Windows 10 Distributed Updates
article #1308, updated 1971 days ago

Updates are being distributed to Windows 10 via peer-to-peer methods, in addition to cloud-to-PC. This will be essential to handle the big build files, 4 gigabyte plus, at many sites.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/update/waas-delivery-optimization

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Rick's Super-Duper CMD Code Accelerator
article #1306, updated 1973 days ago

This one is from the amazing Rick Boatright. I saw the ancestor of this thirty-plus years ago in Unix System V, had no idea it had gotten so useful in Microsoft-land. The gist of it is:

  • You have a batch file, and want to access something involving a UNC path, something like this: \\SERVER_NAME\share_name\dir1\dir2
  • Default logic often involves storage of current location into a variable, CD, resumption of previous, blah, blah, blah.
  • But we can do it in one command: pushd \\SERVER_NAME\share_name\dir1\dir2 This does multiple things:
  • First, it creates a temporary drive letter for the server and share name. It chooses an available drive letter.
  • Secondly, without any further ado, it changes the current working directory of the shell (of the script) to the very location you pointed at.
  • So, if you did the pushd above, and if Z: were available, your current working directory suddenly becomes: Z:\dir1\dir2
    where Z: is mapped to \\SERVER_NAME\share_name !!!
  • Then when you’re done with it, just put in popd, and Z: goes away and you’re back to the current working directory you had beforehand!

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Convert Noteworthy Composer to MusicXML and Vice Versa
article #1307, updated 1974 days ago

A great tool here:

https://www.niversoft.com/products/xml2nwc/

And another:

http://nwc2musicxml.appspot.com/

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A new Microsoft instruction page for Windows Update troubles
article #1305, updated 1987 days ago

Here’s a new one, seems to cover some good ground:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/10164/fix-windows-update-errors

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When VSS Writers Fail
article #1304, updated 1995 days ago

A good thing to do, is to do cleanup/improvement steps, and then restart related services:

VSS Writer Service, Short ID & Binary Service, Long Name
ASR Writer VSS Volume Shadow Copy
BITS Writer BITS Background Intelligent Transfer Service
COM+ REGDB Writer VSS Volume Shadow Copy
DFS Replication Service Writer DFSR DFS Replication
DHCP Jet Writer DHCPServer DHCP Server
FRS Writer NtFrs File Replication
FRSM Writer srmsvc File Server Resource Manager
IIS Config Writer AppHostSvc Application Host Helper Service
IIS Metabase Writer IISADMIN IIS Admin Service
Microsoft Exchange Replica Writer MSExchangeRepl Microsoft Exchange Replication Service
Microsoft Exchange Writer MSExchangeIS Microsoft Exchange Information Store
Microsoft Hyper-V VSS Writer vmms Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management
MSMQ Writer MSMQ Message Queuing
MSSearch Service Writer WSearch Windows Search
NTDS NTDS Active Directory Domain Services
O_Search VSS Writer OSearch Office SharePoint Server Search
O_Search 14 VSS Writer OSearch14 SharePoint Server Search 14
Registry Writer VSS Volume Shadow Copy
Shadow Copy Optimization Writer VSS Volume Shadow Copy
SMS Writer SMSSITEVSSWRITER SMS_SITE_VSS_WRITER
SPSearch VSS Writer SPSearch Windows SharePoint Services Search
SPSearch4 VSS Writer SPSearch4 SharePoint Foundation Search V4
SqlServerWriter SQLWriter SQL Server VSS Writer
System Writer CryptSvc Cryptographic Services
TermServLicensing TermServLicensing Remote Desktop Licensing
WIDWriter WIDWriter Windows Internal Database VSS Writer
WINS Jet Writer WINS Windows Internet Name Service (WINS)
WMI Writer Winmgmt Windows Management Instrumentation

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Windows Search major disk usage
article #1302, updated 2000 days ago

If you see that Windows built-in search components (any of several, including the Indexer, Cortana, etc.) are using a lot of your disk bandwidth, run this in an administrative Powershell:

Add-AppxPackage -Path “C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml” -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register

It appears to reset or reload Cortana or a big chunk of it, and probably disable “Development Mode” too. One web reference stated that the above has to be run in a newly created local admin profile to work.

Also, if you’re in a former (or, God forbid, current) SBS environment, make sure the SBS client is removed, and make sure GPO isn’t automatically reinstalling it.

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Command References
article #1301, updated 2000 days ago

This page will expand. For now:

https://ss64.com

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Change Remote Desktop (Terminal Server) Licensing from Per-Device to Per-User
article #1299, updated 2008 days ago

This is easily done in Local Group Policy, on the machine with the RDS licensing server:

Computer Configuration/
Administrative Templates/
Windows Components/
Remote Desktop Services/
Remote Desktop Session Host/
Licensing

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Group Policy: Machine Inactivity Limit (Lock Screen Force) in Security Settings
article #1298, updated 2008 days ago

There is a setting in Windows Group Policy which will force lockscreen / locked screensaver after a machine considers itself inactive for a specified amount of time:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/security-policy-settings/interactive-logon-machine-inactivity-limit

This overrides all other related (e.g. screen saver) settings and PC-local settings. It’s located here in group policy:

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

and while creating/linking group policy on a server:

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

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Tools to Update and Repair Group Policy
article #1297, updated 2009 days ago

Have not tested these at all yet. But am rather glad someone has started working on them.

Repair / Restore Default Group Policy

Upgrade Group Policy

Fix Corrupt Local Group Policy

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