If you have been using a computer for any amount of time you have no doubt forgotten a Windows 7 password or two and have had to have it reset or recovered from you administrator at the office.  With the increase of security on home computers Windows 7 now by default requires you to have a Windows password for the administrator account.  If you forget or lose this at home there is no help desk to call unless you have a relative that does computer work, which is what most of my “extended family” does when something happens.  In this case you are on you own, unless you want to pay a premium price to one of the “geek squad” out there to take care of it for you.  Instead of bothering your second cousin on your sister in laws side of the family or paying out the nose from some “expert” that couldn’t work anywhere but a big box store for technology, I will walk you through how to reset your Windows 7 password for free.

Free Windows 7 Password Reset & Recovery Tool

This utility is free but requires you to be able to make a bootable disk or USB. I’ll go through the utility and post instructions with a video.

Offline NT Password & Registry Editor
http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/

This one has been around for awhile as it will work on versions of Windows all the way back to NT.  It currently supports Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 for reset and also has a registry editor with utilities for other things.  It works by booting from a CD that you create on another system or create before you forget your login!

In testing I had some issues in changing a lost Windows 7 password, but I was able to clear the users Windows password every time.  I would recommend clearing the password instead of trying to change it on Windows 7 at least.  That way on reboot Windows 7 will just login as that user and you can then set a new password through the windows user interface by selecting CTRL-ALT-DEL and then change password.

If your not comfortable working in a command line interface and would rather use a point and click program that will walk you through everything I recommend using Password Resetter.  My walk through will work perfectly but you have to be comfortable using a text interface and text commands.  For a small price you can use an easier windows interface.

I created a video where I reset the Windows 7 password using this tool but it is a little hard to see because I was using a virtual machine.  Ill do a quick walk through on how to use it.

1. Create a bootable CD from http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/
2. Boot from the Bootable CD
3. First we select the disk where the windows system partition resides.  In the case of this demo it is the number 2 dislk, you can see the disks listed in the output.  I’m going to enter 2 and hit Enter
   
   
4. The next choice is to select the PATH to the windows system directory and registry.  The program will find what it thinks is the correct path and put it in for default.  Unless you know for sure this isn’t correct just hit Enter to accept the found path.
   
   
5. Next you will choose what part of the registry you want to work with, in this case we are going to go with “Password Reset” which is the SAM.  For this we select 1 and hit Enter
   
   
6. Now you will select “Edit User Data and Passwords” by typing 1 and Enter
   
   
7. Finally!  We now see a list of the users on this machine and whether they are an ADMIN or not.  Type in the user name you want to reset, in this case it is WS Training and hit Enter
   
   
   
8. You will now see all the information about this account that is in the SAM.  You have a few options here like including:
   Clear User Password – Always works for me
   Edit User Password – I have had iffy success with this
   Promote User – Makes them an administrator account
   Unlock & Enable User Account – In case you have locked out or disabled the account
   
   In this instance I am going to choose 1 for “Clear User Password” and hit Enter
   
   
9. You should see the message Password Cleared! and then it will ask if there is another user to reset.  If your done with recovery at this point then enter ! and hit Enter to quit.
   
   
10. Now you have to work your way out of the program just the way you came in.  Hit q to quit out and hit Enter
    
    
11. The program now lists the files that have changed and if it should make the changes permanent.  It is important to note that at this point you have been working with a copy of the account data and once you complete this step it will be saved to disk permanently.  Click Y and Enter
    
    
12. You should see a ***Edit Complete*** message to show that the password reset has been saved and then you can choose to run the program again or exit by hitting Enter.
    
    

Now you can restart your machine and let it boot into the OS.  You should be able to go straight to your desktop for the user that you removed the security for!  Congratulations on recovering your Windows 7 password and not having to reinstall your OS and lose your data.  You can now set your password again by hitting CTRL-ALT-DEL and choosing Change Password.  In your old password just leave it blank, and fill in your new password in the two text spots, then click OK.

Here is a video that walks your through the same steps above about you can see it live.

Windows 7 Password Reset & Recovery Video

Thanks for watching, I may cover other Windows 7 password recovery utilities as I need them but I have been able to use this one without a hitch for a long time.  If you have other favorites post them in the comments and Ill take a look at them!

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The original post is located at: Windows 7 Password Reset & Recovery – Free Option

When you finish your Windows Server 2008 Installation and login for the first time you will get a window that pops up called “Initial Configuration Tasks”.  It is a short list of all the options that Microsoft thinks you should use for a configuring windows server checklist.  For old hands it isn't that insightful but for those new to installing server software it can lead out through the first steps without too many problems.  Everything is broken up into 3 numbered sections to help you move forward.  Lets touch on them briefly.

Provide Computer Information

This section covers things that identify and keep the computer on track with your network.  From top of the list to the bottom it goes:

• Activate Windows – Always a good plan if this is going to be a production server.  If you do not activate within 30 days you will have a server that stops functioning in a meaningful way. Make sure you do this… really… not kidding…
• Set Time Zone – Very important to keep everything in sync on your network.  You can also set a time server to sync with in this area if you have on in mind.  If you don’t it will default to time.windows.com as its external NTP server.
• Configure Networking – This will open your networking adapters panel and let you modify each of them.  You can assign IP addresses and configure you IPv4 and IPv6 connections.  I recommend you start brushing up on your IPv6 if you haven't already, its coming and its here for some.  Don’t wait till the last minute to learn it.
• Provide Computer Name & Domain – The server will give itself a name on installation but I am guessing you will want to change that to keep with your environments naming policy.  What?  You do have a naming policy don’t you?  Also you can join any existing domains, in the video example this server is going to be our first DC so I had no domains to join yet.  As a side note if you modify any of these settings you will have to restart the computer before you can add roles or do anything really meaningful.

Update This Server

No big surprise in this section as we know Microsoft will continue to update and patch their software and this is your chance to set your policies up and also run current updates.  Only two sections here:

• Enable Automatic Updating & Feedback – When you first click this you will be able to choose the “Easy” option which is “Enable Windows automatic updating and feedback” or you can choose to manually configure each of those options.  I usually configure the Windows automatic updating part  to make sure my server isn't restarting itself whenever Microsoft sends a patch down that requires it.  I choose to set this to check for the updates and let me choose which ones to download and install.  A little more work, but I have seen in too many instances where a new patch interferes with custom software or settings and causes client issues.  Better to keep control of this yourself or move into the Enterprise level management systems that let you control it for your whole organization.  I also remove the ability for all users to install updates.  The rest of the settings I leave at default.
• Download and install updates – Pretty self explanatory, by choosing this it will go out and see what updates are available and give you the option to install them.  I recommend you patch your server right at the start to get a good baseline.  Again if you run this right away though you will have to restart.

Customize This Server

• Add Roles – I don’t necessarily think of this as an “initial” configuration task but if you want you can install the role for the server right away.  Its important to remember that with Server 2008 all roles need to be installed even if it is a file server to get full functionality.
• Add Feature – Some people get confused on this, but features are just subsets of options of different roles.  Usually if you are going to be installing a role at this point you will just enable the feature when you install the role but if you forget MS has your back!
• Enable Remote Desktop – It is turned off by default, it is one of the first things I like to enable so I can go back to sitting at my desk and finish configuring the server remotely.  There are two options when enabling remote desktop, the first is if you still are using XP clients or any other clients that do not support Network Level Authentication, the second is for those that do.  If your client OS is all Vista and Windows 7 you can select the NLA option.
• Configure Windows Firewall – Ok, im going to skip the discussion if you need a firewall on an internal server if it doesn’t have any kind of public interface.  I’m just going to say you need to decide based on your environment and security policies.  You can configure it at this time and also turn it off if you decide to not use it.  By default it is turned on.

That’s it, it is pretty hard to do a strict walk through on these variables because they are often very environment dependent.  This walk through was just a quick one to get you up to speed on what the Initial Configuration Tasks window offers and gives you a insight into what Microsoft thinks is the bare minimum to setup your server correctly.

I made a short video on the walkthrough where I do the initial configuration for a server.

Configuring Windows Server 2008 with Initial Configurations Tasks Video

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The original post is located at: Initial Configuration Tasks on Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 Installation will for the most part be the most trivial part of what you do on the server, but some will find the video and guide a helpful start.  This guide doesn’t do anything fancy, it walks you through the initial server installation including logging in for the first time.  Some may find this too basic, but it is meant to be a building block series and each video will build on what is done in the last.

If you want to skip the write-up and watch the video go ahead and do that:

Windows Server 2008 Installation Video

Windows Server 2008 also runs on dedicated servers that have passed the minimum requirements stated by Microsoft:

The big take away from that chart is that to install Windows Server 2008 R2 REQUIRES x64 (64-bit) architecture where in Server 2008 you could use X86 (32-bit) processors.  You will get a lovely error message telling you that your processor is the wrong type if you try to install it on a x86 machine:

In this demo I am using Vmware Workstation to simulate a 2 processor box with 60GB hard drive.  I will be installing the Server 2008 R2 Standard and assume that you have a bootable copy of the server disk along with knowing how to get your server to boot from it.  Slide your disk in or mount your .iso file and lets get started.

1. Once your initial bootstrap comes up you will now see the first of many choices.  Choose your language, time & currency type, and keyboard type, then click Next
   
   
   
2. The next step is to click on the big Install button…
   
   
3. Now we will select which version we are going to install of Server 2008 R2.  If this is going to be something other than a test server make sure you choose the right version.  If you choose wrong here you’ll have no way to fix it later beyond reinstalling.  For this demo we are choosing the Standard version with a full installation.  Choose your version and select Next.
   
   
4. Now we will agree to the ever expansive licensing terms by selecting the box next to “I accept the license terms” and then clicking on Next.
   
   
5. Choosing the type of install will now be “Custom (Advanced)” since this is a new server.  if you were upgrading from a previous version you would choose “Upgrade”, but I always discourage this, better to do a fresh install if possible and restore your data/application.
   
   
6. Choosing where you want to install Windows Server 2008 system directory is our next stop.  You should see the available partitions on your server.  If you don’t and happen to be using hardware that might not be in the drivers that shipped with Server 2008 R2, you should check the manufacturers website for a driver.  You would load it by clicking “Load Driver”.  In this case we don’t have to and will install to the default drive.  There are also tools on this screen that will let you create, size, resize, & delete partitions if needed. Once you finish with and choose your drive location click Next.
   
   
7. Next you will see the install process which will take a little while, you will see the progress bar move along as it does so.  Your machine should reboot at least once and maybe more.
   
   
8. Once the install routines are done the first thing you will see after the last reboot is a notice that the user’s password must be changed before logging on the first time.  Click on Ok to change the password
   
   
9. Go ahead and enter your new password then confirm it.  Please note that even at this point the default password policy requirements are enabled so you have to use a Strong password.  Click on the arrow after you have your password entered to proceed.
   
   
10. If you have managed to appease the password security policy you will see the following screen with the informational post “Your Password has been changed.”
    
    
11. Finally!  The moment we have been waiting for the Windows Server Desktop!  The first thing that will happen once the desktop arrives is you will see the “Initial Configuration Tasks” window will pop up to give you some helpful guidelines on what to do next.
    
    

I’m going to cover the Initial Configuration Tasks in a different post.  For now that is it, you have now successfully installed Windows Server 2008 R2 on your box and it’s a a solid foundation to move forward with.

Here is a video that shows all the steps above with my commentary if it is easier to watch than read through the walkthrough.

Windows Server 2008 Installation Video

Thanks for reading/watching if you have any questions or comments on this guide for installing Windows Server 2008

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The original post is located at: Windows Server 2008 Installation R2 Video & Guide

If your reading this then chances are 100% your computer is hooked up to the Internet and more then likely has an IP address assigned to it. There are two ways that a TCP/IP address is assigned to a computer either Dynamically or manually with a Static method. These are outlined below:

Dynamic: This address is assigned automagically through the wonders of Windows DHCP. This is the default setting that Windows tries to configure and the best method of connecting to an already configured network. When you have selected to enable WIndows DHCP your computer contacts a DHCP server on the network and asks for an IP address. If your at home the DHCP server will either be from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or if you have your own router it more then likely have a built in DHCP server. This is the easiest configuration you can get as everything will be done behind the scenes without intervention.

Static: If you don't have a DHCP server running or for another reason want to give your PC a specific address you will have to configure Windows  IP manually. Though it sounds scary it is quite easy to do once you know where you are going. Here is a short walk through:

1. Go to the Start Orb and click Control Panel. In the control panel click Network and Internet:
   
2. Now click on Network and Sharing Center:
   
3. In the Network and Sharing Center look along the left pane and click Manage Network Connections:
   
4. This will bring up a window with your Network Connections this will vary by computer and what is installed. In our example picture I have two network adapters installed, wired and wireless, of which the wired is disables so it is not receiving a IP address. My wireless network is active though and needs an IP address to function. Note that this procedure would not vary no matter what adapted your choose. In this case you need to right click on the adapter you want to configure. Choose Properties:
   

   If you are not logged in as an administrator you will get a UAC prompt, click Continue

5. You now will see the Network Adapter properties window that will have all the protocols and services attached to that network adapter. 99% of you as I am writing this article are still on IPv4 networks, compared to IPv6. If no one has told you different select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) from the list of protocols and click Properties:
   
6. On the properties page you will set the button to Use the following IP address and then configure the following according to your network:
   • IP Address
   • Subnet Mask
   • Default Gateway
   • Preferred DNS
   • Alternate DNS

   
   

7. In almost all the cases all you have to do is hit Ok and you will be ready to go.

If you had clicked the Advanced buttons you would have options to setup multiple IP's, Gateways, DNS and WINS settings. These are advanced concepts that are beyond the scope of this article, and if those are required you are probably beyond the scope of this article also

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The original post is located at: Enable Windows DHCP & Configure Static TCP / IP

The Google Pack contains all sorts of useful tools for the denizens of the net including the following:

• Google Chrome Browser
• Google Earth
• Google Toolbar for IE
• Norton Security Scan
• Spyware Doctor Starter Edition
• Google Desktop
• Picasa
• Google Photos Screensaver
• Adobe Reader
• Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar
• Google Talk
• Skype
• RealPlayer

The problem of course being that if you are using Windows 7 and go to the Google Pack website at http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer.html you will see the following error: “Google Pack requires Windows XP or Vista”

Well we wont a little thing keep us from getting our Google Pack goodness on Windows 7.  First we need to do a little impersonation using Firefox.  First go download and install Firefox 3 if you haven’t already installed it at: http://www.getfirefox.com

Once that is setup you need to download the User Agent Switcher plugin at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59

Once that is installed open up Firefox

Go to Tools –> User Agent Switcher –> Internet Explorer 7 (Windows Vista)

Now go to http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer.html and you will see the error message is gone.  You can now choose which software you want to install.

Choose which packages you want to install and then click Download Now

You will see a recap of the packages that you have chosen to install and click Agree and Download.

You will now get a notice that you are about to download Google Updater.exe, click on Save

Once it is finished downloading navigate to the location of Google Updater.exe.  Right click on the file and left click on Properties.

On the Properties page click on the Compatibility Tab and under Compatability mode select Run this program in compatibility mode for: and in the dropdown choose Windows Vista. 

Click Ok when done.

Double click on the Google Updater executable and then you will be asked to confirm that you want to run the file.

Confirm by clicking Run. If UAC is still enabled you will get a popup confirming you want to run it. You will now see Google Updater downloading your requested files.

Once the downloads finish the application will now install the requested software.

There you go, you can now run Google Updater and Google Pack software on Windows 7.

Tags: Windows 7

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The original post is located at: Installing Google Pack on Windows 7 Beta

It looks like one of the biggest gripes that people had against Vista was the fact it was very resource intensive.  I am a firm believer that this was a misconception on the part of many based on the way that Vista handled memory differently then XP did.  As unfair as it may be though perception is the reality and I believe Microsoft has seen that even if it is unfair.  As of this writing for the Beta build 7000 the requirements are:

• 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
• 1 GB of system memory
• 16 GB of available disk space
• Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)
• DVD-R/W Drive
• Internet access (to download the Beta and get updates)

Those are very similar to what was recommended for Vista and we know what kind of outcry went out in the world over performance even if it was slightly off mark.  So I wanted to see out of the box what the memory footprint was for each OS, nothing too scientific, just right after install I went into Task Manager and grabbed a shot of what the memory was at.  First up is Windows Vista Ultimate SP1, again right after basic install:

As you can see it is sitting ~471MB, which is at 43% of available memory.  Not too bad...

Lets see what Windows 7 Ultimate install is at right after startup :

Windows 7 is at ~295MB so that is at 25% of available memory which is a pretty significant difference from Vista without any tweaking.  It looks like at least so far into this Beta build 7000 they have indeed listened to the Vista criticism and responded. While I don't think the Vista build was ever that sluggish on my laptop, I won't complain about a slimmer operating system.

Go ahead and switch that Vista system over, if you have lost your password I am confident my article on Windows 7 Password Reset will work with Windows Vista also!

You should go ahead and give it a try!

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The original post is located at: Windows 7 System Requirements

For those of you looking past Vista already you will have taken one step closer this week to realizing that dream with the release of the Windows 7 Beta to the public.  Though it doesn't look all that different from Vista there is quite a bit of improvement and some new features that should hopefully convert the Vista haters back to the Microsoft fold.  Before we begin lets start with the requirements needed to run Windows 7 Beta:

• Processor: 1Ghz 32-bit or 64-bit
• Memory: 1GB of System Memory
• Hard Drive: 16GB of available disk space
• Video Card: Support of DirectX 9 (Aero compatibility requires 128MB)
• Drive: DVD-R/W
• Internet: Required for updates

Pretty light requirements so this should run well on most systems.  I am seeing reports on Twitter that while running it is taking much less memory than Vista did, though I haven't been able to take benchmarks yet myself.  Now that you know you have the right amount of hardware you need to go ahead and download the Windows 7 Beta software.  You can download the version you want from the link below:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx (Note: You will need to sign in with a Windows Live account)

Once you choose the version you want and fill out their contact form you will also receive a serial number, make sure you note that down for later.  After you download the Windows 7 ISO if you aren't going to be testing using a virtual machine you will need to burn it to a DVD.  I wont go into to how to burn an ISO, because frankly if you don't know how you probably shouldn't be messing around with this beta.

WARNING!

This is a BETA you should not be installing this on a production machine or any other machine you care about the data.  Even if you do get it up and running as your primary machine remember this version expires on AUGUST 9th 2009 and you WILL NOT be able to upgrade to the RTM version from the beta so the machine will require a clean install when it is released. Whatever you choose to do BACKUP everything and don’t cry to me if you lose data... really... I won't be able to help you...

Note: If you are reinstalling because of a lost password you can use my article on Windows 7 Password Reset to recover your password.

Installing Windows 7 Beta

1) Go ahead and boot from your ISO and after a few seconds you should see the following screen:

Choose your settings from the drop down menu and click on Next to move forward.

2) Much like the Windows Vista & Server 2008 install at this point you have the big option of Install Now which you should click now to start the install.

3) You will see setup start then you will be presented with the licensing agreement you will need to accept by placing a check next to I accept the license terms

4) On the next screen you get the following options:

Upgrade: Upgrade to a newer version of Windows and keep your files, settings, and programs

Custom(advanced): Install a new copy of Windows

For this demo I am going to do a clean install so I am going to choose Custom, because per my warning above you shouldn't be installing this on your primary machine.

5) Now we come to the disk options, as you can see I have an unformatted 16GB hard drive available for use.  In this screen shot I have already clicked the Disk(advanced) button so that is why you see options that you might not see right away.  I am not going to do anything here but use the 16GB, but if you wanted you could create a system and data drive or if you had multiple drives choose where you want to install the Windows 7 OS.  Again I am not going to go into this in too much depth because if you are going to play with this Beta you should now how to manage your disk drives.  Choose the drive you want to use and select Next.

6) At this point your install will start and you can monitor its progress

As you can see after it finished it does a restart, when it comes back up it will finish the install

7) Once it completes the installation you will be asked for the following:

Name: I am going to use Dave but feel free to use your own

Computer Name: Again, feel free to use something different from mine

Once you enter your value click on Next

Next comes to the security portion of the install.  You will be asked for the following:

Password: Like I would tell you guys!

Retype your password: Good try but I'm not giving it up!

Password Hint: Put in a hint that will point you to your password

After you input your information click Next

9) Hopefully you saved your license key from when you downloaded the beta software because now is the time to use it!  Go ahead and place your key where provided, then choose if you want it to activate when you are online next.

When you are done click on Next.

10) The next thing you need to configure is how you want to deal with updates.  There are several options:

Use recommended settings: Handle everything the Microsoft way and send info home when things go bad

Install important updates only: Only install security updates and other important updates

Ask me later: Go it alone in the cold cruel world... leave you open to possible exploits as you won't get security patches as vulnerabilities are discovered

For this demo I am going to choose Use recommended settings, go ahead and choose yours

11) Ok, on to setting the time and time zone.  Choose your time zone from the drop down menu, then set the correct time and click Next.

12) The next option is to set the type of network you are connected to.  Since I am working off my home network, I am going to choose Home Network. The options you have are:

Home Network: You can participate in a homegroup and see other computers on the network

Work Network: You can not participate in a homegroup, but you can see other computers on the network

Public Network: You can not participate in a homegroup or access other computers on the network.  This is a setting you would use at your public Wifi spot at the coffee shop to keep the local hackers out of your computer.

Select your network type to continue.

13) Since I selected Home Network I am now being given an option to start a homegroup.  In this case I do not need that so I am going to select Skip. (Never fear, if you need homegroup info I will be covering that in an upcoming article.)

14) You will now see Windows 7 finalizing your installation

That's it!  Congratulations and enjoy your Windows 7 Beta experience!

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The original post is located at: Install Windows 7 Beta

I have seen this pop-up on a couple different forums and even though it is not IIS specific, it always seems that IIS catches the blame for it. The issue is that external clients have no problem connecting to a website that is hosted on an internal server, but clients on the internal LAN cannot connect. After troubleshooting through this on the Technet forums with a poster it comes to find out that the issue is the internal LAN clients are resolving the website name to the external IP. For some reason the router is not allowing these internal clients to connect back internally correctly.

We came to that conclusion after I had him add the domain and internal IP address to his lmhost file on the client PC. When that was in place the website would correctly resolve for the LAN client that had the change. To clear this up he setup a DNS record on his internal DNS servers for the website using its internal IP address so the LAN clients would not have to go through the router to resolve.

I didnt really think much of it when I first worked with the poster, I was just happy to help, but since then I have seen it come up on at least 3 different forums and 1 twitter, hopefully this will come up with a relevant search and maybe help resolve the issue quicker for someone looking for an answer.

Tags: Troubleshooting

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A common question I see on Twitter and on some forums is that out of the box users are not able to search for files very easily on Server 2008 because the indexing service is disabled by default.  I am going to walk you through enabling the search features for files on the server.  To do this you need to enable Windows Search Service which permits fast file searches on the server from clients that are compatible.  Windows Search Service is intended for desktop search or small file services and is NOT a enterprise solution. 

The main thrust of this is that if you want an enterprise solution there are more robust options from Microsoft.  The discussion is a bit out of scope for this writeup but you can see some comparisons of products at http://www.microsoft.com/EnterpriseSearch/products.aspx

If you just need to search a single file server or even are going to be using Server 2008 as a desktop OS for yourself, the Windows Search Service will be more than enough for your needs.

Let’s go ahead and install Windows Search Service

1. Open Server Manager and select Roles in the left pane.  Then in the center pane click on Add Roles.
   
   
2. If you get the Before You Begin page just click Next, depending on if you have installed a role before and chose to skip this page in the future you might not see it.
   
3. Select Server Roles window go ahead and select File Services and then click Next.
   
4. The next page will discuss the File Services Role and what you can do with it. After reading go ahead and click Next.
   
5. In the Select Role Services page place a check next to Windows Search Service and then click Next.
   
6. The next page will ask you to select the volumes you want to index.  Place a  check next to the volumes you want indexed and then click Next. As a note this is a test server so I don’t have separate data drives, be careful indexing your system drive as it can cause performance issues.
   
   
7. Confirm your selections by reviewing the information and then click on Install.
   
   
   
8. Hopefully you see a Installation Succeeded message and you can click Close.
   
   

That’s it!  You will now be able to execute searches on the Windows server through Windows Search Services.

Tags: File Service Role, Windows Search Service

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In this video I walk you through installing PHP 5 on a Windows Server 2008 and configure IIS7 to allow PHP pages.  It assumes that you have already installed Windows Server 2008, if you still need to do that follow my Windows Server 2008 Installation Video & Guide

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The original post is located at: Install PHP on Windows Server 2008 with IIS7

This video will walk you through the installation of IIS7 on a Windows Server 2008 box. IIS 7 provides the core services for hosting Web servers, Web applications, and Sharepoint services. It is a tremendous step forward from previous IIS versions and finally makes it a contender to Apache.

Tags: IIS7

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The original post is located at: Install IIS7 On Windows Server 2008 Video

Welcome! This site will be a compilation of Microsoft technology articles encompassing whatever I happen to be studying at the time. I migrated articles from VistaKnowledgebase.com here so I could consolidate the domain and how everything works together. I hope you like the new layouts and new site.

Dave

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The original post is located at: Welcome to Windows Server Training

The network map is a very cool new feature in Windows that allows you to visually see on your network is connected together. It is part of the Networking & Sharing Center. Lets take a look at this cool new tool.

If you have been following along this week I am sure you are sick of seeing me show you how to get to the Network & Sharing Center console, but remember some people just get to this one article first

1. Click on your start menu and right click on Networking and choose Properties
   
2. Right above your graphical mini map you will see the words “View Full Map”, go ahead and click on that
   

   View Full Map

3. Once you click it another Window will pop up and you will see a message “Windows is creating a network map”
   

   Creating Network Map

4. Next you will see a topology layout of your network
   

   Network Topology

How the Network map works is by using Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) and for computers or devices to respond properly they need to have the LLTD responder loaded.

As you can see the Xbox 360 got a update that gave it LLTD functionality. Unfortunately Windows XP machines do not have the LLTD responder by default and that is why you see the two computers at the bottom. This was fixed in Microsoft KB 922120, you can download the responder from there and install it on your XP machines.

Now if you move your pointer over one of the devices on the map you will see its IP address and also its MAC address. Very helpful if you are troubleshooting or trying to isolate a machine quick and easy.

Isolate Machine On The Network

If you need greater information on the device you can right click on them in the network map and you will have several options including enabling or disabling and getting the properties

Device Context Menu

The properties can give you access to the devices manufacturer website and model numbers

Network Device Properties

You can also connect to the machines right from the Map by clicking on them, though if they require authentication you will still have to provide those credentials.

Also if you are connected to multiple networks through different NICs then you can use the dropdown menu to see your other network maps.

NIC Dropdown Menu

One limitation that must be noted is that the LLTD protocol is not routable so for this to work all the devices have to be on the same subnet.

Though the Network Map looks a little bit like fluff on the surface, as you closer at the functionality you can see that it adds real value when working on a home network for users that might not be as tech savvy as some.

Tags: Vista Network Map, Vista Networking

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3. Public Folder Sharing In my home we have around 5 computers and 3...

The original post is located at: Vista Network Map

In my home we have around 5 computers and 3 computer users running at any one time. This sometimes makes for some confusing document management. On top of it these computers are all running various OS’es back to Windows 2000 because of hardware limitations and need. So when my wife wants to see a copy of a certain document or we want to have our music accessible to my daughter we have started to use the Public Folder and shared it from one of the Vista machines. While hardly a new concept in the computer world to anyone that has worked in a corporate office or admins one it does strike strictly home users as kind of cool.

Lets walk through the different features and options of the public folder.

The public folder is shared by everyone with a user account on the same PC by default. Also by default access to the Public folder from the network is turned off and needs to be enabled. Luckily it is a very easy process and it starts by going to the Network & Sharing Console. There are many ways to get to the console as you can read in that article I am just going to use one randomly so lets go.

1. Click on the Start Menu and right-click on Network and choose Properties
2. In the center pane of the console look for Public folder sharing, and click the arrow to the right to bring up the different options you have.
   
   
3. Choose the option you want the choices are:
   • Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open files
   • Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open, change, and create files
   • Turn off sharing (people logged on to this computer can still access this folder)

   Once you make your change click Apply
   

   Note: Depending on UAC and security settings you may be asked for Administrator credentials.

4. An additional level of control on this share is exercised by the setting “password protected sharing” just below the Public Folder Share setting in the Network & Sharing console. This setting only allows access to shares by using local account credentials. If you attempt to connect to any share remotely it will ask for a username/password from the computer the share resides on. This is an additional layer of security and it is really up to you if you need it or not. The only options are on or off. Choose which you want and click Apply
   

After that is done you should be good to go for setup. Now lets get into the different parts of the public folder. As always there are many ways to get to things in Vista I am going to pick one that I feel is easier.

1. Click on Start Menu and then click on Computer
2. You will see it in the upper left pane under Favorites, there is a Public Folder, go ahead and click it
   
   
3. Now in the right pane you will see all the various sub folders for the Public folder. This can help you keep things organized easier.
   

Most of these are self explanatory, but there are two I want to touch on specifically so you are clear on what they do.

• Favorites – If you place Internet Explorer shortcuts in this folder they will be accessible to everyone on the PC.
• Public Desktop – Placing a document or shortcut into this folder will make it appear on everyones desktop on that PC that logs in.

All in all a very useful tool for Vista and home network users. I would recommend that you only put documents and files into the Public File Share that you are comfortable with almost anyone having access to in case of a misconfiguration. If you have need to share something with someone in particular, it would be better to make a private share and place it there with security.

Tags: Vista Networking, Vista Folder Sharing

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The original post is located at: Public Folder Sharing

One of the new features that Vista had in the networking areas was the concept of different types of networks you connect to. The three types of network are as follows:

• Home
• Work
• Public Location

Not many people realize the ramifications of your choices when you make that first click. The biggest one being whether Network Discovery is turned on our not. Now the cry from the masses of “So?” is deafening

And really it isn’t a big deal unless you want to connect to someone else’s computer quick and easy or have them connect to you. The security behind this is simple, when you are at home for example you don’t mind the fact that your computer broadcasts its existence to the other devices on your network. Now on the other hand if you are at your local Starbucks enjoying your favorite caffeinated beverage while surfing your favorite sites you do not want your computer announcing your presence to everyone who is also on a computer there.

Now every setting has its default and here it is:

• Home – Network Discovery On
• Work – Network Discovery On
• Public Location – Network Discovery Off

I am connected to my home network so we can go in and see the discovery of all the devices on my network.

1. Go to the Start Menu and then go to Network
2. After clicking on Network you will see there is quite a bit of information available for most devices:
   

Now just because there are default behaviors it doesn’t mean that you can not override them when you want to. To override them for specific networks heres what you do:

1. Go to Network & Sharing Center in the control panel
   
   
2. Look in the Sharing and discovery section, click the arrow to expand the section Network Discovery
   
   
3. Choose the radio button you want the setting to be and then click Apply

Thats it you have now overridden the defaults. What’s that? You only want to change it for a specific network and not for your whole computer? Ok, we can do that too… sometimes you people are a little pushy

Ok so we are still in the Network and Sharing Center… if not just type it into your Start Menu search bar and it should jump up and bite you.

Now in the Network & Sharing center we are going to focus on the part at the top that shows you what network you are connected to.

1. Click on Customize and you will be able to change several things about this network
   
   
2. Go ahead and set your network type (remember Private means everything is open, and Public means everything is closed) and change the name or network icon and click Next. This will bring you to a summary of what you just changed.
   

Note: If your computer is a member of a domain you will not be able to change these network settings, the network administrator will set them up by default.

Well thats about it for Network Discovery, as always you can leave questions and comments below!

Tags: vista network discovery, Vista Networking

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The original post is located at: Managing Network Discovery

This week I am going to focus on articles that have to do with the Network & Sharing Center. This control panel console is used to help home users in sharing resources on their home network. Much more robust then its XP counterpart it has some nifty new features that are helpful. While the Network & Sharing console is included in every version of Vista, it will be more often used in the following editions:

• Home Basic
• Home Premium
• Ultimate

If you want to go in and take a look there are a few ways to get there.

• Double click the Network and Sharing Center icon in the Control Panel
• Right-click the Network item on the Start Menu and choose Properties
• Choose Network in the Start menu, and then click the Network and Sharing button from the context menu.

Ok so whats it actually look like? Here you go:

This console on the left has a list of tasks that can be done from here, and also in the center pane has a lot of information on the current networking settings.

From the left menu you can do the following:

• View Computers and Devices
• Connect to a network
• Manage wireless networks
• setup a connection or network
• Manage network connections
• Diagnose and repair

I will be going over most of these in upcoming articles.

In the center pane you will find the following information:

• Mini-map of your current network connection (with a option to see the full network map)
• Information on your current network (Access type and if wireless signal strength)
• Network Discovery On/Off
• File Sharing On/Off
• Public Folder Sharing On/Off
• Printer Sharing On/Off
• Password protected sharing On/Off
• Media Sharing On/Off

Again this is just an overview and future articles will go more in depth.

For now this has been a quick overview of what to expect and where to start when trying to share a file or share a printer in Vista or when diagnosing a Vista Networking Problem.

Tags: Vista Networking, Vista Network & Sharing Center

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The original post is located at: Vista Network & Sharing Center

Flip3D was one of those cool WOW things that Windows Vista marketing couldn’t show enough of. If you are using a low end machine and barely clearing the Aero performance bar you may want to limit the number of windows displayed to keep the performance hit to a minimum. If you haven’t seen it yet you can read my article about using Flip3D.

Ok lets get into making the changes already!

Note: This change requires making modifications to the registry. If you are wary of doing this then I suggest you hold off. I and this website will not be held accountable for any damage done while modifying your registry.

1. Go to the start menu and type regedit, and launch the Registry Editor, if you have UAC enabled click “Allow”
2. Navigate to the following Registry Key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM
3. Create a new DWORD (32-bit) entry and name it Max3DWindows
   
   
4. Set the Dword value to the max number of windows you want open. For low end machines 3-5 windows should be good while higher end machines can have 10 without issues.
   
5. Click Ok and then exit the Registry Editor.

After rebooting you can test the change by having multiple windows open and using Windows key+TAB.

Tags: Windows Vista Flip 3D, Vista Performance

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Sometimes as a Network Administrator I get on a home users machine and have to pause for a few seconds to get to the Administrator programs that I use to sort out the day to day trouble regular users get themselves into to.

This article will put those administrative tools in Vista at your fingertips through the Start Menu.

1. Right-Click on the Start Button, choose Properties
   
2. From the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window click on the Smart Menu tab, then click on Customize.
   
   
3. Scroll down in the menu and you will see a entry for System administrative tools. Change the radio button to Display on the All Programs menu and the Start menu. Click Ok twice to complete the action.
   

Now all the administrative tools are at your fingertips with a few mouse clicks.

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I recently had a friend who was messing around with his desktop and accidentally deleted the Show Desktop icon from his quick launch toolbar. This useful little icon minimizes all open windows so you can get to your desktop quickly. It is not really a application but instead a script that causes all that minimizing goodness.

To restore the scirpt and icon do the following:

1. Open Wordpad and copy in the following text:[Shell]
   Command=2
   IconFile=explorer.exe,3
   [Taskbar]
   Command=ToggleDesktop
2. Now save the file in the following location:%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\InternetExplorer\Quick Launchand with the name Show Destop.scfNote: The %UserProfile% is a variable that designates where the users profile resides. For most this will be C:\Users\username but if you want to know for sure go to a command prompt and use the set userprofile command which will return the correct path.

Tags: Vista Show Desktop Icon

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If your like me after a few months of loading problems your system tray can get overloaded with icons. There are several ways to handle this but I am going to show you the tactical nuke option. This registry edit will permanently remove all the system tray icons.

NOTE : This post discusses changing your registry directly. This can cause your computer to become a very expensive paper weight if done incorrectly. Use the instructions cautiously as I take no responsibility for any inability someone might have to not follow simple instructions. You have been warned.

With our warning out of the way lets get started. As we can see I have a very crowded System Tray:

Ok here we go:

1. Open registry by typing regedit at the start menu:
   

   NOTE: You may have to verify through UAC if you have it enabled.

2. Navigate to the key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
   
   
3. Add a new DWORD value called NoTrayItemsDisplay by right clicking on Explorer, selecting New, DWORD (32-bit) Value
   
   
4. Double click on the DWORD NoTrayItemsDisplay and set the value to 1.
   
   
5. Exit the Registry Editor and Reboot your computer.

There you have it after reboot you will have a much less cluttered system tray:

If there are programs that are ACTIVE in the system tray then this will not hide them. This will only set all items in the system tray to hide when inactive.

Tags: Hide System Tray Icons

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The original post is located at: Hide Vista System Tray Icons Permanently