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Of interest: Travel with your spare lithium batteries in your carry-on bags

Happy 2008.  If you are traveling today (as are many other people), keep in mind to carry your loose lithium batteries with you instead of tucked away in your checked luggage.

The new US Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) regulations took effect yesterday (January 1, 2008) restrict how airline passengers transport lithium batteries, which are in everything from digital cameras to laptop computers and many portable consumer electronics.

From now on, you’ll have to carry them in your carry-on luggage rather than in your checked baggage.  Keep stocked up on Ziplock bags, as any loose batteries in your carry-on bags should be stored in plastic bags.  This should, the D.O.T. reasons, should reduce the risk of fires resulting from lithium batteries.

As noted in several stories, the new rules also limit the number of batteries you can carry on the airplane: the rule limits you to just two additional rechargeable lithium batteries not installed in a device.  So, if you travel cross-country and need more than two, consider a larger, extended life battery.

Of course, if you have luck as I had over the holidays, this is a better idea, given that our airline lost one piece of our luggage on a non-stop flight. 

There is an exception, of course: batteries are allowed in checked baggage when installed in a device.

Details: As I learned from the article by Andrew Hickey at CMP Channel, the D.O.T. states that…

“spare batteries can only be carried on if they contain up to 8 grams of lithium content… Lithium metal batteries have a limit of 2 grams of lithium metal, regardless of whether they’re carried as spares or installed in a device.”

That limit seems to be the case in most portable electronic batteries.

The new rules for batteries are also described here on the SafeTravel.dot.gov Web site.

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Windows Vista and Windows Live videos… on YouTube

This is too much… Duncan Riley on TechCrunch reports that Microsoft marketing is using YouTube To promote Vista & Live, and left page comments open.

“The content itself isn’t all that exciting, but they do demonstrate various positive aspects of Vista and Live that viewers may not be aware of. The more interesting aspect is that Microsoft would use the Google owned YouTube for such as promotion; it certainly demonstrates just how powerful the market position of YouTube has become over the last 2 years that Microsoft would use it to promote their products.”

imageHere is WindowsVistaAndLive’s YouTube channel, with a link to their main page of video clips… joining the service less than a week prior to Christmas.

One of the most popular clips is on Sharing Slideshows on the web via Windows Live Spaces… with approximately 380,600 views at last count…. I would’ve thought that the most popular would have been on sharing photos on the web.

Not just interesting for the video clips, the comments are an interesting read.

imageOf note: many of the videos featured are available in higher resolution on the Microsoft site for Windows Vista plus Windows Live site… available off of the Windows Vista home page.

Perhaps the person (or persons) behind WindowsVistaAndLive will also be posting responses to some of the comments as well. 😉

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Great customer service on a snowy, Sunday afternoon… and they called me

This afternoon whilst on vacation (and yes, the kids were accessing the Internet after playing in the snow) we had a problem with the DSL connection at the house.  Of course, it necessitated a reset of the DSL modem and wiped the account info and password to the ISP.

Great.  I could imagine the cries as the kids were unable to access their favourite Weird Al videos online.  And having the broadband access allowed me to work with our super folks around the world over the last few days as a South American country decided to change their daylight saving time settings… with only a couple of days advance notice.

So, after scouring the house for an inkling of the account name, password, ISP settings and the like with no success, I fired off a mail to the from my trusty Windows Mobile phone (the HTC 8925)… at least my AT&T Internet access was reading two or three bars…

“We are staying with our family at <a snowed in address> in <a small snowy mountain village>, telephone # <local phone number>. We reset our dsl gateway connected to your service and wiped the account name and password on the modem and are unable to access the ‘net. Could you help us get back on line?”

OK, I thought, perhaps we’ll hear from someone tomorrow after they get down from the slopes and before they head off for a New Year’s Eve party.

Or not. 

Fear of dread and an inability to log on and get the latest tunes for a festive countdown from Zune.net struck me, or more importantly print our boarding passes before our flight

Then, less than 30 minutes later, the phone rings:

“Hi, this is John… I read that you need to reset the settings on your DSL modem.”

I was floored.  Sunday afternoon with still enough daylight to see the ski runs, and a tech is calling me via his mobile to help me out.  How cool is that? 

As he spoke, I typed the information John provided into a Word document and followed along, editing the settings via a direct cable connection to the DSL modem and wireless router.  A few minutes later, after running through the setup, the IP settings and DHCP Server configuration, we were as good as new.  And I set it up so that future guests could access the wireless Internet via a secure key, posted to the side of the router.

As noted, I compiled the directions that John rattled off in a document to leave at the house for our hosts to enjoy the next time their network settings are wiped clean, complete with screen shots.  John noted that the basic configuration and setup information (sans account info) is available on their web site: sure enough, that web page proved a good basis for my brief tutorial.  With that, I have a neat step-by-step instructional document to leave at the house on how to access the internet, coupled with account information… and the telephone number for tech support should it be required.

Great customer service from Vail.net – kudos and my thanks to a super support tech.

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Argentina is changing their daylight saving time: Dec 30th

 


This past week, the government of Argentina approved a new change to their observance of daylight saving time in the country effective this Sunday, December 30, 2007 at 12:00am to March 16th, 12:00 for Argentina. (I cross posted this to the DST and Time Zone blog on this post whilst on holidays…)

According to Reuters, “under the new law, which both houses of Congress passed the same day, the time in Argentina will jump forward an hour starting on Sunday. The clocks will turn back on March 16.”  Information is also available via our Argentinean web site at http://www.microsoft.com/argentina/dst.

Currently Argentina is using GMT-3, with this change we will be using GMT-2.  This fast-tracked change came with little advance notice and little reason for a fast implementation.  Many of our customers are in a so-called “freeze period” where they do not make any changes or deploy any updates to their networks or systems. 

Possible changes:  Some customers may select to manually move their own users and systems to an appropriate time zone (such as the Mid-Atlantic TZ) on December 30 and move clocks back to Buenos Aires (GMT -3) on March 16.   Other customers may wish to follow the guidance below for manually changing the registry.  (See the section below for considerations of these changes.) 

In addition to Microsoft products, other software, OS releases and hardware (phones, routers, switches and managed devices) may require updates/ changes. 

In the future, the government will set the dates for daylight savings without congressional approval. Officials say the measure is likely to take effect again next October,” reports Reuters (see http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN2734841120071227 and http://www.buenosairesherald.com/argentina/note.jsp?idContent=452122 for more details.) 

Our teams at Microsoft have taken several steps to alert customers and partners to the change in Argentina, providing near daily updates through several bulletins and information.  Although there will not be any hot fixes provided prior to the change tomorrow, advice and recommendations have been provided and will also be available on the central Microsoft DST & time zone site at http://www.microsoft.com/time and at http://www.microsoft.com/argentina/dst.

Of course, less than a week is a tough time to get everyone alerted to a change of this magnitude.  In order to achieve more seamless transitions to new DST rules and time zones, ample advance notice and concentrated efforts on promoting any change should be provided to the people and businesses impacted.

We’re sharing the following information in response to an announcement by the government of Argentina about the implementation of daylight saving time in Argentina for 2007-2008.

Upcoming Daylight Saving Time implementation for Argentina in 2007-2008

The steps provided in this bulletin were created to mitigate the impacts that the daylight saving time implementation will cause for customers in Argentina. These are the impacts primarily anticipated at the time this document was written, and the effects that customers may face are not restricted to them.

The suggested actions on this bulletin might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by the DST changes in Argentina, we recommend that you wait for the next DST cumulative update that will likely contain the updates for Argentina.

This bulletin contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it.  Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs.

The information described in this document may change without notice. In addition, customers should be aware that further guidance will be provided at any time by Microsoft.

Background – implementation of Daylight Saving Time for Argentina in 2007-2008

The government of Argentina has announced the implementation of daylight saving time (DST) in Argentina. The following are the start and end dates for the daylight saving time defined:


  • Daylight saving time begins:  Sunday, December 30th, 2007 at 00:00 A.M local standard time.

  • Daylight saving time ends:  Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 00:00 A.M local daylight saving time.

Currently, computers in Argentina use the “(GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown” time zone setting. However, the default values for the “(GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown” time zone setting in Microsoft Windows do not reflect the daylight saving time start and end dates defined by the government.

This bulletin summarizes the actions recommended for customers in Argentina to address the implementation of daylight saving time and mitigate its impacts.

General recommendations for customers in Argentina

1. In order to update Windows PC operating systems, we recommend administrators to create a new time zone to reflect the DST implementation in Argentina. Please read the section “How to update Windows Servers and Desktop Operating Systems” for details on the recommended steps.

2. Please note that if you adjust the machine’s clock manually, you may have adverse effects on your environment.

3. Before you apply the changes on Windows Operating Systems to reflect the DST dates in Argentina, be aware of potential issues that will affect Microsoft Office Outlook and Exchange Server. Read “Impacts for Outlook and OWA Clients” sections for more details.

4. Contact Microsoft Support prior to any modification if you are unsure about the steps to follow in order to be prepared for the DST implementation in Argentina.

How to update Windows Servers and Desktop Operating Systems

This session is based on the following article:

914387 – How to configure daylight saving time for Microsoft Windows operating systems

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;914387

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:


  • There is no hotfix available at this time to update Windows Operating Systems with the DST dates for Argentina.

  • The current version of KB 914387 does not contain information about the new DST settings for Argentina.

  • The recommendation at this time is to create a new time zone to reflect the DST dates defined by the Argentina government. To do so, please proceed as follows:

Updating Windows Servers and Desktop Operating Systems

1. Create a registry file that will contain a new time zone for Argentina, following these steps:

1.1. Click Start, click Run, type notepad, and then click OK.

1.2. Copy the following registry information, and then paste it into the Notepad document:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Time Zones\Argentina Standard Time]

“Display”=”(GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires” 

“Dlt”=”Argentina Daylight Time”

“Std”=”Argentina Standard Time”

“TZI”=hex:b4,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,c4,ff,ff,ff,00,00,03,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,00,\

  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,0c,00,00,00,05,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Time Zones\Argentina Standard Time\Dynamic DST]

“FirstEntry”=dword:000007d6                 

“LastEntry”=dword:000007d8

“2008”=hex:b4,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,c4,ff,ff,ff,00,00,03,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,00,\

  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,0c,00,00,00,05,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

“2007”=hex:b4,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,c4,ff,ff,ff,00,00,01,00,01,00,01,00,00,00,00,\

  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,0c,00,00,00,05,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

“2006”=hex:b4,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,c4,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\

  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Time Zones\SA Eastern Standard Time]

“Display”=”(GMT-03:00) Georgetown”

1.3. On the File menu, click Save As.

1.4. Select a destination, and then type TZupdate.reg in the File name box. 

1.5. In the Save as type box, click All Files, and then click Save.

2. Import this registry key on target machines by double clicking in the TZupdate.reg and clicking ‘Yes’ when prompted. All machines (clients and servers) must be updated with this registry information.

2.1. After importing the registry key, the time zone “(GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown” will be renamed to “(GMT-03:00) Georgetown”.

image
“(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown” becomes “(GMT -03:00) Georgetown”

2.2. A new time zone named “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires” will be created.

image
New time zone “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires” – it contains the DST dates for Argentina

2.3. Users located in Argentina will need to change the time zone from “(GMT -03:00) Georgetown” to the new “(GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires” time zone.

2.4. Note that on the new time zone “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires” the option “Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes” is selected by default. Users should not uncheck this option.

3. In order to deploy these time zone changes in a corporate environment, you can use a startup script as described in the session “Deploy the registry file with the new DST information using Group Policy” below.

Deploying the registry file with the new DST information using Group Policy

1. Click Start, click Run, type notepad, and then press ENTER. 

2. Copy the following code, and then paste it into the Notepad document.

@echo off

regedit /s \\contoso.com\NETLOGON\TZupdate.reg

Note: You must replace the \\contoso.com notation above with the actual DNS domain name for your Active Directory domain.

3. On the File menu, click Save As.

4. DST2007Update.cmd in the File name box. 

5. In the Save as type box, click All Files, and then click Save. 

6. Copy the following files to the Netlogon share folder of the domain controller that holds the PDC emulator role in the domain:
– TZupdate.reg 
– DST2007Update.cmd 

7. Wait until Active Directory replication occurs. Also, wait until the files and folders in the system volume (SYSVOL) shared folder replicate to domain controllers in the domain. 

8. Click Start, click Run, type control admintools, and then click OK. 

9. Double-click Active Directory Users and Computers. 

10. Select an Organizational Unit (OU) which contains the computers that you want to apply this script to. In this example, we will use an OU that is named DST2007-W2K. This example also assumes that this OU contains computer accounts.

11. Right-click the DST2007-W2K OU and then click Properties. 

12. Click the Group Policy tab, click New, type DST Registry Update, and then press ENTER. 

13. Click Edit. The Group Policy Object Editor tool starts.

14. Expand Computer Configuration, expand Windows Settings, and then click Scripts (Startup/Shutdown). 

15. Double-click Startup, and then click Add. 

16. In the Script Name box, type the universal naming convention (UNC) path of the DST2007Update.cmd file that is located in the Netlogon share. For example, type \\contoso.com\NETLOGON\DST2007Update.cmd. 

17. Click OK two times. 

Note: Client computers that are within the DST2007-W2K organizational unit will run the startup script the next time the machine starts up. This will make the system to recognize the existence of the new “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires” time zone, however you still need to move to the new time zone that was just created. Please read the section ‘Changing the computer time zone via startup script’ for information on how to automatically change the time zone using a group policy.

Changing the computer time zone via startup script

1. Click Start, click Run, type notepad, and then press ENTER. 

2. Copy the following lines, and then paste it into the Notepad document.

@echo off

ver |find /i “6.0”>nul

IF %errorlevel% EQU 0 GOTO end

control.exe timedate.cpl,,/Z Argentina Standard Time

:end

3. On the File menu, click Save As.

4. Select a destination, and then type ChangeTZ.cmd in the File name box. 

5. In the Save as type box, click All Files, and then click Save. 

6. Copy the file to the Netlogon share folder of the domain controller that holds the PDC emulator role in the domain.

7. Wait until Active Directory replication occurs. Also, wait until the files and folders in the system volume (SYSVOL) shared folder replicate to domain controllers in the domain. 

8. Click Start, click Run, type control admintools, and then click OK. 

9. Double-click Active Directory Users and Computers. 

10. Select an OU that contains the computers that you want to apply this script to. In this example, we will use an OU that is named DST2007-W2K. This example also assumes that this OU contains all computer accounts. 

11. Right-click the DST2007-W2K, and then click Properties.

12. Click the Group Policy tab, click New, type DST Time Zone Change, and then press ENTER. 

13. Click Edit. The Group Policy Object Editor tool starts.

14. Expand Computer Configuration, expand Windows Settings, and then click Scripts (Startup/Shutdown). 

15. Double-click Startup, and then click Add. 

16. In the Script Name box, type the universal naming convention (UNC) path of the ChangeTZ.cmd file that is located in the Netlogon share. For example, type \\contoso.com\NETLOGON\ChangeTZ.cmd. 

17. Click OK two times. 

Important information about procedures described in this document:

a. You can import the registry key detailed above in any Windows Operating system language. However since it contains display information, the new time zone display names will be based on the “English US”  language, as follows:


  • Argentina Daylight Time

  • Argentina Standard Time

b. The information on “Deploying the registry file with the new DST information using Group Policy” session can be applied to all computers in the network.

c. The information on “Changing the computer time zone via startup script” should be applied only to computers located in Argentina.

d. The instructions above can be applied on Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Operating systems, however after performing these instructions on a Windows 2003 operating system, the current time zone may not be automatically changed to the ‘(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires’. Users may need to change the time zone manually after importing the registry key via startup script on Windows 2003 machines.

e. The instructions above are not supported on Windows Vista operating systems.

Impacts for Windows Mobile users in Argentina

Windows Mobile devices will show all items (messages and appointments) 1 hour off during the DST period (December 30, 2007 to March 15, 2008).

These devices require an update that is not available at this time. Information will be released as soon as it becomes available.

Impact for Outlook clients in Argentina

Three factors affect the scheduling of a meeting and appointment in Outlook:


  • The computer’s clock setting (time).
  • The computer’s local time zone setting.
  • The computer’s daylight saving time adjustment setting.

Outlook time stamps the message request with the Greenwich Mean Time for the meeting. Outlook calculates Greenwich Mean Time by using the computer’s clock time, plus or minus the local time zone adjustment, minus (depending upon the time of year) the daylight-saving time adjustment. If any of the three factors listed above are incorrect at the time the item is saved or if there is a modification afterwards (such as a DST change), the meeting time will be incorrect.

In the Argentina scenario, after moving Windows clients and servers to the new time zone “(GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires”, Outlook calendars will display items 1 hour ahead their actual time during the DST period (December 30, 2007 to March 15, 2008). 

In addition, because there was a time zone move, all appointments need to be updated to reflect the new time zone information.

As such, “rebasing” of the items will be required to allow them to display the proper time and the proper time zone information.

The Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Outlook can be used to update your calendar items to the new time zone “(GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires”.

1. What can I do to fix my appointments?


-or-


  • Manually modify each appointment after the operating system time zone has been changed.

The Time Zone Data Update Tool for Outlook must be used with the /PHYSICALMOVE command-line parameter, which is not the default mode for the tool and, perhaps most importantly, not the mode in which the tool is launched automatically during setup.

Many of the special command-line options available for the Outlook tool are not supported when doing a time zone move.  Most notably, /QUIET mode is not supported and the procedure needs manual intervention from the end-user.

Step by step procedure to use “Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Outlook”

The following describes the ideal set of steps to be followed by end-users performing a time zone move:

I. Update the Operating System’s time zone information according to the section “How to update Windows Servers and Desktop Operating Systems” above

II. Switch the current time zone “(GMT -03:00) Georgetown” to the target time zone “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires”.

III. Download and run the installation package from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=%20E343A233-B9C8-4652-9DD8-AE0F1AF62568&displaylang=en.

IV. When the tool is automatically launched as part of the above install, click the Cancel button.

image

NOTE: Step IV is necessary because the tool is automatically launched in time zone update mode rather than physical move mode. The above screen shot shows the tool in time zone update mode; note that there is only one time zone selector for “Your Time Zone” in update mode. Below you can find a screen shot of the tool running in time zone move mode; note that there are two time zone selectors for “Original Time Zone” and “New Time Zone.”

V. Restart the installed executable using the /PHYSICALMOVE switch:

a. On a 32-bit OS, run “%PROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft Office\Office12\Office Outlook Time Zone Data Update Tool\tzmove.exe” /PHYSICALMOVE

b. On a 64-bit OS, run “%PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\Microsoft Office\Office12\Office Outlook Time Zone Data Update Tool\tzmove.exe”  /PHYSICALMOVE

NOTE: Do not confuse the installation package with the tool itself (both have the same name tzmove.exe). The resulting dialog should look like the following:

image

VI. Properly select “(GMT -03:00) Georgetown” from the “Original Time Zone:” drop down, and “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires” from the “New Time Zone:” drop down and click OK.

NOTE: As with standard time zone updates, the tool defaults to updating affected items on your Calendar and in your Reminders folder.  If you would like to update additional items (e.g. items in additional Calendars or a PST), you can do so by clicking the ‘Custom…’ button and manually selecting the target folder.

VII. The tool will inspect your mailbox and will report how many appointments will be moved:

image

If you click “Details” the appointment list will appear and you will be able to select all (default) or some of the appointments. In a normal situation you will move all the appointments to the new time zone. Click “OK” in the following dialog to proceed moving the appointments. A log file “Outlook Time Zone Update .log” will be generated in the %temp% directory.

image

VIII. After moving Click “OK” again to close the tool.

In addition to simply using the above guidance, IT administrators might consider streamlining the above procedure as follows:



  • Automatically launch the tool in time zone move mode after having installed it in quiet mode.


  • The above two steps can be captured in a simple .bat file similar to the following thus allowing end users to combine steps III, IV, and V above into one (i.e. just launch the .bat file):

@echo off

<path to tzmove.exe that was saved from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=%20E343A233-B9C8-4652-9DD8-AE0F1AF62568&displaylang=en>\tzmove.exe /quiet

“%PROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft Office\Office12\Office Outlook Time Zone Data Update Tool\tzmove.exe” /physicalMove

@echo on

This is the maximum level of automation allowed by the tool in Time Zone Move mode. As you can see it still requires end-user intervention from the dialog in step V and forward.

2. What is the best time to update my calendar?

The best time to update your calendar items is as soon as you have changed your time zone settings in your operating system and before any new calendar item is created, accepted or sent.

3. Can I use the “Exchange Calendar Update Tool” to update (rebase) the appointments/meetings on the Exchange Server?

You cannot use “Exchange Calendar Update Tool” in the Argentina scenario. The Exchange Calendar Update Tool is not designed to update appointments when there is a move from one time zone to another.

The update has to be done on each client either manually or using the “Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Outlook”.

Impact for Outlook Web Access clients in Argentina


  • The new time zone “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires” created following the recommendations on section “Updating Windows Servers and Desktop Operating Systems” will not be available on the OWA (Exchange Server 2000 and Exchange Server 2003) time zone options at this time. In order to have this new time zone available in OWA, there is a dependency on an index key which is not currently defined. We expect this to be defined over the next months.

  • After you configure Windows clients and servers to use the new time zone “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires”, OWA users using “(GMT -03:00)  Buenos Aires, Georgetown” on the OWA time zone options, will receive the following warning when accessing their inbox:

image



  • When you open a message in OWA, it will be displayed with the incorrect time during the DST period. This is related to the CDO components in Exchange and there is no workaround for this behavior at this time.

Additional known issues for Exchange Server and Outlook clients


  • Meeting invitations sent by Outlook clients between different Exchange organizations may be off by 1 hour. This is related to the CDO components in Exchange and there is no workaround for this behavior at this time.

  • After Exchange Server 2007 is updated with the new time zone “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires”, the “Microsoft Exchange Mail Submission” and “Microsoft Exchange Transport” services should be restarted.

Additional recommendations


  • Simulate the changes on a lab environment, so you know what will happen and what to expect.


  • Before doing any change in Outlook, request the users to print their schedule so they have a reference to follow if they have to manually update the appointments or double check after running the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Outlook.

— For the meetings with multiple attendees only the meeting requestor should update the time. An update will be sent automatically by the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Outlook.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use Tzedit.exe to modify the time “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown” in order to include the DST dates defined for Argentina?

Based on previous experiences with other time zone updates released by Microsoft, this will not be the definite solution. The time “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown” is shared with other country (Guyana) and this country is not adopting DST at this time.

We preferred the option to have a new time zone as this goes in line with what was done in the past for countries like Venezuela. In addition, we avoid impacts for countries currently using “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown” other than Argentina.

2. Do I have to update machines outside Argentina?

It is recommended that you apply the registry updates to all machines, including the ones outside Argentina. However, the time zone move should be performed only on machines located in Argentina.

3. Should I manually adjust the machine’s clock on December 30th 2007?

You should not adjust the machine’s clock manually. This can cause adverse effects on your environment.

4. What calendar items will be updated using the Time Zone Update Calendar tool for MS Outlook?

Only appointments created using the original time zone “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown” which occur after the date/time the tool is executed.

5. Should I move to the time zone “(GMT -02:00) Mid-Atlantic” on December 30, 2007 and move back to “(GMT -03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown” after March 16, 2008?

This is a feasible workaround for home users; however it may not be the best option for corporations/enterprise customers as it can cause undesirable results on Outlook calendars.

One of the side effects from this workaround is related with appointments created in different time zones. For instance, appointments created before the change will be in “(GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown” and appointments created during the DST will be on “(GMT -02:00) Mid Atlantic”.

Another effect is that appointments created after March 16th 2008 during the DST time will be off by one hour when the user go back to “(GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown”.

If the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Outlook needed to be run for some reason, users would need to run it twice, once for the items created in “(GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown” and once for “(GMT -02:00) Mid Atlantic”.

There may be more side effects on this workaround; this option was not thoroughly tested.

6. Is there any public guidance/documentation available on this matter?

Please direct your customers to:

§ LATAM Team Blog – http://blogs.technet.com/latam/default.aspx

§ Exchange Team Blog – http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2007/12/28/447791.aspx

§ Microsoft Argentina web site – http://www.microsoft.com/argentina/dst/


If you want more information, you can refer to the following Microsoft articles:

195900 – How Outlook handles time zones for meeting requests

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=195900

931667 – How to address time zone changes by using the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Office Outlook

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;931667

914387 – How to configure daylight saving time for Microsoft Windows operating systems

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;914387

325413 – INFO: Task Scheduler Behavior at Daylight Saving Time Transitions and Other Events

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;325413


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What I’ve read this week (Christmas Eve)

Remember, there are still .6 shopping days ’til Christmas.

Need some conversation starters for your holiday get-togethers? Here are a couple of my favourite strange and funny news stories to help get you started, along with a reading list of things I’ve read. 

Start with MSN Search, Comcast odd news and Weird News.  Think of it as a small present to kick off your holidays.

Now, off to the reading list. Keep in mind that the descriptions come often are taken directly from the articles.

Happy Christmas Eve…

think denk: the blog of Jeremy Denk, concert pianist – Of all things, my six-year-old came across the blog of Jeremy Denk, a concert pianist in New York. Worth a read particularly for those interested in the everyday musings of a concert pianist.

Deirdre Imus: Missing the Mercury Threat: An appeal to New Jersey’s Governor – Politics on The Huffington Post — Deirdre Imus writes this week on her blog about the decision last week in New Jersey where members of the Public Health Council voted to mandate four new vaccines for children in 2008: two of the vaccines contain thimerosal (mercury).

Analysts wonder when Whitman will leave eBay – Verne Kopytoff, Chronicle Staff Writer, 12/22/07 — Early in her reign at eBay, Meg Whitman said she couldn’t imagine being in charge for more than 10 years – an anniversary that is coming in February.

Amazon.com: High-Definition 101 – High Def in a Nutshell: With up to six times the resolution and superior sound compared to traditional formats, high definition is the perfect way to watch your favorite movies, TV shows, and sports. In other words, you don’t watch HD–you live it.

Media Mechanics : Blinded by the Shine on Apple – “Companies are seeing the success of Apple and for fear of losing market share are going after them from many angles. Others can, and are, copying the design principles. In some cases blatantly ripping off the Apple look…

Max Builds a PC (Computer Science Teacher blog) – “My friend Max is building a PC from parts. Over at Channel 8 (First post in the series here) he’s looking for recommendations and suggestions about parts. Looks like a good conversation is taking place already but there is always room for more.

Steve Clayton: Geek In Disguise : Steve Jobs on Software + Services – “For a while now I’ve been banging on about Software + Services being an industry thing not a Microsoft thing and then something odd happened. I was at Web 2.0 and someone showed me the Bill Gates/Steve Jobs interview from All Things D on their iPod Touch…

Windows Live Photo & Video Blog : Photo Gallery is now on Microsoft Update – Friday, December 07, 2007 10:39 AM by pixblog — This is a special shout-out to our BETA program participants! At our last estimate, the Windows Live Photo Gallery BETA was installed by nearly 3 million users worldwide. Our BETA testers give us feedback…

Office Offline blog: A few notes about reader-submitted comics 

Windows SteadyState

BetaNews | ‘PlaysForSure’ logo being replaced with ‘Certified for Vista’ – ‘PlaysForSure’ logo being replaced with ‘Certified for Vista’ By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews December 12, 2007, 6:24 PM Without much explanation, Microsoft’s PlaysForSure Web page, which had once been the meeting ground for its portable media technology…

BetaNews | Microsoft ends free software for monitoring giveaway – By Ed Oswald, BetaNews, 121207 — Microsoft pulled the free software offer from its Web site Tuesday, which made free copies of Vista and Office among other applications available in exchange for feedback.

BetaNews | Vista SP1 release candidate goes live – By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews — This morning, BetaNews FileForum was alerted to the availability of the latest release candidate for Windows Vista Service Pack 1, just released from Microsoft.

BetaNews | Microsoft bug deletes files instead of sharing them – By Ed Oswald, BetaNews December 11, 2007, 2:03 PM The company’s FolderShare application is intended to allow customers to synchronize files across multiple machines, but a bug has ended up deleting them.

BetaNews | IDC: Fewer desktop PCs to be sold from now on – By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews, 121107 — Emphasizing the declining role of the desktop PC form factor in worldwide sales, the analysts of IDC’s Quarterly PC Tracker now predict portable PCs will constitute 65% of US PC sales by 2011.

BetaNews | CNBC: Apple preps sub-notebook for Macworld – By Ed Oswald, BetaNews December 7, 2007, 1:29 PM With just a little over one month before the yearly meeting of the Mac faithful, the rumors of an Apple sub-notebook have started to appear.

A Long, Long Wait for a Wii (businessweek) – Nintendo says the shortage is costing it big time, but some analysts say it’s all part of the buzz machine by Cliff Edwards

BetaNews | MovieBeam to shut down on December 15 – By Nate Mook, BetaNews 120607 — One of the first online movie download services is calling it quits after failing to make its business model work despite over $100 million in funding.

Smooth Sailing for Software Stocks – S&P likes the Systems Software subindustry’s stock-price momentum and positive fundamental outlook. Among its top picks: Microsoft and Oracle, by Sam Stovall, From Standard & Poor’s Equity Research

For Managers, Ignorance Isn’t Bliss (businessweek) – December 9, 2007 — Not knowing one’s own faults and weaknesses—and being unaware that they even exist—is dangerous for top executives. Look no further than Zoe Cruz, by Rick Wartzman

Big Shoes to Fill at Adobe (businessweek) – Valley Girl December 10, 2007 — Chizen will be a tough act to follow. Can Narayen, with an ambitious plan to remake how we gain access to the Web, fit the bill? by Sarah Lacy

Billion Dollar Innovation (businessweek) – December 7, 2007 — A Finnish study profiled twelve U.S. companies to give insight on how successfully applied service innovation can bring in the big bucks, by Jeneanne Rae

Home Theaters: Less Is More (businessweek) – Home Theater December 7, 2007 — The minimalist look popularized by the Apple iPod is finding its way into your living room, by Cliff Edwards

Leadership Is About Doing, Not Saying (businessweek) – Marshall & Friends December 4, 2007 — Don’t waste your time on crafting motivational messages if you can’t back it up with action. Leaders must walk the walk as well as talk the talk, by Marshall Goldsmith

How to Write a Winning Business Plan – The founder of 18-employee Seahorse Power details the process behind the company’s award-winning business plan—and uses an annotated version of it to offer advice by Kerry Miller

Plasma vs LCD – which is best? | APC Magazine – There are many claims and counterclaims about the merits of each, so we decided to test out a selection of the latest plasma and LCD sets from companies such as Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, LG, Philips, Grundig and Pioneer… saved by 14 other people … on dec 11

Dealing with Microsoft Haters (Microsoft Certified Professional) – Microsoft may be the world’s best-known brand, but it’s not necessarily the best-loved. Here are ways to overcome deal-busting objections, by Anne Stuart, July 2006

Employee Communication: 3 Ways To Create Transformation In Organizations (Best Syndication) – 121007 — “There are two distinct ways to use employee communication; one is to inform employees about what is happening in an organization, the other is to engage employees in the process of change. In this article we are going to highlight 3 case studies…

Microsoft Leads Accessibility Effort (eweek) – By Darryl K. Taft, December 10, 2007 — Microsoft is heading a group of technology companies that will collaborate on creating IT products for the disabled, chartering an initiative called the Accessibility Interoperability Alliance…

Fixes for Windows standby and sleep problems | Workers’ Edge – a productivity blog from Dennis O’Reilly – CNET Blogs – Courtesy Lifehacker: “If you’re familiar with putting your PC in Standby or Hibernate mode (and hopefully you know the difference), you probably know that both are anything but a sure bet.

The Virtues of Virtualization (businessweek) – S&P says spending on virtualization software and services is likely to skyrocket by Kimberly Castro

Behind Chavez’s Defeat in Venezuela – Chavez had predicted that he would win the Dec. 2 vote by up to 20 percentage points and promised to step down if he lost. He also threatened to cut off oil to the U.S. if Washington interfered in the vote. He didn’t comment on either pledge…

Inviting the hackers inside | CNET News.com – By Ina Fried, 1/04/07 – Editors’ note: This is part two in a series examining how Microsoft’s security strategy has evolved over the past decade.

BetaNews | Microsoft: Firefox users in danger due to more frequent updates – By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews November 30, 2007, 4:39 PM The author of a controversial white paper comparing Firefox’ security integrity with IE’s has released an update, which now makes an even more contentious claim than the original.

A way to avoid phone tree hell | Seattle Times Newspaper – A way to avoid phone tree hell By Craig Crossman, McClatchy-Tribune News Service.

Lawyers: Vista branding confused even Microsoft | CNET News.com – By Tom Espiner, 11/28/07 — Lawyers for plaintiffs in a case brought against Microsoft over Vista’s marketing have claimed that even the software giant’s marketing director was confused by the prelaunch campaign in the U.S.

Protecting Your Precious (Intellectual) Property (Redmond Channel Partner Online) – It’s almost impossible to be too cautious about safeguarding your company’s creative assets — and it’s never too early to start taking defensive steps. November 01, 2007

The customer and the CEO (indiatimes.com) – While many factors including brand equity, pricing, service and quality play an important role in maintaining a brand’s success in the marketplace , in an increasingly competitive scenario, customer service has become a distinguishing tool.

Costco boss bucks Wall Street by being generous to workers, customers – to retail marketing strategy management customerservice … on nov 30

HP expands PC market share lead over Dell in 3Q07, says iSuppli – Hewlett-Packard (HP) in the third quarter continued to expand its lead over rival Dell in the global PC market, shipping 13.1 million PCs, a 32.7% and 3.2 million unit increase from 9.9 million in the third quarter of 2006.

Taiwan market: Toshiba and Sony to launch new blue-laser drives (digitimes) – Jimmy Hsu, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES 11/30/07 — There will be a promotion competition between the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) standards at the IT Month expo in Taipei, which will run from December 1-9…

Dell moves 40,000 Ubuntu PCs | The Register – By Ashlee Vance in Mountain View, 11/30/07 — Dell agreed to ship PCs and laptops with the Ubuntu operating system after more than 130,000 people promoted the notion on the company’s IdeaStorm web site.

BetaNews | Microsoft shows off Windows Mobile update, but not 7.0 – By Nate Mook, BetaNews, November 29, 2007, 3:58 PM — Two dozen invited attendees to Microsoft’s Mobius event in Amsterdam this week got a first peek at the next update to Windows Mobile. It’s not version 7, code-named “Photon,” but the reviews are positive…

Zune 2.0: Playing Tomorrow’s Tune? (businessweek) by Stephen H. Wildstrom, 11/28/07 — It won’t catch the iPod soon, but it may be a harbinger of the subscription era. One thing you can say for Microsoft (MSFT): It doesn’t give up without a fight.

Mike Walker’s Ramblings about Industry Architecture : How NOT To Use PowerPoint – “This is a bit off topic but I thought it was pretty funny. Since I do a my fair share of public speaking I thought I would share some comedic wisdom with you after this long holiday weekend.”

Microsoft gets better at carrying a Zune – International Herald Tribune – By David Pogue, Nov 29, 2007 — “Microsoft might finally be getting the hang of hardware. The company’s overall track record for designing gadgets is pretty awful. Remember the Smart Display? The Spot Watch? The Ultra-Mobile PC? The original Zune? Me neither.

The Day the Video Games Died (extremetech) – By Joel Durham Jr. , 11/29/07 — A reviewer’s view of Sony and Xbox replacement policies for impacted hardware. “So I’m down two consoles, one of which I had to replace by dropping $180 on a new one (and wait for the online stop to ship it to me).

RAID Class Terabyte Hard Drives Reviewed–Western Digital WD10EACS and Seagate Barracuda ES.2 (extremetech.com) – For this article, we’ve tested and reviewed a pair of enterprise RAID class terabyte hard drives, and also compared their performance with a few desktop terabyte drives.

Three-Way Music Software Comparison featuring Cakewalk, ACID Music, and MAGIX Music – By Joel Durham Jr. 11/28/2007 — “Who needs a band? If you can jot down a few lyrics, wield a mouse, and maybe bang some keys on a MIDI keyboard, you can create your very own music. The process can be as simple as dragging a few readymade loops onto a timeline.