After a windows update computer runs CHKDSK

After installing the following Windows Update : KB2823324 , the computer reboots and will do a CHKDSK on startup. Microsoft have removed this update however it has still been installed on machines

You will need to remove this Windows Update via the Add and Remove Programs , reboot the computer then run the following command :

chkntfs /x c:

Pct-easy Application not creating log file

When using the PCT-Easy Program to file a PCT-EASY type application (paper documents, accompanied by a physical medium containing the request form and abstract data in electronic form) it should save a Zip file containing the application and a log file.

However if it only generates the Zip file and you need to regenerate the Log File from an existing Zip , Select the application form from the PCT-Safe Submitted folder right click and select Resend from the menu. This will open a save as Menu to resave both the documents

Tags: log file, pct-safe

Find Old Computer and User Accounts in Active Directory through DSQuery

You can run these commands in a command prompt on any DC or PC With Active Directory Tools installed

Time Perioud = Weeks so for example let’s work with 6

Computer Accounts

Find Old Computer accounts across the whole domain :

dsquery computer -inactive 6 -limit 0

Find Old Computers in a Group CN e.g. if the Icon Looks like this :

dsquery computer -inactive 6 -limit 0 CN=Computers,DC=domain,DC=local (Add to stop it going further then the current folder) -scope onelevel

Find Old Computers in a Operation Unit OU e.g. if the Icon Looks like this :

dsquery computer -inactive 6 -limit 0 OU=Clients,DC=domain,DC=local (Add to stop it going further then the current folder) -scope onelevel

User Accounts

Find Old User accounts across the whole domain :

dsquery user domainroot -name * -inactive 6

Tags: Find Old Computer and User Accounts in Active Directory through DSQuery

Override Group Policy for ‘do not use proxy server for address beginning with’

Recently we needed to add an address in the

“Do not use proxy server for addresses beginning with”

Setting’s in internet explorer. The box was greyed out via group policy , however this was just for a single user using a a remote citrix enviroment and didn’t have the time to roll it out through Group Policy.

Windows stores the entry in the following location :

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings]

“ProxyOverride”=

So open up regedit and modify the enteries via this key!

Tags: do not use proxy server for address beginning with, group policy, registry

Office 2003 to Office 2010 with Roaming Profiles

Upon some testing today inside a company that uses roaming profiles, after upgrading a user’s machine with Office 2010 from Office 2003. The user’s Outlook profile updated , however when the user tried to log back into an Office 2003 box , the profile for Outlook did not load.

The only way to get this working back on a Outlook 2003 machine is to delete the Outlook profile and let it rebuild. This will work until the next time the user logs in and out of a 2010 box!

Not ideal, so would fully recommend rolling out the same version of Office throughout an organisation if they use Roaming Profiles!

Tags: Office 2003 to Office 2010 with Roaming Profiles

The proxy server is refusing connections after Firefox 18 Update

After updating Firefox to Version from version 17 to 18 via automatic update it displays the following error message when trying to vists SSL sites ( via HTTPS://)

“The proxy server is refusing connections”

After rolling this back down to version 17 with the installer it starts to work again

We do use a proxy onsite provided by Network Box with no authentication.

I have had to disable automatic firefox updates via , to stop it updating

Select “Tools” and “Options” and wait for the pop-up window to appear. Choose “Advanced” and “Update.”

*** Update *** 21/01/2013

Known Firefox Issue : http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/946573

Firefox 17 Links

http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/products/download.html?product=firefox-17.0.1&os=win&lang=en-US
http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/products/download.html?product=firefox-17.0.1&os=osx&lang=en-US

Tags: firefox 18, The proxy server is refusing connections

Setting Up Zen Fibre with a Draytek 2850

This is the same connection settings as BT Infinity Fibre ( all the ISP’s resell BT’s Service ) as per link here : www.draytek.co.uk/support/kb/kb_vigor_v2850_setup.html

The Main Settings Are :

[WAN] > [General Setup] > [WAN1] and DSL Mode : VDSL and set the WAN VLAN ID should be set to 101

[WAN] > [Internet Access] and set the Connection Type as PPPoE. Enter the username / password details that were provided by your ISP in the appropriate fields as shown:

Tags: BT Infinity, Draytek Router 2850, Plusnet Fibre, Zen Fibre

Install Blackberry Enterprise Server on SBS 2011

1. Creat new user – BESADMIN
2. Make BESAdmin a member of Administrators Group
3. Assign the BesAdmin user “log on as a service” rights in the Default Domain Controller Policy through Group Polic
4. Run the following in Exchange Management Shell

• Get-MailboxDatabase | Add-ADPermission -User “BesAdmin” –AccessRights ExtendedRight -ExtendedRights Receive-As, ms-Exch-Store-Admin
• Add -RoleGroupMember “View-Only Organization Management” -Member “BesAdmin”
• Add-ADPermission -InheritedObjectType User -InheritanceType Descendents –ExtendedRights Send-As -User “BesAdmin” -Identity “OU=SBSUsers,OU=Users,OU=MyBusiness,DC=COMPANY,DC=local”
• Get-ThrottlingPolicy | Where-Object {$_.IsDefault -eq “True”}|Set-ThrottlingPolicy -RCAMaxConcurrency $null

1. Set Send/Receive As Security for Users

• In Activate Directory Users and Computer, view Advanced Properties.
• View properties of the SBS Users OU.
• Select Security
• Add BESAdmin
• Click Advanced
• Highlight BESAdmin.
• Click Edit
• Select Descendant User Objects in the drop down
• Check the boxes for SendAs and ReceiveAs
• Click OK 3 times

1. Install the Exchange MAPI CDO 1.2.1 package

• http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=e17e7f31-079a-43a9-bff2-0a110307611e&displaylang=en

1. IPv4 Host File entry for the server (e.g. 192.168.16.2 SBSSERVER01).

Now perform a default installation of the BESExpress Software.

• After BESExpress is installed, enable the Hard Deletes Setting:
• Log into the BlackBerry Administration Service.
• In the BlackBerry Administration Service, on the Servers and components menu, expand BlackBerry Solution topology > BlackBerry Domain > Component view > Email.
• Click the instance that you want to change.
• Click Edit instance.
• On the Messaging tab, in the Messaging options section, in the Hard deletes reconciliation drop-down list, click True.
• Click Save all.
• On the computer that hosts the BlackBerry Dispatcher, restart BlackBerry Dispatcher service.

Tags: Blackberry Enterprise Server Express, SBS 2011

How to Export MySQL Database via Windows MySQL Command Line Client

Navigate to the following directory in Command Prompt

C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin

Run the following command replacing the bold with your details

mysqldump –host=localhost –user=username  –password=password database_name  -r “C:\filename.sql”

Tags: Export MySQL Windows

VMWare Converter Standalone randomly closing / exiting

I was trying to convert an existing virtual machine onto another ESXi ( HP Customized Image ESXi 5.0.0 version 5.30.28 based on ESXi 5.0.0 Vmkernel Release Build 799733 ) with VMware vCenter Converter Standalone Client Version 5.0.0 Build-470252

Upon select the destintation with the correct credentials the converter would just close and exit without error.

However upon choose the following ESXi box : (HP Customized Image ESXi 5.0.0 version 5.20.43 based on ESXi 5.0.0 Vmkernel Release Build 623860 ) , the converter would go through the next part of the wizard.

I upgraded to Version 5.0.1 build-875114 of the converter and this fixed the issue !

Tags: VMWare Converter Standalone close, VMWare Converter Standalone exit