The unheard of license tool called VAMT

There is this license tool that comes with Windows Automated Installation Kit and is installed by default. This unheard of tool is called Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT). With this tool you can scan for instance all computer  objects in Active Directory to see the license status of all client machines as well as servers.

You will see what type of key (KMS/MAK) the machine is using, transition licenses from MAK to KMS, see if the license is activated on each machine and you will also be able to identify which machine is the Key Management Server.

The current version of this tool is version 1.2 but 2.0 is coming. Version 2.0 is needed to activate soon to be released Office 2010  but it also sports new features such as a command line interface for automating scans without using the user interface.

Brand new virtualization options for Windows 7

This week Microsoft have made two really interesting announcemants, the first being the release of App-V 4.6 and the second one being MED-V 1.0 SP1. (Release Candidate). Take a look at this MS post for what is new in App-V 4.6 and what is new in MED-V 1.0 SP1. Also do not miss this post on how to sequence Office 2010 for use with App-V 4.6.

Guide on how to replace WinRE with DaRT

WinRE (Windows Recovery Enviroment) is included by default in Windows 7, and this allows you to boot to WinRE to access recovery tools such as Complete PC image restore, system restore or to access a command prompt to run other useful command. You can access WinRE by booting a Windows 7 machine and press F8 and choose “Repair your computer”.

WinRE being included in Windows 7 is great but what is even greater is if you replace WinRE with DaRT (Diagnostics and Recovery Tools) included in Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) which is available to Software Assurance customers. By doing this you get additional types of useful tools such as the ability to reset the passwords of local account, hotfix uninstall, crash analysis, reach computer management or use Windows Explorer. Now this is great! :)

The guide on how to replace WinRE with DaRT can be found at bink.nu.

Windows 7 domain join problems surface old NT4 problem

Issues joining a Windows 7 machine to a domain, where the domain controller handling the domain join request is having old NT4 rests on it, has surfaced. The problem is related to an old overload workaround when upgrading an NT4 domain to Windows Server 2000 or 2003 domain controllers. The KB article which provide the solution is now published, see KB2008652 for more information on the resolution. Note that the problem also applies to joining Windows Server 2008 R2 servers to the domain.

Don’t miss the AppLocker session at TechDays

TechDays is a two-day Swedish conference hosted yearly by Microsoft and partners. I will be there to speak about AppLocker in Windows 7. I will specifically talk about what makes it so great but I will focus on how to implement it and what to think about while doing so. There will be a bunch of other very interesting sessions on the latest Microsoft products so I hope I’ll see you at TechDays in March!

UAC off = IE protected mode off

Just wanted to post a quick reminder that if you turn off UAC (User Account Control) in Windows Vista or Windows 7 you also turn off “Protected mode” in Internet Explorer. Turning off UAC is not recommended but if you do, make sure that you run with a standard user account.

Move from Windows 7 RC to RTM today!

If you or someone in your organization still are running the release candidate of Windows 7 now is the time to go to RTM. In one month from now all Windows 7 RC machines will start rebooting themselves every second hour. Remember that in-place upgrades from Windows 7 RC to RTM are not supported nor recommended.

HOW TO: List performance issues with your Vista or Windows 7 machine

In Windows Vista and Windows 7 there is one feature that many does not know about that lists performance issues with your system. It can show you for instance if a driver of any kind is making “sleep mode” take longer than expected or software the make your computer start or turn off slow.

You find this more or less hidden feature by starting “Performance Information and Tools”. Then click “Advanced tools” in the left menu and then look under the first section “Performance issues” for possible causes of system performance issue.

Let your users upgrade to Windows 7 automatically

Mikael Nyström, MVP on Windows Setup and Deployment, has written a rather short but very useful guide on how to easily deploy Windows 7 to end users. Read his blog post!

HOW TO: Solve printing problems via RDP #2

Just a quick follow-up on the post on solving printing problems via RDP as I for some not so obvious reason totally forgot about it in the last post. It is very easy to find out which driver a redirected printer actually uses by choosing Properties on the printer and noting what it says under “Model”.

It will state either “Remote Desktop Easy Print” (Terminal Services Easy Print) if you are indeed using the Easy Print printer driver or it will show the real driver name for the printer if it has been mapped with the real driver.