ADFS: Changing the Certificate
KB ID 0001634 Problem I needed to change the certificate used by an ADFS server today. I’d used a temporary self signed wildcard cert to get me up and running now I needed to replace it with a new publicly signed one. I found a number of ways of doing this INCORRECTLY, so hopefully I will save you making the same mistakes! Solution Firstly you need to import your certificate, here from a PFX file, (if you want a PFX file import...
Setup Cant Continue PowerShell Has Open Files
KB ID 0001633 Problem While attempting to uninstall Microsoft Exchange server; Setup can’t continue with the uninstall because the powershell (PID) has open files. Close the process, and then restart setup. Solution Seems to be a common error, and is usually caused because someone has the Exchange Web Management page open, (probably in another user session); In some cases you may need to reboot, but in my case I was simply being...
Windows – Find your ‘Uptime’
KB ID 0000552 Problem There are lots of reasons you might want to know your PC/Servers uptime, to make sure a client has rebooted a server (like you asked them to), or to see if a server has had a BSOD and rebooted overnight, etc. Check Uptime with Task Manager You can get your uptime from the Task Manager’s “Performance” tab. To launch Task Manger Start > Run > Taskmgr.exe {enter}. or Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC, or...
Exchange – Display Mailbox’s by size
KB ID 0000469 Problem Yesterday a client asked me how he could find out, which of his users were the “worst offenders” for mailbox size. Normally a simple Get-MailboxStatistics command would be fine, and we would sort the results in descending order. Solution On one of the Exchange servers, launch the Exchange Management Shell. Issue the following command: Note: That’s all one command, replace the name PNL-MAIL-2019...
Control Panel ‘Mail Icon Missing’
KB ID 0000237 Problem Problem usually seen on x64 Office versions, to set up some mail profiles; Solution Firstly what happens if you try running; outlook.exe /manageprofiles The file you are looking for is called mlcfg32.cpl Find it and double click it. here’s where I found it C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office{Version} or C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033 If you get stuck, or are using x64...
Windows Client(s) not ‘appearing’ in WSUS
KB ID 0000591 Problem Before you start troubleshooting clients, how long have you waited? I usually setup and configure WSUS up at the start of a job, then leave it alone for a few DAYS, before I start worrying. Here are the steps I usually follow to get the machines listed in the WSUS management console. Solution Before doing anything further, simply try running the following two PowerShell commands, (on the problem client,) and...
Exchange Cant Mount Database ‘0x80004005’
KB ID 0001632 Problem When attempting to mount an Exchange Database I got this error; Failed to mount database “{Database-Name}”. Error: An Active Manager operation failed. Error: The database action failed. Error: Operation failed with message: MapiExceptionDatabaseError: Unable to mount database. (hr=0x80004005, ec=1108) Diagnostic context: Lid: 65256 Lid: 10722 StoreEc: 0x454 Lid: 1494 —- Remote Context Beg...
No Mail Flow On-Premises To/From Office 365
KB ID 0001631 Problem I upgraded my On-Premises Hybrid Exchange server recently, from Exchange 2016 to Exchange 2019. I remembered to add the new server onto the Office 365 send connector, but there was no mail flow between an on premises mailbox and an office365 mailbox? Solution This happens because, (even if you are using the same certificate on the new and old servers) the certificate that is used for TLS security between your...
The Term ‘Uninstall-WindowsFeature’ is not Recognized
KB ID 0001628 Problem I was removing Windows Defender from a lot of servers that had just been deployed, (while doing and AV rollout). So I had a remote session open to all the servers and issued the command on each one, and moved onto the next one. when I went back, about three or four of them had failed with the following error; PS C:\Users\Administrator> Uninstall-WindowsFeature -Name Windows-Defender Uninstall-WindowsFeature :...
Windows In VMware Fusion ‘Cannot Access Shared Folders’
KB ID 0001627 Problem Every so often I have a problem with the Windows 10 VM that I run on my mac in VMware Fusion, last time I needed to upgrade to Fusion 11.5, before that it was a registry fix. This time I could not access any files or folders on the parent mac. Network Error Windows cannot access \\vmware-host\Shared Folders\{Folder-Name} You do not have permissions to access \\vmware-host\Shared Folders\{Folder-Name}. Contact...