Re: WinNews Vol. 2 No. 15, September 5, 1995
Microsoft(R) WinNews Electronic Newsletter
Vol. 2, #15, September 5, 1995
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As many of you may have seen or heard, the launch events all over
the world were quite a success. There were free newspapers in
England courtesy of Microsoft, midnight madness sales - with the
first copy being bought in New Zealand, a four-story box of Windows
95 sailing into Sydney harbor, the lights of the Windows flag on the
empire State Building and the event here in Redmond, Wash.
There are lots of other great events that will be happening as the
product launches in other countries. All the event were very
exciting, but now that Windows 95 is on the systems of end users,
WinNews will continue in its goal to provide important information
on using and supporting Windows 95.
This issue of WinNews contains:
1. "HINTS AND TIPS" - Our regular feature offering some
helpful ways to use Windows 95.
2. WINDOWS 95 CUSTOMER ADVISORY - BAD DISK 2 PROBLEM
Details on a problem with disk 2 in the Windows 95 install disks,
which a small number of customers have reported to us. This
problem is caused by a previously existing viral contamination
on the customer machine prior to the installation of Windows 95.
3. "MICROSOFT ONLINE INSTITUTE GIVES USERS OF WINDOWS 95
NEW WAYS TO LEARN; "VIRTUAL CAMPUS" OPENS DOORS TO
GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY" - Details on support and
information for users of Windows 95 on
The Microsoft Network
4. "MICROSOFT REPORTS RECORD SALES FOR WINDOWS 95"
This article provides details on the strong support
for Windows 95, as well as some important details
on Product Support.
5. "MICROSOFT JUMP-STARTS MIGRATION TO WINDOWS 95 WITH
SEMINAR BLITZ" - For people who are migrating
Windows 95 to businesses or organizations, here is
information on getting input from
support professionals.
6. "MICROSOFT SUPPORT DESKTOP"
Find out about getting information online, direct
from Microsoft Product Support Services.
7. "MICROSOFT STATEMENT CONCERNING WORD MACRO ISSUE"
Some of you may have heard about a Word macro that is
affecting the "Save As" function of some Word
documents. Here is information direct from Microsoft
on help on this macro.
8. "'LEARN! WINDOWS 95 GETTING STARTED' VIDEO"
Details on a new video from former Microsoft
Product Managers.
9. "NEW POSTINGS TO WINDOWS 95 WEB SITE AND FORUMS"
QUICK NOTES
A. DEVWIRE - A ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER FOR DEVELOPERS
DevWire is an electronic newsletter for developers. Subscribers
receive biweekly headlines of Microsoft developer news, events, and
information via e-mail. It will provide abstracts of the latest
material on the developer Web site, and point to pages on the Web
from where the listed material can be obtained. The last mailing
included topics such as: Building Three-Tier Client-Server Business
Solutions, The Reviewers Guide of Visual FoxPro and Upcoming
Developer Events. To subscribe to this free service, send email to:
DevWire@microsoft.nwnet.com. In the body of the message text write:
Subscribe DEVWIRE
Jay Goldstein
WinNews Editor
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1. HINTS AND TIPS
The following are a few useful hints and tips that will
result in a more productive work environment. These are
some of the most powerful features in Windows 95.
A. Opening Additional Windows In Single Window Browse Mode
If View Options are set to Browse Folders Using a Single
Window for each folder, you can open an additional window
in the folder by holding CTRL while you double click.
B. Suppressing Startup Shortcuts
Hold down the CTRL key while entering Windows. This will
keep items in the Startup folder from launching.
C. Master Volume Control Panel
On the Audio page of the Multimedia control panel applet,
select the 'Show volume control on Taskbar' option. Once
enabled, clicking the speaker icon on the Taskbar will
launch the volume control slider. Double-clicking the
speaker icon will launch the full volume control applet.
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2. WINDOWS 95 CUSTOMER ADVISORY - BAD DISK 2 PROBLEM
Background:
Although this has NOT been a significant call generator on our
support lines, there have been some isolated reports of customers
experiencing an error message during setup of our floppy disk
Windows 95 upgrade saying that setup cannot read the cab file on
disk two. Because we think we understand the cause of these reports
now we are publishing what we know. Customers will be able to find
this information along with any subsequent updates to it shortly in
the Microsoft KnowledgeBase which is located on MSN or on
Microsoft's Web site (www.microsoft.com).
The Symptom:
When the floppy setup gets to Disk 2 it can halt with a message
indicating a bad disk two. The user will be required to exit setup
at that time. Since it is early in the process there should be no
effect on the customer's ability to run their previous configuration.
The Cause:
We have tracked down a handful of disk sets nationwide from
customers that have reported this problem. In every case the
second disk turned out to have been corrupted by a virus on the
customer's machine that had infected the second disk during
install. To be clear the virus was on the customer's machine prior
to installation of Windows 95 and not caused by the Windows 95
disks. This generally happens on disk two because this is the disk
where customer registration information is stored during install
so setup writes to this disk. The virus, which installs itself
undetected on a typical floppy disk, is exposed because of the
unique high density format used for Windows 95 distribution
diskettes.
How can a customer prevent this:
There are two things a customer can do that should prevent this
problem. First, since there are several viruses that might cause
this problem, the best thing to do to eliminate the problem for good
is to run an anti-virus program and scan the machine for viruses
before upgrading. This is recommended right on the disk labels in
fact. The second thing is to flip up the tab in the upper left
corner of the diskettes as you look at the back of them thereby
physically write-protecting them. This will trigger a warning
during setup that Windows 95 could not store the user's registration
information, but setup should complete with no problem. This
solution is only a workaround since it will not eliminate a virus
that might be present on the machine.
What should a customer do if this happens:
Once the virus has infected the diskette, it is bad. The customer
can 1-800-207-7766 to receive a new disk one and two. Product
Support will also be able to handle this problem.
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3. MICROSOFT ONLINE INSTITUTE GIVES USERS OF WINDOWS 95 NEW
WAYS TO LEARN; "VIRTUAL CAMPUS" OPENS DOORS TO GLOBAL
LEARNING COMMUNITY
Microsoft has announced the Microsoft Online Institute, an
interactive education service that provides a convenient,
low-cost way for users of the Microsoft Windows 95
operating system to learn product and technical skills
from their PCs through MSN(TM), The Microsoft Network.
By visiting the virtual Microsoft Online Institute campus,
MSN members worldwide can view training materials from
their desktops, take online classes from experts around the
world, access product and program information, and
communicate with users of Microsoft products from around
the world in online forums and user groups.
"The Microsoft Online Institute represents a fundamentally
new approach to learning," said Nancy Lewis, director of
education and certification at Microsoft. "It is built on
the concept that learning, and the information that
promotes learning, needs to be more accessible and more
affordable to users worldwide. With the Microsoft Online
Institute, we're using technology to enhance the learning
process, share information, and encourage a global
community of educated users."
Since December of 1994, the Microsoft Online Institute has
delivered classes online to a limited customer base by
pairing users with self- study materials and a third-party
trainer online. Data collected from those pilot classes
helped to develop and refine the system shipping today.
In addition, Microsoft has been working with worldwide
experts in fields such as instructional technology and
intelligent tutoring to shape advanced system features,
including online assessment and curriculum mapping,
expected to be released in future versions of the
Microsoft Online Institute in the next year.
"Crafting effective training online differs considerably
from crafting effective training in other media," said
Elliott Masie, president of the Masie Center in Cambridge,
Mass. and a lead consultant on online instruction
techniques for the Microsoft Online Institute. "The
Microsoft Online Institute is the first system to deliver
technical education to the desktops of the world's
workforce while continuing the special relationship
between the learner and the content expert."
Today, more than 20 authorized third-party training
organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe,
Australia and Africa are offering classes on the Microsoft
Online Institute to users of Windows 95 who subscribe to
MSN. Microsoft anticipates that within 60 days of the
release of Windows 95, 1,000 students will be taking online
classes about Windows 95, the Microsoft Windows NT(TM) 3.5
Workstation operating system and Server network operating
system, the Microsoft Visual FoxPro(TM) database, the
Microsoft Visual Basic(R) programming system, Microsoft
Access, and the Windows Operating Systems and Services
Architecture (WOSSA). Microsoft anticipates that by June
of next year, more than 200 authorized training
organizations will be online offering classes to
approximately 18,000 students on the Microsoft
BackOffice(TM) integrated family of server software,
developer and Microsoft Office products, and on related
technologies.
The Microsoft Online Institute rounds out a suite of
education and certification options on Microsoft products,
including traditional classroom training through Authorized
Technical Education Centers; Microsoft Official Curriculum
in CD-ROM, paper and video formats; and step-by-step
Microsoft Press(R) books. The Microsoft Online Institute
can be found on MSN by using the GO word "MOLI."
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4. MICROSOFT REPORTS RECORD SALES FOR WINDOWS 95
Consumers Flock to Stores for Opening Weekend
REDMOND, Wash. - Aug. 29, 1995 - Microsoft Corp. announced
today that it estimates that more than 1 million copies of
Microsoft Windows 95, the upgrade to the Windows(R)
operating system, were obtained by customers at retail
during the first four days of availability in North
America. The upgrade to the MS-DOS(R) operating system,
version 6, previously the fastest-selling software product,
took 40 days to reach the 1 million mark, and the
Windows 3.1 operating system took 50 days to achieve a
similar feat.
Sales of Microsoft Plus! have also exceeded expectations.
Approximately 20,000 retail stores nationwide took part in
the sales launch, which featured a variety of consumer
promotions and sales events, and kicked off at 12:01 a.m.
on Aug. 24 at many locations.
Product Support
Record sales of Windows 95 have had an impact on
Microsoft's Product Support Services as well. Despite an
unprecedented level of preparedness, sales of Windows 95
have resulted in calls that have temporarily exceeded the
phone capacity for Microsoft and its support partners. As
a result, Microsoft is returning busy signals to some of
the calls to its standard phone support lines, rather than
place some customers on hold for a long time. Microsoft
expects calls to Product Support Services to be high during
the first several weeks after the launch of Windows 95.
"We're doing everything we can to help customers access
the technical information they need and apologize for this
inconvenience," said Deborah Willingham, vice president of
support at Microsoft. "The good news is that the types of
questions we are receiving are in line with our
expectations." Willingham added, "Phone support is only
one resource for customers; we also have vast amounts of
technical information on Windows 95 available online and
in the product itself."
Microsoft offers a wide range of technical information
about Windows 95 on the Internet, the MSN(TM) online
service and other online services. Online information
includes software and hardware compatibility lists, a
member-to-member forum on CompuServe(R), the Microsoft
Knowledge Base, the Windows 95 Migration Planning Kit and
the Microsoft Download Library. Microsoft's FastTips
(800-936-4200) is a no-charge phone service available 24
hours a day with prerecorded and fax-back answers to the
most commonly asked questions about Windows 95. As
previously announced, Microsoft has extended its standard
support hours in the United States for Windows 95 for the
first several months of product availability to help
customers get up and running. Standard product support
hours are 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and
7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, including the Labor
Day holiday.
Microsoft will update customers daily with information on
support tools and service via the Windows 95 home page on
the Internet at http://www.windows.microsoft.com in the
What's New area.
"We are off to a great start at retail in North America,
but we still have work to do," said Chase. "We need to
continue helping organizations widely deploy Windows 95
and support the software and hardware companies designing
Windows 95-based products. Windows 95 will increasingly
come preloaded on new PCs and will be available worldwide
in close to 30 languages in the coming months. We are
committed to Windows 95 for the long term."
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5. MICROSOFT JUMP-STARTS MIGRATION TO WINDOWS 95 WITH
SEMINAR BLITZ
More Than 5,000 Two-Hour Seminars to Provide Insight
Into Migration Strategies and Tools
REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 24 -Microsoft Corp. today announced
it is offering two-hour Windows 95 Migration Jump Start
seminars designed to introduce support professionals to key
issues related to migrating business and organizations to
the Microsoft(R) Windows 95 operating system.
Hosted two to three times weekly by more than 400
Microsoft Authorized Technical Education Centers (ATECs)
across North America, the seminars focus on the Windows 95
desktop client and discuss how to plan for the migration,
how to roll out Windows 95 in an organization, and key
tools that are available to assist with the migration.
Seminar content is based in part on feedback collected by
Microsoft product development teams during Windows 95
migration projects at corporate beta sites.
The seminars, which will cost approximately $50 (U.S.), are
scheduled to begin Sept. 18, 1995, and run for 60 days.
Attendees will receive a Windows 95 Migration Planning Kit
CD and a coupon for a discount on either the two- or
five-day Supporting Windows 95 class (discounts of $100 or
$250, respectively). Information on how to become a
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Microsoft
Certified Product Specialist on Windows 95 will also be
included.
Windows 95 Migration Jump Start seminars will be available
at select ATECs in the United States and Canada. More
information on seminar dates, locations and registration
is available by calling 800-SOL-PROV (765-7768).
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6. MICROSOFT SUPPORT DESKTOP
The Microsoft Support Desktop began on August 24th on
the World Wide Web and MSN. Each site showcases the rich
content from Microsoft Product Support Services.
The Microsoft Support Desktop is made up of Microsoft
Frequently Asked Questions for easy access to the answers
of the most common questions, the Microsoft Software
Library containing an integrated library of software and
fixes, and the Microsoft Knowledge Base, a comprehensive
collection of detailed articles with technical information
about Microsoft products. Integrated with the rich content
are the Microsoft Member BBSs, where Microsoft Network
members from around the world meet together for daily
advice and answers on using Microsoft products.
Additional services include Microsoft Wish and the
Microsoft Support Network. Microsoft Wish forwards
suggestions to the Microsoft product groups on
services and improvements. The Microsoft Support Network
provides resources from supporting multinational offices to
individual needs such as accessing Microsoft libraries for
technical information and software updates.
The WWW "Microsoft Support Desktop" site is located at
http://www.microsoft.com/support/ and the MSN site can be
found by using the GO word "MSSUPPORT".
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7. MICROSOFT STATEMENT CONCERNING WORD MACRO ISSUE
REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 29 - Microsoft recently learned that
Microsoft Word has been a target of a virus-like macro
which distributes itself through documents created in
Word 6.0 for Windows 3.1, Word for the Macintosh(R), Word
for Windows NT(TM) and Word for Windows 95. This prank
macro - which changes Word's Save As command - does not
cause data loss or other serious system corruption, but is
an annoyance. Although the macro does not ship in packaged
product that users would buy, they may be exposed to it
from imported Word documents and templates.
Because it affects customers, Microsoft has moved quickly
to develop a scanning tool to address the problem. The
company has posted this tool on various Internet locations
and on-line services to ensure that customers are no longer
inconvenienced and are protected against future occurrences
of being affected by the macro.
The scanning tool and additional information can be downloaded from
the Microsoft World Wide Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/msoffice, or through The Microsoft
Network (MSN) using the go word: wordprankfix. It is also
posted in the Word forums on other on-line services, such
as CompuServe(R) and America Online(R). Customers may also
get the tool by calling Microsoft's Product Support
Services at 206-462-9673 for Word for Windows, and
206-635-7200 for Word for the Macintosh.
Microsoft is also working on an additional tool which will
automatically detect any similar prank macros and alert
users to their presence before the macro affects their
program. The company hopes to finalize this tool and make
it available next week.
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8. "LEARN! WINDOWS 95 GETTING STARTED" VIDEO.
The experts who taught Microsoft's sales force how to use
Windows, announce the availability of their first
instructional video tape, WinStruct's "LEARN! Windows 95
Getting Started". The one-hour video, is designed to help
all Windows users get up to speed quickly on Windows 95.
The video features two former Microsoft Windows Product
Managers, and uses their knowledge to provide both home
business users with comprehensive lessons on how to take
full advantage of Windows 95.
The video is divided into easy-to-find, color-coded
modules and comes with a corresponding, supplemental
review booklet. Customers also receive a diskette "Help
Library" with answers to the most common questions asked
of Microsoft's Product Support Services as well as notes
and solutions for pre-Windows 95 programs with
known incompatibilities.
Winstruct's "LEARN! Windows 95: Getting Started" video will
be followed in October by "LEARN! Windows 95: Advanced
Features" and "LEARN! Windows 95: Tips, Tricks &
Shortcuts." The LEARN! Windows 95 videos are available
individually for $19.95 each or $54.95 for the three-tape
set. The videos are currently available by ordering direct
at (800) 242-4842 and will soon be available at major retailers.
WinStruct can be reached at (206) 821-2246, or by email:
keithw@msn.com or tomja@msn.com.
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9. NEW POSTINGS TO WINDOWS 95 WEB SITE AND FORUMS
Windows 95 General Information
------------------------------------------------
"Internet Explorer download"- internetexplorer/msie10.exe
Technical Information and Support
---------------------------------------------------
"Updated Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)" - as of
August 23, 1995 - MigrationPlanningKit/hcl.exe
"HCL Readme" - MigrationPlanningKit/hclread.txt
Windows 95 Compatible Products
-------------------------------------------------
"Microsoft Plus! features and benefits" - Plusover.exe
"Reviewer's Guide on Microsoft Plus" - Plusguid.exe
"Plus Demo" - Plusdemo.exe
"Updated Logo Catalogue" - Logo_w31.exe
"Logo Catalogue readme" - Logo_w31.txt
News & Events
----------------------
"Fortune 1,000 Companies Already Moving to Windows 95" -
PressReleases/au 21951.doc
"Microsoft Presents: The Start of Something New" -
PressReleases/au 21952.doc
"Microsoft Windows 95 Is Available Today at Retail Outlets
Worldwide" - PressReleases/au 24951.doc
"Lighting of Empire State Building Commemorates the
Arrival of Microsoft Windows 95" -
PressReleases/au 24952.doc
"Latest WinNews Newsletter" - WinNews/vol2#14.doc
YOU CAN FIND THE ARTICLES LISTED ABOVE,
AND OTHER WINDOWS 95 INFORMATION:
On the World Wide Web at:
http://www.windows.microsoft.com
On the Internet:
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/PerOpSys/Win_News
On The Microsoft Network:
Categories\Computers and Software\Software\
Microsoft\Windows 95\WinNews
On America OnLine: Use keyword WINNEWS
On CompuServe: GO WINNEWS.
On GEnie: MOVE TO PAGE 95
On Prodigy: JUMP WINNEWS.
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This document is provided for informational purposes only. The
information contained in this document represents the current view
of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of
publication. Because Microsoft must respond to change in market
conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the
part of Microsoft and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any
information presented after the date of publication.
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