Edit Group Policy on Remote Computer

To access to Local Group Policy of a computer,  type  gpedit.msc

In order to access the Local Group Policy of a remote computer,  type   gpedit.msc /gpcomputer: computerhostname

 

 

 

 

An Error Occurred While Checking for New Updates For Your Computer. Error 800B0001

 

My WSUS was working fine until today, when I get an error code 800B0001 , an error occurred while checking for new updates for your computer.

After long hours of searching, finally discovered I need to install Windows Server Update Services 3.0 SP2 patch, KB2720211

Rebooted WSUS after patching & WSUS works like charm!

 

 

 

Sticky Notes Property Selection

 

Can't get much option can be choosen when it comes to Sticky Notes property. However, the standard keys can be applied :

Ctrl + T  to strike out a note
Ctrl + B  to bold
Ctrl + I   for italic
Ctrl + U  for underline

Fedora 17

Been toying with Linux of late. Have played with these distribution for a while, OpenXange and now Fedora 17. Been struggling with them, especially on installing Broadcom wireless driver. For a newbie, a lot of information are needed to get the ball rolling . Thanks to the power of Google, these sites helps :

Installed Fedora 17 on HP Mini 2140 & could not get the Broadcom wireless to work. Error "firmware missing". Details & step by step described at this site helps -> http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43#devicefirmware

Installed OpenOffice, an alternative to commercial business apps such as Microsoft Office. Get OpenOffice for free at this site -> http://www.if-not-true-then-false.com/2010/install-openoffice-org-on-fedora-centos-red-hat-rhel/ 

Waiting For Reply To Message On Message Queue QSYSOPR

Was performing AS400 Full System Backup to LTO Tape. Half way executing, there was a message displayed on pc based AS400 Console “waiting for reply to message on message queue qsysopr” with an  “X” symbol.  Was waiting for almost 45 minutes for something miracle to happened, until I lost my patience.  After some googling, found I need to  Hit SHIFT + ESC key, select opt 6 – Display System Operator Message & answer the message.

 

Can’t IBM design the AS400 server to be more user friendly ?

 

 

Some Great Windows Tools for Administrators

Kevin Beaver, a contributor to SearchEnterpriseDesktop wrote great article about Windows SysInternals tool. 

Another look at Windows Sysinternals finds yet more useful tools

Kevin Beaver, Contributor

 

I can't believe that it has been six years since Microsoft acquired Winternals Software, makers of the beloved Sysinternals tool set for Windows admins and tinkerers. I was concerned about Windows management tools going away as so many other cool technologies do after an acquisition. Luckily, that didn't happen.

There have been a fair number of updates to Windows Sysinternals over the past few years, but one thing hasn't changed much: the fact that so many Windows administrators I bump into have not yet heard of the Windows management tool set, much less used it.

These tools can benefit desktop admins just as much as digital multimeters help electricians. There are just some things you simply cannot do without these programs -- both in the enterprise and (of course) at home when helping friends, relatives and neighbors with their computer problems.

I'm especially fond of Process Explorer and Process Monitor because I use these tools frequently. I've covered other Sysinternals tools that I believe are useful for security tasks, but here are a few more that you may find useful when managing Windows desktops in the enterprise:

Autoruns can helpbeef up software debugging by showing all the autostart programs, services, registry keys and anything else imaginable on a Windows desktop, as shown in the screenshot.

Contig allows you to defragment specific files. As you've likely seen, disk defragmenters often ignore certain files, so Contig provides a way to ensure that defragmentation has taken place on all files.

Desktops is a tool for arranging specific programs on specific virtual desktops. Perhaps more of a novelty, it could still boost productivity or otherwise prove useful, depending on an organization's needs (such as those in manufacturing or kiosks).

NotMyFault is a tool for bringing Windows systems to their knees via deliberate crashing, hanging or memory leaks. This could come in handy for resiliency tests, forensics analysis or whatever you can dream up.

RAMMap allows IT admins to map out how physical memory is being utilized, including the caching of data and drivers. The tool supports Windows Vista and above, and just might be the resource you need to justify more memory for your workstations. Or better yet, RAMMap can help justify upgrading to solid-state hard drives which, in my opinion, is the best Windows performance booster ever.

VolumeID is good for troubleshooting problems that may surface with disk image backups and restores, or software licenses and registrations that are tied to your system's volume ID.
Just as a network analyzer can provide a view into what's happening at the protocol level on a network, so too can Sysinternals reveal the amazing action behind the scenes of a Windows computer. When you load tools such as Process Monitor or Autoruns, you realize just how complex the Windows operating system truly is.

With so much taking place in the background, it's a wonder that our computers are as stable as they are. But this complexity also underscores the very reason why Windows desktops have such trouble with malware. 

Health Tips

 

 

How To Find NTP Server On Network

A NTP (network time protocol) server act as a time keeper. It sync the time to all computers on a network. To find or check whether a NTP server exist on a network, key in this command :

 

w32tm /query  /status

 

 

 

Internet Explorer Security Level - High Only

Came across Internet Explorer Security option only has High level available. There's no other level available such as Medium, Medium-High. Even the Custom Level doesn't help. This is because "Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration" has been enabled. Follow this to turn it off :

1. Close all instances of Internet Explorer.
2. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.
3. If a User Account Control dialog box appears, click Continue.
4. Under Security Summary, click Configure IE ESC.
5. Under Administrators, click OFF.
6. Under Users, click OFF.
7. Click OK.

How To Know Whether Your iPad Is The New iPad (iPad3)

·         The new IPad (IPad 3) has Dictation option in  Settings > General > Keyboard >

·          Settings > General > About > Diagnostics & Usage > Diagnostics & Usage Data. Click on any PLIST. Hardware Model will state iPad3


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How To Manually Kill A Windows Service

Assume service needs to be terminated is smtp service, issue this command under Administrator mode :

 

sc queryex smtpsvc

 

taskkill /PID xxx /F

 

 

Fix Outlook Search Feature

A good write up on how to fix Outlook 2010 Search ->  http://bit.ly/QDCuTl



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Adober Reader Offline Standalone Installer

Adober Reader Offline Standalone Installer can be obtain from below ftp site

ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/




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Problem clicking URL link in Outlook 2010

When clicking on a URL link in Outlook, message prompted “This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.”

Tried downloaded the quick fix from Microsoft site, but doesn't help. Setting the default browser to IE also doesn't help.

The solution on registry fix posted on this website http://www.msoutlook.info/question/242  works prefectly fine.

VMware Free Tools

Some of the great free tools available for VMware can be found here :

http://www.vclouds.nl/2012/05/14/top-20-free-tools-vmware/

vmware-hostd.exe - Application Error : The exception unknown software exception (0x40000015) occurred in the application at location 0x781346b4

Installing VMWare Server 2.02 on Windows Server 2003 Standard x64 Edition, but error message  vmware-hostd.exe - Application Error : The exception unknown software exception (0x40000015) occurred in the application at location 0x781346b4  after installation completed.

On Event Viewer, found another error The VMware Host Agent service terminated with service-specific error 4294967295 (0xFFFFFFFF)

Managed to resolved this error with this how to :

A group named "_vmware_" was created in Windows Local Users & Group during installation. Assign this group to following folders :

a. C:\Virtual Machines
b. C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware
c. C:\Documents and Settings\All Users
d. Re-install VMWare server using 'repair' option.

Clam Antivirus

Looking for free antivirus for Windows ? Look no more. Clam Antivirus is available at no cost.

 

Excel file size extremely huge

Been having problem with Excel file size whenever saving a workbook with lots of formula converted to values. A small file with formula of less than 30KB can grow to as big as 13MB.

Found a solution to this. Download  Microsoft Excel Excess Formatting Cleaner Add-in.

Instant Email Account, Simple & Practical

Need a temporary email account with instant access without going through the hassle of registration, verification, filling in forms ? Try  http://no-spam.ws

SQL 2008 LDF too huge

One of my SQL 2008 database transaction log file (LDF) is growing bigger each day, taking up almost 350GB of disk space.  Found a great write up from André van de Graaf  which helps. Follow his solution in this link. Click here.

Great Open Source Software

Some free software directory here - http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Main_Page

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