Various cool software and more

Microsoft KMS server – a noob’s perspective

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Getting started with Microsoft Windows KMS server..

Updated to include info on Windows 8 + 2012.

Update 2013-06
I just found a cool video by Microsoft that explain how to install on Windows 2008 R2, and it’s very clear if you just need a basic install;
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/set-up-a-kms-host-on-a-windows-server-2008-r2-machine.aspx

Original Post begin here;
So I had to install a KMS server today, up till now we had not needed one so I was a total NOOB on how to do so..

One would expect that this would be a walk in the park, however I tend to think that it has been made overly complicated and inaccessible.

First things first;
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=bbf2eb61-2b30-4f2d-bccd-df53e220b8e9&displaylang=en
This is a great intro video to KMS’ing on a Win 2008 box, it will cover all the basics and give you a good idea on how this works.

You likely need this patch to upgrade the KMS service on the Win 2008/2003 box to allow Win7 etc. to register;
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968912 – for Win 2008 kms
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968915– for Win 2003 kms

Now you will need to add a KMS key to the server you got this key from Microsoft as part of your license (NOT a MAK key, a KMS key).. This might confuse you as it did me, I was thinking, oh I will need to add KMS keys for all the versions of windows I need the KMS to work for, but this is not so..

On this page;
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9893f83e-c8a5-4475-b025-66c6b38b46e3&displaylang=en
you will find a document “Volume Activation 2 0 Changes for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1.doc” explaining this in more detail, but basically if you install a server 2008 R2 KMS key then this will also work for Win7, Vista etc.

How do i register a key on the KMS server;
Start an elevated CMD.exe and
change dir to c:\windows\system32

write: slmgr -IPK <YOUR KMS KEY HERE>
wait for a confirmation dialogbox, this can take a long time up to 1 min or more..
then activate the KMS key: slmgr -ATO
wait for a confirmation dialogbox, this can take a long time up to 1 min or more..
Now check the status of the KMS server: cscript slmgr.vbs -dlv
It will take a while before it is displayed.

Damn if I understand why there is no GUI for this!?

FAQ;
Help, I have machines registered with a MAK key, and now want to change this to my new KMS server – how do I do this? It is not that complicated, all you need to do is to change the license key of the workstation/officepack to a KMS key, IMPORTANT!! we are NOT talking YOUR KMS KEY, but the default KMS key from MS – confused!!? I was too, well it is not that complicated when it comes to it, when you install a MVLS product like eg. Office 2010 then it carries a default key this is the default KMS key with a limited lifespan, once you click activate this key tells the product to seek out a KMS server and try to register – if no KMS server is found the activation fails.  If you entered a MAK key at the time of installation then the product is activated and you need to unactivate it with the KMS key for that product, a list of default KMS keys can be found here;
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772269.aspx#EOIAC

Operating System Edition  Product Key

Windows 7 Professional -  FJ82H-XT6CR-J8D7P-XQJJ2-GPDD4
Windows 7 Professional N -  MRPKT-YTG23-K7D7T-X2JMM-QY7MG
Windows 7 Enterprise -  33PXH-7Y6KF-2VJC9-XBBR8-HVTHH
Windows 7 Enterprise N - YDRBP-3D83W-TY26F-D46B2-XCKRJ
Windows 7 Enterprise E - C29WB-22CC8-VJ326-GHFJW-H9DH4
Windows Server 2008 R2 HPC Edition -  FKJQ8-TMCVP-FRMR7-4WR42-3JCD7
Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter -  74YFP-3QFB3-KQT8W-PMXWJ-7M648
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise - 489J6-VHDMP-X63PK-3K798-CPX3Y
Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems -  GT63C-RJFQ3-4GMB6-BRFB9-CB83V
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard - YC6KT-GKW9T-YTKYR-T4X34-R7VHC
Windows Web Server 2008 R2 - 6TPJF-RBVHG-WBW2R-86QPH-6RTM4
Windows Vista Business   YFKBB-PQJJV-G996G-VWGXY-2V3X8
Windows Vista Business N    HMBQG-8H2RH-C77VX-27R82-VMQBT 
Windows Vista Enterprise    VKK3X-68KWM-X2YGT-QR4M6-4BWMV 
Windows Vista Enterprise N    VTC42-BM838-43QHV-84HX6-XJXKV
Windows Server 2008  Datacenter    7M67G-PC374-GR742-YH8V4-TCBY3 
Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V     22XQ2-VRXRG-P8D42-K34TD-G3QQC 
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems      4DWFP-JF3DJ-B7DTH-78FJB-PDRHK 
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise    YQGMW-MPWTJ-34KDK-48M3W-X4Q6V 
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V     39BXF-X8Q23-P2WWT-38T2F-G3FPG 
Windows Server 2008 Standard  TM24T-X9RMF-VWXK6-X8JC9-BFGM2 
Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V     W7VD6-7JFBR-RX26B-YKQ3Y-6FFFJ 
Windows Web Server 2008    WYR28-R7TFJ-3X2YQ-YCY4H-M249D
Microsoft Office 2010 - VYBBJ-TRJPB-QFQRF-QFT4D-H3GVB

You can change the license key via this command (remember it has to be launched from an Elevated CMD.exe);
cscript Slmgr.vbs /ipk <SetupKey, the key from above>

Advanced tips and tricks;
Use other than the default KMS server (force a specific KMS server)
If for some reason you need to specify WHICH KMS server you wish to use (or if you need to use a remote KMS) then you do like this;
1. open an elevated cmd.exe
2  type; cscript slmgr.vbs -ipk <KMS KEY (not your own, one of the default microsoft once>
3  type; cscript slmgr.vbs -skms <IP OF KMS SERVER>:<PORT NO On KMS SERVER>  (default port is 1688)
4  type; cscript slmgr.vbs -ato

Command lines;
cscript slmgr.vbs -dlv (show status of KMS)
cscript slmgr.vbs -dli (show quick status of KMS)
cscript slmgr.vbs -dlv all (show advanced status of KMS)
cscript slmgr.vbs -upk (Remove key – unactivate Windows CAUTION!! – this may however be needed if you wish to remove the KMS role from a server)

Upgrade your KMS to accept Office 2010 clients;
Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=97b7b710-6831-4ce5-9ff5-fdc21fe8d965
IMPORTANT! Strangely enough this is NOT supported for Windows 2008 KMS servers, it works for 2003, 2008 R2 but NOT 2008. (more here; http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/officevolact/thread/b2ffee91-c6a4-4196-8a86-4974534c3dbd)

There is also some additional info here;
http://blogs.technet.com/b/odsupport/archive/2010/06/01/office-2010-kms-installation-and-troubleshooting.aspx

Debugging Office 2010 KMS;
Our KMS server somehow “lost” it’s office key, and no matter how many times I added it it kept a state of “unlicensed”, I eventually found out that entering the right key using the “slmgr -ipk <kms key>” and then issuing this command “cscript slmgr.vbs /ato bfe7a195-4f8f-4f0b-a622-cf13c7d16864” triggered the activation of the Office 2010 key.  There is more debugging tricks here; http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624355(v=office.14).aspx

Error codes;
If you get an errorcode; Error: 0xC004F015
This may indicate that you are trying to import a KMS key that is already covered, eg. you installed a KMS key for servers KMS_B key and are trying to install a KMS for Windows7 then this Errorcode will be shown – Windows 7 is already covered by your KMS_B server key (yeah strange I agree, but that is how it works)..
(more here; http://www.vistax64.com/vista-installation-setup/173686-setup-kms-2k8.html)

Stop the KMS server (stop the KMS service on a machine) – I had problems finding the service under 2003 though;
open a commandprompt (elevated);
type; net stop slsvc – to stop the service
type; net start slsvc – to run it again

Check that the DNS records are created properly;
open a commandprompt (elevated);
type; nslookup -type=srv _vlmcs._tcp

you should see something similar to this:

_vlmcs._tcp.domain.net SRV service location:
priority = 0
weight = 0
port = 1688
svr hostname = kmsserver.domain.net
kmsserver.domain.net internet address = x.x.x.x

Firewall;
You need to check that the firewall is set to allow KMS traffic on the KMS host server (there is a standard service for that).

 

General tips and tricks;
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd996588.aspx

Volume Activation Technical Reference Guide (very useful)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee355153.aspx

in the technical reference guide you can among other thing find this;

Customizable Activation Help

For product activation in managed environments, the Activate Windows now dialog box can be configured to display an optional Learn About Activation Online link, as shown in Figure 4.

Dd772270.image_operation4(en-us,TechNet.10).jpg

Figure 4 Learn about activation online

Clicking this custom link loads an administrator-defined URL in the user’s default browser. This URL can point to a custom Web page or other file stored on the local computer or on a network share. A Volume Licensing customer can use this link to direct their users to the customer’s Helpdesk or other activation-related resources. Displaying the link requires setting the REG_SZ value AlternateURL to the URL of the Web page to display when the user clicks it. The value AlternateURL is in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform\ACTIVATION registry subkey.

A bit more info from MS in both webcast and written form;
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=fda49c1f-475e-42d0-92ae-6f7edb802f3e
KMS setup Windows 7 – webcast

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=be688342-4f8a-4a15-bfa6-33b0d73c6a59
Activating with KMS in Windows 7

Windows 8 KMS (and Server 2012) (Running on Windows 2008 R2)

The default KMS service on Windows 2008R2 does likely not support a Windows 8/2012 KMS key (you try to add it via slmgr -IPK xxxxx…..), well there is a HotFix for this;
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2691586  –  it’s free but you need to request it, link is shipped via email within seconds.  I was unable to add a Windows 8 KMS key, but the 2012 server key was accepted and as far as I can tell this will both work for Windows 8 and server 2012.

Tag;
Error code; 0xC004F015 (got this for Windows 8/2012 keys before the hotfix above).

Office 2013;

OMG the “fun” never ends when it come to KMS, so when you try to activate your KMS for Office 2013 you may get;
Office KMS host setup error “0xC004F050 The software licensing service reported that the product key is invalid”
Well, that is just because you need some extra stuff on your KMS server before you can “install” the Office 2013 keys *sigh*, you need to download;

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35584

read even more here;

http://blogs.technet.com/b/odsupport/archive/2012/11/15/office-kms-host-setup-error-quot-0xc004f050-the-software-licensing-service-reported-that-the-product-key-is-invalid-quot.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624357(v=office.15).aspx#section2

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Network Tools – online connectivity test tools

Need to ping, tracert or check the srv records of a server, and do you need to do this ‘remotely’ eg. not on the lan?!

This site is one of many that offer a bunch of basic tools online;
http://network-tools.com/

Another useful site to get a quick DNS overview is;
http://www.intodns.com

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Debugging Exchange connectivity

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Are you setting up Outlook anywhere, outlook autodiscover or the like then this web-site may be useful;
https://www.testexchangeconnectivity.com

Be sure to use a test account so not to disclose any ‘real/live’ passwords.

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Office 2003 -> 2010 Help / Tip’s and trick’s

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Did you just recently upgrade from Office 2003 to 2010 or are you just having problems finding some obscure feature from Office 2003 in 2010?

Well, try this on for size;
http://office2010.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/learn-where-menu-and-toolbar-commands-are-in-office-2010-HA101794130.aspx?origin=HA010370239#_Toc256784678

It’s actually really cool, you get to select the feature in the Office 2003 gui and is shown an animation of how to find it in 2010.   And as 2010 and 2007 are very alike then this may also work for Office 2007.

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Grooveshark – one of those sites you just HAVE TO visit

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My colleague Jesper mentioned a web-site to me a few days ago, and I must admit that this site has been on top of my favorite list for the last few days.

The site is www.grooveshark.com and it’s a free music service.

The cool things about this service are;

1. it’s free (always a good argument)

2. it has a TON of music in all sorts of versions (different artists, mixes and remixes) 5 mill + songs

3. the interface is just excellent, totally intuitive.  It lets you ‘browse’ the music library just like you do the web, you will be on a journey through music.

4. you can make playlists which you save online and possibly share with friends.

oh yeah, did I mention it’s free 😉 well it is, and it’s totally cool.

There only seem to be one or two drawbacks;

1. it is streaming only, so you can not download music and put it on your favorite mp3 player for road-duty.

2. legality, So, is this legal?  Well, to the best of my knowledge no, but hey I am no expert on international IT copyright law.  Anyhow the service has existed for some time, and it strikes me as strange that it has not been taken down by a ton of law suits if this was blatantly illegal, my guess would be that it’s in the same gray zone as Youtube etc.

Read more about the story of the site here

This is one of the coolest sites I have discovered for a LONG time…  It does by far beat the closest similar service I know of, something called TDC Play (a danish service that require subscription with a specific ISP).

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Microsoft FIX-IT

For those still using Windows XP and Windows Vista, then here is a somewhat useful service to try out if you run into problems, Microsoft FIX-IT.  Microsoft FIX-IT offer online repair of some of the common problems with XP and Vista installations.

http://fixitcenter.support.microsoft.com/Portal/WhyFixIt

http://support.microsoft.com/fixit

Text from their website;
Thank you for your interest in Microsoft Fix it. We’re working hard to automate solutions to common software problems in an easy, intuitive way that is available when and where you need it. So whether you are looking for a solution in help or support content, or an error report, Fix it provides a way to apply automated fixes, workarounds, or configuration changes so you don’t have to perform a long list of manual steps yourself.

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Mdaemon – “The date is grossly in the future” bug

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If you run an older version of Mdaemon 10.x (email server) then you may find this “error message” in the SMTP logs; “The date is grossly in the future”, this is caused by a bug in Spamassassin one of the antispam solutions used by Mdaemon, the problem is that this caused the spam score to get rather high and may cause Mdaemon to discard legitimate mails as spam.

You can ofcause upgrade your Mdaemon installation, but if for some reason you prefer not to do so this is the workaround;

The workaround(besides paying for updates), is to edit the rule-set.

C:\MDaemon\SpamAssassin\rules\local.cf

Add the following line score

FH_DATE_PAST_20XX 0.0

Restart Spam Engine

Curtesy of; http://www.ninjahdev.com/node/8

Just found another tip, change the end of this line to the latter (both solutions should work);

MDaemon\SpamAssasin\default_rules\72_active.cf:

{ FH_DATE_PAST_20XX header FH_DATE_PAST_20XX Date =
~ /20[1-9][0-9]/ [if-unset: 2006]

Change to;

 /20[2-9][0-9]
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Stop Google Toolbar from being installed

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As I work for a large company with 700+ workstations we strive to minimize the need for PC support whenever we can, one of the problems is when users use different browsers or install strange add-ins, one of the more annoying IE additions is the Google Toolbar.  Now I am sure the toolbar offers some great options to some users, however in our corporate structure we like that all browsers function the same as this minimize the development time for our intranet and other internal solutions.

Informing the users that corporate policy does not allow for installation of Google toolbar (and others) does not help that much, it is almost impossible to avoid installing Google Toolbar today, it comes with numerous applications (even with Java as I recall) and if you just miss one checkbox then it is installed (reminds me about the terrible Real player from years back).  One good thing about the Toolbar is however that it is easy to get rid of, it uninstalls without too much hassle.

Anyway I got my heart set on disabeling the Google Toolbar from installing, but how?

Well I found this interesting article on Google Groups;
http://groups.google.com/group/IEToolbar-Group-Advanced/browse_thread/thread/bc70afa3d5b37aa9

---[FROM GOOGLE GROUPS]---------------------------------------
Hi Alan,
You actually have a couple options to prevent the Toolbar from being
installed on your school's network:
1. You can block the Toolbar through the IE policy, or blacklist
everything and selectively whitelist specific add-ons. The relevant
path to the add-on management policy is:
Console Root/(Local or Global) Policy/(Computer or User Configuration)/
Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Internet Explorer/Security
Features/Add-on Management
>From there, you should be able to block each add-on through its GUID.
The Toolbar's GUID is {2318C2B1-4965-11d4-9B18-009027A5CD4F}.
2. You mentioned not wanting students to install the Toobar because it
shrinks the usable area of the screen. More than preventing the
installation of just the Toolbar, you may want to prevent the
installation of all IE BHO's in general. These can be disabled through
group policy in the admin console. There's an IE key that disables
BHO's at:
Console Root/(Local or Global) Policy/(Computer or User Configuration)/
Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Internet Explorer/Internet
Control Panel/Advanced Page/Allow third-party browser extensions
Setting that to "Disabled" will prevent all BHO's from launching.
And for any network admins out there concerned with privacy but who
still want to enable the Toolbar, you should be able to disable
features like PageRank or AutoLink through the group policy file
(that's the .ADM file that's included with the Toolbar for
Enterprise).
Cheers,
Kiku
---[FROM GOOGLE GROUPS]---------------------------------------

Option 1 actually sound quite good, Option 2 will likely disable way too much – some things actually need to install browser additions (certificates for public signature, banking add-ins, PDF readers/printers and many other)..

When I have the time I will take a further look at it.

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USMT 4 (Win7) now with afterburner

I was just brushing up on USMT (User state migration toolkit), and it would appear that a new cool version has been released, in conjunction with MDT 2010  (Microsoft Deployment Toolkit) it offers USMT using hardlinks.

The point is that data does not need to be backed up to an external USB disk or network drive, it will be stored in a protected area of the harddisk during installation and then afterwards just linked via hardlinks..  This speed’s things up tremendously (normally a USMT could take from 30 min – 1 hour, but here we are talking minutes)..

In this example it was an XP migration to Windows 7, I may also need XP -> XP migration so it will be interesting to see if this is also possible..

See more here;
http://edge.technet.com/Media/User-State-Migration-with-Windows-7/

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=e263796c-c7e4-44d6-96dd-32e821c88a25

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=e90ebead-7b48-4d1e-9461-be5f07b83468

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=696dd665-9f76-4177-a811-39c26d3b3b34

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Using Group Policy Preferences to control multiple BGinfo scripts

I just stumbled across this interesting article “Using Group Policy Preferences to control multiple BGinfo scripts” during a search, this may indeed be worth a closer look.

http://www.fr3d.org/2010/03/using-group-policy-prefs-to-control-bginfo-scripts/

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