Recently encountered problems getting Windows Explorer shell to load in Windows XP after cleaning a spyware infection.  I found there are two registry keys that are critical in relation to loading explorer on boot,  you should check them first if you even encounter a problem getting Explorer.exe to load.


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon



shell=”explorer.exe”



HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon


userinit=C:\windows\system32\userinit.exe


Watch out for trailing comma’s on userinit.exe  (userinit.exe, ) as this is where malware likes to insert itself to load during windows startup.

With Small Business Server 2008, you have the option to use a third party SSL certificate or the default self-signed SSL certificate. By default the self-signed certificate is valid for two years, but how to you renew it without interrupting OWA, Outlook, and Exchange? When the certificate is expired, Outlook 2007/2010 will give you an error message when opening, that the certificate is not valid. Here are the steps to fix it.

1. Goto the Windows SBS Console, click on Network Tab, then Connectivity Tab
2. Click on the certificate icon, then click the “view certificate properties” in the right pane. In the General tab of the new window, it will show the dates that the self-signed certificate is valid for.
3. In the “Connectivity Tasks” area, click “setup your Internet address”, go through the wizard to renew your self-signed SSL certificate.
4. When you now check the certififcate properties, you will see that it is now valid for another two more years.