Category Archives: Windows
Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) now included in Software Assurance with Windows 10
Software Assurance now includes the full features and capabilities of MDOP. MDOP is a set of products to help with virtualization, management and restore capabilities. With the Windows 10 launch, MDOP is now included as an SA benefit, and is no longer a separate add-on.
For more information about MDOP, go to https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/microsoft-desktop-optimization-pack.aspx
Test versions of IE using Virtual Machines from Microsoft
Windows 10 Feature Highlights
Courtesy of Microsoft Windows channel on YouTube
Windows 10 Preview Reset
If you have installed the Windows 10 Preview like a lot of people but experiencing lockups, bugs, etc, before reverting back to Windows 8.1, try a full reset first. Many times the in-place upgrade to Windows 10 Preview can cause issues just like doing an in-place upgrade on the desktop. Having a clean start often clears a lot of problems.
Project Windows 8.1+ Phone to Monitor via USB
- Install Project My Screen App for Windows Phone
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After installation, launch the “Project My Screen App” application (example shown from Windows 10 Preview)
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On the phone, you will be asked for permission.
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Once approved, the phone should display on your monitor.
How to Remove Saved Passwords from a Web Browser
In order to remove stored passwords for your web browser please follow the instructions below based on whether you are using Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, or Google Chrome.
Internet Explorer (Win 7/8)
When you enter a username and password for Internet Explorer that it has not already stored for a website, it will ask if you want Internet Explorer to remember the password.
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Click on Not for this site button on the pop-up menu.
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This will set Internet Explorer not to prompt you to save this password for this site.
To remove individual passwords: when using IE and a saved password is pre-filled on your screen, simply highlight the username that displays there, and press the Delete key to remove just that one username/password combination from IE. Internet Explorer will then prompt you to confirm that you do want to delete it.
Win 8: Internet explorer has a Manage Password or Web Credentials Manager.
To access this please do the following:
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Open the Tools menu.
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Select Internet Options.
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Click Content.
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Under AutoComplete, click Settings.
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Click on Manage Passwords
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Click on the Web Credentials Manager
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Click on the drop down arrow by the web site you want to remove the password.
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Click on Remove.
To remove all the saved passwords:
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Open the Tools menu.
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Select Internet Options.
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Click Content.
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Under AutoComplete, click Settings.
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Click Delete AutoComplete history…
To prevent AutoComplete in the future, make sure AutoComplete is deselected for User names and passwords on forms, and then click on OK.
Installing Secondary Sites and other Roles on Windows 2012 with Riverbed in the mix
During a new Configuration Manager 2012 implementation project, we tried to push a secondary site at another location (Datacenter B) from our primary site (in Datacenter A). We saw failures in the logs specifically it can’t connect to the secondary server’s c$ and failed other queries. Both Primary and the secondary servers are Windows Server 2012. Some testing showed we are not able to connect to c$ manually from the primary server from Datacenter A to the secondary server in Datacenter B. But we can connect from a Windows 7 desktop from Datacenter A to the server (2012) in Datacenter B.
After much research, we found this is was because the sites are optimized by Riverbed and the current firmware of the appliances do not support SMB3.
Riverbed just announced SMB3 support late July 2013 with the release of RiOS 8.5 for Q3 2013.
In RiOS 8.5, Riverbed is introducing new optimizations for business-critical Microsoft applications and environments including SharePoint® 2013, Exchange 2013, Office365® and file sharing applications that utilize the server message block 3 (SMB3) protocol in Windows® 8 and Server 2012 environments. As a result, mutual customers of Microsoft and Riverbed can increase productivity and efficiency, while enhancing business resilience.
Their blog (from August 5, 2013) also stated the same.
Work around is to disable Secure Negotiate.
To change this setting, set the following LanmanWorkstation parameter using PowerShell cmdlet:
Set-SmbClientConfiguration – RequireSecureNegotiate <0|1|2>
0 – Disabled
1 – Required
2 – Enabled if needed
You can also edit the DWORD value through the registry editor.
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters\RequireSecureNegotiate.
To change the default behavior, you need to define the registry key. If not present, its default value is “Required” in Windows 8 clients.
The registry key can be populated via GPP in the computer configuration.
More information on SMB on 2012 and previous version:
| Client / Server OS | Windows 8 Windows Server 2012 |
Windows 7 Windows Server 2008 R2 |
Windows Vista Windows Server 2008 |
Previous versions of Windows |
| Windows 8 Windows Server 2012 |
SMB 3.0 | SMB 2.1 | SMB 2.0 | SMB 1.0 |
| Windows 7 Windows Server 2008 R2 |
SMB 2.1 | SMB 2.1 | SMB 2.0 | SMB 1.0 |
| Windows Vista Windows Server 2008 |
SMB 2.0 | SMB 2.0 | SMB 2.0 | SMB 1.0 |
| Previous versions of Windows |
SMB 1.0 | SMB 1.0 | SMB 1.0 | SMB 1.0 |
Sync Internet Explorer Favorites with SkyDrive
With everyone having multiple devices today (laptops, desktops, work PCs, tablets), one of the features lacking in Internet Explorer (IE) is the ability to sync and backup favorites. This feature existed in Live Mesh but was removed when replaced with SkyDrive.
But you can still make this happen by redirecting Favorites to a Skydrive folder on your devices.
Follow these easy steps:
- Download SkyDrive http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/skydrive/download
- Your SkyDrive folder by default is C:\Users\%username%\SkyDrive (%username% is the name of the login ID you use to logon to your computer)
- Go to the SkyDrive folder and create a new folder called Favorites.
- Open the user profile directory c:\users\%username%
- Right click on Favorites and click Properties
- Click the Location tab
- Click Move
- Choose the new Favorites folder created in step #3
- When you install Skydrive on other devices, the favorites folder should already sync. Simply start with step #4 on those devices.
Note – the example here uses SkyDrive, but you can work with Dropbox and Google Drive as well
Inject PNP Drivers in Windows 7 post deployment
If you need a process to find and install drivers post process (after Windows or later as an update)
- Populate this key with a path to your drivers
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\UnattendSettings\PnPUnattend\DriverPaths\1
Path = “d:\Drivers” <- String
- From a script, batch, MDT, setupcomplete.cmd, whatever, Run pnpunattend.exe
(built into Windows 7 and also there for Vista )
Example: Pnpunattend.exe auditsystem
You can use /s to just search the drivers but not install. Also, use the /L to output to command so you can pipe into a file if needed.
USAGE:
PnPUnattend.exe [auditSystem | /help /? /h] [/s] [/L]
auditSystem Online driver install.
/help /? /h This help.
/s Search without installing.
/L Print Logging information to the command line.
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