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If you use your laptop in more than one location, Windows 7 will let you set a different default printer for each network that you access. Find out how to do this. ...

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Windows 7 beta 1 includes new keyboard shortcuts that allow you to navigate and manage the Windows workspace more efficiently. Here are 10 shortcuts you should know. ...

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With Windows Server 2008 you can configure four types of scripts: Computer Startup Executed during startup; Computer Shutdown Executed prior to shutdown; User Logon Executed when a user logs on; and User Logoff Executed when a user logs off. Here's how to write these useful scripts. ...

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You can use the Windows Events Command Line Utility to retrieve information about event logs, run queries, archive logs, and more. Here's a look at how to use this tool. ...

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Windows Server 2008 simplifies the Disk Management user interface by using one set of dialog boxes and wizards for both partitions and volumes. ...

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Popular Articles

Security principals underlie so much of Windows security that it is essential for any administrator to have at least a basic understanding of how the various types of Security principals work and how they are used. Here's what you need to know.

Jesper M. Johansson

TechNet Magazine January 2009

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Aaron Margosis

TechNet Magazine August 2006

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Consolidating servers onto fewer physical machines has many advantages, but it is extremely important that you plan for your systems to be highly available. Here’s a guide to using Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering to bring high availability to your Hyper-V virtual machines.

Steven Ekren

TechNet Magazine October 2008

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Drivers fail, files get corrupted, disks crash--there are numerous uncontrollable reasons why Windows might fail. But all is not lost. Wes Miller explores the kinds of things that can go wrong in a Windows system, and explains how you can troubleshoot them to get your system working again.

Wes Miller

TechNet Magazine January 2009

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The new Group Policy Preferences feature found in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista provides more than 3,000 settings, greatly expanding what administrators can do with Group Policy. Here’s a guide to using Group Policy Preferences to manage your environment.

Derek Melber

TechNet Magazine January 2009

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Our Blog

NAP monitors the health of specified computers when they attempt to connect to a network and includes a number of mechanisms to enforce health requirements. In this article, Geek of All Trades Greg Shields gives readers an overview of these enforcement mechanisms and, as an example, takes a closer look at setting ...

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Use Windows PowerShell to Manage Virtual Machines Here are a few examples of how you can use Windows PowerShell scripts to manage virtual machines running on a Server Core installation. Note that these scripts are presented as samples and may need to be customized to work in your environment.

Create a New ...

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Disabling an Unused Part of Group Policy Objects One way to disable a policy is to disable an unused part of the GPO. By disabling part of a policy that isn’t used, the application of GPOs and security will be faster.

Administer Windows Server 2008 Server Core from the Command Prompt ...

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In the August 2008 issue of TechNet Magazine, Paul Randal wrote an article Top Tips for Effective Database Maintenance.  It was geared toward "involuntary  DBAs" (IT pros who inadvertently wind up responsible for a SQL Server instance).  The article had a great response from our readers so Paul has written another ...

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Microsoft Forefront is designed to deliver an integrated security solution that makes it much easier to deploy and manage security across an organization’s IT infrastructure. In this, our annual security issue, we feature two articles that describe how Forefront Security protects instant messaging and e-mail.

Protect ...

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Tip: Know the Tools You’ll Need to Deploy Windows Vista

You will use the following tools when you prepare images and deploy Windows Vista throughout your organization:
Sysprep This is the updated version, modified for Windows Vista.
Setup A new installation tool for Windows Vista that replaces WINNT and WINNT32.
ImageX The new command-line tool for creating WIM images.
Windows SIM A tool for creating and modifying Unattend.xml files.
PEimg The tool for customizing Windows PE 2.0 images.
Windows DS The new version of RIS, which adds the ability to deploy Windows Vista images as well as Windows PE 2.0 boot images.
Pnputil This is the new tool for adding and removing drivers from the Windows Vista driver store.
Pkgmgr Use this new Windows Vista tool for servicing the operating system.
Ocsetup Replaces Sysocmgr and is used for installing Windows components.
Bcdedit A new Windows Vista tool for editing boot configuration data.
Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 Use this updated tool to assess whether or not your applications are compatible with Windows Vista.
User State Migration Tool 3.0 An updated tool for capturing and restoring user state.
BitLocker The full-volume drive-encryption capability included in Windows Vista Enterprise and Ultimate editions.


You can forget about using these tools:
Remote Installation Services (RIS) RIS has been replaced by Windows DS, but Windows DS still offers legacy support on Windows Server 2003.
Setup Manager and Notepad Use Windows SIM instead for editing unattended setup configuration files.
Winnt.exe and Winnt32.exe Use Setup instead.
Sysocmgr Replaced by Ocsetup and Pkgmgr.
MS-DOS Boot Floppies Forget them. Use Windows PE.


From the Microsoft Press book Windows Vista Resource Kit, Second Edition.

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