10 December 2019

Microsoft Anivirus for Windows 7 will end!!!

Microsoft Security Essentials is free antivirus for end users and small companies up to 10 computers. 

This publication is intended to inform that support for Microsoft Security Essentials will end 14 January, 2020.

So, if you use legacy software in Window 7 maybe you need to think to change your antivirus or try to move to Windows 10.

What is the Microsoft recommendation?
  • Recommend you move to a Windows 10 PC to continue to receive security updates from Microsoft.
Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14210/security-essentials-download


Some users already receiving a warning about  the ending suport for Microsoft Windows 7. The following image is one of the examples.


Safety is one of the topics that should not be ignored. But unfortunately it is still quite ignored by users that both home and organizational included decision makers and administrators of the organization itself.


23 October 2019

Free one-year digital subscription for CODE Magazine

Members from Visual Studio Dev Essentials now have access to CODE Magazine the leading independent magazine for software developers. 

To activate your new CODE Magazine benefit and sign up for your free one-year digital subscription.

25 August 2019

If you are taking a Microsoft exam online, read before

If you are taking a Microsoft exam online, read before

There are two ways to take a Microsoft exam:
  • In an examination center
  • Online and you can take the exam anywhere as long as you have a computer with a webcam and connected to Internet

What is the difference between the two?

Basically, it is the comfort.

Some people like to make the exam in examination center, and we will get a pen and a paper so that we can make notes for answering the question. At the end you must return the pen and the paper note.

Other like to make the exam at home or other location. But there are a lot of restrictions. For example, all notes are taken digitally by the following feature https://home.pearsonvue.com/Documents/Technical-specifications/Online-Proctored/online-proctored-whiteboard-overview.aspx).

You may also want to know the specifics restriction on how to prepare for the online exam



You should test your software at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/online-exams.aspx.

What is important to know if you are taken the exam online.

Andy Malone is a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) and Microsoft MVP he has had some issues and warned of some situations.

He recommends that you do the following:
  1. During the registration process you will receive a code notification to start the exam. Do not delete this message and note the code.
  2. Do not schedule your exams for a Saturday or for the end of the day, especially at night. The Pearson Vue will use artificial intelligence (AI) if there is no one available, and you won’t be able to call for help.
  3. If you need or have any problems/issues call the support number or use chat.
  4. Andy Malone noted that it is very important to disable any notification system. That are pop-ups or any type of notifications like Windows 10 Toast Notifications. The notifications will end your exam, so disable them for Windows or Mac OS.
  5. Don't cover your mouth, read the questions out loud, don't talk to yourself, or look around. Any of the proposed actions on exam will cause the exam to be canceled. And the examiner will only warn once.

You can consult the Andy Malone blog post at: https://www.andymalone.org/post/taking-an-proctored-microsoft-exam-you-need-to-read-this

It’s recommended that you have/do:
  • Good Internet access connectivity because any Internet issues or connection fail the exam will terminate, and you cannot resume it.
  • A place with good lighting.
  • Prepare to be in place for 2 or 3 hours without moving, that is, you cannot move a chair, you cannot stretch your arms, among other situations.
  • Before starting, clean and remove any paper, folder, dossier, notebooks, etc from your workplace.
  • And remember you will be monitored by WebCam do not make any funny faces, do not put your hands on the head and others
  • Any outside noise can terminate the exam.

All certification exam policies can be found here.

16 July 2019

New Microsoft Certifications

Over the last year, Microsoft has rolled out 23 new certifications.

To help orient you in the new program, below is a table showing how the 70-xxx exams align to our new certification program.


Exam Number Exam Name Replacement Certification
70-331 Core Solutions of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 Teamwork Administrator  (MS-300, MS-301)
70-332 Advanced Solutions of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 Teamwork Administrator  (MS-300, MS-301)
70-341 Core Solutions of Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Messaging Administrator  (MS-200, MS-201)
70-342 Advanced Solutions of Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Messaging Administrator  (MS-200, MS-201)
70-346 Managing Office 365 Identities and Requirements Microsoft 365 Enterprise Administrator (MS-100, MS-101)
70-347 Enabling Office 365 Services Microsoft 365 Enterprise Administrator (MS-100, MS-101)
70-473 Designing and Implementing Cloud Data Platform Solutions Azure Data Engineer (DP-200, DP-201)
70-475 Designing and Implementing Big Data Analytics Solutions Azure Data Engineer (DP-200, DP-201)
70-532 Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions Azure Developer (AZ-203)
70-533 Implementing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions Azure Administrator (AZ-103)
70-535 Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions Azure Solutions Architect (AZ-300, AZ-301)
70-695 Deploying Windows Desktops and Enterprise Applications Modern Desktop Administrator (MD-100, MD-101)
70-697 Configuring Windows Devices Modern Desktop Administrator (MD-100, MD-101)
70-698 Installing and Configuring Windows 10 Modern Desktop Administrator (MD-100, MD-101)
70-773 Analyzing Big Data with Microsoft R Azure Data Scientist (DP-100)
70-774 Perform Cloud Data Science with Azure Machine Learning Azure Data Scientist (DP-100)
70-775 Perform Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure HDInsight Azure Data Engineer (DP-200, DP-201)
70-776 Engineering Data with Microsoft Cloud Services Azure Data Engineer (DP-200, DP-201)
AZ-100 Microsoft Azure Infrastructure and Deployment Azure Administrator (AZ-103)
AZ-101 Microsoft Azure Integration and Security Azure Administrator (AZ-103)
AZ-102 Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification Transition Exam Azure Administrator (AZ-103)
AZ-200 Microsoft Azure Developer Core Solutions (beta) Azure Developer (AZ-203)
AZ-201 Microsoft Azure Developer Advanced Solutions (beta) Azure Developer (AZ-203)
AZ-202 Microsoft Azure Developer Certification Transition (beta) Azure Developer (AZ-203)
AZ-302 Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Certification Transition (beta) Azure Solutions Architect (AZ-300, AZ-301)
MB2-715 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement Online Deployment Dynamics 365 Certification (MB-200, which is a prerequisite for several Dynamics 365 certifications)
MB2-717 Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales Dynamics 365 for Sales (MB-210)
MB2-718 Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service Dynamics 365 for Customer Service (MB-230)
MB2-719 Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing Dynamics 365 for Marketing (MB-220)
MB2-877 Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service Dynamics 365 for Field Service (MB-240)
MB6-895 Financial Management in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Financials (MB-310)
MB6-896 Distribution and Trade in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Supply Chain Management (MB-330)
MS-202 Microsoft 365 Messaging Administrator Certification Transition Messaging Administrator (MS-200, MS-201)
MS-302 Microsoft 365 Teamwork Administrator Certification Transition Teamwork Administrator Certification (MS-300, MS-301)

21 March 2019

Simplifying the Certification Path for Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate

Azure Administrator Associate will change at May 1, 2019. According with the Microsoft Learning Blog these will be the changes:

Do Microsoft Learning blog:  

Desde do lançamento do programa de certificação em setembro de 2018 a Microsoft Learning recebe uma enorme quantidade de comentários sobre os requisitos para as nossas certificações.

Eles decidimos modificar os requisitos de certificação para o Azure Administrator Associate.

A partir de 1 de maio de 2019, você só precisará passar  um exame o AZ-103: Microsoft Azure Administrator  para ter a certificação.


Este novo exame combina as habilidades cobertas em AZ-100 e AZ-101, com a maioria do novo exame proveniente do AZ-100.

O que você pode esperar:
  • If you have taken and passed AZ-100, you will automatically be awarded the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate certification on or around May 1, 2019. Congratulations!
  • AZ-100 and AZ-101 will retire on May 1, 2019. As a result, all exam registrations after May 1, 2019 for AZ-100 and AZ-101 will be cancelled. AZ-102 will retire as planned on June 30, 2019.
  • If you have registered to take AZ-100 between now and May 1, 2019, choose to take it, and pass, you will earn the Azure Administrator certification on or around May 1, 2019. If you have registered for AZ-101, choose to take it, and pass, you will earn the AZ-101 exam badge. You will be able to share this badge with others to demonstrate additional skills in the Azure Administrator space. Learn more about badging.
  • If you have taken AZ-101, you will receive an exam voucher (regardless of if you passed or failed) that can be used for any Microsoft exam delivered through Pearson VUE as our thanks to you for being early adopters of our new certification program and helping us to better understand the certification needs of Azure Administrators so that we could simplify the process going forward.
  • Instructor-led training and online training (MOOCs) will be updated and available on May 1, 2019; the free learning content on Microsoft Learn will be complete around July 1, 2019.
  • For those of you who have been preparing for one or both of these exams, you can see how the new exam aligns to AZ-100 and AZ-101 in the attached document, AZ-103 OD with Alignment to AZ-100 and AZ-101.pdf.



Document: AZ-103 OD with Alignment to AZ-100 and AZ-101

20 March 2019

Save on Microsoft Official Practice Tests



During March 2019, you can save 25% on ALL Microsoft Official Practice Tests purchased at mindhub.com.

You can have access to the test for 30 to 60 days.

To claim this offer, you should enter the promotional code MCP25 at checkout.

This Offer ends March 31, 2019.

8 March 2019

Source code for the Microsoft calculator is available on GitHub

Microsoft has made available the source code for their calculator that is included with the Microsoft Windows operating system.

The documentation can be consulted here.



Credits: Microsoft

The source code is available on GitHub: https://github.com/Microsoft/calculator




Anyone can participate in the development of Windows Calculator. According to the following
announcement:
In addition to reusing and adapting the code in your own apps, anyone can participate in the development of Windows Calculator. Getting involved is simple. The project is “clone-and-go” and development will follow the standard GitHub flow. There are many ways for developers at all stages to contribute:
  • Participate in discussions
  • Report or fix issues
  • Suggest new feature ideas
  • Prototype new features
  • Design and build together with our engineers


The source code is great for anyone who wants to learn how to create applications in XAML even though the programming language used is in C ++.

However it is recommended to have the following requirements::
  • Windows 10, version 1803 or newer.
  • Latest version of Visual Studio.

23 February 2019

Sysinternals Video Library - Tour of the Sysinternals Tools

Today Mark Russinovich in his Twitter account @markrussinovich, announced that

/ 
David Solomon and Mark Russinovich have allowed the posting the Sysinternals Video Library, 6 DVDs that they made in 2006, for FREE VIEWING.

https://twitter.com/markrussinovich/status/1099016584708923404


Steven Whiting shared the response received by e-mail from Mark Russinovich:

From: Mark Russinovich Mark.Russinovich@microsoft.com
Sent: 20 December 2018 20 : 19 To: Steven Whiting Subject
RE: Sysinternals Video Library 2006
We’re both okay with you posting them.


 This is the first video from Sysinternals Video Library



 You can view the playlist in:


Despite being from 2006 has its historical factor.

14 February 2019

Upcoming Microsoft Course Retirements

Microsoft standard courses are used when technology changes, functionality, new versions and updates.

These are the following courses that will be removed.

Microsoft is retiring the following courses on March 31, 2019: 
  •  10996A: Hybrid Cloud and Datacenter Monitoring with Operations Management Suite (OMS) (OMS is deprecated.)
  • 40457A: MOC Workshop: Azure Developer Hackathon
  • 40500A: DevOps Workshop (replaced by AZ-400 curriculum) 
Microsoft is retiring the following courses from our course catalog on June 30, 2019:
  •  20347A: Enabling and Managing Office 365 (replaced by courses aligned to exams MS-100: Microsoft 365 Identity and Services and MS-101: Microsoft 365 Mobility and Security)
  • 20697-1D: Implementing and Managing Windows 10 (replaced by courses aligned to MD-100: Windows 10 and MD-101: Managing Modern Desktops) 
  • 20697-2C: Deploying and Managing Windows 10 Using Enterprise Services (replaced by courses aligned to MD-100: Windows 10 and MD-101: Managing Modern Desktops
  • 20698B: Installing and Configuring Windows 10 (replaced by courses aligned to MD-100: Windows 10 and MD-101: Managing Modern Desktops
You can consult the list of upcoming exams scheduled to retire here.

You can view course retirements history here.

4 January 2019

Microsoft Learn the substitute for Microsoft Virtual Academy

The Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) will be deactivated on January 31, 2019. This means that you have until this date to arn your certificates of completion in the MVA.

Does this mean that Microsoft will end the free documentation?
No. The MVA will be replaced by Microsoft Learn.

Microsoft Learn uses the docs.com domain that was used by a Microsoft service competing with Slideshare. But Microsoft deactivated it on December 15, 2017 and forced users to move all their documents to other platforms. The statement is still available and can be found here.

Microsoft Learn is the new platform where you can learn about various Microsoft products.

Some advantages and disadvantages of Learn.

I'll start with some disadvantages:
  • Exam Preparation Documentation is not available in Learn. You must use Channel9 or official channels on YouTube like Ignite.
  • For those who like slides, Learn does not provide slides.

Some advantages:
  • If you find any errors in the documentation or it is out of date, you can edit. This is possible because the documentation is in GitHUB which allows anyone to collaborate. All changes are not changed immediately, it is passed through several validations before being published. More information here.
  • Cost reduction. For example in some areas like Azure, you do not need to use your own subscription. Temporary access is provided so you can trial settings, and more.


What about EdX?
EdX is not from Microsoft, it is an open, non-profit online course platform. They partner with organizations and universities. You can even use their platform to create your online courses.

Microsoft has its own 'channel' in https://www.edx.org/school/microsoft.

However not all courses are available but there is Microsoft Learning Partners (training company) that has its own private EdX platform and they are the ones that define the courses to be made available and prices. All costs are borne by the training company.
  • Who wins with this? Everyone.
    • If the partner defines that the courses are free the trainee has access to all information for free.
    • If the partner defines that the course is paid, to have access it is necessary to acquire.

How can I find the training companies that offer these types of courses?
There is no public list. You will need to use Internet search engines. I will not mention any of them either. It would benefit some and hurt others.