In The Know - Charles Van Heusen's Weblog

Welcome to the Team Peter "Gilligan" Gallagher.

We have a team motto of "Work hard, and Play Harder" on TS2. So at our team offsite in Hilton Head, South Carolina we took part of an afternoon off and went on a fishing trip where Peter Gallagher found out how much fun we like to have when we finally get a chance to get together as a team.  For those of you on the East Coast, you know that fishing season doesn't really kick off until Late April, early May, but we believe that a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day of work.  

Needless to say, there were not monster fish brought onto the boat.  As you can tell by the picture above, Peter prefers fish nuggets to real fish dinners.    The catch of the day went to Fred Pullen who caught a 4.5 pound Sheep Head, and yet there was Peter in the background with another minnow that he managed to reel in.   It took Peter the rest of the day for his smile to fade.    I asked him why he was so happy about catching these shamefully small Sea Bass and he quickly replied, this sure beat playing another round of Whirly Ball in Dallas or building news paper pyramids as a team building exercise, which were some of the things we did in our PSS support days.

Since that trip, Peter's been off to New Jersey and a couple other cities where he's started earning his keep as a valuable member of the TS2 team.

Welcome Aboard Peter!

If you are running the Vista Beta - It's time to move to a full version - Beta Trial is about to expire!

On May 31, the pre-release versions of Windows Vista (Beta 2, RC1, and RC2) will expire. Participants in the Customer Preview Program who are still using a pre-release version of Windows Vista Ultimate will be affected by this expiration. We believe that this expiration will affect a few hundred thousand people worldwide.

People using a pre-release version of Windows Vista will receive an initial beta expiration notification on April 24. This notification will tell them that their Windows license will expire in XX days and prompt them to back up their files and install any edition of Windows Vista. Customers will receive subsequent notifications about the impending expiration starting May 18, 2007, after which customers will get a notification each day from May 18-27.  On May 29 and May 30, the notifications will appear every 4 hours and on May 31, the notifications will appear every hour.

After May 31, 2007, customers that continue to use pre-release versions of Windows Vista will be able to log in for 2-hour sessions to retrieve data. After 2 hours of use, the PC will automatically reboot without providing the opportunity to save data. The opportunity to log in normally for these 2 hour sessions will only be available for a limited time.

We expect most beta users will have moved to a full version of Windows by this time, but starting April 24, those who are still running a pre-release version of Windows Vista will receive multiple notifications about the expiration so that they will have ample time to back up data and migrate their PCs to the final version of Windows Vista.

It is strongly recommended that customers running any of these pre-release versions of Windows Vista migrate their PCs to the final version of Windows Vista or another operating system prior to May 31. 

Q&A:

Q: Can customers install editions of Windows Vista other than Windows Vista Ultimate?

A: Yes, it is possible for customers to install other editions (except for Windows Vista Enterprise) of Windows Vista (e.g. Windows Vista Home Premium).  To install a different edition, customers will need to purchase the Upgrade version of that edition and perform a clean installation. They then must back up any data as this process will overwrite any data that on the hard disk or on the installation partition. The overwritten data will be lost and unrecoverable.

Q: Are there any discounts available to Customer Preview Program participants?

A: One of the benefits of being a beta user is that you have the ability to purchase and use an “upgrade” copy of Windows Vista rather than the “full” copy. Upgrade copies are typically offered at a significantly lower retail price.

Q: What will happen to customers’ data after the expiration date?

A: After May 31, 2007, customers that continue to use pre-release versions of Windows Vista will be able to log in for 2-hour sessions to retrieve data. After 2 hours of use, the PC will automatically reboot without providing the opportunity to save data. The opportunity to log in normally for these 2 hour sessions will only be available until August 28, 2007.

It is strongly recommended that customers running any of these pre-release versions of Windows Vista migrate their PCs to the final version of Windows Vista or another operating system prior to May 31. 

Q: What will happen to my PC after the expiration date?

A: After May 31, 2007, customers that continue to use pre-release versions of Windows Vista will be able to log in for 2-hour sessions to retrieve data. After 2 hours of use, the PC will automatically reboot without providing the opportunity to save data. The opportunity to log in normally for these 2 hour sessions will only be available until August 28, 2007.

It is strongly recommended that customers running any of these pre-release versions of Windows Vista migrate their PCs to the final version of Windows Vista or another operating system prior to May 31. 

Q: Will customers be able to install Windows XP on my PC?

A: Yes, it is possible for customers to install any operating system including Windows XP on their PC.  To install Windows XP on their PC, customers will need the CD of the full version of Windows XP or the original OEM CD that came with the PC (if any).  Customers must back up any data as this process will overwrite any data that on the hard disk or on the installation partition. The overwritten data will be lost and unrecoverable.

Q: Can customers “roll back” to Windows XP?

A: As was noted at the outset of the Customer Preview Program, customers cannot roll back to the previous operating system installation—they will either have to purchase and install the final released edition of Windows Vista or reinstall a previous version of Windows.

New Server Promotion available on www.microsoftincentives.com

I've been asked by folks higher up the food chain to make sure I get the word out about a new server promotion that is running April through June.  Please review the information below and see if it will help you close a few of those big deals you have on  your plate.

I wanted you to be aware of a new Windows Server promotion coming out Monday, 4/2/07 to help increase sales and grow new Windows Server units.

Action Request:

· Please check www.microsoftincentives.com and review the terms of the promotion on April 2^nd.

· Please be sure to integrate this promotion into applicable Windows Server related marketing activities and mention at local events beginning Monday, April 2^nd

Objective:

The goals of this promotion are to help:

• Drive WinServer unit growth in Q4

• Grow Open Licensing Windows Server revenue

• Increase customer satisfaction by helping customers to offset some of their purchase and deployment costs, while giving them the flexibility to choose where they need help the most.

Summary of Promotion:

• Approximately 17% discount off L of L+SA Server license purchases, (SA purchase required)

• $400 subsidy per Enterprise Edition

• $120 Standard Edition subsidy per license

• Windows Server 2003 R2 for Open L&SA purchases (CALs not included), purchased under Open License Business, Open License Volume or Open Value

• Applies to purchase on a minimum of 3 licenses, and up to a maximum of 25 licenses per customer

• Maximum subsidy up to $10,000 per customer can be used for purchases of hardware, software, or services

• Applies to purchases between 4/2/07-6/29/07, or for the first 7,500 licenses purchased

• Must be redeemed by 7/31/07

DFW IAMCP Golf Tournament - May 17th

May 11th - DFW IAMCP
IAMCP "Meet Microsoft" Golf Tournament

8:00 AM
Castle Hills Golf Course
4 person scramble
Build relationships with Microsoft!
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Roy Williams Safety Net Foundation. Roy is scheduled to be at the tournament and will be speaking at our awards luncheon!

Register to Play!

May 17th meeting replaced by the Golf Tournament

Join the IAMCP

SBSC Cram Session Training Schedule for April - June - Sign up while there are still seats left!

Many of you have been waiting for this bootcamp to come to areas near you so don't miss out on this opportunity to prepare for your SBSC Exam and knock it out all in the same day.  See the table below to find a city and date near you.

Keep in mind this is for the 70-282 exam, not the new SharePoint exam.  For prep information on that, visit www.SMBNation.com to learn about the books they are offering to help you prepare for that exam.

World Wide Partner Conference is in Denver this year. - Registration Opens April 18th

Learn. Connect. Discover. Drive.

The Microsoft® Worldwide Partner Conference 2007 brings together a community of thousands of Microsoft partners to learn, connect, discover new opportunities, and drive profitability.

Save the date: July 10-12, Denver

This premier partner conference will take place July 10-12 in Denver, Colorado, and will provide a wide range of valuable resources for all Microsoft partners. Leverage your Microsoft investment by sharing in future business opportunities, get hands-on training, and network with your Microsoft team and your extended partner community. Over 10,000 partners, industry experts, speakers, exhibitors, Microsoft executives, and many others are expected to attend this year's conference — don't miss out!

What's waiting for you at the Worldwide Partner Conference?

• Hear from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and other leading executives on how to position your business to take advantage of Microsoft strategies and overall vision in Conference Keynotes.
• Dive deep into the latest solutions with Hands-On Labs and Sessions, taught by industry experts.
• Celebrate your successes using Microsoft products and solutions at the Microsoft Partner Program Awards Program.
• Put Structured Networking to work and connect with Microsoft and other partners that can unlock new opportunities for your business. Over 10,000 meetings were scheduled at last year's conference.
• Last but not least, don't miss the huge Partner Celebration that will close the conference on July 12 at world-famous Coors Field!

Registration opens April 18.

This is a "can't-miss" event for any Microsoft partner. Last year's conference sold out, so plan now to be a part of Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2007 today. Add the conference site, www.microsoft.com/partner/events/wwpartnerconference, to your Favorites, and mark your calendar for April 18 to register!