The Shell: extension or command can be used to open various special folders using the Run dialog / box. To get an overview / a list of the available, well, let’s call them special folders, open RegEdit.exe and navigate to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions

There’s another hidden, not so well known Shell trick. I’ve written about it a few month ago, you can find it here. It’s about how to show all (normally you won’t see all) Tasks/Applets in the Windows Control Panel.

List of Shell: Command in Windows

Shell: commands in Windows 7

In addition to the most of the shell commands in Windows Vista, Windows 7 also has these new commands in addition:

• shell:Libraries
• shell:MusicLibrary
• shell:VideosLibrary
• shell:OtherUsersFolder
• shell:Device Metadata Store
• shell:PublicSuggestedLocations
• shell:SuggestedLocations
• shell:RecordedTVLibrary
• shell:UserProgramFiles
• shell:DocumentsLibrary
• shell:User Pinned
• shell:UsersLibrariesFolder
• shell:PicturesLibrary
• shell:ImplicitAppShortcuts
• shell:UserProgramFilesCommon
• shell:Ringtones
• shell:CommonRingtones

Shell: commands in Windows Vista

• shell:Common Programs
• shell:GameTasks
• shell:UserProfiles
• shell:MyComputerFolder
• shell:SyncSetupFolder
• shell:DpapiKeys
• shell:SamplePlaylists
• shell:Favorites
• shell:My Video
• shell:SearchHomeFolder
• shell:System
• shell:CommonVideo
• shell:SyncResultsFolder
• shell:LocalizedResourcesDir
• shell:Cookies
• shell:Original Images
• shell:CommonMusic
• shell:My Pictures
• shell:Cache
• shell:Downloads
• shell:CommonDownloads
• shell:AppData
• shell:SyncCenterFolder
• shell:My Music
• shell:ConflictFolder
• shell:SavedGames
• shell:InternetFolder
• shell:Quick Launch
• shell:SystemCertificates
• shell:Contacts
• shell:TreePropertiesFolder
• shell:Profile
• shell:Start Menu
• shell:Common AppData
• shell:PhotoAlbums
• shell:ConnectionsFolder
• shell:Administrative Tools
• shell:PrintersFolder
• shell:Default Gadgets
• shell:ProgramFilesX86
• shell:Searches
• shell:Common Startup
• shell:ControlPanelFolder
• shell:SampleVideos
• shell:SendTo
• shell:ResourceDir
• shell:ProgramFiles
• shell:CredentialManager
• shell:PrintHood
• shell:MAPIFolder
• shell:CD Burning
• shell:AppUpdatesFolder
• shell:Common Start Menu
• shell:LocalAppDataLow
• shell:Templates
• shell:Gadgets
• shell:Programs
• shell:Recent
• shell:SampleMusic
• shell:Desktop
• shell:CommonPictures
• shell:RecycleBinFolder
• shell:CryptoKeys
• shell:Common Templates
• shell:Startup
• shell:Links
• shell:OEM Links
• shell:SamplePictures
• shell:Common Desktop
• shell:NetHood
• shell:Games
• shell:Common Administrative Tools
• shell:NetworkPlacesFolder
• shell:SystemX86
• shell:History
• shell:AddNewProgramsFolder
• shell:Playlists
• shell:ProgramFilesCommonX86
• shell:PublicGameTasks
• shell:ChangeRemoveProgramsFolder
• shell:Public
• shell:Common Documents
• shell:CSCFolder
• shell:Local AppData
• shell:Windows
• shell:UsersFilesFolder
• shell:ProgramFilesCommon
• shell:Fonts
• shell:Personal

Shell: commands in Windows XP

• shell:Common Programs
• shell:Favorites
• shell:My Video
• shell:System
• shell:CommonVideo
• shell:LocalizedResourcesDir
• shell:Cookies
• shell:My Pictures
• shell:Cache
• shell:AppData
• shell:My Music
• shell:InternetFolder
• shell:Profile
• shell:Start Menu
• shell:Common AppData
• shell:ConnectionsFolder
• shell:Administrative Tools
• shell:PrintersFolder
• shell:ProgramFiles
• shell:Common Startup
• shell:ControlPanelFolder
• shell:SendTo
• shell:ResourceDir
• shell:ProgramFiles
• shell:PrintHood
• shell:CD Burning
• shell:Common Start Menu
• shell:Templates
• shell:Programs
• shell:Recent
• shell:Desktop
• shell:CommonPictures
• shell:RecycleBinFolder
• shell:Common Templates
• shell:Startup
• shell:Common Desktop
• shell:NetHood
• shell:Common Administrative Tools
• shell:SystemX86
• shell:History
• shell:Common Documents
• shell:Local AppData
• shell:Windows
• shell:Fonts
• shell:Personal

Note: DiskShadow.exe is not supported on Windows Server 2003 / Windows Vista!

Here are the commands for diskshadow to back up the VHD using VSS (its kicks off vss inside the VM so the data is consistent)

Go to cmd prompt:

diskshadow.exe
set context persistent
add volume d: alias ddrive
set verbose on
create
expose %ddrive% y:

This will take a VSS snapshop of my D drive (where my vhd lives) and then mounts it as drive letter Y: Now copy the contents of Y: to a safe place. When your done you can delete the snapshop and unmount Y:
Delete Shadows Volume D:

unexpose y:

The following sequence generates a shadow copy on volume D: that remains even after the end of the program but not on the file system as "previous version" is available. Theoretically, you could run this script periodically.

set context persistent
begin backup
add volume e:
create
end backup

The Fact that shadow copies for this volume are in use can also be seen in explorer. Right-click the drive D: and go to Shadow Copies

To list the shadow just use

List Shadows

and to expose a specific shadow

expose {ShadowCopyId} V:

don’t forget to discard / unexpose the drive when done!

unexpose V:

Links

DiskShadow Documentation @Microsoft Technet

Until today, i’ve never thought of SC.exe to delete a Windows Service. Is it so easy? it is!

To delete a Windows Service using Service Control SC.exe just do a:

SC DELETE “Service Name”

Jup, that’s it!

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)

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);
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
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.

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.

LINKS

Tools to configure client computers in Office 2010

Configure and deploy volume activation of Office 2010

How to troubleshoot Volume Activation error codes on Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista-based computers

Volume Activation Tips and Tricks

Microsoft Office 2010 Beta Key Management Services (KMS) Host Setup

Office 2010 KMS Aktivierung (German, but with pictures

Have you ever wondered exactly how Windows is assigning physical memory, how much file data is cached in RAM, or how much RAM is used by the kernel and device drivers? RAMMap makes answering those questions easy. RAMMap is an advanced physical memory usage analysis utility for Windows Vista and higher.

RAMMap presents usage information in different ways on its several different tabs:

• Use Counts: usage summary by type and paging list
• Processes: process working set sizes
• Priority Summary: prioritized standby list sizes
• Physical Pages: per-page use for all physical memory
• Physical Ranges: physical memory addresses
• File Summary: file data in RAM by file
• File Details: individual physical pages by file

Use RAMMap to gain understanding of the way Windows manages memory, to analyze application memory usage, or to answer specific questions about how RAM is being allocated. RAMMap’s refresh feature enables you to update the display and it includes support for saving and loading memory snapshots.

For definitions of the labels RAMMap uses as well as to learn about the physical-memory allocation algorithms used by the Windows memory manager, please see Windows Internals, 5^th Edition.

Screenshots

Links

RAMMap v1.0 by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell

Download RAMMap (Link)

If you are Installing Microsoft TFS 2010 RC or RTM, you may notice after the installation a warning that IISRESET failed.  The warning instructs you to run it manually.  Running it manually results in the same error:

The system cannot find the file specified. (2147942402, 80070002)

IISRESET failing is not a problem for TFS, but nevertheless you may want to address this.  To fix it, open Add / Remove Programs (appwiz.cpl) and run Repair on the .NET 4.0 Client component.  This requires a reboot.

Screenshot (this is not an error of this page

To unlock the the file, just right-click it in explorer and chose properties. Under Genereal you’ll find an unlock button

that’s it. Now you can open the and read the file as usual..

Today, most companies disable the Windows Firewall. Why? i think this has several reasons. One reason probably is that they think the LAN is safe and there is no need for a Firewall – negligent! Other reasons might be: laziness, missing understanding / know how, too less time.. Ok, in this post i want to write down some of my own experiences when managing the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security (WFAS) but also i want to show you, that there are easy ways to manage the WFAS using the Netsh command line tool.

Note: Whenever you want to switch to the graphical user interface you can just call the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security MMC using:

wf.msc

To start getting an overview of your current firewall settings i recommend opening a command prompt (cmd.exe) and type netsh. This will start the NetSh command line tool.

netsh

Then switch to the Firewall context just type AdvFirewall (note: ‘Netsh Firewall’ is depreciated. Firewall is now in sub context to AdvFirewall starting Windows Vista or Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008 (R2)– I’m not absolutely sure).

Now type show allprofiles to list the three firewall profiles (Domain Profile, Private Profile and Public Profile).

Now switch to the Firewall Context type Firewall. Well, this might be a bit confusing. I think this is because Microsoft had to keep the existing Firewall context from legacy systems like Windows XP SP2+ so they had to put the existing Firewall context below the AdvFirewall context ..

netsh AdvFirewall Firewall

To list all existing rules type: show rule name=all

To export all the rules to a textfile type

C:\>netsh advfirewall firewall show rule name=all >c:\temp\fwRules.txt

Let’s say you want to allow File and Printer Sharing for a few specific IP Addresses:

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule name="File and Printer Sharing (NB-Session-In)" new enable=yes remoteip=192.168.0.1,192.168.0.100

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule name="File and Printer Sharing (NB-Name-In)" new enable=yes remoteip=192.168.0.1,192.168.0.100

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule name="File and Printer Sharing (NB-Datagram-In)" new enable=yes remoteip=192.168.0.1,192.168.0.100

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule name="File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request - ICMPv4-In)" new enable=yes remoteip=192.168.0.1,192.168.0.100

To allow ping replies (enable echo / ICMP requests)

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="All ICMP V4" dir=in action=allow protocol=icmpv4

i might update this post with additional rules etc when i find the time .. feel free to comment!

Links

Netsh AdvFirewall Firewall Command @technet

How to use the "netsh advfirewall firewall" context instead of the "netsh firewall" context to control Windows Firewall behavior in Windows Server 2008 and in Windows Vista

Michael’s website is a way to look back into the days of Windows 3.1 without having to install a thing. It’s a site that emulates the operating system, allowing you to explore it as if you had it installed on your own computer. However, there are a notable differences. The browser isn’t really the same as it was back then, you don’t actually get to experience the boot up process, and Windows 3.1 didn’t come with links to all of Michael’s websites. Still, it’s a great little emulator.

Go ahead; try out Microsoft’s never-too-old-to-forget, right-click-lacking version of Windows. . Oh, and to make it even better… Minesweeper works (see proof below). Just don’t try the simultaneous right and left click trick. That’ll throw you out of the emulator.

Requirements:

"Best viewed in Firefox 3.
IE 8, 7, and 6 acceptable.
Resolution of 1024×768 or greater recommended."

You can check out Michael’s Windows 3.1 emulator at michaelv.org.

Using the Control Panel, you can change settings for Windows. These settings control almost everything on display and functionality of Windows and they allow you to set up Windows to suit your requirements. The Panel, in my opinion, should be used only if there is a need, as a user and an awareness of the effects of the settings. Otherwise, I always recommend asking an experienced PC users for advice and help (something like what I do so even if my car as something wrong with the electrics).

Compared to Vista when Windows 7 has not only changed the face a lot. The Panel has some modifications. Open the Control Panel by first clicking the Start button and then click Control Panel.

To search for the desired panel element has the following two methods:

1. Using the search

To find an interesting setting for you, or a task that you want to run, type a word or a keyword in the search box which can be found in the upper right corner. For example, type ‘sound’ to find all tasks related with settings for the sound card, system sounds and the volume control in the taskbar.

2. Browse

You can browse the Control Panel by clicking on various categories.

Tip

When you browse the Control Panel, you can quickly jump to an item in the list by typing the first few letters of the items name. To switch to settings related to ‘sound’, just type sou. The first panel item that begins with the letters sou i then selected in the window. You can of course also use the arrow key (up, down, left, right) to navigate through the Control Panel items.

When you open the Control Panel in Windows 7, it will be open by default in Category View, with about 30 choices, the system or adapt to penetrate deeper into the categories of the Control Panel. Toggle the view to be ‘Small Icons’ to, so be delivered to an already 55 customization options for different tasks. Oliver Scheer wrote in his diary for Windows 7 a detailed article about the panel, more than worth a look: T-36: Control Panel

Secret Windows control center or secret control panel?

In the Internet it is often pointed to a tip that will unlock a secret control center or secret panel in Windows Vista and Windows 7.
It is often said that one or the other element of this Panel, in the normal way would never get to see.. now you can decide on your own, wheter these rumours are true or not..

To see all available Control Panel items, just use this string..

shell:::{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

Open an Explorer Window and copy/paste this string in the address bar

you can also copy/paste it in the run dialog or just press the Windows Key once and paste it there..

This will open ‘a hidden/very secret’ All Tasks window:

Alternatively you can create a folder called ‘All Tasks’ to open the All Tasks window..

The name of the folder must be ‘All Tasks.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}’. When you hit the enter key to save the folder, the string {ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} will disappear.

Questions/Comments? feel free to write..