• Category Archives ToolBox posts
  • How to promote a domain controller to a global catalog server

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/296882

    A global catalog server performs two key functions in Microsoft Windows 2000 domains:
    • When a user logs on to the network, the global catalog server provides universal group membership information for the account that sends the logon request to the domain controller.
    • The global catalog server lets a member of the domain find Active Directory directory service information regardless of the domain in the forest that contains the data.

    If a global catalog is not available when a user initiates a network logon process, the user can log on only to the local computer. There must be a global catalog server available so that users can log on and locate Active Directory resources. We recommend that you have at least one global catalog server per site to speed up these processes.

    If there is only one domain controller in the domain, the domain controller and the global catalog server are the same. If there is more than one domain controller in the domain, the domain controller that is configured as such hosts the global catalog.

    MORE INFORMATION

    To promote a domain controller to a global catalog server, follow these steps:

    1. On the domain controller, click Start, point to Programs, click Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites and Services.
    2. In the console tree, double-click Sites, double-click the name of the site, and then double-click Servers.
    3. Double-click the target domain controller.
    4. In the details pane, right-click NTDS Settings, and then click Properties.
    5. On the General tab, click to select the Global catalog check box.
    6. Restart the domain controller.

    Promoting a domain controller to a global catalog server can take a long time. When the domain controller restarts, make sure that there is sufficient time for the account and the schema information to replicate to the new global catalog server before you remove the original global catalog from the original domain controller.

    Note When the account and the schema information replicate to the new global catalog server, event 1119 may be logged in the Directory Services log on the domain controller. The event description states that the computer is now advertising itself as a global catalog server.

    In a Windows 2000 domain with only one domain controller, you typically assign the roles of the global catalog and of the operations master (also known as flexible single master operations or FSMO) to the same domain controller. However, in domains with multiple domain controllers, consider the placement of these roles before you assign them. This is particularly important in forests with multiple domains. For additional information about the placement of the operations master, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    223346 FSMO Placement and Optimization on Windows 2000 Domains

  • Removing a Domain Controller from a Domain

    https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc771844(v=ws.10).aspx

    Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2

    The procedures in this section describe the methods for removing a Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controller from a domain:

    After AD DS is removed, the DNS server role remains installed and running if it was previously installed on the domain controller. But any Active Directory–integrated DNS zones that were installed are removed. By default, the AD DS removal process also attempts to remove the Domain Name System (DNS) delegations for the zones that point to the domain controller.

    If the DNS server no longer serves any purpose after you remove AD DS, use Remove Roles Wizard to remove DNS server role. If you remove the DNS server role, you must reconfigure any DHCP scopes and DNS clients that resolved against this DNS server to use a suitable alternative (typically, another DNS server running on a domain controller within the same domain).

    You can use the Active Directory Domain Services Installation Wizard to remove a domain controller from an existing domain.

    Administrative credentials

    To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Domain Admins group in the domain.

    1. Click Start, click Run, type dcpromo, and then press ENTER.
    2. On the Welcome to the Active Directory Domain Services Installation Wizard page, click Next.
    3. If the domain controller is a global catalog server, a message appears to warn you about the effect of removing a global catalog server from the environment. Click OK to continue.
    4. On the Delete the Domain page, make no selection, and then click Next.
    5. If the domain controller has application directory partitions, on the Application Directory Partitions page, view the application directory partitions in the list, and then remove or retain application directory partitions, as follows:
      • If you do not want to retain any application directory partitions that are stored on the domain controller, click Next.
      • If you want to retain an application directory partition that an application has created on the domain controller, use the application that created the partition to remove it, and then click Refresh to update the list.
    6. If the Confirm Deletion page appears, select the option to delete all application directory partitions on the domain controller, and then click Next.
    7. On the Remove DNS Delegation page, verify that the Delete the DNS delegations pointing to this server check box is selected, and then click Next.
    8. If necessary, enter administrative credentials for the server that hosts the DNS zones that contain the DNS delegation for this server, and then click OK.
    9. On the Administrator Password page, type and confirm a secure password for the local Administrator account, and then click Next.
    10. On the Summary page, to save the settings that you selected to an answer file that you can use to automate subsequent operations in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), click Export settings. Type a name for your answer file, and then click Save. Review your selections, and then click Next to remove AD DS.
    11. On the Completing the Active Directory Domain Services Installation Wizard page, click Finish.
    12. You can either select the Reboot on completion check box to have the server restart automatically or you can restart the server to complete the AD DS removal when you are prompted to do so.
    13. Open Server Manager. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.
    14. In Roles Summary, click Remove Roles.
    15. If necessary, review the information on the Before You Begin page, and then click Next.
    16. On the Remove Server Roles page, clear the Active Directory Domain Services check box, and then click Next.
    17. On the Confirm Removal Selections page, click Remove.
    18. On the Removal Results page, click Close, and then click Yes to restart the server.

    To remove a domain controller in a domain where other domain controllers exist requires only Domain Admin credentials. You can also create the password for the local Administrator account for the member server. If you do not specify the password in the answer file, the administrator password is blank.

    If you are removing AD DS permanently, uninstall the AD DS server role binaries from the server after you remove AD DS from the domain controller. To remove the AD DS server role binaries, use the dcpromo /uninstallbinaries command.

    Administrative credentials

    To perform this procedure, you can use any account that has Read and Write credentials for the text editor application.

    1. Open Notepad or any text editor.
    2. On the first line, type [DCINSTALL], and then press ENTER.
    3. Create the following entries, one entry on each line. For a complete list of parameters for removing AD DS, see Demotion Operation or typedcpromo /?:Demotion at a command line.

      username=<administrative account in the domain>

      userdomain=<domain name of the administrative account>

      password=<password for the account in UserName>

      administratorpassword=<local administrator password for the server>

      removeapplicationpartitions=yes

      removeDNSDelegation=yes

      DNSDelegationUserName=<DNS server administrative account for the DNS zone that contains the DNS delegation>

      DNSDelegationPassword=<Password for the DNS server administrative account>

    4. Save the answer file to the location on the installation server from which it is to be called by dcpromo, or save the file to a network shared folder or removable media for distribution.

    Administrative credentials

    To remove a domain controller, you must be a member of the Domain Admins group.

    • At an elevated command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

      dcpromo /unattend:"<path to the answer file>"

    You can run dcpromo /unattend command on a domain controller to perform an unattended removal of AD DS. If you are removing AD DS permanently, uninstall the AD DS server role binaries from the server after you remove AD DS from the domain controller. To remove the AD DS server role binaries, use the dcpromo /uninstallbinaries command.

    For a complete list of parameters for removing AD DS, see Demotion Operationor type dcpromo /?:Demotion at a command line.

    • At an elevated command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

      dcpromo /unattend /username:<domain admin> /userdomain:<domain> /password:<DA password> /administratorpassword:<local admin password>

      Where:

      • domain admin is the name of an account that is a member of the Domain Admins group.
      • domain is the name of the domain for the domain controller.
      • DA password is the password for the account that is a member of the Domain Admins group.
      • local admin password is the password that will be used for the local administrator account on the server after AD DS is removed.

      The following example removes a domain controller from a domain named contoso.com, removes the AD DS server role binaries, and sets the local administrator password to p@$$w0rd:

      dcpromo /unattend /username:DA1 /userdomain: contoso.com /password: DA1_password /administratorpassword: p@$$w0rd


  • Installing and searching for updates is slow and high CPU usage occurs in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3102810

    This article describes an update that contains some improvements for Windows Update Client in Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. This update has a prerequisite.
    Issues that are fixed in this update

    Issue 1

    When you install updates by using System Center Configuration Manager, the installation takes a long time, and System Center Configuration Manager becomes overloaded.

    Issue 2

    The Svchost.exe process occupies 100 percent of CPU usage when you upgrade a Windows Update client to Windows 10.

    How to get this update

    Important If you install a language pack after you install this update, you must reinstall this update. Therefore, we recommend that you install any language packs that you need before you install this update. For more information, see Add language packs to Windows.

    Method 1: Windows Update

    This update is provided as an Optional update on Windows Update. For more information about how to run Windows Update, see How to get an update through Windows Update.

    Method 2: Microsoft Download Center

    The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center.

    Operating system Update
    All supported x86-based versions of Windows 7 DownloadDownload the package now.
    All supported x64-based versions of Windows 7 DownloadDownload the package now.
    All supported x86-based versions of Windows Embedded Standard 7 DownloadDownload the package now.
    All supported x64-based versions of Windows Embedded Standard 7 DownloadDownload the package now.
    All supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 DownloadDownload the package now.
    All supported IA-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 DownloadDownload the package now.

    For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, select the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    119591 How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services

    Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.


  • Default Router Passwords List

    http://19216811.mobi/default-router-passwords-list…en13

    Modem Brand Login IP Username Password
    3Com http://192.168.1.1 admin admin
    Belkin http://192.168.2.1
    BenQ http://192.168.1.1 admin admin
    D-Link http://192.168.0.1 admin
    Digicom http://192.168.1.254 admin michelangelo
    Digicom http://192.168.1.254 user password
    Digicom http://192.168.1.254 admin michelangelo
    Linksys http://192.168.1.1 admin admin
    Netgear http://192.168.0.1 admin password
    Sitecom http://192.168.0.1 admin admin
    Sitecom http://192.168.0.1 sitecom
    Thomson http://192.168.1.254 user user
    US Robotics http://192.168.1.1 admin admin

  • System BIOS Boot Keys for Laptops/Desktop PCs

    https://www.desertcrystal.com/bootkeys

    Acer

    F2 (BIOS Setup)
    F12 (Boot Device Options)
    ALT + F10 (Acer eRecovery)

    ASUS

    ESC (Boot Selection Menu)
    F2 (BIOS Setup)
    F9 (Asus Laptop Recovery)

    Apple (Models 2006+)

    Command + Option + P + R (PRAM and NVRAM Reset)
    Command + S (Boot into Single-User Mode)
    Command + V (Boot with Verbose Status)
    Option (Select Hard Drive Boot Volume)
    Option + N (Boot Image from Netboot Server)
    Shift (Boot into Safe Mode)
    C (Boot from CD Drive)
    D (Boot from OS/X Recovery and perform Hardware Test)
    N (Boot from Network)

    Dell

    CTRL + F11 (Dell™ PC Restore by Symantec)
    F8 (Repair Your Computer) Dell Factory Image Restore

    EI Systems

    F10 (System Recovery)

    Fujitsu

    F2 (BIOS Setup)
    F12 (Boot Menu)

    Gateway

    F11 or R (Gateway Recovery)

    HP / Compaq Desktops

    F10 (HP Recovery)

    HP Pavilion / Compaq Laptops

    ESC (Startup Menu)
    F1 (System Information)
    F2 (System Diagnostic)
    F9 (Boot Device Options)
    F10 (BIOS Setup)
    F11 (System Recovery)

    IBM ThinkPad

    F11 (IBM Product Recovery)

    Intel NUC

    F2 (System Setup)
    F7 (BIOS Update)
    F10 (Boot Menu)

    Lenovo

    Lenovo-OneKey-Button15x15 (Lenovo OneKey Rescue System)
    F2 (BIOS Setup)

    Packard Bell

    F11 (Recovery Program)

    Sony Vaio

    F10 (VAIO Recovery Wizard)

    Toshiba

    0 (zero) (Toshiba Harddrive Recovery Utility)
    F2 (Setup Utility)
    F8 (Advanced Boot Options Menu)
    F12 (Boot Menu)


  • Act! 2012 pro, Manually Rebuilding Preferences

    Source:

    http://kb.act.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/14770/~/how-to-rebuild-the-act!-preferences-file

    Manually Rebuilding Preferences
    If deleting your Preferences through the Act! Diagnostics utility fails to resolve this issue, you may need to manually rebuild the preferences. Before proceeding with this process, please ensure you have followed the steps near the top of this article to preserve your emails and customization.

      1. Close Act! and all running MS Office applications (Word, Outlook, Excel)
      2. Open your Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del)
      3. Under the Processes tab in the Task Manager, locate the following processes (if running), select them, and click End Process:
        • Act!.exe (ActSage.exe for Sage ACT! 2013 and earlier)
        • Act.Outlook.Service.exe
        • Act.Scheduler.exe
        • Act!.Integration.exe (Sage.ACT.Integration.exe for Sage ACT! 2013 and earlier)
      4. Close the Task Manager
      5. Follow Steps 1 – 6 of the procedure described above to delete your Preferences through the Act! Diagnostics utility.
      6. Click on your Windows Start button. For Windows 2000 and Windows XP, click Run on the start menu and type in the following command: %appdata%. For Windows Vista and Windows 7, type this command in the Search box in the lower left of the start menu.
      7. This will open the Application Data folder. In this folder open the ACT folder.
      8. In this folder you should see one or more folders with the following names:
          • ACT! by Sage 2010 and earlier: Act for Windows (version#), where “version#” is the current (or previous) version of Act! installed on this machine.
          • Sage ACT! 2011: ACT Data.
      9. Right-click on these folders, select Rename, and add the word “OLD” to the end of the filename. Ex: “Act for Windows 12OLD”

    Click to Expand/Collapse this section NOTE: Click here if you synchronize with Microsoft Outlook or Google before Proceeding to Step 10

    1. Close Windows Explorer.
    2. Reboot your computer to ensure that the services you stopped in Step 3 properly restart.
    3. After you have logged back into your computer, open Act! and test.

    Please note that this process will remove all custom preference settings in Act!. When you re-open the program, you will be taken through the setup wizard again. In addition, you will need to re-do any custom settings under the Tools/Preferences option. If you saved your Act! Email messages, custom web links, and custom toolbar settings, you will need to restore them.


  • Resolution of the dependency failed, Type=”Act.UI.ActApplication”, name=””

    Source:
    https://community.act.com/t5/Act-Premium/Resolution-of-the-dependency-failed-Type-quot-Act-UI/td-p/68775/page/2

    In regards to the error message you are receiving after applying ACT! 2010 SP1 HF1, you may be able to resolve by manually removing your preferences file. Follow these steps:

     

    •  After applying the SP1 HF1 update, close ACT! and all MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook)
    • Open your Windows Task Manager, and under the Processes tab, end process for “Act.Outlook.Service.exe”
    •  Click on your Windows Start button. Type in the following command: %appdata% in the Search box in the lower left of the start menu.
    • This will open the Application Data folder. In this folder open the ACT folder.
    • In this folder you should see one or more folders named Act for Windows (version#), where “version#” is the current (or previous) versions of ACT! installed on this machine.
    • Rename this folder to “Act for WindowsOLD” (rename all if more than one)
    • Reboot your machine
    • Open ACT! and test

  • Uninstall Programs Manually

    http://www.theeldergeek.com/manually_uninstall_programs.htm

    Just because Windows XP has the Add/Remove Programs feature it doesn’t mean your application will appear in the list. Furthermore, even if it does appear, it’s no guarantee that the uninstall feature will work. When you run across one of these situations the items listed below will help in getting rid of the application. Be aware that these steps may not remove everything associated with the application and can impact other applications on the computer. Have a backup or restore point and use caution.

    • Find the directory for the application and delete all the files in the directory. Delete the directory.

    • Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.

    • Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.

    • To remove the application entry from Add/Remove Programs (if present) open regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.

    • Some applications have Services attached to them. If this is the case, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services, locate and delete the service.

    • In Windows Explorer, navigate to the individual user settings and delete program references. Common places to check would be:

    C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs and delete relevant entries.
    C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and delete relevant entries.
    C:\Documents and Settings\%YourUserID%\Start Menu\Programs and delete relevant entries.
    [Do this for each User ID listed]
    C:\Documents and Settings\%YourUserID%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and delete relevant entries.
    [Do this for each User ID listed]

    If no entries were found in the previous step and the application launches automatically, navigate to
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows
    and delete the entry.


  • Deltek Vision Hangs

    https://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/24726-deltek-vision-hangs

     

    When Vision hangs, it’s often necessary to remove the local files and initiate a re-download. This aims to guide you through how to remove the Deltek Vision software from the workstation

    Steps (8 total)

    1

    Right-click Start and select Explorer.

    2

    Double-click My Computer and select C drive.

    use the shortcut win+e. learn it and love it people!

    3

    Browse to the C:\Users\firstname.lastname\AppData\Local\Apps\2.0 folder.

    in our environment, user profiles are firstname.lastname, substitute this for what exists in your environment.
    AppData is a hidden folder, so you will need to enter \appdata into the explorer context bar

    4

    Right-click on the 2.0 folder and select Delete.

    5

    Browse to the C:\Users\firstname.lastname\AppData\Local\Temp\Deployment folder.

    in our environment, user profiles are firstname.lastname, substitute this for what exists in your environment.
    AppData is a hidden folder, so you will need to enter \appdata into the explorer context bar

    6

    Right-click on the folder and select Delete.

    this folder might be empty, but delete it anyway

    7

    Remove Internet Explorer Temporary Internet Files.

    just to be safe!

    8

    Run Vision again


  • Windows 10 | How to Set a Connection as Metered

    http://www.howtogeek.com/226722/how-when-and-why-to-set-a-connection-as-metered-on-windows-10/

    Windows 10 changes the way you set a connection as metered. You can’t just right-click a Wi-Fi network in the list and select “Set as metered,” as you could on Windows 8.

    Instead, you’ll need to use the Settings app to do this. Open your Start menu and select Settings to launch it. Click or tap the “Network & Internet” icon, select “Wi-Fi,” and select “Advanced options” at the bottom of the list of nearby Wi-Fi networks.

    Activate the “Set as metered connection” option here.

    Note that this just affects the current Wi-Fi network you’re connected to. Windows will remember this setting, however, and that particular Wi-Fi network will always be treated as a metered network whenever you connect.

    As soon as you leave the Wi-Fi network and connect to another Wi-Fi network that isn’t considered metered, Windows 10 will resume automatically downloading updates and using the other restricted features. You’ll need to set that Wi-Fi connection as metered after you connect to stop this from happening.


    Metered connections are a partial solution to Windows 10’s bandwidth-hungry nature. For people with limited Internet connections, it would likely be better to see more options here. For example, an option that told Windows to automatically download updates only between certain hours of the day would be ideal for ISPs that lift the data cap at off-hours. An option that allowed users to set wired Ethernet connections as metered would be ideal for countries where data caps are widespread and normal on home Internet connections.