Seymour Digital Consulting, LLC

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  • Activation Error – 0x8007232B, DNS name does not exist

    In some cases when you are trying to Active Vista or Server 2008, you might get the following error:

    Activation Error - 0x8007232B - DNS name does not exist
    Activation Error – 0x8007232B – DNS name does not exist

    and this is due to the way that both Vista, Server 2008 and Windows 7 handle registration.

    In these cases, your SysAdmin needs to have setup a KMS (Key Management Server), and then hasto use the MAK (Multiple Activation Key) that was provided to your company.

    For more information on this topic, see Microsoft’s Volume Licensing website.

    If you have NOT setup a KMS, but do have a MAK, then a simple work around is to go to:

    Control Panel > System > Windows activation and click “Change Product Key”

    and enter the key that was provided.

    Source Info:

    Hope this helps!

    – Andrew
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  • Setup WHS on VMWare Server (2.0.1 b 156745)

    The setup of this VM is actually very easy, with a couple of key things to note…

    • Use the Default “Microsoft Windows 2003 Standard Edition (32-bit)”;
    • Make your HD Capacity at least 65GBs (recommend 70GBs);
    • Make the HD a single file (File Options > “Allocate all space now”);
    • Make the HD a IDE Drive (Virtual Device Node > Adapter: IDE 0 > Devise: 0);

    Then sit back and wait, which takes about an hour…

    Do not forget to run Windows Update after the base install.

    NOTES:

    If you do NOT set the “Virtual Device Node” to IDE, the Setup program will ERROR saying it cannot find a disk.

    If you allocate a disk size lower then 65GBs you will get an Error message during the GUI setup installation.

    Hope this helps!

    – Andrew

  • First Impressions of WHS (Windows Home Server)

    I had been hearing about Windows Home Server (WHS) from various sources for some time, and finally decided to take a look.

    In reviewing the Main WHS website, I ordered the DVD media and paid the Shipping & Handling (nothing is free), and got the kit in about a week.

    Not having any spare hardware to run a “Full” WHS on, I setup a VMWare VM, and was able to take it for a “Test Drive” for a couple of days.

    In general, I was rather impressed with how easy it was to setup. Boot from the disk, and a few questions, sit back and wait.

    You will need at least 70GBs of disk space, and once done, that disk will be split into (2) partition: OS and Data.

    For any family that is really going to use this, they should seriously consider getting at least 1TB of HD,especially considering the cost of such drives, and if you really want to protect your data, consider getting a second HD to backup the primary.

    The main concept of WHS is the ability to connect (wired & wireless) a household of computers to a centralized server for File and Music sharing, then initiate backups of those machines and publish a Family website, which should be a real interest to technically savvy Home SysAdmin.

    Acer and HP seem to have embraced this market space, and if you happen to have some extra hardware laying around, you might consider creating your own “Frankenstein” server. The requirements are surprising low.

    From what I have been told, if you already happen to have a Active Directory Domain setup at home, in about 45 days, WHS will start to warn you that it has detected your AD, and will start to shut itself down.

    So for the price, an OEM (Acer or HP) machine or a “Frankenstein”, and you already do not have a AD,the WHS is worth considering.

    – Andrew
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  • Microsoft RichCopy

    TechNet Utility Spotlight – RichCopy

    In the April 2009 print version of Technet magazine, one of the Utility Spotlights is RichCopy.

    In another posts, I have mentioned that I have had some issues getting Robocopy to copy files from one internal HD to and external HD on a W2K8 box, so I decided to give RichCopy a test drive.

    After the ‘no-brainer’/default install, and a quick setup for repeatable jobs, I was able to do the needed “poor-man’s” backup that I was NOT able to do with Robocopy!

    Another very interesting aspect of RichCopy, is that multiple “treads” can and are used to reduce the copy time between source and destination.

    I am still testing RichCopy, but for an out-of-the-box experience, I would recommend it!

    In another interesting side note, take a look at the read me that comes with the unzipped/installed package!

    – Andrew
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  • OnLine IP4 to IP6 conversion

    Here is a link to an Online IP4 to IP6 conversion utility.

    <http://ip-lookup.net/conversion.php>

    Happy Ping-ing!

    – Andrew
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