Continuous Data Protection (CDP) for Exchange might be more important than for your file servers, since mail and groupware data usually changes more often than any other documents. Like many replication tools, CDP solutions promise to backup data continuously. However, CDP tools allow you to restore data to an arbitrary point in time. This post lists some CDP tools for Microsoft Exchange.

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I tried Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor beta on two relatively new PCs: a 2-month old Fujitsu-Siemens Esprimo 64, and about a year old Fujitsu-Siemens Scenic. I was quite surprised when the Vista Upgrade Advisor informed me that Vista doesn’t come with all the necessary hardware drivers.

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There is a new white paper titled Microsoft Windows Security Advancements (Word file). Usually, I only skim the papers from vendors because I simply don’t have time to read all this marketing blahblah. Of course, there is lots of self-adulation in this 25-page paper from Microsoft. However, it contains more useful information than usual.

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I just added a new page that contains news and links relevant for system administrators. You can also subscribe to the corresponding RSS feed. Note that the RSS feed of the weblog posts doesn’t include these entries.

Sometimes, it is necessary to shut down multiple machines. For instance, you might want to turn off all the computers of the participants after a class. You can shut down each computer manually or you use a tool. This post discusses two solutions to shut down computers remotely.

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The major problem with any password-saving software is that passwords have to be loaded into the computer’s memory when you want to access them. This is a security risk. Passwordsaver (PWS) is a USB stick that solves this problem. It doesn’t show the passwords on the computer screen, but on its own tiny display.

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I am a fan of continuous data protection (CDP). Sooner or later, I think, all backup programs will support it. Most of the specialized CDP tools are quite expensive though. I stumbled upon Autobackup2, an easy-to-use CDP program that only costs 20 dollars.

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I just had a quick look at Folder Lock for Windows. It has more or less the same functionality as TrueCrypt which I discussed recently. It can make folders invisible and encrypt them as well. The advantage of Folder Lock is that you don’t have to reserve space on your hard disk for your encrypted folders. It can encrypt an existing folder. However, it is not free. It costs $30.

Update: Please, also check out my review about TrueCrypt 5.

Microsoft now published the hardware requirements for Windows Vista. Most of the information is already available for sometime. As usual, it is advisable to just double the “official requirements”.

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WindowsNetworking.com has an interesting 2-part article about tweaking Windows Update using Registry Keys. The first part covers “Elevation of Privileges”, “Target Groups” and “Assigning a WSUS Server”. The topics of Part 2 are about “Disabling Windows Update”, “Reboot Reminders”, “Applying Missed Updates”, and “Scheduling Installations”. I like the part about the reboot reminders most.

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Directory Analyzer is a free tool that displays the occupied disk space in a pie chart. It shows the size of the files in the selected folder and the occupied space of the subfolders.The pie chart helps you to find the folders that need most disk space. The program is a standalone executable, but you need the Java Runtime for it.

Shutdown delay is a simple, free program. You probably figured out already what it does. Sometimes, you want to shut down a computer only after a certain job is finished. The maximum time, you can delay the shut down with this tool, is 300 minutes.

I never understood how Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration for Windows Server 2003 improves security. It is always a risk to surf the Internet on a productive server. I guess there are not many sysops out there who do this. Sometimes, however, you want to download a driver or an update on a server. Usually you do this from reliable sources, and then Internet Explorer just keeps bugging you to add the site to the Trusted sites zone. What sense does this make? If you don’t trust the site you shouldn’t access it at all, especially not from a server. What extra security will it bring if I add it to a list of trusted sites?

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Delbyown is a free command line utility for Windows that allows you to delete, copy or just list the files owned by a certain user account. The most common usage, probably, is the deletion of a certain user’s files who is no longer with the company. The tool can also remove the folders created by the user.

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I always wonder, why Windows doesn’t come with a tool that allows you to work with multiple desktops like under Linux with KDE or Gnome. There are many desktop managers for Windows though, but the good ones cost and the free ones are often too slow. Virtual Dimension is a fast Open Source tool with many features.

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