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Virtual Reality Check

Windows IT Pro

Differences in the hypervisors, guest support, management features, and performance all weigh in your decision whether to choose Hyper-V or ESX Server. Our tests show how they measure up.


Tool Time: InstallWatch Keeps Track of Installation Changes

By Eric B. Rux, 11/21/2008

If you need to know which files and registry keys have been modified during an installation, check out InstallWatch. It's free and simple to use.

Configuring DHCP and WDS

By Rhonda Layfield, 11/21/2008

Modifying how the Security Center notifies users about problems

By Jan De Clercq, 11/21/2008

Learn about the Security Center Control Panel applet and how to change how it notifies users about security problems.

Enterprise Random Password Manager 4.0

By Eric B. Rux, 11/21/2008

This product fills a huge hole in password security by letting you easily change and manage your local Administrator and service account passwords.

Secure Your DNS Servers

By Mark Burnett, 11/21/2008

DNS has been around forever, so it can be easy to forget how vital a properly configured DNS server is for stopping DoS and other attacks. A few steps can secure your DNS ...

ESXi vs. ESX Server

By Michael Otey, 11/21/2008

Just as there are two versions of Hyper-V, there are two versions of ESX Server: ESX Server 3.5 and the free ESXi.

Control Your Licensing with Slmgr

By Mark Minasi, 11/21/2008

Use Slmgr to change a product key or activate a system, extend your product-activation grace period, and determine whether your computer's license is a volume, retail, or OEM ...

Test for Numerous Conditions with PowerShell's switch Statement

By Robert Sheldon, 11/21/2008

PowerShell's switch statement lets you test for many conditions and perform different actions when those conditions are met, making it ideal for such tasks as retrieving event log ...

Simplify Process Troubleshooting with DebugDiag

By Michael Morales, 11/21/2008

Use this graphical Windows debugging tool to analyze captured user dump data for a process and determine the cause of a crash, memory leak, or Microsoft IIS hang.

Installing a DPM agent on a guest OS virtual server

By John Savill, 11/21/2008

There are a few things to consider when deciding how to protect data in a virtual environment.

Happy Holiday HTA

By Jim Turner, 11/21/2008

Send an HTA greeting card that features a holiday tree with blinking multicolored lights and a "Happy Holidays" greeting. You can easily personalize the greeting.

The Standalone Hyper-V 2008 Server

By Michael Otey, 11/21/2008

This sidebar summarizes the primary differences between Hyper-V Server 2008 and the version of Hyper-V that ships with Server 2008.

Windows Vista Sidebar Gadgets

By Michael Otey, 11/21/2008

Windows Sidebar gives you useful and fun tools on the desktop. Check out cool gadgets for eBay bidding, watching system resources, and accessing PowerShell.

New & Improved

By Editors, 11/21/2008

Check out the latest products to hit the marketplace.

Paul's Picks

By Paul Thurrott, 11/21/2008

Learn how the betas for these newest web browsers rate: Google Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 Beta 2—and whether they're worth trying.

OpenOffice 3.0 Challenges Microsoft's Office Dominance

By Jeff James, 11/21/2008

Despite Microsoft's domination of the office-productivity market, OpenOffice 2.0 is an attractive alternative to those who don't want to pony up for Office 2007.

iPhone 3G

By Paul Robichaux, 11/21/2008

The Apple iPhone does many things right, but it’s not up to par with Windows Mobile 6.1’s email capabilities.

Using WDS with Windows Server 2008

By Rhonda Layfield, 11/21/2008

Use this step-by-step WDS guide to deploy your client OSs from Server 2008.

Toshiba 320GB USB 2.0 Portable 2.5" External Hard Drive

By Jason Bovberg, 11/21/2008

Despite some backup deficiencies, you might find this hard drive useful as a storage device.

Microsoft DNS vs. BIND

By Mark Burnett, 11/21/2008

A comparison of the merits of Microsoft DNS and BIND for security.

Letters

By Editors, 11/21/2008

Readers respond to articles about split-brain DNS, SUA, and PowerShell, and share their opinions about dogfooding and 64-bit superiority.

Virtualization Rematch

By Michael Otey, 11/21/2008

A lot has changed in the virtualization market, and particularly in Microsoft’s and VMware’s virtualization products. We take a fresh look at how these market forces compare in ...

Ask the Experts

By Various Authors, 11/21/2008

Find out whether you should install a DPM agent on a guest OS virtual server, and learn about the Security Center in Vista and how to modify its alert notifications.

GPExpert Desktop Policy Manager

By Ed Roth, 11/21/2008

Group Policy is great for managing client systems but can be difficult to learn and use. DPM is an excellent tool for those who want to use Group Policy but don’t want to invest ...

What You Need to Know About Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008

By Paul Thurrott, 11/21/2008

Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 is a capable virtual machine management solution--even for heterogeneous environments.


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