Check out this month’s newsletter from Kazmarek Technology Solutions, Inc.

From The Wild Wild Web article by Danny Kazmarek:

According to the latest issue of SC Magazine, phishing attempts are on the rise and nearing 20,000 new scams per month.

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You run into issues installing Exchange 2007 SP2 on SBS 2008 until you add the following key and DWORD to the registry.

To create the E12SP2READY registry value, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SmallBusinessServer\Exchange

   Note If the Exchange subkey does not exist, you must create it. To do this, follow these steps:

   1. Right-click SmallBusinessServer, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click Key.
   2. Type Exchange and then press ENTER.
3. After you select the Exchange subkey that is specified in step 2, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.
4. Type E12SP2READY, and then press ENTER.
5. Right-click E12SP2READY, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
7. On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor.

Full article at Microsoft - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/973862

It’s possible to create a USB pen drive that you can use as a boot device. This can be useful when you have a Windows computer that refuses to boot correctly, or when a system is infected with malicious software that you’re unable to remove from Windows.

I prefer to use the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows (UBCD4WIN) for this purpose,  it includes a Windows XP PE environment with lots of useful system utilities and applications.  You can find out more information about UBCD4WIN at their website

Here are some links that cover the process of using UBCD4WIN to create a bootable USB drive in detail:
http://foribb.blogspot.com/2009/01/make-your-pen-drive-bootable-install.html
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/livecd.html

I encountered a problem affecting a Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit) system,  where the Internet connection was randomly disconnected, often while downloading a large file or streaming media across the network.  The Windows network troubleshooting wizard was able to correct the issue temporarily by performing a reset of the Network Adapter (Manually doing the same also restored connectivity).  Oddly enough,  the Local Area Network connection remained active,  but the Internet link was show as disconnected.  The network troubleshooting wizard identified the problem as being that the “Default Gateway was not available” even though the Broadband router was online and working fine for other computers.

After running some searches on the issue, I discovered that there were a large number of Windows 7 users who had been experiencing a similar problem.  The common factor was often the use of an NVidia NForce onboard network adapter,  however in this case the computer in question was using an Atheros 10/100/1000base-t controller (Onboard an ASUS motherboard).

The initial recommendation provided was that affected users should acquire updated NIC drivers from the manufacturer of their network card,  however there were no update drivers available for the Atheros card.

Luckily I came across information posted by a user suffering from the same problem on a similar system using the same onboard NIC (Atheros).  The recommendation that corrected the problem permanently was to:

Open Device Manager

Locate the Network Adapter

Right click, Properties

Go to Advanced tab

Locate the Task Offload (aka TCP offload) property on the list and set it to Disabled

After setting this property and applying the changes,  the Internet connection remained stable and no longer dropped out when transferring large amounts of data.

For more information see:
http://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/5787-problems-atheros-l1-ethernet-adapter-win7-x64.html
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7hardware/thread/59bcb7f5-fcca-44a4-b1db-787b1d269825

Ever come across a Linksys, Dlink, Netgear router or network printer that wasn’t documented and you have no idea what LAN IP was used so you can connect. This lightweght util does a great job scanning a network for live IPs on the wire:

http://www.codeplex.com/NetPing

You may have come across news of a hidden feature in Windows 7 that was posted about on Cnet.com called Windows 7 GodMode.  It’s a little know feature of Windows that has been around since Vista, though few were aware of it’s existence until now.

GodMode is a feature that lets users access all of the Windows Control Panel options from a single window. No hidden Control Panel options are exposed,  but all the various options for the different Control Panel applets are shown.

To create your own GodMode folder where you can easily modify your computer settings, try the following:

Create a new folder (right-click and click on “New Folder”). Right-click on the folder and click on rename, copy and paste this: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

The GodMode section at the front of the string can contain any name you like,  GodMode was chosen for dramatic effect I’m sure.

Lifehacker reported in December that Microsoft’s new antivirus and antimalware utility Microsoft Security Essentials ranks as the best performing free antivirus tool:

AV-Comparatives.org ran a series of real-world tests running through common scenarios like downloading, extracting, copying, and encoding files, installing and launching applications…Not only is [Microsoft Security Essentials] one of only three products that both blocks and removes malware well, but it’s also very light on system resources.

You can download Microsoft Security Essentials for free from the Microsoft site. If you or your company already has a paid subscription to an antivirus utility, there is no need to download another one. However, if you are thinking of switching from a different free utility or need an antivirus utility for your home PC, Microsoft Security Essentials is a tried and highly recommended security solution.

Please join us on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 for a FREE webinar on taking your business to the next level with Windows Small Business Server. Plus there will be a Microsoft Office 2007 giveaway to one lucky attendee!

Kazmarek Technology Solutions, Inc. will show you how to protect your business data, increase productivity, and experience the freedom of working from virtually anywhere with an upgrade to the latest Windows Server technology.

Space is limited–Click here to register today!

Who should upgrade to Windows Small Business Server 2008?

If you are currently using an older version of Windows Server technology or you are currently not utilizing a server environment, you are poised for an upgrade.

1. Get a comprehensive all-in-one solution.
Windows Small Business Server 2008 brings together the Microsoft technologies that businesses need most into a single integrated solution.

2. Access business information and resources from virtually anywhere at any time.
Securely access your data whether you’re in the office, at home, or on the road.

3. Keep your network healthy and up-to-date.
Maximize uptime and ensure network health with Windows Small Business Server 2008.

4. Stay connected to your customers, vendors, and suppliers.
With access to contacts, appointments, and files from any Internet-connected PC or mobile device, you can be responsive to customers, vendors, and suppliers even when you’re not in the office.

5. Protect your business and prevent data loss.
Windows Small Business Server 2008 helps protect your business by backing up the data on your network and enabling you to recover accidentally deleted files.

Want to learn more? Register for our free SBS 2008 Webinar here!