Posts

Importing into WSUS when Edge is your default browser

 I wanted to import .Net Framework 4.8 into my WSUS (for Server 2016) and ran into some obstacles. Edge was default but wasn't adding the basket to import. Internet Explorer had the basket but claimed my version of WSUS was incompatible. The solution was based on this post -  enable "Allow Sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer Mode" in Edge settings restart Edge add the URLs below (and remove any others) https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/ https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Home.aspx  Returning to WSUS and choosing "Import Updates" allowed the import.  There is a banner which invites opening in Edge mode (and breaking it again) but it's not like we can expect Microsoft to recognise its own incompatible websites, or properly HTML5-ize WSUS Catalog so I just ignored it. At least they did, apparently , fix Group Policy's HTML Export. This is a rare need for me so the "Allow for 30 days" option was sufficient for what I needed to a...

createmsgservice failed. Error code: 8004010f

We were trying out a new imaging process and could not add iManage FileSite to a new user's Outlook 365 32-bit v1808 using ADDIMAN (or manually via Data File Management). This is an Outlook error rather than one specific to iManage. Fortunately we found an on-point forum post which pointed towards a missing C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033\MAPISVC.INF - copying this file (and grandparent folder as far back as MSMAPI) from a known-good machine cleared the problem.

Microsoft Word Recover Unsaved Documents does not point where you expect when manually retrieving an ASD file.

This afternoon I helped someone recover an unsaved document from an .ASD file after a crash which did not trigger the usual file recovery pane. While the File/Options/Save dialog pointed to %appdata%\Microsoft\Word , File, Open, Recent, Recover Unsaved Documents points to %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles After copying the .ASD file into the latter (UnsavedFiles) folder, I was able to successfully open the .ASD file, save it to a DOCX and turn it over to the person I was helping. The person I was helping was using Word 2010 but I had the .ASD emailed to me, and did the recovery in Office 365 v1904, as I didn't have control of their machine.

Windows PC does not allow keyboard, mouse usage at boot

Had a laptop come in where it would appear to boot normally, but at the logon screen both internal and external keyboards and mice did not respond. In Windows Repair, everything worked fine, just not within the operating system itself. The machine had a locally managed encrypted SSD which I wanted to decrypt before reimaging it, and there were some other items which would be more easily remediated if I could get 1-2 working login sessions before dropping the hammer on it. It did have working networking, so I gathered info via Event Viewer and established that I had access to the admin share and could control the machine via psexec. Using psexec to start SFC did not resolve the issue, nor did CBS.log point me in the right direction. The Event Viewer log for System noted a bunch of driver start events (Application Popup Event ID 26, Kernel-PnP Event ID 219) including for mouhid.sys. The "hid" rang a bell as being related to Human Interface Device, so it seemed like I migh...

Dell Data Protection | Security Tools does not encrypt OPAL SSD

So DDP|ST has been out of support for a bit and obviously hardware encryption has taken a bit of a knock lately, but some of you may be stuck with some Windows 7/OPAL setups for the time being so I'll write this up. The scenario was that DDP|ST was installed into an image - target machine was a Dell Latitude E7470 with a LiteON SED SSD. Everything was ticking along in the usual way until ready to hit "Encrypt" on the SED. On doing so... nothing happens. The Encrypt button is greyed but it is possible to back out of the section or close the UI entirely. I remembered overnight that I had seen this before - it required uninstalling and reinstalling the DDP|ST (including the usual PITA manual uninstall order, preserving Authentication data when asked, requiring reinstatement of the preboot text notices and removing undesired authentication methods). The log files for DDP|ST are in \ProgramData\dell\Dell Data Protection\ but as yet I haven't figured out a cause. Of cou...

"Your request could not be completed. Please try again in a few minutes."

When setting automatic replies (Out of Office) via Exchange 2013 OWA on behalf of another user, the message in the title can be displayed when saving the text. If you look at the System Event Log on the Exchange Server, you may see the following event ID 4: Current user: '" (domain)/(OU)/(OU)/(administrator) " on behalf of " (domain)/(OU)/(OU)/(User) "' Request for URL ( long URL follows ) failed with the following error: Microsoft.Exchange.Management.ControlPanel.RegionalSettingsNotConfiguredException: We couldn't process the request because the user ' (domain)/(OU)/(OU)/(User) ' hasn't signed in to Outlook Web App and selected a language and a time zone. Ask the user to do this, or, if you are a member of the built-in Organization Management or Help Desk role group, you can use Window PowerShell to select a language and time zone for them. Cancel the Automatic Replies dialog and switch to Settings, which will display a Time Zone selecti...

Removing gridlines in Outlook 2007

Got a call from someone who had been fiddling around in tables, had wandered away from it and was now disconcerted to find gridlines around their signature all the time. Outlook and HTML email being what it is, tables in signatures are a thing we choose to live with. To remove gridlines, begin a new email, then click inside the signature so that Outlook will present the Table Design and Layout tabs. Select Design, then track across the ribbon to the right hand side of Table Styles where you should find a Borders button with a drop down. Near the bottom of that long drop down should be "View Gridlines", which in this situation would be highlighted. Click to change that and the gridlines should disappear.