Some of you might be aware, others might not. Did you know that the mouse icon in Windows 7 (and earlier versions) has a shadow? I bet a bunch of you are looking for it now. It is hard to see, but it is there. Something that most people wouldn’t recognize as being on or… Continue reading Optimize Windows 7 Visual Effects for Virtual Desktops
Tag: best practices
Should I Use Folder Redirection for AppData
When we talk about XenApp and XenDesktop implementations and the aspects of profiles, we always hear the recommendation to redirect folders. It is a great way to offload portions of your profile to speed up logons, because those folders are not copied down to the system during logon. In fact, I typically recommend the redirection… Continue reading Should I Use Folder Redirection for AppData
Beware of VDI Defaults
Default configurations are great in that they make the setup and configuration easy. Unfortunately, they don’t work for all environments. In fact, if you simply use the defaults for an entire virtual desktop deployment, you will miss out on tons of optimizations to allow your environment to scale. Simply following the defaults is the 2nd… Continue reading Beware of VDI Defaults
Not Spending Your Cache Wisely
It almost sounds like I’m talking about personal finances. You better plan your cache appropriately or you will run out. I’m not talking about money; I’m talking about system memory (although if you plan poorly we will quickly be talking about money). It comes down to this… system cache is a powerful feature allowing a… Continue reading Not Spending Your Cache Wisely
The New XenDesktop Design Handbook
All I want is a list of documents that will help me design my XenDesktop environment. Who else wants the same thing? I bet many of you are saying “Yes, Me too!!” That’s great and everything but how do you know when a new white paper is released that relates to XenDesktop design? Do you… Continue reading The New XenDesktop Design Handbook
Optimize your Virtual Desktop Image
Building a virtual desktop is simply a matter of installing the Windows operating system. Right? Slow down… although this will work, it won’t give you the best performance and scalability. One of the items that many people mistakenly forget to accomplish is to optimize the base operating system. This is the 7th mistake out of… Continue reading Optimize your Virtual Desktop Image
Beware of Improper Resource Allocation
If you ask me what type of desktop I need, I’m going to say, 2+ cores with at least 4+ GB of RAM, 500+GB hard drive, etc. If you look at what I really need, you will see 1 core and maybe 2 GB of RAM. In fact, when I look at my resource consumption,… Continue reading Beware of Improper Resource Allocation
Lack of Application Virtualization Strategy
One app, two apps. Red app, Blue app. Old app, new app. What a lot of apps there are (Based on the original by Dr. Seuss) The pond is full of apps. And so is your organization. And you are probably not even aware of 50% of your applications. How does this relate to desktop… Continue reading Lack of Application Virtualization Strategy
My virtual desktop profile is important
Mark Twain said “When angry count to four. When very angry, swear”. Unfortunately, I’ve heard many users swear. It is amazing how one little action can cause so much anger towards the IT organization or bring a new project to its knees. Take the following, real world scenario, as an example: An organization had a… Continue reading My virtual desktop profile is important
How Much Bandwidth Do I Need for My Virtual Desktop
Do you ever wonder how much bandwidth you need to do a desktop virtualization implementation? Regardless of the flavor of virtual desktop being implemented (hosted shared, hosted VM-based VDI, local streamed, etc), the network plays a critical role. That should not be surprising (if it is, we need to have an even bigger discussion). If… Continue reading How Much Bandwidth Do I Need for My Virtual Desktop
