IT's Kris Haynes

Configuring QoS for SIP / VoIP

2012-02-02T12:51:00.000Z

Unless you have a true understanding of the layer protocols and technologies behind SIP, setting up QoS can actually be quite difficult, as I found out myself.

Interestingly when setting up SIP you often set the firewall port to 5060 and leave it at that, so you may simply assume that 5060 is the only required port. What you forget though, is that this is only inbound; what is going outbound?

So my personal understanding of SIP (and some wiresharking later) is that it tends to use the following protocols.

Signalling via port 5060. ALSO each line after uses upward one port.Line 2 5061, Line 3 5062 etc.
Realtime Transport (RTP) 10,000 - 20,000 varying per call.
STUN 3478/3479

So you see straight away that setting QoS to prioritise 5060 will do next to nothing on your network you need to put in three ranges. 5060-5080 (20 lines), 10,000-20,000 & 3478/3479.

All of the above only need to be UDP.

Putting these ports into QoS makes a huge difference to the quality of a call for me. I'd be interested to hear other peoples stories.

Cannot access Windows 7 Shares from a Windows XP Machine

2011-09-16T15:27:00.002+01:00

Scenario:
Windows 7 Machines x 4 (1 x Acting as a server)
Windows XP Machines x 3
10/100/1000Mbps Network.

So I replaced a Windows XP server with a Windows 7 one and there was me thinking this was going to be easy...

From the XP machines I could ping the 'server' but couldn't get onto it, both by UNC or IP paths. I believe the error was "The specified server could not perform this action" or something to that affect.

I did recall having an issue similar tp this with Windows7 in the past and turns out the resolution is the same. You have to disable SMB version 2 so 7 support back compatibility with XP Clients. (You also sometimes get the problem with Windows SBS 2008 and XP machines.)

In regards to how SMB is designed to work see below:

When a Windows Server 2008/Vista "client" connects to a Windows Server 2008/Vista "server", SMB 2.0 is used.
When a Windows Server 2008/Vista "client" connects to a Windows 2000/XP/2003 "server", SMB 1.0 is used.
When a Windows 2000/XP/2003 "client" connects to a Windows Server 2008/Vista "server", SMB 1.0 is used.
When a Windows 2000/XP/2003 "client" connects to a Windows 2000/XP/2003 "server", SMB 1.0 is used.

Resolution
To try disabling SMB2 (which is perfectly safe) enter regedit and navigate to the following key:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters

Add a new REG_DWORD key with the name of "Smb2" (without quotation mark)
Value name: Smb2
Value type: REG_DWORD
0 = disabled
1 = enabled

A REBOOT IS REQUIRED FOR THIS TO WORK....

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Love to know how many other people this helps...

“The Microsoft Exchange Transport service is rejecting message submissions because the available disk space has dropped below the configured threshold”

2011-08-26T11:50:00.001+01:00

Problem:
Microsoft Exchange 2007 presents this message in Event Viewer and you are no longer receiving emails. You may also see "Insufficient System Resources" when telnetting to the server.

Solution
We found that although the server had 6.75GB of free hard disk drive space it STILL required 'more' to process inbound emails. I ran WinDirStat which pulls out where the space is being eaten up from and deleted 24GB of useless Log files within IIS. A quick restart of the Exchange service (Transport) fixes the problem.

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Implementing an RSS Feed into SharePoint 2010 Foundation

2011-07-16T14:50:00.004+01:00

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the signature of the certificate can not be verified Exchange 2003

2011-07-05T22:28:00.003+01:00

This took me so long to figure out and there is next to nothing on Google so hopefully this will help a few others like me who have probably reached close to the end of their tether by this point.

Everytime we opened the Public Folders section of Exchange this error was produced and so you couldnt then follow any procedures through. Unfortunately for me, I HAD to get into this console.

The error is quite simply what it says, there IS an error with your IIS SSL Certificate. Remove your SSL Certificate from IIS and you can access the Public folders, re-add the certificate again and it'll fail again.

The ultimate solution is to purchase a correctly signed certificate or if your cushty with CA services, re-issue yourself a shiny new one that matches the server name properly and then install that.

Love to know if anyone finds this useful as I spent hours with no results on the net...

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A Potential Security Concern Has Been Identified : Access Runtime 2007

2011-07-05T21:50:00.001+01:00

We found that in Access 2007 to use a database without the trusted location error bugging the user everytime they open it wasn't quite as simple as you might initially suspect using Access 2007 Pro.

To trust a location you have to specify the path in the registry as Trusted Sources / Access Options isn't to be found in the runtime version of Access.

Navigate to the following Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Access\Security\Trusted
Locations

Create a string for:
'Path': Specify the full path to the database (excluding *.mdb)
'Description' : The description isnt relevant but from testing it appears it is required as an entry.

Additionally create a DWORD value for
'AllowSubfolders' : 1 to trust any subfolders of Path (Not a requirement)

This should eradicate the error from presenting itself, thereby trusting the database.

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ActiveSync only working when Outlook is open

2010-11-29T14:50:00.003Z

We had a series of issues leading up to this problem and its unknown whether or not we actually caused this however here's how I fixed it in case anybody else see's a similar problem.

The scenario:
Outlook 2010, Exchange 2003(SBS), iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, WM5's and WM6's

All of the above phones were seeing symptoms, the iPhones batteries were reduced by at least 60% and the windows mobiles didnt seem to be picking up all emails.

Whenever Outlook 2010 was open, emails to the phone was brilliant and worked almost perfectly. Once closed, the doors were shut and no more email!

The Fix
Edit this key, no reboots necessary.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS\VirusScan
Set ProactiveScanning = 1 (proactive scanning occurs when an item is delivered to a folder, but a request has not been made by a client)

Set ReloadNow = 1 (By default this value is set to zero, by setting this value to "1", Exchange will reload the configuration settings from the registry and reload the Vendor's DLL. Once completed this value is reset to "0" by Exchange.)

This sounds like a really unbelievable fix but it genuinely works and I've tested it on other sites where it has worked also.

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I’ve been nominated for the Computer Weekly IT Blog Awards 2010!

2010-10-18T19:05:00.005+01:00

It's a great feeling to have been nominated for the Computer Weekly IT Blog Awards 2010 in the Male IT Professional Blogger category, sponsored by IBM.

The voting structure is very simple, number of votes cast, with one vote cast per visitor. So if you’re a reader of this blog, and want to vote for me, visit the Computer Weekly Voting Page for the Male IT Professional 2010 category, hit the big Vote Now button, and pick my name from the list for the Male IT Professional drop-down.

I’m really grateful to those people who took the time and effort to nominate me, and for anyone else who votes for me – I really appreciate it :). Don't forget to vote for some of the other fantastic nominee's in the other categories as you only get one chance to vote.

Thanks

Kris

Duplicate Name Exists On The Network

2010-10-13T15:28:00.000+01:00

Wowzers, this is an annoying message! I spent the better part of Three days trying to crack this for a customer!

Ok so in my scenario, I had 30 PC's coming up with this error at bootup. I think at that point its a fair assumption that there aren't actually 30 PC's all running with duplicate names sitting downstairs in a store cupboard right..?

So first port of call, check the event log. I had something like this:
The name "MYDOMAINNAME/MYPCNAME :0" could not be registered on the Interface with IP address 192.168.1.100. The machine with the IP address 192.168.1.1 did not allow the name to be claimed by this machine.

The SBS in this case was 192.168.1.10 so why is 192.168.1.1 even talking to my machine when it boots up!?

I checked the source of the problem 192.168.1.1 and at first glance couldnt find any problems but then a little more digging and we found out the issue.

192.168.1.1 was a Linux server, named exactly (yes I said exactly) the same as the Internal Domain Name. So guess what, at DHCP request time, it was going off and sourcing DNS and DHCP via a combination of Samba and Windows SBS packets.

I appreciate that this wont be applicable to everyone but when I was trying to find this error where there actually WASNT a numpty who had named two computers the same it came up dry...

By the way, another fix which might help you a little... Put your DC/GC with its domain name Domain.local into hosts and point it to the server IP... Might work?

Num Lock not enabled by Default on some new PC's

2010-10-11T17:29:00.000+01:00

Strangely enough to mine and I'm sure many other peoples surprise, the commands are no longer in BIOS. See below.

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard

0 - Turn all indicators Off (NumLock, CapsLock, ScrollLock)
1 - Turn CapsLock On
2 - Turn NumLock On
3 - Turn CapsLock and NumLock On
4 - Turn ScrollLock On
5 - Turn CapsLock and ScrollLock On
6 - Turn NumLock and ScrollLock On
7 - Turn all indicators On (NumLock, CapsLock, ScrollLock)

In my case, the string value was some 7 or 8 digit number such as 21765430. These entries are the cause of the reboot change in the num lock status. If you want it on when you boot, set the string value to 2 in all the keys with numeric values. Problem solved!

Compliments of @RWheeldon

MAC Entourage error 18500

2010-09-28T12:11:00.001+01:00

Ok, so I dont normally 'do' Mac repairs but this is and was a royal pain so I thought I'd be nice for those AppleFans out there. In fact this is so easy to sort yet it presents what I would describe as 'false' errors.

Scenario:
Mac Mini with Office 2008 connected by HTTP - No new emails arriving and everytime we click send it comes back with a HTTP error.

Fix:
Well let me put your mind at ease first by telling you that its not a MAC problem, or an Office problem. In fact its a server issue. Now if your the troubleshooting type like me, you've probably whizzed onto the SBS ran "IISRESET", maybe checked Alias's, heck even reset the users password.

BUT did you check Licensing..? That's right it would seem that this is an error linked directly to Exchange not allowing any more connections. To test this, simply go into services and stop the "License Logging Service" the users mail will pop up and start working instantly. (Please enable this service again and only use this to test, disabling it is considered violation of Microsoft's Licensing Policies and will be upheld by them if they spot check you.)

So there is your resolution, you need to invest in some Small Business Server Cals :)

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Capsule CRM Online Solution

2010-08-20T19:09:00.002+01:00

I found this Software from a friend who recommended it and have used it personally and commercially for a CRM package, it's a great package I have to say. It's fully customisable, the support team are fast to respond and it's really simple to use and integrate. In fact I like it that much I even thought I'd promote it a little bit!

So if anyone is looking at this software OR looking for a small to medium CRM solution then this is certainly an option to consider!

Capsule CRM Online Solution

System Features:
Unlimited users
2GB storage per user
50,000 contacts
Unlimited opportunities
Unlimited cases
Integrates with Xero, KashFlow,
FreeAgent, FreshBooks and MailChimp

Get a complete contact view
The contact page gives you a bird’s eye view of everything you know about a contact so that you can keep track of the people, companies and other organizations that you do business with.

■ Share contacts with co-workers ensuring you all have a single up-to-date view of the contact.

■ Categorize contacts using tags that you define and that are relevant to your business such as lead, customer, vendor etc. You can even customize Capsule to record additional information when a tag is applied. E.g. lead source when a person is tagged as a lead.

■ Easily add notes about conversations you've had, meeting outcomes, how the contact is known to you etc.

■ Track all email communications by sending emails from Outlook or any email client into Capsule. The email becomes part of the contact's history along with attachments so it’s easily available in one place. Capsule will automatically create a new contact for you if it doesn't find a match in your account.

■ Attach documents, agreements, proposals and other files.

■ Import contacts from Outlook, Gmail, vCard, spreadsheets and any CSV file

Make sure things get done
Manage your to-do list and calendar using tasks in Capsule to ensure things don't get forgotten.

■ Create tasks for appointments, meetings, phone calls, submission deadlines etc.

■ Link tasks with contacts, opportunities or cases so it's easy to refer back to what the task was about

■ Share tasks with co-workers.

■ If you have standard processes such as the way you approach each sale configure these as "Tracks" in Capsule to enable the same set of tasks to be followed for each sales opportunity or case. Each task in a track can be linked to the previous task. For example, a "call back" task can be set due 5 days after an "initial call" task.

Access your account from anywhere, securely
Serious data security
Our servers are hosted in Amazon's data centers. Amazon take both physical and network security seriously ensuring your data is safe. In addition, information that passes between your computer and our servers is encrypted using a technology called SSL which is the same technology that banks use to protect data.

Controlled access
No-one has access to your account unless you invite them. And unlike desktop applications, if your computer is lost or stolen your data is still safe and secured.

Always backed up
Your data is stored to multiple locations in real time, and in addition we automatically make a further backup of your data every hour.

One master copy
All your users share access to the one master copy of your data on our secure servers so there's no need to email around spreadsheets or worry about who's got the latest version of a document.

Automatic upgrades
There is no software to install with Capsule, and because you access it across the web you are always using the latest version.

Windows, Mac or Linux
Capsule is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux running Firefox (V3+), Internet Explorer (V7+) or Safari (V3+). Just choose your favorite browser and you are ready to go

Sign up now for free

Scan to Email - Exchange 2007

2010-08-03T10:18:00.005+01:00

I find it amazing really that this is the first encounter I've had with this issue especially since SBS 2008 has been out so long but here we are. We had an issue where a network copier/scanner wouldn't scan to email (internally). Even using credentials to try and authenticate wouldn't work, it turns out that Exchange 2007 is now a lot more secure than 2003 was and so you have to run through the config below to allow relaying from a specific device.

■Open the Exchange Management Console and go to Server Configuration/Hub Transport

■Click “New Receive Connector”

■Give the new connector a meaningful name (“Copier Relay”), select Custom as the type, and you can leave the port as 25 or try a different port it depends how complicated you want your network. Any other free port will be ok though. Follow this through leaving internal network as is and then in the second window you want to setup your copiers IP so that only this can relay using this connector.

■Right-click the new connector, go to Properties make the following settings: Permission Groups Tab; Anonymous Users only. Authentication Tab; Transport Layer Security (TLS) only.

■Open the Exchange Management Shell and run the following command: Get-ReceiveConnector “Copier Relay“ | Add-ADPermission -User “NT AUTHORITY\ANONYMOUS LOGON” -ExtendedRights “ms-Exch-SMTP-Accept-Any-Recipient”. Note that the “Copier Relay” name is what was used in this example and you should change the command to match what you named the new connector.

■Restart the MS Exchange Transport service.(Important)

■Configure the Scanner/Copier/MFP to use the SMTP connector, including the port number you set up.

...and hey-presto it should all work fine.

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iPhone OS4 - Places not working with Geo-tagging bug

2010-06-27T19:11:00.006+01:00

I thought I'd write up a post about this, simply because before I figured it out, I was contemplating contacting Apple Support in case I had a dodgy device. Fear not however my dear Apple friends this is not the case.

The problem:
I took a few photo's on my shiny new iPhone 4 and then thought I'd show off the "Places" feature to a few friends, embarrasingly to find that they hadnt been pinned to the map overlay. So typical IT bod I turned it off and on again - and it worked. Trying it again I had the same problem with any new photo's taken.

I did a little bit of research on the problem, obviously quite an annoyance and found out that the Photo's app, has to re-initialise for it to take into account the new photo's geo-tags and then implement them into the Places feature. I also found out that by default ALL apps will run in the background that support multi-tasking (I'm still not 100% sure on this but it does confirm it on and around the apple site).

So, I was left with a dilema. You open the camera, take a photo.
Open Photo's and check the places feature but Hey presto its only re-opened the last session NOT re-initialised the app and so not noticed the new photo's, hence the problem.

The Resolution:
I found out that there is a way to Kill processes on the iPhone, (tested on the 4.0 and 3GS),
If you take a photo, go into photo's, tagging wont work.

If you take a photo, double tap the home button to open the Multi tasking drawer, hold your finger on the app (as if to delete or move on the standard screen) then tap the minus button this actively kills that process.

NOW try re-opening pictures and like magic - it works!

I imagine Apple will fix this, this is by no means a fix just a workaround.

(It's also worth noting that I have to end the camera and the photo's app for Places to re-initialise.)

Love to see if others are experiencing this issue or not...

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Message size exceeds fixed maximum message size

2010-06-22T15:41:00.005+01:00

Now this was really annoying, basically I installed an SBS 2008 box onsite and later found out they needed to send emails with 25MB attachments. "Not a problem" I said as I recalled how easy it was to change this in Exchange 2003, completely oblivious to just how complicated an easy task could have gotten.

At first I just changed the limits in the SBS console window which I thought had solved the problem but this doesnt seem to make much difference. I then started looking into PowerShell and found out that, to get this to work you have to run the following commands.

(all examples based on 25MB incoming limit, default is 10MB)

So...

1) To review the global transport settings enter:
Get-TransportConfig | ft MaxSendSize, MaxReceiveSize

To change global transport settings:
Set-TransportConfig –MaxSendSize 25MB –MaxReceiveSize 25MB

2) To review receive limits:
Get-ReceiveConnector | ft name, MaxMessageSize

To change Receive Settings:
Set-ReceiveConnector “Windows SBS Internet Receive Servername” –MaxMessageSize 25MB

3) To review the send connector settings:
Get-SendConnector | ft name, MaxMessageSize

To change the send connect settings:
Set-SendConnector “Windows SBS Internet Send Servername” –MaxMessageSize 25MB

You can also set individual mailboxes with different settings but I've not had to use this as yet, it's always worked fine with the above.

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Free iPad / iPhone 4 ?

2010-06-21T13:22:00.003+01:00

This I was quite skeptical about at first but it's all based on clever referral marketing and works quite nicely. Basically it's very simple, if you can get 30 people to come to your site and sign up, you yourself will then be eligible for a FREE device of your choosing with no strings attached.

Now this isnt entirely selfish as it works multi-level, for example if I get a referral that's one point for me as you signed up BUT then also you can now bring other people in and start earning points towards your own iPad's / iPhone's / PC's etc. I started doing this with a friend who now has an iPad and a MacBook air! he barely lifted a finger, granted he has more time than me and is a student but hey!

If you're interested in giving this a go, then please follow this link:
http://tinyurl.com/28877wk

Independent Derbyshire Business Exihibition Seminar & Networking Event

2010-05-14T12:01:00.000+01:00

Dont miss THE business event of the YEAR - Independent Derbyshire Business Exihibition Seminar & Networking Event

Full Day ** 9th September 2010

Matlock Links are proud sponsors of a local business event held at the lovely New Bath Hotel, Matlock, Derbyshire on Thursday 9th September 2010 from 10am-4pm.

The event is the FIRST EVER independent business to business run event that has been organised in the area and is sure to be a fantastic event

Tickets are only £10 to attend which includes full day access, open networking, free time to browse the exhibition stands from local businesses, speed networking sessions and three key-note speakers (soon to be announced) as well as much more!

Refreshments will be provided throughout the day as well as business lunch and business promotional pack, including delegate list on arrival.

Limited places are available and tickets are sure to sell out fast, so to book your place, please contact us via email info@matlocklinksbusinessclub.co.uk or DM on Twitter @Matlocklinks

The Conservative Contract with Britain

2010-05-05T13:02:00.002+01:00

Our political system needs to change. Politicians must be made more accountable, and we must take power away from Westminster and put it in the hands of people - individuals, families and neighbourhoods.

If you elect a Conservative government on 6 May, we will:

1. Give you the right to sack your MP, so you don't have to wait for an election to get rid of politicians who are guilty of misconduct.

2. Cut the number of MPs by ten per cent, and cut the subsidies and perks for politicians.

3. Cut ministers' pay by five per cent and freeze it for five years.

4. Give local communities the power to take charge of the local planning system and vote on excessive council tax rises.

5. Make government transparent, publishing every item of government spending over £25,000, all government contracts, and all local council spending over £500.

We will change the economy

Gordon Brown's economic incompetence has doubled the national debt, given us record youth unemployment, and widened the gap between rich and poor. Unemployment is still rising, and this year we will spend more on debt interest than on schools. We need to get our economy moving.

If you elect a Conservative government on 6 May, we will:

1. Cut wasteful government spending so we can stop Labour's jobs tax, which would kill the recovery.

2. Act now on the national debt, so we can keep mortgage rates lower for longer.

3. Reduce emissions and build a greener economy, with thousands of new jobs in green industries and advanced manufacturing.

4. Get Britain working by giving unemployed people support to get work, creating 400,000 new apprenticeships and training places over two years, and cutting benefits for those who refuse work.

5. Control immigration, reducing it to the levels of the 1990s - meaning tens of thousands a year, instead of the hundreds of thousands a year under Labour.

We will change society

We face big social problems in this country: family breakdown, educational failure, crime and deep poverty. Labour's big government has failed; we will help build a Big Society where everyone plays their part in mending our broken society.

If you elect a Conservative government on 6 May, we will:

1. Increase spending on health every year, while cutting waste in the NHS, so that more goes to nurses and doctors on the frontline, and make sure you get access to the cancer drugs you need.

2. Support families, by giving married couples and civil partners a tax break, giving more people the right to request flexible working and helping young families with extra Sure Start health visitors.

3. Raise standards in schools, by giving teachers the power to restore discipline and by giving parents, charities and voluntary groups the power to start new smaller schools.

4. Increase the basic state pension, by relinking it to earnings, and protect the winter fuel allowance, free TV licences, free bus travel and other key benefits for older people.

5. Fight back against crime, cut paperwork to get police officers on the street, and make sure criminals serve the sentence given to them in court.

6. Create National Citizen Service for every 16 year old, to help bring the country together.

New Health Product Acai Berry for Weight Loss

2010-04-04T11:46:00.001+01:00

I'll be honest I dont usually blog about stuff like this, I hate to cause controversy, especially if people start debating on my blog so I usually avoid it HOWEVER today I thought I would write a little article about something I've been trying and my experience with it, I don't claim to sell it, I'm not going to scream off of the top of hill-tops but I have however used these products and so will share my own success.

There are many people in the world who struggle their entire life to lose weight I actually was not one of these people until well the last year or so when it actually did become a little harder. A lot of people go for surgery which not only proves costly but also endangers their life. There are many techniques such as exercising regularly and controlling eating habits which are definitely effective and have worked. But these require patience and perseverance. If don't have the determination there is a effective technique to speed up the procedure.

Here's the semi-technical bit...

Acai Berry is known to be the one of the best option for reducing weight. Acai Berry is used along with the dieting procedure which helps to maintain the level of vitamins and minerals that are not in abundance in the diet of the person.

The Acai Berry plays a vital role in reducing and maintaining the desired weight. Acai Berry has proven to be very effective remedy for weight loss. It increases the metabolism in the body, which helps in reducing the unwanted fats from the body.

Acai Berry also contains anti oxidants, which plays a vital role in eliminating toxins and accumulated fats from the body, which leads to weight loss. Acai Berry proves to be effective only when the person take his diet wisely on regular basis. The main benefit of Acai Berry is that it takes less time as compared to other substitutes which helps in rapidly shedding the weight from the body.

There are many weight loss solutions, which are costly and can be only used by select class of wealthy people. Acai Berry is a natural product, which is available at reasonable costs and can be used by all class of people. Acai Berry is proven to be long-term resolution for many people as they use it on regular basis in order to remain fit and get rid of unwanted pounds under their belly.

I read several blog posts and several reviews before doing this (Which you are quite welcome to do by the way!) but basically there are two products you need to buy the Acai Berry (which promotes greater metabolism) and the Inner Cleanse (Which clears your body of the nasties it doesnt need - very technically put :P). I managed to lose around a stone of weight in a few weeks, which for me without this would have been a lot harder. Give it a go anyway and see what your thoughts are, please post your stories as well!

Try the Dynamic Duo for Weight Loss & Total Body Detox !

Visit ---> Acai Berry and Colon Cleanse

They offer a 100% money back guarantee also so there really wouldnt be much point in me making the above up, if it didnt work... you'd get your money back...

The installation of this package failed (Office 2007 compatibility pack)

2010-02-25T09:46:00.002Z

So you receive an attachment from a friend or colleague and can't open it, you're suggested to go to the Microsoft website and download a file. So good so far, you download the file to your machine, run the installer but then get "The installation of this package failed"

I spent a while trying to figure out the problem here, some posts suggesting cleaning Temp files other registry, until I noticed that the Installer is only a bare minimal package with very limited Error codes built in. So first and always rule of thumb with a failed installer specifically if cleaning Temp directories doesnt work...

Check your administrator rights, this will then solve the problem. If you don't have local access to the PC you cannot install the patch.

Hope this helps others in the same situation. If not stop being tight and upgrade to Office 2007 :)

Outlook 2007 asks for a password everytime you open it

2010-02-02T15:54:00.003Z

Scenario: SBS 2008
TS 2K3 - 30 users
Outlook 2007

Problem
OK, so to save a lot of people a lot of time!

I spent ages trying to diagnose this issue, we had 30 people all getting this message asking for a username and password whenever they opened outlook. I also noticed that if we setup a new user we had difficulty even getting it setup as autodiscovery seemed to keep failing.

Resolution
Weirdly enough I think it's linked to an update on SBS2008 Ex2007. Check your Exchange to see what rollup it's running (Under Server Configuration - Build No.) You should update it to Rollup V.9 if it isnt already which seems to clear the issue.

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=55320be2-c65c-48bb-bab8-6335aa7d008c&displaylang=en

NOTE
A quick note to some people - when you download the rollup and try to install it you'll probably find you can't due to privelidges. I got it to work by opening CMD with run as administrator, renamed the setup to Exchange then just run exchange.msp in the cmd box.

your out of office settings cannot be displayed because the server is unavailable

2009-12-24T11:08:00.003Z

I'm going to try my best to help anyone out stuck in this situation because it took me ages to sort out! BUT please note that my scenario may not be the best or the easiest or even the most accurate!

So my scenario was I had Server 2003 standard with Exchange 2007 VLK enterprise, all clients with Outlook 2007 couldnt enable OOF (Out Of Office) they had to go into Outlook Web Access to enable it.

After some initial digging I found out that I had to look at the certificate in exchange incase it was invalid as well as check the autodiscover service to make sure it points to the right place.

1. Check your certificate!

2. Check in outlook the autodiscover settings
what URL's are pointing to where by holding control and then right clicking on the outlook icon in the system tray then select test autoconnection. This will show you the URL's it is using.

3. Internal / External URL Check
Check your URL's for Outlook within the Exchange Management Shell
"Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectory | fl InternalURL,ExternalURL" run this command and make sure that the URL's are correct. You should change them if not, then try again.

Does this help anyone...?

Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. MAPI32.DLL is corrupt or the wrong

2009-11-23T09:43:00.003Z

I installed Office 2003 from a disk and couldnt open Outlook after some issues with Access.

The error was as below:

Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. MAPI32.DLL is corrupt or the wrong
version. This could have been caused by installing other messaging software.
Please reinstall Outlook.

Reinstallation does not work so I'll save everyone some time here hopefully, the only resolution I've seen and used here is to rename a simple file at the following path:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033

Which is MSMAPI32.DLL.

Please, please, please don't rename MAPI32.DLL this wont work, it is MSMAPI32.DLL just simply change the extension and it will 9/10 times be sorted.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

SBS 2008 hangs on Applying Computer Settings

2009-11-13T13:55:00.004Z

I have to admit, out of all server installs I have ever done, I have probably had one of the worst experiences ever recently with 2008 SBS.

I thought I would blog about this problem simply because I was in a mess and I'm sure anyone else in this scenario would want to get out of it just as quickly as I did!

My Scenario
At first the clients were complaining that the Exchange was down, I noticed that the store service wasnt running so quite rightly I tried to start it but it wasnt having any of it. I went to Event Viewer and it had items like "Cannot connect to Active Directory" and "Exchange topology not starting" amongst many others. My most stupid mistake at this point was to reboot the server which is where I ended up watching a spinning wheel at "Applying Computer Settings".

I couldnt think what it was until I found that it could be affected by IPv6 at which point it became clear that this definately was the problem, I had turned it off the day prior to troubleshoot a vista application issue.

I found one fix on the net but it didnt help my situation unfortunately, it may still work for others though. You simply go into the registry and navigate to the following:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Parameters\
a.In the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value.
b. Type DisabledComponents, and then press ENTER.
c. Double-click DisabledComponents.

5.Enter "ffffffff" (eight f’s), and then click OK.

My Resolution
So I rebooted into Safe Mode with Networking and logged on as the Domain Administrator (The first time it told me there were no logon servers available to service my request) I tried again and it was fine!

Go into Network and Sharing Centre, Manage Network Connections, Go to Properties on the connection and tick IPv6.

You can then reboot the machine and it will boot up ok. (I will also add that it looked like it wasnt going to work, it still spun around applying personal settings for around 3 minutes before it booted so be patient.)

Good luck to anyone else who gets this problem and I hope the above helps!

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

Sophos Anti Virus not updating (could not contact server)

2009-11-10T17:08:00.003Z

I found quite a neat little trick, whether or not the following technical processes are by design I dont know but I assure you this has worked for me loads of times.

If you see Sophos Anti Virus with a red shield in it, first thing I used to do is rename the Cache folder in Program Files and then click update. Job done, it updates we can all go home with a smile on our faces.

What I noticed recently was that this didnt fix the problem at all, it generally made a bit more of a mess.

So, if you find that the Cache folder has an update in there (Usually 68Mb+) Navigate to: C:\Program Files\Sophos\AutoUpdate\cache\savxp and click Install Sophos Anti Virus, this will run you through a quick WinInstaller and then update the program.

You will probably have to reboot at this point, you can choose to reboot, usually I just log off ;) (As im sure most IT pro's do)

Finally just re-enter the update credentials into the Sophos program and re-check for updates.

Works like a charm

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

iTunes no burn option for burn to disc

2009-10-25T20:26:00.002Z

You know, usually I dont blog about my personal endeavours AND I certainly avoid writing about Apple if I can but I felt sorry for others who may be in this scenario so decided to write up my experiences here.

I like to think of myself as reasonably competent technically so to find that I couldnt manage to burn a cd audio disc from iTunes was a pretty big blow, holding back my integrity I decided to do some good old fashioned 'Google-ing'.

Many, if not ALL posts pointed to Edit, Preferences and then under the "Burning Tab". So I started going through but hang on, what burning tab?! I havent got one. After looking on multiple sites all telling me the same thing, I figured I was on my own.

So I looked through advanced settings, import settings, creating AAC versions, I was literally seconds off leaving iTunes to burn in good old fashioned windows before I decided to simply right click on the Playlist I wanted. Only to find the option there, right in front of my face!

Why people say look in advanced options, look out for a burn disc in the top right corner... I have no idea! Folks the answer is simple if you want to burn a CD in Windows using iTunes just right click the playlist and select Burn.

End of, I hope that helps relieve some people.

Kris

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

Cannot create FAX.TIF in Outlook 2007

2009-10-13T12:12:00.001+01:00

I have personally been having this problem and living with it for far too long, today was just the last straw for me. This believe it or not was actually a really easy problem to fix too!

I analysed Outlook and how it used attachments to find that they were all stored in a temporary secure folder in preparation for you opening them in the Outlook QuickPreview, this being said if one particular file becomes corrupt that extension is then inaccessible to outlook entirely.

So the resolution is simple, find the folder and then delete the data.

Resolution

Go to Start
Run
Type "Regedit"
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12\Outlook\Security
Then take note of the value for "OutlookSecureTempFolder"
This is where the folder is, finally navigate to this folder and delete all of its contents.

Hey presto, you dont even have to close outlook for this to work, it is sorted instantly.

Good luck.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

Looking for the ultimate resource for making money online?

2009-10-03T18:28:00.000+01:00

Well if the answer is yes, why not check out my guide available here: http://twopoundsturnoversystem.blogspot.com

Spell Checker not working in Word 2007

2009-09-30T17:19:00.003+01:00

This was a very odd one, a client approached me saying that whenever she was typing there was no "Red squiggles" under her mistakes. Assuming the best that maybe it was simply turned off of there was something slightly amiss here I logged on to see the problem myself.

Lo and behold it was true, even clicking check document didn't correct any issues!

So after many head scratches initially I came accross a document in Microsofts assembaly for Word that showed that Word runs with sepereate Add-on entities that can be disabled. So running with this in mind, I did the following and sorted the problem.

Click the Word Office button
Click Add-in's
Select the drop down box
Select Disabled Add-in's
Enable the Dictionary spell check!

All sorted :)

CRM 4: Unable to Load Client Print Control

2009-09-07T15:45:00.003+01:00

At first I saw this message a few times and the resolution wasn't too difficult at all, after a short while of Googling etc it became apparent that an Auto Update had messed up the SQL reporting services ActiveX client and so needed another update applying.

Solution: Install the fixes below on the necessary servers and then reboot each server.

CRM Server:

Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable 2005 Service Pack 1 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=82833f27-081d-4b72-83ef-2836360a904d&DisplayLang=en

SQL Server (If Different):

Security Update for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 (KB954606) http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4603c722-2468-4adb-b945-2ed0458b8f47&DisplayLang=en#filelist

To finish, open the reports window and click print, you still get the error but this time you get an ActiveX control to install, install that and rerun the report. You can now print fine.

HOWEVER - Please Note

Be warned, this only happened to me once but it might be that on Server 2008 once you have applied the update the Reporting Server doesnt even let you run reports never mind print them. I got a 404 permission denied when navigating to http://servername/reportserver and also got an error in Event Viewer
"Web service request ListExtensions to Report Server failed"

The resolution I found to this was to go into IIS 7, navigate down to ReportServer in Sites and click on Handler Mappings, then click any of the sub items and on the left click "Edit Feature Permissions" Check the Script box as well as Read box.(Not Execute). You find at that point it should run fine.

Good luck anyone else in this scenario, love to know if this works for you!

CRM 4: Cannot publish a workflow that has a send email task

2009-09-07T12:54:00.000+01:00

I found to fix this you had to change the web.config, other people have assured me this should only happen when you change the web.config file manually but we didn't so...who know's. The fix seems complex but is all to common and after a while seems quite common.

Solution
Open the Microsoft CRM Web site web.config file in an editor like Notepad and add the following section to it in order to continue publishing workflows:

In the section

…multiple lines here

CRM 4: Workflows not running at all

2009-09-07T12:30:00.000+01:00

I've only seen this once and I think it was due to bad installation, since we had to change hostnames and port numbers AFTER the install, so it may not happen to many people but if it does... hopefully this will save you some time :)

*You want to go into your SQL Server Management studio and then go to, your CRM_CONFIG Database.

*Expand Tables and look for the record "Deployment Properties"

*Right click and select "Open Table"

*Navigate down to "AsyncSdkRootDomain" and then accross to "NVarCharColumn" and fill in the correct hostname and port number (Usually something like 'CRM:80')

*Do the same for "ADSdkRootDomain" and "ADWebApplicationRootDomain"

This product type does not match the list of supported product types

2009-06-08T09:42:00.001+01:00

I got this message installing a HP CM1312 on an SBS server, how on earth it is justifiable that an SBS server doesnt meet requirements is beyond me, obviously this being a network shared printer this was no solution so I had to install it.

Even going to the HP website you get the same installer package so you can't use the add printer wizard... a few hours with HP later and finally we cracked it.

So to get past this error simply hold down CTRL + SHIFT when pressing Cancel on the installer, this will then keep the installer running passed the error and works a treat.

Enjoy!

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

Method 'post' of object 'IOWSPostData' failed

2009-05-26T12:18:00.002+01:00

Realistically I'm talking about two different problems in this post HOWEVER I found them directly linked in my scenario so maybe you will too.

First Error: Method 'post' of object 'IOWSPostData' failed

Cause:
This is caused by a failed application add-in contained in Excel 2007;

Resolution
You need to modify an XLA file within Excel to resolve this problem - Please also remember to always backup files before modifying them.
To make this change, open the Excel Add-In EXPTOOWS.XLA located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\1033 by default. (Enable Macro's as opening)

Once opened, press ALT + F11 to open the VB editor and ADD the following line:
IVer = 2

BEFORE:
Sub Initialize(List, Title, URL, QuickLaunch)
strQuickLaunch = QuickLaunch
aTarget(iPublishURL) = URL
aTarget(iPublishListName) = List
aTarget(iPublishListDesc) = Title'
lVer = Application.SharePointVersion(URL)
End Sub

AFTER:
Sub Initialize(List, Title, URL, QuickLaunch)
strQuickLaunch = QuickLaunch
aTarget(iPublishURL) = URL
aTarget(iPublishListName) = List
aTarget(iPublishListDesc) = Title'
lVer = Application.SharePointVersion(URL)
lVer = 2
End Sub

Finally save the document and ignore the valid signature warning, then try again you should find it now works. (You should IVer = 3 as well if at first you don't succeed)

I at this point didn't however, we were then presented with the following error:

"The selected range cannot be converted to a list before publishing or the existing table is invalid"

Finally to fix this problem the best solution we had was to manually create the list columns from the excel worksheet into a new sharepoint list and THEN import the data into those columns this then got around the problem.

If anybody has had these problems I would be interested in hearing your accounts and resolution methods or if the above worked well.. Answers on a postcard please :).

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

Introduction to Windows 7

2009-05-15T16:28:00.003+01:00

For anyone keeping in the loop with Microsoft's new Operating System 'Windows 7' see below the beginning of what appears to be 7; Windows 7 introductory video's.

Introduction to Windows 7

James O’Neill and Jamie Burgess get you up to speed with Windows 7 and look back at some of the improvements made since Windows Vista. They discuss the fundamentals of performance, application compatibility and safer browsing.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/dd574083.aspx

Download Windows 7 Desktop Wallpapers & Theme's

2009-05-13T15:19:00.003+01:00

Windows 7 RC comes with lots of free themes, wallpapers and gadgets but there are others available for those who like to show off your pretty new operating systems and laptops...yes you know who you are..

Microsoft has launched a Personalize section in the Windows 7 Beta website where you can get them for free.

To grab your themes and papers visit the following URL:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/Windows7/Personalize

Office 2007 Service Pack 2 Download

2009-05-11T12:15:00.002+01:00

Just in case you havent already heard Service Pack 2 for Microsoft Office 2007 has now been released for download to public.

For more details follow the link: Download Now

Fixes for the following problems have been announced:

Microsoft Office Access
• Lets you export reports to Microsoft Office Excel.
• Supports memo fields in the mailing label wizard for addresses.
• Fixes issues that occur in the import data wizards, in report printing and previewing, in macros, in Excel integration, and in date filters.
• Includes updates to Access Developer Extensions.
Microsoft Office Excel
• Improves the charting mechanism in Excel 2007. This includes better parity with Office 2003, improved robustness, and targeted performance improvements.
• Adds a chart object model to Word and to PowerPoint.
• Improves shapes that are surfaced in Excel. This includes better parity with Office 2003 and targeted performance improvements.
• Improves the method by which Excel prints graphical content, especially when it prints to PCL printers.
• Adds conversion rates to the Excel Euro Currency Tools add-in for the Maltese lira and for the Cypriot pound.
Microsoft Office Groove
• Improves Groove 2007 form tools. In particular, international users in certain locales will benefit from correct interpretation of spaces for digit grouping in currency values.
• Limits the number of file-sharing workspaces to 64 to make sure that all workspaces can be synchronized. This limit applies only to adding new file-sharing workspaces. If you already have more than 64 file-sharing workspaces, you can continue to use them.
• Optimizes synchronization reliability.
Microsoft Office InfoPath
• Fixes for overall security and stability in InfoPath 2007
• Provides improved compatibility between InfoPath forms and other Microsoft products, such as Groove and Outlook.
Microsoft Office OneNote
• Improves SharePoint sync functionality. This helps reduce the load on SharePoint servers, and it helps produce fewer sync errors.
• If the OneNote tray notification icon was previously dismissed, the icon will now appear in the notification area. Additionally, this icon can now be dismissed only in the Options dialog box in OneNote.
• Adds support for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for the Japanese language.
Microsoft Office Outlook
• Performance improvements that apply to the following general responsiveness areas:
o Startup
Removes lengthy operations from initial startup.
o Shutdown
Makes Outlook exit predictably despite pending activities.
o Folder View and Switch
Improves view rendering and folder switching.
• Calendar improvements
Improves underlying data structures and the general reliability of calendar updates.
• Data file checks
Greatly reduces the number of scenarios in which you receive the following error message when you start Outlook:

Ok, Ok I joined Twitter

2009-05-10T12:42:00.001+01:00

I did have a few requests recently from different people asking why I wasnt on the infamous and ever growing more popular Twitter, so yes folks, I've taken the leap and I have now joined. If you wish to follow me you can do at:

www.twitter.com/krishaynes

Small Business Server 2008 Migrating

2009-05-09T20:45:00.000+01:00

If your looking at Migrating a Windows SBS 2003 server to an SBS 2008 box I would definately recommend a read of David Overton's new Book "Small Business Server 2008, Installing, Migrating and Configuring" I have a copy and was also able to attend a training course delivered by David last weekend through Amitpro. SBS2008 and migrating to SBS2008 seems like a heavy handed, daunting task but looking at it after going through the migration techniques and following the steps (which is all it takes to be fair) makes the whole process look and feel so much easier.

Although without a doubt I'm pretty sure when it wants to go wrong, it will and I'm sure that not every migration will I walk out with a big grin on my face however knowing the steps to take and having a feel for how the process works is without a doubt an excellent idea.

If you're interested in reviewing or purchasing David Overton's book. Click Here

IT Supplier Directory

2009-05-06T18:23:00.002+01:00

I don't know what people think of this, it looks to be a new site but I was fortunate enough to meet the owner who is looking to raise the profile of his new business venture, listing out the IT suppliers within the UK.

If people are interested in signing up to what may well be a good site to have your details on you should check it out at:

http://www.wherecanwefindit.co.uk

Windows 7: "An unexpected network error has occured" when accessing Network Drives

2009-04-30T09:27:00.003+01:00

a Very Very strange one on Windows 7, after logging onto the domain successfully accessing Mapped drives just gave the error "An unexpected network error has occured" there is nothing logged in Event Viewer or next to no diagnostics to run to figure out this problem.

After a little testing I found that you can access the server manually running its DNS name and then disconnect and re-map the drives you use and this clears the error.

Probably not the best fix - but a fix none the less,

If anyone has any other solutions feel free to post.

Windows 7 Beta Exam Available Soon

2009-04-20T12:31:00.001+01:00

The first Windows 7 Beta exam - 71-680: TS Windows 7, Configuring is to be available in a week for Beta testing. If you pass this test it will be added to your transcript and even better - it is free!

Registration for this exam opens on April 27th with the testing period running from May 5th through Mat 18th. You need to hurry though as there are limited beta slots available and once they are gone, registration will close.

To register for this exam use the WIN7J as your registration code when you contact Prometric: http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp

How to clear the print queue manually when prints won't delete

2009-04-16T12:29:00.000+01:00

So your working away on your PC and you send a print but it fails, your out of ink, out of paper or just plain unlucky. You restock your printer but the failed print wont clear in the Queue, the solution is simple:

1.Click "start" and go to "Run"

2.Type "services.msc" at the prompt which will open the Services
window.

3.Scroll down the alphabetical list in the right window pane until you come
to the entry with the name "Print Spooler"

4.Right-click this entry, then select "stop". This will stop the computer
running the process that holds your print queues.

5.Leaving that window open for now, click again on "Start", and then click
"My Computer" to open a Windows Explorer window.

The usual path to the spool folder is
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\PRINTERS, but yours may be slightly
different. Your windows drive may have another name for instance, but this would
be uncommon. So click on your Windows drive (usually C), then double-click on
the Windows folder, and then find the System32 folder and double-click on
that. Windows may warn you that you are about to view system files, but click
"View files anyway" message and search out the "spool folder". Within the
Spool folder is your Printers folder, and you should open
that.

7.Delete every file within this folder to empty the jammed print queue
(pressing the "ctrl" and "a" keys will select all files and then you can just
hit "delete").

8.Close the explorer window now that we have emptied the cleared spool files,
and return to your Services window. we must re-start the Print spool
service, and do so by right-clicking the Print Spool entry and selecting
"Start" from the list. Close the services window and try printing again

OWA - Access to the following potentially unsafe attachments

2009-04-03T11:21:00.002+01:00

Ever wondered how to get around the potentially blocked attachments notification, well wonder no more. It is actually very simple.

Simply modify the below registry keys to make the extension you require exempt.

Location: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeWeb\OWA
Value: Level1FileTypes
Type: REG_SZ
Value Data: ade, adp, app, asx, bas, bat, chm, cmd, com, cpl, crt, csh, exe, fxp, hlp, hta, inf, ins, isp, js, jse, ksh, lnk, mda, mdb, mde, mdt, mdw, mdz, msc, msi, msp, mst, ops, pcd, pif, prf, prg, reg, scf, scr, sct, shb, shs, url, vb, vbe, vbs, wsc, wsf, wsh

Location: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeWeb\OWAValue: Level2FileTypes
Type: REG_SZ
Value Data: ade, adp, asx, bas, bat, chm, cmd, com, cpl, crt, exe, hlp, hta, htm, html, htc, inf, ins, isp, js, jse, lnk, mda, mdb, mde, mdz, mht, mhtml, msc, msi, msp, mst, pcd, pif, prf, reg, scf, scr, sct, shb, shs, shtm, shtml, stm, url, vb, vbe, vbs, wsc, wsf, wsh, xml, dir, dcr, plg, spl, swf

Easy as that.. you can also add extensions to block by file type too.

How to: Change the timeout setting in SharePoint 2

2009-04-02T16:48:00.005+01:00

I've had issues in the past where users were having timeout issues with SharePoint sites on SBS 2003.

Particularly users with custom form sites or lists that require a lot of data entry will notice that after 15 minutes they are disconnected.

So to extend this default you need to make the following change:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

2. Double-click Web Sites.

3. Right-click the virtual server that you are referring to, and then click Properties.

5. On the Web Site tab, in the Connection timeout box, increase the amount of seconds to a more appropriate number.

6. Click OK.

This should resolve the problem.

Cannot view secure web sites (HTTPS)

2009-04-02T10:59:00.002+01:00

If you cannot view or access secure web pages, you may see issues similar to below:

*You cannot get into hotmail and yahoo email accounts.
*Cannot view secure web sites
*Cannot get into bank web sites
*Cannot update Anti Virus

The resolution is unbelievably easy..

1. Click Start.
2. Click Run.
3. Type regsvr32 softpub.dll
4. Click OK.
A pop-up should display with the message Dll Register Server in softpub.dll Succeeded.
5. Job done, try again if it fails restart IE.

Microsoft Office Outlook Hotmail Connector

2009-04-01T12:07:00.000+01:00

With the free Microsoft Office Outlook Connector you can view and manage your Hotmail in Outlook.

Manage your Hotmail contacts in Outlook or in Hotmail itself — the Connector will keep them synched up when you make changes.

The Connector also enables you to link your Windows Live Calendar and Outlook calendar — making it easier for you to keep on schedule.

Download it now for Microsoft Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2003.

TS Server 2003 - Turning off Internet Explorer Enhanced Security

2009-03-26T12:15:00.000Z

Turning off Internet Explorer Enhanced Security mode isnt always easy on a Terminal Services server when your users arent the most profficient.

I found the best way to disable this if you find you have to; is to incorporate the following into group policy as a registry file.

Copy all text after the break line into a text document then save it as a .reg file.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap]
"IEHarden"=dword:00000000

Internet Explorer 8 — Now Officially Launched

2009-03-20T15:51:00.000Z

The long awaited Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 has now been made officially available to general public,

With long awaited features included such as:
InPrivate Browsing
Browse the web without saving your history with Internet Explorer 8's InPrivate Browsing. Now you can shop for that special gift with confidence knowing your family won't accidentally find out or use a shared computer without leaving a trace

Web Slices
Keep up with changes to the sites you care about most. Add a Web Slice and you won't have to go back to the same website again and again for updates on news, stock quotes, online auctions, weather, or even sports scores.

Accelerators
Accelerators let you map directions, translate words, email your friends, and more in just a few mouse clicks.

Click Here to download

SMTP: Advanced Queue Failed to Deliver Message in ESM

2009-03-13T12:28:00.003Z

We noticed a while ago that emails were suddenly disappearing without trace, no NDR being genereated. The email just seems to disappear.

There are multiple ways to resolve this issue but I'll explain my method which will hopefully point most people in the right direction.

Firstly you need to find out exactly what the issue is, in my case we tracked the message in ESM and found the message was received by the server but then never delivered with the message; "SMTP: Advanced Queue Failed to Deliver Message in ESM"

You should enable message tracking, by right clicking the mail server in ESM and checking the tracking box on the general properties page.

Review the log file to find the exact event id from the exchange server.

An example of my case is as follows:
10:33:38 GMT SERVER2K3 user1@domain2.co.uk 1019
user2@domain1.co.uk
10:33:38 GMT SERVER2K3user1@domain2.co.uk 1025
user2@domain1.co.uk
10:33:44 GMT SERVER2K3 user1@domain2.co.uk 1026
user2@domain1.co.uk

You should use the following link to reference the event ID's

Message tracking event IDs in Exchange Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/821905

Event 1026 is most likely caused by the 3rd party Anti Spam software
running on exchange server.

Either the message was detected as spam or there may have been some corruption in the message. McAfee GroupShield installed on the Exchange server can also cause this.

We actually found that by disabling the scanning function in Group shield this resolved the error.

I have also however noticed in the past that GFI can cause this issue to, you should look in the Program files directory under GFI for any emails, you will most likely find them there.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

Your client does not support opening this list with Windows Explorer.

2009-03-10T16:18:00.001Z

I recently came accross a client who recieved this message when they tried to use a sharepoint (V3) list:

"Your client does not support opening this list with Windows Explorer. "

Obviously this isnt a very helpful message but after a short while of searching through events and web pages I found the following Microsoft Article which helped to resolve the issue. It is caused by a long URL or List name exceeding 100 characters.
Microsoft have noted the problem and now released a patch for download so you can clear this problem.

Support Link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923906

How to make an External Drive Bootable

2009-03-10T14:44:00.001Z

This is something that used to drive me crazy and probably still would had I not simply taken a few minutes to think a little bit about my options.

The scenario was simple Windows 7 RC from Microsoft's website as an ISO installing onto an Acer Aspire one with NO CD DRIVE!

So I had to go down the USB root, well the answer is actually really simple,

Firstly make sure your external drive is formatted as NTFS then secondly go into computer management (Right click My Computer and Click Manage) and right click your disk.
You then see an option (Set as Active) this will set the partition as Active as it states (Which also means bootable).

Copy your ISO onto the drive and boot, hoorah!

I think this is limited to Vista though...not sure anyone willing to try this on XP please let me know how this goes..

File could not be found documents.doc

2009-03-07T09:39:00.000Z

I first saw this when opening a word document from outlook as an attachment, I may be mistaken though this could happen in more scenarios.

Most of you will be glad to hear, the fix is simple!

Go to Start > Run, type "Winword /r"

LSASS.EXE - System Error / Rebuilding Active Directory Indices. When booting windows server 2003

2009-03-02T00:14:00.002Z

LSASS.EXE - System Error, security accounts manager initialization failed because of the following error: Directory Services cannot start. Error status 0xc00002e1.

I know everyone's scenario's when seeing this message are pretty varied but I found a nice way to fix this within an hour providing you have a similar setup.

In my particular case I had two servers an SBS 2000 (oh dear I hear you cry) and a Standard Server 2003 running SP1. The 2K3 machine was rebooted and upon reboot we were presented with the above error.

So to fix try the following:

1. Reboot the 2K3 server into "Directory Services Restore Mode" then logon to the machine locally, in my case I didnt know the restore password (results of taking on machines from other support companies.)

-If this is the case go onto the second server, right click "my computer" and select manage, within the new window, right click the "Computer Management" header and then click connect to another computer, you can then connect to the server you can't log into and reset the local admin password.

2. So first things first now your into the server you need to check the database files, go to start, run, and type "cmd" to open a command shell. The type the following:
ntdsutil files info
You should see similar the below:

Drive Information:

C:\ NTFS (Fixed Drive ) free(533.3 Mb) total(4.1 Gb)

DS Path Information:

Database : C:\WINDOWS\NTDS\ntds.dit - 10.1 Mb
Backup dir : C:\WINDOWS\NTDS\dsadata.bak
Working dir: C:\WINDOWS\NTDS
Log dir : C:\WINDOWS\NTDS - 42.1 Mb total
temp.edb - 2.1 Mb
res2.log - 10.0 Mb
res1.log - 10.0 Mb
edb00001.log - 10.0 Mb
edb.log - 10.0 Mb

You need to make sure that these files exist and the directory is there before you continue.

3. You can now do an integrity check by typing the following:
ntdsutil files integrity if you get an error here then continue, otherwise try a reboot and it should fix the issue.

4. Next check is a semantic check, do this using the following command:
ntdsutil "sem d a" go
If this fails however try the following:
ntdsutil "sem d a" "go f"

5. Try a defragment:
5a - Type 'ntdsutil'
5b - Type 'compact to "c:\TMP"'
If defragmentation succeeds without errors, follow the Ntdsutil.exe on-screen instructions. Delete all the log files in the log directory by typing the following command:
del drive C:\ pathToLogFiles \*.log
Copy the new Ntds.dit file over the old Ntds.dit file in the current Active Directory database path that you noted in step 2.

Note You do not have delete the Edb.chk file.
Restart the computer normally.

I personally still had issues at this point, with the server refusing to access these files with JET errors. So from that point had to do the following:

6. Modify the following Registry key entry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ProductOptions

In the right-pane, double-click ProductType. Type ServerNT in the Value data box, and then click OK.
This will make the server a member server, reboot and log on locally to continue.

7. Once booted, you now have to simply run dcpromo from the command line and make a test fresh domain. I used testdomain.deleteme again once this process is complete, reboot.

8. You have now got your self a domain controller again, simply run dcpromo again to uninstall AD services from this new DC and once again reboot.

9. Finally if this applies, use ADSI edit to rip out the domain controller from Active Directory on the other server and then run dcpromo to join the server back to the existing domain.

Doing it this way, I lost no data and all security permissions were retained within the folder structure - My method was constructed using a variety of the below links and other sources, it may or may not apply to your circumstance but your answer will be in there somewhere if not.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

Additional Links:
KB 258062 - NTDS Util Checks

KB 232122 - Performing Offline Defragment

KB 332199 - Force Demoting a Domain Controller

KB 332199 - How to remove data in Active Directory after an unsuccessful domain controller demotion

70-653 - SBS 2008 Configuring

2009-02-27T10:12:00.000Z

Pheww...

I finally got round to this exam today; following in the footsteps of others as it were but all in all a great day, passed with a pretty good 823 out of 1000 :)

MC TS: SBS 2008 :)

A tip for anyone taking this exam by the way; mine mainly consisted of Migration questions with a few basics slapped around it. I'd advise watching the technet SBS 2008 training webcasts that were released although they can be a bit monotonous at times they are well worth the watch.

Kris

Exchange 2007 - How to Purge Disconnected Mailbox

2009-02-19T12:20:00.002Z

A feature that took me a little while to click onto was the process of purging Mailboxes. In Exchange 2003 it was simple, delete the user, enter the exchange console, run the cleanup agent and then purge or reconnect.

In exchange 2007 this ability seems to have left the Exchange console and entered the shell world...

Should you face this scenario of having to rebuild an Exchange Mailbox the process of purging is as follows, firstly remove the mailbox in the Exchange console as normal then enter the Exchange Management Shell.

You need to run two commands (Remember - Case Sensitive):

List all of the disconnected mailboxes in the domain so you can find the GUID.
Get-MailboxStatistics | where-object { $_.DisconnectDate -ne $null } | Select DisplayName,MailboxGuid

Then modify the following command with the GUID of the Mailbox you wish to delete:
Remove-Mailbox -Database "Mailbox Database" -StoreMailboxIdentity -confirm:$false

Be careful though when deleting Exchange Mailboxes before you even get to the purging stage make sure you don't accidently delete the user account which is very possible in Exchange now that it has the added Active Directory Integration.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

Outlook 2007 - Out of Office could not be displayed

2009-02-18T18:00:00.000Z

If you are using Outlook 2007 with an SBS 2008 server you may notice the above error message when you try to enable Out of Office.

The Out of Office feature will work correctly in Outlook Web Access and in older versions of Outlook, it will only be broken in Outlook 2007.

Although not entirely sure we think the issue may occur if Microsoft Framework 3.5 SP1 has been installed on the Small Business Server. The issue is caused by a problem with the Framework package and is described in KB article 958934

To resolve this issue you have to obtain the hotfix from the article 952883

Exchange 2007: An internal transport certificate expired

2009-02-16T14:47:00.002Z

I guess the main reason for this posting is more informative than to help people solve this but I was astounded when I did more digging into it. I had users calling me saying they were receiving Exchange dialogue boxes telling them the certificate was invalid or had expired.

Following up I found the below in Event Viewer:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: MSExchangeTransport
Event Category: TransportService
Event ID: 12014
Date: 16/02/2009
Time: 09:18:53
User: N/A
Computer: SERVER2K3-SBS
Description:
Microsoft Exchange couldn't find a certificate that contains the domain name server2k3-sbs.DOMAIN.internal in the personal store on the local computer. Therefore, it is unable to support the STARTTLS SMTP verb for the connector Default SERVER2K3-SBS with a FQDN parameter of server2k3-sbs.DOMAIN.internal. If the connector's FQDN is not specified, the computer's FQDN is used. Verify the connector configuration and the installed certificates to make sure that there is a certificate with a domain name for that FQDN. If this certificate exists, run Enable-ExchangeCertificate -Services SMTP to make sure that the Microsoft Exchange Transport service has access to the certificate key.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: MSExchangeTransport
Event Category: TransportService
Event ID: 12015
Date: 16/02/2009
Time: 09:18:53
User: N/A
Computer: SERVER2K3-SBS
Description:
An internal transport certificate expired. Thumbprint:C7635A3F281FD2CB8E046A19D19************

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

It would appear that Microsoft have now put in place a 1 year certificate expiration for Exchange 2007, meaning that quite simply every year users will see this message until you manually recreate the certificate. The way around this is to obviously purchase a certificate from a higher authority but not everyone wants to pay out on something they see no sense in having.

to rebuild this certificate simply go into Exchange Management Shell and then type:
"New-ExchangeCertificate" followed by "Y" to confirm.

More resources and info on this can be found in the following links:
New Exchange Cmdlet

Certificate Use in Exchange 2007

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 Beta released!

2009-02-13T16:27:00.002Z

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 Beta is now available on the Microsoft Download Center. Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 enables IT pros to manage roles and features that are installed on remote computers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2 (and, for some roles and features, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003) from a remote computer that is running Windows 7.

It includes support for remote management of computers that are running either the Server Core or full installation options of Windows Server 2008 R2, and for some roles and features, Windows Server 2008. Some roles and features on Windows Server 2003 can be managed remotely by using Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7, although the Server Core installation option is not available with the Windows Server 2003 operating system.

Role Administration Tools:

Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) Tools
Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Tools
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) Tools
DHCP Server Tools
DNS Server Tools
File Services Tools
Hyper-V Tools
Remote Desktop Services Tools

Feature Administration Tools:

BitLocker AD Password Recovery Viewer
Failover Clustering Tools
Group Policy Management Tools
Network Load Balancing Tools
SMTP Server Tools
Storage Explorer Tools
Storage Manager for SANs Tools
Windows System Resource Manager Tools

Microsoft My Phone 'Beta'

2009-02-13T12:52:00.000Z

With the ever growing Windows Mobility market showing no signs of slowing down, Microsoft have begun developing a new service to be announced at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona next week called MyPhone (Currently codenamed "SkyBox")

According to the My Phone Web site, "If your phone is lost or stolen, or if you upgrade to a new phone, you can easily restore the contacts, calendar appointments, photos and other information that you stored on My Phone to a compatible new or replacement phone."

Users will be limited to 200MB of storage space for the service, which will initially be available in a limited, invite-only beta for Windows Mobile

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/myphone/

A look into the new Windows 7 Kernel

2009-02-13T12:40:00.000Z

Quite an interesting and technical video by Mark Russinovich where he describes the changes to the Windows 7 kernel and how it is know capable of supporting 256 processors!

It is quite extensive though so sit comfortably before you click the link!

Video here:Link

New Tech: Google Latitude

2009-02-12T14:43:00.000Z

Google latitude the new and very cool feature from Google in association with Google Maps. Simply download the latest version of Google maps and from the right hand menu select Latitude.

You are asked to sign into your google email account; from which point you can add friends as easy as searching for there email addresses. It's that easy to setup!

Once connected to your friends, although not 100% accurate you can see your friends locations...the best i've seen so far using GPS is a distance of 40metres.

No more sneaking off to the pub though after work guys if your wife has a smart phone eh...

Download and More Info here:Google Latitude

Active Desktop Recovery Error

2009-02-12T14:08:00.000Z

Clicking "Restore My Desktop" just will not do anything, how many times have I seen this one... to be honest there are probably a fair few fixes to this I have used a couple in my time yet the best I have found has to be this:

Go to Start > Run

Type "regedit"

Modify the following entry:
HKeyCurrentUser\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\SafeMode\Components

Change the DeskHTMLVersion key (Decimal) from 272 to 0, press ok, close down regedit and press Ctrl + F5 together.

The original desktop should now be back to normal.

Simple SQL Backup

2009-02-09T16:16:00.001Z

A great little application designed by the guys at Kraft Software Solutions, it quite literally does 'what it says on the tin' and well.

Home Page & Download Link

My Own Backup Script For Small Business Server 2003

2009-02-09T16:01:00.003Z

This is one of my personal favourites,

It's a combination of NTBackup (For Active Directory, System State and Registry etc) Robocopy (For file shares) and SendEmail (for confirmation the backup worked).

All instructions come with my script; it's ideally suited for companies with USB external drives although it could be customised for tape drives or external FTP drives.

I wrote it for a few of my smaller clients and it seems to do the job quite well; it also backs up Exchange by stopping the services and copying the Priv1 + Pub1 databases, this provides easy restore access in the event of a disaster. Simply rebuild the server and then remount the Exchange databases and voila.

I'd be interested in people's opinion's on this...

Download Link Here: Download

440 - Login Timeout (Outlook Web Access)

2009-02-02T15:58:00.000Z

I have seen this error often the resolutions tend to be quite simple though either:

1) The IUSER anonymous account password is corrupt or has been reset.

To Fix:
Go to Active Directory, All Users, Right click IUSER_*SERVERNAME*
and reset password.

The go to IIS Manager, Right click the default web site, go to properties,
select Directory Security Tab, then click "Access and Authentication".

Replace the password with the new password you reset the account to then apply to all subcontainers when requested.

Restart IIS and this should resolve the issue.

OR

2) The IUSER doesnt have permissions to view the Authentication module in OWA

To Fix
Start IIS Manager.

Expand Server_Name, expand Web Sites, expand Default Web Site, and then expand Exchweb.

Right-click bin, and then click Properties. On the Virtual Directory tab, verify that the Read check box is checked.

Expand bin.

Right-click auth, and then click Properties. On the Directory tab, verify that the Read check box is checked.

Internet Explorer 8 RC1 now available!

2009-01-31T12:18:00.000Z

Internet Explorer 8 is now available in RC1 format for Windows Vista, Windows Server and Windows XP.

Download here

Vista Can't Log In - Credential Manager Server

2009-01-27T14:38:00.002Z

I have now seen this a few times and so thought I would save a fair few people a few hours of head scratching, when logging on to your laptop / PC with Vista you get a message along the lines of "Cannot logon to the credential manager service."

My resolution that worked for me several times goes as follows:

1) Boot the machine up in safe mode by hitting F8 at boot

2) Log on as the Domain Administrator (Or Local Admin)

3) Enable the Local Admin Account (Not Enabled By Default In Vista) by right clicking My computer, selecting Manage and then clicking Users.

4) Reboot the machine and log on using the Local Administrator account (which will now work)

5) Go into HP Security Protect Tools Security Manager for Administrators
6) On the Left go to "Setting"

7) Uncheck "Use credential manager to log onto windows"

8) Log off the machine and logon as the normal user again.

If this doesnt work for you there are some other suggestions regarding the TPM drivers etc in the following link:
http://forums.techarena.in/vista-help/868873.htm

ActiveSync error: 85010004 / 80072f12

2009-01-26T16:00:00.003Z

Synchronising WM5/ WM6 to a SP1 Server 2003 running Exchange server 2003 SP2 you receive one of the above error messages or one of the following:

"Your Microsoft Exchange server does not have permission to synchronise with your current settings. Contact you exchange administrator "

You are most likely to see this message if the following Conditions are true:
* The Exchange virtual directory on an Exchange back-end server is configured to require SSL.
* Forms-based authentication is enabled.

The following Article helped me resolve this issue, simply re-create the Exchange virtual container without SSL limited to only access from the system itself and then one short registry change later you will find it works.

See link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/817379

SMTP: message submitted to categorizer

2009-01-22T12:15:00.003Z

Messages just appear to be falling into the realms of Cyber space with this error, when running the tracking console in ESM you simply see the message:
SMTP: message submitted to categorizer

To Resolve:

I've found this to be two seperate issues, most commonly issue one will work.

Resolution 1
It is Anti Spam that is causing the issue - submitted to categoriser is not a standard entry in exchange, meaning its been sent out of exchange to be sorted for spam. I can't stress enough that checking your quarantine or your instant delete settings will solve this issue.

Resolution 2
It's an issue with the listing in exchange for the GC, follow the below steps to resolve.

Step 1.
Open ESM, expand "Servers", right click on the server and select "Properties", click "Directory Access", select "Global Catalog Servers" from the dropdown and uncheck "Automatically discover servers" (Bypass the warning) and add the GC (Servername in SBS environments) manually.

Step 2.
Then Restart exchange services to find that all mail begins to deliver to store as per normal.

Remote Desktop Connection - Fatal Error 5

2009-01-19T08:12:00.000Z

When connecting to another machine using Remote Desktop (RDP) you may experience the error "Fatal Error 5" as per general google search instructions: although you can continue working by opening another RDP connection window, most people would agree this is more of a workaround than a fix!

After some troubleshooting it looks like this issue is caused by corruption in the default.rdp file usually located in My Documents, simply renaming this file to default.old will do the trick...

Server 2003 - unable to establish any network connectivity

2009-01-14T13:01:00.003Z

An un-official state of emergency was declared when receiving this problem!!

Microsoft Windows Standard server 2003 (presumably also applies to SBS 03)with two network cards was unable to access the internet and the local network even though both cards are showing connected in the Status panel.

After checking all of the IP services and settings were correct, I tried a Network connection repair to get the message "Windows was unable to repair the connection, unable to clear the arpcache" Seeing this error before, I cleared the cache manually in DOS and repaired the RRAS Service...Still no joy.

The actual resolution was in relation to the IPSEC service not starting correctly and upon manual startup you are presented with:

"only one usage of each socket address (protocol/network address/port) is normally permitted."

As you may or may not know if the IPSEC service fails to start, the server will be running in Block mode and it will block all network connectivity to the server.

To fix this you must enter the registry and correct the following:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\

Select ReservedPorts

and make sure the entry reads as follows:

1645-1646 - Used by IAS
1701-1701 - Used by L2TP
1812-1813 - Used by IAS
2883-2883 - Used by AUTD
4500-4500 - Used by IPSEC

Please note a reboot is required once making the change

For further details see this related link.

Windows 7: Problem Steps Recorder

2009-01-12T17:31:00.000Z

A great new feature to Windows 7 is the; “Problem Steps Recorder” is an advanced variation of screen capture software.

The software records your interaction with the system by means of stages, keystrokes and it also gathers additional technical info in the background. Once finished compiles all of this information into one single MHTML report for the user to send off to their helpdesk.

You can view the report as a web page, a slideshow, or even dig into the raw XML to expose greater detail like the X&Y coordinates of the mouse.

To try the “Problem Steps Recorder” for yourself, type and select “psr.exe” in the Windows 7 start menu.

Exchange 2003 to 2007 Migration (Exmerge)

2009-01-10T17:06:00.001Z

Just some little handy tips to share around in regards to migrating users from a Microsoft Exchange 2003 server to the all new singing and dancing Exchange 2007.

As most of you will probably know just from looking at the new Exchange management console it isnt quite as easy as copying and pasting the priv1.edb or Exmerging in and Exmerging out the old data.

The techniques are now slightly different:

Although the method is the same there is a slight change if you are doing this for a Server 2003 with Exchange 2007 or an SBS 2008 with Exchange 2007. If you are runnning SBS 2008 then you must download the Exchange Management Tools and the Windows Powershell add-on from the Microsoft site and run this on a 32-Bit machine seperate to the SBS box. (Please note that if you are doing import mailbox procedures then you need to download Exchange 2007 SP1 from the site)

So first step then is the data extraction; from 2003 this is very basic and straight forward using Exmerge from Microsoft you can take out all of the previous mailboxes into PST's and store them on the new server.

The second step is to go into the Exchange management shell and enter the following commands bearing in mind that all scripts are case sensitive.

Grant the Administrator Account full access to all Mailbox's:
"Get-Mailbox | Add-MailboxPermission –user Username –AccessRight FullAccess –Inheritancetype all"

Begin the import procedure for all users
"Get-Mailbox -Database “SERVER\Mailbox Database” | Import-Mailbox -PSTFolderPath "

This will then go through the motions for importing all of the pst files into their correct user accounts.

If you want to look at importing an individual mailbox to an individual user then the process is again very similar but the command is as follows:
"Import-Mailbox -Identity -PSTFolderPath "

TIP:
Typing -whatif at the end of a command in Exchange powershell runs a simulation of the command without actually doing anything with the data.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

Microsoft Windows 7 Beta Available for Download

2009-01-09T10:15:00.000Z

Just in case you havent already heard the new Beta release of Microsoft's Forthcoming Operating System: "Windows 7" has today been officially released to MSDN and Technet subscribers.

You can find the Beta download link via the following link: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default.aspx

"Command line error." When installing Web Parts into WSS 3.0 with stsadm.exe

2009-01-08T16:54:00.003Z

This is an odd problem that I came accross when deploying a new Web Part solution to my training server through the command line. After pasting the command that I had copied from the web I received "Command Line Error". The solution is to write the command without pasting it!

A too easy to be true solution...but I assure you it works. The logic behind this is that when copying from one source to another you lose the true encoding in the pasted text and so (The hyphen in particular) doesnt get read by the command line.

The explanation originates from the blog in the related links.

http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2007/02/24/updated-installation-guide-for-the-20-server-admin-application-templates-for-wss-3-0.aspx

SBS 2008 - Fix My Network Wizard

2008-11-18T21:27:00.001Z

A nicety of Windows SBS 2008 is the new feature: 'Fix My Network'. I have already found this useful in some of the installations myself and others have performed when DHCP is incorrectly functioning without reason or DNS has issues simply running this wizard from the Server Management Console clears up most within reason Network Issues.

For a more in-depth look into the Fix my network wizard click here

List of Handy UK DNS Servers

2008-11-06T20:35:00.000Z

BT Broadband
62.6.40.178
194.72.9.38
194.74.65.69
194.72.9.34
194.72.9.38
194.74.65.68
194.74.65.69
194.72.0.98
194.72.0.114
62.6.40.162
62.6.40.178

Demon
Primary DNS Server:- 158.152.1.58
Secondary DNS Server:- 158.152.1.43

Eclipse
212.104.130.9
212.104.130.65

Plusnet
212.159.13.49
212.159.13.50

Zen
212.23.3.100

Microsoft CRM Version 4 Service Calendar Doesnt Show

2008-10-17T15:59:00.000+01:00

I'm not too sure how many other people might have seen this error but it was a nuisance for me!

Some users will find that the service calendar is not available or simply doesnt appear when viewing the CRM Service element.

You need to make registry settings changes to overwrite the servername that is used for the Outlook client - using either a variation of the host name or the IP address of ther server that hosts CRM.

See the following knowledge base article for more info. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/910050/en-us

Creating a new User Profile in Vista

2008-10-09T15:04:00.000+01:00

Of all the daily issues we face in IT Support a new user profile we expect to be both an easy and quick task...until now.

With the introduction of Windows Vista's new profile system although designed to be more stable they still do have tendancies to become as XP did..corrupt. From looking around the Operating system there most certainly isnt any quick or obvious solution to this.

After a while of digging on the net and testing in house I have found the solution to be a registry change:

regedit:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\ and delete the SID key for the corrupt profile. Easiest way to find the correct SID is to search from the 'ProfileList' key for the directory.

Microsoft CRM V.4 "Unable to Load Client Print Control"

2008-09-07T14:42:00.000+01:00

When clicking the Print icon to print a CRM v4.0 report (in a SQL Server 2005 database) you receive the message 'Unable to Load Client Print Control' and the report does not print.

It is caused by Windows Security Update KB956391. Once installed you will see the issue above with Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and possibly others. Windows Vista machines do not appear to be affected.

The solution to this issue is as follows:

Install the fixes below on the necessary servers and reboot each server.

CRM Server:

Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable 2005 Service Pack 1 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=82833f27-081d-4b72-83ef-2836360a904d&DisplayLang=en

SQL Server:

Security Update for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 (KB954606)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4603c722-2468-4adb-b945-2ed0458b8f47&DisplayLang=en#filelist

Robocopy GUI

2008-06-01T13:47:00.001+01:00

Fed up of writing all of those custom scripts...
Missing the all important quotation marks...
Parse errors...

No more is this a problem, the clever little people at Microsoft have now helped us out with a GUI for use with Robocopy, simply open up the .exe fill in the blanks and out pops your script. A fantastic time saver tool for an already very useful dos based application.

Download Link:
Click Here for Download

A required installation file sku011.cab could not be found. Outlook 2003

2008-06-01T10:41:00.001+01:00

It happens to most Office users; one day, completely randomly and without warning .

Your PC decides it doesn't want to let you run any of the Microsoft Office applications. You also most likley see the error "Installation Error: File not Found"

Well before you go scrambling in the closets to go find those 5 - 10 year old discs that you obviously put in a safe place, never to be seen again you will be happy to know that the error isnt the error at all. If that makes sense...

Basically the file the office package needs is still on your PC it just needs to be told where.

The fix is actually pretty straight forward:

Simply go to:
1. Start
2. Run and type "Regedit"
3. Naviagate to the following Key: HKLM > Software > Microsoft > Office > 11.0 > Delivery.
4. Then click the GUID sub key (Usually a string of numbers)
5. Now on the right you will see, CDCACHE with an entry of "2".
6. Right click and select Modify, change the "2" to a "0" and then hey presto.

You're done, simply close down regedit and any other dialogue boxes still open and you'll then find it opens ok.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking on a Google ad :). Thanks!

Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (BETA) + Vista Service Pack 2 (BETA)

2008-05-12T15:27:00.001+01:00

The new Service pack 2 both for Vista and Windows Server 2008 has been officially announced as the first of its kind, incorporating the 2 service packs for both operating systems into the one update.

Although still in it's Beta stages it has been said to optimise the performance of many Vista machines and improve the Hardware support throughout.

You can download it here.

For the Techies like myself who like to click-away without reading the Install docs, I will just bring this one to your attention:

"Service Pack Information
SP2 Beta is pre-release code which will change before the final release of SP2

Windows Server 2008 SP2/Windows Vista SP2 Beta is time-limited software that will operate until May 1st, 2010 - Un-install Windows Server 2008 SP2/Windows Vista SP2 Beta before May 1st, 2010

After SP2 installation your desktop may display the text "Evaluation Copy". This does not mean that your system is no longer "Genuine", only that you have installed a test version of software which is time-limited

After installing the service pack, the "Evaluation Copy" text may show up on the 2nd boot

After un-installing the services pack, the "Evaluation Copy" text may remain during the first boot, but will disappear after the next reboot

Starting any Windows Server 2008 SP2 or Windows Vista SP2 installations will result in Microsoft collecting information about the installation process."

Microsoft Outlook 2007 - "A dialog box is open. Close it and try again"

2008-03-12T14:41:00.003Z

When making new user profiles in Outlook 2007 or sometimes from a fresh installation you may have seen this error:
" A Dialogue box is open, Close it and try again"

Although looking around in the Outlook window there definately isnt anything open to close in the first place.

This issue is most commonly caused by the Windows Desktop Search program that runs on top of the dialogue box in Outlook which asks you for your User Initials. There are two easy solutions I have found for this problem,
The 1st - Close Outlook via Task Manager and Open Microsoft Word this will present you with the Initials Dialogue Box, complete and submit this, re-open Outlook and it will work.

The 2nd is to uninstall a security patch issued by Microsoft; this is also known to resolve this issue if the 1st does not:
Go to Add/Remove Programs and uninstall: KB946983

Red Cross or Blank compose window in Outlook Web Access

2008-03-11T16:57:00.000Z

This I have seen happen many times and the answer is very simple, It mostly happens on clients running Windows Vista, you will find that in Vista, Microsoft changed the way it uses the Active X control and so you need to update the server with a more recent component.

This applies to Vista and Exchange Server 2003

This update is freely available from microsoft here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911829

P.S I Have seen this when you are using IE7 on XP for some reason so this may still apply if that is the case with you.

Logon Via Dialup - Windows Vista

2008-03-06T15:52:00.000Z

When logging on to a corporate network from a remote location, you're usually required to authenticate against the Windows domain.

For years that's been accomplished by using 2000 or XP's "Logon via Dialup connection" checkbox at startup.

But it's not there in Vista, so what do you do?

Don't worry as the process is similar; it's just not obvious. The setting is located in the Control Panel's "Network and Sharing Center". The secret is to select the "Allow other people to use this connection" option, allowing Windows to display the connection prior to a user login.

Next time you logoff you will see a blue icon to the lower right of the screen, select this option to "dial up at logon"

Visual Basic Dialogue when opening new email in Word 2003

2008-03-04T12:19:00.000Z

There are only two possible solutions to this from what I understand and then one workaround,

Resolution one:
In Outlook, Go to Tools > Macro's> Security and lower the security then restart outlook.

Resolution two:
Close Outlook, Go to Word > Tools > Macro's > Security > Then enable the checkbox that says Trust VBA project.

If neither of these work I have found a workaround of simply stopping Outlook from using word as the default editor, to do this go to Outlook, Tools > Options > Mail formatting and uncheck the box.

C Drive Filling with Exchange .log files

2008-02-24T11:23:00.000Z

This is one that doesnt explain itself very well, whether it be fault, feature or otherwise you can decide.

The solution is simple: Exchange has a "Self protect" feature by recognising if it has been backed up or not. If it detects that the database isnt properly backed up either using NTBackup the SBS Backup or another body which correctly cleans the database then the exchange will begin logging every email in plain text into a Text document in the C:\Progr~\Exchsrv\MDBDATA directory.

So the solutions are simple if you are using a backup program then make sure it is running ok. if you are using your own custom built backup script like Xcopy or something like, you may need to look at Circular Logging to stop the build up of log files.

The only other reason I have so far found that this can happen however are Database corruption; to check this again is relatively simple if you have used the ESEUtil application before.

Open a command prompt and navigate to C:\Progr~\Exchsrv\Bin\
Then run Check the value "State" which should display Clean, if it instead displays "Dirty" or "Inconsistent" you will need to repair the database using ESEUtil and the transaction logs created so do not delete them.

To repair look at following the below articles:

How to remove Transaction logs

OR

How to Maintain after repair

Vista: User has not been Granted the Requested Login Type

2008-02-20T15:06:00.000Z

One of the most by far annoying errors in Vista I have come accross, presenting you with next to no information as to why you get the message or why you arent presented with a Username & Password dialogue.

So if you find that connecting one XP or Vista machine to another Vista machine brings up the above message for you, this will almost certainly solve that issue and within 30 seconds too!

Simply enter a command prompt and copy and paste the three commands below, line by line.

net user guest /active:yes
ntrights +r SeNetworkLogonRight -u Guest
ntrights -r SeDenyNetworkLogonRight -u Guest

'Error in registry for extension "Exchange Extensions;?"' error message when you start Outlook 2003

2008-01-16T12:26:00.000Z

Bit of an awkward one, it was said to have been fixed in an update but I have seen it once or twice since:

To Fix simply follow the following steps:

Close Outlook 2003.

Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.

Expand the registry, and then click to select the following subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Client\Extensions

Right-click Exchange Extensions, and then click Delete.

Click Yes to confirm the deletion of the Exchange Extensions string value.

Exit Registry Editor and restart Outlook.

N.B
Always take copies of your registry before modifying any entries.

Modifying Recipient Policies in Exchange 2003

2007-03-04T12:12:00.002Z

This is just a handy one for people to keep hold of, I know there has been many times when it is just so much easier to setup an organisations email in one policy and then let the server do the rest for you...

So here are your most common:

%s : Surname (last name)
%g : Given name (first name)
%i : Middle initial
%d : Display name
%m : Exchange 2003 alias

All that needs to be done is edit the recipient policy and click add SMTP, then use any of the above given examples to constuct a default email address.

I.E

%g.%s@domain.com - kris.haynes@domain.com