Author: orange

How to know \Device\Harddisk#\DR# is which physical hard disk?

Post author By orange
Post date November 22, 2015

How to know \Device\Harddisk#\DR# is which physical hard disk?

Under Windows environment, we are used to the drive letter such as C: or D: drive but the error in the Windows Event Viewer normally point out the faulty device in the different format \Device\?Harddisk#\DR# or \Device\HarddiskVolume# (e.g. \Device\Harddisk0\DR0). So, how can find/locate the correct hard disk / device?

Problem: The drive detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk0\DR0

Below are the example of event log:

Log Name: System

Source: disk

Event ID: 11

Level: Error

General/detail: The drive detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk0\DR0.

Solution: To find the error disk \Device\Harddisk0\DR0

Download WinObj from https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb896657.aspx
Right-click on downloaded WinObj and run as administrator
Search through \Device\Harddisk# until you find your faulty device (e.g. \DR0)
You can see one or multiple Partition with SymbolicLink Type. (in my example, I got \Device\HarddiskVolume1 to 8 are belong to this device/disk). Note this down for the next step.
$WinObj \Device\Harddisk0$
\Device\Harddisk0
Click on \GLOBAL?? in the left panel, then click on the “SymLink” column in the right panel in order to have the result sort in SymLink.
Find / locate \Device\HarddiskVolume# value you found in the step #4
You will notice that the name of the volume in the first column. There will be multiple entries that include volume GUID, drive letter, etc. From my result below, I can see that my C: drive is located in this \Device\Harddisk0\DR0 disk. $WinObj \GLOBAL??$

References & Resources:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb896657.aspx

http://serverfault.com/questions/153513/identifying-a-physical-disk-from-its-windows-device-description

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/159865

Tags \device \harddisk \DR0

Office

Outlook 2013 hang in loading profile

Post author By orange
Post date April 22, 2014

Outlook 2013 hang in loading profile

Environment:

Microsoft Outlook 2013 (32-bit) running in Windows 7 (64-bit)

Problem:

Microsoft Outlook suddenly not working. Outlook hang in “Loading profile” stage. We was working previously.

Troubleshoot task perform:

Task performed	Result
Delete and recreate Outlook Profile	Outlook still hang
Launch Outlook with safe mode (Outlook /safe)	Successfully launch Outlook. Only a temporally solution.
Disable and remove all the Outlook add-in	Outlook still hang
Restart computer	Outlook still hang
Repair Microsoft Office	Outlook still hang
Remove and Re-install Microsoft Office 2013	It is working but the problem happen again after some time
Disable cache mode	Outlook still hang

Solution: Disable the Hardware Acceleration

1. Modify registy by running “regedit”

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common

3. Create a new Key and name is as ” Graphics”

4. Select Graphics key, right-click on the empty area in right panel and create a new DWORD (32-bit) value with name of “DisableHardwareAcceleration”

5. Enter value data as 1 for DisableHardwareAcceleration

Outlook 2013 should work fine now.

Tags Office 2013, Outlook

Windows

Drop down menu not working in IE 9

Post author By orange
Post date August 23, 2012

Certain Internet Explorer (IE) especially IE9 is having problem for drop down menu for some website (even sharepoint portal/website). Basically, the drop down menu is not working in IE9.

I have tried a couple of solution such as reset IE setting/configuration, enable compatibility view, etc but non is working. Finally, I solve it by disabled certain IE add-ons. Certain users that still have problem will need to start the IE without any add-ons.

Below is the screen capture to create shortcut on the user’s desktop that will start Internet Explorer (IE) without any add-on.

Windows

LDAP over SSL for Domain Controller

Post author By orange
Post date March 3, 2012
1 Comment on LDAP over SSL for Domain Controller

LDAPS over SSL (LDAPS) for Domain Controller

Each of Domain Controller have Lightweight Directory Access Protocol – LDAP (port 389) open for authentication for 3rd party application/system such as firewall/VPN appliance. The LDAP protocol is insecure because the data is sent in the clear text format. Therefore, we need LDAPS (LDAP over SSL) to encrypt and secure the communication. The default port for LDAPS is 636.

If your Active Directory is installed with Enterprise CA then most likely you will have digital certificate and LDAPS activated for all the domain controller by itself. Below are the steps to request the digital certificate for the domain controller server from Microsoft Stand-alone CA and the LDAPS will be activated automatically.

1. Make sure you have at least one Microsoft Stand-alone CA installed in your organization

2. From the domain controller server that you need the LDAPS, create certificate.inf file as shown in the example below in order to generate the certificate request file

;—————– certificate.inf —————–[Version]Signature=”$Windows NT$[NewRequest]

Subject = “CN=servername.domain.local” ; replace with the FQDN of the Domain Controller
KeySpec = 1
KeyLength = 1024
; Can be 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, or 16384.
; Larger key sizes are more secure, but have
; a greater impact on performance.
Exportable = TRUE
MachineKeySet = TRUE
SMIME = False
PrivateKeyArchive = FALSE
UserProtected = FALSE
UseExistingKeySet = FALSE
ProviderName = “Microsoft RSA SChannel Cryptographic Provider”
ProviderType = 12
RequestType = PKCS10
KeyUsage = 0xa0

[EnhancedKeyUsageExtension]

OID=1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1 ; this is for Server Authentication

;———————————————–

3. Create the certificate request file by the following command

certreq -new certificate.inf certificate.req

4. Submit the certificate request file to the Stand-alone CA

certreq -submit certificate.req

The system will prompt you with the option to choose with stand-alone CA you want to submit. Take not on the certificate request id

5. In the Stand-alone Certificate Authority (CA), under “Pending Requests“, right-click on the request ID, select All Tasks – Issue. The certificate will goes into “Issued Certificates” folder.

6. Retrieve the certificate from the domain controller that requesting the certificate

certreq -retrieve <request id> certificate.cer

7. Import the certificate into the Personal store of the Computer Account

8. Test the LDAPS using ldp

9. You can now proceed with LDAP over SSL integration with 3rd party system/application

10. For Windows 2008 Server, you night need to import the certificate into Active Directory Domain Services certificate store

Resources and References:

To renew the SSL certificate created by this post, please go to Renew SSL certificate for Domain Controller LDAPS

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/321051

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd941846(WS.10).aspx

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol

Tags Domain Controller, ldap, LDAP over SSL, ldaps, Server, Windows 2003, Windows 2008

Windows

Remote Desktop (RDP) Tricks and Tips

Post author By orange
Post date February 19, 2012

Remote Desktop (RDP) Tricks and Tips

Modify Remote Desktop Listening Port

Run regedit (Registry Editor)
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TerminalServer\WinStations\RDP-Tcp\PortNumber

Double-click on the PortNumber to modify the RDP port number
Select the Decimal base and modify the value data for the PortNumber. Default is 3389. The value should be within between 1025 and 65535
Click OK and quit Registry Editor.
Reboot the computer or restart “Remote Desktop Services service”

Connect to remote desktop using different port

If you want to connect to remote desktop using customized port number (default is 3389)

Run mstsc (optional steps: Click Start, click All Programs – Accessories – Communications – Remote Desktop Connection)
In the Computer box, enter the IP address or host name for the computer that you need to connect and then follow by a colon “:” together with the port number
Below are some of the example:

Example 1: MyServer is the host name and 3388 is the customized port number

MyServer:3388

Example 2: 192.168.1.10 is the IP address of the computer and 3390 is the customized port number

192.168.1.10:3390

Click Connect.

Alternatively, you can use the follow command:

mstsc /v:servername:portnumber

Example: mstsc /v:MyServer:3388

Activate Remote Desktop remotely using registry editor

Enable Remote desktop via the registry

Run regedit (Registry Editor)
On the File menu, click Connect Network Registry.
In the Select Computer dialog box, type the computer name and then click Check Names.
In the Enter Network Password dialog box, provide Domain Admins credentials for the domain of the server, and then click OK.
After the computer name resolves, click OK.
Locate the following registry subkey in the computer node:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server

Double-click on the fDenyTSConnection to edit the DWORD value. Change the value data from 1 (Remote Desktop disabled) to 0 (Remote Desktop enabled)
Restart the computer. (You can restart the remote computer using “shutdown /m \\computername /r”

Multiple RDP session for single user

By default, Remote Desktop (RDP)/Terminal Services in Windows 2008 will be using the same RDP session if you are using the same username. Unlike Windows 2003 that you can have different session under same user name. Below are the registry key to allow multiple RDP session for single user in Windows 2008

Run regedit (Registry Editor)
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TerminalServer

If the fSingleSessionPerUser value doesn’t exist, create a new DWORD value named fSingleSessionPerUser
Modify fSingleSessionPerUser value:

0 Allow multiple sessions per user

1 Force each user to a single session

Click OK and quit Registry Editor.
Restart “Remote Desktop Services service” or Reboot the computer

RDP to the console session

In certain case, we need to connect to the console session of the server so that we can start/monitor certain legacy application that is not started via Windows Services. The administrator needs to login the server first and only start the application manually.

Use the following command to remote desktop to the server into console session:

For Windows Vista, 7, 2008 , Windows XP SP2 and above

Mstsc /admin

For Windows XP SP1 and before:

Mstsc /console

Resource and References:

http://oreilly.com/windows/archive/server-hacks-remote-desktop.html

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306759

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304304

http://remotedesktoprdp.com/Force-Single-Session-Allow-Multiple-Sessions-Per-User.aspx

Tags RDP, Remote Desktop, windows

Apple

Steve Jobs dead

Post author By orange
Post date October 6, 2011

Steve Job dead (1955 – 2011)

Apple has confirmed and announce on Steve Job’s death on morning of 6 October 2011. Steve Jobs was 56 years old/ He had been flighting with pancreatic cancer and resigned as CEO of Applce on 24 August 2011.

It was a launce of the Apple iPhone 4S on 5 October 2011. His death come just a day after the launch.

Apple has post a tributepage for Steve Jobs in http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/

Tags Apple, Steve Job dead, Steve Job death, Steve Jobs

VMware

The program can’t start because libxml2.dll is missing from your computer

Post author By orange
Post date August 14, 2011

The program can’t start because libxml2.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem

When you try to run the vSphere Command-Line Interface (CLI) such as vihostupdate.pl, it might not work and giving you the error message below:

It shown more errors in the command screen

The problem might simply cause by you are not using the command under administrator privilege in Windows 7 or Vista platform. Try to run the cmd as administrator:

Tags VMware, Windows 7

VMware

How to upgrade VMware ESXi 4.0 to 4.1

Post author By orange
Post date August 12, 2011

How to upgrade VMware ESXi 4.0 to 4.1

If you are using VMware ESXi 4.0 standalone or free version. You will not be able to upgrade VMware ESXi 4.0 to 4.1 using vSphere Host Update Utility. One of the solution is to use vihostupdate from vSphere Command-Line Interface (CLI) for remote installation.

Below are the steps to upgrade VMware ESXi 4.0 to 4.1 using vihostupdate.pl from vSphere CLI

1. Download vSphere Command-Line Interface from http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vcli/ and then install into your computer

2. Download the latest VMware vSphere Hypervisor from https://www.vmware.com/tryvmware/p/activate.php?p=free-esxi&lp=1

3. Select the package with upgrade ZIP from ESXi 4.0. Eg: ESXi 4.1 Update 1 (upgrade ZIP from ESXi 4.0)

4. Shutdown all the guest machine and set ESXi host into maintenance mode

5. Go to cmd prompt (make sure you “run as Administrator” if you are using Windows 7) and run the following command:

cd “c:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI\bin”

I’m using Windows 7 x64. If you are using Windows XP or 32bit Windows then it should be:
cd “c:\Program Files\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI\bin”

vihostupdate.pl -server <ESXi host name/IP> -i -b <location of the upgrade ZIP bundle>

vihostupdate.pl -server 192.168.1.7 -i -b c:\temp\upgrade-from-esxi4.0-to-4.1-update01-348481.zip

Enter the user name and password

it will start patching/upgrade your ESXi server

6. Restart your VMware ESXi host

7. You can check the patches intalled by the following command:

vihostupdate.pl -server <ESXi host name/IP> -query

7. You can now exit the Maintenance mode to enjoy upgraded VMware ESXi 4.1

Tags ESXi, upgrade, vihostupdate, VMware

Antivirus

Free Cloud Antivirus

Post author By orange
Post date June 26, 2011

Why we need free cloud antivirus?

1. It’s free (Pro/commercial version come with addition features)

2. Second layer of the antivirus protection

Why not more than one traditional antivirus?

It’s not recommended to install more than 1 traditional antivirus software in your PC because it might cause the computer slow down (because more of the traditional antivirus come with huge footprint that usitilize lot of system resources) and software conflict. I have even seem some case that even the simple virus cannot be delete because multiple antivirus try to hold the virus file at the same time.

My recommendation:

1. One traditional antivirus. You can easily get one commercially or free version. For example, Microsoft Security Essential that has be given out free from Microsoft (if you are using genuine Microsoft Windows Vista/7)

2. 2nd layer of protect with Cloud antivirus that have smaller footprint and hardware resources requirement.

Free Cloud Antivirus Software

Below are some of the list of the free cloud antivirus in the market.

Free Cloud Antivirus solution/brand	website / download
Immunet Cloud Antivirus	http://www.immunet.com/free/index.html http://download.immunet.com/push/immunet/ImmunetSetup.exe
Panda Cloud Antivirus	http://www.cloudantivirus.com/ http://acs.pandasoftware.com/cloud/PandaCloudAntivirus.exe
ThreatFire AntiVirus	http://www.threatfire.com/download/
Kingsoft Cloud Antivirus	http://www.kingsoftsecurity.com/cloud-antivirus.html http://www.kingsoftsecurity.com/downloads/kingsoft-free-antivirus.exe

Tags Anti-Virus, Cloud computing, Immunet Protect, Kingsoft Cloud Antivirus, Panda Cloud Antivirus, Panda Security, ThreatFire

Office

Powerpoint 2003 alignment problem after kb2464588 patched

Post author By orange
Post date April 20, 2011

Powerpoint 2003 alignment problem after kb2464588 patched

Some of the powerpoint file started to gave error/warning message “PowerPoint was unable to display some of the text, images, or objects on slides in this file….” as shown belew:

Solution

This might happen after you patch your Microsoft Office Powerpoint with kb2464588 patch. Remove the patch and it should work fine.

When you run Windows Update, make sure you excluded this kb2464588 patch until Microsoft have better patch or upprade your Microsoft Office to at least 2007 version

Tags kb2464588, Microsoft Office, Powerpoint 2003