Microsoft Support & Discussions

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Hi everyone. A while back, we held a contest to give ten Windows Insiders a chance to win a trip to Microsoft headquarters here in Redmond. Winners were selected based on videos they submitted on what they like most about Windows 10 and the Windows Insider Program. As usual, Insiders came through with fantastic enthusiasm and we were amazed at the creative, entertaining, insightful, and sometimes moving submissions that we received. We heard from hundreds of students, IT Pros, gamers, app developers, and Windows fans from all over the world, but in the end we had to select just 10 for the trip. It was such a great experience for us to spend time with the winners of …

As enterprises are adapting to more personally owned devices, IT is looking for a way to manage these devices and provide the users with access to corporate applications and data while ensuring compliance. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure via Remote Desktop Services enables IT to deliver corporate desktops and applications that employees can access from their personal or corporate devices, regardless of form factor or platform as well as from both internal and external locations. Centralized desktops and apps hosted in the datacenter or cloud can be easily managed, and apps and data can be secured. A key challenge that IT organizations experience with VDI deployments are…

In October, we announced Windows Server 2012 R2 which delivers several exciting improvements for VDI solutions. Among the benefits, Windows Server 2012 R2 reduces the cost per seat for VDI as well as enhances your end user’s experience. The following are just some of the features and benefits of Windows Server 2012 R2 for VDI: Online data deduplication on actively running VMs reduces storage capacity requirements by up to 90% on persistent desktops. Tiered storage spaces manage your tiers of storage (fast SSDs vs. slower HDDs) intelligently so that the most frequently accessed data blocks are automatically moved onto faster-tier drives. Likewise, older or seldom-acce…

As announced on the Windows Server blog last month, the team has released Windows Server 2012 R2 for General Availability. Download the Windows Server 2012 R2 evaluation or use our free Windows Server 2012 R2 Virtual Labs to test the product online without installation. Then, learn directly from Microsoft's product experts with a series of new Windows Server 2012 R2 courses on Microsoft Virtual Academy: Windows Server 2012 R2: Networking Windows Server 2012 R2: Server Management & Automation Windows Server 2012 R2: Web and Application Platform Windows Server 2012 R2: Access and Information Protection View all of the latest courses on Windows Server 2012 on t…

Windows Server 2012 R2 is available at Tech Showcase. The new R2 offers exciting features and enhancements across virtualization, storage, networking, virtual desktop infrastructure, access and information protection, and more. Attend a Microsoft Tech Showcase event and explore what R2 has to offer you and your organization. Register at http://aka.ms/Yclp43 Tech Showcase events, hosted by Microsoft Learning Partners, are intended for senior technical experts and IT professional. Attend an event to review new, breakthrough features and capabilities important to you as an It Professional. Plan ahead and help you and your team get skilled and ready for the latest Windows …

For years now, Microsoft has been building and operating some of the largest cloud applications in the world. The expertise culled from these experiences along with our established history of delivering market-leading enterprise operating systems, platforms, and applications has led us to develop a new approach for the modern era: the Microsoft Cloud OS. The Cloud OS vision combines Microsoft knowledge and experiences with today’s trends and technology innovations to deliver a modern platform of products and services that helps organizations transform their current server environment into a highly elastic, scalable, and reliable cloud infrastructure. Utilizing the soft…

More and more of our users are storing their files in more and more places. Whether that’s in cloud locations like OneDrive and Dropbox at home, or across network shares, OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint at work, the problems introduced are the same – it gets harder to access those files quickly, since users are having to drill into multiple locations. With that backdrop in mind, we set about building a feature called Quick access in File Explorer to solve some of those problems. In previous versions of Windows, we had a feature called Favorites that allowed users to pin folders that they cared about to a single place. However, very few users were taking advantage of…

Hi everyone, today we are releasing the ISOs for Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10130. We are not, however, releasing Build 10130 to the Slow ring due to several bugs we’re looking to fix. Once we have these fixes in hand and ready to push out to Windows Update, we’ll consider pushing Build 10130 to the Slow ring. I know we said we would only release ISOs if we push a build to the Slow ring but we’re making a special exception today. We know that a bunch of Windows Insiders on the Fast ring are currently blocked getting to the latest build due a 0x80246017 error. With the ISOs, they can mount the image and upgrade directly from the ISO and get unblocked. Thanks, g …

The TRAINR app for Windows Phone got an awesome update today bringing you new features and Microsoft Band integration. TRAINR is a game-changing fitness application that automatically tracks your repetitions and exercises. From push-ups, to pull-ups, jumping jacks, jogging, and even yoga poses, the Microsoft Band will now automatically recognize your exercise movements when you’re working out with the app. Challenge yourself with TRAINR’s Challenge mode and try to beat your best score, or use the Workout mode and choose from four professionally designed multi-day routines that will walk you through specific exercises and rest periods created specifically for st…

New adventures await you in the world of Minecraft – Pocket Edition. The Windows Phone app got an update today bringing you all kinds of cool things to make creating, building, and exploring in Minecraft even more fun. There are new skins, which allow you to change the appearance of your Minecraft character, so that in addition to Alex or Steve, you can be a butcher, dog, or plumber (upload your own skin or choose from one of the downloadable packs). Pocket Edition has added squids, spider jockeys, bats, edible clownfish, adorable baby zombies and more. There are even boats with space for two – you and your wolf can go fishing! While you’re on the boat, feel free t…

Back in April we talked about how we’re delivering a unified Store experience in Windows 10. We also turned on the Movies & TV page in the Windows Store Beta. Starting today (rolling out over the course of the next 24 hours), we’re turning on the Music page in the Store Beta. If you’re a Windows Insider running the latest build of the Windows 10 Insider Preview (Build 10130 and version 3.6.1068.0 of the Music app), you can go to the Music page in the Store Beta and browse new albums and top songs, browse for music by genre, and purchase music you want to own. If you have an Xbox Music Pass – you can still add music to your collection directly within the Music app. But…

It was hard to catch a breath during the Xbox E3 briefing Monday: The news included the reveal of “Halo 5: Guardians” Warzone, an all-new, massive scale multiplayer mode where up to 24 players battle with AI characters joining in the fight; a fully featured version of “Minecraft” for Microsoft HoloLens; and that Xbox will be the only console to support backward compatibility natively for select Xbox 360 games for free, and they will all have Xbox One features, including screenshots, broadcasting and GameDVR. Phew! See what we mean? Backward compatibility is one of the most-requested fan features, and more than 100 classic Xbox 360 games will be available at launch, …

Mobile devices will be able to play a version of the hit Payday first person shooter series in the near future. Fans of the Payday co-op shooter franchise on PC and consoles will be able to experience it on a smaller screen in the near future. It's main developer, Starbreeze Studios, has announced that it is working with a mobile-focused team, Cmune, to release an all-new game in the series that is specifically for mobile devices. Bo Andersson Klint, CEO of Starbreeze AB, is quoted as saying: "We're used to seeing PAYDAY in a cooperative setting, and are really excited to explore how PAYDAY can evolve onto new platforms and see what we can do with competit…

Grovemade's new accessories for the Mac add some warmth and comfort to your office setup. Apple's austere, minimalist design aesthetics can leave your office feeling a bit cold and sterile. Grovemade is bucking to change that with a line of hand-crafted wood accessories it makes in Portland, Oregon. The company's latest effort, the Trackpad Tray, is designed for Apple's Magic Trackpad, and it's the perfect complement to Grovemade's Keyboard Tray. The Keyboard Tray and Trackpad Tray are both part of Grovemade's Desk Collection, a series of accessories that include a laptop stand, a monitor stand (also suitable for iMacs), mouse pad, wrist pad and other desk accesso…

During its E3 2015 keynote, Bethesda shed details on a limited edition of Fallout 4, which includes a real Pip-Boy you can wear on your hand. The Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition comes with a housing that allows you to slot your phone, with a second-screen app — available for Android and iOS — creating an interface that lets you use the wearable as a fully-featured Pip-Boy. The collector's edition is now up for pre-order on Amazon for $119.99. Even if you don't get the sleeve, the second-screen will app will let you access all the functions of the Pip-Boy through your smartphone or tablet. The app will debut in time for the game, which is launching on the Xbox One, PlayS…

Bethesda has announced its first Fallout game for iOS, dubbed Fallout Shelter. A cross betweenSim City and XCOM, the game involves creating and overseeing post-apocalyptic nuclear vaults. The goal of Fallout Shelter is to ensure that the residents in said vaults remain healthy and happy. Residents can be equipped with armor, various outfits and weapons, and can undertake several activities, including procreation, through which new residents are created. You can assign residents to head out into the Wasteland to collect resources, and task them with jobs that improves their stats. During the E3 keynote, Pete Hines said: This is inspired by other games we love, g…

At the E3 2015 curtain raiser in LA, Bethesda has announced a brand new game headed to the iPad. The Elder Scrolls: Legends is a strategy card game, it'll be free-to-play and will be available to download later this year. There will also be a Windows edition on top of the iPad version. Bethesda has thrown its first big showcase event ever at this years E3 and the news of an iPad game based in the Elder Scrolls universe was just one of a number of big announcements across console, mobile and PC. Since Fallout 4 was the biggest deal, The Elder Scrolls: Legends didn't get a whole lot of airtime, but there is a teaser trailer for the game now available. Check it out a…

This bumper features 4-corner protection against drops and keeps your device safe from scratches by elevating it away from flat surfaces. Naturally, you'll have access to the camera and ports, while the side and top buttons have been slightly raised to provide easy accessibility. Continue reading...