Category: Uncategorized

Your questions: “Where can I find Tzedit.exe to edit time zone info?”

Post author By M3 Sweatt
Post date 07/02/2007
1 Comment on Your questions: “Where can I find Tzedit.exe to edit time zone info?”

First off, this guidance is not for the novice. If you’re not sure about how to use certain tools or update your registry, think twice before you mess around with your operating system files or manually configuring daylight saving time dates by modifying an existing time zone.

I have been pinged a couple of times by folks who have seen older versions of the Knowledge Base (KB) articles that are up on our web site that call for a certain utility previousl released in several resource kits:

“Where can I find Tzedit.exe to edit time zone info?”

We provided a tool that allows users to change the time zone settings on a single computer, cleverly referred to as the Time Zone Editor (aka Tzedit.exe). This tool lets you create and edit time zone entries for the date and time settings in Control Panel.

You can find Tzedit.exe available for download from the Microsoft Download Center here: Download the Tzedit.exe utility package.

In general, don’t download Microsoft (or any other application for that matter) from an unknown third-party web site. Microsoft has scanned this file for viruses and stores the bits on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Tags: Microsoft, Windows Vista, Windows, SBS, Daylight Saving Time, DST.

Tags DST, IT management, link, Your Questions

Uncategorized

Your questions: “do we need to update all of our PCs and Servers for Daylight Saving Time?”

Post author By M3 Sweatt
Post date 07/02/2007
1 Comment on Your questions: “do we need to update all of our PCs and Servers for Daylight Saving Time?”

I think that I may have to change the name of my blog to the Daylight Saving Time 2007 Blog. 😉

This from a call today “do we need to update all of our PCs and Servers for Daylight Saving Time? We have operations outside the US and Canada, so do we still need to update our systems?”

In short, yes, we recommend that customers update the OS on all systems (client and server machines), especially global customers with operations that touch US and Canadian systems, or other countries with updated time zones (Australia comes to mind). Generally, if you have a business that operates mainly in an unaffected time zone you may not have a pressing need to update your systems as many customers in the US and Canada. Even in areas that are unaffected by the DST change (think Arizona, Hawaii), chances are that businesses in these areas interact with customers in other states where time zones are impacted.

For instance, if an end user outside of these new updated time zones schedules a meeting (using Outlook, for instance) that occurs during the extended DST period (e.g., between Mar 11 and April 1, 2007). The scheduler includes someone who is in or uses a time zone that has changed but has not updated their system with the Windows DST OS update. In this case, the meeting will appear correct on the scheduler’s calendar. But the may be off by an hour for the invited participant if the invitee does not have the OS updates applied.

Overall, updating your personal computers, handheld devices and servers is a good path to follow, and we provide more info on the newly refreshed Microsoft DST 2007 site. (See here for more details.) And the updates for computers with currently supported operating systems are available now on Automatic Update.

Another question: “why are you spending so much of your blog on this issue?”

Well, the daylight saving time change over this year is important and timely, and we want our customers and partners to be aware of the changes. Overall, it’s not just Microsoft products that are impacted, but products from many companies that reference or utilize date and time information in the applications and services.

Tags: Microsoft, Windows Vista, Windows, SBS, Daylight Saving Time, DST.

Tags DST, link, Microsoft, Your Questions

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Will my Windows XP applications run on Windows Vista?

Post author By M3 Sweatt
Post date 03/02/2007
1 Comment on Will my Windows XP applications run on Windows Vista?

It’s great when I receive a question that is also answered in the press on the same day.

I was asked via mail if “my favourite Windows XP applications will run on Windows Vista?” Patrick Marshall of The Seattle Times answers that questionin his Technology Q&A.

“Most programs written for Windows XP will work just fine with Windows Vista. But I have found a few exceptions. There is no complete and reliable listing of Vista-compatible software, but you may want to look at a couple of Web sites. The list is continually growing at ieXbeta’s wiki: www.iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List.

“Microsoft also maintains some information, though it is kind of buried. Start your search at: http://Technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/aa905066.aspx.”

This links to the Application Compatibility page on the Windows Vista TechCenter website.

Also of interest: if you’re on Windows XP and you want a more Vista-like experience, check out Paul Thurrott’s Winsupersite article:

These* and other Vista-specific applications are really neat, but you can get identical or nearly identical applications on Windows XP too. (* – “Applications that are supposed to make people want Windows Vista. Things like the Windows Sidebar, Windows Calendar, Windows Photo Gallery, and Windows Media Player 11.”)And by doing so, you can eek some more time out of your XP investment, save up for a future Vista PC, or just avoid all the headaches that go along with upgrading to a new Windows version. Sure, you’ve waited 5 years for Windows Vista, but so what? Will another 6 months or a year be a problem? Really?

“If you’d like to stick with Windows XP for a while longer, here’s some good news. You don’t need Windows Vista. And as I’ll describe in the next section, there are plenty of excellent solutions out there that will make you forget all about Redmond’s next operating system. At least for a little while.”

Tags articles, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Your Questions

Uncategorized

ComputerWorld on DST updates from various IT vendors

Post author By M3 Sweatt
Post date 01/02/2007
1 Comment on ComputerWorld on DST updates from various IT vendors

Computerworld has an article today “DST: How to get IT vendors to give you the right time of day” that talks about how IT vendors are working to prepare and release patches, work-arounds and other fixes for products to address the new Daylight Saving Time (DST) impacts as I noted previously.

A sampling of some of the major IT vendors and the status of their patch availability are noted: IBM, Cisco, Sun and BEA are mentioned in addition to Microsoft.

For more info, visit http://www.microsoft.com/dst2007.