Installing Windows 8.1 in VirtualBox

When I tried to install the 64-bit version or even upgrading my already existing 8.0 install I kept getting Error 0x000000C4 until I found a fix on the Web.


I had to run the following at an administrator command prompt (all on one line):

c:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe setextradata "VM Name" VBoxInternal/CPUM/CMPXCHG16B 1

Replace [vmname] with the name of the virtual machine you want to add the instruction to. If your vm name has spaces in it, enclose it in quotes.

This command adds the CMPXCHG16B CPU instruction that's missing from the default configuration of VirtualBox.

That's all it takes and then you can install Windows "Blue" 8.1 and give it a run.  

Server 2012 Event ID 13555

I ran into this one today.  It involved two brand new 2012 servers that had only been in service since December of 2012.  The error appears to have started on 4/27/2013 and didn't present itself as an issue (since there's no IT staff there to review server logs) until new workstations were being put in and group policy was not applying to some of them.

The event log gave error 1355.  In order to fix it you need to do a non-authoritative restore of the SYSVOL folder.  Just make a simple backup of it just in case from another good domain controller.  Follow the steps below and for me it fixed it right away.  There's no need to restart the server and I noticed the replication began and ran properly right away.

Here's the exact fix:

To back up and restore the SYSVOL data, follow these steps:

1. Back up the following folders in a temporary location that is not in the SYSVOL folder:
   • %SystemRoot%\SYSVOL\Domain\Policies
   • %SystemRoot%\SYSVOL\Domain\Scripts
   Note To retain the permissions for these folders, back up these folders in a location that is on the same volume as the SYSVOL folder.
2. Perform a non-authoritative restore on this replica set. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
   2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
      net stop ntfrs
   3. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
   4. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NtFrs\Parameters\Backup/Restore\Process at Startup
   5. Right-click the
      BurFlags
      entry, and then click Modify.
   6. In the Value data box, type D2, and then click OK.
   7. On the File menu, click Exit.
   8. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
      net start ntfrs

Windows Update Error Code 800B0001

When trying to update Server 2012 you may see the error below when using WSUS 3.0 SP2.


To fix the above issue there is an update for Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Service Pack 2 that is available. Download it from below link.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;2720211

Once downloaded just run the setup file



Check for updates again..


In my experience this fixes the problem every time.

If you'd rather use the Microsoft Fix it then use THIS link.  The reference page can be found at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822798

Good luck!

Make Your Own Start Button for Windows Server 2012

I know many of you have experienced the frustration of not having a start menu with Windows 8 and Windows 2012.  

This is especially a pain in an RDP session because you have to find that one pixel to click on to bring up the start menu.  I found this easy to use shortcut that gives you a quick link to the Windows 2012 or Win 8 start menu. 

-          Simply create a shortcut and point it to the following path. 

  explorer.exe shell:::{2559a1f8-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}

-          Set a pretty icon from imageres.dll, and then pin this to the taskbar.  BAM!  Instant Start button.

 

There are also applications like Start8 by StartDock ($5 program) or Windows 8 Start menu that you can download from www.ninite.com that you may want to look at too.  

This only takes a couple of minutes to put together and makes all the difference when working with these operating systems

How to Enable Server 2012 Deduplication

Borrowed from HERE:

Deduplication is a new feature in Windows Server 2012, which deduplicates files at a block level on Windows Server 2012 File Servers. 

To enable Deduplication on a Windows Server 2012 File Server, do the following:

1. Open Windows Server 2012 Server Manager
2. Install the Data Deduplication role and associated required role services (It’s actually a role: File And Storage Services -> File Services -> File Server)
3. In Windows Server 2012 Server Manager, click on File and Storage Services
4. Right click on the server and click Deduplication Schedule
5. Set-up the required deduplicaton schedule (Background optimization may be sufficient) and click OK
6. In Windows Server 2012 Server Manager, under Volumes, right click the volume you would like to enable Deduplication on and click Enable Deduplication.
7. Tick the box to enable data duplication. You may wish to change the number of days that the files have to be older than to be deduplicated and set any specific file or folder exclusions before clicking OK

You now know how to enable data Deduplication in Windows Server 2012 File Server. But to see deduplication happening on your volume, you have to wait for the schedule to run (or wait for the background optimization to finish). Alternatively, you can kick start deduplication using PowerShell commands.

To manage Deduplication from the PowerShell, in Windows Server 2012 Server Manager, click Tools (at the top right hand corner) and Windows PowerShell ISE. Next, import the PowerShell Deduplication module with this command: Import-Module Deduplication

To see how many files have been deduplicated and how much data has been saved, type:

Get-DedupStatus

To start the deduplication job, type:

Start-DedupJob -Type Optimization  -Volume X

Where X is theletter of the volume you want to deduplicate, ie. X could equal e:  (Note that you must have enabled deduplication prior to running this). You will then be able to check the status of the deduplication job by running the following PowerShell command:

Get-DedupJob

That's all there is to it.  Leave me comments if you have any questions or concerns.