Vista SP1 Solution Accelerator

The latest version of a solution accelerator initially dubbed Windows Vista hardware Assessment is now available for download. The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit is now at version 3.1 and has hit RTM stage. The latest build of the assessment and planning solution accelerator is tailored specifically to the most recent Windows client and server operating systems, namely Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 SP1/RTM, including the Hyper-V release. Version 3.1 is up for grabs straight from Microsoft, and is designed to streamline as much as possible the evaluation and planning phases of large scale software migration processes in complex IT infrastructures.

“Formerly known as Windows Vista Hardware Assessment, this new release is now packed with many new features such as: Hyper-V virtualization candidates assessment (+ improved virtual machines inventory); SQL server discovery and assessment; 64-bit installation support; and Desktop Windows Security Center assessment,” revealed Baldwin Ng, Senior Product Manager, Solution Accelerators Team.

Designed as a network-wide agent-less tool, MAP 3.1 will crawl all the servers and the desktops that are an integral part of an IT infrastructure and will provide basic guidance through the migration process. The solution accelerator will deliver an inventory of all the resources available, focusing on a variety of areas, including server, desktop and virtualization upgrade scenarios. All the scanning is performed via a network and, in this context, MAP does not have to be deployed on each machine it evaluates. The assessment takes advantage of the capabilities offered by the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), the Remote Registry Service, or the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

“Windows Vista hardware and device compatibility assessment; Office 2007 hardware compatibility assessment; Windows Server 2008 hardware and device compatibility assessment; Microsoft Application Virtualization hardware compatibility assessment; SNMP inventory reporting, [and support for] Hyper-V and SQL Server,” Baldwin Ng added.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator 3.1 is available for download x86 or x64.

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SP3 Automatic Distribution for Office 2003

The end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008 have been a veritable Service Pack fiesta for Microsoft in terms of the company’s flagship products. Both Windows and Office have got their fair share of updates, but the productivity suite of both the 2003 and 2007 versions has simply beaten the Windows client to the punch, so to speak. Microsoft made available both Office 2003 SP3 and Office 2007 SP1 ahead of Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3. In fact, the third service pack for Office 2003 dropped as early as September 2007.

Microsoft’s perspective over Office 2003 SP3 is that the service pack represents merely a pit stop for Office users on the road to the Office 2007 System. At the same time, Office 2003 SP3 brought to the table enhancements around the board from security to performance and to increase compatibility with Windows Vista. (more…)

Tags: automatic updates, compatibility, Microsoft, microsoft office, Office, office 2003 service pack 3, office 2003 sp3, Office 2007, office users, Operating system, Performance, Security, service pack 3, Windows, windows vista, windows xp, windows xp sp3

Microsoft Readying Customers with New Assessment and Deployment Tool for the Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1 Launch!

Hello IT Pros! February 27 is a big day. Windows Server 2008 will be officially launching in Los Angeles with Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, kicking off in just a few hours. In support of this very important technology milestone as well as the Windows Read More......(read more)

Written by Windows Vista Team Blog on February 27th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Announcement and Business Deployment and Deployment and Drivers, and Featured News and IT Professionals and Longhorn Server and MAP and Microsoft Assessment and Planning and Microsoft Deployment and Networking and Office 2007 and RTM and Release-to-Manufacturing and Release-to-Market and Upgrade Advisor and Virtualization and Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista and Windows Vista Capable and Windows Vista Hardware Assessement Tool and Windows Vista Premium-Ready and Windows Vista SP1 and sp1 and windows vista upgrade advisor.

Free Hardware Upgrade via Windows Vista and Office 2007

Ask not what Windows Vista and the Office 2007 System can do for you. Instead simply tell Microsoft how you will benefit from using the company’s flagship products. Straight from the get-go, the Redmond company joined Windows Vista and the Office 2007 System at the hip. The slogan Power Together was in fact designed to underline the intimate connection between the two products. Microsoft even applied a simple strategy to help consumers connect Vista with Office 2007. Back in November 2006, Vista and Office 2007 shipped together to business customers, as the two became simultaneously available to Software Assurance clinets via Volume Licensing. (more…)