Windows Server

Surprisingly Strong Quarter Suggests Microsoft Transition is On Track

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:45:00 +0000

For the naysayers writing the obituaries for the PC industry and for Microsoft over the past several weeks, the firm’s surprisingly strong quarterly results—including record revenues of $20.49 billion—must have come as a shock. But this isn’t the first time Microsoft has confounded its critics, who routinely overlook the company’s successful transition to the cloud.

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STB News Bytes – Delivering the Cloud OS

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:56:00 +0000

Talking Cloud OS with effrey Snover and Jon Hassell

Fresh off the BUILD conference, I joined Windows Server Lead Architect Jeffrey Snover and Computerworld's Jon Hassell for an impromptu conversation about Microsoft’s Cloud OS offerings. In this video, we discuss the latest enhancements made to the server and datacenter family as well as how these changes will impact IT pros.

Windows Server 2012 Essentials: Access the Server Remotely

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 17:41:00 +0000

Paul Thurrott

While Windows Server 2012 Essentials provides excellent connectivity to your content and other server resources from within the local network, many users will be disconnected from that network much of the time too. How can you access your home office or small business network from the road?

Windows Server 2012 Essentials: Domain vs. Workgroup

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:24:00 +0000

Paul Thurrott

In a recent article, I described how it’s actually possible to configure PCs to connect to Windows Server 2012 Essentials without adding them to the domain. This raised a number of questions, however, around what a domain is, and whether such a thing would be useful in a home office or very small business. So let’s step back for a moment and take a look at these issues.

Windows Server 2012 Essentials: The Home Server Replacement

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:55:00 +0000

Paul Thurrott

With the demise of the underappreciated Windows Home Server, Microsoft is offering up two interesting alternatives going forward: Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 Essentials. Windows 8 has a lot going for it, including a low price, a simple user experience, and easy compatibility on a home network. But based on years of great experiences using WHS, I’m choosing Windows Server 2012 Essentials for my own home office instead.

Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) Hits Release Candidate

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:49:21 +0000

Paul Thurrott

Microsoft announced this week that its User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) tool has hit the near-final Release Candidate (RC) milestone. The firm also revealed that the final version of UE-V will be delivered in Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2012 by the end of the year.

PC Makers Start Announcing Windows 8 and Windows RT PCs

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:23:00 +0000

Paul Thurrott

With the back-to-school selling season drawing to a close, PC makers are finally starting to take the wraps off their Windows 8 wares. Earlier this week, Samsung unveiled some new desktop PCs aimed at Windows, and today ASUS announced a Vivo Tab line of tablets that will come in both Windows 8 and Windows RT variants.

Windows Server 2012 Essentials Hits RC

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 13:10:00 +0000

Paul Thurrott

When Microsoft announced that Windows Server 2012 had reached the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) milestone on August 1, it wasn’t clear if that meant just the mainstream Server versions—Standard and Datacenter—or also the small business focused Essentials and Foundation versions. Now we know: Essentials, at least, will trail other Windows Server 2012 versions somewhat. And this week, Windows Server Essentials 2012 reached the Release Candidate (RC) milestone.

Windows 8: New Mice and Keyboards

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 07:11:45 +0000

Paul Thurrott

Microsoft today announced a new family of mice and keyboards that are designed specifically for Windows 8. Additionally, the software giant announced that it will update its existing Touch Mouse with new gesture settings for Windows 8, as expected.

Keeping Your Microsoft Account Secure

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:19:45 +0000

Paul Thurrott

When I write about funneling everything through SkyDrive and its associated Microsoft account—now still called a Windows Live ID—I get a couple of predictable questions. First, does Microsoft offer two-factor authentication, like Google? And second, is SkyDrive protected with some form of encryption and cloud-based document versioning?