Well, I started reading, got a text marker and a pencil and began scribbling on the first page. I am not a very patient guy… and got tiered almost immediately. And then it hit me. Isn’t there a printer driver shipping w/ OneNote. A printer that allows you to Send to OneNote? Yes, there is. Here’s how OneNote turned my day into a happy day.

First, the original electronic version was nowhere to find. So I scanned the document into a PDF format. Now that I had it in PDF, I used the Send to OneNote virtual printer and sent the whole PDF to OneNote.

Second, as we all know, in OneNote you can now easily annotate, write over the existing text that is available as bitmap in OneNote, and more. That’s more like, say, beginning of the 21st century. But wait, the document is still 40+ pages. How do I find all the locations within the document where the same changes should be applied? And this is where it seriously gets cool and more 2014’ish.

Third, pasting (or in this case) printing a bitmap into OneNote triggers its built-in OCR feature. OMG. Finding and annotating is sooo much better, faster, and less stressful using OneNote.

One caveat! The virtual printer of OneNote may not available on every device supported by OneNote while, once you have a bitmap with text in your OneNote, you can search within its text. I did the print on a Windows PC in my office and later searched the bitmap for text on a Mac in a Windows Phone

Go download your free copy of OneNote.

@volkerw.

In a previous post I discussed the creation of a fully configured Windows based virtual machine for various Windows development work. Now let's use it.

This post assumes the availability of a fully configured VHD file as outlined in the previous post “Setup a Windows Development Environment in a Virtual Machine and Beyond”. While the content and configuration of the image is not perfect, it will give anyone using it a good head start. It will require less work on the development infrastructure and free up time to work on projects.

The content of the provided virtual machine file can be used in different ways. See the diagram below for suggestions. Please note that your system might not support one or the other suggested scenario.

You can always install missing software via chocolaty or webpicmd or any other method.

Please remember, software like Visual Studio 2013 and others require you to purchase a proper license before using it in production.

As always, all information is provided as-is. I cannot guarantee it will work in your environment, nor can I be held liable for any issues caused by following the steps or using the resulting image. Simply put, YMMV.

Usage Diagram

Use as Virtual Machine

The VHD file from the previous post can be used in different ways. The easiest way is using as a virtual machine. There are a few limitation when using the VHD as a virtual machine in a virtualized environment. Refer to the sections below to find out about the limitations.

Hyper-V

The virtual machine in the VHD file has been built using Hyper-V. Using it with Hyper-V on a Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 client or Windows Server 2012 (R2) is the preferred way. There is however one limitation. If you intend to develop Windows Phone software you will not be able to use the emulator due to restrictions in the Microsoft Hypervisor (no support for nested virtualization).

Steps to run the virtual machine (VM) in Hyper-V on Windows 8(.1)

Make sure you have enabled Hyper-V on your system via Control Panel\Programs\Turn Windows features on or off/Hyper-V. To enable this feature your system must be enabled to support virtualization via BIOS settings. Refer to your specific BIOS for details.

1. Copy the VHD file to a local directory
2. Start Hyper-V Manager and create a new virtual machine and attach the newly copied VHD file as the disk

• Memory: 2GB minimum
• 2 processors (or more)

1. Do NOT connect a network yet
2. Point it to the previously copied VHD file as the target disk
3. Start the virtual machine and follow the steps to create a local user account.
   YOU WILL NOT BE USING THIS USER ACCOUNT AT ALL. A FULLY CONFIGURED ACCOUNT HAS BEEN CREATED FOR YOU. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU USE THIS ACCOUNT. Feel free to rename the account to your liking at a later time as suggested in Next Steps further down.
4. Follow the steps in Next steps towards the end of the post

VirtualBox 4.2 and above

The provided VHD file can be used directly w/o any conversion by the latest builds or VirtualBox. If you are unfamiliar with creating a virtual machine in VirtualBox refer to this documentation. Make sure to select “Use existing hard disk” or similar to attached the copied VHD file to the newly created VM. A copy of the latest version of VirtualBox can be downloaded from project’s website. Below steps have been performed using VirtualBox 4.2.

Other settings:

• Memory: 2GB minimum
• 2 processors (or more)
• OS: Windows 8, 64-bit (or similar, 64-bit Windows is important!)
• Make sure VT-x/AMD-V, Nested Paging is enabled

Once the installation of the virtual machine has finished, launch the VM and go through the setup process.

1. Start the virtual machine and follow the steps to create a local user.
   YOU WILL NOT BE USING THIS USER ACCOUNT AT ALL. A FULLY CONFIGURED ACCOUNT HAS BEEN CREATED FOR YOU. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU USE THIS ACCOUNT. Feel free to rename the account to your liking.
2. After a reboot, install the virtual machine Guest Additions as described here.
3. Follow the steps in Next steps down at the end of the post.

Parallels 9

The provided VHD file can easily be converted using OOB tools shipping with Parallels. Assuming you have installed Parallels Desktop 9 for Mac, follow the steps below to get a working Parallels VM working in Mac OS

1. Copy the provided VHD file to a local directory on your Mac or make a copy available via an external drive (ideally via USB 3).
2. On your Mac open a terminal window
3. Run the following command to convert the VHD file into a Parallels VM format:

1. After the script completed successfully you will find a virtual machine file of the same file name as the original file in your documents folder. The file will have a .pvm extension.
2. Use the “Add Existing Virtual Machine” option in Parallels Desktop 9 for Mac to add the virtual machine to Parallels.
3. Parallels will start the virtual machine. Follow the steps to create a local user.
   YOU WILL NOT BE USING THIS USER ACCOUNT AT ALL. A FULLY CONFIGURED ACCOUNT HAS BEEN CREATED FOR YOU. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU USE THIS ACCOUNT. Feel free to rename the account to your liking.
4. Shutdown and configure the virtual machine with the following settings:
   1. At least 2GB of RAM
   2. 2 processors (or more)
   3. After a reboot you will have a fully configured running virtual machine.
   4. Follow the steps in Next steps down at the end of the post.

Fusion 6

VMware Fusion 6 is capable of importing the provided VHD and run Windows on Mac OS

1. Create a local copy of the provided VHD file
2. In Fusion select “Import” to import the local copy of the VHD file

You have two options to import the VHD file. Either “Windows 8 64-bit” or “Hyper-V (unsupported)”. Hyper-V, even though unsupported by VMware, is the only option if you intend to use the virtual machine to develop Windows Phone apps and want to use the phone emulator that ships with Visual Studio.

1. Once imported you should choose “Customize Settings” to adjust the virtual machine’s memory and other configurations. Suggestion is to use at least 2 GB of RAM and 2 processors or more.
2. Fusion has created a copy of the provided VHD file. You can now delete the original copy of the VHD file from your hard disk.
3. Before starting the newly created virtual machine (VM), make sure to disconnect the VM from the network
4. Start the VM and follow the setup to create a local user account.
   YOU WILL NOT BE USING THIS USER ACCOUNT AT ALL. A FULLY CONFIGURED ACCOUNT HAS BEEN CREATED FOR YOU. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU USE THIS ACCOUNT. Feel free to rename the account to your liking.
5. After a reboot you will have a fully configured running virtual machine.
6. Follow the steps in Next steps down at the end of the post.

Native Boot

Boot-To-VHD

Note: “Bitlockered” volumes are not compatible with Boot-To-VHD. A non bitlockered volume on the local system is required if you want to use this option. Either add a second hard drive to your system or shrink the existing bitlockered volume to make room for another not protected volume.

1. Create a new top level folder called \images in order to hold the provided VHD. This example uses a second volume of D:\
   You can change the drive letter and path for your VHD if needed
2. Copy the provided VHD file under <name of VHD file>  (pick one or leave the existing) into the \images directory
3. Open an elevated command prompt and run the following command

1. Copy the long {CLSID} number given in the output, and use it in the following commands
   1. Note that {curly braces} are required
   2. The square brackets on the drive letter in below commands are required
   3. Run the following commands

1. Reboot. You will have the option to boot the " My New VHD Image " as if it were a local installation
2. Select “My New VHD Image” and follow the setup to create a local user account
   YOU WILL NOT BE USING THIS USER ACCOUNT AT ALL. A FULLY CONFIGURED ACCOUNT HAS BEEN CREATED FOR YOU. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU USE THIS ACCOUNT. Feel free to rename the account to your liking at a later time
3. Follow the steps in Next steps down at the end of the post.

Windows-To-Go

Using this method requires the availability of a Windows To Go approved USB stick. Microsoft employees can purchase Windows To Go approved USB sticks via MSMarket (navigate to the hardware marketplace and search for “Windows To Go”). You find a list of approved Windows To Go devices on the Microsoft website. The minimum RAM size should be no less than 50GB.

To build your own Windows To Go USB stick from a provided VHD refer to the previous post.

This option will allow you to use a provided USB device with your system. The system must be able to boot from an external USB device. No changes to the existing software environment is required.

• Make sure your PC supports booting from an external device like a USB stick
• Turn off your system
• Insert the provided USB device with a Windows To Go image in an available USB slot. Ideally USB 3.
• Turn on your PC and boot from the newly inserted USB device using the appropriate settings/key sequences for your device
• Using a MacBook requires you to select the proper boot volume at startup. Press and hold the option key at system start and select the “Windows” partition for startup
• Follow the setup to create a local user account.
  YOU WILL NOT BE USING THIS USER ACCOUNT AT ALL. A FULLY CONFIGURED ACCOUNT HAS BEEN CREATED FOR YOU. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU USE THIS ACCOUNT. Feel free to rename the account to your liking at a later time.
• After a reboot you will have a fully configured running virtual machine.
• Attention: Using this USB device with a MacBook requires the installation of the Boot Camp device drivers to function properly. Please refer to Apple’s Boot Camp Get Started pages for details on how to obtain drivers. You may have to run the bootcamp.msi in the bootcamp\drivers\apple subdirectory of the boot camp download to get your devices installed. Make sure to run it from an elevated command prompt.
• Follow the steps in Next steps
• Log on using the following user credentials:

Next steps

• <no password has been set>
• Feel free to rename the account and set a proper password via
  Control Panel\User Accounts and Family Safety\User Accounts
• Make sure you use the virtual machine manager of your system to check your network settings and to enable networking
• Check and see if there are any updates on Windows Update and install

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working on a small project to do exactly that. Developers on our team run a globally distributed series of HackFest events with varying attendees from inside Microsoft. The topics of HackFests range from building a Windows Phone app to improving an Azure service written at an earlier HackFest and more.

One of the challenges they faced was that people show up with a wide variety of development environments. Many have Windows installed, some come with their MacBook, running the latest Mac OS. Others had Ubuntu or Redhat installed. Yes, we are a diverse bunch too.

The goal of my project was to enable this smorgasbord of configurations to setup a proper development environment with a good number of tools installed. They should be up and running within the first hour of a HackFest.

Impossible? Well, let me explain how I did it and the limitations of this solution.

Let's start with some boundary parameters so I spare you time and you can stop reading if this doesn't match your requirements. Please read in full.

• The environment is built on Windows 8.1 and uses only Windows tools
• It is based on the concept of a virtual machine (VM) or Windows To Go
• It either requires hardware capable of running a Hypervisor (Hyper-V, Parallels, Fusion, VIrtualBox) or the hardware must be able to boot from a USB drive
• In order to use the described method to create a Windows To Go drive you will need to build your VM on Windows 8.x Enterprise Edition. There's plenty of other methods available (supported and unsupported) to build a Windows To Go drive.
• The preparation time is between 6-8 hours depending on your system's performance
• If you need to keep this image updated and maintained, there's very well documents processes and products available. None of it is part of this document.

Before going into more detail, here's a diagram to further explain deployment scenarios of the end result:

In a second post I'm going to explain how you get to the scenario that matches best your needs. For now let's get started and look at building the environment. BTW, if you want to setup a physical system instead, all of the software installation steps highlighted below – except for the VM stuff of course – apply.

All information is provided as-is. I cannot guarantee it will work in your environment, nor can I be held liable for any issues caused by following the steps or using the resulting image.

Creating the Developer Image

Initial VM setup

The virtual machine can be built on a Windows client system as well as on Windows Server. For my project I used both, Windows 8.1 with client Hyper-V installed and Windows Server 2012 with Hyper-V role installed.

1. In Hyper-V Manager create a new VHD file via New…/Hard Disk. Make sure to create a Generation 1 VHD file. The size should be set to 60GB, dynamically expanding
2. Create a new virtual machine using Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64-bit Eval. bits
   1. In Hyper-V manager create a new virtual machine. Attach the VHD file created in step 1. Install Windows 8.1 Enterprise. Do NOT connect to the network. Follow the installation until you get to the final Windows desktop.
   2. During installation you will create a local user account (hal9000 [no password] used throughout this document)
   3. Do NOT connect to the network while creating the virtual machine (allows you to setup a local user account)
   4. Make sure to turn off Windows Update via Control Panel/Turn Automatic Updating On or Off
   5. In Hyper-V Manager, Connect the VM to the network but DO NOT APPLY ANY UPDATES via Windows Update yet

At this point you should have a running version of Windows 8.1. In the next step we are going to setup the software you might need for developing a Windows, Windows Phone, or Windows Azure app. Well, almost any app you might want to develop for the Windows/Azure world. Kernel mode components like drivers excluded. :)

Setup of development software

• Install Chocolately by running the following from an elevated command prompt:

  @powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy unrestricted -Command "iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))" && SET PATH=%PATH%;%systemdrive%\chocolatey\bin

• Run the following commands in that order from the same elevated command prompt

  cinst VisualStudio2012Ultimate
  cinst dogtail.vs2012.3

• Once finished, continue and run the following command to install the .Net Framework 3.x

  DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:NetFx3 /All /LimitAccess /Source:d:\sources\sxs

  (Where d:\ should be replaced with the drive containing your Windows installation source)

• Reboot
• Install Visual Studio 2013 Ultimate (select all options)
• Reboot, log on as hal9000, and wait for the installation of Visual Studio to finish. Do NOT launch Visual Studio
• From an elevated command prompt, run the following commands in the order presented

  cinst nodejs

  cinst fiddler4

  cinst 7zip

  cinst githubforwindows

  cinst webpicommandline

  choco webpi WPDTV3_RTM

  cinst NugetPackageManager

  cinst git

• Exit the command prompt and start a new elevated command prompt
• Run the following command

  cinst poshgit

• Reboot and log on as hal9000
• Create a directory c:\temp

  md c:\temp

• Run the following command from an elevated prompt

  webpicmd /install /products:"ARR,ARRv2_5_KB2589179,ARRv3_0,ASPDOTNETandWebTools2012_2,BasicAuthentication,ClientCertificateMappingAuthentication,DACFX,DefaultDocument,DigestAuthentication,DirectoryBrowse,ECacheUpdate,ExternalCache,HTTPErrors,HTTPLogging,HTTPRedirection,IISClientCertificateMappingAuthentication,IISExpress,IISExpress_7_5,IISExpress_ByPlatform,IISManagementConsole,MVC3,MVC3Loc,MVC4Vs2010_Loc,MySQLConnector,NETFramework35,NETFramework4Update402,NetFx3,NetFx4,NetFx4Extended-ASPNET45,PowerShell,RequestFiltering,ServerSideIncludes,SMO,SMO_11_0,SQLCE,SQLCE_4_0,SQLCEforWM,SQLCETools,SQLCETools_4_0,SQLCLRTypes,SQLDOM,SQLLocalDB,SSDTVS2012,StaticContent,StaticContentCompression,UrlRewrite2,VWDOrVs11AzurePack,VWDOrVs11AzurePack.2.1,VWDOrVs2013AzurePack,VWDOrVs2013AzurePack.2.1,WASConfigurationAPI,WASProcessModel,WebMatrixWeb,WIF,WindowsAuthentication,WindowsAzureLibrariesNET_2_0,WindowsAzureLibrariesNET_2_1,WindowsAzurePowershell,WindowsAzureSDK_2_0,WindowsAzureSDK_2_1, WindowsAzureSDK_2_2,WindowsAzureXPlatCLI,WindowsInstaller31,WindowsInstaller45,WorkflowClient,WorkflowManagerTools" /accepteula /log:c:\temp\webpi-log.txt

  If asked for the SQL server password, enter hal9000 or anything of your liking (jot it down somewhere). The installation will ask you to reboot to continue installing all components still missing from the initial run.
  Allow the reboot and log back on as hal9000. The installation will continue to finish the application of products

• Install Git Tools for Visual Studio
• Reboot and log on as hal9000
• At this point, feel free to install any other tools and applications

  Useful stuff might be:

  cinst sublimetext2

  cinst paint.net

  cinst adobereader

  cinst flashplayerplugin

  cinst skydrive

  cinst truecrypt

  cinst synergy

  cinst steam

  cinst javaruntime

  cinst notepadplusplus

• Manually install all updates to the OS and installed application via Windows Update (Choose updates for Operating System and installed Microsoft products)
• You may want to delete existing Restore Points from earlier installations to free up some disk space by running "Disk Cleanup" from Control Panel/Administrative Tools
• The virtual machine is now ready and can be prepared for redistribution. At an elevated command prompt run the following commands:

  cd sysprep

  sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown

After the machine has shut down it is now ready for redistribution.

Final step

In our case, I did an extra step compressing the image as described below. This makes it easier for our teams to download the bits from our FTP servers.

Independent of your distribution method, it is recommended to compress the created VHD file using a tool like WinRAR. Using WinRAR it is recommended to create a self-extractable archive (SFX) with high compression (Note: The EXE file which will only run on Windows. In case you want to support on-Windows operating systems you should create just a simple archive). I recommend breaking it up into about 100 MB size chunks to make it easy to restart failed downloads. You can download WinRAR from this website. If required, make sure to buy a proper license.

(Optional) Creating a Windows To Go USB Device

Windows To Go allows you to run a fully configured development environment w/o any modifications to your system. As a condition the system must support booting from an external device like a USB stick or USB drive.

This method requires a system with a USB 3 port. Creating the Windows To Go device will only work with approved USB devices or fast USB 3 connected disk drives. Find a list of certified devices on the Microsoft website.

The fastest way to get to a Windows To Go USB device is to use the above created VHD file as source. The following steps assume you have a VHD readily prepared VHD file available.

1. Download the "Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK)" from here
2. Install the kit
3. Mount the created VHD file using Windows explorer or Windows Disk manager. Mounting the VHD file will "create" 2 local drives. For the next steps you will need the drive letter of the drive containing the Windows directory (the larger of the two drives).
4. Open an elevated command prompt
5. If it does not exist, create a local directory c:\temp

   md c:\temp

6. Navigate to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment Tools\x86\DISM\" or to where the imagex executable has been installed to
7. Run the following command and build a so called WIM file.

   imagex /capture h: c:\temp\hackfest.wim "HackFest"

   Where h: represents the volume the VHD file has been mounted under (step 3.) and c:\temp is any local directory to hold the WIM file. The tool will run for some time (up to 45 minutes or more), be patient

8. On your system, go to Control Panel/ Windows To Go
9. Insert a USB disk (Windows To Go Ready) in an available USB 3 port
10. Follow the dialog and add c:\temp to the Windows To Go search path. The HackFest WIM file will show up in the dialog as an option
11. Use this WIM file to create a Windows To Go USB device by clicking Next
12. Click Save and Exit

Once the tool has applied the WIM image to the USB device (30-60 minutes) it is ready to be used on any PC that supports booting from a USB device. Be aware that users of a Windows To Go devices with a MacBook will need to install the Boot Camp drivers once the system is readily configured and booted. I downloaded and installed the files on the USB drive prior to first boot and installed the drivers at the first occasion possible.

Using the Image

Based on the diagram at the top of this post I will explain in more detail how to use the image and what the different limitations are. Please stay tuned for a second post very soon.

I hope this was helpful and you will be able to follow my description to build your own developer image. It was my goal to thoroughly document the steps I took to create the image we use internally.

Please share your feedback as well as your experience with this image - should you use it. Any suggestions for additional software inside the virtual machine? Tell me.

[Update]

Installed Software

• Visual Studio 2012
• Visual Studio 2013
• Fiddler 4
• Chocolatey
• ASP.NET and Web Tools 2012.2
• Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Data-Tier Application Framework (DACFx) (May 2013)
• IIS: Default Document
• IIS: Directory Browsing
• IIS: HTTP Errors
• IIS: HTTP Logging
• IIS 7.5 Express
• IIS 7.5 Express (Sep 2011)
• IIS 8.0 Express (Windows Vista and up) Or IIS 7.5 Express (Windows XP)- August 2012
• IIS: Management Console
• ASP.NET MVC 3 (Visual Studio 2010)
• ASP.NET MVC 3 Tools Update Language Packs
• ASP.NET MVC 4 with Language Packs (August 2012
• MySQL Connector/Net
• .NET Framework 3.5 SP 1
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4 - Update 4.0.2
• .NET 3.5 for Windows 8
• .NET 4.5 for Windows 8
• .NET 4.5 Extended with ASP.NET for Windows 8
• PowerShell - Windows PowerShell
• IIS: Request Filtering
• SQL Server Shared Management Objects (2012 on Vista and up) or (2010 on XP or 2003 server)
• SQL Server 2012 Shared Management Objects (April 2012)
• Microsoft SQL Server Compact Latest
• Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0 SP1
• Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0 SP1 CTP1
• Microsoft SQL Server Compact Latest Scripting Tools
• Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0 SP1 Scripting Tools
• Microsoft System CLR Types for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 SP1 (Latest)
• Microsoft SQL Server 2012 SP1 Transact-SQL ScriptDom (Latest)
• Microsoft SQL Express Local DB Edition 11.0
• IIS: Static Content
• IIS: Static Content Compression
• Windows Azure SDK for .NET - 2.1
• Windows Azure SDK for .NET - 2.2
• IIS: WAS Configuration API
• IIS: WAS Process Model
• Microsoft WebMatrix 3
• Windows Azure Libraries for .NET - 2.0
• Git Tools for Visual Studio
• PoShGit
• NodeJS
• Git for Windows (command line and GUI)
• Windows Azure Libraries for .NET - 2.1
• Windows Azure PowerShell
• Windows Azure SDK - 2.0
• Windows Azure SDK - 2.1
• Windows Azure Cross-platform Command Line Tools
• Windows Installer 3.1
• Windows Installer 4.5
• Workflow Client 1.0
• Workflow Manager Tools 1.0 for Visual Studio 2012
• Windows Phone SDK 8.0

Setup a Windows Development Environment in a Virtual Machine and Beyond.pdf

https://office365.com.

The MIX team just published a great little document describing the efforts it takes to pull off a great keynote. Certainly worth your time.

The hidden city backstage. The craft of demos. The many months of work coming to fruition. Lights, camera, action! It's showtime.

Read “Behind the Scenes of the MIX Keynotes”.

Read more…

• IE Pinned Sites Part 1: What Are Pinned Sites?
• IE Pinned Sites Part 2: Why Implement Pinned Sites?
• IE Pinned Sites Part 3: How to implement basic site properties
• IE Pinned Sites Part 4: How to implement Jump List Tasks
• IE Pinned Sites Part 5: How to implement dynamic Jump List Categories
• IE Pinned Sites Part 6: How to implement Overlay Icons
• IE Pinned Sites Part 7: How to implement Thumbnail Toolbar Buttons
• IE Pinned Sites Part 8: How to implement a Flashing Taskbar Button
• IE Pinned Sites Part 9: Patterns to make your pinned site code play nice in all browsers
• IE Pinned Sites Part 10: Pinned Site Resources

On May 24-26 Microsoft Learning is hosting a free 3-day Jump Start tailored for IT Pros interested in learning more about preparing for and deploying Office 365. This is the first public training for IT Pros on Office 365.

Find out more about this great free training opportunity on dascloud.net or register HERE.