Remotely Log Users Off From CLI / PowerShell
KB ID 0001401 Problem I’ve not had to do this since the days we got “The terminal server has exceeded the maximum number of allowed connections” errors. Now thankfully Windows Server tells us who is logged on so we can ‘ask politely’ before we boot them off! Today though, my user session got all messed up, and I needed to kick ‘myself’ off remotely, (and have a fresh session.) Solution From a...
PowerShell: Creating Domains and Domain Controllers
KB ID 0001400 Problem I needed to spin up some Windows 2016 Servers, and a domain to do some testing. I have promoted hundreds maybe thousands of domain controllers, so I wondered if this time I could do it with PowerShell. It’s actually easier than using the GUI! Solution If you were doing this in Server Manager, you would have to add the role first, and PowerShell is no different; Install-WindowsFeature AD-Domain-Services...
Windows ‘Always On’ VPN Part 1 (Domain and PKI)
KB ID 0001399 Problem Always On VPN was a bit of a misnomer when it was released, as it was only really ‘on’ when a user logged on. So when comparing it with ‘Direct Access’ it didn’t have the capacity to ‘Manage Out’. With the release of Windows 10 (1709) this has been rectified with ‘Device Tunnels’, (more on that later). The solution uses RAS, NAP (NPS), and PKI (Certificate...
VMWare vCenter: Cant Remove ‘Orphaned’ VMs
KB ID 0001398 Problem I noticed I had a VM that was ‘Orphaned’ in my vCenter web console. It was not a production server or anything, I just wanted to delete it. However the option to Delete or Remove from Inventory was not available. Solution It turns out, you just need to ‘dig a little deeper’. All Virtual Infrastructure Action > More Uncategorized Actions > Remove from inventory. Related Articles,...
Exchange 2016 Setup Error “Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra” Isn’t Installed
KB ID 0001397 Problem During the Exchange 2016 Setup Readiness Checks; The Windows component Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra isn’t installed on this computer and needs to be installed before Exchange Setup can begin Solution This is a known problem when installing Exchange 2016 on Server 2016, and was fixed in Exchange 2016 (Cumulative Update number 4). You are probably installing Exchange 2016 from the RTM media, (downloaded from...
Deleting Folders With ‘Long Filenames’ (Source Path Too Long)
KB ID 0001396 Problem Source Path Too Long The source file name(s) are larger than is supported by the file system. Try moving to a location which has a shorter path name, or try renaming to shorter name(s) before attempting this operation. “Have you come across a problem deleting folders with long filenames?” I got asked this question twice in the first week at a new job. In a former role my colleague did a lot of work in...
Windows – Set Desktop Wallpaper From Central Server Share
KB ID 0001280 Problem You have a corporate wallpaper, and you want to set it as the desktop wallpaper on all your machines. Solution Firstly make sure you have some wallpaper! Create a hidden, (with a $ on the end) share on your server, set the share permissions to Everyone = Read. On the security tab make sure ‘Domain Users’ have read, and I would add in administrators with full control to be on the safe side. Now create...
Stop Edge Hijacking PDF Files
KB ID 0001395 Problem This question appeared in my inbox today, ‘Edge’ has a nasty habit of assigning itself the default PDF reader, particularly after a round of updates! Solution First I went and had a look at my old Experts Exchange Buddy Ramesh’s site (www.winhelponline.com) who had done the heavy lifting and worked out the registry keys; Note: I’m only concerned with .pdf files, if you want to block .htm...
VMware Fusion: Windows 10 ‘Lost’ Mapped Drive to the Host
KB ID 0001394 Problem My Windows 10 VM decided it was going to do a major update last night, so I let it get on with it. However today I can no longer access the ‘shared’ drive that it had back to the host (my MacBook). Solution I’m pretty sure this is the second time this has happened, so after berating myself for not documenting the fix last time, this is the fix. Run Regedit (Windows Key+R > regedit {Enter})...
Windows: Enable ‘Previous Versions’
KB ID 0001393 Problem Anyone who’s ever trashed a spreadsheet, or saved a file over the top of one that they shouldn’t, will appreciate previous versions. It’s done by a technology we have had since Windows XP (and Server 2003) called ‘shadow copy’. If you are familiar with virtualisation it’s a bit like taking ‘snapshots’ of files. It’s also great for sysadmins, as users can...