rss.livelink.threads-in-node

Your Invitation for Swiss Partner Day 2025

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 17:53:39 GMT

We’re excited to announce that registration is now open for Swiss Partner Day! 🚀

Mark your calendars for March 12, 2025, and join us for an exclusive half-day event where our partners will discover cutting-edge innovations in Copilot, AI Agents, revolutionize their competitive strategy with the Cloud Migration Factory (CMF), and be inspired by our dynamic keynote speakers.

This event is ideal for partners eager to unlock new growth opportunities and lead the charge in Cloud and AI-driven transformations.

👉 Don’t miss out - register now to secure your spot: https://aka.ms/swisspartnerday

SwissPartnerDay Partner Event #AI Microsoft MicrosoftSwitzerland

How to update to DesktopVirtualization API v. 2024-04-08-preview or API v. 2024-04-03?

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:20 GMT

Hello everyone,

The information from my side is also not clear. I understand that if ARM templates, Terraform, Bicep, or something similar are not used, it is not necessary, and Microsoft performs that operation transparently. The message is universal, meaning that all customers who have deployed AVD receive it, but they do not know who uses and specifies the API version. For example, when creating an AVD through the Azure portal, you do not specify the API version at any time. If we go to the Resource Provider and look for Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization, we see that the default API cannot be changed and is in version "2privatepreview." Interestingly and crazily enough, even with this default API, if you deploy an AVD, the system chooses an older version. So, if anyone has a clear response from Microsoft or has resolved this, it would be great if they could share it.

Regards.

At least until Microsoft indicates otherwise, I have conducted several tests in different environments and the result is the same and as follows:

I deploy the Hostpool and here we see the Json file of the hostpool, as you can see the API version is 2019-12-10-preview.

Now I am going to look inside the parameters used in the deployment and WOW, there we can see that the API used to deploy AVD is the latest one, 24-04-08-preview, which is the one Microsoft indicates to use. The 2019-04-01 is the schema version (another different one).

To finish confirming this, we go to Resource Provider and as we see, if we go inside the resource type and select hostpool, we see that the default version that CANNOT be changed is 2022-01-12-preview. But among the eligible versions is the one that has been used for our hostpool deployment, that is, 2024-04-08-preview.

Windows Installer is very slow on Windows 11 24H2

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 00:01:02 GMT

I am experiencing a recurring issue after upgrading to the latest version of Windows. The problem arises when I try to install any MSI packages. There is a consistent delay of exactly 2 minutes during the "Software Restriction Policy" verification phase of the installation process:

MSI (c) (08:DC) [07:08:23:080]: SOFTWARE RESTRICTION POLICY: Verifying package --> 'D:\Downloads\MuseScore-Studio-4.4.4.243461245-x86_64.msi' against software restriction policy MSI (c) (08:DC) [07:10:23:757]: SOFTWARE RESTRICTION POLICY: D:\Downloads\MuseScore-Studio-4.4.4.243461245-x86_64.msi has a digital signature MSI (c) (08:DC) [07:10:23:758]: SOFTWARE RESTRICTION POLICY: D:\Downloads\MuseScore-Studio-4.4.4.243461245-x86_64.msi is permitted to run at the 'unrestricted' authorization level.

This issue only started happening after I upgraded to 24H2, and it affects both of my laptops, which are of the same model, but not virtual machines. In the virtual environment, the installation proceeds without any delay, which suggests that the problem may be related to the physical hardware (or driver?) or a specific system configuration. Interestingly, with Windows Server 2025 (which is also 24H2), the issue disappeared completely, and installations proceed without any delay—just like in the virtual machine environment.

OS Version: Windows 11 10.0.26100.3194

Specifications of my laptops: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/198152/intel-nuc-x15-laptop-kit-lapkc71f/specifications.html

Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption communities

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 20:36:47 GMT

We have recently launched a Viva Engage Community at our university to support the adoption of MS365 Copilot and are in the process of having this converted to a 'Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption community' type (see: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/engage/engage-365-copilot-adoption-platform) as we didn't know this Community type existed at the time of creation. We are finding Viva Engage to be a very helpful way to exchange knowledge and co-create best practice guidance on the use of MS365 Copilot and feel this will become increasingly important as staff learn to create, publish and share Agents in SharePoint and other environments. I would be interested to hear how other organisations are using Viva Engage to support MS365 Copilot adoption - particularly those working in higher education or similar fields.

#SPILL Error in Excel

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 20:11:25 GMT

I have been working on an assignment and using the XLOOKUP function to try to get a result. No matter how many times I do it, I keep getting the same answer. I have re-entered in the information countless times and can just not figure it out. I have also tried the VLOOKUP function. It says my spill range is not blank but I have no options to select obstructing cells or anything. I have the 365 Excel version. Any help?

Help Linking SharePoint Lists

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 19:09:34 GMT

Hello SharePoint Community,

I've recently been working more with SharePoint lists, but I've hit a roadblock and could use some guidance.

What I'm Trying to Achieve

I need to create a structure where:

Users can create new projects for the company.
Each project can have multiple initiatives associated with it.

The Challenge

Since users manually input data, I can't rely solely on field values to establish links between projects and initiatives. Instead, I need an automatically generated unique ID in SharePoint to connect the lists. (I think this already happens, but I don't know how to use it properly)

The Ideal Setup

When a user creates a new project, SharePoint should generate a unique ID.
There should be a button to add initiatives to the project, ensuring they are correctly linked.

Possible Solutions?

Is there a way to achieve this natively in SharePoint, perhaps using lookup columns, calculated fields, or even Power Automate?
Would Power Apps be a better approach to provide a user-friendly interface for registering projects and their related initiatives?
What are the best practices to ensure data consistency and prevent duplication?

I’d really appreciate insights from anyone who has tackled a similar scenario. Thanks in advance for your help!

Clicking X to close File Explorer - Issue

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 18:11:09 GMT

Hi all, I had to reinstall Windows 11 and I have a strange issue that only occurs with File Explorer. When I click on Minimize/Maximize/Close and let go of the mouse button, the action doesn't occur until I move the cursor away from that area. For ALL other applications, as soon as I press the button the action occurs as expected. I can't believe this is some sort of feature and I don't understand why this would be happening only with File Explorer and not with other applications. Has anyone experienced this before and knows how to fix it?

Using New Outlook with an iCloud Account

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 17:53:16 GMT

I have started using the New Outlook. The first account I added was my iCloud account. The Calendar mapped fine from iCloud, but the Contacts have wrong characters and errors. These do not appear in iCloud.com or in my Outlook 2019, which uses iCloud for Windows.

How can I fix this?

Photos app URI scheme broken?

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 14:51:39 GMT

Is the Photos app URI scheme broken since Microsoft Photos App version 2025-11010-9001-0?

For example when you try to start this:

ms-photos:viewer?fileName=c:\users\userName\Pictures\my%20image.jpg

Filenames in this scheme should be URL encoded, right? Or at least accept URL encoded filenames.

Information about URI schemes can be found here, which refers to RFC 3986 for the syntax. The complete URI syntax is collected in Appendix A, which defines the query part as:

   query         = *( pchar / "/" / "?" )

And pchar as:

   pchar         = unreserved / pct-encoded / sub-delims / ":" / "@"

And pct-encoded as:

   pct-encoded   = "%" HEXDIG HEXDIG

So the encoding "%20" should be accepted, should it not? But it seems this is no longer the case.

Limiting SITs in DSPM

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 14:34:30 GMT

Does anyone know if there is a way to control which SITs are considered by Security Copilot when it is identifying sensitive files that were shared in the DSPM reports?

Importing a Baseline to Microsoft 365 Lighthouse

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 14:17:45 GMT

If you must import a Security Baseline into Microsoft 365 Lighthouse, what sources can you use?

I know you can use the Security Compliance Toolkit (SCT). Still, I am thinking more along the lines of where else in the Azure Tenant and specific services can you export Security Baselines (or Policies) for import into Microsoft 365 Lighthouse?

Full-Fledged MCT to Alumni MCT - Why?

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 13:34:00 GMT

I have been a full-fledged MCT since 2007, and for some reason, this last time (I just noticed) renewed me as an alumni MCT. I have no idea why this happened, and I have up-to-date certifications. Who do I contact? I can't find who I contact or where I can resolve this. I thank you all so much in advance.

Surface User Update February 2025

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 12:06:05 GMT

This is a user update from the UK for Surface 10 core XIP6400 16Gb 512GB 13 inch Laptop.

Almost identical in use to MacBook Air M3 (Apart from OS) but better battery life.

Fully laminated screen with thin bezels.

No fan noise heard so far.

Services disabled -

- Connected user exp and telemetry.

- Dolby Dax

- Windows Search

- All Xbox apps

- SSD indexing.

It looks like the Arm Snapdragon has transformed the Surface Laptop.

A question -

My surface laptop has a 2230 M.2 512GB ssd which appears to be a SDDPTQD 1124 WD. Is there any

benefit in changing to a Samsung 2230 990/991. Would this impact battery life or heat generation ?

ie, The Samsung is better in theory but would I ever notice using MS Office/emails, etc.

Hiiii

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 12:04:42 GMT

Hyy im new here:)

Please suggest “A Basic Understanding of Python” via Microsoft Learn

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 09:06:33 GMT

I’ve seen many posts and discussions about beginner Python courses on Microsoft Learn, such as “A Basic Understanding of Python” or " take your first steps with Python" (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/browse/?WT.mc_id=academic-77958-bethanycheum).

Could you please suggest a working link to study basic Python on Microsoft Learn? All the links I found in previous posts are not working.

ATTENTION: Achievement code issues for AZ-500 & DP-700 course pages.

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 07:25:55 GMT

We are aware of the current issue on Microsoft Learn that inhibits partners from generating achievement codes on course pages for AZ-500 and DP-700.

Teams are currently working to resolve this issue. We will provide a status update on this blog.

Thank you for your patience.

Building Windows Driver Projects with CI and CD

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 05:23:24 GMT

Prerequisites

Before diving into the process, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

For local devbox scenarios

Windows 11 system

Visual Studio 2022 with C++ workload installed and other components, see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/download-the-wdk

For github

A repository with windows driver projects

Using WDK NuGet Packages

WDK NuGet packages are latest edition to the packaging technology provided by Microsoft. Read more about that in this blog Here's a quick summary on how to get started with them:

Finding the Latest WDK NuGet Packages

To find the latest version of WDK NuGet packages, visit nuget.org and search for "Microsoft.Windows.WDK". Note the latest version number for use in your projects.

Challenges with Native C++ Projects

NuGet packages were primarily designed for .NET projects, and the PackageReference feature is not supported with native C++ projects. This can lead to issues when maintaining multiple projects in a source repository like GitHub, as updating NuGet versions would require editing every project file that references the NuGet package.

Solving the Problem with Directory.Build.props

The GitHub repository https://github.com/microsoft/Windows-driver-samples presents a solution to this problem. By using a Directory.Build.props file at the root directory level, which MSBuild imports by default, you can centralize the NuGet package references.

Sample `Directory.Build.props`:

</Project>

This file points to the location of the NuGet packages inside the packages folder at the root.

We still need to use the packages.config file, which will contain the NuGet packages' IDs and versions e.g.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

</packages>

This file will help restore the packages on disk using the command:

nuget restore .\packages.config -PackagesDirectory .\packages\

Building the Projects Locally

Add a packages.config file to the root directory and provide the list of NuGets required for building the projects. For example to build x64 driver you will need x64 version of SDK and WDK NuGets, take a hint from the example above.

Add a Directory.Build.props file to the root directory and the content similar to the sample provided above.

To build the driver project you need to do the following later which we will convert to a github action

Using the Visual Studio Developer Command Prompt, restore the packages using: nuget restore .\packages.config -PackagesDirectory .\packages\
msbuild /t:build path\to\your\project.vcxproj This command will build the project with the restored NuGets.

Setting Up Continuous Integration with GitHub Actions

To automate the build process with every pull request, we can create a GitHub Action in our repository. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Creating a GitHub Action for CI

In your GitHub repository, navigate to the `.github/workflows` directory. If it doesn’t exist, create it.
Create a new file, e.g., `ci.yml`.

Example content of `ci.yml`:

yaml

name: CI Build

on:

pull_request:

branches:

- main

jobs:

build:

runs-on: windows-latest

steps:

- name: Checkout code

uses: actions/checkout@v2

- name: Setup NuGet

uses: NuGet/setup-nuget@v1

- name: Restore NuGet packages

run: nuget restore .\packages.config -PackagesDirectory .\packages\

- name: Build solution

run: msbuild /t:build path\to\your\solution.sln

This GitHub Action will:

Trigger on every pull request to the main branch

Checkout the code

Setup NuGet

Restore NuGet packages

Build the solution

Conclusion

By following this guide, you can efficiently manage and build your Windows driver projects using WDK NuGet packages and automate the process with GitHub Actions for CI. This setup not only simplifies dependency management but also ensures a consistent build process across different environments and development stages.

Still receiving emails from blocked domain

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 03:52:07 GMT

Hello,

For the past two months I have been reporting and blocking every email that comes from mailjetzky, yet for some reason every one of their emails still comes through.

On outlook (see images attached) it clearly says "Blocking a sender or domain will stop their email coming to your mailbox". But this doesn't work one bit... this isn't the only domain that I'm still receiving emails from after blocking them.

Looking on Reddit many people have been going through the same thing https://old.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/1hmtcmz/are_you_getting_loads_of_emails_with_the_address/

Please can someone guide me as to how to fix this issue with outlook, as the report and block button, should, report and block the domain from contacting me in any way shape or form....

MDT Replacement Mode

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 00:27:58 GMT

I'm trying to replace the screen on a Surface Pro 8, and the manual straight from Microsoft says I need to run some pre-repair software. There does not appear to be any documentation showing how to actually do that. Here's the section in the manual:

• Prep Device – Device must be set in TDM Replacement Mode prior to removing a faulty TDM.
a. Connect software tools USB drive with SDT to USB connector on device under repair.
b. Connect power supply to device.
c. Power on device – Depress the power button on the side of the device.
d. Run software tool – At the device OS, use Windows Explorer, navigate to USB drive and run:
SDT – Select Repair setup and validation. Run the Touch Display Setup. At the end of the tool process
device will power down.
IMPORTANT: This step must be carried out on the device successfully before removal of a faulty TDM.
Ensure light levels in the work area remain consistent during the touch display setup process.

I've been able to determine that the correct version of the SDT software is the "for Business version". The options to put it in setup and validation mode are not present when running from the machine. There are no directions for making a portable install on a USB. I started here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/tdm-replacement-mode-on-usb-drive/9b02132e-6fee-46fe-9d90-1934303b8255 and after that and a bunch more reading I found some guidance that got me to creating a custom package, which I placed on my USB. It doesn't run. I've got to be missing something here.

I just need to get this screen replaced. I have the hardware part handled, this software is really throwing me for a loop. Could I get some direction on how to actually make it work, or a detailed description of what would happen if I ignore it and just replace the screen?

Another GitHub benefit for ISV Success participants!

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 23:13:01 GMT

I'm excited to share that ISV Success recently announced a new GitHub Copilot benefit!

Expanded Package ISVs can now get up to $5,000 in Azure credits, exclusively for GitHub Copilot. This is a wonderful opportunity to help you leverage the power of GitHub Copilot.

Learn more: Another GitHub benefit for ISV Success Participants! | Microsoft Community Hub