To change the default port for Windows Remote Desktop:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TerminalServer\WinStations\RDP-Tcp\PortNumber See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 306759 for additional details.
Scott Hanselman wrote a great article about the Xbox 360 media center and multimedia features found natively in the Xbox 360 console including the New Xbox Experience.
Recently I have been researching Single Sign-On options to streamline the user's experience. One interesting provider I found is Windows Live ID Web Authentication, which allows visitors to logon to a website using their Hotmail or Windows Live account. Microsoft describes the Windows Live ID Web Authentication SDK as follows:
The Windows Live™ ID Web Authentication software development kit (SDK) gives you a platform-neutral way to bring the power of the Windows Live ID authentication service to your own Web site.
According to Microsoft the benefits include:
To remove advertisements from Windows Live Messenger without installing a patch or crack:
To restore advertisements in Windows Live Messenger:
Popular Mechanics reviews and demonstrates Microsoft Surface:
Short video showing some of the things that are possible using Microsoft Surface technology:
Television commercial with Bill Gates presenting HP's version of the Windows Home Server:
Microsoft introduces Touch Wall with improved drag-and-drop technology for wall-size displays:
Microsoft is giving away Windows Vista Advisor Polo Shirts for individuals who complete the "Get the Facts on Windows Vista" quiz. Follow the link, then click on "Training Quiz" to participate.
Microsoft estimates the quiz will take 15 to 30 minutes, but I participated and the quiz took about 6 or 7 minutes.
The quiz is a great real-world example of Silverlight in action.
I recently installed Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) on several different computers; most installations went very smoothly; however, I had issues on two computers.
The first issue occurred on a Dell laptop, which required several drivers updates before SP1 would appear in the Windows Update download list due to known driver compatibility issues. Manually updating drivers is only a minor nuisance and was expected. Once the drivers were updated the installation was seamless and the performance increase on the laptop is noticeable; the laptop boots in approximately half the time and the wireless networking now connects much faster. The wireless network now also reconnects without constant user intervention (an annoying problem prior to SP1).
The installation of SP1 on a Windows Vista Ultimate Edition (a Media Center PC I have connected to my television) was another story all together. Initial installation of SP1 appeared to work without a hitch; however, problems began as soon as I went to watch a DVD... you could sort of see the DVD play, but the entire display was covered by patches of psychedelic colors. Clearly there was an issue with my current configuration and SP1. The strange part was that normal and recorded TV functioned without issue. Based on past experience, I determined that it was most likely a driver issue, so I began the tedious process of narrowing down the issue. Initially I thought the issue was caused by an SP1 incompatibility with DVD-ROM driver, so I downloaded the latest drivers and firmware updates and systematically applied them one at a time, rebooted and retested the issue. Unfortunately, this did not resolve the spinning kaleidoscope of color. So I continued to upgrade one driver at a time until I was able to resolve the issue. In the end it turns out Windows Update installed a new video card driver for the NVIDIA video card at the same time it installed SP1. Reinstalling the previous driver resolved the issue.
Just went I thought everything was working on my Media Center PC, Windows kindly informed my I needed to reactivate. Normally, activation is a fast, seamless process; however, for some reason Windows would not allow me to activate online and to make matters worse, each time I tried to activate Windows the system removed one day from the number of days remaining to activate. Ultimately, I had to use the phone activation process, which is probably the least user friendly solution available. For anyone who hasn't been through the phone activation process, you don't ever want to! It involves reading nine groups of six digit numbers (for a total of fifty-four numerals) to a voice response system. After reading the numbers to the automated system twice, I was transferred to a human, where I then had to read the numbers again. Reading 162 numbers over the phone is not fun and does not make me feel like a valued customer. Who ever designed the phone activation process should be fired.
In the end, I was able to reactivate Windows and resolve all of the driver issues and other issues caused by SP1.
Even with all the hassle, I think it was well worth the effort, especially on laptops, where the improvements are the most dramatic.
The documentation says you can use this with the standalone version of Internet Explorer 7.0, but I recommend upgrading to Internet Explorer 7.0 prior to installation of Multiple IEs.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TerminalServer\WinStations\RDP-Tcp\PortNumber Note: When you try to connect to this computer by using the Remote Desktop connection, you must type the new port. The format is "IP Address:Port"
Here are some of the key features according to Microsoft:
Compatible with your blog service
Writer can publish to Windows Live Spaces, SharePoint, WordPress, Blogger, LiveJournal, TypePad, Moveable Type, Community Server, and many other weblog services.WYSIWYG editing
Writer knows your blog's visual theme. So you can see exactly what your posts will look like as you write them, before you publish. No more wasting time previewing your posts online.Rich media publishing
Writer makes publishing rich media as easy as sending e-mail. Insert and customize photos, videos, maps, tags, and lots of other cool content—then click the “Publish” button. It’s that easy.Powerful editing features
Creating compelling blog posts is much easier with the ability to insert and edit tables, check spelling as you type, and format and hyperlink content at your fingertips.Offline editing
Now you can blog anytime, from anywhere. Writer synchronizes drafts on your blog with changes you make when you're offline, so you don't have to worry about reconciling different versions.
New.com recently posted an article on the new Windows Home Server: The Windows Home Server is for households that want to share storage among multiple PCs or Xboxes game consoles. It will provide automatic backup, easier storage expansion and connectivity among different devices, including Zune media players, Gates said.