Windows Server 2012 RTM Bits On The Way Down

We have Open Value Agreements that cover most of our server setups as the Action Pack tends to be behind on product release timing.

So, it was mentioned by fellow MVP Tim Barrett that we should see the bits available in the Microsoft Volume Licensing portal and sure enough the download is there:

Neat!

We have a few projects that were pending RTM bits that can now move forward.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

The _Right_ Way to Reset A Local Administrator’s Password

We have always been big on the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack.

Here is one big reason why:

• TechNet: Resetting Passwords with the DaRT page
• TechNet Video: Resetting Passwords with the DaRT (WMV)

This short video walks through the Locksmith utility that allows us to reset a password for a lost local admin account.

It has come in very handy for many of our client’s systems as well as our own. All of our clients are licensed for desktop OS Software Assurance + MDOP and so are we.

This one tool can pay for the cost of the yearly SA + MDOP subscription fee which is not very high many many times over.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Installing DaRT 7.0: Finding Debugging Tools for Windows?

Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset:

We are installing the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset on our back shop system to run a password recovery. We will be dropping the DaRT ISO onto a bootable flash drive but prior to doing so DaRT wants the Debugging Tools for Windows:

So, off we go to search for the correct download:

• Microsoft Download Center: Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 4

Unfortunately the link is to a bootstrapper that then goes on to download what we need by selecting Windows Debugging Tools under Windows Utilities:

Once we have completed the install process the Debugging Tools directory goes live and we can then move on to downloading definition updates for the Standalone System Sweeper:

We can then install any needed drivers into the bootable ISO image and choose a directory to drop the newly created ISO into.

Once complete we mount the ISO using Virtual CloneDrive and copy the files onto the bootable USB flash drive we will use to boot the server with.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

MDOP – DaRT Crash Analysis Tools

We have a crashing laptop.

We downloaded and installed the latest MDOP so that we can access the Crash Analyzer Tool.

The Crash Analyzer Wizard requires the Windows Debugger Tools for whatever architecture the tools will be running on (x64 or x86):

Click the link in the above screen and we are taken here:

• WDK and Developer tools

Once we have the SDK web install downloaded and running we need only install the needed tools:

Note that we are also going to download the Redistributable package so that we do not need to go through this process again for the 64-bit platform.

We also need both the 32-bit and 64-bit debugging symbols:

• Microsoft Downloads: Windows Symbol Packages

Once downloaded and installed we were able to go ahead and analyze the problematic laptop’s MiniDump files.

There is a native way to do this with the Windows Debugging Tools, but having the Crash Analyzer Wizard handy makes things a lot simpler for us when it comes to analyzing multiple systems throughout the day.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Microsoft Office 2010 Home Use Program Site

The Microsoft Licensing console has an old URL that still indicates Office 2007 for HUP.

The correct site is:

• HUP Program Web site

This site will give eligible users the ability to obtain their Home Use Program version of Office.

• HUP Information Site

Essentially, any company that has Software Assurance on their Microsoft Office products gives that company the ability to have their users obtain a copy of Office for their home computer for a small shipping fee.

A two for one deal if you will.

With users working with Office 2010 at home, their familiarity with the product grows a lot faster than if they were only using it at work.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Open Value Windows Desktop OS Software Assurance Benefit – Order That Media?

As part of our Open Value Agreement we get access to most product’s media that we are licensed to whether via download or physical media mailed to us.

We have been so busy that we have not been into our licensing portal for a while:

Under Software Assurance benefits we have the ability to request the physical media which we do for archival purposes.

With the advent of OS loading via USB flash drive though, it is becoming less and less a necessity to order the media . . . other than having it in the software archive for the day we may need it and the ISO would be no longer available for download or on any of our storage systems.

SBS 2003 RTM comes to mind as a product that we no longer have access to via TechNet download or elsewhere, but we run into the need to load up every once in a while for client migration testing or recovery testing.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

SBS 2008 Premium - Software Assurance Fulfillment

Eric has mentioned that SBS 2008 will maintain the traditional delivery method for Software Assurance: No, SBS 2008 media is not going to be downloadable through Volume Licensing in November.

Keep in mind that media is not the problem. Open Value licensing with Software Assurance for SBS 2003 R2 Premium gives us a TechNet Direct subscription which provides downloadable ISO media.

It is the license keys that present the gotcha.

For now, after a number of calls into the various Microsoft Licensing phone numbers, Shayla in the Volume Licensing Department gave us a refreshingly succinct answer: "Call your reseller for your media fulfilment".

Open Value Licensing with Software Assurance does provide quarterly shipments for updated products.

In our case, we do not want to wait for our quarterly shipment to receive the media. An e-mail has been sent off to our favourite Microsoft Licensing supplier (Synnex Canada), and we shall see what their response is.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

MDOP 2008 Available for download for Open Licensing Clients

This update must have appeared relatively recently, as we did not see it until we logged in today:

MDOP 2008 Download

The big thing for us and what was our current Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2007 edition was the discovery of not being able to work with a Windows Vista installation that had a lost local admin password. The user had set things up so that once they were configured they did not need the admin account for any changes.

Booting to ERD Commander 2005 (a part of MDOP 2007) to change that admin password led us to the message that ERD Commander could not find any supported operating systems!

The MDOP 2008 download is a compressed file that upon extraction we could see:

ERD Commander 2005 plus two new files for 2008

Prior to running the Recovery Tools setup, the following files will be needed:

• Install Debugging Tools for Windows 32-bit Version
• Install Debugging Tools for Windows 64-bit Version (note Itanium version too)
• Download Windows Symbol Packages (if required)
• Debugging Tools for Windows - Overview page

We ran the x64 version of the MSI file as this workstation is running Windows Vista x64.

Here are some highlights from the install routine:

1. A Windows Vista DVD will be required to create the image:


• 

  Vista DVD required. ISO will not work.

2. Note that if the ERD setup is being run on x64 architecture, then the DVD for the image must also be an x64 based Vista OS.


• 
3. The setup will ask which tools need to be installed onto the bootable disk, we left the default which was the complete set.
4. Setup will ask for the Windows Debugging tools. Note the default folder location setup requests:


• 
5. Once the above files have been downloaded and installed, the folder location will actually look like this:


• 
6. The Standalone System Sweeper will request a definition download which we allowed. Note that the download may take a few minutes.
7. We are then presented with a request for additional drivers to be installed into the WinPE environment:


• 
8. Because we work primarily with Intel products, we made sure all of the regularly used RAID and NIC drivers were extracted and ready to install:


• 
9. We are then presented with the opportunity to add any additional files and folders that will be accessible once we boot to WinPE:


• 
10. Remember that any additional drivers and utilities that would be made available must be in the x64 flavour to work. We have a couple of bootable flash drives, one for x86 and one for x64 WinPE. We use them to install our lab images onto our lab systems. So, we pulled some of the necessary utilities from them to this WinPE setup too.
11. The ISO image will be generated to a folder we select.
12. Once the ISO image has been completed, we are presented with the option to burn it to a DVD.

The ERD Commander utility has more than paid for our Windows Vista Software Assurance. It provides us with a simple way to get into any system, whether DC, domain member, or standalone, to change the admin password. Thus we do not have to go through the pain of trying to figure out the plethora of other "admin password change solutions" out there.

There are also a huge number of additional utilities included with Windows Vista Software Assurance. It is well worth the expense.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Software Assurance Image Downloads = .img?

When dealing with a client recently who has Software Assurance, we went to download their updated software as per their SA Agreement.

Here is what we ended up with:


Okay, the file's label says, "ISO", but the actual extension is .IMG.

What gives?

Seems that one need only RENAME that .IMG to .ISO and away we go! :D

Burn The ISO to disk, and then go ahead and run the software install/upgrade.

Thanks to the TechNet Forums for this one (You will be asked to create an identity for the forums to view this link).

Happy with Software Assurance!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists.