Posts by Mark

Cannot Install WSUS Server on Windows 2008 SP1 or Windows Server 2008 R2

Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update with error 0×80070002: Windows Server Update Services 3.0 SP2 Dynamic Installer for Server Manager x64 Edition (KB972493).

The work around to the issue currently is to download the stand alone installer and install manually.

XP Performance in Hyper-V

I’ve found that Windows XP with more than 1GB of memory and multiple processors has some pretty terrible performance issues. I’ve also noticed that XP images that have been converted from a physical machine are even worst. There are many things to check for (Physical processor version on the host, make sure you have a single core and run the image with 512 or 1024MB of memory etc)

Another performance tip is to configure the ACPI Multiprocessor PC HAL to a ACPI Uniprocessor PC HAL: When using P2V migration images that had multi-core physical processors. In my experience Hyper-V integrated components says it is changing the HAL type, but does not.

You can download Microsoft’s DevCon command line utility to change the ACPI type without re-installing the Operating System. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311272

The commands I used were:

devcon sethwid @ROOT\ACPI_HAL000 := +acpiapic_up !acpiapic_mp
devcon update c:\windows\inf\hal.inf acpiapic_up

Hope this helps and happy physical to virtualization migrations with XP.

Can’t install RemoteApp or Terminal Services ActiveX Control.

The TS ActiveX control (needed by TSWA) is disabled by default in XPSP3 as a security measure. You need to explicitly enable the Terminal Services ActiveX control in IE in order to use the ActiveX control (and hence TSWA).

Click on Manage Add-Ons in IE to enable the TS ActiveX control.

Are you using IE6 OR IE 7 to access TSWA?

If you are unable to see/enable the Terminal Services ActiveX control in IE7 on XPSP3 (we are investigating this known issue) as a workaround can you try deleting the following registry keys:

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Settings\{7390f3d8-0439-4c05-91e3-cf5cb290c3d0}
• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Settings\{4eb89ff4-7f78-4a0f-8b8d-2bf02e94e4b2}

Once you delete these keys, the activeX control should be enabled within your supported Internet Explorer Browser.

Performance Issues?

A defrag might help…

that is all.

How to Sysprep and capture Images to Windows Deployment Server WDS.

How to run System Preparation, and capture the Image to a Windows Deployment Server.

Once you have completed your installation of Windows with your desired programs and added feature’s you can start your SYSPREP.

· Insert your Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM Drive. This must be a Service Pack 2 Windows Disk or later if you’re trying to SYSPREP a Service Pack 2 or later PC.

· Once the disk is loaded, Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the root of the Disk. Once there go into the “Support” Folder. Once there, continue into the “Tools” Folder.
(Example: D:\support\tools)

· In the “tools” folder, find the “deploy.cab” file, open up this file by a double left click on it.

· Select all of the files in this folder, then right click and go to “copy” or hit ctrl+c.

· Now, you need to create a new folder in the Primary System Drive Directory (C:). This folder will be named “sysprep”. Once this folder is created, paste the copied files into this directory (c:\sysprep).

· Once this is complete, you are going to want to run the file “setupmgr.exe”. This will create an answer file for sysprep to use during the System Preparation.

· Once the Setup Manager has loaded, it will look this (above). At this screen you need to select “Create New”, and now press “next”. At the Next screen it will ask you to “choose a setup type:” You need to select “Sysprep Setup”, and then press next.

· Once that step is complete it will prompt you to select an Operating System, Select the appropriate Choice and then press “Next”.

· Once this is complete, you will see a question asking if you would like to fully automate the installation. You need to select “No” for this choice. Once that is complete, press “Next”.

· Now we are the stage of the sysprep where we create the answer file. As you can see on the image above, there is several catagories of the left hand side of the Setup Manager window. Name, Organazation, Etc. So for this step just fill out the approprate answer’s, or leave the sections blank to fill them out after deployment of the finished image. Continue on in the sections until you reach the “Product Key” page.

· Okay, now we are on the product key page. If you are running a Sysprep on a Volume License Build of Windows, it is best to enter your VLK (Volume License Key) here. If you are doing the Sysprep on an OEM or Retail copy of Windows, you need to leave this section blank. Once this is complete, hit “Next”.

· We are now on the “Computer Name” section. For this section, it is best to automatically generate a computer name. It will avoid confusion when deploying this image across multiple computer’s at once. It is best to simply re-name each PC to the desired name after the deployment of windows. Press “Next” to continue.

· Once this stage is done, you will be on the “Administrator Password” section. You can either, set a password now, or select “Prompt the End User for an Administrator Password”. I would recommend setting a “Master Password” across all of your Syspreped Images. Once this step is complete, simply press next though the remainder of the sections.

· Once you are at the end of the “Setup Manager”, click “finish to continue. Once complete it will prompt you for a save directory (as seen above). It will auto fill with the location “C:\sysprep\sysprep.inf”. Simply click “OK” to save the answer file.

· Once this is done, it will display a message saying “You have successfully completed the Setup Manager and have created the following files: C:\sysprep\sysprep.inf”. You are now done the Setup Manager, You can close this window now.

· Now we can start the SYSPREP of the machine. Navigate back to your SYSPREP directory (C:\sysprep). Once there execute the “sysprep.exe” file.

· You will receive this message (as seen above). Simply click “OK” to continue.

· Once you have clicked “OK” the “System Preparation Tool 2.0” will open. Once this is open you will need to check the “Use Mini Setup” check box. Also please be sure to make sure your Shutdown mode is on “Shut Down”. Make sure your System Preparation tool looks the same as above. If it does, you can now click on “Reseal”.

· Once you have done this, a window will pop up, this will basically confirm your choice to “Regenerate Security Identifiers”. Simply click okay to proceed. Once this is complete and Hour Glass logo will pop up and run “sysprep”. Once this finishes it will shut down.

· Now that the System Preparation phase is complete, we can continue to start the Image Capture. Turn your PC back on after it is fully shut down. Strike the F12 key upon post to boot off of the “Network Controller”.

· Once you have booted off the network, you will be prompted to select an “Operating System” by the Windows Deployment Server (as seen above). You will need to select “Capture Windows Setup (x86)”.
If you were doing a SYSPREP on a 64 bit system, you would select “Capture Windows Setup (x64)”.
Once you have selected your choice (Capture Windows Setup (x86), it will begin to load the Windows Deployment Image Capture Wizard.

· Once the loading is complete, you will see the Welcome Screen, Click “Next” to continue.

· Now you are at the “Directory to Capture” Screen, Here you will need to select the capture Volume, and also give your Image a name. For the “Volume to Capture” you need to select the “C:” From there, give your image a name, and a description. See the above image for an example. Once complete click “Next”.

· Once you have filled out that page with the necessary information, you will be at the “New Image Location” Screen. First, click on the “browse” button.

· Once you have clicked that, a new window will appear (as seen above). Here it is prompting for a save location of the Image you are about to capture. The reason this needs to be done is because, Windows Image Capture Wizard needs to save the Image to the Local System before it can upload it to the Windows Deployment Server. Here, Browse to the C: Of the computer. Click on “Computer” and then click on “C:” Once that is complete you need to enter in a File name, it can just be a temp name like “XP Image” or whatever you would like to name it.

· Once that step is complete, you need to enter the Windows Deployment Server Name. Proceed to click “Connect”. When it loads, it will prompt for a user name a password for the Windows Deployment Server. Remember to enter in the Domain before your user name. (domain\username). Once you enter your credentials, select an “Image Group Name”. Your Windows Deployment Server should have an appropriate Group Name for the image you are about to capture. Once you have selected your Image Group Name, Press “Next” to continue.

· The image has now started to Capture. This will go through the Capture of the image and the upload of the Image to your Windows Deployment Server. This will usually take between, 20 – 50 minutes, depending on your Hard Drive performance, and Network performance.

Congratulations, you have successfully run a System Preparation, and Captured the Image to Windows Deployment Services.

IIS 7.5 and Adobe PDF Files Hot Fix

Consider the following scenario:

• You install Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5 on a computer that is running Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2.
• You host some Portable Document Format (PDF) documents on an IIS Web site on this computer.
• You have a client computer that has the Adobe PDF Reader plug-in enabled on a Web browser.
• You use this Web browser to open one of the PDF documents that is hosted on the IIS Web site.

In this scenario, you cannot open the PDF document. Additionally, the Web browser may stop responding.
Note

• You may still be able to open other PDF documents on this IIS Web site when this issue occurs.
• This issue does not affect all versions of the Adobe PDF Reader plug-in.

CAUSE

This issue occurs because of a design change in IIS 7.5. When you try to open a…

This issue occurs because of a design change in IIS 7.5.
When you try to open a PDF document on an IIS Web site, the Adobe PDF Reader plug-in sends a request that includes multiple byte ranges to IIS 7.5. If the union of the multiple byte ranges is a single byte range, the response from IIS 7.5 contains the byte ranges merged into a single byte range (also known as a merged byte-range request). The response to this single byte range does not include the multipart/byteranges content type. However, the multipart/byteranges content type is expected to be included in a response to a merged byte-range request. This behavior causes the Adobe PDF Reader plug-in to handle the response incorrectly. Therefore, the PDF document cannot be opened.
Note The multipart/byteranges content type is included in a regular multiple byte-ranges response.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, apply this hotfix on the computer that is running IIS 7.5…

To resolve this issue, apply this hotfix on the computer that is running IIS 7.5.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problem described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.
If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.
Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)

Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix, you must be running Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

To make this easier for everyone, you can download the hotfix here:

KB Article Number(s): 979543
Language: All (Global)
Platform: x64
Location: (http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%207/WindowsServer%202008%20R2/sp1/Fix311271/7600/free/408888_intl_x64_zip.exe)
Password: qmFj]I4

Windows 7 multiple remote desktop sessions

How to Enable Concurrent Sessions for Remote Desktop in Windows 7 RTM

How to Enable Concurrent Sessions for Windows 7 RTM

1. Download Concurrent Sessions enabler file

2. Once downloaded, extract the files into a directory (for the purposes of this guide, it will be assumed that the files have been extracted to the folder C:\Win7RDP )

3. Open Windows Explorer to the above folder

4. Right Click on “install.cmd” and select “Run as Administrator”

5. Wait for the script to run entirely. At the end, you should see something similar to the below…

That’s it.

PINGBACK – http://www.blogsdna.com/4560/how-to-enable-concurrent-sessions-for-remote-desktop-in-windows-7-rtm.htm

Configuring the Windows Time service to use an external time source

UPDATE TO THIS POST:

Baydon Rowe has create a nice little script to make these changes for you!

Download now

Kudos to Baydon for the hard work! You can visit his .NET blog here.

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I find many a times, from lack of knowledge, or lavishness, people don’t configure their domain’s correctly. I’m currently repairing a DC for issues that we’re easily avoidable.

One of the things you should configure is your Time Source on your Domain Controller holding the PDC emulator FSMO role.

Here’s how to do it.

Configuring the Windows Time service to use an external time source

To configure an internal time server to synchronize with an external time source, follow these steps:

1. Change the server type to NTP. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
   2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters\Type
   3. In the right pane, right-click Type, and then click Modify.
   4. In Edit Value, type NTP in the Value data box, and then click OK.
2. Set AnnounceFlags to 5. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config\AnnounceFlags
   2. In the right pane, right-click AnnounceFlags, and then click Modify.
   3. In Edit DWORD Value, type 5 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
3. Enable NTPServer. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpServer
   2. In the right pane, right-click Enabled, and then click Modify.
   3. In Edit DWORD Value, type 1 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
4. Specify the time sources. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters
   2. In the right pane, right-click NtpServer, and then click Modify.
   3. In Edit Value, type Peers in the Value data box, and then click OK.
      Note Peers is a placeholder for a space-delimited list of peers from which your computer obtains time stamps. Each DNS name that is listed must be unique. You must append ,0×1 to the end of each DNS name. If you do not append ,0×1 to the end of each DNS name, the changes made in step 5 will not take effect.
5. Select the poll interval. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient\SpecialPollInterval
   2. In the right pane, right-click SpecialPollInterval, and then click Modify.
   3. In Edit DWORD Value, type TimeInSeconds in the Value data box, and then click OK.
      Note TimeInSeconds is a placeholder for the number of seconds that you want between each poll. A recommended value is 900 Decimal. This value configures the Time Server to poll every 15 minutes.
6. Configure the time correction settings. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config\MaxPosPhaseCorrection
   2. In the right pane, right-click MaxPosPhaseCorrection, and then click Modify.
   3. In Edit DWORD Value, click to select Decimal in the Base box.
   4. In Edit DWORD Value, type TimeInSeconds in the Value data box, and then click OK.
      Note TimeInSeconds is a placeholder for a reasonable value, such as 1 hour (3600) or 30 minutes (1800). The value that you select will depend upon the poll interval, network condition, and external time source.
   5. Locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config\MaxNegPhaseCorrection
   6. In the right pane, right-click MaxNegPhaseCorrection, and then click Modify.
   7. In Edit DWORD Value, click to select Decimal in the Base box.
   8. In Edit DWORD Value, type TimeInSeconds in the Value data box, and then click OK.
      Note TimeInSeconds is a placeholder for a reasonable value, such as 1 hour (3600) or 30 minutes (1800). The value that you select will depend upon the poll interval, network condition, and external time source.
7. Quit Registry Editor.
8. At the command prompt, type the following command to restart the Windows Time service, and then press ENTER:net stop w32time && net start w32time

After you finish restarting the w32time service, check your system event log for the following two Information Logs for the w32Time Service.

1.The time service is now synchronizing the system time with the time source VM IC Time Synchronization Provider.

2.The time provider NtpClient is currently receiving valid time data from time.windows.com (ntp.m|0×1|10.0.0.67:123->207.46.197.32:123).

Create 1 of more test users in Active Directory

A simple vb script to create 500 test users.

You must configure your domain info, and how many users you would like to create

dim strUser
Dim objRootLDAP, objContainer, objNewUser, objGroup


set objRootLDAP = GetObject("LDAP://rootDSE")
set objContainer = GetObject("LDAP://cn=Users," & _
   objRootLDAP.Get("defaultNamingContext"))

set objGroup = GetObject(LDAP://CN=Users,DC=DOMAIN,DC=COM)
‘Modify number of users to create
for i = 01 to 500

  strUser = "USER NAME" & i
  set ObjNewUser = objContainer.Create("User", "cn=" & strUser)
  objNewUser.Put "sAMAccountName", strUser
  objNewUser.Put "cn", strUser
  objNewUser.Put "givenName", strUser
  objNewUser.Put "displayName", strUser
  objNewUser.Put "userPrincipalName", strUser & "@FQDN"
  objNewUser.SetInfo

  objNewUser.SetPassword("PASSWORD")
  objNewUser.AccountDisabled = FALSE
  objNewUser.SetInfo
  objNewUser = null

Next

.csharpcode, .csharpcode pre
{
font-size: small;
color: black;
font-family: consolas, “Courier New”, courier, monospace;
background-color: #ffffff;
/*white-space: pre;*/
}
.csharpcode pre { margin: 0em; }
.csharpcode .rem { color: #008000; }
.csharpcode .kwrd { color: #0000ff; }
.csharpcode .str { color: #006080; }
.csharpcode .op { color: #0000c0; }
.csharpcode .preproc { color: #cc6633; }
.csharpcode .asp { background-color: #ffff00; }
.csharpcode .html { color: #800000; }
.csharpcode .attr { color: #ff0000; }
.csharpcode .alt
{
background-color: #f4f4f4;
width: 100%;
margin: 0em;
}
.csharpcode .lnum { color: #606060; }

Installing Exchange Server 2010

There’s a lot to think about before installing Exchange 2010 with the typical installation (one server). I figured I would post while building one out myself in a virtualized environment.

Starting with a Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 base operating system install configured with the following: (all configured within Hyper-V)

• Quad Xeon Processor (additional cores added)
• 8GB Memory
• 600GB Hard Disk (IDE)
• 1 Network Adapter (configured in the OS with static IP address)
• 

Pre-Requisites

Update your Active Directory Schema:

On the Exchange Server, in PowerShell (run as administrator), run the following command

ServerManagerCmd -i RSAT-ADDS

reboot after installation is complete.

Next lets RUN: services.msc, and the Net.TCP Port Sharing Service, open

Change to the following values (start up type to Automatic)

When you apply this setting, you will have the option to start the service, click start.

Install IIS:

Use the server manager to perform a default installation of IIS 7 or 7.5

Error:
Unable to read data from the Metabase. Ensure that Microsoft Internet Information Services is installed.
Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.4&id=a4a4d339-4009-4fb7-b842-ca2ba79f13f0

Error:
The World Wide Web (W3SVC) service is either disabled or not installed on this computer. You must exit Setup, install the required component, then restart the Setup process.
Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.4&id=9eeaa77f-4d46-4d9a-9c36-f262a075392b

Error:
Unable to read data from the Metabase. Ensure that Microsoft Internet Information Services is installed.
Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.4&id=a4a4d339-4009-4fb7-b842-ca2ba79f13f0

Error:
The World Wide Web (W3SVC) service is either disabled or not installed on this computer. You must exit Setup, install the required component, then restart the Setup process.
Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.4&id=9eeaa77f-4d46-4d9a-9c36-f262a075392b

Download and Install 2007 Office System Converter

Warning:
This computer requires the 2007 Office System Converter: Microsoft Filter Pack. Please install the software from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=123380.

Once you have all of this complete, lets move on to the installation!

Be-aware that the top exclamation mark is indicating that:

Warning:
Setup is going to prepare the organization for Exchange 2010 by using ‘Setup /PrepareAD’. No Exchange 2007 server roles have been detected in this topology. After this operation, you will not be able to install any Exchange 2007 server roles.

Your finished the basic installation for Exchange Server 2010