News

Antigen & Forefront

http://blogs.technet.com/forefront

http://blogs.technet.com/fssnerds

Exchange

http://msexchangeteam.com/default.aspx

http://blogs.technet.com/msukucc

Hosted Messaging Collaboration

Office Communication Server & Live Meeting

http://communicationsserverteam.com

http://communicatorteam.com

Outlook

http://blogs.msdn.com/outlook/default.aspx

Other

http://technet.microsoft.com/office/ocs/ee465814.aspx
http://blogs.technet.com/themasterblog

New KBs

Antigen & Forefront

Microsoft Antigen 9.0 for Exchange

1. 923869 Event ID 100 is logged in the Application log when you perform an MTA scan job in Antigen 9.0 for Exchange
2. 924008 An outgoing e-mail message that includes disclaimer text causes the AntigenInternet.exe process to stop responding in Antigen 9.0 for Exchange
3. 924705 The update operation times out when you try to update Antigen 9.0 for Exchange scan engines
4. 928081 Antigen 9.0 for Exchange or Antigen 9.0 for SMTP Gateways incorrectly detects a uuencode file as a virus
5. 928082 Size of SMTP messages may increase during the scanning process in Antigen
6. 928807 The Antigen Service randomly exits, and event ID 7031 is logged on a computer that is running Antigen 9.0 for Exchange or Antigen 9.0 for SMTP Gateways
7. 930360 Antigen 9.0 signatures are not updated when you try to update signatures by using Antigen Enterprise Manager
8. 933639 Antigen 9.0 cannot retrieve scan jobs, and e-mail messages begin to queue up in an active/passive cluster environment
9. 933675 No items appear in the Antigen Quarantine and no entries are logged in the Incidents panel when you run Antigen 9.0
10. 938100 A “ConvertLegacyExchangeDNToSMTPAddress – GetFirstRow failed. Error code: 8007203E” entry may be logged when Antigen 9.0 is installed on an Exchange server

Microsoft Forefront Online Protection for Exchange

1. 2604282 The Junk E-mail Reporting Tool does not appear in Outlook

Exchange

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise Edition

1. 277872 XCON: Connector Delivery Restrictions May Not Work Correctly
2. 317471 “Access Denied” Error Message When You Try to Use Outlook Web Access
3. 324358 Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange 2000 Server information store maintenance and online defragmentation
4. 818486 XCCC: “Server Error in ‘/OMA’ Application” Error Message When You View the Outlook Mobile Access Web Site
5. 822449 Error c1041724 Occurs When You Try to Mount a Database on an Exchange 2003 Server
6. 912939 A software update for the Safe HTML filtering feature is available to enable you to use the POST method in HTML forms in Outlook Web Access for Exchange Server 2003
7. 916989 After you configure the Jerusalem time zone settings to match the transition dates for daylight saving time, meetings are moved ahead by one hour when a user accepts a meeting request by using a CDO program in Exchange Server 2003

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition

1. 328737 How to set up a migration server for Novell GroupWise and Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server
2. 818222 Messages remain in an outbound queue until a non-delivery report is generated when you send e-mail to a remote domain
3. 873393 A user receives an NDR that contains a 5.2.1 status code when the user tries to send an e-mail message to a public folder in Exchange Server 2003
4. 908496 Event ID 9320 is logged when you generate an offline address book on a server that is running Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2
5. 909546 Mail flow stops when you install the Microsoft POP3 Service on a server that is running Exchange Server 2003
6. 916160 Exchange Server 2003 update rollup for Process Flow Documentation

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Enterprise Edition

1. 280823 Troubleshooting OWA when the contents frame displays “Loading”
2. 320202 How to remove and to reinstall IIS on a computer that is running Exchange Server
3. 949536 PowerShell commands for the Exchange 2007 Edge server role do not work as expected after you uninstall an update rollup or an interim update on the Edge server
4. 982351 Custom Address Lists are not shown in the GAL in Microsoft Office Outlook

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 3

1. 2536652 EdgeTransport.exe randomly stops responding on a Hub Transport server after you configure public folder replication in Exchange Server 2007
2. 2536697 DBCS characters in a rule name are converted to question marks after you move a mailbox from Exchange Server 2003 to Exchange Server 2007
3. 2537783 The EdgeTransport.exe process crashes occasionally after you install Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2007 SP3
4. 2554575 Items accumulate in the MRM submission folder when managed folder assistant journal items in an Exchange Server 2007 environment
5. 2557304 The Store.exe process may consume excessive CPU resources and memory resources intermittently when a user opens a calendar item by using OWA in an Exchange Server 2007 SP3 environment
6. 981820 New X-headers of a message item do not appear when the message item is retrieved by IMAP4 or by POP3 in an Exchange Server 2007 SP2 environment

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Standard Edition

1. 944516 How to register Filter Pack IFilters with Exchange Server 2007
2. 951291 Mail flow to certain domains does not work when you run Exchange Server 2007 on a Windows Server 2008-based computer

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Coexistence

1. 979694 Error message when you import a third-party certificate into Exchange Server 2010: “The certificate status could not be determined because the revocation check failed”
2. 982349 “Changes to the distribution list membership cannot be saved” error message when you try to remove members from an Exchange Server 2010 distribution list
3. 982679 Event ID 106 is logged when you start the RPC Client Access service on Exchange Server 2010

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Enterprise

1. 2603670 Services Required for the Microsoft Exchange Server Are Not Started
2. 2616505 Data is Lost During Restore due to Circular Logging Being Enabled
3. 2617438 Exchange 2010 Hub Transport Server Not Present
4. 2617804 Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 DAG member remains in Maintenance Mode
5. 2617816 A Microsoft Exchange 2010 Server Certificate has expired or will expire soon
6. 982678 You cannot open your mailbox on an Exchange Server 2010 server by using Outlook

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Standard

1. 2605522 Debug Tracing is Enabled

Hosted Messaging Collaboration

Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5

1. 957582 Description of the tool to deny Send As permissions and Receive As permissions for administrators in Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5

Office Communication Server & LiveMeeting

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Enterprise Edition

1. 941095 Error message when you run the Communications Server 2007 Validation Wizard to validate the Web Components Server: “Received a failure HTTP response.: HTTP Response: 401 Unauthorized”

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Enterprise Edition

1. 982020 Office Communications Server 2007 R2, OCS 2007 or LCS 2005 does not work correctly after you upgrade Domain Controllers to Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Group Chat

1. 2582186 You do not receive a toast notification and a new message indicator of a chat room in an Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Group Chat client
2. 2590693 Update package for the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Group Chat server: September, 2011
3. 2590694 Description of the update for the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Group Chat Administration Tool: September, 2011

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Group Chat client

1. 2587212 The font and font size of a story is incorrect in an Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Group Chat client
2. 2607777 Description of the update for the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Group Chat client: September, 2011

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Standard Edition

1. 2590692 Description of the cumulative update for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Attendant: September 2011
2. 2590698 Description of cumulative update for Office Communications Server 2007 R2: September 2011
3. 2603285 Description of the cumulative update package for Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Application Sharing Server: September 2011
4. 2603287 Description of the cumulative update package for Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Communicator Web Access: September 2011
5. 2603289 Description of the cumulative update for Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Core Components: September 2011
6. 2603291 Description of the cumulative update for Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Web Conferencing Server: September 2011

Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2

1. 2622381 Microsoft Conferencing Add-In or Microsoft Outlook Schedule a Conference feature fails

Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 Enterprise Edition

1. 890295 Windows NetMeeting unexpectedly quits after you accept a Whiteboard session in Windows Messenger

Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2005

1. 894636 How to create a scheduled meeting in Live Meeting 2005
2. 894637 How to register to become a Live Meeting organizer in Live Meeting 2005
3. 894638 How to enable a feature so that your users can register themselves as meeting organizers in Live Meeting 2005
4. 894639 How billing charges apply to a pay-per-use account in Live Meeting 2005
5. 894640 How to download a recording of a meeting in Live Meeting 2005
6. 894641 How to use Snapshot slides to improve the graphic quality of uploaded PowerPoint slides in a Live Meeting 2005 session
7. 894644 How to improve performance in Live Meeting 2005
8. 894647 How to determine whether you have sufficient rights to install Live Meeting 2005 programs
9. 894650 A presenter cannot record a meeting in Live Meeting 2005
10. 894651 How to request that your Organizer password be reset in Live Meeting 2005
11. 894654 Large black blocks appear in a shared Virtual PC session in Live Meeting 2005
12. 894655 Attendees may have to scroll to see the whole shared screen in Live Meeting 2005
13. 894656 You receive the “Unable to Initialize Console” error message when you try to log on to a Live Meeting 2005 meeting
14. 894657 The Windows-based meeting console does not start when you try to join a meeting in Live Meeting 2005
15. 894658 Attendees may see a black screen when you share a program as a presenter in Live Meeting 2005
16. 894659 The Java-based meeting console does not start when you try to join a meeting in Live Meeting 2005 by using a Macintosh computer
17. 894660 How to set Live Meeting 2005 to prompt each attendee for his or her e-mail address and company name when attendees join a meeting
18. 894661 How to download codecs to your computer so that you can view a meeting that was recorded in Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2005
19. 894662 How to delete a recording in Live Meeting 2005
20. 896380 How to set Live Meeting 2005 to use the Call Me feature and how to specify the telephone number at which you want to be called
21. 896382 How to use the Call Me feature to join a meeting in Live Meeting 2005
22. 896383 When a meeting organizer invites you to attend a meeting in Live Meeting 2005, you do not receive the meeting invitation, or the meeting invitation is received as junk e-mail
23. 896384 You receive a “McAfee VirusScan detects \\Powerpnt.exe contains suspicious scripting activity” warning message when you upload PowerPoint 2003 slides to Live Meeting 2005
24. 944648 Live Meeting 2005 and Live Meeting 2003 may not run correctly if you use the Data Execution Prevention feature

Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007

1. 2606369 “Live meeting service has encountered internal errors during recording” error message when you try to record a meeting in Live Meeting

Outlook

Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

1. 246153 How can I recover items that I have “hard deleted” in Outlook?
2. 254343 How to change the idle time processing values in Outlook
3. 272151 How to delete all Outlook Calendar items in Outlook 2002 and in Outlook 2003
4. 817883 Information About the Safe Senders Option in Outlook
5. 818851 How to tell the difference between field names in an Outlook contact list and in a Word mail merge
6. 820930 “Installation source has been corrupted” error message when you install Office 2003
7. 821550 How to change the company name and user name in Office 2003
8. 822518 You cannot preview or insert images correctly when you use Web Collections to search the Internet for clip art thumbnails in Office
9. 824103 E-mail message ToolTip does not appear correctly in Outlook 2003
10. 826491 Outlook files remain on the hard disk after you remove Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007
11. 826809 Description and use of the Save My Settings Wizard
12. 829072 How to disable hyperlink warning messages in Office 2003
13. 829982 You may receive an “Outlook blocked access to the following potentially unsafe attachments” message in Outlook
14. 831060 You cannot connect over the Internet to Exchange Server 2003 from Outlook 2007 or from Outlook 2003
15. 831398 Description of the Expand List feature in Outlook 2003
16. 832925 How to configure the size limit for both (.pst) and (.ost) files in Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007, and in Outlook 2003
17. 836755 How to set the location of an archive .pst file in Outlook
18. 842784 You cannot deploy Unicode .pst files when you use the Custom Installation Wizard from the Office 2003 Resource Kit
19. 873212 Attendees can still use the Propose New Time feature in your meeting requests if you use the Group Policy editor to disable the Propose New Time feature in Outlook
20. 873301 You receive a “Error 1327. Invalid Drive… ” error message when you install Office 2003
21. 873362 Description of the Outlook 2003 Junk E-mail Filter update: November 9, 2004
22. 883401 How to change the default location that Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2002 uses to create or to open a personal folders (.pst) file
23. 889692 Your changes to the registry values for the Safe Senders list do not appear in the Safe Senders list in Outlook 2002 and in Outlook 2003
24. 889694 How to change the Send/Receive settings and the frequency that the Outlook Connector for MSN synchronizes in Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003
25. 890391 You receive an “Error 1926” error message when you try to install Office on your Windows XP-based computer or on your Windows 2000-based computer
26. 892447 You cannot copy or move a folder between an Exchange mailbox and a Hotmail mailbox in Outlook
27. 892456 The Outlook Connector for MSN is not compatible with the Franklin Covey Plan Plus program
28. 892457 The Outlook Connector is not compatible with Nelson Email Organizer
29. 892764 Description of the support process for issues that are related to the “Outlook is retrieving data” message in Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003
30. 895091 How to verify the Intelligent Message Filter SCL rating in Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007
31. 895276 When you use Outlook to connect to your Exchange server mailbox by using RPC over HTTP, you receive messages that continuously prompt you for your network password
32. 896301 You receive a “Installation Error: File not Found” error message when you try to convert the Office 2003 trial program to the full product version of Office 2003
33. 921927 How to prevent users from downloading the Offline Address Book without disabling Cached Exchange Mode
34. 923333 Recurring events are incorrectly displayed as all-day events in the Outlook 2003 calendar
35. 924159 The body of an e-mail message may appear to be blank when you open the message in Outlook 2003
36. 927092 The size of a digitally signed and encrypted e-mail message grows when you create, forward, or reply to a digitally signed and encrypted e-mail message in Outlook or in Outlook Express
37. 933450 Outlook 2003 is incorrectly configured as the default mail client every time that you perform an Office installation or Office update that modifies Outlook
38. 938816 Error messages when you create a new MAPI form or you try to open custom forms in Outlook 2003

Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager

1. 828244 History or Opportunities are not exported from Business Contact Manager in Outlook
2. 829748 You cannot add an Exchange e-mail account to a profile that already contains a Business Contact Manager in Outlook 2003
3. 830318 You receive an error message when you install outlook with Business Contact Manager 2003
4. 839685 ActiveSync may disable Business Contact Manager

Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

1. 171440 Where to acquire the CDO Libraries (all versions)
2. 195671 Non-delivery notification “Your message did not reach some or all of the intended recipients” sending e-mail to contacts
3. 196748 How to use Telnet to test an Internet Mail Connection
4. 236032 Outlook Express and Outlook repeatedly prompt you for your password when you check messages on an Exchange Server-based computer
5. 251340 How to start Outlook in a minimized state
6. 258256 How to create an E-mail Message template or an E-mail Message form in Outlook
7. 278168 You cannot import or export e-mail accounts with .IAF files in Outlook
8. 284292 How to create a distribution list from your contacts in Outlook
9. 286040 How to troubleshoot Outlook when you cannot send or receive e-mail
10. 286197 How to configure Outlook to receive e-mail messages from an IMAP server
11. 287073 How to upgrade from Outlook Express to Outlook
12. 287563 Contact information does not appear in the address book in Outlook
13. 289987 How to compact PST and OST files to eliminate deleted item space in Outlook
14. 291626 How to manage multiple Exchange mailbox accounts in Outlook
15. 291627 How to manage a .pst file for two different computers in Outlook
16. 291636 How to move your personal folders (.pst) file in Outlook
17. 298838 You receive an “Outlook failed to start correctly last time” error message when you start Outlook
18. 299349 How to remove duplicate imported items in Outlook
19. 311107 How to emulate the Out of Office Assistant in Microsoft Outlook
20. 312336 E-mail messages are not automatically sent or received at startup in Outlook
21. 813602 You receive an error message if a file conflicts with the MAPI file on your computer when you start Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2003
22. 824122 You receive a “Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook” message, and you cannot open a saved message (.msg) file in Outlook
23. 826265 Rules may become corrupted when you access them from multiple versions of Outlook
24. 829985 Error message when you try to import or to export files in Outlook: “Microsoft Outlook cannot start the required translator”
25. 830336 The .pst file has a different format and folder size limit in Outlook 2007 and in Outlook 2003
26. 831055 How to use Meeting Workspace in Outlook
27. 831058 You cannot add offline folder (.ost) files to Exchange Server profiles in Outlook 2007 and in Outlook 2003
28. 831402 How to troubleshoot Search Folders in Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007, and Outlook 2003
29. 872976 How to obtain the latest Outlook Junk E-mail Filter update
30. 913843 Error messages when you try to connect Outlook 2007 to Exchange Server: “The action cannot be completed” or “Your Microsoft Exchange Server is unavailable” or “Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook”
31. 920278 Custom SharePoint task list columns may not appear in Outlook 2007
32. 924625 When you use Outlook with an Exchange 2007 mailbox, you cannot connect to Exchange 2007, and you receive an error message
33. 927481 Error message when you start Outlook 2007 to configure an Exchange 2003 mailbox if the AutoDiscover\’ZeroConfigExchange’ policy is set: “The connection to Microsoft Exchange is unavailable”
34. 929012 After you upgrade Outlook 2003 to Outlook 2007, Outlook 2007 crashes when you start the program
35. 935400 It takes much longer than expected to download an e-mail message from a POP3 server in Outlook 2007 or in Outlook 2010
36. 937349 Error message when you try to synchronize a Windows Live Hotmail account in Outlook 2007 or in Outlook 2003: “Error 3212. Unable to connect” or “Error 4101. Unable to connect”
37. 943359 When you try to configure the Outlook 2007 AutoDiscover service to use a remote domain, you may receive a certificate mismatch error
38. 943649 Error message when you try to use Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2003 to access a Windows Live Hotmail account: “Task ‘http://services.msn-: Folder:Inbox Synchronizing headers.’ reported error (0x800CCCF7)”
39. 951648 The Outlook Add-in for Project Server 2007 no longer loads when you uninstall and then reinstall the add-in
40. 972362 Irregular Start and End Times are not displayed on appointments when printing the Calendar using Daily Style

Microsoft Office Outlook Connector

1. 834459 How to create a log file for Office Outlook Connector
2. 889415 Disabled COM add-ins affect the functionality of Outlook Connector
3. 889697 The Microsoft Office Outlook Connector does not appear to connect, and it does not synchronize your e-mail account in Outlook
4. 889698 When you view a calendar in Outlook, the free or busy information may not appear
5. 892452 A meeting request is not canceled in your Hotmail or MSN calendar when you delete the meeting in Outlook 2002 or in Outlook 2003
6. 892453 The attendee list replication process when you move a meeting request from Exchange to Hotmail or to MSN in Outlook 2002 and in Outlook 2003
7. 892458 A graphic or an object is missing from the body of a message that is sent from Outlook 2003
8. 892459 You cannot open a mail folder or access a calendar that belongs to another user account if you are using the Office Outlook Connector in Outlook 2002
9. 892460 Nothing happens when you try to propose a new time for a meeting or an appointment in your Hotmail or MSN calendar in Outlook 2002 or in Outlook 2003
10. 892461 Reminders for items in your Hotmail or MSN calendar do not occur in Outlook 2002 or in Outlook 2003
11. 898848 E-mail addresses have been deleted from the Safe Senders tab, from the Safe Recipients tab, and from the Blocked Senders tab in Outlook 2003
12. 898849 When you make a change to the Junk E-mail Filter list, this change is not replicated to the Web-based e-mail server
13. 898851 The Outlook Junk E-mail Filter settings are not synchronized with the Junk E-mail Filter level settings on the Hotmail e-mail server
14. 898854 Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2002 stop responding when you add a new Outlook Connector account in a profile
15. 898855 When you try to synchronize your Palm Pilot with the Microsoft Office Outlook Connector, Microsoft Outlook items are not synchronized, and you receive an error message
16. 941198 Error message when you try to synchronize Outlook to a Windows Live Hotmail account: “Error with Send/Receive”

Microsoft Outlook 2000 Standard Edition

1. 198185 OL2000: (IMO) Kernel32.dll Error Checking Mail with IBM Dialer
2. 202276 OL2000: Error Received When You Import or Export Files
3. 243989 OL2000: Melissa.U Macro Virus Alert
4. 295664 How to import contacts into Outlook from Excel
5. 810939 SBC Yahoo! Internet Service Provider Software Update Causes Error Message in Outlook
6. 820672 You receive an error message when you try to send or receive messages in Outlook 2000
7. 832562 You cannot delete e-mail messages from your Inbox in Outlook 2000
8. 837388 How to configure Outlook to block additional attachment file name extensions

Microsoft Outlook 2002 Standard Edition

1. 280893 OL2002: Trying to Open Attendee’s Calendar Generates Error Message
2. 810932 You cannot install the Personal Folders Backup add-in for Outlook 2000 or for Outlook 2002
3. 813518 Error message when you view a POP3 e-mail account with antivirus software installed: The operation timed out waiting for a response from the receiving (POP) server 0x8004210a
4. 823662 “Outlook does not Recognize One or More Names” Error Message When You Send an E-mail Message
5. 823673 You receive an “Unknown error 0x80040154” error message when you click Send/Receive in Outlook 2002
6. 829168 Outlook 2002 does not automatically send or receive e-mail messages when you start Outlook 2002
7. 832566 You receive the “an unknown error has occurred” error message (0x800ccc1a) when you send or you receive e-mail message in Outlook
8. 884671 Information about the new flag in the PR_STORE_SUPPORT_MASK property that indicates support for Unicode in Outlook
9. 889699 The location of the Microsoft Office Outlook Connector status bar changes when you restart Outlook

Microsoft Outlook 2010

1. 2606009 To send and receive in Outlook 2010 and “removed some synchronization failed. 0-130 “Error may occur
2. 287816 Line breaks are removed in posts made in plain text format in Outlook

A client wanted to configure the recovery options for services in Lync to help reduce downtime if/when a service stops. This was no big deal for me, except there are a dozen Lync servers, some of which have quite a few Lync services. I set out to make this easier than manually changing each service’s recovery options.

Service recovery options allow you to define what Windows should do if the service fails. The options are “Take No Action” (the default), “Restart the Service”, “Run a Program”, and “Restart the Computer”. These options can be defined for the first, second, and subsequent service failures. Additional parameters include how long to wait before resetting the failure counter and how long to wait after the service fails before performing the configured failure option. More complex options include running another program:

Unfortunately, PowerShell’s Set-Service doesn’t have a parameter for setting failure options, so we must rely on the command line sc.exe. Sc.exe can be used to create, modify, and delete services. We’ll use this to set our failure options to restart the services. Note: you must use “sc.exe” and not just “sc”, since in PowerShell, “sc” is an alias for Set-Content. The format is

sc.exe [service name] failure reset= [integer] actions= [actions]

Reset is measured in seconds. We’ll use 86400, which is a full 24 hours. Actions are specified as action/wait time in milliseconds. So “restart/5000” means to wait 5000 milliseconds (5 seconds), and then restart the service. The same action will be applied to the first, second, and subsequent service failure.

We’ll use Get-CimInstance with the Win32_Service classname to grab a list of all of the services, piping that to match descriptions that include ‘Lync’ or ‘Skype for Business’, and start modes that are “automatic”. The finished one liner command looks like this:

$services = Get-CimInstance -ClassName 'Win32_Service' | Where-Object {$_.description -imatch 'Lync|Skype for Business' -and $_.StartMode -eq 'Auto'}; foreach ($service in $services){sc.exe failure $service.name reset= 86400 actions= restart/5000}

When we view the properties of the service again, we see that the failure options are set to restart the service, and to reset the counter after 1 day. Since the restart option is only 5 seconds, the “Restart service after” field shows 0 minutes:

You can also specify different actions for each of the failure instances by adding more actions. For instance, let’s say you want to restart the service for the first and second failures, and reboot the server on subsequent failures. Simply combine the actions together, separating them with a slash, such as:

$services = Get-CimInstance -ClassName 'Win32_Service' | Where-Object {$_.description -imatch 'Lync|Skype for Business' -and $_.StartMode -eq 'Auto'}; foreach ($service in $services){sc.exe failure $service.name reset= 86400 actions= restart/5000/restart/5000/reboot/5000}

It might be wise to not set all of the failure instances to taking action, to prevent the server from getting stuck in a loop of taking action when a service is having serious issues. To only set the first two options, just use a double slash for the third, such as:

$services = Get-CimInstance -ClassName 'Win32_Service' | Where-Object {$_.description -imatch 'Lync|Skype for Business' -and $_.StartMode -eq 'Auto'}; foreach ($service in $services){sc.exe failure $service.name reset= 86400 actions= restart/5000/restart/5000//}

Obviously, a good monitoring solution such as System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) should be used to track and alert when services stop, and when other more serious issues arise. You don’t want to get into a scenario where a service is constantly stopping and being restarted without knowing.

I watch at LOT of movies. Since I’m generally away from home at least 200 days a year, I spend a lot of time in airports, on airplanes, in hotels, etc. When I work from home, I watch movies and TV shows as well. My iPad and my 5TB iTunes library keep me entertained.

Many of the videos I have start in something other than the .mp4/.m4v format that iTunes requires. Either it’s something I’ve downloaded, something someone sent me, training (CBT) videos, or something pulled from my HD video camera’s hard drive. The files usually are either .avi or .mkv.

There are plenty of utilities out there that will convert video files from one format to another. Some of them are free, and some cost a few bucks. By far the best, most flexible utility I’ve found is the popular HandBrake. HandBrake has many options that let you get down “in the weeds” with every setting conceivable for converting videos. It has a popular queuing feature that lets you add several files to the queue, and HandBrake will process them, one at a time. Processing time depends on the source file size and format, as well as the destination format. And, it’s FREE.

Since I am away from my monster desktop machine so much, I put it’s i7 processor’s idle time to good use by having it process videos, saving them as .mp4 videos. But manually adding a bunch of videos to HandBrake’s queue can take a while. Plus, since I’m not around when the processing is taking place, I don’t need the fancy GUI from HandBrake. When HandBrake is installed, a CLI version is also automatically installed So I created a PowerShell script that will use the CLI version, take a source folder, and process every video in that directory that doesn’t have a corresponding .mp4 file of the same name. That way, if the script stops and you need to restart it, it won’t re-process video’s it’s already converted. It will only attempt to convert files with .avi, mkv, .ogm, and .wmv extensions, but only the first two, .avi, and .mkv, have been extensively tested.

The script will automatically detect if/where HandBrake is installed, so there is nothing really to configure. Run the script with no switches, and you’ll be prompted for the source folder that contains the videos to be converted:

.\New-HandBrakeConversion.ps1

Or, you can specify the source folder and avoid the prompt:

.\New-HandBrakeConversion.ps1 -dir "c:\path\to\files"

For those of you who are hardcore HandBrake users, the configuration settings I use are the following:

-e x264 -b 1500 -a 1 -E faac -B 160 -R Auto -6 dpl2 -f mp4 -m -2 -T -x ref=2:bframes=2:me=umh -n eng

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Installation

Execution Policy: Third-party PowerShell scripts may require that the PowerShell Execution Policy be set to either AllSigned, RemoteSigned, or Unrestricted. The default is Restricted, which prevents scripts – even code signed scripts – from running. For more information about setting your Execution Policy, see Using the Set-ExecutionPolicy Cmdlet.

There is no installation routine for this script. It’s meant to be manually run.

Donations

I’ve never been one to really solicit donations for my work. My offerings are created because *I* need to solve a problem, and once I do, it makes sense to offer the results of my work to the public. I mean, let’s face it: I can’t be the only one with that particular issue, right? Quite often, to my surprise, I’m asked why I don’t have a “donate” button so people can donate a few bucks. I’ve never really put much thought into it. But those inquiries are coming more often now, so I’m yielding to them. If you’d like to donate, you can send a few bucks via PayPal at https://www.paypal.me/PatRichard. Money collected from that will go to the costs of my website (hosting and domain names), as well as to my home lab.

Download

v1.3 New-HandBrakeConversion.v1.3.zip

Changelog

See the changelog for this script for all version information

This script will look at all users in AD, and determine if they are missing key information such as office, address, title, and manager. If they are, it will send them an email requesting they update their information. It should be noted that this script is designed for environments that have a self-service solution in place for users to update their information. This can include Exchange 2010, where ECP allows the user to change many fields:

In some of the environments that I build, where Exchange 2010 isn’t an option, or other fields need to be changed, I install Directory Update, a small footprint solution for IIS. Directory Update is a PHENOMENAL solution that’s inexpensive, yet feature packed. It’s fully configurable and features drop downs, check boxes, and logic to ensure that users are inputting the correct information in the correct format. It also allows you to specify what fields the user can update. I highly recommend it. Other environments might use some home-grown solution, or even SharePoint. Either way, a self-service solution takes the burden off the Help Desk. A perfect example is when a manager leaves the organization. When their AD account is deleted, the users who had that person listed as their manager will automatically start getting reminders from this script since the field is now empty.

Many orgs don’t worry as much about some of these fields. However, when the information is current and correct, the data can be pulled for other purposes, such as workflow applications, org charts, phone lists, etc. Some orgs use transport rules to create disclaimer or signature phrases such as how to contact a user’s manager. All of these are perfect reasons for using this script.

Features

Runs as a scheduled task, and will remind users daily until their information is complete.

Can be run in DEMO mode to see which users would receive an email.

Can be run in PREVIEW mode to receive the formatted message to see what it looks like before rolling it out in production.

Installation

Execution Policy: Third-party PowerShell scripts may require that the PowerShell Execution Policy be set to either AllSigned, RemoteSigned, or Unrestricted. The default is Restricted, which prevents scripts – even code signed scripts – from running. For more information about setting your Execution Policy, see Using the Set-ExecutionPolicy Cmdlet.

This script requires a receive connector that will accept mail. See Creating a receive connector to use for sending email from PowerShell.

Once the receive connector is created, copy the script from the .zip file below to your server.  Open the script in any true text editor, and set the various parameters. See the highlighted lines in the script below. Each should be configured for your environment.

[parameter(ValueFromPipeline=$false, ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true, Mandatory=$false, HelpMessage="Please specify a company name.")]
[ValidateNotNullOrEmpty()]
[string]$Company = "Contoso Ltd",
[parameter(ValueFromPipeline=$false, ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true, Mandatory=$false, HelpMessage="Please specify an OWA URL")]
[ValidateNotNullOrEmpty()]
[string]$UpdateUrl = "https://directory.contoso.com/",
[parameter(ValueFromPipeline=$false, ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true, Mandatory=$false, HelpMessage="Please specify the IP address of your email server")]
[ValidateNotNullOrEmpty()]
[string]$EmailServer = "10.9.0.11",
[parameter(ValueFromPipeline=$false, ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true, Mandatory=$false, HelpMessage="Please specify a name and email address for the email 'from' field")]
[ValidateNotNullOrEmpty()]
[string]$EmailFrom = "Help Desk ",
[parameter(ValueFromPipeline=$false, ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true, Mandatory=$false)]
[string]$HelpDeskPhone = "(586) 555-1010",
[parameter(ValueFromPipeline=$true, ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true, Mandatory=$false)]
[ValidatePattern("^http")]
[string]$HelpDeskURL = "https://intranet.contoso.com/",
[parameter(ValueFromPipeline=$false, ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true, Mandatory=$false)]
[string] $TranscriptFilename = $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Name + " " + (hostname)+ " {0:yyyy-MM-dd hh-mmtt}.log" -f (Get-Date),
[parameter(ValueFromPipeline=$false, ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$false, Mandatory=$false, HelpMessage="This must be zero")]
[ValidateNotNullOrEmpty()]
[int]$UsersNotified = 0,
[parameter(ValueFromPipeline=$false, ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true, Mandatory=$false)]
[string] $ImagePath = "http://www.domain.com/images",

Save the script on your server.

Copy the images in the .zip file to the path you specified on line 102 above.

Run the script in demo mode to see a list of users that would receive the email messages:

.\New-DirectoryUpdateReminder.ps1 -demo

Test the script’s email functionality next by using preview mode. In preview mode, a single user will receive the email message. This will allow you to see what the users will see, as well as ensure that the formatting and wording is sufficient.

.\New-DirectoryUpdateReminder.ps1 -preview -previewuser [username]

After receiving and reviewing the message, adjust the HTML code as needed.

To configure the script to run as a scheduled task, run the script in install mode using

.\New-DirectoryUpdateReminder -install

This will create a Windows scheduled task that will run the script every day at 6:30am. Once the scheduled task is created, feel free to edit it to change the time.

That’s all it takes. Feel free to leave comments below, including any feature requests you’d like.

Donations

I’ve never been one to really solicit donations for my work. My offerings are created because *I* need to solve a problem, and once I do, it makes sense to offer the results of my work to the public. I mean, let’s face it: I can’t be the only one with that particular issue, right? Quite often, to my surprise, I’m asked why I don’t have a “donate” button so people can donate a few bucks. I’ve never really put much thought into it. But those inquiries are coming more often now, so I’m yielding to them. If you’d like to donate, you can send a few bucks via PayPal at https://www.paypal.me/PatRichard. Money collected from that will go to the costs of my website (hosting and domain names), as well as to my home lab.

Download

v1.7 – 01-27-2014 – New-DirectoryUpdateReminder.v1.7.zip

v1.5 – 09-02-2011 – New-DirectoryUpdateReminder.v1.5.zip

ScriptImages.zip – image files used in emails

Changelog

See the changelog for this script which details all versions and their features.

I found out today that I’ve been awarded the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for the sixth straight year. I’m quite honored to receive this award, and truly enjoy the benefits it brings.

For those who are unfamiliar with the MVP award, it is recognition from Microsoft for exceptional technical leadership in the community. MVPs are awarded in only a single area of expertise (mine being Exchange). I am a regular contributor to online communities such as TechNet and Tek-Tips, print publications such as books, and blogs such as this one. I truly enjoy doing it, and it’s always nice to be recognized for the efforts. Some MVPs are public speakers at conferences and write articles in technical publications. One cannot apply to be an MVP, nor can you take a test. You have to be nominated. I still am not positive as to who originally nominated me years ago. Soliciting for an MVP award is generally frowned upon.

Among the benefits that MVPs enjoy is unmatched access to the product groups within Microsoft, access to technical information not available publicly, as well as software and support benefits. The recognition goes far and wide, including benefits from outside vendors, as well as interest from larger organizations and recruiting firms. Think I’m exaggerating? My current employer CAME TO ME while I was working elsewhere, based on online contributions and reputation in the technical community. An MVP award has a substantial positive impact on your career.

MVP awards are granted during 4 cycles each year, and an MVP award is good for one year. So, no slacking here! To stay an MVP, you must continue to contribute in the technical community. The number of MVPs always fluctuates, as some are awarded only once, some join the mother ship (Microsoft) and have to forfeit their award, and some move to different areas of expertise. From what I’ve been able to gather, there are generally around two dozen Exchange MVPs in the United States. Most of us know each other, and can reach out to one another, as well as the product group staff, when issues arise. This is truly the best benefit. Look at the various books, magazine articles, blogs, and seminars about Exchange, and nearly all are written by MVPs. This includes Jim McBee, Tony Redmond, Devin Ganger, and others. See the Blog links section on the right side of this site for links to many MVPs.

I’ve made some great friends during these years. Some are no longer MVPs, but most still are. Some have been awarded for over a dozen years – a mind boggling thought. That’s a lot of forum posts, writing, and effort. Microsoft has a Global Summit once a year in Redmond, and many of us spend a lot of time at the Summit socializing and networking, which is not only fun from a professional level, but also a personal one. There are also deep technical sessions provided by those responsible for that particular area of the product. And we always meet MVPs in other areas of interest, such as Lync, Active Directory, etc.

Rest assured that my efforts to help in the community will continue for years to come.

If you’d like more information about the MVP program, see the Most Valuable Professional Overview page. To see my MVP profile, click the MVP logo in the right side of this site.

Thanks!