Windows 7 Ultimate XP Pro Mode on ThinkPad T500 Good To Go

As we go to forward with implementing Windows 7 Ultimate for our clients, one of the first things we check for is the ability to have Intel Virtualization (VT) enabled in the BIOS.

The new version of Virtual PC that XP Pro Mode runs on will require that VT or AMD’s equivalent be enabled in the BIOS.

By default when we do find the VT settings exposed in the BIOS, it looks as though laptop manufacturers are leaving the settings disabled out of the box:

When implementing Windows 7 Ultimate or Windows 7 Enterprise with the intent of running XP Pro Mode, the BIOS level settings need to be checked.

Note that this particular Lenovo ThinkPad T500 has the Centrino 2 vPro chipset. Even then, finding the settings shown in the BIOS depends on the manufacturer of the laptop.

We have seen some Centrino 2 vPro series laptops where the settings were not exposed. We have one here in the shop, but have not had the chance to unpack it and load Windows 7 Ultimate and the XP Pro Mode RC to verify that the settings are enabled by default.

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

Updated SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 Migration Guide – v1.2.2

Our SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 Migration Guide post has been updated with some troubleshooting links.

• SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 Migration Guide – v1.2.2

We had a user’s local and network profile seemingly blow up quite a while after the migration had been completed.

Our IP based KVMs have arrived! :)

We will be configuring and testing them this coming week. Once everything is in place and we know how to use them, an announcement will be made and a date will be set for our LiveMeeting live SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 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 2008 – Vista Business Folder Redirection Failing Long After The Migration

At a client site where we have recently migrated them from SBS 2003 RTM Premium to SBS 2008 Premium, we had one of the users call us claiming that they had lost access to their document folders.

Thrown into the mix was the fact that about a month after the migration we in-place upgraded all of their workstations to Windows Vista Business and deployed Office 2007 Pro Plus via Group Policy.

Talk about a whole host of changes in a short period of time.

One user experienced an inability to save new Favorites in the IE. We tried a few things like resetting both the permissions and ownership on the Favorites folder but nothing worked.

We ended up renaming the original folders, creating a naming a new one, and copying the favorite links into that new folder. From there the user was able to save new Favorites as they pleased.

The user that called us in just recently had no access to their Pictures, Music, or Documents folders at all. Click on the Start menu and the buttons for each were solid and unresponsive.

The workstation’s log showed that Folder Redirection was failing to apply. We checked the permissions on the folders at the server and all looked okay. We could \\My-SBS\FolderRedirections\UserName\Documents and make changes without a hitch.

So, we logged off the workstation and logged on as the local admin. We renamed the user’s local profile.

When we logged back in, Vista complained about the missing local profile and created a TEMP instead of a new one.

Funny thing was, the user’s redirected folders showed up and were accessible via the Start menu or Windows Explorer.

We ended up exporting the user’s Outlook content to PST, deleting their User account and recreating it.

Once we had imported the Outlook contents and copied over their Documents and other content things worked just fine!

This particular client’s SBS domain has been around for four to five years. Some of the profiles are day 1 and some have been renamed several times due to employee changes (we have stopped that practice with an explanation to our client as to the impact). So, it is not unexpected that we will run into some user profile issues . . . even a few months down the road.

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

MySQL Export & Import Error – MySQL said: #1065 – Query was empty

Using the MySQL Administrator utility on our oldest and soon to be retired IIS 6 hosting boxes, we needed to export one of the last Joomla site’s databases.

After completing the export, we went into the MySQLAdmin manager that is a part of the Own Web Now’s Web hosting setup to import the database and we get:

This site was kinda informative:

Clean out the headers in the .SQL file. So, we tried that.

Before:

After:

Still did not work. We cleaned out the rest of the headers with no success either as per the above article.

Note that the old boxes’ MySQL version was 5.0.22. We upgraded it to the 5.0.45 version on the destination servers and we still had no joy. Even after making a series of edits to the database headers.

We searched, and we searched with the searches turning up very little.

However, buried in all of the results was this little needle in the proverbial hay stack:

• Drupal: To import a database with PHPMyAdmin

We tried the command verbatim with no joy.

A search on the “mysqldump –uroot –proot” command turned up:

• Backing Up Your MySQL Databases With MySQLDump

We ended up with a command syntax like the following:

• C:\Hosting\Site\DBs>mysqldump --user root --password=MyR00tP*ssW0rd! --compact --quick MyDb > MyDbBU.sql

We took that MyDbBU.sql file over to the hosting company’s MySQLAdmin import process with an empty database waiting there and we achieved our goal! :)

The database imported successfully. Once we upload the CMS content via FTP to the site, modify the Database references in the CMS to work with the new database name and database user access credentials the site should be up and running!

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

QuickBooks 2009 Error – The installed product does not match the installation source(s)

We have a client that is changing their QuickBooks 2009 versions.

When they went to uninstall the QB 2009 version they had, the uninstall routine was coming up with the following error:

QuickBooks

The installed product does not match the installation source(s). Until a matching source is provided or the installed product and source are synchronized, this action cannot be performed.

Contact your administrator or product vendor for assistance. If there is a matching installation source, type it below or click Browse to locate it.

Now, what we discovered was the user had tried to install the edition they were going to be using before uninstalling the previous version.

A search for the error turned up the QuickBooks support article:

• QuickBooks Knowledgebase 1004747: Error: "The installed product does not match the installation source" or Error: "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource and is unavailable" when installing a program update.

Section 1 did not work for us. Neither did section 2. We tried to copy the original QuickBooks.msi out of our network share into the following directory as per the knowledgebase article:

• C:\Program Files\Intuit\QuickBooks 2009\Components\PConfig

The PConfig folder is the same across most of the recent editions, so this method will work for most.

We renamed the QuickBooks.msi file that was there prior to copying in the network sourced one:

Note the date stamp difference as well as a size difference.

That did not work.

So, we needed to install the original QuickBooks version again, then rerun the uninstall routine. That did not work! We ended up with the same error.

We tried to copy in the QuickBooks 2009 folder from another known good installation after renaming the original. That did not work either.

• Microsoft Knowledgebase 290301: Description of the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility

We start the utility and remove QuickBooks 19:

Once we used the utility and removed the install directory we were able to successfully install QuickBooks 2009. It even picked up the key codes!

Since we had a successful installation, hopefully the uninstall routine would actually work and pull all of the QuickBooks 2009 components off the hard disk, the QB database service removed, as well as the registry!

Fortunately, after a not so brief pause we were eventually greeted with:

Bottom line: If there is a need to use a different edition of QuickBooks in the same product version, in this case 2009, uninstall the one no longer needed before installing the other edition.

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

Microsoft Action Pack Goes Digital – Windows Server 2008 R2 RTM Bits Are There!

One of the vastly huge improvements to the Microsoft Action Pack Subscription is the ability to download ISOs from a dedicated site as well as manage all of our MAPS product keys:

Gone are the days where we had stacks of binders, though we are keeping all of them as MAPS licensing is grandfathered back to the point the subscription was started or the last time it was stopped.

We keep archives of all of our TechNet keys. Each time we archive the key set, we make sure to keep track of which products are still there and which have dropped off.

We will do the same with our online MAPS product keys.

Keep in mind that most of the MAPS product downloads are retail. So, if there is a need to work with volume licensing products such as Office 2007 for Group Policy based distribution, then make an investment in an Open Value Subscription and pick up one Office 2007 Enterprise SKU on the 3 year spread payment plan.

We only ordered one since we have our SBS, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Office for Mac, and other products on Open Value Agreements.

Another option for volume licensing media would be to obtain a TechNet Plus subscription.

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 v1.2.1

We have updated the migration guide with some links relevant to moving SQL databases as well as moving Terminal Services Licensing from the source server to an existing TS box on the SBS domain.

• SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 Migration Guide – v1.2.1 

There will be some further updates coming as we go through more migrations.

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 Setup Checklist Updated

One of the first ever checklists we have produced was the SBS 2003 setup checklist.

• SBS 2003 R2 - Setup steps and resources - Revised V2.1.1

The checklist is quite comprehensive and provides any new to SBS people a solid foundation to work from when it comes to learning SBS.

For those of us that have been around for a while, the checklist is a good thing to have to maintain consistency across all of the SBS OS installs that we do.

Setting up SBS, whether SBS 2003 as indicated above, or SBS 2008 (previous blog post), is a very complex task.

Doing the setup right the first time means a stable production environment for our clients for the two to three year period their servers will be in production. In some cases, such as our non-profit clients, those servers will be in production for four to six years!

When it comes to setting up SBS 2008, a lot of the thinking behind the way we set our SBS 2008 servers up can be found in my book:

• SMB Nation Press: Small Business Server 2008 Blueprint.

Pick up a copy and bring it with you to SMB Nation Fall 2009 in Las Vegas and Harry and I will sign it!

There will also be a number of fellow SBS MVPs at the conference with Susan Bradley the SBS Diva being one of the key presenters!

The fall conference would also be a good time to bring your questions with you. Hopefully we will have time to get together and chat whether it be over coffee or perhaps lunch.

As always, please feel free to drop us a note if you have a quick question and we will do what we can to answer it when time permits.

• Email: Blog Question

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 – Enable Password Changing in OWA

One of the new features in SBS 2008 is the integration of the user’s password state into both the Remote Web Workplace (RWW) and Outlook Web Access (OWA.

A user would be prompted by RWW to change their password when it was approaching its expiry date. We set our SBS domains to warn users at 14 days.

Within RWW and OWA themselves the user can fine a link to initiate a password change.

With SBS 2003, we would be prompted to change our password after it had expired, but that was as far as it goes when it came to managing passwords.

There is a tweak that can be done on the Exchange and IIS side to enable users to change their password from with OWA:

• Microsoft Knowledgebase: KB297121: Implementing the Change Password feature with Outlook Web Access

Note that the implementation will take a number of steps and are quite invasive. Make sure to take a proper backup just prior to making any changes.

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

Installing Symantec EndPoint Protection On Windows Server 2008

We have a fresh Windows Server 2008 Standard x64 server that we are installing SEP on. The server is a member server on an SBS 2003 R2 Premium domain.

When we started the SEP setup routine, we were greeted with:

The following IIS configuration is required:

• IIS 7 installed and running.
• ASP.NET + prerequisites are required.
• CGI
• IIS 6.0 Management Compatibility.

Once IIS and the required components are installed, the following two default ports need to be added to the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security:

• Client Inbound Traffic: 8014
• Server Management Console: 8443

From there, SEP should install with no issues.

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

Reuse Laptop Slim DVD-ROM Drives With a SATA Adapter

We have a stack of slim IDE DVD-ROM drives that came out of old laptops that have since been recycled. Up to now, they were reused if a laptop came in out of warranty with a dead optical drive.

But, we have since found an adapter that enables us to take the stock drive and connect an IDE to SATA adapter for reuse in some of our server builds.

DVD-RW or combo drives are not needed in servers in most cases. The optical drive may get used once or perhaps twice as a rule for the OS install and possibly a restore boot from the OS disk.

The adapter from StarTech’s Web site:

Shown in the above product shot is the IDE connector. The opposite side of the board has a standard SATA data connector along with a small Molex floppy style power connector.

StarTech’s Product site:

• StartTech: SATA to Slim Optical IDE Drive Adapter
• Part Number: OPT2SATA

The part is listed in our Canadian distribution channel and some distributers actually have stock on them.

Besides servers, we will have the occasional Mini-ITX based system (previous blog post) that will not require any read/write capabilities, so we will use them there and give the system price the appropriate price break as the slim optical drives are not inexpensive.

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

Intel And Mini-ITX Makes For Neat Little PCs

Now that Mini-ITX has become a mainstream form factor, it is so much easier to get the various components needed to build systems on it.

We used to do a fair amount of Mini-ITX systems based on the VIA EPIA series Mini-ITX platform. The big plus with the EPIA series was the ultra low power usage with some systems being completely fanless and thus ultra quiet. SSD was not common place, so a Compact Flash drive could be used as an alternate to a laptop hard drive.

Intel has a couple of Core 2 Duo/Quad based Mini-ITX form factor boards:

• Intel BOXDQ45EK
• Intel BOXDG45FC

To date, we have been using In-Win BM639 series chassis to put everything into. They are a very classy looking case in black.

We have professional services office such as doctors and dentists that have these little PCs strapped under a counter out of sight with only a keyboard and mouse on an articulating arm along with a wall mounted LCD providing folks in the room maximum desk space for charts and paperwork.

Currently, Intel has a promotion on for their vPro series IITX motherboard:

• Now’s the Time…... Buy an Intel® DQ45EK Board and receive a FREE mini-ITX Chassis

There are a number of chassis manufacturers that have their products involved in the offering, so this would be a good way to discover other Mini-ITX chassis manufacturer’s products without costing us a dime.

One promising chassis is made by a company we have never heard of is Winsis.

The Wi-02 chassis looks quite nice too (product shot from their Web site):

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

Drivers From WSUS or Windows Update

While the drivers we downloaded from Windows Update (WU) for the Toshiba Tecra running Windows 7 Ultimate x64 (previous blog post) worked quite well, we had an HP laptop running Windows Vista Home Premium that did not.

We allowed the drivers for the HP’s Conexant audio device to download and install and sure enough, on the next reboot there was no longer any sound being produced by the speakers.

It took running the HP Update Assistant to verify all of the drivers on the laptop and subsequently the download and install of the HP specific drivers for that laptop to bring the sound back.

We disable driver checking and downloading in WSUS by default due to past experiences like this.

We also tend to avoid drivers offered by WU, but this time we took the risk and lost. So, we will again avoid drivers offered up by WU unless there is a very specific need for 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 Live Migration Poll Results And ETA

The poll results were almost 50/50 for those that would actually watch the migration live versus downloading later:

So, we will be looking to schedule the live migration in for a day near the middle of September to give everyone a chance to schedule at least some time to visit.

Once the migration has completed, the recording of the event will be made available for download to view at your leisure.

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

Free E-Book: Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions

Here is an awesome freebie:

The book will provide a good foundation of knowledge on Microsoft’s virtualization technologies.

• Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions by Mitch Tulloch E-Book Offer Site

Check it out! Toss it on the WM 6.x Pro phone to read while waiting for those servers!

Take note that there is a request for some information before downloading the e-book.

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 2008 – Companyweb Shared Documents Content and Buttons Missing?

A user in Explorer View managed to twist things up a bit, at least we are inclined to believe that since it was the user that called indicating that things had disappeared after they deleted something.

Shared Documents on this Companyweb site is huge. They use it for everything, so not a few hearts were momentarily stalled when the following was seen:

Note the absence of pretty much any folders, documents, or control buttons!

When we opened the Fax Center on a workstation while logged in as the domain admin, we could open Explorer View there and navigate our way back to Shared Documents. In Explorer View we were able to see the folders and content therein, so we knew that at least the content was there. This was good because the Recycle Bins were relatively empty.

We ended up needing to do the following to get our content listed again:

1. Log onto a workstation as domain admin.
2. Open Companyweb.
3. Navigate to Shared Documents.
4. Click Site Actions.
5. Click Edit Page.
6. Click Add a Web Part.
7. Check the Shared Documents library.
8. Click the Add button.

Now, once we have our content listed again, the toolbar may or may not show the New, Upload, Actions, and Settings buttons along with the View drop down.

If the toolbar is seemingly empty, then we need to click the edit drop down to the right of Shared Documents:

Click on the Modify Shared Web Part link.

Change the Toolbar Type to Full Toolbar:

Once the above steps have been completed, the seemingly once gone document library will be back as it was and there will be some real happiness going on in Userland! :)

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

RFID Protection - A Faraday Cage For the Pocket

Being aware of the various security risks involved in travelling locally and abroad is very important.

After receiving our first RFID embedded credit card, the first thought that came to mind was to find a Sucrets tin soon as the manufacturer was switching to plastic!

An article on Wired’s Threat Level blog actually came to the rescue:

• Feds at DefCon Alarmed After RFIDs Scanned

At the bottom of the article was a link to a company called DIFRwear. They make Faraday Caged (Wikipedia site) wallets and passport cases.

Below is a video of their products in action:

While the distances may seem miniscule when it comes to scanning for the RFID, all it takes is being in a crowded room where someone just happens to have a scanner on them.

We ordered and just received the passport case:

Are we wearing a tin foil hat? Maybe. But, it never hurts to be a little more cautious when it comes to new technologies and how our personal information can be exposed through them.

• DIFRwear Site

We like the products, so occasionally we will post a banner on our blog for DIFRwear’s Web site.

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

Dropping The Ball

We all do it in some way or another. We drop the ball. We make commitments we intend to keep but end up allowing that commitment to fall through the crack.

We forget to write it down, put it into our PDA Tasks list, place it on a sticky note around our monitor, initiate an SR, or whatever tracking method we use.

When this happens in business, there are those out there that claim that the business should deny and/or walk away from the situation. In some cases, we have seen where a company will actually employ a team of lawyers just for this purpose.

As small business owners, our reputation is really the only thing we own. How our company is valued as a product and service provider by our clients or former clients is very important.

If we have dropped the ball, and it is pointed out to us by our client, then we need to take responsibility for that.

“I apologize Mr. Client, I really messed up! How can I make it up to you and your company? How can we make this right?”

Those are the words that our client needs to hear. Then, when an arrangement has been made to make up for the mistake we need to follow through on it.

In the end, our business relationship with our client will be a lot stronger. Our client will grow to trust us to follow through on our commitments, but also trust that we will accept responsibility and make up for any mistakes we make.

If they choose to walk away, then we have learned a very valuable lesson. Indeed, one that may cost us our business.

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

Vista RTM to SP2 – Note SP1 Required First

A client’s laptop came back from the repair facility with a reloaded hard drive. We took an image of the drive before it left, so no worries on the data, but we now have to update the laptop.

Wanting to jump right up to Vista SP2 we ended up with:

The prerequisites for Service Pack 2:

• Notable Changes in Windows Server 2008 SP2 and Windows Vista SP2

So, we have SP1 on its way down right now, it will be installed then after the final reboot we will be installing Vista SP2.

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

Microsoft Tech-Days 2009 – Calgary In November

It looks like I will be going to the Tech-Days event in Calgary. The dates for the event are November 17 and 18.

• Tech-Days Canada 2009 Web Site

The event last year was very well done. The sessions were well put together and gave us some very good looks into the various Microsoft technologies.

Some of the event benefits included:

One thing that was different in this year’s registration process was the lack of track and session assignment. There was no need to go through all of the tracks and sessions to choose which ones we will be attending.

So, we will be able to float between sessions depending on the content and our interest in them. This kind of flexibility is good to have since our interests today may not be the same as tomorrow.

This event will be a good place to gain a solid overview on current and upcoming Microsoft technologies. Given what we do, we need to stay on top of the products we work with or we risk falling behind and possibly becoming irrelevant to 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

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