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.

How To Shut Down or Restart Windows 8

How To Shut Down or Restart  Windows 8

Shutting down or restarting Windows 8 has proven to be a little tricky for users used to the old tried and true method of going to Start then -> Shut down as has been done in previous versions of Windows. In this article we will show you 3 Different ways to shut down and restart Windows 8.

Method 1: The Windows 8 Power Icon

1. Hover your icon / mouse over the right hand lower corner to expose the Charms Bar as shown on the right:
   
2. The bottom Icon is labeled Settings. Tap / Select this to open the Settings Window
   
3. In the lowest half of the Settings window, choose Power
4. You will now have the options to Sleep, Shut Down or Restart your Windows 8 Computer
   

Method 2: Create a Windows 8 Shut Down and Restart Tile

1. Go to the Desktop (Press WindowsKey-D or go the Start Menu and choose Desktop)
   
2. Right click on a blank area and choose New, Shortcut
   
3. In the location field / box type shutdown /p and press next
   
4. Enter a name for the Shortcut such as Shutdown and choose Finish
   
5. (optional) To create a restart icon, follow steps 1 - 4 but enter shutdown /r /t 0 in the location field
   
6.  To attach this short Cut to your  Start Menu, right click and choose Pin to Start
   

Method 3: Use the Power Button to restart Windows 8

1. Go to the Start Screen and start typing Control Panel . This will show Control Panel in a list of results.
   
2. Select (click) the Control Panel Icon.
3. Locate the Search box (normally located in the top right hand corner) and type Power . This will show the computers Power Options.
   
4. Select Change What Power Options Do
5. The Setting for When I press the Power Button is defaulted to Sleep. change this to Shut Down. On a Laptop you may need to set this for both On Battery and Plugged In
   
6. Choose Save Changed to save these settings

And that's it! 3 Different ways to easily Shut Down and Restart Windows 8.

This Article can also be located on our sister site DizzyIT.com at: