: You mention the Digital Ant gets rewarded or it dies. In software-speak; does that mean a counter/timer is incorporated in the Digital Ant? With death occurring when the counter/timer is not reset?
Dr. Fulp’s answer: The Digital Ant actually lives as long as it has “energy” which is supplied to it if it is rewarded. If unsuccessful, then the energy will exhaust and the ant terminates.
Question: What is the software equivalent of the term pheromone? Is it a software tag or pointer informing other Digital Ants what to focus on?
Dr. Fulp’s answer: Yes, for the current implementation it is a file provided by the Sentinel, it can be digitally signed to prevent alteration by malware.
Question: Is Digital Ant technology network-based or can it function on an individual computer?
Dr. Fulp’s answer: This technology is intended for use on a network, but could be a set of VMs in a single computer.
Question: An anti-virus developer employs what they call Collective Intelligence; is Swarm Intelligence similar?
Dr. Fulp’s answer: Similar ideas, the difference being a collection of agents provides information that an individual agent cannot.
Question: The Sentinel resides on the local host. What prevents it from being corrupted by malware?
Dr. Fulp’s answer: The Sergeant has to verify if the Sentinel is behaving correctly. The system is not perfect. One approach is to use digital signatures to prove the code has not been corrupted.
Question: TechRepublic members were concerned about Collective Intelligence relying on a single “in-the-cloud” source for management and malware diagnosis. Is Swarm Intelligence a more secure approach?
Dr. Fulp’s answer: I think it is a more scalable and robust design. One drawback is speed, as these systems require some time to ramp-up and down. Still, I think it’s a worthwhile approach for the massively parallel systems we will face in the future.
Final thoughts

This past summer, Dr. Fink invited Dr. Fulp and Wake Forest graduate students Wes Featherstun and Brian Williams to PNNL to test the theory on a live network. The results were encouraging; every time Dr. Fulp introduced a worm into the network, the Digital Ants successfully located it. I find that uniquely telling; technologists are learning from Nature.
I would like to thank Dr. Fink, Dr. Fulp, Mr. Featherstun, and Mr. Williams for their part in Swarm Intelligence. A special thanks to Dr. Fulp for taking the time to answer my numerous questions.

Thanks : teckrepublic

Microsoft's Hyper-V R2 vs. VMware's vSphere

Microsoft was late to the virtualization game, but the company has made gains against its primary competitor in the virtualization marketplace, VMware. In recent months, both companies released major updates to their respective hypervisors: Microsoft’s Hyper-V R2 and VMware’s vSphere. In this look at the hypervisor products from both companies, I’ll compare and contrast some of the products’ more common features and capabilities. I do not, however, make recommendations about which product might be right for your organization.
This table compares items in four editions of vSphere and three available editions of Hyper-V R2. Below the table, I explain each of the comparison items. (Product note: With the release of vSphere, VMware has released an Enterprise Plus edition of its hypervisor product. Enterprise Plus provides an expanded set of capabilities that were not present in older product versions. Customers have to upgrade from Enterprise to Enterprise Plus in order to obtain these capabilities.)

Click the image to enlarge.

Max host processors. Indicates the number of physical host processors that can be recognized by the system. Bear in mind that the Windows columns are Windows limits and not necessarily Hyper-V limits.
Max cores/processor. How many processor cores per physical processor are recognized?
Max virtual SMP. In an individual virtual machine, this indicates the maximum number of supported virtual processors. Note: This is a maximum value; not every guest operating system can support the maximum number of virtual processors.
Max host RAM (GB). The maximum amount of RAM recognized by the hypervisor.
Max RAM/vm. The maximum amount of RAM that can be allocated to an individual virtual machine.
Failover nodes. The maximum number of physical hosts that can be clustered together. N/A indicates that failover clustering is not supported for that particular hypervisor edition.
Memory overcommit. Does the hypervisor support memory overcommit? Memory overcommitment is a technique available in vSphere that allows administrators to allocate more RAM to virtual machines than is physically available in the host. There are numerous pro and con articles about this topic, but it’s clear that having the ability to allocate more resources than are physically available increases overall virtual machine density. The decision to use memory overcommit in a production environment is up to each organization. That said, in my opinion, when used in the right circumstances, I can see great benefit in this feature.
Transparent page sharing. Transparent page sharing is one method by which memory overcommitment is achieved. With this technique, common code shared between virtual machines is, itself, virtualized. Let’s say that you have 100 virtual machines running Windows XP for VDI. Using transparent page sharing, RAM isn’t necessarily a major limiting factor when it comes to desktop density on the server. VMware has an excellent example of this technique in action.
Live Migration/VMotion. The ability for the hypervisor to migrate virtual machines between host servers without significant downtime. This is considered one of the most significant availability benefits provided by virtualization solutions.
Simultaneous Live Migration. Can the product utilize its Live Migration capabilities to move multiple virtual machines simultaneously between nodes?
Live guests per host. The number of virtual machines that can be powered on for a maxed-out host. In the real world, I’d be extraordinarily surprised to see anyone getting close to these limits. Virtualization is a great way to lower costs, but there are limits.
Live guests/HA cluster node. If you’re running your hypervisor in a cluster, this is the maximum number of virtual machines that can be active on any single host in the cluster. For vSphere with update 1, if you have eight or fewer cluster hosts, you can run up to 160 VMs per host. With nine or more cluster hosts, that number drops to 40.
Distributed Resource Scheduler. DRS is a technology that enables the migration of virtual machines between hosts based on business rules. This can be a boon for organizations with strict SLAs.
Snapshots per VM. The maximum number of snapshots that can be taken of an individual virtual machine. A snapshot is a point-in-time image of a virtual machine that can be used as part of a backup and recovery mechanism. I find snapshots incredibly useful, particularly on the workstation side of the equation, where a lot of “playing” takes place.
Thin Provisioning. One decision that has to be made early on in the life of any server (virtual or physical) is how much storage to allocate to the system. Too much storage and you waste valuable disk space — too little storage and services crash. In order to maintain reliable services, most IT shops overprovision storage to make sure that it doesn’t run out; but that conservatism adds up over time. Imagine if you have 100 VMs all with 4 or 5 GB of “wiggle room” going unused. With thin provisioning, you can have the best of both worlds. You can provision enough disk space to meet your comfort level, but under the hood, the hypervisor won’t allocate it all. As space begins to run low, the hypervisor will make more space available up to the maximum volume size. Although thin provisioning shouldn’t be used for massive workloads, it can be a huge boon to organizations that want conservatism without breaking the bank.
Storage Live Migration. This feature enables the live migration of a virtual machine’s disk files between storage arrays and adds an additional level of availability potential to a virtual environment.
Distributed Switch. VMware and Microsoft have virtual switches in their products, but only VMware has taken it one step further with the introduction of vSphere Enterprise Plus’ Distributed Switch. According to VMware, “Distributed Switch maintains network runtime state for VMs as they move across multiple hosts, enabling inline monitoring and centralized firewall services. It provides a framework for monitoring and maintaining the security of virtual machines as they move from physical server to physical server and enables the use of third party virtual switches such as the Cisco Nexus 1000V to extend familiar physical network features and controls to virtual networks.” In short, this new capability increases VMware’s availability and security capabilities.
Direct I/O. The ability for a virtual machine to bypass the hypervisor layer and directly access a physical I/O hardware device. There is limited support for this capability in vSphere; the product supports direct I/O operations to a few storage and networking controllers. Called VMDirectPath I/O, this feature can improve overall performance since it eliminates the “virtualization penalty” that can take place when hardware access is run through the hypervisor. There are some major disadvantages to VMDirectPath; for example, VMotion can’t work anymore because of the hardware need. (Note: This feature is different than direct access to disks, which Hyper-V does support.)
Max. partition size (TB). What is the largest partition supported by the hypervisor? Although VHD-based volumes, such as those used by Hyper-V R2, can be up to 2 TB in size, read this blog by Brian Henderson for insight into maximum Windows partition sizes, particularly if you bypass the VHD option altogether and use disks directly.
Application firewall (vShield). According to VMware “VMware vShield Zones enables you to monitor, log and block inter-VM traffic within an ESX host or between hosts in a cluster, without having to divert traffic externally through static physical chokepoints. You can bridge, firewall, or isolate virtual machine between multiple zones defined by your logical organizational and trust boundaries. Both allowed and blocked activities are logged and can be graphed or analyzed to a fine-grained level.” In other words, you don’t need to run traffic through external switches and routers to protect applications from one another.
Virtual instance rights. This is a Microsoft-only right that can seriously lower the overall cost of running Hyper-V R2 in a Windows-only environment. If you use the Data Center edition of Windows, you can run as many Windows Server-based virtual machines as you like without incurring additional sever licensing costs.
Hypervisor licensing. The method by which the product is licensed. Either per host or per processor.

Thanks : teckrepublic

Download Recuva 1.32-Delete file recovery

Recuva 1.32.444
License :
Free

Operating systems:
Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98

Publisher's description
Recuva is a free file recovery program that makes it extremely easy to locate files that were once thought to be lost forever. The wizard-like approach and intuitive user interface will appeal to all user levels.

The program opens with a very sleek, professional user interface. We found it extremely easy to navigate right off the bat, but it does employ a wizard to walk you through the file recovery process. All we had to do was select either the C or D drive, or both, from a drop-down menu. If you have a general idea of where the file may be, you can pick from a list of file paths, including Pictures, Music, Documents, Video, and Compressed files. As soon as we clicked the Scan button, the program immediately went to work, and within seconds, it had pulled up a very long list of deleted files and their respective paths. The program's Advanced view gave us more detailed information of each file, including the file's size and creation time. Recovering selected files was also extremely easy and involved simply checking off the file or files and clicking the Recover button. Within seconds, the file was recovered and saved to our location of choice.

Though we don't think you'll need it, we were disappointed to find that the program doesn't include any kind of Help file. It does, however, include a link to the publisher's Web site, which contains a forum. All in all, Recuva is an excellent choice for anyone in need of reliable file recovery.Recuva (pronounced "recover") is a freeware Windows utility to restore files that have been accidentally deleted from your computer. This includes files emptied from the Recycle bin as well as images and other files that have been deleted by user error from digital camera memory cards or MP3 players. It will even bring back files that have been deleted by bugs, crashes and viruses.

Download:
http://download.cnet.com/3001-2242_4-10753287.html

Download Microsoft Office Professional 2010 beta -free

Microsoft Office Professional 2010 beta
License model :
Free
Limitations :
Not available
Operating systems :
Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows XP
Additional requirements :
Not available
Publisher's description
Microsoft Office helps you work faster, easier, and more intuitively, whether you're in the office, on the road, working solo, or part of a team. The 2010 Microsoft Office system has evolved from a suite of personal productivity products to a more comprehensive and integrated system. Building on the familiar tools that many people already know, the Microsoft Office system includes programs, servers, services, and solutions designed to work together to help address a broad array of business problems.

Download click here

Know To Configure Autoreply to messages in exchange 2007

It's in two parts, from server side (Exchange 2007 HUB Role) and from outlook side

A- From server Side:
Exchange 2007 by default will block autoreplies and auto forward messages, hence we need to configure this to allow this-like messages
1- open EMC and go to organization configuration
2- navigate to Hub transport and remote domains tab
3- click properties of the remote domains and go to Message format tab
4- check the check box there that allow auto reply (and auto forward if needed) and OK

B- From OUTLOOK
1- Open Outlook.
2- Click Tools, and click Rules and Alerts.
3- Click New Rule, select "Start from a blank rule", select "Check messages when they arrive" and click Next.
4 - Select "Send only to me" and click Next.
5- Select "have server reply using a specific message".
6- In the bottom box, click "a specific message", enter the Subject and body for the autoreply message and click "Save and close".

Now test it by sending a message to the configured account and you will get an autoreply

Thanks To: drkernel

Download the latest offline updates of windows products

Get the latest definitions

Latest definition version: 1.69.889.0

	Get protected now
	32-bit \| 64-bit Instructions
	32-bit \| 64-bit Instructions
	32-bit \| 64-bit Instructions

Know To Install BES 4.1.3 or higher in an Exchange 2007 Environment

Note: In an Exchange 2007 environment BlackBerry Enterprise Server should NOT be installed on the mail server as the BES software is not 64BIT compatible. In the event BES is installed on the mail server is will change IIS from 32BIT to 32BIT mode, this will then cause sites like OWA to be disabled. Also before installing BES you MUST have public folders enabled and have an Offline Address book configured in Exchange 2007.

1. On the server you have selected to load BlackBerry Enterprise Server download and install “Microsoft Exchange Server MAPI Client and Collaboration Data Objects 1.2.1” which is available from the Microsoft Download site (a.k.a ExchangeMapiCdo.EXE). This will install the CDO and MAPI DLLs which are no longer available in Exchange 2007. This replaces the previous requirement to have Exchange System Manager installed as in Exchange 2000 or 2003 environments. The current download link is as follows:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e17e7f31-079a-43a9-bff2-0a110307611e&DisplayLang=en

2. Log onto your Exchange Server using an account which has permissions to create an account. Open the Exchange Management Console and create a service account called BESadmin.

3. From the Exchange 2007 server open the “Exchange Management Shell” which can be found in the Exchange program group. From EMS run the following two scripts to set the delegate control and required permissions:

get-mailboxserver | add-exchangeadministrator BESAdmin –role ViewOnlyAdmin

get-mailboxserver | add-adpermission -user BESadmin -accessrights GenericRead, GenericWrite -extendedrights Send-As, Receive-As, ms-Exch-Store-Admin

4. Open Active Directory and from the View menu select "Advanced Features". Then go to each user that will be added to the BES and open their properties, go to the security tab and add the user BESadmin and add the security permission "Send As". (This will overcome some MS patches that prevent BES sending emails). Methods are available to add BESadmin "Send As" rights to all users if required but this method ensures only the required users have permissions added.

5. Make BESadmin a local Administrator of the server where you will be installing the BES software. This is done by right mouse clicking my computer and selecting “Manage”. From Computer Management expand “Local Users & Groups” and select Groups. From Groups double click “Administrators” and add BESadmin.

6. On the BES server go to “Administrative Tools” and open "Local Security Policy" and then expand the "Local Policies" and "User Right Assignment". You need to add BESadmin to "Log on Locally" and log on as Service".

7. Log onto the server where you will be installing the BES using the BESadmin account. Extract the install files and run the install file. Normally you select "BlackBerry Enterprise Server" as the install option once prompted as most sites don't use the MDS services for custom applications (MDS is a much heavier install). Follow the prompts of the install and the server will be required to restart half way through the install. Restart the server and log back on as BESadmin and the install will continue. (Make sure the Connect Test works and the SRP ID etc is validated during the install)

8. After the install is finished open BlackBerry Manager, an error will appear about MAPI client which you can just hit OK. The MAPI setting windows will appear so just add the server name back in and select "Check Name", if it resolves just hit OK and the manager will start.

9. Within Blackberry Manager click on Blackberry Domain in the left column and then the users SERVERS tab in the centre section, select your server within this tab and view the properties below. Ensure that "SRP Status:" is Connected (This can take a few minutes the first time so refresh the screen a few times). Once your status is connected you can start adding users.

10. Within Blackberry Manager click on your server name (The blue server) in the left column and then the users TAB in the centre section, just add a user and the click on that user. You will see all the users’ properties and a drop down menu called "Service Access” and select “Set Activation Password” and set a password of “a” for example.

11. Turn on you BlackBerry device and ensure Wireless is enabled. Go into “Options/Settings” and “Time & Date” and set the correct zone and time etc. Then from the home screen go to enterprise activation and enter the users email address and enter the password that was set in step 10. Press the track wheel and select Activate. Within a minute you should get data returned which indicates the process is functioning correct.

Migrate to Windows 7 from an XP dual-boot configuration

Once you complete your migration and are comfortable working in Windows 7, you’ll want to remove the dual-boot configuration, remove Windows XP, and just bootWindows 7 as your primary OS. In this edition of the Windows Vista & Windows 7 Report, I’ll show you how to safely undo Windows XP and 7 dual-boot system so that you can complete your migration from Windows XP to Windows 7.

Label the drives

In order to make it easy to identify which partition is which throughout this operation, you need to make sure that each partition or drive is labeled. In either Windows XP or Windows 7, open My Computer and label, or rename each drive with the name of the operating system, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A

Labeling each drive, which is a simple rename operation, will make it easy to identify which partition is which throughout this operation.

As you can see here, this screen shot was taken in Windows XP, which in this case assigned the Windows 7 partition to drive E and its partition to drive C. On the other hand, Windows 7 assigns the Windows XP partition to drive D and its partition to drive C. For the purposes of this operation, it really doesn’t matter what drive letter is assigned to a partition, because we know that Windows XP is on the first partition and Windows 7 is on the second partition. However, labeling each drive will help you to keep them straight in the event that the drive letter swapping catches you off guard.

Creating a System Image

The first thing that you’ll want to do is protect all your hard work by creating a System Image from within Windows7’s Backup and Restore. When you do, you’ll end up with a complete image of your hard disk that includes both the Windows XP and Windows 7 partitions in a dual-boot configuration. That way, if anything out of the ordinary were to occur as you follow the steps in this procedure, you will be able to return to your current configuration.
To create a system image, you’ll need to have a CD-RW/DVD-RW drive, an external hard disk, or access to a network drive. For my system, I used an external hard disk. To access Backup and Restore, click the Start button, type Backup in the Search box, and press [Enter] when Backup and Restore appears in the result pane.
Once you have Backup and Restore up, select Create a System Image, select your backup location, and then launch the operation to create an image of both drives. The procedure is shown in Figure B.

Figure B

Create a system image that contains both drives in the dual-boot configuration as a safety precaution.

Make a data backup

Even though the system image is a backup, you’ll want a separate backup all your data — at least one and maybe two, just in case. Maybe just make copies of all your data files on CD/DVD or on an external hard disk. While it may sound like overkill, having an extra backup will give you peace of mind.

Copying boot files

When you create a dual boot system and install Windows 7 on a second partition, 7’s Setup installs all the Windows Boot Manager files on the first partition, which in this case is the Windows XP partition. As such, if the goal is to remove the Windows XP partition and boot from the Windows 7 partition, the next step involves copying the Windows Boot Manager files from the Windows XP partition to the Windows 7 partition.
Boot into Windows XP, launch Windows Explorer, pull down the Tools menu, select Folder Options, and on the View tab, make sure that the Show hidden files and folders is selected and that Hide extensions for known file types and Hide protected operating system files are cleared. Then, access the root of drive C and locate the Boot folder and the bootmgr file, as shown in Figure C.

Figure C

You’ll need to make sure that these settings are configured in the Folder Option dialog box in order to be able to see the Windows Boot Manager folder and file.

Now, open a second instance of Windows Explorer, access the root of the Windows 7 partition, which in the case of my example is drive E, and then copy the Boot folder and the bootmgr file from root of drive C to root of drive E, as shown in Figure D.

Figure D

You’ll need to copy Windows Boot Manager’s folder and file from the Windows XP partition to the Windows 7 partition.

Manipulating the partitions

With your system image backup in place and Windows Boot Manager now on the Windows 7 partition, you’re ready to delete the Windows XP partition and configure the Windows 7 partition as the main partition. To do so, you’ll boot your system from the Windows 7 DVD, access the System Recovery Options toolbox, use the DiskPart command to manipulate the partitions, and then use the BootRec command to enable Windows Boot Manager on the Windows 7 partition.
To begin, insert your Windows 7 DVD, restart your system and when prompted, select the option to Boot from the DVD. When the first Install Windows screen appears, select the appropriate language preferences and click Next. On the second Install Windows screen, select the Repair your computer option.
When you see the System Recovery Options dialog box, the Windows 7 partition should appear in the list and the Use recovery tools option should be selected. To continue, click Next.
When the second System Recovery Options dialog box appears and prompts you to choose a Recovery Tool, as shown in Figure E, select the Command Prompt option. (As you can see, when booting off the CD, the Windows 7 partition is assigned to drive letter D. However, since we labeled the drive, we can tell for sure that it is the correct drive.)

Figure E

You’ll select the Command Prompt option from the second System Recovery Options dialog box.

Once the Command Prompt window opens, you’ll enter the DiskPart environment and issue a series of commands to select the Windows XP partition, delete it, select the Windows 7 partition and then make it the active (primary) partition.

Type the command:

Diskpart

Once the Diskpart environment is ready, select first hard disk by typing the command:

Select disk 0

Once the first hard disk has the focus, select the first partition (Windows XP) by typing the command:

Select partition 1

Just for peace of mind, you may want to double check that you have the Windows XP partition selected by typing the command

Detail partition

Delete the Windows XP partition by typing the command:

Delete partition

Now select the Windows 7 partition by typing the command:

Select partition 2

Make the Windows 7 partition the active primary partition by typing the command:

Active

Exit the DiskPart environment by typing the command:

Exit
At this point, you are ready to enable the Windows Boot Manager on the Windows 7 partition using the BootRec command.

Write the master boot record to the Windows 7 partition by using the command:

Bootrec /fixmbr

Write a new boot sector to the Windows 7 partition by using the command:

Bootrec /fixboot
Now, close the Command Prompt window and click the Restart button in the System Recovery Options dialog box. Be sure to remove the Windows 7 DVD.

Booting Windows 7

When your system restarts, you’ll see the Windows Boot Manager menu and Windows 7 should be selected. Keep in mind that even though Windows XP is gone, the menu will still contain an item for it at this point. Allow the system to boot into Windows 7 and login as you normally would.
To remove the Windows XP item from the Windows Boot Manager menu, you’ll use the BCDEdit command. To do so, open a Command Prompt window with Administrator privileges. (Right click and select Run as administrator.) Then, type the command:
BCDEdit /delete {ntldr} /f
Now, restart the system and you should boot right into Windows 7.

Further cleanup

If you look at your hard disk with Disk Management, you’ll discover that the partition that used to hold Windows XP is still there at the beginning of the disk but that it is marked as unallocated, as shown in Figure F.

Figure F

Unfortunately, Windows 7’s Disk Management tool is unable to extend drive C into unallocated space at the beginning of the disk.

If you wish, you can configure the unallocated space as a simple volume and it will become drive D. (Right-click on the unallocated block and select the New Simple Volume command.)
On the other hand you can just leave it be for now and in a upcoming article, I’ll show you how to redistribute that unallocated space to drive C. Unfortunately, since the unallocated space is at the beginning of the disk, Windows 7’s Disk Management tool is unable to extend drive C into that space. In order for that to be possible, Disk Management requires that the unallocated space be at the end of the disk.

What’s your take?

Using this technique, you can essentially undo a dual-boot configuration and complete your migration from Windows XP to Windows 7. Will you use this procedure? If you have any questions or comments concerning this technique, please take a moment to drop by the TechRepublic Community Forums and let us hear from you.

Migrating DHCP from Windows 2000 Server to Windows Server 2008

Getting your infrastructure running like a finely tuned engine is no easy feat; it takes blood, sweat, and tears, not to mention hundred, if not thousands, of hours of configuring, tweaking, and adjusting. So, if your organization decides to move to a Windows Server 2008-based infrastructure, how will you make the change as easy as possible?
Starting all over again just to move to a new server operating system is something to avoid if you can. Microsoft understands this concern and realizes that the easier it is to migrate to a newer version of Windows, the more likely organizations are to make the move.
While there are many things that merit consideration when moving from a Windows 2000 Server- or Windows Server 2003-based network to a Windows Server 2008-based network, there is one important service that will make or break your migration: DHCP. If you blow it, everyone will know it!
DHCP is one of two foundational network services that govern how your network operates; the other is DNS. Migrating a Windows 2000 Server/Windows Server 2003 DNS database to Windows Server 2008 is a simple process, sometimes requiring nothing more than a configuration change to DNS; at its most complex, it requires the completion of a zone transfer between the old and new servers to migrate DNS information. DHCP, on the other hand, has no built-in mechanism to easily transfer its database information from one server to another. But with a little bit of work, it doesn’t require too much effort to migrate your DHCP services from your Windows 2000 Server/Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008.
There are different steps depending on whether you’re moving DHCP from Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003. Here are descriptions of both processes.

Migrating DHCP from Windows 2000 Server to Windows Server 2008

The process to migrate your Windows 2000 Server DHCP database to Windows Server 2008 requires a two-step strategy. First, you’ll export the DHCP settings from your old Windows server. Then, you’ll import those settings into the server that’s running Windows Server 2008. You should be prepared to spend about 15-20 minutes performing the procedure, assuming that you already have Windows Server 2008 installed and configured ahead of time. It’s also assumed that you’ve installed the DHCP role on the Windows Server 2008 computer.
On the old server: Moving the settings out
Migrating the DHCP database settings off of your old Windows server is a fairly simple task. You’ll need to disable the DHCP service on the old Windows server so that it cannot be started again. To do this, you’ll use the Services console in the Administrative Tools folder. Double-click the DHCP Server item and select Disabled, as shown in Figure A.