Josh's IT blog

Everyone needs a laugh now and then

2010-02-25T04:17:00.001-08:00

Accounting called to say they couldn't access expense reports
database. Gave them Standard Sys Admin Answer #112, "Well, it
works for me." Let them rant and rave while I unplugged my
coffeemaker from the UPS and plugged their server back in.
Suggested they try it again. One more happy customer...

http://www.redsweb.net/lg/helpdesk/monday.htm

PFX Scan Folders

2010-02-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

If you are setting up your import, export, and archive folders as network shares the following services must have use a log on that has permissions to the respective shares.

ProSystem fx Scan Folder Monitor
ProSystem fx Scan Classification
ProSystem fx Scan PDF Export

Technorati Tags: Windows,Services,Network Access,Pfx Scan,Pfx Scan Folders,ProSystem fx

Windows 7 File & Image Backup

2010-02-08T06:06:00.001-08:00

With any computer backup is positively a must! I this article I will show you how to easily setup a free backup solution that comes with Windows 7. Windows 7 can create an Image backup, a clone of you entire hard drive, that lets you restore your entire computer and a file based backup, which allows you to restore individual files, at the same time. It is always best to store any backup on a drive other than your system drive (“C:\”) in case of a drive failure. The best option for backup location is either an external USB drive or a network folder. Other than that the instructions are pretty straight forward.

From the start menu type “Backup”
Select “Backup and Restore”
Select “Setup Backup”
Select which drive you would like to save your backup on. Again it is recommended that you use an external drive or network folder. Click Next
Now we need to tell Windows what to backup although you can have Windows choose for you I’d prefer specify what to backup myself. Select the “Let me choose” option.
Make sure you Select all the folders you would like to backup. Also check the box below “Include a system image of drives: (C:)” then click Next.
Click “Change Schedule”
Review the schedule settings and set the backup time to a period when computer usage will be minimal. Click Okay
Review your backup settings one last time then Click “Save Settings and run backup”

We still have a couple more steps like creating the restore disc and learning how to restore but we have covered the most important part. The PC and your data are now being backed up on a regular basis.

General guide lines on a backup devices…
I would recommend that for most home or small office PCs backup to an external hard drive that is primarily dedicated to backup. Your device should be roughly 2x the size of your System Partition (“C:\”). To create system image your external device must be NTFS format to do so simply connect the device to your PC, open a command window, and type the following “Convert x: /fs:ntfs.” Replace “X” with the drive letter of your external drive.

For what it is worth
Windows has included some great options for backups in Windows 7. However, I encourage you to look at StorageCraft’s Shadow Protect and Arcronis’ True Image. Both products provide image compression and

Technorati Tags: Backup,Windows,Walk through,Backup Image,System Failure

Using System Restore Windows 7

2010-02-04T11:30:00.001-08:00

Ever had to take you computer into the shop because it is not running like it should? Ever delete something you shouldn’t have and wish you could get it back? Did you know Windows comes with a tool to do this for free? Windows System protection allows you to create a “Snapshot” of your computers files and settings on a regular interval. However, most people just do not take the time to set it up properly for it to be effective. So, here are the steps to help you save sometime, money, and a lot of headaches.

From the start menu –> Right click Computer
Select Properties
From the left hand side select System protection to open the Protection Settings.
Ensure that the Local Disk “(C:) is currently selected under “Available Drives” then Select Configure
For the Restore setting we have a couple of options. Restore system settings and previous versions will give you the ability to create versions on both your system settings and files. I recommend that you use this setting.
I generally recommend that you use a minimum of 6% of your disk for System Restore. The more disk space you allocate the more restore points of versions you will be able to keep. I would not use more than 10% but the balance is completely up to you.

Now if your system tanks or you lose something your ready!

Technorati Tags: System Restore,computer backup,system protection,Disk Snapshot,files versions,Disk Backup,versions

Blogger Labels: System Restore,computer backup,system protection,Disk Snapshot,files versions,Disk Backup,versions

Changing the log on properties for a Service

2010-02-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

Modifying the log on properties for a service is common when the service requires network resources (i.e.. a shared folder). In which case the service must run under and account that has access rights to the network resource.

From the Start Menu –> Run, then type “compmgmt.msc”
Expand Services and Applications and Click on Services
Right click the Service you want to modify and select properties
Select Log On tab.
Select the “This Account” option then change the user information and password
Click “Apply” then Click “OK”
You will need to restart the service before the changes take effect.

Technorati Tags: Windows,Services,Log on,Network Access,Pfx Scan

Fun with the SQL Jobs! Error: 18456, Severity: 14, State: 16.

2010-02-01T00:42:00.000-08:00

Error: 18456, Severity: 14, State: 16

After working on of my clients we started noticing that for some mysterious reason our SQL logs were getting massive. As well Microsoft SQL 2005 has been reporting “login failed” errors for sometime. After examining the SQL log file viewer I discovered an error, actually two, reoccurring in succession every minute in the SQL server log!

After examining this descriptive error I started wondering how the can “NT Authority\System” be denied access! Naturally, I started checking all the permissions for the service account and even trying other accounts. I had no luck everything looked correct.

However, I noticed that in the log for the SQL Agent it too is logging errors in the same fashion. After examining the SQL Agent Jobs I found a ASPState_Job_DeleteExpiredSessions job which is used to track sessions from ASP.NET applications (see .Net Session State for more information on sessions states). If your reading this for help you will want to thoroughly investigate your web.config and have a good understanding of the ASP application before proceeding! In my instance the job must have been create by another SQL instance or on accident. My ASP application uses “InProc” session state management so I don’t even need it. I simply disabled the job and poof the errors are no more!

Other ASP applications may require that you use the aspnet_regsql.exe to remove it properly. I hope this helps you find your way!

Technorati Tags: Technorati Tags: SQL Server,SQL,Error: 18456,Severity: 14,State: 16,Error

ProSystems fx Document & Practice Mgmt Backup

2009-12-15T00:19:00.001-08:00

So, now that you have all these great ProSystems applications installed you pretty much finished right? Well not exactly. One of the things you want to ensure is that you have a solid backup plan in place. However, it is something that is often overlooked after the initial implementation. The video below will walk you through creating the recommend backup plan for Document and Practice Management.

The Database Maintenance Plan
One thing not shown here is that you should have a SQL Backup Agent installed as well…

SQL Maintenance Plan (full html version)

Document Considerations:
In the case of Document it is imperative that you schedule your SQL backup plan prior to the storage backup. Folders that need to be backed up for Document:

Your consultant should have set these up for you during you implementation.

Now you can sleep nice and easy knowing that you data is backed up!

Technorati Tags: Pfx Document,SQL Backup Plan,Pfx Office,Pfx Data Backup,How do I backup the Pfx Database

How To: V2V Conversion

2009-12-01T08:19:00.001-08:00

In this video I demonstrate how you can convert Virtual Machines formats form say VMware to HyperV or Vice Versa. If you have Virtual Machine Manager Edwin Yuen has a how to video which can be found here:

VMM Introduction 4: Virtual Machine to Virtual Machine Migration. Its a great video so make sure to check it out.

Here are the links in the video for those of you who want to follow along:

Thanks for watching!

Technorati Tags: V2V,P2V,Convert Virtual Machine,Virtualization,HyperV,VMWare,VMDK,VHD,WinImage

Great Folder Cleanup Utility (RED)

2009-11-21T00:55:00.001-08:00

This is a create little app I discovered sometime back that will go through and delete any empty folders in a directory. It’s great for cleaning up your network share, music library, etc. You can specify various options that allow you to ignore certain files such as; album art, excel files, etc. Oh and Its free so check it out over at www.jonasjohn.de

Technorati Tags: Folder Cleanup,Windows Utilities,Delete Empty Folders,Remove Empty Directories

QuickBooks as a ThinApp

2009-11-20T23:10:00.001-08:00

It is probably safe to say that every CPA firm in the USA has at least one version of QuickBooks. QuickBooks can be an administrative nightmare as clients may not have the same version as the CPA Firm which creates compatibility issues. Essentially, forcing the CPA firm to keep numerous versions of QuickBooks around to support existing clientele. In fact two days ago Intuit QuickBooks 2009 R9 was released and when you install it (12-1 Auto-Update) you’re going to lose some backwards compatibility (Intuit Proadvisor Newsletter 11/18/2009). So, how do we overcome this today? Generally, most firms I talk to have a PC in a closet somewhere running some old version of the software. The older versions of QB have compatibility issues of there own for example 2004 and IE7 don’t place nice together. Ugh… So, now you have to have a PC that has IE6 somewhere in your office…

There are a couple of ways virtualization can help us overcome some of this challenge. One is creating a Virtual Machine just to run that old version of QuickBooks. Using a VM gives us the benefit of application isolation and we don’t have to waste the hardware. But then what about the account on the go who needs to have QuickBooks 2004 because that is what his client has onsite? If he has IE7 on his laptop forget loading it up on the machine and to run the VM he needs the VM Software and a laptop powerful enough to run the VM. Normally this isn’t an issue and its a great solution but just imagine if you could you could give him a Flash Drive with QuickBooks 2004 on it and it worked from any PC anywhere-anytime! Now stop imagining!

You can do this using application virtualization products such as MS App-V or VMWare’s Thinapp. Application virtualization is the process of encapsulating everything the application needs into one container including OS, dll’s, IE6, and any other decencies it requires to run. In the video below I show you the basic steps to create a USB Flash drive with QB 2009 on it (couldn’t find my 04 CD I hope to find one soon). . I used ThinApp in this video but in the next I will use App-V.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Application Virtualization,App-V,VMWare,ThinApp,Virtualization,QuickBooks,CPA,QuickBooks 2004

VMWare View 4 Released

2009-11-10T08:08:00.001-08:00

VMWare View, is VMWare’s Desktop virtualization solution. Desktop virtualization allows you to centrally control and manage desktops from a central location. The new version was just released yesterday.

Centralized desktops has been a goal of many IT departments for a long time. Basically, for the same reasons you centralize anything greater control and standardization especially in an environment with compliancy regulations. However, graphics rich applications have historically presented issues in the past.

One feature VMWare toughts is PCoIP or PC over IP. The PCoIP protocol allows greater 3D graphics support, multi-media streaming capabilities including HD, and use of local usb devices.PCoIP is actually developed by a third party Teradici which VMware licenses.

Technorati Tags: VMWar View,Desktop Virtualization,PCoIP

MS Exchange 2010 RC Download available today!

2009-11-09T07:47:00.001-08:00

MS published Exchange 2010 today. They have the preconfigured VHD so get your Hyper-V lab servers ready!

Exchange 2010 Download Page

Virtualization Resources

2009-11-04T20:34:00.001-08:00

If you attended my Virtualization session at the CCH User Conference then you know I cited numerous resources online. You may not have had time to write them all down so I thought I would through them up on the blog for you. If you didn’t attend the conference that’s okay too . I’ll be adding more as time allows but this is a nice list to start with! You can subscribe to the blog or follow me on twitter for up to the minute updates.

Free Virtualization Software: I would have loved to thoroughly reviewed and written articles on each piece of software… unfortunately that didn’t happen but maybe one day. So, I’ll just include a few things about each.

I mention the hypervisor type for each software which you’re going to need to understand when implementing a virtualization solution. In my class we talked about the hypervisor tpyes (Bare-Metal Type 1 and Hosted Type 2) so if you’ve forgotten or just want to know more just click on the word Hypervisor and you’ll be directed to WikiPedia for some e-learning.

Sun VirtualBox: Its a great free alternative to fusion if you’re using a Mac and want to run Windows.
Citrix XenServer: A type 1 Hypervisor and is way under estimated in my opinion. XenServer include a robust feature set right out of the box.
MS Virtual Server 2005 & MS Virtual PC 2007: Are both type 2 hosted Hypervisor’s, They’re a good starting point for Windows virtualization. As well one of the things I love about the MS products in general is the pre-made virtual machines available for download from MS! Just take a gander (Run IT on a Virtual Hard Disk)
Windows Virtual PC: Have Windows 7? Heard of XPMode? Yeah that's Windows Virtual PC doing the behind the scenes work. Virtual PC is used to install an run applications that are incompatible with with W7. However, it has many uses outside XPMode and a number of advantages over MS Virtual PC 2007 like USB support and clipboard sharing.
MS Hyper-V Server 2008 R2: Hyper-V server is a Type 1 hypervisor and provides all the essentials for server virtualization. Hyper-V server is a great way to start vitalizing your servers with support for up to 8 proc’s, Large Memory Support, and Live Migration for free you’ll be creating VM’s in no time.
VMWare Server 2 & VMPlayer: Type 2 Hypervisor and VMWare’s hosted virtualization software for Windows and Linux virtualization. VMWare Server and Play can run and create 64bit guest operating systems. On the VMware side they have something call Virtual Applications which you can check out at the Virtual Appliance Market Place. As well with the new release of VMPlayer you can now create virtual machines as well before this required VM Workstation.
VMWare ESXi 4.0 - A type 1 hypervisor with a robust feature set. Probably one of the best options for vitalizing your servers. VMWare ESXi packs a powerful punch supporting up to 64 Logical Processors, 256’s virtual cpu’s, and 1TB of RAM per host.

Virtualization Planning Assistance:

Information on Virtualizing SQL:

Information on Virtualizing Exchange:

Technorati Tags: Virtualization,Resources,Bare-Metal,Hypervisor,VirtualBox,VMWare Fusion,XenServer,Virtual Server,XPMode,Hyper-V,VMWare,VMPlayer,ESXi,Microsoft Assessment Toolkit,Virtualization Planning,Exchange Virtualization,SQL Virtualization

Blogger Labels: Virtualization,Resources,Bare-Metal,Hypervisor,VirtualBox,VMWare Fusion,XenServer,Virtual Server,XPMode,Hyper-V,VMWare,VMPlayer,ESXi,Microsoft Assessment Toolkit,Virtualization Planning,Exchange Virtualization,SQL Virtualization

Wow I placed 4th

2009-11-03T19:23:00.001-08:00

Woot! 4th in my age group. I also won the Tat of the month at Columbus Running Club!

Lost in RDP Windows

2009-11-03T14:10:00.001-08:00

Ever been lost in a RDP of an RDP of RDP? I think I found quite possibly the best RDP application ever! Best of all its Free! The application is called Terminals you can download it by clicking here. The developer is Rob Chartier and he has done an exceptional job on this application so lets take a look!

Application Description:

“Terminals is a secure, multi tab terminal services/remote desktop client. It uses Terminal Services ActiveX Client (mstscax.dll).
The project started from the need of controlling multiple connections simultaneously. It is a complete replacement for the mstsc.exe (Terminal Services) client.” “www.codeplex.com”

What I Love about it!

First off and most importantly is the ability to have tabbed RDP sessions in one Window.Terminals makes it nice and easy to be able to browse thru the RDP windows. You can also set the tabs to show the user name in the tab as well. You have the ability to name the RDP connection anything you want which is normal but I like to point out that it doesn’t have to be the machine name.

The next feature I love is the ability to tag your RDP computers which essentially organizes (groups) everything nice and easy. Simply double click on on PC’s label and boom another tab is opening in Terminals and if you’ve saved your connection information its automatically logging you in. Worried about security? Terminals allows you to create a master password to access the application. The latest version 1.8 even includes a separate credentials management utility. Terminals also stores a history of your sessions as well.

The developer also includes some nice tools for you to use as well such as; Ping Trace, Port Scanner, Terminal Services Administration, and a host of others. It also has a nice screen capture application built in as well. Pretty basic but again its right at your fingertips. Outside of RDP Terminals also supports ICA, VNC, TelNet, RAS, and VMRC connections. All in all terminals is a great little utility and now I can’t image life without it. However, don’t take my word for it check it out for yourself!

Technorati Tags: Remote Desktop,RDP,Tips & Tricks,Windows Utilities,Multi-Tab,Terminals

How To: Add Folders to SaveAs Dialog

2009-10-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Do you have a folder that your users need to use all the time? Are your users supposed to save everything to their network folder? Well in this tutorial we’ll look at how to make this folder easily accessible from virtually everywhere within Windows.

To start lets by opening Notepad++ Click File Save As. See those Folders on the left of this Dialog box (see figure 1)? So, this is where we are going to store our shortcut. Awesome right! Next let’s start searching Google for ”Windows Common Dialog SaveAs, Add Folder Location” and you can find multiple tutorials on doing this via registry editing there are even multiple tools out there that can do this easily and with a GUI. However, most of them are geared towards a single user and our goal is to create a common shortcut for everyone and standardize it throughout the office. I’ve posted the VB script for download which has all the instruction and information inside.

Download Script Here: Add Folder To Windows Common Dialog

CPA Social Media

2009-10-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Attended Tom Hood's Social Media class I learned about the impact of social media on the CPA industries. It is pretty interesting to see how effective social networking can be for companies and individuals. I really enjoyed this class and learned a lot.

How to Open a Command Window

2009-02-05T00:22:00.000-08:00

1. From Start.

2. Type “cmd”

3. Click “cmd.exe” or just hit enter

4. The command window should open

Technorati Tags: Command Prompt,Windows,Operating System,DOS

SQL Maintenance Plan Tutorial

2009-01-14T22:47:00.000-08:00

1.From the Start Menu

Selectà All Programs à MS SQL Server {Version} à SQL Server Management Studio

2.Log into SQL Server as SA

3.Under the SQL Instance, expand management

4.Right Click Maintenance Plans

5.Select Maintenance Plan Wizard from the Context Menu

6.Click Next at the first screen

7.Name the Plan something meaningful and then click Change

8.Change the Frequency to Occur Daily then Change the time (this should be a time after your file backup has completed)

9.Click OK

10.Click Next

11.Select the Following Task

12.For the next six Tasks simply select the Database and click next until you reach the Define Database Back Up Task

13.At the Define Back Up Database

13.1.Check the "Create a sub-directory for each database..." box

13.2.Then copy the folder location (Ctrl+C)

13.3.Check the Verify Backup Integrity

13.4.Click Next

14.At the Define Maintenance Cleanup Task

14.1.Insert the Folder Location you copied previously

14.2.Check the "Include first-level subfolders" box

14.3.Click Next

15. Click Finish