Start -> Run:
type regedit
then navigate to:

Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. In the left pane, right click on Winlogon and click New and click Key.
Type “SpecialAccounts” and press Enter.

In the left pane, right click on SpecialAccounts and click New and click Key.
Type “UserList” and press Enter.

In right pane of UserList, right click on an empty area and click New then click DWORD (32bit) Value.
Type in the name of the user account that you want to hide and press Enter .e.g.: “IT”.

In the right panel, right click on the user account name and click Modify.

To hide the user account – Type ”0″ and click OK. (The number zero not the letter O). Changing this value to “1″ will unhide the account.

user account · vista · windows 7

My latest project involves a Dell Poweredge 1800 Tower.
It has an Intel Xeon 3.0 Ghz Processor with 4GB of RAM. It came with a SATA RAID controller with 3 x 250GB 10k SATA drives in a RAID 5 configuration. Now like most people playing with old hardware i wanted to run Server 2008 R2 with some room for expansion to include Exchange 2010 and maybe OCS 2010 (when they RC it). However the OS would not install on the Array. I added the RAID controller drivers but the O/S Installation would not show the array as a possible location to install the O/S.

So i removed 1 HDD from the array and connected it to the SATA on board controller. I installed Server 2008 R2 successfully and installed the Dell Open-Manage software. This told me that my SATA RAID controller was in need of a firmware upgrade which i applied using the Rev 02 as the initial one failed to work. Once the O/S was online i installed the SATA RAID controller drivers and added 3 x 1TB SATA Drives in RAID 5.

The process of creating this array is taking forever. Even now, 3 hours later, the percentage is at 3. 3% complete and any attempts to copy data to this array mean slowing that down and a crippling 3MB/s transfer rate.

*Update* the raid build took a total of 4 days.This was made worse by the fact that when i try transfer files to the array i get a minuscule 5MB/s. This combined with the fact that i have no other SATA Raid card to use other than the on board one in my PC means i am retiring this project as a file server/central storage.

Instead i installed AD on the server and exchange 2010 which was surprisingly fast. In my attempts to install Sharepoint 2010 i ran into errors that are due to low server specs, lack of RAM and CPU and most likely slow HDD. While the server takes DDR2 it will not boot with standard desktop ram. I’m going to keep looking for an alternative setup, perhaps another desktop PC second hand with a SATA Intel Raid controller on the motherboard, should be simple enough with a dual/quad core to keep it quiet which is after all the main reason for not leaving the array in my desktop since that is water cooled and I’m not happy leaving it on 24/7.

2010 · Dell · Exchange · poweredge · raid · sata · server 2008 R2 · sharepoint

So this website has been gone for about…. 2 months i reckon. Firstly it was running on a BSD server hosted by Leaseweb which went a bit wonky. When it came time to renew my contract i threw my money into a shared server with higher specs that could run virtual machines, especially for a Server 2008 R2 install that i want to run solely off the web to have hosted exchange, sharepoint, ocs etc.

However the nice people at leaseweb offered me a severe discount on the existing server so I’m going to keep it for the sake of it.
Expect more good things from me as I’m focusing my attention on projects and migrations these days.

downtime · fail · server

I purchased this device from www.pixmania.ie and having looked up reviews and features it seemed to do all i wanted. There are a few other devices that will do the same thing but my reasons for choosing this device were.

1. FULL 1080 Support with every codec i use
2. Its neat, small and has a remote.
3. DTS output means the world to me with my setup and not having this would be criminal.
4. Simple things like youtube, radio and USB support.
5. Most importantly, network streaming. I use my desktop to hold all my data in a RAID 5 so I’m not keen to copy to a USB HDD each time i want to watch something. Lan streaming was a MUST.

To setup i plugged it into Samsung 32″ LCD in the bedroom via the  HDMI cable that it did NOT come bundled with . Connected it to the network and it detected and applied 2 firmware updates immediately which is always nice.

Admittedly like all users of this device i found connecting the WD to my Win 7 Shares to be a painstaking task. Thanks to “thecomputerguyonline” on youtube and some general messing i managed to get the shares working. The key thing is to allow anonymous to be included in the Everyone group. Once this is working the shares will be accessible and you can begin to enjoy the beauty of HD with DTS into your HD Setup.

How to allow anonymous to be a member of the Everyone Group:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and click the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa
3. Right-click EveryoneIncludesAnonymous, and then click Modify.
4. To enable anonymous users to be members of the Everyone security group, in the Value data box, type 1.
5. Quit Registry Editor.

Once this is done simply share your folders to be read/write allowed to the group Everyone.

1080 · DTS · HD · media player · set top · wd

Today i became the proud owner of a Dell 2850.
I purchased it on adverts.ie for a whopping 250 Euro.
The server is a Dual Xeon 3.0 GhZ with 8GB RAM and 5 x 76GB 15K SCSI disks.
This will make a welcome addition to ”my ever expanding “cave”.

So far i have created the Raid as Raid 5 and installed ESXi 4.0.
I did all this through the DRAC interface which is seriously impressive.
Being able to view the console through a https interface as the machine boots gave me the giggles, being able to mount my ESXi 4 image from an ISO file across the same DRAC that made me damn proud to have helped my company achieve its EA Dell Certification only months ago. The server itself is loud, sure it’s a server, but its not too loud. I will leave it here beside me for a while to see how it handles.

*Update*

This post was sitting in my Drafts for far too long.
I’ll summarise what happened next.

Tried to install Server 2008 R2 but the Dell Perc 4 controller is “not supported”. This was a bummer so i retired the idea of using this for future proof concept testing. The server went into work to our LAB setup as it was far too loud at home. I’ve used it so far for in house Disaster Recovery testing, more on that later.

Dell 2850 · esxi · Perc 4 · server 2008 R2

I’ve been called to serve my country as a juror in a case. Today i attended and was selected for a juror panel so there won’t be anything juicy here for a bit. However if you are interested in the SSD’s the new HP server arrived on Friday along with the additional 2 SSD’s.

The server itself is a DL380G6 with the Xeon 5550 Processor. I purchased 4 SSD’d in total for a RAID 5 configuration with 1 Spare (just in case of failure, i’m wary of the reliability of the SSD’s). The HP 2.5″ SAS/SATA front bay caddy’s won’t be delivered until tomorrow/Wednesday. At that point we are installing Server 2003 Enterprise as the server has to run a legacy Borland Interbase 7.x database.

In other tech news i purchased myself a Nokia N85 and i have to say the prelimiary findings are that this phone is superb.
I’m also looking into setting up a test OCS 2007 R2, this may take some time however and will most likely be next year.

I hope to get more onto this in the coming days but its all trial dependant, so stay tuned.

jury · ssd

Tiny Receiver

I predominantly use this mouse because it is a laser mouse, because it looks like the Delta Flyer and because its pretty. If I’m honest i saw the chance to change my mouse for very little and felt it was worth the effort. My previously mentioned colleague Joe had terrible luck with the Logitech MX1100. So now that this new “goddess” has walked into my life i said goodbye to the MX1100 and hello to the Performance MX.

To date, running about a week on a single purchase charge of the battery the mouse is still going. A quick check of the logitech software, which i love, and I’m told that the battery is “low”. Pity really as i plan on playing some more Modern Warfare 2, buying X-Mas presents and general server messing with tonight. However as i speak i have plugged in the extremely handy USB cable and hey presto it’s charging and more importantly still working as i use it. I think Logitech copped something. Cradled mice need to have the PC on in order to charge them, the charge is slow and .. annoying. You cannot even use the mouse while its charging. Also what’s the point in docking the mouse when you turn off your PC for the night?

So it seems that they copied the XBOX 360 method, charge as you play. If this mouse’ battery runs out it will simply become a corded mouse, never a non functioning one. Quite like the humble escalator, it doesn’t break it becomes a staircase.

The unifying receiver is a welcome bonus, however i have no Logitech Keyboard, pointer or otherwise capable device to connect with. The size of the damned thing still impresses me as i look at these photo’s. It is simply astonishing and the amount of USB Dongle problems that a slim and tiny (almost flush) USB receiver can solve by existing.

The Receiver is Unifying or Tiny take your pick

It’s comfortable, its large which is frankly great for me as i have big hands/long fingers. I found the MX1100 to be stumpy and stiff in comparison. Overall comfort is great and the mouse works perfectly on my worn wooden desk. Distance has not been an issue, however if you use the mouse for a Media Center setup then you may require more distance than your standard PC desk. Logitech even provide a USB extender cable for just that with a slightly stylish design so you won’t feel too put out be the trailing cable.

darkfield · laser · logitech · mouse

In most businesses there is a request for a Director/Manager to be able to check his email remotely. More times than not he wants it on his PC @ home, mobile phone and the ability to access it anywhere in the world. Those with a Small Business Server operating system have this luxury from day 1. However in Exchange 2010 its not an “out of the box” solution. However since OWA is, half the work is already done for you. So i set about enabling my “users” to access email from their domain laptops in Outlook using a single sign-on.

Step 1: Install and SSL Cert for your remote site.
Step 2: Enable Outlook Anywhere in Exchange.

Step 3: Install the Windows RPC Over HTTP Proxy Component

For Outlook Anywhere to work correctly, the Windows RPC over HTTP Proxy component must be installed on your Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 server that’s running Windows Server 2008 (R2). So i install this new role, quick reboot and hey presto outlook works. At this point you can stop and continue to use Basic mode. However for NTLM you need to change the setting in Part 3.

Step 4: Set Outlook Anywhere to NTLM Authentication

Wait the required 15 Min’s and it will work. This is extremely beneficial as the user does not have to authenticate with his/her user name and password each time. Given that it also requires the user to type the domain name as a prefix “DOMAIN\Username” NTLM allows you to rule out that horrible explanation into “why you have to type the domain name” where the answer is inevitably, “you just do”.

Resources: Outlook Anywhere Howto http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123542(EXCHG.140).aspx
Enable NTLM Authentication http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd776122(EXCHG.140).aspx

Exchange · ntlm · oma · outlook · owa · VPN

Finally, they arrived, 2 Corsair X64 SSD’s with my name on them. As all new SSD drives are 2.5″ i will need to locate some 3.5″ to 2.5″ adaptors and will post a link when i get it. However the SATA II Raid controller never showed up so I’m going to make do for now with my Desktop, in order to begin the tests i must first explain the rig i am using and the reasons.

My Home PC is water-cooled and quite the effort filled task to undo drives and try not have my ICH9 Raid array decide to Rebuild itself, or worse run a check and repair which last time i ran it took over 24 hours. So without the RAID SATA 2 card (Adaptec) i had to run some tests using my Work PC.

Dell Optiplex 755
Windows Server 2008 R2
Intel Core 2 Duo E7500
8GB DDR2
ATI HD 2400 Pro 256MB

In order to run a benchmark i installed server 2008 R2 (trial) on a 250GB SATA 2 Drive as a 34.47 GB Partition.
I added the Hyper V Role, updated windows and ran a backup to a second drive.
This backup took a minor 2 minutes for a complete File and System Image backup. I then installed a single SSD and restored the image onto this drive.

A Table of Comparisons:

Some simple Disk Benching software showed the SSD’s to be over 600% more efficient at Random Disk Seeks on a simulated busy database server.
However i am not continuing these tests as the Adaptec SATA Raid Card arrived on Friday and on Monday i should have a new test server (HP ML350 G4) with SCSI 320 disks for comparison in RAID 0/1/10.

*Update*

2 of these SSD’s have failed. Corsair have replaced both but this failure rate has knocked a hole in my belief that they can do the job.
I had put 4 of them in a production server and now i’ve gone back to SAS drives.

hdd · server 2008 · ssd

It stole my evening!

No server work or nothing done just COD:MW2. Although i have been trying unsuccessfully to fix my XBOX 360 while attempting to watercool it. I guess i should do 1 at a time. Also my new mouse finally arrived in Komplett and was shipped yesterday so i’m hoping to get in tomorrow, if not it will be Thursday. Expect a glowing review. SSD’s wont be in until Thursday so midweek is a cracking failure so far.

360 · logitech · mouse · ssd · xbox