Recovering Windows Activation Keys
KB ID 0001115 “Have you got one of those programs that gets the Windows key?”, My colleague asked me the other week. I said “Just download a key finder application?”, “Yeah I’ve tried that and is showing the code as all B’s”. You may also just see ‘Product key was not found’ on some software. I sent him some more links and got back to what I was doing. He was having no joy...
How to Tell if Windows is 32 or 64 bit
KB ID 0000153 Problem If you want to know what version (x64 or x86) of Windows you are running, then this is the simplest way to find out. Solution Under accessories run system information; Under System Type: If it says x86 then it’s 32 bit. However if it says x64 then it’s 64 bit. Windows XP and Server 2003 1. Click Start > Run > sysdm.cpl {enter} > General Tab. Windows XP x32 (x86) and Windows XP x64 Windows...
Windows – Lost / Forgotten Password?
KB ID 0000755 Problem There are many reasons why you might want to do this, someone has managed to change a user password and that person is not available, you might simply have forgotten it. Or you might have been given a machine, or bought one from ebay that has come without a password. Also there have been a few times when a user has looked me in the eye and said “I’m typing my password in, but it’s not...
Windows RDP: ‘An authentication error has occurred’
KB ID 0001433 Problem When attempting to RDP to a remote machine; An authentication error has occurred. The function requested is not supported Remote computer: {name} This could be due to CredSSP encryption oracle remediation. Or you may just see; An authentication error has occurred. The function requested is not supported Remote computer: {name} Solution This is happening after you have a applied a windows security update it...
PowerShell: Cannot Be Loaded Because Running Scripts is Disabled
KB ID 0001417 Problem If you’ve arrived here, you are trying to run a script, and you cant; PS C:\Users\{User-name}> .\{script-name}.ps1 .\{script-name} : File C:\Users\{User-name}\{script-name} cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system. For more information, see about_Execution_Policies at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=135170. At line:1 char:1 + .\{script-name} + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +...
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: 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...
WannaCry – Protect Yourself
KB ID 0001311 Problem Last Friday, the IT world was hit by another attack, WannaCry is a Ransomware infection, that exploits a hole in the windows SMB Protocol. This hole was patched back in March, (Security update MS17-010) so if your, (windows update supported systems) have updates enabled, you will probably already be protected. Why were big organisations like the NHS hit? Primarily because they have systems that are no longer...
ADMT (Active Directory Migration Tool) Domain Migration – Part 4
KB ID 0001308 Problem On the homeward stretch now, back in Part Three, we migrated service accounts, groups, and users. Now we turn our attention to our machines. Note ADMT 3.2 Only support the migration of Operating Systems up to Windows 7, (that doesn’t mean Windows 8 and Windows 10 wont work, it just means they are not supported). Migrating Windows 8 and 10 throws a lot of security translation errors, because of the way it...
Windows – Display Memory Modules From Command Line
KB ID 0001294 Problem This is a handy command I came across this week, If you need to know the hardware memory configuration for a machine, and either don’t want to open the case to take a look, or you are at a different location, (i.e. remote connected onto the machine). How do you do it, without installing some audit software? Solution Simply run the following command; wmic MEMORYCHIP get BankLabel,DeviceLocator,Capacity,Tag...