Hot Buttered IT

I feel like Rip Van Winkle after discovering this cool trick. Not only did I not know you could tweak Windows Vista to enable concurrent RDP sessions, but you can do the same for Windows 7.

A bit of background here: I was working with a colleague configuring a Windows 7 test computer so they can start testing various applications in their enterprise. (Getting ready to deploy Windows 7 and skip Vista all together. Heard that before, right?) I asked him if there was a way multiple users could remote into the Windows 7 machine via remote desktop/RDP. He discovered a tweak documented at Missing Remote which worked like a charm. Apparently it utilizes the same technology as Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 - both allow multiple RDP sessions. How cool is this? Well, now you can have multiple people login to your test workstation to test. It’s almost like a poor man’s Terminal Services solution. I am not sure what the limit of concurrent sessions is but we tested with 5 concurrent sessions.

Now, imagine if you could tweak all the computers you support with the same functionality! You could literally install software on a user’s computer while they are logged in - at least that is my assumption. Very cool!

How to Enable Concurrent Sessions in Windows 7

How to Enable Concurrent Sessions in Windows Vista

-Simon

Tags: Tweaks and hacks, Vista, Windows 7 by simon
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This came in handy recently helping a client. Sure, I could have used a Linux CD, but nothing wrong with using existing Windows tricks.

• Insert your Windows XP Setup CD and boot your computer.
• Proceed past the welcome screen and the EULA.
• You will have the option to install XP again, or “Repair your existing Windows XP installation“.  Press  “R” to choose repair.
• At this point, the repair process will copy any necessary files - not sure why this is needed for a password reset.
• The system will restart. Please ensure you DO NOT press a key when “Press any key to continue…” appears.
• Watch carefully for the message “Installing Devices”, at which point hit the SHIFT key AND F10 key.
• A command prompt will open (if you do not know what a command prompt is, this may be too advanced for you). Type nusrmgr.cpl followed by the ENTER key.
• The “User Accounts” window opens which will now allow you to reset the local Administrator account.

That’s all folks!

Tags: Passwords, Security, XP by simon
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ReadyBoost is a new Windows feature that came with Windows Vista. You can utilized your spare portable storage to speed up Windows Vista. Use a SD  card, CompactFlash or USB drive with ReadyBoost -  your portable storage drive can be used for disk cache, which results in faster performance for Windows Vista.

Watch this video explaining how to use Windows Vista ReadyBoost

Tags: Video Tutorial, Vista by simon
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I am really tired of the Windows versus Mac commercials. You’ve likely seen the Mac marketing machine at work “Hi, I am a PC” and “Hi, I am a Mac”. The message ultimately is use a Mac and you are different, cooler, and more sophisticated. Microsoft is trying desperately to counter Apple’s success by implementing a $300 million ad campaign. In all honestly, Vista is actually a good operating system. Yes, it is not vastly different from XP, but it still a good operating system. I have my own issues with Microsoft beyond whether Vista is good or bad.

Likewise for Apple. I don’t buy into the “I’m different” if I use a Mac, nor do I believe it’s a vastly better piece of technology. In fact, I would argue the cost of ownership is higher when using a Mac. I see people all the time buy into the Apple marketing machine, which is mildly annoying. [Read more →]

Tags: Apple, Free Stuff, Linux, Windows by simon
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FileMon is a free Microsoft utility which monitors and displays file system activity on a system.  This includes when  a file is opened, read, write or deleted. Like it’s sister utility RegMon, FileMon can be used if you suspect some Malware is residing on your computer, so you can monitor what’s occurring at your Windows based computer. And, you are doing this at very level.

For those working in an enterprise environment, it comes in handy when attempting to discover what specific files are written to during certain actions. This came in handy when I used an ADP time sheet program in which ADP insisted we provide local Administrator privileges for each user. Talk about trying to to take the easy way out. Using FileMon, I was able to determine that the time sheet program, called Etimesheet, created temp files when started. So, instead of allowing local Admin permissions for every person on our domain, I simply provided write permissions on the files and individual folders required for the program.

To see how FileMon works, watch my VIDEO.

Tags: Free Stuff, Software, Utilities, Windows by simon
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