VPN client unable to connect or not able to RDP or map network drive

After much frustration I discovered the root of the problem for VPN client issues.  The user used to be able to connect using Cisco VPN Client but was reporting to me that he is sometimes disconnected.  Lately he is able to connect but unable to RDP or map network drives. 

The user is currently unable to get Sonicwall VPN client to connect with no logon presented.  Either the user’s network equipment or ISP was blocking UDP 500 and UDP 4500.  The ISP (Time Warner) stated they do not block ports. 

The user’s cable modem / router is an Ambit / Ubee u10c020. After logging onto the modem, navigate to Firewall->Content Filter and uncheck “Block Fragmented IP Packets”.  Note you may need to navigate to VPN->Enable and select “VPN Enable”.

Some other error messages have been:

There is no connection named x.x.x.x in the connection list

Minimized Cisco VPN Client on Windows

The Cisco client sometimes behaves oddly and starts staying minimized and you cannot switch to the client to connect/disconnect or do anything. The moment it starts it stays minimized and you cannot switch to the client.

This seems to happen as it remembers its location on screen and tends to get some weird values when switching between Display settings. The solution is to close the client and then open the vpnclient.ini file in the Programs directory (for me its located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Cisco Systems\VPN Client) and delete the rows that say WindowX and WindowY and restart the client or make windowX = 800 and windowY = 600.

Alternative solution:

Start VPN Client

1. Start Task Manager
2. Select VPN client from Applications tab, right click on it and click Maximize
3. VPN client will be visible in maximized form
4. Go to Options -> Preferences -> Save Windows Settings. Uncheck this.
5. Go to Options -> Simple Mode.
6. Go to Options -> Advanced Mode.
7. Now restart VPN client.

Push not synching in Corporate Sync but manual sync does

Steps followed to fix Corporate Sync in Motorola Droid X (2.2) synching issue when you can manually sync but push sync is not automatically syncing.

Within your email account press Menu button

Select Email settings-> Email Delivery

Select Data push

Make sure "sync over WiFi only" is NOT selected

From the home screen

Menu button-> Settings-> Battery Manager

Select Performance Mode

From the home screen

Menu button-> Settings-> Wireless & networks

Check Airplane mode (green check when on)

Uncheck Airplane mode

Outlook hangs after install kb2412171 or Outlook 2007 crash with Event ID 1000 and 1001

You can try fixing this by closing outlook, going to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OFFICE12.

Locate mso.dll, cut and paste it to your desktop. If it does not let you then reboot and do this before you open outlook. Then launch outlook.

The MSI installer will launch it will run for a minute and then it will open Outlook.

If that doesn't correct the issue, uninstall KB2412171.

How to disable email redirection for a single BlackBerry smartphone user on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server

To disable email redirection for a single BlackBerry® smartphone user, complete the following

For BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 to 5.0 SP1:

1. In the BlackBerry Administration Service, on the BlackBerry solution management menu, expand User.
2. Click Manage users.
3. Search for a user account.
4. Click the Display name for the user account.
5. Click Edit user.
6. On the User Information tab, in the Messaging configuration section, click Default configuration.
7. In the Email services settings section, on the Redirect to BlackBerry device drop-down list, click No.
8. Click Continue to user information edit.
9. Click Save all. This will stop email messages from being forwarded to the BlackBerry smartphone.

Source
http://www.blackberry.com/btsc/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=KB11841

Messenger Link Reviver for Windows Live Messenger 2009

Recently, Microsoft disabled web links in Windows Live Messenger 2009 citing it to be a temporary measure to a malicious worm. Therefore links now appear as just text and need to be copy/pasted to your browser manually. One can debate the effectiveness of this action as Messenger already had the ability to simply not deliver links meeting a certain criteria, but it seems they've given up on this original functionality and now rely on the SmartScreen link redirector exclusively in Windows Live Messenger 2011.

So for those who wish to use Windows Live Messenger 2009 and still have the ability to click on links use Messenger Link Reviver.

Download the Messenger Link Reviver zip file and run the application. Click Start to apply the Reviver changes and Messenger will automatically restart. You should now be able to click on links again.

Source

Offline / Full Installer Windows Live Messenger Download Links

Windows Live Messenger 2009 Build 14.0.8064.206


Windows Live Messenger 2009 (Build 14.0.8089.726) – WITH Show My Webcam


Windows Live Messenger 2009 (Build 14.0.8117.416) – WITHOUT Show My Webcam

Windows Live Messenger 2011 (15.4.3502.922)

How to user older version of Windows Live Messenger

1. Download a previous version of WLM

2. Use ZapMessenger to uninstall any version of Messengers on your computer except 2011. For 2011 or if you have issues with ZapMessenger use Messenger Deep Clean

3. Install your WLM

4. Download Resource Hacker, extract and run ResHacker.exe

5. Go to File->Open and browse the to any of the following locations:

C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\msnmsgr.exe

C:\Program Files\Window Live\Messenger\msnmsgr.exe

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Live\Messenger\msnmsgr.exe

6. Expand Version Info and Expand 1

7. Click on 1033

8. Change the ProductVersion (and any other place that has the same number) to 15.4.3508.1109

9. Click Compile Script

10. Go to File->Save and close Resource Hacker.



Note that if you get a message that you don't have permissions to save to folder, save the file to your desktop. Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Live\Messenger\and rename msnmsgr.exe to msnmsgr_bak.exe. Now move your msnmsgr.exe from your desktop to C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Live\Messenger folder.





Download links

ZapMessenger

Messenger Deep Clean

.NET Framework 2.0

Resource Hacker

Windows Live Messenger 2009 Build 14.0.8064.206

How to disable the “uninstall password” to uninstall Symantec Antivirus

1. Open Registry Editor (regedit).
2. Navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\INTEL\LANDesk\VirusProtect6\CurrentVersion\Administrator Only\Security\

3. Change the value for useVPuninstallpassword key from 1 to 0.
4. Exit Registry Editor and now you can uninstall Symantec AntiVirus Client.

Windows 7 welcome screen

 

The Windows 7 welcome screen follows pretty much the pattern introduced in Windows Vista. Many users still prefer the classic welcome screen from Windows XP. This guide explains how to change the Windows 7 default settings to customize theWindows 7 welcome screen to look more like the classic welcome screen.

The picture shown below shows the default logon welcome screen in Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

You can change the default Windows 7 and Vista login welcome screen to a login screen that is more like the secure login screen known from Windows XP as shown in the following print screen:

This setup requires the user to press the combination of CTRL + ALT + DELETE keys before entering user name and password.

How to disable the default Welcome screen in Windows 7?

The Windows 7 welcome screen can be disabled and changed back to the CTRL + ALT + DEL type login screen through the several following settings.

Control Panel
-> User Accounts
  -> Manage User Accounts
   -> UAC prompt
    -> Advanced

Some versions of Windows (such as Home and Premium) do not provide this path, so depending on the version of your Windows, try the following two command line utilities.

Start
-> Run
  -> netplWiz.exe (program located in %systemroot%\system32\)
      or control userpasswords2
      Either of these programs should take you to the screen mentioned above.

Check the Require users to press Ctlr+Alt+Delete check box in the Secure logon section of the User Accounts screen, click OK.

After changing the setting, reboot your computer. The next time you start your Windows 7, you should see the welcome screen with the message asking you to press the combination of Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys.

The check box to disable Windows 7 welcome screen is disabled

If you are using a computer with Active Directory cached domain accounts, the check box shown in the previous print screen might be grayed out not allowing you to make any changes to it. In this case, the setting needs to be modified through the group policy.

Disable the default Windows 7 welcome screen through group policy editor

Depending on the version of your Windows, you might need to change the Windows 7 welcome screen setting through the group policy editor.

Start
-> Run
  -> Type gpedit.msc and hit Enter
   -> Navigate to the following policy

Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options\

Set the Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL to disabled.
Set the Interactive Login: Do not display last user name to enabled.

Then navigate to the following policy to disable fast user switching functionality.

Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Logon

Set the HideFastUserSwitching policy to enabled.

Also change the classic logon policy.

Set the Always use classic logon to enabled.

Disabling the Windows 7 welcome screen does not work

Some users have reported that the above settings did not provide what they needed. In that case, we also suggest checking the following settings through the registry editor.

Start
-> Run
  -> Type regedit and hit Enter
   -> Locate the following keys and check their values

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
  DisableCAD = 0
  LogonType = 0
  HideFastUserSwitching = 1
  DontDisplayLastUserName = 1

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
  DisableCAD = 0
  LogonType = 0

windows 2000
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer]
Value Name: NoWelcomeScreen
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = default, 1 = hide)

Windows 7 welcome screen on domain-joined computers

Computers that are joined to an Active Directory domain behave a bit differently than stand-alone home configurations. After getting through the CTRL+ALT+DEL login screen upon logging into your computer, Windows displays one or two icons (depends on your configuration). You are presented with the text boxes for entering your user name and password only after you click the icon on this screen. Many experts consider this a flaw in the design of Windows.

Source

http://www.maxi-pedia.com/Windows+7+welcome+screen

How to Manually Update Defs in Vipre 4.0

This process does not work in Enterprise 4.0.



Here are instructions to manually update the definitions for Vipre Enterprise.

Manually download definitions for VIPRE

To manually update the definitions from the server:

1. Copy the file CSE3-EN-XXXX-F.sbr.sgn (Found in the ThreatDB subfolder under the Enterprise installdir) to a folder other than the ThreatDB.

2. Change the extension to .rar

3. Unrar the file

4. Stop the agent service (Sunbelt VIPRE Antivirus service) on the client box 5. Copy the entire contents into the following folder on the agent box:

C:\Program Files\Sunbelt Software\SBEAgent\Definitions (If C: is the default drive where software gets installed) 6. Double-click on SBAMTray.exe (located in the SBEAgent installdir) to restart the agent

To manually update agent definitions from the internet:

1. Download the latest definition release from http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Busin...e/Definitions/

2. Run the following command from a command prompt, substituting c:\temp for the directory that the definition sbr.sgn was downloaded to:

C:\Program Files\Sunbelt Software\SBEAgent>SBAMCommandLineScanner.exe /applydefs Manual definitions download link http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Busin...e/Definitions/

Update definitions for agents manually VIPRE To update definitions manually:

Download the latest definition release from http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Busin...e/Definitions/

Run the following command from a command prompt, substituting c:\temp for the directory that the definition sbr.sgn was downloaded to:

C:\Program Files\Sunbelt Software\SBEAgent>SBAMCommandLineScanner.exe /applydefs c:\temp\

How to turn off Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration in Windows Server 2008

 

First, open the Server Manager by going to Start > Server Manager

In the Server Manager browse to the Security Information section and click Configure IE ESC. In the figure below, IE ESC is located in the very lower right-hand corner of the window.

In the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration window decide for whom you want IE ESC enabled or disabled and click OK.

Free Public DNS Server

Free Public DNS Server

Service provider: Google

• 8.8.8.8
• 8.8.4.4

Service provider:OpenDNS
OpenDNS free dns server list:

• 208.67.222.222
• 208.67.220.220

Service provider: ScrubIt
Public dns server address:

• 67.138.54.100
• 207.225.209.66

Service provider:dnsadvantage
Dnsadvantage free dns server list:

• 156.154.70.1
• 156.154.71.1

Service provider: vnsc-pri.sys.gtei.net
Public Name server IP address:

• 4.2.2.1
• 4.2.2.2
• 4.2.2.3
• 4.2.2.4
• 4.2.2.5
• 4.2.2.6

Other....

Verizon (Reston, VA, US)
151.197.0.38
151.197.0.39
151.202.0.84
151.202.0.85
151.202.0.85
151.203.0.84
151.203.0.85
199.45.32.37
199.45.32.38
199.45.32.40
199.45.32.43

GTE (Irving, TX, US)
192.76.85.133
206.124.64.1

One Connect IP (Albuquerque, NM, US)
67.138.54.100

Exetel (Sydney, AU)
220.233.167.31

VRx Network Services (New York, NY, US)
199.166.31.3

SpeakEasy (Seattle, WA, US)
66.93.87.2
216.231.41.2
216.254.95.2
64.81.45.2
64.81.111.2
64.81.127.2
64.81.79.2
64.81.159.2
66.92.64.2
66.92.224.2
66.92.159.2
64.81.79.2
64.81.159.2
64.81.127.2
64.81.45.2
216.27.175.2
66.92.159.2
66.93.87.2

Sprintlink (Overland Park, KS, US)
199.2.252.10
204.97.212.10
204.117.214.10

Cisco (San Jose, CA, US)
64.102.255.44
128.107.241.185

OpenNIC
202.83.95.227 (au)
119.31.230.42(au)
178.63.26.173 (de)
217.79.186.148 (de)
27.110.120.30(nz)
89.16.173.11 (uk)
69.164.208.50 (us)
216.87.84.211(us)
2001:470:8388:10:0:100:53:20 (us)
2001:470:1f10:c6::2 (us)

How do I change or setup DNS server IP address?

Visit below mentioned site to setup DNS as per your operating system:

• Linux
• FreeBSD
• Sun Solaris
• Microsoft Windows Vista / XP / Server 2003
• Router / Wifi Router

How To Create VLAN in HP Procurve Switches

Follow the following steps

Cofig t

vlan 125
   name "VLAN125"
   untagged 1-12
  ip address 10.50.0.5 255.255.254.0
   tagged 25-26
   exit
vlan 100
   name "VLAN100"
untagged 13-24
  ip address 10.0.0.98 255.255.248.0
   tagged 25-26
   exit
ip routing

wri mem

####

tagged 25-26 is equivalent to trunking for Cisco Switches

untagged command make the required ports to be the part of vlan you want.
From the above example ports 1 - 12 are part of vlan 125 & port 13-24 are part of vlan 100.
and ports 25 & 25 are trunk ports can carry vlan information for vlan 25 & 100
make sure you configure ip routing to en bale intervlan routing

Increasing System Performance Without Adding Memory in Windows 7

 

A good link on improving system performance for Windows computer.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01817290&tmp_track_link=ot_faqs/top_issues/en_us/c01817290/loc:10&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=4007138&lang=en

To free resources and keep the computer running correctly, follow a maintenance schedule as listed below.

Recommended maintenance schedule

Daily tasks	Weekly tasks	Monthly tasks	Quarterly tasks
Manage e-mail Delete e-mail from unknown sources. Do not open attachments that you do not trust. Organize e-mail.	Protect against viruses, adware, and spyware Update definition files or schedule a weekly automatic update. Run a full virus, adware, and spyware scan or schedule a weekly automatic scan.	Use Windows Update Check for updates or schedule a monthly automatic update.	Set new passwords
	Optimize system performance Run Disk Cleanup. Check for disk errors. Run Disk Defragmenter.	Review the Start menu Set the Start menu to open only needed applications.	Clean the computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse Use a portable vacuum to remove dust and debris from ventilation areas.
	Clean up Web browser files Delete cookies. Delete cache. Delete history files.	Clean up the desktop Delete or remove unneeded icons and software programs.

 

System File Checker

 

1. Copy the i386 folder from a Windows XP cd that is the same version you are running.

2. Copy the following into notepad and save as i386Path.reg

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup]"SourcePath"="c:\\"
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]"SourcePath"="c:\\"

3. At the run line type

sfc  /scannow

 

Source: http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html

How to keep mapped drives connected

Two solutions to keep mapped drives connected (live)

1. Change the setting on the NIC

A. Right click NIC and select Properties

B. On the Power Management tab uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”

2. Registry hack

A. [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters]

    a. Create new REG_DWORD KeepAliveTime and set it to 00300000

    b. Create new REG_DWORD KeepAliveInterval and set it to 00001000

What this does is that it sends keep alive packets every 5 minutes to the server you are mapped to making the connection live and not idle.

How To Pin a Network Shortcut to Taskbar in Windows 7

 

By default, Windows 7 will not allow you to pin a shortcut to a network program to the taskbar.

Follow these steps to get around the default.

1. Copy the .exe to your local drive.
2. Make a shortcut of the local .exe on your desktop.
3. Pin the new local shortcut to your taskbar.
4. Right-click the pinned item on the taskbar, then right-click the shortcut in the jump list.
5. Click Properties, and edit the Target and Start-in fields so they point to the network location.
6. Delete the .exe you copied locally and remove the shortcut you created on your desktop.

You should now have a pinned shortcut on the taskbar to a network location.

Microsoft Office Outlook cannot provide form scripting support This feature is not available

If you get the following error message in Outlook on a Terminal Server, do the following:
Run this from a command prompt: msiexec /i [GUID] ADDLOCAL=OutlookVBScript /qb

You need to find out what GUID your Office version have. The easiest way to do that is to open Regedit and start a search from this key:
HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Uninstall

All GUID’s start with a brace ({). Search for Office and you will find the right key. So, for example, if you run Office Outlook 2007 Proffessional Plus you would run this:
msiexec /i {90120000-0011-0000-0000-0000000FF1CE} ADDLOCAL=OutlookVBScript /qb

How to Disable BES / BAS 5 Redirection

In BAS 5, select user.

In Messaging configuration section, click Default configuration.

Click Edit user.

Change Redirect to BlackBerry device from Yes to No.

Click Continue to user information edit.

Click Save all.