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...
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...
Windows Server: Connecting to iSCSI Storage Using MPIO
KB ID 0001392 Problem In my scenario my Windows Server is a VMware virtual machine. To enable MPIO (Multipath I/O) I’m going to need two network cards, connected to the two iSCSI networks. Above I’ve shown both iSCSI networks in different colours 192.168.51.0/24 and 192.168.50.0/24 in production I would also have these in their own VLANs, (or even separate physical networks). This article is not about setting up your...
Windows 10: Why Can’t I Launch MMC?
KB ID 0001391 Problem Usually if I’m in Windows I’m on a server, and if I need a Microsoft Management Console, I simply type mmc, and away we go. On my new work Windows 10 laptop, when I do that and this happens; Solution I’ve also always assumed it was mmc.msc, but a search round on my laptop discovered that, (on Windows 10 anyway) it’s an exe file. So if you search for that it works? You can still launch it...