As an administrator you are always looking for new tools to make your life easier. One of these tools is the Performance Analysis of Logs (PAL).  The best part of this tool is that its free and can be downloaded from codeplex.  I have included the link at the bottom of the article.  The main person behind the project is Clint Huffman who joined Microsoft back in 1999.  While troubleshooting problems for the premier performance team he notcied that most problems could be found using perfmon.  The problem with perfmon is that you really have to know what you are looking for and have the ability to weed out everything that does not matter.  That is where the PAL tool comes into play.  Instead of making an art out of reading perfmon captures it make it more like a science.  You can run your perfmon captures through this tool and it will point out where potential bottlenecks might exist.  Some of the products you can troubleshoot using this tool are IIS, MOSS, SQL Server, Exchange Server, and Active Directory.  The list is not limited to the products listed but they are the most common.  I urge to head on over to the codeplex site to download the tool.  Clint was also recently on RunAs Radio.  If you get a chance stop over and listen to the podcast.

PAL Tool On Codeplex:
http://www.codeplex.com/PAL

Clint Huffman’s Blog:
http://blogs.technet.com/clint_huffman/

RunAS Radio Podcast Link:
http://www.runasradio.com/default.aspx?showNum=82

I have been called allot lately by friends and family who are having problem with spyware and viruses.  One of the first questions I ask them is if they are running any anti virus programs.  The answer believe it or not is usually no.  The first product I then recommend is Avast because of it exceptional protection.  Not only does it detect viruses but it also detects rootkits.  Avast also does not seem to use allot of system resources which is pretty impressive when you compare it to other anti virus programs.  Avast also continues to support older software versions which is very nice.  Most of the time uncle “Bob” our aunt “Sally” is not running the most current OS version.

So if you are looking for a great piece of software  check out Avast.  I think you will like what you see!

Avast Home Page - Free Edition
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

WinVistaClub has worked out a deal that allows you to download Easeus Partition Manager Pro for free on Novemeber 26th which is today.  Visit the link below and drop a note to the owners to thank them for making this possible.

WinVistaClub Download Link
http://www.winvistaclub.com/forum/windows-vista-clubhouse/26327-unlimited-free-download-easeus-partition-manager-pro-edition.html#post122389