Microsoft Support & Discussions
Free PC Help Forum microsoft products support and discussions. If you need help with Microsoft Windows, Windows Server software, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure or any other Microsoft product you can post here. If you want to discuss Microsoft and their line of products you can do that here also.
84,928 topics in this forum
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Cortana Expands the Role of the Digital Personal Assistant by Coming to Xbox One
by Guest Marcus Ash- 0 replies
- 69 views
At Microsoft, our vision for a powerful digital assistant means it is personalized and available to you everywhere, whether you’re on-the-go with the device you carry with you, in your office, where you need to be highly productive, or even in your home, where you relax, play, and are entertained. In a multi-device world this means allowing Cortana to move with you between your environments multiple times a day. We announced earlier that your Windows 10 experience includes Cortana.** To extend availability to a multitude of devices, we announced the Cortana app will be available soon for Android phones and iPhones, working as a companion to Cortana on your Windows 10 P…
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Microsoft Loves Linux
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 110 views
In a press and analyst briefing a few months back, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella put up a slide proclaiming “Microsoft ♥ Linux”. Wow! What a great slide and what a change for Microsoft! The trade press picked up on this slide in a major way, with a number of articles echoing this new approach to Linux and open source within Microsoft. And they’re right! But you may ask “Why is Microsoft working with Linux and open source?”, or “What’s Microsoft’s plan going forward?”, or “What does ‘Microsoft ♥ Linux’ mean for me as a customer?” At the core, “Microsoft ♥ Linux” is driven by what we’ve heard from you as customers. You run workloads on Windows. You run workl…
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Enterprise-grade virtualization and next-gen app platform
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 100 views
With the releases of Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2, we made huge improvements across the board in software defined compute, storage, networking and more. We’re regularly hearing about your successes as well as your next round of feature requests J. In these discussions with you, we’ve also noticed the conversation has matured. While virtualization continues to be an important aspect of your infrastructure, I’m rarely asked about feature comparisons at the hypervisor layer anymore. That’s a 2005 conversation. The conversation has shifted from virtualization to cloud, specifically hybrid cloud. It’s in these conversation that we see first-hand that our Mic…
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Protecting your datacenter and cloud from emerging threats
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 110 views
This is a post from Nir Ben Zvi, Principal PM Manager, Microsoft Cybersecurity has hit the mainstream. You would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know about a company that has been breached and dragged across the news. Security veterans might say that this is just the tip of the iceberg but you have to admit – it’s a very large tip. The actors and their motives have changed - A few years back, the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing group published an internal position paper that predicted a shift in the security attack profile and sophistication of actors and called out the need to develop technologies and solutions to address Advanced Persistent Threats (AP…
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Next-generation storage for the software-defined datacenter
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 166 views
This is a post from Siddhartha Roy, Group PM Manager, High Availability and Storage and Paul Luber, Group PM Manager, Storage and File Systems Storage is a foundational component of the datacenter fabric and is an intrinsic part of Microsoft’s software-defined datacenter solution. Our storage investments are centered on bringing value to customers in terms of increasing cloud scale, availability, performance, and reliability, while lowering acquisition and operational costs - with Windows Server, and now also with Microsoft Azure Stack. Storage Choice Customers can have more than one type of storage, based on their need. We have storage choices across the en…
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What’s new in Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 2
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 99 views
Earlier today we announced the release of Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 2. We hope that in the coming weeks, you’ll take the time to try the preview and experience the new features first-hand. But to give you a snapshot of the technology innovation being delivered, we have compiled a favorites list. This list isn’t intended to be a full catalog of what’s coming. Our goal is to show off how new approaches to infrastructure are going to make a material difference in the way you approach IT challenges. Technology innovation fuels business innovation, and we’re excited to see the ways that our customers are going to use these new features to drive competitive value. S…
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Microsoft Announces Nano Server for Modern Apps and Cloud
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 118 views
Guest post by: Jeffrey Snover, Distinguished Engineer and Lead Architect Andrew Mason, Principal PM Manager Alan Back, Principal SWE Manager Today we announced new container technologies as well as Nano Server, a purpose-built operating system designed to run born-in-the-cloud applications and containers. As customers adopt modern applications and next-generation cloud technologies, they need an OS that delivers speed, agility and lower resource consumption. Nano Server is a deeply refactored version of Windows Server with a small footprint and remotely managed installation, optimized for the cloud and a DevOps workflow. It is designed for fewer patch and update…
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UPDATED: How to Continue Using Windows Server Technical Preview
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 97 views
UPDATE: If you would like to continue using the current Technical Preview of the next version of Windows Server released in October 2014, please visit the Microsoft Download Center and follow the download instructions. This solution will allow you to continue using the preview without interruption until the next preview is available in May. Thank you for your continued evaluation. ---- In October 2014, we released the first Technical Preview of the next version of Windows Server. To those of you who tried it out, thank you. If you are still using the preview released last October, you may have received notice this week that it will expire on April 15. If you wou…
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Microsoft Cloud Platform System: Storage Performance Overview Now Available
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 130 views
Guest post by Dan Lovinger, Principal Software Engineer Hi everyone, I’m Dan Lovinger, a software and performance engineer on the Windows Server team. With the availability of the Microsoft Cloud Platform System (CPS), we’re excited to now share an overview of storage-focused performance of a single rack CPS stamp, with real workloads, at real scale. The paper we’re releasing here covers the following three scenarios, scaled across a deployment of tenant virtual machines (VMs): Scenario 1. Boot storm: cold start of VMs. Scenario 2. VM microbenchmarks: synthetic storage loads that are generated within VMs. Scenario 3. VM database OLTP: simulated databas…
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Be Prepared for Tomorrow’s Business: Prioritize Your Windows Server 2003 Migration Plan
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 97 views
Although 75% of IT professionals are aware that support for Windows Server 2003 is ending July 14, 2015, there are still a lot of questions about just how urgent the need to move is. Deprioritizing migration is not uncommon when there are other technology projects that are perceived to more directly benefit business groups. However, although while perhaps not as glamorous as other projects, Windows Server 2003 migration can make a big impact on your business. There are two reasons you should prioritize Windows Server 2003 migration. The first is about the business opportunity you are not capitalizing on because you are running on decade-old technology. The innovation t…
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Unveiling The Microsoft Cloud Platform System, powered by Dell
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 139 views
Yes!!! At last we can talk about what we have been working on for close to 18 months - “San Diego” - that was the code name for what is now “Microsoft Cloud Platform System” (CPS), which was announced earlier today by Scott Guthrie. These 18 months have been a journey for all of us in the product group. It began, as all journeys should, as conversations with our customers. What followed has evolved how we think about and engineer our products. We were struck by the large number of customers who were failing to realize the benefits of the cloud. Running one of the largest public clouds, Microsoft Azure, we know what it takes to build and run a cloud, and we wanted to se…
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August updates for Windows Server 2012 R2
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 100 views
In today’s Windows Experience blog, we communicated our intent to deliver regular improvements to Windows in order to address feedback quickly while continuing to bring you an enterprise-class platform. We also provided a heads up that the next update for Windows happens on August 12. On August 12, we will also release an update to Windows Server 2012 R2. In addition to regular security updates, this update will deliver bug fixes that will improve performance and reliability for your infrastructure. There are no changes to system APIs, your applications should “just work” without the need for re-certification or re-validation. Similar to Windows 8.1, we will ma…
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Paul Smith sets the trend in business agility with a new hybrid cloud solution
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 93 views
In business for more than 40 years, Nottingham-based Paul Smith is a preeminent British designer. The company has 14 different collections—produced in England and Italy—under the global Paul Smith brand. In addition to 17 shops in England, Paul Smith retail stores are found in fashion capitals around the world. Paul Smith opens three new stores a year on average and the demand for IT services from the business is growing. “Our goal is to manage costs and improve service delivery, but we are challenged by an IT budget that doesn’t keep up with expectations from the business.” says Lee Bingham, Head of IT at Paul Smith. To address this challenge, six years ago Paul Smith…
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Windows Server 2012 R2 Update: Availability of WSUS fix and revised servicing timing
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 108 views
Following our announcement from last week, we have now released the fix through Windows Update for the issue with Windows Server 2012 R2 Update communicating with WSUS 3.2 servers in certain non-default configurations. For servers that have already installed the update, Windows Update will re-offer the complete update, but it will only install the fix. Please read KB2959977 and the WSUS team blog for further details. As always, we’ve been listening to your feedback and want to ensure that you have a smooth deployment experience and continue to receive enterprise-grade protection. As a result, we have extended the timeframe for you to deploy the update. You now have un…
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Updated Volume License Media Available Today for Windows Server 2012 R2 Update
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 100 views
Following our announcement from last week, we’ve now released the media for Windows Server 2012 R2 Update on the Volume License Service Center (VLSC) today. Additionally, we wanted to create awareness of an issue with the Windows Server 2012 R2 Update VSLC/MSDN media that manifests under very specific configuration settings. Most of you should see no impact whatsoever. For the small number of who might encounter this issue, we have issued additional information and workaround guidance here. Continue reading...
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Windows Server 2012 R2 Update is now generally available
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 105 views
Following our announcement from last week, we are happy to announce that Windows Server 2012 R2 Update is now generally available through Windows Update. The Windows Server 2012 R2 evaluation experience and has also been updated to the new OS image. The Volume Licensing Service Center will be updated on April 14, 2014 and the new image will be coming to Azure soon. We encourage you to apply this update to your Windows Server 2012 R2 systems as soon as possible. As a reminder, this becomes the new servicing baseline for Windows Server 2012 R2 systems, so next month's security updates (i.e. May "patch Tuesday") will be dependent on Windows Server 2012 R2 Update being ins…
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Windows Management Framework V5 Preview
by Guest Jeffrey Snover Windows- 0 replies
- 123 views
Title: Windows Management Framework 5.0 Preview One goal of management is to simplify creating and operating computing environments. In Windows Server 2012 R2 we introduced two new standards-based technologies to achieve that: Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration and Certified for Windows Network Switches. Both of these generated a lot of excitement with our customers and partners. Today we are announcing the Preview of Windows Management Framework V5 which advances both of these areas and introduces Windows PowerShell OneGet to dramatically simplify finding and installing software on your machines. OneGet works with the community-based software repository c…
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Windows Server 2012 R2 Update is now available to subscribers
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 115 views
As we mentioned back in February, Microsoft has been working on an update to Windows Server 2012 R2 in conjunction with an update to Windows 8.1. Today we are providing Windows Server 2012 R2 Update to MSDN and TechNet subscribers and it will be generally available through Windows Update starting on April 8, 2014. We continue to focus on providing a world-class platform for IT Pros and developers around the globe. This includes an easy way to get up to date with the patches, bug-fixes, and improvements that we’ve been working on since we released Windows Server 2012 R2. To that end, we’re releasing this update which brings everything together for you in one easy-to…
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Can Datacenter Networking Get More Complicated?
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 118 views
Sure. You bet it can. It seems like there are infinite possibilities for networking difficulties and complications. That’s why so many organizations are afraid of it. But there’s a popular solution to datacenter networking that’s actually simplifying the process in organizations around the world! Find out all the details in a new MVA training course on March 19 (from 8am‒1pm): Software-Defined Networking with Windows Server and System Center. The team of experts who built the solution shares deep expertise and answers your questions in real time. Software-defined networking, or SDN, can streamline datacenter implementation through self-service provisioning, take the co…
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Windows Server 2012 R2 Update Coming this Spring
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 124 views
As announced by Joe Belfiore earlier this morning, Microsoft is releasing an update to Windows 8.1 this spring which brings a range of new and enhanced capabilities to customers and partners. In coordination with this release, we will also release a minor update to Windows Server 2012 R2 at that time. This update to Windows Server 2012 R2 includes minor UI enhancements and bug fixes, as well as previously-released monthly update rollups and security fixes. As with all of our servicing updates, we are committed to making this update process as simple and straightforward as possible, ensuring that Microsoft and non-Microsoft applications running on Windows Server 2012 R2…
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Windows Azure Hyper-V Recovery Manager is Now Generally Available
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
- 106 views
Protecting application availability – especially against threats like regional disasters – can be a high-cost endeavor involving complex planning and the need to remotely monitor service availability. This cost and complexity results in many applications which could benefit from protection going unprotected today. Windows Azure Hyper-V Recovery Manager helps protect your on premises applications by automating the replication of virtual machines to a secondary location – and as of today, it’s now generally available. It provides three key capabilities Automated Protection – HRM leverages the capabilities of Windows Server and System Center to provide on-going re…
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How Windows Insider Feedback Influences Windows 10 Development
by Guest Samer Sawaya- 0 replies
- 78 views
My name is Samer Sawaya – I’m a Senior Program Manager Lead on Windows Feedback, part of the Data and Fundamentals Team that Gabe Aul leads. Many of you have asked about what we do with all of the feedback that we receive in the Windows Insider Program, and how we’re able to use it all to inform product decisions with your input. With this post, I’m excited to share some behind the scenes info with you on how your input is used to help “co-develop” Windows. Feedback is exciting! The days right after we release a flight are very exciting for the engineering teams. We love to see the Insider feedback pouring in. Seeing all your input creates a great energy across th…
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- 0 replies
- 91 views
Hi everyone, we are releasing Build 10130 of the Windows 10 Insider Preview to Windows Insiders in the Slow ring. This build has been in use by Windows Insiders in the Fast ring since 5/29 and has proven to be stable enough to publish for Insiders in the Slow ring along with a few fixes that we made for top issues being hit in the Fast ring. You can read about what’s new in Build 10130 in my blog post here. Here are the fixes that are immediately available for Build 10130: KB3070365: We fixed an issue where if you click on the icons on the Taskbar (Start, Cortana, Network, Battery, and Action Center) in this build, the expected fly-out might not open. KB3069069: We f…
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Windows 10 + Oculus Rift = Virtual Reality Gaming Awesomeness
by Guest Brandon LeBlanc- 0 replies
- 97 views
Oculus VR, a leader in virtual reality, shared some details on what fans can expect to see when the Oculus Rift launches in 2016 earlier today at event in San Francisco and Head of Xbox Phil Spencer joined their CEO on stage to discuss a new partnership with Microsoft. Through this new partnership, we’re working with Oculus to make gaming with the Oculus Rift awesome thanks to Windows 10 and the Xbox One: The Oculus Rift will work natively with Windows 10. Windows 10 will make it easy to set up, jump in, and have an incredible VR gaming experience. Made-for-VR games will leverage DirectX 12 to unleash the full capabilities of new Windows 10 graphics hardware for…
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Microsoft Surface Hub available for businesses to order on July 1
by Guest The Windows Team- 0 replies
- 71 views
The Surface team has some exciting news today! Beginning July 1, Microsoft Surface Hub will be available for businesses to order in 24 markets. Powered by Windows 10, Surface Hub is a complete, large-screen collaboration device with break-through hardware, powerful software and connected services from Microsoft. Available in both 55-inch and 84-inch models, it features advanced technology for the modern workplace and the flexibility to turn any room into a collaboration space, enabling productivity where people come together to get things done, from large conference rooms to informal huddle spaces. With Windows 10, Surface Hub provides a platform to build amazing large-sc…