Obscurum per Obscurius
Explaining the obscure by means of the more obscure
How to Configure and Use a PowerShell Profile
When you open a PowerShell window to perform some work all the aliases, functions and variables you...
Author: DCBaker Date: 11/19/2014
PowerShell Script to Query UserAccountControl Flags
One of the services I provide as a Premier Field Engineer is performing health and security...
Author: DCBaker Date: 03/30/2014
List of Rollup Updates for Windows 8/8.1 & Windows Server 2012 / 2012 R2
I put this list together for a couple of customers who were asking for the latest Service Pack for...
Author: DCBaker Date: 02/03/2014
The Best MMC Keyboard shortcut ever!
I was reading an internal email thread today and one of my peers mentioned he used to use a keyboard...
Author: DCBaker Date: 01/03/2014
How to Modify Security Inheritance on Active Directory Objects using PowerShell
A couple of weeks ago I was working with a customer analyzing a number of user accounts affected by...
Author: DCBaker Date: 12/30/2013
How to update the list of Name Servers on a DNS Zone with a Script
I was working with a customer this week doing some Active Directory cleanup tasks. We were...
Author: DCBaker Date: 12/16/2013
How to find user accounts with Kerberos preauthentication disabled.
One of my duties as a Premier Field Engineer is to perform Active Directory Risk Assessments (aka...
Author: DCBaker Date: 10/28/2013
Understanding and Managing the Certificate Stores Used for Smart Card Logon
Recently I was onsite helping a customer clean up some certificates related to smart card logon. One...
Author: DCBaker Date: 10/18/2013
How to Determine Which DNS Server(s) Have Scavenging Enabled Using PowerShell
One of my duties as a Microsoft Premier Field Engineer (PFE) is to make sure the products a customer...
Author: DCBaker Date: 08/03/2013
How to run DCDIAG and NETDIAG on Multiple Computers Using a Batch File
I was onsite with a customer this week reviewing their Active Directory configuration. During the...
Author: DCBaker Date: 03/07/2013
Windows 8 Start Screen–Don’t Panic and Don’t Believe the Hype
I work as a Microsoft Premier Field Engineer (PFE). Every week I'm at a different customer...
Author: DCBaker Date: 12/14/2012
Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8 Available
The RSAT tools for Windows 8 client are now available here:...
Author: DCBaker Date: 11/28/2012
Windows Compatibility Center
Use the link below to visit the Windows Compatibility Center to determine which hardware devices...
Author: DCBaker Date: 11/06/2012
Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro
For a Limited Time – download Windows 8 Pro for $39.99! To upgrade to Windows 8 Pro, you must be...
Author: DCBaker Date: 11/05/2012
The story behind the Windows Phone 8 Start screen
I ran across a great article this weekend that describes the decisions that went into the Windows...
Author: DCBaker Date: 11/05/2012
Free ebook: Introducing Windows 8
Free PDF version of the ebook “Introducing Windows 8: An Overview for IT Professionals...
Author: DCBaker Date: 11/02/2012
Windows Server 2008–Sync DSRM with Domain Account
I stumbled across this KB article recently and thought it looked interesting. I need to try...
Author: DCBaker Date: 10/07/2012
WSUS Update to Enable Patching of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012
A new update has been released that will allow existing WSUS 3.0 SP2 servers to patch our latest...
Author: DCBaker Date: 08/24/2012
How to Determine GPO Precedence When Using GPMC/GPRESULT
A question I get from customers time to time is “which GPO has the highest precedence”...
Author: DCBaker Date: 08/22/2012
Windows 8 Enterprise Features
I read a good article today on Windows 8 Enterprise features on the Windows Team Blog. I’m...
Author: DCBaker Date: 08/08/2012
KMS Update to Support Windows 8 / Windows Server 2012
There is an update available that allows your KMS server to activate Windows 8 and Windows Server...
Author: DCBaker Date: 08/06/2012
How to Query Active Directory to Determine the Schema Version
You can query Active Directory to determine the schema version as shown below. Replace...
Author: DCBaker Date: 07/03/2012
Active Directory Replication Status Tool
Microsoft has released a nice free utility named “Active Directory Replication Status Tool”. ...
Author: DCBaker Date: 06/23/2012
New SkyDrive Application is Available
The new SkyDrive application was released today. I was part of the beta test group and I can...
Author: DCBaker Date: 04/23/2012
Backing Up MMC Settings
One of the things I hate about switching computers is losing all my customized MMC settings...
Author: DCBaker Date: 02/01/2012
How to Back Up Active Directory Objects Using LDIFDE
There are times when you need to modify or delete objects in Active Directory (AD) in order to...
Author: DCBaker Date: 01/08/2012
How to Create Custom Active Directory LDAP Searches
A nice feature in Windows Server Active Directory is the ability for an administrator to create...
Author: DCBaker Date: 10/24/2011
Testing Global Catalog Server Connectivity
Occasionally I'll run into a situation where a workstation hangs or fails when trying to retrieve...
Author: DCBaker Date: 01/28/2011
Windows Phone 7 - So far so good....
The reviews are coming in and so far the reviews have been positive. Most of the positive press is...
Author: DCBaker Date: 10/23/2010
Windows Live Essentials 2011 is Now Available
Windows Live Essentials is a collection of free programs you can download to enhance your Windows 7...
Author: DCBaker Date: 10/03/2010
Windows Phone 7–Released To Manufacturing!
It won’t be much longer until the Windows Phone 7 hits the streets! More details can be found...
Author: DCBaker Date: 09/02/2010
ZDNet Likes Windows Phone 7
I read a very informative article on ZDNet tonight written by Matthew Miller. Matthew was given a...
Author: DCBaker Date: 07/19/2010
Windows 7 Taskbar / Progress Bar
This morning I was re-introduced to a feature I had forgotten about. The icons on the WIndows 7...
Author: DCBaker Date: 05/23/2010
Customizing "SendTo" Context Menu
I spend a lot of time helping people troubleshoot problems. In many cases the work consists of...
Author: DCBaker Date: 01/31/2010
Windows 7 GodMode?
I came across an interesting article on CNET today about some undocumented tweaks available in...
Author: DCBaker Date: 01/07/2010
WIndows 7 Tips & Tricks - A Few more
I found a few more features I think people will find useful: Win+Tab activates the "ferris wheel" of...
Author: DCBaker Date: 12/23/2009
Windows 7 Tip and Tricks - A Must Read!
As a Microsoft employee I have been using Windows 7 since the early internal betas. I have been...
Author: DCBaker Date: 11/19/2009
Favorites syncing on Windows Live Toolbar temporarily turned off... Missing Favorites? Don't Panic! (resolved, sync enabled)
More information can be found at this link -...
Author: DCBaker Date: 11/08/2009
Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft Security Essentials released yesterday. Microsoft Security Essentials is a free* download...
Author: DCBaker Date: 09/30/2009
Windows 7 Release is Less than a month Away...
Windows 7 officially goes on sale October 22, 2009. Many people installed the beta and RC versions...
Author: DCBaker Date: 09/27/2009
Who Is Logged In?
A few months back one of my customers was trying use RDP to connect to a large number of desktop...
Author: DCBaker Date: 08/09/2009
Cool Gadget - USB to Ethernet Network Adapter
I was traveling last week and found myself without Internet connectivity in my hotel room. If there...
Author: DCBaker Date: 06/20/2009
Windows 7 Release Candidate: Download instructions
The Windows 7 Release Candidate is available for download "free" (see previous post). In Microsoft...
Author: DCBaker Date: 05/20/2009
Like the NRBQ Song Says - "Ain't No Free"
I saw this post on the Genuine Windows Blog site today Pirated Windows 7 RC builds a botnet. So let...
Author: DCBaker Date: 05/19/2009
Script Disclaimer
The sample scripts provided here are not supported under any Microsoft standard support program or...
Author: DCBaker Date: 05/15/2009
How To Burn ISO Images to Media Using DVDBURN and CDBURN Utilities
Sites that distribute software like MSDN and TechNet make it possible to download ISO images of...
Author: DCBaker Date: 05/07/2009
Hyper-V Error "cannot connect to the virtual machine because the authentication certificate is expired"
This error appeared on one of my Hyper-V servers this morning. A search of TechNet revealed that...
Author: DCBaker Date: 05/04/2009
Group Policy Resources
In the last couple of weeks I have been working with customers on GPO implementations. One of the...
Author: DCBaker Date: 04/30/2009