Prevent use of computers which failed during OSD - CCMEXEC.COM – System Center blog

The idea here is pretty good. I would probably take a very similar approach.

Prevent use of computers which failed during OSD - CCMEXEC.COM – System Center blog:

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Windows 7 Network Awareness: How Windows knows it has an internet connection « Super User Blog

Ever wondered how Windows 7/8 knows if it has an internet connection or not?

Windows 7 Network Awareness: How Windows knows it has an internet connection « Super User Blog:

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SQL Queries FOR SCCM

VasanthSCCM has posted a number of very nice SQL queries for SCCM

SQL Queries FOR SCCM « vasanth:

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Create SCCM Collection of SCCM Servers

Query is: 

Select * from  SMS_R_System where SMS_R_System.Name in (select distinct ServerName from SMS_SystemResourceList)

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Internet Explorer Auto-Proxy Script Download Error

So I came across this error when outside our network.

Lots of websites said to simply turn off the automatic proxy detection. Yes this will probably stop the pop up from coming up but it will also probably stop your internet from working because you've disabled your proxy.

A better solution is to check your GPO Policy in regards to Internet Explorer.

Open Group Policy Console and check that none of your applied USER GPO's are applying

User Config > Admin Templates > Windows Components > Internet Explorer > 'Display error message on proxy script download failure'

If this is set to enabled you'll find that when a  user and computer are in a place that can't reach the WPAD file it will continuously show the user the above error. If it is enabled you will need to switch it to disabled.

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SMS Despooler failed to merge delta to the compressed package: Error 1 Incorrect Fucntion

So I was happily adding some new drivers to a boot.wim and then tried to send the changes out to my distribution points. That's when the following error started occurring.

SMS Despooler failed to merge delta to the compressed package "C0100112". The operating system reported error 1: Incorrect function.
Possible cause: The destination drive is full.
Solution: Make more space available on that drive. SMS Despooler will attempt to merge the delta again during its next retry interval

I then see that the Source Version numbers on the package in the primary site is something like 13 and the rest are on version 7. Looks like a version mismatch to me.

First step.
- Turned off 'Enable binary differential replication'
- Deleted the WIM from all DP's

This didn't fix the issue.

I then looked in the distmgr.log file on the DP and found the following.

Package XXXXXXX requires a newer version (10) of source files and the new compressed files haven't arrived yet, current version is 7, skip X:\ConfigXXX\inboxes\distmgr.box\INCOMING\XXXXXXX.PKG

This tells me something has gone wrong or is stuck when SCCM tried to distribute the package. A call to PSS later and yes we found that the SCCM had stuffed up the Source Version for the packageID and to fix this we needed to modify the SCCM database directly.


http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/configmgrswdist/thread/a6bb710c-91d6-4d34-b132-9c948e7c9d2b

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/configmgrswdist/thread/312d86e3-e793-4147-97a7-7785295e4986/

Update for Feb 2013:

The way we determined  that we had a source version mismatch was looking at the 'Package Status' for the package the primary SCCM had a package version of #4 and the rest of the distribution points had a version of #3

You can also verify this by looking directly at the PKGSTATUS table in SCCM SQL DB. by executing the following select statement

select * from PkgStatus where pkgstatus.ID = 'PACKAGEID' 

Replace PACKAGEID with the PackageID of the package.

The way we actually fixed the version mismatch was to login to primary database for SCCM and set the source version for package back to '0' and the status to '2'. Doing this tells SCCM that this package is a brand new package that has not been sent to any DP.

The way to update the SourceVersion and Status for Package in SCCM is to open SQL management studio and connect to the primary SCCM SQL DB.

Then execute the following query/statement to backup the PKGSTATUS table into a new table called dbo.pkgstatus_BU;

select * into dbo.pkgstatus_BU from dbo.PkgStatus

Then do an update statement to reset the SourceVersion and Status.

UPDATE PkgStatus SET SourceVersion = 0, Status = 2 WHERE Id = 'PACKAGEID' and PkgServer = 'SCCMSERVERNAME'

Replace PACKAGEID with the PackageID of the package you want to reset.
Replace SCCMSERVERNAME with the comptuername of the SCCM Distibution point server you want row you want to update.

You will need to execute the statement for every DP that has the wrong SourceVersion as compared to the primary.

WARNING: If you don't know what you are doing in SQL call Microsoft PSS for guidance before updating SQL databases because if you break your SCCM SQL DB because of something you read on the internet it's probably not going to be covered by warranty.

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Failed to find CCM_SoftwareDistribution object for AdvertID="XXXXXX", PackageID="YYYYYYY", ProgramID="*"

I packaged a driver for an OSD deployment. When we went to test the OSD deployment the task sequence would fail with the error "Unable to find task sequence dependencies"

Looking at the SMSTS.log file I see this line

Failed to find CCM_SoftwareDistribution object for AdvertID="XXXXXX", PackageID="YYYYYYY", ProgramID="*"

This link identified the correct issue but failed to resolve the problem
http://managedux.com/2011/06/17/failed-to-resolve-selected-task-sequence-dependencies-code0x80040104-or-failed-to-find-ccm_softwaredistribution-object-for-an-osd-driver-package-that-is-on-a-distribution-point/

To solve the problem I deleted the driver package and recreate a new driver package. This then allowed the task sequence to work.

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Add Media Centre to Windows 8 for free!

For a limited time you can add media center to windows 8 for free.

Click the link and add your details.. the process worked for me.

Add features - Microsoft Windows:

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WD Green Vs Red

It seems a bit weird to me that the WB green drivers are more power hungry than the red drives... Don't believe me? go check out the specs for yourself.

GREEN
http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/SpecSheet/ENG/2879-701229.pdf
RED:
http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/SpecSheet/ENG/2879-771442.pdf


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Bitlocker Logs

I don't agree with the group policy method for troubleshooting. I believe that a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) Log should be report back or log to a centralised database (Microsoft BitLocker Administration tool?). We really need to have the ability to report on what is causes BitLocker recovery key requests. Having to turn off individual PCR's (Platform Configuration Registers) in GPO is is a very slow and painful process to determine what is causing the lockout especially if we are trying to determine a RCA (Root Cause Analysis) after a lockout event.


The below blog post from blogs.technet.com explains a bit about Bitlocker. The author uses many abbreviations without explaining the abbreviation. This makes the document hard to read especially since the document is meant to be a "starter" type introduction to BitLocker.

Starter for someone who is not familiar with bitlocker part III - Digging in - Site Home - TechNet Blogs: "Now there is a way how we can configure TPM platform validation profile or in simple words asking TPM to measure what and what not before releasing secret (not recommended though) we have a group policy"

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The cool feature in IE10 that felt like a bug until I figured out it was a feature - The App Compat Guy - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

For those of us that use Chrome we've had this feature for years.

The cool feature in IE10 that felt like a bug until I figured out it was a feature - The App Compat Guy - Site Home - MSDN Blogs:

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Sophos detects itself as a virus and quarantines itself

Great work there Sophos.

http://www.sophos.com/en-us/support/knowledgebase/118311.aspx

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Use of tracking app to find stolen iPad 'legal' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Use of tracking app to find stolen iPad 'legal' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "Walker said if it was trespassing, then every time somebody turns on their radio they to would be breaking the law."

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How to Run a Program on a Configuration Manager Client

How to Run a Program on a Configuration Manager Client: "How to Run a Program on a Configuration Manager Client"

I found that the code included on the webpage didn't work when used in VBscript.

This code does:


Runprogram "ProgramName","ProgID"

Sub RunProgram(programId, packageId)

    'On Error Resume Next

    Dim oUIResource 
    Dim oPrograms 
    Dim oProgram 

    Set oUIResource = CreateObject ("UIResource.UIResourceMgr")

    If oUIResource Is Nothing Then 
        wscript.echo "Could not create Resource Object - quitting"
        Exit Sub
    End If

    if oUIResource.IsMandatoryProgramPending = 1 Then
        Wscript.Echo "Mandatory program pending. Try again later."
        Set oUIResource=Nothing
        Exit Sub
    End If

    Set oProgram = oUIResource.GetProgram(programId,packageId)
    if oProgram is Nothing Then
        WScript.Echo "Couldn't get the program"
        Set oUIResource=Nothing
        Exit Sub
    End If
    
    Wscript.Echo "Running program: " & oProgram.FullName
    oUIResource.ExecuteProgram programId, packageID, TRUE

    Set oProgram=Nothing
    Set oUIResource=Nothing

End Sub

Description of Cumulative Update 1 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager

Description of Cumulative Update 1 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager: "Cumulative Update 1 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager"

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Jury awards Apple $1.049 billion in Samsung patent dispute ruling (updated) | The Verge

Jury awards Apple $1.049 billion in Samsung patent dispute ruling (updated) | The Verge:

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Windows 8 and Windows 2012 roadshow

Currently at Microsoft. Will report later

SSRS SQL Server Reporting Services Export As JPEG (JPG)

I noticed that SSRS for SQL 2008 R2 was missing the option to export in JPEG formats. The reason for this is that JPEG formats don't and will not support Multi-page reports.

however If you are just exporting a nice simple graphic you can add support for exporting the JPEG formats.

• Logon to the SSRS reporting server 
• Locate the rsreportserver.config and edit it
• Under the Configuration/Extensions/Render section 
• Add 

&ltExtension Name="IMAGE (JPEG)" Type="Microsoft.ReportingServices.Rendering.ImageRenderer.ImageRenderer,Microsoft.ReportingServices.ImageRendering"&gt

&ltOverrideNames&gt

&ltName Language="en-US"&gtImage (JPEG)&lt/Name&gt

&lt/OverrideNames&gt

&ltConfiguration&gt

&ltDeviceInfo&gt

&ltOutputFormat&gtJPEG&lt/OutputFormat&gt

&lt/DeviceInfo&gt

&lt/Configuration&gt

&lt/Extension&gt

• Restart the SQL reporting service 

For more information see this thread on social technet

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sqlreportingservices/thread/b69220f2-dd87-402e-b3ae-8e4afc397648/#b40811eb-3551-4bcf-aba8-909b3f57792a

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Number of days until XP support expires

Plug this into excel and it will tell you the number of days until XP support expires

=NETWORKDAYS(TODAY(),DATE(2014,4,8))

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Windows 8 has reached the RTM milestone

Windows 8 has reached the RTM milestone: "Today, I am excited to announce that Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing (RTM)!"

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Office 365 Preview open to public

Microsoft has made Office 365 available to the public.. but instead of writing up about it I'll let Yoni from Fastrack to the explaining.

http://www.fastracktechnology.com.au/blog/microsoft-office-365-preview-opens-to-the-public

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Will a mandatory assignment re-run if I change the program command line?

Say you completed a mandatory deployment of an application to your environment. Now you want to change the command line it runs without causing it to re-run on all computers. Can this be done?

Yes.

When the configmgr program ran on the PC it put a flag in the execution history that the package ID was successfully run on that PC. This execution history is based on the Package ID and the 'program name' that it ran. It is not based on the actual 'command line' it executed.

Changing the program command line for an existing package will not cause the program  to re-run on clients that have already successfully completed mandatory program.

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Solver crashes Excel when TM1 is loaded.

IBM know it's a bug.

Not so keen on the solution though

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg1PM60242

Our solution: Disable TM1 while using solver. Wait for IBM to fix TM1

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How to Re-register Internet Explorer DLL's

Sometimes I found that after upgrading software, installing new software, security patching that IE starts behaving strangely. Issues like links no longer opening in new windows, Blank screens etc.

I've found that re-registering the IE dlls can sometime fix this;

• Create a batch file. call it IEFIXDLL.BAT 
• This is what the batch file should look like. 

rem Script used to manually reregister Internet Explorer and Shell related *.dlls
rem Also included the Digital Signing and Cryptographic Provider *. dlls if needed
rem rundll32.exe advpack.dll /DelNodeRunDLL32 C:\WINNT\System32\dacui.dll
rem rundll32.exe advpack.dll /DelNodeRunDLL32 C:\WINNT\Catroot\icatalog.mdb
rem regsvr32 setupwbv.dll /s
rem regsvr32 wininet.dll /s
regsvr32 comcat.dll /s
regsvr32 CSSEQCHK.DLL /s
regsvr32 shdoc401.dll /s
regsvr32 shdoc401.dll /i /s
regsvr32 asctrls.ocx /s
regsvr32 oleaut32.dll /s
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll /I /s
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll /s
regsvr32 browseui.dll /s
regsvr32 browsewm.dll /s
regsvr32 browseui.dll /I /s
regsvr32 msrating.dll /s
regsvr32 mlang.dll /s
regsvr32 hlink.dll /s
rem regsvr32 mshtml.dll /s
regsvr32 mshtmled.dll /s
regsvr32 urlmon.dll /s
regsvr32 plugin.ocx /s
regsvr32 sendmail.dll /s
rem regsvr32 comctl32.dll /i /s
rem regsvr32 inetcpl.cpl /i /s
rem regsvr32 mshtml.dll /i /s
regsvr32 scrobj.dll /s
regsvr32 mmefxe.ocx /s
rem regsvr32 proctexe.ocx mshta.exe /register /s
regsvr32 corpol.dll /s
regsvr32 jscript.dll /s
regsvr32 msxml.dll /s
regsvr32 imgutil.dll /s
regsvr32 thumbvw.dll /s
regsvr32 cryptext.dll /s
regsvr32 rsabase.dll /s
rem regsvr32 triedit.dll /s
rem regsvr32 dhtmled.ocx /s
regsvr32 inseng.dll /s
regsvr32 iesetup.dll /i /s
rem regsvr32 hmmapi.dll /s
regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll /s
regsvr32 actxprxy.dll /s
regsvr32 dispex.dll /s
regsvr32 occache.dll /s
regsvr32 occache.dll /i /s
regsvr32 iepeers.dll /s
rem regsvr32 wininet.dll /i /s
regsvr32 urlmon.dll /i /s
rem regsvr32 digest.dll /i /s
regsvr32 cdfview.dll /s
regsvr32 webcheck.dll /s
regsvr32 mobsync.dll /s
regsvr32 pngfilt.dll /s
regsvr32 licmgr10.dll /s
regsvr32 icmfilter.dll /s
regsvr32 hhctrl.ocx /s
regsvr32 inetcfg.dll /s
rem regsvr32 trialoc.dll /s
regsvr32 tdc.ocx /s
regsvr32 MSR2C.DLL /s
regsvr32 msident.dll /s
regsvr32 msieftp.dll /s
regsvr32 xmsconf.ocx /s
regsvr32 ils.dll /s
regsvr32 msoeacct.dll /s
rem regsvr32 wab32.dll /s
rem regsvr32 wabimp.dll /s
rem regsvr32 wabfind.dll /s
rem regsvr32 oemiglib.dll /s
rem regsvr32 directdb.dll /s
regsvr32 inetcomm.dll /s
rem regsvr32 msoe.dll /s
rem regsvr32 oeimport.dll /s
regsvr32 msdxm.ocx /s
regsvr32 dxmasf.dll /s
rem regsvr32 laprxy.dll /s
regsvr32 l3codecx.ax /s
regsvr32 acelpdec.ax /s
regsvr32 mpg4ds32.ax /s
regsvr32 voxmsdec.ax /s
regsvr32 danim.dll /s
regsvr32 Daxctle.ocx /s
regsvr32 lmrt.dll /s
regsvr32 datime.dll /s
regsvr32 dxtrans.dll /s
regsvr32 dxtmsft.dll /s
rem regsvr32 vgx.dll /s
regsvr32 WEBPOST.DLL /s
regsvr32 WPWIZDLL.DLL /s
regsvr32 POSTWPP.DLL /s
regsvr32 CRSWPP.DLL /s
regsvr32 FTPWPP.DLL /s
regsvr32 FPWPP.DLL /s
rem regsvr32 FLUPL.OCX /s
regsvr32 wshom.ocx /s
regsvr32 wshext.dll /s
regsvr32 vbscript.dll /s
regsvr32 scrrun.dll mstinit.exe /setup /s
regsvr32 msnsspc.dll /SspcCreateSspiReg /s
regsvr32 msapsspc.dll /SspcCreateSspiReg /s
regsvr32 licdll.dll /s
regsvr32 regwizc.dll /s
regsvr32 softpub.dll /s
regsvr32 IEDKCS32.DLL /s
regsvr32 MSTIME.DLL /s
regsvr32 WINTRUST.DLL /s
regsvr32 INITPKI.DLL /s
regsvr32 DSSENH.DLL /s
regsvr32 RSAENH.DLL /s
regsvr32 CRYPTDLG.DLL /s
regsvr32 Gpkcsp.dll /s
regsvr32 Sccbase.dll /s
regsvr32 Slbcsp.dll /s

Try running that on your system where you are having issues.


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Stop the CAPTCHA Madness! | are you a human | the captcha alternative

Stop the CAPTCHA Madness! | are you a human | the captcha alternative:

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New Internet Explorer 7 Tax :) -

New Internet Explorer 7 Tax :) -: "Today at Kogan we've implemented the world's first "Internet Explorer 7 Tax". The new 6.8% tax comes into effect today on all products purchased from Kogan.com by anyone still insistent on using the antique browser."

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Asus' Windows 8 tablets follow familiar Transformer theme

I was holding out for the Transformer Prime Infinity (Android) but I may hold out for this a little longer as the OS is Windows 8.

Asus' Windows 8 tablets follow familiar Transformer theme - The Tech Report:

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Slipstream Office 2010 with Service Pack 1

I will have to comment that this is not really slipstreaming.. You are extracting the MSP files and placing them in to the update folder which is the Microsoft supported method to create Office 2010 installation media that patches itself to SP1 after installing.

Slipstream Office 2010 with Service Pack 1:

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Please feel free to stop using DDE

Please feel free to stop using DDE - The Old New Thing - Site Home - MSDN Blogs:


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Programmatically open multiple instances of Windows Picture and Fax Viewer on XP

I have not figured this one out yet.. Under normal behaviour Windows Picture and Fax Viewer (WPFV) for XP only allows you to open one instance of the application at any one time. Someone did find a hack way to open 2 copies by bringing up the print wizard screen before opening the next file but that's not good solution.

To launch a image file using WPFV you run the command line

C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe c:\windows\system32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscreen Imagefile.Tif

If anyone does figure it leave the solution in the comments section if you please.

Update July 2012:
I have not been able to find a way to open this app more than once. We ended up writing our own simple replacement for WPFV instead.

Photo viewer in windows 7 does support multiple instances. This means the issues goes away once you upgrade to Windows 7.


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Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500

So we bought a cheap wireless mouse for use on the laptops at home. I bought the 'Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500'

Pro's:

• Good feedback
• Nano receiver 
• Works well
• Small and light

Con's:

• Very poor battery life (2 weeks in testing). 

Would I recommend this mouse?  I would have to say 'no' at this stage simply because this mouse will cost you a fortune in batteries. 

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SCCM - Joining Collection and Excluding Collections

Say you have a collection of computers in SCCM. Then you have a second collection of computers you wish to exclude.

Easy. Create a third collection based on members of the first collection but exclude members from the second collection.

Using the following query you can accomplish this. Just remember to replace XXXX and YYYY with the correct collections.

select
SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceID,
SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceType,
SMS_R_SYSTEM.Name,
SMS_R_SYSTEM.SMSUniqueIdentifier,
SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup,
SMS_R_SYSTEM.Client
from
SMS_R_System
where
SMS_R_System.ResourceId not in (select ResourceID from SMS_CM_RES_COLL_CXXXXXXX)
and SMS_R_System.ResourceId in (select ResourceID from SMS_CM_RES_COLL_CYYYYYYY)

You could also accomplish this with 2 collections.

Create a collection of computers you want to target and also excluding those in a specific collection

SELECT
SMS_R_System.ResourceID,
SMS_R_System.ResourceType,
SMS_R_System.Name,
SMS_R_System.SMSUniqueIdentifier,
SMS_R_System.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup,
SMS_R_System.Client
FROM
SMS_R_System
WHERE
Client = 1
and ClientType = 1
and ResourceId not in (select ResourceID from SMS_CM_RES_COLL_XXXXXXXX)

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Copying files to several USB drives verse copying one drive at a time

I was given the task to prepare X amount of USB drives to hand out to clients. I was thinking about a good  way to approach the preparation of these USB drives.

1. Format the drive
2. Copy the data
3. Verify the data is written to the drive correctly.

I started by copying one drive at a time, this worked but. It works, but takes a long time. In this configuration you are better of using division of labour to get the job done (i.e 3-4 people copying single USB drives at once).

I noticed that copying files to a single USB drive it never consumed the total available bandwidth on the USB bus. This is probably because the memory in the USB drive (about 4 MB /Sec) is slower than the actual USB bus on the computer (USB is 480 Mbits /Sec or about 60 MB/Sec).

So I re-programmed copy2USB application that I created to do 'one to many' at once. This proved to be even more effective. I then was then preparing 4 USB drives at once or in management speak I just quadrupled my productivity.

If you do the math you could probably hook up to about 15 USB drives before you would hit the max transfer limit. I would recommend using SSD as the source drive.

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I like this quote

I found the following quote funny.

"With enough force, any peg will fit in any hole."

Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2012/05/10/10303506.aspx

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Creating a list of Machines capable of power management for SCCM 2007 R3

Over on Technet there is an article stating that to create collection of machines capable of power management you should use the following query

select SMS_R_System.Name, SMS_R_System.OperatingSystemNameandVersion
from  SMS_R_System
inner join SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES
on SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.ResourceID = SMS_R_System.ResourceId
where (SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.RtcWake = "PowerSystemHibernate"
or SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.RtcWake = "PowerSystemSleeping3"
or SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.RtcWake = "PowerSystemShutdown")
and SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.SystemS3 = 1
and SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.PreferredPMProfile != 2
order by SMS_R_System.Name DESC

I believe there might be a problem in that query..

 SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.PreferredPMProfile != 2

I think refers to the 'preferred power management profile' that is set by the OEM when creating the machine. See here for more info. By using the above query you are actually excluding all mobile type devices (laptops)

The proper query should be

select SMS_R_System.Name, SMS_R_System.OperatingSystemNameandVersion
from  SMS_R_System
inner join SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES
on SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.ResourceID = SMS_R_System.ResourceId
where (SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.RtcWake = "PowerSystemHibernate"
or SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.RtcWake = "PowerSystemSleeping3"
or SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.RtcWake = "PowerSystemShutdown")
and SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.SystemS3 = 1
order by SMS_R_System.Name DESC

Bonus query for today.. All computer not capable of power management

select SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceID,SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceType,SMS_R_SYSTEM.Name,SMS_R_SYSTEM.SMSUniqueIdentifier,SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup,SMS_R_SYSTEM.Client from SMS_R_System inner join SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES on SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES.ResourceID = SMS_R_System.ResourceId   where SMS_R_System.OperatingSystemNameandVersion like "Microsoft Windows NT Workstation %" and SMS_G_System_POWER_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITIES. SystemS3 <> 1 

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SCCM Distribution error "SMS distribution manager failed to process package" Message ID 2302

I was trying to update a package on a DP (Distribution Point) but the package kept failing with "SMS distribution manager failed to process package" Message ID 2302.  This error was only occurring one distribution point the rest were fine.

Taking a look into the distmgr.log on your SCCM sever showed me where the error was.

This particular package was failing to package up a Thumbs.db file (which it shouldn't be doing anyway) so I went to the source  files and deleted the file Thumbs.db and tried sending out the package again. This time it worked.

More Information:

List of Log Files in Configuration Manager 2007

What is Thumbs.db (windows thumbnail cache)

Other Users have also come across this issue:
MyItForum

I'm thinking about disabling the thumbs.db on the SCCM servers to prevent this from occurring again
Tweaks.com or Social Technet discussion 

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SCCM DP's and Riverbed.

I've tested SCCM and riverbed's together. River bed makes a huge impact to how we consider deploying software to remote sites.

Somewhere along the lines of 90% descrease in WAN traffic when deploying a large app over several PC's.

WMI Query for Microsoft Word 2010 or greater

Select * from Win32_Product where name  like "%Microsoft Office Word%" and version >= 14

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IBM please fix your Notes installer

During an upgrade you call MSI Custom Action  ibmUpdateRegForMultiUser
It tries to run in the User Context. The CA calls a UpgradeUtils.dll which must contain some code that when runs gets error 2

BUT!

Most installs of Notes are done under the system context hence the following error and the upgrade fails.

MSI ERROR: "UpgradeUtils/UpdateRegForMultiUser (Line 6743): Error - 'GetPropertyFromRegistry' for 'REGDATAPATHPROPERTY' failed with return code '2' - The system cannot find the file specified. 

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Citrix Access Gateway and Vmware Workstation

I found that if you try to access CAG while the Vmware Network adapters are still live it will misconfigure your CAG connection and you will not able to access all resources.

Disable any VMware network adapters before connecting to CAG and this should workaround your issue.

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Office 2010 installs Sharepoint components even when not enabled

I found that when you installed Office 2010 with the SP1 update it would install the Sharepoint component even when the component was disabled using a .MSP configuration file.

Microsoft acknowledges this as an issue but the fix isn't very clear.

What you need to do to resolve the issue at the package level is

• Download this update.
• Then unpack the EXE files into temp directory (use the /? to find out how to unpack the files)
• Next you need to copy the .MSP and .XML file in the office updates folder.
• Now copy the .DLL file in to the admin folder of your office install. 

Notes:

• This is only applicable for new Office 2010 SP1 installs not for existing installs
• This exact issue was mentioned in deployment jeopardy in Tech ED North America this year. 

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Members for a collection for a particular machine

I needed to see what collections had a membership for a machine

select
FullCol.CollectionId,
COL.Name from dbo.v_R_System r
join dbo.v_FullCollectionMembership FullCol on R.ResourceID = FullCol.ResourceID
join dbo.v_Collection COL on COL.CollectionID = FullCol.CollectionID
Where
R.Name0 = 'Machine'

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Zenithink C91 Upgrade

I just bought a Zenithink C91 Upgrade. I am now waiting for delivery.

In all honesty for $130 I am not expecting much at all.

Edit: it just arrived.. I'll post a review if enough people are interested in me reviewing one.. (leave me a comment if you want me to post a review of it)

I never knew that a application shortcut could map a drive

We came across something today where a user would  double click a shorcut and it would actually then map a network drive... weird?  Not really. Turns out this is actually by design. If you create a shortcut from a mapped network drive it will store the mapping information in the shortcut (try opening a .lnk in notepad).

more info:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/150604

Running multiple commands in SCCM ‘Run Command Line’ Task Sequence step from Danovich.com.au

Danovich shows you how you can run multiple commands from the one 'run command line' step in a task sequence.

Running multiple commands in SCCM ‘Run Command Line’ Task Sequence step

Unable to install FP4 for Notes 8.5.2

We hit this issue again.. Fix Pack 4 fails to install on a system with Lotus Notes 8.5.2

fix:

- Make sure NSD service and Notes Single sign on services are stopped.
- Rename npnotes.dll before the install.
- Install the fix pack
- Rename the npnotes.dll back to npnotes.dll.

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ObjFSO.FilesCopy Permission Denied from SCCM

Problem:

I had an 'Permission Denied' VB script issue last week. The script was trying to copy over an existing file in the windows installer directory.

The problem only occurred when we ran the script through SCCM. Manually the script would work fine without issue. 

I figured out the problem with the assistance of Paul Chen (Sydney based app packager). The issue turned out to be that if the file is set to 'read only' in windows you can't copy straight over the top of  the file using VB script   in an SCCM program. 

Solution:

Delete the file before copying over the new file. 

or 

Remove the 'Read Only' checkbox from  the file before overwriting the file. 

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Office Deployment Toolkit for APP-V Issue; Unable to uninstall

Just a quick heads up,

if you install office deployment toolkit for APP-V and then use an MST configure the proxies for it you won't be able to un-install it.

the reason for this is when you uninstall the MST will try and re-activate the proxies.

I had to make a fix for this that replaced the MST in the installer cache with one that worked to resolve the uninstall issue.

ConfigMgr 2007: How to inventory mapped drives - The Configuration Manager Support Team Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

Thanks J.C for this write up.

ConfigMgr 2007: How to inventory mapped drives - The Configuration Manager Support Team Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs:

'via Blog this'

Dear Xbox 360 makers

- Please make 'A' the default play button in the video player instead of 'Y' I want to play the video instead of having to wait for the next menu load before playing the video. If I want to see more info about the video I can then press 'Y' for more info.

- Locking the controller during menu changes is frustrating.. I want to be able to enter a number of key presses and skip straight to the menu's

- Instead of skipping 1/6 of the way through the video when I press the shoulder buttons only skip forwards 30 seconds and back 20 seconds respectively.

- use the pressure sensitive shoulder triggers to fast forward and rewind the video/music

- Allow me to skip to any part of the video by using the joystick

- 'A' to pause and then 'A' to resume not menu.

- Loading of menu's takes far too long.

That is all for now.

SCCM SQL Count of chassis type

SELECT
Case v_GS_SYSTEM_ENCLOSURE.ChassisTypes0
when '1' then 'Other'
when '2' then 'Unknown'
when '3' then 'Desktop'
when '4' then 'Low Profile Desktop'
when '5' then 'Pizza Box'
when '6' then 'Mini Tower'
when '7' then 'Tower'
when '8' then 'Portable'
when '9' then 'Laptop'
when '10' then 'Notebook'
when '11' then 'Hand Held'
when '12' then 'Docking Station'
when '13' then 'All in One'
when '14' then 'Sub Notebook'
when '15' then 'Space-Saving'
when '16' then 'Lunch Box'
when '17' then 'Main System Chassis'
when '18' then 'Expansion Chassis'
when '19' then 'SubChassis'
when '20' then 'Bus Expansion Chassis'
when '21' then 'Peripheral Chassis'
when '22' then 'Storage Chassis'
when '23' then 'Rack Mount Chassis'
when '24' then 'Sealed-Case PC'
else 'Undefinded'
end as 'Chassis Type',
Count(v_GS_SYSTEM_ENCLOSURE.ChassisTypes0) AS 'Total'
FROM
v_GS_SYSTEM_ENCLOSURE v_GS_SYSTEM_ENCLOSURE
GROUP BY
v_GS_SYSTEM_ENCLOSURE.ChassisTypes0
Order by
'Chassis Type'

Lotus Notes Crazy Mode.

We recently found this in the Notes 8.5.2 MSI 

'If CrazyMode=1'

Our security auditor is an idiot, how do I give him the information he wants?

All I can say is "wow". I reckon both these guys are in the wrong. One for asking for it, the other for asking "how do I fake it?"

http://serverfault.com/questions/293217/our-security-auditor-is-an-idiot-how-do-i-give-him-the-information-he-wants

Dell Latitude E6400 freezes at sysyprep. fails to build

Yesterday I  had an issue where our Dell Latitude E6400's would not build through SCCM properly. It would fail at the "Windows  XP Setup" sysprep screen. The fix for this turns out to be one of the weirdest things I've seen.

Simply remove the battery before imaging and reinstall it after imaging.. 

Taking a look at the setupapi.log file left in c:\windows\ shows that the last thing it was trying to do was install a drivers for a plug and play device named "ACPI\PNP0C0A\2" and matched with the inf  "battery.inf".

#-011 Installing section [CmBatt_Inst.Interfaces] from "c:\windows\inf\battery.inf".

#I054 Interfaces installed.
#-166 Device install function: DIF_INSTALLDEVICE.
#I123 Doing full install of "ACPI\PNP0C0A\2".
#I121 Device install of "ACPI\PNP0C0A\2" finished successfully.
[2012/01/16 13:07:41 544.1]
#-199 Executing "C:\WINDOWS\system32\setup.exe" with command line: setup.exe -newsetup -mini
#W082 Could not locate a non-empty service section [Clean.Services] in "C:\WINDOWS\system32\$winnt$.inf". Error 0xe0000102: The required line was not found in the INF.

Custom message prior to installing software

Custom message prior to installing software

In the past I've also used AutoIT to create custom messages..