IT Academy News & Blog - IT observations from Andrew Bettany, IT Academy Manager

Windows 8 Key Shortcuts

I am sure that many of our readers are using Windows 8. Whilst this version of Windows offers a touch or traditional user experience, the Windows Start key now offers more functionality to users.

Below are a selection of shortcut keys used in Windows:

Windows shell/Start screen:

WINKEY – Toggles between the Start screen and the foremost running app (Metro-style) or the Windows Desktop.
WINKEY + 1, WINKEY + 2, etc. – Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and launch the nth shortcut in the Windows taskbar. So WINKEY + 1 would launch whichever application is first in the list, from left to right.
WINKEY + B – Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and select the tray notification area.
WINKEY + C – Display Charms and time/date/notification overlay. (Note that this shortcut displays the charms in the lower left of the screen and not on the right as would be the case using touch.)
WINKEY + D – Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and toggle Show Desktop (hides/shows any applications and other windows).
WINKEY + E. Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and launch Windows Explorer with Computer view displayed.
WINKEY + F – Search Files using the new Windows Search pane.
WINKEY + I – Display Settings pane for the Start screen (also provides access to Networks, Volume, Screen Brightness, Notifications, Power, and Language).
WINKEY + L – Lock PC and return to Lock screen.
WINKEY + M – Minimize the selected Explorer window.
WINKEY + O – Toggle orientation switching on slate and tablet PCs.
WINKEY + P – Display the new Project (for “projection”) pane for choosing between available displays.
WINKEY + Q – Search (within) Apps using the new Windows Search pane.
WINKEY + R – Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and display the Run box.
WINKEY + U – Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and launch the Ease of Access Center.
WINKEY + X – Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and display the Windows Mobility Center application.
WINKEY + Z – Display the App Bar in a Metro-style app.

The following Windows key shortcuts work in the classic Windows desktop:

WINKEY – Toggles between the Windows desktop environment and the new Start screen.
WINKEY + 1, WINKEY + 2, etc. – Launch the nth shortcut in the Windows taskbar. So WINKEY + 1 would launch whichever application is first in the list, from left to right.
WINKEY + B – Select the tray notification area.
WINKEY + C – Display Charms and time/date/notification overlay.
WINKEY + D – Toggle Show Desktop (hides/shows any applications and other windows).
WINKEY + E. Launch Windows Explorer with Computer view displayed.
WINKEY + F – Search Files using the new Windows Search pane.
WINKEY + I – Display Settings pane for Windows Desktop (also provides access to Networks, Volume, Screen Brightness, Notifications, Power, and Language).
WINKEY + L – Lock PC and return to Lock screen.
WINKEY + M – Minimize the selected Explorer window.
WINKEY + O – Toggle orientation switching on slate and tablet PCs.
WINKEY + P – Display the new Project (for “projection”) pane for choosing between available displays.
WINKEY + Q – Search (within) Apps using the new Windows Search pane.
WINKEY + R – Display Run box.
WINKEY + U – Launch Ease of Access Center.
WINKEY + W – Search Settings using the new Windows Search pane.
WINKEY + X – Display Windows Mobility Center application.
WINKEY + ARROW KEYS – Aero Snap.

Still thinking about Server 2012?

Windows Server 2012 is a massive release, building on the huge advances delivered by Server 2008 R2. Delivering many new features and capabilities along with an extensive set of enhancements for existing functionality.

It is clear from the recent IT Pro Camps across the country that there is a healthy appetite for Server 2012 and we are seeing an increased take up in demand for our Microsoft Official courses being delivered here in York.

New features will thrill system administrators everywhere – we fully recommend that you schedule your training class as soon as possible so that you can start to reap the benefits that Server 2012 can offer your organisation.

Technology is Changing Fast! Will you keep up?

If you are in the IT business, I wholeheartedly recommend that you take some time to watch this excellent panel discussion about how the IT world is changing and the the key driver for this change is the Cloud.

Don’t get left behind in your IT career, keep up and change your mind-set from being an “IT Guy” to be an expert who is agile, customer focused and cloud certified.

Great to see Zeshan Sattar, from the UK representing the IT Academy perspective and giving a great show!

http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/CertifiedCareerDay/default.aspx#fbid=j5Fo2qBJL_0

Should you focus on Windows Server 2012 training?

Although Windows Server 2008R2 has been available for 3 years 7 months we still get requests for R2 training. 2008 R2 is great operating system and one which should serve businesses for a number of years to come, however Server 2012 has now replaced it.

The question I have is when should be move our training focus to the current version – Server 2012 which was available from September 4, 2012, ie 6 months ago.

For the sixth release of the server Microsoft have improved the software greatly and it is now far more “Cloud Ready” than R2. Considering the fact that Server 2012 is the server of choice for all new when it comes to installing a fresh system, we have taken the decision to offer ONLY Server 2012 training at the IT Academy.

Take a look at the career planner below for guidance on reaching your cloud based certification goals.

What’s New in System Center 2012 SP1

I recently attended a UK IT Pro Camp – run by the Microsoft DPE team and held at the Hilton Hotel in the centre of York. It was great to see so many IT Pro’s in my home city eager to learn about the latest release of System Centre – Microsoft’s impressive new enterprise management suite.

We are already taking reservations and enquiries for training on SCCM 2012 and SCVMM/Hyper V which were heavily demonstrated by Simon and Andrew – the two evangelists running through the product.

The following links take you to the “What’s New” topics for System Center 2012 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Let us know by submitting a course enquiry or give us a call – we would love to have a chat.

Top Paying Certifications–York IT Academy offers 8 of the top 15!

According to the 2013 Global Knowledge Salary Survey, The York IT Academy offers eight of the top 15 highest paying certifications! Here are the certifications with the highest earning potential for 2013:

(We offer, 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13)

Please get in touch to discuss your training or certification requirements today!

Certification Infographic

If you are considering Windows Server certification on Server 2012, or need a quick heads up on the options available – take a look at the infographic below:

Microsoft IT Academy: Certification Roadmap 2013

The Microsoft IT Academy (ITA) Program provides students with the
technology skills they need to be successful in college and a career.
With Microsoft Certification, students can validate those skills and pursue
a career path in business or technology. ITA Program members receive
attractive price reductions on Microsoft Certification exams so they can
enable skills development and certification for their students globally.

Start by choosing your certification and career path:

Customising the Default Lock Screen Image in Windows 8

Recently we upgraded our academy classroom PCs to include Windows 8 and Office 2013. (Don’t worry – we still have Windows 7 and Office 2010 as well!)

One of the fun things we wanted to do was customise the lock screen – the default in Windows 8 is a 2D drawing of what looks like Seattle:

Here is a quick guide on how to make your lock screen more corporate:

Create your new lock screen image and save it as “img100.png”.
Run the following commands turn by turn, or save them into a .bat file and run.

takeown /f C:\Windows\Web\Screen
takeown /f C:\Windows\Web\Screen\img100.png
icacls C:\Windows\Web\Screen /grant:r Administrators:F
icacls C:\Windows\Web\Screen\img100.png /grant:r Administrators:F
xcopy img100.png C:\Windows\Web\Screen /hiqey

takeown /F C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData
icacls  C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData /grant:r Administrators:F
takeown /F C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\S-1-5-18
icacls  C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\S-1-5-18 /grant:r Administrators:F
takeown /F C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\S-1-5-18\ReadOnly
icacls  C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\S-1-5-18\ReadOnly /grant:r Administrators:F
takeown /F C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\S-1-5-18\ReadOnly\LockScreen_Z
icacls  C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\S-1-5-18\ReadOnly\LockScreen_Z /T /grant:r Administrators:F

del C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\S-1-5-18\ReadOnly\LockScreen_Z\*.* /q

The commands change the permissions so that you (a member of the Administrators group), can replace the default lock screen.
Then the lock screen that you created is copied.
At this point, nothing will have changed. The rest of the commands replace the permissions on all the caches of the lock screen, and then delete all the caches.

Log off, and the default lock screen should be replaced.

Have fun!

How to Turn Off Protected View in Office 2010

If you seldom receive Word documents from outside your business you may become frustrated with the new “Protected View” which Word 2010 offers us to keep us protected from the nasties. If this is a nice but not wanted feature, you can disable this by following these steps:

Open Word or Excel in Office 2010.
Click the Office button. Go to File Menu, Office Backstage, and click Options.
In the left pane, Click Trust Center.
Now, on the right pane, click the Trust Center Settings button.
At this point you should be in the Trust Center dialog window.
In the left pane, click Protected View.
Untick the following options:
Enable Protected View for files that fail validation
Enable Protected View for files originating from the Internet
Enable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations
Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments
Click OK.

Create&MakeitWork… A chance to Showcase Your Business

In association with NYBEP and The University of York’s Creative Technology Centre, SCY is able to offer a select number of businesses and professional practitioners the opportunity to present a showcase in the 3Sixty Immersive Demonstration Space

The brief is: To create an innovative, fresh and exciting way for your business to use the 3Sixty Demonstration space.
We are particularly keen to receive applications from the creative, digital and new technology sectors.

The selected businesses will showcase themselves in the 3Sixty at an evening networking event on Wednesday 12 December 2012 to be held in the Ron Cooke Hub, at the University of York.

For more information, including Guidance Notes, Timetable and Application Form, click here.

This opportunity is brought to you by SCY through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), NYBEP and the University of York’s CTC 3Sixty Immersive Demonstration Space.

Windows 8– Tips and Tricks: Enable Windows 8 Hibernate

Sleep or Hibernation? I like both, but often wonder why both are not enabled by default on Windows 7 or 8.

Only the Shutdown, Restart and Sleep options are enabled in Windows 8, the Hibernation option is not visible by default. Since I wanted to enable the Hibernate option in Windows 8, we will share that here.

Press the windows key and type Power. Settings and power options. Now, select “Choose what the Power buttons do” option from left sidebar.

power options 2

Now select the option that says “Change settings that are currently unavailable”.

Power Options

This will provide you with the option to enable Hibernation. Check Show Hibernate option to enable and click Save Changes.

show hibernate

Press Windows Key and “I” to see the Windows 8 Power options and you can now see the Hibernate option! Yay, happy days.

Moving to Windows 8? We did!

With only a couple of weeks to go before Windows 8 is released to the world at large, are you getting excited?

At the IT Academy, we and most of our customers are IT geeky types and have been using Windows 8 for several months (it was made available to IT Pros and Developers back in August). How are you customers expectations?

One of the key changes we have noticed is that after the initial “shock” of running Win8 on a PC rather than tablet, Windows 8 soon becomes “normal” and our productivity increased. The metro UI is for tablets and the “desktop” is for well, desktop PCs. 99% of my time is spent using the Windows 8 desktop.

Of course we are looking forward to touch – but only on tablets – we much prefer mouse/keyboard whenever we are seated at a “desk” Winking smile

Upgrade to MCSA 2008: Windows Server 2012 Certification with Exam 70-417

If you currently hold MCSA: Windows Server 2008 or one of the MCITP titles listed below, you can earn MCSA: Windows Server 2012 by passing this one exam.

MCITP: Virtualization Administrator
MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator
MCITP: Lync Server Administrator
MCITP: SharePoint Administrator
MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator

Welcome to the Windows Server 2012 certification path!

Currently we are seeing a strong uptake in Server 2008 exams and trainings – is this so that they can earn upgrade rights for 2012?

Hey Students….start thinking BIG!

Huge audience, great prizes, unprecedented exposure! I am sure Microsoft could used equally powerful statements to describe the Imagine Cup 2013, but in the Univeristy of Yrk I believe we have students who are up for the challenge!

Take a look below, get thinking and register your team…

http://www.imaginecup.com/Main/Compete

Windows 8 & Windows Server 2012 RTM!

Microsoft have a number of programs that provides various audiences early access to the Windows 8 RTM code to help prepare for Windows 8 as it enters the marketplace:

August 15th: Developers will be able to download the final version of Windows 8 via MSDN subscriptions.
August 15th: IT professionals testing Windows 8 in organizations will be able to access the final version of Windows 8 through TechNet subscriptions.
August 16th: Customers with existing Microsoft Software Assurance for Windows will be able to download Windows 8 Enterprise edition through the Volume License Service Center (VLSC)
August 16th: Microsoft Partner Network members will have access to Windows 8.
August 20th: Microsoft Action Pack Providers (MAPS) receive access to Windows 8.
September 1st: Volume License customers without Software Assurance will be able to purchase Windows 8 through Microsoft Volume License Resellers.

Interesting times ahead….

Computers–only good for games, internet, excel?

<*Sigh*>

Most young people only associate computers with either Games, the Internet or Word and Excel!

There is a shortage of developer skills and we need to try to change it.

We have arranged for Microsoft UK to present on the 30^th May at The Ron Cooke Hub, to all students on how they can get started with development of new “apps” and software on the soon to be released Windows 8 operating system.

The good news is that <PROGRAMMING IS BECOMING EASIER>

Come along and bring a friend or colleague. Promote the following event to your students and to 6^th Form Colleges across the region.

http://windows8york.eventbrite.co.uk/

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