Friday, July 31, 2009

VMware Windows Guests Installed with LSI Logic Storport Driver 1.26.05 Crash while Booting

From http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1006224 we read:

Windows guests installed with LSI Logic Storport driver version 1.26.05 or later crash with a blue screen while booting.

ESX 3.5 Update 3 resolves this issue. However, you must also set the following option in the virtual machine's .vmx configuration file:

lsilogic.iobar256 = "TRUE"

Note: This configuration option is supported only for Windows 2003, XP, Vista, and 2008 guests (both 32 and 64 bit).

For versions earlier than ESX 3.5 Update 3, use LSI Logic Storport driver version 1.20.18 (or older) or LSI Logic SCSIport driver for Windows guests. This driver is available at:

http://www.lsi.com/DistributionSystem/AssetDocument/files/support/ssp/whql/LSI_U320_W2003_IT_MID1011438.zip

Main site:

http://www.lsi.com/storage_home/products_home/host_bus_adapters/scsi_hbas/lsi20320r/index.html

Note: If you use this older driver, you cannot use EMC's admsnap utility within the virtual machine.

Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

Ease of Access keyboard shortcuts

* Right Shift for eight seconds: Turn Filter Keys on and off
* Left Alt + Left Shift + PrtScn (or PrtScn): Turn High Contrast on or off
* Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock: Turn Mouse Keys on or off
* Shift five times: Turn Sticky Keys on or off
* Num Lock for five seconds: Turn Toggle Keys on or off
* Windows logo key + U: Open the Ease of Access Center

General keyboard shortcuts

* F1: Display Help
* Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert): Copy the selected item
* Ctrl + X: Cut the selected item
* Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert): Paste the selected item
* Ctrl + Z: Undo an action
* Ctrl + Y: Redo an action
* Delete (or Ctrl + D): Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin
* Shift + Delete: Delete the selected item without moving it to the Recycle Bin first
* F2: Rename the selected item
* Ctrl + Right Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word
* Ctrl + Left Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word
* Ctrl + Down Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph
* Ctrl + Up Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph
* Ctrl + Shift with an arrow key: Select a block of text
* Shift + any arrow key: Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document
* Ctrl + any arrow key + Spacebar: Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop
* Ctrl + A: Select all items in a document or window
* F3: Search for a file or folder
* Alt + Enter: Display properties for the selected item
* Alt + F4: Close the active item, or exit the active program
* Alt + Spacebar: Open the shortcut menu for the active window
* Ctrl + F4: Close the active document (in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
* Alt + Tab: Switch between open items
* Ctrl + Alt + Tab: Use the arrow keys to switch between open items
* Ctrl + Mouse scroll wheel: Change the size of icons on the desktop
* Windows logo key + Tab: Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D
* Ctrl+ Windows logo key + Tab: Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D
* Alt + Esc: Cycle through items in the order in which they were opened
* F6: Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop
* F4: Display the address bar list in Windows Explorer
* Shift + F10: Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
* Ctrl + Esc: Open the Start menu
* Alt + underlined letter: Display the corresponding menu
* Alt + underlined letter: Perform the menu command (or other underlined command)
* F10: Activate the menu bar in the active program
* Right Arrow: Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu
* Left Arrow: Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu
* F5 (or Ctrl + R): Refresh the active window
* Alt + Up Arrow: View the folder one level up in Windows Explorer
* Esc: Cancel the current task
* Ctrl + Shift + Esc: Open Task Manager
* Shift when you insert a CD: Prevent the CD from automatically playing
* Left Alt + Shift: Switch the input language when multiple input languages are enabled
* Ctrl + ShiftL: Switch the keyboard layout when multiple keyboard layouts are enabled
* Right or Left Ctrl + Shift: Change the reading direction of text in right-to-left reading languages

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

* Ctrl + Tab: Move forward through tabs
* Ctrl + Shift + Tab: Move back through tabs
* Tab: Move forward through options
* Shift + Tab: Move back through options
* Alt + underlined letter: Perform the command (or select the option) that goes with that letter
* Enter: Replaces clicking the mouse for many selected commands
* Spacebar: Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box
* Arrow keys: Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons
* F1: Display Help
* F4: Display the items in the active list
* Backspace: Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box

Windows logo key keyboard shortcuts

* Windows logo key: Open or close the Start menu.
* Windows logo key + Pause: Display the System Properties dialog box.
* Windows logo key + D: Display the desktop.
* Windows logo key + M: Minimize all windows.
* Windows logo key + Shift + M: Restore minimized windows to the desktop.
* Windows logo key + E: Open Computer.
* Windows logo key + F: Search for a file or folder.
* Ctrl + Windows logo key + F: Search for computers (if you’re on a network).
* Windows logo key + L: Lock your computer or switch users.
* Windows logo key + R: Open the Run dialog box.
* Windows logo key + T: Cycle through programs on the taskbar.
* Windows logo key + number: Start the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. If the program is already running, switch to that program.
* Shift + Windows logo key + number: Start a new instance of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
* Ctrl + Windows logo key + number: Switch to the last active window of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
* Alt + Windows logo key + number: Open the Jump List for the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
* Windows logo key + Tab: Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D.
* Ctrl+Windows logo key + Tab: Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D.
* Ctrl+Windows logo key + B: Switch to the program that displayed a message in the notification area.
* Windows logo key + Spacebar: Preview the desktop.
* Windows logo key + Up Arrow: Maximize the window.
* Windows logo key + Left Arrow: Maximize the window to the left side of the screen.
* Windows logo key + Right Arrow: Maximize the window to the right side of the screen.
* Windows logo key + Down Arrow: Minimize the window.
* Windows logo key + Home: Minimize all but the active window.
* Windows logo key + Shift + Up Arrow: Stretch the window to the top and bottom of the screen.
* Windows logo key + Shift+ Left Arrow or Right Arrow: Move a window from one monitor to another.
* Windows logo key + P: Choose a presentation display mode.
* Windows logo key + G: Cycle through gadgets.
* Windows logo key + U: Open Ease of Access Center.
* Windows logo key + X: Open Windows Mobility Center.

Windows Explorer keyboard shortcuts

* Ctrl + N: Open a new window
* Ctrl + W: Close the current window
* Ctrl + Shift + N: Create a new folder
* End: Display the bottom of the active window
* Home: Display the top of the active window
* F11: Maximize or minimize the active window
* Ctrl + Period (.): Rotate a picture clockwise
* Ctrl + Comma (,): Rotate a picture counter-clockwise
* Num Lock + Asterisk (*) on numeric keypad: Display all subfolders under the selected folder
* Num Lock + Plus Sign (+) on numeric keypad: Display the contents of the selected folder
* Num Lock + Minus Sign (-) on numeric keypad: Collapse the selected folder
* Left Arrow: Collapse the current selection (if it’s expanded), or select the parent folder
* Alt + Enter: Open the Properties dialog box for the selected item
* Alt + P: Display the preview pane
* Alt + Left Arrow: View the previous folder
* Backspace: View the previous folder
* Right Arrow: Display the current selection (if it’s collapsed), or select the first subfolder
* Alt + Right Arrow: View the next folder
* Alt + Up Arrow: View the parent folder
* Ctrl + Shift + E: Display all folders above the selected folder
* Ctrl + Mouse scroll wheel: Change the size and appearance of file and folder icons
* Alt + D: Select the address bar
* Ctrl + E: Select the search box
* Ctrl + F: Select the search box

Taskbar keyboard shortcuts

* Shift + Click on a taskbar button: Open a program or quickly open another instance of a program
* Ctrl + Shift + Click on a taskbar button: Open a program as an administrator
* Shift + Right-click on a taskbar button: Show the window menu for the program
* Shift + Right-click on a grouped taskbar button: Show the window menu for the group
* Ctrl + Click on a grouped taskbar button: Cycle through the windows of the group

Magnifier keyboard shortcuts

* Windows logo key + Plus Sign or Minus Sign: Zoom in or out
* Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar: Preview the desktop in full-screen mode
* Ctrl + Alt + F: Switch to full-screen mode
* Ctrl + Alt + L: Switch to lens mode
* Ctrl + Alt + D: Switch to docked mode
* Ctrl + Alt + I: Invert colors
* Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys: Pan in the direction of the arrow keys
* Ctrl + Alt + R: Resize the lens
* Windows logo key + Esc: Exit Magnifier

Remote Desktop Connection keyboard shortcuts

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

Paint keyboard shortcuts

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

WordPad keyboard shortcuts

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

Calculator keyboard shortcuts

* Alt + 1: Switch to Standard mode
* Alt + 2: Switch to Scientific mode
* Alt + 3: Switch to Programmer mode
* Alt + 4: Switch to Statistics mode
* Ctrl + E: Open date calculations
* Ctrl + H: Turn calculation history on or off
* Ctrl + U: Open unit conversion
* Alt + C: Calculate or solve date calculations and worksheets
* F1: Open Calculator Help
* Ctrl + Q: Press the M- button
* Ctrl + P: Press the M+ button
* Ctrl + M: Press the MS button
* Ctrl + R: Press the MR button
* Ctrl + L: Press the MC button
* %: Press the % button
* F9: Press the +/– button
* /: Press the / button
* *: Press the * button
* +: Press the + button
* -: Press the – button
* R: Press the 1/× button
* @: Press the square root button
* 0-9: Press the number buttons (0-9)
* =: Press the = button
* .: Press the . (decimal point) button
* Backspace: Press the backspace button
* Esc: Press the C button
* Del: Press the CE button
* Ctrl + Shift + D: Clear the calculation history
* F2: Edit the calculation history
* Up Arrow key: Navigate up in the calculation history
* Down Arrow key: Navigate down in the calculation history
* Esc: Cancel editing the calculation history
* Enter: Recalculate the calculation history after editing
* F3: Select Degrees in Scientific mode
* F4: Select Radians in Scientific mode
* F5: Select Grads in Scientific mode
* I: Press the Inv button in Scientific mode
* D: Press the Mod button in Scientific mode
* Ctrl + S: Press the sinh button in Scientific mode
* Ctrl + O: Press the cosh button in Scientific mode
* Ctrl + T: Press the tanh button in Scientific mode
* (: Press the ( button in Scientific mode
* ): Press the ) button in Scientific mode
* N: Press the ln button in Scientific mode
* ;: Press the Int button in Scientific mode
* S: Press the sin button in Scientific mode
* O: Press the cos button in Scientific mode
* T: Press the tan button in Scientific mode
* M: Press the dms button in Scientific mode
* P: Press the pi button in Scientific mode
* V: Press the F-E button in Scientific mode
* X: Press the Exp button in Scientific mode
* Q: Press the x^2 button in Scientific mode
* Y: Press the x^y button in Scientific mode
* #: Press the x^3 button in Scientific mode
* L: Press the log button in Scientific mode
* !: Press the n! button in Scientific mode
* Ctrl + Y: Press the y√x button in Scientific mode
* Ctrl + B: Press the 3√x button in Scientific mode
* Ctrl + G: Press the 10x button in Scientific mode
* F5: Select Hex in Programmer mode
* F6: Select Dec in Programmer mode
* F7: Select Oct in Programmer mode
* F8: Select Bin in Programmer mode
* F12: Select Qword in Programmer mode
* F2: Select Dword in Programmer mode
* F3: Select Word in Programmer mode
* F4: Select Byte in Programmer mode
* K: Press the RoR button in Programmer mode
* J: Press the RoL button in Programmer mode
* <: Press the Lsh button in Programmer mode
* >: Press the Rsh button in Programmer mode
* %: Press the Mod button in Programmer mode
* (: Press the ( button in Programmer mode
* ): Press the ) button in Programmer mode
* |: Press the Or button in Programmer mode
* ^: Press the Xor button in Programmer mode
* ~: Press the Not button in Programmer mode
* &: Press the And button in Programmer mode
* A-F: Press the A-F buttons in Programmer mode
* Spacebar: Toggles the bit value in Programmer mode
* A: Press the Average button in Statistics mode
* Ctrl + A: Press the Average Sq button in Statistics mode
* S: Press the Sum button in Statistics mode
* Ctrl + S: Press the Sum Sq button in Statistics mode
* T: Press the S.D. button in Statistics mode
* Ctrl + T: Press the Inv S.D. button in Statistics mode
* D: Press the CAD button in Statistics mode

Windows Journal keyboard shortcuts

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

Windows Help viewer keyboard shortcuts

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

Thursday, July 30, 2009

PPTP Server Installation in CentOS 5

From the link http://wingloon.com/2007/11/06/pptp-server-installation-in-centos-5/ we read:

The requirements are:

CentOS 5
kernel-2.6.18-8.el5
ppp-2.4.4-1.el5

Kernel version 2.6.15 or above has MPPE built-in which is required for MSCHAPv2. CentOS 5 kernel version is 2.6.18 that means you do not need to install the MPPE module. CentOS 5 comes with ppp-2.4.4-1.el5 and it is MPPE support enabled.

1. Run the command below to test if your kernel supports MPPE and you should get a return an “ok”: -

modprobe ppp-compress-18 && echo ok

2. Download the RPM file pptpd-1.3.4-1.rhel5.1.i386.rpm from: -

http://poptop.sourceforge.net/yum/stable/packages/

3. Install the RPM by running this command: -

rpm -ivh pptpd-1.3.4-1.rhel5.1.i386.rpm

4. Change the following file /etc/ppp/options.pptpd as below: -

name pptpd
refuse-pap
refuse-chap
refuse-mschap
require-mschap-v2
require-mppe-128
proxyarp
lock
nobsdcomp
novj
novjccomp
nologfd

5. Change the following file /etc/pptpd.conf as below: -

option /etc/ppp/options.pptpd
logwtmp
localip 192.168.2.1
remoteip 192.168.2.11-15

6. Add the following username (johndie) and password (passwrd) in /etc/ppp/chap-secrets as below: -

# Secrets for authentication using CHAP
# client server secret IP addresses
johndoe pptpd passwrd *

7. Run the following command to enable the pptpd to start automatically in runlevel 3 and 5 as below: -

chkconfig --level 35 pptpd on

8. Now, you can start the pptpd service as below: -

service pptpd start

9. For pptpd to work, the packet forwarding must be enabled. Edit /etc/sysctl.conf and change the line to below: -

net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1

10. To enable it immediately, run the following command below: -

sysctl -p

Monday, July 20, 2009

Using Performance Monitor to Gather Server Performance Statistics

Before you begin, if you are going to use a central workstation to collect statistics, make sure the Performance Logs and Alerts service on the workstation is configured to start with a domain account that has access to every server that you want to monitor.
1. Load the PerfMon utility on a workstation or server (Administrative Tools > Performance).
2. In the left pane, select Counter Logs (located under Performance Logs and Alerts).
3. Select Action from the top menu (or right-click Counter Logs) and choose New Log Settings.
4. Enter a descriptive name for your log settings.
5. Click the Add Counters button.
6. Choose the Select Counters from Computer option, and type in the name of one of the servers you are going to monitor below it. Be sure and include the \\ before the Windows server name.
7. After you enter your server name, it will connect to it and display a list of available counters below it.
8. Select the performance object that you want to display counters for (for example,
processor, memory, network interface), and then select the individual counter (for
instance, Pages/sec), select All Instances if it is applicable (except for Network
Interfaces, you do not want to select the Loopback interface) and not grayed out, and
then click the Add button.
9. Repeat this for every performance counter that you want to monitor on the server.
The recommended counters you will want to add are listed here:

Memory: Available MBytes
Memory: Pages/sec
Processor: % processor time
System: Processor queue length
Network Interface: Bytes total/sec
Physical Disk: % Disk Time
Physical Disk: Avg. disk queue length
Physical Disk: Disk bytes/sec
Physical Disk: Disk transfers/sec

10. After you have added all counters for a particular server, you can type in a new server name to continue adding counters for other servers.
11. Click the Close button after you have added all counters.
12. Select the data sample interval, the default is 15 seconds, which is an aggressive interval and will result in more peak instances because of the shorter sampling period. You may want to consider changing this to a high interval between one and five minutes so that you do not overwhelm the workstation and cause it to miss data from some of the servers.
13. Click OK to save your custom log settings.
14. Collection will automatically begin (as indicated when the icon turns green). The results will be written to a log file (for example, C:\PerfLogs\MyServers000001.blg). You can stop it at any time by selecting your log settings and selecting Action, Stop (or by right-clicking it and selecting Stop). When you stop a collection, the log file it has written to is no longer used; a new log file is created once you start it again.
15. If you have stopped your collection, you can review it by selecting System Monitor in the left pane, and then clicking the Disk icon (View Log Data). Then, on the Source tab, select your log file that was created. Optionally, you can change the time range. On the Data tab, add your performance counters for each server. On the General tab, select your view type (Graph, Histogram, or Report) and click OK. Your counter will be displayed, and you can see the minimum, maximum, and average results for each one.
16. It’s a good idea to test this for a short period (for example, one hour) and review the
results to make sure it is working before you leave it running for a longer period of
time.

Friday, July 17, 2009

How to Install Windows 7 or Vista from Bootable Portable USB Flash Memory Key or Hard Disk Drive

From http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/07/15/how-to-install-windows-7-or-vista-from-bootable-portable-usb-flash-memory-key-or-hard-disk-drive/ we read:

1. Open a command prompt with administrator’s privileges.
2. Run Microsoft DiskPart utility with the following command:

diskpart

3. Identify the number (Disk ###) of the USB device drive with the following command:

list disk

Typically, if you only have one physical hard disk with no other USB drive plugged in, the USB flash or hard drive will be Disk 1.

Tip: If you have partitioned the USB hard disk or flash memory key, use list volume instead to select the volume number, and see the tip of next step to deal with the partition only.

4. Format the USB drive with the following commands one by one. Remember to replace the # with the actual disk number shown in step above.

Important: The following steps will erase ALL data on the USB flash drive or hard disk.

select disk #
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs=NTFS
assign
exit

Note: If there are error while creating primary partition, just add size=4000 (representing 4.0GB, replace with your USB drive actual size) to the end of the “create partition primary” command, making it create partition primary size=xxxx.

Tip: If you have partitioned the USB hard disk or flash pen drive, and do not wish to reformat the whole drive, use select volume # instead to select the partition to make active, where the volume number is determined from tip section of above step. Then, skip the first 4 commands above, and continue from active and format fs=NTFS (can be skipped if the partition already empty).

5. Do not close the command prompt window yet, which may be needed in the next few steps.

Make the USB Flash Drive or External Hard Disk Bootable

There are plenty of ways to make a disk bootable, among them is using bootsect utility that comes with the Windows 7 and Windows Vista installation DVD ISO or disc.

1. Insert the Windows Vista or Windows 7 DVD disc into DVD drive. If you only have a DVD ISO image, mount it in a virtual CD/DVD-ROM drive powered with a virtual drive program instead. Virtual drive works in much the same way as physical CD/DVD drive, but virtually in the operating system only and allowing various CD or DVD disc images to be mounted and accessed.

2. At a elevated command prompt with administrator’s rights, change directory to the OS DVD’s boot directory with the following command:

cd x:\boot

Replace x with the actual drive letter of the CD/DVD drive.

3. Use bootsect command to install boot instructions and set the USB as a bootable NTFS drive:

bootsect /nt60 y:

Replace y with the actual drive letter of the USB flash drive or hard disk.

4. Close the command prompt.

Tip: If you have disk image utility such as WinISO or PowerISO, it’s possible to use the software to write the complete Windows 7 and Windows Vista ISO image into the partition you selected. In this case, this and next steps of making USB drive bootable and copying contents over can be bypassed.

Copy and Transfer Windows Vista or Windows 7 Installation and Setup Files from DVD to USB Drive

Use Windows Explorer to copy all content from the Windows 7 or Windows Vista DVD or ISO t the USB flash drive or external USB hard disk. It’s possible to use other file copy tool, or simply extract the ISO contents to the USB drive. As an example, use the following xcopy command to copy the contents of DVD to USB.

xcopy x:\*.* /s /e /f y:\

Where x: is the drive letter of DVD disc or image, and y: is drive letter path of USB drive.

The USB flash key or USB hard disk based Windows 7 or Windows Vista installer is now ready. In order to start installation, just go reboot the targeted PC, and then enter and access BIOS. Change the boot priority from hard disk or DVD to USB. Then, insert the prepared USB hard disk or USB flash drive into the computer’s USB port, and start the computer to boot up.

Tip: Above trick works for both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) Windows Vista and Windows 7. However, for user with 32-bit OS, but want to create a 64-bit Windows 7 or Vista USB based installer, it’s impossible to run 64-bit bootsect.exe from 32-bit environment. In this case, just use a 32bit Windows 7 ISO or Vista disc to use the bootsect command, before copying the content of 64bit Windows 7 or Vista DVD to USB drive.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

How to automatically BCC all outgoing messages in Outlook

From http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=72 we read:

Outlook has a rule to automatically Cc another person on outgoing messages, but no equivalent for Bcc. This page offers two code samples for adding such an automatic Bcc. Both use the Application.ItemSend event, which fires whenever a user sends a message or other item.

Method #1 (Basic)

This version is suitable for Outlook 2003 or later. It uses Outlook objects exclusively and includes error handling to avoid problems with an invalid Bcc address. Place this VBA code in the built-in ThisOutlookSession module:

Private Sub Application_ItemSend(ByVal Item As Object, _
Cancel As Boolean)
Dim objRecip As Recipient
Dim strMsg As String
Dim res As Integer
Dim strBcc As String
On Error Resume Next

' #### USER OPTIONS ####
' address for Bcc -- must be SMTP address or resolvable
' to a name in the address book
strBcc = "someone@somewhere.dom"

Set objRecip = Item.Recipients.Add(strBcc)
objRecip.Type = olBCC
If Not objRecip.Resolve Then
strMsg = "Could not resolve the Bcc recipient. " & _
"Do you want still to send the message?"
res = MsgBox(strMsg, vbYesNo + vbDefaultButton1, _
"Could Not Resolve Bcc Recipient")
If res = vbNo Then
Cancel = True
End If
End If

Set objRecip = Nothing
End Sub

Make sure you substitute the right e-mail address for "someone@somewhere.dom."

The reason that this method is not suitable for versions earlier than Outlook 2003 is because it will trigger an address book security prompt due to the use of Recipients.Add. You could avoid security prompts by simply setting the Item.Bcc property to the desired address, but that has two problems. First, it would wipe out any Bcc recipients that the user might have already added. Also, in some Outlook configurations, setting Bcc without trying to resolve the address results in an unresolved address, even if you use a proper SMTP address; you'll get an error, and Outlook won't send the message.

Method #2 (Redemption)

This version uses the same basic technique as Method #1, only with the third-party Outlook Redemption library to avoid security prompts in versions before Outlook 2003 and, if the recipient cannot be resolved, to display to the user the name resolution dialog.

Private Sub Application_ItemSend(ByVal Item As Object, _
Cancel As Boolean)
' Requires a reference to
' the SafeOutlook library (Redemption.dll)
Dim objMe As Redemption.SafeRecipient
Dim sMail As Redemption.SafeMailItem
On Error Resume Next

Set sMail = CreateObject("Redemption.SafeMailItem")
Item.Save
sMail.Item = Item
Set objMe = sMail.Recipients.Add("myaddress@mydomain.dom")
objMe.Type = olBCC
If Not objMe.Resolve(True) Then
Cancel = True
End If

Set objMe = Nothing
Set sMail = Nothing
End Sub

Make sure you substitute the right e-mail address for "myaddress@mydomain.dom."

How to forward mail to an external email address in Exchange Server 2007

From http://exchangepedia.com/blog/2008/02/how-to-forward-mail-to-external-email.html we read:
In Exchange Server 2003, mail for a recipient can be forwarded to an alternate recipient by modifying the recipient's Delivery Options in ADUC | recipient -> properties | Exchange General tab.

If you need to forward mail to an external email address, you cannot simply type the address in Delivery Options. A (mail-enabled) Contact needs to be created in AD first, and Delivery Options modified to point to the Contact.

Exchange Server 2007: In Exchange Server 2007, these tasks remain the same. However, instead of using ADUC to accomplish them, you use the EMC or the shell (aka "EMS"). The new term for a Contact is MailContact.

1 To create a MailContact using the Exchange Management Console:

1. Expand Recipeint Configuration | Mail Contact
2. In the Action pane, click New Mail Contact
3. To create a new Contact object, leave the default (New Contact) selected | click Next
4. Type First name, Last name
5. Click Edit to add the external email address
6. Click New to complete creation of new MailContact

To create a new MailContact using the Exchange Management Shell:

New-MailContact -Name "Foo User" -ExternalEmailAddress "foo@externaldomain.com
Next, we set the recipient's Delivery Options to deliver to the alternate recipient.

2 To forward mail for a recipient to the MailContact using the Exchange Management Console:

1. Expand Recipeint Configuration | Mailbox | select mailbox | properties | Mail Flow Settings tab | Delivery Options
2. Under Forwarding address, select the Forward to checkbox
3. Click Browse to select the MailContact
4. Optional: If a copy of the message needs to be delivered to both the external recipient and the original recipient's mailbox, select the Deliver message to both forwarding address and mailbox
5. Click OK to close Delivery Options properties
6. Click OK to close recipient's properties

Using the Exchange Management Shell:

Set-Mailbox "Joe Adams" -ForwardingAddress "foo@externaldomain.com"
To deliver a copy to the mailbox (in addition to the external email address - equivalent of step 4 above):

Set-Mailbox "Joe Adams" -ForwardingAddress "foo@externaldomain.com" -DeliverToMailboxAndForward $true
To get a list of mailboxes with forwarding enabled:

Get-Mailbox | where {$_.ForwardingAddress -ne $null} | ft name,forwardingaddress

Automatic forwarding and Remote Domains

Remote Domains are a bunch of settings, such as message formats, character sets, and OOFs, for messages sent to particular remote domains. The default Remote Domain setting applies to address space * - that is, all remote domains for which an explicit Remote Domain setting does not exist.
However, this setting only applies to client-side forwarding. For instance, if a user creates a rule in Microsoft Outlook to automatically forward mail to an external email address, the default setting does not allow it. To enable automatic client-side forwarding of mail to external addresses, select the Allow automatic forward checkbox in a remote domain's properties | Format of original message sent as attachment to journal report tab (Yes, the tab is mislabeled. It is the "Message Formats" tab... :).

Server-side forwarding setup by an administrator is not impacted by this setting.

Monday, July 13, 2009

VirtualCenter Server will not start after server reboot

From http://networkadminkb.com/kb/Knowledge%20Base/VMWare/VirtualCenter%20Server%20will%20not%20start%20after%20server%20reboot.aspx
we read:

You may receive the following error from VirtualCenter after a the server is restarted

The VMware VirtualCenter Server service terminated with service-specific error 2 (0x2).

Checking the VirtualCenter log shows the following.

[2008-11-17 08:48:12.703 'App' 1800 error] ODBC error: (28000) - [Microsoft][SQL Native Client][SQL Server]Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM'.
[2008-11-17 08:48:12.703 'App' 1800 error] Failed to intialize VMware VirtualCenter. Shutting down...
[2008-11-17 08:48:12.703 'App' 1800 info] Forcing shutdown of VMware VirtualCenter now

Cause:

The SQL Server is not available. In this case the SQL Server is installed on the same server as VirtualCenter and has not started by the time the VirtualCenter Server service attempts to start.

Solution:
Add the local SQL Server as a dependency to the VirtualCenter Server service. Perform the following on the VirtualCenter Server.
1) Start Regedit
2) Browse to the following key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vpxd

3) Double Click the DependOnService value name
4) Add the SQL Service key name to the list of services.
By default this is MSSQL$SQLEXP_VIM
5) Click Ok
6) Restart the computer

Sunday, July 12, 2009

How to disable UAC remote restrictions in Vista

From http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951016 we must disable UAC remote restrictions:

To disable UAC remote restrictions, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then press ENTER.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
3. If the LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy registry entry does not exist, follow these steps:
1. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
2. Type LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy, and then press ENTER.
4. Right-click LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy, and then click Modify.
5. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
6. Exit Registry Editor.

VMware ESXi configuration backup

From http://www.r71.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=7:technical-docs&id=212:vmware-esxi-configuration-backup&Itemid=50
The commands vicfg-cfgbackup.pl (esxcfg-cfgbackup.pl) allow you to backup and restore the configuration of your ESX 3i host. Install the RCLI on your pc, download it by clicking the link on the webpage on an ESXi host.

To backup the host you would run the command.

vicfg-cfgbackup.pl --server -s

To restore your backup configuration to your host you would run the following command. This will cause the host to reboot once the process is complete.

vicfg-cfgbackup.pl --server -l

NOTES

- While this command can be used to restore your configuration, it is not a substitute for backup of your virtual machines. At this time, a new install of ESX 3i Installable will wipe out any existing datastores that exist on the host when you perform a new install.

- You can use the -q switch to supress the confirmation request that you will receive when you restore a configuratio backup or restore a host back to factory defaults.

- You must have all VMs on the host stopped and have put the host in maintenance mode. Also the build of the install on the ESX host must match the build that is recorded in the backup file. If that is not the case, you can use the -f switch to force the restore. This document is based on the 0.26 version of the RCLI and at this point both the maintenance mode and build number requirements are not enforced.

vicfg-cfgbackup.pl --server -f -l

To reset the host backup to factory defaults, use the below command. It will put the host in maintenance mode and it will not wipe out any existing datastores. Thus you will be able to add an existing virtual machines back into inventory by either manually adding the virtual machines or by restoring a configuration backup.

vicfg-cfgbackup.pl --server -r

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Configuring firewalls and name resolution for Edge Transport servers

From http://exchangepedia.com/blog/2007/02/configuring-firewalls-and-name.html we read:

If you're planning to deploy the Edge Transport server role in a perimeter network (aka "DMZ"), here are the ports you'll need to open:

Inbound:
From external network (internet) to Edge server: SMTP - tcp port 25
From Edge server to Hub Transport servers on internal network: SMTP - tcp port 25

Outbound:
From Edge to external network/internet: SMTP
From Hub servers to Edge: SMTP, LDAP for EdgeSync (tcp 50389), Secure LDAP for EdgeSync (tcp 50636).

Additionally, it's a good idea to open RDP (tcp port 3389) from your internal network to the Edge so it can be managed without KVM/console access.

The ports used for EdgeSync - 50389 and 50636 - can be configured using the ConfigureAdam.ps1 script:

ConfigureAdam.ps1 -ldapport:5000 -sslport:5001

DNS/Name Resolution:
- Since the Edge server is not a member of the AD Domain, it may not have the primary DNS suffix populated by default. Make sure you configure the appropriate DNS suffix on the Edge Transport server - this is done from System Properties | Computer Name tab | Change | More | Primary DNS suffix of this computer. Important: You cannot change the primary DNS suffix of the Edge server after you install the Edge Transport server role.
- The Edge server should be able to resolve fqdns of Hub Transport servers. This can be done by either using static entries in the HOSTS file on the Edge, or allowing the Edge server to use an internal DNS server. (This would require allowing DNS traffic from Edge servers to internal DNS servers). Alternatively, you could create a DNS zone in the perimeter network that the Edge server can access, and populate it with A records of the Hub Transport servers.
- The Hub Transport servers should be able to resolve fqdns of the Edge Transport servers. This can be accomplished by adding A records for Edge servers in your internal DNS zone.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Backup Version and Space Management in Windows Server Backup

Read this link for more details
http://blogs.technet.com/filecab/archive/2009/06/22/backup-version-and-space-management-in-windows-server-backup.aspx

How to get backup versions
Wbadmin get versions -backupTarget:

How to delete non-system state backups
Windows Server Backup deletes a backup by just deleting the corresponding shadow copy and updating the backup catalog. You can perform the same steps manually to delete backups on demand. However, the backup catalog update cannot be done manually and it will happen instead during the next backup. In short, to delete a backup version manually, you need to delete the corresponding shadow copy from the backup storage location.

To delete a shadow copy, follow these general steps:

- Identify the backup version you want to delete by querying the backup versions on your backup storage location.
- Determine the shadow copy ID of the version you want to delete.
- Delete the shadow copy.

The following command line lists all shadow copies on a specified backup storage location:

Vssadmin list shadows /for=

For example, to list the shadow copies on the location Y, type:

Vssadmin list shadows /for=Y:

On Windows Server 2008 R2, the shadow copy ID is same as Snapshot ID given in the output of querying backups. On Windows Server 2008, you can find your backup’s shadow copy ID by looking at output of Vssadmin list shadows /for=. Match the shadow copy creation time with your backup’s Backup time value.

Delete the Shadow Copy for the specific Shadow Copy ID:

1. To open a command prompt with elevated privileges, click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. Then type:

DiskShadow.exe

2. Type:

Delete shadows ID

3. To exit DiskShadow type:

Exit

To delete the oldest shadow copy on backup storage location, type the following command in step 2 above:

Delete shadows OLDEST

For example, if your storage location is volume G:, type:

Delete shadows OLDEST G:

If you have scheduled backups to dedicated disks, Windows Server Backup doesn’t assign a drive letter to the backup storage location to avoid any accidental data write or loss of backups. In that case, you can use the GUID of the backup storage volume to delete the oldest shadow copy. You can get volume GUIDs for all volumes on your system by using the Mountvol command. If your scheduled backup storage location is a dedicated disk, it will be reported with No Mount Points in the output of Mountvol. The volume GUID is in {XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX} format.

Then, to delete the oldest shadow copy on that volume, type:

Delete shadows OLDEST \\?\Volume{GUID}

For example, for a volume GUID of 7fc1871b-2e1f-11dd-a339-001e4fb7af35, type:

Delete shadows OLDEST \\?\Volume{7fc1871b-2e1f-11dd-a339-001e4fb7af35}

Force replication on a AD domain

From a command prompt on a domain controller enter this command
Repadmin /syncall DC_name /APed