Category: Microsoft
Category Archives: Microsoft
Windows Server “Ask Microsoft Anything” January 25
This Thursday, January 25 at 9 a.m. Pacific time we’ll be having an Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) session on Windows Server “v.Next.” Yes, we are hard at work on the next version of Windows Server and our Microsoft program managers, including @Ned Pyle and @Jeff Woolsey among others, will be on the chat to get your feedback and answer your questions.
We’d love to hear from you about:
Your thoughts on the Windows Server features previewed at Ignite
Your feedback on innovations and improvements you’d like to see in future versions of Windows Server
Here is the link to the session, where you can sign up to add it to your calendar. The team is looking forward to chatting with you!
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Partner Blog | Grow with Microsoft: unlock new benefits packages and program updates
By Julie Sanford, Vice President, Partner GTM, Programs & Experiences
We are committed to providing the resources and support our partners need to deliver incredible solutions to organizations and communities globally. Today, I’m excited to announce the release of new partner benefits packages, each equipped with in-demand product, support, and advisory benefits and designed to drive partner success.
There are three new distinct benefits packages: Partner Launch Benefits, Partner Success Core Benefits, and Partner Success Expanded Benefits. These packages are purpose-built to meet the varied needs of our partners at different stages of growth and designed to help take your business to the next level. They complement Solutions Partner and ISV Success core and expanded benefits already available for partners.
Benefits packages that meet you where you are
Partner benefits packages represent a holistic approach to partner development. Whether you’re building your first solution or aiming to expand your capabilities, there is a package for you. Partners who want to kickstart their growth can explore the Partner Launch Benefits, which empower you to discover, use, and test Microsoft products. As you expand, the Partner Success Core Benefits offer a more robust set of tools and support. For those who are ready to scale at a larger level, the Partner Success Expanded Benefits provide the most comprehensive range of product benefits and support.
The new partner benefits packages can be purchased individually and in addition to existing benefits, including ISV Success. Beyond these packages, partners are encouraged to differentiate their organizations with a solution area Solutions Partner* designation or specialization. In addition to helping you stand out to your customers in the market, these offerings unlock significantly more Microsoft Azure credits, seats, and technical support.
Click here to continue reading about partner benefits packages
**Be sure to also join our partner benefits discussion board found here**
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
MFA App ID deprecation in Exchange Online
We wanted to inform you of an important update regarding MFA App ID (Microsoft Exchange Online Remote PowerShell App ID) used in Exchange Online. The MFA App ID (a0c73c16-a7e3-4564-9a95-2bdf47383716) will be deprecated by the end of March 2024. After that date, the App ID will no longer be operational.
What is the MFA app Id?
e MFA App ID is an Azure-based identifier used for authentication purposes to access Exchange Online resources. This App ID was specifically designed for the now-deprecated Exchange Online PowerShell v1 module also called as MFA v1 module, which has been replaced by the more robust Exchange Online v3 module. As the MFA module is no longer supported, and other use of this App ID was never officially documented and recommended by Microsoft, we have decided to proceed with its deprecation. We already made this deprecation announcement in Partner Center during February and August 2023.
Who is impacted by this change?
There are three ways in which you could possibly be impacted by this deprecation:
When you connect to Exchange Online using the Exchange Online PowerShell V3 module’s Connect-ExchangeOnline cmdlet, and you are using the -AccessToken parameter and passing the MFA App ID mentioned above.
You have written an in-house (home grown) app that still uses this App ID. Please check your source code for the presence of this App ID.
If you use a 3rd party app that uses this App ID, your tenant might get a Message Center post about this change. Please check with your 3rd party vendors if they used this App ID.
What you should do.
Although Microsoft never officially recommended the use of MFA App Id, we understand that over the years, some of our partners and customers may have taken dependency on this App ID. If you are currently using the MFA App ID, we urge you to transition away from it as soon as possible to avoid any service disruptions.
To replace the MFA App ID in case you use it, we recommend you start using the v3 PowerShell module without using MFA app id as an access token or create a new Application through the Azure portal, ensuring it has the necessary permissions for your required operations and make use of this newly created app ID to login to Exchange Online. For detailed information about Application Id creation and consumption you can refer to: App-only authentication in Exchange Online PowerShell and Security & Compliance PowerShell | Microsoft Learn.
Have additional concerns?
In case you have any concerns regarding the MFA app ID deprecation, you can reach out to us at MFAAppIDDeprecation(AT)service.microsoft.com.
Exchange Online Manageability Team
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Access Releases 9 Issue Fixes in Version 2312 (Released January 4th, 2024)
Our newest round of Access bug fixes was released on January 4th, 2024. In this blog post, we highlight some of the fixed issues that our Access engineers released in the current monthly channel.
If you see a bug that impacts you, and if you are on the current monthly channel Version 2312, you should have these fixes. Make sure you are on Access Build # 16.0.17126.20126 or greater.
Bug Name
Issue Fixed
No list of font sizes when Aptos font is selected
Aptos is the default font for controls in a new database using the recently updated ‘Office Theme,’ but the font size drop down was not displaying a list of font sizes (although you could manually type in a font size).
When a query was open in datasheet or design view, the context menu command to open in SQL View in the navigation pane would not switch the open query to SQL View
This command on the context menu was recently added to allow opening a query directly into SQL view. However, to be consistent with other commands, it now switches the mode of a query that is already open to SQL view.
#Error when using DateDiff with one Date/Time column and one Date/Time Extended column
The DateDiff function was working correctly if both arguments were of type Date/Time, or both arguments were of type Date/Time Extended but would fail to evaluate with one argument of each type.
The updated linked table manager no longer shows the name of the DSN used for a linked table
The old, linked table manager displayed this information. The new linked table manager now also displays it.
Access may terminate unexpectedly when running a macro after editing it
In some cases, after adding/removing/moving macro actions in the macro designer, then attempting to run the macro, Access would terminate unexpectedly. This no longer occurs.
F1 does not display the correct help page when used on some properties/methods of the Field2 object in the VBA IDE
F1 now directs to the appropriate help page for the following properties/methods:
CreateProperty, Expression, IsComplex, Name, Required, SourceTable, Type, ValidationRule, ValidationText, and Value.
Some valid values for the DBEngine.SetOption method have no defined constant
The following constants were added:
dbPagesLockedToTableLock, dbPasswordEncryptionProvider, dbPasswordEncryptionAlgorithm, dbPasswordEncryptionKeyLength
Subform control does not support LabelName property
The LabelName property was shown in the property sheet for every other control that supported child labels and is now present for subform controls as well.
Auto expand in combo boxes doesn’t work for list items >100 index
In some cases, autocomplete did not work for items in a dropdown list when there were more than 100 items in the list. This issue has been resolved.
Please continue to let us know if this is helpful and share any feedback you have.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Why does a query fail when there is no error? | SQL Server 2022 Hidden Gems | Data Exposed
Join us in this episode of Data Exposed: SQL Server 2022 Hidden Gems to learn about the first hidden gem engineers put into the product that you may find helpful.
Resources:
What’s new in SQL Server 2022 (16.x)
View/share our latest episodes on Microsoft Learn and YouTube!
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
🚀 Big News: NTA Techies Blog Joins Nonprofit Techies for Global Impact! 🌐
Dear NTA Techies Community,
Hold onto your seats because the NTA Techies Blog is about to redefine its reach, impact, and excitement! We’re thrilled to announce a game-changing move – the NTA Techies Blog is now making its home within the Nonprofit Techies blog, reaching an even broader audience!
In a move that promises to redefine the tech narrative, we’re joining forces with Nonprofit Techies to amplify our collective impact. This isn’t just a move; it’s a leap into a space where our insights will resonate with an even broader audience!
Hold onto the thrill – the best is yet to come!
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Tell Us What You Think!
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Prepare for upcoming TLS 1.3 support for Azure Storage
Azure Storage has started to enable TLS 1.3 support on public HTTPS endpoints across its platform globally to align with security best practices. Azure Storage currently supports TLS 1.0, 1.1 (scheduled for deprecation by November 2024), and TLS 1.2 on public HTTPS endpoints. This blog provides additional guidance on how to prepare for upcoming support for TLS 1.3 for Azure Storage.
TLS 1.3 introduces substantial enhancements compared to its predecessors. TLS 1.3 improvements focus on both performance and security, featuring faster handshakes and a streamlined set of more secure cipher suites, namely TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 and TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256. Notably, TLS 1.3 prioritizes Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) by eliminating key exchange algorithms that don’t support it.
Clients that utilize the latest available TLS version will automatically pick TLS 1.3 when it is available. If you need more time to upgrade to TLS 1.3, you can choose to continue to use TLS 1.2 by controlling the TLS negotiations through client configuration (see recommendations section below). Azure storage will continue to support TLS 1.2 in addition to TLS 1.3.
We have outlined below some of the known issues with TLS 1.3 enablement, potential impact and mitigation.
Known Issues, impact and mitigation
Certain Java clients can experience high latencies, timeouts, and connections that hang for extended periods due to a bug in the Java Http stack. The issue manifests primarily for applications with high request concurrency. The bugs are [JDK-8293562] and [JDK-8208526] .
The major JDK versions with the bug fixes are:
JDK 11 (> 11.0.17)
JDK 17 (> 17.0.6)
JDK 21
The following categories of clients could be affected while using TLS 1.3:
Clients that run on JDK versions other than JDK versions mentioned above.
Client tools like WASB and Azure Storage SDK for Java < v12 running the JDK version without the fix. (Note: ABFS, Azure Storage Java SDK > V12 are not impacted).
Recommendations for mitigation:
Option 1: (Recommended) Upgrade your application to the latest supported JDK versions mentioned above or latest Azure Storage SDK for Java. You can refer to the following link to get the latest recommended SDK versions.
Option 2: (Short-term workaround) We understand it might not always be possible to upgrade to the latest SDK version. While you move your application to the latest SDK version, this can be mitigated by setting the maximum TLS version for client versions to TLS 1.2. There are two ways to accomplish this:
Setting system properties when invoking the Java application:
java -Djdk.tls.client.protocols=TLSv1.2 -Dhttps.protocols=TLSv1.2 -jar …
Setting system properties in code:
System.setProperty(“Djdk.tls.client.protocols”, “TLSv1.2”);
System.setProperty(“Dhttps.protocols”, “TLSv1.2”);
When your applications are ready to work with TLS 1.3, remember to reset these settings.
Help and Support
If you have questions, get answers from community experts in Microsoft Q&A. If you have a support plan and you need technical help, create a support request:
For Issue type, select Technical.
For Subscription, select your subscription.
For Service, select My services.
For Service type, select Blob Storage.
For Resource, select the Azure resource you are creating a support request for.
For Summary, type a description of your issue.
For Problem type, select Connectivity.
For Problem subtype, select Issues using TLS.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Known issue: Voice calling on Apple devices running iOS/iPadOS 17.2
We’ve recently received a few cases where some users are experiencing issues with voice calls after updating their iOS/iPadOS devices to 17.2.
Apple’s aware of the issue and are actively working on a resolution. We’ll keep this post updated as we learn more, and a fix becomes available.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Best practices for designing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint add-ins
Designing an add-in in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint can be a challenging task, but with the right approach you can inspire users and help them solve problems with a positive experience. In this blog post, we’ll explore some considerations and strategies to design an effective add-in. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or starting out, these tips will help you create an add-in that is intuitive, user-friendly, and valuable to your users. Let’s dive in and discover the best practices for designing an add-in that stands out from the crowd!
Name your add-in effectively
The average attention span for a user to a product or design is 8 seconds. Choosing the right name for your add-in is crucial to its success. Two key tips to keep in mind when selecting a name are:
1) Reflect the add-in’s core functionality
2) Be direct and memorable
If you already have a well-known branding name, don’t hesitate to include your brand first. Also, the name should give users a clear idea of what the add-in does and how it can benefit them. For example, if your add-in is a writing assistant, consider a name like ‘GrammarGuard’ or ‘ LanguageLift ‘ that clearly communicates its purpose. Additionally, the name should be easy to remember and stand out from other add-ins in the same category. Avoid using overly complex or generic names that get lost in the crowd. Don’t forget to check Microsoft Trademark and Brand guidelines.
Provide a detailed description
Your description provides a second chance to make a good impression. A well-crafted description succinctly conveys the key benefits and features of your add-in in a way that is easy to understand and memorable. Ideally, keep your description under two lines (less than 60 characters). It allows users to quickly understand what your add-in does and how it helps them in under ten seconds.
To create an effective two-line description, it’s important to include your add-in’s value proposition and the specific tasks it can help users accomplish. If your add-in is an artificial intelligent writing assistant, your description might read ‘Improve grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style in written content with our service.’
Design your UI to integrate with Office
Follow the Office design principles to create a positive add-in experience.
Design explicitly for Office. Your add-in UI design must integrate seamlessly with Office to provide efficient, natural interaction for your users. The functionality, as well as the look and feel, of an add-in must harmoniously complement the Office experience. Consider using Fluent UI for the web as your design language and tool set. The Fluent UI for the web has two versions.
For React UIs: use Fluent UI React, a React front-end framework designed to build experiences that fit seamlessly into a broad range of Microsoft products. It provides robust, up-to-date, accessible React-based components which are highly customizable using CSS-in-JS. To get started, see Fluent UI React Components. (More resources, see Fluent UI React in Office Add-ins).
For non-React UIs: Use Fabric Core, an open-source collection of CSS classes and Sass mixings that give you access to colors, animations, fonts, icons, and grids. To get started, see Fabric Core in Office Add-ins.
Favor content over chrome. Allow customers’ page, slide, or spreadsheet to remain the focus of the experience.
Make it enjoyable and keep users in control.
Design for all platforms and input methods.
Onboard inside the app
A first-run experience (FRE) is presented when a user opens an add-in for the first time. It provides them with insight into the functions, features, and benefits of the add-in. This experience helps shape the user’s impression of an add-in and strongly influences their likelihood to come back to and continue using your add-in.
Please remember, don’t make users register or sign up first. This can be a blocker for users to try the real functionality. A smooth and easy register experience gives users the opportunity to complete an action that positively affects their perception of the add-in. For more information, see First-run experience patterns for Office Add-ins – Office Add-ins | Microsoft Learn.
Choose the freemium business model
Lastly, consider monetizing your add-in after gaining sufficient traffic. The freemium business model is a great way to attract customers, build a user base, and generate revenue. Freemium is a pricing strategy where you offer a basic version of the product or service for free, while charging for advanced features or premium versions.
By offering a free version of a product, companies can attract a larger audience and build a user base that can later be converted into paying customers. Once users are familiar with the product, they are more likely to upgrade to the premium version to access additional features. Additionally, offering a free version of a product can reduce the cost of acquiring new customers, as users can try the product before they purchase. Finally, the freemium model makes it easier to increase brand awareness and generate buzz around a product.
Get started
Make your first add-in in minutes:
Develop Office Add-ins
Sample add-ins:
Add AI-generated content to your Word document
Get data from an Excel spreadsheet for a mail merge
Create PowerPoint presentations with unique designs
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Embedding a Microsoft 365 Chat (Copilot) Window on a SharePoint Site
We are looking to embed Microsoft 365 Chat on a SharePoint site as a web part or have it appear as a modal/dialog window when this site is launched or a button is clicked. I have seen instructions to do this for custom Copilot chatbot experiences created with Copilot Studio. Has anyone done this with Microsoft 365 Chat?
We are looking to embed Microsoft 365 Chat on a SharePoint site as a web part or have it appear as a modal/dialog window when this site is launched or a button is clicked. I have seen instructions to do this for custom Copilot chatbot experiences created with Copilot Studio. Has anyone done this with Microsoft 365 Chat? Read More
Can i setup teams meetings to only show on the teams device tablet in the room and not on the tv ?
I have a request to not show the upcoming meetings on the television connected to the teams device. Is this possible ? They want to show them only on the tablet
I have a request to not show the upcoming meetings on the television connected to the teams device. Is this possible ? They want to show them only on the tablet Read More
.net maui random errors – Bundle Resource ‘.DS_Store’ not found on disk
since I started migrating a xamarin project to MAUI, I’ve been surprised and disappointed by how often a new (or previously working )project suddenly fails with a time-wasting obscure issue (it seems v brittle!)
the latest one I’m experiencing is this:
/usr/local/share/dotnet/packs/Microsoft.iOS.Sdk/16.4.7125/tools/msbuild/iOS/Xamarin.Shared.targets(3,3): Error: Bundle Resource ‘.DS_Store’ not found on disk (should be at ‘/Users/xxx/Documents/2022 onwards/manually copied/_Projects/residence System/tabletUI/MAUI version/maui_respad/respad2023/Resources/.DS_Store’)
(maui_respad)
I don’t know where to begin dealing with this error, if anyone can shed any light on what causes this it would be a big help…?
since I started migrating a xamarin project to MAUI, I’ve been surprised and disappointed by how often a new (or previously working )project suddenly fails with a time-wasting obscure issue (it seems v brittle!) the latest one I’m experiencing is this:/usr/local/share/dotnet/packs/Microsoft.iOS.Sdk/16.4.7125/tools/msbuild/iOS/Xamarin.Shared.targets(3,3): Error: Bundle Resource ‘.DS_Store’ not found on disk (should be at ‘/Users/xxx/Documents/2022 onwards/manually copied/_Projects/residence System/tabletUI/MAUI version/maui_respad/respad2023/Resources/.DS_Store’)(maui_respad) I don’t know where to begin dealing with this error, if anyone can shed any light on what causes this it would be a big help…? Read More
we noticed you are connecting from an older client ({0}) message
I’ve started getting annoying popup message:
we noticed you are connecting from an older client ({0}). for better experience and reliable connection, please update to the latest client
All my rdp clients are up to date. Any idea?
I’ve started getting annoying popup message:we noticed you are connecting from an older client ({0}). for better experience and reliable connection, please update to the latest clientAll my rdp clients are up to date. Any idea? Read More
Documentation for pktmon is incomplete
When running `pktmon start help` I get a list of options which doesn’t include the –etw flag. And yet that flag is operational. I’m using Windows 10 build 19045.3930, pktmon version is 10.0.19041.3636.
Why would this flag be missing from `pktmon start help`?
When running `pktmon start help` I get a list of options which doesn’t include the –etw flag. And yet that flag is operational. I’m using Windows 10 build 19045.3930, pktmon version is 10.0.19041.3636. Why would this flag be missing from `pktmon start help`? Read More
Did any one using MDE that setup control devices control through GPO successful?
Hi All,
I’ll been working with support for 2 months now but still didn’t successful whitelisting specific USB devices by MDE Devices Control.
I’ll seen this problem on reddit last week too.
Following the official instructions doesn’t work at all and after a few investigation we “learn” need to config the correct “AssessMask” to whitelisting. However, All the network printer blocked by Devices Control.
Anyone have the same issue?
Hi All, I’ll been working with support for 2 months now but still didn’t successful whitelisting specific USB devices by MDE Devices Control. I’ll seen this problem on reddit last week too.Reddit – Dive into anything Following the official instructions doesn’t work at all and after a few investigation we “learn” need to config the correct “AssessMask” to whitelisting. However, All the network printer blocked by Devices Control. Anyone have the same issue? Read More
Number definition in excel
When ever I type number in a cell For exemple 120 it is show 1.2 or 1 will be seen 0.01
how do I change it. when I go to cell proporty it doesn’t help.
Thanks for the help
Shani
When ever I type number in a cell For exemple 120 it is show 1.2 or 1 will be seen 0.01how do I change it. when I go to cell proporty it doesn’t help. Thanks for the help Shani Read More
Displaying Categories in a Group Calender
In Outlook desktop …. When a user sets up a 2nd calendar to share with team members, they are able to see the category assigned to each meeting or event, however when one sets up a group calendar (all users are owners) categories are unique to the individual user’s outlook setup.
Is there a way to assign categories to meetings so that ALL users can see them?
In Outlook desktop …. When a user sets up a 2nd calendar to share with team members, they are able to see the category assigned to each meeting or event, however when one sets up a group calendar (all users are owners) categories are unique to the individual user’s outlook setup. Is there a way to assign categories to meetings so that ALL users can see them? Read More
Ignore the Hype Surrounding the Copilot Announcement
Microsoft’s January 15 announcement reduced deployment costs and opened the possibility for Copilot for Microsoft 365 deployments to many Office 365 tenants. Reducing costs is great, but just because Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now available to many more tenants doesn’t mean that it is a silver bullet to address all IT woes.
https://office365itpros.com/2024/01/18/copilot-for-microsoft-365-deployment/
Microsoft’s January 15 announcement reduced deployment costs and opened the possibility for Copilot for Microsoft 365 deployments to many Office 365 tenants. Reducing costs is great, but just because Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now available to many more tenants doesn’t mean that it is a silver bullet to address all IT woes.
https://office365itpros.com/2024/01/18/copilot-for-microsoft-365-deployment/ Read More