ManageIT

Migrating ODBC data sources from one server to another

2008-02-22T12:43:08+13:00

If you want to migrate your ODBC data sources from one server to another, you can do this using regedit...

On the source server/machine...

Start regedit.exe
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ODBC\ODBC.INI
Highlight the ODBC.INI key in the left pane
From the File menu, select Export...
Enter a suitable file name (odbc.reg), and save it to a network share or external drive (USB Stick)

On the target server/machine...

Start regedit.exe
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ODBC\ODBC.INI
Right-click ODBC.INI and choose Rename
Rename ODBC.INI as ODBC.INI.BACKUP or similar
You can then always roll back to your previous settings by renaming ODBC.INI.BACKUP to ODBC.INI
Highlight (select/left click) ODBC.INI's parent registry key (ODBC)
From the File menu, select Import...
Browse to the location of your previously exported odbc.reg file
Double-click odbc.reg to import it

Test your applications that use the data sources to confirm that the import was successful.

DiskView

2008-02-01T18:51:59+13:00

Do you need to get detailed disk and file location information?

DiskView shows you a graphical map of your disk, allowing you to determine where a file is located or, by clicking on a cluster, seeing which file occupies it.

Double-click to get more information about a file to which a cluster is allocated.

Diskview works on Windows NT 4, 2000, XP and Server 2003

Download from...

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/FileAndDisk/DiskView.mspx

Certain Web sites and HTML Help features may not work after you install security update

2008-01-25T14:56:42+13:00

I have been asked about this issue few times recently and this problem has been around for some time.

If, like me, you produce helpfiles for access by multiple users over a network then you may have come across, or are having, this problem.

This problem occurs because a number of security updates prevent HTML content that is outside the Local Machine zone from creating an instance of the HTML Help ActiveX control (HHCTRL). This change was introduced to reduce security vulnerabilities in HTML Help.

If you need to restore the ability of viewing your help files over your network, take a look at the following articles...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892675/

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896358/

What is running on your workstation from startup - Autoruns

2008-01-11T14:07:19+13:00

AutoRuns for Windows

This is one of my favourite utilities, providing the most detailed (and reliable) listing of just what is running on your systems at startup/login.

This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.

Autoruns' Hide Signed Microsoft Entries option helps you to zoom in on third-party auto-starting images that have been added to your system and it has support for looking at the auto-starting images configured for other accounts configured on a system. Also included in the download package is a command-line equivalent that can output in CSV format, Autorunsc.

To read more and download...

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

An old dog with new tricks - msconfig

2008-01-11T13:53:49+13:00

"An old dog" is probably not necessarily a good description for anything and the System Configuration Utility (msconfig.exe) has always been very useful.

But those nice people at Microsoft introduced a nice little update to this much used utility some time ago (mid 2005 to more accurate).

Update for Windows XP (KB906569)

Installing this update will add a "Tools" tab to the System Configuration Utility (msconfig.exe). The "Tools" tab provides access to other diagnostic tools which can be launched from within the System Configuration Utility.

For details see...

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9689f6e9-aded-44b8-bbbb-beae1b4a4bc9&displaylang=en

Swapping the Task Manager for something a bit more useful - Process Explorer

2008-01-08T14:56:08+13:00

This is a good place as any to start...
What do you use to review the processes and services running on your workstations?

The Task Manager is OK, but it doesn't provide you with much information about the processes and services running on your machine does it.

This is a nice introduction to a whole suite of utilities that I have been using for many years from Sysinternals, mentioned in my previous post.

Process Explorer

Introduction from Systernals site...

"Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Now you can find out. Process Explorer shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.

The Process Explorer display consists of two sub-windows. The top window always shows a list of the currently active processes, including the names of their owning accounts, whereas the information displayed in the bottom window depends on the mode that Process Explorer is in: if it is in handle mode you'll see the handles that the process selected in the top window has opened; if Process Explorer is in DLL mode you'll see the DLLs and memory-mapped files that the process has loaded. Process Explorer also has a powerful search capability that will quickly show you which processes have particular handles opened or DLLs loaded.

The unique capabilities of Process Explorer make it useful for tracking down DLL-version problems or handle leaks, and provide insight into the way Windows and applications work.

Process Explorer works on Windows 9x/Me, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Server 2003, and 64-bit versions of Windows for x64 and IA64 processors, and Windows Vista."

Follow link below to read more and download

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-nz/sysinternals/bb896653(en-us).aspx

A nice feature of the Process Explorer is that you can replace the standard Windows Task Manager. Select "Replace Task Manager" from the "Options" menu.

Sysinternals

2008-01-08T14:27:27+13:00

Further to my previous post introducing a series on IT Support Tools, I thought that I would begin by introducing the Sysinternals site.

www.sysinternals.com

The above link will redirect you to the correct page on the Microsoft site.

I have been using a number of the Sysinternals (previously Winternals) utilities for many years and it was certainly no surprise to see Microsoft's aquisition of Winternals in 2006.

This is the introduction text from the Sysinternals site...

"The Sysinternals web site was created in 1996 by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell to host their advanced system utilities and technical information. Microsoft acquired Sysinternals in July, 2006. Whether you’re an IT Pro or a developer, you’ll find Sysinternals utilities to help you manage, troubleshoot and diagnose your Windows systems and applications. If you have a question about a tool or how to use them, please visit the Sysinternals Forum for answers and help from other users and our moderators."

You will find a huge range of useful tools available from the site, the tools are supported very well, and I have generally found answers to my questions on the forums.

Mark's blog is also well worth adding to your RSS Feed Reader - Mark Russinovich

IT System Management Tools

2008-01-08T14:07:26+13:00

Over the many years that I have been involved with CAD, GIS and IT (not necessarily in that order), I have been asked, and recommended the use of, many tools, utilities and programs to assist with the management of IT systems and networks as well as individual CAD/GIS Workstations.

Most of the tools/utilities that I use have been recommended to me by colleagues and I have subsequently used and relied on them for many years.

The IT industry is constantly changing and the tools we use to manage our systems are updated to cope with these changes, or new tools come along to replace tools that are no longer compatible with the new systems.

So what do you use?
What tools/utilities/programs do you rely upon, and cannot do without?

I'll start the ball rolling with a series of posts on the subject of "IT Support Tools" that I use regularly.

I am interested to hear any feedback/recommendations
(I don't think I'll ever be too old to learn new tricks)

Regards
John Benstead

Windows XP Explorer Pane flickers on mapped network drives

2007-07-26T16:31:03+12:00

Further to a number of recent occurrences of this issue, please note the following details from the Microsoft Knowledge Base...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816375/

Important This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/) Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

When you view local drives or mapped network drives in Windows Explorer on a Windows XP-based installation, the left pane (folder tree) or tree view may flicker or constantly refresh the whole directory structure with speeds varying from every few seconds to every few minutes.
Microsoft Windows-based servers continue to communicate file system changes to Windows XP-based clients. This may cause extra traffic over a wide area network (WAN).
These symptoms do typically not occur on Windows 2000 clients.

CAUSE

If you have mapped a drive to a share on a Windows-based server, and changes occur in the file system in the folder tree of the mapped share, the server reports the change to the Windows XP client.
Windows Explorer refreshes or redraws the open window when it receives a file change notification.
Note Excessive flickering can also be caused by antivirus software or some other rogue third-party software constantly updating the folder or directory tree on the server that clients are connected to.

RESOLUTION

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
To resolve this problem, apply the Critical Update 810565, and add a new registry key. To do this, download 810565 from the following Windows Update Web site:

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com)

After you apply hotfix 330929 or Critical Update 810565, you can add one of the following new keys to the Windows registry to turn off Change Notify requests for file and folder changes that occur in subfolders of a mapped network share:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

-or-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Configure the new key as follows:

Name: NoRemoteRecursiveEvents
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: (boolean) 0 or 1
Default Value: 0
Description:

A setting of 1 turns off Change Notify requests for file and folder changes that occur in subfolders of a mapped network share. When you set this registry key, the server still sends a Change Notify event when a file or folder is changed in the root and first directory level of the mapped network share. However, the server does not send a Change Notify event when a change is made at the level of the second subfolder or deeper in the mapped network share, and therefore you notice less flickering in the tree view of Windows Explorer.
Note When you change the value of this key, this has no impact on the active view of each folder in Windows Explorer. Updates are visible immediately.
When you set the NoRemoteRecursiveEvents key, you may experience the following issue: If systems have redirected USERPROFILE or other network based configurations, the user interface (UI) may not update automatically if this setting is enabled.

CAD Management - Useful Resources

2007-06-29T10:45:48+12:00

Here's a few useful sources of CAD Management information...

Robert Green: http://www.cad-manager.com/

Mark W Kiker: http://www.caddmanager.com/

Autodesk - CAD Manager - Discussion Forum: http://discussion.autodesk.com/forum.jspa?forumID=112

Cadalyst, CAD Management: http://management.cadalyst.com/cadman/