Windows & .NET Magazine UPDATE--September 2, 2003

1. Commentary: Microsoft Announces Aggressive SBS Pricing

2. Hot Off the Press
- A Longhorn Delay? Not Quite

3. Keeping Up with Win2K and NT
- Add Printer Wizard Bug Fix
- Win2K Print Spooler Bug Fix
- Win2K AD Printer Search Bug
- XP and Win2K Redirector Blue Screen Bug Fix
- New SP4 Uninstallation Option

4. Announcements
- Discover Better Ways to Support and Secure Your Clients
- Learn More About the Security Risks in Exchange 2003

5. Instant Poll
- Results of Previous Poll: Network Security
- New Instant Poll: Enterprise Security

6. Resources
- Featured Thread: Event ID 1058 and Event ID 1030 Errors in the Application Log
- Tip: How Can I Remove the Windows 2000 or Later Recovery Console (RC)?

7. Event
- New--Mobile & Wireless Road Show! 8. New and Improved
- Back Up Servers and Workstations
- Restrict Access to USB and FireWire Devices
- Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!

9. Contact Us
- See this section for a list of ways to contact us.

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==== 1. Commentary: Microsoft Announces Aggressive SBS Pricing ====
by Paul Thurrott, News Editor, [email protected]

In a meeting I had with Microsoft last week, company officials revealed Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) 2003 pricing and licensing information. If you're in the market for the company's suddenly surging small-business offering, you're in luck: It's priced to sell. SBS 2003 will be available in two editions. The low-end SBS 2003 Standard Edition will cost $599 for a five-Client Access License (CAL) version. The standard edition will include Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition; Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition; Windows SharePoint Services (WSS); and the Microsoft Shared Fax Service. The more complete SBS 2003 Premium Edition, which will include everything in the standard edition plus Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000, Microsoft SQL Server 2000, and Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003, will start at $999. Previous SBS customers can upgrade their software to only the premium version because no standard edition was available in previous versions.

Another new SBS 2003 feature is machine bundles, and if the pricing of these servers doesn't make this product a best-seller, nothing will. Bundled with low-end server hardware, SBS 2003 Standard Edition will set you back $999 to start, although you'll probably want to upgrade at least the RAM on such a machine. Hardware bundles with SBS 2003 Premium Edition will start at roughly $1499. Although based on low-end hardware, most bundles should be acceptable for the low employee count at the small businesses that Microsoft expects to adopt this product. Major PC makers such as Dell and HP will soon announce their SBS 2003 server bundles, Microsoft said.

SBS 2003 will also offer new CAL pricing. Previously, SBS CALs cost about $69 each, but the price has gone up to $99. However, when you factor in the cost of the individual products and their CALs independently, this price is actually inline with previous versions. And as expected, SBS 2003 customers can now purchase up to 75 CALs per server, up from 50 CALs with previous versions.

"The product today still targets customers with 50 or fewer PCs," Microsoft spokesperson Katy Hunter told me. "It's still the right target, we think. But we previously had a hard stop at 50 \[CALs\], and there wasn't enough headroom for upgraders. Previously, 39 user deployments was about the highest we saw, because customers were afraid of hitting the \[CAL\] limit. So now the limit is 75 users. This gives customers time to plan migrations, and it addresses the 50-user market with enough headroom that they can deploy the full 50 CALs. And going from 50 CALs to 51 CALs is not a problem now. It's not catastrophic."

Perhaps more important, Microsoft is pushing its SBS migration strategy with this version. Although the company introduced limited migration capabilities and pricing with SBS 2000, SBS 2003 includes a more comprehensive and well-planned migration strategy. Contrary to what many people think, you can expand an SBS 2003 setup to the full range of standard Microsoft servers if necessary. You can also mix and match other Microsoft servers within an SBS domain if desired. Here are some ways in which you might do this.

First, you can add secondary domain controllers (DCs) to an SBS 2003 domain, although Microsoft strongly recommends that the SBS 2003 server be the original DC and the root of your Active Directory (AD) forest. For this purpose, you could simply add a Windows 2003 Standard Edition-based server, giving you the AD replication and backup features that systems administration experts recommend (under the default SBS 2003 one-server setup, you must back up regularly and suffer through server downtime if anything happens to that one server).

Second, if your business grows and you need to exceed SBS 2003's 75 CAL limit, Microsoft will offer strong migration offerings for SBS 2003 Standard Edition, SBS 2003 Premium Edition, and the CALs. The prices of these offerings differ depending on your need. Let's say you have an SBS 2003 Standard Edition setup and need to upgrade to a 100-CAL Exchange 2003 license. To figure out the price, simply subtract the cost of the SBS 2003 installation and all previously purchased SBS 2003 CALs from the cost of Windows 2003 Standard, Exchange 2003 Standard, and 100 CALs. The idea is that your SBS 2003 investment never loses value: It's always worth its original cost when you apply it toward a migration upgrade.

Because of SBS 2003's ability to expand and the previously mentioned low bundle prices, I expect SBS 2003 to be a huge success. Microsoft does too. Hunter compared SBS 2003 to Windows 95, predicting that this product would transform small-business computing in the same way that Win95 did for PCs. "Before Windows 95, PCs were essentially a niche product," she said. "But with the Start button and the accessibility features we added in Windows 95, PCs became huge. We're doing that with small-business computing now with Small Business Server 2003. Our early adopter customers are already seeing huge returns; it's huge, a slam dunk. People are going to be able to recoup their investments within the first year of use. There is a huge need for what we call 'simplicity innovation,' and we hadn't been focusing on that vector previously. It was always about making something bigger, faster, better. With SBS 2003, it's about hitting the basics in the best way we can. It's a more practical approach that will increase customers' value in their computers."

Microsoft will ship SBS 2003 in early October, and its hardware partners will announce PC server bundles at that time. And although SBS has always been a great value, the new version is the least expensive way of getting maximum value from Windows 2003-based computing. SBS 2003 is a product worth investigating.

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==== 2. Hot Off the Press ====
by Paul Thurrott, [email protected]

A Longhorn Delay? Not Quite
News about a potential delay in Windows Longhorn, the next major Windows XP update, has quickly evolved from mindless analysts predictions to so-called fact, with several major tech news outlets reporting on Microsoft's supposed setbacks. But Microsoft has never announced a Longhorn release date, opting instead to refer to dates that are usually a few years out, owing to the complexity of what the company hopes to achieve with the Longhorn release. But that doesn't stop half the tech industry from reporting on a delay, and if this is how the next 2 years are going to go, it's going to feel like an eternity. For the complete story, visit the following URL:
http://www.wininformant.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=40039

==== 3. Keeping Up with Win2K and NT ====
by Paula Sharick, [email protected]

Add Printer Wizard Bug Fix
Here's a bug I've encountered a few times on Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 platforms. When you use the Add Printer Wizard to add a local or network printer and you ask the wizard to print a test page, the wizard doesn't successfully add the printer or report an error. The reason the printer doesn't show up is that the Print Test Page dialog box hides the confirmation screen on which you need to click OK to complete the printer installation. You can work around this annoying problem by adding the printer without asking for a test page; instead, print a test page after you successfully connect the printer. Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) has a bug fix for this problem on three Windows platforms: The Windows 2003 fix updates 11 components, the XP fix updates 9 printer-related files, and the Win2K fix updates 3 spooler components. Most of the files in the print spooler fix have release dates from late June to mid-July. You can view a list of files included in the bug fix for each platform in the Microsoft article "Add Printer Wizard Does Not Complete the Installation of Your Printer" ( http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=823447 ).

WEB-EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES: The following items are posted on the Windows & .NET Magazine Web site. For the complete story, use the following link and scroll to the appropriate article.
http://www.winnetmag.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=40072

- Win2K Print Spooler Bug Fix
- Win2K AD Printer Search Bug
- XP and Win2K Redirector Blue Screen Bug Fix
- New SP4 Uninstallation Option

==== 4. Announcements ====
(from Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)

Discover Better Ways to Support and Secure Your Clients
Get the tools and techniques that you need to successfully manage client computers throughout an organization. Windows Client UPDATE, a weekly email newsletter from Windows & .NET Magazine, provides tips for remote management, profile management, single sign-on (SSO), registry modifications, and other administration tasks that will keep your users' systems running smoothly. Sign up for a free subscription at
http://www.winnetmag.com/email

Learn More About the Security Risks in Exchange 2003
Videotaped live at Microsoft TechEd 2003, this free archived Web seminar delivers an introduction to the new security features and enhancements of Exchange Server 2003, including the new security APIs that can minimize virus risk and spam traffic. Plus, you'll discover more about the future of the messaging industry and what's on the horizon in assessing risk. Register today!
http://www.winnetmag.com/seminars/securityrisks

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==== 5. Instant Poll ====

Results of Previous Poll: Network Security
The voting has closed in Windows & .NET Magazine's nonscientific Instant Poll for the question, "Did your network security hold up under fire during the recent MSBlaster and SoBig.F virus attacks?" Here are the results from the 286 votes:
- 62 Yes, neither attack has affected our work environment
- 28% Yes, we were only minimally affected
- 5% No, MSBlaster had a large effect on our work environment
- 2% No, SoBig.F had a large effect on our work environment
- 2% No, both attacks had a large effect on our work environment.

(Deviations from 100 percent are due to rounding error.)

New Instant Poll: Enterprise Security
The next Instant Poll question is, "Do you think that your organization's network is more secure or less secure than it was a year ago?" Go to the Windows & .NET Magazine home page and submit your vote for a) More secure, b) Less secure, c) I don't know.
http://www.winnetmag.com/magazine

==== 6. Resources ====

Featured Thread: Event ID 1058 and Event ID 1030 Errors in the Application Log
User RubenZ is testing the new Windows Server 2003 Active Directory (AD) and Sites features. After making a few changes to his system, he started receiving event ID 1058 and event ID 1030 errors in the Application Log. To learn more details and offer your advice, visit the following URL:
http://www.winnetmag.com/forums/rd.cfm?cid=54&tid=62689

Tip: How Can I Remove the Windows 2000 or Later Recovery Console (RC)?
by John Savill, http://www.windows2000faq.com

To remove a locally installed RC, perform the following steps:
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Ensure that you can view hidden files (go to Tools, Folder Options; select the View tab; select "Show hidden files and folders"; then clear the "Hide protected operating system files" check box).
3. Select the root of the partition on which the RC is installed, then delete the Cmdcons folder and the Cmldr file.
4. Right-click boot.ini on the system partition, select Properties from the context menu, then clear the "Read-only" check box.
5. Open boot.ini in Notepad.
6. Remove the line

C:\cmdcons\bootsect.dat="Microsoft Windows 2000 Recovery Console" /cmdcons

7. Save the boot.ini file, then close it.
8. Open Windows Explorer, right-click boot.ini again, select Properties from the context menu, then select the "Read-only" check box.

==== 7. Event ====
(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine)

New--Mobile & Wireless Road Show!
Learn more about the wireless and mobility solutions that are available today! Register now for this free event!
http://www.winnetmag.com/roadshows/wireless

==== 8. New and Improved ====
by Carolyn Mader, [email protected]

Back Up Servers and Workstations
UltraBac Software released UltraBac Disaster Recovery (UBDR) Pro, software that uses snapshot disk-imaging technology to back up servers and workstations. The software lets you recover unbootable machines. You can restore your server or workstation as fast as 800MB per minute on a high-speed Gigabit network. Pricing is $695 per server. Contact UltraBac Software at 425-644-6000 or [email protected].
http://www.ultrabac.com Restrict Access to USB and FireWire Devices
SmartLine released DeviceLock 5.5, security software that lets you restrict access to USB and FireWire devices on Windows 2003/XP/2000/NT systems. You can control which users can access certain devices on a local computer without physically removing or blocking hardware. Pricing is $35 for a single-user license. Contact SmartLine at [email protected].
http://www.protect-me.com

Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!
Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Tell us about the product, and we'll send you a Windows & .NET Magazine T-shirt if we write about the product in a future Windows & .NET Magazine What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions with information about how the product has helped you to [email protected].

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==== 9. Contact Us ====

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