Using the "Shrink Volume" Utility

 One of the best kept secrets of Windows 7 is the "Shrink Volume" utility. TechNet Documentation explains it best at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/gg309169.aspx. Although, this link explains how to use it, it does not list all the advantages of using it.  That will be my goal for this article.

The utility will shrink the current volume, leaving all files intact, without a problem.  Although I used this utility many times in the past without issue, I still highly recommend performing a full back-up before using it.  After all, a good backup is always the best insurance against any unforeseen issue.

This free utility allows you to shrink a large volume on your hard drive that is not fully utilized.  For example, most developers have large hard drives.  In most cases, they probably have more than 100GB of unused space.  In addition, they most likely have a need to install additional OS for trial or multi-use purposes.  By using the Shrink Volume utility, you can now leverage unused space on your hard drive and install different OS’s.

For example, I have a machine with a 500GB Hard drive and only 1 partition (C :\).  This partition has Windows 7 installed on it.  With all my other storage on it, I was using about 300GB with the remaining 200GB unused.  I needed to install SharePoint and SQL Server for a new client but wanted to keep it separate from work I was doing for other clients.  SharePoint 2010 requires 64-Bit hardware so I could not run it in a Virtual PC machine.  I tried using Hyper-V but ran into several problems.

I used the Shrink Volume utility (as outlined in the TechNet documentation) to reduce my C: drive by 50GB, thus creating a new 50GB partition.  I used the new partition to install Windows 2008, SharePoint 2010, and SQL Server. A few months later, I needed to install Windows 8 so I did the same thing and extracted another 41 GB from C: by shrinking it.  Now I have three operating systems installed on my hard drive, each fully utilizing the 64-bit capability of my PC and all of its hardware components without any virtualization.

Boot Manager
After following the directions listed on the TechNet link above, I simply rebooted my PC with a DVD of the new OS inserted in the DVD player.  When prompted by the installer, I chose the new empty partition I recently created.  The installer then formatted it, installed the new OS, and setup the Boot Manager with all the existing OS’s.
After installation was completed, the PC rebooted once more.  After the system check, I was prompted to select an OS from the Boot Manager Menu within a specified number of seconds. 
 

Boot Manager Settings
The settings for the Boot Manager can be changed from two places. First, it can be accessed from the Control Panel > System > Change settings > “Advanced” tab > “Settings” in Startup and Recovery section.
The second method allows for more advanced options of the Boot Manager.  It can be accessed from Control Panel > Administrative Tools > System Configuration > “Boot” tab.

Partition Access
Once you select the operating system of choice, the PC will boot normally.  The partition with the chosen operating system will become “C:\” and the other partitions will be assigned other drive letters.  This happens automatically without user intervention.  The other partitions will be exposed and the files on them will be accessible. This allows access to the file system on each partition without having to boot into that specific partition. 

Summary
In closing, listed below are all key advantages of using the Shrink Volume utility.
• Free built in utility: The Shrink Volume utility is standard on all Windows 7 machines, as part of the OS.
• Reliable: All files are left in place without corruption.  However, a full backup is highly recommended before using this utility.
• Automatically configures Boot Manager menu
• All partitions are always visible and accessible
• Leverages your current investment in hardware by using free disk space
• New OS’s are installed natively on the machine, accessing all hardware without virtualization.

December Events

Local Events
12/04: ON SQL User Group (www.ohionorthsqlserverug.org)
12/11: Cleveland .Net User Group (www.bennettadelson.com)
12/18: Cleveland WPF User Group (www.ClevelandWPF.info)
12/19: Hudson Software Craftsmanship (www.hudsonsc.com)  

Regional/Online Events
12/04: Training on the T’s SQL Webinars (www.pragmaticworks.com)
12/08: CODODN-Columbus (cododn.wordpress.com)    

Area Events

Local Events
 10/02: ON SQL User Group (www.ohionorthsqlserverug.org)
10/09: Cleveland .Net User Group (www.bennettadelson.com)
10/16: Cleveland WPF User Group (www.ClevelandWPF.info)
10/16: Office 365 Great Lakes User Group (http://www.havilahtech.com/)
10/23: Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group (www.ClevelandDotNet.info)

Regional Events
10/05: SharePoint UG Golf outing at Quail Hollow (www.SharepointCleveland.com/)
10/06: SQLSaturday 171-Pittsburgh (www.sqlsaturday.com)
10/25-26: m3 conference (www.m3conf.com)
10/27: SQL Saturday 174-Charlotte (www.sqlsaturday.com)
11/8-9: Dogfood Conference (www.dogfoodcon.com)
11/17: 1DevDay-Detroit (1devdaydetroit.com) 
12/08: CODODN-Columbus (cododn.wordpress.com) 
12/08: SQL Saturday 173-DC (www.sqlsaturday.com)

Intellisense not working

Q: While editing Script.PostDeployment.sql in a database project, intellisense stopped working. How can I fix this?

A: In Visual Studio 2010, intellisense has a defined limit on the file size. If the file gets too large, intellisense will no longer work on that file but the file will continue to build in the solution. Also, a message will appear in the Error List window explaing how to resolve this. The message will state "The script exceeds the Transact-SQL IntelliSense maximum script size setting. You can change the setting on the Text Editor/Transact-SQL/IntelliSense Page in the Tools/Options menu."

Array of Tuples

Q: How would use tuples in C# 4.0 to create an array of tuples containing various types of data (i.e. Employee Name, Employee ID#)?

A: Listed below is a sample code snippet to implement an array of tuples.

//Array of Tuples (i.e. EmpName, EmpIDNum)
Tuple[] EmpRecs =
{
Tuple.Create("Sam Nasr", 891),
Tuple.Create("Jim Smith", 358),
Tuple.Create("Lisa Jones", 962)
};

string FirstEmpName = EmpRecs[0].Item1;

string SecondEmpName = EmpRecs[1].Item1;
int SecondEmpIDNum = EmpRecs[1].Item2;


More information can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd413854(VS.95).aspx

MVVM Resources

Tonight's Cleveland WPF User Group meeting will continue last month's discussion on MVVM. For those who missed June's meeting, the following resources are available to help prepare for tonight's meeting:
• MVVM Overview (June’s Presentation): http://www.clevelandwpf.info/presentations/MVVMOverview.ppt
• MVVM, a WPF UI Design Pattern(17min video): http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/Continuum/MVVM/
• Problems and Solutions with Model-View-ViewModel: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff798279.aspx
• WPF x FileExplorer x MVVM: http://www.codeproject.com/KB/WPF/WPFFileExplorer.aspx

For directions to the Cleveland WPF User Group, please visit www.ClevelandWPF.info

Local & Regional Events

Local Events
June 22: Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group Meeting (http://www.clevelanddotnet.info/)
June 23: Cleveland SharePoint User Group Meeting (http://www.sharepointcleveland.org/)
June 24: Cleveland IT Martini (http://www.itmartini.com/)
July 16: Cleveland Give Camp (http://www.clevelandgivecamp.org/)
July 24: TechNic 2010 (Heidi Hooper - Heidi@BoundlessFlight.com)

Regional Events
June 26: SQL Saturday-Columbus (www.sqlsaturday.com/42/schedule.aspx)
June 25-26: CodeStock (http://www.codestock.org/)
August 5-7: DevLink (http://www.devlink.net/)

Toughest Developer Puzzle Ever

So you think you're a hot shot developer able to resolve every problem that comes your way. Put your skills to the test by visiting www.toughestdeveloperpuzzleever.com. The site offers 100 levels of varying difficutly. To maneuver through the levels, you have to examine the page for cllues that will allow you to go to the next levels. Some pages have a hidden link, others require you change the URL manually, etc.

The site is scheduled to launch on May 31 and offers great prizes for the first 100 people to complete it, with excpetionally great prizes for the first 5! Put your thinking caps and visit www.toughestdeveloperpuzzleever.com!

T3CHn!c 2010 - Bringing the Northeast Ohio Technical Community Together

The 2nd annual TechNic will build on the camaraderie of the boundless IT community of Northeast Ohio with the support of companies and organizations by providing a free event for attendees to simply enjoy a summer day of classic picnic fun and activities.

Last year’s event brought together over 200 attendees and 20 supporting companies from around the globe! Pictures of last year's event can be seen here.

We hope that your organization becomes a part of T3CHn!c TM 2010. Feel free to include your friends, family, employees, customers, clients, partners, prospects, and their friends and families, too!

Logos of supporting organizations will be displayed on all announcements. Consistent mention and messaging on behalf of supporters will be made through social media and other public relations, with a higher level of promotion for top sponsors. Banners and other means of visibility will be displayed at the event.

Suggested donation guidelines:
$200 +.....................................T3CHn!c TM 2010 Sponsorship
$75....................................... Table Rental for Service / Product Demo
$100...................................... Keg
$50....................................... Food & Beverages
$Peerless................................. Prizes, Entertainment
$Priceless................................ Swag, Volunteers

July 24th, 2010, 11am – 8pm (Rain or shine!)
St. Sava’s Picnic Grove
2300 W Ridgewood
Parma OH 44134

For more information, contact:
Heidi Hooper
216-469-1163
Heidi@BoundlessFlight.com
Twitter: @Heidi1163

Regional .Net Events

Listed below are upcoming regional events relating to .Net



April 17: Pittsburgh Code Camp (http://codecamppgh.com/default.aspx)



April 20: Cleveland WPF User Group –RIA Services by Chris Woodruff (http://www.clevelandwpf.info/)



April 27: Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group - Architecture tools in Visual Studio 2010 by Cameron Skinner (Microsoft) (http://www.clevelanddotnet.info/)



April 28: Cleveland SharePoint User Group (http://www.sharepointcleveland.com/default.aspx)



May 1: Ann Arbor Day of .Net (http://www.dayofdotnet.org/AnnArbor/Spring2010/default.aspx)



May 1: Chicago Code Camp (http://chicagocodecamp.com/)



May 7: Stir Trek (http://www.stirtrek.com/)



June 25-26: Code Stock (http://www.codestock.org/)



June 26: Columbus SQL Saturday (http://www.sqlsaturday.com/42/eventhome.aspx)



August 5-7: DevLink (http://devlink.net/)

Special October Meeting

Stephen Toub from the Parallel Computing Platform team at Microsoft will be presenting at the Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group on Thursday, October 29, 2009. Please note this meeting date is in addition to, not replacing, our regularly scheduled meeting every 4th Tuesday (October 27, 2009).

He will be travelling through our district the last week of October. He will be speaking at corporations during the day, and user groups in the evening. Stephen's goal is to get direct feedback from developers on the products he works on. Your questions and feedback help make .NET better!

Stephen will discuss concurrency and how .NET 4.0 simplifies parallel programming. This is one of the exciting things about .NET 4.0. With Moore’s Law breaking down, software developers need to be able to master multithreading and know how to develop concurrent applications. Historically, this has been very difficult. It’s hard to understand concurrency issues, hard to write good code, and hard to debug when race conditions and such do happen. With .NET 4.0, there are APIs and tools to make parallel programming much simpler.

If you would like to attend this special meeting, please send an e-mail to sam@clevelanddotnet.info with "RSVP" in the subject line.

Typemock Webinar

Typemock is holding a free live webinar (web-seminar) on how to unit test successfully. The webinar will include the following:

· Creating Supporting environment
· Unit testing tools of the trade
· Practices and Pitfalls
· Writing the first test
· Live Q & A

You can get more details on - http://blog.typemock.com/2009/09/unit-testing-net-successfully-live-free.html

Windows Client Feature Comparison

Microsoft released a chart highlighting the features of Windows 7, Vista SP1, and Windows Xp SP3. It lists features in 5 categories:

File organization and Search
Remote Access
Security and Compliance
Management
Deployment

To download the comparison chart, go to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=FA0177CC-7E82-4993-B0D6-FEC84216DD9C&displaylang=en \