September 22, 2021

How to create individual .zip files from a bunch of subfolders

If you run into an issue where you have a ton of folders and you want to create .zip archives of each one you can simply […]
September 10, 2021

How to RDP into an Azure Active Directory-joined PC using a Microsoft account

You may have noticed that if you Azure Active Directory join a PC you can no longer RDP into it using a non-Azure username and password. […]
September 9, 2021

How to bypass https on WordPress when you can’t access your site

Under your general settings in WordPress you can configure https settings as outlined below. However, let’s say you’re having certificate issues or for some other reason […]
September 9, 2021

Some Older Printer Drivers Are Vulnerable To Hackers

A number of printers, including printers from Samsung and Xerox, have been found to contain undiscovered vulnerabilities that allow attackers to gain admin privileges on vulnerable […]
September 9, 2021

New Microsoft Office Coming To Windows And Mac In 2021

Another subscription model, Microsoft 365, provides for an annual fee the latest versions of Office, Word and Excel, in addition to bonus items such as 1TB […]
September 9, 2021

Google To Add Password Breach Prevention Feature To Android

If you are a user of Google Chrome, you know that there is a feature that notifies you if your password has been stolen or changed. […]
September 9, 2021

How to optimize remote work

Remote working enables companies to enable employees to optimise their daily processes with the right tools. It gives employees the flexibility to do their work remotely […]
September 9, 2021

Why is two factor authentication important?

The process of account recovery itself can also be undermined because it can be used to disable two-factor authentication by resetting the user’s current password by […]
September 9, 2021

Sophisticated Phishing Campaign Targets Microsoft Users

Phishing campaigns that Microsoft security researchers have been pursuing for years underscore not only the continuing success of hackers’social engineering efforts to compromise systems, but also […]
September 9, 2021

Why does my business need unified communications?

Unified Communications can transform businesses by increasing productivity, enhancing customer service, ensuring accessibility, lowering costs, increasing scalability, integrating with other enterprise-wide systems and improving compliance. Small […]
September 9, 2021

Should I be concerned about being infected with Pegasus?

In July, it was revealed that security researchers had found evidence that Pegasus had been used as a spyware to break into the phones of journalists, […]
September 9, 2021

What is a virtual CIO?

A virtual CIO is a portfolio of IT services available for small businesses by managed service providers (MSPs) today. Companies contract with IT agencies to have […]
September 9, 2021

Managed IT support for small businesses

MSP works with you to design and implement a backup plan that meets your budget and business requirements, and ensures that your data is always backed […]
September 9, 2021

Why the t-mobile breach is a huge problem for two factor authentication

At this time, we were able to confirm that nearly 850,000 T-Mobile pre-paid customer names, phone numbers and account PINs were unmasked. We have identified additional […]
September 9, 2021

How can I protect my business against ransomware

Make sure you have a plan to restore your systems in case of an attack. Cyber security is an ongoing process that includes frequent discussions with […]
September 9, 2021

Cybercrime Group Asking Insiders for Help in Planting Ransomware

As the Guardian wrote about the situation, the new Ransomware victims ask two other users to install the link and pay the ransom to decrypt their […]
January 5, 2016

How to configure Netgear ReadyNAS to have a Godaddy or 3rd party SSL certificate

Use SSH to login to your device: Username will be root, password will be the same as the admin password. type in the following commands: cd […]
November 3, 2015

Cisco 5500x Understanding Licensing and Purchasing

  The new Cisco 5500x firewalls can be purchased now with FirePOWER services. The first thing to decide when purchasing a 5506-x is the base model. […]
September 15, 2015

Free Device Management or MDM

Are you looking for a 100% free MDM or mobile device management solution? Cisco Meraki Systems Manager is a free feature that allows you to control […]
September 15, 2015

Deploying Active Directory in the AWS Cloud

Great whitepaper on how to deploy AWS cloud domain controllers. Implementing_Active_Directory_Domain_Services_in_the_AWS_Cloud
September 11, 2015

What is Proofpoint Essentials and URL Defender and why you need them

Here are two great PDF’s on Proofpoints core services. PPE_URL_Defense_Customer 2-23-15 Proofpoint_Essentials_Solution_Overview
September 11, 2015

Velocity Partners with Proofpoint

Velocity has made a strategic decision to start offering Proofpoint services due to their highly respected platform for email security, archiving, and encryption. Proofpoint’s document on […]
September 11, 2015

Why You Need Additional Security than what Office365 Offers

You may have recently migrated to Office365 from an on premise solution. You assume all is good from a security perspective. However, this whitepaper explains why […]
August 31, 2015

Why Choose Fortinet?

This PDF is an excellent explanation of where Fortinet is going and why you should be securing your infrastructure using Fortinet. NSE-L1-M06-Corp-Overview-Q2-2015-bshark.pptx
August 31, 2015

The FortiGate Cookbook – Recipes for Success with your FortiGate

This is the FortiGate Cookbook for FortiOS 5.2. This will help you configure security, WiFi, Authentication, VPN’s, IPv6, Fortinet Integration, and some expert configuration instructions. fortigate-cookbook-52
August 31, 2015

Modern Network Security Study Guide for Fortinet NSE1

This is the guide that is used to pass the NSE1 certification. 00—Modern-Network-Security—NSE1-Study-Guide-eBook
August 25, 2015

Are the Hashed AshleyMadison.com Passwords Secure?

When the AshleyMadison.com website was hacked the hackers released the entire dump of hashed passwords. Hashed passwords are passwords that have been converted from plaintext to […]
August 20, 2015

Mastering Kali Linux for Advanced Penetration Testing

If you are looking for a great guide on learning Kali linux look no further! Download
August 19, 2015

Zerto

When you are looking for enterprise-class business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) for your virtualized IT infrastructure & cloud Zerto is one of the best solutions […]
August 19, 2015

Stratusphere FIT

Clients sometimes ask what solutions we use to products we use to gauge performance moving to virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) or RDS-hosted applications. One of the […]
July 14, 2015

Scalable Server Infrastructure Using Hyperconverged Infrastructure

Many corporate data centers have gradually grown quite fat over the last ten years of development. The physical servers are now a minority, and the virtual […]
July 14, 2015

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Migrate from Exchange to Office 365

There are a huge number of users on Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2013 all over the world. People were really happy with Exchange […]
July 14, 2015

Hyperconverged Solutions For Next-Generation Enterprise

Hyperconverged solutions are the biggest trends in the world of virtualization. The data center during the last five years or more has been changed and turned […]
July 14, 2015

How To Recover Critical Data with Disaster Recovery Consulting

We Help To Recover Critical Data And Keeps Your Business Running Many large scale businesses rely on information technology where data availability is the top most […]
July 14, 2015

Computer Network Security Solutions Consultant

Why You Need a Computer Network Security Solutions Consultant? ____________________________________ In the world of ever-evolving and increasing internet threats, computer network security has become a major […]
April 28, 2014

Stopping a Windows Server service if you cannot do so from the GUI

Occasionally you need to force stop a Windows service.  In order to do it follow these steps.   Open the command prompt by going to the […]
March 21, 2014

Gettign rid of certificate warning errors for Outlook in Exchange 2007 2010

You may see an Outlook error “The name of the security certificate is invalid or does not match the name of the site.” if you order […]
March 6, 2014

How to see who has been logging in to your Gmail account

If you are concerned someone has been logging in to your Gmail to read your emails or send spam it is easy to check and see. […]
February 19, 2014

How to get the computer name on Windows 7 or 8 without logging in

You will notice with Windows 7 and 8 you no longer get the computer name drop down.  However, you can still find the computer name by […]
January 31, 2014

Configuring mutual CHAP authentication between Lenovo IX2 and Windows Server 2008r2

Setting up mutual CHAP authentication between Windows Server and a Lenovo IX2 is pretty easy and straightforward. First you simply login to your IX2 and enable […]
January 28, 2014

How to install a Godaddy SSL certificate on a Cisco ASA firewall

The first step in getting an SSL certificate for your Cisco ASA is to generate a CSR request. 1.  Open ASDM > Configuration > Device Management […]
January 27, 2014

Cisco ASDM will not launch with version 7.x

If you have the latest version of Java 7 and you’re using ASDM 7.x it will not work.  You must uninstall Java and downgrade to version […]
January 9, 2014

Users cannot manage distribution groups that they are owners of in Exchange 2013

If you have recently ran across an issue where users are unable to manage a distribution group in Outlook or Exchange even though you have made […]
November 30, 2013

Can't edit virtual machines once you upgrade to VMware 5.5 ESX and a virtual machine version 10

If you recently upgraded to VMware 5.5 you will notice this warning if you try to edit your virtual machines. “You cannot use the vSphere Client […]
October 3, 2013

When connecting Cisco ipsec VPN client through 3G or 4G card you are unable to ping your remote network

If you are experiencing this issue it is a simple fix.  You just need to download this DNE fix.   http://www.citrix.com/go/lp/dne.html
October 2, 2013

If you just installed Exchange 2013 and you have an Exchange 2010 mailbox you cannot access EAC you get the old ECP management

If you just installed Exchange 2013 and you try to go to http://ServerName/ecp you’ll notice that you get the old Exchange 2010 interface and cannot manage […]
October 2, 2013

While installing Exchange 2013 it reports there are Exchange 2003 servers in the network when there are not

One or more servers in the existing organization are running Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003. Installation can’t proceed until all Exchange 2000 or Exchange […]
October 2, 2013

While trying to install Exchange 2013 you receive the error message "A reboot from a previous installation is pending. Please restart the system and rerun setup.

If you receive this error it is a relatively easy fix.  Just go to regedit and find the following key and delete it. HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerPendingFileRenameOperations Hit […]
May 22, 2013

How to burn a disc in Windows 7 or Windows 8 when you're not an administrator

You may notice you cannot burn a disc with your non-administrator account in Windows 7 Windows 8 or Server 2008 or Server 2012. You will still […]
April 18, 2013

How to fix “the trust relationship between this workstation and the primary domain failed”

If you’ve restored or “rolled back” a PC running Windows 7, Windows 8, or Vista then you may have run into this error message  “the trust […]
March 21, 2013

Migrating a DHCP databse for Windows Server 2003 2008 or 2012 including SBS

Migrating a DHCP database can be done with three steps.   1.  On the old DHCP server run the command netsh dhcp server export C:dhcp.txt all […]
March 14, 2013

How to use Powershell to transfer the FSMO roles to a Windows Server 2012

Transferring the FSMO roles to a 2012 using Powershell is relatively easy.  The command is as follows.   Move-ADDirectoryServerOperationMasterRole Identity “ServerName” OperationMasterRole 0 1 2 3 […]
February 21, 2013

How to setup the Samsung S3 for Exchange Account

Setting up a Samsung SIII for an Exchange server can be a little tricky.  But with these steps it will help you get it done. First […]
February 19, 2013

Exchange 2010 how to view a users folders sizes in Powershell

If you have a user who is receiving the following message: “The recipient’s mailbox is full and can’t accept messages now. Microsoft Exchange will not try […]
February 14, 2013

iDrac in Dell Server error – Alert! iDRAC6 not responding. Power required may exceed PSU wattage.

If you receive this error – Alert! iDRAC6 not responding. Power required may exceed PSU wattage.   Try these steps to resolve it: 1.  Turn off […]
February 13, 2013

Cannot save files in Outlook 2010

If you receive an error message in Outlook 2010 about saving file the fix is pretty simple. “Cannot create file: photo.JPG.  Right-click the folder you want […]
February 12, 2013

Comparing Office 2010 Different Editions

If you are trying to figure out which version of Microsoft Office 2010 to purchase look no further.  Simply find the products you need and match […]
February 12, 2013

How to find unread messages in Gmail regardless of which folder they are located in

If you’re trying to sort through your Gmail for only messages that are unread or if you have a pesky label that has a number next […]
February 11, 2013

How to install Microsoft Windows Server 2012 in a few easy steps

Like its predecessors Server 2012 is only available for 64-bit processors. Which shouldn’t be a problem for any modern server. The first step is like all […]
January 21, 2013

When running gpresult you get an error "no data available" in the computer details

If you’re running gpresult to troubleshoot group policies you may notice that in the computer details section it states, “no data available”. If this is the […]
January 15, 2013

Cisco ipsec VPN Client for Windows 8 error VPN Client failed to enable virtual adapter

If you download the latest version(as of this writing 5.0.07.0440) of the latest ipsec vpn client for the Cisco ASA you may notice an error when […]
October 12, 2012

All of my Exchange 2010 services are stopped and disabled. Have I been hacked?

Recently Microsoft release Exchange service pack 1 rollup 7 unfortunatly this software was not tested. We have had multiple clients experience issues. To resolve follow the […]
March 29, 2012

Removing the first Exchange 2010 database requirements

Run this command first Set-AdServerSettings -ViewEntireForest $True The first thing you must do is move all the mailboxes to another database. This can be accomplished via […]
February 2, 2012

Outlook not finding Exchange 2010 server when trying to autoconfigure email

If you create your Mailbox database before the creation of a Client Access array or the installed a Client Access server within the Active Directory site, […]
December 5, 2011

Cisco ASA 8.3 and above NAT ranges how to

object network obj-Server1 host 192.168.1.5 object service MyRange service tcp destination range 50 100 nat (outside,inside) source static any any destination static interface obj-Server1 services MyRange […]
April 28, 2011

Deleting disconnected mailboxes in Exchange 2010

First you need to get a list of all the disconnected mailboxes – Get-MailboxStatistics -Database “” | Where-Object {$_.DisconnectDate -Notlike $NULL} | FL DisplayName, DisconnectDate, MailboxGuid […]
April 19, 2011

Setting up a Cisco secure IPSEC tunnel on an iPAD

Settings>General>Network VPN Add VPN Configuration IPSec – Description: CompanyVPN Server: vpn.company.com Account: Your domain username Password: Your domain password Group Name: ipsec group name Secret: ipsec […]
April 15, 2011

How to use %username% variable in vbscripts

If you try to use a vbscript to map a network drive using the %username% variable it will not work. The reason for this is the […]
April 15, 2011

Nat rules change after 8.3 upgrade breaks VPN

Normal Nat statment access-list nonat extended permit ip nat (inside) 0 access-list nonat-inside New nat statment object network vpnpool subnet exit nat (inside,outside) source static any […]
March 21, 2011

Changing the global catalog server for Exchange Server 2010

If you want to force the Exchange server to use a specific GC instead of letting the server automatically choose a GC, you can perform the […]
March 18, 2011

Searching Exchange 2010 mailboxes with Powershell

#Assign the role to the required user account New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role “Mailbox Import Export” -User administrator #Restart the shell #This would search every mailbox for messages containing […]
March 11, 2011

No more exmerge in Exchange 2010, using mailbox import export

First you have to give permissions to the account that needs to import/export or nothing will work. Where “MyExportAccount” is the account that needs permissions to […]
March 9, 2011

Looking through multiple event logs

There may come a time when you need to search for a specific event ID on all of your domain controllers or servers.  Perhaps even all […]
March 2, 2011

Get the ten biggest mailboxes in Exchange 2010 export to report using PowerShell

Get-Mailbox -database  | Get-MailboxStatistics | Sort-Object TotalItemSize -descending |Select-Object DisplayName,ItemCount,@{name=”MailboxSize”;exp={$_.totalitemsize}} -first 10 | Convertto-Html | out-File report.htm
March 2, 2011

Change the GAL display to last name first name in Exchange 2010

To change the GAL in Exchange 2010 to display your users last name before there first it is a two step process. The first step is you […]
February 28, 2011

Publishing OWA using Forefront TMG server

  PublishingExchangeServer2010withForefront[1]
February 22, 2011

Use Powershell in Exchange 2010 to give a distribution group permissions to a security group's member's calendars'

The first thing you will want to do is create and active directory security group.  In my example I create one named “calendartest”.  Now I’m going […]
February 22, 2011

Manage Exchange 2010 Calendar Permissions Using Powershell

In this example we will add a domain group named group-calendarReviewers to a mailbox named Jeremy.Whittaker.  We will give the group “Reviewer” access rights Add-MailboxFolderPermission -identity […]
February 21, 2011

Vmware server 503 Service Unavailable Fix

Recently I installed Vmware Server. When I opened the web browser it popped up with an error service unavailable 503. To fix follow the steps below. […]
February 19, 2011

Allow anonymous relay in Exchange 2010

Allowing relay in Exchange 2010 requires the use the command shell. Here are the steps: 1. Open Exchange Management console and go to Server configuration>hub transport. […]
February 19, 2011

How to turn off reboot after automatic updates in Windows 7 with screenshots

It is rather annoying to wake up the day after Windows Updates have ran to notice all of your programs have been closed and you can’t […]
February 17, 2011

How to create a self-signed certificate in Exchange 2010

Very simple Open Exchange Shell New-ExchangeCertificate
January 27, 2011

Thunderbird users access Exchange address book using ldap query

I recently ran into a situation where some Linux based Thunderbird users needed access to the Exchange 2010 GAL.  Here were the settings that work. The […]
January 20, 2011

Migrating BES server to Blackberry Express

http://www.blackberry.com/btsc/KB20793 Transporter Tool  http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/16660/BB_ET_overview_554166_11.jsp
January 13, 2011

Redirect port 80 on exchange 2010 to ssl or 443 for OWA or Outlook Web Access

You must use caution when changing the IIS settings for Exchange 2010.  The reason is simple.  Powershell or the Exchange management console EMC uses IIS to […]
January 12, 2011

Disabled accounts error hr=0x80040111, ec=-2147221231 when moving from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010

You can fix this by doing the following steps. 1. Start active directory users and computers. 2. Enable the AD account . 3. Goto the properties of […]
January 6, 2011

Using netsh to add a route for Exchange 2010 Replication network

In Exchange 2010 when setting up DAG groups it is best to have a dedicated NIC for your heartbeat/replication network.  When doing this you do not […]
December 29, 2010

Trying to delete Exchange 2010 mailbox error cannot be deleted system mailboxes

If you try to delete an Exchange 2010 mailbox and you get an error. ——————————————————– Microsoft Exchange Error ——————————————————– The mailbox database ‘Mailbox Database 1355317859’ cannot […]
December 24, 2010

roku.com/facebook gives error "An error occurred. Please try again later."

To fix this you must authorize Roku. http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Froku.com%2Fphotofeed&h=7694b You will then have an issue where Roku cannot find your photo stream.  To fix you must give […]
December 23, 2010

Resolving Winrm errors in Exchange 2010

http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2010/12/07/457139.aspx
December 17, 2010

Installing Exchange 2010 you get error Setup must use a domain controller in the same site as this computer

To first resolve this problem obviously you need a domain controller in the same site as the Exchange 2010 server you are trying to install.  It […]
December 17, 2010

After removing Exchange 2010 and trying to reinstall you get error Database is mandatory on UserMailbox. Property Name: Database

Here is the error: Summary: 5 item(s). 1 succeeded, 1 failed. Elapsed time: 00:00:09 Preparing Setup Completed Elapsed Time: 00:00:06 Hub Transport Role Failed Error: The […]
December 14, 2010

sbs memory issues

Okay, so what does tasklist /svc from a command prompt tell us? Ah ha…it’s our Firewall monitoring service ….see that MSSQL$MSFW? That’s our ISA server monitoring […]
December 13, 2010

Setting up dual internet connections without BGP on a cisco router

hostname Router ! ip cef !####First we are going to setup a monitor that will use icmp or ping to contact the gateway of ISP1. It […]
December 13, 2010

enable SSH on Cisco router

config t ip domain-name MyDomain.com crypto key generate rsa usage-keys modulus 1024 wr mem
November 30, 2010

Changing the enable or telnet password on cisco pix or asa

To change the enable password: enable password N3wP@ssw0rd To change the telnet password: password N3wP@ssw0rd
November 17, 2010

How to allow relaying in Exchange 2007

Allowing relay in Exchange 2007 requires the use the command shell. Here are the steps: 1. Open Exchange Management console and go to Server configuration>hub transport. […]
November 11, 2010

Changing your Exchange 2007 internal addresses for client connectivity

Changing the Interal OWA URL, OOF, OAB, and Unified Message Service URL in Exchange 2007 Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectory | fl *url* Find the string you want to change […]
November 9, 2010

Exchange 2010 Service Pack 1 SP1 download location

Exchange 2010 SP1 can be downloaded via this link. Exchange 2010 SP1 You can also check your version of Exchange with this table: Exchange Server and […]
October 27, 2010

Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager Program Files Consuming a Large Amount of Space

If you are using Symantec Endpoint Protection manager as your antivirus solution then you should be aware of a known issue that can bring your server […]
October 21, 2010

Exchange 2010 errors on Server 2008 r2

“The start mode for the Net. TCP Port Sharing service must be set to Automatic before Setup can continue.” Resolution: Run this command in powershell Set-Service […]
September 16, 2010

How to copy files maintaining all file attributes

If you are ever prestaging a DFS server you know that you’re going to need to copy over all of the files and folders without changing […]
September 9, 2010

What to do if you lose your 2008r2 domain administrator password

Recently I had a client who one of their users changed the domain administrator password. Unfortunately for them they did not have a backup domain admin […]
May 4, 2010

Secure Offsite Backups

If you are looking for an easy way to get affordable offsite backups you should consider purchasing Mozy. Mozy uses 128-bit encryption which ensures your data […]
February 15, 2010

N2 Begins Exchange 2010 Consulting

N2 Network Solutions is now supporting Exchange 2010.  This includes but is not limited to new DAG groups.
February 14, 2010

Poolman

With their growing business Poolman located in Phoenix Arizona needed a solution to connect their two sites.  N2 proposed, designed, and implemented a site-to-site VPN solution […]
February 14, 2010

Make a Wish International

Make a Wish International located in the Biltmore area needed an affordable IT solution.  They currently use N2 Network Solutions to support their existing infrastructure which […]
February 14, 2010

Washington Calibration

Washington Calibration located in Tempe Arizona has looked to N2 Network Solutions for multiple projects.  N2 has done a small business server implementation.  They also currently […]
February 14, 2010

Stanfield Elementary

A few years ago Stanfield Elementary school district needed a solution to secure desktops.  Since they need to lockdown the student workstations they needed someone to […]
February 14, 2010

Foresight Technologies

Foresight Technologies located in Phoenix and Tempe Arizona currently utilizes N2 Network Solutions for 24/7 maintenance and monitoring.  N2 has also done site to site VPN […]
February 14, 2010

Hewson

N2 Network Solutions has helped Hewson Real Estate Development located in Tempe Arizona with many of their technology needs.  Hewson uses N2 for all of their […]
February 14, 2010

On-Shore Technology

On-Shore Technology located in Tempe Arizona needed to upgrade their old servers, workstations, and network.  N2 Network Solutions designed and implemented a turnkey Windows Server 2008R2 […]
February 14, 2010

Town of Gilbert

The town of Gilbert Arizona has been a client of N2 Network Solutions for years.  In 2009 Gilbert needed an Exchange 2007 solution.  N2 discovered, designed, […]
February 13, 2010

N2 Network Solutions

Networking    
February 4, 2010

Get a remote command prompt

It is pretty easy to get a remote command prompt if you need to remotely gain access to another PC’s command prompt. Here are the steps. […]
February 3, 2010

What is IPv6

IPv6 is the successor to IPv4.  IPv4 and IPv6 are the internet protocols that all networks use to communicate.  IPv4 is still dominate today on the internet.  […]
February 1, 2010

Free Screen Video Recorder from Microsoft

People who do presentations or need to record what they are doing need an app that will record their mousemovements and screen.  Most people do not […]
January 28, 2010

What are the minimum password requirements for server 2008?

Not contain the user’s account name or parts of the user’s full name that exceed two consecutive characters Be at least six characters in length Contain […]
January 28, 2010

Subnet Mask Cheat Sheet

  Hosts Netmask Amount of a Class C /30 4 255.255.255.252 1/64 /29 8 255.255.255.248 1/32 /28 16 255.255.255.240 1/16 /27 32 255.255.255.224 1/8 /26 64 […]
January 27, 2010

What version of Exchange 2010 do I need? Enterprise or Standard?

Feature Standard Server Edition Enterprise Server Edition Mailbox Databases 1-5 databases 6-100 databases Roles Based Access & Control Yes Yes Transport Resiliency Yes Yes Remote PowerShell […]
January 27, 2010

What version of Exchange do I need? Enterprise or Standard?

Feature Exchange Server 2003 Standard Server Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise Server Exchange Server 2007 Standard Server Exchange Server 2007 Enterprise Server Exchange Server 2010 Standard Server […]
January 27, 2010

Getting Started with Exchange 2010

As most know Exchange 2010 is the latest version of Microsoft’s email server.  I wanted to write a short description of the software and outline its […]
January 26, 2010

Office 2010

Microsoft confirmed that they will be releasing Office 2010 in June of 2010.  It is codenamed Office 14.  This will be their first version to support […]
January 23, 2010

Google ChatBack always shows you offline?

If you’ve ever used Google ChatBack you know it’s an excellent utility for chatting with web vistors.  However, if you’re not using a standard gmail account […]
January 21, 2010

What are the effective permissions of Exchange roles

The Exchange Administration Delegation Wizards allows you to define roles at the organization level, or at the administrative group level. Where you define a role, combined […]
January 20, 2010

Should I rename my domain administrator account?

As I open the logs files on my honeypot server I see there multiple brute force attacks on my ftp server.  They are using administrator and […]
January 19, 2010

Microsoft Small Business Server 2008

Microsoft SBS Server 2008 is an excellent solution for small businesses.  However, migrating to SBS 2008 is not that simple.  First things first it is essential […]
January 15, 2010

Offline Files Issues

If for whatever reason you cannot get your offline files to synchronize and you want to make sure you have a backup of them before messing […]
December 21, 2009

Batch file set permissions based on foldername %username%

@echo off set zLog=ResetHomePerms.log cls echo FIXHOME.BAT echo This script will reset permissions for all subdirectories echo in this folder.  It is assumed that the subdirectories […]
December 8, 2009

Exchange 2007 won't receive emails

If you stop receiving emails in Exchange 2007 telnet to your Exchange 2007 server.  Do you see the following error, “452 4.3.1 Insufficient system resources”?  You […]
December 7, 2009

How to Create a ERD Commander 2009 R2 Recovery Disk

With Microsoft acquisition of Winternals you can no longer download their ERD disk pasted the 2005 version.  However, Microsoft has made it possible to create the […]
November 30, 2009

How to limit users access to OWA in Exchange 2007 via powershell

The first thing you’re going to want to do is create two users in active directory.  OWAEnabled and OWADisabled You then need to mail enabled these […]
November 24, 2009

VBScript to change user home directory with username variable

Set CNUsers = GetObject (LDAP://OU=test,DC=N2NetworkSolutions,DC=com) CNUsers.filter = Array(“user”) For Each user in CNUsers   user.HomeDirectory = “N2File01users” & user.samaccountname ‘UNC   user.HomeDrive = “H:” ‘ Letter […]
November 2, 2009

Send a daily html CCR report via Powershell

Create a powershell script to generate the html file Test-ReplicationHealth | ConvertTo-Html -title “BackupReport CCR” -body “Backup status per Storage Group” | Set-Content E:StorageGroupBackupStatus.html note: test-systemhealth […]
November 2, 2009

Configure Managed Folder Mailbox Policy logs

Apply the policy to all of your users Get-Mailbox | Set-Mailbox –ManagedFolderMailboxPolicy ‘Default Managed Folders Policy’ Turn on the log folder set-mailboxserver -identity <server> -FolderLogForManagedFoldersEnabled $true Set […]
October 30, 2009

VPN client cannot connect through PIX or ASA

Make sure to run this command to enable the pptp fixup protocol. fixup protocol pptp 1723
October 26, 2009

Creating a recovery storage group and database

Creat a new storage group New-StorageGroup –Server <database server> –LogFolderPath “<Path to your log folder” –Name “Recovery Storage Group” –SystemFolderPath “<path to your database>” –Recovery Creat […]
October 26, 2009

Exchange 2007 Powershell to copy contacts from storage recovery group to production database for one user

Restore-Mailbox -Identity “<user mailbox>” -RSGDatabase “<Database Server><Recovery Storage Group><Database.” -IncludeFolders Contacts -confirm:$false
October 26, 2009

Exchange 2007 Powershell to copy contacts from storage recovery group to production database

Get-MailboxStatistics -Database “<DBServer><Recovery Storage Group><Database>” | Restore-Mailbox -RSGDatabase “<DBServer><Recovery Storage Group><database>” -IncludeFolders Contacts – confirm:$false
October 21, 2009

Creating a bootable USB drive for Windows 7 installs

Insert your thumb drive.  Open explorer right click on it and go to format.  Make sure your drive is larger than 3gb and use format using […]
October 20, 2009

Upgrading Exchange 2007 CCR cluster to SP2

Upgrade Order CAS UM HUB EDGE MAILBOX Upgrade passive node first Browse to the SP2 files setup.com /Mode:Upgrade restart and wait for server to come back […]
October 20, 2009

Exchange 2007 CCR useful commands

Move Clustered mailbox server to another server Move-ClusteredMailboxServer -Identity:<CMSName> -TargetMachine:<PassiveNodeName> -MoveComment:<Comment> View Storage group configuration Get-StorageGroup -Server mbx01 | fl View the database configuration Get-PublicFolderDatabase -Identity […]
October 18, 2009

EventID 12 Time-Service Error

Error: Time Provider NtpClient: This machine is configured to use the domain hierarchy to determine its time source, but it is the AD PDC emulator for […]
October 13, 2009

Utility to compare two text files

If you have 2 text documents i.e. a Cisco router/switch/firwall config and  you need to see the highlighted differences you can use a utility called CSDIFF.
October 13, 2009

How to manually uninstall SCCM configuration manager client

Open a command prompt to c:windowssystem32ccmsetup run this command ccmsetup.exe /uninstall verify uninstall with teh ccmsetup.log
October 12, 2009

Using imagex to edit a .wim file

Editing a .Wim file is very simple.  First create a folder that will be used as a mount point.  I’m going to use c:mountwim Download imagex […]
October 12, 2009

SCCM immediately fails after trying to partition format disk

If you are having this issue check your BIOS settings to verify that the hard drive is in the boot list.  I had an issue where […]
September 30, 2009

Install Windows 7 in one VHD file

This is a pretty straightforward process.  DISKPART Process First thing you want to do is right click on command prompt and run as administrator. Once the […]
September 29, 2009

Microsoft comes out with free spyware, virus, and malicious sofware protection

Microsoft now offers Microsoft Security Essentials.  It is a free product which removes spyware, virus, and malicious software from your PC.  The link to download the […]
September 29, 2009

Free web filtering software

If you are running a small business or a parent trying to lock down a childs PC there is free software available to stop them from […]
September 28, 2009

Exchange 2007 SP2 prerequisites to prep the domain

Extend Schema Requirements: Domain account member of schema admins and enterprise admins Machine in which you extend schema must be: 1.  On the same domain and […]
September 3, 2009

SCCM log files

Client Log Files CAS – Content Access Service. Maintains the local package cache. Ccmexec.log – Records activities of the client and the SMS Agent Host service. […]
September 2, 2009

If you are unable to open any .exe files

Open command prompt Go to c:windows run regedit from here Go here  HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT exefile shell open command Double click default and change exactly to this “%1” […]
August 29, 2009

How to get Cisco pix VPNGroup password in plain text

D0wnload a tftp server my preference is tftpd32. Run it on a local machine on the inside(0) interface of  your pix. Login to the pix and […]
August 21, 2009

Enable Domain admins send as receive as all users in Exchange

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftExchangeExAdmin Add a new DWORD key there called “ShowSecurityPage” and set it’s value to 1. Once this is done you can right click on your Exchange […]
August 21, 2009

enable sql named pipes

run > svrnetcn
August 16, 2009

Edit the hosts file in linux

For my trixbox server I need to edit my hosts file so that it knows where to go when I specify sip.broadvoice.com.  Here is an example. […]
August 15, 2009

Configure Exchange 2007 for BES 5.0 upgrade

Create an account for Exchange named BESAdmin Assign owner on ALL public folders My computer>Manage>local users and groups>groups>double click Administrators and add BESAdmin On Exchange 2007 […]
August 15, 2009

Configure Public folder replication

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 Topic Last Modified: 2007-08-24 This topic explains how to use the Exchange Management Console or the Exchange Management Shell […]
August 15, 2009

How to create an offline address book Exchange 2007

How to Create an Offline Address Book Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 Topic Last Modified: 2007-01-02 This topic explains how to use […]
August 12, 2009

Removing the Dell background image for RDP

Open regedit Navigate EXACTLY to the Key Value   – HKEY_USERS  – .DEFAULT  – Control Panel  – Desktop   You should see a key with this information […]
August 12, 2009

Script to remove all network shares

Option Explicit Dim objNetwork, objShell, strDriveLetter, strDriveLetter2, strDriveLetter3, strDriveLetter4, strDriveLetter5, strDriveLetter6, strDriveLetter7, strDriveLetter8, strDriveLetter9, strDriveLetter10, strDriveLetter11, strDriveLetter12, strDriveLetter13, strDriveLetter14, strDriveLetter15, strDriveLetter16, strDriveLetter17, strDriveLetter18, strDriveLetter19, strDriveLetter20, strDriveLetter21, […]
August 2, 2009

Spoofing caller ID with Asterisk

Setup Asterisk Signup with Voice Pulse or any provider that allows you to specify your ANI Follow their manually configuration which can be found here https://www-business.voicepulse.com/Secure/Setup/Setup.aspx […]
July 28, 2009

Installing BES Express for Exchange 2003

Installing BES for Microsoft Exchange http://na.blackberry.com/eng/support/preinstallation/exchange.jsp#tab_tab_step1   Create a new user in AD name the user BESAdmin Add the user to the administrators group Go to […]
July 28, 2009

Change the RDP listening port number

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetControlTerminalServerWinStationsRDP-TcpPortNumber
July 26, 2009

Setting ExternalURL for Outlook Anywhere clients

There is a parameter known as the ExternalUrl parameter. The Outlook Anywhere client needs to connect to various services such as Exchange Web Services, Offline Address […]
July 26, 2009

Create a certificate request on CAS server in Exchange 2007

Example 1: New-ExchangeCertificate –GenerateRequest –Path c:CAS.txt –SubjectName cn=CAS1.YourDomainName.com –DomainName mail.YourDomainName.com, CAS1, CAS1.YourDomainName.com –IncludeAcceptedDomains –IncludeAutodiscover –PrivateKeyExportable $true   Example 2: New-ExchangeCertificate –GenerateRequest   –SubjectName“cn=mail.YourDomain.com”`  -DomainName webmail.YourDomainName.com, autodiscover.YourDomainName.com,  mail.YourDomainName.com, cashub2007.YourDomain.local […]
July 26, 2009

Change maximum message size for OWA in Exchange 2007

Browse to the folder Program FilesMicrosoftExchange ServerClientAccessowa Look for a file named web.config Look for maxRequestLength change this to your desired setting. Run IISReset to finish […]
July 26, 2009

Exchange 2007 migration links

http://www.msexchange.org/articles_tutorials/exchange-server-2007/migration-deployment/practical-look-migrating-exchange-2003-exchange-2007-part3.html http://www.simple-talk.com/exchange/exchange-articles/upgrading-to-exchange-server-2007/
July 24, 2009

Exchange Management Shell to create a new public folder database

New-PublicFolderDatabase -Name “<New Public Folder Database Name>” -StorageGroup “<Name of your storage group>” The database does not created mounted run this command to mount it Mount-Database […]
July 23, 2009

Antivirus and Exchange 2007

What folders should be excluded? Mailbox Server Role: You must exclude specific directories for each Exchange server or server role on which you run a file-level antivirus […]
July 22, 2009

Using powershell to move offline address book to another server

Move-OfflineAddressBook -Identity <OfflineAddressBookIdParameter> -Server <ServerIdParameter> Example move offline address booked named “my oab” to server named n2server-01 Move-OfflineAddressBook -Identity “My OAB” -Server N2Server-01
July 22, 2009

Add internet mail flow to hub transport server using powershell

New-SendConnector -Name “Internet” -Usage Internet -AddressSpaces “*” -SourceTransportServers “N2Hub-01” -DNSRoutingEnabled:$true -UseExternalDNSServersEnabled:$true And this to allow anonymous connections Set-ReceiveConnector -Name “Default Server Name” -Server N2Hub-01 -PermissionGroups AnonymousUsers,ExchangeUsers,ExchangeServers,ExchangeLegacyServers
July 21, 2009

Integrate Blackberry Enterprise Server(BES) with Exchange

Login to server using an account that will run teh BES services. Run setup.exe Click continue installation On the licensing agreement enter your user name and […]
July 14, 2009

Migrate Exchange 2000 or 2003 to Exchange 2007

A couple of notes ahead of time: Edge Transport server is the only server that should be left in Workgroup mode Set your application log files […]
July 14, 2009

Exchange Server 2007 Client Access Licenses

Exchange Server 2007 is offered in two client access license (CAL) editions: Standard CAL and Enterprise CAL. • The Exchange Server Standard CAL provides access to […]
July 14, 2009

Exchange Server 2007 licensing standard or enterprise?

Exchange Server 2007 Editions Exchange Server 2007 is offered in two server editions: Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition. • Exchange Server 2007 Standard Edition is designed […]
July 14, 2009

Seizing domain controllers FSMO roles

There may come a time when you need to seize your domain controllers FSMO roles.  This may be for a disaster recovery or if you are […]
July 13, 2009

Move Ad integrated zones to application partitions

In 2003/2008 after you upgrade your domain and forest functional level you shold move AD integrated DNS to the application partition.  This can be done by […]
July 13, 2009

Raise your domain functional level

Once all of your DC’s are running Windows Server 2003 or 2008 you can raise the domain functional level by going to active directory domains and […]
July 13, 2009

Deleting ghost domain controllers

run adsiedit navigate to: In the below example sitename and servername is the server you’re deleting. configurationcn=configurationcn=sitescn=<sitename>cn=serverscn=<servername> Right click on cn=ntds settings and select delete Once […]
July 13, 2009

Transfer FSMO or flexible single master operations roles

Open command prompt type ntdsutil type roles type connections type the name of the server in which you wish to transfer the roles to connect to […]
July 13, 2009

Preparing a Windows 2000 domain for Windows 2003 DC's

On the schema master insert the Windows Server 2003 disk and go to the command prompt.  d:i386adprep /forestprep On each domain in y0ur forest find your […]
July 13, 2009

What functional level must my domain be at to install Exchange 2007

You must be running at a functional level of Widnows 2000 native or Windows 2003.  This does not mean you cannot have NT 4.0 servers.  It […]
July 13, 2009

Sending an email with Powershell

$SmtpServer = “yourServer” $From = me@N2NetworkSolutions.com if ($args.Length -lt 1) {      $To = Engineers@N2NetworkSolutions.com } else {      $to = $args[0] } $subject = “Need […]
July 13, 2009

WhatIf and Confirm Parameters

If you find yourself in Exchange Managment Shell and y0u want to know what a commands reprecutions are before you run it use the -whatIf paramater.  […]
July 13, 2009

EMS and pipeing can be very powerful

Pipelining in Exchange Management Shell can be very powerful.  For instance if you do this command get-mailbox | where-object { $_.name -like “john*” } | set-Mailbox […]
July 13, 2009

Backing up and restoring Edge Transport

In the c:Program filesMicrosoftExchange ServerScripts directory there exists a powershell script called ExportEdgeConfig.ps1.  You can backup your Edge Transport by executing the following command From Exchange […]
July 13, 2009

Safelist Aggregation in Outlook 2003 and 2007

There is a feature of Exchange 2007 that allows users to copy their whitelist of approved senders, recipients, domains, and external contacts to the Edge Transport […]
July 13, 2009

Configure EdgeSync on an Edge Transport Server

You must export the Edge transport subscription file which is in XML format. Make sure ports 50389(LDAP) and 50636(Secure LDAP) are open between the hub server and […]
July 13, 2009

Exchange 2007 command for puzzle validation

Puzzle validation is a method in which Exchange servers can let each other know that an email has been sent from and Outlook 2007 client.  This […]
July 13, 2009

Exchange 2007 command to configure spam repository mailbox

Set-ContentFilterConfig -QuantineMailbox NoSpam@YourDomain.com You should dedicate an Exchange database to this mailbox so that you can set the retention policy or recipient policy to restrict the […]
July 13, 2009

Exchange 2007 prerequisites

.NET Framework 2.0 – run setup click on install .NET Framework 2.0 MMC 3.0 – run set click on install mmc 3.0 Exchange Management Shell or […]
July 13, 2009

Prepare Active Directory for Exchange 2007

Insert the CD: [DriveLetter]:setup.exe /prepareAD
July 13, 2009

What is the difference between Exchange 2007 standard and enterprise

The main difference between Exchange 2007 standard and enterprise is clustering.  With enterprise you can do continuous cluster replication and single copy clusters.  Both support local […]
July 13, 2009

Exchange performance issues

If it appears that your Exchange server is running completely slow but your processor and memory are not being utilized then run perfmon.  It is more […]
July 13, 2009

How much whitespace is in my Exchange database?

If you need to determine how much whitespace is in your Exchange database you can look in the application event log for event id 1221.  It […]
July 10, 2009

Bulk uploading your email to gmail

Download the utility located here http://mail.google.com/mail/help/email_uploader.html
July 9, 2009

Upgrading your domain to AD 2008 from Active Directory 2000

Benefits: Improve the security, scalability, and manageability of your network infrastructure. Things to know: Raising the domain or forest functional levels to 2008 means you can only […]
July 1, 2009

Commands for deleting old computer accounts from active directory

This command will pipe all the accounts it finds that have not logged in for 10 weeks to file c:users.txt – dsquery computer dc=domain,dc=local -inactive 10 -limit 0 […]
June 25, 2009

Moving your Exchange 2003 database and log files

To move databases Start Exchange System Manager. Open the administrative group that contains the database that you want to change. Under Storage Group, right-click the mailbox […]
June 19, 2009

Exchange database maintenance without offline defrag

Offline database maintenance can take a significant amount of time typically one hour for every 5 gigabytes of information.  Not to mention your database has to […]
June 19, 2009

Exchange 2007 Offline Database Maintenance

Before even thinking about beginning this process MAKE sure to have a backup of your database that you are going to defragment! Login as Exchange Administrator. […]
June 19, 2009

View the whitespace in an Exchange 2007 database

Unless you run offline defragmentation by using eseutil /d command the Exchange database file will never shrink.  It will free up space within its own database […]
June 19, 2009

SMTP protocol logging via Exchange Shell

On receive connector: Turn it on – Set -ReceiveConnector <ConnectorName> -ProtocolLoggingLevel Basic Turn it off – Set -ReceiveConnector <ConnectorName> -ProtocolLoggingLevel None To change the send connector […]
June 19, 2009

ESEUTIL Syntax

Defragment – ESEUTIL /d <database name> Recovery – ESEUTIL /r <logfile base name> Integrity – ESEUTIL /g <database name> Checksum – ESEUTIL /k <filename> Repair – […]
June 19, 2009

Compacting Active Directory Database using ntdsutil

Active directory performs it’s own maintenance every 12 hours automatically.   However, this alone is not enough to keep a clean and healthy database.  The database must […]
June 16, 2009

Disabling IPv6 on Windows 2008

1. In the register Editor, locate and the following key: a. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesTcpip6 Parameters2. If the DisabledComponents key doesnt exist, please create it.a. In the Edit menu, point […]
June 10, 2009

Changing Exchange 2007 receive connector timeout

Open Exchange Management Shell Type in get-receiveconnector This will list all of your receive connectors Next type in set-receiveconnector -identity ServerNameInternet -ConnectionTimeout 00:30:00 This command will change […]
June 10, 2009

Turn on recipient validation in Exchange 2007

Open the exchange management shell and run the following commands Run this command to view your current configuration Get-RecipientFilterConfig | fl Then run this command to […]
June 10, 2009

Configure SpamHaus or other RBL provider with Exchange 2007

Go into your Exchange Management Console Click on Organization Configuration>Edge Transport or Hub Transport depending on what your setup is like. Click on the anti-spam tab […]
June 10, 2009

How to configure antispam features without an Edge Transport server

Open up the Exchange Management Console in 2007.  Navigate to the system drive %Program FilesMicrosoftExchange ServerScripts  then run the following commands ./install-AntispamAgents.ps1 Restart-Service MSExchangeTransport Once this is done […]
May 19, 2009

Secure Exchange SMTP communication

http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Securing-SMTP-Message-Flow-between-different-Exchange-Server-2007-organizations.html
May 18, 2009

Exchange 2007 disable read receipts to external domains

Go to Exchange management console. Go to Organization Configuration. Go to Hub Tranport. Click on remote domains tab. Double click the default. Click on the tab […]
May 4, 2009

Right click launches installer

If you are having a problem when you right click on anything and an installer tries to launch then download the Windows Installer cleaup.  The program […]
April 27, 2009

Receiving error in Outlook 0X8004010F

10:37:58 Synchronizer Version 12.0.6315 10:37:58 Synchronizing Mailbox 10:37:58 Synchronizing Hierarchy 10:37:58 Synchronizing server changes in folder ‘Inbox’ 10:37:58 Downloading from server 10:37:58 Synchronizing server changes in […]
April 22, 2009

External interface on Pix or ASA just stops working

Issues where the external interface on an ASA or Pix where it will suddenly stop receing traffic or dropping traffic is related to your duplex settings.  […]
April 20, 2009

Terminal server application installs

Command to run to install a new application: CHANGE USER /INSTALL Command to run once install is complete: CHANGE USER /EXECUTE
April 18, 2009

Virtual machine seems everything takes 100% processor

There is a problem that exists where if you assign too much of the physical memory to a VM it will seem like every process you […]
April 14, 2009

Problem with Gmail IMAP closed connection

Error in gmail that says IMAP server has closed connection.  The port configuration is 993. Solution: Tools / Email Accounts / (your account) / Change / More […]
March 26, 2009

Remotely change critical settings on a Pix or ASA device

If you are remotely configuring a Cisco ASA or Pix there is always the concern that you’ll change a setting that will take down the network […]
March 25, 2009

Inside clients can't list or browse FTP sites behind Cisco ASA Pix

The fix to this issue is to get into config mode and issue the following command.. fixup protocol ftp 21
March 24, 2009

How to enable the M: drive on Exchange server

Go to start>run regedit and add the following string Location: HKLMSystemCurrentControlSetServicesExIFSParameters Value: DriveLetter Type: REG_SZ Value Data: M
March 23, 2009

Port address translation and PPTP pass through

If you are configure a Cisco Pix or ASA device and you have a server on the inside interface and clients on the outside who are […]
March 14, 2009

Adding a default gateway in Linux

vi /etc/sysconfig/network NETWORKING=yes HOSTNAME=Trixbox GATEWAY=192.168.2.254 Then service network restart
March 12, 2009

Where to find the PIN, ESN or IMEI on your BlackBerry Storm

1.On the Hom screen press menu. 2. Select Options. 3. Select Status. Your ESN will be located on the screen alone with the PIN and IMEI […]
March 12, 2009

Backup and restore the config on an ASA/Pix using a TFTP server

First thing you need to do is find a free TFTP server there are piles of them out there as a simple google search for TFTP […]
March 12, 2009

ActiveSync not working when you travel?

If Activesync is not working when you travel you need to go in and change the settings that allows it to sync while roaming.  The setting […]
March 5, 2009

Sending an email via telnet

Telnet servername 25 helo MAIL FROM:”your email address” RCPT TO:”recipients email” DATA Once you are finished typing the message part of your email hit the enter […]
March 5, 2009

Did your Exchange 2007 database disappear but users can still connect

I recently ran into an issue where I ran Outlook on my server and connected to Exchange using my personal account. The personal account was not […]
March 4, 2009

SCR(Standby Continous Replication) in conjunction with CCR(Cluster Continuous Replication) is your ultimate DR(Disaster Recovery) choice

With the latest version of Exchange 2007 you get two new features that were not available before, SCR and CCR.  Today I’m going to discus why […]
March 4, 2009

CCR(Continuous Cluster Replication) in Exchange 2007 and why it is your optimal disaster recovery solution

With the design of Microsoft Exchange server 2007 Microsoft added some new HA or high availability options that were not available in the previous versions of […]
March 3, 2009

Exchange virtual directories messed up beyond repair?

If you follow these directions it basically resets your Exchange virtual directories back to default:   Use Adsutil.vbs Back up your IIS Metabase. To do this, […]
March 3, 2009

If you are using SSL and forms based authentication Activesync will be broken

In order to resolve this issue you must perform the following steps on your Exchange box. Disable the forms-based authentication for the Exchange virtual directory To […]
March 2, 2009

How to change the product ID in Office 2007 64 bit

Open registry editor. Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWow6432NodeMicrosoftOffice12.0Registration Under this there is a subkey that is a long GUID.  Click on that and find the following keys. DigitalProductID & […]
March 2, 2009

Office 2003 users cannot open files created in Office 2007

If someone running Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint or any office application that is the 2007 version sends you a file they created there is a good […]
February 27, 2009

Configuring postfix to use an SMTP relay

If you are like me and your ISP blocks SMTP outbounnd traffic then you need to configure your mail client to use an SMTP relay to […]
February 27, 2009

Installing webmin on Trixbox server

wget http://internap.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/webadmin/webmin-1.450-1.noarch.rpm rpm -i webmin-1.380-1.noarch.rpm Now you can login via https://192.168.2.5:10000/ Replace with your IP address.
February 27, 2009

Google Latitude knows where you are…and no it doesn't use GPS or Cell tower triangulation

Perhaps some of you have heard of a Google program called Latitude.  It is an application you can install on your Blackberry, Windows mobile phone, or […]
February 27, 2009

Transparent box for new emails not showing up in bottom of screen

This is a pretty simple fix. You need to go to tools>options and select advanced email options the following box will popup. just check the box […]
February 26, 2009

Moving a virtual machine from one datastore to another

First thing you need to do obviously is make sure ESX can see both of your datastores. Power off the virtual machine that you wish to […]
February 26, 2009

Can't print through RDP?

Check the event log.  If you are getting an error that says 1111 then you need to install the print driver on the server itself.  This […]
February 26, 2009

How to change root password in linux

Gain console access, I use putty.exe for this instance.   Login and then simply type the command passwd at the console.  It will prompt you for […]
February 26, 2009

Network printers not redirecting in RDP(Remote Desktop)

Normal redirection for printers in remote desktop only applies to local printers(COM and LPT).  You need to edit the registry to allow for the clients network […]
February 26, 2009

What the heck is bigger than a terabyte?!

1000 Bytes = 1 Kilbyte 1000 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte 1000 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte 1000 Gigabytes = 1 Terabyte 1000 Terabytes = 1 Petabyte 1000 […]
February 25, 2009

Configure an IAX device with Asterisk

1.   You need to download this utility to make the process easy.  http://dacosta.dynip.com/asterisk/ 2.  Once you run the app use it to scan for your device […]
February 25, 2009

Installing Trixbox(Asterisk) on an ESXi server

Install stage: 1. Download the Trixbox ISO. This will probably take ~1 hour. 2. Create a new virtual machine in ESXi with the following options Typical […]
February 24, 2009

Installing wordpress

1. First things first download the software http://wordpress.org/download/ 2. Extract the files to your root folder for your blog. 3. Rename the wp-config-sample.php file to wp-config.php. […]
February 24, 2009

How to remotely shutdown a Windows machine

shutdown -f -r -t 5 -m computername
February 23, 2009

Purchasing a new PC or Barebone processor?

For some reason over the last few years processor manufacturers have decided to name their processors things like dual core, quad core, xeon, etc. Then they […]
February 21, 2009

Problems playing a video file on your computer?

Download and re-install the latest version of Windows Media Player which can be found here.
February 21, 2009

Mounting ISO images to ESXi

If you are trying to mount ISO CD-rom images to ESXi so that you don’t have to physically burn the disc. Here is how. 1. Download […]
February 20, 2009

Finding an alternative to Webex

DimDim – At first I noticed their free online hosted version.  But this is not what I’m looking for.  I’m trying to find something I can […]
February 20, 2009

Finally got ESXi up and running on my Intel i7 based processor system

So I was finally able to get ESXi up and running. You can see from my previous posts I’ve tried hacking my system I have finally […]
February 20, 2009

ESXi cannot import an existing Virtual machine with Vcenter converter

While trying to convert an existing virtual machine with Vcenter Vmware Converter. I received an error that it had failed. So I browsed over to the […]
February 20, 2009

How to access your desktop remotely if you have an Linksys firewall/access point

If you are a home user looking to be able to gain access to your PC remotely from anywhere on the internet I’m going to outline […]
February 19, 2009

Changing the default password for Asterisk freePBX

You need to change the default password for Asterisk freePBX or else the entire world will know it. You can do it by SSH to the […]
February 19, 2009

How do you identify all the different BUS types on your motherboard

February 19, 2009

Getting or changing your SID in Windows

If you are looking for the SID in Windows you can download this utility which also allows you to change the SID, SID Changer. It should […]
February 17, 2009

Adding SSH capability to ESXi

Go to the ESXi console and press alt+F1 Type: unsupported Enter the root password At the prompt type “vi /etc/inetd.conf” Look for the line that starts […]
February 17, 2009

Booting to ESXi 3.5 from a USB flash drive

The first thing you’ll need to do is make sure you find at least a 1gb flash drive. Next use a program like Winrar or Peazip […]
February 16, 2009

My battle with installing ESXi 3.5 Update 2

So I found out Vmware ESXi 3.5 their latest version is free! And it’s only 32mb and it is completely host independent. So I decided to […]
February 16, 2009

Google Latitude

The new Google Latitude application makes an interesting evolution to personal privacy as we know it. You can now download an application on your PC and […]
February 16, 2009

Accidentally deleted the Show desktop shortcut or icon

In order to restore this open up notepad. Copy and paste the following below into the file. [Shell] Command=2 IconFile=explorer.exe,3 [Taskbar] Command=ToggleDesktop Save the file as […]
February 15, 2009

New how to articles

N2 Network Solutions is now releasing our blog so you can download our articles from our engineers all for free!  This is to provide transparency to […]
February 14, 2009

How you can control your Windows mobile device remotely

So today I found one of the coolest apps that I’ve used in awhile and it’s completely free. It’s called EveryWAN Remote Support. You can literally […]
February 13, 2009

Locking down a terminal server

Create an OU for your terminal servers and put all of your terminal servers in this OU Create a new GPO(Group Policy Object) for the lockdown […]
February 13, 2009

Is your computer running slow?

If you right click on your taskbar that is the long bar that runs across the bottom of your screen. Then select task manager. This will […]
February 13, 2009

Preventing users from shutting down or restarting XP and Vista

To accomplish this we are going to configure a group policy to prevent the user from shutting down an RDP server. First we’re going to open […]
February 13, 2009

Trying to boot to a Linux ISO?

Do you currently have a Linux CD or ISO that you wish you could boot from a USB stick instead of having to carry around a […]
February 12, 2009

Site to site VPN not coming up?

Make sure you are running a continuous ping on both sides of both firewalls. On a lot of the older firewalls there is a problem where […]
February 12, 2009

How to backup your iPhone

First you need to make sure you have the latest version of iTunes which can be obtained here. Next you just need to find your device […]
February 12, 2009

How to assign an email address to a public folder

Go to your Exchange server and open up the Exchange system manager. From here drill down to Administrative Groups>First Administrative Group>Servers>[Servername]>First Storage Group>Public Folder Store>Public Folders […]
February 12, 2009

Problem trying to start IPSEC service

If you are trying to start your IPSEC service after a Windows auto update rebooted your server and it did not come back then simply try […]
February 10, 2009

Can't restore public folders after accidentally deleting.

I’m not sure if most people are aware but if you empty your deleted items or accidentally delete a public folder you can restore it by […]
February 10, 2009

Small Business computer support

Are you looking for small business computer support?  Have you considered IT outsourcing?  It can save you literally thousands of dollars a year.  You do not […]
February 9, 2009

7940/7960 SIP settings for Asterisk

Settings>Sip configuration>Line 1 Settings Name = extension Shortname = extension Authentication Name = extension Authentication Password = Password set on server Display name = extension Proxy […]
February 9, 2009

My Linux Asterisk server getting hacked!

After seeing numerous entries to hack my linux box I decided it is time to learn how to implement iptables for security. A copy of the […]
February 9, 2009

Can't get your linux server to reboot

I currently ran into a problem with my voice server which runs asterisk on a linux platform. I receive the following error after trying to reboot: […]
February 8, 2009

hpwebjetd taking up 100% of your processor?

I came across this problem on a Windows 2003 server today. A client called me indicating their emails were getting delayed and the server response time […]
February 7, 2009

Your computer is infected!

Don’t fall for this fake anti-virus message that pops up on your screen. If it pops up just close down internet explorer or your browser! Do […]
February 7, 2009

Get a free phone number!

There is currently a service on the internet that will provide you with a free phone number. The company is called Grand Central. I’m writing about […]
February 7, 2009

How you can cut down on spam

If you receive a message from someone you don’t know DO NOT reply to it Never sign up for anything that asks for your email address […]
February 6, 2009

Access your pc from anywhere

There are several services available now that allow you to remotely access your computer from any other machine in the world, as long as it is […]
February 6, 2009

Troubleshooting boot failures in Windows 2003

Most of us have had the problem before. You start up your Windows machine and are greeted with a cryptic error message or “blue screen of […]
February 6, 2009

Windows Vista which version do you need?

With the commercial release of Windows Vista right around the corner many users are preparing to upgrade to the latest Microsoft operating system. The software giant […]
February 6, 2009

Data Encryption

Computers give us a remarkable amount of convenience. With one machine, we can send mail and pictures to friends, go shopping, pay bills, make appointments and […]
February 6, 2009

Protect your computer against spyware.

Everyone has heard of the need for antivirus and anti-spyware programs, but some people still don’t realize what spyware is, or why it’s so dangerous. Spyware […]
February 6, 2009

Is your Wireless Network Secure

Networking professionals are encouraging people to think twice about wireless network security. You might be thinking I use WEP-128 bit encryption with MAC address filtering, I’m […]
February 6, 2009

Tired of Spam? Got Exchange?

Most network administrators are apt to here this complaint at least once a week. “I’ve been getting a lot of junk email lately, isn’t there anything […]
February 6, 2009

What is virtualization

There is a lot of buzz going around about Virtualization. What is Virtualization, and what benefits does it provide? In this article we will take a […]
February 6, 2009

LCD or Plasma?

I know this is a topic is a little off for this blog. But I’ve been faced with this issue from many clients who are looking […]
February 6, 2009

Can't open Word and Excel docs from a friend/colleague?

If you are currently experiencing a problem where you’re running Word or Excel and a friend sends you a document and you cannot open it then […]
February 6, 2009

Have a laptop that is running slow?

Most people that have slow running laptops can usually get it running top notch again with about a $50 investment heres how: When you first bought […]
February 6, 2009

Remote access solutions, and what not to do.

Do you have a small, medium, or even large business? Are you looking for ways that employees can connect from home? There are many VPN technologies […]
February 6, 2009

How your Outlook clients could connect from home without a VPN?

It is possible and you can do it very securely. Heres how, you need to configure Outlook for RPC over HTTPS. Here is an article that […]
February 6, 2009

Wish your voip was throughout your entire house?

How many people have voip and think they are limited to putting an analog phone next to their internet connection. I have a solution for you […]
February 6, 2009

Exchange server general troubleshooting

Did your Exchange server stop working out of nowhere? Here are some common troubleshooting steps: 1. Go into your services panel and make sure all of […]
February 6, 2009

Flash player not working?

Have you recently upgraded your flash server on internet explorer and now you can’t login to fia card services or bank of america? Or any financial […]
February 6, 2009

Laser printer missing colors?

If you have laser printer and the black and white is not printing well where it’s grainy or parts of it are missing then I have […]
February 5, 2009

Considering a Solid state disk for your laptop?

If you are considering an SSD or solid state disk drive for your laptop let me just tell you the technology is not yet there. I […]
February 5, 2009

Gmail not working with IMAP

Are you able to send email through Outlook but you are stuck on a status message that says, “Checking for new mail in subscribed folders on […]
February 5, 2009

How to tell if someone is reading your email

Are you concerned that someone might be reading your email? You can sign up with a free website at a place like yahoo.com or gmail.com where […]
February 5, 2009

A couple of tips if your computer is running terribly slow.

The first thing you will want to do is get rid of all the fancy buttons that Windows has. This can be done by right clicking […]
February 5, 2009

What to do when you run out of space on your c: drive

If you have a server running out of space there are a couple of temporary things you can do to save your server. First things first […]
February 4, 2009

Google hosted solutions

Do you have an organization of 1 may be 5 people? Do you wish you had more advanced email features, calendaring, Blackberry integration, collaboration, etc? A […]
February 4, 2009

Site to Site wireless smart?

If you own a medium to large size company have you ever looked at how much your point to point T1 lines cost? Don’t you wish […]
February 4, 2009

Setting up a CCTV system is easy!

Do you wish you had CCTV to protect your organization? Have you not implemented a system because of the cost? Did you know you can setup […]
February 4, 2009

Backup your PC!

If you run a business and you do not backup your servers then you run a serious risk of losing all of your data. Backing up […]
February 4, 2009

Fax machines… And why do you still use one?

It still baffles me that people use fax machines. That is of course unless it is for the purposes of being able to receive faxes from […]
February 4, 2009

Secure wireless networks

Do you have a wireless network configured in your organization? Did you know if it’s not WPA2 that your wireless network could be hacked? If you […]
February 4, 2009

Hudlite for Asterisk

Hudlitefor Asterisk is one of the best add-ins for your Trixbox server. It allows you to install a Windows client on your PC. When your phone […]
February 4, 2009

Trixbox PBX

If you are a small business and you are technical or have an employee that is then Trixbox for Asterisk is for you. PBX systems can […]
February 4, 2009

Antivirus 2009… And how to get rid of it

Removing antivirus 2008 2009
February 15, 2008

N2 Virtualization and VMWare Consulting Services

Like most businesses, you probably rely heavily on your server infrastructure. The scalability and reliability of your servers are a number one priority.
February 15, 2008

N2 Joins the Citrix Alliance Partner Program

N2 Network Solutions joins over 1,700 Citrix Alliance Partners that include independent software vendors, hardware vendors, security and strong authentication vendors, hosting and service providers, and consultants […]
March 11, 2011

No more exmerge in Exchange 2010, using mailbox import export

First you have to give permissions to the account that needs to import/export or nothing will work. Where “MyExportAccount” is the account that needs permissions to […]