Orange Deuce Rider

Getting an Online IT Degree in Singapore

2011-10-27T23:28:00.001+08:00

My close friends and colleagues will know that I always look for courses to upgrade myself. Now that my CISCO and Project Management certifications have expired, I am looking for courses to attend. After a round of searching, I decided to go for CISSP certification and an additional degree course to add to my collection. It occurred to me during my search that the Universities and Education

Running Windows 8 on VM

2011-09-30T21:55:00.001+08:00

Past few months were really exciting with all the System Center 2012 testing and this month was even more exciting with Windows 8 preview. I presented SCCM 2012 technical overview to Singapore Windows User Group, http://sgwindowsgroup.org/blogs/swug/archive/2011/09/08/september-2011-newsletter.aspx and it was well received! Now is time to get started with Windows Server 8! If you are just like

Hyper-V on Windows 8 Client

2011-09-08T16:12:00.001+08:00

It is such a good news to hear that Microsoft will include Hyper-V in Windows 8 client OS. Hyper-V requires a 64-bit system that has Second Level Address Translation (SLAT) in the current generation of 64 bit processors by Intel and AMD, and at least 4GB of RAM. This enables you to run multiple test environments and provide a simple mechanism to quickly switch between these environments without

Redirect a user profile to a network storage

2011-07-17T21:09:00.001+08:00

Enterprise Security is always a hot topic and there are so many areas to cover in terms of Enterprise Security. Personally, I think of two areas at a very high level. The End-Point and the Network. These are two areas to begin with if you want to start focusing on Enterprise Security. I will begin a series of blog post on Enterprise Security in the coming weeks, months or years. This is the

Microsoft shows off early peek at Windows Server 8

2011-07-13T22:33:00.001+08:00

Today Microsoft provided a brief peek at Windows Server 8. Mary-Jo Foley blogs about it live from WPC. Check out her blog post here. In summary, three points were covered at WPC. 16+ virtual processors within a Hyper-V VM. The team did a demo on a 16 virtual processor machine under heavy load. Note that 16 virtual processor is not the limit! Hyper-V Replica. This is something very interesting

MICROSOFT HYPER-V SERVER 2008 R2 SP1 RELEASED!

2011-04-13T13:40:00.001+08:00

The good news just keeps coming and we’re pleased to keep the momentum rolling with the latest release of our rock stable, feature rich, standalone Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1! For those who need a refresher on Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2, it includes key features based on customer feedback such as: Live Migration High Availability with Failover Clustering

Now you get Microsoft iSCSI Target for FREE!

2011-04-06T09:25:00.001+08:00

Are one of those IT Pros whom need a SAN but don’t have the budget to pay for one? You like to deploy Hyper-V clusters for the benefits of LM and HA? You can now build your own SAN box by installing Microsoft iSCSI software target on a Windows Server 2008 R2 system. Read about the announcement here.

Introducing Attack Surface Analyzer

2011-03-29T10:13:00.003+08:00

Chance upon this interesting security tool that I like to share with you. Attack Surface Analyzer is a verification tool by Microsoft to catalog changes in system state, runtime parameters, and securable objects on the Windows OS. This analysis helps identify any increase in attack surface that is caused by installing applications. Because Attack Surface Analyzer does not require source code or

Microsoft Virtual Academy is Launch!

2011-03-28T15:34:00.003+08:00

Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) is a new training and learning resource site to help train IT Pros on Cloud Services. Check it out!! MVA

System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 SP1 is available now

2011-03-25T16:24:00.004+08:00

SCVMM 2008 R2 SP1 was released today.Check it out here.New features includes.Dynamic Memory:Better utilization of memory resources on a Hyper-V host.Allows administrators to create and deploy Virtual Machines and report on the "currently in use" memory.More efficient utilization of memory, consistent performance and higher consolidation ratios.Microsoft RemoteFX:Allows administrators to create

Virtual Machine Folder ACL access denied

2010-05-15T14:33:00.002+08:00

I upgraded a Windows 2008 Hyper-V server to R2 and one of the virtual machine failed to start with error “Account does not have sufficient priviledge to open attachment “” (0x80070005). (Virtual machine ID )”.Hyper-V could not read the virtual machine files due to ACL issues. Added SYSTEM account, etc does not work as Hyper-V has it’s own Service SID “NT VIRTUAL

Hosting Windows 7 VHD on Virtual PC

2010-04-19T14:06:00.002+08:00

Follow up to my earlier post to convert your Windows 7 physical computer to virtual. Let’s create a Virtual Machine on Virtual PC to run your Windows 7 VHD.First, you need to have your Windows Virtual PC installed. And get ready your Windows 7 DVD or ISO image.1. Open Windows Virtual PC and click on Create Virtual Machine. 2. Give your Virtual Machine a meaningful name and specify the location to

Converting your Windows 7 computer to VHD

2010-04-16T18:53:00.002+08:00

Here I am working on a project to convert my Windows 7 laptop to a VHD. With this VHD I can keep my workspace regardless of hardware as long as I am able to boot from a VPC.It also proves to be a good way to backup your computer while keeping your programs and files the way they are. You can always use a cloning tool to restore the VHD to your hard disk.There are a few tools we need:1. Disk2vhd –

vSphere vs XenServer vs Hyper-V

2010-03-26T21:27:00.001+08:00

For those of you trying to compare the different hypervisors, this is one good link to help you. http://www.projectvrc.com/ Project VRC released an interesting whitepaper analyzing Terminal Services workloads running on the latest generation hardware and hypervisors in the market. Happy reading!!

Windows XP Mode no longer requires Hardware Virtualization Technology

2010-03-19T15:13:00.002+08:00

This must be a great piece of news for users who’s computer does not supports Hardware Virtualization Technology. This is also good news for small and medium enterprise. Now you can migrate to Windows 7 and still able to support Windows XP-based applications in Windows XP Mode.You have to install this update package KB977206 to enable Windows XP mode on non HAV machines.http://

Adding Trusted Sites to Internet Explorer using GPO

2010-03-03T17:43:00.002+08:00

For those of you whom wanted to customize the Internet Explorer settings for your clients, you should check out IEAK – Internet Explorer Administration Kit.In this post, I will illustrate a simple scenario where an organization with Active Directory wants to add Trusted Sites to users’ Internet Explorer settings using GPO.Before we start doing anything, please note that on Windows Server 2003 and

App-V 4.6 RTM and MED-V v1 SP1 RC now available

2010-03-02T22:30:00.002+08:00

Microsoft released App-V 4.6 and MED-V v1 SP1 RC on the 23 Feb 2010 as part of MDOP 2010. You can download App-V 4.6 from TechNet and MSDN. You can download MED-V v1 SP1 RC from Connect while we awaits the final release which is expected to come in April 2010.Please read about it on The Official MDOP Blog here.

Linux Integration Components for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V

2010-02-04T21:33:00.001+08:00

This latest version 2 of Linux IC for Hyper-V was released on 29 Jan 2010. Supported Host Operating Systems includes Windows Server 2008, WIndows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008, and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2. Supported Guest Operating Systems includes: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP2 x86 and x64 (1 vCPU) SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 x86 and x64 (1 vCPU) Red Hat

Create a Multiboot System for Windows 7

2010-01-18T17:49:00.001+08:00

This is a nice way to have Windows 7 if you like to keep your existing version of Windows. This article is on Technet Magazine. Have fun with your multiboot Windows 7. Click here.

Infrastructure Planning and Design Guides for Virtualization (IPD Guides)

2010-01-10T17:11:00.002+08:00

Microsoft released an updated series of IDP guides which covers Windows Server 2008 R2.If you are trying to find out more before deploying your virtualization projects or you are looking for some guides that can get you up to speed quickly to start planning, then these IPD guides are the right documents you need.The Infrastructure Planning and Design guide series gives you architectural guidance

Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tools

2010-01-06T16:48:00.003+08:00

Microsoft released this Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool 2.1 that allows you to perform operating system updates to your offline virtual machines that are stored in your Microsoft System Center Virtual Manager library.This is helpful in keeping your offline virtual machines up-to-date so that when you create a new virtual machines from your selected library, you can confidently bring it

Considerations when hosting Active Directory Domain Controllers on Virtual Machines

2009-12-04T11:59:00.002+08:00

Just to share my experience on this topic, it mean be good to take these points into considerations when you are planning to deploy a domain controller on a Hyper-V machine.Point number 1:As a precaution, do not take snapshot of a Active Directory Domain Controller Virtual Machine. This is to prevent accidental or unplanned roll back of your Active Directory contents. Remember a snapshot is not a

Upgrading Active Directory Domain Service to Windows 2008 R2

2009-12-03T13:55:00.001+08:00

I know this might mean just running adprep /forestprep to most of you. But with Windows 2008 R2 shipped in 64bit, it does create some challenge to my 32bit FSMO roles Domain Controllers. If your FSMO role masters are currently running 32bit Windows Servers, you can still upgrade your schema to R2. You can use adprep32.exe command for 32bit machines. Cheers. :)

Misleading report on Black Screen of Death.

2009-12-03T13:52:00.001+08:00

I would like to bring your attention to inaccurate stories following a report by a British company claiming that customers who deployed the Windows 7 November Security updates have experienced the so-called “Black Screens” that would render the system unbootable and unusable due to changes in the registry. Here’s the background for your reference: Microsoft has found these reports to be

Exchange 2010 Mailbox Server Role Requirements Calculator

2009-11-12T01:46:00.001+08:00

Here I am at Sin City, Las Vegas. What a experience I must admit!! All this made possible by my boss, Steve Krems, without him I would not be what I am today. I would not have such opportunities to learn and do so much. He has guide me very well. Thank you Steve. Exchange 2010 was officially RTM on 9 Nov 2009, cool. I attended a session by Ross Smith and Ross released this very useful tool that

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7

2009-11-04T11:29:00.001+08:00

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 is a handy companion for IT administrators to remote managed their servers. I am going to show you how I use it to remote managed my Hyper-V server host. Here is the download link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7d2f6ad7-656b-4313-a005-4e344e43997d&displaylang=en Installation is simple – Accept the agreement. And

Virtual PC Technet Blog

2009-10-06T11:37:00.001+08:00

Microsoft Virtualization Team started a Windows Virtual PC blog that is managed by Prasad Saripalli, Principal Program Manager. You can find great deal of information on the latest developments, tools and tricks on Windows Virtual PC and XP mode!! Check it out!! http://blogs.technet.com/windows_vpc/

Migrating Redhat Linux 4 VM from Virtual Server 2005 to Hyper-V R2

2009-10-06T10:20:00.002+08:00

The release of Hyper-V R2 prompted me to plan for upgrades of my virtual servers. Now upgrading from Hyper-V to Hyper-V R2 is no big feat. However, if you have Linux virtual machines on Virtual Server 2005 running on Windows 2003 Server, then inplace upgrade is not an option.So my plan was to move my virtual machines from Virtual Server 2005 to another Hyper-V R2 server then upgrade my existing

Introducing Microsoft Security Essentials

2009-10-01T23:34:00.001+08:00

Microsoft introduced an antivirus protection product FREE for home PC users. http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/ To qualify, you have to be using Genuine Copies of Windows Operating Systems (XP SP2 and SP3, Vista SP1 and SP2, and Windows 7). Installation is simple too. Just four clicks and installation completes. First click, Next to proceed on from Welcome Screen. Second click

Microsoft TechNet Flash Singapore – Connect Now and Win! Promotion

2009-08-21T17:44:00.001+08:00

http://geeksengaged.com/blogs/geeksengaged/archive/2009/08/06/microsoft-technet-flash-singapore-connect-now-and-win-promotion.aspx Simply subscribe to TechNet Flash Singapore e-newsletter today! TechNet Flash delivers the latest IT news, security bulletins, product updates and more - directly to your inbox. You will be one of the first to get your hands on the latest downloads, live

New on Start Menu - “Recent” list

2009-08-17T14:26:00.001+08:00

A week after using Windows 7 on my office laptop, I start to like the changes on Start Menu. For example, I am using Remote Desktop Connection a lot, so when I click on Start menu, I see the recent history of servers I connect to. This is application related, it will work on Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office applications, etc. When you click on the application, you will see a small right arrow

Installing Redhat Linux 5.3 on Hyper-V with Linux Integration Components v2 RC2

2009-08-14T15:09:00.002+08:00

It has been a real busy week with Windows 7 RTM and with Windows 2008 R2 releasing soon, there are so many new features to try out. Well, as work requires, I have the opportunity to try setup Redhat Linux 5.3 on Hyper-V with the new release of Linux Integration Components v2 RC2.The LinuxICs are available for download on http://connect.microsoft.com. The Linux Integration Components Readme.pdf

Windows XP mode for Windows 7

2009-08-12T11:24:00.002+08:00

Windows XP Mode is one cool piece that you must have on Windows7. I download and installed it on my Windows 7 notebook and likes what I see.What is Windows XP Mode?Windows XP Mode provides a virtual Windows XP environment for Windows 7. It works with Windows Virtual PC and loads up an intelligently pre-configured Windows XP machine that runs on your Windows 7 so perfectly that you would thought

Doing an upgrade of Vista to Windows 7

2009-08-11T11:18:00.002+08:00

Having tested Windows 7 installation using clean install method previously, now I decided to do an upgrade of my daily work notebook to Windows 7. I decided that my Dell VOSTRO 1400 with 4GB of memory is good enough for the upgrade path. And choosing the upgrade path will saved me the efforts to reinstall most of my applications and migration of my documents.So let me share with you my experience

Linux Integration Components (v2 RC2) for Hyper-V

2009-08-06T11:09:00.002+08:00

You can now download the release candidate 2 of Linux integration components for Hyper-V from connect site.https://connect.microsoft.com/SelfNomination.aspx?ProgramID=1863&pageType=1&SiteID=495These integration components support the following versions of Linux:Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2 (x86/x64) Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 (x86/x64) SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP2 (x86/x64) The Linux ICs

Windows Virtual PC RC and Windows XP Mode RC

2009-08-05T16:42:00.002+08:00

Windows Virtual PC RC and Windows XP Mode RC installers are available on http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=140344.There are numerous feature improvements and I strongly believe you will be interested in these improvements.Feature Improvements in Windows Virtual PC RC and Windows XP Mode RC· Granular drive sharingIn the settings on the virtual machine, you can select specific host computer

New Blog on http://sgwindowsgroup.org

2009-08-03T23:11:00.001+08:00

I am starting a new blog on http://sgwindowsgroup.org/blogs/bernard Watch this blog space!!

Monitoring Hyper-V Performance

2009-07-09T15:51:00.002+08:00

For those of you who are interested in monitoring Hyper-V Performance, this article explains it!!http://blogs.msdn.com/tvoellm/archive/2009/04/23/monitoring-hyper-v-performance.aspx

Installing Hyper-V Server 2008

2009-06-29T16:39:00.004+08:00

A friend asked me how difficult is it to setup Hyper-V Server 2008 for his IT-Lab. My answer to him is "It is very simple. Just go ahead and do it!". Hyper-V Server 2008 is free!!Below are all the information that I fed him and these are enough for him to proudly setup his first Hyper-V Server 2008.Good Web Resources:1. Microsoft Hyper-V Server Home Page2. Download your Hyper-V Server ISO3.

Introduction to Active Directory

2009-06-15T18:20:00.002+08:00

This is video recording of a training session on Introduction to Active Directory that I conducted on 10 Jun 2009. Click here to view the video.Abstract and Topics are:Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), formerly known as Active Directory Directory Services, is the central location for configuration information, authentication requests, and information about all of the objects that are

Deploying Windows XP with Microsoft Deployment WorkBench

2009-05-29T09:36:00.030+08:00

Deploying Windows XP with Microsoft Deployment WorkbenchI hope this pictorial can guide you through the process of using Microsoft Deployment WorkBench (Previously known as BDD) to deploy Windows XP. I will be uploading another post to use Windows Deployment Services in Windows Server 2008 together with this deployment workbench to deploy Windows XP, Vista, 2008. Stay tuned!Download Microsoft

Exchange 2010 Beta is available now

2009-04-15T22:33:00.002+08:00

The public beta of Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, part of Microsoft's unified communications family, is now available. Exchange 2010 is the first server in a new generation of Microsoft server technology designed and developed to work on-premises and as an online service, and introduces a new integrated e-mail archive and features to reduce costs and improve the user experience.Exchange 2010

Hyper-V Security Guide

2009-04-13T12:01:00.002+08:00

This is a new solution accelerator from Microsoft, good for those of you Hyper-V users. Check it out!!This guide is designed to provide you with guidance, instructions, and recommendations to help you elevate the security of virtualized Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 environments to address your business-critical needs.The Hyper-V Security Guide focuses on three key areas and provides the

Deploy Office 2007 Compatibility Pack via Group Policy

2009-04-10T21:43:00.003+08:00

For those of you whom supports both Office 2003 and Office 2007, you will frequently be getting calls from users that they have problem opening Office 2007 files. Microsoft releases FileFormatConverters.exe to allow Office 2003 users to open Office 2007 files. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=enLet me share with you how to

Operations Manager 2007 R2 introduces new and enhanced functionality

2009-03-31T10:41:00.003+08:00

I have been a loyal fellower of Operations Manager since it's first launch as it is a great tool to help me monitor all my critical systems and servers. These new features and functionality really excites me. You should also download and try it out.Operations Manager 2007 R2 introduces key new and enhanced functionality, including:Enhanced application performance and availability across

Live Migration in the coming Hyper-V R2

2009-01-12T17:51:00.003+08:00

The new Hyper-V R2 will ship with Live migration (LM), the most requested Hyper-V feature. What it can do is moves a Virtual Machine from one node of the Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC) to another node in the same cluster in a fashion that is transparent to the clients that are connected to it. This is done with no dropped network connections, no loss of service, no perceived user

High Alert: Microsoft News - Virus as deadly as Blaster found

2009-01-09T14:16:00.001+08:00

We have received quite a number of reports of the Conficker worm making it’s rounds in Malaysia. This is not isolated to Malaysia, but is widespread throughout the world. It seems that almost all AV Vendors are having tough time dealing with it . Below is some information that will help to identify , fix and resolve the same – Note that detection & cleaning of the worm is taken into account with

A day of fun @ Sepang, Malaysia

2008-11-14T18:25:00.000+08:00

Straits TImes - Digital Life, 12 Nov 2008

2008-11-13T20:35:00.000+08:00

Hey hey...I had an interview with Straits Times, Digital Life and the article was published on 12 Nov 2008.Here is the link.http://www.straitstimes.com/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=346a77c4ffb8d110VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=2105758920e39010VgnVCM1000000a35010aRCRD

Attend the SBS/EBS Launch Webcast

2008-11-07T11:34:00.000+08:00

Learn More Essential Server SolutionsVisit the Windows Essential Server Solutions Virtual PressroomVisit the Virtual Launch Site Microsoft EmployeeAttend the Launch WebcastYou are invited to attend the “Dream Server” launch webcast of Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server 2008 – integrated server solutions designed and priced for small and midsize businesses.

Online Backup of Hyper-V Virtual Machines - Part 2

2008-10-31T18:03:00.000+08:00

These are the steps to do an online backup of your Hyper-V machines.The process comprises of three parts.1. Finding your "Microsoft Hyper-V VSS Writer" ID2. Using DiskShadow to take a snapshot of the volume that your virtual machine resides3. Copy the backup file to your destinated location1. Finding your "Microsoft Hyper-V VSS Writer" IDOn your Windows 2008 Virtual Host, run command prompt in

Online Backup of Hyper-V Virtual Machines - Part 1

2008-10-31T15:53:00.000+08:00

You must have created numerous virtual machines on your Hyper-V servers now. Ever consider how to do backup of your VMs?? Without shutting down or put your VMs on saved state?Do not misunderstood snapshot as backup. No, snapshot is a point in time image of your virtual machine. You will lost everything if you lose the base machine.There are a few methods that online backup works now.1. Use

My Virtualization work on Dennis Chung's blog

2008-10-24T15:09:00.000+08:00

I am glad that my Virtualization project on IT Pro Momentum was featured on Dennis Chung's blog. Thanks Dennis.http://pingdennis.com/references/want-that-agility-in-computing-o2micro-did-it-with-virtualization/

Migrate Virtual Machine from Virtual Server 2005 to Hyper-V

2008-10-22T18:20:00.000+08:00

This post is to illustrate how to migrate a Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Virtual Machine to Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V.My Virtual Machine is a Windows 2003 Server and I did this on a box-to-box migration. It is easy, so enjoy!Pre migration process:1. The guest systems needs to be upgraded to the latest Service Pack (Vista SP1, XP SP3, Windows 2003 SP2).2. Install Windows Server 2008 onto the

Hosting Redhat Linux Virtual Machine on Hyper-V

2008-10-22T10:57:00.000+08:00

These are the steps to setup a RedHat Linux virtual machine on Hyper-V host.I get this working with the help from other bloggers and my colleague.This post is an amended version from another blog.Pre-requisitesPlease note that I am using RHEL 5.2 x86_64 and you must have a valid RHN installation number. The RHEL VM is installed as a 64bit machine and please install all packages, meaning install