SBS 2003 – Move WSUS DB To Another Partition

We have this older SBS 2003 box throwing alerts about running out of disk space on the C: system partition.

450MB is not a lot of space for the SBS OS to move around in.

So, we needed to move the WSUS database onto a different partition.

To do so:

1. Open a Command Prompt
2. cd \Program Files\Update Services\Tools [Enter]
3. wsusutil movecontent L:\WSUS C:\WSUSMove.log
• L:\WSUS is the destination partition and directory.
• C:\WSUSMove.log will be the results log file name and location.

Depending on the age and speed of the machine, the move process may take a while.

But, once it is done there will be a significant increase in the amount of space available on the server.

• Process found in step 5 of the WSUSWiki.

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

Windows Live Writer

nVidia Quadro NVS Notebook Driver Choking on Windows 7 x64

Ack! A pulsing to black screen is happening!

For whatever reason, the nVidia Quadro video driver started hiccupping today.

Not once, not twice, but four times the screen went black on the laptop then came back with a ”Windows has recovered from a driver failure” error.

The reliability report says:

The details contained in the reliability report:

Now, the recommended course of action is to download and install the newest nVidia driver for this particular video card. But, since the laptop is not too old, that is not really an option.

Here is hoping that nVidia will not be having too many driver issues on the new Windows 7 operating system.

If memory serves correct, there were a lot of driver issues with nVidia products on Windows Vista. Let’s hope that this is not going to be the case on Windows 7.

So, now we wait to see when a newer version of the driver arrives and whether it resolves the problem.

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

Windows Live Writer

Windows 7 And Battery Life Are Great Together

We had a client network situation where the ISP called on Wednesday afternoon to indicate that their static IPs would be changed on them at 0730Hrs Friday morning.

Since this particular client is not on ExchangeDefender for e-mail sanitation and continuity, that meant that there was going to be an interruption of their e-mail flow inbound.

Another catch to the situation was the possibility that the new IPs would be on someone’s RBL.

So, there we were at 0650Hrs preparing to make the necessary changes to their RWW DNS A record, MX records for their e-mail domains, and change the setup for both the external NIC in ISA (SBS 2003 R2 Premium) and the Intel Remote Management 2 module.

One of the first things to happen was to fire up the laptop with our 3G cellular modem installed so that we would have Internet access.

The second thing to do was to run a ShadowProtect incremental backup just before running some updates that were waiting for us on both their servers.

Once the updates were complete, we took another incremental image and waited for the ISP to kill the connection.

Well, there we were at 1015Hrs and still no connection drop.

It took a few calls into the ISP to find out what was up. But, once we spoke to the right person in the right department and mentioned that we had received a promise from the person that contacted us about the change that was going to happen on Friday at 0730Hrs and no later, the connection dropped within a few minutes.

We changed the IP information on the external NIC and in the RMM2 module, updated the DNS A records, changed the MX records, and tweaked a few things in their setup to accept the new IPs.

Having the 3G connection on the laptop enabled us to be connected to our office desktop via our RWW all the while we were at the client site.

Besides that, we were able to keep our network audit notes open on the laptop’s desktop to update all of the relevant sections with the changes that were taking place using Windows 7’s folder access to one of our SharePoint libraries (previous blog post).

From there, we were able to test our client’s RWW connection once the changes had been made to DNS, and subsequently to spend time on the phone with the ISP to work with them on a problem in their own DNS setup.

To troubleshoot DNS, we use a couple of online tools besides the built-in ones:

• DNSStuff (subscription service)
• Mice & Men DoDig (free DNS dig service).

We also had a few Line of Business applications that also needed to be updated.

By the time we were done, the laptop had been on battery for close to 5 hours. In this particular case, the laptop had the extended life 12 cell battery in it.

Now, 5 hours may not sound like a lot, but the laptop was in constant contact with the Internet via 3G cellular modem that tied it into our office network. One thing to keep in mind as well is that the laptop is a pretty powerful unit with a T9600 2.8GHz CPU, high speed memory and hard drive subsystems.

Even with the extended life battery, there would be no way that this laptop running Windows Vista would last that long.

Between the productivity enhancements in Windows 7’s ability to connect to SharePoint document libraries like they were local and Windows 7’s greatly slimmed footprint, we are seeing a greatly improved user experience for our clients and for us!

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

RSAT for Windows 7 Available For Download

The Remote Server Administration Tools are available for Windows 7 RTM:

• RSAT for Windows 7 (Microsoft download page)

Once RSAT has been installed, note that some of the consoles will need to be enabled Start –> Programs and Features [Enter] –> Turn Windows features on or off –> UAC.

All technician laptops need these tools installed.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise – BitLocker A Must on Laptops

Now that we have the Toshiba Tecra S10 laptop settled in with Windows 7 Ultimate x64 edition, the next step is to encrypt the contents of the hard drive.

A really good tutorial can be found here on how to prepare the hard drive with a 1.5GB partition that BitLocker requires before installing the OS:

• TechNet: Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption Step-by-Step Guide

Scenario 1 covers how to boot from the OS install disk, in our case we were using a USB flash drive, and use the DiskPart command to prep the disk before installing the OS.

Note that once we had the OS installed on the large partition, we needed to go into Disk Management and reassign the drive letter in order for it to be recognized by the BitLocker tool.

Type BitLocker in the Start –> Search to bring up the tool. If the laptop’s TPM is not initialized, then a reboot will be required to do so.

Once initialized, the tool will run through a few preparation steps as well as a recovery key generation step. We chose to save the key to a USB flash drive. After doing so, a reboot will be required by the BitLocker tool to test the recovery key before encryption ensues.

Upon logging back into the laptop, this is what we will see:

Since Windows Vista Business x86 came with this laptop, the addition of Software Assurance gives us access to Windows 7 Vista Enterprise. The cost is so inexpensive, there is no excuse for a company to not invest in the added protection of the data on the laptop.

If the Tecra gets left in a cab, or someone else values it more than the owner, then we can be assured that no data will be accessible.

The BitLocker conversion is a slow process, so let it run. It can run in the background, so the laptop is quite usable while it is running.

UPDATE: SA on Windows Vista brings Windows 7 Enterprise to the table. Strike out shows the original mistake.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Toshiba Tecra S10 T9600 Windows 7 Install 95% Successful – And It’s Fast!

We managed to get Windows 7 Ultimate x64 installed on the laptop with a few hiccups along the way.

We used a USB flash drive (previous blog post) to install the OS on the laptop.

Because we are dealing with a 64bit version of the OS, we are in a bit of a bind for some of the drivers due to Toshiba being behind other laptop manufacturers on using 64bit Windows for their installs.

Fortunately, the laptop’s hardware is shared by other manufacturers so we were able to download the Intel AMT and MEI (firmware vPro management) drivers from Acer’s site and use them to seat the hardware in the OS.

When some of the laptop components failed to install, we needed to manually run the driver update and change the option from searching only on the local machine to searching Windows Update if drivers were not found locally. When we did that, a number of the exclamation marked devices had their drivers found on WU, downloaded, and installed without a problem.

We are stuck on two components that we will need to wait for Toshiba on:

Hardware ID: TOS6205

And:

Hardware ID: TOS620A

One is a Bluetooth device and the other is the Toshiba shock sensor on the hard drive setup.

Other than those two drivers not being available, the laptop screams!

Having the T9600 at 2.8GHz, 4GB of RAM with 2 by 2GB 800MHz sticks placing the memory subsystem in Dual Channel Mode, and a 250GB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive the laptop is fast.

For the price of the Laptop and the time to get things right after installing Windows 7, the setup is well worth the time put in.

We also picked up the extra large 12 cell battery for the unit and it is still kicking along after about 3 hours of battery based usage with 55% battery life remaining.

This is one sweet combination … speed and efficiency will abound with setup! :)

Some of that sweetness has been blogged about here:

• Blog Label Search: Windows 7

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Windows 7 – Enable Edition Choosing And Install From USB Flash Drive + Caveat

It looks as though we have taken a step back when it comes to the version of the Windows desktop OS on the DVD:

It seems the days of having the various versions of the OS on the same DVD are gone. The above screenshot was taken of the TechNet portal we are using to download the Windows 7 RTM versions.

Server 2008 R2 does not show up in our TechNet downloads portal yet. So, we will grab those ISOs at a later date.

We are going to download the required Ultimate and Professional x86 and x64 versions for us to use for VM work and such.

We will, however, be using a USB Flash drive to install the OS as a rule.

• TechNet Magazine: Tip: Use a USB Key to Install Windows 7—Even on a Netbook.

We have formatted our OCZ ATV Turbo flash drive and made it Active as per the instructions above. We then copied the contents of a Windows 7 Ultimate x64 DVD onto the flash drive.

From there, we will edit the content on the USB flash drive to allow us to install the OS edition we need:

• My Digital Life: How to Select Any Edition or Version (SKU) of Windows 7 to Install From Single Edition DVD Disc Media or ISO.

The file that needs to be deleted, ei.cfg, is found in the \Sources\ folder according to Method 1 in the above article.

Here is the content of that file found on our Windows 7 x64 flash drive:

We deleted the file and booted a machine via the USB flash drive that will have Windows 7 Ultimate x64 installed on it.

After clicking on install we were presented with the various OS Editions to choose from.

Now, one thing to keep in mind when it comes to this install methodology is the fact that the EULA on the DVD image or OS install flash drive will be from the original OS edition installed by that image.

So, if the original DVD/ISO used to delete the ei.cfg file was Windows 7 Ultimate x64, then the EULA placed on that installed system will be the Windows 7 Ultimate EULA.

Since it looks like there will be some significant differences in the EULA between editions again, the reasoning behind the multiple OS DVDs becomes clear.

Once we confirm that the EULAs are indeed different for each OS edition, we will be using a dedicated flash drive for each edition to honour the EULA.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Toshiba Tecra S10 – Virtualization Is Disabled By Default in BIOS

We just received a new Toshiba Tecra S10 laptop that does not even have a product page on Toshiba’s site yet.

The unit is a new model Tecra S10 with a Core 2 Duo T9600 2.8GHz CPU and 4GB of RAM. The principle reason for sourcing this model is the high resolution 1680x1050 LCD along with the extra processing power presented by the Intel C2D T9600.

We will be installing Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on this laptop as we require XP Pro Mode. Toshiba seems to be a bit behind Acer on the architecture front as the Windows Vista on it is x86 (32bit). Acer has started factory shipping all of their laptops with Windows Vista x64 versions which means 64bit Acer drivers are available for their products.

The lack of 64bit drivers for the Tecra may present a bit of a problem with Windows 7 x64. If it does, we will back off and install the x86 version of Windows 7 Ultimate x86.

Since we require XP Pro Mode, we need to verify if the BIOS on this laptop has the Intel VT enabled. The chipset is Centrino 2 vPro (previous blog post on Windows 7 XP Pro Mode and hardware requirements).

To get into the Tecra’s BIOS, we need to do the following:

• Press and hold the ESC key then power up the laptop.
• Press the F1 key when requested to do so.

Once into the BIOS, sure enough the Intel VT setting was Disabled. We also took note that the Trusted Execution Technology was also Disabled. Since both are required, we enabled them.

One other note of interest, both the TPM and Intel’s AMT (vPro) management were disabled in the BIOS out of the box. The TPM is required for BitLocker and BitLocker To Go. Intel’s AMT is required for remote out-of-band management of the laptop. Both will be enabled as well.

Now we’re off to set up a USB flash drive to install Windows 7 (TechNet Magazine article) with.

We use the OCZ ATV Turbo flash drive for all bootable and high data volume usage because time is money and they are soak the USB bus fast!

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Windows 7 Beta Testers – Download or Boxed Thank You Copy?

If you participated in the Windows 7 Beta program on the Microsoft Connect site, then there is an option to either download a complimentary copy of the Ultimate version of the OS, or wait for a boxed copy.

Click on the Information on getting your Windows 7 RTM “Thank you” copy link under What’s New? shown below:

A survey link will be found on the page that follows:

In our case, we are choosing the complimentary boxed copy as it will be used to upgrade my Dad’s system to Windows 7. If we are not eligible, then the download version will be used to do the same.

Note that the boxed copy option may not be fulfilled due to the fact that there is a certain number available.

While on the Windows 7 Connect program site, have a look at the numerous Windows 7 learning resources available for download:

The above screenshot shows the newest two downloads. There are three full pages of them.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 Migration Guide Updated

We have updated the migration guide with a troubleshooting section that will be added to as we encounter hiccups in the migration process.

• SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 Migration Guide – v1.1.1

We are waiting on a couple of IP based KVMs to show up here. Once they do, we will schedule the live on-line migration.

Thanks for reading! :)

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

SBS 2003 to 2008 Migration – Exchange OAB 9331 and 9335 Along with Outlook 0x8004010F Errors

On one of our SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 migrations we ran into a problem on the Outlook clients where the Offline Address Book would not synchronize.

The server had the following Event IDs:

• Event ID: 9331
  OALGen encountered error 80004005 (internal ID 50101ee) accessing the public folder store while generating the offline address list for address list '/'.
  - Default Offline Address List
• Event ID: 9335
  OALGen encountered error 80004005 while cleaning the offline address list public folders under /o=CompanyName/cn=addrlists/cn=oabs/cn=Default Offline Address List.  Please make sure the public folder store is mounted and replicas exist of the offline address list folders.  No offline address lists have been generated.  Please check the event log for more information.
  - Default Offline Address List

To fix the errors, the only solution we found was a pair of scripts to run in the Exchange 2007 Shell:

• Get-PublicFolder "\non_ipm_subtree\offline address
  book\/o=ORG/cn=addrlists/cn=oabs/cn=Default Offline Address list" -Recurse |
  Set-PublicFolder -Replicas "second storage group\public folder database"
• Get-PublicFolder "\non_ipm_subtree\offline address
  book\/o=ORG/cn=addrlists/cn=oabs/cn=Default Offline Address List" -Recurse |
  Set-PublicFolder -ReplicationSchedule $alwaysrun

ORG in the above command will be the specific Exchange organization that is being worked on.

The solution was found on Experts-Exchange:

• Experts-Exchange.com: Exchange 2007 OAB Event ID 9331 & 9335 0X8004010F error

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

HP TouchSmart PC Beside an iMac 20”

Wow … the HP TouchSmart PC is an amazing machine.

In a way, we are talking about comparing Apples with Oranges, pun intended, but the TouchSmart sure open’s one’s eyes as to how the Apple iMac product has challenged the PC industry and brought about some pretty neat innovations.

To be fair, the iMac in the photo is a 20” version that is in our shop because it BSODs on boot and won’t Safe Boot either. We will be working on it on Monday.

The HP is an iQ816 Core 2 Duo with a 26” LCD display and is on the bench because we are going to create the HP recovery DVDs then flatten the system and install Windows 7 Ultimate RTM to test out the OS on this particular hardware setup.

Our initial impressions of the HP TouchSmart PC are very positive. This is a really neat machine and we can see some pretty lucrative market directions for them.

The product Web site:

• HP TouchSmart Home Desktop PCs (Canada)
• HP TouchSmart Business PCs (Canada) (soon to be released)

The business version of this particular product line will do very well for situations where desk space is at a minimum or there is the possibility of wall mounting the unit among others.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

A Single Drive NAS Setup For Business?

When it comes to taking care of a client’s business I.T. needs, cutting corners to keep costs down usually comes back to bite the one “saving” those costs.

One area where there is no real cost savings relative to the risks involved is data storage.

Hard drives, even SSD ones, have moving parts. They fail.

So, using a single drive solution to store critical shared data along with all of the workstation’s backups may not be the wisest of moves.

We have been called into an office where users could no longer connect to their shared data or backup their workstations to the NAS device a previous I.T. support company had installed for them.

The NAS unit was a single drive LaCie Peripherals device:

When we had a look at the setup, the device was plugged into a switch along with a workstation and a networked printer. There was a cable not plugged into the switch that turned out to be the run to the main switch in the basement of the building.

However, when that network cable was plugged in none of the other workstations could connect to the LaCie device.

We power cycled the LaCie to see if perhaps it was hung up as we could hear the drive spinning inside of it.

Once the unit power cycled itself, there was a distinct clicking sound that started to emanate from the unit.

Now the real struggle begins as the organization is in transition and it may not become quite clear exactly what has been lost in the shared folders and in the backup directories.

We will try a few recovery tactics on the device when we get permission to open it up on Monday, but we are not holding too much hope that the data will be recoverable by us. They may be in for a recovery charge from a third party.

When it comes to client data, it is absolutely imperative that the shared company data be stored on a device that has at least a pair of mirrored RAID 1 drives:

Since the device was also being used to backup all of the client workstations, a better solution would have been to use at least a pair of the single drive NAS solutions in a backup rotation.

Then, if one of the single drive units failed, the other would provide the necessary redundancy.

Disaster Recovery Planning needs to be a part of ANY data storage solution we are looking at providing our clients.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

HP TouchSmart iQ800 Series Desktop PC – Wall Mounting

We are outfitting one of our client business owner’s home with equipment that will tie into the home automation equipment supplied by 360 Theatre Systems based out of Edmonton.

One of the products that we are supplying is the HP TouchSmart iQ800 series desktop PC.

One of the PCs will be wall mounted at a desk near the laundry room that has limited desktop space.

HP has an excellent instruction set that includes a video for getting the custom VESA bracket mounted to the PC:

• HP TouchSmart IQ800 Series Desktop PC  -  Installing a Wall Mount Adapter for a VESA Wall Mount

The process is actually quite in-depth requiring us to remove the back panel, third leg, and the front two peg legs before mounting the base bracket under the back cover.

The install on-site for the units will not be until early next month. So, we will be testing one of them with Windows 7 Ultimate RTM to see how the new OS integrates with the PC’s features as well as how the OS will interact with HP’s drivers .

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Windows 7 Professional x64 ISO – VM Install Has No Other Versions Offered

Here is Windows 7 Pro x64 DVD being used to install Windows 7 Professional as a Hyper-V guest:

 

 

Note the absence of the version picker we had with Windows Vista.

We have other versions of the OS DVD being downloaded, but it is looking like we are indeed in a situation where there is a DVD/ISO for each version of the Windows 7 OS.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer