Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Customer Survey

Thank you for using the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) and for the feedback you have provided to us through Microsoft Connect. The latest download of ACT 5.0 fixes a number of issues that were brought to our attention through your efforts.


What is Our Goal? Our goal is to obtain a prioritized list of your requirements and expectations for use during the development and creation of the next and future releases of the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT).

How Can You Help Us? We need your help to provide us with a prioritized set of expectations and requirements for the ACT in your organization. Your participation in this survey will allow us to better address your needs for the next and future releases of the product. As an active ACT user your answers to this survey are particularly valuable, and will help set the direction for the future of ACT. We hope you will take the time to tell us about your IT environment and what is important to you.

You can take the survey here https://connect.microsoft.com/Survey/Survey.aspx?SurveyID=5194&SiteID=81


The survey will be active till January 11th, 2008.

If you have difficulty accessing this survey, please report the problem by using the Contact Us link at the bottom of any Connect web page.


As always, thank you for your participation in making ACT a better product.

Regards,

ACT TEAM

What Is MCSE Certification?

Studies show that people who work in the IT industry are paid much more than others. This is probably because it is a specialized field to get into and you have to study and get certified to work among the best.

One of the most prestigious ones around is called MCSE certification. Those who pass are called Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers and only those that have been working in the IT industry for about a year are allowed to enroll in the program.

There are two types of MCSE's currently available. The first is for Windows 2000 and the other is for Windows 2003.

Those that decide to take the first one will have to deal with exams such as 70-210 Windows 2000 Professional, 70-215 Windows 2000 Server, 70-216 Network Administration, 70-219 Active Directory Design and elective exams such as 70-220 as well as 70-224 Exchange 2000 Server.

The second one which is Windows 2003 has an exam called 70-290, which is supposed to test your mental ability when it comes to managing and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003. There is also 70-291 that is an environment exam and 70-294 that tackles tests planning.

Anyone that wants to become certified will have to undergo IT training before taking the exam. Such places are called boot camps and after paying between $4,000 to $6,000 for a course that will last 2 weeks, you will be given all the review material needed such as practice tests with questions and answers to help you understand key concepts, tutorials, study notes and other tips. Some of these learning centers will even offer a money back guarantee if you don't pass on the first try.

If the review material is not enough, you can even have someone tutor you along the way. This person will be there to determine your strong points so more focus can be given on topics that you need a lot of improvement. Those that can review on their own can buy the book that already comes with a CD, which costs about $1,000.

In order to get MCSE certification, you have to pass a battery of exams. Five of which are operating systems while the other 2 are electives.

Given that the cost of the program is quite expensive, you can try to ask your employer if they are willing to pay for it. Some companies do that in exchange for a number of years of service. Other firms already have the material on hand and will offer this to the employees for home study, which will save you hundreds of dollars.

If they won't help out, you should try getting a loan or saving up the amount that is required.

Getting MCSE certification has its advantages. For one, it will be easier for you to find a job since almost every company needs to have someone checking on the computer network at all times. This will also allow you to demand more money should you decide to work for someone because you have a document in your hand saying how good you are.

For those that want to have a career in the IT industry, it is best to get MCSE certification. After all, most companies in the United States use this unlike those in Europe that are more familiar with Linux.

Microsoft Web Conferencing Research Survey

To take our survey, please click on the URL below.

This survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

https://deploy.ztelligence.com/start/index.jsp?PIN=139QQ62HXLNBS

By providing us with your feedback, we are able to continually improve the Microsoft Office productivity suite to assist you in getting your job done!

Sincerely,
The Microsoft Office Panel Team

Windows Server RC1 WDK now available on Connect!

Hello WDK Beta Users-

We are pleased to announce the release of the Windows Server 2008 RC1 WDK is now available for download on Connect. This WDK beta release to Connect coincides with the recent OS beta release for Windows Server 2008 RC1. Please take a few moments to install the newest WDK build and test as applicable for your needs. As always, please file bugs as quickly and as detailed as possible.

In this WDK release, the WDK is delivering the latest updates to build drivers for Server 2008 and earlier platforms since the release of Vista almost a year ago.

A few highlights in this release are:
. UMDF and KMDF co-installers are now available for down-level platforms.
. Additional WDF samples have been added, including one to support the examples in Developing Drivers with the Windows Driver Foundation.
. The new Inf2Cat signing tool replaces Signability, providing support for Server 2008
. New Documentation Filtering
. Side by Side installations now supported

This release is available as a download only. The image posted is a DVD image and the recommended approach is to download and burn a DVD.

Thank you for your continued support!
The WDK Team

Invitation to the Windows Live Messenger 9.0 Beta

Hello from the Windows Live Messenger Team!

We've been hard at work building the foundation for Windows Live Messenger 9.0, we'd like to give you a look at what we've built and ask what you think. We're running a small private beta to get early feedback on the new features we've built and get wider test coverage of the build.

As a beta tester you'll have access to an early 9.0 build, a private newsgroup just for Windows Live Messenger beta testers, and the ability to send bugs directly to the product team. The build you'll be beta testing with is a very early build, so it may be less stable than beta builds you've tried in the past. We're telling you this upfront so you know what you're getting into. If you're not sure about trying a not-quite polished build, maybe this beta isn't for you. If you're ready to dig in and explore this build with us, follow the below instructions to nominate yourself.

1. Go to http://connect.microsoft.com
2. Click "Invitation" in the left nav pane
3. Enter this invitation ID: B0-WBH8-FY44
4. Click Go
5. Fill out the nomination survey

We'll review all survey responses and accept as many people into the beta as we can. Look for mail from us soon!

We look forward to hearing from you!
The Windows Live Messenger Team