Problem solve

Problem solve

Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.

• Windows Time Service: There's got to be a better way to sync XP systems

  There's a tendency for any two given Windows XP systems to be completely out of sync even though they're both joined into the same domain. Continue Reading

• Active Directory for Windows 2000 and 2003: What's the difference?

  A common question among IT admins involves the differences in Active Directory for Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003. Expert Laura E. Hunter breaks down the key changes that took place in Active Directory when the new operating system was ... Continue Reading

• Configuring Exchange Server to receive email from an ISP mailbox

  The lack of a broadband Internet connection or static IP address can sometimes prevent a company, particularly a small business, from configuring Exchange Server to receive SMTP email in the typical way. Learn how you can configure Exchange Server ... Continue Reading

• Why does PC freeze when converting Microsoft Word document to a PDF?

  When a user on the domain tries to convert a Word document to a PDF file using Adobe Professional 7.0, their PC freezes. This admin wonders if there's another way to grant the user access other than giving them power user rights? Continue Reading

• Create a console to manage remote servers, systems

  By creating a custom Microsoft Management Console called the Remote Desktop Console, you'll be able to better manage your systems than with the normal Remote Desktop interface. Continue Reading

• Quick-formatting hard disk drives: A shortcut, but safe

  Quick-formatting a new hard drive takes only seconds, but simply erases the drive's metadata and file allocation tables. Full-formatting, which can take several hours, goes sector-by-sector across the disk, erases it and tests it for possible read ...Continue Reading

• Is domain controller virtualization really a good idea?

  As virtual application servers continue to grow in popularity, many IT managers are beginning to explore the idea of virtualizing domain controllers as well. Expert Gary Olsen tackles some of the many unanswered questions involving DC virtualization.Continue Reading

• BCC encrypted email forking in Outlook Web Access

  Enabled by default, OWA's BCC Encrypted Email Forking feature prevents blind carbon copy recipient information from being leaked when users send encrypted emails. Learn more about how this feature works and discover the storage side effects it can ...Continue Reading

• Eliminate annoying Microsoft Outlook security warnings with ClickYes Pro

  ClickYes Pro is a utility that enables thirty-party specified applications to access Microsoft Outlook without receiving annoying security prompts.Continue Reading

• Fixing Microsoft Word's mysterious tiny cursor

  No one is quite sure what causes the "tiny cursor" problem in Microsoft Word, but here are two workarounds.Continue Reading

• Why .NET Framework process uses 100% CPU

  If a .NET Framework process named MSCORSVW.EXE is constantly running at 100% CPU, it is either compiling high priority assemblies, which need to be completed as soon as possible, or else there's something wrong with the .NET installation. Here's how...Continue Reading

• LUA Buglight utility finds program failures due to limited user account bugs

  The utility called LUA Buglight helps systems administrators determine if a program's failure is due to a limited user account bug.Continue Reading

• How to re-enable the Task Manager

  My Task Manager has somehow been disabled. I am the administrator and I did not disable it. How did this happen and how do I re-enable it?Continue Reading

• Show open documents as separate windows on the taskbar

  Some applications don't show your open documents as separate windows on the taskbar, which prevents you from switching to a specific document. This tip explains how you can get quick navigation in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.Continue Reading

• Step-by-step instructions for deploying an iSCSI SAN

  Many companies whose storage needs are growing are deploying iSCSI SANs rather than simply buying more servers However, the process for deploying an iSCSI SAN can be a complex one.Continue Reading

• OWA error: 'Page cannot be displayed. Internal server error.'

  SearchExchange.com expert Patricia Guerrero offers four methods for troubleshooting the Outlook Web Access error: 'Page cannot be displayed. Internal server error.'Continue Reading

• Marking calendar appointments 'private' in Outlook Web Access

  Learn how to add Microsoft Outlook-like features and functionality to Outlook Web Access, including the ability to designate appointments as private.Continue Reading

• Recovering encrypted files from an NTFS partition

  To recover encrypted files from an NTFS partition, you need to understand how the encryption process works, and how the Encryption File System (EFS) encrypts files on Windows' NTFS file system.Continue Reading

• Using the NETSETUP.log to debug domain join problems in Active Directory

  One of the most overlooked features of MPS Reports is the NETSETUP.log. Expet Gary Olsen breaks down the tool and explains its value when troubleshooting Active Directory.Continue Reading

• How do I change the time zone of a user's session and not the local machine?

  Expert Christa Anderson offers a reader a helpul tool for changing the time zone of a user's session.Continue Reading

• Outlook Web Access won't let user reply to messages

  If users can't reply to email in Outlook Web Access, SearchExchange.com expert Patricia Guerrero offers some troubleshooting tips.Continue Reading

• Degaussing LTO and 3950 tapes is a no-no

  Degaussing used to be the standard way of preparing tapes for re-use. However, LTO and 3950 tapes can't be degaussed and reused, because they contain data they need if they are to function at all.Continue Reading

• Exchange Server domain name changes -- don't forget about IIS

  Because of their co-dependent relationship, changes to Exchange Server can influence Internet Information Server (IIS) behavior and vice versa. One potentially troublesome interaction between Exchange Server and IIS involves domain name changes.Continue Reading

• Server room planning: Location, space, setup and environmental considerations

  The following tip is excerpted from Chapter 1, Choosing your server, from our e-book, "Windows servers and storage." This excerpt looks at the physical aspects of server installation, including reasons for a dedicated server room, what a server room...Continue Reading

• Running 32-bit apps in x64 Windows: Registry redirection

  When a 32-bit application is run on top of an x64 version of Windows, the WOW64 emulator redirects the Program Files folder and calls to DLL files. But this emulator also redirects certain portions of the Windows registry. This article will show you...Continue Reading

• How do I change IP addresses within Active Directory?

  Expert Laura E. Hunter explains to a reader how easy it can be to change IP addresses in Active Directory.Continue Reading

• OutlookTools: Free tool taps into Microsoft Outlook's advanced settings

  Many Microsoft Outlook options are semi-hidden or only available through command-line switches, so it's not surprising that so few users and administrators make use of them. OutlookTools 2.0 is a free utility that exposes these hidden Microsoft ...Continue Reading

• Backup and restore functions in Windows: Advantages and limitations

  Administrators should be aware of the advantages and limitations of Windows' built-in data protection mechanisms -- NTBACKUP, Automated System Recovery, Device Driver Rollback and System Restore – plus Data Protection Manager.Continue Reading

• Long-term data storage: What's the best format?

  Your company has data that it wants to be accessible 20 years from now. What's the best storage format for that data?Continue Reading

• How to fix inconsistent time or time-zone settings

  If a program inserts a TZ variable into a system's environment variables, the system may report the wrong time zone and the wrong Daytime Savings Time setting. Here's how to remove a TZ variable.Continue Reading

• Run 32-bit applications on x64 Windows servers

  Because most applications are 32-bit, the x64 version of Windows makes use of an emulator known as WOW64 to allow 32-bit applications to run.Continue Reading

• Creating a customized welcome email in Outlook Web Access

  SearchExchange.com expert Brad Dinerman explains how admins can create a welcome email for first-time Outlook Web Access users, despite the inability to customize welcome messages in Outlook.Continue Reading

• Fix damaged or absent external USB drives

  When a USB drive stops working often times it's because the Registry key is damaged or has gone missing.Continue Reading

• How can I restrict rights for a group of users on a specific OU of computers, but not on any compute

  Expert Jeremy Moskowitz shows a reader how to use loopback policy processing to restrict rights for a group of users on a specific OU of computers.Continue Reading

• Netsh Winsock Reset command fixes Windows Firewall error

  Admins can use the Netsh Winsock Reset command to resolve the error message that Windows cannot start the Windows Firewall service.Continue Reading

• A guide to server system interconnects

  Interconnects (often referred to as buses) move data (or program instructions) from one place to another on a server. Interconnects are characterized by three key properties: bandwidth, latency and connectivity.Continue Reading

• Four steps to lessen the effect of fragmentation

  Most strategies for ameliorating the effects of fragmentation involve making the best use of free space on the hard disk drive.Continue Reading

• Use verbose logging to troubleshoot in Active Directory

  Using event logs to troubleshoot in Active Directory is a great trick, but what if you don't have enough data? Expert Gary Olsen discusses the benefits of verbose logging and some diagnostic tools to help troubleshoot your AD environment.Continue Reading

• Fix the user interface failure error

  Our Windows 2000 server (Service Pack 3) gives the error "User Interface Failure. The logon user interface DLL Msgina.dll failed to load" when booting. We ran a Windows 2000 server setup, went to repair, selected Console, and replaced the msgina.dll...Continue Reading

• Simple Active Directory tricks: Event logs

  When troubleshooting a problem, looking through event logs in Active Directory can make you crazy. Read expert Gary Olsen's tricks for making the process less tedious.Continue Reading

• DNS on workgroup servers vs DNS on domain servers

  What are the similarities and differences between DNS settings installed on workgroup servers and DNS settings installed on domain servers?Continue Reading

• Login Script: Perform functions based on Subnet

  Find out about a simple batch file that determines the Subnet and maps a drive based on the Subnet.Continue Reading

• How to forward all email to another account using OWA

  Learn how to forward all email messages to another email account using Outlook Web Access.Continue Reading

• Understanding basic server architecture

  The following tip is excerpted from Chapter 1, Choosing your server, from our expert e-book, "Windows servers and storage." This chapter touches on aspects of server hardware, beginning with architectures--systems components and interconnects -- and...Continue Reading

• Improve server performance by making better use of RAM

  Your server may be slowing down because it isn't making the most efficient use of RAM or else simply because you need more RAM. Bottom line: You need to know how to make better use of RAM.Continue Reading

• Automate Active Directory tasks with scripts

  Scripting can be very useful in automating Active Directory tasks. This tip provides a consolidated script that demonstrates a number of Active Directory related tasks you can automate using VBScript.Continue Reading

• Forcing Microsoft Outlook options using Active Directory Group Policy

  SearchExchange.com expert Brad Dinerman explains how to force Microsoft Outlook options using Active Directory Group Policy.Continue Reading

• Installer hangs when upgrading or removing .NET Framework

  A problem is encountered when trying upgrade or remove an edition of Microsoft's .NET Framework. The installer (or uninstaller) hangs when trying to register (or unregister) a number of the .NET .DLLs.Continue Reading

• USB drive backup: Pros and cons

  There are good reasons for Windows administrators to use external USB drives for backup. There are also reasons not to.Continue Reading

• Protect Exchange Server and Outlook email from phishing scams

  Learn why email phishing scams continue to rise and three steps you can take to mitigate the risk to your Exchange Server and Microsoft Outlook email.Continue Reading

• Restrict USB pen drive access on XP networks

  This tip tells you how to disable the USB Pen Drive installation mechanism on a Windows XP network.Continue Reading

• Fixing conflicts between older and newer SATA drives

  The two SATA speed standards sometimes conflict, but there are two easy workarounds for the problem.Continue Reading

• Protect Exchange ActiveSync from premature firewall connection timeouts

  To prevent attacks, many administrators close firewall connections after a predetermined period of inactivity. Unfortunately, this form of intrusion defense can cause problems for Exchange Server ActiveSync's direct push technology.Continue Reading

• How to export data from a Microsoft Outlook .PST file to a .CSV file

  Outlook Mail2Excel is a no-cost third-party utility that can automatically extract data from specified field values in a Microsoft Outlook .PST file and export it to .CSV file format. The results can then be imported into Microsoft Excel or any ...Continue Reading

• Use VBScript to rename mapped drives

  Through a bit of simple registry editing or a VBScript, you can easily rename mapped drives to hide share paths or make the drive name user-friendly.Continue Reading

• Where does your client's security policy actually come from?

  Your clients could be getting different domain-enforced security settings than what you defined in your domain policy.Continue Reading

• When an Active Directory design goes bad -- and how to fix it

  Sometimes the best way to learn how to do something right is by examining someone else's mistakes. Expert Gary Olsen presents a poorly designed Active Directory replication topology, and leads the way toward fixing some common design flaws.Continue Reading

• Manage file storage with File Server Resource Manager

  The File Server Resource Manager (FSRM) component in Windows 2003 Server R2 gives administrators the ability to better manage the storage of files.Continue Reading

• User cannot access Exchange public folder subfolders

  Get advice on how to eradicate Exchange public folder subfolder accessibility issues in Exchange 2000 Server.Continue Reading

• Best practices for Active Directory replication topology design

  A well-designed replication topology is the key to an efficient Active Directory infrastructure. Expert Gary Olsen highlights the most important rules to live by when designing topologies for large, complex networks.Continue Reading

• Google Maps plug-in for Microsoft Outlook Contacts

  CMC International's free plug-in for Microsoft Outlook lets you look up any contact's address and get a Google Maps view without overriding Microsoft Outlook's existing mapping functions.Continue Reading

• Creating Send As permissions for a shared Exchange Server mailbox

  Learn how setting up Send As permissions on a shared Exchange Server mailbox will resolve the error: 'You do not have permission to send to this recipient.'Continue Reading

• Why are users being automatically logged off?

  Expert Christa Anderson suggests why users in a network are being logged out and how to solve the problem with Windows 2003 Terminal Services.Continue Reading

• What is the difference between the Global Catalog and the Infrastructure Master?

  Expert Laura E. Hunter explains the different functions of the Infrastructure Master and Global Catalog in Active Directory.Continue Reading

• Virtualization on multi-core and multi-processor systems

  The more CPUs you have available in a computer that runs virtualized machines, the more processing power you can share among the virtual computers. But the presence of multi-core CPUs complicates the picture a little bit. This article offers some ...Continue Reading

• Server power consumption: How not to overload a circuit

  How many servers and peripherals does it take to overload a circuit? Some simple calculations will save you a lot of trouble.Continue Reading

• Conserve svchost.exe memory by disabling Automatic Updates

  If your svchost.exe process seems to be consuming an inordinate amount of RAM and/or virtual memory, the culprit may be Windows Automatic Updates.Continue Reading

• When Exchange ActiveSync won't download mailbox items to mobile devices

  One of the toughest problems to troubleshoot is when Exchange ActiveSync won't download mailbox items to a portable device. In this tip, SearchExchange.com contributor Serdar Yegulalp outlines the potential causes.Continue Reading

• Turn off Desktop Cleanup Wizard via Group Policy

  Are your users missing icons on their desktops that used to be there? The problem may be the Desktop Cleanup Wizard. Find out how to easily disable the DCW via your Group Policy.Continue Reading

• Backing up Exchange Server with Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager

  While Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) does not natively support Exchange Server backups, there is an unconventional workaround that will let you use DPM to back up your Exchange databases.Continue Reading

• Adding a USB port without Printer Wizard

  How can I add a USB port if it does not show up in the list of available ports when trying to add a printer using the Add Printer Wizard?Continue Reading

• Registry hacks that improve Exchange Server and Active Directory performance

  Learn two registry hack techniques that will ease the burden on overloaded Active Directory domain controllers and boost Exchange Server performance.Continue Reading

• Back up and restore product activation in Windows XP

  Learn how to make re-installing Windows XP product activation or reactivation easier.Continue Reading

• What happens when email is sent to a non-existent user?

  Exchange Server expert David Sengupta explains what happens to email that is sent to a non-existent user.Continue Reading

• GPO replication: Understanding the ins and outs

  Replication services for Group Policy Objects are key to the stability of a GPO. Expert Derek Melber breaks down the process for GPO replication, and explains how to ensure a more stable environment.Continue Reading

• CD/DVD cleaning discs may do more harm than good

  There is evidence that CD/DVD cleaning discs either accomplish nothing or actually harm the drives they're supposed to protect.Continue Reading

• Bad capacitors – how to recognize and replace them

  Capacitors, components found on many motherboards, are prone to failure. Here's a look at what causes bad caps in motherboards and what you can do when that happens.Continue Reading

• Reverse DNS attacks and tarpitting

  I have an email server that has been running flawlessly for two years. Recently, I have been seeing an increase in the number of messages seemingly "stuck" in the SMTP queues... They seem to be replies from postmaster@mydomain.com to spam sent to ...Continue Reading

• Hard disk drives dying: Six signs a drive is about to fail

  Improvements in hard disk drive technology have caused some of the once well-known symptoms of impending failure to disappear. However, hard disk drives can still give off signs that they are about to fail.Continue Reading

• Active Directory tools ease import/export of data

  Expert Gary Olsen explains how to use LDIFDE import and CSVDE export features to better manage your Active Directory architecture.Continue Reading

• Logging into other accounts through Outlook Web Access

  How can I see if someone is logging into another user's email account through Outlook Web Access. For example, if someone logs onto a user's email account as an administrator. Is it logged as a connection to the server as an administrator or user ...Continue Reading

• Smoothly adding a second Exchange server to your organization

  We had a single Exchange server that forwarded outbound email to a smarthost. We've just added another Exchange server to our organization and moved some user mailboxes to it. Let's call this new server Server B, and our old server is Server A. Now ...Continue Reading

• Changing the IP address of your Exchange server

  Learn how to change the IP address of your Exchange server in this expert response.Continue Reading

• Existing user account names: Don't rename them, migrate them

  Rather than rename a user account that's been in use for some time, it's better to create a new user profile with the proper name and migrate the old profile into the new one.Continue Reading

• Global catalog server best practices for Exchange Server

  Learn how global catalog servers work with Exchange Server and best practices for deploying them in your network infrastructure.Continue Reading

• Discover the 'hidden' user control panel in Windows XP

  Find out about the features of a hidden control panel in Windows XP which provides user options that normally aren't available.Continue Reading

• Winmail Opener: How to read TNEF-encoded email messages

  Microsoft Outlook and Exchange Server often store and transport messages in TNEF, a proprietary format Microsoft uses to encapsulate email messages. A non-Microsoft email client that doesn't know how to interpret TNEF will simply display the message...Continue Reading

• Network isolation: When to pull the plug

  When security comes up, there is always a discussion of isolating a sensitive server, but this is often impractical. Contributor Serdar Yegulalp discusses four ways to isolate sensitive servers and their data.Continue Reading

• Quick Tips: Determine the installation date of Windows

  The following command helps you to determine the installation date and time of a Windows XP/2003 computer.Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting Outlook Web Access user login issues

  Discover a three-tier approach to troubleshooting why a user is able to access his Exchange Server mailbox via Microsoft Outlook, but can't log in through Outlook Web Access.Continue Reading

• Setting up workstations with Remote Installation Services

  In larger companies, there are two popular options for streamlining the task of manually setting up workstations: disk imaging and Microsoft's Remote Installation Services (RIS).Continue Reading

• Using Safe Mode to resolve Windows Server 2003 startup issues

  You can often resolve startup issues in Windows by using Safe Mode to recover or troubleshoot system problems. Find out how to start a system in Safe Mode in this tip.Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting Exchange Server global catalog issues

  Exchange Server relies on global catalog servers in a domain to perform user lookups in Active Directory. Learn about the Exchange-related repercussions of an unreachable global catalog server and discover options for troubleshooting this issue.Continue Reading

• Moving DHCP database to a new server

  Follow the steps in this tip to configure a new DHCP server and move the current DHCP database from the old server to the new server.Continue Reading

• Exchange Server Standard Maintenance Checklist

  Microsoft MVP Brien Posey provides this checklist to help you keep your Exchange servers running like well-oiled machines.Continue Reading

• OWA authentication issues when using a proxy server

  Outlook Web Access can work on a server directly available from the Internet or a server concealed by a proxy. If you have the latter setup, you need to watch out for potential OWA authentication issues.Continue Reading

• Remote authentication: Four tips for improving security

  Your network boundary has crumbled and ensuring secure remote authentication is an essential duty for any administrator. RADIUS expert Jonathan Hassell provides four tips for improving the security and administration of remote access to your network.Continue Reading

• Use Microsoft's Windows Memory Diagnostic to test for bad computer memory

  Bad memory is one of the main reasons for random system failures. Microsoft now offers its own tool to test for memory problems.Continue Reading

• Proper patching for both front-end and back-end Exchange Server setups

  If you improperly or inconsistently update your front-end and back-end Exchange servers, your Outlook Web Access users could suffer with performance and availability problems.Continue Reading

• Exchange Admin 101: An introduction to RAID for Exchange Server

  SearchExchange.com contributor Marc Grote explains how RAID works, and provides tips and tools that will help you implement and manage RAID storage in your Exchange Server environment.Continue Reading