Darren Straight's Blog

Microsoft has recentntly announced the availability of Windows 7 Enterprise trial edition. This evaluation version is for IT Professionals who do not yet have access to Windows 7 RTM through one of the following means:

• Partner Program
• MSDN Subscriber (Developer)
• TechNet Plus Subscriber
• Volume License/Software Assurance customer

This is trial software designed for IT Professionals interested in experiencing the Windows 7 Enterprise on behalf of their organization so please read the following to get an idea of the risks and key things you need to know before you install. It is not recommend that you install this if you are a not an IT Professional or not professionally managing corporate networks.

Guidelines on usage:

• Protect your PC and data. Be sure to back up your data and please don’t test Windows 7 on your primary home or business PC.
• You have 10 days to activate the product. If not activated within 10 days, the system will shut down once every hour until activated. Unsure on how to activate? Visit the FAQ on the Download page.
• The 90-day Trial is the full working version of the Windows 7 Enterprise, the version most of you will be working with in your corporate environment. It will not require a product key (it is embedded with the download).
• The 90-day Trial will shut down once every hour when you have reached the end of the 90-day evaluation period.
• The 90-day Trial is offered for a limited time and in limited quantity. The download will be available through March 31, 2010, while supplies last.
• After the 90-day Trial expires, if you wish to continue to use Windows 7 Enterprise, please note that you will be required to purchase and perform a clean installation of Windows 7, including drivers and applications. Please keep this in mind; Windows 7 Enterprise is not available through retail channels.
• Technical details/updates/questions: Please review the FAQ or visit the Windows 7 support forum.
• Stay informed. You can keep up with general technical information and news by following the Springboard Series blog. Want technical guidance, tips, and tools? Visit the Springboard Series on TechNet.
• Keep your PC updated: Be sure to turn on automatic updates in Windows Update in case Microsoft publish updates for the 90-day Trial.
• Microsoft Partners-: Learn more about Windows 7 on the Microsoft Partner Portal.

Minimum System Requirements*:

• 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 GB of RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
• DVD-compatible drive
• Internet access (fees may apply)

*Note: Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV, BitLocker, or navigation through the use of “touch,” may require advanced or additional hardware. Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM and 15 GB of available disk space; and a processor capable of hardware virtualization, with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on.

Download: Windows 7 Enterprise Trial Edition (7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_enterprise_en-us_EVAL_Eval_Enterprise-GRMCENEVAL_EN_DVD.iso)

Finally received my copy of Windows 7 Professional through the post this morning.

See postal strikes aren’t all that bad here in the UK, they can work in your favour, giving Microsoft an opportunity to be nice and and release it’s goodies to us early. Not that Microsoft aren’t nice! ;)

Time for a fresh install of Windows I think.

903 different keyphrases were used to find my site in September 2009, here are the top 10 with the amount of times they were used plus their overall usage percentage.

963 different keyphrases were used to find my site in August 2009, here are the top 10 with the amount of times they were used plus their overall usage percentage.

Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 are designed to help you be a leader in the new efficiency, or at least that what’s Microsoft hopes are. So why not sign up for the UK’s live launch event to experience live demos and hear Microsoft’s technology specialists demonstrate how these products can work for you. This is the best chance to learn and network with 1,000 of your peers and explore the new efficiency.

More info located here!

Research released today shows that people are turning to online platforms and services to record and share their digital photographs and avoid them slipping into the digital abyss.

The online survey, commissioned by Blurb and carried out by YouGov, found that 44 per cent of respondents share their digital photographs using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  The emergence of social media has given rise to a generation of people who are sharing information about all aspects of their lives online, posting photographs of everything from the mundane through to nights out on the town, holidays, and significant life moments like weddings. This trend is particularly prominent amongst 18 to 24 year olds, where 83 per cent share their images on social media websites, while only 19 per cent of people aged over 55 do the same.

“Images have become the new vocabulary, and it’s interesting to see how people are documenting their lives online in this way,” commented Eileen Gittins, founder and CEO of Blurb.

The survey also found that there is a growing trend for people to use creative online services to transform photos into real, personalised products, to keep, share, and give as gifts.  Almost half of those surveyed (44 per cent) stated that they would prefer to make a hard copy photography book from their snaps. In contrast, online photo albums proved the least popular choice for people looking to share their digital photos; only five per cent of respondents said they would prefer to create an online photo album using a web-based service such as Flickr.

“I’ve said many times that you can’t gift a website – the beauty of print is that it’s tangible; it’s real,” said Eileen Gittins. “Books are more than repositories for images, they tell stories with a beginning, middle and end. And even if the story is told through images, it still reads.  We know from our own research that gift-giving and memory-keeping are the top two reasons why our consumer customers make Blurb books.”

Head over to Blurb.com to see what it’s all about – it’s really quite good. It’s great that I can import from places like wordpress.com and flickr.com, it’s just a shame that I can’t import from RSS Feeds as I would have quite a few uses for it straight away!!

1350 different keyphrases were used to find my site in July 2009, here are the top 10 with the amount of times they were used plus their overall usage percentage.

Following up from both my previous posts (post 1 & post 2) about the Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Fan Trip Train Ride 2009, which gave you the chance to travel by steam train from Paddington to Oxford aboard the Hogwarts Express (GWR Hall Class 4-6-0 no 5972 Olton Hall) steam train on Saturday the 18th of July 2009.

I have now had the chance along with my girlfreind (see her post) to travel on this Hogwarts Express Journey, it was really enjoyable and worth going, the atmosphere around people was a great experience.

I have just finished uploading all the photos I took of my journey on the Hogwarts Express (5972 Olton Hall). My photos include both outside and inside photos of the main steam engine train and the carriages, along with some photos of Oxford and a few of London.

I shall soon be adding my Hogwarts Express Videos to this post too, which are definitely worth viewing, even if you didnt go!

As of the 31st of August 2009, it’s the end of the road for Microsoft’s MSN Soapbox, Microsoft attempt of creating a YouTube.  From the 29th of July 2009 you will no longer be able to upload videos to Soapbox and have till the 31st of August 2009 to download them. Guess I better start downloading my videos next week then and host them on YouTube!

Attention Soapbox Users,
MSN will no longer offer Soapbox, the user generated video service within MSN Video, as of August 31, 2009. Beginning on July 29, you will no longer be able to upload videos to Soapbox. People who have uploaded videos to Soapbox will have until August 31, 2009 to download them. Please make sure you download your videos by this date if you would like to keep them. We will have a notice running in the Soapbox service to remind you to download your videos. It is our goal that you download and keep all of the videos you uploaded that are important to you. Online video is a key part of the MSN experience and we will continue to offer a rich experience on MSN Video. We will also continue to invest in delivering great customer experiences, while keeping a keen eye on our business objectives during this tough economic climate. Thank you for your support of MSN Video. More details and download instructions are available at: http://video.msn.com/shutdown.html
Thank you for using Soapbox.
The MSN Video Team

Following up from my previous post about the Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Fan Trip Train Ride 2009, which gives you a chance to travel by steam train from Paddington to Oxford aboard the Hogwarts Express (GWR Hall Class 4-6-0 no 5972 Olton Hall) steam train this Saturday the 18th of July 2009.

I can now confirm travel times as obtained from uksteam.info.

Saturday 18 July 2009

GWR Hall Class 4-6-0 no 5972 Olton Hall

(alias Hogwarts Castle)

TIMES

Steam hauled: Paddington-Oxford

The Hogwarts Express Steam Train and Carriages have also been spoted making it’s way down to London from Scotland:

•  5972 ‘Olton Hall’ heads away from Carnforth for Southall with ECS. 5972 was heading down to London to work a Harry Potter special on Saturday for American fans from Paddington to Oxford.
• 5972 Olton Hall in charge of the Hogwarts Express ECS from Carnforth to Southall in conjuntion with a railtour from London Paddington on Saturday to coincide with the release of the latest Harry Potter film
• another shot of Olton Hall in a downpour. the train was running as 5Z59
• 5972 Olton Hall, 5Z59, Hest Bank, 16 July 2009 – 1348 1
• 5972 Olton Hall, 5Z59, Hest Bank, 16 July 2009 – 1348 2
• http://railways.national-preservation.com/download/file.php?id=3896&mode=view