Seaside IT

Print spooler crashing

2011-10-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

We’ve seen this error twice in the past two months. If you restart the spooler service, it crashes again and won’t stay running.

If a quick system restore won’t fix the problem, try this Microsoft Fix-It tool. It’s great as you don’t have to manipulate the registry by hand.

.NET 4 causes SBS 2003 Performance Report alert

2011-09-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

.NET 4 should not be installed on a SBS 2003 unless you’re installing an app that requires it. When you do this, the daily reports will now contain an alert letting you know the .NET 4 automatic service is not running and should be.

If you try to start the .NET 4 service, is starts and stops. So, to remove the alert from the report, install this Microsoft FixIt program.

Timeslips error - “Could not start the database engine. There may not be enough memory to use it or the software may be improperly installed”.

2011-09-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

Timeslips can usually fix this error automatically, however a reboot can also correct this error. However if you’re working with an older version and it persists, do the following:

open the BDE Administrator in the Control Panel
click on the Configuration tab in the left panel
expand System and click on INIT
look for MAXFILEHANDLES and MEMSIZE. Each should be at least 200.
restart Timeslips

HP Host Based LaserJet printers won’t work in a Remote Desktop session

2011-08-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

LaserJet models P1100, P1560, P1600 and P2030 series are “host based” and don’t work with Microsoft’s Easy Print Remote Desktop driver. The work around is to install the driver on the Remote Desktop server and then change group policy so the Easy Print driver is not used first in a Remote Desktop session.
Go to Computer Config -> Admin Templates -> Windows Components -> Remote Desktop Services -> RD Session Host -> Printer Redirection -> Use Remote Desktop Easy Print printer driver first –> disabled.

ATI Catalyst Control Center Woes

2011-07-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

On more than one occasion, we’ve seen ATI’s Catalyst Control Center (CCC) crash on startup and a uninstall/reinstall does not correct the problem.

After numerous searches, we came across the following steps that worked for us. Since this involves modifying the registry and other configuration information, proceed with caution as it may not work for you. In other words, make a backup or set a restore point at the very least:

Uninstall CCC via the control panel.
Ensure the following registry keys are blank:

HKCU/Software/ATI/ACE
HKLM/Software/ATI/ACE

Confirm c:\Program Files\ATI Technologies\ATI.ACE is empty
Review the c:\Windows\Assembly folder to see if any files with a public key token of "90ba9c70f846762e" exist. If so, remove by by right clicking and selecting Uninstall.
Confirm the appropriate (User)\AppData\Local\ATI\ACE folder is empty (folder location may vary depending on OS version.
Reboot and reinstall CCC.

Excel Stalls When Starting Up

2011-06-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

We came across an Excel installation that was extremely slow to start. We tried Excel’s safe mode and it was lightning fast, like it should be. Since there were no Excel add-ins on this machine, the fix was simple. Rename the toolbar and quick access bar files.

For more info, check out this MS knowledgebase file here.

“Adobe PDF creation cannot continue because Acrobat is not activated” error

2011-06-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

Adobe Acrobat 8, 9 and X may return this error even if it’s activated. Interestingly enough, there are not 2 or 3 but 11 possible fixes to this issue that Adobe has documented here.

Installing a self-signed certificate in Windows 7

2011-01-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

Have you tried it and found it doesn’t work like it used to? There’s a simple trick to get it to work. It’s starting up Internet Explorer as an Administrator.

Locate the Internet Explorer shortcut in the Start Menu and right click. Select Run as Administrator.
Navigate to the site with the self-signed certificate.
Click on “Continue to this website (not recommended)
In the Internet Explorer address bar, click on the Certificate Error message. A drop down box will appear warning you about the untrusted certificate. Click on the View Certificates link at the bottom of the box.
A Certificates dialog box will appear. Click on Install certificate.
This starts the Certificate Import Wizard. Click next.
Click on the radio button “Place all certificates in the following store” and click the Browse button.
Select “Trusted Root Certification Authorities” and click OK.
Click Next and the Finish to close the Certificate Import Wizard.
You’ll get a warning message about the certificate; click Yes to close the box. Another box will appear letting you know the import was successful. Click OK to close this message box.
Click OK to close the Certificates dialog box.

Small Business Server 2008 Reports Event 130 - Expiring Certificate

2010-12-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

If you see this error, it’s easy to fix. Just run the Fix My Network wizard and follow the prompts. The link to the wizard is found in the SBS Console. Go to the Network Page and click on the Connectivity tab.

Outlook 2010 NK2 File

2010-12-04T08:28:00.001-08:00

We came across this post yesterday on MS SBS MVP Philip Elder’s blog. We’ve always copied the NK2 from a profile to assist users who (as Philip describes) say “they’ve lost their address book”. More information can be found in MS KB article here. Thanks, Philip!

Exchange 2007 Reports Application Error 12017 - Expiring Certificate

2010-11-27T08:06:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, we proactively monitor application errors, so we caught this before caused problems. If you see this, open the Exchange PowerShell environment and run this command to see the certificate expiration dates:
get-exchangecertificate | fl
The system will respond with the names of the certificates on the system. Review each one and get the following info:

thumbprint of the certificate that’s about to expire
the services assigned
the certificate domains

Then, create a new certificate and disable the old one with PowerShell as follows:
new-exchangecertificate –confirm –domainname [certificate domains separated by a comma] –keysize 2048 –services [place the assigned services in quotes separated by a comma]
enable-exchangecertificate –thumbprint [thumbprint value] – services none
Want more info? Check out MS TechNet here.

Corrupted Update Cache

2010-11-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

Problems with an internet connection can corrupt the downloaded Microsoft or Windows Update cache. You’ll see numerous error codes that stall the manual update process.

When this happens, clear the update cache. At the command prompt, enter the following:

net stop wuauserv
cd \windows
rd /s softwaredistribution
net start wuauserv

This frequently solves the issue, but may not in all instances – YMMV.

Event ID 7001 Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) Errors

2010-11-13T07:01:00.000-08:00

Come across this? Check out Microsoft’s knowledgebase article on how to correct it.

And when you do, don’t forget to re-enable VSS when you’re done!

Confusing Error Messages – Hal.dll missing or corrupt

2010-11-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

Here’s another misleading message:

Winnt_root\System32\Hal.dll missing or corrupt:
Please re-install a copy of the above file.

In many instances, reinstalling the file through the Recovery Console doesn’t work. If that’s the case, try rewriting the boot.ini file as follows:

Access the Recovery Console command prompt
type bootcfg /rebuild (ENTER)
You should see the following message:

Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)
Enter “Y”
Enter Load Identifier:
This is the OS name. Enter Windows XP Professional or whatever flavor you’re working with,
Enter OS Load options:
Enter /Fastdetect and press Enter.

type exit, press enter, remove the CD and Windows should boot properly.

FTP Transfers Blocked By SonicWall

2010-10-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

Here’s a hidden setting in SonicWall units that is meant to protect networks but may cause blocked FTP transfers.

Navigate to the Internal Settings page on the unit (http:/<IP address>/diag,html) and uncheck “FTP bounce attack protection”

We recommend leaving this on unless you find this specifically resolves a FTP transfer issue.

SBS 2008 Reporting Stops Working After WSUS 3 SP2

2010-10-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

SBS 2008 queries WSUS for missing updates on the network. If you install WSUS 3 SP2 and your WSUS database has never been purged, the daily SBS reporting may stop working.

The fix? Open up the WSUS console, go to Options and run the Server Cleanup Wizard. However, on the first time, don’t run the wizard with all the options checked. You’ll find it it won’t finish. Run each option independently. The first option, Unused updates and update revisions, will take a long, long time. So be patient. Do it on a weekend.

Once the WSUS cleanup is done, reporting should be back to normal.

Mail Enabled Distribution groups in Exchange 2007

2010-10-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Simple concept – create an email address that sends mail to a group of people. It’s easy to set up in Exchange 2007 too:

Open Exchange Management Console
Click on Recipient Configuration
In the Action task panel, click on New Distribution Group to start the wizard
On the Introduction page, select New Group and click Next
On the Group Information page, select Distribution. Then, type the name of the group under the Name and click Next
Click New and then Finish to complete the wizard.
Right click on the new group and select properties and select the Members tab
Add the desired users to the group and click Apply.

You’d think that would be it, however there’s a catch. This only creates an internal distribution list. In order for it to work externally, there’s more:

In the Group Properties dialog box that’s open, select the Mail Flow Settings tab
Highlight Message Delivery Restrictions and press the Properties button.
Uncheck the “Require that all senders are authenticated” box and click Apply.

Confusing Error Messages – IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

2010-10-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

This is one of the dreaded “blue screen of death” messages. Do a web search, and you’ll find it’s usually caused by a bad device driver. MS TechNet has a list of things to try here.

Our fast method for getting the box back on it’s feet is to run the System Restore utility in Safe Mode. Then you can easily reinstall or update the faulty driver.

However, what if nothing has been installed and this doesn’t resolve the issue? Try running the chkdsk/r command. In many instances, a slightly tweaked disk will bring the system to a halt with this message. Chkdsk can take a while, but this usually corrects a problem that System Restore won’t. If you find chkdsk takes a very long time, read the TechNet article and try their recommendations.

Access Based Enumeration

2010-10-02T08:01:00.001-07:00

This is a great file system feature “borrowed” from NetWare. If you’ve ever come across the need to hide files and folders a user does not have access to, simply turn this on. Here’s a great blog post (thanks, Aaron!) that explains how to do it in Server 2003 and 2008.

Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security 6 reports “excessive policy violation of behavior monitoring”

2010-09-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

One of the servers we support started reporting behavior monitoring policy violations on all of the workstations. A colleague let us know about a service bulletin published that same day from Trend addressing the issue. We installed SP3 on the server and that resolved the problem. Thanks, Steve!

Disable Outlook Business Contact Manager Setup Wizard

2010-09-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, a client will want to keep BCM installed and complete the setup later. Rather than uninstalling BCM, disable the setup prompt by following the steps outlined in this MS Knowledgebase article. It’s a simple regedit entry.

Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security 6 SP3 may cause BSOD error

2010-09-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

We installed service pack 3 for Trend’s Worry Free Business Security on one of the SBS 2003 servers we support. Within a few hours, the server threw a blue screen of death, wrote a memory dump file and restarted. We analyzed the dump file and determined the cause was due to TMEVTMGR.SYS driver.

Trend’s support team already had a hot fix for the issue. If you’re impacted by this, give them a call to receive download information as the fix has not yet been released for wide distribution.

Broken TIF, TIFF and MDI Office 2003 File Association Hotfix

2010-09-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Office 2003 SP3 and certain subsequent updates can break the association of Microsoft Office Document Imaging with TIFF and MDI files. While it’s easy to fix, MS has released a hotfix to automate the process for you. It’s not available for direct downloading; you must request it here from Microsoft.

Thanks to the SBS Diva for the heads up.

Confusing Error Messages – Ntoskrnl.exe missing

2010-08-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

It can be confusing when an error message does not clearly describe a problem. We’ve seen this with all types of software, not just Microsoft or Apple products. Here’s an example we came across recently:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

Winnt_root\System32\Ntoskrnl.exe

Please reinstall a copy of the above file.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is usually the result of a missing or corrupt boot.ini file. The Ntoskrnl.exe file is most likely on the disk, however the system can’t see it because it can’t find the hard disk during the boot up process.

The fix is to boot the PC into the Recovery Console and do the following:

Type bootcfg/rebuild (enter)
When asked “Add installation to boot list? (yes/no/all), type y
When asked to “Enter Load Identifier:”, enter the name of the OS, such as Windows XP Professional
When asked to “Enter OS Load options:”, press enter and restart the computer.

The Terminal Service Gateway may randomly disconnect machines

2010-08-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

This MS knowledge base article was brought to our attention by Susan Bradley's excellent blog. If you're experiencing this issue, you may want to try the tweaks recommended in the post.

Not Enough Memory Available Message When Opening Outlook PST

2010-08-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

After successfully repairing a large PST file, we saw this message appear in Outlook 2007. The folks at Microsoft PSS helped us troubleshoot this with the following suggestions:

- Check the permissions of the PST file; ensure the user has full permission of the file

- Configure the antivirus software not to scan PST files

- Check the amount of available disk space on the computer

- Check the file on another client PC; if the file opens properly, rerun scanpst.exe on the PST file

We found the amount of disk space was extremely low, preventing Windows from creating the virtual memory needed to proceed. Once we freed up disk space, we were able to open the PST file again.

Remote Desktop Client Changes Default Printer in Terminal Server and Remote Desktop Server

2010-08-07T09:51:00.001-07:00

The Remote Desktop Client redirects the local printers by default. This is done so the user can send a print job from the Remote Desktop Server or Terminal Services Server to a printer connected to their PC. When the user logs in, the default printer is automatically changed so the user’s redirected printer is now the default.

In certain instances, you may want not want the redirected printer as the default. To change this behavior, enable the Group Policy “Do not set default client printer to be default printer in a session” under Computer Configuration – Policies – Administrative Templates – Windows Components – Terminal Services – Terminal Server – Printer Redirection.

New Small Business Server Products Coming from Microsoft

2010-07-31T08:30:00.001-07:00

Microsoft announced two (!) new products for the Small Business Server family at the Worldwide Partner Conference this month. As expected, an updated version of Small Business Server 2008, code named “Small Business Server 7” will have updated components and updated integration elements. Specifically, Windows Server 2008 will be replaced with 2008 R2, Exchange 2007 will be replaced with 2010, Windows SharePoint Services 3 will be replaced with SharePoint Foundation 2010 and SQL Server 2008 will be updated with 2008 R2. The Remote Web Workplace portal has been updated as well as components that provide server management. Windows Software Update Services 3 remains unchanged. Also unchanged is the maximum number of users supported which is 75.

The big surprise was the product code named “Aurora”. Aimed at businesses without a server, this product uses architecture elements from Microsoft’s Home Server product and SBS 2008 products. From Home Server, comes workstation backup and simple software RAID. From SBS, comes robust domain security and Remote Web Workplace. New to any Microsoft server offering is explicit integration and support for Microsoft’s hosted Exchange and SharePoint products. Aurora will support up to 25 users.

We plan on testing both products in our lab so we’ll be ready to offer and support these products upon release.

SonicWall Global VPN Client connection issues

2010-07-24T08:09:00.001-07:00

SonicWall’s VPN client won’t connect without adjustment to the default Group VPN policy. A quick check of the client software’s log will display "Failed to find MAC address 00:60:73:xx:xx:xx in the system interfaces table".

What’s happening is VPN client is connecting to the SonicWall but not receiving an IP address from the destination network. While there are numerous other workarounds on SonicWall’s website, we found none of these worked for us. We found the answer in the Group VPN policy settings. The Virtual Adapter setting (found on the Client tab) was set to None preventing connectivity. Setting this to DHCP Lease or DHCP Lease or Manual Configuration corrected the problem.

Oddly enough, we found "none" to be a default setting in the units we manage.

No Internet Connectivity on SBS 2008

2010-07-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

One of our clients lost internet connectivity on their SBS 2008 server this week. Since the business relies on a hosted line of business app, this was a critical issue. Internal networking was all OK, just no internet access.

We first checked internet connectivity from the ISP and there was no problem. Then we checked the UTM device, also no problem. We connected a notebook PC to the UTM and got out to the internet immediately.

We’ve had several problems in the past with Broadcom NICs in Dell servers, so we looked for the problematic settings but everything was configured properly. After downloading and updating the NIC drivers and firmware, we restarted server but still no luck.

This lead us to believe there might be a DNS problem. Rather than checking the settings, we tried the SBS Fix My Network wizard. Oddly enough, it would not run. The SBS Console just froze. Still thinking DNS, we checked the settings. All OK.

Next, we went to a workstation and entered the ISP’s DNS settings, bypassing the server DNS. That didn’t work either and it should have. We then reset the gigabit switch and internet connectivity was restored. Once the internet connectivity was restored, the SBS Fix My Network wizard worked too. This issue was rather odd, especially since internal networking was not affected.

Fake Antivirus Software Scams

2010-07-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

Viruses have changed dramatically over the past few years; instead of just wreaking havoc with your system, these software threats have become quite sophisticated. The most common problem we see is fake antivirus software claiming a problem exists on a system. This, of course, is completely unfounded as the problem is the fake antivirus software itself.

In most instances, the user is confused by the message and clicks on prompts to install the software. It’s easy to do as the messages have the “look and feel” of antivirus software. Once the threat is installed, quick action can usually deactivate the program. We usually restart the system in safe mode and use System Restore to bring the system settings back to proper working order. With another restart, we then run the trusted antivirus solution to clean the deactivated threat off of the system.

It’s interesting to note that we never see these issues in the businesses we work with as we always deploy a UTM (universal threat management) solution at the internet’s point of entry. We only see this on machines that are outside of the networks we support.

Installing KB983444 may cause issues

2010-07-03T08:46:00.001-07:00

So, instead of just blasting this one out, you may want to do some additional testing first. The SBS Support Team in Las Colinas has information here in the event SharePoint is unavailable after the patch.

Changing Message Size Limits in Exchange 2007

2010-06-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

It’s done in three places using PowerShell. Check out the SBS Team’s blog post for details.

Windows Server restarts without warning

2010-06-19T08:22:00.001-07:00

We’ve been investigating an interesting issue for the past several weeks. One of the servers we manage has been restarting without warning every other Sunday morning. Thankfully, no one is on the system, no files are open and nothing is taking place. No VSS snapshots, no backup – nothing.

What’s been so odd about it is there’s been nothing in any of the system logs. And no memory dump either. Just a reboot out of nowhere.

We took a look at the UPS and didn’t see any problems, but once we opened up its web console, we found the answer. The UPS had a self test scheduled for that time. And none of the tests were logged since the problem started. We ran the self-test manually and immediately discovered the self test cycle was resetting the power to the UPS and bringing down the server.

The manual self-test also triggered a bad battery alarm, so we immediately ordered a new battery and replaced it, resolving the problem.

SharePoint 2010 video

2010-06-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

SharePoint 2010 is out and it has the Office ribbon too. Take a look at this YouTube video demonstrating the new UI.

Trend CSA installation on x64 fails with WFBS 6 SP2

2010-06-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Trend has a hotfix for it, so load it up on the server before you install the client on a x64 machine and you won’t have a problem.

PeachTree can’t remember window positions

2010-05-29T08:03:00.001-07:00

PeachTree often insists on opening windows full screen and won’t allow any adjustments whatsoever. This is very inconvenient when you’re trying to get work done.

To correct it, backup of the registry first. Open Regedit and go to this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\PEACHTREE\<PEACHTREE PRODUCT>\<VERSION NUMBER>

Highlight the “Positions” folder and delete it. This resets all Peachtree windows to their default.

Removing TS/RD Licenses from a workstation

2010-05-22T08:40:00.001-07:00

In some instances, Terminal Server or Remote Desktop client access licenses are not validated properly by the server. The user may see the following message:

“The remote computer disconnected the session decease of an error in the licensing protocol. Please try connecting to the remote computer again, or contact your server administrator.”

In most cases, removing the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSLicensing key and its subkeys solves the problem. However on Vista and Windows 7 clients, the problem may persist.

In that instance, right click the RDP shortcut and select Run as Administrator when starting the session. This allows the registry keys to be correctly re-written. For more info, click here.

VSS Errors and ShadowProtect

2010-05-15T08:10:00.001-07:00

Although ShadowProtect 4 is out, StorageCraft published maintenance release 3.5.2 to resolve VSS errors such as event ID 12301 and 12293. It installs over the existing version and resolves these issues.

File/Folder Being Used By Another Person or Program

2010-05-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

We’ve all seen this at some point when attempting to delete a file or a folder. Here’s a great tool to help you past this when trying to get work done.

IPSec service won’t start

2010-04-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

When this happens, all TCP/IP traffic stops. If you try to restart the service, you may receive this message:

Error 10048: Only one usage of each socket address (protocol/network address/port) is normally permitted.

If you look in the Event Log, you’ll see that IPSec has entered block mode. The recommendation is to disable IPSec services and restart the server. Don’t follow that advice.

To get everyone working quickly, stop the DNS Server service. Then start the IPSec service start. Restart the DNS Server service and everything should be back to normal – at least for now.

This behavior is due to a problem after installing update MS08-037 which addressed DNS vulnerabilities.

To avoid the problem in the future, you’ll need to edit the registry key that lists the DNS port reservations. Check out the details here for more info.

.NET Framework Corruption Issues

2010-04-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

When a .NET Framework becomes corrupt, correcting the problem can be time consuming. Specifically, if .NET 1.1 is corrupt, all subsequent .NET Frameworks releases installed must also be removed. If just version 3.5 has an issue, the earlier releases can be left alone if there’s no problem.

We came across a .NET problem that prevented the removal of two of the four Framework releases. Aaron Steiner’s .NET Framework Cleanup Tool easily removed all corrupted remnants and permitted us to reinstall everything quickly.

Using Printers With Remote Desktop Protocol

2010-04-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

The updates to the Terminal Services and Remote Desktop Protocol printing functionality in Windows 2008 and 2008 R2 has been great in our experience. However, on occasion, it’s not always as seamless as you would hope.

That’s not to say that it’s Microsoft’s fault – it’s usually a result of the printer manufacturers. Due to the myriad of drivers available for even a single printer model, printer names get mismatched and sometimes it’s just a few characters like a version number or a dash that causes problems.

For example, a LaserJet 5 could appear as a LaserJet 5 Series, Laserjet 5 Series PCL6, etc. depending on the version of the driver and the exact printer model.

Instead of removing and reinstalling the matching driver, Microsoft has a workaround in this KB. To summarize, you’ll see event ID 1111, 1105 or 1106 in the system logs. Create a registry key and a corresponding .inf file that matches the printer name variations. Works great.

There’s also a Printer Driver Redirection Wizard that automates the creation of the .inf file if you need more help.

CEICW error on SBS 2003

2010-04-03T08:13:00.001-07:00

This week, we saw a SBS server run the following message when running the CEICW:

“This wizard can only be run on a Small Business Server computer.”

Since the wizard only appears on a Small Business Server computer, we were a bit puzzled. As it turns out, this is the result of a missing registry key. MS has posted a hotfix for it and you can request it here.

Office 2010 RTM

2010-04-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Office 2010 was released to manufacturing last week. If you’ve got a TechNet or MSDN subscription, you can check it out today.

We’ve been working with the Technology Preview and Beta versions since last August. It’s a solid product, so when it’s available for purchase in the coming weeks, there’s no need to hold off.

The addition of the “ribbon” interface to Outlook, Publisher, Project and Visio are excellent.

Office 2007 Professional Activation with Chinese Writing

2010-03-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

A friend purchased a new notebook and wanted Microsoft Access. He enlisted a seller on E-Bay to deliver a fresh retail copy of Office Professional for the great price of $150. However, the serial number sticker doesn’t look quite right - it has a fold down the center. Insert the CD, run through the installation and all appears OK until it’s time for activation.

Up comes a dialog with Chinese characters! Click what appears to be the OK button and we’re taken to a Microsoft piracy site suggesting we purchase Office directly from them.

Well, so much for the great deal. Even if the software activated properly, who knows what crud had been placed in the bits on the disk? No thanks.

Trend Micro Discontinues Support for CSM 3.6

2010-03-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

Trend is stopping support on 3/31/10, so, it’s time to get all those “servers” who are reluctant to upgrade to get with the program! You’ll want to do it anyway because it works better.

You need to prepare before you do this. Reason being is that the current product, Worry Free Business Security 6 needs more disk space. Older Server 2003 boxes were typically built with small system partitions, so there are a few things to keep in mind.

Have at least 10 GB or more free, not just for the installation but for normal application operation.
Don’t launch the distribution executable from the sysvol. Move it to another drive and use WinRAR to expand it before launching it. Locate setup.exe and run it on that other drive. The distribution executable is appx. 700MB; when you expand it, it uses another 1.1 GB or so. This can save you about 2 GB.
Go to Trend Micro’s partner support portal and download the cleanup utility (subscription required).

On a SBS server, the upgrade can take 45 – 90 minutes, so be patient. It works.

Windows Server 2008 Fax Service – Custom Cover Pages

2010-03-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Fax Service Manager admin tool in Windows Server 2008 does not properly add custom cover pages to the Common Coverpages folder on the server. Since the files in these folders have unique rights, we asked MS PSS for assistance.

In the Common Coverpages folder, you’ll see the four default fax cover pages. There’s also another folder inside, EN-US. The same four cover pages are in that folder as well. In order to add a coverpage and have it available to all users across the network using the shared fax service, we found the custom cover page has to be in both folders with the following permissions:

Administrators – read, execute
System – read, execute
Users – read, execute
TrustedInstaller – full control (cmd line - icacls coverpage01.cov /grant "NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller:(F)")

Another SharePoint 3 Issue

2010-03-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

SharePoint Services 3 Search started throwing event ID 2424 almost 200 times in a day. Turns out, this is another quick fix. Check out the SBS Team post here for more info.

SharePoint 3 Unavailable After Installing SP2

2010-02-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

We installed SharePoint 3 Service Pack 2 for a client and the message “cannot connect to the configuration database” was returned when we tried to access the sites.

Thank goodness for the SBS Support Team in Las Colinas, TX. They knew about the error and had a simple fix posted here on their blog. Fire up the command line, enter the command described and you should be good to go.

Adobe Reader PDF Preview Handler and Windows 7 64-bit

2010-02-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

A preview handler is a plug in that allows you to view a file in Windows Explorer (Vista and Windows 7) and in Outlook (2007 and 2010).

For well over two years, the installation routine for Adobe Reader has had an error which prevents the preview handler from being properly installed in 64-bit systems. We came across this site that published an installer to correct the error. Works great – thanks!

It’s hard to understand why Adobe doesn’t fix the error. Very strange.

MS Update Causes BSoD on Some XP Systems - Revisited

2010-02-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

As it turns out, the issue with the KB977165 patch was due to a W32/Alureon rootkit infection.

Journal Wrap Error on Server Volumes

2010-02-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

When your server reports Journal Wrap Error – event ID 13568 on a restart, try this:

Create a DWORD registry key named "Enable Journal Wrap Automatic Restore" under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\SERVICES\NTFRS\Parameters and set it to 1.
Restart the NTFRS service
Change the registry key value to 0

You should be all set, however YMMV. See more info on this here.

BlackBerry Desktop/Roxio Media Manager Installer Issue

2010-01-30T08:12:00.000-08:00

We’ve seen this numerous times – after installing BlackBerry Desktop, the Roxio Media Manager insists on initializing Windows Installer long after it’s been successfully installed. It’s a simple fix; download the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility and blast away the Roxio Media Manager. It’s not needed to get music on your BlackBerry.

Outlook Toolbar Disappears

2010-01-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

One of the users we support discovered he could no longer apply bold, underline or other formatting options to a new HTML formatted email message. After researching the issue, we determined the problem is resolved by renaming the outcmd.dat file, which is located in D&S\appdata\microsoft\outlook. The file is recreated when Outlook is restarted.

PeachTree 2010 and 64-bit environments

2010-01-16T10:33:00.001-08:00

I’m always amazed when critical information is not passed on for something as important as an accounting software upgrade. This week, we upgraded PeachTree on a SBS 2008 box after carefully reviewing the upgrade requirements and comments provided by Sage.

The server install almost went without a hitch when we saw an app error from a printer driver component, which was unrelated. We noted it and the upgrade continued. It completed, notifying us it was successful.

However it was not. We discovered this the hard way when the first workstation we updated coughed and wheezed at the thought of the new code.

After a 55-minute wait on Sage/PeachTree’s tech support line (and yes, the client has a contract for a lower wait times), our front line tech informed us that this was not a PeachTree issue. It had to be handled by a local PeachTree consultant.

We vigorously disagreed and after another 10-minute wait, we received a callback from a level two tech. We were in for some more surprises.

Interestingly enough, he informed us PeachTree 2010 and its database component cannot muster up enough smarts to store its data outside of the system volume in a 64-bit environment. This, of course, is absurd and not documented anywhere and not communicated during the installation process.

After ripping out registry keys on both machines, pulling references out of the Windows Installer, moving the data to the system volume and raising the local user rights to Admin levels (all undocumented tasks), the upgrade on these two machines was done after four hours. We then completed the install on the remaining workstations without problems.

C’mon, 64-bit environments have been around for quite awhile – especially in servers. The initial attempt by tech support to hand this off to a third party was deplorable. The methods to deploy this are far from what’s considered in the industry as best practices. But more importantly, the lack of communication to the client and lack of appropriate testing before release is highly unprofessional. This resulted in a significant disruption to the client’s business that could have been avoided.

Time to Start Working on Exchange 2007 SP2 in SBS 2008

2010-01-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

Exchange 2007 SP2 has been a tough update for SBS 2008 installations. MS posted a lengthy KB discussing the issues presented by the service pack. Since some of the issues were due to MS’ Forefront antivirus products, MS published a tool to help install the SP without going through the numerous steps documented in the KB.

Get the tool here.

Missing Toshiba notebook drivers

2010-01-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

We came across a nasty trojan that rewrote the permissions on multiple registry keys. In order to be safe and secure, we performed a complete reinstall of the operating system. However, some of the drivers were not on the US Toshiba site which is odd since the machine is barely four years old.

Thankfully, we found the appropriate drivers at Toshiba’s European support site and the notebook is healthy once again.

Unmountable Boot Volume

2009-12-26T08:54:00.000-08:00

The infamous “Blue Screen of Death” message - it’s often a device driver issue, but it could also signal a hardware problem or even an incorrect BIOS setting.

When the message refers to a disk problem and there were no recent hardware changes, get into the Recovery Console and run chkdsk/r. Exit and Windows should start normally. On rare occasions, chkdsk/r can cause problems, requiring a restore from your backup, so make sure you've got a good one.

Still not working? Check the hard drive cable for damage; also see if it’s the correct cable for the drive (40-conductor cable used on a Ultra-DMA drive which requires a 80-conductor cable). Another show stopper would be an overly aggressive drive data transfer rates.

Department MFP Printer Driver Installation Causes Windows Installer Error

2009-12-19T08:14:00.001-08:00

During a recent install of a multi-function printer driver for a dozen desktops, one of the software components decided not to cooperate and threw a Windows Installer error. Since another printer from the same manufacturer had been installed previously, remnants of the that installation may have been the cause.

Nonetheless, we downloaded and installed the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility, found the offending software in the list and removed the entry. Afterwards, the driver installed without issues.

Update for MS XML Core Services SP2 Offered Repeatedly

2009-12-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

Coincidentally, we came across this issue on several XP PCs this week – Windows or Microsoft Update keeps updates MS07-042 or MS08-069 in the update queue as if they were never installed.

As it turns out, Microsoft knows about it and issued KB 941729, which describes the fix. Just rename an out of date or corrupt dynamic link library file and run the update one more time.

Hardware Drivers from Windows/Microsoft Update

2009-12-05T08:12:00.000-08:00

When our unmanaged clients install their own updates from Microsoft’s Update site, they sometimes opt for a “custom” rather than an “express” installation. In most instances, this does not create a problem however every once in a while, a client installs everything that’s offered. When hardware drivers are involved, problems can arise.

We’ve now seen two incidents in the past week where shaky or corrupt hardware drivers installed during the Microsoft Update process either crashed or froze a workstation. While I appreciate the effort to stay current on updates, sometimes it’s best to leave drivers alone if all is OK.

Corrupted Windows Update Downloads

2009-11-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

Due to poor internet connections or other reasons, downloads for Windows or Microsoft Update may become corrupted. When that occurs, remove the software cache and download the update files again as follows:

Start a command prompt by clicking Start –> Run. Enter "cmd" and click OK.
Enter "net stop wuauserv" to stop the Windows Automatic Update Service.
Enter “rd /s c:\windows\softwaredistribution”. This removes the update software download cache.
Enter “net start wuauserv” to restart the Windows Automatic Update Service.

The update service will download the update files again from Microsoft’s server.

Office 2010 Beta Released

2009-11-21T07:59:00.000-08:00

The beta release of Office 2010 was released to the general public this week during Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles. We’ve been working with the Technical Preview and for the most part, it’s been quite solid. We’re looking forward to checking out the latest release over the coming weeks.

Download and install the beta version and check it out on a non-production machine for yourself.

Phantom NICs in Converted HyperV VMs

2009-11-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

Susan Bradley blogged about it here. If you convert a physical machine to virtual, the OS will complain about the NIC still being installed. Worse yet, you can’t see it in the Device Manager.

So, open up a command prompt and tell the system you really want to see it in the Device Manager:

SET DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1

Now open up the Device Manager and you can delete that phantom NIC.

Re-register VSS Writers

2009-11-07T08:16:00.001-08:00

On occasion, we see VSS throw errors when a snapshots are taken. In some instances, a reboot corrects the issue. You can check the status as follows:

From an admin command prompt, enter

vssadmin list writers

If there are any errors, try re-registering the associated DLLs as follows:

net stop "System Event Notification"
net stop "COM+ Event System"
net stop "Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider "
net stop "Volume Shadow Copy"
cd /d %windir%\system32
net stop vss
net stop swprv
regsvr32 /s ole32.dll
regsvr32 /s oleaut32.dll
regsvr32 /s Vss_ps.dll
vssvc /register
regsvr32 /s /i swprv.dll
regsvr32 /s /i eventcls.dll
regsvr32 /s es.dll
regsvr32 /s stdprov.dll
regsvr32 /s vssui.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml3.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml4.dll
net start "COM+ Event System"

Restart the server for the changes to take effect.

SQL 2005 SP3 install error x80070643

2009-10-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

A client needed SP3 installed for their line of business app. For some reason, the service pack failed and would not install. We found the solution in Microsoft’s forums as follows:

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\Setup
Locate the "Resume" REG_DWORD and change the decimal value from 1 to 0
Reboot

This permitted the service pack to install properly.

Increasing Rule Limits in Exchange

2009-10-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

If you’re a heavy user of rules in Outlook, you may have hit Exchange 2003’s 32K quota limit. In Exchange 2007, the quota was increased to 64K as a default but can be changed to 256K.

To do this, open the Exchange Management Shell. To increase the quota for all users, enter the following:

get-mailbox | set-mailbox –rulesquota 256kb

To verify the setting for a mailbox, enter the following:

get-mailbox al | fl rulesquota

The response should indicate the quota for the user.

Thanks to Simon Page.

Using Machine Names With Windows’ VPN – Revisited

2009-10-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Back in March, we posted about how machine names do not work over a Windows SBS 2008 VPN.

Evidently, we were not alone. This post from Nicholas Piasecki’s blog describes a work around:

Click Start > Administrative Tools > Routing and Remote Access.

In the tree view, drill down past the server name to IPV4 > General. Right-click the General option and choose “New Routing Protocol” and choose DHCP Relay Agent.

Now right-click the newly appended “DHCP Relay Agent” node and choose Properties. Add the IP address of your DHCP server (which is probably your SBS server itself), and click OK. Then click it again and choose “New Interface” and add the “Internal” interface.

Now if you connect through VPN, an ipconfig /all should show your domain name as a “Connection-specific DNS suffix” and pinging machines by their suffix-less computer names should work. (If it doesn’t, make sure your DHCP server is using that 015 DNS Domain Name option, which the SBS 2008 wizards set up by default.)

Thanks, Nicholas!

Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode RTM’ed

2009-10-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you with TechNet and MSDN subscriptions, you can begin working with the RTM (release to manufacturing) versions of the new Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode products.

A few weeks ago, we posted about these companion products for Windows 7; they provide an excellent way for businesses to maintain Windows XP compatibility when moving up to a new PC with Windows 7.

While we found no issues with older software, we ran into a few hardware driver issues with the prerelease version of XP Mode. We’re looking forward to testing this latest version and we’ll report back with our results.

Cleaning Up Old IIS Log Files

2009-10-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

Older SBS servers with separate system partitions tend to run low on space when they’re not maintained regularly. A quick cleanup is to delete old IIS log files.

Here’s a great script for keeping things tidy.

Windows 7 Libraries

2009-09-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

When you open up Windows Explorer in Windows 7, you’ll notice the new “libraries” groups. Libraries are another way to group your data together and it can be much more useful than a drive letter or a Favorite. It’s a “super-folder” that shows you several folders at once.

Windows 7 ships with several libraries predefined for documents, music, pictures and videos. These are great to give you an idea how they are used.

Although each library is a collection of folders, it can be used in file operations such as save and open file dialog boxes. The library has a default “save location” that’s referenced when saving a file to library location. The save location is defined in the library properties.

At this point, network drives can only be included if the folder is available offline or indexed using Windows Search 4 or later. There are, however, workarounds others have published that describe how to get around this.

Confusion Between Business and Consumer Class Peripherals

2009-09-19T10:00:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while, one of our clients sees a computer peripheral that catches their eye. Slick packaging, strong promises of performance and a great price.

Once it’s purchased, the disappointment starts. Expensive consumables, short warranties and consumer oriented support from the manufacturer.

This week, one of our clients discovered this the hard way. The peripheral would no longer function properly due to security updates for Windows XP. Driver updates were no longer being produced as the item had been discontinued after a few short years.

We frequently ask our clients to speak with us regarding their equipment needs before making a purchase. Consumer class devices don’t work well in most business environments. They’re not built for amount of work businesses generate. And they lack the business class support you may need over the life of the unit.

SharePoint “Open with Windows Explorer” view stops working

2009-09-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

After SBS 2008 rollup update 2, SharePoint experienced a few issues. One caused docs to open in read only mode, the other caused the Windows Explorer integration and other features to disappear. The SBS support team blogged about it here. The fix is easy to do:

1. Open SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration.
2. On the Central Administration home page, click Application Management.
3. On the Application Management page, in the Application Security section,
click Authentication providers.
4. On the Authentication Providers section, click on Default (or relevant)
zone.
5. Under Client Integration, change option to Enable Client Integration to
Yes and click Save.

Viewing SBS faxes in Windows Server 2008

2009-09-05T07:56:00.001-07:00

We came across this problem way back in 2008 with Vista where fax pages are forced into landscape orientation. On Vista, the answer was to install Microsoft Office Document Imaging (MODI) and use that viewer instead of the Windows Fax and Scan applet.

In a Windows Server 2008 terminal server environment, MODI doesn’t work reliably. We’ve heard that installing Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 resolves the problem, but that’s a much greater undertaking.

We’ve started installing Brava Reader to view the TIFF files produced by SBS fax. This quickly resolves the issue.

Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview Released

2009-08-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Also new is the Office 2010 Technical Preview. We’ve been testing this as well to understand the impact it will have on our clients when it’s released in the next few months.

Most notable is the inclusion of the Office ribbon or “fluent” user interface in Outlook, Publisher, OneNote, SharePoint Designer and Visio. All of the applications have undergone refinement and we are finding the changes useful and well thought out. We especially appreciate the updates in Outlook 2010.

More on Office 2010 in the coming weeks.

Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode

2009-08-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

One of the interesting features in Windows 7 is the new Virtual PC and companion XP Mode products. Microsoft posted release candidates of both these products in early August.

Virtual PC has been around for quite some time, however this new version has a number of interesting features that take advantage of the new processor virtualization capabilities.

What’s very new is the companion Windows XP Mode add that’s also been released. Microsoft has provided a fully licensed version of XP Pro that runs only with the new Virtual PC. By using XP Mode , it’s possible to run legacy line of business apps on Windows 7. Even better, the app appears in the start menu and runs in a window instead of the usual “desktop within a desktop” that’s confused many users in the past. Clicking on the start menu shortcut runs the app in a virtual XP session without revealing all the compatibility “gymnastics” going on behind the scenes.

We’ve been testing this mode for the past week and there’s some great parts about it and some not so great things. The not so great could be due to the fact that it’s still not released or because we’re not completely knowledgeable about it. We’ll fill you in as we learn more about our experiences with it.

Windows 7 RTM released to Microsoft Certified Partners as well as TechNet and MSDN subscribers

2009-08-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

On 8/6/2009, Microsoft released Windows 7 for testing by TechNet and MSDN members. Just like Windows XP and Vista, there are many versions released for different markets. Also like XP and Vista, 32 and 64-bit versions were released.

Microsoft is encouraging adoption of the 64-bit version as it works with more memory and is much more secure. We’re working with 64-bit Windows 7 and have found only a few issues with certain scanners and printers. Since the OS hasn’t been released to the general public there’s still time for the vendors to address this.

There’s quite a lot to like about this version; it’s very fast and solid and eliminates the odd Explorer quirks in Vista. We’ll be posting about our experiences over the next several weeks.

Inbound Faxes Not Routing To SharePoint

2009-08-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we overlook simple things thinking there’s a highly technical issue causing a problem.

Last week, we saw errors in a SBS daily report indicating inbound faxes were not routed properly to SharePoint. After checking three or four possibilities, it turned out the problem was due to a missing destination folder. As soon as the SharePoint folder was restored, the problem was resolved.

A quick change of permissions will prevent this from recurring.

Vista PCs Can’t Create, Edit or Forward Emails in Outlook Web Access 2003

2009-08-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

Found the fix here. MS changed the editing technology in OWA from an ActiveX control to iFrame.

Critical Windows Vulnerability

2009-08-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

Microsoft published a Security Advisory this week and asked all of its partners to help their clients update their machines as soon as possible.

The advisory, published here, details an issue with the Active Template Library used by developers. If the vulnerability is maliciously leveraged, users of Internet Explorer could be affected by having their system security breached.

If your PC is not managed by your service provider, just run Windows Update and install the updates offered for your PC. If that’s not appropriate for some reason, apply the patch individually using the download from Microsoft.

How To Set Message Size Limits in Exchange 2007

2009-07-25T16:12:00.001-07:00

Message size limitations are set in one of five places in Exchange 2007. For a great explanation of where it’s set and how to change it, check out this great blog post at Exchange-Genie.com.

Intermediate Certificate Missing Causing Active Sync Error Code 0x80072F0D

2009-07-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

Certain devices supporting ActiveSync (such as Windows Mobile 5) won’t install a SSL certificate properly. This is especially true when your certificate uses an intermediate certificate such as GoDaddy. You’ll need to install the intermediate cert manually on the device in order to sync with Exchange properly.

Trend Micro Unauthorized Change Prevention Service Does Not Auto Start on SBS 2003

2009-07-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

Out of nowhere, the Unauthorized Change Prevention Service in Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security 5.1 would no longer auto start on SBS 2003. We tried restarting the service manually, but no luck.

We contacted Trend, and they recommended we download and install patch 1 to resolve the issue. However, that did not work, so they asked us to remove and reinstall the client portion, ensuring it was completely gone per this KB. Once that was done, that did the trick.

Installing KB963707 Fails

2009-07-04T10:30:00.001-07:00

A few workstations could not install this update delivered through WSUS. We investigated and found this MS KB describing what to do.

However, we didn’t have much luck uninstalling the two .NET redistributables on the systems. So, we downloaded the .NET automatic cleanup tool which also reported errors.

We did reinstall both versions of .NET successfully and was able to install all subsequent updates delivered to us including 963707.

Server 2008, Receive-Side Scaling and Dell Broadcom NICs

2009-06-27T08:09:00.001-07:00

We recently resolved a particularly tricky issue relating to instability with both the Small Business Server and Standard editions of the Windows 2008.

In each instance, the server would be stable for quite sometime and then networking would stop. Sometimes, the server would freeze requiring a cold restart.

We had help from many sources on this; Microsoft posted two hotfixes (here and here), Trend issued updates for WFBS as well, but none of these resolved the issue. Other third party software partners also lent a hand to research this.

The engineers at Dell determined that the Receive-Side Scaling feature in Windows 2008 was not working reliably with embedded Broadcom NICs. It appeared to be driver related rather than a problem with Microsoft’s software.

We disabled the Receive-Side Scaling feature in the NIC and reliability was restored to the servers.

Obtaining Keys for SBS 2003 Purchased With a SBS 2008 Volume License

2009-06-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

When you purchase SBS 2008 along with Client Access Licenses (CALs) but need to downgrade it to SBS 2003 due to a business requirement, you won’t be able to log onto EOpen to download your media and keys.

In order to get the SBS media, you’ll need to contact Microsoft’s Volume License Fulfillment Center at (800) 336-0098 to order the disks. The installation key is included with the disk.

Need the key to install the CALs on SBS 2003? Contact Microsoft’s Volume License center at (888) 352-7140 and have your volume license order confirmation handy. They will issue your installation keys over the phone.

KB 960082 and SBS 2003

2009-06-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

We recently received error 0X2C24 when we attempted to install install update 960082 via Microsoft Update on Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 with Service Pack 2. We researched the issue and found KB 967092 addressing the issue, but when we attempted to install the update manually, we still received an error preventing the installation.

We resolved the issue by completing the setup for the Small Business Server internal monitoring and reporting database, which uses WMSDE (it’s based on SQL 2000). Once that was complete, we were able to install update 960082.

We discovered that we need to complete all of SBS 2003’s To-Do List before switching from Windows Update to Microsoft Update. The To-Do List suggests running Windows Update ASAP after completing the CEICW, however we were a bit anxious and flipped it to Microsoft Update on the first update pass.

Adding the Fax and Scan applet for a Windows 2008 Terminal Server

2009-06-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

When you use the SBS Shared Fax printer driver with a Windows 2008 Terminal Server, you need to have the Fax and Scan applet installed. Without it, you’ll see a “Windows cannot find sysOCMgr.exe" error when you try to send a fax.

Installing the applet is not the same as in Vista. For Server 2008, open the Server Manager and add the Fax Server role. This also installs the Fax and Scan applet.

It’s also necessary to have the Desktop Experience Feature installed as well.

Dymo Lableler Outlook Add-In

2009-06-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

Dymo’s Label Software includes add-ins for Microsoft Outlook and other popular Windows applications.

We came across an issue that required us to remove the Outlook add-in. As we couldn't find a way to disable it from the installation program or from the add in itself, we contacted Dymo tech support. They explained the following key needs to be removed from the registry to disable the Outlook plug-in:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\DymoOfficeAddIn.LabelWriterAddIn

YMMV, so back up your registry before doing this.

Changes for MS Financing

2009-05-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Going forward, any deals with MS Financing must contain at least 35% Microsoft products in order to be considered.

Karl Palachuk's blog reported this change earlier in the week and I confirmed the change with my MS manager.

I agree with Karl’s post – why in earth would they do this when the recovery is starting to gain traction? I see it as counter productive, don’t you? Perhaps it was their financing partner that insisted on the change.

Accessing Documents in Outlook Web Access 2007

2009-05-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

We got this tip from one of our colleagues; it activates server access using the “Documents” button on Outlook Web Access.

First, configure Remote File Access in Exchange 2007 in the Exchange 2007 MMC. It's described here.

To specify the servers users have access to, go to Server Configuration –> Client Access. In the Actions panel on the right side of the window, click on properties below OWA.

Next, click on the Remote File Servers tab and click the Allow button. Enter the server name to be accessed and click the Add button. If desired enter the SharePoint server name as well. For any server name entry, just enter the name of the server (no FQDN, no slashes).

Click OK, click Apply and then OK and close the Exchange MMC.

In OWA, open the location using the format file://server/ or for SharePoint, use http://sharepointservername/documentlibraryname. Once the files are displayed, you may want to save the location in the Favorites list on the OWA Documents page.

HP Issues Driver Alert for LaserJet Series

2009-05-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Drivers for certain HP LaserJet printers have a known problem in Terminal Server environments. HP has published a series of workarounds in this bulletin.

MS Office 2007 SP2 Installation Errors

2009-05-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

We’ve seen a few Vista boxes fail when attempting to load Office 2007. In Windows Update, the error code was 8007066f.

Using the MS links in WU, we didn’t get much help, so we tried installing the service pack outside WU and received a new error - “the detection failed, this can be due to a corrupted installation database.”

MS suggested we completely uninstall all MS Office products (including Project, SharePoint Designer and Visio). We saw another recommendation which was to rename the “patch” key on all MS Office 2007 related entries in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\000021x…

This worked, but proceed carefully. Back up the registry and check each key to see that it relates to Office 2007 before you do this. We changed about 20 or so keys and restarted the system before attempting to install Office 2007 SP2.

Office 2007 SP2 Released 4/28

2009-05-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

MS released Office 2007 Service Pack 2 this week. While there were many suite-wide improvements and fixes, there were numerous changes made to each of the individual applications. For more info, look here.

Windows Vista/Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Released

2009-05-02T08:48:00.001-07:00

Service Pack 2 for Vista and Server 2008 was released this week to TechNet and MSDN. The main release will be in May. We’ve begun testing it on some of our internal systems here in the office. We’ll let you know what we find in a subsequent post.

Disk Imaging Restore Issues – part 2

2009-04-25T08:17:00.001-07:00

Last week’s post referenced Philip Elder’s blog post on issues his team has experienced with third party imaging tools and the Vista/2008 platform.

Although we’ve done this in the past, we crashed a few more test boxes this week and could not replicate the same issue. We were able to restore individual volumes and complete disks without any startup problems and without the changes to the boot configuration data files he recommended.

So, YMMV.

Disk Imaging Restore Issues

2009-04-18T08:05:00.001-07:00

MS SBS MVP Philip Elder has a very informative post about issues encountered when restoring Vista and Windows 2008 volumes using third party disk imaging tools.

Certificate Services Client task fails

2009-04-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

We’ve been seeing this error on our SBS 2008 servers regularly:

TaskScheduler 101 MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS PM 1
Event Details:
Task Scheduler failed to start
"\Microsoft\Windows\CertificateServicesClient\UserTask" task for user
"Domain\Admin". Additional Data: Error Value: 2147942402.

TaskScheduler 311 MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS PM 1
Event Details:
Task Scheduler failed to start Task Engine "" process due to an error occurring in "LUAIsElevatedToken" . Command="taskeng.exe" . Additional Data: Error Value: 2147942402.

We did some research and didn’t find anything conclusive, so we asked MS PSS about it and there’s a hotfix for it. PSS states that the issue can occur if the "Stop if the computer ceases to be idle option" is not saved for the task.

However, PSS recommends holding off on the hotfix unless the error is causing problems. They say the error can be safely ignored and will be corrected once the hotfix is officially released.

RDP Printing Error

2009-04-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

One of our clients using Windows XP SP3 kept receiving this error when using a redirected printer in Remote Desktop:

"Windows Presentation Foundation Terminal Server Print W has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience. If you were in the middle of something, the information you were working on might be lost. Please tell Microsoft about this problem."

We located a few solutions, however we resolved the issue by installing the hot fix from KB 946411. Please note, you may need to call MS for this one as it was not available for download from the web site.