Making folks smarter since 1984 with the info you need about planning, implementing, managing and troubleshooting Windows networks and OSes http://www.minasi.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:04 +0200 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:04 +0200 Mark and Notepad en-us Mark's just released a new newsletter -- here's his intro: "As you may have heard, one of the quiet joys of Server 2012 (and, I guess, Windows 8) is that CHKDSK has been "defanged." Ever rebooted a server and started doing something else as you wait for the various BIOSes to initialize? All goes well until you notice out of the corner of your eye that the screen's a sort of a pale gray that doesn't look familiar, until it hits you: I'm seeing the "press Escape or CHKDSK will run for five hours on the server" message! You bolt from your chair, leap across the room as if in slow motion involuntarily saying, "nooooooo..." and if you're lucky, you hit ESC in time. But if not... well, that's what this newsletter and the next are about." And if you've been thinking of signing up for a two-day Server 2012 or one-day PowerShell class, don't wait... Seattle's NEXT WEEK! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1304a.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1304a.htm Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:04 +0200 Mark's just released a new newsletter -- here's his intro: "This issue is a short but, I hope, useful one. Ever since Windows 8 appeared, I've seen people ask on various forums and sites, 'how the heck do I switch a network connection's firewall profile from Public to Private and vice versa? It was easy in Windows 7...,' and you can probably guess the rest. I have to make the switch regularly to make some useful PowerShell remote stuff work, so it seemed worth spending a little time documenting how to make the Public/Private split in both the GUI (it's not where you expect) and via PowerShell (which really IS the easier way in many cases)" And if you've been thinking of signing up for a two-day Server 2012 or one-day PowerShell class, don't wait... Seattle's just around the corner! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1304.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1304.htm Mon, 1 Apr 2013 11:45 EDT Mark's just released a new newsletter -- here's his intro: "As I have observed before in this periodical, I don't know about you, but I like a clean IPConfig. Getting one, however, seems to get harder with time, particularly with those bogus extra NICs that have something to do with IPv6. You've seen them --Teredo, ISATAP, 6to4 -- and they really chap my hide. I mean, what are they supposed to do for me, anyway? And how do I get rid of them? Well, in fact they are called pseudo interfaces and you know, once you get to know them, they're not all that bad. So in this newsletter, we'll get two things done: first, you'll see how at least one of those pseudo NICs might be pretty useful and, second, you'll see how to get rid of the bunch of 'em, if you don't think they'll do much for you. As the End of IPv4 gets a bit closer, it's not a bad thing to learn a few new IPv6 tricks these days!" And if you've been thinking of signing up for a two-day Server 2012 or one-day PowerShell class, don't wait... Seattle's just around the corner! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1303.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1303.htm Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:47 EDT Mark's just released a new newsletter -- here's his intro: "Last year, I realized that I didn't have the time to run the email server for the minasi.com domain -- sniff! -- so I surrendered and got an Office 365 domain for the Exchange possibilities. And hey, it hasn't been bad, except for that password policy thing. This month, I show you how to conquer your O365 domain and its irritating password policy with some useful PowerShell commands. And SPEAKING of PowerShell... I finally got the time to finish the outline for my one-day Administering Your AD With PowerShell... Even If You Don't Know PowerShell class. Coming to Seattle, Dallas and Chicago between now and June. I hope you find the newsletter useful. Thanks!" http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1302.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1302.htm Sat, 23 Feb 2013 19:40 EST Mark's just released a new newsletter -- here's his intro: "For the past year, I've been skeptical about Windows 8, but on Launch Day last 26 October, I decided to dive in, upgrading my non-touchscreen laptop to Windows 8 Pro and taking delivery of a new Surface RT Tablet. The next day, I spent 13 hours in the air and in airline lounges, a grim-sounding day but in fact one that encouraged me to really get to know Win 8 (on my laptop) and Win RT (on the Surface). In fact, much of what I've been doing for the past four weeks has been using Windows 8 nearly nonstop and working on the Surface several hours a day... so I thought you'd like to hear what I've found out about Win 8, Win RT, and the Surface. In this newsletter, I'll pass along what I've found in the hopes of saving you some time in making sense of Microsoft's latest desktop and its new tablet hardware. And trust me, I know what you're thinking when I say that Microsoft's selling tablet hardware. "New Microsoft hardware, Mark? So tell me... is it Zune-kind-of-hardware or Xbox-kind-of-hardware?" Lots of good news, bad news, and "why on earth did they..." stuff to tell you, so I hope you'll give it a look." http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1211.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1211.htm Wed, 21 Nov 2012 12:12 EST Mark's just released a new newsletter -- here's his intro: "Tomorrow -- Tuesday, September 4th, 2012 -- is the day Windows Server 2012 arrives. I'm eyeball-deep in preparing my upcoming Windows Server 2012 class in DC in a few weeks, but I wanted to take a few minutes to point out some of the better-known and lesser-known things that 2012 brings to the party. Some of these explanations are of a new feature and some are of why they put those features in in the first place, but I hope you find something useful in there." Read more in Newsletter #101! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1209.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1209.htm Mon, 3 Sep 2012 11:32 EDT Mark's just released a new newsletter -- here's his intro: "As I write this in early August 2012, Microsoft is just about to release the final copy of Windows Server 2012 to the world. So... is it good news or bad news? In my opinion, it's mostly great news. Server 2012's cheaper in nearly every case and, even better, brings all of those enterprise-y features that we poor plebian Standard Server folks could previously only stare at through the window, press our noses to the glass and wish for. Anyway, I mean, MAN am I glad I'm not the guy who's got to put together Windows Server 2012's successor. "But it's not all good news. Unfortunately, there's one thing that's making Windows Server veterans downright apoplectic. Even more unfortunately, it's the first thing that every 2012 admin meets: the GUI. That's our topic for today." Read more in Newsletter #100! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1208.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1208.htm Fri, 10 Aug 2012 20:00:00 EDT Microsoft just announced pricing and features on their upcoming Server 2012, and there are some HUGE changes, most of them fairly wonderful. First, every version of Server that most of us would buy includes all server features, including the ones that only the Datacenter and Enterprise folks got before. Second, most copies of Server are cheaper than their R2 predecessors. Read all about it at Newsletter #99. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1207.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1207.htm Fri, 06 Jul 2012 09:00:00 EDT Continuing on last month's discussion of kicking the tires and checking the oil level on your AD before moving to a new Server level, Mark talks about how to ensure that your Sysvol shares are working before adding a domain controller from a higher level of Server, because trust us, you DON'T want to move to R2 with a wonky Sysvol! Also, the Phoenix R2 class is just a week and some away... it's the last class until after the summer. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1205.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1205.htm Thu, 17 May 2012 15:36 -0000 As he's done the R2 class (and if you've been thinking of attending, there are only three more sessions -- Philly in three weeks, Phoenix in late June and the Washington, DC area in September) , he's gotten a fair amount of questions about what folks have to do to get ready to start adding Windows Server 2008R2 (or, for that matter, Windows Server 2008) DCs to their domains. Anyway, getting a forest ready for R2 is actually pretty easy and we're sure that many of you are already pretty far down "the R2 road," but for those who've only recently gotten the go-ahead from On High to start adding 2008 or 2008R2 DCs to their forests, Mark's put together a few articles, the first of which is here. We hope it's a useful read and contains a new idea or two! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1204.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1204.htm Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:07 -0000 This month, Mark's had his nose to the grindstone getting ready for his full-day talk on Windows 8 Server on 26 March at Cloud Connections in Vegas -- seats for this pre-conference event are still available! -- so he's been installing the Win 8 betas on a number of machines, and while doing all of that, his trusty Lenovo W510 developed some hard disk problems, so two techniques came to mind that he thought you'd find interesting: how to use USB sticks to install Win 8 faster, and how to use Robocopy to get as much accessible data off a bad drive as is possible, and in the shortest time. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1203.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1203.htm Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:20 -0500 If you read this RSS regularly, you'll know that Mark announced in November that he was assembling a new AD class and that he was running three "preview" sessions. They were successful and he got a lot of feedback both from attendees and Newsletter readers. Using that feedback, he chose the best topics to round out the new AD class to two days. Our first run of the new "Running an R2-Based Active Directory" class comes to Charlotte, San Francisco, and Chicago in February, March and April. As a late holiday present, we're runnng these first three sessions at $100/seat below the normal rate. We sold out our seats in the Seattle and New York sessions in December, so sign up now if you want one of our discount $899 seats in Charlotte, San Francisco or Chicago! http://www.minasi.com/ad08full/ http://www.minasi.com/ad08full/ Fri, 6 Jan 2012 13:42 -0500 Just about anybody who hass maintained networks for any time at all knows that when DNS stops working, so does just about everything else, and that's why most of us network troubleshooter types spend at least some time in every work year troubleshooting DNS. Furthermore, anyone who's ever tried to troubleshoot anything knows that trying to fix things with lousy tools takes longer and is more frustrating than trying to fix it with good tools... which is why it's so sad that the main troubleshooting tool built into Windows is nslookup. A fairly lame tool, nslookup isn't smart enough to use your alternate DNS server when your preferred DNS server is offline, is completely DNSSEC-dumb, and offers you essentially nothing in the way of useful packet-level information, to name just a few of its sins. If only there were a better tool... but aha, there is... and thereby hangs this tale. In the latest newsletter, Mark shows you where to get that better tool known as DiG (yes, that's how its creators spell its name) and how to use it to streamline your DNS troubleshooting. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1111b.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1111b.htm Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:50 -0500 Ever wondered what happened to that useful Advanced Search dialog box in Explorer? Well, in Windows 7 and Server R2, it's been replaced with a very simple "Search..." text field that doesn't LOOK very powerful... but looks can be deceiving. 7 and R2 support a pretty powerful query language that lets you do some pretty intricate searches. Unfortunately, the syntax on that query language is a bit ugly. Fortunately, Mark's latest newsletter explains it with a bunch of examples. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1111a.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1111a.htm Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:40 -0500 As Active Directory enters its "tweens," most AD admins and managers have moved from "how do I design and set this up?" to "now that I'm running somebody else's 10-year-old AD, how can I most easily and cheaply manage it, fix it, and streamline it?" Active Directory consultant and expert Mark Minasi, author of the best-selling Mastering Windows Server book series, answers those questions every day for his clients... and now he can answer them for you in this specially-priced, one-day preview edition of his new "Running an Active Directory with R2" seminar. Grab your seat now! http://www.minasi.com/ad08prev http://www.minasi.com/ad08prev Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:26 -0400 Mark attended a small-gathering meeting at Redmond where Microsoft showed the best of the upcoming version of Windows Server 8, and he was sometimes surprised at how many interesting and useful new features Server 8 is currently slated to have. Check out Newsletter #91 to get the scoop about what's on tap for the next version of Server! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1109.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1109.htm 14 Sep 2011 09:26 -0700 For the past year, Mark's been traveling the country doing his good news/bad news talk about cloud computing. Audiences have loved it and cloud vendors are annoyed by it -- that's how we know he's probably on to something -- and at the request of many attendees, Mark's recorded an expanded version of the talk. Get your copy now! http://www.minasi.com/cloudtalk.htm http://www.minasi.com/cloudtalk.htm Fri, 13 May 2011 09:41 -0400 The good folks at LearnIT are sponsoring Mark's three-day "Windows 7 for XP Experts" class this June. You can find an outline at http://www.minasi.com/xptowin7/ and you can find out how to register at www.learnit.com. (Wait ten seconds for the link to Mark's class to appear.) We hope to see you there! http://www.learnit.com http://www.learnit.com Wed, 04 May 2011 13:49 -0400 This month, Mark tells you how he was able to make IE8 just a LITTLE less annoying, and why Windows 7 will sometimes "disappear" a mapped drive. (Hint: it's not really gone... it's in hiding!) http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1009.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1009.htm Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:19 -0400 Mark got his hands on one of the first new Kindle 3Gs, Amazon's new reader that's smaller, more feature packed... and about half the price of a Kindle from 2009. Good buy? Bad idea? Read Mark's findings in this latest newsletter! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1008a.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1008a.htm Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:00 -0400 Rhonda Layfield returns with a great article for those confused about which direction to pursue when looking at Windows deployment tools. System Center Configuration Manager? WAIK? Microsoft Deployment Toolkit? Rhonda cranks up a big fan and blows the smoke away in this insightful, informative piece drawn from her popular three-day hands-on deployment class (which is coming to the DC area this September 21-23). http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1008.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1008.htm Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:00 -0400 Our successful Windows 7 support class is now available as either a 20-CD or 9-CD audio lecture series! As some of our clients come to Win 7 from XP and others from Vista, we've developed two different sets of audio lectures to fit both audiences. If becoming a Windows 7 support expert while you're commuting, exercising, or just stretching out sounds interesting, then please give our two audio series a look. http://www.minasi.com/xptowin7audio http://www.minasi.com/xptowin7audio Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:00 -0400 WinPE's a very useful tool for doing deployment and system restoration-related things, but it's got that boring gray background. Mark's latest newsletter shows you how to customize WinPE's look a bit. Also, many readers liked learning about the so-called "God Mode" folder, so we've got the scoop on making it work on 64-bit Vista/2008 as well. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1001a.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1001a.htm Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:00 -0500 The word on Web is that a newly-discovered undocumented Windows feature called the "god mode console" lets you do things that no other Windows admin app can do, strange and arcane powers. Is it true? Well, not exactly, but it DOES do a few cool things, and in this newsletter, Mark shows you how. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1001.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws1001.htm Thu, 7 Jan 2010 06:11 -0500 Many folks have asked when we'll be doing more Win 7 and R2 seminars, so here's the scoop: Ottawa February 22-24 2010, Dallas (well, Plano actually) March 1-3, and Charlotte NC March 30-April 1. We're told that the Dallas location will offer $79/night rooms to anyone signing up (mention that you're with "the Minasi group"). The Ottawa site only has room for 20 people, so sign up early! http://www.minasi.com/pubsems.htm http://www.minasi.com/pubsems.htm Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:01 -0500 You just never know when you'll find a little gem in a new operating system, so we were pleasantly surprised to find that Server 2008 R2's DHCP server has a neat new tool that lets you allow or deny IP address leases to systems based on their MAC addresses. It's easy to set up and may be of value to anyone who uses a Windows-based DHCP server. Also... our Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 seminars are coming to Chicago in two weeks, and New York two weeks after that. We've only got so much space and we had to turn folks away a couple of years ago at the Vista events, so sign up now! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0911.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0911.htm Tue, 3 Nov 2009 16:30 -0500 We never thought we'd be saying this again, but... apparently someone found a bug in Microsoft's new-and-improved version of the file server service, SMB 2.0 that lets you send just one malformed packet to a system... and bluescreens the system. (Brings back the days of 1995's Ping of Death and makes us feel young again!) But that's just the beginning, as we explain in this month's newsletter. Time again to batten down the hatches! Also... our Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 seminars are coming to Chicago in November, New York in December, and Seattle on September 21-23. We've only got so much space and we had to turn folks away a couple of years ago at the Vista events, so sign up now! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0909.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0909.htm Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:20 -0400 This month, Mark continues examining whether or not to move to Windows' new desktop OS, Windows 7. It seems to him that Windows 7 presents us all with the most interesting set of buy/don't buy issues that we've seen in quite a few years. In the first piece (Newsletter #78, http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0907.htm), Mark examined some of the reasons why people didn't adopt Vista, and then showed how that affected or didn't affect folks deciding whether or not to go with Windows 7. In this newsletter, Mark highlights the largely unknown, but powerful reasons why Vista was worth rolling out and, again, how Windows 7 does or doesn't improve on them. As always, you can expect an independent, entertaining read, or even an entertaining LISTEN, as we've got this newsletter in podcast form (see the HTML newsletter for links). Also... just in time for RTM, our Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 seminars are coming to DC September 8-10 and Seattle September 21-23. We've only got so much space and we had to turn folks away a couple of years ago at the Vista event, so sign up now! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0908.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0908.htm Sun, 2 Aug 2009 03:00:00 -0400 This month, Mark offers a bit of advice about whether or not to move to Windows' new desktop OS, Windows 7. It seems to him that Windows 7 presents us all with the most interesting set of buy/don't buy issues that we've seen in quite a few years. (You DID catch the carefully neutral phrasing there, right?) It's the first part of a two-part analysis of "the operating system that Microsoft designed to make you forget that they ever released Vista," and we hope you like it. Also... just in time for RTM, our Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 seminars are coming to DC September 8-10 and Seattle September 21-23. We've only got so much space and we had to turn folks away a couple of years ago at the Vista event, so sign up now! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0907.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0907.htm Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:45:00 -0400 Version 1.53: Again Peter Strelecki's eagle eye picked up a problem: you can't pass chml a folder parameter that points to a root directory, like "chml c:\" or "chml \" or the like. We've got that fixed and, in the process of testing the new chml, we discovered something very interesting: the root of the C: drive on Vista seems to always be set to High integrity. Note that you can reset your C:\'s integrity level, but be warned that it'll take about 30 seconds. Thanks again to Peter. And don't forget we've got another integrity level app, REGIL, that lets you experiment with Registry integrity levels. http://www.minasi.com/apps http://www.minasi.com/apps Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:10:00 -0400 Yep, Vista's days are numbered, but for those of us still using it, Mark recounts two recent Vista troubleshooting incidents -- "WPD filesystem failure" when trying to use a USB stick and Vista locking up in the middle of PowerPoint presentations -- in this "late March" issue. (And by the way, that "WPD filesystem" error appears in XP as well, so it's a worthwhile look even for the Vista haters!) Also... our two-day April Chicago Server 2008 class is coming soon (end of April), and we're offering our "economic meltdown" prices to everyone ($200 off the regular attendee price). Save big while getting smart! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0903a.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0903a.htm Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:13:00 -0400 Many people have asked, "where are the Server 2008 books?" They're delayed unfortunately -- sorry! -- and Mark's put up a page with an update on the 2008 books, as well as an announcement on a Windows 7/2008 R2 book. Also... our April Chicago class is coming soon (end of April), and we're offering our "economic meltdown" prices to everyone ($200 off the regular attendee price). http://www.minasi.com/2008class/bookupdate.htm http://www.minasi.com/2008class/bookupdate.htm Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:13:00 -0400 This month, Mark offers the solution to a vexing problem in 64-bit Windows. 64-bit Windows is great in many ways, but it's just a bit tyrannical in that it insists that all drivers and kernel executables must be digitally signed. Signing's a nice idea, but there are just times that we NEED to use an unsigned driver, and that F8 stuff is just too annoying, so this month, Mark shows you how to sign your own apps/drivers, and it won't cost you a cent! Also... our March Philadelphia and April Chicago classes are coming soon, and we're offering our "economic meltdown" prices to everyone ($200 off the regular attendee price). http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0903.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0903.htm Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:00 -0400 In this newsletter, Mark hopes to brighten February's gray with a tale about how he went chasing a mysterious Trojan on his laptop named "F1MAN113" that -- here's the embarrassing part -- didn't exist. Nevertheless, he got a chance along the way to find out (and troubleshoot) a few things about System Restore, the Spooler service, and WMI because, as it turns out, that particular combination can corrupt WMI in a way that disables all kinds of Windows parts. (Thank heavens there's a simple -- if obscure -- way to fix it all, as you'll see.) At minimum, it may serve as an opportunity for the rest of you folks to feel smarter, it may remind you of some preventive measures that you've been meaning to take but haven't yet, and/or may pass along a couple of troubleshooting tips. Also... our March Philadelphia and April Chicago classes are coming soon, and we're offering our "economic meltdown" prices to everyone ($200 off the regular attendee price). You told us that you liked the MP3 format, so we've got an audio version of the newsletter online as well. We hope you like it! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0902.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0902.htm Sun, 15 Feb 2009 09:00 -0500 When Vista first appeared, Mark released a command-line utility called "chml.exe" that is the only complete tool available to experiment with and modify "Windows integrity levels," an important but little-known feature of Vista, Server 2008, Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2. (It's covered in detail in the third chapter of his Vista Security book.) This week, he's updated it with a few bug fixes and a new option "-rl" that allows you to remove an object's integrity label. ALSO... we've announced two locations for Windows Server 2008 seminars, in Philly March 23/24 and Chicago April 27-28, and, even better, Mark's lowered the per-seat cost for just those two sessions in honor of our economic meltdown. (We know it's hard to convince the boss to part with training money; maybe this will make it a bit easier!) http://www.minasi.com/vista/chml.htm http://www.minasi.com/vista/chml.htm Sun, 01 Feb 2009 08:42 -0500 Earlier this fall, Mark started writing about how the changes that Microsoft brought us with Server 2008 -- the good, the bad and the ugly. This newsletter continues in that vein with a piece by Rhonda Layfield: a quick summary of the performance- and security-oriented pluses of Server 2008. She put it together for a client and when we saw it, we asked her if it'd be all right to share it with all of you, and she kindly agreed. We hope you find it useful! Also... Mark is coming to Parsippany, NJ NEXT WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY to do our last public seminar of the year, his two-day Server 2008 seminar, and don't forget that the Vista and Server 2008 classes are now available as audio seminars. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0812.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0812.htm Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:00 -0400 Mark was fortunate enough to be in Barcelona for Microsoft's TechEd Europe in early November and so got to see Microsoft unveil a lot of details about their upcoming replacement for Vista and Server 2008, "Windows 7." He put that info into a keynote talk that he did in Las Vegas the next week. Some of you may get to hear that talk (if you either end up at a conference where he's presenting it or if your firm happens to hire him to do the talk) but many won't, as we know that times are tight. So Mark decided to post that PowerPoint on our Web site. We hope you find it useful! Also... he's coming to Parsippany, NJ on the week of December 8 to teach his two-day Vista and Server 2008 seminars, and don't forget that the Vista and Server 2008 classes are now available as audio seminars. Happy Thanksgiving to our American readers! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0809.htm http://www.minasi.com/win7ppt.pdf Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:21 -0400 Ever since Server 2008 shipped at the end of February 2008, Mark's heard the same question over and over again: should I upgrade? What are the benefits? What are the reasons not to upgrade? Should I just wait for the next version of Server? In this month's newsletter, he starts a series of cut-through-the-baloney looks at what's good and not-so-good about Server 2008. Also... September's the month for Vista and 2008 seminars in Dallas and Seattle, and our Server 2008 class is now a 15-CD audio set. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0809.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0809.htm Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:02 -0400 About a year and a half ago, Mark first read about how a new Windows deployment tool named pkgmgr.exe could install Windows Update hot fixes to Windows Image (WIM) files OFFLINE... and his heart skipped a beat (maybe even TWO!)from the sheer neatness of it all. He couldn't get it to work,however, and so gave up. He had some time this month, however, and so he re-attacked pkgmgr and solved its mysteries. It turns out that pkgmgr has to be treated like the cats that he/s known because (1) it's fussy and (2) you have to clean out its sandbox or it REALLY stinks. He tell you how to perform practical pkgmgr housekeeping so the little sucker will purr! ALSO...We're bringing our Vista and Server 2008 classes to Seattle and Dallas in a few weeks (mid-September) and to New York in December. Info at http://www.minasi.com/pubsems.htm. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0808.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0808.htm Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:54 -0400 This month, two articles: first, our colleague Don Jones shares some advice on what you'll need in order to stay employed in the IT business in the next ten years and, second, Mark explains why the myth that you can only Sysprep a Vista box three times is a myth... and how to avoid the dread Sysprep Fatal Error on the fourth Sysprep. Our friends at TechTarget have asked Mark to do a follow-up to their popular Vista roadshow. The topic of the new road show? Server 2008, of course. Details on how to attend these road shows for free in this month's newsletter. And of course we're coming to Seattle, Dallas and New York with the Vista and Server 2008 classes this fall. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0807.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0807.htm Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:20 -0400 Mark recently bought a Windows Mobile phone. (It was his SECOND WM phone, which reminded him of Dr. Johnson's reputed comment that a second marriage characterizes "the triumph of Hope over Experience.") Anyway, 64 bit Vista didn't like the phone, and so he had to figure out a workaround himself and fortunately he did -- so give this month's Tech Page a look and it may save the day for YOU some time! (It's strange but effective.) Going to TechEd next week? Then we've got a schedule of times when Mark be talking (nine sessions -- you don't want to miss 'em!), as well as an URL for a "for our subscribers only" sneak peek at those talks. Finally, we're coming to Seattle, Dallas and New York with the Vista and Server 2008 classes this fall. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0806.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0806.htm Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:36 -0400 Mark's finished the first DNS chapter in his Elements book. It included a "DNS cheat sheet" that collected all of the commands you'd need to run DNS from the command line, but we didn't want to wait until the book's out, and so we've included it in this newsletter. We hope you learn a few commands and find the Cheat Sheet useful! In this newsletter, you will also learn how to download the PowerPoint presentation that Mark is using in his "Vista SP1, A to Z" talk that he'll be giving at several shows this year. Also, we've still got a few seats left in our Chicago Server 2008 class this Thursday/Friday! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0803a.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0803a.htm Sun, 23 Mar 2008 09:36 -0500 Ever since XP's SP2 arrived, Windows has done something sorta strange. It seems that whenever we download something from the Internet, then Windows somehow seems to REMEMBER that we've done that... and Mark's never gotten the time to sit down and figure out how it does it. This month, He solves the mystery with the help of one of his friends on our online forum, and in the process he gets to explain a little-known feature that's existed in Windows since NT 3.1 -- alternate data streams. In this newsletter, you will also learn how to download the PowerPoint presentation that Mark is using in his "Vista SP1, A to Z" talk that he'll be giving at several shows this year. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0803.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0803.htm Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:51 -0500 Vista SP1 is here or, rather, WILL be here soon, and as far as we can see, it's a net positive. But it's got a whole bunch of different options for acquiring and installing it, so Mark gives you the brief scoop on what they are, and which is best for you. After that short piece, Mark takes you into the dark recesses of the new TCP stack in Vista and Server 2008. But wait, don't run away -- you care about this. You see, there's more to throughput on your Internet connections than just line speed. It's also a matter of how much RAM you dedicate to your TCP connections. Once, you could tweak your TCP stack with a Registry entry, but that's gone, replaced by a smarter algorithm... and thereby hangs a tale. But that's not all: Mark also offers a few words about the Server 2008 technical seminars in Dallas, DC and Chicago in March. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0802.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0802.htm Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:30 -0500 Mark's been busy with this three -- yes, three! -- volumes of the upcoming Mastering Windows Server 2008 books, but he's got a few tidbits that you'll like. First, you'll see how to use CompletePC (which we've covered in the past) to upgrade your Vista hard disk, step by step. (The 200 GB 7200 RPM drives are out for notebooks, you know!) Then Mark talks about two surprising Vista incompatibilities, and finally, our Diva of Deployment, Rhonda Layfield shows you how to crack a DFS mystery. And it's all in one newsletter! But that's not all: Mark also points you at details on the three upcoming books (so that readers of the earlier Mastering books save time and money), and a few words about the Server 2008 technical seminars in Dallas, DC and Chicago in March. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0801.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0801.htm Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:30 -0400 Mark Minasi's proud to announce that his two-day "Installing, Managing and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008" seminar is complete and we're bringing it to Dallas, DC and Chicago in March! (Of course, if you can't wait, then we can always bring the seminar to you.) If you need to run a 2008-based network, or if you've got to plan for eventually running 2008, then where else can you go to get a top-quality, insightful, independent, in-depth education on Microsoft's newest server? http://www.minasi.com/2008class http://www.minasi.com/2008class Tue, 8 Jan 2008 13:30 -0400 Microsoft's WIM file format competes with Ghost and similar products, but it's got a secret weapon: you can apply hotfixes to a WIM image file without first deploying the image to a computer. What would be an hour-long operation on a Ghost image, then, becomes a five-minute one. This newsletter shows you how. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0709.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0709.htm Fri, 21 Sep 2007 08:30 -0400 Last month's newsletter covered some topics about CompletePC... but a bit more digging and some reader letters led to more layers. Is CompletePC as bad as everyone says? Mark doesn't think so, and weighs in with some nifty new CompletePC commands. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0708.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0708.htm Mon, 20 Aug 2007 10:00 -0400 You know, you never really know an operating system until you live with it on every one of your workstations. So in the six months since Mark's started living and breathing Vista, he's found a few things that didn't quite make it into the books. This month, a potpourri of useful Vista tips and warnings! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0707.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0707.htm Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:00 -0400 It's official: Server 2008 hits the shelves in February, and releases to manufacturing some time in November. Time to plan for it... but who's got time to download a mountain of white papers? Join Windows expert Mark Minasi for a one-day roundup of what's good and what's not-so-good at his latest seminar. It's going to be in the Washington, DC area (near Dulles airport) on the 26th of September. More info on the link... please join us! http://www.minasi.com/2k8prev/2k8prev.htm http://www.minasi.com/2kprev/2kprev.htm Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:00 -0400 We've gotten a lot of email and calls asking when we'll run our very popular in-depth Vista support seminar and we apologize for not being to offer another class before now, but we've been busy cracking open Server 2008. But this September 24-25, we'll return to DC for another Vista Support class. If you've been waiting to attend the fastest way to learn the techie side of supporting Vista, then please join us this Fall. http://www.minasi.com/vista/vsupport.htm http://www.minasi.com/vista/vsupport.htm Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:00 -0400 More deployment this month, but this time we add Sysprep to the mix. With our last three newsletters, all we've really accomplished thus far is to deploy a very specific image — too specific, in fact. In order to build an image that you can deploy to many systems, that image must be, in Microsoft's words, "generalized." If you're already experienced in imaging earlier OSes then you'll know that the tool of choice for that generalizing is called Sysprep. But while Sysprepping an image solves the generalizing problem, it raises an issue of its own: Sysprepped images require a bunch of user interaction when first started, and that's not really desirable. This month, we'll see how to build a "Sysprep answer file" to add those finishing touches to a smooth Vista rollout. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0702a.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0702a.htm Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:18 -0500 For those who enjoy a bit of wildlife photography. http://www.minasi.com/animals/deer.htm http://www.minasi.com/animals/deer.htm Mon, 19 Feb 2007 20:06 -0500 This month, we build on our last two newsletters on Vista deployment with more clearly-defined concepts and step-by-step examples that you can use to start squeezing the juice of of Microsoft's deployment tools. In this newsletter, Mark shows you how to use Microsoft's answer to Ghost, a new imaging format called "Windows image files" or WIMs. You'll see how to use ImageX, a new Vista deployment tool, to create and deploy WIMs. As with Vista's other new deployment tools, ImageX isn't perfect but it's a major improvement over previous Microsoft rollout aids. Even more surprising, it works with XP and 2003. And if THAT's not enough to get your attention, then did we mention that it's free? http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0702.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0702.htm Sun, 11 Feb 2007 11:30 -0500 Do most digital SLRs have a magnification factor... or a crop factor? What are you missing, or not missing, by not having one of those full frame digital cameras? Mark did some comparisons and a bit of calculations and found out. http://www.minasi.com/dslrmag http://www.minasi.com/dslrmag Sun, 28 Jan 2007 12:50 -0500 No discussion of Vista's complete without some mention of Vista's improved rollout tools. Yes, they're nice, and yes, they can make hands-off installs possible... but have you ever tried to USE them? In this newsletter, Mark takes you step-by-step through the process of building your first hands-off installation script -- "answer file" is the Microsoft-ese term -- and your first rollout of Vista "untouched by human hands." http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0701a.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0701a.htm Tue, 23 Jan 2007 15:09 -0500 Vista's not the ONLY new Windows out... Microsoft's also released a "cut-down" version of Vista called WinPE 2.0. Anyone can download and work with this invaluable tool that you'll soon be using frequently as a starting point for many deployment and recovery scenarios. Guest author Rhonda Layfield, co-author of our recent Server 2003 SP1/R2 book, tells you everything that you need to know to put this free OS through its paces! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0701.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0701.htm Sun, 14 Jan 2007 22:00 -0500 For those who can't afford the time or the money to attend our well-received Supporting Vista seminar, you can now buy it on 11 CDs! This is not a recording of the seminar, but instead a reworked version of the seminar designed to work best as a set of audio recordings. It's priced at $195. Try it before you buy it with our free sample downloads. http://www.minasi.com/vclassaudio http://www.minasi.com/vclassaudio Sun, 14 Jan 2007 21:43 -0500 My associate and co-author Rhonda Layfield, who penned the terrific and in-depth chapters on the new DFS Namespaces, its essential replication engine DFS-R, and other topics in our recently released Mastering Windows Server 2003: Upgrade Edition for R2 and SP1, has been working day and night to crack the code on Microsoft's new deployment tools. She's done it, and so she's offering a one-day Vista Deployment hands-on seminar in Dallas on 27 February. It goes into far greater detail on deployment than does my two-day seminar, and adds the undeniable benefit of hands-on experience in a small class setting with a real expert and an experienced instructor. Find out more at www.minasi.com/vdeploy.htm. http://www.minasi.com/vdeploy.htm http://www.minasi.com/vdeploy.htm Thu, 11 Jan 2007 17:01 -0500 Vista is the most secure Windows that Microsoft has released, so there's lots of new stuff to learn, and much of it is good news for anyone looking to keep the bad guys away. But while it IS good news, and we all SAY we want security, facing new security technologies sometimes means having to learn to do familiar tasks differently, which can be a pain. In SOME cases, it can be enough of a pain to cause someone to choose to deploy Vista later, and that'd be a shame; hence my new book. Administering Windows Vista Security: The Big Surprises focuses on the eight new Vista security technologies that I feel are pretty good when understood, but that could either scare away the casual evaluator or that are so subtle -- but nonetheless important-- that they might not be noticed. (And at 266 pages, it's a quick read.) http://www.minasi.com/vistsecbook http://www.minasi.com/vistsecbook Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:00 -0500 November Tech Page posted; this issue's subject: "Solving the big 'Vysteries.'" Vista's just about here, kind of, and more and more folks are taking it out for a test drive, only to find that they can't find the brake and accelerator, much less the thing that adjusts the mirrors. That makes for a frustrating set of early experiences... hence this Tech Page. This month, I pass along a few of the "how the heck do I..." questions that I've heard most often about Vista. There's also a note about my Supporting Vista classes starting in Mahwah, NJ on 30 November and then moving to Dallas, Seattle, and the Washington, DC area. (And I include the February/March schedule, where I'm coming to Atlanta, San Jose, Philadelphia and Chicago.) http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0611.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0611.htm Wed, 18 Oct 2006 19:56 -0500 With just a week to go before Vista's release, I share some of the best and worst of Vista, based on my experiences with it. And you can find out about my two-day Vista Support class in Iceland next week! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0610a.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0610a.htm Wed, 18 Oct 2006 19:56 -0500 In this month's newsletter, I solve a problem: some people, only some, don't get their group policies, and some administrators -- only some -- can't make DCPROMO work. The answer? The dread "token bloat." The solution to that, and a look at some neat DNS maintenance tools built into DCDIAG with SP1, all in the October Tech Page. http://www.minasi.com/thismonth.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0610.htm Wed, 04 Oct 2006 13:30 -0500 My new book Mastering Windows Server 2003, Upgrade Edition for SP1 and R2 is in the stores now. But why not take it for a test ride by downloading for free the 48-page chapter on Windows firewall from my Web site? If you think you know Windows Firewall inside and out, I think this chapter will surprise you. http://www.minasi.com/sp1r2book http://www.minasi.com/sp1r2book Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:45 -0500 No time for a newsletter on this one for a while, but for those of you playing with Vista and interested in exploring its new Mandatory Integrity Control feature, I've written a small utility that will allow you to view an object's integrity level (IL), as well as change that IL and instruct it to ignore attempts to modify it, read it, and/or execute it by processes of lower ILs. Ultimately the built-in Vista application "icacls" will serve, but it does not work yet. In order to run this application, you must give yourself "Modify Object Label" privileges and run from an elevated command prompt. Newsletter's on the way with more info soon! http://www.minasi.com/vista/chml.exe http://www.minasi.com/vista/chml.exe Wed, 6 Sep 2006 17:45 -0500 July 2006's newsletter discusses the big news about Microsoft acquiring Winternals and Mark Russinovich becoming a "technical fellow" at MS. Also... the five most interesting things about Vista that almost no one seems to know. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0607.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0607.htm Tue, 18 Jul 2006 11:42 -0500 March 2006's newsletter discusses a neat and largely unknown feature of 2003 SP1 and R2, something called "Access-Based Enumeration" or ABE. That less-than-enlightening name refers to an SP1 feature that people have wished for for, well, as long as I've been writing about NT -- the ability to hide folders in a share such that "if user X can't access some file or folder in a given share, then user X can't even SEE that file or folder." http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0603.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0603.htm Sat, 11 Mar 2006 20:00 -0500 February 2006's newsletter offers a list of essential rules (and not a few anecdotes) culled from 33 years of working with computers. You'll also read about my upcoming conferences and a new 10-CD audio seminar on Securing Your Windows Systems. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0602.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0602.htm Sun, 12 Feb 2006 18:26 -0400 November 2005's newsletter brings a note from a Microsoft reader leading to an explanation of how to use w32tm instead of NET TIME. It also answers many of your questions about last newsletter's discusssion of Sender Policy Framework, how it works and how to do it as easily as possible. It also reminds the latecomers that our last AD and security seminars next week! http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0511.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0511.htm Thu, 10 Nov 2005 18:00 -0400 October 2005's newsletter brings a discussion of Sender Policy Framework -- you know, the thing that people have been trying to tell you that you must do or AOL will start refusing your e-mail -- as well as a bunch of short topics including a quirk in 2003's Windows Time Service, a sad truth about Server x64 and Group Policy Management Console, and a link to a really neat (and free) program that lets you burn ISO images to CD, or create your own ISOs from CDs. http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0510.htm http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0510.htm Mon, 31 Oct 2005 13:00 -0400