Managed Solutions » Microsoft

International Patch Everything Week

Joe Hackman — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:30:09 +0000

Security updates are really piling up this week to keep up with a number of vulnerabilities in lots of different programs and operating systems. So much so that we’ve declared this (un-officially!):

August 7-13th, 2011 is International Patch Everything Week

Microsoft Advisories

It started early this week when we were informed by the US-CERT that all of these products had vulnerabilities that would be addressed in updates from Microsoft:

Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Office
Internet Explorer
.NET Framework
Microsoft Developer Tools

That for the record is pretty much everything in the Microsoft world at least for the typical desktop user (except the developer tools of course). That was not the end of the notices for the week.

Adobe Advisories

Today we were informed of a plethora of Adobe product security updates:

Shockwave Player 11.6.0.626 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh
Flash Media Server 4.0.2 and earlier versions for Windows and Linux
Flash Media Server 3.5.6 and earlier versions for Windows and Linux
Adobe Flash Player 10.3.181.36 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Solaris operating systems
Adobe Flash Player 10.3.185.25 and earlier versions for Android
Adobe AIR 2.7 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, and Android
Adobe Photoshop CS5 and CS5.1 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh
RoboHelp 9 (versions 9.0.1.232 and earlier), RoboHelp 8, RoboHelp Server 9, and RoboHelp Server 8 for Windows

This array of products covers pretty much any PC based client computer and Android to boot. So don’t delay when you are notified of new updates available this week, just run them all.

Need help finding updates?

You can refer to the original bulletins for details on your device/pc:

For Adobe Products:

Security update available for Adobe Shockwave Player

Security update available for Adobe Flash Media Server

Security update available for Adobe Flash Player

Security update available for Adobe Photoshop CS5

Security updates available for RoboHelp

For Microsoft Products:

Security updates are available from Microsoft Download Center. You can find them most easily by doing a keyword search for “security update”.
Updates for consumer platforms are available from Microsoft Update

Warning: As always consult your IT department before applying software fixes. Also be aware that some software patches can cause problems.

Windows 7 Video Tip – Adding new items to the sendto menu

Joe Hackman — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:33:28 +0000

Typical Sendto Menu

When you right click a file or folder on your Windows 7 computer there are several menus available, one of them is the “sendto” menu. This allows you to easily send that file or folder to that program or folder. One important option that is missing in this menu is the notepad program. In this video I demonstrate how to add new items to the sendto menu or specifically the notepad program in the example. You can use it for almost anything a program, network drive even an FTP server.

Outlook Tip Drag and Drop Scheduling (Video)

Joe Hackman — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:02:41 +0000

This video demonstrates drag and drop scheduling in Outlook 2010. I’ve been using the Outlook Calendar feature and stopped using tasks all together for the most part. If you’re looking to improve your scheduling efficiency check out this video.

Powerpoint Tip Slideshow in a Window (Video)

Joe Hackman — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:36:34 +0000

Ever try to record a screencast of a Powerpoint presentation? If you have you may have noticed like I did that you cannot easily run the presentation slideshow within a window small enough for a practical screencast. After doing some research I discovered that there are some not so well documented features for Powerpoint 2007/2010 that will allow you to run your presentation in a window. This would be particularly useful if you were doing some kind of mashup.

Quick Tip MrFixit for Windows Update Issues

Joe Hackman — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:44:04 +0000

Have you ever encountered errors with Windows Update or had it just stop prompting you all-together? This might be the solution to your problem. Either way it is a web page at Microsoft that will provide the right tool depending on what Operating system you are running.

To run the utility navigate to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058 and click on the Microsoft Fix It icon or link:

You will have one option that can be selected, only use this option if the first attempt without it checked was not successful:

After running the utility in either mode an additional screen will pop up with other options:

If after a restart you still experience issues, you can run the utility again to access the help links in the utility. Microsoft does provide free support for windows update issues.

Updated Windows 7 Application Compatibility List

Joe Hackman — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:26:52 +0000

Microsoft has created a new Application Compatibility List for Windows 7. While they state it is for IT professionals anyone can access it via their website. If you are unsure if applications you need will work (use this link to learn about how to make anything compatible if it is not on the list below) with Windows 7 this is a great place to start:

Windows 7 Application Compatibility List

Windows 7 is Ready for Business

Joe Hackman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:00:48 +0000

It has been a long time since we’ve recommended an initial release of a Microsoft Operating system for business use but we’ve reached that plateau again with Windows 7. We are encouraging our clients to implement Windows 7 when replacing existing systems. There are of course always exceptions to this recommendation, the most important being resource intensive older software applications such as design and cad software. They need to be evaluated for compatibility prior to making the shift. Your basic business machine will happily function with 7, and worse case you can offer reliable compatibility through the Windows XP Compatibility Mode.

If you are considering upgrading existing machines to Windows 7 or purchasing a new computer with Windows 7 installed feel free to contact us for an honest, experienced opinion on what you might want to consider in the process. You don’t have to be a customer or become one, but we’re pretty confident that once you get to know us you will want to be one.

Windows 7 Using Sticky Notes

Joe Hackman — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:45:21 +0000

Not everyone uses Outlook or a similar program to store their tasks and reminders, or perhaps they might seek something a little more visual. Windows 7 sticky notes will deliver that for you. This video will demonstrate to you how to access, create, change and delete sticky notes on your Windows 7 equipped computer.

Windows 7 Quicktip Aero Snap Feature

Joe Hackman — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:58:23 +0000

The Aero snap feature on Windows 7 is really useful. You can use it to maximize a window by left clicking and dragging that window to the top of the screen or drag left or right to have the active program use that half of the screen. This is what you might see in the Microsoft commercial. There is a small problem, what if you have 2 or more monitors? It doesn’t work unless you drag it all the way to the right, left or top most screen edge. You can actually use this feature even with multiple screens by using the windows key + arrow keys, these are the affects:

Winkey + L/R Arrow cycles the active window through all available visible options (Right Half, Left Half, Normal, Maximize)
Winkey + Up Arrow Maximizes the active window
Winkey + Down Arrow Minimizes the active window

These are must know keyboard shortcuts for Windows 7 users with 2 or more monitors and I like them even on single screens. Please note this does require the Aero interface to be enabled and not all computers support it. For a demonstration of this feature check out this video:

Office 2010 Beta is Public

Joe Hackman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:13:49 +0000

Microsoft made a couple of big announcements today, first that the 2010 Beta is available and anyone can participate. The second big announcement was the Social Media Connector included in Office 2010. If you’re interested in learning more check out this article on Microsoft’s MSDN blog. If you’d like to skip the article and jump to the goods go download the beta from Microsoft’s 2010 site.