Manage WordPress Comments From Your Windows Desktop

Wp-comment-notifier is a small free app for Windows that lets you easily view, approve, reply to, and delete comments from your WordPress blog. Whether you have a free WordPress.com blog or are running WordPress on your own server, this tool can keep you connected to your comments. Unfortunately it only lets you manage comments at one blog, so if manage multiple WordPress-powered sites you may find this a downside. Otherwise, it works great and helps you stay on top of the conversation at your blog.

Unfortunately it only lets you manage comments at one blog, so if manage multiple WordPress-powered sites you may find this a downside. Otherwise, it works great and helps you stay on top of the conversation at your blog.
Get notified with wp-comment-notifier, Download the wp-comment-notifier and install as usual.

Run it once it’s installed. Enter your blog address, username, and password when prompted.

Wp-comment-notifier will automatically setup your account and download recent comments.

Finally, enter your blog’s name, and click Finish.

Review Comments with wp-comment-notifier, You can now review your comments directly by double-clicking the new WordPress icon in your system tray.
The window has 3 tabs…comments, pending, and spam.
Select a comment to reply, edit, spam, or delete it directly from your desktop.
If you select Edit, then you can edit the HTML of the comment (including links) directly from within the notifier.

You can approve or permanently delete any spam messages that are caught by your blog’s spam filter.

Whenever new comments come in, you’ll see a tray popup letting you know how many comments are waiting to be approved or are in the spam folder.
Click the popup to open the editor.

Now, you can directly approve that pending comment without going to your WordPress admin page.....

Read The Full Article HERE

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Configure a short cut to 'Run As' a different user

This tip only works on short cuts. So create a short cut to one of your key programs, for example Active Directory Users and Computers.

Right click the short cut, Properties, Advanced (Button), Run with Different Credentials. The idea behind 'Run As' is to encourage you to log on as an ordinary user, and then use 'elevated rights' when you need to run the administrative tools. What it does is save you having to log off and then logon again as the administrator.

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Windows 2003 Server does not stream FLV videos

When Flash Player movie files that stream external FLV files (Flash videos) are placed on a Microsoft Windows 2003 server and then viewed in a browser, the SWF file plays correctly, but the FLV video does not stream. These files work correctly if tested on other operating systems. The issue affects all FLV files played via Windows 2003 server, including files made with the Flash Video Kit for Dreamweaver MX 2004.
This TechNote describes the steps necessary to allow Windows 2003 to stream Flash Video files.

Note: These instructions are provided as a courtesy for customers and address the issue in Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 rather than Flash.

Reason :
With IIS 6.0, Microsoft changed the way streaming media is handled. Previous versions of IIS did not require any modification to stream Flash Video. Microsoft IIS 6.0, the default web server that ships with Windows 2003, requires a MIME type to recognize that FLV files are streamed media.

Solution :

Please be aware that these steps do not resolve any issue with Flash, but are a configuration step for Microsoft Windows 2003 and Microsoft IIS Server 6.0. Any difficulties in executing these instructions or any errors that may arise from modifying your system settings should be addressed to Microsoft. For more details, please refer to your IIS documentation.

1- On the Windows 2003 server, open the Internet Information Services Manager.
2- Expand the Local Computer Server.
3- Right-click the local computer server and select Properties.
4- Select the MIME Types tab.
5- Click New and enter the following information:
5- Associated Extension box: .FLV
6- MIME Type box:flv-application/octet-stream
7- Click OK.
8- Restart the World Wide Web Publishing service.

Goodluck.

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How To Troubleshoot Shutdown Problems

When Windows shuts down, messages are sent to the devices, system services, and programs that are installed on the computer. These messages announce that Windows is preparing to shut down. The operating system waits for responses from programs that are running to make sure that the programs save unsaved data to the hard disk and shut down correctly. Each device, service, and program that is running typically responds to the shutdown message with a message that states that the program can be closed.
You may experience one or more of the following symptoms when you try to turn off the computer :
The computer stops responding (hangs). When this symptom occurs, a black screen may be displayed.
• The computer does not turn off when you receive the message that states that it is safe to turn off your computer.
• You receive an error message.
Typical causes of shutdown problems include the following: • Faulty or incompatible device drivers.
• System services that either do not respond correctly or send busy request messages to the system.
• Faulty or incompatible programs.
How to Troubleshoot Shutdown Problems in Windows Server 2003
To troubleshoot shutdown problems and to isolate the cause of the incorrect shutdown behavior, use the following methods: • Use Task Manager to identify the cause of the shutdown behavior.
• Undo any recent changes to the computer.
• Use safe mode to identify the cause of the shutdown behavior.
• Confirm that the computer's complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) and basic input/output system (BIOS) settings are correct.

How to Use Task Manager to Identify the Cause of the Shutdown Behavior
Use Task Manager to determine the programs that are currently running on the computer. For each program that is listed in Task Manager, manually quit the program, and then shut down and restart the computer to test if the shutdown problem is resolved. To do this, follow the procedure that is described in this section.

NOTE: It is possible that not all programs that are currently running on the computer are listed on the Applications tab of Task Manager. 1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, and then click Task Manager.
2. Click the Applications tab.
3. In the Task column, click the program that you want to quit, and then click End Task.
4. Quit Task Manager.
5. Turn off the computer.

How to Undo Any Recent Changes to the Computer
If the shutdown behavior occurs immediately after you make a change to the computer (for example, you install or upgrade a program, a service, or hardware that has device drivers), undo the last change that you made. For example, remove either the last driver or the last program that you installed, and then shut down and restart the computer to test whether the computer shuts down correctly.


How to Use Safe Mode to Identify the Cause of the Shutdown Behavior
When you start your computer in safe mode, only a minimal set of necessary drivers and services is loaded. Safe mode is a useful diagnostic tool to use when you want to identify and resolve problems that are caused by faulty drivers, programs, or services that start automatically.

To determine if the computer shuts down correctly in safe mode:
1. Restart the computer.
2. When are prompted to select the operating system to start, press F8.
3. On the Windows Advanced Option menu, use the ARROW keys to select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER.
4. If you are using a dual-boot computer or a multiple-boot computer, select Microsoft Windows Server 2003 from the list that is displayed, and then press ENTER.
5. After the computer starts in safe mode, turn off the computer.

If the computer shuts down correctly when it is in safe mode, repeat steps 1 through 4 to restart the computer in safe mode, and then go to step 6 and follow the remaining steps of this procedure to troubleshoot and identify the cause of the shutdown problem.
6. View the boot log file, Ntbtlog.txt, and then make a note of the devices and services that did not load when you started your computer in safe mode.

The Ntbtlog.txt file is located in the %SystemRoot% folder (by default, this is the Windows folder). You can use Notepad to open and view the file. The Ntbtlog.txt file lists devices and services that load (and do not load) when you start your computer in safe mode.

NOTE: If there are third-party drivers or services that run when your computer is in normal mode but do not run when your computer is in safe mode, the third-party drivers or services may be the cause of the incorrect shutdown behavior.

7. Restart the computer in normal mode, and then do one of the following: • Remove the drivers for each of the drivers and services that you identified in the Ntbtlog.txt file to be possible causes of the incorrect shutdown behavior.
• Stop the services or disable the services one at a time.
You can use Device Manager to remove or disable devices and their drivers.
For additional information about how to manage devices by using Device Manager, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
199276 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/199276/EN-US/) How to Manage Devices in Windows
244601 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/244601/EN-US/) How to Troubleshoot Unknown Devices Listed in Device Manager
125174 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/125174/EN-US/) Explanation of Error Codes Generated by Device Manager
323423 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/323423/EN-US/) Configure Devices Using Device Manager in Windows Server 2003
8. Turn off the computer to test whether the shutdown problem is resolved.
9. After you identify the problem service or driver, either reinstall the service or the driver if you suspect that a file is damaged or contact the manufacturer to report the behavior and to obtain information about possible updates that you can use to resolve the shutdown behavior.
For additional information about how to troubleshoot shutdown problems by using safe mode, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
266169 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/266169/EN-US/) How to Troubleshoot Problems with Standby Mode, Hibernate Mode, and Shutting Down Your Computer in Windows 2000
How to Confirm that the Computer's CMOS/BIOS Settings Are Correct
WARNING: This procedure may involve changing your computer's CMOS settings and changing the BIOS. Incorrect changes to the BIOS of your computer can result in serious problems. Change the computer's CMOS settings at your own risk.

Incorrect or damaged CMOS and BIOS settings can cause startup and shutdown problems. For information about the correct CMOS and BIOS settings for your computer and how to check and change these settings, see the computer documentation or contact the manufacturer of your computer. To confirm that the computer's BIOS is current, contact the computer manufacturer to inquire about the latest BIOS update available for your computer.


How to Use a Parallel Installation to Identify the Cause of the Shutdown Behavior
To use a parallel installation to troubleshoot shutdown behavior:
1. Install a new copy of Windows Server 2003 to a separate partition on the computer (create a parallel installation), and then install drivers and programs one at a time on the parallel installation.
2. Shut down and restart the computer between each program installation and note if the incorrect shutdown behavior occurs.

If the behavior occurs, the last driver or the program that you installed may be the cause of the incorrect shutdown behavior.
3. Either remove or update the driver or the program from the original installation, and then test Windows for correct shutdown.

If the problem is resolved, remove the parallel Windows installation.

Source Microsoft.com

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Some useful windows server 2003 Tweaks

Open Command Window Here
Modified to work with Windows Server 2003. This PowerToy adds an "Open Command Window Here" context menu option on file system folders, giving you a quick way to open a command window (cmd.exe) pointing at the selected folder. (Thanks to Toby B.)

Download

Xteq X-Setup

Xteq X-Setup is a so-called "hacker" or "tweaker" program. It allows you to change settings that are normally hidden deeply in some configuration-files like the registry fast and easily. X-Setup offers several advantages, making it the "ultimate tool for black belt system tuning". It's runs on any Windows version (incl. XP), is clutter-free, easy to use, extensible, powerful, covers any aspect of your computer and has more configuration options than any other tweaker. For a complete listing of the features of X-Setup, please see the Features Page.

Download

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How to setup a Windows 2003 boot server

you have to enable DHCP service on your Windows box. You can do that by going into the Control Panel, open Add/Remove Programs, select Windows Components and finally Networking Services. There, enable Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).
You need to configure the DHCP service now. Launch the DHCP admin tool by going into the Control Panel, open Admin Tools and select DHCP.

Expand the server tree.

Right click on Reservations->New Reservation...

In Reservation name, put the workstation's host name. Enter an unused IP address. Enter the PA-RISC box' MAC address (no delimiters, just the hex number). Select Both for whether it should be bootp or dhcp. Click Ok to close this window.

Look for your newly created reservation at the bottom of the list under Reservations and click it.

Right click on Configure Options...

It should have inherited your server's default options, so we won't cover setting router, dns, wins and lease length.

Scroll down the list of options to 066: Boot Server Host Name. Check the box next to option 066. Enter your tftp server's ip address, because IPL can't resolve hostnames.

Check option 067: Bootfile Name and enter the name of the lifimage. Generally, lifimage is a good choice here.

Click Ok and your dhcp server is ready!

Get & setup the TFTP server

To get the network boot process operational, you need the TFTP service that provides the basic file system at boot time. Get Tftpd from http://tftpd32.jounin.net/. You must download the latest version in zip format. Unzip it and store it in your favorite place. Then, you must setup the monster.


Run tftpd32.

Click the Browse button.

Browse to where you put your lifimage, highlight it and click Ok.

Make sure the IP address below the directory is the one you gave to your PA-RISC box.

Let tftpd32 open. The tftp server only runs when the GUI is displayed.

Attempt to netboot

Settings on the DHCP server (verify the PA-RISC MAC address is correct).

Your dhcp server is on the same physical network segment as the PA-RISC box.

The state of the network connection of the 2 boxes.

Try to tcpdump while you are booting the PA-RISC box over the lan.

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How to setup the secure shell daemon on a Windows 2003 server

Note : This set of instructions has worked for me at our institution. You should read /usr/share/doc/Cygwin/openssh.README after installing cygwin and check the cygwin mailing list if you encounter problems.
Installing and Testing cygwin
Create the destination folder (C:\cygwin or D:\cygwin as appropriate). Default permissions will be for administrators and SYSTEM only. Add SERVER\Users with modify control to the list. These permissions will be inherited to the rest of the folder as it is populated.

Create a directory to locally store the cygwin packages e.g. C:\temp\cygwinarchive. Open a browser window to the following URL http://www.cygwin.com/setup.exe and save the installation file setup.exe to the archive directory just created (C:\temp\cygwinarchive in this example)
Double click on the downloaded cygwin setup program. The current version is 2.510.2.2 (February 3rd, 2006). Click 'Next' and answer the prompts :
Leave default "install from internet"
Install to root directory c:\cygwin
leave default "install for all users"
leave default text file type "unix / binary"
Set local package directory to c:\temp\cygwinarchive (the directory created in the previous step). This should be the default.
Leave the default "direct connection"
Select a mirror (any of the ones with starting with http://mirror in the name). The package list will be downloaded.
The 'Select Packages' window can be stretched. Click on the plus sign to expand the categories. Install at least the following list of packages.
From Admin, select all packages.
From Archive, select unzip and zip packages.
From Base, leave the default, select all packages.
From Doc, leave the default, man and 'cygwin doc' packages.
From Editors, select vim package.
From Net, select openssh (openssl will get checked automatically), rsync and tcp_wrappers packages.
When you've selected these packages, click 'Next'. The installation tells you which packages it is installing as it progresses.
Uncheck 'Create desktop icon'. Leave default 'Add to start menu'. Click 'Finish'.
A post install script runs a few final commands. Then you should see a message saying 'Installation complete'. Click 'OK'.
Edit C:\cygwin\cygwin.bat. Make sure it contains these lines - you will need to add the line setting the CYGWIN environment variable.
@echo off
set CYGWIN=binmode tty ntsec
C:
chdir \cygwin\bin

bash --login -i

Test cygwin to make sure it works. Start, Programs, Cygnus Solutions, Cygwin Bash Shell - should get a command window with a prompt saying 'Administrator@servername'. This is a bash shell and you can use unix or DOS / NT type commands e.g.
'ls /bin' to see the cygwin bin directory
'dir c:' to see the contents of the C: directory
Type "control d" or "logout" to exit the shell.

If you get a message saying 'cannot create /home/userid', run this command from the cygwin window "mkpasswd -l >/etc/passwd".

While you're in the cygwin shell window, run this command to change the mount prefix from "/cygdrive" to "/". You should logout and back in again after running this command in order to reset your PATH environment variable properly.
mount -s --change-cygdrive-prefix /
Also, create a home directory where you can place user startup files. The default location is the "Documents and Settings" folder. Creating a /home directory and using the -p switch to assign the home directory when adding a new user keeps all the cygwin files under the c:\cygwin directory.
mkdir -p /home
Installing the SSH daemon service
From a cygwin prompt (Start, All Programs, Cygwin ?), run ssh-host-config to create the service, set up the ssh host keys and create the sshd_config file in /etc/. Note that 2 local users are created, one called sshd to handle privilege separation and one that is required on Windows 2003 called sshd_server that runs the service in order to use public key authentication. You should see output like this:

$ ssh-host-config
Generating /etc/ssh_host_key
Generating /etc/ssh_host_rsa_key
Generating /etc/ssh_host_dsa_key
Overwrite existing /etc/ssh_config file? (yes/no) yes
Generating /etc/ssh_config file
Overwrite existing /etc/sshd_config file? (yes/no) yes
Privilege separation is set to yes by default since OpenSSH 3.3.
However, this requires a non-privileged account called 'sshd'.
For more info on privilege separation read
/usr/share/doc/openssh/README.privsep.

Should privilege separation be used? (yes/no) yes
Warning: The following function requires administrator privileges!
Should this script create a local user 'sshd' on this machine? (yes/no) yes
Generating /etc/sshd_config file
Added ssh to C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\services

Warning: The following functions require administrator privileges!

Do you want to install sshd as service?
(Say "no" if it's already installed as service) (yes/no) yes

You appear to be running Windows 2003 Server or later. On 2003 and
later systems, it's not possible to use the LocalSystem account
if sshd should allow passwordless logon (e. g. public key authentication).
If you want to enable that functionality, it's required to create a new
account 'sshd_server' with special privileges, which is then used to run
the sshd service under.

Should this script create a new local account 'sshd_server' which has
the required privileges? (yes/no) yes

Please enter a password for new user 'sshd_server'. Please be sure that
this password matches the password rules given on your system.
Entering no password will exit the configuration. PASSWORD=xxxxxxx

User 'sshd_server' has been created with password 'xxxxxxxx'.
If you change the password, please keep in mind to change the password
for the sshd service, too.

Also keep in mind that the user sshd_server needs read permissions on all
users' .ssh/authorized_keys file to allow public key authentication for
these users!. (Re-)running ssh-user-config for each user will set the
required permissions correctly.


Which value should the environment variable CYGWIN have when
sshd starts? It's recommended to set at least "ntsec" to be
able to change user context without password.
Default is "ntsec". CYGWIN=binmode ntsec tty

The service has been installed under sshd_server account.
To start the service, call net start sshd' or cygrunsrv -S sshd'.

Host configuration finished. Have fun!

You can start the service from the services MMC panel, or using either of the commands listed above ("net start sshd" or "cygrunsrv -S sshd").
Generating public/private SSH keys for a user
If you need to generate ssh public and private keys for a user on this machine who will be uploading data or logging in to a remote machine, you will need to carry out this step. Sign on as the user who needs the keys created. They will automatically be in their home directory. Run ssh-user-config to setup the ssh keys. Create only an SSH2 RSA identity (use a null passphrase - just press return). Output should be similar to this :
cygwinadmin@HICKORY ~
$ ssh-user-config
Shall I create an SSH1 RSA identity file for you? (yes/no) no
Shall I create an SSH2 RSA identity file for you? (yes/no) (yes/no) yes
Generating /home/pswander/.ssh/id_rsa
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):Press ENTER
Enter same passphrase again:Press ENTER
Do you want to use this identity to login to this machine? (yes/no) yes
Shall I create an SSH2 DSA identity file for you? (yes/no) (yes/no) no

Configuration finished. Have fun!
Update the file /home/userid/.ssh/authorized_keys with any public keys from other users who you wish to be able to connect to this user's account. Refer to this document for more information. Make sure each entry you add is all on one line.
Make sure the service is running (state 4 = running)
$ sc query sshd

SERVICE_NAME: sshd
TYPE : 10 WIN32_OWN_PROCESS
STATE : 4 RUNNING
(STOPPABLE, NOT_PAUSABLE, IGNORES_SHUTDOWN))
WIN32_EXIT_CODE : 0 (0x0)
SERVICE_EXIT_CODE : 0 (0x0)
CHECKPOINT : 0x0
WAIT_HINT : 0x0
Test the service from the cygwin prompt using "ssh -v localhost". You will get challenged with the new host key and will have to enter your password as you connect. You should see output like this:
The authenticity of host 'localhost (127.0.0.1)' can't be established.
RSA key fingerprint is 75:8a:67:20:0d:75:dd:06:64:04:d0:ac:23:c7:74:ba.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
Warning: Permanently added 'localhost' (RSA) to the list of known hosts.

The last line is:
You are successfully logged in to this server!!!

Test the service from a remote host. You can now update the authorized_keys file with the public key file from the user and host you want to connect from. Then test your connection from that host by issuing the command "ssh userid@servername dir c:\"
Adding and removing users from the passwd file
You can add domain or local users using the mkpasswd command. Test what would be added for a domain user with this command:
mkpasswd -d domain_name -u joeuser
You can add an ads domain user to the passwd file and give him a home directory in /home with this command:
mkpasswd -d ads -p /home -u kscully >>/etc/passwd
You can add local users using the -l switch instead of the -d switch. Be careful not to use the -d domain_name switch without specifying a user or you will get entries for ALL doamin users in the passwd file.
Users can be removed and both users and groups can be updated by starting a cygwin shell and using vi to edit the /etc/passwd and /etc/group files.
Restricting SSH access to specific servers
Working on a netsh script to restrict access to specific servers.

cygrunsrv --install sshd --path '/usr/sbin/sshd' --env 'PATH=/bin;/sbin' --env 'CYGWIN=ntsec tty' -a -D

Switching the user who runs the service
In a normal installation, the ssh-host-config script creates a local user called sshd_server under whose credentials the ssh daemon runs. This is fine for local shell access to the server and secure file transfers to and from the server, but it is not possible to access any network resources while the service is running under the local user account.

The solution is to run the service under a domain user account - one that has access to the shares or servers remote from the server running sshd. In order to switch the service to run under a different user, these steps must be carried out :

Open "Computer Management", open the Services tab, right click on the "Cygwin sshd" service and stop the service.
Right click on the "Cygwin sshd" service again and select properties. Under the 'Log On' tab, switch the name of the account the service is running from ".\sshd_server" to domain\userid, where domain and userid correspond to a userid with access to the resources you require in the domain. You will be prompted for this user's password.
Open Control Panel -> Administratice Tools -> Local Security Settings -> Local Policies. Then click on 'User Rights Assignment'. Make sure the domain user you specified in step one is in the list for these 4 rights :
Adjust memory quotas for a process
Create a token object
Log on as a service (already granted if you completed step 1)
Replace a process level token
Add the domain user to the local password file
mkpasswd -d domain -u userid >> /etc/passwd
Change to ownership of the files required by the sshd service owner. Open a cygwin bash session and run these commands for your userid
$ chown userid /var/log/sshd.log
$ chown -R userid /var/empty
$ chown userid /etc/ssh*
In the services tab again, right click on the 'Cygwin sshd' service and select 'start'. Check the event log for a successful start, or for errors in case the service does not start successfully.

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How can I add the Administrative Tools icon to the desktop

The administrative Tools folder is in fact a sub-folder of the Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs folder, but dragging it or moving it around your computer might cause it to stop functioning.

There are 2 methods of adding the Administrative Tools folder to the Quick Launch toolbar:

One method is by dragging it from the Control Panel folder, and NOT from the Programs folder.

The other method is by editing the registry.

Follow these steps to add the Administrative Tools icon to the Windows XP/2003 desktop by editing the registry:

1. Open Registry Editor.

2. In Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace

3. Create the following key:

{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153}

(just copy/paste, including the brackets)

Note: As always, before making changes to your registry you should always make sure you have a valid backup. In cases where you're supposed to delete or modify keys or values from the registry it is possible to first export that key or value(s) to a .REG file before performing the changes.

4. Close Registry Editor.

There is no need to reboot. Just wait a few seconds and You will see the icon appears

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Convert FAT 16 to FAT 32

Why do I get error messages when I try to convert FAT16 partitions to FAT32 in Windows 2000/XP/2003?
In W2K, XP and Windows Server 2003, if you attempt to convert a File Allocation Table (FAT or FAT16) partition to the FAT32 file system using the "drive:\convert drive: /fs:fat32" command-line switch, where drive is the drive from which you are running the convert utility and the drive you are trying to convert to FAT32, you may receive the following error message:
The type of the file system is FAT.
Convert cannot gain exclusive access to the drive, so it cannot convert it now. Would you like to schedule it to be converted the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)

When you restart your computer, the conversion process seems to start, and then the following error message is displayed:

FAT32 is not supported

If you attempt use the "drive1:\convert drive2: /fs:fat32" command- line switch, where drive1 is the drive from which you are running the convert utility and drive2 is the drive you are trying to convert to FAT32, the following error message is displayed:

FAT32 is not a valid file system

This behavior occurs because Windows 2000/XP does not have a process for converting a partition from FAT16 to FAT32. The only conversion process that Windows 2000/XP supports is converting from FAT16 or FAT32 to the Windows NT file system (NTFS).

Note: If you type convert /? at a command prompt, there is not an option to convert to the FAT32 file system.

Note: Windows 2000/XP/2003 provides NO way to convert NTFS partitions to FAT16/32.

If you dual boot, you can use the Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows 98 drive converter tool in System Tools, or the following command-line tool:

cvt drive: /cvt32

Alternatively, you can use 3rd party tools like PowerQuest PartitionMagic, PowerQuest ServerMagic and other tools to perform the conversion from FAT16 to FAT32 and backwards

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Installing Active Directory in Windows 2003

With installations, 7 minutes of planning will save an hour for rework. The secret of troubleshooting Active Directory installs is mastering DNS. I find NSLookup invaluable, also Ipconfig's new switches /registerdns and /flushdns are handy.

Topics for Installing Active Directory
What's new in Server 2003
Procedure for Installing a Domain Controller
Crucial Install DNS Stage (With Diagram)
Post Installation Check list

What's new in Windows Server 2003?
Check a new program ADPREP. It has /forestprep switches like Exchange.
Install a brand new Domain Controller from a back up of an existing server.

ADPREP
Here is a built-in command line tool that will prepare the schema. It does not actually install the NDTS.dit files but it does prepare the forest or the individual domain for Active Directory.

ADPREP /forestprep

ADPREP /domainprep

DCPROMO /adv
If you already have a working domain controller, backup the system state, go to a member server, run DCPROMO /adv then point the wizard to the backup files.

Procedure for creating a Domain Controller
The key to success is preparation:
Decide your DNS and enter the name in the Computer Name Tab in the System Icon (Windows Key + Pause). Whilst this section deals with the nuts and bolts of an installation, take care to design your Active Directory forest, for example, account naming strategy, top level OUs, group policies.

Now you are ready to run DCPROMO.

DCPROMO decisions
To call for the Active Directory Installation Wizard, Start, Run DCPROMO and answer these questions:

- New Domain - or Replica (another DC in the same domain)
- Domain Tree in existing forest - or New Domain Tree
- Domain in New Forest

Crucial Install DNS Stage
There are many ways of installing DNS, but I favour doing as little as possible myself, and letting the DCPROMO Wizard do as much as possible. For Example, here is a crucial stage where DCPROMO needs DNS, I always select the middle option, ' Install and Configure DNS on this computer...' To be crystal clear, I do NOT configure DNS myself, I let the Wizard create all those _msdcs records.


Best practice
Remember that the Active Directory can grow so make sure the partition has at least 300 MB of free space for NTDS.dit itself, and 100 MB for the log files. Talking of the logs, install the edbxxx.log files on a separate disk.

Post installation considerations
To verify that installation has run smoothly check the following:

1- DNS _SRV record: _msdcs, _sites, _tcp, _udp. Also the GC, DC records are essential for users to find the global catalog and domain controller in order to logon. If these records do not appear, try stopping and starting the Netlogon service.
2- Run %systemroot%\sysvol and look for domain folders.
3- Check the System and Directory Service Event logs for error messages.

Demotion back to member server
If the worst comes to the worst, run DCPROMO to demote, then try again making different decisions.

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Installing Windows Server 2003 - Member Server

Installing Microsoft software - Guy's degree of difficulty

Hardest Install= 10

9 Exchange 2003

7 SQL 2000

6 NT 4.0

4 Windows 2000

3 Windows 2003 Server

2 XP

Easiest Install = 0

Quick, slow, quick quick slow, that is how the install seemed. The menus were very like XP with excellent PnP and comprehensive driver support.
All the questions that the wizard asked were straightforward and easy to answer.
You gona like the timer screen telling you how long to go. there could be a second clock to tell me how long until the next user intervention. What happened to me was I left with 34 minutes remaining only to return half an hour later with a screen asking me to choose a time zone, and still 29 minutes to go.
As I am nearly always online, the product activation was easy, slick and asked for no personal information.
For many years my cry has been: 'You never have a big enough C:\ drive', this time I went for 10GB. (After 3 days I had used 6.5GB)

Post installation considerations
Check the system logs in the event viewer. Then plan the role for your member server.

A long time ago I started with Windows v 2.0 and each Microsoft product since has its own personality, what struck me first with Windows Server 2003 was that it wanted me to tune it for a particular role: File and Print, Application or Domain Controller.

Now You are Ready to go with the Second Step : Installing Active Directory

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How to Install CDONTS Windows 2003

As you should know, on Windows 2003 Server, CDONTS was deprecated and CDOSYS is the new one Microsoft email sender component (read more on Microsoft Website)
However, some ASP scripts will require CDONTS and customers can need CDONTS install.

So, to install CDONTS

1) First, install MailEnable or other SMTP server. Make sure it is running.
2) Download and unzip cdonts.dll to C:WindowsSystem32 folder
3) Register the CDONTS.DLL component on your server by clicking start >> run >> type :
regsvr32 c:winntsystem32cdonts.dll >> ENTER
Now CDONTS should being work perfectly.
To know if CDONTS is installed you can use http://www.pensaworks.com/prg_com.asp to view a list of installed components.

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Install PHP on Windows 2003 Web Edition

1) Download latest version of PHP from www.php.net
2) Unzip contents to c:php
3) Copy all files from c:phpdlls to c:windowssystem32
4) Copy all files from c:phpsapi to c:windowssystem32
5) Copy c:phpphp.ini to c:windowsphp.ini
6) Open IIS, and add a "Web Service Extension"
7) Call the extension "PHP"

8) set the path as c:windowssystem32php4isapi.dll
9) set the status to "allow"
10) Right click the "Web Sites" folder, and select properties
11) On the "Home Directory" tab, select "Configuration"
12) Click "Add", then browse to c:windowssystem32php4isapi.dll, set the extension as .php, and deselect "Verify that the file exists".
13) Click Okay
14) Apply the setting to all sites.
15) Restart IIS

Congratulations, you now have a working PHP installation.

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