Monthly Archives: November 2009

Critical Path Training SharePoint Content

Posted by Steven Swafford on November 28, 2009

Critical Path is known for their training and if you are a seasoned SharePoint developer or if you are just getting started then you should register with Critical Path and check out the guides and code samples they provide and in most cases at no cost. While I am on the subject of training, check out this free IT Certification guide:

ExamForce IT Certification Study Guide Bundle: Free Study Guides in this Offer:

Microsoft
70-631 TS: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Configuration – 29 pages
70-640 TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration – 78 pages
70-290 Managing and Maintaining a Server 2003 Environment – 45 pages

CompTIA
N10-004 CompTIA Network+ – 75 pages

Cisco
640-802 Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) (Provided as two study guides)
CCNA 640-816 Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part II (ICND2) – 51 pages
CCNA 640-822 Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 (ICND1) – 71 pages

Now getting back to Critical Path they have a complete guides covering the following:

  1. Creating a SharePoint Server 2010 Beta 2 Virtual Machine
  2. Understanding the Required Accounts Needed to Install & Config a SharePoint Farm
  3. Creating Custom SharePoint Themes
  4. Understanding Field Controls and Web Parts in Publishing sites
  5. and so much more….

Don’t miss out on the valuable content and register at Critical Path Training today.

How To Create A Bootable Windows 7 Virtual Hard Disk (VHD)

Posted by Steven Swafford on November 21, 2009

In this article I will cover creating a bootable Windows 7 VHD. If you missed the previous article on creating a VHD titled How To Create a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) in Windows 7 you may want to take a few minutes and visit this article first. You may be asking yourself why would I want to boot from a VHD? In my case I want to install the recent beta releases of Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Office 2010, and Visual Studio .NET 2010 without impacting my primary operating system. This is where a bootable VHD saves the day. Be sure to look here for VHD’s from Microsoft.

Virtualization and the Midsize Organization: How Much Does It Help? You may wonder how much value virtualization actually has for your organization. Midsize businesses deal with issues that differ from those of larger enterprises. Are you looking for specific information about virtualization and how it can impact your business? Perhaps few of your peers in this midmarket class of enterprises have reached a high level of experience in virtualizing, and you need a dollars-and-cents rationale before considering beginning the virtualization process. Given hard experience adopting new technologies, you also need assurance that you can engage in virtualization without severely interrupting business.

The requirements for completing this tutorial are:

  1. Running an existing Windows 7 operating system
  2. You will need you original Windows 7 installation disk
  3. Download and install Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows 7

Again I am picking up from How To Create a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) in Windows 7 and I will utilize the VHD that I have previously created.

Click Start -> All Programs -> Microsoft Windows AIK -> Deployment Tools Command Prompt

Deployment Tools Command Prompt

From here we will be using imageX which is utilized to capture and modify Windows images. To understand the various command line option type imageX /? and the command prompt for greater details. For my purposes I will not go into details of the various options rather I will demonstrate how to copy over Windows 7 to the VHD. Remember that your folder structure many differ from mine so make changes as necessary. Run the following command (also keep in mind the index #4 references Image Index i.e. edition of the Operating System):

11-21-2009_image_index

To view the indexes run:

imagex /info D:/PATH TO WIN7/install.wim

In my example, I am going to create a VHD of Windows 7 Ultimate by executing the following:

imagex /apply D:/sources/install.wim /check 4 Z:/

The entire process should take 5-15 minutes to complete. Once it does so then detach the VHD.

Next we need to create the boot loader entry and this is done by using bcdedit. Go back to your command prompt and enter the following:

bcdedit /copy {current} /d “Win7 Ultimate Dev VHD”

Upon running the above command you will be presented the current CSLID, copy this CSLID to your clipboard then run the following commands:

bcdedit /set {INSERT CSLID HERE} device vhd=[C:]/VirtualMachines/Windows 7x64Ultimate/Win7x64Dev.vhd

bcdedit /set {INSERT CSLID HERE} osdevice vhd=[C:]/VirtualMachines/Windows 7x64Ultimate/Win7x64Dev.vhd

bcdedit /set {INSERT CSLID HERE} detecthal on

It is important to mention that detecthal is used to force windows to auto detect the Hardware Abstraction Layer. At this point your work is complete. Now reboot your PC and finish installing drivers and software and you’re all set.

If later you wish to remove the boot entry you can always use the command:

bcdedit /delete {INSERT CSLID HERE} /cleanup

This deletes the specified operating system entry from the store and removes the entry from the display order.

Update 22-Nov-2009

After turning to ASPAdvice I was point to the post from Scott Hanselman titled Step-By-Step: Turning a Windows 7 DVD or ISO into a Bootable VHD Virtual Machine therefor you may want to visit what Scott had to say as well.

How To Create a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) in Windows 7

Posted by Steven Swafford on November 20, 2009

What is a virtual hard disk?

Virtual hard disk (VHD) is a disk image file format for storing the complete contents of a hard drive. The disk image, sometimes called a virtual machine, replicates an existing hard drive and includes all data and structural elements. It can be stored anywhere the physical host can access.

There are two main types of virtual hard disks: fixed-size and dynamically expanding. Both types have a maximum size value that specifies how large the disk will appear to virtual machines. However, fixed-size VHDs will automatically take up the specified amount of physical disk space on the host computer’s file system, whereas dynamically expanding disks will allocate space only as needed.

Creating a VHD in Windows 7 is much simpler than you may think and long gone of the days of purchasing third party software.

1. Click control panel -> administrative tools -> computer management

computermanagement

2. Within disk management click Action -> Create VHD. You will now be prompted for a location for the VHD as well as the VHD size and format.

vhdtut_1

In the dynamically expanding format, the size of the VHD expands to a fixed maximum size as data is saved to it. and the fixed size VHD format uses a fixed amount of space regardless of the amount of the data stored in it.

3. Click Ok and you will now see a new VHD.

newvhd

That is all the is to creating a VHD.

Update 24-Nov-2009

Sysinternals has a tool named Disk2Vhd that you also may want to give a look. In short Disk2vhd is a utility that creates VHD (Virtual Hard Disk – Microsoft’s Virtual Machine disk format) versions of physical disks for use in Microsoft Virtual PC or Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines (VMs). The difference between Disk2vhd and other physical-to-virtual tools is that you can run Disk2vhd on a system that’s online. Disk2vhd uses Windows’ Volume Snapshot capability, introduced in Windows XP, to create consistent point-in-time snapshots of the volumes you want to include in a conversion. You can even have Disk2vhd create the VHDs on local volumes, even ones being converted (though performance is better when the VHD is on a disk different than ones being converted).

Microsoft 2010 Betas Available For Download

Posted by Steven Swafford on November 19, 2009

If you’re a developer or just curious about the next generation of Office, SharePoint, Project, Project Server, or Visio then you will be excited to learn that Microsoft has the beta publicly available for download.

Office 2010 for IT Pros
With Microsoft Office 2010, your people get a wide range of powerful new ways to do their best work from more places—whether they’re using a PC, phone, or web browser.
Download the beta

Office 2010 for Developers
This set of smart, secure, easy-to-integrate tools works with what you have now, so you can design new, innovative applications that work with the ones you’ve already built.
Download the beta

SharePoint 2010 for IT Pros
SharePoint 2010 lets your people connect in ways that work best for them And, you can create a working environment that fosters collaboration without compromising security.
Download the beta

SharePoint 2010 for Developers
With SharePoint 2010, you can create new solutions while leveraging your existing enterprise data, tools, and processes.
Download the beta

Download the Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 beta

Microsoft Project Professional 2010
From meeting crucial deadlines, to selecting the right resources and empowering your teams, Project Professional 2010 delivers new and intuitive experiences to successfully complete all types of projects.
Download the beta

Microsoft Project Server 2010
Project Server 2010, built on SharePoint Server 2010, unifies project and portfolio management to help organizations align resources and investments with business priorities, gain control across all types of work, and visualize performance through powerful dashboards.
Download the beta

Microsoft Office Visio 2010
Visio 2010 makes it easy to visualize and explain complex information at a glance.
Download the beta

I recently attended the SharePoint Conference in Las Vegas last month and I was impressed with SharePoint 2010. Work of advice, be sure to read the system requirements for attempting installation. Over the coming days I will be installing and configuring a virtual instance of Win7 x64 to begin digger deeper into this software.

Why Electronic Book Readers Can Make Life Easier For Students

Posted by Steven Swafford on

Originally published at ArticleFactory

Books are the most commonly known sources of information. Ever since the electronic book reader has been introduced, it has already been seen as a threat to what we once had before – written literature. However, its introduction to the market has also brought about various advantages not only to ordinary individuals but to students as well. With these devices, students need not struggle bringing such heavy books with them. They also don’t have to worry about forgetting their books or having health issues due to the constant burden of heavy bags. No doubt it; students can benefit from using ebooks and it’s time universities take advantage of this.

The first reason is simply because of health concerns. From junior high all the way through college, students have to bear the burden of several classes-worth of books, some of those books being considerable in size. This can be a major problem as it can lead to a kid being physically worn out by the end of the day or developing back problems later on. The problem is so severe that some companies have designed their backpacks after heavy-load camping packs to help reduce lower back strain. If all of a kid’s books were on a light e-reader they would never forget one and they wouldn’t have to lug around 50 pounds on their back all day.

The second reason why ebook readers would be a good substitute for a backpack of books is its practicality. College students wait in long lines every start of the semester just to get the books they need. And they try to get first shot at second-hand but in-good-condition books. Then at the end of the semester, they line up again to get these books sold. With an ebook reader, there would be no need for all those long lines because you can download books wirelessly in minutes. We all know that to the conscientious student, savings in time can go a long way in pursuing other important activities.

Cost is another great, if not obvious, reason to make the switch. While a $400-500 ebook reader may not seem like savings, it pales in comparison to what the average student will spend on books. Depending on their major, some students may even spend that much on just one book! The ebook reader offers the opportunity to cut back on long term spending by making one investment. And nothing is worse than waiting an hour in line to sell your hundred dollar book back only to get nothing more than lunch money in return.

College students already have a lot of things to think about and if we want to make learning easier for them, giving them better alternatives than lugging around books or waiting in line will help a lot. With the advent of technology, students can now make use of ebook reading devices that will give them more time for academic pursuits and less stress worrying about bringing so many books all the time. Having ebook readers would also benefit the teachers because they won’t have to worry if their students have the reading materials they need. With all of these benefitsScience Articles, encouraging students to utilize ebook readers is something every university should consider.

Revolutionize your reading life with an Electronic Book Reader! Visit our site to learn more about handheld ebook readers and why they have evolved to be one of the hottest gadgets today. You’ll also be able to read of the hottest devices so you can determine which one is best for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Travis Van Slooten is an expert author featured on EzineArticles. He writes on a variety of topics ranging from diet supplements to electronics to home improvements. For more information on ebook reading devices, visit the site at ebookreadersresource.

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