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