Excel Web Access Graphs Showing Gray Color

In my SharePoint2007 environment I use Excel Web Access to show the Excel charts with-in SharePoint site. The issue was , all Excel Web Access Charts started showing only gray color . I did lot of search on Google but could not find any solution.

Solution: I ran "sharepoint Technologies and Configuration wizard" on my SharePoint servers and rebooted them. That resolved my issue. I hope this helps some else in future.

HTTP 500 Internal Server Error in SCCM Reporting

When you try to run a large report on SCCM 2007 you might come across this error “HTTP 500 Internal Server Error” and page shows “The website cannot display the page” . This is the default behavior of IIS which has a default buffer size limited 4 MB for ASP response. To resolve the issue we need to increase the size of ASP response to resolve the HTTP 500 Internal Server Error .

Steps:

-On SCCM server go to Start—>Run—>cmd—>Click Ok—>Type cd /d %systemdrive%\inetpub\adminscripts -–>Enter—> type cscript.exe adsutil.vbs SET w3svc/aspbufferinglimit 67108864

( buffer size increased to 64MB)

For more details please read this article.

[Solved]error: System Changes Require Reboot

While installing SQL Management studio on my Windows 7 computer I came across the error “Pending System Changes Require Reboot” . I restarted the system but again same error came up. I did some research on Google and found this solution.

1. Locate the registry :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\

2. Delete registry value “PendingFileRenameOperations”

3. Look for the same registry value at these locations and delete it:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentSet001\Control\SessionManager\

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentSet002\Control\SessionManager\

Note: Backup the registry before doing any change and do the registry changes at your own risk

How to Export Members of Exchange Distribution List

I came across this nice VB script to export the list of members of a distribution list of exchange :

'Script begins here

Dim objGroup, objUser, objFSO, objFile, strDomain, strGroup, Domain, Group

'Change DomainName to the name of the domain the group is in
strDomain = Inputbox ("Enter the Domain name", "Data needed", "Default domain name")
'Change GroupName to the name of the group whose members you want to export
strGroup = InputBox ("Enter the Group name", "Data needed", "Default group name")
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
'On the next line change the name and path of the file that export data will be written to.
Set objFile = objFSO.CreateTextFile("C:\Bin\" & strGroup & " - Members.csv")
Set objGroup = GetObject("WinNT://" & strDomain & "/" & strGroup & ",group")
For Each objUser In objGroup.Members
    objFile.WriteLine objUser.Name & " - " & objUser.Class
Next
objFile.Close
Set objFile = Nothing
Set objFSO = Nothing
Set objUser = Nothing
Set objGroup = Nothing
Wscript.Echo "Done"
Wscript.Echo "Please check the c: for your output file"

Note: The script will ask you the domain name and the group the distribution group for which member list to be created.

What’s new in SCCM2012 SP1

MS has introduced some cool features in the latest release of SCCM2012 SP1. The major new thing I am interested is support for Linux and MC OS.

This blog article summaries the overall changes which has been added. Also there is the announcement from MS on there Channel 9 website: http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/MGT309

Cannot click desktop icons in Windows7

I recently came across an issue where I Cannot click desktop icons in Windows7 computer. After some research I found this solution:

1. Open Task Manager
2. Kill explorer.exe process
3. Now go to File—>New Task –> type in explorer.exe and click OK

It will load the desktop again and you will be able to click desktop icons

You cannot import a new version of driver SCCM if one or more driver files in the package are already imported into the site

Problem: When you try to import a new version of driver which was imported earlier , SCCM gives this error:  The selected driver has already been imported at this site.

Solution: Microsoft has launched a hotfix to resolve that issue, it can be downloaded from this location: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2213600 

After installing the hot fix you will be able to import a new version of driver which was imported earlier .

Java installation error 25099

While installing java you may come across this error “Error 25099. Unzipping core files failed”

To resolve Java installation error 25099 follow these steps:
1 . Restart your system
2 . Delete folder “java” from delete content of the following directory:  C:\Program Files\ or C:\Program Files( x86)

Does a Maintenance Window in SCCM apply to sub-collection?

SCCM interview question: Does a Maintenance Window in SCCM apply to sub-collection?
Answer: Maintenance window do not apply to sub-collections but off course it is possible that a computer have multiple maintenance windows applied to it when the client is a member of multiple collections.

Question: Can we track the activities of SCCM users?
Answers: Yes we can check the Audit Logs by going to System Status--> Status Message Queries-->"All Audit Messages from a Specific Site"

SCCM Interview questions- Online SCCM2007 Quiz

If you want to prepare for SCCM Interview , there is a nice web based quiz application for SCCM 2007 which has many questions and their answers on different topics ranging from Installation, Troubleshooting, OSD, DCM, SUP etc.

Here is the link: http://quizapp.cloudapp.net/configmgr2007.aspx

I hope this will help many folks who are looking for a resource to prepare for SCCM 2007 Interview Questions.

Please comment if this was useful.

VM template for Server 2008 R2 on ESX or vSphere

I came across these two articles which can be very helpful to get started with creating  VM template for Server 2008 R2 on ESX or vSphere .

http://www.jasonsamuel.com/2010/05/07/how-to-build-a-vmware-vsphere-vm-template-for-windows-server-2008-r2/#comment-12141 

http://blog.vmpros.nl/2011/01/17/vmware-my-favorite-windows-2008r2-template-configuration/comment-page-1/#comment-4429 

I hope this helps and save time for someone.

Windows 8 error code 0xc0000260

When you try to Install Windows 8 Consumer Preview from a the DVD, it fails with blue dump and gives an error code 0xc0000260.

This error is coming because you can not run Windows 8 customer preview on a PC with a CPU that does not support Physical Address Extension (PAE).  Early Pentium CPUs with the 400Mhz front side bus (FSB) do not support PAE.

PAE is a feature which allows 32 bit CPUs to access physical address space in memory and memory-mapped devices larger than 4GB such as RAM.

It is advisable to check the hardware compatibility list before trying to install Windows 8 CP on your hardware.

The Program can't start becuase MSVCR100.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.

I was trying to refresh Windows Experience Index on my computer and came across this error:

“The Program can't start becuase MSVCR100.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.”

Here is the answer:http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_programs/the-program-cant-start-becuase-msvcr100dll-is/5c9d301a-2191-4edb-916e-5e4958558090

forgot server 2008 administrator password? How to recover?

Have you forgot server 2008 administrator password and don’t know how to recover it?

Here are few free tools to recover server 2008 administrator password:

Trinity Rescue Kit: Download

Documentation: http://trinityhome.org/manpages/man8/winpass.8.html 

http://sourceforge.net/projects/ophcrack/
http://www.pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/

Will post more details about them, in the mean time you can go through those links and read the documentation on how to use them to recover lost server 2008 administrator password.

Sharepoint 2007 Tutorial for beginners

Nice blog featuring Sharepoint 2007 Tutorial for beginners :

Sharepoint 2007 Tutorial for beginners | SharePoint Programming

how to identify motherboard chipset- what is my chipset

Here are few tips on  how to identify motherboard chipset  or to know what is my chipset:

Device manager:

Follow these steps to identify your chipset using the Microsoft Windows  Device Manager:

1. Open Device Manager using the steps listed for your operating system.
   
   Windows Vista*: click Start » click Control Panel » click System and Maintenance » click Device Manager
   
   Windows XP*: click Start » click Control Panel » double-click the Systemicon » click the Hardware tab » click Device Manager 
2. Click the sign to expand the System devices entry.
3. Look for the chipset name in a string similar to the following: "Intel® 955X Memory Controller Hub - 2774". In this example, the chipset is an Intel® 955X Express Chipset.

Product documentation:

Check the system or motherboard documentation for information about your chipset.

Chipset markings:

If you are not able to identify motherboard chipset using the other methods, a qualified professional might be able to help. The chipset markings on the motherboard can usually be used to identify the Intel chipset components in your computer.

Intel® Chipset Identification Utility:

This utility gives a general idea of your chipset and directs you to the appropriate support content. Download the Intel Chipset Identification Utility :http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Product_Filter.aspx?ProductID=861 

PXE: Failed to read PXE settings. The system cannot find the file specified. (Error: 80070002; Source: Windows)

Issue :You try to PXE boot a computer to deploy operating system through SCCM  but it throw the error :

PXE-T01: File not found
PEX-E3B: TFTP Error – File not found

Upon investigating  you find that smspxe.log shows this error:

“Failed to read PXE settings.
The system cannot find the file specified. (Error: 80070002; Source: Windows)”

This error comes when boot images and related files are not ready on SCCM server  or Windows Deployment Service is not running on PXE service point role.

Solution:
1. Take ownership of this folder and delete all content : C:\Windows\Temp\PXEBootFiles

2. If that doesn’t help delete the boot images and re-create them

KB2538243 failling to install -Solved

I scheduled an update " Security Update for Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Service Pack 1 Redistributable" (KB2538243 ) through SCCM and found that KB2538243  is failing  to install on some clients. To resolve the issue I just down loaded Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Service Pack 1 Redistributable from here and re-installed it. After re-installing the  update KB2538243 got installed successfully.

ios 5.0.1 custom ipsw download

If you want to upgrade your iOS4.2.1 to iOS 5.0.1 on the iPhone which was unlocked using Gevey SIM or  ultrasn0w you have to upgrade the iOS only via custom IPSW . Using latest version of redsn0w you can create ios5.0.1 custom ipsw download.

Salesforce training in Gurgaon Delhi and Noida (India)

Faculty available for Salesforce training in Gurgaon Delhi and Noida (India). Course will be targeted to get certified for ADM 201, ADM 301 certifications from Salesforce. We can also provide Salesforce online training through Webex. Please ontact  at numishra@gmail.com for more details.

How to configure Vodafone India Rs.98 2GB GPRS Internet plan on iPhone

I have a post paid connection from Vodafone and wanted to use their Rs.98 plan 2GB vodafone mobile connect plan on my iPhone 3GS ( ios 5.0.1). When i called vodafone customer care they told me that Rs.98 plan can not be used for iPhone, we have to subscribe Rs.199 GPRS 2G (with 3GB) iphone plan to get the internet on iphone. But still i went for Rs98 plan and told vodafone  CC that I will use this plan with Nokia mobile handset.

So I started searching the internet to know how I can use vodafone India Rs98 GPRS plan on my iphone?

After lot of search I came to about two simplest way to to that. Here are the 2 easiest options to setup and configure vodafone india GPRS internet on iPhone:

 

Option1 : Use iPhone Configuration Utility to set the APN for internet access :

Step 1: Download this utility from here http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1466 and install it. After installation open the application , connect your iPhone and click Configuration profiles. provide the basic information as showing on below image:

Step 2: On the Configuration profiles page scroll down to Advanced option and configure following

Access Point Name (APN) = portalnmms
Access Point User Name = nil
Access Point Password = nil
Proxy Server  and Port =10.10.1.100 and  9401
 

Step 3:Click on your phone name under Devices tab ,click on Configuration Profiles from right side of the page and click on Install button  :
 
Step 4:There will a pop showing on your iPhone , you need to confirm and click on Install button to install the profile on your iPhone. Now turn on the Data Roaming on your phone from  Settings—>General—>Network

At this point you will be able to use internet on your phone, but you may experience that some apps are still not connecting to internet and saying that cellular data network is not available. to resolve that issue go back to the configuration utility and do the following:
-->Connect your iphone to the computer –> select your device from the list --> click on configuration profile—> click on remove

-->Click on Configuration Profiles under LIBRARY tab —->Scroll down to Advanced –-> Change APN name to “www” –-> ldelete Proxy server IP address and Port number ( leave blank )

--> Select your device from the list --> click on configuration profile—> select profile name and click on Install

--> On your iPhone turn on data roaming

Now your iphone will be access internet without any problem.

 

Option 2:Using MTNL 3G SIM card to configure APN on iphone

This method is very simple, you need a MTNL 3G SIM card ( buy or borrow it from your friends).

Enable 3G on iphone --> Insert the MTNL 3G sim -->go to Settings—>General—>Network—>Cellular Data network and enter the APN as www (which is required to use  vodafone mobile connect)—> leave all other options blank –> now remove MTNL sim and insert vodafone sim –> turn on data roaming on iphone.

BINGO!! ALL DONE!! YOU WILL BE ABLE TO USE PLAN 98 WITH 2GB FROM VODAFONE ON INTERNET ON IPHONE

SCCM 2012 how to videos -2: Deployment Types and Requirement Rules

     http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/systemcenter/cm/gg721933.aspx

About This Video:
This SCCM 2012 how to video shows how to add SCCM  2012 deployment types to an existing application and how to use requirement rules to define the conditions under which a deployment type is offered to users on certain devices in a SCCM site.

SCCM 2012 how to videos-1 :Application Management

About This Video:This SCCM 2012 how to video discusses the Application Management at Microsoft through SCCM 2012 on 150,000 clients in the Microsoft IT environment. Hear the benefits Microsoft IT sees with SCCM 2012 for application management.

   http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/systemcenter/cm/hh205611.aspx