Windows Solution Center 2013

SCCM 2012 installation guide

2013-03-13T04:32:00.000-07:00

SCCM 2012 Installation Guide

This post is intended to guide you with the required installation steps for SCCM 2012. We are assuming a simple install with a unique Primary Site Server and a remote SQL Database Server with a named instance.

For this tutorial we will take 6 main Steps:

Step1 - The LAB enviroment
Step2 - Extend Active Directory Schema
Step3 - System Container creation and Permissions Assignment
Step4 - Site Server Prerequisites
Step5 - SQL Server considerations
Step6 - SCCM 2012 intallation

Step1 - The LAB enviroment

For this LAB, we setup an Active Directory infra-structure with the following characteristics:

TSTDC1.lab.local -> A domain controller for the domain lab.local
TSTSCCM.lab.local -> The site server machine witch will host the Site Server role and most of the system roles
TSTSQL.lab.local -> The SQL Server machine, witch will host the Database System role and the Reporting Services Point role. The SQL Server version installed is SQL Server 2008 SP2 with CUP7. A named instance called SMSIST1 is setup and ready to use
CLT01.lab.local -> A Windows 7 client machine that represents the common users computers in a domain

All Server systems are running Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.

All computer are join to the domain lab.local

We also create some domain accounts for various purposes:

SQL_SA -> a domain user account used for SQL server services
SCCM_SA -> a domain user account for use in various SCCM services, like, push install, Network Access Account, etc
SCCMadmin -> a domain user account with admin rights in the SCCM infra-structure
Reports_SA -> a domain user account for use with reporting services

NOTE: We may not be using all mention accounts in this guide, this is just a simple and basic creation of Active Directory accounts for a SCCM enviroment

Step2 - Extend Active Directory Schema

Extending Active Directory Schema for SCCM 2012 is a simple process that consists in running an exe file in one of you Domain Controllers. As there aren't any changes in the Schema extensions since SCCM 2007, if you have previously upgrade your AD Schema with this extensions you do not need to Upgrade it again.

To extend the AD Schema follow this steps:

1. Logon to a Domain Controller with an account that have Domain and Schema Admin privileges

2. Access the SCCM 2012 media content, by network browse or directly from the DVD.

3. Navigate to \SMSSetup\Bin\x64\ and execute Extadsch.exe

4. Verify the log file generated in c:\ ExtADSch.log to confirm that the upgrade was successful

5. If applicable, wait for the Active Directory Replication to take place or force it with repadmin tool or Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in

Step3 - System Container creation and Permissions Assignment

Now we need to create a new container under Active Directory System Container, and then we need to assign Full Control permissions in this container for each Site Server computer account. In our case we are only installing a Primary Site Server, so we just need to assign permission to one computer object (TSTSCCM).

1. From a Domain Controller with a Domain Administrator account open ADSI Edit snap-in (adsiedit.msc)

2. Select the top node of the left pane, right click and choose connect to, accept the default naming context and click OK.

3. In the container CN=System, right click and select new -> object

4. Choose Container in the Class type menu and hit next

5. In the value field for the container object write System Management and press next

Now that the System Management Container it´s created we need to give Full Control permission on this container and in all his descendant objects to every Site Server computer account. To do this follow this steps:

1. Again from ADSI Edit select the System Management Container, go to it´s properties

2. In the security tab add the Site Server computer account to the ACL and assign full control permissions to it

3. Click on advanced tab, select the Site Server computer account and click edit

4. In the permission entry for System Management windows, from the Apply to drop dwon box menu choose This object and all descendant objects, click OK all the way down until all windows are closed.

5. Again, wait or force replication between Domain Controllers if applicable

Step4 - Site Server Prerequisites

So, our Active Directory preparations tasks are done, now we focus on the Site Server preparation. As mentioned we are going to install a stand alone Primary Site Server. For that, we need to install a bunch of feature and application in the Site Server computer (TSTSCCM).

You can review the prerequisites for the various roles here, to simplify the process we will just run a power shell command to install all the features we need in one shoot.

1. On your Site Sever computer, open a power shell command prompt and type:

Import-module servermanager <enter>
Add-WindowsFeature Web-Common-Http,Web-Static-Content,Web-Default-Doc,Web-Dir-Browsing,Web-Http-Errors,Web-Http-Redirect,Web-Asp-Net,Web-Net-Ext,Web-ASP,Web-ISAPI-Ext,Web-ISAPI-Filter,Web-Http-Logging,Web-Log-Libraries,Web-Request-Monitor,Web-Http-Tracing,Web-Basic-Auth,Web-Windows-Auth,Web-Url-Auth,Web-Filtering,Web-IP-Security,Web-Stat-Compression,Web-Mgmt-Tools,Web-WMI,NET-Framework,RDC,BITS -Restart <enter>

2. Download and install .NET Framework 4 - here
3.There are some optional windows features / roles that you could install, depending on what kind of functionality you want to use from SCCM, for example, if you plan on using Software Updates you will need the WSUS role installed on the site system you install the SCCM SUP (Software Update Point) role, likewise if you plan on using OSD (Operating System deployment), you will need the WDS (Windows Deployment Services) installed. In our case we will just add this roles in a later time, note that for WDS, you don´t need to install the role manually like WSUS, in SCCM 2012, the role is installed automatically once you enable the PXE role.

4. Add the Site Server computer account (TSTSCCM) and the SCCMadmin user to the local administrators group of your Primary Site Sever computer (TSTSCCM).

5. You should run windows update and patch your server to the highest level

This should install all the main prerequisites you need for your Primary Site Server installation

Step5 - SQL Server considerations

Has told, we are using a separate server for hosting the SQL server Database and the Site System Database role. We also decide to use a named instance for SMS Database, witch intern needs some additional configurations compared with using just the default instance.

We are not going to do a step by step on how to install SQL, we are just going to mention some relevant aspects that you need to take in consideration when building you SQL Sever.

1. You could see the supported versions of SQL Server here

2. You only need to install the Database Engine feature for each site server, of course Management Tools could come in handy, Reporting Services is optional, but you probably would install it, since reporting in SCCM 2012 is only through Reporting Services, no more Reporting point role :)

3. You must use a dedicated instance of SQL Server for each site, in other words, you cannot host two Database from two different Site Servers in the same SQL instance, it could be in the same server though, but in separated instances

4. Limit SQLServer memory to 80 - 90% of the addressable memory if the SQL is in a dedicated Server. if the SQL is co-located with the Site Server computer limit the memory to 50 - 80%. You can do this with SQL Server Management Studio, by selecting the top SQL Server instance node, going to it´s properties, and in the memory page define a limit for the maximum server memory

5. If you configure you SQL Server service to run with a domain user account (best practice) you might have to register a SPN (Service Principal Name) in Active Directory for that domain account. You will need to register two SPN for the account, one for the NETBIOS name of the SQL Server and other for the FQDN. to do that, on a domain controller, open a command prompt and type:

setspn –A MSSQLSvc/<SQL Server NETBIOS name>:1433 <Domain\Account>

setspn –A MSSQLSvc/<SQL Server FQDN>:1433 <Domain\Account>

in our example we have:

setspn –A MSSQLSvc/TSTSQL:1433 LAB\SQL_SA

setspn –A MSSQLSvc/TSTSQL.lab.local:1433 LAB\SQL_SA

After registering the SPN´s you could check them by typing:

setspn –L <domain\SQL Service Account>

once again in our example:

setspn –L LAB\SQL_SA

6. Open Firewall ports on you SQL server, you could just turn off Windows Firewall, however if you like to take advantage of windows firewall security just ensure you open the necessary ports, the script below will do that for you, just copy and paste it in a notepad, save it as a *.bat file, and run it from a command prompt

        @echo ========= SQL Server Ports ===================
        @echo Enabling SQLServer default instance port 1433
        netsh firewall set portopening TCP 1433 "SQLServer"
        @echo Enabling Dedicated Admin Connection port 1434
        netsh firewall set portopening TCP 1434 "SQL Admin Connection"
        @echo Enabling conventional SQL Server Service Broker port 4022
        netsh firewall set portopening TCP 4022 "SQL Service Broker"
        @echo Enabling Transact-SQL Debugger/RPC port 135
        netsh firewall set portopening TCP 135 "SQL Debugger/RPC"
        @echo ========= Analysis Services Ports ==============
        @echo Enabling SSAS Default Instance port 2383
        netsh firewall set portopening TCP 2383 "Analysis Services"
        @echo Enabling SQL Server Browser Service port 2382
        netsh firewall set portopening TCP 2382 "SQL Browser"
        @echo ========= Misc Applications ==============
        @echo Enabling HTTP port 80
        netsh firewall set portopening TCP 80 "HTTP"
        @echo Enabling SSL port 443
        netsh firewall set portopening TCP 443 "SSL"
        @echo Enabling port for SQL Server Browser Service's 'Browse' Button
        netsh firewall set portopening UDP 1434 "SQL Browser"
        @echo Allowing multicast broadcast response on UDP (Browser Service Enumerations OK)
        netsh firewall set multicastbroadcastresponse ENABLE

7. During SQL installation in the collation tab, you should set the Database Engine to use SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS

8. During SQL server installation in the account provisioning tab, you should set the authentication mode to Windows Authentication and in the SQL Server Administrators add the SCCMadmin user and the current user from witch you are installing SQL.

9. As we told, when using a named instance you do need to make same additional configurations. SCCM Site Server do not support Dynamic Ports, and SQL Server named instances use dynamic ports by default, so we need to fix that.

          a. Logon to your SQL Server and open SQL Server Configuration Manager
    b. Expand SQL Server Network Configuration, select Protocols for "you instance name". From the central pane, double click on TCP/IP protocol
c. In TCP/IP Properties windows select the IP Addresses tab
          d. Now for every IP configuration, from IP1 through IPAll, delete the "0" in the TCP Dynamic Ports field, leaving it just empty and fill in the TCP Port of every IP with the value of 1433. Click OK to close the window

          e. To apply the changes, go to SQL Server Services node, select your SQL Server instance and do a restart to the service

10. Add the Site Server computer account (TSTSCCM) and the SCCMadmin user to the local administrators group of the SQL Server (TSTSQL)

11. Make sure you have all necessary SQL patches, the minimum Service Packs and CU (Cumulative Updates)

Step6 - SCCM 2012 intallation

Active Directory is prepared our Site Server prerequisites installed and our SQL Server up and running, we are finally ready to kick the SCCM installation.

From your Site Server computer, with your SCCMadmin account follow this steps:

1. Navigate to your installation media and execute splash.hta

2. In the configuration Manager Setup windows click install

3. In the Getting Started window, select Install a Configuration Manager Primary Site and click next

4. In the prerequisites licenses page accept all three license terms and click next

5. In the prerequisites download page, specify a local folder to download all the necessary additional files for the installation and click next. Wait for the download to complete

6. In the server language selection window, select the languages you want to install for your console and reports, click next

7. In the client languages selection window, select the languages you want to be available for you clients, click next

8. In the site and installation setting page, specify the 3 digit Site Code for your Site Sever, we are using LB1 in our LAB. Fill in a site name for your Primary Site Server, specify the installation path and choose whether or not to install the SCCM console on the Site Server, witch you probably would want to. click next

9. In the primary site server installation window, just select whether you are going to join the Site Server to an existing hierarchy in witch case you must specify the CAS Server FQDN, or whether to perform a Stand Alone install, note that if you choose a Stand Alone install, you can not join the Primary Site Server later to a hierarchy. In our scenario we are going to install a stand alone Primary Site. click next

10. In the Database information page enter your Database location information, SQL Server Database FQDN name, instance name (leave blank if you are using the default instance) we are using a named instance called SMSIST1. You should accept defaults for the Database name and for the SSB port, click next

11. In the SMS Provider Setting specify the SMS Provider FQDN, this probably would be you Site Server, click next

12. In the client computer communication settings, choose configure the communication method in each site system role, click next

13. In the site system role, check the Install a management point and install a distribution point, click next

14. Then a prerequisite checker will run to verify that all the requisites for the installation are OK. If you get some warnings it´s fine, you can proceed with the installation anyway. You will probably get a warning about SQL Server process allocation and about WSUS SDK, if like me, you decide to install it later. Hit begin install, lay back and wait about 15 to 20 minutes

15. Once the installation is done, click close, reboot the Server, open the SCCM Console and enjoy, Congratulation, you have just installed you first SCCM 2012 Primary Site Server

TIP: you can view all the installation processes in real time, in your site server computer just go to \SMSSETUP\TOOLS\ on your installation media and run CMTrace tool, then open the log file in c:\ConfigMgrSetup.log, this will show you what is happening in the background during installation and let you identify potential problems in an easy way.

Windows 8 Start menu

2013-03-05T10:04:00.001-08:00

Windows 8 Start Button

How to add a Start button to Windows 8?
Just install Start Button 8!
The package contains a Start button and a convenient Menu. A ready solution for those who like to keep everything under control.
Attention! Start Button 8 works perfectly with older versions of Windows.

Download Windows 8 startmenu

Windows 7 shortcut keys

2012-07-23T23:48:00.004-07:00

Calculator Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt+1 Switch to Standard mode
Alt+2 Switch to Scientific mode
Alt+3 Switch to Programmer mode
Alt+4 Switch to Statistics mode
Alt + C Calculate or solve date calculations and worksheets
Ctrl + E Open date calculations
Ctrl + H Turn calculation history on or off
Ctrl + L Press the MC button
Ctrl + M Press the MS button
Ctrl + P Press the M+ button
Ctrl + Q Press the M- button
Ctrl + R Press the MR button
Ctrl + U Open unit conversion
Del Press the CE button
Esc Press the C button
F1 Open Calculator Help
F9 Press the +/– button
R Press the 1/× button
@ Press the square root button

Ctrl+ Shift + D Clear the calculation history
Enter Recalculate the calculation history after editing
Esc Cancel editing the calculation history
F2 Edit the calculation history
Down Arrow Navigate down in the calculation history
Up Arrow Navigate up in the calculation history

D Press the Mod button in Scientific mode
I Press the Inv button in Scientific mode
L Press the log button in Scientific mode
M Press the dms button in Scientific mode
N Press the ln button in Scientific mode
O Press the cos button in Scientific mode
P Press the pi button in Scientific mode
Q Press the x^2 button in Scientific mode
S Press the sin button in Scientific mode
T Press the tan button in Scientific mode
V Press the F-E button in Scientific mode
X Press the Exp button in Scientific mode
Y Press the x^y button in Scientific mode
Ctrl + B Press the 3√x button in Scientific mode
Ctrl + G Press the 10x button in Scientific mode
Ctrl + O Press the cosh button in Scientific mode
Ctrl + S Press the sinh button in Scientific mode
Ctrl + T Press the tanh button in Scientific mode
Ctrl + Y Press the y√x button in Scientific mode
F3 Select Degrees in Scientific mode
F4 Select Radians in Scientific mode
F5 Select Grads in Scientific mode
; Press the Int button in Scientific mode
# Press the x^3 button in Scientific mode
! Press the n! button in Scientific mode

F2 Select Dword in Programmer mode
F3 Select Word in Programmer mode
F4 Select Byte in Programmer mode
F5 Select Hex in Programmer mode
F6 Select Dec in Programmer mode
F7 Select Oct in Programmer mode
F8 Select Bin in Programmer mode
F12 Select Qword in Programmer mode
J Press the RoL button in Programmer mode
K Press the RoR button in Programmer mode
< Press the Lsh button in Programmer mode
> Press the Rsh button in Programmer mode
% Press the Mod button in Programmer mode
| Press the Or button in Programmer mode
^ Press the Xor button in Programmer mode
~ Press the Not button in Programmer mode
& Press the And button in Programmer mode
Spacebar Toggles the bit value in Programmer mode

A Press the Average button in Statistics mode
D Press the CAD button in Statistics mode
S Press the Sum button in Statistics mode
T Press the S.D. button in Statistics mode
Ctrl + A Press the Average Sq button in Statistics mode
Ctrl + S Press the Sum Sq button in Statistics mode
Ctrl + T Press the Inv S.D. button in Statistics mode

Command Prompt Keyboard Shortcuts

F1 or Right Arrow Auto fills characters from previously ran command one by one in the current command prompt session
F2 Copies characters from previously ran command in the current command prompt session
F3 Repeats running the last command ran in the current command prompt session
F5 or Up/Down Arrow Cycles through previously ran commands from command history in the current command prompt session
F7 Displays list of all previously ran commands in the numerical order that they were ran in from the current command prompt session. You can use the Up or Down arrow keys to cycle though them, and press Enter to run the selected command.
F8 Auto fills matching command name from previously ran command history in the current command prompt session when you type a charater and press F8. Continuing to press F8 will allow you to cycle through all matching names.
F9 When pressed, this will ask you to "Enter command number". Type in the command number from the order it was ran (F7 to see number) in and press Enter to run the command.
ALT+F7 Clears command history
Esc Erases current line
Tab Auto fills matching file or folder names in current directory when you type a charater and press tab. Continuing to press tab will allow you to cycle through all matching names in current directory.

Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts

Arrow Keys Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons
Backspace Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box
Ctrl + Shift + Tab Move back through tabs
Ctrl + Tab Move forward through tabs
Enter Replaces clicking the mouse for many selected commands
F4 Display the items in the active list
Shift + Tab Move back through options
Spacebar Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box
Tab Move forward through options

Ease of Access Keyboard Shortcuts

Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock Turn Mouse Keys on or off
Left Alt + Left Shift + PrtScn Turn High Contrast on or off
Num Lock (hold for 8 seconds) Turn Toggle Keys on or off
Right Shift (hold for 8 seconds) Turn Filter Keys on and off
Shift (pressed 5 times) Turn Sticky Keys on or off
Windows Key + U Open Ease of Access Center

Function Key Keyboard Shortcuts

NOTE: On multimedia keyboards, you may need to press the F-Lock or Function key first.

F1 Open Help window
F2 Rename the selected item
F3 Opens Search window
F4 Display the Address bar drop down list in Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer
F5 Refresh the current active window
F6 Cycle through items in current active window
F10 Displays the menu bar in the active window and underlines the menu bar shortcut keys
F11 Toggle Full Screen Mode On or Off in Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer
Alt + F4 Close the current active window or program. From the desktop, it opens the Shut Down Windows window.
Ctrl + F4 Close the active document (in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
Shift + F10 Open context menu of selected item

General Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt + D Move focus to address bar in Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer
Alt + D, Tab Move focus to search bar in Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer
Alt + Enter or Alt + Double Click on File Open Properties window of selected item
Alt + Esc Cycle through all open windows.
Alt + P Turn Preview Pane on or off in Windows Explorer
Alt + Left Arrow Go back in Windows Explorer
Alt + Right Arrow Go forward in Windows Explorer
Alt + underlined letter Display the corresponding menu or Perform the menu command
Alt + Up Arrow Go Up a directory in Windows Explorer
Alt + Tab select a open items or windows to see.
Alt + Spacebar Open menu of the current active window
Ctrl + Alt + Tab Use the arrow keys to switch between open items or windows
Ctrl + Down Arrow Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph
Ctrl + Up Arrow Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph
Ctrl + Left Arrow Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word
Ctrl + Right Arrow Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word
Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Select a block of text
Ctrl + Arrow + Spacebar Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop
Ctrl + A Select all items in active open window
Ctrl + C Copy the selected item
Ctrl + Esc Open Start menu
Ctrl + Mouse Wheel Increase or decrease icon size in current active Windows Explorer window or desktop
Ctrl + N Opens new Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer window
Ctrl + Shift + N Creates a New Folder on the active desktop or in the active Windows Explorer window.
Ctrl + Shift + Esc Open Task Manager
Ctrl + V Paste the selected item
Ctrl + X Cut the selected item
Ctrl + Y Redo an action
Ctrl + Z Undo an action
Delete Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin
End Scroll to the bottom of the current active window
Esc Cancel the current task
Home Scroll to the top of the current active window
Right Arrow Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu
Left Arrow Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu
Shift + Arrow Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document
Shift + Delete Delete selected item permanently without it going to the Recycle Bin first.
Shift + Left Click Select a item or multiple items
Shift (when you insert a CD) Prevent the CD from automatically playing

Help and Support Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt + A Display the customer support page
Alt + C Display the Table of Contents
Alt + N Display the Connection Settings menu
Alt + Left Arrow Move back to the previously viewed help topic
Alt + Right Arrow Move forward to the next previously viewed help topic
Alt + Home Display the Help and Support home page
Ctrl + F Search the current help topic
Ctrl + P Print the current help topic
End Move to the end of a help topic
F3 Move focus to the Search box
F10 Display the Options menu
Home Move the to beginning of a help topic

Magnifier Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + Alt + Arrow keys Pan in the direction of the arrow keys
Ctrl + Alt + D Switch to docked mode
Ctrl + Alt + F Switch to full-screen mode
Ctrl + Alt + I Invert colors
Ctrl + Alt + L Switch to lens mode
Ctrl + Alt + R Resize the lens
Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar Show the mouse pointer
Windows Key + Esc Exit Magnifier
Windows Key + Plus Sign (+) or Minus Sign (-) Zoom in or out

Paint Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt Display keytips
Alt + F4 Close a picture and its Paint window
Ctrl + A Select the entire picture
Ctrl + B Bold selected text
Ctrl + C Copy a selection to the Clipboard
Ctrl + E Open the Properties dialog box
Ctrl + G Show or hide gridlines
Ctrl + I Italicize selected text
Ctrl + Minus Sign (-) Decrease the width of a brush, line, or shape outline by one pixel
Ctrl + N Create a new picture
Ctrl + O Open an existing picture
Ctrl + P Print a picture
Ctrl + Page Down Zoom out
Ctrl + Page Up Zoom in
Ctrl + Plus Sign (+) Increase the width of a brush, line, or shape outline by one pixel
Ctrl + R Show or hide the ruler
Ctrl + S Save changes to a picture
Ctrl + U Underline selected text
Ctrl + V Paste a selection from the Clipboard
Ctrl + W Open the Resize and Skew dialog box
Ctrl + X Cut a selection
Ctrl + Y Redo a change
Ctrl + Z Undo a change
Delete Delete a selection
Esc Cancel a selection
F1 Open Paint Help
F10 Display keytips
Shift + F10 Show the current shortcut menu
F11 View a picture in full-screen mode
F12 Save the picture as a new file
Right Arrow Move the selection or active shape right by one pixel
Left Arrow Move the selection or active shape left by one pixel
Down Arrow Move the selection or active shape down by one pixel
Up Arrow Move the selection or active shape up by one pixel

Remote Desktop Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt + Delete Display the system menu.
Alt + Home Display the Start menu.
Alt + Insert Cycle through programs in the order that they were started in.
Alt + Page Down Move between programs from right to left.
Alt + Page Up Move between programs from left to right.
Ctrl + Alt + Break Switch between a window and full screen.
Ctrl + Alt + End Display the Windows Security dialog box.
Ctrl + Alt + Minus Sign (-) on numeric keypad Place a copy of the active window, within the client, on the Terminal server clipboard (provides the same functionality as pressing Alt+PrtScn on a local computer).
Ctrl + Alt + Plus Sign (+) on numeric keypad Place a copy of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard (provides the same functionality as pressing PrtScn on a local computer).
Ctrl + Alt + Right Arrow Tab out of the Remote Desktop controls to a control in the host program (for example, a button or a text box). Useful when the Remote Desktop controls are embedded in another (host) program.
Ctrl + Alt + Left Arrow Tab out of the Remote Desktop controls to a control in the host program (for example, a button or a text box). Useful when the Remote Desktop controls are embedded in another (host) program.

Taskbar Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + Left Click Use on a grouped pinned taskbar program icon to cycle through the open windows in that group.
Ctrl + Shift + Left Click Use on a pinned taskbar program icon to open another instance of that program with administrator privileges (run as administrator)
Shift + Left Click Use on a pinned taskbar program icon to open another instance of that program.
Shift + Right Click Use on a pinned taskbar program icon to open the context menu for the icon.
Shift + Right Click Use on a grouped icon on the taskbar to open the context menu for the group.
Windows Key + (1 to 0) Opens the pinned taskbar icon that corresponds to the order that they are in from left (1) to right (0) on the taskbar. 0 is for 10.
Windows Key + Alt + (1 to 0) Opens the Jump List of recently accessed items for the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
Windows Key + Ctrl + (1 to 0) Switches to the last active window of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number
Windows Key + Shift + (1 to 0) Starts a new instance of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number
Windows Key + B Makes the focus on the system tray icons (notification area icons) on the taskbar
Windows Key + T Cycle through programs on the taskbar. Press Enter to open the one selected.
Windows Key + Shift + T Cycle backwards through programs on the taskbar. Press Enter to open the one selected.

Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt + D Select the address bar
Alt + Enter or Alt + Double Click on File Opens the Properties window of the selected item
Alt + P Toggle the preview pane on or off
Alt+Left Arrow View the previous folder
Alt + Right Arrow View the next folder
Alt + Up Arrow Go up one folder level in the path
Back Go back one folder level in the path
Ctrl + E Select the search box
Ctrl + Mouse scroll wheel Change the size and appearance of file and folder icons
Ctrl + N Open a new window
Ctrl + Shift + N Creates a New Folder on the active desktop or in the active Windows Explorer window.
End Display the bottom of the active window
F11 Maximize or minimize the active window
Home Display the top of the active window
Num Lock + Asterisk (*) on numeric keypad Display all subfolders under the selected folder
Num Lock + Plus Sign (+) on numeric keypad Display the contents of the selected folder
Num Lock + Minus Sign (-) on numeric keypad Collapse the selected folder
Left Arrow Collapse the current selection (if it's expanded), or select the parent folder
Right Arrow Display the current selection (if it's collapsed), or select the first subfolder
Shift+Right Click on a file Adds Copy as Path, which copies the path of a file to the clipboard.
Shift+Right-Click on a file Adds extra hidden items to the Send To context menu.
Shift+Right-Click on a folder Adds Open Command Prompt Here to the context menu.

Windows Journal Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt + F4 Close a note and its Journal window
Ctrl + A Select all items on a page
Ctrl + C Copy a selection to the Clipboard
Ctrl + Shift + C Display a shortcut menu for column headings in a note list
Ctrl + F Start a basic find
Ctrl + G Go to a page
Ctrl + N Start a new note
Ctrl + O Open a recently used note
Ctrl + P Print a note
Ctrl + S Save changes to a note
Ctrl + V Paste a selection from the Clipboard
Ctrl + Shift + V Move a note to a specific folder
Ctrl + X Cut a selection
Ctrl + Y Redo a change
Ctrl + Z Undo a change
Esc Cancel a selection
Delete Delete a selection
F1 Open Journal Help
F5 Refresh find results or Refresh the note list
F6 Toggle between a note list and a note
F11 View a note in full-screen mode

Windows Logo Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows Key Open or close the Start menu
Windows Key + Pause/Break Opens the System properties window
Windows Key + B Moves focus to the program that displayed a message in the Notification Area on the taskbar
Ctrl + Windows Key + B Switch focus to the program that displayed a message in the notification area
Windows Key + D Toggles to Show Desktop and restore desktop
Windows Key + M Minimize all opened windows
Windows Key + Shift + M Restore minimized windows to the desktop
Windows Key + E Open Window Explorer to Libraries
Windows Key + F Open Search window
Ctrl + Windows Key + F Search for computers (if you are on a network)
Windows Key + G Displays desktop gadgets
Windows Key + L Lock your computer or switch users
Windows Key + P Displays desktop to projector display presentation switch window.
Windows Key + R Open Run command window
Windows Key + T Cycle through programs on the taskbar. Press Enter to open the one selected.
Windows Key + Shift + T Cycle backwards through programs on the taskbar. Press Enter to open the one selected.
Windows Key + Tab Cycle through open windows by using Flip 3D. Release to open the window in the front.
Ctrl+Windows Key + Tab Use the tab or left and right arrow keys to cycle through open windows by using Flip 3D. Press enter or click on the first window to open the window in the front.
Windows Key + U Open Ease of Access Center
Windows Key + X Open Windows Mobility Center
Windows Key + Spacebar Press and hold for a Desktop Preview. Also known as Aero Peak.
Windows Key + 1 to 0 Opens the program pinned to the taskbar that corresponds to the order that they are in from left (1) to right (0) on the taskbar. 0 is for 10.
Ctrl+Windows Key + 1 to 0 Switch to the last active window of the program pinned to the taskbar that corresponds to the order that they are in from left (1) to right (0) on the taskbar. 0 is for 10.
Shift + Windows Key + 1 to 0 Start a new instance of the program pinned to the taskbar that corresponds to the order that they are in from left (1) to right (0) on the taskbar. 0 is for 10. If the program is already running, switch to that program.
Windows Key + Left Arrow Docks and undocks current active window to the left side of the screen.
Windows Key + Shift+ Left Arrow Moves the current active window over one monitor to the left.
Windows Key + Right Arrow Docks and undocks current active window to the right side of the screen.
Windows Key, Right Arrow, Enter Shutdown
Windows Key, Right Arrow, Right Arrow, R Restart
Windows Key, Right Arrow, Right Arrow, S Sleep
Windows Key, Right Arrow, Right Arrow, W Switch Users
Windows Key + Shift+ Right Arrow Moves the current active window over one monitor to the right.
Windows Key + Up Arrow Maximizes current active window to full screen.
Windows Key + Shift + Up Arrow Maximizes current active window vertically.
Windows Key + Shift + Down Arrow Restores vertically maximized current active window back to the way it was before maximized vertically.
Windows Key + Down Arrow Minimizes current active window to taskbar.
Windows Key + Home Toggles minimize and restore not active open windows.
Windows Key + + Zoom in
Windows Key + - Zoom out
Windows Key + = Open Magnifier

Windows Media Center Basic Navigation Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt + Enter Go in or out of full-screen mode
Arrow keys Move left, right, up, or down
Backspace Go back to previous screen
End Go to the last item in list
Enter Accept a selection
Home Go to the first item in list
Windows Key + Alt + Enter Open Media Center or Return to Media Center start screen

Windows Media Center Audio Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + B Go to the beginning of the current song
Ctrl + D Display the shortcut menu
Ctrl + F Skip to the next song
Ctrl + M Go to the Music library page
Ctrl + P Pause a song
Ctrl + R Rip a CD
Ctrl + Shift + F Fast forward a song
Ctrl + Shift + P Play a song
Ctrl + Shift + S Stop playing a song
F8 Mute or unmute volume
F9 Turn down volume
F10 Turn up volume

Windows Media Center View Pictures Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + D Display the shortcut menu
Ctrl + I Go to pictures
Ctrl + P Pause or resume a slide show
Ctrl + Shift + P Play a slide show
Ctrl + Shift + S Stop a slide show
Enter Zoom in on a picture
Up Arrow or Left Arrow Skip back to the previous picture
Down Arrow or Right Arrow Skip forward to the next picture

Windows Media Center Watch & Record TV Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + B Skip back
Ctrl + D Display the shortcut menu
Ctrl + F Skip forward
Ctrl + G Go to the Guide
Ctrl + O Go to Recorded TV
Ctrl + P Pause or resume live TV or recorded TV
Ctrl + R Record a TV Show
Ctrl + Shift + B Rewind live TV or recorded TV
Ctrl + Shift + F Fast forward live TV or recorded TV
Ctrl + Shift + P Resume playing a TV show
Ctrl + Shift + S Stop recording or stop playing a TV show
Ctrl + Shift + Z Change the screen aspect ratio (zoom)
Ctrl + T Go to live TV
Page Up - Go to the next channel
Page Down - Go to the previous channel

Windows Media Center Play DVDs Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + B Go to previous chapter
Ctrl + F Go to next chapter
Ctrl + P Pause or resume a DVD
Ctrl + Shift + A Change the DVD audio selection
Ctrl + Shift + B Rewind a DVD
Ctrl + Shift + F Fast forward a DVD
Ctrl + Shift + M Go to the DVD menu
Ctrl + Shift + P Play a DVD
Ctrl + Shift + S Stop a DVD
Ctrl + Shift + Z Change the screen aspect ratio (zoom)

Windows Media Center Play Videos Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + B Skip back
Ctrl + E Go to Videos
Ctrl + F Skip forward
Ctrl + P Pause or resume a video
Ctrl + Shift + B Rewind a video
Ctrl + Shift + F Fast forward a video
Ctrl + Shift + P Play a video
Ctrl + Shift + S Stop a video
Ctrl + Shift + Z Change the screen aspect ratio (zoom)

Windows Media Player Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt + 1 Video Size 50% in Now Playing or skin mode, with a video playing
Alt + 2 Video Size 100% in Now Playing or skin mode, with a video playing
Alt + 3 Video Size 200% in Now Playing or skin mode, with a video playing
Alt + Enter Full Screen Toggle in Now Playing, skin, or full screen mode
Ctrl + 1 Switches to library mode from any mode
Ctrl + 2 Switches to skin mode from any mode
Ctrl + 3 Switches to player mode from any mode except full screen
Ctrl + 7 Add to Play in library mode
Ctrl + 8 Add to Burn in library mode
Ctrl + 9 Add to Sync in library mode
Ctrl + A Selects everything in a list in the library or list
Ctrl + B Previous (Item or Chapter) with content playing
Ctrl + E Focus on Search text box and switch to library mode if not there
Ctrl + F Next (Item or Chapter) with content playing
Ctrl + H Turn on/off shuffle mode
Ctrl + J Eject in any mode
Ctrl + M Toggle menu bar in library in any mode
Ctrl + N Create playlist in library mode
Ctrl + O Shows Open Dialog in any mode
Ctrl + P Play/Pause Toggle with content queued up
Ctrl + Q Adds selected track to open list. Default is Play list.
Ctrl + S Stops Playback with content playing
Ctrl + T Turn on/off repeat mode in any mode
Ctrl + U Shows Open URL Dialog in any mode
Ctrl + W Stops playback with content playing or paused
Ctrl + Shift + B Rewinds playing content with DVD playing
Ctrl + Shift + C Caption On/Off Toggle when playing content which has captions
Ctrl + Shift + F Fast forwards playing content with content playing
Ctrl + Shift + G Play Speed Fast with content playing
Ctrl + Shift + N Play Speed Normal with content playing
Ctrl + Shift + S Play Speed Slow with content playing
Ctrl + Right Arrow Next playlist in playlist history when focus is not on Seek bar
Ctrl + Left Arrow Previous playlist in playlist history when focus is not on Seek bar
Ctrl + Right Arrow Skip forward (large increment) when focus is on Seek bar
Ctrl + Left Arrow Skip backward (large increment) when focus is on Seek bar
Shift + Right Arrow Skip forward (small increment) when focus is on Seek bar
Shift + Left Arrow Skip backward (small increment) when focus is on Seek bar
Right Arrow Skip forward when focus is on Seek bar
Left Arrow Skip backward when focus is on Seek bar
Ctrl + Click Resize player to image in Now Playing mode
Escape Return to Now Playing in Full Screen Mode
F1 Opens Help file in any mode
F2 Edit meta data column in library mode with an item selected
F4 Switch view mode in library mode, focus in list view
F5 Refresh screen when focus is on library or in online services
F6 Increases album art when focus is in list view
Shift + F6 Decreases album art when focus is in list view
F7 Mutes sound in any mode
F8 Decrease sound volume in any mode
F9 Increases sound volume in any mode
F10 Show menu bar in library from any mode
Shift + F10 Context menu shortcut in any mode

WordPad Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt + F4 Close WordPad
Ctrl + 1 Set single line spacing
Ctrl + 2 Set double line spacing
Ctrl + 5 Set line spacing to 1.5
Ctrl + A Select the entire document
Ctrl + Shift + A Change characters to all capitals
Ctrl + B Make selected text bold
Ctrl + C Copy a selection to the Clipboard
Ctrl + D Insert a Microsoft Paint drawing
Ctrl + Delete Delete the next word
Ctrl + E Align text center
Ctrl + End Move to the end of the document
Ctrl + F Find text in a document
Ctrl + H Replace text in a document
Ctrl + Home Move to the beginning of the document
Ctrl + I Italicize selected text
Ctrl + J Justify text
Ctrl + L Align text left
Ctrl + Shift + L Change the bullet style
Ctrl + N Create a new document
Ctrl + O Open an existing document
Ctrl + P Print a document
Ctrl + Page Down Move down one page
Ctrl + Page Up Move up one page
Ctrl + R Align text right
Ctrl + S Save changes to a document
Ctrl + U Underline selected text
Ctrl + V Paste a selection from the Clipboard
Ctrl + X Cut a selection
Ctrl + Y Redo a change
Ctrl + Z Undo a change
Ctrl + = Make selected text subscript
Ctrl + Shift + = Make selected text superscript
Ctrl + Shift + > Increase the font size
Ctrl + Shift + < Decrease the font size
Ctrl + Left Arrow Move the cursor one word to the left
Ctrl + Right Arrow Move the cursor one word to the right
Ctrl + Up Arrow Move the cursor to the line above
Ctrl + Down Arrow Move the cursor to the line below
F1 Open WordPad Help
F3 Find the next instance of the text in the Find dialog box
F10 Display keytips
Shift + F10 Show the current shortcut menu
F12 Save the document as a new file

Create a Windows 8 Backup Image

2012-07-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

Create a Windows 8 Backup Image

Posted: 21 Jul 2012 04:04 AM PDT

Windows 8 has some cool new tools for fixing your PC without having to go through all kinds of crazy boot screens and command prompts like in older versions of Windows. The two main features you may have heard of are Refresh PC and Reset PC. Refresh PC is kind of like doing a repair install of Windows, but now you just press one button instead of the long process it was in Windows XP and Windows 7. Resetting your PC is basically performing a full reinstall of the OS, again with just one click of a button.

In addition to those options, there is also another very easy recovery option that is better than refresh and reset, in my opinion. You can create an image backup of your Windows 8 PC with all your settings, data, and apps the way you want them to be restored. The only downside to Refresh PC is that it will preserve your data and Metro apps, but it will remove any desktop apps that you install. With an image, you can configure Windows 8 with all the Metro and desktop apps you want, plus any other settings and then create the image.

What’s really nice is that when you go to refresh your PC again after creating the image, it will refresh the PC from the image backup automatically! And again, the Refresh PC and Reset PC options are available through Windows and they are also available in Windows RE, which is the Windows Recovery Environment that you can load in case Windows 8 won’t boot up.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps to create a image backup of Windows 8 and also show you how easy it is to restore the entire image. So now when your computer is infected with malware and viruses your kids downloaded onto your computer, you can restore it to it’s original state with ease.

Create Windows 8 Backup Image

To get started, you need to open an elevated command prompt in Windows 8. To do this, go to the start screen and right-click anywhere to see All apps.

Next, right-click on the the Command Prompt and you’ll see a couple of options show up on the bottom. Go ahead and click on Run as Administrator.

Now at the command prompt, you have to type two simple commands. One to create the folder that will hold the image and one to actually create the image.

mkdir C:\RefreshImage

recimg -CreateImage C:\RefreshImage

The process to create the image takes about 10 to 15 minutes and could take longer depending on the amount of data you have on your system. Overall, though, the process is fairly fast for a backup image.

It will first initialize, then create the snapshot, then write the image and then register the image so that it is used automatically when you refresh the PC. That’s it! You now have a complete backup image of your Windows 8 machine. If you go to the directory you created, you’ll see a .WIM file there, which is a Windows Image file.

I suggest copying this backup file to an external drive also, just so you have a backup of the file in case the entire hard drive crashes with some kind of hardware error. In that type of case, no recovery option will help if the hard drive is physically damaged. You’ll have to get another hard drive and then restore the image using the Windows Recovery Environment. Anyway, assuming your hard drive is OK and something went wrong with Windows, you can restore the image by going to Refresh PC.

Open the Charms bar and then click on Settings and then click on Change PC Settings.

Click on General and then click on Get Started under Refresh Your PC.

You’ll see a dialog pop up telling you what will happen in the process and then click Next. Refreshing the PC from an image will take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, possibly longer depending on your hardware specs and the size of the image.

Once the refresh is done, you can login and you’ll be good to go with all your settings and apps! Pretty sweet eh! You can also update the image at any time by simply creating another one using the commands above and the latest image will be set as the currently registered image for the PC refresh to use. Enjoy!

The Windows Firewall Service and DHCP services Fails to start

2012-06-14T06:33:00.001-07:00

Method 1: Try the steps given in the link below to fix this issue:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943996

Note: The steps provided in this article is applicable to Windows 7 Operating system as well.

Method 2: Follow this method to delete the registry key

Important: This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the windows help article below.

Back up the registry
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Back-up-the-registry

Delete the registry key:

a. Go to start and type regedit.exe.
b. Navigate to the location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wscsvc.
c. Delete the item by right clicking on it and selecting delete.
d. Close registry editor.

Regards,

Prashob

Error when installing Windows 8 Release Preview: “Your PC’s CPU isn’t compatible with Windows 8.”

2012-06-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

To install Windows 8 Release Preview on your PC, the processor (CPU) must support the following features: Physical Address Extension (PAE), NX, and SSE2. Most CPUs have support for these features, so if you receive this error, it is likely because the NX feature is not enabled on your system.

To resolve this error, follow manufacturer guidelines to enable NX (“No eXecute bit”), or the equivalent XD (“eXecute Disabled”) feature, within the BIOS security settings.

If the BIOS setting for the NX support option is not available on your system, you may need to contact the manufacturer for updating the BIOS. Note that some older processors may not contain these features and will be incompatible with Windows 8 Release Preview.

Similarly, if you are using a virtualization product to install a Windows 8 Release Preview virtual machine (VM) and receive this error (or error 0xC0000260), you must enable PAE (or PAE-NX) in the virtualization product’s settings or configuration manager when setting up the Windows 8 virtual environment.

A whitepaper has been published with further details about the PAE/NX/SSE2 requirement for Windows 8, error cases and scenarios that customers encounter when machines fail to meet the requirement, and what to do to install Windows 8 on their PC’s. You can download the whitepaper at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/hh975398.aspx.

Thanks .Steven.S

Guide for Upgrading 2003 server to Windows Server 2008

2012-06-08T21:07:00.001-07:00

This document contains information about upgrading to the Windows Server® 2008 operating system including how to upgrade, supported scenarios, frequently asked questions, and known issues about the upgrade process. In addition to this document, you should read Release Notes for Windows Server 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=99299), which contains information about all of the known issues about this product.
We recommend a clean installation of Windows Server 2008 whenever possible. For information about performing a clean installation, see Installing Windows Server 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=104824).
If you decide that you want to upgrade to Windows Server 2008 instead of using a clean installation, read this document to prepare for your upgrade.

In this document

For information about known issues that you may experience while upgrading and solutions for these issues see Known Issues When Upgrading to Windows Server 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110830).

Preinstallation information

This section contains information that you should review and steps that you should take before you upgrade to Windows Server 2008.

System requirements

The following are estimated system requirements for upgrading to Windows Server 2008. If your computer has less than the minimum requirements, you cannot install Windows Server 2008 correctly. Actual requirements vary based on your system configuration and the applications and features that you install.

Processor

Processor performance depends not only on the clock frequency of the processor, but also on the number of processor cores and the size of the processor cache. The following are the processor requirements for this product:

Minimum: 1 GHz (for x86 processors) or 1.4 GHz (for x64 processors)
Recommended: 2 GHz or faster

Note

An Intel Itanium 2 processor is required for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems.

Note
An Intel Itanium 2 processor is required for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems.

RAM

The following are the RAM requirements for this product:

Minimum: 512 MB
Recommended: 2 GB or more
Maximum (32-bit systems): 4 GB (for Windows Server 2008 Standard) or 64 GB (for Windows Server 2008 Enterprise or Windows Server 2008 Datacenter)
Maximum (64-bit systems): 32 GB (for Windows Server 2008 Standard) or 1 TB (for Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, Windows Server 2008 Datacenter), or 2 TB (for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems)

Disk space requirements

The following are the approximate disk space requirements for the system partition. Itanium-based and x64-based operating systems vary from these estimates. Additional disk space may be required if you install the system over a network. For more information, see the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=99285).

Minimum: 15 GB
Recommended: 40 GB or more

Note
Computers with more than 16 GB of RAM require more disk space for paging, hibernation, and dump files.

Additional requirements

The following hardware is also required:

DVD-ROM drive
Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution monitor
Keyboard and Microsoft® mouse (or other compatible pointing device)

Additional disk space requirements for Active Directory domain controllers

If your Active Directory database and log files are placed in any of the following directories, ensure that the volume has at least twice the space used by the database and that it has log files available before you install Windows Server 2008:

%SystemRoot%
%ProgramFiles%
%SystemDrive%\Program Files
%ProgramFiles(x86)%
%SystemDrive%\build
%SystemDrive%\InstalledRepository
%ProfilesFolder%
%ProgramData%
%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings

For more information, refer to Upgrading Active Directory Domains to Windows Server 2008 AD DS Domains (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=89032).

Before you start Setup

Before you upgrade to Windows Server 2008, do the following to prepare for the installation:

Test your applications. You must test your line-of-business and non-Microsoft applications before you upgrade your production servers. For specific instructions on how to test your applications, see Application Considerations When Upgrading to Windows Server 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110831).
Ensure that all x64 kernel-mode software is signed. In the x64 version of Windows Server 2008, all kernel-mode software (including drivers) that runs on the computer must have a signature. If your applications use unsigned kernel-mode software (which is common in many firewall and antivirus programs), the upgrade may be blocked until you uninstall the application. If an application does not uninstall cleanly, it may continue to block the upgrade.
Back up your servers. Your backup should include all the data and configuration information that is necessary for the computer to function. It is important to perform a backup of configuration information for servers, especially those that provide a network infrastructure, such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers. When you perform the backup, be sure to include the boot and system partitions and the system state data. Another way to back up configuration information is to create a backup set for Automated System Recovery.
Be aware that you cannot uninstall Windows Server 2008. After the upgrade is complete, you cannot uninstall Windows Server 2008. However, if Setup fails during the upgrade, you can roll back to your previous operating system.
Ensure that your applications are compatible. In the Setup Wizard, after you have selected the Upgrade option, you are presented with a dialog box that includes a link to application compatibility information. Be sure to follow the link and review the information about your installed applications before you proceed with the upgrade.

In addition, review the manufacturer’s Web site for your installed applications to:
- Determine if the application is supported throughout the upgrade process to Windows Server 2008.
- Verify that the manufacturer supports the application on Windows Server 2008.
Review the known issues. For information about specific upgrade issues, read Known Issues When Upgrading to Windows Server 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110830).

Supported upgrade paths

The following table shows which operating systems can be upgraded to Windows Server 2008.

Note
With the exception of Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems, this table applies equally to 32-bit and x64-bit versions. However, cross-architecture upgrades (32-bit to x64-bit or the reverse) are not supported.

Operating System	Upgrade Options
Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1) Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition with Service Pack 2 (SP2)	Full installation of Windows Server 2008 Standard Full installation of Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V™ technology Full installation of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Full installation of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V
Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1) Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 2 (SP2)	Full installation of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Full installation of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V Full installation of Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Full installation of Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V
Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter Edition Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1) Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition with Service Pack 2 (SP2)	Full installation of Windows Server 2008 Datacenter
Windows Server 2008 Standard	Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V	Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise	Windows Server 2008 Datacenter
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V	Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V

Upgrading server roles

The following table contains information for upgrading server roles to Windows Server 2008. If you have any of these roles installed on your server, read the specified upgrade information for actions and recommendations that pertain to that role.

Server Role	Upgrade Information
Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS)	If you have certification authorities (CAs) in your organization, see Move a Certification Authority to a different computer (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110934).
Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)	For more information, see Upgrading Active Directory Domains to Windows Server 2008 AD DS Domains (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=89032).
Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS)	There are no known issues when upgrading AD FS from Windows Server 2003 R2 to AD FS in Windows Server 2008. For more information about new features in AD FS for Windows Server 2008, see What's New in AD FS in Windows Server 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=85684).
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS)	For more information, see Appendix B: Upgrading from ADAM to AD LDS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110935).
Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS)	See the RMS to AD RMS Migration and Upgrade Guide (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754277(WS.10).aspx)
Application Server	You cannot migrate the Application Server role from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008. It was rebuilt for Windows Server 2008, and it includes default support for applications that are built with .NET Framework 3.0 components, such as Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). Application Server offers optional role services that activate features in Windows Server 2008 (such as Windows Process Activation Service (WAS) support for non-HTTP protocols, TCP Port Sharing, and support for IIS 7.0). If you upgrade your server to Windows Server 2008 from Windows Server 2003 or an earlier operating system, and you want to use the capabilities of the Application Server role, you must reinstall the Application Server role by using the Add Roles Wizard in Server Manager. If you configure Windows Server 2008 with the correct application services by using the Add Roles Wizard, your applications will work correctly after you move them from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008. For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions for Application Server (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110936).
DHCP Server	This content is still under development.
DNS Server	In some instances, domain names that were not blocked in previous versions of Windows Server are blocked in Windows Server 2008. You may experience issues if you subsequently implement or remove the Intra-site Automatic Tunnel Addressing Protocol (ISATAP) or the Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Protocol (WSUAD). For more information, see DNS Server Global Query Block List (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110937).
Fax Server	When you upgrade a fax server from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, the Fax Server role is automatically installed in the upgrade. However, only certain settings are maintained during the upgrade: You must reconfigure Fax Sharing. Any settings on the Security tab in the Properties dialog box of Fax Service Manager revert to the default settings. Fax user accounts (Fax Users and Fax Routing Assistants) are features in Windows Server 2008, and they are not created when you upgrade. You must create them manually.
File Services	The Wbadmin command replaces the Ntbackup command that was released with previous versions of Windows. You cannot recover backups that you created with Ntbackup by using Wbadmin. A version of Ntbackup is available as a download for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista users who want to recover backups that they created using Ntbackup. This version of Ntbackup enables you to perform recoveries of legacy backups only, and it cannot be used on computers running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista to create new backups. To download this version of Ntbackup, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82917.
Network Access Protection (NAP)	To enable NAP, you must upgrade the following Windows Server 2003 server roles and role services to the specified Windows Server 2008 server role or role service: Upgrade the Internet Authentication Service (IAS) to Network Policy Server (applies to all NAP enforcement methods). Upgrade VPN to VPN (RRAS) (applies only to the VPN enforcement method). Upgrade DHCP to DHCP (applies only to the DHCP enforcement method). Upgrade TS Gateway to TS Gateway (applies only to the TS Gateway enforcement method). For more information, see What's New in Routing and Remote Access (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=111013).
Print Services	All existing printers and printer drivers are deleted when you upgrade to Windows Server 2008, so it is important to back up all printers before beginning the upgrade. To do so, use the Print Management MMC snap-in on a computer running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008. For more information, see Migrate Print Services (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110939).
Streaming Media Services	For more information, see Update the Windows Media Server Platform (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110940).
Terminal Services	For more information, see the Terminal Services section later in this document.
UDDI Services	For more information, see: Upgrading UDDI Services (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110941) Upgrade from a stand-alone installation running on Windows Server 2003—refer to the scenario covering stand-alone UDDI running on a failover cluster server (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110943) Upgrade from a distributed installation consisting of exactly one database and at least one Web application—all running on Windows Server 2003 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110944) Upgrade a Distributed Installation Running a SQL Server Failover Cluster (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110945)
Web Server	For more information, see: IIS 7.0: Deploying an IIS 7.0 Web Server (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111690) IIS 7.0: Upgrading to IIS 7.0 on Windows Server 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111691)
Windows Deployment Services	For more information, see the Windows Deployment Role Step-by-Step Guide (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=84628).
WSUS	For more information, see Windows Server Update Services 3.0 SP2 Migration Guide (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=156772).

Terminal Services

Upgrading a Windows Server 2003-based terminal server

There are no known issues with performing an upgrade of a Windows Server 2003 terminal server to the Windows Server 2008 operating system. All settings and configurations are maintained during the upgrade.
However, a terminal server running Windows Server 2008 can only communicate with a Terminal Services license server running Windows Server 2008, and the license server must have Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services client access licenses (TS CALs) installed.

Upgrading a Windows Server 2003-based Terminal Services license server

There are no known issues with performing an upgrade of a Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services license server to the Windows Server 2008 operating system. All settings and configurations are maintained during the upgrade. After performing the upgrade, you need to activate the license server with the Microsoft Clearinghouse.
For more information about activating a license server running Windows Server 2008, see “Activate a Terminal Services license server” in the TS Licensing Manager Help in the Windows Server 2008 Technical Library (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=101640).
A license server running Windows Server 2008 that has the appropriate Terminal Services client access licenses (TS CALs) installed can support terminal servers that run the following operating systems:

Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2003 R2
Windows Server 2003
Windows 2000

Note that a terminal server running Windows Server 2008 can only communicate with a license server running Windows Server 2008.

Note
If you have made a backup of the TS Licensing database on the Windows Server 2003 license server, you should not attempt to restore that backup onto the license server after it has been upgraded to Windows Server 2008. If you attempt to restore it, any unissued TS CALs in the TS Licensing database are not restored, and you must call the Microsoft Clearinghouse to restore those unissued TS CALs. After you upgrade the license server to Windows Server 2008, you should make a new backup of the TS Licensing database.

Note

If you have made a backup of the TS Licensing database on the Windows Server 2003 license server, you should not attempt to restore that backup onto the license server after it has been upgraded to Windows Server 2008. If you attempt to restore it, any unissued TS CALs in the TS Licensing database are not restored, and you must call the Microsoft Clearinghouse to restore those unissued TS CALs. After you upgrade the license server to Windows Server 2008, you should make a new backup of the TS Licensing database.

Upgrading a Windows Server 2003-based Terminal Services Session Directory server

If you upgrade a Windows Server 2003-based server that is running the Terminal Services Session Directory service to Windows Server 2008, the Terminal Services Session Broker (TS Session Broker) role service is automatically installed.

Note
In Windows Server 2008, the name of the Terminal Services Session Directory feature is changed to TS Session Broker.

When you upgrade the server, the Terminal Services Session Directory database is not preserved. However, if the server name remains the same, the terminal servers that are configured to use that Terminal Services Session Directory server will rejoin the farm in TS Session Broker, and the database automatically rebuilds.
When you perform the upgrade, we recommend that no users access the terminal server farm until all terminal servers have rejoined the farm in TS Session Broker. If you do not wait for the database to rebuild, users may not be able to reconnect to existing sessions.
Although the rebuild process occurs automatically, you can force the terminal servers to rejoin the farm by reapplying TS Session settings in TS Session Broker (or apply Terminal Services Session Directory settings if the terminal servers are running Windows Server 2003). You can do this by using Terminal Services Configuration on each terminal server in the farm, by using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), or by reapplying Group Policy settings.
If you are running the Terminal Services Session Directory service on a server cluster, we recommend that you remove the Terminal Services Session Directory service resource from the cluster before you perform a server upgrade.

Upgrade limitations

Note the following limitations when you are upgrading to Windows Server 2008:

You must have a Windows Server 2003 operating system with Service Pack 1 or a Windows Server 2003 operating system with Service Pack 2 installed to upgrade to Windows Server 2008.
You cannot upgrade to a version of the operating system that has fewer features than the operating system you are currently running. For example, you can only upgrade Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition to Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition.
The Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems operating systems and Windows Server 2003 Web Edition operating systems cannot be upgraded. If you have these editions, you must perform a clean install and migrate the data from these computers to the new operating system.
Upgrading is supported from x86-based and x64-based computers, but cross-architecture upgrades are not supported. For example, you cannot upgrade from an x86-based computer to an x64-based computer, even if the server you are upgrading is x64-capable.
Cross-language upgrades are not supported.
You cannot upgrade the failover clusters from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008. Before upgrading, you must uninstall failover clustering. For more information, refer to article 935197 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110946).
Upgrading from Windows Server 2003 to a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 is not supported.

Frequently asked questions about upgrading

What changes have been made from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008?
Windows Server 2008 includes features that have been updated from Windows Server 2003 and features that are unique to Windows Server 2008.
For more information about these changes, see Changes in Functionality from Windows Server 2003 with SP1 to Windows Server 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110947).
Are there tools to help me prepare to upgrade to Windows Server 2008?
The following tools are available:

Tool

Description

Windows Server Catalog
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=80785)

Provides a comprehensive list of software and hardware that has passed testing for Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

Note
The appearance of an application, device, or system in the Windows Server Catalog does not imply that it is supported during or after upgrading to Windows Server 2008.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Solution Accelerator
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110948)

Assesses and conducts an inventory to help plan your migration to Windows Server 2008.
Includes hardware assessment, virtualization recommendations, and a software installation inventory for Windows Server 2008 migration.

Note
The MAP tool finds only applications that are installed by using Programs and Features. We recommend using the MAP Tool as a reference tool rather than as a comprehensive source.

Works with Windows Server 2008 Software
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110964)

Determines application compatibility with Windows Server 2008.
This tool is a highly-automated self-test (which lasts two-four hours). It is designed to streamline the time required to develop and test commercial and custom applications. Upon completion, you receive a detailed summary outlining the test results.
Passing Works with Windows Server 2008 testing indicates that the application's results are:

Verified by an independent (non-Microsoft) company.
Listed in the Windows Server Catalog.

Certified for Windows Server 2008 Software
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110962)
Certified for Windows Server 2008 Hardware
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110961)

Test mission-critical, line-of-business applications and hardware devices and systems. This testing is for compliance with Microsoft best practices for security, availability, and reliability, and for Windows fundamentals.
Use these tests after obtaining the results from the Works with Windows Server Software test. This testing requires three-five days.
Applications and hardware that demonstrate this high standard receive the Certified for Windows Server 2008 logo and are listed in the Windows Server Catalog.

In addition, the following resources are also available:

Resource	Description
Innovate on Windows Server portal (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=87625)	Provides the following: Free application readiness and certification tools for Windows Server 2008 Marketing resources Resources for independent software vendors
Application Compatibility and Certification technical forum on MSDN (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110951)	Technical forum that addresses application compatibility and software certification questions about Windows Server 2008.
MSDN Developer Center for Windows Server 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110952)	Portal for application development and testing resources.
Migration forum on TechNet (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110954)	Technical forum for best practices concerning the Windows Server 2008 migration process.

What type of support is available during the upgrade process?
When you upgrade a Windows Server 2003 operating system to Windows Server 2008, Microsoft provides technical support for the following:

The operating system
Windows-delivered software
Microsoft applications

The support provided is in accordance with your organization’s technical support agreement and Microsoft’s technical support policies.
Windows delivered software is defined as any software or software component, role, or function that ships with Windows Server or is delivered to Windows Server through Windows Update. This includes Microsoft utilities and applications.

Note
There may be scenarios in which a Windows Server component, role, or function does not support an upgrade. The Compatibility Report will list these scenarios during the Windows Server 2008 Setup.

If you experience issues while upgrading to Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Customer Service and Support (CSS) will assist customers in restoring their upgraded Windows Server 2003 environment to a supported state, even if non-Windows software may be contributing to the issue.

If a backup of the operating system is available, CSS will follow disaster recovery processes to assist you in restoring your server environment to a pre-upgrade status. There is no guarantee that any data can be recovered.
If a backup is unavailable, CSS will assist you in recovering to a supported state as quickly as possible. For example, CSS will assist in reinstalling Windows Server 2003 and in upgrading to Windows Server 2008.

During the recovery process, Microsoft will engage independent software vendors (ISVs), independent hardware vendors (IHVs), and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) at its discretion to assist in the effort to preserve application or operating system data.

How to reset the Search Index in Exchange 2010 Search

2012-06-05T05:21:00.000-07:00

Exchange 2010 has a built in search feature which allows you to quickly search for emails in your mailbox using Outlook (when Online), OWA, Exchange ActiveSync etc. Exchange 2010 search indexes items as soon as they are received by the Mailbox Database. So if you’ve just transitioned from Exchange 2003 to 2010, Exchange may not index items brought over from the Exchange 2003 server to the Exchange 2010 server. You may find that users using Exchange search may have issues searching for items that were in their mailbox before the transition. For example, you will not be able to find a pre-transition item using instant search but will be able to find them using ‘Advanced Find’ in Outlook.
To fix this issue, you will have to reset the search index to force the Exchange Search service to index all items in the Mailbox Database including items that were moved to the database from Exchange 2003.
To reset the search index, open up the Exchange Management Shell navigate to %PROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V14\Scripts and then run the following command:
.\ResetSearchIndex.ps1 -force -all
You should see output that resembles the following:

WARNING: Waiting for service 'Microsoft Exchange Search Indexer (MSExchangeSearch)' to finish stopping...
MSExchangeSearch service stopped
Deleting catalog for Mailbox Database
removing: <location of catalogue>

MSExchangeSearch service Started
To verify that the rebuilding of the index has completed do the following:

Add this counter to Perfmon: MSExchange Search Indices\Full Crawl Mode Status. This counter will be 0 before running ResetSearchIndex, go to 1 during the full crawl and then back to 0 after ResetSearchIndex completes.
You will receive MSExchange Search Indexer Event ID 109 when the full crawl begins.
You will receive MSExchange Search Indexer Event ID 110 when the full crawl ends.

You should now be able to search for pre-transition items using Exchange search.

Speeding up LAN based Automation OS boot times using a Custom TFTP Server for Altiris (for WinPE and Linux)

2012-06-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

One of the more easier ways of speeding up your WinPE boot times via PXE are changing the default TFTP server which comes with Altiris. First of all, open up the PXE Configuration Manager and disable Multicast since the WinPE image cannot be transferred over Multicast anyway(only DOS supports Multicast via TFTP). This simple tweak shaves around a second off your PXE Boot time.

Another tweak which can be performed is changing the TFTP Server itself. This sounds quite difficult but is quite easy to accomplish and is a significant benefit. My own testing has shown that 10 Clients concurrently loading a WinPE image do it around 45-50% faster using another TFTP Server than if I was to continue using Altiris’s own server.
I was also going to cover compressing the WinPE image to reduce its file size, but found thatwhen doing so, the reduction in size was minimal shaving off around 10mb.
I’ll be using the Open Source Open TFTP Server, available from http://sourceforge.net/projects/tftp-server/. Download it and install it either on your Altiris Server or like I did, on my workstation and then copy it over to your server. You will also need to copy over your Settings file.
Firstly, open up the Services control applet and Stop the Altiris PXE MTFTP Server service.
Now comes the good part. Open an elevated command prompt. The following is based on our Altiris setup, with it installed on D drive and me creating a folder under PXE for OpenTFTP and pasting the OpenTFTP executable and Settings file into that folder.


sc config "Altiris PXE MTFTP Server" binpath= "D:\Deployment Server\PXE\OpenTFTP\OpenTFTPServerMT.exe"

Store user pictures in AD using thumbnailPhoto attribute

2012-06-03T04:36:00.002-07:00

We can store user pictures in AD using thumbnailPhoto attribute of AD user object. That picture can will be showing in Outlook 2010 contacts and user profile page on SharePoint 2010. Here are some helpful links on understanding and implementing the concept:

1. Configuring thumbnailphoto attribute in AD : http://www.msexchange.org/articles_tutorials/exchange-server-2010/management-administration/configuring-using-display-picture-exchange-server-2010.html
2. Free tool to store pictures to AD: http://www.cjwdev.co.uk/Software/ADPhotoEdit/Info.html ( paid version is also available at lower cost)
3. How SharePoint 2010 fetch the user picture from AD using thumbnailphoto attribute: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/russmax/archive/2010/02/27/sharepoint-2010-profile-picture-property-101.aspx
4. Few other resources to understand the concept:
- http://blogs.technet.com/b/ilvancri/archive/2009/11/17/upload-picture-in-outlook-2010-using-the-exchange-management-shell-exchange-2010.aspx
- http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2010/03/10/454223.aspx
- http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/ITCG/thread/403cda19-7a63-4d95-a273-8f7885e836cd
5. Another licensed tool for uploading pictures in AD: http://www.dovestones.com/products/Active_Directory_jpegPhoto.asp

how to enable webclient service on server 2008

2012-06-03T04:34:00.003-07:00

To enable webclient service on server 2008 we need to install desktop experience feature. In earlier version of windows webclient service could be installed by enabling WebDAV component if IIS.

Start the Windows Server Manager.
In the tree view, highlight the Features node.
In the details pane, click Add Features.
In the Add Features Wizard, check the Desktop Experience box, and then click Next.
Click Install.
When the Add Features Wizard has finished, click Close.
Click Yes when promoted to restart the computer.

Exchange 2010 Quick Installation Guide

2012-06-03T04:34:00.001-07:00

I came across this article about installing Exchange Server in very less time. on a blog which has very good information 2010 in very less time.
Link : Exchange 2010 Quick Installation Guide

Windows 8 error code 0xc0000260

2012-06-03T04:32:00.001-07:00

When you try to Install Windows 8 Consumer Preview from a the DVD, it fails with blue dump and gives an error code 0xc0000260.
This error is coming because you can not run Windows 8 customer preview on a PC with a CPU that does not support Physical Address Extension (PAE). Early Pentium CPUs with the 400Mhz front side bus (FSB) do not support PAE.
PAE is a feature which allows 32 bit CPUs to access physical address space in memory and memory-mapped devices larger than 4GB such as RAM.
It is advisable to check the hardware compatibility list before trying to install Windows 8 CP on your hardware.

IE8 high CPU usage, IE8 running slow

2012-06-03T04:30:00.001-07:00

Slow behavior has something to do with the recovery files that IE8 continually writes at “C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Recovery\Active\”
They have names like:
<GUID>.dat -- {0E133027-5389-11DF-8A21-001422335927}.dat, etc.
I resolve the issue by disabling “ Enable automatic crash recovery” option from:
Tools-->Internet Options--> Advanced (tab)-->Browsing (section) ….

I hope this helps..

How do I uninstall or remove Internet Explorer 8 AND 9

2012-06-03T04:28:00.000-07:00

To uninstall Internet Explorer 8 OR 9, follow these steps:

Close all programs.
Click Start and then click Control Panel.
Click Programs and Feature.
In the tasks pane, click Turn Windows features on or off.
In the list of windows features, clear the check box next to Internet Explorer 8.
You receive a warning message in a pop-up window. Click Yes.

Internet Explorer will now be uninstalled. The system will restart after the installation.

These files can't be opened. Your Internet security……

2012-06-03T04:25:00.001-07:00

Windows 7 Error: “These files can't be opened. Your Internet security settings prevented one or more files from being opened”
Today when I was trying to open a exe file that error came up showing the warning:

Here is the simple solution worked for me:
- Right click on the file for which warning is coming and open properties
- Click on Unblock button and click Apply
- Now open the file, you will not see the warning

In my opinion this is very feature of Windows 7 which prevent us accidently opening harmful files and programs.

Windows Activation error: Code 0x8007232b

2012-06-03T04:22:00.004-07:00

I was trying to activate Windows Server 2008 and got this error:
“Activation Error: Code 0x8007232b .DNS Name does not exist”
Actually Windows was looking for KMS server for the activation . and when it did not find that , it threw error 0x8007232b.

Microsoft has a KB article for resolving the issue: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929826
I used following method to resolve the issueThe solution worked for me was:

1. Cick All Programs, click Accessories, and then right-click Command Prompt.
2. Click Run as administrator.
3. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
slmgr -ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxxNote: In this command, the xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx placeholder represents your MAK product key.
4. Now try to activate the Windows online, you will succeed.

User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile

2012-06-03T04:22:00.002-07:00

Many time I come across the issue with users where they are not able to log in to their original profile in Windows 7. They see an message after login which says:

“Your user profile was not loaded correctly! You have been logged on with a temporary profile.

Changes you make to this profile will be lost when you log off. Please see the event log for details or contact your administrator.”

Event viewer shows this application log:

Log Name: Application
Source: Microsoft-Windows-User Profiles Service
Date: Date
Event ID: 1511
Task Category: None
Level: Warning
Keywords: Classic
User: User
Computer: Computer
Description:
Windows cannot find the local profile and is logging you on with a temporary profile. Changes you make to this profile will be lost when you log off.

Resolution:To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

Log on to the system by using an administrative user account other than the user account that is experiencing the problem.
Back up all data in the current user's profile folder if the profile folder still exists, and then delete the profile folder. By default, the profile resides in the following location:

%SystemDrive%\Users\UserName

Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.
Locate the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

Under the ProfileList subkey, delete the subkey that is named SID.bak.
Note SID is a placeholder for the security identifier (SID) of the user account that is experiencing the problem. The SID.bak subkey should contain a ProfileImagePath registry entry that points to the original profile folder of the user account that is experiencing the problem.
Exit Registry Editor.
Log off the system.
Log on to the system again.

After you log on to the system, the profile folder is re-created.

Source :Microsoft Help and Support: KB947215

Schedule Windows to Automatically Restart

2012-06-02T21:07:00.000-07:00

How to schedule a Windows 98/2000/XP/2003 Computer to reboot.

This tutorial will show you how to schedule your PC to reboot at a given time and date, using the utility provided. This tutorial will work with Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows 98. For this tutorial I will be using windows XP.

First Schedule Windows to Automatically Restart Download. Save it to disk and extract shutdown.exe to your C:\ drive.

Now open the Control Panel by clicking Start > Control Panel

In the Control Panel double click the Schedules Tasks (May be labeled Task Scheduler in other versions of windows) icon .

The Scheduled Tasks window should open up. Select Add Scheduled Task

This scheduled task wizard should open. Click next on the first screen.

Click browse and locate the shutdown.exe program. Select shutdown.exe and click open.

Select how often you would like to perform the task. I want my computer restart Weekly on Sunday morning, so I selected weekly. Make your select and click the next button.

Now select the time and the days of the week and click next. I selected 2am on every Monday.

On the next screen you will have to enter your password for windows. You must have a login password for these batch jobs to run. If you do not have a password you will need to add one in user settings. Enter your password information and click next.

On the final screen, put a checkmark the box that says “Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish” and then click finish

Now we will see the advanced properties window.

Now we have to add a few arguments to the command in the run line. Add the –r –f –t 01 arguments to the line that exists in the run field. My line reads: “C:\SHUTDOWN.EXE –r –f –t 01”.

Then click apply and the task will be scheduled. You can check later in the task scheduler to see if the task ran successfully.

Automatically log off when I login in my Windows Server 2003

2012-06-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

Wow I had this happen to me and it sucked big time. What I did to fix it was boot to the recovery console (safe mode works better if you can get to it) by finding your install cd and running a recovery console and then using system restore (kind of) from with in there. If you already tried running checkdisk and fix boot skip down to the second 12 steps below the dashed line.

1. Insert the Windows 2003 cd into the top cd drive
2. Turn the computer off
3. Setup the computer to boot from cd: either by pressing F2, F9 or Delete to go in BIOS or by pressing F12 on Dell computers to launch the Boot Device Menu
4. As soon as you get the message Press any key to boot from the cd hit enter.
5. Wait ~3 minutes for the Windows Setup to initialize
6. At the Welcome to Setup screen press R to repair windows using recovery console.
7. Wait a couple of minutes while setup examines the hard drive.
8. You will be prompted to choose a Windows installation. Press 1 on the top of the keyboard and then
9. You will be prompted to enter the Administrator password. Press Enter if no password was set.
10. Perform a disk check:

chkdsk /p
fixboot

11. Type exit to restart the computer.
12. As soon as the computer starts hit F8 every second to bring up the Advanced Options Menu.
13. Choose the Last Known Good Configuration.
14. If these steps didn't resolve the issue go back in Recovery Console and this time run the system restore._______________________________________________--

1. launch the recovery console just like before.

2. When you’re at the Recovery Console command prompt, change into the root directory of the system drive with the cd command (i.e., cd \).

3. Change into the System Volume Information directory by typing cd system~1 on most machines, or cd “System Volume Information.”

(The filenames with ~1 are generated by default to provide backwards compatibility with programs that only recognize 8.3-format filenames. It’s possible to disable 8.3 filename generation on NTFS volumes to gain some speed, but the speed gained by doing this is generally pretty small and it can have the unintended consequence of making it impossible to use 8.3 filenames in contexts like this. If you can’t use 8.3 filenames to navigate, 8.3 name generation might be disabled. See Microsoft’s support document called How to Disable the 8.3 Name Creation on NTFS Partitions.

4. The System Volume Information directory contains a folder name _restore followed by a GUID in curly braces. Change into it by typing cd _resto~1; if that doesn’t work you’ll have to type cd “_restore{GUID_STRING}”, with the full GUID string in place of GUID_STRING.

5. In the _restore directory are a group of subdirectories starting with the letters RP and followed by a number. These are the different restore points available for that volume.

6. Check the date on each directory and look for one that corresponds to a date before you began experiencing problems.

7. Change into the appropriate directory. If the directory is named RP74, for instance, change into it by typing RP74.

8. Inside that directory will be a subdirectory named snapshot; change into that directory as well (cd snapshot)

9. The snapshot directory holds backup copies of the SOFTWARE and SYSTEM Registry hives, named _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE and _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM, respectively.

10. The target directory for these files is \Windows\System32\Config, and the hives there are named SOFTWARE and SYSTEM. Rather than overwrite those files entirely, you can rename them to something else. Typing ren \windows\system32\config\software \windows\system32\config\software.bak and ren \windows\system32\config\system \windows\system32\config\system.bak will rename them to software.bak and system.bak, respectively.

11. Copy in the backup hives: copy _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE \windows\system32\config\software and copy _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM \windows\system32\config\system.

12. Type exit to leave the Recovery Console and restart the computer.

Windows Active Desktop Recovery problem

2012-06-02T07:04:00.001-07:00

Dear all,

“”Windows XP Active desktop error””

To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

1. Go to Run Command,

3.Type Notepad ->Enter

4.Copy

HKEY_CURRENT_USER = &H80000001
strComputer = "."
Set objReg = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\default:StdRegProv")
strKeyPath = "Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\SafeMode\Components"
strValue = "0"
ValueName = "DeskHtmlVersion"
objReg.SetDWORDValue HKEY_CURRENT_USER, strKeyPath, ValueName, strValue3.

5.paste to notepad and save as to active.vbs extesion.

6.Go to Safemode,

7.Run active.vbs file

8.Restarted the Computer, and then log on. The Restore My Active Desktop button has been removed

Outlook 2010 PDF Preview Issue

2012-06-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

· Firstly, please kindly check if the PDF Preview Handler function has been disabled.

1. Launch Outlook.exe, go to File > Option > Trust Center > Trust Center settings > Attachment Handling
1. Uncheck the box "Turn off Attachment Preview"
2. Click option "attachment and Document Previewers" and check the box "PDF Preview Handler"

Thanks.

Prashob

Removal procedure for csrcs.exe

2012-06-01T21:38:00.001-07:00

Manual proceudre

Steps to remove this virus:
1.    Scan the system with a good and updated Anti Virus.
2.    Open Task Manager, locate this exe (csrcs.exe or csrsc.exe but not csrss.exe), and kill the process.
3.    Now type msconfig in the Run box, and then go to startup tab.
4.    Locate this exe file, if any, and then remove it from there as well.
5.    Now search the file in the C: drive.
6.    Permanently delete the file (csrcs.exe or csrsc.exe only) from the computer.
7.    Reboot the PC for changes to take place.
After doing the above steps, you need to clean the registry as well.

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\
On the right side, there is a key named “Shell”, it may be having a value “explorer.exe csrcs.exe”. Just modify it to delete the csrcs.exe from it (not explorer.exe). Restart the computer

With the help of ePO console

Log on to ePO console
System --> My Organisation --> Policies -->
Edit the Unwanted Program policy from VirusScan Enteprise v8.5i & 8.7i
User Defined detection tab
Click on New process
Specify file name as csrcs.exe
Description will be "virus infected file" or "new virus"

With Regards,

Prashob

Howto export list of users from an Active Directory group

2012-06-01T21:35:00.001-07:00

Hi ,

Howto export list of users from an Active Directory group

dsquery group -name MYGROUP | DSGET group -members

Then you can put it to a text file by simply adding “> mygroup-members.txt” and the end for example. More simple than struggling around with VBScripts, and very useful.

Reg VB error & File locked by another user -Win 7 Migrated users

2012-06-01T21:32:00.001-07:00

Hi ,

If any user complains of excel error Microsoft Visual Basic Error - “ System Error & H8004005(-2147467259) Unspecified error”or user receives error always like FILE LOCKED FOR EDITING BY ANOTHER USER even though no user has opened file in filer, Please follow below steps to resolve issue.

1.Close all excel sheets

2. Open a new excel file ,go to file ,–excel options,-Add ins

3. Click on go

4. If Conditional Sum Pack is checked ,please uncheck ,click ok & close excel .

Thanks,

Prashob

Windows Solution Center 2013

SCCM 2012 installation guide

SCCM 2012 Installation Guide

Windows 8 Start menu

Windows 8 Start Button

Windows 7 shortcut keys

Create a Windows 8 Backup Image

Create Windows 8 Backup Image

The Windows Firewall Service and DHCP services Fails to start

Error when installing Windows 8 Release Preview: “Your PC’s CPU isn’t compatible with Windows 8.”

Guide for Upgrading 2003 server to Windows Server 2008

In this document

Preinstallation information

System requirements

Processor

RAM

Disk space requirements

Additional requirements

Additional disk space requirements for Active Directory domain controllers

Before you start Setup

Supported upgrade paths

Upgrading server roles

Terminal Services

Upgrading a Windows Server 2003-based terminal server

Upgrading a Windows Server 2003-based Terminal Services license server

Upgrading a Windows Server 2003-based Terminal Services Session Directory server

Upgrade limitations

Frequently asked questions about upgrading

How to reset the Search Index in Exchange 2010 Search

Speeding up LAN based Automation OS boot times using a Custom TFTP Server for Altiris (for WinPE and Linux)

Store user pictures in AD using thumbnailPhoto attribute

how to enable webclient service on server 2008

Exchange 2010 Quick Installation Guide

Windows 8 error code 0xc0000260

IE8 high CPU usage, IE8 running slow

How do I uninstall or remove Internet Explorer 8 AND 9

These files can't be opened. Your Internet security……

Windows Activation error: Code 0x8007232b

User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile

Schedule Windows to Automatically Restart

Automatically log off when I login in my Windows Server 2003

Windows Active Desktop Recovery problem

Outlook 2010 PDF Preview Issue

Removal procedure for csrcs.exe

Howto export list of users from an Active Directory group

Howto export list of users from an Active Directory group

Reg VB error & File locked by another user -Win 7 Migrated users