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January 2005 - Posts

Blogcast on Install from Media - Promoting a Branch Office server to Domain Controller

For this series of four Blogcast recordings, I've reproduced a demonstration I did for a Technet Evening Session entitled "The New Features of Windows Server 2003" a few days ago. The particular feature is called "Install from Media", and is useful when Read More
posted Monday, January 31, 2005 10:23 AM by jhoward | 2 Comments
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OS/2 Warp 4 (Merlin) - reminiscence using Microsoft Virtual PC 2004

A little off the beaten track for someone who works at Microsoft evangelising Windows, but following Ben Armstrongs recent blog posting here, here and here about getting OS/2 Warp 4.0 running under Virtual PC 2004, I just had to give it a go. After all, Read More
posted Sunday, January 30, 2005 6:55 PM by jhoward | (Comments Off)
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Hyperthreading and Microsoft Virtual Server 2005

Several people internally at Microsoft have commented that you should turn off Hyperthreading when you're running Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, especially under load. It appears that the overhead of scheduling between logical processors gives either Read More
posted Saturday, January 29, 2005 10:26 AM by jhoward | 9 Comments
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VMRC - simultaneous sessions

This is fantastic. I love using the Virtual Machine Remote Console for accessing VMs running under Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, but it never dawned on me until I saw this blog entry by Peter Provost, that you could run up two instances of the VMRC client Read More
posted Friday, January 28, 2005 10:32 AM by jhoward | (Comments Off)
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Reset lost BIOS password - Virtual Server 2005

An answer to a question that came up on the internal Microsoft discussion group for Virtual Server 2005 amused me. The question was what could you do if you lost the BIOS password for a virtual machine. In a physical machine, you can often move a jumper Read More
posted Thursday, January 27, 2005 10:12 AM by jhoward | 10 Comments
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contoso.com - why, who chose it, is it an anagram, is there a hidden meaning???

I have to admit, I'd never given a second thought to the origin of the use of "contoso". Contoso is one of a handful of domain names used in many Microsoft demonstrations. One question asked me this morning was where the name came from, with a suggestion Read More
posted Thursday, January 27, 2005 9:29 AM by jhoward | 5 Comments
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Sample scripts for dsadd, dsmodify, dsget, dsquery, dsmod, dsmove

Following my Technet session on the New Features of Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, scenario based, here's the scripts which I promised to post up. Hope they are useful. Even if you didn't attend the session, they give you a good example of how Read More
posted Thursday, January 27, 2005 8:35 AM by jhoward | 1 Comments
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Installing a Two-Node Virtual Machine Cluster under Microsoft Virtual Server 2005

If you're interested in clustering under Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, then this forthcoming webcast on Thursday 10th February 2005 at 19:30-21:00 UK Time (11:30AM - 1:00PM PST) by an expert in Virtual Server, Robert Larson, is a must. Abstract:Looking Read More
posted Wednesday, January 26, 2005 3:39 PM by jhoward | 1 Comments
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New Features of Windows Server 2003 Active Directory

There is a forthcoming Webcast on Wednesday 9th Feb 16:00-17:30 UK Time (8AM-9:30AM PST) on the New Features of Windows Server 2003 Active Directory. For those of you who attended my TechNet session last night on the same subject, this should be a good Read More
posted Wednesday, January 26, 2005 3:08 PM by jhoward | 2 Comments
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How to write to the Windows Event Log from VBScript

I was asked a question about how to write to the Windows Event Log in a script following my TechNet session yesterday evening. Using the Windows Scripting Host wscript.shell object, the LogEvent method provides one way of achieving this. There are lots Read More
posted Wednesday, January 26, 2005 3:05 PM by jhoward | (Comments Off)
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Blogcast how-to: Recorder Settings for Windows Media Encoder

Numerous people have asked me what exact settings I used to recently record the series of VSMT blogcasts. The software I used to record the demonstrations was Windows Media Encoder, which is freely downloadable on Microsoft.com. (Note that this also works Read More
posted Monday, January 24, 2005 10:11 AM by jhoward | 22 Comments
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New research into why Soda drinks are bad for your teeth

Everyone knows that fizzy drinks are bad for your teeth. However, after extensive research (OK, so 8 days being over in America), I have a new theory. The first couple of days I was out there drinking "Soda", I kept hitting my gum onto my teeth every Read More
posted Monday, January 24, 2005 2:34 AM by jhoward | 16 Comments
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Group Policy - Tips Tricks and Best Practices

Following my session in Birmingham on 13th January, here's a list of the references I referred to. Apologies to all for the delay in posting this. Firstly, Jeremy Moskowitz's excellent book "Group Policy, Profiles, and Intellimirror for Windows 2003, Read More
posted Sunday, January 23, 2005 8:08 PM by jhoward | 4 Comments
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Microsoft Office Outlook Live (MOOL) Launched

 Missed this one a couple of days ago (probably as I was still flying and have been jet-lagged since), but it looks pretty cool. Outlook Live combines the best of both MSN Hotmail® and Microsoft Office Outlook 2003. You’ll stay organised and efficient Read More
posted Sunday, January 23, 2005 9:52 PM by jhoward | (Comments Off)
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VMRC Client (Virtual Machine Remote Control Client) under Virtual Server 2005 - Great scenario

AKA Another great reason to consider using Virtual Server 2005 for test/dev scenarios.... I was asked a question a couple of days ago, and I hadn't thought of using the VMRC client in this particular circumstance. I haven't tested it, but there's no reason Read More
posted Wednesday, January 19, 2005 10:32 PM by jhoward | 6 Comments
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Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 SP1 Information

Follow this link to find out more about what the program manager for Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, Kurt Schmucker, had to say about what's likely to be in the forthcoming service pack 1. I'm looking forward to playing with the Beta! Read More
posted Wednesday, January 19, 2005 3:09 AM by jhoward | (Comments Off)
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Windows Terminal Server Management Pack for MOM 2000 SP1 v2 released

If you are using MOM (Microsoft Operations Manager) 2000 to manage your Terminal Servers, then have a look at the Windows Terminal Server Management Pack for MOM 2000 SP1 version 2 recently released to the Microsoft download site Read More
posted Wednesday, January 19, 2005 12:01 AM by jhoward | (Comments Off)
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Blogcast on Channel9 - the name is here to stay!

How cool is this - Robert Scoble just posted up on channel 9 about Blogcasting. My colleague Eileen has already recorded couple of blogcasts - for example here, and I've done a series of blogcasts to explain about VSMT - there's lots more in the Read More
posted Tuesday, January 18, 2005 11:35 PM by jhoward | (Comments Off)
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Welcome to the USA. Blow into this pipe please sir.

The scale of the Microsoft campus is truly awesome. I'm over the Seattle for my first internal Microsoft conference this week, but thought this might amuse some people. I was out for a quiet meal last night and needed to get back to my hotel for 10:30 Read More
posted Tuesday, January 18, 2005 6:04 PM by jhoward | (Comments Off)
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Windows Server Administrative Scripting

Having a developer background, I'm one of those people who isn't scared off by scripting, . However, many IT Pro's shy away from it as one of those things best left to developers. However, a healthy appreciation of some of the scripting capabilities Read More
posted Monday, January 10, 2005 8:50 AM by jhoward | (Comments Off)
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Windows Task Manager - Alternate View

This is one of those small almost unheard of "things you can do in Windows" tips.The left image below is a "normal" Windows Task Manager screen shot.If you double-click anywhere in the graphical part of the tab, it changes appearance to the screen on Read More
posted Monday, January 10, 2005 8:43 AM by jhoward | 6 Comments
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Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) - Find out more from Peter Meister

Learn more about Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) from Peter Meister, the Lead Product Manager for Windows Server 2003.Peter is a man who definitely knows what he's talking about, so don't miss the chance to miss out on this opportunity. On Thursday Read More
posted Sunday, January 09, 2005 8:22 PM by jhoward | (Comments Off)
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ActiveSync 3.8 Download - new release now available

ActiveSync 3.8 is now available for download Of course, the official download page doesn't say anything about being supported under Windows Server 2003 (my main laptop OS), but it does work without any of the workarounds such as those I blogged about Read More
posted Sunday, January 09, 2005 9:06 AM by jhoward | 1 Comments
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Blogcast on VSMT (Virtual Server Migration Toolkit) - Part 5

As promised, here's the last blogcast installment walking through a VSMT migration of an NT4 server into a virtual machine running under Microsoft Virtual Server 2005. This blogcast walks through deploying the disk image into the blank VM and seeing Read More
posted Saturday, January 08, 2005 4:02 PM by jhoward | 14 Comments
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Do I have local admin rights? Find out how in three mouse clicks (or two keys plus a mouse click)....

I use this quick-tip frequently to determine if I'm a local administrator. The trouble with some tips is that you just know them, they're so simple so you don't bother to tell people as you're under the assumption they "must have known that". This exact Read More
posted Thursday, January 06, 2005 7:48 PM by jhoward | 10 Comments
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Blogcast on Virtual Server Migration Toolkit (VSMT) - Part 4

I'm "virtually" (no pun intended) at the end in the series of blog entries walking you through a VSMT migration of an NT4 server into a virtual machine running under Microsoft Virtual Server 2005. If you've missed out so far:  Part one can be viewed Read More
posted Thursday, January 06, 2005 7:54 PM by jhoward | 8 Comments
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Blogcast on Virtual Server Migration Toolkit (VSMT) - Part 3

If you missed my two previous postings in this series of blogcasts walking you through a VSMT migration of an NT4 server into a virtual machine running under Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, part one can be viewed here, and part two can be viewed here. Read More
posted Thursday, January 06, 2005 12:41 AM by jhoward | 10 Comments
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Resource Tool Kit 2.0 for Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003 (MIIS) is now available

The Resource Tool Kit 2.0 for Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003 (MIIS) is now available for download. The primary focus of the new release has been to improve the portfolio of tools that helps the manageability of the MIIS system. A description Read More
posted Wednesday, January 05, 2005 8:32 AM by jhoward | (Comments Off)
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KB 891609 - Could not connect to Virtual Server. Access was denied.

Summary from KB Article: When you open the Virtual Server Administration Website in Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, you receive the following error message: Could not connect to Virtual Server. Access was denied.You can specify an alternate virtual server Read More
posted Wednesday, January 05, 2005 8:25 AM by jhoward | 2 Comments
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Blogcast on Virtual Server Migration Toolkit (VSMT) - Part 2

I hope you enjoyed the first two blogcast demonstrations of VSMT I blogged about yesterday. Today, I'm publishing part two which contains the next two blogcasts in the series. The third VSMT blogcast walks through validating the XML file describing Read More
posted Wednesday, January 05, 2005 8:01 AM by jhoward | 10 Comments
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I didn't say blog

Heaven knows where I found this link now, but at Lake Superior State University, the word Blog is on the 2005 list of banished words. I especially liked one of the reasons - "Maybe it’s something that would be stuck in my toilet". We're all in trouble Read More
posted Tuesday, January 04, 2005 11:55 AM by jhoward | 1 Comments
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MCE 2005 (Media Center 2005) first impressions and album art tool.

Well it's been a great break - free from work, but plenty of time to play. Talking of playing, I took ownership of my first Media Center 2005 PC (they really should have chosen a better spelling for the UK market though), and to be honest, it's the first Read More
posted Tuesday, January 04, 2005 8:56 AM by jhoward | 2 Comments
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Blogcast on Virtual Server Migration Toolkit (VSMT) - Part 1

Blogcast, podcast, mini-webcast.... What's in a name - well quite a lot judging by some of the reactions I've had. Leaving the name issue to one side, I've recorded a series of eight clips which walk through the process of migrating an NT4 server into Read More
posted Tuesday, January 04, 2005 9:17 AM by jhoward | 22 Comments
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