Windows Client UPDATE--brought to you by the Windows & .NET Magazine Network http://www.winnetmag.net
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HP & Microsoft Network Storage Solutions Road Show http://www.winnetmag.com/roadshows/nas
* BETA 2 REFRESH DELAYS OFFICE 2003 UNTIL LATE SUMMER
A refresh of the Microsoft Office 2003 Beta 2 build will likely push the product suite's release date to late summer or early fall, sources at the software giant told me last weekend. But in an official statement about the refresh, a Microsoft spokesperson noted that the company is no longer sticking to arbitrary schedules and will instead release the product when it meets customer needs. "Microsoft's first commitment is to quality and doing right by our customers, and if that means adjusting our \[shipment\] targets, then that's what we'll do," she said. The delay might affect the release of Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 as well because that product will ship with the version of Microsoft Outlook that's included in Office 2003.
"We consider the beta 2 release of the Microsoft Office System a success, and based on the feedback, we are making a number of improvements to the beta 2 versions of the Office System products," a Microsoft representative told me last week. "To make sure customers have the chance to look at the changes we've made in response to their feedback, later this spring Microsoft is going to refresh the beta 2 code for the Microsoft Office System. We anticipate that this will be done through a downloadable patch, details to come. We still expect to \[release Office 2003 to manufacturing\] this summer."
Office 2003, the first major refresh of the Office suite in several years to feature new applications (Microsoft InfoPath and Microsoft OneNote in this case), will also include new product versions and an add-on for Visual Studio .NET 2003 that lets developers create mini-applications hosted inside Microsoft Word and other Office applications. Microsoft released beta 1 in October 2002 and issued beta 2 in March 2003.
3.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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4.
RESOURCES
* TIP: REMOVING CD BURNING FUNCTIONALITY IN XP (contributed by David Chernicoff, [email protected])
A reader recently asked whether he could do anything about problems his IT group was having with users burning CDs. The group had installed a third-party CD tool that burned the images the group needed to distribute; however, some of their users burned coasters by using Windows XP's built-in CD burning feature and a shareware application. I told him that the simplest prevention would be to use the Remove CD Burning Feature local group policy to disable XP's CD burning feature. But like many readers, he wanted to know how to use the registry to remove the functionality. The following simple change to the client machine will do the trick:
1. Launch a registry editor.
2. Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ Explorer.
3. Create a value of type REG_DWORD and name it NoCDBurning.
4. Set the data value to 1.
5. Exit the registry editor and reboot the computer.
* FEATURED THREAD: TROUBLE WITH VISIBLE DIAL-UP NETWORK ICONS
Forum member "tannersdad" is having trouble creating visible dial-up network icons. Whenever he tries to create one, he sees the error message "Error 1058: the service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enable devices associated with it." If you can help, join the discussion at the following URL: http://www.winnetmag.com/forums/rd.cfm?cid=36&tid=58170
5.
NEW AND IMPROVED
(contributed by Sue Cooper, [email protected])* GIVE YOUR INTRANET A HELP DESK
Auscomp released Auscomp IT Commander 3.0, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) application that functions as a Help desk application for Intranet systems. Features include version tracking, cost management, and advanced support management. A fully searchable knowledge base expands with each logged request. Auscomp IT Commander 3.0 supports Windows XP/2000/NT with Microsoft IIS or Apache Web Server. The product also supports Linux and Solaris. Pricing starts at $499.95. Contact Auscomp at [email protected]. http://www.auscomp.com
* MANAGE NETWORKED PCs FROM ANYWHERE
Micro2000 announced RemoteScope 1.5, a software tool that lets you centrally manage all PCs on your network from a single workstation. After an easy and fast setup, you can control a remote PC with observe-only, shared, or full-control capability. You can distribute software on an attended or unattended basis, inventory hardware and software, perform file transfer and distribution, flexibly group clients, and generate custom reports. RemoteScope 1.5 supports all TCP/IP-based connections, including LAN, WAN, VPN, and dial-up, and Windows XP/2000/ NT/Me/98/95. Pricing is $10 to $60 per seat, depending on volume. Contact Micro2000 at 800-864-8008 or [email protected]. http://www.micro2000.com
* SUBMIT TOP PRODUCTS
Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Do you know of a terrific product that others should know about? Tell us! We want to write about the product in a future What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions to [email protected].
6.
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