Run Internet Information Services (IIS) in 32 bit emulation mode

If you are running Windows Server 2003 x64 based operating system and you are installing x86 based application which would need to run on Internet Information Services (IIS) then you must run IIS in 32 bit emulation mode.  To do this follow the steps below:

• Click Start, and then click Run.
• In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
• In the command prompt window, navigate to the %drive%:\Inetpub\Adminscripts folder, where %drive% is the drive in which Windows Server 2003 is installed.
• In the Adminscripts folder, type the following command:
cscript adsutil.vbs set w3svc/AppPools/Enable32bitAppOnWin64 1

Note: The value “1″ for Enable32bitAppOnWin64 specifies 32-bit mode, whereas the value “0″ specifies 64-bit mode.

• Press ENTER.
• Type iisreset and then press ENTER.
• Close the command prompt window.

IIS would now run in 32 bit emulation mode and you can now install x86 based applications on the server.

Run stsadm.exe command from any command prompt

Many a times people think of running stsadm.exe commands from any command prompt.  So here is the way:

•  Open command prompt
•  Type in the following command:  @set PATH=C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\BIN;%PATH% 
•  You can now run the stsadm.exe commands from anywhere in the command prompt

Alerts does not work for changes done

SYMPTOMS:
Users do not recieve alerts for changes made to items although “Immediate alerts” are enabled in the site collection.

 

POSSIBLE CAUSES:

• The EventData and ACL columns in the SQL Content Database are not written correctly for this specific content database.
• The record is not processed by the timer service job correctly for this specific content database.
• The record is processed correctly. However, the email delivery mechanism is not working fine. For example, the alert templates fail to be picked up by the SharePoint Timer Service.
• Email server is not working.

 

RESOLUTION:
• Open Central Administration

• Click on Operations and then Timer Job Status

• Made sure the two jobs “Change Log “ and “Immediate Alerts” were showing “Success” and 100%
• Open the command window and navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\BIN> and run the following command: stsadm -o getproperty -url <http://siteurl> -pn alerts-enabled
• The expected output is <Property Exist=”Yes” Value=”yes” />

• Make sure the account running the SharePoint Timer Service is the account which has the administrator Full Control permission over the site and the full permission
on the content database.

• Restart the SharePoint Timer Service.

• In content database verify the EventData and ACL are not NULL for the specific content database. This seems to be the key to the problem sometimes.

• Check for the following: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server
extensions\12\BIN>stsadm.exe -o getproperty -url <http://siteurl> -pn job-immediate-alerts

• Expected result is Property Exist=”No” for that specific site

• Use the following command to reset the schedule
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\BIN>stsadm -o setproperty -url <http://siteurl> -pn job-immediate-alerts -pv “every 5 minutes between 0 and 59″

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The internal working mechanism of how an alert works in Windows Sharepoint Services 3.0:
• The EventCache table records the SQL level events as they occur and the EventData and ACL columns are not NULL for an alert event.
• There is an alerts timer job that runs periodically to process the records in the EventCache. After the alerts timer job runs, it nulls out the EventData and ACL columns.
• It will log an event into the EventLog table.

 

MORE TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS:
• Open SQL Query Analyzer and connect to the content database of concerned site.
• Run the following query in SQL and copy the result out: Select * from timerlock
If the issue persists, collect the following information:
• Run the following query against the content database of concerned site: Select * from eventcache where EventData is not null
This will show all the subscriptions which have not been processed yet. We can see if there are some alerts which are not processed.

• Run the following query: Select * from eventlog where ListID = ‘xxx’. This would give you the ListID from the EventCache table by running Select * from EventCache and check the documents which correspond to the
concerned listor document library.

• If you cannot find any record in the step 1, please perform the following tests: Get a filemon trace on the Sharepoint server and see if the Timer service picks up the alert template during the whole process.

 

How to collect the filemon trace:
• Create a new item in the list or document library where the alerts should work and start Filemon

•  Run the following query: Select * from eventcache order by EventTime DESC
• Check if the latest result is the one corresponds to your uploaded document. Make sure the EventData and ACL columns are not NULL.
•  After some time, check the EventCache table again to see if the EventData and ACL columns are NULL.
•  If yes, stop Filemon after the EventData and ACL columns are NULL.

•  Analyze the Filemon trace for more information

Creating a multi-boot configuration that includes Windows Vista with older versions of Windows

To create a working multi-boot configuration, install the oldest version of the Windows operating system first. Then, install each newer version in order. Every new Windows version preserves backward compatibility for starting earlier Windows versions.

 

To create a multi-boot configuration that includes Windows Vista, you must have at least one partition for each earlier Windows version that you install. Follow these general guidelines:

 

• Create at least two partitions. Use one partition for the Windows Vista installation.

Note: If the partition for Windows Vista is already formatted, make sure that it is formatted by using the NTFS file system. However, we recommend that you use one of the following methods:

• Create the second unformatted partition. 
• Do not create the second partition and leave the space as free space. Instead, create the second partition during the Windows Vista installation.

• If the computer does not have an operating system installed, install the oldest Windows version first.

Note Install Windows XP before you install Windows Server 2003.  

 

• Run the Windows Vista Setup program. Install Windows Vista in the free space or in the existing partition. You can run this Setup program in the earlier Windows version, or you can start the computer when the Windows Vista disc is in the CD or DVD drive.  

 

After Windows Vista Setup finishes, you will have a correctly-configured, multi-boot environment that includes Windows Vista and the earlier versions of Windows. The Bootmgr boot menu that appears resembles the following menu: “Microsoft Windows Earlier Windows Operating System”

 

SOURCE: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919529

Windows Vista fails to boot after an older version of Windows is installed

SYMPTOMS:
• If you install an earlier version of the Windows operating system on a Windows Vista-based computer, Windows Vista no longer starts. In this case, only the earlier version of the Windows operating system starts. 
• If you install an additional instance of Microsoft Windows XP on a computer where Windows XP and Windows Vista are already installed in a dual-boot configuration, you may receive the following error message: “Disk read error has occurred.”

 

CAUSE:

These issues occur because earlier versions of the Windows operating system are incompatible with the new Windows Vista startup method. Windows Vista uses a new Boot Configuration Database (BCD) store. This store contains a boot menu and all the information about operating systems that are installed on the computer. Therefore, a Boot.ini file that is from an earlier version of the Windows operating system cannot be used to start Windows Vista.

When Windows Vista starts on a BIOS-based computer, the BIOS loads the MBR and then loads the boot sector. However, boot code loads the new Windows Boot Manager program (Bootmgr). The Windows Boot Manager program parses the Boot Configuration Data file, enumerates the installed operating systems, and then displays the boot menu. If an earlier version of the Windows operating system is installed in a dual-boot configuration with Windows Vista, the Windows Boot Manager program transfers control to the Ntldr program for the earlier version of the Windows operating system. The Windows Boot Manager program does this when you select Windows Vista from the boot menu. When you install an earlier version of the Windows operating system on a Windows Vista-based computer, Setup overwrites everything from the MBR, the boot sector, and the boot files. Therefore, the earlier version the Windows operating system loses forward compatibility with Windows Vista.

 

RESOLUTION:
To resolve these issues, follow these steps.

Note: You can run the commands in the following procedure by using the command prompt. If you run these commands in Windows Vista, run them at a command prompt that has elevated user rights. To do this, click Start, click Accessories, right-click the command-prompt shortcut, and then click Run as Administrator.

• Use Bootsect.exe to restore the Windows Vista MBR and the boot code that transfers control to the Windows Boot Manager program. To do this, type the following command at a command prompt: Drive:\boot\Bootsect.exe /NT60 All

In this command, Drive is the drive where the Windows Vista installation media is located.

Note The boot folder for this step is on the DVD drive. 
• Use Bcdedit.exe to manually create an entry in the BCD Boot.ini file for the earlier version of the Windows operating system. To do this, type the following commands at a command prompt.

Note In these commands, Drive is the drive where Windows Vista is installed. • Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d “Description for earlier Windows version”

Note In this command, Description for earlier Windows version can be any text that you want. For example, Description for earlier Windows version can be “Windows XP” or “Windows Server 2003″. 
• Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /set {ntldr} device partition=x:

Note In this command, x: is the drive letter for the active partition.  
• Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr 
• Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast 
• Restart the computer.

 

SOURCE: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919529

Troubleshooting Active Desktop Recovery (Version 2)

Open Registry Editor.

 

Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\SafeMode\Components

 

Double click on “DeskHtmlVersion” and change the Value Data to “0″

 

Log off the user and log back in to get rid of the Active Directory Screen.

Troubleshooting Active Desktop Recovery (Version 1)

Open Windows Explorer

Click on Tools in the Menu bar

Select Folder Options

Select the the tab View

Under Advanced Settings, uncheck “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)”

Search for “desktop.htt” in your Operating System drive (You should find it normally in your Local Drive C)

Delete any “desktop.htt” file. (You may find more than one file in that location depending on how many user profiles are there on the computer. They should be located in ..\Documents and Settings\User\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer)

Close all windows and reboot your computer.

Once the computer reboots it will create a new “desktop.htt” file in that location.

You should be able to get rid off that white screen now.

Once you are done go ahead and check the option to “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)” in the folder options.