Over at ZDNET.com, they have a new post reviewing the newly leaked 7057 build of Windows 7. While not the official Release Candidate 1 (RC1) build, they [and other sites] claim the UI has been cleaned up quite a bit, new themes and avatars added, and other graphical polishings that would would lead one to think the Release Candidate is right around the corner.
Others have posted some new screenshots, updates and information on the new build as well, including Paul Thurrott’s Windows Supersite. Paul’s website is a wealth of information on all things Microsoft and definitely worth checking out if you haven’t been there before.
What does this mean in the grand scheme of things? Basically it means the Release Candidate (RC1) is getting closer (rumor has sometime in April) and each successive leaked release gives you a closer hint at how this new OS is going to perform.
As an IT professional, it’s always good to get a jump on what’s coming down the pike so you can test things like application, driver and component compatibility. At this stage a beta doesn’t really help in those areas, but it does prepare you with regard to the overall look and feel, where things are located, nuances with the user interface, imaging requirements, tweaks, etc.
I haven’t had time to really spend with the new build, but I wanted to let everyone now about it and also get some feedback. If you’ve been using it (or any Windows 7 build) leave a comment and let everyone know your thoughts.
Do you like Windows 7 compared to Vista or Windows XP?
Are you planning on upgrading your personal computer, or if you’re an IT person – upgrading your company
What enhancements would you like to see that aren’t there?
Palaestra Training is pleased to announce that we have a new trainer joining the company. Koren Archibald, a Cisco Certified Instructor and Cisco Security expert will be bringing her vast knowledge and expert training skills to our Cisco CCNA: Security video training series scheduled for release in mid-May 2009.
Koren has been training and consulting in the most dynamic environments for over 10 years. She has worked and trained people across a wide spectrum of industries including government, commercial, secure, and extremely large network infrastructures. Koren is also a Microsoft Certified Trainer and consultant with a remarkable ability to convey information clearly and creatively in a technical environment.
She is the president of Wise Technical Innovations in Norfolk, Virginia and her company specializes in the following:
Creating Cisco secure environments
System Center Configuration Manager 2007
SMS
Project Server 2007 deployments in multi-site environments.
She is well-known for providing tailored solutions that are a perfect blend of training and consulting and Palaestra Training is excited to be able to provide that perfect blend of technical expertise and engaging presentation skills to our students and customers.
Other certifications Koren holds:
Cisco Certified Systems Instructor #30837
Cisco CCNA
Cisco CCNP
Microsoft MCSE on 2003, 2000 and NT 4.0
Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT)
MCTS Windows Server 2008 Active Directory & Applications Infrastructure
MCTS Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure & Windows Vista
I recently ran into an extremely annoying situation on two different computers, and strangely enough, two different operating systems. One was a Windows Vista desktop and the other an Windows 2003 Terminal Server.
Every time I would launch Microsoft Word, it would crash upon exit. I tried a number of recommendations from various tech websites, but nothing did the trick.
Finally I came across the fix, which was to fire up the good old registry editor (start > run > regedit) and delete a specific key in the registry.
The offending key is the DATA key under the following location:
The “12.0” will vary depending on what version of Office you have installed. Backup your registry first (anytime you work with the registry, back it up before you do anything….. Just in case..). Super important. Hopefully you never need it, but it can save your rear-end should you ever need to revert back if something goes wrong.
Once you’ve “backed that thang up”, delete the “Data” key and fire Word back up. Once I did that, Word started without a hitch and shutdown without a problem. Hopefully this quick fix helps you as well!
Please leave a comment and let me know how you made out!
Aaron Wall, SEO superstar and owner of www.seobook.com has just released the panacea of SEO tools that adds a wealth of SEO information to your Firefox browser.
Combining the best of breed tools for research and discovery, this is one toolbar you’ll want to add to Firefox if you’re serious about SEO. I replaced my Google toolbar with this one (the only thing I really used the Google toolbar for was to get a quick glance and a site’s PageRank) and a link to gmail.
The toolbar provides a very robust toolset, but also provides a built-in RSS reader already populated with many popular SEO RSS feeds.
To really get a feel for all this toolbar has to offer, check out Aaron’s site and description of the toolset. I think you’ll find it a huge timesaver when researching and comparing one site to another, against competitors, etc. I will post another review of the toolbar and how it’s helped us once I’ve had a week or two to use it and dig into the power it provides. Thanks Aaron for another great contribution to the SEO community.
Internet Safety is an important part of the digital age for anyone that has children old enough to be surfing the internet. This doesn’t just mean connecting to the internet through the family computer.
There are a multitude of ways to connect to the internet these days, from internet-enabled cell phones, online games, gaming consoles (xbox, xbox360, Wii, PS3, etc). Additionally, it doesn’t necessarily protect you simply because you have strict rules in your house or you monitor what your children do.
For example, you might have strict internet usage polices at home, but that doesn’t mean the neighbor’s do as well. That doesn’t mean your child wont be able to access the internet unrestricted at a friend’s house. With WiFi hotspots practically everywhere, a child with a laptop can connect virtually anywhere if they exhibit a little persistence.
When it comes to getting ahead at work, there are lots of ways to improve your station in life. Most people want the brass ring, but few are willing to do what it takes to get it.
As the old saying goes, “Some People Dream of Success, While Others Wake up and Work Hard at It”. It really holds true, and work ethic is what separates the winners from losers. No matter what the endeavor, be it work, sports, relationships, etc., nothing was ever attained without the consistent application of hard work.
Keeping this in mind, 10 things you can do to get ahead at work, are:
Be willing to do the things others wont. That sounds like common sense, but it’s typically harder than it sounds. Most people have their ‘”job description” and are resistant do extra work. The immediate response from most people is “That’s not my job” or “am I getting paid extra for that”? Be the one who does extra without being told, helps out a co-worker or picks up the slack when the rubber hits the road.
Be a team player. No one likes the person who’s out only for themselves and if you have that mentality it will shine through in everything you do. Most people have the WIIFM mentality (What’s In It for Me). Again, separate yourself from the majority of people out there by being willing to help others without expecting anything back. These things get noticed, even if it’s not an immediate return.
Do the job before you Get It. What this means is that you have to function, as much as possible, in the role you want to get promoted into. Showing your superiors you can do the job already goes a long way to getting you the gig. After awhile, everyone already thinks of you in that role and your chances for promotion go up greatly. Conversely, if you become the best “worker bee” ever, the company will see the value of keeping you in that role. That seems to be in direct conflict with the first two suggestions, but it’s really not. You can apply to first two, while taking on management or other roles (depending on where you want to go) and do things with the team in mind.
Always be Early. The old adage “Get in Early and Work Late” holds true even in today’s virtual world. Employers want to know your committed and being there when they need you goes a long way to that end. Additionally, it shows co-workers and others that you are a go-to person. Conversely, not being there or getting in late and leaving early builds resentment among others and brings the whole team down. Being a leader, means leading by example and the more you do, the more encouraged your co-workers will be to do the same.
Model Success. If you want to achieve a certain level of success, whatever that means to you, the quickest way to achieve that goal is to find someone else who already has achieved that goal, and do what they did. That sounds incredibly overly-simplistic, and it is. If you listen to any of the NLP practitioners, perhaps the most famous being Anthony Robbins, they talk in great detail about modeling. “Success Leaves Clues”, and that really holds true. Modeling is much more than just wearing the same suit or watch as someone successful. It means learning what drives them, what beliefs they have, how they approach situations, how they make decisions, etc., and applying those same drivers to your own life. Easier said than done, but you don’t necessarily have to personally meet someone to get an insight into their mind and motivations. Many successful people have written books and given interviews talking about their lives and what drives them.
Set Goals and Be Specific. Very few things are more frustrating than working hard and getting nowhere. Without specific, written goals, it’s very difficult to achieve success. Your goals are your roadmap and will help you get to where you want to go by keeping you focused and on track. Your goals (i.e. map) need to be specific and focused. Just as it wouldn’t do you much good to be driving in Chicago with a map of Delaware, you must have a clear vision of what you want and how to get there.
Know Your Outcome. In keeping with setting goals, knowing your outcome helps get you through any situation. When you enter into a business meeting, interview, etc., know ahead of time what you want to achieve. By knowing what you want and working backward from there, you can see at any point in time if you are on track, or if things need to be readjusted. This can be applied to anything, even with things like meeting a new person, going to gym, time spent with family, etc.
Be Personable. People like to feel good about themselves, and are attracted to people who make that happen. Being upbeat, funny and engaging makes people feel good about themselves. If people feel better when they’re around you than when they’re not, you’ll attract a great many people. Some can help you achieve your goals directly, while others will help indirectly.
Understand Personality Types. Almost everyone likes the same basic things (i.e. being liked, feeling appreciated and valued, laughing, feeling secure, etc). Not everyone fills those things the same way though; and to be successful you need to figure out what connects with each person. Some people like to discuss family or friends (be social) before getting down to business, while others couldn’t be bothered and just want the facts. Some like specific details while others just want the bullet points. Being able to adjust your approach for the different personality types increases your chance for connection and for success.
Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously. Being motivated and success driven is great and can provide an amazing life. However, you must learn to balance that with rest, relaxation, good friends, family, etc. Work, not to mention life, can be very stressful, and if you to be able to actually enjoy the fruits of your labor you need to learn how to pull back occasionally, put things on hold and recharge the batteries. Be able to laugh at yourself and understand nothing is as important as your health. Others pick up on that as well, and it helps give a sense of true genuineness to all the other traits mentioned here.
It looks like Microsoft is forging ahead diligently with their release schedule for Windows 7.
At the recent Gartner Symposium 2008, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stated that Windows 7 is not just Vista SP2, but rather a major OS release. In fact, Ballmer states “It’s Windows Vista, a lot better”
According to the Microsoft MSDN Developer Conference (MDC), attendees will receive a beta of Windows 7. The Microsoft MDC is taking place at various locations and dates/times throughout the country, so check their website for locations.
Note: It also says if the beta isn’t available at the time of the conference, attendees will receive a copy when it becomes available.
So, take it for what it’s worth, but Windows 7 is on the way for sure. We’re interested to hear from people who have been using the pre-beta releases. From the early releases, do you see a massive difference from Windows Vista, or are they putting the finishing touches on Vista?
Let us know what you think, what you like and what you don’t!
Thanks to everyone on YouTube, for making our Cisco CCNA Training videos the most watched IT Certification training videos on YouTube!
Our Cisco videos have received over 180,000 views, and all of our IT Certification and Training videos on our YouTube channel have received over 250,000 views, with thousands of new viewers each week!
Our expert Cisco CCNA trainer, Jason Emerson, makes getting Cisco CCNA certified fun and engaging, and will quickly get you the skills you need to succeed. Our CompTIA expert trainer, Christopher Rees, has created CompTIA A+ training that has helped thousands of people around the world get CompTIA A+ certified.
The YouTube community quickly lets you know if you have a video, product or service worth watching and we’ve gotten a tremendous response from the moment we post each video.
Our videos are extremely affordably priced, and make world-class training available to everyone. Quickly get the skills necessary to compete in today’s ever-shrinking job market, and have fun in the process!
Check out our YouTube channel today, and find out for yourself what over a quarter-million others already know… Our IT Certification Training Videos rock!
This promotion only lasts until Wednesday, December 3rd.
Palaestra Training creates high quality IT Certification training for Microsoft, Cisco and CompTIA certifications and is the best, and most cost-effective way to quickly get up to speed, learn a new skill, or get the new job or promotion.
For more information about our training, or to view full-length free demos of our most popular training titles, visit us online at www.PalaestraTraining.com
Over at ZDNET.com, they have a new post reviewing the newly leaked 7057 build of Windows 7. While not the official Release Candidate 1 (RC1) build, they [and other sites] claim the UI has been cleaned up quite a bit, new themes and avatars added, and other graphical polishings that would would lead one to think the Release Candidate is right around the corner.
Thanks to everyone on YouTube, for making our 
December 1st, 2008 – Today through Wednesday, December 3rd, all of our Video Training series and Training Bundles are 30% off!
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