Tag Archives: Windows 7

Microsoft Test Lab Guides

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Recently Microsoft released a lot of Lab Guides for different Microsoft products to test. See http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/test-lab-guides.aspx

Test Lab Guides

Test lab guides (TLGs) allow you to get valuable hands-on experience with new products and technologies using a pre-defined and tested methodology that results in a working configuration. When you use a TLG to create a test lab, instructions define what servers to create, how to configure the operating systems and system services, and how to install and configure any additional products or technologies. A TLG experience enables you to see all of the components and the configuration steps on both the front-end and back-end that are required for a product or technology or for a multi-product or technology solution.

A challenge in creating useful TLGs is to enable their reusability and extensibility. Because creating a test lab can represent a significant investment of time and resources, your ability to reuse and extend the work required to create test labs is important. An ideal test lab environment would enable you to create a basic lab configuration, save that configuration, and then build out multiple test lab scenarios in the future by starting with the base configuration.

For a test lab based on physical computers, you can image the drives for future test labs. For a test lab based on virtual machines, you can create snapshots for future test labs. This allows you to easily return to a desired configuration for further learning and experimentation.

The types of TLG documents are the following:

  • Base configuration TLG
  • Modular TLGs
  • TLG extensions
  • Troubleshooting TLGs
  • Test lab troubleshooting scenarios
  • TLG portal pages

Base Configuration TLG

The Base Configuration TLG allows you to create the base configuration test lab, upon which you can build test labs based on other TLGs from Microsoft, TLG extensions in the TechNet Wiki, or a test lab of your own design that can include Microsoft or non-Microsoft products.

The base configuration TLG is just the beginning of the test lab experience. Other TLGs or TLG extensions in the TechNet Wiki focus on Microsoft products or platform technologies, but all of them use the Base Configuration TLG as a starting point.

After configuring the computers of the base configuration test lab, make sure that you perform a disk image on each computer if you are using physical computers, or perform virtual machine snapshots if you are using virtual machines.

Modular TLGs

A modular TLG describes how to set up and demonstrate a technology, product, or solution for either the Base Configuration test lab or a test lab based on another modular TLG.

The following modular TLGs are available:

To create your own modular TLG in the TechNet Wiki, see the Wiki: Modular Test Lab Guide Template.

TLG Extensions

A TLG extension article, published in the TechNet Wiki, describes how to configure additional functionality or advanced or uncommon configurations based on a working test lab. A TLG extension extends a modular TLG.

The TLG extension article includes instructions to configure and test the additional functionality, and then manually restore the test lab to its original state. A TLG extension article also includes virtualization advice so that you can create snapshots to store the modified test lab configuration and easily restore the original working test lab configuration.

Examples of TLG extensions are the following:

To create your own TLG extension, see Wiki: Test Lab Extension Template.

Troubleshooting TLGs

A troubleshooting TLG describes the troubleshooting tools and how they appear in a working test lab for a technology, product, or multi-technology and product solution. The working test lab is typically based on a modular TLG.

A troubleshooting TLG also takes you through a set of troubleshooting scenarios. Each troubleshooting scenario steps you through the following:

  • Breaking the configuration of the test lab in a specific way
  • Demonstrating the effect on the technology or product functionality
  • Performing root cause analysis of the problem using the troubleshooting tools and recommended troubleshooting techniques
  • Correcting the problem

The following troubleshooting TLGs are available:

To create your own troubleshooting TLG in the TechNet Wiki, see the Wiki: Troubleshooting Test Lab Guide Template.

Test Lab Troubleshooting Scenarios

A test lab troubleshooting scenario, published in the TechNet Wiki, provides an additional scenario to demonstrate the results of a misconfiguration or other type of common problem and guide the reader through the root cause determination and correction. Test lab troubleshooting scenarios extend a troubleshooting TLG.

For an example of a test lab troubleshooting scenario, click here.

To create your own test lab troubleshooting scenario, see Wiki: Test Lab Troubleshooting Scenario Template.

TLG Portal Pages

A TLG portal page is a TechNet Wiki article that provides links to all of the resources for a specific technology or product.

The following TLG portal pages are available:

Additional Resources

For the latest information about TLGs, see the Microsoft TLG blog.

Creating Bootable Vista / Windows 7 USB Flash Drive

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This will walk through the steps to create a bootable USB flash drive for the purpose of installing a Vista or Windows 7 OS.  These instructions assume that you have a computer with Windows Vista installed on it.

Required:

  • USB Flash Drive (4GB+)
  • Microsoft OS Disk (Vista / Windows 7)
  • A computer running Vista / Windows 7

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Configure a User Account to Log On Automatically on Windows 7

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Requiring the user to enter credentials when his computer starts is an important part of Windows security. If a user account automatically logs on, anyone who has physical access to the computer can restart it and access the user’s files. Nonetheless, there are scenarios where a computer is physically secure and automatic logon might be desired. To configure a workgroup computer (you cannot perform these steps on a domain member) to automatically log on, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, type netplwiz, and then press Enter.
2. In the User Accounts dialog box, click the account you want to automatically log on to.If it is available, clear the Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer check box.
3. Click OK.
4. In the Automatically Log On dialog box, enter the user’s password twice and click OK.

The next time you restart the computer, it will automatically log on with the local user account you selected. Configuring automatic logon stores the user’s password in the registry unencrypted, where someone might be able to retrieve it.

Prepare and Service Windows Images Using the New DISM Tool

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Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM.exe) is a new command line tool that you can use to service a Windows image or prepare a Windows PE image. The DISM tool replaces the Package Manager (pkgmgr.exe), PEimg, and Intlcfg tools used with Windows Vista. DISM consolidates the functionality found in those three tools, as well as delivers new functionality to improve the experience of offline servicing.

DISM can be used to service Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Windows Server 2008. When used with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, you get the added functionality.
You can use DISM to:
  • Add, remove, and enumerate packages and drivers.
  • Enable or disable Windows features.
  • Apply changes based on the offline servicing section of an unattend.xml answer file.
  • Configure international settings.
  • Upgrade a Windows image to a different edition.
  • Prepare a Windows PE image.
  • Take advantage of better logging.
  • Service down-level operating systems like Windows Vista with SP1 and Windows Server 2008.
  • Service all platforms (32-bit, 64-bit, and Itanium).
  • Service a 32-bit image from a 64-bit host and service a 64-bit image from a 32-bit host.
  • Make use of old Package Manager scripts.

Command-Line Options

To service a Windows image offline, it must be applied or mounted. WIM images can be mounted using the Windows Image (WIM) commands within DISM, or applied and recaptured using ImageX.
You can also use commands to list the indexes or verify the architecture for the image you are mounting. After you update the image, you must unmount it and either commit or discard the changes you have made.
The base syntax for nearly all DISM commands is the same. After you have mounted your Windows image, you can specify any DISM options, the servicing command that will update your image, and the location of the mounted image. You can use only one servicing command per command line. If you are servicing a running computer, you can use the /online option instead of specifying the location of the mounted Windows Image.
The base syntax for DISM is:
DISM.exe {/image:<path_to_image> | /online} [dism_options] {servicing_command} [<servicing_argument>]
Movie : Technet

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 – HOT ISSUES LIST

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A series Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 issues have been reported to Microsoft customer support. From these issues, we figured out several hot issues and authored Knowledge base articles to explain the solutions.

To identify and troubleshoot these issues, you can find more information from the KB articles:

  • 975787 Adjust User Account Control settings in Windows 7
  • 976832 Error message when you insert a smart card in a reader on a Windows 7-based or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer: “Device driver software was not successfully installed”
  • 975784 Enable the Quick Launch bar in Windows 7
  • 975785 Customize the notification area in Windows 7
  • 975786 Customize the notification area in Windows 7
  • 975788 Turn off the secure desktop in Windows 7
  • 976034 Get a detailed Power Efficiency Diagnostics Report for your computer in Windows 7
  • 976170 Troubleshoot Aero problems in Windows 7
  • 976877 Troubleshoot Aero problems in Windows 7
  • 976736 How to install Windows PowerShell on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 Core
  • 2006291 Error message When You Bring up the Server Manager Console and click on Add / View Roles: “0x800B0100”
  • 977510 Authentication fails when an external client tries to log on by using a read-only domain controller in a perimeter network

Source: http://blogs.technet.com/ferris/default.aspx

The User Profile Service failed the logon.

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Yesterday I received the following error on my Windows 7 x64 Enterprise laptop when I tried to logon.

The User Profile Service Failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded.

Then the logoff message appeared en I was back where I was started.

The strange thing is nothing had changed when I shutdown the laptop last night. No update’s installed, no software installed. So I started searching the internet. The following article resolved my problem. It is an article about Windows Vista, you can read it here. Link.

The first thing I tried was the system restore to an earlier restore point. That worked for me..

Create an All-in-one x86+x64 Win7/Vista/Server 2008/R2 USB stick

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One of the great things about the Vista and post-Vista operating systems is that the installer subsystem allows you a great deal of flexibility when it comes to installing multiple operating systems. It is fairly easy to put together a single installation DVD or USB stick that will allow you to install Vista, Windows 7, Server 2008 and Server 2008 R2 – in a variety of x86 and x64 flavors.

A couple of things to note about this guide:

  • I do not use Vista — I have never really used Vista and now with Windows 7 out there really is no reason to; however the steps here will work just fine with Vista installation sources
  • I have only tested this using a USB stick and will only cover that method here – it’s much more flexible (and faster) for installation than using DVD — but DVDs should work just fine: you can find plenty of tutorials on the web that will tell you how to use oscdimg.exe to take the files we create here and turn them into a burnable ISO

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

  • USB stick, at least 4 GB (perhaps larger depending on how many OSes you plan to integrate, I use a 16 GB) that has been properly formatted using Steps 1 and 2 here
  • ISOs or DVDs of the operating systems that you plan to integrate
  • imagex.exe (can be found for download on the web, or you can download the full 1.7 GB WAIK here)
  • computer running Vista or newer operating system (XP should work but I have not tested it)

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