Windows-Help.NET Newsletter

01. Microsoft Releases Virtual Server 2005

by Arie Slob

Hello Windows users,

This week, Microsoft announced the general availability and pricing of Microsoft Virtual Server 2005. Virtual Server 2005 is available in both Standard and Enterprise editions.

"Our customers are looking for ways to cut infrastructure costs and make better use of their IT and development teams. They want to streamline application testing and development, consolidate to fewer servers and move legacy applications to new hardware running on the Windows Server (TM) 2003 platform," said Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Windows Server Division at Microsoft. "Virtual Server 2005 meets these needs and provides easy, automated deployment and configuration. This improved efficiency and simplicity represents progress toward our Dynamic Systems Initiative vision of reducing IT complexity."

Virtual Server is a useful product under specific scenarios. This could include software testing and development, server consolidation, and legacy application hosting.

Virtual Server 2005 Standard Edition supports up to four processors, with an estimated retail price of $499 (U.S.). Virtual Server 2005 Enterprise Edition supports up to 32 processors, with an estimated retail price of $999 (U.S.). Both versions will be available within 30 days through retail and volume licensing and will be licensed on a per-physical server basis.

More information on Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 - including a 180-day trial version - can be found at the Microsoft Windows Server System Web site.

02. Microsoft Security

Microsoft Windows Security Bulletin Summary for September, 2004

The Microsoft Windows security update for September 2004 address a newly discovered issue in Windows.

Severity Rating: Critical

Buffer Overrun in JPEG Processing (GDI+) Could Allow Code Execution (833987)

03. Recommended Book: PC Magazine Windows XP Solutions

List: ~~$24.99~~
Our Price: $16.49
You Save: $8.50 (34%)

Paperback, 480 pages
Publication date: Apr. 2004

Ever wish they'd consulted you before they designed Windows XP? Sure, it's a great system, but there's this one feature that makes you crazy. Or that annoying problem that keeps occurring. Well, you can rely on Neil Randall and your friends at PC Magazine to correct that oversight. Here's the complete compendium of solutions to the things that bug you, threaten your security, slow you down, or other-wise prevent Windows XP from achieving perfection.

They say there's a solution to everything. When it comes to Windows XP, PC Magazine knows 'em all.

To Order: USA | EU (GBP 12.52)

04. Recent Support BBS Postings

What will SP2 give me i don't already Have? - XP-SP 2 Questions
New Releases & Security Vulnerabilities - Netscape and Mozilla
I want a SCRIPT to map my network drives - Windows 2000 / 2003
250GB drive reduced to 137GB - Windows XP

05. Server Performance Advisor V1.0

Service Performance Advisor is a server performance diagnostic tool developed to diagnose root causes of performance problems in a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system, particularly performance problems for Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 and the Active Directory directory service.

Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2003

Download [3.95 MB]

06. More Time to Test Windows XP SP2

The expiry date for the Automatic Update expiry mechanism has been extended to April 12, 2005, giving users extra time to test and evaluate Windows XP SP2.

Microsoft IT Resources

07. Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility

The Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility helps you determine if an MPEG-2 video decoder (also called a DVD decoder) is installed on your Windows XP computer and whether or not the decoder is compatible with Windows Media Player 10 and Windows XP Media Center Edition.

Download [163 KB - ENG]

08. Handling unwanted e-mail (spam)

So despite your best efforts, you have received e-mail you didn't ask for - and don't want. What can you do?

Microsoft Security At Home