It’s time for a Microsoft Update, and with that said, here is a run-down of what has caught our attention over the past couple of weeks:

Our first piece of news is aimed at Administrators and comes directly from the MS Tech Net site regarding how to manage user hardware restrictions via group policies:

You want a way to control which hardware devices can be installed and which can’t. Fortunately, with Group Policy in Windows Vista™ and the next version of Windows Server®, code-named “Longhorn,” you have the option to allow USB mice but disallow USB disk-on-keys, permit CD-ROM readers, but not DVD-writers, or allow Bluetooth but not PCMCIA.

For those uncertain about the move to Server 2008, and need a testing ground for those server-based applications you are paranoid about running under the new machine, Microsoft have released a nifty new tool called Works With Tool for Windows Server 2008 (WWT), as reported by 4sysops:

It allows you to test applications in order to see if they work properly under Windows Server 2008. Neil Hutson, a Microsoft evangelist, claims that you can “perform automated tests” with this free utility. I just played a little with the beta version today.

WWT has an easy-to-use wizard that guides you though the software evaluation process. It works a little like a software packager. WWT compares the system before and after the installation of the application. It will then give you information about the files installed such as their location, their version number, if they were signed, etc.

On a more non-technical and slightly bizarre note, the Download Squad pointed-out a strange problem that Excel 2007 was having when it came to mutiplying the number 850 with 77.1 and getting 100,000:

Now, 100,000 is a nice round number. Generally speaking, we like it. But in this particular instance it’s wrong. And that’s not something we like to see in a spreadsheet application. As it turns out, any time you enter an equation that should result in 65,535, you’ll get 100,000.

Microsoft has been made aware of the problem and is developing a fix. But it’s a bit surprising that the software’s been on the shelves as long as it has been without anyone discovering this flaw. Anyone find any other calculations that come up wrong?

Two weeks later, the Download Squad followed-up with a fix that needs to be downloaded from Microsoft:

As it turns out, if you perform other functions on that cell, Excel will spit out the correct numbers.

But on-screen it displays the wrong number…

Two weeks later, Microsoft has issued a fix for Excel 2007, and the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Excel Services 2007.

The update will eventually be pushed to Excel 2007 users through Windows Update.

With that said, Microsoft were quick to counter-attack the bad press with an in-depth review of why we need Excel:

1. The Big Grid

Microsoft Office Excel 2007 can now create spreadsheets with up to 1.1 million rows—almost 17 times more than the previous 65,000-row limit. For smaller companies, which often use Microsoft Office Excel 2007 for everything from payroll and scheduling to sales, this might be the single most critical improvement, says Akron, Ohio-based consultant Bill Jelen, creator of the “Mr. Excel” Web site.

2. The Ribbon

The Big Grid is good, but the new Ribbon is great, says Curtis Frye, author of Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Step By Step (Microsoft Press, 2007). For years, he says, readers have sent e-mail messages to him to complain that Office Excel lacked certain features—even though Office Excel actually had those features all along. Users simply could not find the functions they needed within Office Excel’s many menus and toolbars.

3. Key performance indicators

For companies without the budget for dedicated business intelligence (BI) applications, Microsoft Office Excel 2007 can serve as a powerful BI tool. The conditional formatting command on the Ribbon’s Home tab can create graphical key performance indicators (KPIs) within Office Excel.

4. Improved PivotTables

Microsoft Office Excel 2007 simplifies the process of creating PivotTables via commands in the Ribbon, says Frye. (PivotTables are dynamic spreadsheets built from Office Excel tables that let users reorganize the contents to emphasize different aspects of the data.)

And last but most certainly not least, for those still pulling-out their hair at how un-stable Vista is, and really need to upgrade (or is it downgrade) to XP, cNet News reports favorably of the new return-policy in place:

While Microsoft is still pushing Vista hard, the company is quietly allowing PC makers to offer a “downgrade” option to buyers that get machines with the new operating system but want to switch to Windows XP.

The program applies only to Windows Vista Business and Ultimate versions, and it is up to PC makers to decide how, if at all, they want to make XP available. Fujitsu has been among the most aggressive, starting last month to include an XP disc in the box with its laptops and tablets.