Showing posts with label Ranting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ranting. Show all posts

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Determining your Hyper-V version

<rant>

Figuring out versions is often way too hard. Why can't I simply see the version in Add or Remove Programs or in the feature overview? Why do I have to mess around with build numbers? Isn't this 2008!

</rant>

The other day, I had to figure out which Hyper-V and SCVMM version a server was running. Luckily, I found this and this article.

I PowerShelled the Hyper-V part, so you can use it easily in your scripts (and if you execute the WMIC command from PowerShell, it will not work owing to parsing differences between cmd and PowerShell). Here is my Get-HyperVVersion.ps1, but you can also execute it directly -

$file=get-command c:\windows\system32\vmms.exe
switch ($file.fileversioninfo.productversion.split(".")[-1]) {
17101 { "Beta" }
18004 { "RC0" }
18010 { "RC1" }
18016 { "RTM" }
}


Note how Get-Command can 'reveal' the versioninfo of a executable/DLL.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Select NULL from Addresses?

Well, sometime I feel like nothing, null, zip, empty - but do they have to remind me???

image

On the other hand: A null may need some eLearning...

Monday, July 23, 2007

CrapWare/BloatWare in downloads as well

Now that Dell lets you avoid bloatware a.k.a crapware, let us start a movement for having extra 'goodies' removed from downloads as well.

E.g. The other day, I updated Java and luckily remembered to use the advanced installation options, so I could uncheck the Google Toolbar. Come on, Sun! Why should I want a toolbar sneaked in, just because I need a Java update??

I actually find that it is OK (besides the wasted download bandwidth) to give me the option. I can understand that Adobe will be me the option of trying some of their other software, but Google Toolbar is totally unrelated to Java runtime. In any case - optional software must be unchecked by default!

So let me start a list of bloatware included in downloads -
  • Java runtime - bloated with Google Toolbar and Google Desktop
  • Adobe Reader - first it attempts to sneak in Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition. Next it will give me Google Toolbar.
  • Adobe Flash Player - Google Toolbar
  • Windows Live Messenger - bloated with Windows Live Toolbar, changes IE home page
  • DivX for Windows - bloated with Yahoo! Toolbar (added 2008-06-11)