Recently I was working on a SharePoint 2010 Foundation server and was receiving this pesky error every time I tried to open a file in SharePoint. 

Evidently there is a default setting in Office 2010 that affects how files open on SharePoint.   This is due to Protected view in Office 2010. To fix the problem, you will need to perform the following steps:

1.       Run one of the Office 2010 application (e.g. Word 2010).

2.       Click on File menu, and select Options.

3.       In the “Options” dialog, select Trust Center in the left pane.

4.       Click on Trust Center Settings in the right pane.

5.       Select Protected View in the left pane of “Trust Center” dialog.

6.       Disable any of all of the protected view options as below by unticking the check boxes:

• Enable Protected View for files that fail validation
• Enable Protected View for files originating from the Internet
• Enable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations
• Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments

Since most of us developers (and supporters of SharePoint at home) will be using a virtual environment to run SharePoint I have compiled a few tweaks to perform to make the experience as pleasant as possible.

• Set your virtual memory to a static size (initial and max to same value). This will stop dynamic resizing and will just allocate a big lump of disk to the paging file.
• SQL is the big issue with VM’s as it’s so hungry for resources, make sure you regularly defrag the sp databases here’s a link to assist. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943345/en-gb 
• Check your crawling and search options in central admin, if its a test box may even be worth not using these.
• Use this whitepaper from MS to fully explore tuning options. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc298550(office.12).aspx

I have been addicted to SharePoint for project management for the last year or so, but have had to use a 3rd party tool in order to synchronize my projects with SharePoint. I’ve just discovered that Project 2010 is going to come with that capability. Check out the details here.

If you are looking at upgrading to Office 2010, then this could be a great resource. For a limited time you can download this free e-book without stepping through any registration. First Look: Microsoft Office 2010, by Katherine Murray, offers 14 chapters of early content, organized like so:Part I, “Envision the Possibilities,” introduces you to the changes in Office 2010 and shows you how you can make the most of the new features to fit the way you work today. Chapter 1, “Welcome to Office 2010,” gives you a play-by-play introduction to new features; Chapter 2, “Express Yourself Effectively and Efficiently,” details the great feature enhancements and visual effects throughout the applications; and Chapter 3, “Work Anywhere with Office 2010,” explores the flexibility factor by presenting a set of scenarios that enable users to complete their work no matter where their path takes them.

Part II, “Hit the Ground Running,” focuses on each of the Office 2010 applications in turn, spotlighting the key new features and showing how they relate to the whole. These chapters provide a how-to guide for many of the top features you’re likely to use right off the bat, and they offer inspiring ideas on how to get the most from your favorite applications.

Part III, “Next Steps with Office 2010,” zooms up to the big picture and provides examples to help you think through interoperability. How often do you use the various Office applications together? Customer research shows that people often don’t realize how well the applications work together as a complete system—which means they might be laboring over items they could easily incorporate from somewhere else. This part of the book provides examples for integrating the applications and explores Office 2010 security and training opportunities, as well.

You can download the e-book here. It’s about 10.5 MB.