Anything about IT

Windows 7’s Mobile Broadband enhancements give people a more reliable way to connect to the Internet using a wireless modem. Taking advantage of this feature is just like connecting to any other wireless network, and is done using the View Available Networks feature.

This week there have been some questions around the use of mobile broadband with Windows 7, so I’ve started searching the web for information.  and came across the Mobile Broadband Team Blog.

If you plan to to use Windows 7 and mobile broadband, I strongly recommend having a look at the various posts on this blog. The blog contains detailed lists of devices that work and don’t work on both Windows 7 32 and 64 bit. You can also download this whitepaper which contains a lot of useful information.

Additional Information:

Mobile Broadband Stack Changes for Windows 7

New for Windows 7: Mobile Broadband Miniport Driver Documentation

Mobile Broadband Driver Development In Windows 7

Kai Schmerer from ZDNet Germany has done some benchmarking with Windows 7 , Vista and XP. The full article can be found here

Although we have seen many creative ways on how to get a browser on Windows 7 E, it looks like the plans for Windows7 E have changed. Read the entire article here

In my earlier post "How to download a browser on Windows7 E” I explained how to create a simple script to download a browser. I just came across another blog article that might be useful for those that do not want or can’t use a script. The article “Downloading a browser in E, without a browser, in 3 steps” explains how you can get access to a browser through Windows Media Player.

Back in April I was playing with BranchCache in my home lab environment to get an idea about how things are supposed to work but simulating a real world WAN network isn’t that easy, unless you have access to some expensive software or you can simulate a network on a Linux box, but unfortunately my knowledge with Linux is near zero. So to see how BranchCache really works out in a real environment, I asked a colleague to setup a Windows 2008-R2 system with BranchCache enabled within a remote location that could be accessed through our corporate WAN. Once that system was setup BranchCache configuration was applied and Group Policies were prepared, as described within the BranchCache Early Adopter’s Guide.

As a next step I copied some different files with different file sizes to the share located on the BranCache enabled server.

I then took two Windows7 Enterprise clients that were joined to the test domain and got the BranCache settings applied through Group Policies.

Finally I started copying the previously prepared files to the first system called Windows7Client01 and then copied the same content to the second system called Windows7Client02.

As shown in the table below, file copy duration could be dramatically improved on Windows7Client02, this because it would actually copy the files from the BranchCache located on Windows7Client01.

Looking at the first row, copying a file of 84 MB to the first system took 6 minutes and 51 seconds, copying the same file to the second system took only 2 minutes and 30 seconds. That does make a difference!

Throughout testing BranchCache I had to learn that BranchCache for SMB is dependant on offline files (transparent cache).

Each time I had completed my test scenario, I cleared the BranchCache Cache by using the following command: “netsh branchcache flush” this would remove any previously copied files from the local cache. So when copying the files from the share to Windows7Client01 the file copy duration supposed to take longer as there should not be any local cache available. However interesting enough, the file copy command went as quick as if the content would be cached locally already.

Assuming that this was a bug, I reported this to Microsoft, who provided me with the following feedback:

“Branchcache for SMB is dependant on offline files(transparent cache). Transparent cache is a secondary cache where the file is stored in addition to the BranchCache. Storing the file in the transparent cache enables subsequent reads of the file to be satisfied locally improving end-user response times and savings on WAN bandwidth.”

So I cleared the BranchCache Cache using the “netsh branchcache flush” command again , but also cleared the offline files cache through the Offline Files applet within the control panel. Now any previously copied content was really completely removed from the client, so I was sure not being fooled by the system again.

Especially for users who work in remote offices and accessing file content hosted in a remote data center Windows7 BranchCache will definitely improve user experience. For companies that use Microsoft System Configuration Center Manager 2007 SP2 it might be interesting to know that SCCM SP2 will also provide P2P support for Windows7 (BranchCache).

As a response to the European Antitrust Commission, Microsoft will strip the Internet Explorer from Windows7 SKUs aimed for European markets. For end users this means that unless the hardware vendor has a browser pre-installed, which is going to be very unlikely, users must install a browser themselves.

So how to download and install a browser if you don’t have a browser to access the internet? The geeks among us would probably use an ftp command and download the browser binaries from some ftp server hosting the browser installation sources. But for regular users, the only options available are to download the browser installation sources upfront on another system that has a browser with internet access and store the installation sources on a USB drive or order the installation media at Microsoft. For access to Internet Explorer 8 click here

….. but there is another solution, that is actually quite simple and provides you access to the browser download pages without having a browser installed yet. just follow the instructions described below:

1) Create a new text file on the desktop called browser.hta

2) Edit it with Notepad

3) Add this line:
<iframe src=”http://www.google.com/” width=”100%” height=”100%” />

4) Save the file, close Notepad

5) Double-click anything.hta and go get your browser of choice

Credits for this solution go to my friend Claude Henchoz

Just found this article about Windows7 HD and SSD performance.

With the release of the Windows7 RC0 build, Microsoft also published a first Beta for Windows Virtual PC that provides the underlying technology for XP Mode feature. Windows Virtual PC cannot only run Windows XP but does also allow running virtualized Windows Vista and Windows 7 clients.

After having installed a Windows Vista guest, it’s important to install both the integration features as well as the rail_qfe_beta_for_vista_sp1_x86_343758.msu. If you don’t install the last, you won’t be able to publish applications installed in Vista to your Windows 7 Start Menu.

Talking about publishing shortcuts. When you install an application inside your virtual guest (XP or Vista), ,the application shortcut will be published automatically within your Windows 7 host system start menu. If you want to publish shortcuts yourself, simply copy the shortcut at the following locations within your guest system:

Windows Vista: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs

Another thing I noticed is that when you delete a virtual machine from the Virtual Machines list, the sources aren’t deleted from the disk, so you will have to remove the associated files yourself. The Virtual Machine sources by default are stored under: C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC

The configuration of the virtual machines is stored within that same directory within the file(s) that have a “vmc” extension.

Another learning I had to make is that you “MUST” provide a password during the Windows Vista setup procedure, otherwise you won’t be able to logon to the Virtual Machine later. This is related to a security policy restriction that is enabled by default in Windows Vista and doesn’t allow starting an RDP session with a user that has no password.

So at the end of the day, I had 3 different command prompts running on my desktop. The Windows XP and Vista ones from the virtualized guests and the Windows7 command prompt from the host system. Just imagine how easy it will be now to test group policy settings or scripts, without having to switch between entire virtual machines.

http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde/archive/2009/04/25/walkthrough-to-get-your-applications-ready-for-windows-7.aspx

https://www.microsoft.com/learning/windows-7/default.mspx

This article discusses some thoughts around Windows 7 and Service Pack 1.

Windows 7 Won’t Need SP1, but Will Still Need 12 to 18 Months Before Deployment Begins

Captured this article on Twitter “Will my device work on Windows7 ?” It’s worth reading as it gives a good insight on the device related changes.

For those who just can’t get enough, there is a new vide on TechNet Edge where Keith Combs demonstrates the DirectAccess.

Microsoft has published Windows 7 IT Pro Guides.

These documents include: 1) A What’s New in Windows 7 Guide, covering many new and changed Windows 7 features of interest to IT professionals, including DirectAccess, BranchCache and other networking technologies, VHD boot and other deployment technologies, and AppLocker, Biometrics, and other security technologies, and 2) A Windows 7 Manageability Overview Guide, covering the manageability improvements that can reduce total cost of ownership by helping to increase automation, improve user productivity, and provide flexible administrative control to meet compliance requirements.management technologies.

Both documents can be downloaded from here

Just found a nice article on Mike Swanson’s blog about Windows 7 Theme Packs. Windows 7 introduces theme packs, which are .cab files that contain all of the necessary assets to implement a theme, including sound files and images.

Download the official Microsoft Theme Packs here

Download the Theme Packs from Mike Swanson here

While in Windows XP it was rather a pain to create your own Themes, it looks like in Windows 7 things have been simplified a bit. Definitely interesting for companies as well to apply their corporate design to their clients.