Hi All,

I’ve spent the last few days migrating to Hyper-V, SQL 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Exchange 2010 from 3 machines - Windows Server 2003, SQL 2005 and Exchange 2003. The last thing I had to turn on/get going was Active-Sync for syncing mail with home via a mobile device. This failed miserably, as per the below event log on my Exchange 2010 Server.

Log Name:      Application

Source:        MSExchange ActiveSync

Date:          11/20/2009 12:23:07 PM

Event ID:      1053

Task Category: Configuration

Level:         Error

Keywords:      Classic

User:          N/A

Computer:      <server>.thenet.gen.nz

Description:

Exchange ActiveSync doesn't have sufficient permissions to create the "CN=<name>,OU=<OU Name>,DC=thenet,DC=gen,DC=nz" container under Active Directory user "Active Directory operation failed on <server>.thenet.gen.nz. This error is not retriable. Additional information: Access is denied.

Active directory response: 00000005: SecErr: DSID-031521D0, problem 4003 (INSUFF_ACCESS_RIGHTS), data 0

".

Make sure the user has inherited permission granted to domain\Exchange Servers to allow List, Create child, Delete child of object type "msExchangeActiveSyncDevices" and doesn't have any deny permissions that block such operations.

Details:%3

Event Xml:

<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">

  <System>

    <Provider Name="MSExchange ActiveSync" />

    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">1053</EventID>

    <Level>2</Level>

    <Task>2</Task>

    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>

    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2009-11-19T23:23:07.000000000Z" />

    <EventRecordID>9577</EventRecordID>

    <Channel>Application</Channel>

    <Computer><server>.thenet.gen.nz</Computer>

    <Security />

  </System>

  <EventData>

    <Data>CN=<name>,OU=<OU Name>,DC=thenet,DC=gen,DC=nz</Data>

    <Data>Active Directory operation failed on <server>.thenet.gen.nz. This error is not retriable. Additional information: Access is denied.

Active directory response: 00000005: SecErr: DSID-031521D0, problem 4003 (INSUFF_ACCESS_RIGHTS), data 0

</Data>

  </EventData>

</Event>

The work around was pretty simple, however took me some time trolling through external and internal Knowledge Base Articles. I came across this article, however it didn’t seem to address the issue.

Here’s how I managed to get it sorted -

On a Domain Controller, Click on Start/All Programs/Administrative Tools/Active Directory Users and Computers

Click on View and Select Advanced Features

Select a mailbox that isn’t working with Active Sync, double click on the account, Select the Security Tab and then the Advanced Button.

Select Exchange Servers, and tick the Include inheritable permissions toggle then Apply and OK.

This issue is currently bugged and is likely to be fixed with an update in the future – It seems to be a symptom of ‘upgrading’.

Nick.

Hi All,

Windows XP Mode just hit RTM status this week and will be made available for download later this month in its final version. Once installed, this optional Windows 7 feature will let anyone run their XP-only applications which wouldn’t otherwise work on the new operating system. Designed primarily for small businesses who sometimes run mission-critical apps that are not updated to work with new versions of Windows, XP Mode adds a virtualization layer comprised of the Windows Virtual PC engine a licensed copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3 running as a virtual machine, both of which will be made available for download. Larger businesses will likely use MED-V which will offer XP Mode in its new version due to be released in beta 90 days after the Windows 7 public release.

Programs running in XP Mode will can be launched right from the Windows 7 desktop and even integrate with Windows 7 features like the Taskbar’s “jump lists” which show recently used files and common tasks.  In order for XP Mode to run, PCs are required to have at least 2 GB of memory and a system that has chip-level virtualization from either Intel or AMD.

Nick

Hi All,

For those of you who have installed Windows 7 RC on one these netbooks and couldn’t figure out what the two unknown devices are in device manager, then I have the solution for you.

Visit the HP website here and install the following downloads:

Nick.

Hi All,

Now that Windows 7 has hit release candidate, people are asking me how to create a bootable USB stick so they can quickly install Windows 7 RC1.

You will need the following to create the bootable USB flash drive:

• USB Flash Drive (>2GB+) - 4GB minimum recommended
• Microsoft Windows 7 Disk
• A computer running Windows 7 or Windows Vista

Step 1: Format the USB Drive

The steps below describe how to use the command line to format a USB disk correctly using the diskpart utility.

**** This will erase/delete/nuke/remove/junk everything on your drive. Be careful to select the right drive!  ****

Plug in your USB Flash Drive

Open a command prompt as administrator (Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt (right click and select “Run as administrator”)

Find the drive number of your USB Drive by typing the following into the Command Prompt window:

diskpart

list disk

The number of your USB drive will be listed, write it down - I’ll assume for this tutorial that the USB flash drive number is disk 2.

Format the drive by typing the following instructions into the same window. Replace the number “2” with the number of your disk below.

select disk 2

clean

create partition primary

select partition 1

active

format fs=NTFS

assign

exit

When that is done, you’ll have a formatted USB flash drive that is ready to be made bootable - don't close this Command Prompt, as you'll need it again soon.

Step 2: Make the USB Drive Bootable 

Now we’ll use the bootsect utility that comes on the Windows 7 or Window Vista to make the USB flash drive bootable.  

Insert your Windows 7 or Windows Vista DVD into your  drive - I’ll assume the drive letter is d:

Using the same Command Prompt window that you used in Step 1, change directory to the boot folder located on the root of the media.

d:

cd d:\boot

Use bootsect to set the USB Flash drive as a bootable NTFS drive prepared for a Windows 7 image. I’m assuming that your USB flash drive has been labelled as drive  f:\ by the Computer:

bootsect /nt60 f:

You can now close the command prompt window as this is no longer required.

Step 3: Copy the installation DVD to the USB drive

Using Windows Explorer, copy all of the files from your DVD to the formatted flash drive, once completed, this USB flash drive is ready to boot. The final thing you need to do is to enable your computer to boot via USB in the BIOS and then you’re away.

To request a valid key for the beta and release candidate, please go here - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx.

Nick.

Hi All,

For those of you that have (or intend on getting) one of these great devices, the current install files on the t-stick don’t work as expected with Windows 7.

Here’s a work around: -

When you insert the t-stick into a USB port, follow the normal process of installing the drivers. It will fail on recognising a number of components. Move the t-stick to another USB port and then add the drivers manually by looking at the other devices section in the device manager, right clicking on the component, choose the Update driver Software option and point the path to the C:\Program Files\Sierra Wireless\USBMUX Drivers folder. Once this done for each one, it should look something like this.

Then fire up the watcher, and you should be away after clicking on the connect button.

The Microsoft Office Outlook Team have just announced a new beta version of the Outlook Connector - the add-in that lets you sync your Windows Live Hotmail data in Outlook. In the past, email and contacts syncing was available for free, but syncing your calendar was only available with a subscription service. No more! Calendar sync is free! Not only that, but the calendar syncing service now also syncs with the Windows Live Calendar Beta service, too! That means you can sync your work calendar in Outlook to your personal calendar in Hotmail to your family calendar in Windows Live Calendar and vice versa. And since Windows Live Calendar supports calendar sharing, other shared calendars that you have access to will also sync back to Outlook. The new Outlook connector is faster, more reliable, and, as always, free. You can download it from here.

Nick.

Funny what you learn when you’re poking about…

Mstsc /console /v:<machinename>  /f /span

Nick.

Introducing FriendMobilizer, a free application for Windows Smartphones and Pocket PC's that puts Facebook into the palm of your hand. Check out the screenshots!

• Get notifications sent directly to your home screen
• Set your status
• Approve friend requests
• View Group/Event invites
• Check your wall and inbox
• Send your friends messages, pokes, and wall posts

The application is currently available for both Windows Mobile devices and Pocket PCs and can be downloaded from the web site at www.faceofmobile.com. However, according to the company, the generic software platform developed for FriendMobilizer will soon be ported to other mobile OS's as well. In addition, the company plans to build mobile apps for other social networks in the future.

Register Phone Number

Download FriendMobilizer

Nick.

Option 1.

strComputer = "."

Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\CIMV2")

Set colItems = objWMIService.ExecQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_Processor")

For Each objItem in colItems

    Wscript.Echo "Processor: " & objItem.Name

    Wscript.Echo "NumberOfLogicalProcessors: " & objItem.NumberOfLogicalProcessors

    Wscript.Echo "NumberOfCores: " & objItem.NumberOfCores

    Wscript.Echo

Next

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< OR  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Option 2.

strComputer = "."

Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\CIMV2")

Set colCSes = objWMIService.ExecQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_ComputerSystem")

For Each objCS In colCSes

  WScript.Echo "Computer Name: " & objCS.Name

  WScript.Echo "System Type: " & objCS.SystemType

  WScript.Echo "Number Of Physical Processors: " & objCS.NumberOfProcessors

  WScript.Echo "Number of Logical Processors: " & objCS.NumberofLogicalProcessors

Next

Thanks to some internal emails that were going around recently, I’ve discovered some great Microsoft Office ribbon tweaks, tips, and customizations.

Hide the Ribbon: To hide the ribbon out of view leaving only the tab names showing, just double-click on any tab’s name.

Customize the Quick Access Toolbar: By default, the Quick Access Toolbar has the “Save,” “Undo,” and “Redo” buttons on it, but you can change that. To do so, go to any tab and  right-click on the little pull-down menu symbol next to the window title on any Ribbon app. Here, you have the option to click on “Customize Quick Access Toolbar.” From the menu that displays, you can add and remove commands from the Quick Access Toolbar to suit your preferences. Add your most frequently used commands and you can hide the ribbon to get more screen real estate without losing access to the commands you use the most.

Find Hidden Commands: Because the Ribbon is meant to bring more simplicity to working with Office software, there are some infrequently used commands that are not available on the ribbon or are just harder to find. To bring these back into view, follow the steps above in #2 to customize the Quick Access Toolbar and you can get access to these commands once again. A couple examples of hidden commands include Excel’s pop-up calculator and PowerPoint’s Advanced Document Properties, which lets you see how big the file is.

Customize the Quick Access Toolbar on the Fly: No need to hunt down the little right-click menu, though, you can just right-click any command on the ribbon and choose “Add to Quick Access Toolbar.”

Scroll Through Tabs With a Mouse Wheel: If you have a mouse with a wheel, you can scroll through the tabs if the cursor is over the Ribbon – very useful for quick switching.

Nick