New Computer, New Desk

Originally uploaded by DandyDanny

Inevitably the time will come when you will need (or if you are like me you will simply want) a new computer. When that time comes for friends, family and the occasional random person that knows someone I know the question always comes: “What do you think of x?” or “What do you recommend?”.

My most common response to the question is usually something like: “Well that depends, what are you looking to accomplish?” followed by a series of questions.  So I have now decided to start a short blog segement on the process I normally go through when helping or making a new computer purchase.  In the first segment here I will aim to set out some common items to consider prior to making your new computer purchase.

That said – the things I generally try to get people to think about when looking to buy a new computer include:

• What do you plan to do?:  Do you plan to use your new comptuer for relatively light tasks like web browsing, e-mail and word processing?  Are you a hardcore gamer?  Knowing how you intend to use the computer before making a purchase will allow you to make a more informed purchase and probably lead to greater satisfaction with your new computer.
• Do you need to be mobile?: Are you looking for a laptop or a desktop style form factor?
• What size are you looking for?: This applies both to laptops and desktops as form factors play a large role in ease of mobility and the amount of physical space you have available (as well as the number of cords required).
• Will you be downloading lots of music or taking lots of pictures?: Thinking about what kind of storage space you will need to keep all of your data is always helpful.  Deciding on a minimum specification for your personal purchase will give you a good baseline.
• About how much were you looking to spend?: As with any other major purchase – how much you have to spend will make a difference in what you get.  That said – once you have a list of requirements you can keep an eye out for any deals that you see while shopping and you may save a considerable amount.

After gathering the answers to these few questions you will have a baseline for what to look for when purchasing your new computer.  Over the course of my next few posts I will delve into how some of the different aspects of computer specifications can translate into the answers of these questions and give some pointers on what to look for when making a new computer purchase.

On occasion I find a need to send a control alt delete to a terminal server that is not responding properly.  Most recently the issue was during logon and explorer.exe was not starting so I had no interface to work with.   Pressing control + alt + delete on my local workstation of course brings up the local security options dialog for my computer, not the server.

So if you find yourself working in a remote desktop with a need to start the task manager, change your password, lock the computer or log off but lack the necessary interface items to do so here’s the keyboard shortcut: control + alt + end.

This will bring up the same Windows security screen that comes up when you use the normal control alt delete on your workstation.  So – next time you are in a jam in a remote desktop give control alt end a shot!

One of the neatest things that I have discovered in Windows Vista is the new audio mixer features.  In previous versions of Windows you were able to modify the balance and volume levels for several sound attributes with just the standard Windows drivers.  However – in Vista you are now able to manage sound levels for individual applications by using the sound mixer!

So what does that mean?  Suppose you are like me and believe that websites that play music or have embedded sound just should not exist, yet for some reason you still come across them every once in a while.  Having a web page start to loudly play a video or even music can be frustrating, embarrassing or even unprofessional if you are working (think research while talking on the phone, the other person hears the unexpected sound).  By using the application level volume controls you can now turn down or even mute all sound for your web browser(s).

Here’s how to access these nifty features:

• Right click on the volume icon in the system tray next to the clock.  It looks very similar to the volume icons in previous versions of Windows.
• Choose “Open Volume Mixer”.
• You should now have a screen appear with a listing of devices and applications.
• Navigate to the application you wish to change volume levels for and use the sliders to increase or decrease volume (default is max).
• Note there is also a button at the bottom of each slider bar – clicking this will toggle mute on and off for the application.

Enjoy!

Classic Logon in Windows XP

Originally uploaded by Jak-E

I recently helped a coworker with an issue while implementing a new Citrix XenApp server at a client site.   Here is what was happening:

• You would log into the web interface in order to access your applications.
• The applications would show up as usual.
• You would then attempt to launch an application which kicked off normally.
• When the ICA logon process got to the point of checking credentials a Windows logon screen would appear.
• Your user name and domain were filled in but you had to enter your password again.
• After punching in your password again all worked fine.

So the system was not actually broken, all worked fine.  You simply had to enter your password twice in order to log in – a minor irritation.  This double authentication normally should not take place in a Citrix XenApp or Metaframe environment as the credentials should be passed through from the ICA client.

The root of the issue frequently tends to be that the “Always prompt for password” box is checked in the Logon Settings for the ICA-TCP connection.  To check this on the effected server:

• Log in as the admin for the server.
• Navigate to Start –> Administrative Tools –> Terminal Services Configuration.
• Right click on the ICA-TCP connection and choose properties.
• Click the Logon Settings Tab.
• Clear the Always prompt for password check box.  If it is grayed out – keep on reading: there is a policy in place.

In our case the “Always prompt for password” option was grayed out and not available to be unchecked (it was set to checked).  In order to get the box cleared I took the following steps:

• Logged into a domain controller to manage group policies.
• Discovered under Computer Configuration –> Administrative Templates –> Windows Components –> Terminal Services –> Encryption and Security there is an option to configure the Always prompt client for password option.
• Checked all policies on OU where the server was located and inherited polices (including default domain policy) to see if the option was configured.
• In our case the default domain policy was set to enabled.  Setting the option to either disabled or not configured will clear the check box on your server.  Do this for each location the policy is set to enabled.
• On your Citrix server: run a GPUPDATE /FORCE to force the changes.
• Log out and back in – you should be all set.

This one was pretty tricky and there was not a lot out there in the search engines for Citrix requires password twice.  So if you are having this problem – hopefully this will help!  Additionally – this will also cause any RDP connections to other servers to allow the password to pass through the client if it is a domain wide change (like the default domain policy).

Citrix Splash Screen

Originally uploaded by Irish Typepad

Over the past year I have personally built and implemented around six Citrix XenApp / Presentation servers and assisted with a handful of others. Most of they guys I work with are pretty sharp and capable of handling almost any technology situation. However – I have been noticing more and more during Citrix implementations that a lot of people have been overlooking adding the alternate address for the XenApp server.

The altnernate address is added via running altaddr in the command line and provides the server with an external IP address alternate for servers residing behind firewalls.  The alternate address must be set if you intend to have your server behind a firewall with a private IP address.   So if you have placed your server behind a firewall (always a good idea) on your LAN you will have internal access but no external access until the alternate address is set and you have set the connection method to Alternate in the web interface settings.

The syntax is pretty straight forward for the command and is as follows (all from the command prompt):

• atladdr: Simply running altaddr will query the alternate address of your server.
• atladdr /set: Will allow you to set the alternate address.  This must be followed by the public IP you wish to use for you server.  Example: altaddr /set 172.16.0.15 (I know, this is a private IP but just replace this with your public IP).
• atladdr /delete: Will delete the alternate address.
• altaddr /server:servername: will allow you to specify the server name you wish to access.

The major difference here between a regular terminal server and a Citrix XenApp server is that you need to do more than just open a port on the firewall.  For a terminal server you can simply open up the port you wish to connect on (default 3389) and map your public IP to your private IP.  For Citrix XenApp you will need to open the firewall port for ICA connections (default 1494) as well as set your alternate address and your default connection method to alternate.

Originally uploaded by BernieC

Lately I have seen a couple of instances where Outlook will no longer open new incoming mail messages. In stead of opening or displaying any portion of the message you simply get a pop-up box that states “Can’t Open Item“.  I am not certain what has been causing the change to occur but do know how to fix it when the error starts.

The root of the issue resides in the registry of the Microsoft Exchange Server that is hosting the mail.  At some point a registry change has occured that will allow anti-virus scanning on the Exchange Information store which then renders Outlook pretty much useless for any new incoming messages.

To repair the issue take the following steps on the Exchange server(s):

1. Exclude folders C:\InetPub, C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv from virus scanning anti-virus application.
2. Exclude Exchsvr directories from virus scanning within the anti-virus application.
3. Navigate to the registry key HKEY\Local Machine\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS\VirusScan
4. Look in the right hand pane for a DWORD named Enabled.
5. Set the DWORD value to 0.
6. Restart all MS Exchange services.

New mail messages should now begin to open in Outlook and the issue should go away.

Microsoft Exchange ships with a web feature called Outlook Web Access that allows users to check their email remotely from any computer with an internet connection.  However in Exchange 2007 Microsoft has taken steps to help protect users from well… themselves really.  In so doing they have provided administrators the ability to lock down the attachments available to send and / or receive in Outlook Web Access (OWA).  If you are looking to allow all or even certain attachment types for your users in OWA then here are the steps you need in order to do so:

1. On your Exchange server open the Exchange Management Console (EMC).
2. Navigate to Server Configuration –> Client Access.
3. In the lower portion of the right hand pane you should see an Outlook Web Access Tab
4. Right click on the owa (default web site) and choose properties.
5. There are two tabs that now require action. The Public Computer File Access and Private Computer File Access
6. For each of these tabs there is a Direct File Access section.  If this is enabled click the Customize… button.
7. Click on the Block… button and remove the file type(s) (extensions) from the list that you would like to allow.
8. Click the Allow… button and add the file type(s) you would like to allow if they were not listed in the Block… section.
9. If you would like to force the user to force saving any extension types use the Force Save… button.
10. If you would like  specific action for any unlisted file types then use the Unknown Files section to define the default action.
11. Repeat the actions for the other file access settings (the Private Computer File Access or Public Computer File Access, which ever tab you have not done yet).

Once you apply these settings the attachment rules in OWA should be much more flexible and allow users access to the items they need.

Most people recommend using different passwords for all the sites and items that require passwords.  I also find that most people in corporate and home environments alike tend to find managing all these passwords cumbersome.  Therefore – most people tend to come up with a small set of user name and password combinations that they use for virtually everything.   I can really understand how having a single password or a small series of password you use for everything would ease the burden of accessing all your resources but the fact remains that you become much more vulnerable to hacks.

For me I would have to remember passwords for:

• 3 Banks.
• 1 Credit card.
• 2 Student loans.
• 2 Blogs.
• 5 Email accounts (I do not use some of these).
• 1 Auto insurance company.
• 1 Web hosting provider.
• 1 Corporate network.
• 3 work related web sites I use daily.
• The list goes on… and on…

I am fairly lucky as I have an easy time remembering passwords (the CFO of a company I used to work for equated me to Rain Main once due to my ability to remember passwords and email addresses).  The fact is that I do keep a hard copy of my personal passwords around just in case as well as keep track of my reset options.  For those of you that would like to work on becoming more secure there are several tools out there to assist with password management:

• Roboform Password Manager & Form Filler: It costs about $30 but you get a bit of extra functionality with it (like form filling).
• The Best Little E-Mail Address & Password Organizer: For those that prefer the hand written method and want something beyond a basic notebook.
• Keepass Password Safe: If all you want is password management then this tool is free and works well.  I use this application personally.  There are also a number of plug-ins available for Keepass that will allow you to pass your passwords through to web pages.
• Password Safe: Another easy to use and free password management application.  I have limited experience with this application but do not believe that it has the ability to pass through to web forms like KeePass.

So please – keep in mind that you can keep track of your passwords easily by using some extra software and most of them support browser integration (which makes sign on a breeze).  If you have not done so yet – I encourage you to give it a shot and see if you can in fact use different passwords for all of your different requirements.

Throughout my day I tend to use several free pieces of software for various tasks and have also started using some of them on my home PC.  I use some of the software to clean up machines, some to increase security and some to even keep my personal computer from getting all cluttered up.  Here is a short list of some of the free software that I use and how I find it useful:

• Microsoft Virtual PC 2007: I could easily devote a whole post to using Virtual PC (VPC) and the many different applications I find for it.  Currently I use VPC for the majority of my web browsing and anything related to my blog or completing offers on CashCrate.  You do need an operating system available for install but it will run free versions of Linux if you do not have or want a Microsoft OS available.
• Ubuntu Linux: Need an operating system for your virtual PC?  Here is a good place to get one for free.  Download and use the ISO as an installation source for your VPC.  Microsoft Virtual PC allows you to select an ISO image as your virtual CD drive so you can install without a CD.
• OpenOffice: Sick of paying Microsoft up to $300 to have a copy of Office?  Well you do not have to anymore!  Sun’s OpenOffice provides full compatibility with Microsoft Office formats and is a free download.
• ISO Recorder: One of the most useful utilities I have found.  I often use this to create an image of a CD onto my hard drive.  After the image is stored I can use a blank CD to restore the image or other tools like Daemon Tools Light to mount the image into a virtual CD ROM.
• Daemon Tools: Creates a new virtual CD-ROM drive that allows you to mount ISO images as CD’s.  Very useful if you like to keep your software in ISO format in stead of on CD’s like I do.
• SysInternals: Sysinternals was recently purchased by Microsoft (well maybe it was more like a year ago) but the utilities that they have are extremely useful.  There are utilities for processes, disk usage and even system recovery and maintenance (ERD Commander now known as Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset).
• ZoneAlarm: A free software firewall.  I have not used this in a while so am not able to provide a lot of the merits.  I have moved more in the direction of hardware firewalls.
• AVG AntiVirus: One of the many free antivirus software programs out there.  I prefer this one to some of the others and generally find it does an adequate job.
• Ad-Aware: My first stop for spyware removal.  Generally does a decent job of removing most basic spyware but some malware still manages to reinstall itself after removal but still worth an initial attempt.
• CutePDF: A free PDF printer that will install and allow you to create PDF files just as if you were printing the file to a normal printer.

I use most of this software on a weekly if not daily basis (ZoneAlarm being the exception) and find them all fairly useful.  Plus they are all free – saving me money as well as my company and clients money when I am using them for work.  If you have any questions or would like a more developed “how to” guide on any of the software listed – please just drop me a comment and let me know!  I can then plan on getting together a future post on the software that has more depth.

Keyboard

Originally uploaded by orangeacid

When it comes to working with a computer there are a couple types of people that I primarily divide into mouse people and keyboard people. I am a keyboard person. While some tasks require reaching for the mouse there are many others that keyboard shortcuts exist for.  I find that I can type faster and navigate around some of the more common functions I use by hitting keyboard shortcuts than I can by using the mouse.

Some of my favorite keyboard shortcuts include (please note the format, the colon (:) at the end is not part of the shortcut):

• CTRL + C: Copy
• CTRL + X: Cut
• CTRL +V: Paste
• CTRL + A: Select All.
• Alt + Tab: Change / cycle through active window / application.
• Alt + PrntSc: Capture screen shot of active window.
• F2: Renames current file selected.
• F6: Toggle between active frame in explorer view.

There are also a handful of shortcuts that I find very useful that include using the Windows Logo key (often located between CTRL and ALT on most Windows keyboards).  I will refer to this as WINLOGO below, the shortcuts are:

• WINLOGO + R: Open the Run… window.
• WINLOGO + Pause  / Break: Display system properties.
• WINLOGO + M: Minimize all windows.
• WINLOGO + D: Show the desktop.
• WINLOGO+ E: Open Windows Explorer (I often hit E when intending to hit R for Run…, it is irritating).
• WINLOGO +F: Opens the Windows search / find dialog.

I would say that my most commonly used shortcut would have to be the WINLOGO + R for the Run… menu.  I tend to open a lot of command prompts while troubleshooting and I find that WINLOGO + R type cmd and hit Enter and away I go.  Anyway – I hope that someone else may find a use for some of these quick shortcut keys – are there any others that you frequently use?