Subscribe to Windows IT Pro:
http://www.winitpro.com/rd.cfm?code=00eu205xcL
Make sure that overzealous antispam software doesn't block your copy of Windows Client UPDATE--add [email protected] to your list of allowed senders and contacts.
This Issue Sponsored By
This email newsletter comes to you free and is supported by the following advertisers, which offer products and services in which you might be interested. Please take a moment to visit these advertisers' Web sites and show your support for Windows Client UPDATE.
Quantify the Business Benefits of ITSM
http://www.windowsitpro.com/whitepapers/hp/itsmbenefits/index.cfm?code=clinl
SQL Server Magazine
http://www.sqlmag.com/rd.cfm?code=00eu215xwu
===============
1. Commentary: Do You Need a Wired Backup Connection?
2. Reader Challenge
- February 2005 Reader Challenge Winners
- March 2005 Reader Challenge
3. News & Views
- Intel Spotlights Dual-Core and 64-bit Processors at IDF
4. Resources
- Tip: Creating More than Nine Partitions on a Windows XP Computer
- Featured Thread: New Women's IT Forum
5. New and Improved
- Monitor PC Assets
- Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!
==== Sponsor: Quantify the Business Benefits of ITSM As organizations focus on aligning IT infrastructures to support business needs, IT managers must have the processes and tools to ensure that the infrastructure keeps pace with business needs and provides guaranteed levels of service at predetermined costs. This free white paper explores how to meet IT infrastructure's needs and manage crucial support and service processes by implementing Help Desk, problem, change, configuration, and service-level agreement (SLA) management into a single workflow. Improve productivity and service delivery quality while reducing costs, resources, and downtime in your organization. Download now! http://www.windowsitpro.com/whitepapers/hp/itsmbenefits/index.cfm?code=clinl
==========
- February 2005 Reader Challenge Winners
- March 2005 Reader Challenge
- Intel Spotlights Dual-Core and 64-bit Processors at IDF
- Tip: Creating More than Nine Partitions on a Windows XP Computer
- Featured Thread: New Women's IT Forum
- Monitor PC Assets
- Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!
==== 1. Commentary: Do you Need a Wired Backup Connection? ====
by David Chernicoff, [email protected]
I've been using the Vonage Voice over IP (VoIP) phone service for about 4 months and have been very happy with it. For my small-business needs, it has proved to be quite useful. The flat-rate monthly charge makes budgeting phone expense easy; the online control panel simplifies tracking inbound and outbound calls; the voicemail services are effective and simple to use, and the ability to add additional numbers in different area codes has come in handy. However, over the past week, I had a major setback--and it had nothing to do with the Vonage service itself.
As a precaution, I configured the VoIP service to forward calls to my business cell phone so that I don't miss any calls. I use that cell number as a general backup for the VoIP service, and for communications when I'm not in my physical office. I didn't expect to need more than the cell service as a backup until last week.
My Internet service is provided through Comcast Cable. The service has worked well since I switched to it more than a year ago from my previous satellite-based Internet connection. However, over the past few weeks the service had gotten flakey, with service drops stretching into 12-hour periods and random drops throughout the day.
I contacted Comcast and went through all the rigmarole of level-one tech support; with my explanation to the support tech that I had already tried everything he was telling me to do falling on deaf ears. I did find some of the support tech's suggestions faintly humorous--suggestions that had no relationship at all to the failure of the cable modem to connect, but that's for another column.
As I expected, the problem was with the lines running to my home. In the midst of a pretty good-sized blizzard, a Comcast repair team showed up and confirmed that fact, although they couldn't repair the problem because of the weather. So I was left with an unreliable Internet connection, which meant that my phone service was now in the same state. But because my calls were being forwarded to my cell phone, I didn't miss a call.
But I did lose the ability to send email. With the flaky Internet connection, I couldn't maintain a connection with my ISP's mail server--it kept timing out. To add insult to injury, I couldn't just dial up to my ISP; I didn't have a land line that would let me do so. Without a stable Internet connection, I was cut off from my email, which is a major problem for me.
The end result is that Comcast has got me back up and running, and my email is functioning again, but for a while, I was stuck traveling to the nearest hotspot (which wasn't that near) to send mail. Now I'm seriously considering adding a plain old telephone service (POTS) line to my office as a backup to my Internet connection. It does make me wonder what the future will be for VoIP if users determine they still need a hardwired phone connection. The VoIP decision for me was an easy one; it was the only way I could keep my business phone numbers when I moved my office. But for users just starting out in a new location, opting to go without wired phone service could present a real problem.
==========
by David Chernicoff, [email protected]
As a precaution, I configured the VoIP service to forward calls to my business cell phone so that I don't miss any calls. I use that cell number as a general backup for the VoIP service, and for communications when I'm not in my physical office. I didn't expect to need more than the cell service as a backup until last week.
My Internet service is provided through Comcast Cable. The service has worked well since I switched to it more than a year ago from my previous satellite-based Internet connection. However, over the past few weeks the service had gotten flakey, with service drops stretching into 12-hour periods and random drops throughout the day.
I contacted Comcast and went through all the rigmarole of level-one tech support; with my explanation to the support tech that I had already tried everything he was telling me to do falling on deaf ears. I did find some of the support tech's suggestions faintly humorous--suggestions that had no relationship at all to the failure of the cable modem to connect, but that's for another column.
As I expected, the problem was with the lines running to my home. In the midst of a pretty good-sized blizzard, a Comcast repair team showed up and confirmed that fact, although they couldn't repair the problem because of the weather. So I was left with an unreliable Internet connection, which meant that my phone service was now in the same state. But because my calls were being forwarded to my cell phone, I didn't miss a call.
But I did lose the ability to send email. With the flaky Internet connection, I couldn't maintain a connection with my ISP's mail server--it kept timing out. To add insult to injury, I couldn't just dial up to my ISP; I didn't have a land line that would let me do so. Without a stable Internet connection, I was cut off from my email, which is a major problem for me.
The end result is that Comcast has got me back up and running, and my email is functioning again, but for a while, I was stuck traveling to the nearest hotspot (which wasn't that near) to send mail. Now I'm seriously considering adding a plain old telephone service (POTS) line to my office as a backup to my Internet connection. It does make me wonder what the future will be for VoIP if users determine they still need a hardwired phone connection. The VoIP decision for me was an easy one; it was the only way I could keep my business phone numbers when I moved my office. But for users just starting out in a new location, opting to go without wired phone service could present a real problem.
==== Sponsor: SQL Server Magazine ====
Get SQL Server Magazine and Get Answers
Throughout the year in 2005, SQL Server Magazine is on target to deliver comprehensive coverage of all hot industry topics including, SQL Server 2005, performance tuning, security, Reporting Services, Integration Services, and .NET development. If you aren't already a subscriber, now is the time to sign up. You'll get unlimited online access to every article ever published in the magazine and you'll get 30% off the cover price. Don't miss out…sign up today:
http://www.sqlmag.com/rd.cfm?code=00eu215xwu
==== 2. Reader Challenge ====
by Kathy Ivens, [email protected]
February 2005 Reader Challenge Winners
Congratulations to the winners of our February Reader Challenge. First prize, a copy of "Securing Windows Server 2003" goes to Trish Carroll of Iowa. Second prize, a copy of "Windows Server 2003 in a Nutshell," goes to Jorge de Almeida Pinto of The Netherlands. Both books are from O'Reilly Associates Publishing. Visit http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=45158 to read the answer to the February Reader Challenge.
March 2005 Reader Challenge
Solve this month's Windows Client challenge, and you might win a prize! Email your solution (don't use an attachment) to [email protected] by March 16, 2005. You must include your full name, and street mailing address (without that information, we can't send you a prize if you win).
I choose winners at random from the pool of correct entries. I'm a sucker for humor and originality, and a cleverly written correct answer gets an extra chance. Because I receive so many entries each month, I can't reply to respondents, and I never respond to a request for a receipt. Look for the solutions to this month's problem at http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=45544 on March 17, 2005.
The March 2005 Challenge:
During one of those "funny stories about users" sessions that IT professionals tend to engage in, one Help desk supervisor sheepishly told an amusing story about himself. He regularly holds classes to help users learn how to perform basic tasks so that he doesn't need to teach each user individually from the Help desk. During a class on mapping drives in Windows XP, he explained that instead of using My Network Places many times each day to attach to the same shared remote resource, users could get to a mapped drive quickly from the My Computer window. He told class members to open My Network Places, right-click the icon for the shared resource they'd been using, and choose Map Network Drive. He followed that with the easy instructions for assigning the drive letter.
Everyone in the class was enthusiastic about the concept of mapped drives and expressed their satisfaction about doing something so useful with just a couple of mouse clicks. For the next hour, this poor guy took phone calls that started with "it doesn't work." Why didn't his instructions work?
==== In the News ====
by Keith Furman, [email protected]
Intel Spotlights Dual-Core and 64-bit Processors at IDF
Intel outlined its product roadmap at Intel Developer Forum (IDF) 2005 in San Francisco. The roadmap includes a heavy emphasis on dual-core processors and 64-bit computing. The 3-day conference began with a keynote address by outgoing CEO Craig Barrett who touted the company's wide range of technology and previewed the chip giant's upcoming releases. Find out the details at the following URL:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/45546/45546.html
==== Events and Resources ====
A complete Web and live events directory brought to you by Windows IT Pro: http://www.windowsitpro.com/events)
SQL Server Administration for Oracle DBAs Web Seminar
Sign up now for this free, on-demand Web seminar and get a quick start in mapping Oracle database-management skills, knowledge, and experience to SQL Server database management. Learn about the varying similarities and differences between Oracle and SQL Server and get a preview of real-world tips and techniques for managing these associated technologies. Register now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/sqlserveroracledba/index.cfm/index.cfm?code=0302emailannc
Get Ready for SQL Server 2005 Roadshow in a City Near You
Get the facts about migrating to SQL Server 2005. SQL Server experts will present real-world information about administration, development, and business intelligence to help you implement a best-practices migration to SQL Server 2005 and improve your database computing environment. Receive a 1-year membership to PASS and 1-year subscription to SQL Server Magazine. Register now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/roadshows/sqlserverusa/index.cfm?code=0302emailanncs
Keeping Critical Applications Running in a Distributed Environment
Get up to speed fast with solid tactics you can use to fix problems you're likely to encounter as your network grows in geographic distribution and complexity, learn how to keep your network's critical applications running, and discover the best approaches for planning for future needs. Don't miss this exclusive opportunity--register now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/windowsapplications/index.cfm?code=0302emailannc
Learn What You Can Do When Exchange Disaster Strikes
Messaging administrators can't always adequately plan for or prevent some kinds of disasters. In this free Web seminar, join Exchange MVP Paul Robichaux, as he describes some operational scenarios in which "disaster recovery" takes a back seat to "business continuance." Learn how to be prepared for events that might otherwise wipe out your messaging capability. Register now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/exchangedisasterrecovery/index.cfm?code=0302emailannc
Meet the Risks of Instant Messaging Head On in This Free Web seminar
Don't overlook Instant Messaging in your compliance planning. Attend this free Web seminar and learn how to minimize IM's authentication and auditability risks and prevent security dangers. You'll also receive a list of the top requirements to consider when choosing a secure IM solution. Sign up now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/instantmessaging/index.cfm?code=0302emailannc
==== 4. Peer to Peer ====
Tip: Creating More than Nine Partitions on a Windows XP Computer
(contributed by David Chernicoff, [email protected])
Recently, I was setting up a Windows XP computer to do some testing of the various virtual machine (VM) software flavors currently available. As part of the setup, I had planned to create 10 physical partitions on a 300GB drive so that I could have completely separate installations of OS and product on the same computer. However, I found that the test computer consistently booted into the wrong partition. An examination of the boot.ini file showed that only nine partitions were identified. The problem turned out to be an XP bug that allows only nine partitions to be created properly. The 10th partition is given the number 1 in the boot.ini file. Manually editing the boot.ini file fixed the problem.
Featured Thread: New Women's IT Forum
Join the Women's IT Forum, where we're discussing what it means and how it feels to be a woman working in a male-dominated profession. Find support, resources, community, and just a darned-good continuing conversation. Both women and men are welcome. http://www.windowsitpro.com/forums/categories.cfm?catid=1756
==== Announcements ====
(from Windows IT Pro and its partners)
Get Windows IT Pro at 44% Off!
Windows & .NET Magazine is now Windows IT Pro! Act now to get an entire year for just $39.95--that's 44% off the cover price! Our March issue shows you what you need to know about Windows Server 2003 SP1, how to get the best out of your IT staff, and how to fight spyware. Plus, we review the top 10 features of Mozilla Firefox 1.0. This is a limited-time, risk-free offer, so click here now:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/rd.cfm?code=theu2052up
==== 5. New and Improved ====
by Gayle Rodcay, [email protected]
Monitor PC Assets
NetSupport announces NetSupport DNA 2.1 PC asset management software. NetSupport DNA 2.1 lets IT departments at small and medium-sized firms know what hardware and software they have in place, monitor application usage, budget more accurately for upgrades, improve their in-house IT support and performance, and track Internet usage This latest release offers enhanced software inventory, an updated UI, new Internet metering settings, an application packager enhancement, added DNS support, and a more extensive query tool. For more information or to obtain a free 30-day trial, visit the company's Web site or call 1-888-665-0808.
http://www.netsupport-inc.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 IT Pro T-shirt if we write about the product in a future Windows IT Pro What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions with information about how the product has helped you to [email protected]
==== Sponsored Links ====
Automate Patch Management with Symantec ON iPatch
http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;14381010;8214395;x?http://sea.symantec.com/IPWITPSL228
Quest Software
See Active Directory in a whole new light. And get a free flashlight!
http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;13695556;8214395;t?http://wm.quest.com/WITPUpdatelinkSpotADflash205
==== Contact Us ====
About the newsletter -- [email protected] About technical questions -- http://www.windowsitpro.com/forums About product news -- [email protected] About your subscription -- [email protected] About sponsoring an UPDATE -- [email protected]
===============
Get SQL Server Magazine and Get Answers
Throughout the year in 2005, SQL Server Magazine is on target to deliver comprehensive coverage of all hot industry topics including, SQL Server 2005, performance tuning, security, Reporting Services, Integration Services, and .NET development. If you aren't already a subscriber, now is the time to sign up. You'll get unlimited online access to every article ever published in the magazine and you'll get 30% off the cover price. Don't miss out…sign up today:
http://www.sqlmag.com/rd.cfm?code=00eu215xwu
by Kathy Ivens, [email protected]
Congratulations to the winners of our February Reader Challenge. First prize, a copy of "Securing Windows Server 2003" goes to Trish Carroll of Iowa. Second prize, a copy of "Windows Server 2003 in a Nutshell," goes to Jorge de Almeida Pinto of The Netherlands. Both books are from O'Reilly Associates Publishing. Visit http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=45158 to read the answer to the February Reader Challenge.
Solve this month's Windows Client challenge, and you might win a prize! Email your solution (don't use an attachment) to [email protected] by March 16, 2005. You must include your full name, and street mailing address (without that information, we can't send you a prize if you win).
I choose winners at random from the pool of correct entries. I'm a sucker for humor and originality, and a cleverly written correct answer gets an extra chance. Because I receive so many entries each month, I can't reply to respondents, and I never respond to a request for a receipt. Look for the solutions to this month's problem at http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=45544 on March 17, 2005.
During one of those "funny stories about users" sessions that IT professionals tend to engage in, one Help desk supervisor sheepishly told an amusing story about himself. He regularly holds classes to help users learn how to perform basic tasks so that he doesn't need to teach each user individually from the Help desk. During a class on mapping drives in Windows XP, he explained that instead of using My Network Places many times each day to attach to the same shared remote resource, users could get to a mapped drive quickly from the My Computer window. He told class members to open My Network Places, right-click the icon for the shared resource they'd been using, and choose Map Network Drive. He followed that with the easy instructions for assigning the drive letter.
Everyone in the class was enthusiastic about the concept of mapped drives and expressed their satisfaction about doing something so useful with just a couple of mouse clicks. For the next hour, this poor guy took phone calls that started with "it doesn't work." Why didn't his instructions work?
by Keith Furman, [email protected]
Intel outlined its product roadmap at Intel Developer Forum (IDF) 2005 in San Francisco. The roadmap includes a heavy emphasis on dual-core processors and 64-bit computing. The 3-day conference began with a keynote address by outgoing CEO Craig Barrett who touted the company's wide range of technology and previewed the chip giant's upcoming releases. Find out the details at the following URL:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/45546/45546.html
A complete Web and live events directory brought to you by Windows IT Pro: http://www.windowsitpro.com/events)
Sign up now for this free, on-demand Web seminar and get a quick start in mapping Oracle database-management skills, knowledge, and experience to SQL Server database management. Learn about the varying similarities and differences between Oracle and SQL Server and get a preview of real-world tips and techniques for managing these associated technologies. Register now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/sqlserveroracledba/index.cfm/index.cfm?code=0302emailannc
Get the facts about migrating to SQL Server 2005. SQL Server experts will present real-world information about administration, development, and business intelligence to help you implement a best-practices migration to SQL Server 2005 and improve your database computing environment. Receive a 1-year membership to PASS and 1-year subscription to SQL Server Magazine. Register now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/roadshows/sqlserverusa/index.cfm?code=0302emailanncs
Get up to speed fast with solid tactics you can use to fix problems you're likely to encounter as your network grows in geographic distribution and complexity, learn how to keep your network's critical applications running, and discover the best approaches for planning for future needs. Don't miss this exclusive opportunity--register now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/windowsapplications/index.cfm?code=0302emailannc
Messaging administrators can't always adequately plan for or prevent some kinds of disasters. In this free Web seminar, join Exchange MVP Paul Robichaux, as he describes some operational scenarios in which "disaster recovery" takes a back seat to "business continuance." Learn how to be prepared for events that might otherwise wipe out your messaging capability. Register now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/exchangedisasterrecovery/index.cfm?code=0302emailannc
Don't overlook Instant Messaging in your compliance planning. Attend this free Web seminar and learn how to minimize IM's authentication and auditability risks and prevent security dangers. You'll also receive a list of the top requirements to consider when choosing a secure IM solution. Sign up now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/instantmessaging/index.cfm?code=0302emailannc
(contributed by David Chernicoff, [email protected])
Join the Women's IT Forum, where we're discussing what it means and how it feels to be a woman working in a male-dominated profession. Find support, resources, community, and just a darned-good continuing conversation. Both women and men are welcome. http://www.windowsitpro.com/forums/categories.cfm?catid=1756
(from Windows IT Pro and its partners)
Windows & .NET Magazine is now Windows IT Pro! Act now to get an entire year for just $39.95--that's 44% off the cover price! Our March issue shows you what you need to know about Windows Server 2003 SP1, how to get the best out of your IT staff, and how to fight spyware. Plus, we review the top 10 features of Mozilla Firefox 1.0. This is a limited-time, risk-free offer, so click here now:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/rd.cfm?code=theu2052up
by Gayle Rodcay, [email protected]
NetSupport announces NetSupport DNA 2.1 PC asset management software. NetSupport DNA 2.1 lets IT departments at small and medium-sized firms know what hardware and software they have in place, monitor application usage, budget more accurately for upgrades, improve their in-house IT support and performance, and track Internet usage This latest release offers enhanced software inventory, an updated UI, new Internet metering settings, an application packager enhancement, added DNS support, and a more extensive query tool. For more information or to obtain a free 30-day trial, visit the company's Web site or call 1-888-665-0808.
http://www.netsupport-inc.com
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 IT Pro T-shirt if we write about the product in a future Windows IT Pro What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions with information about how the product has helped you to [email protected]
http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;14381010;8214395;x?http://sea.symantec.com/IPWITPSL228
See Active Directory in a whole new light. And get a free flashlight!
http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;13695556;8214395;t?http://wm.quest.com/WITPUpdatelinkSpotADflash205
This email newsletter is brought to you by Windows IT Pro, the leading publication for IT professionals deploying Windows and related technologies. Subscribe today!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/rd.cfm?code=00eu205xeb
View the Windows IT Pro Privacy policy at
http://www.windowsitpro.com/aboutus/index.cfm?action=privacy Windows IT Pro is a division of Penton Media, Inc. 221 East 29th Street, Loveland, CO 80538, Attention: Customer Service Department Copyright 2005, Penton Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
