Online and Offline P2V Conversion on Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008

The following table lists some of the differences between the online and offline P2V conversions.

Requirements on the Source Machine:

How to Perform a Configuration-Only Export of Virtual Machine on Windows Hyper-V Server 2008 R2?

Many thought that Configuration-Only Export of VM is not anymore in new Hyper-V Server 2008 R2. In fact it has gone from UI but it can be done through PowerShell script.   The ability to do a configuration-only export of a VM is available via SCVMM R2, However, if you are not using SCVMM, you can script against that API. Here are a couple of sample scripts (VBScript) for doing the configuration-only export of a VM and for importing that VM.

How to Change Directory Service Restore Mode (DSRM) Password on Windows Server 2008 Domain Controller?

Directory Service Restore Mode (DSRM) password is set during the installation of Active Directory on a server. This password will be required when you boot up your domain controller in Directory Service Restore Mode by pressing F8. DSRM is required to restore the Active Directory database. Since, DSRM is used very rarely, there are chances that administrators might forget the password. This post explains an easy method to reset your DSRM password without knowing the old one.

'Your Computer Ran into a Problem and Need to Restart'; Windows 8 Installation Fails on VMWare Workstation 7 with This Error!

Everyone is so much curious to try Microsoft Windows 8 Consumer Preview. But I did  not feel much excitement as I have already tested Windows 8 when it was released as Developer Preview last September. I, too, earlier tried to install Windows 8 as a guest on VMware Workstation 7. But it failed. Windows 8 does not support old virtualization software. You may get the below error:

'Could Not Populate the Filesystem; Admission Check Failed for Memory Resource': VMware ESXi Installation Error and Fix

I just started installing VMware ESXi 5 hypervisor and found the below error while loading the configuration files.

The system has found a problem on your machine and cannot continue.

Could not populate the filesystem; Admission check failed for memory resource.

What are the Differences Between Router and Layer 3 Switch?

Its a long time since I posted something specifically on networking. And here is now a post with a basic CISCO networking knowledge. Routers and Layer 3 switches are doing almost same functions, but why do we use both the devises? If we analyze it, we can find lot many differences between a router and an L3 switch. 

What is Active Directory Functional Level? How Does It Help an Organization's Network Functionality?

Functional levels help the coexistence of Active Directory versions such as, Windows NT, Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. The functional level of a domain or forest controls which advanced features are available in the domain or forest. Although lowest functional levels help to coexist with legacy Active Directory, it will disable some of the new features of Active Directory. 

Windows Server; A Service is Hung at Starting or Stopping State.

A Windows Server service can be hung due to many reasons, its status will be 'Starting' or 'Stopping' state, and you wont be able to restart the service as most option at GUI mode might have greyed out.You can use 'TaskKill' utility to fix this issue.

Windows Server 8 Beta Installation and First Look with Screenshots.

Microsoft recently released Windows Server 8 beta, a test version of next generation Server Operating System, successor to Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft claims that it would be the most significant release of Windows Server ever released. It is the Server version of Windows 8, and the name Windows Server 8 is just a codename and it will be possibly renamed during its market-ready release. I just downloaded Build 8250 beta version of Windows Server 8 and installed for the first time on VMware Workstation 8.

Installing Exchange Server 2010 on Windows Server 2008 R2

Here is a step by step screenshot of installing Microsoft Exchange Server on a Windows Server 2008 R2 member server. Before deploying an Exchange Server, there are many prerequisites need to be met.

Answers to Microsoft Active Directory Interview Questions - Part 2

Answers to Microsoft Active Directory Interview Questions - Part 2. Answers to Microsoft Active Directory Interview Questions from 57 to 100. Here are the second part of answers for my previous post  'Active Directory Interview Questions and Answers'. If you are directly landing to this page, please visit the post with questions.

My First VMware ESXi 5 and vSphere Client Installation Experiment

Today I installed VMware ESXi 5 and vSphere client for the first time. No server hardware is required to install and configure VMware ESXi. Here is how did I do it.

How to Fix VMware Workstation 8 Installation Problem; Error 2732 Directory Manager not Initialized.

Hello Everyone, Here is one more post related to VMware. You might have faced 'Error 2732' error while trying to install new VMware version, VMware Workstation 8.

System Administration Interview Questions and Answers-Index

Here is the index for vast collection of Interview questions and answers on Windows System Administration and related fields. This will include interview questions and answers related to Windows Server, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, Basic Networking, VMware, ITIL, Citrix, Server Hardware etc.

Answers to Microsoft Active Directory Interview Questions

Answers to Microsoft Active Directory Interview Questions. Here are the list of answers for my previous post  'Active Directory Interview Questions and Answers'. If you are directly landing to this page, please visit the post with questions.

Unable to Install Windows 8 on VMware ESX or ESXi. Symptoms and Fix.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview is available and everybody prefers to install it on virtual machines. But Windows 8 can sometimes fail to boot on VMware ESX or ESXi. To resolve this issue, you should download and install a patch ESXi500-201112001 (Patch 02):

Windows 8 Installation; 'Windows Cannot Read the [ProductKey] Setting from the Unattend Answer File'. Error and Fix

It is very much exciting to install and know-how Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Windows 8 CP can be downloaded and from Microsoft Website and it can be tested with VMWare Workstation 8. But many people are getting several errors while installing Windows 8 Consumer Preview on VMWare 8. I have posted one of such errors and its fix in my earlier post. Here is another one:

Active Directory Interview Questions and Answers

Here is a list of most frequently asked 100 interview questions and its answers related to Microsoft Active Directory technologies. I have attended few interviews and been asked few of these questions. These Q&A is related to both Windows Server 2003 and 2008. I have not included questions regarding old versions of AD as those are almost obsolete. I will be posting other Q&A specifically related to DNS and Group Policy etc. soon in another post. Please look at the bottom of the post for hints to the answers.

Installing Required Software Components Prior to Exchange Server 2010 Setup.

In order to prepare a Windows Server 2008 R2 for Microsoft Exchange 2010 installation, you have to install several components. Most of the components are available in the server itself in the form of Roles, Features, and Role Services.

Installing Exchange Server 2010; Required Group Memberships

Microsoft Exchange Server setup process will create wide spread impact on the domain and the forest. It will modify the security settings and event expand the Schema. Thus, only people with highly elevated group membership can install and configure Exchange Server 2010 on a Domain. 

Check Lists for Installing Microsoft Exchange Server 2010

You have to consider hardware, domain and software compatibility of your environment before deploying Exchange Server 2010. I have just installed Exchange Server 2010 in my test environment. below is the Check lists I prepared before installing Microsoft Exchange Server 2010.

Verifying Forest and Domain Functional Levels of Windows Server 2008 Based Domain Environment

I am going to install Exchange Server 2010  on my Windows Server 2008 R2 based test domain. While setting up the environment for Exchange Server 2010 installation, we have to ensure that the Forest and Domain functional levels of Active Directory is set up properly to support Exchange Server. For successful deployment of Exchange Server 2010 the environment should meet minimum functional level below:

How to Add a Computer to Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain?

This post is for newbies, for the people who are learning Windows Server and Active Directory administration. Follow below steps for adding a computer or a member server to Windows Server 2008 Active Directory based domain.

How to Recover if I Forgot Windows Server 2008 Administrator Password?

You might have forgot your Winodows Server 2008 Administrator password. When you lost the  password, and still you will be able to log into the system if you have some other user accounts with Administrators privilege. But when you have only one account and you lost its password, its difficult.

Active Directory: How to Protect All Organizational Units from Accidental Deletion Using PowerShell?

Windows Server 2008 Active Directory comprises of lot many new features and functionalists. You can protect Active Directory OUs from accidental deletion. This can be done at the time of creation of OU. This option will be active by default.

An Easy Method to Speedup Windows 7 Login.

Windows 7 Operating System loading time depends on the number of applications installed on the OS. Initially, the OS loads very fast, but as you install more software, OS will become sluggish. Many applications are designed to automatically start when your OS is loading. You can manage application start up behavior using 'System Configuration' utility. 

Installing and Configuring Active Directory Domain Services in Windows Server 2008 R2

In Windows Server 2008, Active Directory is designed based on Identity and Access (IDA) technology. IDA comprises of 5 Active Directory technologies. Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) is one of those technologies which works as a central repository of Active Directory objects across the organization, and supports authentication of resources throughout the network.

An Introduction to Microsoft Windows Server 8

Microsoft has recently announced new version of Server Operating System from its Windows Server family. It will be the successor of Microsoft Windows Server 2008. A developer preview was released during Microsoft BUILD conference last year. The upcoming version of Windows Server family is expected to offer features such as  complete virtualization platform, increased scalability and cost efficiency etc. 

Atheros AR8152 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller; Device Driver Issues and Fix.

This post will help you to download latest driver for Atheros  AR8152 PCI-E Fast Ethernet. My Dell laptop encountered a Network problem due to incompatible version of built in Atheros Network Adapter. Default driver which was shipped with the Dell laptop is not working with Windows 7 Operating System. 

How to Find Device Driver Version Using DEVMGMT.MSC?

Keeping latest version of device drivers is recommented for all devices for improved performance and better compatibility with the operating system. It is possible to download latest version of device drivers from the vendor website and upgrade exisitng driver software. Here in this post, let me explain you how to check and compare device driver version.