Sysprep Validate (fails)
Sysprep Validate KB ID 0001934 Problem Seen whilst running sysprep on a Windows machine. System Preparation Tool 3.14 Sysprep was not able to validate your Windows installation. Review the log file at %windir%\system32\Sysprep\panther\setupact.log for details. After resolving the issue use Sysprep to validate your installation again. Solution: Sysprep Validate Fails Well it’s telling us to review that file, the easiest way to...
Directory Partition Has Not Been Backed Up
Directory Partition Has Not Been Backed Up KB ID 0001933 Problem Seen recently when running dcdiag. A warning event occurred. EventID: 0x80000829 Time Generated: xx/xx/xxxx xx:xx:xx Event String: This directory partition has not been backed up since at least the following number of days. You are seeing this error because dcdiag interrogated the event log and found an Event ID 2089 Log Name: Directory Service Source:...
Best Practice: Demoting a Domain Controller
Demoting a Domain Controller KB ID 0001932 Problem I was having a conversation with some colleagues this week, the conversation was about the placing of an RDS license server, and somebody had recommended putting it on the domain controller, I pointed out that this wasn’t a perfect idea, because in four or five year’s time somebody’s going to demote and take that to my controller off-line and forget all about the fact that...
Windows Server LBFO with Cisco IOS
LBFO with Cisco KB ID 0001931 Problem: LBFO with Cisco In Windows LBFO (Load Balancing Fail Over), commonly referred to as Teaming, is a method of combining multiple physical* NICs into one logical NIC (Team). *Note: It is possible to team virtual NICS in a VM, but redundancy and failover in a hypervisor environment are usually handled by virtual switches. Solution Common Sense Check and Tech Tips Remember, if you are not at the same...
Windows Server Cannot Rename NIC
Rename NIC KB ID 0001930 Problem: Rename NIC I had a strange problem. I needed to rename a NIC on one of my Windows 2025 Servers, but despite my selecting rename, nothing happened. Solution Where there’s a will, there’s usually some PowerShell, so launch an administrative PowerShell window and get a list of your network cards with the following command. Get-NetAdapter Then use the following command to rename the NIC of your choice. ...
GIMP Default Text Tool Settings
GIMP Default Text Tool KB ID 0001868 Problem I’ve mentioned before how much I like GIMP, I use it for all my graphics needs these days. And if you are a regular visitor you will know I produce a lot of screenshots with/without text. To do that, I use a font called ‘Avalon’. So it’s a pain when there’s been an update and the default font changes to something else. If you need to put lots of text on an image, and...
vASA Add VMXNET3 Network Cards
vASA Add VMXNET3 KB ID 0001929 Problem I got a call out of the blue from a colleague this week asking, “We have a client, and we need to change the E1000 virtual network cards in their virtual Cisco ASA with VMXNET3 ones, do you think that will cause any problems?” I suppose the sensible answer was ‘Why?” It turns out this was one in a long line of small changes that were being proposed to solve a performance...
Linux SSH Key Login
Linux SSH Key KB ID 0001928 Problem Having a comms background, SSH connecting to something is a procedure I’m very familiar with. You SSH to something, it asks you for a username and password, and providing that they are correct, you’re connected. Also, because the client and server negotiate the encryption of the password, the information sent over SSH is protected from being sniffed or captured. Which is great until an...
VMware Alternatives
VMware Alternatives KB ID 0001927 Problem With uncertainty surrounding VMware’s future, many IT teams are actively reassessing their virtualisation strategies. On platforms like Spiceworks and Reddit, professionals are sharing their experiences and recommendations as they explore alternatives. VMware Alternatives What the Community Is Saying Proxmox VE is gaining serious traction. One user noted: “Already upskilling in Proxmox and...
Denial of Service & DDoS Attacks
DDoS KB ID 0001926 DDoS Problem If you’ve ever had a website grind to a halt or watched a critical service vanish mid-operation, chances are you’ve felt the sting of a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. In today’s hyper-connected world, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are not just a nuisance, they’re a strategic weapon used to cripple infrastructure, extort businesses, and disrupt entire economies. Having spent three...