CplShoe

How to switch MSOL Exchange Hosted from External Relay to Authoritative mode.

 How-To, MSOL Exchange Hosted, W2K Migration  No Responses »
Mar 262010
 

Authoritative OK. Of the approximately 6 people who have seen this site, everyone bailed about halfway through that headline except the guy I worked with who wrote this how-to. No problem, I’ll just press on. :)

So, what did that headline mean? In one of my previous articles on Exchange Hosted, I mentioned ‘email coexistence’. What this means, is that we weren’t ready to shut our Exchange server down. There were accounts on that server that either has not been migrated, or were not ready to be disabled. So what Exchange hosted allows you to do is set up your Exchange server as an External Relay.

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 Posted by at 05:00  Tagged with: , , , , ,

MCX1- The mystery profile.

 How-To, Just BS, Windows 7  3 Responses »
Mar 252010
 

Backup error Some of you (that have a specific setup) might have noticed that you have an extra profile in your Windows 7 C:\Users directory.  MCX1-%COMPUTERNAME%. I noticed mine when it started adding the following line into my backup results:

The backup completed but some files were skipped.

Backup encountered a problem while backing up file C:\Users\Mcx1-CPL-SHOE\Contacts. Error:(The system cannot find the file specified. (0×80070002))
Backup encountered a problem while backing up file C:\Users\Mcx1-CPL-SHOE\Searches. Error:(The system cannot find the file specified. (0×80070002))

I wasn’t sure why that profile existed in the first place, and didn’t appreciate it mucking up my backups. I was poised to just delete it, when I realized that might be a silly move. Research twice, delete once. (see item #9 under ‘Set up Xbox 360 as a Windows Media Center Extender’)

So the profile was legit, it was created when I connected Media Center to my Xbox 360. So how do I make my backups quit complaining? What if I just made the folders? Would that satisfy it?  It turns out it does.  I created two empty folders named C:\Users\Mcx1-CPL-SHOE\Contacts and C:\Users\Mcx1-CPL-SHOE\Searches, and it was happy.

After all this, I ran across this Microsoft article which goes into much more detail about why backup wants to back up those folders despite their non-existence. But in my humble opinion, just create the folders and move on unless you want to spend your weekend optimizing your registry.

 Posted by at 06:49  Tagged with: , , , ,

Chinese Domain Name Watchdogs are my friends!

 Just BS  No Responses »
Mar 232010
 

I had this little gem sent to me today (not actually for cpl-shoe.com though).  It is silly on many levels, but I can see how this could trick someone.  It has frightening words. Someone out there wants to be you!!! Let me hit a few bullet points on this piece of garbage:

  • There is NOT a Chinese organization out there that watches for anyone purchasing domain names that are similar to honest hard working American domains, and then warning us about the impending purchase.
  • It is perfectly legal for anyone to buy and sell domain names that are the same as yours, but with a different TLD. (TLD = .com, .net, etc)
  • Legal issues can come into play if they try to actually impersonate you and your business, but once again, “The department of Asian Domain registration” will not take part in this legal action, or at least they won’t be on YOUR side of the courtroom.
  • Glad to see my future acquisition of cpl-shoe.biz.uk.cn is still safe.
Disclaimer- this spam is posted as it was received by me. Go to any of the sites listed below at your own risk. It’s spam!

From: Bill Xu [mailto:bill.xu@ds-mail.asia]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 7:12 AM
Subject: URGENT Pending Application About cpl-shoe
Importance: High

(It’s very urgent, Please transfer this email to your CEO or appropriate person, thanks)
Dear CEO, Continue reading »

 Posted by at 09:20  Tagged with: , ,

Time?

 Just BS  No Responses »
Mar 222010
 
Temporal Paradox

Temporal Paradox by PatsPiks.

Odd, the time represented in my posts has been off by hours (showing UTC time instead of my chosen time zone) I threw this post up to get a sample time difference to quote them… and it’s right.  What’s your game WordPress??? :)

(Picture is from an article where it is much more relevant)

 Posted by at 19:13  Tagged with: ,

The Windows 7 Taskbar- How to make it work for you

 How-To, Windows 7  No Responses »
Mar 222010
 

Taskbar

A great new feature in Windows 7 is the taskbar.  It can be a bit of a shock though, and many people want to revert back to the ‘old way of doing things’. Allow me to explain what you have to gain by leaving it as-is, and show you some tricks to make it even better. Then, if you still don’t like it, I’ll explain how to put it back to Windows XP behavior.

First. what is it that’s going on down there?  You used to just have a clean taskbar, maybe a little area with quick launch icons that stayed tucked out of the way and left room for all the program windows. Now they’re huge, and when you launch them, you don’t get a program window at all, it just glows!

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 Posted by at 02:26  Tagged with: , ,

The Microsoft Online Services Exchange Hosted Administration Panel

 MSOL Exchange Hosted  2 Responses »
Mar 202010
 

Wow, that headline is a mouthful. What do I think of it, and what can you expect if you decide to use it? Is the name of the service catchy enough? What are the things you need to know before you make the transition?  I’ll try to write it all up in this article, so brace yourself for a long one. (I will continue to add items to this page as they come up)

If you want to brush up on my previous MSOL write ups, first I talked about why we chose MSOL Hosted Exchange. Next, I moved on to the migration process, and then followed it up with a post about how the service worked with Outlook 2003/2007 from a user standpoint. Finally, what it is like to administer it. Continue reading »

 Posted by at 12:53  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Windows Search. Kill it with fire?

 How-To, Windows 7  No Responses »
Mar 192010
 

Indexing[1] I wanted to take a moment and talk about this feature Windows added awhile back.  I know quite a few people who when ‘optimizing’ a computer will go through a ritual of setting certain things up, and removing other processes/programs. I have a ritual like this, and I’ll admit some of it might be voo-doo or superstition. One of these often targeted programs is Windows Search, and I don’t think it necessarily deserves to have its service disabled as a setup measure.

Windows Search 4.0 has a purpose, and it can be pretty handy, depending on how you use your computer. First, it only indexes a few common places (Desktop, My Docs/Pics/etc, Email). What does it mean to index vs. plain old search?  When you search your hard drive with Search Companion, your computer is taking the time to look at each file, determine if it meets your criteria, and moving on. With Indexing, it searches beforehand (this is the thing people complain is slowing their computers), and places all the relevant data into a database. When you perform a search with Indexing, it can sort the database, and find your answer MUCH faster. The key is to limit how much work it is to maintain that database. Continue reading »

 Posted by at 13:12  Tagged with: , , ,

Using MSOL’s Exchange Hosted with Outlook 2003/2007

 MSOL Exchange Hosted  No Responses »
Mar 142010
 

MSOL Hosted ExchangeThis article is covering my thoughts on the usability of Outlook using MSOL’s Exchange Hosted, I will cover the administration in a later post. If I was going to throw a rating out there it’d be a solid 8/10, with a perfect 10 being a local connection to a healthy Exchange server. Keep in mind as I review this service, I’m looking at it from the point of view of a user in a small business who is migrating from an Exchange server.

Pros:

  • Your data can’t get any safer. It’s locked away in a Microsoft data center, not on some tapes that you’re supposed to bring home, but in reality you just leave them on the table by the server. OK, you take them home and stick them on the table by the door so you won’t forget them.  Either way, Microsoft is being safer with your data than you likely are. Or at least I hope so.
  • Universal accessibility. Your Exchange server is now outside your company’s little walled domain. No VPN required, users get the same email experience at home as they have at work, and it all stays in sync.  This means calendars, free/busy time, email, public folders that are hosted by MSOL, OWA and ActiveSync connectivity for mobile devices, everyone gets easy full access to it. This is huge, and outweighs many cons for us.
  • Easy to set up. You install the Microsoft Online Sign In tool, give it your login and password, then press two simple buttons to set up the machine. A user who is not technically adept can be sent a link to the download with simple instructions, and they will not have a problem getting it up and running. Well, on second thought, no guarantee on the prior statement.

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 Posted by at 21:58  Tagged with: , , , , ,

What to do with Windows 7 libraries?

 How-To, Windows 7  No Responses »
Mar 112010
 

Windows 7 LibraryThey’re one of the neatest features of Windows 7.  They’re in your face, all clickable, and …useful?  What do you DO with them? Is it just a fancy name for My Documents and My Music? How do I make Windows 7 Libraries do something new? I was right there with you when I started using Windows 7.

First, however… They are not new!

Believe it or not, the core functionality of a library (known as a virtual folder) first entered the Windows environment with Vista, where they were known as Search Folders. They operated a little differently, and were less in your face.  Couple that with the fact that next to no one used Vista, and you have all you need to know about why they feel all fresh and new.

Libraries are virtual folders that don’t actually exist in the folder tree on the hard disk. Their job is to run a constant search, index the results, and display them to you inside the virtual folder. So… what do you do with them?

Give your C:\ some room to breathe!

The simplest and best use for libraries is to allow you to store data  on another drive without having to look elsewhere to find it later. I’ll use the Music library as an example.
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 Posted by at 22:26  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

MSOL Exchange Hosted Migration

 MSOL Exchange Hosted, W2K Migration  No Responses »
Mar 102010
 

MSOL Hosted ExchangeSo, What is the process like, you ask?  It’s a lot to describe, feel free to ask for more details, I’m skipping over a lot to keep this post from becoming a novel. I also have a little amnesia from the night. Not everything went as smoothly as we’d hoped, and it was a little too crazy to take notes.

The first thing I want to make clear is that if Microsoft offers $500 to hire the firm that helps you migrate your data, take note: This is a coupon. (This was not made clear to us by Microsoft, which was no fault of our consultants’) The actual cost of the consultants that you hire to migrate your data varies greatly based on the level of involvement you require of them.  In our case, we have a pretty technically adept IT dept, and they still quoted us $2000, even after the $500 discount.  Not an unreasonable fee when you look at the services they were offering and the amount of time they were going to spend. But our proposal to our boss was written based on the quote that Microsoft gave us, that had us believing $500 was covering the complete cost of the migration. After a little negotiation, we were able to get the quote down to under a grand, and had it based on hours instead of a flat fee.

So, what did these people do?  The biggest part is they help you plan. We had a great plan from the start, but they make sure you cover all of your bases.
Continue reading »

 Posted by at 21:29  Tagged with: , , , , ,
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