1. Create a new Group Policy Object in GPMC, and give it a name. I chose “Samba Compatibility”.
2. Edit the GPO…
3. Navigate to : Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options > Network Security
4. Now edit the setting “Network security: LAN Manager Authentication level”, and change it to “Send LM & NTLM – use NTLMv2 session security if negotiated”.
5. Apply that GPO to the appropriate OU, and you’re away*

* People will probably need to reboot for the changes to take effect.

Key symptoms we saw were Vista/Win7 rejecting the initial connection, prompting for a username and password, then rejecting the domain credentials you just entered. This fixes those issues!

ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/9.x/9.2/enu/

Share and enjoy

Troubleshooting Group Policy Using Event Logs

Of particular use is the section on the Group Policy operational log

Blimey!

How to set up Remote Assistance under Group Policy

Due to our company’s flexibility with end-user’s computers, we have to have rulesets (i.e. do not back up .avi or .mp3 files). Otherwise we’ll fill up our NAS/SAN with useless media files within a few hours

The solution needs to sync between the end-users local computer “My Documents” folder, to their network storage space. And it needs to be able to be deployed in an automated, pre-configured way, complete with scheduling. EDIT: By deployed, I don’t mean exclusively with GPSI. I’m more than happy just running some kind of AutoIT Script or Batch file that installs the software then dumps/edits the config files for the end-user based on env variables or whatever, but it must not require any – or at least minimise – end-user interaction.

I’ve checked out SyncToy and it’s nice, but a complete pain to automate the actual Scheduling “part”.

I’m currently looking at Toucan Backup, but that seems more keen on backing up *everything*, then applying exclusions. I need something that will back up nothing, except what I tell it to.

Any ideas or pointers? I’d greatly appreciate it!

Download Dell 64-bit Touchpad Driver for Vista and Windows 7

The Driver should work on the following laptops:

Dell Latitude D430
Dell Latitude D630
Dell Latitude D830

Download RSAT for Win7

Enjoy

1. Download Adobe 9.1 MSI from here: ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/9.x/9.1/enu/
2. Download the latest 9.1 MSP patch file from here (currently 9.1.3): ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/9.x/9.1.3/misc/
3. Put these files in the same directory.
4. Open up a command prompt, then navigate to that directory.
5. Run the following command:
   msiexec /p AdbeRdrUpd913_all_incr.msp /a AdbeRdr910_en_US.msi /qb

This will apply the 9.1.3 patch directly to the 9.1 MSI file, ready for deployment. You can now deploy Adobe Reader 9.1 safe in the knowledge that it’s already patched to 9.1.3

ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/9.x/9.1/enu/

Other languages besides English are available by going up a directory

Now I just need to do something with the MSP files you can get from the other directories!

UPDATE: I’ve documented what to do with the MSP files

Why? Because with the advent of Windows 7 (and Vista, to a certain extent), it’s a complete pain in the butt to programme a tool like AutoIT to script and automate the configuration of a VPN connection for our end users. The key issue, is that Microsoft don’t seem to provide any “command line” shortcuts through things like DLLs or Shell extensions to quickly bring up the “Set up a new connection or network” wizard. Sad face.

http://www.windowsecurity.com/articles/Windows-Server-2008-Connection-Manager-Administration-Kit.html

When you try to run the Windows6.0-KB928202-x64.msu or Windows6.0-KB928202-x86.msu file you’ll get the error message:

“The update does not apply to your system”

This is because it doesn’t seem to support Server 2008 with SP2.

Full details here

Oh, and sorry for the lack of posts. Life’s a bitch ain’t it

One of the stand-out things for me is the easing of OS upgrades. Hopefully the days of checking out the crackberry.com forums for the latest software will be long gone. The ability to actually schedule remote OS upgrades at a time convenient for the end-user is also very, very welcome.

I’m looking forward to 5.0

I’ve spent all morning trying to log on to Microsoft’s eAgreement website in order to sign our new OVS agreement, but have been getting error messages all over the place. I made sure I was using IE and not Chrome or Firefox, as they often cause issues.

After emailing their support team, it turns out that their website it not compatible with Internet Explorer 8.

So much for dog-fooding

The procedure should also apply to most recent Dell Servers running ESX 3.5, but your mileage may vary

Get your hands on the Software Update Utility DVD ISO and Burn it.

In terms of time, this is pretty much half the job, believe it or not. You’ll need to goto support.dell.com, find your Dell Server, and get the Dell Updates DVD ISO. For the PowerVault 1950 III, go here and then look under Systems Management for “Dell – DVD iso Images” “applies to: DVD ISO – Dell Server Updates”.

Patching the Dell Server

1. Be sure to VMotion off any Guest OSs that you need to keep running. Shut down everything else, and then put the target server into Maintenance Mode.
2. Insert the Updates DVD into the Server
3. Bring up a command prompt, as root, on the Server and run the following to mount the CD-ROM: mount /mnt/cdrom
4. Now navigate to the CD-ROM: cd /mnt/cdrom
5. Check what’s upgradeable on your system: sh suu -c
6. If you’re happy, then run the upgrade: sh suu -u
7. That’s it, you’re done

Dell OpenManage Server Update Utility User’s Guide

If you just do a straight Google search for “Dell OpenManage Server Update Utility User’s Guide”, the top result is the documentation for OpenManage Server Administrator 5.2 and not the actual Server Update Utility, which makes it pretty confusing!

And yes, it’s a Saturday and I’m patching Servers

If you prefer video/speech to reading, there’s a very good video available for download as well

And pretty much all I can find is NetApp employees/fanboys and EqualLogic employees/fanboys picking apart each other’s tiny failings and sniping at each other using negative language, in a manner that I can only describe as pathetic.

Seriously guys, stop it. I just want to know what’s best for me, not what’s best for you…

If you’d like to pre-install Vista updates and hotfixes while Vista is installing:

1. Go to your Distribution Share (C:\Distribution)
2. Go into Operating Systems, then find your Vista OS (C:\Distribution\Operating Systems\Windows Vista Business SP1 – 32bit\)
3. Create a new folder in this directory called “update”
4. Copy all of your Vista Update files (.msu) into this directory
5. That’s it The next time you run a Vista deployment, the updates will be pre-installed!

Extra tip