DHCP Admin Group in Server 2012

DHCP Admin Group in Server 2012

The DHCP admin group is a Windows security group used to provide DHCP admin access to users who need to perform DHCP admin function in their work role(s). The sister group, DHCP Users provides read only membership to see DHCP information.

In Server 2012, Microsoft disabled the DHCP users group and hid it from view. This can be a bit frustrating if you need to use this group! The reason I believe was that Microsoft considered this to be a more secure arrangement.

Re establishing the DHCP Admin and DHCP user groups is rather simple. On the Server, open an administrative command prompt and enter: netsh dhcp add securitygroups then press enter. This will add both groups to your group management console (you may need to refresh to see them)

This article can also be found on our sister site Dizzyit.com at: http://dizzyit.com/2015/03/26/dhcp-admin-group-in-server-2012/

Adding DHCP Admin and User Groups

Windows Error 651

Windows Error 651

Windows Error 651

Windows Error 651 occurs across most modern versions of Windows, relating primarily to WAN connections. there are a few ways to resolve this as follows:

1. The first thing to check is go to Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections and right click on broadband connections [WAN Miniport(PPPOE)] and un-check set as default. If necessary reboot to check.

If the above fails, then here is a list of things to check and run through to get this issue resolved:

• Reset your TCP/IP Settings in Windows.
• If you are using a Laptop, make sure the wireless switch or button is turned on (this is such a common issue!).
• Replace the RAS PPPoE driver in Windows:
  1. Open a Command Prompt as Administrator (right click -> run as administrator). 
  2. Select all the code below, then right click it and click Copy:
  3. TAKEOWN /F "C:\Windows\system32\drivers\raspppoe.sys"
  4. ICACLS "C:\Windows\system32\drivers\raspppoe.sys" /grant administrators:F
  5. Right click in the Command Prompt window and click Paste.
  6. Press Enter.
  7. Once it has finished, close the Command Prompt.
  8. Go to the following folder:
     C:\Windows\system32\drivers
  9. Rename the raspppoe.sys file to raspppoe2.sys
  10. Right click on the following file and click Save Target As / Save link as:
      Vista RAS PPPoE Driver.
  11. Save it in the C:\Windows\system32\drivers folder.
  12. Restart the computer.
• If using a Modem, obtain the latest driver.
• Reset your router.
• Re-install your network card drivers.

This article can also be found on our sister site http://Dizzyit.com at http://dizzyit.com/2015/03/10/windows-error-651/

Source: Microsoft Technet

Grant Sudo Access in Ubuntu

Grant Sudo Access in Ubuntu

To make changes in Ubuntu, you need to be a member of the "Super Users" or Sudo group. Membership of this group acts like the administrator group on a windows system, allowing users to make changes to the operating system. Ubuntu will prompt you for the sudo password (which is recommended to be different to your normal user password for security reasons) when you attempt to make changes to the OS.

To grant a user sudo access:

1. log in with your own sudo level access account
2. enter the command sudo adduser sudo

Grant Sudo In Ubuntu

This Article can also be found on our sister site www.dizzyit.com at: http://dizzyit.com/2015/03/09/grant-sudo-access-ubuntu/

Clear Cached Credentials in Windows

Clear Cached Credentials in Windows

Cached credentials in windows can cause issues, especially when users change passwords and aren't able to access network resources. There are a few ways you can manage this, and even script it into your environment if this is causing you issues.

Credential Manager:

Credential Manager is a Windows control panel item that shows all the cached credentials on your system. to access this go to control panel -> cached credentials and locate the credentials that you wish to remove. This can also be accessed by opening the run command and entering control keymgr.dll

Windows Credential Manager

The DOS / script method

If dos is more your flavour or you would like to script this then there are 2 commands that you can use. Firstly, if there is a server specifically that you would like to clear the credentials from then you can use the command net use \\ /del where is the name of the serve that you wish to clear the credentials for and you may also need to use an FQDN depending on your network / DNS set up.

Delete windows credentials in DOS / script

Alternatively you can also use net use * /del  to clear all cached credentials.

Delete Cached Windows Credentials

Please note that these commands are run on the client server not on the server resource.

This post can also be found on our sister site DizzyIT.com at http://dizzyit.com/2014/06/13/clear-cached-credentials-windows/

How Set a Static IP Address in Apple Mac OS X

How Set a Static IP Address in Apple Mac OS X
 

For those new to OS X from the Windows world (like I was), finding your way around can be a little frustrating in a world sans right mouse click! One task thats quite common (and one I came across this week)  is wanting to set a static IP address in OS X. Here's how it's done!

1. Open System Preferences with this icon:

Mac OS X System Preferences Icon

2. Under the Internet and Wireless menu choose Network

Mac OS X Network Icon

3. Select Ethernet Network

Apple Mac OS X Ethernet Icon

4. Select the Configure IPv4 Drop down list and select Manually

Apple Mac OS X Configure IPv4

5. Enter the Static IP, Subnet Mask, Router (Gateway) , DNS Server and Search Domain followed by Apply

Apple Mac OS X Static IP Address

6. And your done! To reset back to DHCP - just reset the Manually setting to DHCP

This guide can also be found on our sister site Dizzyit.com at http://dizzyit.com/2014/07/06/set-static-ip-address-apple-mac-os-x/

Use Powershell to Uninstall or Install Windows Roles and Features

Use Powershell to Uninstall or Install Windows Roles and Features 

You can use Powershell or uninstall or install Windows Roles and Features instead of using the GUI. This is especially useful in two scenarios : Server Core installations and also for scripting (new server installs, remote installs etc).

Firstly, you will need to identify the name of the Windows Feature that you wish to add / remove. Open an Administrative powershell prompt and type:  get-windowsfeature

Get-Windowsfeature

Once you have identified the roles and feature that you wish to remove (in this case we are going to remove the gui shell) tye the command uninstall-windowsfeature . If you want to force a reboot at the end of the process then use the -reboot switch.

Uninstall-windowsfeature

If you wanted to re install this feature, or install any other feature then again open an administrative powershell prompt and type install-windowsfeature

Install-WindowsFeature

Again, if you wanted to force the reboot (especially useful when scripting this then add the -reboot switch.

This article can also be found on our sister site DizzyIT.com at : http://dizzyit.com/2014/04/07/use-powershell-uninstall-install-windows-roles-and-features/

How To Fix Windows Update Error 80070005.

How To Fix Windows Update Error 80070005.

Windows Update Error 80070005 is usually caused by something going awry in your user permissions to the point where Windows Updates cannot install as it no longer has permissions. The fastest way I am aware of to get around Windows Update Error 80070005 is as follows:

1. Log off the current user and log in with the administrator Account
2. attempt to install updates from Microsoft updates ( or local WSUS server if applicable)
3. after updates have been re installed reboot the computer and log in as the original user.
4. The user should now be able to install updates

I'm not sure why this works, but it does! I would hazzard a guess that logging in as local admin allows the computer account to reset the ACL permissions that it needs.

The other things to check in troubleshooting Windows Update Error 80070005 are:

1. Make sure that the firewall is not blocking windows updates. to verify this disable your firewall and try
2. is the user profile generally corrupt? if so try and old out the profile (details on how to do so here: http://dizzyit.com/2011/10/29/how-do-i-old-out-a-windows-7-user-profile/)
3. run the windows update repair tool and see if this fixes your issue (details here: http://dizzyit.com/2013/06/07/fix-windows-update-issues/)

This article can also be found on our sister site DizzyIT .com at : http://dizzyit.com/2014/04/07/fix-windows-update-error-80070005/

Auto Accept or Decline Meeting Requests in Outlook

Auto Accept or Decline Meeting Requests in Outlook

The process to auto accept of decline meeting requestsin outlook is pretty straight forward. this functionality is useful for some managers, or for resource booking of rooms or resources. Alternatively, sometimes you want this to be turned off so that you can have more granular control over which meetings you choose to accept or decline.

To auto accept or decline meeting requests in outlook:

1. Open Outlook and select File -> Options

Auto Accept or Decline Meeting Requests in Outlook

2. Select Calendar then scroll to Auto Accept or Decline. From here you can configure outlook to auto accept or auto decline meeting requests

Auto Accept or Decline Meeting Requests in Outlook

Your outlook calendar will not be configured to accept or deny meeting requests automatically.

This article can also be found on our sister site dizzyit.com at: http://dizzyit.com/2014/03/19/auto-accept-decline-meeting-requests-outlook/

ITunes Error 126 in Windows 7, 8, 8.1

ITunes Error 126 in Windows 7, 8, 8.1

Error 126 occurs in Itunes when you are either trying to open, install or re install itunes on a Windows platform. The error seems to be related to .Net Framework 4, as well as perhaps some DIVX incompatibility.

ITunes Error 126

in order to resolve the issue:

1. un-install any apple products on your system (start -> control panel -> programs and features). What you are looking for here is anything that says "Apple Inc." in the Publisher Column. Dont forget things like Quicktime, Bonjour and ICloud. Also note that you DO NOT have to delete your ITunes Music for this.
   

Apple Inc files in Programs and Features for fixing Error 126

2. Make Sure that the following files \ folders have been removed have been removed (if you had a custom install location please refer to that location)

• C:\Program Files\Bonjour
• C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple
• C:\Program Files\iTunes
• C:\Program Files\iPod
• C:\Program Files\QuickTime
• C:\Windows\System32\QuickTime
• C:\Windows\System32\QuickTimeVR

3. Update your Windows .Net Framework 4 ( you can also do this at the start if you like). the best way to do this is via windows update. You may also want to update your DIVX installation at this time as well.

4. Begin re installing Apple software, starting with Apple Quicktime. Once that is installed, start with ITunes and the other apple products that you need.

Did this solve your Apple ITunes 126 Error? please let us know on our facebook if you have any questions or comments!

This post can also be found on our sister website DizzyIT.com at: http://dizzyit.com/2014/03/17/itunes-error-126-windows-7-8-8-1/

This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.

This error message "This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator " occurs when certain programs such as One Note, Outlook and Office 365 are not happy about Internet Explorer being the default web browser.

There are a fewways you can address this issue:

1. Upgrade your internet Explorer to the latest version

Not the most exciting or elegant solution, and perhaps is another version of "shut up and reboot" but its worth a try and I have seen it fix this issue. for security and functionality reasons, unless you have a good reason to its normally recommended to be on the latest version of IE.

2. Set the default browser to IE

This is pretty straight forward

Windows 8:

•  go to the start screen and type in default programs and then choose this item

Default programs Windows 8

• choose set your default programs from the menu

Control Panel, Default Programs Windows 8

• select Internet Explorer then choose set this program as default

Windows 8 Internet Explorer then choose set this program as default

3. Reset Internet Explorer Settings

Sometimes due to policies etc, or registry keys that have been influenced by other programs. these can be reset by setting Internet Explorer back to its default configuration.

to do this its advisable to close any microsoft programs you have open such as Word and Outlook and then,

• open Internet Explorer
• choose the Gear Icon for settings then choose Internet Options

Internet Explorer Settings Gear

choose the advanced tab, and then select reset internet explorer

• choose the advanced tab, and then select reset internet explorer

Reset Internet Options

• close internet explorer and try again

This post can also be found at our sister site www.Dizzyit.com at: http://wp.me/p1Zlmi-7r

Bulk Reset User Passwords with Powershell.

On occasion, you need to bulk reset user passwords for an ou or group of users. This  can easily be accomplished using Powershell and the following script.

Get-ADUser -Filter * -SearchScope Subtree -SearchBase "OU=Department,OU=Users,DC=corp,DC=company,DC=com" | Set-ADAccountPassword -Reset -NewPassword (ConvertTo-SecureString -AsPlainText "New Password Here" -Force)

Bulk Reset AD Passwords

Change the OU path to what you need it to be, and before you proceed you probably want to check the affected users with this script to ensure that you dont overwite something like the CEO or an admins password:

Get-ADUser -Filter * -SearchScope Subtree -SearchBase "OU=Department,OU=Users,DC=corp,DC=company,DC=com"  | Ft Name 

Check OU Membership With Powershell

Again, just change the OU structure to what you need.

As a point of note, you run this, depending on what you ahve installed you may need to  import the Active Directory Module for Powershell with Import-Module ActiveDirectory

Import-Module ActiveDirectory

This article can be viewed on our sister site www.dizzyit.com at: http://wp.me/p1Zlmi-7k

Manual Sync ADFS with Powershell.

Occasionally you cant wait three hours for your ADFS to synchronise your local Active Directory with the Azure copy. No matter, as you can force a directory sync with the following powershell command:

Start-onlinecoexistencesync

start-onlinecoexistencesync www.dizzyit.com

This command will sync your on premises Active Directory with the Azure online copy. This is especially useful in situations such as Office 365 implementations where you have changes such as email addresses or group membership changes that need to be updated into the online directory.

This post can be viewed on our sister site www.dizzyit.com at: http://wp.me/p1Zlmi-7e

Remove Protected mode is turned off for the internet and restricted sites zones message in Internet Explorer

Remove Protected mode is turned off for the internet and restricted sites zones message in Internet Explorer

In Internet explorer 10 and 11, when you disable protected mode you will get a warning stating that Protected mode is turned off for the internet Zone or perhaps Protected Mode is turned off for the internet and restricted sites zones. As Protected Mode seems to have some issues of its own, Due to this it's common to want to remove this warning in SOE images where applicable.

Protected mode is turned off for the Internet zone in IE

Protected mode is turned off for the Internet and restricted sites zone in Internet Explorer

This feature of Internet Explorer is set in the registry at HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main. scroll till you see the dword key NoProtectedModeBanner and this should be set to 1 to disable, or 0 to enable the message should you wish.

Registry Key for Protected mode is turned off for the Internet zone

This can then be applied via Group Policy if you like by opening the GPO editor (start -> run -> regedit) and navigating Computer Configuration -> Preferences -> Registry -> Right Click on Registry and choose New -> Registry Wizard. From here you can navigate to the NoProtectedModeBanner key and assign to the policy as required.

Set Group Policy for Protected Mode message in Internet Explorer

The above article discusses how to remove the protected mode is turned off warning message as seen in Internet Explorer. this article can also be found at our sister site DizzyIT.com at : http://dizzyit.com/2014/01/10/remove-protected-mode-turned-internet-restricted-sites-zones-message-internet-explorer/



Installing and Upgrading to Microsoft Server 2012 - Considerations

Installing and Upgrading to Microsoft Server - Considerations

There are several considerations to take into account when upgrading to Server 2012. This article is not so much a how to on how to perform an upgrade, but more a guide on some tips and strategies that can be used to make the move easier for you and your organisation.

Upgrade or Fresh Install?

Server 2012 is the first Microsoft Windows Server that allows you to perform an upgrade instead of needing to perform a fresh install. To be eligible for this feature, the existing operating system needs to be Server 2008 or 2008 R2, both 64 bit.

Also for consideration is if the hosted services and applications on that server are capable of handling an upgrade. For this its best to contact the provider or manufacturer directly. In some cases, it may be possible to test this, especially if you have a relevant test environment. Serious consideration needs to be given to Active Directory and also Microsoft SQL server implementations.Other services that need intense considerations include Federated Services and MS Clustering. Microsoft produces several guidelines that can be obtained on their website and are updated regularly.

These reports an be exported as a Word doc and then provided to relevant managers or seniors for approval.

Planning an Implementation

There are several considerations when planning a Server 2012 deployment as follows:

Practice Makes Perfect

Be sure to test the installation in a VM and be familiar with the processes and what you need. There are several free / cheap hypervisors availiable today including VMWare  Workstation as well as Microsoft Hyper V Server. a trial copy of Windows Server 2012 can be downloaded from the Microsoft Website

Preparing for installation

Microsoft Produces the MAP toolkit as a means to verify (in some detail) whether existing systems are a good candidate for upgrade, and if not why not. This is a free downloaded from Microsoft and can be accessed from here : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb977556.aspx

Beyond the MAP toolkit you will want to be sure that the hardware proposed at least meets the minimum requirements for handling Server 2012. Ideally you will have hardware that exceeds these requirements and also satisfies the requirements for the applications that are to be hosted on the server. A the time of writing the min requirements are:

• CPU - 1.4 GHz 64 Bit
• RAM - 512 MB
• Disk Space - 32 GB

Timing is everything - if you are performing an upgrade make sure that you are doing so in a time that is acceptable to business (perhaps a dedicated maintenance window). taking a system off line in production is not going to make a lot of people happy. Also make sure that you have an up to date and verified backup of any systems that you are tinkering with.

Mass Storage (and other) Drivers

Server 2012 requires digitally signed drivers, and non signed drivers can cause issues in setup. To aleviate this, you can disable this requirement by: Pressing F8 at Startup -> Advanced Boot Options -> Disable Driver Signature Enforcement -> load windows and install driver

F6 is pressed during installation to enable installation of mass storage drivers during install. these may be needed for RAID and other associated disk devices.

  

Who is Hosting my Domain Email?

Who is Hosting my Domain Email?

To find out who is hosting your domain email is pretty easy. Here's how you do it:

1. Open a command prompt (shortcut to do this is hold down Windows Key and the R Key, then type CMD in the Run window) 
2. In the command prompt window type in

            NSlookup

            set qtype=mx

            (please note that this is entered without the www)

This will query your DNS and present you with the mail server for your domain - pretty easy!

How To Fix Windows Update Issues in Windows 8, 7, Vista, Server

How To Fix Windows Update Issues

Windows update can cause several issues, often leaving you with a cryptic error message such as 0x8024402c, 80070643, 8024800A or many others. Alternatively, you may also get an error like "Windows update cannot check for updates because the service is not running" . This article will go through how to troubleshoot Windows Update issues as a whole.Instructions for various specific issues such as those shown above can also be found on this site (just use the search feature to locate them).

Before making any changes to your system, please create a restore point or make a backup of any important work such as photos or documents. If you are unsure on how to create a restore point, please consult this Microsoft article: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/windows7/create-a-restore-point

Windows Update Fix It Tool

This tool is a great starting point for troubleshooting Windows Update and is highly successful in resolving a variety of issues. The Tool can be downloaded here: http://support.microsoft.com/mats/windows_update/ . At the time of writing there was no Windows 8 64 Bit version of this tool, hopefully Microsoft will make a version available in the near future.

Also available is The System Update Readiness tool, located here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/windows7/what-is-the-system-update-readiness-tool . This tool will troubleshoot your system and solve any problems. The program is not very verbose, in that it doesn't really tell you what its doing, however it is effective in rectifying common Windows Update Issues.

Windows Update Log

For Those who wish to do further troubleshooting or if the above tools do not solve your issue, the Windows Update Log is a great place to start looking for clues as to what is going on. to access the log open a Run Command and type (or just copy from this blog) %Windir%\windowsupdate.log and press Enter. I have included a snippet from a log below:.

In this case, the log is displaying that error 0x800f0902 has occurred where Windows was unable to download updates. This is a fantastic starting point for further troubleshooting of issues that are occurring.

Windows Services

There are three main services involved with Windows Update, the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS ) and the Workstation Service. If any of these are not started and running, Windows will be unable to apply updates.

To access the Windows Services open a Run Windows (Windows Key + R) and enter services.msc . This will open a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) showing Running Services.

For each of the above services check the following:

1. Scroll down till you find the service (in this case Background Intelligent Update Service). as seen in the picture, the status should be Running and the Startup Type should be :
• Automatic (Delayed Start) for the BITS service
• Automatic for the Workstation Service
• Manual (Trigger Start) for the Windows Update Service - (note that on some Windows 7 Systems it may also be set to Automatic Start)
2. If the services are shut down, or not set to the appropriate start up type:
• Double Click on the Service. This will open the Properties Window for the service
• Change the Startup Type to the correct mode and /or click start to start the service
  
3. If the service will not start, then a good thing to do is run the above Fix It Tool or System Update Readiness Tool and see the results. failing that, consult the Windows Update log as also shown above.

Deleting Windows Update File Locations

If you have an update that will not successfully install (e.g. it repeatedly tries to install but fails when shutting down) or further investigation has suggested, it may be necessary to manually delete the files and folders containing Windows Update data and database. Please ensure that you have backed up any data or created a restore point before deleting any files

Note that before doing this you may need to stop with Windows Update Service. - see above for instructions on how to locate the service. once found double click the service to expose the properties window and choose stop. After you can either reboot to start the service or double click and choose start

The Windows Update download location can be found at C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download . This is the repository where windows stores downloaded updates.

Its normally OK to delete these files as they are just the installers, not the actual applied updates. To delete these , click on the window, and press Control and A . This will highlight all the items in the screen. Right Click and choose Delete. answer YES to any verifcation prompts.

The Windows Update Download location is found at C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\datastore . 

This is the actual location of the Windows Update Database. if this database is corrupted then it may be easiest to delete it. Windows should create a new database automatically. To delete the database, open the location above click on the window, and press Control and A . This will highlight all the items in the screen. Right Click and choose Delete. answer YES to any verification prompts.

Uninstall Windows Updates

Occasionally you will installa n update that may not play nice with your system due to incompatibility with other installed programs, a failed install or occasionally an update that is not functioning as Microsoft intended. to remove these updates:

1. Open Control Panel
• In Windows 7 / Vista / 2008 go to Start -> Control Panel
• In Windows 8, or Server 2012 go to the Start Screen  and type Control Panel. this will bing up the control Panel Icon. Choose this Icon
  
2. Select to view by Small Icons (Optional) then choose Programs and Features
   
3. in the left hand corner, select View Installed Updates
   
   
   
   

From this location you can uninstall any updates that you are having problems with. The trick here is to know which update you are looking for that is causing you a problem. This may be identified by either the Windows Update Log (see above), Windows Event Viewer, personal observation or other knowledge base searches.

This article has discussed various ways of troubleshooting Windows Update problems and how to resolve them.