Turn off Office 365 password expiry

Office-365 has a default password expiry of 90 days.  In most small/micro businesses it is appropriate to turn this setting off.
Do note that once the setting is off, it is only off for the current users, if more users are added then the process must be re-applied.

In Office-365 you have to do this through PowerShell.

1. Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Windows PowerShell > Windows PowerShell.
2. Run the following command:
   
   
   

   $LiveCred = Get-Credential
3. In the Windows PowerShell Credential Request window that opens, type the credentials of an administrator account in your cloud-based organization. When you are finished, click OK.
4. Run the following command:
   
   
   

   $Session = New-PSSession -ConfigurationName Microsoft.Exchange -ConnectionUri https://ps.outlook.com/powershell/ -Credential $LiveCred -Authentication Basic -AllowRedirection
   Note   The AllowRedirection parameter enables cloud-based organizations in datacenters all over the world to connect Windows PowerShell to the cloud-based service by using the same URL.
5. Run the following command:
   
   
   

   Import-PSSession $Session
   A progress indicator appears that shows the importing of commands used in the cloud-based service into the client-side session of your local computer. When this process is complete, you can run these commands.


Connect-MsolService -Credential $Creds

Run the following command:

Add-MailboxPermission -Identity <mailboxToShare> -User <userToAccess> -AccessRights FullAccess -InheritanceType All

Note  <mailboxToShare> and <userToAccess> can both be replaced by the respective user's email addresses.

To disconnect PowerShell run the following command:

Remove-PSSession $Session

To now add the mailbox to Outlook.  From Outlook do the following:

1. On the Tools menu, click E-Mail Accounts.
2. Click View or change existing e-mail accounts, and then click Next.
3. In the list, click the Exchange account type, and then click Change.
4. Click More Settings, and then click the Advanced tab.
5. Click Add, and then type the mailbox name of the person whose mailbox you want to add to your user profile.

To have The PC Support Group help you with any of your business or personal computer needs please call us on +44 (0) 845 2233116 or visit our website http://www.pcsupportgroup.com/

Comparing RMM Tools

Kaseya vs GFI-Max vs Centrastage

I've been comparing Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools for the past 6 months after having used Kaseya for 3 years.  The reason for comparing is I'm leaving my present company and going solo.

Kaseya is very powerful and can do almost anything.  The scripting engine is very easy to get to grips with. The auditing is the most comprehensive I've seen.  The monitoring is also the most comprehensive I've seen.  The reporting I've never used and looks like it takes a bit to set up.  The remote control is ok, VNC has been a bit unreliable, although generally you can get it working. Remote desktop actually uses the full rdp client and gives a great connection experience. Also LiveConnect has some useful features such as the command shell which I use regularly.  If I was to use Kaseya for starting out I would go with http://virtualadministrator.com/ as they don't have a minimum purchase quantity and they have a useful script library.  The downside for me being US billing - I think.

GFI-Max I evaluated for about a week but couldn't get on with it.  There are a few things that I'd like to do but can't.  File distribution is very useful if you're wanting to automate some tasks, such as update Adobe reader, or any other commonly used programs, but GFI-Max doesn't allow this, you can move a file to a computer using TeamViewer but for that you have to initiate a remote session.  Also when it comes to running a script on a single computer I found that I have to remove a computer from a profile, run the script and then put the computer back into the profile.  And once I'd done that I didn't know whether the script had actually run.  I think GFI perhaps has it's strengths in noticing a problem and then using TeamViewer to solve the problem.  And therefore maybe better for the less proactive support companies.

Centrastage I found could do almost everything I needed it to do, was dead simple to set up, had some great reports built in and some useful monitors available.  The remote control isn't as good as Kaseya, although I've not had any reliability problems so far, it just doesn't use the full VNC or RDP client so things like shortcut keys, or full screen don't work properly (I use Win+R all the time but I can't with CS).  Be aware that if you've used Kaseya then you'll need to uninstall Liveconnect and possibly the agent as well before being able to use CS remote control.  For the price and the functionality I believe it is the best for me.

I know GFI-Max has a large following so I'm sure if I invite feedback they'll be a lot of GFI Max followers saying how good it is, but I think once you've tried the alternatives above then you'll see what you're missing.

Getting a Scanner working in Windows 8

We recently supplied a new Windows 8 computer to one of our customers.  All the software installed without a problem, event the printer driver for the Kodak All-in-One.  However, the scanner driver for the all-in-one printer would not install.  The printer in question is the Kodak ESP 9250, although this trick should work with most of the Kodak printer/scanners and possibly other scanners as well.

First off I tried the great VueScan software from Hamrick which worked wonders when upgrading customers to Windows 7 in the past.  However, that software didn't work with the Kodak scanner and so was no good.

Then I came across this tutorial: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2012/08/06/getting-older-drivers-to-work-in-windows-8/

This isn't really for the faint-hearted, which is why I attempted it!

I found the relevant INF file at C:\Program Files (x86)\Kodak\AiO\Scanner2
Named: EKAiO2Wia.inf

It is advisable to copy the file before working on it.

Upon opening the file I found that it is a "long" file with lots of sections and lots of file references.  I tried copying certain lines but I couldn't get it to install.  Then I thought, the only thing Windows knows to identify the driver is the Device-ID, so why don't I just change the ID of one of the other devices.

So that's what I did, I changed one character and then the install worked according to the PC-Pro blog.

A snippet of the inf file is included below - this is the relevant 64-bit section of the file.
I looked at the device ID of the Kodak esp 9250 - to find this run devmgmt.msc, select the scanner, then properties and details and finally "Hardware Ids"

This image isn't for the actual Kodak 9250, which has id: VID_040A&PID_4065, this is just shown as an example.
On the far right of the INF file you can see &pid_4066, this is the value I changed because I figured being only 1 number different it would be the closest match.

 [Models.ntamd64]  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescC110%                    = SDSDWIA2.C110.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_4057&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescC115%                    = SDSDWIA2.C115.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_4058&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescC310%                    = SDSDWIA2.C310.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_405D&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescC315%                    = SDSDWIA2.C315.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_405E&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescESP2150%                    = SDSDWIA2.ESP2150.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_4059&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescESP2170%                    = SDSDWIA2.ESP2170.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_4065&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescOFFICEHERO61%          = SDSDWIA2.OFFICEHERO61.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_4062&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescHERO51%                    = SDSDWIA2.HERO51.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_4064&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescHERO71%                    = SDSDWIA2.HERO71.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_4063&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescHERO91%                    = SDSDWIA2.HERO91.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_4067&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescHERO31%                    = SDSDWIA2.HERO31.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_406D&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescESP12%                    = SDSDWIA2.ESP12.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_406A&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescESP32%                    = SDSDWIA2.ESP32.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_406B&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescESP22%                    = SDSDWIA2.ESP22.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_4068&mi_00  
 %SDSDWIA.DeviceDescESP42%                    = SDSDWIA2.ESP42.Device, usb\vid_040a&pid_4069&mi_00  

Once you've done this you need to remove the driver signature which is at the top of the file, I've done it by simply inserting a semi-colon before the CatalogFile statement:

 [Version]  
 Signature="$CHICAGO$"  
 Class=Image  
 ClassGUID={6bdd1fc6-810f-11d0-bec7-08002be2092f}  
 Provider=%Mfg%  
 ;Uncomment this to run chkinf, or if you're signing the driver...  
 ;CatalogFile=ekaio2wia.cat  
 DriverVer=10/12/2012,7.6.11.20  
 [DestinationDirs]  
 ; By default, files will be copied to \windows\system32.  
 ;DefaultDestDir=11  

 You need to reboot and install the unsigned driver as per the PC Pro guide

It worked a treat on this occasion.  Let me know how you get on.  Or if you need help, give me a call on +44 (0) 845 2233116

Using Voipfone on Android

I was setting up a new Android phone today and wanted to be able to make calls through our VoIP system (voipfone.co.uk) from it.  I tried a couple of free apps but could not get the settings to work for either of them.  Then I discovered this link and decided to try Zoiper, afterall I've used it before and this seemed like a clear walk-through.
http://www.voipfoneuserforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5927

After following those steps it worked first time.  So if you're looking to set up a SIP client on your Android phone then this is definitely the way to go.

Unable to Eject USB HDD

We recently found that on a server the USB Hard-disk used for backups could not be ejected and therefore safely removed.  This behaviour only started after AVG was installed. 

Bizzarley when using Process Monitor to see what program was accessing the disk it was showing wbengine.exe and vds.exe which are both to do with Microsoft Backup.  The backup was however reportedly working correctly and finished hours prior.

We went on a wild goose chase looking into why the backup process was continually running, only to find a clue in the Event Log:

The application \Device\HarddiskVolume2\Program Files (x86)\AVG\AVG9\avgchsva.exe with process id 496 stopped the removal or ejection for the device USB\VID_0930&PID_0B1A\20111130220195.

Searching for information about this resulted in the following forum post at AVG:
http://forums.avg.com/gb-en/avg-forums?sec=thread&act=show&id=33311

 So it would appear that the solution is to turn the cache off, at least until AVG respond with a fix, which given that this post is from 2009, I assume the fix is not coming.

So disable the cache in this way:
- Open AVG user interface and Advanced settings.

- In left branch select "Cache Server".

- Uncheck "Caching enabled" and save settings by OK.

Kaseya Script to Silently Uninstall Symantec Endpoint Protection

When managing a number of computers you will likely find that sometimes you have to do repetitive tasks on all computers.  The beauty of a management product like Kaseya is that this can all be automated.  The tricky part is in creating the automation.  One task that we had to do recently was install the Kaseya Endpoint Protection on all managed machines in an organisation in place of their existing product which was Symantec Endpoint Protection.  Unfortunately the script does require a little bit of initial setup but will undoubtedly save you time and save the end-user time.

This is the script:

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>  
 -<ScriptExport xmlns="http://www.kaseya.com/vsa/2008/12/Scripting" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> -<Procedure folderId="41478115882164111128226629" id="1621104132" treePres="3" name="Uninstall Symantec Endpoint Protection"> -<Body description="This script will silently uninstall Symantec Endpoint Protection. ***Before use please confirm the uninstall key*** ***Uninstall key varies between OS and product versions*** See article below for further details. http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH105827&locale=en_US http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH102470"> -<Statement name="WriteScriptLogEntry" description="Write an Entry into the Procedure Log" continueOnFail="true"> <Parameter name="Comment" value="Starting Symantect Endpoint Protection uninstall" xsi:type="StringParameter"/> </Statement> -<Statement name="GetVariable" description="Edit this constant value with the Symantec Product Key found in the registry." continueOnFail="true" osType="Windows"> <Parameter name="VariableType" value="ConstantValue" xsi:type="EnumParameter"/> <Parameter name="SourceContent" value="{3C1AE512-3C37-44FA-BA42-ABB721EC5B1D}" xsi:type="StringParameter"/> <Parameter name="VariableName" value="productkey" xsi:type="StringParameter"/> </Statement> -<If description=""> -<Condition name="CheckRegistryValue"> <Parameter name="RegistryPath" value="HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\#productkey#" xsi:type="StringParameter"/> <Parameter name="Condition" value="Exists" xsi:type="EnumParameter"/> <Parameter name="Value" value="" xsi:type="StringParameter"/> </Condition> -<Then> -<Statement name="ExecuteShellCommand" description="The value between {} is found in the registry HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall Search for the string with DisplayName = Symantec Endpoint Protection" continueOnFail="false" osType="Windows"> <Parameter name="Command" value="msiexec /x #productkey# /qn /norestart" xsi:type="StringParameter"/> <Parameter name="ExecuteAccount" value="System" xsi:type="EnumParameter"/> <Parameter name="Is64Bit" value="False" xsi:type="BooleanParameter"/> </Statement> -<Statement name="WriteScriptLogEntry" description="Write an Entry into the Procedure Log" continueOnFail="false"> <Parameter name="Comment" value="Symantec Endpoint Protection uninstall command completed successfully" xsi:type="StringParameter"/> </Statement> -<Statement name="Reboot with Warning message" description="Reboots a machine with a warning message to the user before the reboot." continueOnFail="true" osType="Windows"> <Parameter name="Parameter1" value="Symantec Anti-Virus has just been uninstalled. Your computer will restart in 15 minutes. Please save all work now." xsi:type="StringParameter"/> <Parameter name="Parameter2" value="15" xsi:type="StringParameter"/> </Statement> </Then> </If> -<Statement name="WriteScriptLogEntry" description="Write an Entry into the Procedure Log" continueOnFail="false" osType="Windows"> <Parameter name="Comment" value="Symantec Product key not found - uninstall procedure cancelled" xsi:type="StringParameter"/> </Statement> </Body> </Procedure> </ScriptExport>  

Copy and paste it into Kaseya under Procedures > Import

The thing to bear in mind is that this script requires a registry key in order to perform the uninstall.  The key varies between OS and product versions so you will need to run this a few times if you have a mixed operating system environment.  Prior to running, use Kaseya LiveConnect (KLC) to look up the registry key as detailed in the Symantec article below and quoted here:

1. In the Windows Registry Editor, expand the following key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
   This key contains many <Product Code> keys.
2. In the left pane, click each <Product Code> key.*
3. In the right pane, look at the DisplayName value.
4. Find the <Product Code> key whose DisplayName value is Symantec Endpoint Protection
5. Copy this <Product Code> and paste it into Step 2 of the procedure that begins "Create variable productkey" - on the right-hand side shown in the image below as {3C1AE....etc.}

*At this step you might find it easier to press F3 and search for "symantec" but this won't work in KLC.

See articles below for further details.
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH105827&locale=en_US
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH102470

Creating more space on C drive (installing a small SSD)

Quite often people run out of space on their hard-disk, or more specifically on their system disk or c-drive.  This can make the computer run very slowly or crash.  Or it could be that like me you want to install the latest SSD technology but couldn't afford a bigger drive.

Actually my drive is a couple of years old now and I've installed it into a new computer and transferred that computers operating system over to the SSD, which is only 30Gb.  So how did I get over 200Gb down to 20Gb?  That's a 90% reduction.

It might be a good idea to perform a full backup before attempting these steps.  We use Acronis but Windows 7 backup will be better than nothing and make a recovery disk also, and make sure you store the image file somewhere safe, i.e. not a volume which you're going to delete later.

1. Empty the recycle bin
2. Delete all temporary files
3. Uninstall unnecessary programs
4. You need additional storage on which to store the files we're about to move so either an internal HDD, or else a USB HDD or NAS (this procedure will assume an internal HDD as use of external drive may introduce additional problems)
5. My additional storage was the existing HDD I was moving from, so I created a new partition as the temporary storage.  Using Windows Disk Management, and Shrink Volume option.  Once a temporary volume has been created, ideally give it the letter D (use of another letter will not be documented)
6. Figure out what is actually using the space - using www.windirstat.info
7. Using Windirstat I could see that most space was taken up by a hidden folder ~LD.  This is actually the local cache for a cloud storage service known as Livedrive.  So I then deleted some items from Livedrive which didn't really need to be there, such as OS isos, all my music collection etc.  Once that is done you can move the Livedrive cache as follows:
1. Select all files in Livedrive folder in explorer (Ctrl-A).
2. Right-click and select Livedrive > "Do not keep a copy on my computer"
3. Right-click the Livedrive icon in the bottom right-hand corner and select "Settings".  Then choose the "Online Files" tab
4. Now select a new cache location, such as D:
5. Wait until the synchronization has completed.
6. Select all the file again and choose to store a local copy
8. For Dropbox the moving procedure is much more simple, but again, move the files to D: (Dropbox > Preferences > Advanced > Move dropbox location)
9. Another source of large files is the pagefile.  I suggest moving it from C: to D:.
1. From the start menu launch "Advanced System Settings".  Under Performance, choose "Settings", select the Advanced Tab, and then select the Change button.
2. Unselect "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives", select D:, and set a custom size.  Standard figures are 1.5x RAM.  I chose to use an initial size of 8Gb and maximum size of 15Gb.
3. Select C: and set to "No paging file".
4. Press OK to all those windows and then reboot the computer (NB: Livedrive may still by synching and so best to not reboot until it is finished).
5. After the reboot check that the page files are actually what you set them to be.
10. The next biggest consumer was the Users directory but because moving it was so involved I wanted it to be the last step I did. At this point do the sums and make sure that you can fit everything onto the C-drive, you should only need Windows, Program Files, Program Files (x86) and ProgramData.  There may be ways to move these too but I didn't need to.
11. I did need to move the Windows Installer directory from within Windows to D:.  The steps are similar to moving the Users folder but without the recovery console.  From the Command prompt within windows enter the following commands:
• robocopy /copyall /mir /xj /MT C:\Windows\Installer D:\Installer
• rmdir /S /Q C:\Windows\Installer
• mklink /J C:\Windows\Installer D:\Installer
12. Finally I needed to move the Users directory so I managed to get that moved using the instructions here:  http://lifehacker.com/5467758/move-the-users-directory-in-windows-7
• NB: If there are files you don't need to keep, before is a good time to delete them (think ISO images, DVD images etc, also unwanted folders etc.)
• NB: When in recovery mode ensure that your additional storage volume has the letter D.  You can do this using the command tool diskpart and the command assign letter=D.  You may need to move some volumes around to made that volume D.
• NB: With robocopy I use the /MT switch all the time as it speeds up the transfers by 8 times by default.
• NB: When I rebooted I couldn't log in anymore after following these steps!! That's why I include step 13.
13. When I rebooted having moved the Users directory I could log in "The User Profile Service failed the logon".  If you received this error also then the fix below will hopefully work for you:
• Reboot into safemode, you should find that you can log on here but you won't have the usual desktop.  Now you need to enable the Administrator account, type the following into an administrative command window:
• net user administrator /active:yes
• net user administrator Password1    (where "Password1" is a temporary password)
• Reboot the computer normally and log in as Administrator
• Next follow Method 1 here:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947215
• Reboot and log in as normal.
14. So hopefully everything is up and running and you've got C-drive down to about 20Gb of space.  Now shrink the volume again to 30Gb, or the size of your SSD and copy the volume over to the SSD.  I used Acronis and took a full disk backup and then recovered the MBR and C drive to the SSD.
15. Change the BIOS boot options so that the primary boot disk is the SSD and now you should be set to go.

If you need help with this or any other PC related problems then please speak to The PC Support Group on +44 (0) 845 2233116