Remove All Network Printers from Windows 7 or 2008 R2

From a command prompt run the following command:

wmic printer where Local=FALSE delete

Passed the Windows 7 Exam (70-680)

I passed the 70-680 Windows 7 exam the other day!

Now Microsoft just needs to update my records so that it will show the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator certification.

 

 

Change the Windows 7 Logon Background

Warning: This post deals with editing the registry. If you don’t know what that is stop right here & ask someone else to help you. Using the registry incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows. Use the registry at your own risk.

Pick the image you want to use & save it so that it is 250KB or less. (Paint.net is a great photo editor.) Name the file backgroundDefault.jpg. Copy it to C:\Windows\System32\oobe\info\backgrounds. Create any folders in that path that do not exist.

Open regedit & browse to HKLM\SOFTWARE \Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background. Create a REG_DWORD called OEMBackground & give it a value of 1. Close regedit.

Now lock your session & you should see the custom background. No reboot needed.

You can also use a GPO instead of editing the registry. Browse to Computer Configuration>Administative Templates>System>Logon & enable Always use custom logon background.

0x800703ED Error During Unattended Windows 7 Installation

When installing Windows 7 using an answer file you may receive an error that says, “Windows could not assign a volume to a partition on disk 0. The error occurred while applying the unattend answer file’s <DiskConfiguration> setting. Error code 0x800703ED.”

In the answer file I did not have the format (NTFS) selected for the second partition.

RDP Error Connecting to Server

One of our Helpdesk personnel got the following error when making an RDP connection from Windows XP SP3 to a Windows Server 2008 R2 server, “Remote Desktop cannot connect to the remote computer because the authentication certificate received from the remote computer is expired or invalid. In some cases, this error might also be caused by a large time discrepency between the client and server computers.”

Since the error suggested it I checked the date, time, & time zone on both the server & client but they are all correct. I tried to RDP to the same server & was able to log in just fine, however I was using Windows 7.

On the server if I open the certificate store in an MMC & browse to the Remote Desktop\Certificates I see that there is a self-signed certificate that expired on 5/3/2011.

If I look at the same store in other 2008 R2 & 2008 SP2 servers they all have a self-signed certificate as well but the expiration dates have not yet passed. It appears as though this certificate should be renewing itself automatically every 6 months but for some reason on this one server it is not. While I could never find any documentation on the mechanics behind this certificate auto-renewing itself the fix is pretty simple. You just need to restart the Remote Desktop Configuration service. The expired certificate will then be renewed.

You will also see an Event ID 1056 in the System log that says, “A new self signed certificate to be used for Terminal Server authentication on SSL connections was generated. The name on this certificate is servername.domain.tld. The SHA1 hash of the certificate is in the event data.”

 

Update: I have also found this same issue on Windows Server 2008 RTM, SP1, and SP2. The same fix applies only the service to restart is Terminal Services Configuration.

NTBackup-RestoreUtility for Windows 7

Today I had the need to do a restore from a backup that was done on a Windows XP computer. Windows XP backs up to a BKF file. Windows 7 doesn’t have a built-in way to restore a BKF file. Fortunately Microsoft provides a patch to install the NTBackup-RestoreUtility that allows you to restore the data from a BKF file.

1. Download & install the proper version. (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974674)
2. Open the utility & select the Restore and Manage Media tab.
3. Right click the file node & select Catalog file.
4. Expand & select the folder(s)/file(s) that you want to restore.
5. Select Alternate location from the Restore files to drop-down.
6. Browse to a temporary location like C:\Restore.
7. On the Confirm Restore dialog box click Advanced.
8. On the Advanced Restore Options uncheck all boxes except Preserve existing volume mount points & click OK.
9. Back on the Confirm Restore dialog box click OK.
10. When the restore is finished you can review the report but keep in mind that it may be filled with error but my experience has been that everything restores just fine.

Windows 7 RTM

Finally got Windows 7 Ultimate RTM downloaded from MSDN. Just gotta make sure all my stuff works on it then I’m making the switch.

Configure AT&T Broadband Card on Windows 7

Like a lot of people I am trying out the Windows 7 Beta on one of my laptops. Though I haven’t dug into it very far I have to say that so far, I like it. In fact, I think I already like it more than Vista, although to some people that isn’t saying much.

I like it so much that I really want to start using it on my main laptop. What better way to dig into the nuts & bolts of the thing then using it every day? Installs were going surprisingly good until I ran into a show stopper (at least for me).

The laptop is a Dell with the built-in 5500 broadband data card for AT&T. Windows Update does have a beta driver for the device but the software from Dell to connect to the Internet does not install. After a few hours of searching the Internet for a beta version of the software, I remembered something I did a long time ago when I use to tether my good ole Cingular 8125 to my laptop. I just created a Dial-up connection. Here’s how I did it.

1. Open the Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click Set up a new connection or network.
3. Select Connect to the Internet & click Next.
4. Select Dial-up.
5. Select the broadband wireless card (i.e. Dell Wireless 5500 Mobile Broadband).
6. Configure the Dial-up info as follows & click Connect.
   1. Dial-up phone number: *99#
   2. User name: WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
   3. Password: CINGULAR1
   4. Remember this password: Checked
   5. Connection name: AT&T
   6. Allow other people to use this connection: Checked
7. When prompted to choose the network location, select Public.