grand stream dreams

Office Configuration Analyzer Tool (OffCAT) information – Microsoft Support
The Microsoft Office Configuration Analyzer Tool (OffCAT) provides a detailed report of your installed Office programs. This report includes many parameters about your Office program configuration. It also highlights known problems that are found when OffCAT scans your computer. For any problems that are listed in the report, you are provided a link to a public-facing article (usually a Microsoft Knowledge Base article) about each problem so that you can read about possible fixes. If you are a Helpdesk professional, you can also save the report to a file so that it can be viewed in the Office Configuration Analyzer Tool on another client on which the tool is installed.
Download Microsoft Office Configuration Analyzer Tool 2.1 - Microsoft Download Center
Fix Outlook and Office 365 problems with the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant for Office 365 – Microsoft Office
Support and Recovery Assistant for Office 365 can help you automatically diagnose and fix a range of Outlook problems. You will need to download the application to your local computer, sign in with your work or school account and select the issue you want help with. The application will run a series of diagnostic tests and help you set up a new profile. If any of the tests fails, it will provide suggested solutions to get your problem solved.
New tool for helping resolve Office 365 issues - Office Blogs
Fix Outlook account problems in Office 365 - Office 365 Support

Outlook Management Tips

HOWTO: Find & reenable/reactivate dismissed reminders in Outlook - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
INFO: Getting rid of Outlook .PSTs on workstations & in your network - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
Free and easy email migration from Thunderbird to Outlook – Tinyapps.org

WIndows Live Mail

Windows Live Mail 2012 end of Outlook support - gHacks Tech News
Windows Live Mail 2012 requires an update to keep using it – Newowin news
Update required to keep using Windows Live Mail 2012 with Microsoft accounts - Windows Central
Solved Update for Windows Live Essentials Mail 2012 (KB3093594) kills WLM - Windows 10 Forums
Windows Live Mail woes continue with re-re-released KB 3093594 – InfoWorld
[Fix] KB3093594 Update Causing Email Sync Problems to Windows Live Mail 2012 Users - AskVG
Using Windows Live Mail 2012 with Outlook.com? Time to update your email application! - Office Blogs

Outlook.com/Hotmail.com and Outlook Client

Outlook 2016 Not Responding–Solved – ThirdTier.net
Add Outlook.com to Office Outlook - Outlook.com Help
Use an Outlook.com account in Outlook - Outlook
Download Outlook Hotmail Connector 32-bit - Microsoft Download Center
Download Outlook Hotmail Connector 64-bit - Microsoft Download Center
How to Setup Hotmail in Outlook 2007 using Outlook Connector - KhimHoe.Net
Using the Outlook Hotmail Connector - PocketPrimer
Configure Outlook with an Outlook.com (Hotmail), Gmail, Office 365, Yahoo, AOL or iCloud account - HowTo-Outlook
Setting up an Outlook.com IMAP account – SlipStick
I am receiving email fine, but I cannot send messages - GreenNet
Solved Update for Windows Live Essentials Mail 2012 (KB3093594) kills WLM - Page 15 - Windows 10 Forums
Change Outlook Startup Folder – How-To Geek

Cheers,

Claus Valca

Move that Window!

It never fails that when I pull my laptop off my docking station and then start it up again in the field, I’ll have an “orphaned” application window launch on my “phantom” 2nd monitor.

Getting it repositioned back on the visible display is always a pain.

Here are some tips/tools to help.

How to move or resize windows with the keyboard – BetaNews

On Windows 7 and later, pressing Win+Left or Win+Right snaps the current window to the left or right half of the screen.
Using Win+Shift+Left moves the window across displays on a multimonitor setup.
Win+Up and Win+Down maximize and minimize your window.
If a window is positioned off the screen, then pressing Alt+Space+M is still an easy way to bring it back. Just press or hold down the arrow keys to move it wherever you need.

Window Seizer – freeware app from Alex Nolan. Click the window’s process, then click the “Move to 1,1” icon on the bar. It doesn’t always work properly, but does more times than not. Portable single exe file.

MultiMonitorTool – NirSoft – Has some options to move a/some/all windows to the primary monitor. Portable app in both x32 and x64 versions.

Cheers,

Claus Valca

Windows Defender News and Tricks

I still recommend Microsoft’s free Windows Defender or Microsoft Security Essentials anti-virus/anti-malware applications (depending on Windows OS version) for most family and friends.

When coupled with a layered security approach for Windows systems it is a free and satisfactory solution for most users.

Microsoft has recently added a few new tricks to Windows Defender. These are good to be familiar with.

Note that the PUA feature seems to only work with Windows 10 OS versions – and not Windows 7 or 8.

Add Adware Protection to Windows Defender - gHacks Tech News
How To Enable Anti-Adware PUA feature in Windows Defender on Windows 10 - Next of Windows
How to enable Potentially Unwanted Application protection in Windows 8 and Windows 10 – BetaNews
How to Make Windows Defender Scan for Potentially Unwanted Programs – How-To Geek blog
Microsoft Blocking Potentially Unwanted Programs – ThreatPost blog
Shields up on potentially unwanted applications in your enterprise - Microsoft Malware Protection Center
Windows 10 Limited Periodic Scanning explained - gHacks Tech News
Windows 10's new Limited Periodic Scanning mode will keep your PC extra safe from malware -- here's how to use it – BetaNews
DOWNLOAD: Windows Defender Offline - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
What is Windows Defender Offline? - Windows Help

Stay safe!

Claus Valca

Sysadmin Tools and Tips Linkfest: Part II

Mores…

Windows Updating and Patching – Tips and Tricks

Windows Update Delivery Optimization (WUDO) in Windows 10 - 4sysops
Get Your Patching Information Here – ThirdTier
- Susan Bradley, resident patchaholic, keeps track of these things for you in a handy spreadsheet. Across the bottom of the spreadsheet you’ll find patching recommendations for previous months with updated information. They get updated too with the latest in known issues and solutions. Revisit our blog each month to get your updated version.
Windows 10: the case of SFC in Windows PE – Borns IT and Windows Blog (GTranslated)
Case of the Win10 Windows Performance Recorder Trace That Wouldn’t Stop - chentiangemalc
Case of the Domain Join Failure Part III - chentiangemalc
Script Reset Windows Update Agent – TechNet Tool “ResetWUEng.zip”
Fix Windows Update issues with Reset Windows Update Agent - gHacks Tech News
INFO: Fixing Windows Updates by clearing the cache folder - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
Windows Update stuck "Checking for updates..." / Error 0x80070005 – TinyApps.org blog
What you need to know about KB3148812 – Group Policy Central
Microsoft limits direct update downloads - gHacks Tech News
Changes to Security Update Links - MSRC

Windows Troubleshooting and Tips

Fixed: Microsoft Edge can't see or open VirtualBox-hosted local web sites - Scott Hanselman
Detecting file changes on Microsoft systems with FCIV (“File Checksum Integrity Verifier”) InfoSec Handlers Diary Blog
INFO: Scan/Repair System Files on Windows 10 – Kurt Shintaku's Blog
PowerTip: Use PowerShell to Mount ISO Image - Hey, Scripting Guy! Blogs
The Easiest and Fastest Way to Delete A Large Folder in Windows - Next of Windows
Removing a corrupted Canon print driver - 4sysops
Case of the Slow Downloads Folder - chentiangemalc
How-To Disable Windows Script Host - News from the Lab
Office 2016 installation – 4sysops
How to rename the local administrator with Group Policy - 4sysops
Using reg query to determine the last registry key accessed - MoonPoint Support Weblog
9 Cool Useful Command Prompt Tips You May Not Know - Next of Windows
Well-known security identifiers in Windows operating systems – Microsoft KB243330
Enable Automatic Silent Adobe Flash Updates – 4sysops
How To Use Windows Explorer To Get A Fold Structure in Tree View - Next of Windows
How to Choose Whether Your Function Keys are F1-F12 Keys or Special Keys – How-To Geek
Windows Backup Privilege: CMD.EXE - Didier Stevens
Is There a Fast Way to Open a Program as Administrator with UAC Enabled? – How-To Geek
Process Monitor: Tips for Running Long-term Captures in the Enterprise (by Paul Offord) – LoveMyTool blog
Robocopy replacement – TinyApps.org
Obtaining the model number and serial number for a HDD from the command line - MoonPoint Support Weblog
PowerTip: Back up Drivers with PowerShell - Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog
How To Export and Back Up Your Windows Drivers For Future Use - Next of Windows
Fixing "the application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000018)" in Windows - gHacks Tech News
Set Up Windows Smart Folders by Saving Your Searches – MakeUseOf blog

Windows Tools

DOWNLOAD: Windows 10 Deployment & Management Lab Kit - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
Windows Update for Business Group Policy Setting – Group Policy Central
Microsoft Security Baseline for Windows 10 Download - Next of Windows
Free RDP Client – Remote Desktop Manager 11 - 4sysops

Windows PowerShell

Introducing the Windows PowerShell ISE Preview - Windows PowerShell Blog
Introducing the Windows PowerShell ISE Preview - just another windows noob ?
Introducing the Windows PowerShell ISE Preview - Windows PowerShell Blog
Playing with PowerShell ISE Preview - Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog
A first look at Windows PowerShell ISE Preview - Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog
Install the PowerShell ISE Preview from the PowerShell Gallery - Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog
Windows Management Framework (WMF) 4.0 Update now available for Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, and Windows 7 SP1 - Windows PowerShell Blog
Windows Management Framework (WMF) 5.0 RTM is now available - Windows PowerShell Blog
PowerShell Equivalent Cmdlets for IPConfig, PING, and NSLookup - Next of Windows
How to find a logged-in user remotely using PowerShell – 4sysops
Run PowerShell from File Explorer - 4sysops
ScriptAnalyzer v1.2.0 Released - Windows PowerShell Blog
Use PowerShell to parse event log for shutdown events - Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog
PowerShell Command to List the Event Logs on a Remote computer - MoonPoint Support Weblog
The Easiest and Fastest Way to Delete A Large Folder in Windows - Next of Windows
Removing a corrupted Canon print driver - 4sysops
Case of the Slow Downloads Folder - chentiangemalc
How-To Disable Windows Script Host - News from the Lab

Microsoft News Bits

Microsoft prevents Windows 10 Pro admins from blocking access to the Windows Store – BetaNews
Remote Desktop for Windows 10 exiting preview - Remote Desktop Services Blog

Cheers,

Claus Valca

Sysadmin Tools and Tips Linkfest: Part I

More goodies for the Sysadmin crowd!

Visio Stencils / PNGs for all things Microsoft Cloud - Ben Armstrong
Download Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 3 - 4sysops
Windows 10 tools: MDT 2013 Update 1, Windows ADK for Windows 10, MDOP 2015, and RSAT – 4sysops
Windows 10 virtual machines now available on Microsoft Edge Dev - Microsoft Edge Dev Blog

Microsoft releases free Windows 10 virtual machines – BetaNews
April 2016 evaluation Windows developer virtual machines - Building Apps for Windows

DOWNLOAD: Group Policy Settings Reference for Windows and Windows Server (including Windows 10 & Windows Server 2016 TP5) - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
Windows 10 privacy – All Group Policy settings - 4sysops
Deploy the Windows 10 Start menu layout with Group Policy - 4sysops
Group Policy Settings in Windows 10 Build 10.0.10074 - Anything about IT
Group Policy Template file for Windows 10 Wi-FI Sense - Anything about IT
Windows 10 Enterprise vs. Windows 10 Pro - 4sysops
How to install Nano Server, step by step - 4sysops
New tool: Policy Analyzer - Microsoft Security Guidance

Policy Analyzer is a utility for analyzing and comparing sets of Group Policy Objects (GPOs). It can highlight when a set of Group Policies has redundant settings or internal inconsistencies, and can highlight the differences between versions or sets of Group Policies. It can also compare GPOs against current local policy settings and against local registry settings. And you can export its findings to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

Policy Analyzer lets you treat a set of GPOs as a single unit. This makes it easy to determine whether particular settings are duplicated across the GPOs or are set to conflicting values. It also lets you capture a baseline and then compare it to a snapshot taken at a later time to identify changes anywhere across the set.

ToolTip: Policy Analyzer – Anything about IT
DOWNLOAD: “Policy Analyzer” – Comparison tool for groups of GPOs - Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Get-ADComputer – Display computers in OU or AD group with PowerShell - 4sysops
Microsoft Windows DirectAccess Client Troubleshooting Tool - Microsoft Download CenterThe

DirectAccess Client Troubleshooting Tool is a graphical application, based on the .NET Framework, which checks the health of a DirectAccess client by running various tests. Built-in health tests: The following tests are currently implemented: Network interfaces Network location (NLS and NRPT DNS) IP connectivity (6to4, Teredo, IPHTTPS, entry point in a multisite setup, DNS) Windows Firewall (applied profile, Firewall outbound rules) Certificates (EKU Client Authentication, trust chain for AIA and CRL) IPsec infrastructure tunnel (Domain SysVol share) IPsec intranet tunnel (PING and HTTP probes) Additional features Run post-check script (PowerShell, VBScript, BAT or CMD file)
DirectAccess Client Troubleshooting Guide - The DirectAccess Guide
DirectAccess Client Troubleshooting tool! - The DirectAccess Guide

Download Windows 7 and 8.1 ISO Images from Microsoft - gHacks Tech News
How to Download Official Windows ISO Files Free from Microsoft – makeuseof blog
FREE: AdRem Software NetCrunch WMI Tool – 4sysops
TechNet Diskspd Utility: A Robust Storage Testing Tool (superseding SQLIO) - TechNet

A Robust Disk Performance Benchmark Command Line for Windows - Next of Windows
DiskSpd, PowerShell and storage performance: measuring IOPs, throughput and latency for both local disks and SMB file shares - Jose Barreto's Blog

Cheers,

Claus Valca

Suface Pro SysAdmin Linkage

This is one of the piles of collected linkage that I have been working hard to get to and post.

Supporting Surface Pro devices is a never-ending challenge. They operate differently than our other laptop/desktop platforms and require a different set of tools and utilities for troubleshooting core device issues.

So here are some critical tips and resoure links.

Surface Pro Device Firmware and Drivers

Surface Pro 3 Drivers and Firmware – Microsoft Download Center
Surface Pro 4 Drivers and Firmware – Microsoft Download Center
Microsoft Surface update history - Surface firmware updates
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 update history - Surface firmware updates
Install Microsoft Surface and Windows updates – Microsoft
Surface Pro - Technical Guidance, Help, Support - TechNet

Where can I find the official drivers for the new Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book products ? - just another windows noob ?
Stealthy Microsoft Surface Pro 3 firmware update brings BSODs, mayhem - InfoWorld
INFO: Notes on Surface Pro Drivers from April 2016 - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
HOWTO: Get Support for Surface devices - Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Surface Pro power cord issues

Surface Pro, Pro 2, and Pro 3 power cords recalled amid overheating fears - Ars Technica
How to get a replacement AC power cord for your Surface Pro - Microsoft Devices Blog
Exclusive: Microsoft to recall huge number of Surface power cords on overheating fears - Channelnomics.eu
Microsoft to manage Surface cord recall directly - Channelnomics.eu

Surface Pro Diagnostic Toolkit

Download Surface Tools for IT - Microsoft Download Center

This download location stores all the right tools you need as a IT Professional when you want to deploy, manage and secure a Surface device in your organization.

Microsoft Surface Diagnostic Toolkit - gHacks Tech News
Surface Diagnostic Toolkit - Love My Surface blog
Microsoft Surface Diagnostic Toolkit helps you test hardware – The Windows Club
Download Surface Tools for IT Professionals from Microsoft – The Windows Club
Surface (Surface) –TechNet

Note the Toolkit files that stand out to me are:

Surface_Data_Eraser_Installer_v3.1.9.msi
Surface_Diagnostic_Toolkit_v1.0.88.0.zip
Surface_Dock_Updater_v1.0.8.0.msi

Surface Pro Tips and Tricks

How to repair broken UEFI Bootloader in Windows 10 on Surface Pro - Microsoft Surface tablet blog
INFO: “Surface turns on, but Windows won’t start” - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
Surface 3 Is Plugged In But Not Charging - Love My Surface blog
Fix Windows did not detect any networking hardware in Windows 10 - Microsoft Surface tablet blog

Surface Pro Data Eraser Utility

Microsoft Surface Data Eraser (Surface) - TechNet
Download Microsoft Surface Data Eraser Tool – Into Windows
A guide for Surface Data Eraser – Solaat.no blog

This is important as the Surface uses a SSD drive and “normal” secure wiping techniques may not be effective. Using the Microsoft Surface Data Eraser tool should ensure a secure wipe occurs before the device is repurposed or returned to Microsoft for service.