Hi Everyone,

I’d like to introduce you to a completely new Windows Server Solutions (WSS) add-in that was released today called “WHS RemoteApp 2011” (for use with Windows Home Server 2011, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, or Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials – or “WSE RemoteApp 2012” for use with Windows Server 2012 Essentials). If you are at all familiar with any of my other WSS add-ins, then you will feel right at home with the new add-in. It works just like my other add-ins, except that your users are not limited to the use of a single server-installed application (or application suite). Instead, you can grant your users individual access to pretty much any application that is installed on your server. Here is a more thorough explanation of the new add-in:

WHS RemoteApp 2011 makes it possible for administrators to deliver remote applications (referred to as “RemoteApp programs” or simply “RemoteApps“) to their users. Specifically, WHS RemoteApp 2011 enables a straightforward publishing process that allows applications installed directly on the server to be provided to users, allows RemoteApp programs to run side-by-side with local programs, and offers integration with a custom “launcher” application to make it simple for users to find and launch RemoteApp programs.

RemoteApp programs are programs that are accessed remotely through a special type of Remote Desktop Connection, and appear as if they are running on the end user’s local computer. Instead of being presented to the user in the desktop of the server, as with a traditional Remote Desktop Connection, the RemoteApp programs are integrated with the client computer’s desktop, running in their own resizable window, with their own entry in the taskbar. If the programs use notification area icons, the icons appear in the client computer’s notification area. Any popup windows are redirected to the local desktop, and local drives and printers can be redirected to appear within the RemoteApp programs. Many users might not be aware that a RemoteApp program is any different than a local program.

WHS RemoteApp 2011 provides administrators the ability to group and personalize RemoteApp programs and make them available to individual end users via the WHS RemoteApp Launcher application. WHS RemoteApp 2011 improves the user’s experience, opens new avenues for program deployment, and reduces the amount of administrative effort required to support these programs.

Users can run published RemoteApp programs in two different ways:

•  Locally from the server’s Launchpad application that is installed on their computer.

•  Remotely from almost anywhere using the server’s built-in Remote Web Access (RWA) website.

To get you up to speed with the new add-in, I’ll walk through the publishing of a simple application like Paint. However, any application that can be installed directly on the server, and is Remote Desktop compatible (i.e. that will run as designed from a Remote Desktop Connection) should work just fine though. Both 32-bit and 64-bit applications are supported.

After installing the add-in on both your server and on all of the computers on your network (see the ReadMe.txt file included with the download for complete step-by-step instructions on how to install the add-in), start the server’s Dashboard application and click on the new “WHS RemoteApp” icon in the navigation pane.

On the “Users” tab, select (highlight) the user you want to be able to access WHS RemoteApp 2011 and click on the “Allow access to WHS RemoteApp” task in the Tasks pane. Repeat the process for each user you want to be able to access WHS RemoteApp 2011.

Now that your users have been allowed access to WHS RemoteApp 2011, you will need to publish one or more RemoteApp programs for the allowed users to use. Again, we’ll stick with publishing just the simple Paint application in our example.

Click on the “RemoteApp Programs” tab, and then click on the “Publish RemoteApp programs” task in the Tasks pane.

In the Publish RemoteApp Programs wizard that opens, select (check) the RemoteApp programs that should be published for use by the allowed users. If a particular program isn’t listed, you can click on the “Add Another Program” button, and browse for the program that you would like to have added to the list of available RemoteApp programs.

Click Next, and either select, or type the name of the group in which you want the list of RemoteApp programs to appear. If you do not want the list of RemoteApp programs to appear in any group, leave the RemoteApp program group field blank.

Confirm that the list of RemoteApp programs to be published is correct, and click Publish.

Back on the “RemoteApp Programs” tab, you can see that the RemoteApp program (Paint) was successfully published, and added to the list of published RemoteApp programs (under its chosen “Accessories” group).

Once the RemoteApp program has been published, you can view and/or edit the RemoteApp program’s properties by selecting (highlighting) the published RemoteApp program in the list of published RemoteApp programs, and clicking on the “View the RemoteApp program properties” task in the Tasks pane.

On the first panel of the RemoteApp Properties wizard that opens, you can edit the general properties of the RemoteApp program (such as changing its name, adding command-line parameters, changing its group assignment, etc.).

In the next panel of the RemoteApp Properties wizard, the RemoteApp program can be limited so that only selected users can see it when using WHS RemoteApp.

Lastly, you can associate the RemoteApp program with a file type. Doing so takes over the file type association on the user’s computer, allowing them to easily open local files of the specified type with the program that is installed on the server.

After you have finished publishing, grouping, and personalizing your RemoteApp programs, your users can access them from the server’s Launchpad application that is installed on their computers.

From the Launchpad application, click on: “Add-ins” -> “WHS RemoteApp” -> “WHS RemoteApp”

Enter the user’s server account logon name and password, and click on the sign-in button.

The WHS RemoteApp Launcher application will start, making it simple for the user to find and launch published RemoteApp programs.

Since many users might not be aware that a RemoteApp program is any different than a local program, the WHS RemoteApp Launcher adds itself as a notification area icon so that your users can identify when a RemoteApp session is active. Double-clicking on the notification area icon will activate the WHS RemoteApp Launcher window, while right-clicking on the notification area icon will display the following popup menu (where users can change various settings, disconnect, or log off the active RemoteApp session, etc.):

When your users are away from the local network, they can continue to access WHS RemoteApp remotely from almost anywhere using the WHS Remote Web Access gadget on the server’s built-in Remote Web Access website.

There’s a fully functional 21 day evaluation period available, so go and try it out for yourself. I hope that everyone enjoys the new add-in as much as I do. And as always, please do let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

More Information, Screenshots, and Download (WHS RemoteApp 2011)

More Information, Screenshots, and Download (WSE RemoteApp 2012)

Buy it Now!

– MIKE

Local Access From The Launchpad Application

1. From the Launchpad application, click on:

Add-ins -> WSE Office (WSE RemoteApp, WSE Outlook, WSE QuickBooks, or WSE Quicken) and click the desired Microsoft Office application (or again on WSE RemoteApp, WSE Outlook, WSE QuickBooks, or WSE Quicken).

NOTE: Starting with version 1.17.171.171, the connector will automatically sign in if you have the “Remember me on this computer” and ”Remember my password” checkboxes checked. To prevent the automatic sign in from taking place (so that you can get to the connector’s Settings drop-down menu), simply hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard while clicking on the Launchpad icon. If you would like to reset all settings back to their default values, hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard while clicking on the Launchpad icon.

2. Click on the Settings arrow in the upper-right-hand corner to display the Settings drop-down menu.

3. Under the Remote Desktop Options section of the Settings drop-down menu that appears, check the “Enable WSE … to access drives on my local computer” checkbox and click on the “Save Changes” button.

The next time you connect, WSE Office (WSE RemoteApp, WSE Outlook, WSE QuickBooks, and/or WSE Quicken) will have access to all of the files and folders on the hard disk drives that are connected to the local computer.

Remote Access From The Remote Web Access Website

1. From the Launchpad application, click on:

Add-ins -> WSE Office (WSE RemoteApp, WSE Outlook, WSE QuickBooks, or WSE Quicken) -> Web Access

2. Sign-in to the server’s Remote Web Access website.

3. Click on the “Remote Desktop Options” link.

4. In the Remote Desktop Options window that opens, check the “Enable WSE … to access drives on my local computer” checkbox and click the “Save” button.

NOTE: The Remote Desktop Options settings are shared across all Remote Desktop Connections made via the built-in Remote Web Access website (e.g. Computer connections and connections to any other The Office Maven produced add-ins you may happen to have installed on the server).

The next time you connect, WSE Office (WSE RemoteApp, WSE Outlook, WSE QuickBooks, and/or WSE Quicken) will have access to all of the files and folders on the hard disk drives that are connected to the local computer.

However, Windows Server 2012 (the underlying operating system in Windows Server 2012 Essentials) includes a feature called “Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration” (or “IE ESC“) which is enabled by default. When IE ESC is enabled, it forces Internet Explorer’s Internet security zone level to be set on High, and it blocks/prevents users from changing the Internet zone’s security level to a different value.

According to Intuit the only way to successfully use QuickBooks is to disable IE ESC. To do this for your server:

1. Start a Remote Desktop Connection to your server as any user with administrator privileges.

2. From the administrator user account’s desktop type Win+F to open Search, click on “Apps“, type “Server Manager” (without the quotes), click on the “Server Manager” result to open the Server Manager.

3. In the Server Manager window that opens, click on: “Local Server”

4. Under the “Properties” heading, scroll over to locate “IE Enhanced Security Configuration“, and click on the “On” link.

5. In the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration window that opens, select “Off” for both “Administrators” and “Users” and click “OK“.

IE ESC is now disabled for both administrators and users on your server. However, if your users continue to encounter the “Internet Security Levels Are Set Too High” message, then you may also need to do the following:

1. Start a Remote Desktop Connection to your server as the USER (not the Administrator).

2. From the User’s Start screen, click on the user’s sign-in name, and select “Sign out“.

3. Repeat steps #1 & #2 for each user that has been allowed access to WSE QuickBooks 2012.

Your user’s should now be able to run WSE QuickBooks 2012 without receiving that pesky “Internet Security Levels Are Set Too High” message.

NOTE: For further information on IE ESC please see: Internet Explorer: Enhanced Security Configuration

1. Select “Remote Web Access” from the Launchpad application.

2. Sign in to the server’s Remote Web Access website.

3. Click the add-in’s “Connect” button.

4. If you are presented with an error message that reads “The Remote Desktop Services ActiveX Client is not turned on“, click on the “What is the Remote Desktop Services ActiveX client?” link, and follow the instructions provided on the web page that opens.

5. Select “Manage Add-ons” from Internet Explorer’s “Tools” menu.

6. In the Manage Add-ons windows that opens, select/highlight “Microsoft RDP Client Control” or “Microsoft Terminal Services Client ActiveX Control“, click the “Enable” option, and click “OK” (or “Close“).

7. Click the add-in’s “Connect” button again (as per step 3 above).

8. If you are presented with an error message that reads “A newer version of the Remote Desktop Services ActiveX Client is required“, click on the “Download the latest version from the Microsoft Web Site” link, and download and install the latest Remote Desktop Connection client update as instructed.

9. Click the add-in’s “Connect” button again (as per step 3 above).

Note: You will need to sign-in to the built-in Remote Web Access website again (as per steps 1 & 2 above) if a server restart was required after installing the Remote Desktop Connection client update.

10. If you are presented with the following error message(s):

“Your computer can’t connect to the remote computer because an error occurred on the remote computer you want to connect to.”

And/Or

“An error occurred while sending data to theRemote Desktop Gateway Server. The server is temporarily unavailable or a network connection is down.”

Then you will need to turn on the Credential Security Support Provider (CredSSP) by clicking on the “Fix it” button or link on the following web page:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951608

Note: CredSSP is turned off by default in Windows XP SP3, but it is required in order to successfully connect to WSE RemoteApp Web Access, WSE Office Web Access, WSE Outlook web Access, WSE QuickBooks Web Access, and/or WSE Quicken Web Access.

Be sure to restart the server when prompted.

11. Sign-in to the built-in Remote Web Access website again (as per steps 1 & 2 above) and click the add-in’s “Connect” button again (as per step 3 above).

This time you should receive a CredSSP prompt asking you to enter in your log on credentials and the connection to the remote application should now work properly.

To work-around this limitation, you can replace the server’s “termsrv.dll” file with a patched copy that has been modified to allow an unlimited number of concurrent Remote Desktop connections as follows:

IMPORTANT: Make sure that server backup has been enabled on your server and that a recent, successful, server backup is available just in case a problem arises and you need to restore your server. See the following web page for more information on configuring server backup, running server backup, and recovering the server: Manage Backup and Restore in Windows Server 2012 Essentials

NOTE: The patched termsrv.dll file is NOT REQUIRED to use any of our add-ins, and therefore, is NOT SUPPORTED (in any way). The patched termsrv.dll file is merely provided as a convenience for our customers. The customer assumes all risk and responsibility associated with the installation and use of the patched termsrv.dll file. LICENSED USERS can request a copy of the patched termsrv.dll file by providing the name of the add-in they purchased, as well as the user name that was assigned with their software license.

1. Start a Remote Desktop Connection to your server as any user with administrator privileges.

2. From the admin user’s desktop type Win+F to open Search, click on “Apps“, type “Windows Explorer” (without the quotes), and click on the “Windows Explorer” result to open Windows Explorer.

3. In the Explorer window that opens, locate the “C:\Windows\System32” folder, right-click on the “termsrv.dll” file, and select “Properties” from the popup menu that appears.

4. Click on the “Details” tab in the termsrv.dll Properties window that opens.

5. Look at the “File version” property and make sure that it reads: 6.2.9200.16384

NOTE: If the version of termsrv.dll on your server does not match the version specified, then DO NOT PROCEED ANY FURTHER!

6. Click on the “Security” tab in the termsrv.dll Properties window and then click on the “Advanced” button.

7. Click on the “Change“ link in the Advanced Security Settings for termsrv.dll window that opens and then click on the “Edit” button.

8. Type the name of the user with administrator privileges that you logged on as into the Select User, Computer, Service Account, or Group window that opens, click on the “Check Names” button, and then the “OK” button to have the admin user take ownership of the termsrv.dll file.

9. Click the “OK” button to close the Advanced Security Settings for termsrv.dll window.

10. Click on the “Edit” button in the termsrv.dll Properties window.

11. Click on the “Add” button in the Permissions for termsrv.dll window that opens.

12. Type the name of the user with administrator privileges that you logged on as into the Select User, Computer, Service Account, or Group window that opens, click on the “Check Names” button, and then the “OK” button.

13. Select/highlight the newly added admin user in the Permissions for termsrv.dll window, check the “Allow” check box under “Full control“, and click on the “OK” button to grant the admin user full control of the termsrv.dll file.

14. Click on the “OK” button to close the termsrv.dll Properties window.

15. In the Explorer window, right-click on the “termsrv.dll” file and click “Rename” in the popup menu that appears.

16. Rename the file to “termsrv.dll_BAK” (without the quotes).

17. Unzip and copy the patched termsrv.dll file into the folder where you just renamed the old DLL file (i.e. into “C:\Windows\System32“).

18. Restart your server to begin using the patched termsrv.dll file.

You can now have multiple (allowed) users running WSE RemoteApp 2012, WSE Office 2012, WSE Outlook 2012, WSE QuickBooks 2012, and/or WSE Quicken 2012 at the exact same time (up to the limits of your server).

1. Select “Dashboard” from the Launchpad application and sign in to open the server Dashboard application.

2. Click on “STORAGE” in the navigation pane.

3. On the “Server Folders” tab, click on the “Add a folder” task in the Tasks pane.

4. Use the Add a Folder wizard that opens to create a new shared folder on your server named “Intuit Setup Files” and grant the server’s administrator user account read/write access to the folder.

5. Insert the QuickBooks/Quicken installation CD/DVD and open up an Explorer window so that you can view the contents of the CD/DVD.

6. Select “Shared Folders” from the Launchpad application and open the “Intuit Setup Files” shared folder that you just created in step #4 above.

7. Copy (drag-n-drop) ALL of the files and folders from your QuickBooks/Quicken installation CD/DVD into the “Intuit Setup Files” shared folder.

NOTE: There may be a lot of files that need to be copied over and so this may take a while.

8. Start a Remote Desktop Connection to your server as the user account with administrator privileges.

9. From the administrator user account’s desktop double-click on the “Dashboard” icon to open the server Dashboard application on the server.

NOTE: The server Dashboard application MUST be opened from the administrator user account’s desktop (and NOT from the Launchpad of one of the computers on the network) in order to successfully install QuickBooks/Quicken directly ON THE SERVER!

10. Click on “STORAGE” in the navigation pane.

11. On the “Server Folders” tab, select/highlight the “Intuit Setup Files” folder and then click on the “Open the folder” task in the Tasks pane.

12. Locate and run the QuickBooks/Quicken setup program (i.e. “install.exe“, “setup.exe”, etc.) in order to install QuickBooks/Quicken directly on your server.

If you receive an error from the QuickBooks/Quicken setup program alerting you that the .NET Framework 2.0 is required, or that it couldn’t be installed, do the following in order to install the .NET Framework 3.5 Features (which includes both .NET 2.0 and 3.0) on your server:

a) From the administrator user account’s desktop type Win+F to open Search, click on “Apps“, type “Control Panel” (without the quotes), click on the “Control Panel” result to open the Control Panel, and click on “Turn Windows features on or off“.

b) In the Add Roles and Features Wizard that opens, click on “Server Selection“.

c) Click on “Features“.

d) Check the box in front of ”.NET Framework 3.5 Features“, and click “Next“.

e) Click “Install” to install the .NET Framework 3.5 Features (which includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0).

You can now go back to step #12 above and run the QuickBooks/Quicken setup program (i.e. “install.exe“, “setup.exe”, etc.) again in order to install QuickBooks/Quicken directly on your server.

NOTE #1: Any Windows-based version/edition of QuickBooks/Quicken may be used.

NOTE #2: While WSE QuickBooks 2012/WSE Quicken 2012 should be able to locate QuickBooks/Quicken anywhere on the server, it is strongly recommended that you install it to its default/suggested location on the server’s C drive.

NOTE #3: QuickBooks 2011 (and later) includes a feature that keeps the main QuickBooks application file (QBW32.EXE) continuously running in the background in an attempt to decrease the startup time of the application. This functionality is NOT compatible with WSE QuickBooks 2012. Therefore, if you are using QuickBooks 2011 (or later), please be sure to disable the feature in QuickBooks Preferences as follows:

a) Open QuickBooks and open your company file.

b) Choose Edit -> Preferences.

c) Choose the “General” icon in the list on the left.

d) Choose the “My Preferences” tab at the top.

e) Click to clear the “Keep QuickBooks running for quick startups” checkbox.

f) Click OK.

NOTE #4: After the QuickBooks/Quicken installation has completed successfully, you can return back to the server Dashboard application and click on the “Delete the folder” task if you no longer need/want the setup files on your server.

That’s it! You now have a copy of QuickBooks/Quicken installed directly on your server and you are ready to install and use WSE RemoteApp 2012, WSE QuickBooks 2012, and/or WSE Quicken 2012.

1. Select “Dashboard” from the Launchpad application and sign in to open the server Dashboard application.

2. Click on “STORAGE” in the navigation pane.

3. On the “Server Folders” tab, click on the “Add a folder” task in the Tasks pane.

4. Use the Add a Folder wizard that opens to create a new shared folder on your server named “Office Setup Files” and grant the server’s administrator user account read/write access to the folder.

5. Insert the Microsoft Office/Outlook installation CD/DVD and open up an Explorer window so that you can view the contents of the CD/DVD.

6. Select “Shared Folders” from the Launchpad application and open the “Office Setup Files” shared folder that you just created in step #4 above.

7. Copy (drag-n-drop) ALL of the files and folders from your Microsoft Office/Outlook installation CD/DVD into the “Office Setup Files” shared folder.

NOTE: There may be a lot of files that need to be copied over and so this may take a while.

8. Start a Remote Desktop Connection to your server as the user account with administrator privileges.

9. From the administrator user account’s desktop double-click on the “Dashboard” icon to open the server Dashboard application on the server.

NOTE: The server Dashboard application MUST be opened from the administrator user account’s desktop (and NOT from the Launchpad of one of the computers on the network) in order to successfully install Microsoft Office/Outlook directly ON THE SERVER!

10. Click on “STORAGE” in the navigation pane.

11. On the “Server Folders” tab, select/highlight the “Office Setup Files” folder and then click on the “Open the folder” task in the Tasks pane.

12. Locate and run the Microsoft Office/Outlook setup program (i.e. “install.exe“, “setup.exe”, etc.) in order to install Microsoft Office/Outlook directly on your server.

NOTE #1: Any version of Microsoft Office/Outlook (2013, 2010, 2007, or 2003) may be used, but WSE RemoteApp 2012/WSE Office 2012/WSE Outlook 2012 really shines when using Office/Outlook 2013.

NOTE #2: Both the 32-bit and the 64-bit versions are supported when using Microsoft Office/Outlook 2010 (or newer).

NOTE #3: If your installation CD/DVD is for Microsoft Office, you can perform a custom install and install only the Microsoft Office application (or applications) you desire (such as Microsoft Outlook, etc.). Otherwise, feel free to install the entire Microsoft Office suite of applications on your server.

NOTE #4: While WSE Office 2012/WSE Outlook 2012 should be able to locate Microsoft Office/Outlook anywhere on the server, it is strongly recommended that you install it to its default/suggested location on the server’s C drive.

NOTE #5: After the Microsoft Office/Outlook installation has completed successfully, you can return back to the server Dashboard application and click on the “Delete the folder” task if you no longer need/want the setup files on your server.

That’s it! You now have a copy of Microsoft Office/Outlook installed directly on your server and you are ready to install and use WSE RemoteApp 2012, WSE Office 2012, and/or WSE Outlook 2012.

Yesterday I released updated versions of each of my Windows Server Solutions 2011 add-ins (WHS Office 2011, WHS Outlook 2011, WHS QuickBooks 2011, and WHS Quicken 2011) bringing them all up to version 1.1.65.65. Normally I don’t mention news about minor updates on my website, but I felt that this particular set of updates was worth mentioning.

To start off with, a new ”Plus” edition of WHS Office 2011 has been created to encapsulate the business-centric Microsoft Office applications into WHS Office 2011. The “Standard” edition of WHS Office 2011 includes support for Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word, while the ”Plus” edition takes things a step further and adds support for Access, InfoPath (Designer and Filler), Lync, Project, Publisher, SharePoint Workspace/Groove, and Visio. The 21-day evaluation mode of WHS Office 2011 will function as the ”Plus” edition, and you can opt to purchase either the “Standard” edition or the “Plus” edition once you have completed your evaluation (without the need to uninstall and reinstall the add-in). Here’s a photo gallery showing what the new stuff in WHS Office 2011 Plus looks like:

You will notice a couple things from the photos in that gallery… First, WHS Office 2011 (both the “Standard” and the “Plus” editions) now includes a new notification icon that appears down in the notification area of the client computer whenever you launch one of the host Office applications. If you right-click on the notification icon, it will display a popup menu listing all of the available Office applications. This is great for gaining quick access to the other Office applications without having to go back to either the server’s Launchpad application or Remote Web Access website (and contend with another sign-in). Note that a similar notification icon is included with each of my other add-ins as well (WHS Outlook 2011, WHS QuickBooks 2011, and WHS Quicken 2011), and I’ll explain more about it in just a moment.

Second (in both the “Standard” and “Plus” editions of WHS Office 2011), you’ll notice a new “Office Tools“ category on the Launchpad, as well a new set of “Tool” items listed on the WHS Office homepage of the server’s built-in Remote Web Access website. The new feature gives you access to the tools provided with Microsoft Office such as Clip Organizer, Office Language Preferences/Settings, Outlook Mail Setup, Office Picture Manager, and the Office Upload Center. The availability of the tools depends upon the version, edition, and particular features of Microsoft Office that you happen to have installed on your server.

Just as in WHS Office 2011, each of my other WSS 2011 add-ins (WHS Outlook 2011, WHS QuickBooks 2011, and WHS Quicken 2011) have their very own notification icon that appears down in the client computer’s notification area whenever you launch the add-in. Right-clicking on the notification icon displays a popup menu that allows the user to either activate the add-in’s host application (e.g. Outlook, QuickBooks, or Quicken), or they can choose to log off or disconnect their current remote session.

Here’s what the popup menu looks like for WHS Outlook 2011:

Log off prompts the user to end their current remote session that is running on the server. Any applications running within the session are closed, and the user is prompted to save any unsaved work. The next time the add-in is launched, a new remote session will be created from scratch on the server (which can be slow).

Disconnect leaves the user’s current remote session running on the server. The user can quickly reconnect to the server and resume their session at any time (from the same client computer, or from a completely different one). Any applications running on the server will resume right from where they were left off at.

NOTE: When all remote applications running in the user’s remote session (i.e. all of the host Office applications, Outlook, QuickBooks, or Quicken) are exited by the user, the add-in’s notification icon will be removed from the client computer’s notification area, and the remote session will automatically disconnect after about 20 seconds. This is the best way for users to disconnect their remote session (i.e. simply closing all running remote apps will automatically disconnect the remote session without any further action required from the user).

For WHS Outlook 2011 (only), there is a new feature that will notify you whenever new items arrive in Outlook. A notification message displays from a flashing “envelope” notification icon down in the notification area alerting you to the number and types of new items that have arrived (mail messages, report items, meeting requests, task requests, and RSS feeds):

Right-clicking on the flashing “envelope” notification icon displays a popup menu where you can disable the feature by selecting “Hide Envelope“:

You can resume using the feature at any time by right-clicking on WHS Outlook 2011′s notification icon and selecting “Show new item notifications“.

In addition, WHS Outlook 2011 can now notify you whenever a reminder has executed in Outlook. A notification message displays from a flashing “bell” notification icon down in the notification area alerting you to the number of reminders that have executed:

Right-clicking on the flashing “bell” notification icon displays a popup menu where you can disable the feature by selecting “Hide Bell“:

You can resume using the feature at any time by right-clicking on WHS Outlook 2011′s notification icon and selecting “Show reminder executed notifications“.

In all of my WSS 2011 add-ins, a couple of new task items have been added to their Dashboard tab’s Tasks pane:

Remote Desktop Services Manager displays the server’s built-in Remote Desktop Services Manager application, which allows the server administrator to view information about and monitor the users, sessions, and processes of any remote session that is currently running on the server:

Remote Desktop Session Settings displays the following dialog box:

Log off disconnected sessions after X allows the server administrator to enforce a time limit that disconnected remote sessions persist on the server. The setting is disabled by default, and you should be careful when enabling it as forcibly logging off a user’s disconnected remote session could potentially cause the loss of user data. However, it can be useful to release resources from disconnected remote sessions that are used infrequently by your users.

Disconnect idle sessions after X allows the server administrator to enforce a time limit that active but idle remote sessions persist in an active state on the server. Any active remote sessions that remain in an idle state past the specified time limit will be automatically disconnected (freeing resources). The setting is disabled by default.

Allow audio and video playback redirection allows the server administrator to choose if the add-in should be allowed to redirect sound produced on the server to the client computer. Note that, when enabled, the user still has granular control over audio redirection within their own remote sessions via the “Play sounds from X” setting included in ”Remote Desktop Options” (from the Launchpad client application, or from the add-in’s home page on the server’s built-in Remote Web Access website).

Lastly (but certainly not least as there were a HUGE number of other fixes, improvements, and enhancements made), all of my WSS 2011 add-ins have been setup so that they can handle client file associations. Users can now double-click on a file type that is associated with the add-in’s host application (e.g. any of the Office applications, Outlook, QuickBooks, or Quicken), and the client-side file will be opened on the server-side in its associated host application. For example, if a user double clicks on a Word document, Excel worksheet, PowerPoint presentation, etc. on their client computer, they will be prompted to sign-in, and the document will be opened in the host application that is installed on the server:

Here’s a photo gallery showing all of the file types (and protocols) that are currently associated with WHS Office 2011, WHS Outlook 2011, WHS QuickBooks 2011, and WHS Quicken 2011:

Well, that’s about it for now. I hope that everyone enjoys the updates. And as always, please do let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

– MIKE

You will need to install the printer drivers for your local printer directly on the server as follows:

1. Download the latest release of the printer drivers from the printer manufacturer’s website.

NOTE #1: The underlying operating system in Windows Home Server 2011, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, and Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials is Windows Server 2008 R2 (which is a 64-bit/x64 operating system). Therefore, be sure to download a version of the printer drivers that are specifically made for installation on 64-bit Windows Server 2008 operating systems. If your printer manufacturer doesn’t offer a version of their printer drivers specifically for use with Windows Server 2008, then a version made for use on 64-bit Windows 7 operating systems “should” work as well.

NOTE #2: If your printer manufacturer happens to offer a “driver-only” download for your printer (as opposed to a full-on Plug-n-Play setup/installation package), then download that smaller package instead, as only the drivers for your specific printer are needed (and not a full setup package containing paper or ink level monitoring programs, etc., etc.).

1. Once you have downloaded the proper set of drivers for your printer, start a Remote Desktop Connection to your server as the Administrator (or as any user with administrator privileges if using WSBS 2011 Essentials).

2. If your driver download contains a self-installing executable file (“setup.exe“, “install.exe“, etc.), go ahead and run the executable file from the Administrator’s desktop in order to install the printer directly on the server.

NOTE: If the printer installation program won’t continue without being able to locate your printer, it may be necessary for you to temporarily connect the printer (via it’s USB cable, etc.) to the server in order to successfully install the drivers for it directly on the server. Once the installation has completed, you can simply disconnect the printer from the server and reconnect it to the local computer.

3. If your driver download doesn’t contain a self-installing executable file (i.e. if only the drivers themselves are available), or if the self-installing executable file installed the printer’s drivers on the server without actually adding the printer to the server, then manually add the printer to the server as follows:

From the Administrator’s desktop click on:

Start -> Devices and Printers

In the Devices and Printers window that opens, click on the “Add a printer” link and follow along through this image gallery to add your printer using the drivers you downloaded from the printer manufacturer’s website:

Once you have the printer drivers for your local printer successfully installed on the server (and the printer added to the server), you can enable WHS Office 2011, WHS RemoteApp 2011, WHS Outlook 2011, WHS QuickBooks 2011, and/or WHS Quicken 2011 to print to the local computer’s printer as follows:

Local Access From The Launchpad Application

1. From the Launchpad application, click on:

Add-ins -> WHS Office (WHS RemoteApp, WHS Outlook, WHS QuickBooks, or WHS Quicken) and click the desired Microsoft Office application (or again on WHS RemoteApp, WHS Outlook, WHS QuickBooks, or WHS Quicken).

NOTE: Starting with version 1.17.171.171, the connector will automatically sign in if you have the “Remember me on this computer” and ”Remember my password” checkboxes checked. To prevent the automatic sign in from taking place (so that you can get to the connector’s Settings drop-down menu), simply hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard while clicking on the Launchpad icon. If you would like to reset all settings back to their default values, hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard while clicking on the Launchpad icon.

2. Click on the Settings arrow in the upper-right-hand corner to display the Settings drop-down menu.

3. Under the Remote Desktop Options section of the Settings drop-down menu that appears, check the “Enable WHS … to print to my local printer” checkbox and click on the “Save Changes” button.

The next time you connect, WHS Office (WHS RemoteApp, WHS Outlook, WHS QuickBooks, and/or WHS Quicken) will have access to the printer that is connected to the local computer.

NOTE: Starting with version 1.21.201.201, the connector will automatically suppress (i.e. you will no longer see) the following “Unknown Publisher” notification.

NOTE: Be sure to select the printer with the word “redirected” in parentheses after its name.

Remote Access From The Remote Web Access Website

1. From the Launchpad application, click on:

Add-ins -> WHS Office (WHS RemoteApp, WHS Outlook, WHS QuickBooks, or WHS Quicken) -> Web Access

2. Sign-in to the server’s Remote Web Access website.

3. Click on the “Remote Desktop Options” link.

4. In the Remote Desktop Options window that opens, check the “Enable WHS … to print to my local printer” checkbox and click the “Save” button.

NOTE: The Remote Desktop Options settings are shared across all Remote Desktop Connections made via the built-in Remote Web Access website (e.g. Computer connections and connections to any other The Office Maven produced add-ins you may happen to have installed on the server).

The next time you connect, WHS Office (WHS RemoteApp, WHS Outlook, WHS QuickBooks, and/or WHS Quicken) will have access to the printer that is connected to the local computer.

NOTE: Be sure to select the printer with the word “redirected” in parentheses after its name.

Local Access From The Launchpad Application

1. From the Launchpad application, click on:

Add-ins -> WHS Office (WHS RemoteApp, WHS Outlook, WHS QuickBooks, or WHS Quicken) and click the desired Microsoft Office application (or again on WHS RemoteApp, WHS Outlook, WHS QuickBooks, or WHS Quicken).

NOTE: Starting with version 1.17.171.171, the connector will automatically sign in if you have the “Remember me on this computer” and ”Remember my password” checkboxes checked. To prevent the automatic sign in from taking place (so that you can get to the connector’s Settings drop-down menu), simply hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard while clicking on the Launchpad icon. If you would like to reset all settings back to their default values, hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard while clicking on the Launchpad icon.

2. Click on the Settings arrow in the upper-right-hand corner to display the Settings drop-down menu.

3. Under the Remote Desktop Options section of the Settings drop-down menu that appears, check the “Enable WHS … to access drives on my local computer” checkbox and click on the “Save Changes” button.

The next time you connect, WHS Office (WHS RemoteApp, WHS Outlook, WHS QuickBooks, and/or WHS Quicken) will have access to all of the files and folders on the hard disk drives that are connected to the local computer.

Remote Access From The Remote Web Access Website

1. From the Launchpad application, click on:

Add-ins -> WHS Office (WHS RemoteApp, WHS Outlook, WHS QuickBooks, or WHS Quicken) -> Web Access

2. Sign-in to the server’s Remote Web Access website.

3. Click on the “Remote Desktop Options” link.

4. In the Remote Desktop Options window that opens, check the “Enable WHS … to access drives on my local computer” checkbox and click the “Save” button.

NOTE: The Remote Desktop Options settings are shared across all Remote Desktop Connections made via the built-in Remote Web Access website (e.g. Computer connections and connections to any other The Office Maven produced add-ins you may happen to have installed on the server).

The next time you connect, WHS Office (WHS RemoteApp, WHS Outlook, WHS QuickBooks, and/or WHS Quicken) will have access to all of the files and folders on the hard disk drives that are connected to the local computer.