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Top 10 Microsoft Tips and Analyses of 2018
Here are the year's most popular explainers and how-to columns -- along with some plain, old "Why did Microsoft do that?" musings thrown in.
10. What's Up with Microsoft Office?
Microsoft's preference for the subscription-based Office 365 over the "perpetual license" version is starting to show up in its feature descriptions. Read here.
9. How Will Windows Server 2019 Impact Hyper-V Architecture?
Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Server product looks to be jam-packed with new features. Here are some of the standouts, specific to Hyper-V. Read here.
8. Spectre and Meltdown: How Do They Impact SQL Server?
IT needs to patch everything, but the Spectre/Meltdown patches come with their own problems, too. Here's how to limit the fallout. Read here.
7. How To Configure a File History Backup for Windows 10
As far as set-it-and-forget-it backup solutions go, there are few more convenient than the File History feature that's built natively into Windows 10. Read here.
6. How To Create a Windows 10 System Image Backup
Microsoft gives you the ability to create a comprehensive backup of your entire computer in Windows 10. You just have to do a little digging to find it. Read here.
5. How To Improve the Performance of Windows 10 in a Hyper-V VM
Brien walks through the steps of troubleshooting a (very) slow Windows 10 virtual machine. Hint: Disable your virtual memory at your own risk. Read here.
4. SQL Server 2019's Big Data Clusters Explained
The biggest feature in the SQL Server 2019 preview launched at Ignite is SQL Server Big Data clusters. Travis Wright, Microsoft's principal program manager for SQL Server, explains exactly what this means for administrators. Read here.
3. Introducing SQL Server 2019: What's New in the Public Preview
Microsoft announced the latest preview of its next-gen SQL Server product at Ignite. Here's a rundown of everything the new release promises, from performance enhancements to security and availability perks. Read here.
2. How To Perform a USB Passthrough in Hyper-V
If you're familiar with how to access a USB device from inside a VMware environment, be aware -- the process isn't quite as seamless as it is in Hyper-V. Here's how to do it in Hyper-V at the host and client levels. Read here.
1. Office 2019: Meet the New Office, Same as the Old Office
While testing out the Office 2019 preview, Brien noticed something unexpected: Office 2019 seems nearly indistinguishable from Office 2016. Read here.