Adobe Reader has stopped working - The exception unknown software exception (0x06d007e) occured in the application at location ox7c812afb

After upgrading Adobe Reader XI on a 2012 R2 RDS session host, Reader crashes with the following error.

"The exception unknown software exception (0x06d007e) occured in the application at location
ox7c812afb"


The solution is to disable Protected Mode in Reader, but as the app crashes you need to do this via the registry, create the following key.

Using Regedit browse to HKLM\Software\Policies\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\10.0\FeatureLockDown

Create a 32bit DWORD, Name: bProtectedMode Data: 0

Exchange 2010 Distribution Group Delegation

Run the following in Exchange Power Shell.

Add-ADPermission -Identity "Group Display Name" -User "User Display Name" -AccessRights WriteProperty -Properties "Member"

SBS2011 Essentials

Uh oh, you just added a user via Active Directory Users and Computers rather than SBS 2011 Dashboard. You've probably tried editing the ADSI properties without luck.

The essentials version of SBS allows home editions of Windows to be added so uses some new tricks, so the old way no longer works.

Heres how to add an AD user to SBS 2011 Essentials.

Browse to C:\Program Files\Windows Server\Bin
Double-click WssPowerShell.exe
At the prompt type import-wssuser and press enter, you'll be asked for the username, enter that and your user will become an SBS user.

I removed an RDS deployment then reinstalled and zombie apps are showing on RDWeb

Previously published RemoteApps can be removed from the RDWeb via regedit

HKLM\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Terminal Server\ CentralPublishedResources\ PublishedFarms\ <RDSCollectionAlias>\ Applications

Simply delete the registry branch relating to the orphaned RemoteApp.


You can also enable or hide the full server desktop link from RDWeb via the 'ShowInPortal' key found in...
HKLM\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Terminal Server\ CentralPublishedResources\ PublishedFarms\ <RDSCollectionAlias>\ RemoteDesktops\ <RDSCollectionAlias>

RDS 2012R2 'remoteapp publisher cannot be identified'

RDS allows you to change the published name of your server to match the installed certificate, this is useful when you use "split-brain" DNS (domain.local) internally.

The PowerShell command to use is:
Set-RDSessionCollectionConfiguration –CollectionName QuickSessionCollection -CustomRdpProperty "use redirection server name:i:1 `n alternate full address:s:host.example.co.uk"

Error when installing .net framework 3.5

You'll need your install media for this!

At an elevated command prompt, run the following command:
Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFx3 /All /Source:<drive>:\sources\sxs /LimitAccess

Note In this command, <drive> is a placeholder for the drive letter for the DVD drive or for the Windows 8 installation media or a shared folder containing the files.

For example, you run the following command:
Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFx3 /All /Source:D:\sources\sxs /LimitAccess

Quick VPN setup

Have you ever wanted to make it easy to copy or distribute VPN settings to users computers? Or even to make it easy to back up the settings?

How about a single file that contains all of your VPN's, can be copied to any windows PC, double-clicked and there are all your VPN's again?

Do this.
1, Right-click the desktop and select New/Text File.
2, Change the filename to VPNs.pbk and you are done!

Double-click the file and it should ask you to set up a VPN or dialup connection. You can add multiple connections to the same file and the properties button gives you access to the settings for the currently selected connection.

Email alerts from Windows Server Backup

If you attach a notification to Event ID 4 in the Windows-Backup Event Log, you can send yourself an email that the backup has completed successfully using mailsend.exe or similar in a script..

Log Name:      Microsoft-Windows-Backup

Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Backup

Event ID:      4

Task Category: None

Level:         Information

Keywords:      

User:          SYSTEM

Description:

The backup operation has finished successfully.

You can also attach to ID 49 and 19 to get a message that the backup has failed.

Working with Outlook Email Templates

Here's how to use Outlook Email templates without the fuss of reading about every feature available. ;)

To create a template save a normal email as filetype Template. You can then drag the file from Windows Explorer on to the Outlook icon on the taskbar to pin it to the jump list!

Open your pinned template by right-clicking the Outlook icon.

Not sure where your Enterprise CA is?

Open CMD and enter:

certutil -config - -ping

Managing Exchange 2010 External/Internal URL's via PowerShell - TechNet Articles - United States (English) - TechNet Wiki

Very useful.

Managing Exchange 2010 External/Internal URL's via PowerShell - TechNet Articles - United States (English) - TechNet Wiki: "get-webservicesvirtualdirectory"

'via Blog this'

Turn any Wi-Fi router into an access point

So you have a router meant for a cable connection that you want to use as a simple access point on a network which already has it's own DHCP and DNS.

Here's what you need to do.
1, Configure wireless security and SSID.
2, Turn off DHCP.
3, Connect your network to one of the LAN ports, not the WAN port.

If you connect to the WAN port the Wi-Fi connection will be behind NAT whereas the LAN ports are basically on a switch connected directly to the Wi-Fi.

Group Policy Loopback processing in 2008 R2

Although you can do some real damage with Group Policy it is amazingly simple to use (and stay out of trouble/confusion) if you follow some rules.

Keep policies separated by function (firewall, desktop features, IE features, etc) and by Computer vs User policy.

Name your policy objects something like User-Enable-IE-Setting or Comp-Disable-Power-Setting this will allow you to see which objects your policy will affect and cut out confusion as to why it isn't working without re-researching your previous work.

Another convention I use is Comp-Loopback-User-Setting, I use this when GP Loopback Processing is enabled.

So what is GP Loopback Processing?

Loopback processing allows User Policies to apply to Computers.

Here's how it works.
Lets say there is a user policy you want to use on a specific group of computers, ordinarily you would not be able to apply it unless you link it to the user as it would be ignored if linked to the computer. However those settings would then be applied wherever that user logs in, this is where Loopback processing comes in.

Loopback Processing is just a GP Computer Policy, if you enable it on a User Policy and link the policy to a computer (Via an AD OU containing the computer/s) any user that logs in on the computer will have that specific User policy applied.

In Summary then,
'User Group Policy loopback processing mode' can be found in 'Computer Configuration/Policies/Administrative Templates/System/Group Policy' set it to Enabled and 'Replace' on a Group Policy Object with User policies, link it to a computer and the user policies will apply to that computer.