Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The master browser is stopping or an election is being forced

One, or both of the following may be present in a clients events. If so then the solution is to alter the registry keys as listed to resolve the messages continual appearance.


Error Message:

The browser has received a server announcement indicating that the computer

is a master browser, but this computer is not a master browser.

The master browser has received a server announcement from the computer

that believes that it is the master browser for the domain on transport NetBT_Tcpip_{000000000000000000. The master browser is stopping or an election is being forced.


In order to stop this error from occuring, use Regedit and set the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Browser\Parameters\MaintainServerList from Auto or YES to FALSE

System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Browser\Parameters]
Value Name: IsDomainMaster, MaintainServerList
To prevent an NT Workstation or Server (non-PDC) from acting as a browser, create a new string value, or modify the existing value, named “MaintainServerList” and set it “No”, the other options are “Yes”, “No” or “Auto”.


EventID:

Log Name:    System
Source:      bowser
Date:      13/07/2010 3:56:00 PM
Event ID:    8005
Task Category: None
Level:      Warning
Keywords:    Classic
User:      N/A
Computer:   

Description:
The browser has received a server announcement indicating that the computer

is a master browser, but this computer is not a master browser.


Log Name:    System
Source:      bowser
Date:      13/07/2010 3:56:00 PM
Event ID:    8003
Task Category: None
Level:      Error
Keywords:    Classic
User:      N/A
Computer:   

Description:
The master browser has received a server announcement from the computer

that believes that it is the master browser for the domain on transport NetBT_Tcpip_{. The master browser is stopping or an election is being forced.


Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Windows XP UpTime

For a quick way to see uptime in windows xp you can use the following string
systeminfo | Find “Up Time”

it’s basic but if you need to know up time it’s there to be used!


Platform(s) Affected: Windows XP

Posted by admin in • Windows XP
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Friday, June 20, 2008

Windows XP/Vista Speed Up Tweak (remove old device drivers)

Thanks to an article from techrepublic I found one good hint in there which I had never even heard of before, removing old or unused device drivers because they start up with your machine can help to speed up your systems boot times quite a bit. The article is referring to an XP tweak but it works just as well in Vista.

Full PDF linked here.


Follow these steps to view and remove these unnecessary device drivers:
1.  Press Windows + Break to bring up the System Properties dialog box.
2.  Select the Advanced tab and click the Environment Variables button.
3.  Click the New button below the System Variables panel.
4.  In the New System Variable dialog box, type devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices in the Variable Name
text box and 1 in the Variable Value text box.
5.  Click OK to return to the System Properties dialog box and then click OK again.
6.  Select the Hardware tab and click the Device Manager button.
7.  In Device Manager, go to View | Show Hidden Devices.
8.  Expand the various branches in the device tree and look for the washed out icons, which indicate unused
device drivers.
9.  To remove an unused device driver, right-click the icon and select Uninstall. 


Posted by admin in • Windows XP
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Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Windows XP SP3 Download

The link to the full download of Windows XP SP3 you need to follow this Windows Network Installation Link.

That is the microsoft download location for the full network install, mostly used by IT professionals who need it but i know some people like to grab the patch anyway for whatever reason.


Posted by admin in • Windows XP
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Thursday, April 03, 2008

The Ultimate MMC Setup

I’m not going to go through everything I use as alot are default and you should be able to sort out remote desktop and standard stuff like event logs on your own, i do however recommend these packs to really spice up your remote mmc goodness.

2003 admin pack
Must be installed before proceeding
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c16ae515-c8f4-47ef-a1e4-a8dcbacff8e3&DisplayLang=en
Vista Issue: Note that Vista is a bit broken with this so to get this working with vista and active directory connector (mmc) you need to follow This Guide

Active Directory Admin Pack
http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/2218144f-bb92-454e-9334-186ee7c740c61033.mspx?mfr=true
Note: You will need your Server 2003 CD to do this.
Overview:
http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/library/57adeda2-3e00-4d5e-9b01-cf2bf256912d1033.mspx
Installation instructions
http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/57adeda2-3e00-4d5e-9b01-cf2bf256912d1033.mspx?mfr=true

Remote Schema Management
This isn’t in the AD admin pack by default so you need to follow this
http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/library/8c76ff67-9e9d-4fc7-bfac-ffedee8a04d41033.mspx

Exchange Admin Pack
http://www.petri.co.il/administer_exchange_2003_from_windows_xp_2000_2003.htm
You need to install the admin pack from the exchange cd and I would walk you through it but petri as usual comes through with the goods so if you need a guide on that go to the link

Remote desktop right click addon
Allows you to right click a computer in AD and try to remote control it
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0A91D2E7-7594-4ABB-8239-7A7ECA6A6CB1&displaylang=en
needs to be run once on the AD
rcontrol_setup.exe program is run once for the AD to enable the feature
On any computer you want to have this feature on (your admin machines) copy rControl.exe tool and make sure it’s in a locatable path, e.g. %WINDIR% (C:\WINNT for example)

note: I don’t tend to use this feature, i find it easier to just make a section of my MMC with remote desktops setup to all my important servers. I use dameware for remoting to clients as that is much easier and allows for an interactive session.

WSUS
Install .Net Framework 2.0 or 3
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/thankyou.aspx?familyId=10cc340b-f857-4a14-83f5-25634c3bf043&displayLang=en

Install MMC 3.0
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=4C84F80B-908D-4B5D-8AA8-27B962566D9F&displaylang=en

Install Report Viewer
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=8a166cac-758d-45c8-b637-dd7726e61367&DisplayLang=en

Run the WSUS Setup and just choose the console, nothing else
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=F87B4C5E-4161-48AF-9FF8-A96993C688DF&displaylang=en

 


Posted by admin in • Windows XP
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Unable To Browse To Sharepoint From Clients

Every now and then a single client will stop being able to browse to sharepoint, they will get a 404 or 504 error or something. Sharepoint works fine for everyone else but whenever this specific client tries to go there its just a plain error, It’s to do with credential caching and heres the solution.


Solution

In IE -> tools->options->security->local intranet->custom level->(scroll to the bottom)->”prompt for user name and password”
Access the site once like this and it will prompt for credentials, enter your correct credentials.
Then set that back to “automatic logon only” in intranet zone


Posted by admin in • Windows XP
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Monday, February 25, 2008

Windows XP SP3 - Release Notes Reviewed And Simplified

Official Release Notes Page


Windows XP SP3 (Service Pack) entered RC2 (Release Candidate), that means a registry key change and uninstalling any previous versions to install it.
The notable add-ons which have been “back ported” from 2008 and Vista are the following:

Black Hole Router Detection http://support.microsoft.com/kb/159211
Resource reference helps you to understand technically what a black hole router is and what to do to detect one. This seems really out there to me as I have never come across this myself (that I know of). But oh well one more thing running in the background can’t hurt…. Can it?

Network Access Protection (NAP)
NAP FAQ - http://www.microsoft.com/technet/network/nap/napfaq.mspx
Lashed straight from the FAQ:
NAP is one of the most desired and highly anticipated features of Microsoft® Windows® Server 2008. NAP is a new platform and solution that controls access to network resources based on a client computer’s identity and compliance with corporate governance policy. NAP allows network administrators to define granular levels of network access based on who a client is, the groups to which the client belongs, and the degree to which that client is compliant with corporate governance policy. If a client is not compliant, NAP provides a mechanism to automatically bring the client back into compliance and then dynamically increase its level of network access.
The NAP platform is built into Windows Vista™, Windows Server 2008, and Windows® XP Service Pack 3.

Windows Imaging Componenthttp://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110598
Another image writer, enough said and really who cares when there are so many other alternatives out there already.

WPA2 Support
WPA2 will be part of this service pack and will make many admins sigh with relief that its no longer an issue of a single hotfix.

Apple Bootcamp
Wow i hope this is planned to be fixed by the final release!

On a variety of systems running bootcamp will get an “out of disk space” error will occur and the fix is a registry key change. Instructions given below from msoft.

  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup
  3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and click String Value.
  4. In the text box under the Name column, type BootDir and press ENTER.
  5. Right-click the name BootDir, and then click Modify.
  6. In the Edit String Value dialog box, type the drive letter for your system drive, and then click OK. For example, if your system drive is C:, type C:\.
  7. Close Registry Editor.

After you have created this registry key (or if you created this key when you installed a previous version of this Service Pack), you can proceed with the installation.


Posted by admin in • Windows XP
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Friday, February 22, 2008

Windows XP Offline Files Cache Error

I use offline files and folder redirection for users my documents folders, it’s also used by users creatively, to cache large parts of the corporate directory on the file server.
Every now and then I will run into an issue where the offline file cache will break, the completely useless error message is in the window below.
There is no choice but to do a full reset of cache.


Error Message:

Offline files (directory path): Unable to merge offline changes on ‘directory path’ The Parameter is incorrect.


Solution
Open My computer -> Tools -> Folder Options -> Offline Files (tab)
Down the bottom you will see a “Delete Files” button, you must press and hold CTRL+Shift and then press that button. You will get a prompt telling you the offline cache will be “Re-Initialized”. Depending on the factors of your offline cache size, your speed of your machine and the last time you went to confession, the cache re-initialisation will complete and tell you to reboot. This completes the most trivial and out of the ordinary process of key presses (considering there is a confirm dialog).


Posted by admin in • Windows XP
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