Write Cache Warnings on Hyper-V Guest after KB2853952

Installed a new DC as a virtual machine.  Ran a DcDiag and started getting errors about write Caching.  Did a little research and found out that the error is actually a good thing.

Here is a link to what I found.  Interesting reading.

http://www.mcbsys.com/blog/2013/10/write-cache-warnings-on-hyper-v-guest-after-kb2853952/

Force Facebook to pull latest data from your website into post.

https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/og/object/

Photography Notes

Time-lapse speeds

Clouds moving very slowly, interval of 10 seconds. 
Clouds moving normally: interval of 5 seconds. 
Clouds moving very fast: interval of 3 seconds. 
People walking down the street: interval of 2 seconds. 
Path of the sun on a clear day, interval of 30 seconds. 
Night landscapes, stars, moon, etc.: Interval of 20 to 30 seconds.

Shutter speeds for astrophotography: 500 Rule

500 / (focal length) = (shutter speed)

Full Frame Sensor with 24mm lens
500 / 24 = 20.8 - 20 seconds

APC-C Sensor with 24mm lens
500 / (24 x 1.6) = 13.02 - 13 seconds

Stacking Images

For those interested in stacking with Photoshop, here's how to do it:

Combine the separate images into one multi-layered image.

You can also combine images using a script – File > Scripts > Load Files into Stack.

Select All Layers.

(Edit > Auto-Align Layers) and select Auto as the alignment option. If Auto does not create good registration of your layers, try the Reposition option. If that fails, set all layers to the Lighting blending mode and manually align each image, this can take a bit of time but it's not too bad.

Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object.

Layer > Smart Objects > Stack Mode and select a stack mode from the submenu. For noise reduction, use the Mean or Median, I usually use Median.

To change the rendering effect, choose a different Stack Mode from the submenu. Stack rendering is not cumulative—each render effect operates on the original image data in the stack and replaces previous effects.

Now you can stretch the histogram with your normal PS workflow

The beep that can't be turned off

I have come across a few Dell laptops that will have a CRAZY LOUD beep while doing different things.  Nothing I have come up with will turn the beep off short of cutting the speaker wire (which a lot of people have resorted to).   After scouring forums on the interwebs it appears to be a problem that is not fixable in the normal sense.  The only fix I found was to trick the beep.   Below are instructions on how to out smart the pesky beep.


1. Open the Start>Accessories>Entertainment>Sound Recorder
2. Do a File>Save
3. Name it Quiet.wav
4. Save the blank WAV file to C:\Windows\Media
5. Open the Start>Control Panel> Sounds and Audio Devices
6. Set the sound scheme to "No Sounds"
7. Assign the Blank.Wav to the [Default Beep]
8. Save your sound scheme as another name
9. Click Apply

I found the fix here

Redeploying software through Group Policy that has already been installed

I'm playing around with installing apps from group policy.  Found out that if you uninstall an application from a computer group policy it will not try to re-install it again.  You could create new GPO and only target the computers that need it OR, to have GP re-install it just delete the key that references the software you are pushing out at.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Group Policy\AppMgmt\

Removing the Trojan.Poweliks virus - DLLhost.exe high CPU

I have seen two computers with this virus (Poweliks) in the last week. They both had DLLhost.exe taking up 100% of the CPU.   I have been working on trying to remove this virus for a few days now with no success but I finally found something that worked!

Norton has released a scanner specifically for this virus.  Hope this helps someone else.

https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/v105110580_EndUserProfile_en_us

Free open source file and partition recovery software

Free open source file and partition recovery software.

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

Remove Passwords from protected Microsoft Word Documents

Link to the blog where I found this

There's always been a need to remove passwords from protected Microsoft Word documents when you need to make a change. My most common occurrence is with Human Resource (HR) forms. HR staff will create the MS Word document, password protect it, and then upload it to our company intranet. However, when I need to fill the form out, the only way to do so is to print the form, sign my name, scan the signed & printed form, and them email it back to them. What I would like to do, is to just paste a scan of my signature onto the form, save as a PDF, and them email them the PDF saving printing and scanning time and paper (which would then need to be shredded).

Here’s a trick that I learned a long time ago.

Make sure the MS Word document is password protected

1. Open the document in MS Word
2. Select the “Review” tab in MS Word
3. Click and Hold the “Protect Document” button to reveal more choices
4. Click “Restrict Formatting and Editing”
5. You should see a “Stop Protection” button on the bottom of the opened panel
6. Click the “Stop Protection” button

If it prompts you for a password, then let’s continue to remove the password.

Removing the Password from the MS Word document

Step 1. Convert document to RTF

1. Click “Save As…” menu option, then choose “Other Formats”
2. Select “Rich Text Format (*.rtf)” file type and provide a filename ending with .rtf
3. Close the document and/or MS Word

Step 2. Remove password

1. Open Notepad (or any text editor, I prefer Notepad2)
2. Open the RTF file (from step 2) in the text editor
3. Search for “passwordhash”. You should see text that looks something like this:
   {\*\passwordhash ########}
4. Select the text after “passwordhash” until you get to the “}” (curly bracket). Make sure to not select the “}” or “{“ characters!
5. Delete the selected text
6. The text should look something like this now:
   {\*\passwordhash}
7. Save the file and close your text editor

Step 3. Convert back to MS Word and Stop Protection

1. Open the RTF file using MS Word
2. Click “Save As…” menu option, then choose “Word Document (*.docx)”
3. Select the “Review” tab in MS Word
4. Click and Hold the “Protect Document” button to reveal more choices
5. Click “Restrict Formatting and Editing”
6. Click the “Stop Protection” button

All done! You should have an unprotected Microsoft Word document now.

Cleaning up old user and computer accounts in Active Directory

Found a great tool today for finding old user and computer accounts on the network.

AD Tidy 

With this (GUI) tool you can scan for users or computer.  Once the scan is run it generates a report view that you can then use to perform a bunch of actions like:

-   Disable account/s
-   Move to an OU
-   Delete account/s
-   Set random password for the account/s
-   Set description on the account/s
-   Set and expiration date on the account/s
-   Run external scripts
-   Add to group
-   Remove from groups
-   Clear LDAP value/s
-   Set password to never expire
-   Delete home folder
-   And a bunch more

Most of the actions can be performed on more than one computer or user at a time.

Adobe Acrobat Download Links

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=1&platform=Windows

PrivateKeyMissing when running Enable-ExchangeCertificate

Ran into an issue today where I could not get a certificate installed on an exchange server.  Was giving me "PrivateKeyMissing when running Enable-ExchangeCertificate.

I found the below instructions that fixed the issues for me.

https://support.comodo.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=1188


Enable-ExchangeCertificate : The certificate with thumbprint XXXXXXXXX was found but is not valid for use with Exchange Server
(reason: PrivateKeyMissing).
At line:1 char:27
+ Enable-ExchangeCertificate -Thumbprint XXXXXXXXX -Services "IIS"

The above error can as a result of multiple reasons. CSR was created with IIS and attempted to be installed through the Exchange Management Shell (EMS), CSR was created in EMS on another Exchange Server, a damaged certificate, or Windows simply "forgets" where it placed the PrivateKey for the certificate. It doesn't happen all the time, but sometimes the error can be a nuisance.

Option #1: Repair Damaged Certificate (Windows Server 2003/2008)

1. Open MMC and add the Certificate Snap-In for the Local Computer account.


2. Double-Click on the recently imported certificate.
Note: In Windows Server 2008 it will be the certificate missing the golden key beside it.


3. Select the Details tab.


4. Click on the Serial Number field and copy that string.
Note: You may use CTRL+C, but not right-click and copy.


5. Open up a command prompt session. (cmd.exe aka DOS Prompt)


6. Type: certutil -repairstore my "SerialNumber" (SerialNumber is that which was copied down in step 4.)


7. After running the above command, go back to the MMC and Right-Click Certificates and select Refresh (or hit F5 in the MMC)


8. Double-Click on the problem certificate. At the bottom of this window (General tab) it should state: "You have a private key that corresponds to this certificate."
Note: In Windows Server 2008 there will be a golden key to the left of the certificate, so there is no need to double-click the certificate.


9. Now that the Private Key is attached to the certificate, please proceed to enable Exchange Services via Enable-ExchangeCertificate.

Option #2: Remove and Re-Install Certificate (Windows Server 2003/2008)

1. Verify the certificate doesn't have it's private key.
   In the MMC and double-click the recently imported certificate. (Be sure that you're using the Certificate Snap-In for the Local Computer account!)
Note: In Windows Server 2008 it will be the certificate missing the golden key beside it.


2. Right-Click on the certificate and click Delete.


3. Re-install the Certificate

Make a USB drive bootable

Warning this WILL DELETE ALL DATA on the drive

Format Your USB Key

1.  Run cmd.exe as administrator
2.  Type diskpart
3.  Type list disk
4.  Type Select Disk #
5.  Type Clean
6.  Type Create Partition Primary
7.  Type Select Partition 1
8.  Type Active
9.  Type Format FS=Fat32  to format the drive Fat32 or type Format FS=NTFS for NTFS
10. Type Assign
11. Type Exit

Next just copy what ever software on the drive that you want to boot to.  I use the above to format a usb drive before I copy the install files for Windows 7 or Windows 8.  This comes in handy when you need to load windows on a laptop that does not have a CD Rom drive.

BIOS Upgrade on DELL Computers WITHOUT a WINDOWS Install

I needed upgrade the bios on a Dell system that didn't have an OS installed on it yet.  Came across the below post on how to upgrade the bios without the OS installed.  This worked great for me.


Most DELL (or any other brand) of machines have BIOS updates/upgrades from time to time. There have been several projects attempting to solve the issue that arises when attempting to upgrade the BIOS of a DELL computer with no MS Windows O/S on it. However, most of them are defunct (not working anymore). 

BTW: You CANNOT upgrade the BIOS from a VirtualBox or a VMWare install - Please DO NOT try this - you need to be running an MS O/S or FreeDOS natively - i.e. on the bare metal.

Therefore, what is the solution? Here's one that I came across that is very easy and straightforward and makes use of the native *.exe BIOS file from DELL.

(This method will also work for any other brand of computer that provides it's BIOS files as *.exe format).

1) Install unetbootin from Synaptic or CLI.

2) Plug in a USB stick (it does not need to be erased, just to enough room for the FreeDOS and the bios (*.exe) file).

3) Create a FreeDOS bootable USB stick (on the USB stick you just plugged in).

4) Download the latest and greatest DELL_BIOS_MODEL.EXE file for YOUR specific machine from the DELL SUPPORT website from your Ubuntu install.

5) Transfer the DELL_BIOS_MODEL.EXE file to your USB stick.

6) REBOOT your computer and enter the BIOS options (F8 or F12 - usually).

7) Select BOOT from USB before booting from anything else. Hit .

8) Wait for the USB with the FreeDOS to boot.

***THIS NEXT STEP IS IMPORTANT***

9) DO NOT choose to install the FreeDOS - this will erase your HDD and wipe-out your Ubuntu install.

Also, do not choose any of the other special memory boot options.

Just choose boot FreeDOS with no extras.

***Dangerous Step is Now Over***

10) You will get a couple or warnings/errors - its okay to ignore them. When presented with the A:\ prompt, type C: and hit .

11) Type dir and you should get a list of all directories and files on your USB stick.

12) Type DELL_BIOS_MODEL.EXE and hit to execute the BIOS update/upgrade file.

13) DO NOT touch the power (make sure your are plugged in with an A/C adapter if your are using a laptop); follow the on-screen instructions.

14) If necessary after the update/upgrade, enter the BIOS (again, usually F8 or F12) and return the first boot device to what was before (usually the CDROM or HDD).

Original Post: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1901977

Windows 7 on hyper-v Black Screen

After loading Windows 7 on hyper-v the system would only show a black screen after much searching I found this link with instructions on how to fix the issue.  This worked great for me.


http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/systemcenter/en-US/f324ff98-25ba-4732-87a6-1dada4e8b5e4/windows-7-dont-boot-after-install-hyperv?forum=virtualmachingmgrhyperv

1. Create a new Virtual Machine on your Hyper-V (Server 2008 R2).
2. Install Windows 7 from a DVD or an ISO file, whatever makes you happy.
3. On the final reboot of the install, you will, of course, get the above mentioned black screen.
4. Reboot the VM, but this time press a key to boot from the Windows 7 DVD (or boot from your ISO) so that you can get into the repair mode (recovery console/DOS prompt).
5. Type C: to go to the C (boot) drive of your Windows 7 VM.

Here's the magic:

6. Simply type the following command at the recovery console DOS prompt:

bootsect.exe /nt60 all /force

7. type EXIT and then reboot the machine.

ENJOY!

Configure L3 Management for the Ubiquiti Unifi Access Points

http://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/show/19641-configure-l3-management-for-the-ubiquiti-unifi-access-points

Scan to Email with Office 365

Fond these instructions on the internet for connecting a copier to office 365.

To configure so it sends through an Office 365 Exchange online mailbox enter these settings on the webpage

SMTP Server =outlook.office365.com
SMTP Port = 587  
Check off "Always use secure connection (SSL/TLS) 
Check off "E-mail Log-in Authentication" 
User ID =  [Your Email address]
Password = [Your Password]

To verify what your full server name is

Login into your exchange webmail at http://portal.microsoftonline.com
Access Outlook webmail
Click on "gear" 
Click on Options
Under account information will be a lint for "Settings for POP, IMAP, and SMTP access"
Verify the server listed in the popup.

Easy2Boot - MulitBoot USB Project

Program that formats a USB drive and lets you boot from ISO's stored on the drive.


Easy2Boot

Lock down Terminal Server 2008

Good link for locking down a terminal server

http://www.adshotgyan.com/2012/02/terminal-server-lockdown.html

Free MSI creator

http://www.advancedinstaller.com/

Allow remote support helpers to see and interact with UAC prompts

Everyday problem that we have here when remotely supporting Windows 7 users that do not have local admin rights.  When we remote into a workstation to help, it enviably evolves doing something with elevated privileges.  When UAC is tripped we cannot see it and have to rely on the user.  

Found this registry change that allows the remote helper to see the UAC prompt.

Reg key to enable / disable UAC prompts 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\PromptOnSecureDesktop

Change its value from 1 (default value) to 0.

After changing the above reg key remote helper can see and interact with the elevated prompts.