Windows – Export / Recover WEP and WPA Wireless Keys
KB ID 0001015 Problem If you need to connect to your wireless network with a new machine and have forgotten the key, you can view the WEP or WPA key in cleartext using the following procedure on a machine that has connected before. Solution 1. First launch PowerShell, ensure you ‘Run as administrator’. 2. To show all the wireless profiles stored on this machine, issue the following command; netsh wlan show profiles 3....
Configure Wireless Network Stings via Group Policy
KB ID 0000923 Problem If you have a corporate wireless network, you can send the settings out to your clients, rather than have them all ask you what the wireless settings are, and how do they connect. Here I’m going to use Domain group policies, but the procedure is the same for local policies (just run gpedit.msc instead). And the dialog boxes are exactly the same as if you were configuring them on the client machine. (You...
Microsoft LAPS – Deployment and Configuration
KB ID 0001059 Problem Microsoft have released the Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS). What is does is automatically change the load administrator password on workstations, (and servers if required) periodically. It then keeps those passwords securely in AD. Microsoft tried to mitigate attacks from the local admin account back in the days of Windows Vista by shipping with this account disabled, which is fine, but most large...
How Do I Shut Down Windows 8?
KB ID 0000588 Problem Like Windows 7, Windows 8 is more than happy to gracefully shutdown if you press the power button on your PC/Laptop/Tablet. But now you don’t have a “Start Button” where’s the option to turn it off? You might find it simpler just to Create a Shutdown shortcut on the Start Menu. Solution How to Shut Down Windows 8 1. Press Windows Key+I > Power > Shut down. How to Shut Down Windows 8...
Running Windows Server 8 in VMware ESXi
KB ID 0000590 Problem The very fist time I tried this was on ESXi 4.1, if you try and install Windows 8 Server on that platform, you will see the following. Your computer ran into a problem and needs to restart. If you’d like to know more, you can search online later for this code: HAL_INITIALIZATION_FAILED It’s collecting error info and will restart in: x seconds Note: You will also see this in VMware player, and VMware...