Category: Microsoft

Posts regarding the server and desktop products from Microsoft

Categories
Windows 10

Fix | Windows 10, “the connection cannot proceed because authentication is not enabled”

Ah security, the balance between not allowing access at all and allowing too much access. In Windows 10 Microsoft changed RDP’s defaults. They modified the default for “SecurityLayer…

Source: Fix | Windows 10, “the connection cannot proceed because authentication is not enabled”

Categories
Windows 2008 R2

How to enable RemoteApp (via RDP 7.0) within VirtualBox or VMWare running Windows 7, Vista SP1+ or Windows XP SP3

Excellent information for configuring a terminal server to publish RemoteApps.

Source: How to enable RemoteApp (via RDP 7.0) within VirtualBox or VMWare running Windows 7, Vista SP1+ or Windows XP SP3

Categories
Windows 2008 R2

Configuring RemoteApps

Excellent information for configuring a terminal server to publish RemoteApps.

 

Categories
Windows 2008 R2

“‘Microsoft.Policies.Sensors.WindowsLocationProvider’ is already defined” error when you edit a policy in Windows

Quick fix to an annoying error in Group Policy Management Console.

Fixes an issue that occurs when the central store contains the .admx files from Windows 10.

Source: “‘Microsoft.Policies.Sensors.WindowsLocationProvider’ is already defined” error when you edit a policy in Windows

Categories
Windows 2008 R2

Upgrading Windows Server 2008 R2 Certificate Authority to SHA-256

After implementing SSL for our WordPress site, I noticed that the padlock in chrome was not green. I knew because we were using a self-signed internal CA it wouldn’t be perfect, but I was still curious. So checking it through www.whynopadlock.com it indicated that the SSL certificate was using SHA-1 algorithm. Well, current searches revealed that this will soon be deprecated and that we were in need of updating our CAs to SHA-2 in order to avoid padlock warning in chrome (and all other necessary security requirements). Here’s a quick synopsis of the steps taken on the Windows Server 2008 R2 CA role server.

  • open administrative command prompt
  • ‘certutil -setreg ca\csp\CNGHashAlgorithm SHA256’
  • ‘net stop certsvc && net start certsvc’
  • observe the CA properties now showing SHA256 for ‘Hash Algorithm’

CA update

The next steps involved updating the CA certificate itself:

  • in Certificate Authority MMC console, select the CA and open All Tasks, select Renew CA Certifcate.
  • Accept the request to stop the Active Directory Certificate Service
  • Select Yes to generate a new signing key.

To confirm the configuration:

  • Select the CA and open Properties
  • On the General tab, observe the actual Hash Algorithm of SHA256
  • View the certificate properties and browse the Details. Under the Signature hash Algorithm it should display SHA256. Notice that the previous certificate details show SHA1.

All certificates generated by the CA should now be using SHA256 Hash Alogirthm.

 

 

Categories
Windows 7 Windows 8/8.1

Create Windows 8 VHD for Boot to VHD

Very good instructions for booting to a VHD for development purposes.

How to Create Windows 8 VHD for Boot to VHD using simple, easy to follow steps – Harold Wong’s Blog with Geekie Thoughts and Insights – Site Home – TechNet Blogs.

Categories
Microsoft vSphere

Virtual machine fails to boot with a blue diagnostic screen

Trying to import the client’s workstations and servers into the current vsphere environment. After taking a system image within Windows, I mounted the USB device (with WindowsImageBackup directory in the disk’s root) and restored into the VM. Subsequent boot yielded BSOD. Stumbled upon this VMware KB article which solved the problem first shot.

  • Click Start > Run, type regedit, and click OK. The Registry Editor window opens.
  • In the Registry Editor, select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
  • Select File > Load Hive.
  • Navigate to the drive on which Windows is installed (usually C:\).
  • Open the file named SYSTEM located at Windows/system32/config.
  • Name the file as P2V, when prompted.
  • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\P2V\ControlSet001\services\LSI_SAS.
  • Right-click the Start key and click Modify.
  • Set the Value data to REG_DWORD 0.
  • Close the Registry Editor.
  • Restart the virtual machine.

 

VMware KB: Virtual machine fails to boot with a blue diagnostic screen stating: 7B Stop Code after using VMware Converter.

Categories
Microsoft

Creating a dual-boot WinPE 5.0 boot image (x86 and x64 support)

This is an awesome, easy to follow walkthrough for creating x86 and x64 WinPE boot images. Will definitely be using this frequently.

Deployment Research > Research – Creating a dual-boot WinPE 5.0 boot image (x86 and x64 support).

Categories
Microsoft

A Cup of IT: SCCM: How to structure Software Updates

Nice perspective on Windows Updates via SCCM.

via A Cup of IT: SCCM: How to structure Software Updates.

Categories
Networking Windows 8/8.1

PL2303 Prolific USB Driver for Windows 8.1

Ever try to log onto a cisco switch console with a blue rollover cable on Windows 8.1? I had the problem of my USB-to-serial not working until I found this driver. Putty works great now!

1. Download the driver Profilic_Win8_x64_x86 and extract it
2. Open Device Manager3. Expand Ports (COM & LPT)
4. Right click device name Prolifc USB-to-Serial Comm Port and select Property
5. Select Driver tab
6. Click Update Driver
7. Choose Browse my computer for driver software
8. Choose Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer
9. Click Have Disk
10. Choose the folder that you extracted from the downloaded zip file.
11. Choose file “ser2pl.inf” and click Open
12. Click OK
13. After successfully installed restart your PC.

via PL2303 Prolific USB to TTL Driver for Windows 8.1 | Anand Dersingh, Ph.D..