I hope you are as pumped as I am to start playing with the beta of Windows 7. We’ve certainly made it easy to do so. IT professionals now have a place of their own to download the Windows 7 Beta. In addition, see the new features that make everyday tasks faster and easier, make your PC work the way you want it to, and make new things possible. And you won’t want to miss Mark Russinovich on Channel 9 going Inside Windows 7. For a good one-stop blog for IT pros to get the latest Windows 7 info, bookmark the Springboard Series blog.
Also, as Steve Ballmer announced at CES, TechNet Plus subscribers can download the Windows 7 Beta now from Subscriber Downloads. For subscribers having difficulties accessing Windows 7 product keys, be aware that the Windows 7 Beta has a built-in 30-day grace period for installations before product keys are required. Customers with this issue should continue to download and install Windows 7 Beta without the product key and then check back later when this issue is resolved.
If you’ve been deploying Windows with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), you can deploy the Windows 7 Beta with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 beta. Join the beta now. MDT 2010 is the next version of the solution accelerator for operating system and application deployment. New features like flexible driver management, optimized transaction processing, and access to distribution shares from any location simplify deployment and make your job easier.
A Month of SQL Server 2008 Tips
TechNet Magazine’s popular Tip of the Day is focusing on SQL Server 2008 for the month of January. You might know about the numerous ways to customize, optimize, automate, and secure your SQL Server implementation. But do you really know how to get the most out of it? The month of SQL Server 2008 Tips can help you take better control of your SQL Server infrastructure. Here are some of the tips you’ll find on TechNet Magazine:

•Customize Memory Allocation for Queries in SQL Server 2008
By default, SQL Server 2008 allocates a minimum of 1024 KB of memory for query execution. This memory allocation, however, can be set for anywhere from 512 KB to 2 GB. Find out when you should change this setting and how to do so.

•Recover Missing Data in SQL Server 2008 Using a Partial Restore
Think part of your database is missing or corrupted? Find out how you can perform a partial restore to recover the missing or corrupted data.

•Configure SQL Server 2008 to Automatically Manage File Size
Using SQL Server Management Studio, you can easily configure automatic management of database and log size in SQL Server 2008. Learn how.