Long story short, these slide decks are chock full of internal thinking on Windows 8 — everything from customer target audiences to the Windows 8 developer market to the Windows 8 product cycle and much, much more.

While I agree with the author of the post, in that I feel bad for the person who leaked this, I do think it is pretty interesting to get a look at what Microsoft is thinking.  I always find it useful to know now where they think things are going to be in the future, in the hopes that I will make better decisions about how to position myself and the company I work for to take advantage of the “new stuff” when it gets here.

Rule "Long path names to files on SQL Server installation media" failed.

SQL Server installation media on a network share or in a custom folder can cause installation failure if the total length of the path exceeds 260 characters. To correct this issue, utilize Net Use functionality or shorten the path name to the SQL Server setup.exe file.

So, I moved it to a shorter path and it installed just fine.

Installing Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 RC
You must be either a member of the Administrators group on the computer on which you want to install the Administration Tools pack, or you must be logged on to the computer by using the built-in Administrator account.
Important: Remove all versions of Administration Tools Pack or Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows Vista with SP1 from the computer before installing Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 RC.
Important: Only one copy of Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 RC can be installed on a computer at one time. Before you install a new package, remove any existing copies of Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 RC. This includes any copies that are in different languages. To remove existing copies of Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 RC, see Removing the complete Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 RC pack on this page.
1. On a computer that is running the RC release of Windows 7 RC, download the Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 RC package from the Microsoft Download Center.
2. Open the folder into which the package downloaded, and double-click the package to unpack it, and then start the Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 RC Setup Wizard.
Important: You must accept the License Terms and Limited Warranty to start to install the Administration Tools pack.
3. Complete all the steps that you must follow by the wizard, and then click Finish to exit the wizard when installation is completed.
4. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Programs.
5. In the Programs and Features area, click Turn Windows features on or off.
6. If you are prompted by User Account Control to enable the Windows Features dialog box to open, click Continue.
7. In the Windows Features dialog box, expand Remote Server Administration Tools.
8. Select the remote management tools that you want to install.
9. Click OK.

Download details: Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC)

‘VMName’ failed to initialize.
Could not initialize machine remoting system. Error: ‘Unspecified error’ (0×80004005).
Could not find a usable certificate. Error: ‘Unspecified error’ (0×80004005).

Then this could be your answer:

Symptoms and resolution:

§ You may be unable to start or connect to virtual machines running on Windows Server 2008 or Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008. This occurs when connecting using vmconnect. Connections made using remote desktop won’t be affected.  

§ KB Article 967902 has been created that details the symptoms and resolution.  This KB article provides a direct link to download the quickfix to resolve this error.

Important Notes:

§ Though this error may occur, the Hyper-V service will continue to operate.   Neither the Hyper-V host nor the running virtual machines will go offline.

§ It is not expected that this issue can be exploited for malicious purposes.

§ Customers running Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V beta won’t experience this error.

That last line it my favorite…

I guess we should be running the beta in production…  and what’s with the ‘Unspecified error’?  

Windows Server Division WebLog : Hyper-V certificate expiration and resolution

Support for Live Migration: With Windows 2008 R2 adding support for Live migration, it’s now added as a new migration option in VMM R2. Live migration requires the source and destination host to be part of a failover cluster and that the VM is on a shared storage. Live migration means that there is no user perceived downtime; since the VM’s memory pages are being transferred, the hosts’ processors need to be the same (manufacturer and processor architecture). Our competition claims that Vmotion doesn’t require clustering but this only works for planned downtime and not for unplanned downtime. By combining Live migration and clustering, Hyper-V addresses both planned and unplanned downtime.

Multiple VMs per LUN: VMM 2008 didn’t allow placing multiple VMs per LUN even though Hyper-V allowed it and the reason was that the LUN ownership was on a per host basis. This meant that migrating any VM on that shared LUN would result in all other VMs being migrated as well which can result in a confusing user experience (I’ve blogged about this at length). With CSV (Clustered Shared Volumes) in Windows 2008 R2, a single LUN is accessible by all hosts within a cluster. This enables a VM that’s on a shared LUN to be migrated without affecting other VMs on that LUN. As a result, with VMM R2, we’ll allow multiple VMs to be placed on the same LUN if CSV is enabled on the cluster.

http://blogs.technet.com/rakeshm/archive/2009/03/16/scvmm-2008-r2-beta-is-available-now.aspx

That is from the beta release announcement for SCVMM.  I have downloaded the beta, but haven’t had time lately to get it setup.  I am hoping to work on that this coming week… 

Now they are once again trying to get feedback on a Beta version of System Center Service Manager.  We aren’t participating in the Beta this time (too much other stuff going on) so I haven’t kept up with what is happening, but here is a reply to a question someone had about the Service Manager Roadmap:

Thanks very much for your interest in Service Manager – this is great feedback for our team.  We will be adding many features into Beta 2, including OpsMgr integration, Service Maps, Reporting, Self-Service Portal, Knowledge Management, and Problem Management.  We are making infrastruture improvements that will enhance scalability and performance.  We are making usability improvements that will provide a better overall user experience.  We are also going to be providing a tool that will enable form customization, object model extensions, and IT process workflow authoring.
I’ll try to answer some of your other questions below.
1.  We don’t have plans today for a SCE connector. 
2.  We don’t have plans to have built-in integration with DPM – I would love to hear more details on how you think Service Manager could add value.  A step-by-step example would be most helpful
3.  We don’t have plans to directly control task execution in OpsMgr using Change Management workflows, although I believe the underlying Service Manager platform would support many scenarios.  We do have plans to launch the OpsMgr web console from the Service Manager console (on the same machine) — then you can run these tasks from the OpsMgr web console. 
4.  We are not going to have the ability to prevent changes from being applied using the Service Manager change management feature, however we are evaluating functionality to incorporate change windows at a future date.

Service Manager roadmap : Service Manager – General : System Center Service Manager : Microsoft TechNet Forums

In Windows Vista, Microsoft is making an effort to help you figure out where your weaknesses are when it comes to PC performance.  The Windows Experience Index is an evaluation of key components of your system.  When you want to know what to do to improve performace, you can take a look at it and decide what areas to concentrate on. 

I think this will be a good tool for companies looking to move to Vista from XP.  You can test your various machine types and look at the Experience Index to determine if you want to replace the machines, add memory, or just move to Vista as is.

Here is a related article: http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=86

I was looking around and found a blog entry that stipulates that Windows 3.1 is still alive.

http://bink.nu/photos/news_article_images/category1022/picture13552.aspx

Silliness prevails it seems.

So I was looking through the Services and noticed a couple of interesting items.  You probably have already seen this, but when I saw “ReadyBoost” I was a bit stumped as to what that could possibly be.  I noticed there are a LOT of new services with Vista, and decided to look it up.  (One of these days, I will actually look at some of the features of Vista.  I have been running it long enough that you would think I had a clue.)

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/features/foreveryone/performance.mspx

Here is the part about ReadyBoost:

Windows ReadyBoost

Adding system memory (RAM) is often the best way to improve your PC’s performance. More memory means applications can run without needing to access the hard drive. However, upgrading memory is not always easy. You need to know what type of memory you need, purchase the memory, and open your computer to install the memory—which sometimes can invalidate your support agreement. Also, some machines have limited memory expansion capabilities, preventing you from adding RAM even if you are willing to do so.

Windows Vista introduces a new concept in adding memory to a system. Windows ReadyBoost lets users use a removable flash memory device, such as a USB thumb drive, to improve system performance without opening the box. Windows ReadyBoost can improve system performance because it can retrieve data kept on the flash memory more quickly than it can retrieve data kept on the hard disk, decreasing the time you need to wait for your PC to respond. Combined with SuperFetch technology, this can help drive impressive improvements in system responsiveness.

Windows ReadyBoost technology is reliable and provides protection of the data stored on your device. You can remove the memory device at any time without any loss of data or negative impact to the system; however, if you remove the device, your performance returns to the level you experienced without the device. Additionally, data on the removable memory device is encrypted to help prevent inappropriate access to data when the device is removed.

I was looking around for something else, but came across this and thought it was useful:

http://vistaforums.com/Forum/Topic562-12-1.aspx

There are some interesting tweaks there.