Updating Domain Computer Objects with Last Logon and Machine Information
Last Logon KB ID 0001340 Problem I can’t really take the credit for this, I was at a client’s site a few weeks ago, and they were doing this. I thought ‘That’s cool, I’ll have a play with that when I get the chance”. Essentially, you update the description of the Computer object(s) in AD so that they list; The last user who logged on. What time they logged on. What AD ‘Site’ the machine...
Remote Desktop Services – Connection Errors (RDP Errors)
RDP Errors KB ID 0001132 Below is not an exhaustive list of connection errors, it’s just a some things that have tripped me up. If you have a nasty error that you have fixed, feel free to drop me a line, send me some screenshots and the fix, and I’ll add them as well. RDP Errors: General Errors RDP An internal Error Has Occurred This is seen a lot on Windows 11, it’s because of a bug where RDP fails back to use UDP for...
How to track failed logon attempts in Active Directory
Track failed logon KB ID 0001209 Problem If a large number of failed logon attempts occur within a certain period of time, it could be an indication of a security threat, which is why it is important that organisations have a proactive means of auditing and monitoring whenever this happens. There are a number of ways you can perform this audit, one of which is using the native tools. Here, we will take you through the steps so that...
Setup up a Central ‘PolicyDefinitions’ Store (for ADMX files)
PolicyDefinitions KB ID 0001339 Problem We have had ADMX files for group policies for ages now, they are the successor to the older ADM files. They only really trip you up if you have something unusual to do, (like roll out LAPS, or Forefront, or Customising Office Deployments.) In most cases you will want to have a central store in your Windows domain, so the clients can see the ADMX files, (and ultimately enforce the policies...
Take Ownership and Grant ‘Full Control’ Recursively
Take Ownership KB ID 0001200 Problem I had a bunch of old user profile folders I needed to delete today, When setup properly even the domain administrator can’t get in there and delete them; You need permission to perform this action. You don’t currently have persmission to access this folder If it’s just one folder then simply take ownership, grant yourself rights and delete it! But I had a lot of folders so I...
Migrate NPS Server
Migrate NPS Server KB ID 0001841 Problem If you have deployed an NPS Server on your network, there may be a time when you want to replace that server – if all its doing is NPS and its 2012 or newer I’d be tempted to simply in-place upgrade it, but some people are rigid in their beliefs that that is not a good idea. So in that case you need to migrate to a new server. Solution : Migrate NPS Server Locate NPS Server Just in...
Disable LLMNR and NetBIOS (via GPO)
Disable LLMNR and NetBIOS KB ID 0001816 Problem LLMNR is a protocol that’s used both in IPv4 and IPv6 networks to provide name resolution (in the absense of DNS), the problem with it is that it is wide open to exploitation and can be used to perform a MITM attack on your network. NetBIOS is much older and asscociated with IPv4 networks only. Really old Microsoft OSs used to rely on it heavily, but these days its pretty much...
Migrate DHCP Scope(s)
Migrate DHCP KB ID 0001792 Problem If you have a lot of DHCP scopes, options, or reservations, then manually creating them on your new DHCP servers can be a both a time consuming and tedious process. If only there was an easier way? Migrate DHCP with Netsh Below you can see an example, where I have many scopes and lot’s of settings that would be painful to have to recreate from scratch. This example is on Server 2008 R2,but...
Enable Remote Desktop (Remotely)
KB ID 0001747 Problem Let’s say you want to RDP to a remote server (imagine such a thing!) But some doofus didn’t enable RDP? Well you can enable Remote Desktop via group policy and wait a while. I used to connect to the registry remotely and change the key that enabled RDP, but now you can do it with a simple PowerShell command. Not only will it enable Remote Desktop, it will also allow RDP on the Windows firewall (if...
Leave Domain: “A general network error occurred’
KB ID 0001738 Problem After a recent lab on the test bench, I ended up with a 2008 x32 standard server. It took me a while to get this setup and running, so I wanted to keep it (or turn it into a VMware template should I ever need another). But first I needed to ‘remove it’ from the domain it was in. However, when attempting to do so this happened; Computer Name /Domain Changes The following error occurred validating...