Core OS

This bug is actually kind of amusing.

If you log off Windows 2003 and get a 'roaming profile size' error dialog box, you can simply hit [Alt]-F4 twice to bypass the size limitation.

If you are an administrator looking to prevent this, you will want to grab the hotfix mentioned in this article here.

You don't want to end up like this real-world example. Sure, it was fixable, but it is definitely something to keep in mind when dealing with virtual machines.

Check out what I am talking about here.

I've written about LLTD in the past but the XP support files weren't publically available previously. With Vista RTM'd, MS has released the XP files needed to "show up" properly on the network maps.

They are better than writing a description than I can, so here is how they describe LLTD:
This package contains the Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) responder. The network map on a computer running Windows Vista shows a graphical view of the computers and devices on your network and how they are connected by using the LLTD protocol. The LLTD responder must be installed on a computer running Windows XP before it can be detected and appear on the network map. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Go here to add support to XP for LLTD.

Install the adminpak.msi like normal, and then register about 20 DLL files manually - you can get the full list here.

You'll want to grab it here. You can think of IE Protected Mode a lot like a chroot.

I finally have a Motorola Q and can use Exchange Push fulltime!

I am running an older build of Vista at home (post-RC1, pre-RC2), but I wanted to sync the PC with the new SmartPhone. If you want ActiveSync support for Vista, you'll want to grab WMDC Beta 3 here.

I've always loved to hate ActiveSync but so far WMDC seems to work out of the box as intended.

This is a fascinating thread on one of my favorite sites for laptop users. There is always a lot of useful information and download links on that message forum.

One of the more interesting aspects of this particular thread, is the "internet detective" work that has gone into tracking what the most recent XP SP2 kernel is available in hotfix form. Typically with most software packages, if the build number is higher, it will include the fixes from the earlier builds.

I know people who were having strange blue screen crashes with their Thinkpad T 60 laptops, which have dual core CPUs. With the newer kernel installed, the crashes went away.

The list of known XP SP2 kernel builds available from that message thread:

KB 896256 - Kernel 5.1.2600.2765 (29-Sep-2005)
KB 909095 - Kernel 5.1.2600.2774 (12-Oct-2005)
KB 914882 - Kernel 5.1.2600.2853 (21-Feb-2006)
KB 910623 - Kernel 5.1.2600.2868 (16-Mar-2006)
KB 889816 - Kernel 5.1.2600.2885 (12-Apr-2006)

Right now I am running the 2885 kernel on my Thinkpad and it has been running like a champ for a few days. No blue screens, and much better 'interactive' performance.

There is an AMD specific security problem with VMWare ESX 3.0. You will want to patch your systems if you are using Opterons, with patch ESX-2533126 from here.

Through a strange series of fortunate events, I received a new work laptop and a new workplace. So far, I am very impressed with the new Thinkpad T60. I know a lot has been written about how Lenovo hasn't kept the same build quality that IBM Thinkpads were known for. So far, as far as I can tell, the build quality is excellent. Frankly, I'm blown away by this laptop.

My old laptop had 2GB of RAM running XP SP2 and the new IBM has 2GB of RAM with a bunch of very cool built-in features, including Bluetooth 2.0, Sierra Wireless 1xEVDO, Intel 3945ABG 802.11 wireless, DVD burner, and a biometric fingerprint reader. The docking station/port-replicator connector is very sturdy, unlike the HP and Dell laptops I've had in the past. I have one of my older than dirt IBM Thinkpad 600E laptops sitting next to the new laptop and to steal an old evil cigarette advertising slogan, "You've come a long way, baby!"

Anyway, back to the real reason behind this entry. I always avoided the dreaded "Insufficient System Resources Exist to Complete the API" hibernate shutdown problem on my old HP laptop but the new laptop seems to have this issue. Thankfully, it is an easy fix with a download from Microsoft's site from here.

I had this error happen to me a long time ago and thought it was a fluke but apparently it is more common than I thought. It looks rather specific to HID devices using USB and BT.

KB 924941

This is getting kind of silly now. If you want the latest and greatest bug-fixed versions of the Volume Shadow Service components, which you should if you are using Backup Exec and other programs that take advantage of the subsystem, you have to request KB hotfixes 910260, 913648, and 923628.

On a good note though, Windows 2003 SP2 beta is wrapping up soon and it will have all those fixes, plus more.

You can read more about the hotfixes for VSS here.

I was searching for a clean way to disable standby today in Windows XP and bumped into an interesting Powerpoint presentation on the ACPI subsystem in Windows XP.

One of the more interesting tidbits mentioned was a 'tweak' that was added to service pack 2, that is disabled by default, which makes the ACPI subsystem a little bit more responsive when you have many devices on sharing the same interrupt as the ACPI interrupt, which I've seen happen on "crowded" systems.

If you want to enable this, do a bitwise OR of 0x00000100 at HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\ACPI\Parameters\Attributes

Most systems I've seen do not have a DWORD Attributes key, so you might have to create it.

If you have to create the key, just enter in 0x00000100 for the value since there isn't a pre-existing value to OR.

In Vista and Longhorn, this enhancement is enabled by default, so if you are already running under Vista or Longhorn, no need to apply this.

You can also read up on the massive changes the ACPI subsystem went through in Vista here.

One of the more noteworthy items in that PowerPoint, at least from an end-user perspective, is "native" screen brightness controls for laptops, as long as they have proper ACPI support. Anything that reduces the amount of programs needed to support laptop controls is a good thing in my book. I typically try to run the least amount of OEM cruft I can get away with.

Microsoft is finally putting its muscle behind virtual servers and the concept of "Live CDs" even if it is actually "Live hard drives" in a way.

You can find Windows 2003 R2, Exchange 2007, ISA 2006, and SQL 2005, ready to test, right here.

You can read about the program more here.

You can also read the general announcement and where I found out about this here.

Oh, and Vista and Office 2007 are supposed to RTM today but almost all the news sites are already reporting it, so I figured it wasn't worth mentioning.

Not to be confused with normal Windows Clustering but this is quite a setup to drool over.

Although the KB 907639 is pretty HPC/CCS 2003 specific, people that want to bind RIS (remote installation services) onto a specific NIC might want to grab the update listed there. There are also a few other addition that might come in handy for normal servers, but many of them are geared towards deploying 'slaves' in a CCS environment.