Hello Folks,

This is the last beta of Enterprise Remote Control. We are on track to release the final version on June 1st.

If you pre-order now you can get an unlimited user and computer license for $599 US – After June 1st we will be charging full price (per computer).

If you don’t know what the heck I am talking about, check out the this article…it will explain more.

Click here to pre-order today

Here are the latest download links:

The viewer:
http://www.intelliadmin.com/reflector_client5.exe

The Enterprise Agent: (You install it on computers you want to control)
http://www.intelliadmin.com/reflector_agent5.exe

The Enterprise Server: (Manages all the connections)
http://www.intelliadmin.com/reflector_server5.exe

At the same time we are going to release the standard edition 5.0. If you are not interested in the Enterprise server, and just want to try out computer to computer remote control, then use this agent (Same viewer for both versions):

http://www.intelliadmin.com/setupex5.exe

Enterprise edition setup instructions can be found here:

Setup Instructions

What was fixed

We fixed many bugs. Here are some of the highlights:

-Windows 2008 TS issue that would cause a lockup at logoff

-Viewer does not respond to maximize, restore, or minimize

-Agents staying offline, when they are actually online

-Multiple monitors on the x64 version caused the screen to get scrambled.

-Agent tray icon not showing when it should

There were lots of little annoyances, and issues that have been resolved.

During the last month we have completed more work on the capture engine in the agent. Back in December we did many things to improve performance. We added a mirror driver, included remote cursor support, and re-worked the code that detects changes on the screen.

This time around we focused on those customers that need to view remote machines without detection.

With Windows 7, and Vista end users could easily see that you were connected. Why? Because the agent would disable those translucent glass effects to improve performance.

The problem with that is the translucent glass effects are very hard to capture properly, and make the remote control experience very annoying.

Our solution? Custom craft code that would detect, and work around the glass effects.

If you notice in this screen shot:

A ‘ghost’ image of the browser was left behind (It was minimized when this shot was taken, and the background should have been shown.

With this new agent, you can still connect with glass enabled, and have a smooth connection.

Keep in mind it will be slower because of the additional graphics – but the option is there when you need it.

If you want to setup your viewer for ‘observation mode’ these are the settings you would use:

On the other side, if you are worried someone will use the product to illegally spy on people, there is a solution for that too.

Go to the user account settings in the Enterprise server. Pick the settings that make it obvious that someone is connected, or even force them to ask permission first:

When this is done, the viewer cannot override them.

Viewer Update

We have changed the layout of the command bar at the top of the viewer:

It is simple change, but I know you will be much happier with this. One click to send CTRL-ALT-DEL was a constant request – Done

Enterprise Server Change

We changed the permissions for users in the Enterprise Server:

The screen shot above shows that you can create a user that *only* has permission to add new computers, and has no permission to control computers.

This allows you to use a “zero remote access” account for agent setup – important if you want others to install the software.

Even more important if you want to generate a zero configuration (User can run setup without typing in any settings at all) agent install from our website:

You can include the username and password in the install, and the setup builder will encrypt and package it with the setup file. Still, if by some chance it is compromised you don’t need to worry since you used a “Add Computer Only” account.

It can also create custom MSI files that can be used for group policy deployments.

The web based setup generator is in final review, and we will publish a link to it next week. Sorry for so many delays on this one – it was much tougher than we originally thought.

Agent Settings App Changes

We have updated the agent settings application to display the connection status to the Enterprise server:

What is next?

This is it. What you see now will be the final version. Any changes from now until June 1st will be bug fixes.

If you find a bug let us know right away (Send it to support@intelliadmin.com) – we want to get any bugs resolved before the June 1st release date.

If you pre-order now, we will also provide upgrades for 1 year for free. The upgrade date does not start until June 1st. This means even if you ordered a few months ago, your free upgrades will continue until June 1st, 2012.

This is important, since we have a few nice features planned for release toward the end of the summer. The top of this feature list is file transfers.

Thanks again to all of the beta testers that have worked hard with us to resolve these bugs.

Give it a spin, and let us know what you think – Thanks!

Click here to pre-order today

We have just put the finishing touches on Beta 4 of our Enterprise product.

What is it?

It is a remote administration solution that allows you to get to your computers from anywhere. Traditionally if you want to remote into a PC, you need to open ports, and determine its IP address. With Enterprise remote control, you don’t need to do any of that. Just setup the enterprise server on a public IP address, and it will take care of the rest.

Simply install the agent on the computers you want to control. Then when you need to get to them, launch the viewer, and click the find button. It will show you a list of computers that are online:

The Enterprise server will automatically negotiate the connection, finding the most efficient method of connecting to the remote machine. It will try its best to get a direct connection. If that is not possible, the Enterprise server will ‘reflect’ the connection so it will still work properly behind a firewall.

Let me say that another way. You are out of the office, and get a call. You need to get to a users workstation to make a quick fix. As long as you can get your laptop on the Internet, you can remote back into that machine and get the job done – Secured with 256 bit AES encryption. No need to look anything up. You can find the PC by simply typing in part of the users name, and their machine will jump to the top.

During the beta period we are offering an unlimited license for only $599. This means no limits on the number of administrators, or the computers that you can control. After the beta is over we will charge per computer controlled.

To purchase the unlimited license,

Visit our online store to purchase today

If this is your first time hearing about Enterprise remote control, this article explains how the install works:

Installation Instructions

Here are the latest download links:

Agent (Install on the computer you want to control)

http://www.intelliadmin.com/reflector_agent5.exe (Build Number 5.427)

Client (Software you use to control computers)

http://www.intelliadmin.com/reflector_client5.exe (Build Number 5.0.0.128)

Reflector (Server software that manages it all)

http://www.intelliadmin.com/reflector_server5.exe (Build Number 1.0.0.98)

If you are upgrading from a previous version, please note that the new features in the reflector will not work unless your agents are updated to the latest version.

What is new in this version?

We re-factored a large chunk of the code in the reflector – as a result it runs faster, with less memory, and less CPU consumption.

In addition to the performance updates, we have added a few features.

You can control the service tray icon, and automatic updates:

In the users section, we streamlined the settings for a user account:

The computer list section was totally rebuilt. You can quickly search for computers:

If any field matches the search text, it will be displayed in the results. Using the search box, you can filter by operating system, agent version, logged on user, name, or description.

You can filter out online, or offline computers – making it easier to find that system you are looking for:

There are now two views…a simple view:

And a detailed view:

Hopefully, navigating your list of computers is easier now.

If you have more than 100 machines, and you purchased an unlimited license, you can enter it in now. Otherwise it defaults to a 100 computer license:

There may be a few tweaks and changes I missed, but I think you will be happy with the updates.

What is next?

Distribution. I know in the last beta I promised that would be up next. When we started work on this we realized that we had to work on the reflector first because of some changes it needed for our distribution software to function.

We know that many of you are begging for an easy way to distribute the agent. I promise you will get many distribution options in beta 5.

A few ways you will be able to distribute the agent:

-From the viewer. There will be an option to automatically register and install the agent from the viewer

-From a distribution tool. We will update our distribution tool to automatically register and install the agent

-From a MSI setup file. We will have an online form where you can build a custom MSI with all of your preferred settings for the agent, and then build an MSI that you can give out to others or silently install from 3rd party applications.

That is Beta 5

Beta 6, which will be the last beta. It will fix a bug with fast user switching in the agent (under XP and 2003), and update the viewer to allow changes to settings while you are still connected. After that the software will be released as the final version.

Our current target for the official release is June 1st. I know this is later than we originally thought, but we want to make sure this is a solid release.

Send your ideas, bug reports, or any other comments to support@intelliadmin.com

Purchase Network Administrator 2.9 for only $99 per administrator (50% off since you are a reader of my blog), and when it is released you will receive 3.0 Free.
Just follow this special link

We have been hard at work building a new version of Network Administrator, and have been taking many suggestions from you.

Here is a screen shot of the main form:

The first thing we did was make the actions multi-threaded. Currently the system only works on one machine at a time.

Silly as this sounds, it was due to a limitation in the Remote Registry service with threads – We found a way around this problem.

It means you can reboot all of those computers in record time.

Plugins, Plugins, and Plugins. It seems kind of crazy that we did not do this earlier, but the current version of Network Administrator does not have any plugin system. It makes it difficult to add new actions. In our redesign we have added a fantastic plugin system:

Best of all, when you purchase a license, new plugins will be automatically downloaded to you for maximum plugin goodness

What else will you see in the new version? It depends – on you. What plugins would you like to see in 3.0? We will take the top 10 ideas and put them in the final version. Send your ideas to plugins@intelliadmin.com

If you purchase Network Administrator 2.9 today, you will get 3.0 for free. In addition, since you are a valued reader of my blog – you can get it for half price!

Just follow this link

Want to part of the 3.0 beta program? Then Sign up here – We will release our first public beta in about two weeks.

USB flash drives are a concern at most companies today. They can bring in viruses, spyware, or trojans. On the flip side they can easily be used to copy out important data. We have a free program called USB Disabler that allows you to entirely disable flash drives.

Since it was released we have constantly received emails asking if there was a way to have greater control. Could you allow one device while disabling another? Or better yet, I want the members of the “IT Staff” group to have permission to use flash drives, but no one else.

This pushed us to find a way to accomplish those goals. It has taken quite some time to build an application that can do this – happily we are releasing the first beta today.

How does it work? First, you install the program and pick the type of user that will be allowed to have administrative access to the application (To block or allow flash drives)

Once you have completed that step an icon is displayed in the application tray. If you click on that tray icon and you are authorized:

…you are shown the settings window. It allows you to see what devices have been inserted since the application was installed…and enable or disable them:

At any time, if a user plugs in a new flash drive it is disabled by default. A notification window will be displayed the first time it is plugged in, and the user will have the choice to enable it (If they have been given access)

During the beta program we are offering a special pre-release price of $9 per computer. This is 50% off the price when it is finally released.

To give the beta a spin, download it from here:

USB Disabler Pro Beta Download
Note: Windows 2000 is not supported.

Click here to pre-order at the discounted price

As always, send us your complaints, bug reports, and suggestions to support@intelliadmin.com

I can’t thank everyone enough for their bug reports and suggestions. We have fixed every bug submitted, and implemented most of the feature requests.

Keep sending them to support@intelliadmin.com or write a comment in this blog entry

One of the ideas was to put the edit computer list right on the find form. Here is what it looks like:

In addition, many of you complained about the command bar at the top of the viewer window. It keeps getting in the way of stuff at the top:

Now it hides a little further into the top of the window, and you must hover over it for 1.5 seconds before it will show.

There are lots of other fixes. Here is the list:

-If you picked an action menu item, and then pressed space..it would bring the action menu back up (fixed)

-JPG now includes date and time for quick saving

For a limited time – If you purchase Remote Control 3.2 today, you will get the 4.0 upgrade for free. This will cost you less, since we will increase the price when 4.0 is released.

Now for the download links. We have an updated distribution tool:

Distribution Tool

An updated MSI file for those who want to use group policy:

Setup_beta.msi

And the beta download:

Beta Install File

One final note. The command panel will show the current build number. When testing make sure you update the server, and the client. If you are connecting to a beta 1 or older server it will say “Unknown Build Date” (Note that this info will be replaced with the remote computer name on the final release). If everything is up to beta 2, then it will show a date. Make sure you uninstall everything before you install the new beta.

We have been working hard on the new version of IntelliAdmin Remote Control.

Some things that will be in the new version:

Screen scaling – The client will automatically shrink the view to fit the screen within the window. With huge resolutions, you no longer are forced to constantly scroll around

Alpha Capture Disable – Applications like Office 2007 need alpha capture turned on, or parts of their windows will not be sent back to the remote client. This was always turned on in 3.x. Once side effect of this setting is the mouse flickers with some video cards. Now you have the option to turn this off and keep the mouse flicker to a minimum – great if you are given the task of watching a user without them knowing.

Screen Shots – You can easily save the current view in the client window to a JPG file. This is good for keeping a visual log of crash events, or activity of users.

Auto-Reconnect – When a connection is lost, it will automatically attempt to re-establish the connection

Computer Lists – We have loaded it up with options for getting lists of computers. You can get them from Windows Networking like you do right now, but in addition you can import them from an XML file, add them manually, or update them in real time from a http URL – this allows you to create a common computer list that all administrators can see and use.

Computer Search – This is the big one. When talking with customers the biggest complaint is finding a single computer among 1000s. When remote control connects to a machine, it will pull username, computername, and operating system info. All of this is stored in a database. When you click on the find button in the client window, you are shown a full listing of computers:

When you start typing in the search box at the top it will narrow down your results immediately. So, if you get a call from a user you can simply start typing their username and their computer will be automatically filtered out – no more digging around for their IP address, or computer name.

Lots of time was spent to make sure this was efficient – we threw the client on an old XP machine and it was able to search 10,000 computer records in less than 1 second.

Everything about the “find computer” section was designed to reduce the time it takes to find and control a computer, and make you more productive.

Why am I teasing you with all of this? Because I want you to join our beta program. To join, simply follow this link:

Make sure you check the 4.0 beta option.

The final release date will be June 27th. If you order Remote Control 3.2 right now the upgrade protection option will allow you to get a free upgrade when it comes out – a good deal since this will give you close to 40% in savings

While we are at it. What do you want to see in 4.5? File Transfers, Chat, or what other wish do you have for the next version. Post in the comments.

The first release candidate of Windows 7 has been dated to release on May 5th. One of the big revelations by Microsoft in recent days is the availability of a Windows XP mode.

This is unlike previous versions of windows that simply had a compatibility check box. This will be a fully functional Virtual machine with XP running inside of it.

This is a brilliant move on Microsoft’s part. This means that with every Windows 7 license you purchase, you get Windows XP along with it. I think most businesses will find justifying the purchase much easier. Why? Because now there will be a significantly lower number of compatibility issues.

From that first screen shot you would think it is simply an included copy of Virtual PC with XP installed. Windows 7 will go way beyond that. The virtual environment will be fully integrated into windows. Take a look at this screen shot of the start menu:

If you notice above, you can see Office 2003. This was not installed directly under Windows 7, but in compatibility mode. Click on the Word 2003 icon, and it is running just like any other application:

This means seamless usage of old apps – something most IT admins will need in their environment. In addition, the Virtual PC environment can be customized to have any special mappings or virtual devices added as you need them:

Can’t wait to see that Release Candidate in May. Still – one last thing I wish Microsoft would do is allow the old start menu to be turned back on (If you didn’t know…that funky new start menu is the only option in Windows 7). I can’t imagine the hell users will raise when they have to make such a huge change.

I have been looking through Microsoft’s website for more information about Windows 7, and 2008 R2. I thought you might appreciate some of my findings:

Remote Administrator tools for Windows 7

Windows 7 (Beta) Automated Installation Kit

Windows 7 Walkthrough: Deployment Image Servicing and Management

Windows 7 Walkthrough: Problem Steps Recorder

Windows 7 Walkthrough: User State Migration Tool

Release Documents for this Beta Release of Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows 7 Walkthrough: Enterprise Application Compatibility

Before we know it 2008 R2, and Windows 7 will be released, and Vista will be a bad memory.

Quick note – Windows 2008 R2 (The server edition of Windows 7) is available for download

Microsoft has opened the beta program to anyone with a web browser. To download the ISO file, simply visit this website:

Download Windows 2008 R2