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Windows Server 2008 R2 does not ask for a CD key in setup, and it can be run for 30 days for free before needing to be active. You can continue to use it after 30 days trial but the system will reboot every 2 hours and run with reduced functionalities.

If you really want to evaluate or run testing on a server with Windows Server 2008 R2 installed. There are two workarounds.

Re-arm windows

Type in the following from an elevated command prompt:

slmgr.vbs –rearm

This will reset the activation expiration and the machine is good for another 30 days. You can do this up to 3 times and get 120 days free trial in total.

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After I upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, I see two options at boot up, one is to logon to Earlier Version of Windows, the other is Windows 7. The default option is boot into Windows 7.

There is a workaround to remove the Earlier Version of Windows option from the boot up screen so that it will boot straight into Windows 7 instead of asking users to choose which OS or waiting for 30 minutes and boot into Windows 7.

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If you see Windows could not connect to the System Event Notification Service error on VISTA, Windows server 2008, or Windows 7, you can try follow these steps to get it resolved.

1. Click Start, click All Programs, and then click Accessories.
2. Right-click on the Command Prompt and then select Run as Administrator.
3. Once the Command Prompt has opened, type following command and then press ENTER.

   netsh winsock reset

4. Close the Command Prompt and restart the machine.

Once Hyper-V role is enabled on windows server 2008/R2, Hyper-V manager will be installed automatically. However, you don’t need to log on to Hyper-V host server to use Hyper-V manager. Instead, you can manage Hyper-V machines remotely from you Win7 desktop.

To manage Hyper-V machines remotely from Win 7, following these steps:

1. Install Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7, download here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7d2f6ad7-656b-4313-a005-4e344e43997d&displaylang=en
2. Go to Start > Control panel Under Programs, click on Get programs
3. On the left panel, click on Turn Windows feature on or off
4. On the feature list, expand Remote Server Administration roles > Role Administration Tools, mark Hyper-V Tools, then click OK
5. Go to Administrative tools > Hyper-V Manager, launch it
6. Now you can manage Hyper-V virtual machines from your windows 7 box.   Read more »

WordPress is one of most popular blog applications. This application is very easy to use however setup a local environment for theme or plugin development on windows system is not that easy for bloggers. In this post, I will walk thru you how to setup local WordPress environment using Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 with just a few clicks. (I am using 64bit Windows 7 in this tutorial but same steps work windows server 2008 as well)

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Sometimes I need to unzip MSI file to view its content without actual installing it. I used to use a 3rd party tool named 7zip to extract MSI. Today I discover there is much easier way to do this with windows build in tool msiexec.exe

The use msiexec to uncompress MSI file, you need to open a command line and run type following:

msiexec /a <YourPackageFullPath> TARGETDIR=<ExtractedMSIFullPath>

Replace <YourPackageFullPath> with full path of MSI file, <ExtractedMSIFullPath> with the target folder you want MSI files to be extracted to.

For example, to extract c:\setup.msi, run following command:

msiexec /a c:\setup.msi TARGETDIR=c:\ExtractedMSI

The uncompressed setup.msi and all files along with fold structures will be extracted into  c:\ExtractedMSI

Note: For Vista/Win7 with UAC turn on, the above command needs to be run from elevated command prompt.

For Dell Systems

1. Restart your machine, and press F2 at boot (or whichever key is necessary) to enter BIOS setup
2. Under Performance > set Virtualization to ON
3. Under Performance > set VT for Direct I/O Access to ON
4. Save & Exit BIOS
5. Restart computer

For HP Systems

1. Restart your machine, and press F2 at boot (or whichever key is necessary) to enter BIOS setup
2. Under OS Security > set Intel Virtualization Technology (VTx) to ON
3. Under OS Security > set IO Virtualization to ON
4. Save & Exit BIOS
5. Restart computer

At times people want to find out who owns a certain machine.

My Network places -> Search Active Directory -> Find: Computers, Enter Computer name: “FOOBAR”, Click “Find Now”, Select Result, Right Click “Manage” -> Local Users and Groups -> Groups -> Administrators -> (Find who is an admin on the box).

Another method is to open dsa.msc in MMC and Select “Advanced” View, then lookup computers and look at the Security tab.

The tool, srvinfo.exe, is also useful for learning info about a machine.

Obtain the following:

1. USB Key
2. Windows Automated Installation Kit
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=696DD665-9F76-4177-A811-39C26D3B3B34&displayLang=en

Steps to create the Bootable USB Key: Read more »

powercfg.exe is a windows built in tool to config power management. powercfg.exe is a command line utility, it’s easy to integrate powercfg.exe into scripts.

Turn hibernation off

powercfg -hibernate OFF

Set the power configuration to High Performance

powercfg -setactive 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c

Set the absentia power scheme (the scheme used when no one is logged in)

powercfg.exe -setabsentia 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c