Monthly columns on the Microsoft TechNet website

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 21 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

Microsoft publishes a number of monthly columns on it’s TechNet website, all of which provide interesting reading, and are useful information sources:

Although not strictly a monthly column, there is also a section called the 5 Minute Security Advisor.

Unattended IIS installation after the operating system has been installed

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 21 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

One of my clients needed to provide an FTP server service on some of its XP PCs, but as an addition to the existing standard operating environment (i.e without altering the core build). Of course, Internet Information Services (including the FTP Publishing service) may be installed as part of an unattended Windows installation, but the problem here was installing IIS after the operating system had been installed and configured.I did some research, and discovered the system standalone optional component manager (sysocmgr.exe). This is effectively what sits behind the Add or Remove Programs Control Panel applet (appwiz.cpl), to provide the Add/Remove Windows Components functionality. Microsoft’s IIS 6.0 technical reference provided the appropriate information to write an answer file and this command file demonstrates the process, taking input from a text file.

Once IIS was installed, the next stage was to configure the FTP Publishing service (create virtual directories, set permissions, etc.). Scripting support varies across the different IIS versions with, not surprisingly, IIS 6.0 providing the most complete support for what I wanted to do (there are a number of IIS-related scripts in the %systemroot%\system32 directory). Unfortunately the IIS 6.0 scripts do not work with previous versions of IIS, the IIS 5.x administration scripts, installed by default in c:\inetpub\adminscripts) did not seem to offer what I needed, and the IIS 4.0 Resource Kit scripts do not work with IIS 5.0 or 5.1.

I was stumped until a contact at Microsoft pointed me in the direction of adsutil.vbs. This is one of the IIS 5.x administration scripts that I had overlooked because of the filename (which does not imply that it will allow you to create virtual directories etc.). In fact, adsutil.vbs is pretty comprehensive in its capabilities and allowed me to configure all the FTP site settings I wanted, as demonstrated in this command file.

The main issue (not immediately apparent from the adsutil.vbs help text) was to create the virtual directory object and then to set the path for the virtual directory as two separate commands. This wasn’t easy to track down (but can be found in a Google Groups thread) and was the final step needed to get everything working.

MsTsc.Server errors with TSAC ActiveX control

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 21 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

I haven’t used the Terminal Services Web Client for a few years and when I installed it on a Windows 2000 server with the latest updates applied I received an “Object doesn’t support this property or method: ‘MsTsc.Server'” error.

After a bit of research I found that the problem dates back to some security updates from 2002 (for further details, see the Remote Networking Development website and/or Microsoft knowledge base article 328002 and/or Microsoft security bulletins MS02-046 and MS02-047). Downloading the latest Remote Desktop Web Connection fixed the problem and my servers are now available from wherever I happen to be.

Script to disable password expiry for local Windows accounts

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 21 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

One of the shortcomings of the net user command in Windows is the inability to set the password never expires flag on an account (account expiry options can be set, but not password expiry and the full syntax is described in Microsoft knowledge base article 251394).

There are 13 flags on an NT SAM/Active Directory user account which may be manipulated using VBScript (for further details of the 13 flags, see Microsoft’s sample scripts or there is some useful information about the object model at the Motobit Software website).

This script can be used to set the password never expires flag on a specified account. I’ve tested it against the local SAM database on a Windows XP PC, but in theory it should work on all versions of Windows NT (2000, XP, 2003 Server, etc.) and also against Active Directory accounts if you run it on a domain controller.

Command line alternative to the Windows device manager

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 21 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

One of the Microsoft consultants that I have been working with sent me a link to a handy tool today – devcon.exe is a command line alternative to the Windows device manager and full details (including a download link) may be found in Microsoft knowledge base article 311272.

Bluetooth Drivers for Dell TrueMobile 300

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 21 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

Following my previous post about the trouble I have had getting the Bluetooth hardware in my Dell Latitude D600 repaired, I then had to reinstall the Dell TrueMobile 300 Bluetooth driver. During the three week wait to get the hardware repaired, I had installed Windows XP SP2 and as Stuart Preston reported on his blog, the Dell drivers do not function correctly under SP2, resulting in a requirement to use the native Microsoft drivers (which are less functional).

A hunt around the Dell Community Forum revealed many unhappy users (bizarrely mostly blaming Microsoft for releasing SP2!), but no real solution until a Google search came up with Dell support document FA1090448 (a search of the Dell website had failed to locate this), pointing to an updated driver that seems to fix the problem.

Coverage on the Microsoft website

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 21 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

For the last few months, I’ve been working on a Conchango service offering around Microsoft Windows XP service pack 2. Well, today I learned that we have a link from the Microsoft website.

For more information on how Conchango can help your organisation to prepare for XP SP2 deployment, see the Conchango website, call 01784 222 222 or e-mail talktous@conchango.com.

(Please note that this blog is a personal website and is in no way affiliated with Microsoft or Conchango).

Dell fails on service delivery

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 21 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

My work laptop is a Dell Latitude D600 – the specification offers me all I need (well, I would like a Toshiba Portégé M200 tablet PC but that’s another story), including built in 802.11b and Bluetooth support. Except that it doesn’t – some of our D600s have had problems with the Bluetooth cards not being correctly seated or requiring motherboard replacements before they will detect the Bluetooth card – mine is one of those…

The trouble is:

  1. Convincing Dell that there is a problem.
  2. Getting Dell to send a engineer, at the right time and with the correct parts.

Its been three weeks since I first requested support and this is the catalogue of incompetence I’ve endured so far:

  • 16 August 2004 – Logged incident with Dell via their website.
  • 17 August 2004 – Initial reply tells me to check the BIOS settings – I respond immediately and tell them that the BIOS does not recognise my Bluetooth card (showing as not installed).
  • 18 August 2004 – Dell tell me to check the drivers in Windows! I reply and restate that the BIOS does not detect any Bluetooth devices…
  • 21 August 2004 – Dell diagnose that a new motherboard is required and request contact details to send an engineer/parts.
  • 23 August 2004 – Contact details provided.
  • 25 August 2004 – I chase lack of progress by e-mail. Dell respond and tell me there will be an engineer on site on 27 August (the day I am not available). Dell reschedule for 31 August.
  • 26 August 2004 – two e-mails from Dell regarding my service call, and a phone call from the same support technician I have been corresponding with – I repeat that I am not available on the 27th and Dell reconfirm that the engineer will arrive on the 31st.
  • 27 August 2004 – Dell engineer arrives on site, despite assurances that service request is booked for 31st!
  • 31 August 2004 – Engineer arrives with wireless network adapter! Confirms that the problem is the motherboard or Bluetooth card and will return with Bluetooth card on 1 September.
  • 1 September 2004 – Different engineer arrives with Bluetooth card, but wrong part number – will return on 2 September with correct Bluetooth card and a motherboard.
  • 2 September 2004 – No engineer visit – chased by e-mail. Dell respond that part will arrive on 3 September.
  • 3 September 2004 – No engineer visit, and no parts. I chase Dell by e-mail. No response to date.

Dell equipment may be (relatively) inexpensive, and (reasonably) well specified, but it now seems my argument for buying Intel-based servers from Compaq (now HP) and IBM rather than the less expensive Dell equipment is equally valid in the PC world – there is a cost in the overall quality of the product (and associated service) with any low-cost PC (and by that, I mean business-focused OEM equipment – of course you can buy no-name or consumer PCs for even less).

If you are looking for a new PC and you want my advice – don’t buy Dell.

Microsoft event resources

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 21 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

I recently missed a webcast that I had pre-registered for (hmm… attend a project review with a client who doesn’t heed any advice or listen to a Microsoft speaker with a monotone American accent… tough choice that one) – you may be interested to know that Microsoft UK publish the event resources for many of their events on their website so if you miss an event, you can listen offline later.

Securing IIS

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 21 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

Whilst researching some IIS issues, I came across a useful checklist for securing IIS courtesy of the University of Washington.