Windows Client UPDATE--Microsoft Update: Not just for Windows--June 23, 2005

1. Commentary:
- Microsoft Update: Not just for Windows

2. News & Views
- MSN Ships Local Search Beta

3. Resources
- Featured Blog: Piranhas Ate the Server
- Tip: Working with "RAW" Digital Images

4. New and Improved
- Manage Electronic Documents and Information
- Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!

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==== 1. Commentary: Microsoft Update: Not just for Windows ====
by David Chernicoff, [email protected]

Microsoft has made good on its promise for the mid-2005 availability of the new Microsoft Update service. Microsoft Update replaces the existing Windows Update and provides updates and patches for everything that Windows Update did, plus adds update services for several other Microsoft applications, all at one Web site.

Available from http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/microsoftupdate/default.mspx , Microsoft Update is a handy service for Windows users as well as users of other Microsoft products. High-priority updates for regularly updated Microsoft applications (currently Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange Server, and Microsoft SQL Server) will now receive the same treatment as updates for the base OS. Microsoft Update works with Automatic Updates and will use the updating methodology that you've enabled for Automatic Updates. Therefore, be sure to configure Automatic Updates to at least download updates and alert you, if not automatically install them.

It's important to note that the application updates that Microsoft Update will apply must be flagged as "high priority." It won't provide the minor feature upgrades and changes that applications such as Office often receive; you still need to periodically update applications manually to get those types of upgrades. For example, to receive optional Office feature upgrades or add-ons such as templates and clip art, you'll need to use the updater at Office Online ( http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdate/default.aspx ). But with Microsoft's stated goal of improving security and reliability, you can be sure that the company will label updates related to those goals with sufficient priority to ensure that they're automatically provided to end users.

A quick check of my primary system, which I'm careful to keep updated, showed no high-priority updates available. However, two software updates (Windows Media Connect and an updated HighMAT driver) along with a hardware update for my monitors are available, so I still need to download and install these updates manually.

Microsoft Update runs on Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3) and later. It provides automatic updates to those OSs, Office XP and later, Exchange Server 2000 and later, and SQL Server 2000 with SP4 and later.

If you choose to remove Microsoft Update, your computer will revert to the existing Automatic Updates version that came with the OS. And regardless, you still need to check for minor updates to supported applications, as well as updates for Microsoft applications not covered by the Microsoft Update service. The existing Windows Update site ( http://update.microsoft.com ) will still be available for the foreseeable future, although the site already suggests that users upgrade to the new Microsoft Update. That's a good idea, especially if you use the other supported Microsoft applications.

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==== 3. News & Views ====
by Paul Thurrott, [email protected]

MSN Ships Local Search Beta
Microsoft has announced that its MSN division will ship a US-based beta version of MSN Local Search, the Web-based search service that provides local search results. Read the entire story at the following URL:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=46769

==== Events and Resources ====
A complete Web and live events directory brought to you by Windows IT Pro: http://www.windowsitpro.com/events

Anti-spam product not working?
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Token Authentication: Getting It Right
Perhaps you need tokens for management or mobile workers or your only applications that need token support are VPN, extranet access, or PC security. In this free Web seminar, join industry guru Randy Franklin Smith and learn how you can make a solid business case to management that justifies tokens. You'll also discover what the right combination of token devices and middleware can do? Plus - receive checklists of key evaluation and testing points for rollout time. Register now!
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Recover Your Active Directory
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The Essential Guide to Exchange Preventative Maintenance
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==== 4. Peer to Peer ====

Tip: Working with "RAW" Digital Images
(contributed by David Chernicoff, [email protected])

Digital camera users who want the best possible images from their photographs often shoot in what is called "RAW" format. In this format, the camera saves all sorts of additional information about the image, letting you change attributes such as white balance, which you can't do with a stored JPEG image. Until last week, Windows XP users who wanted to view RAW images needed to use editing software with an appropriate plug-in or install viewer software from the camera vendor.
Last week, Microsoft released the RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for Windows XP. You can download this Powertoy at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=d48e808e-b10d-4ce4-a141-5866fd4a3286&DisplayLang=en . Although it's not a replacement for dedicated RAW image editing software, it does allow a quick way to view RAW image files. The tool also lets you display RAW images in folders if you configure the folder with the Thumbnail or Filmstrip view. This functionality is useful when you browse directories looking for images. The downside, however, is that if you configure your camera to store both a RAW and JPEG version of the image, both images have the same display name (because the different file extensions aren't displayed) and you need to move the mouse over the image to view the image information to determine which file is RAW and which is JPEG.
The RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for Windows XP works with the RAW file format for most Canon and Nikon digital cameras. You can find additional information in the white paper available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=C927CCCF-4CB7-4F92-AFAA-6F16663B23B4&displaylang=en

Featured Blog: Piranhas Ate the Server
Read Orin Thomas's latest posting to the Hyperbole, Embellishment, and Sys Admins blog at the following URL:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/windows/article/articleid/46716/46716.html

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==== 5. New and Improved ====
by Gayle Rodcay, [email protected]

Manage Electronic Documents and Information
Kinook Software has released Ultra Recall 1.3, personal information management software for Microsoft Windows that helps computer users capture, organize, and recall electronic documents and information. The new release features enhanced performance, new printing options, extended import and export capabilities, and true phrase-searching technology. Its customizable GUI offers full undo/redo functionality, dockable panes, and forward and back navigation. Ultra Recall runs on all versions of Windows from Windows 98 to Windows Server 2003 and requires 10MB of free disk space. For more information, visit the company's Web site.
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