YouTube: My First Post

I found YouTube really easy to work with.  I created my video and saved it in the MP4 format and uploaded it.  A couple of weeks later and I have 1400+ hits.  The web is a great way to have fun expressing yourself.  Let me know what you think about my first YouTube video:

The Dubstep Wingsuit Base Jump Video

You Have Downloaded - We show what you downloaded

A new website to help you determine if anyone at your residence or business is illegally downloading copyrighted materials from the Internet. To determine what your Internet address is type "what is my IP" into your web browser. Input that IP address into www.youhavedownloaded.com. Read more about this service at:

You Have Downloaded - We show what you downloaded:

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Great news on closing the digital divide! ViaSat - WildBlue - Faster Sat Internet Is Coming

A new type of satellite will help speed up bandwidth for rural users who can receive Internet services from Wildblue. Read the article for more information:

ViaSat-1 Satellite Pings WildBlue Network Gateway: Faster Sat Internet Is Coming - HotHardware:

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FCC mandates TV broadcasters to turn down their ads

And there was much rejoicing!  Finally the FCC has told the TV companies to reduce the volume on commercials!  Sorry the exclamations, I'm just glad this change is happening.  The TV companies have fought this mandate and technologies that would automatically reduce the volume or skip ads entirely for decades.
Read more at: http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-volume-loud-tv-ads.html

Pricewatch - Web's first Price Comparison site. Find the lowest price, Black Friday deals and store reviews on tech and more

I've used Pricewatch for several years. As a technician, I'm asked to purchase hardware and software. Pricewatch does a great job of gathering pricing information from around the web and placing the results in easy-to-read lists. Give it a shot, you'll like what you find.

Pricewatch - Web's first Price Comparison site. Find the lowest price, Black Friday deals and store reviews on tech and more

Active Directory Authentication via Microsoft FTP 7.5 on IIS 7.0 and IIS 7.5

I was struggling to find a FTP product which allows secured FTP connections while also authenticating to Active Directory and being able to redirect the user to any specified folder and not to the root.  I tried Filezilla, Sysax Multi Server, WebDAV, and others but none could satisfy the requirements of my staff and web users.  I found Microsoft's own FTP version 7.5 encapsulated all these requirements, though took a bit to configure.  For those of you who want to create this solution, follow these instructions:


1.  Install IIS 7.0 or 7.5 on your Windows 2008 + server.
2.  Download FTP 7.5 for IIS 7, if you're using IIS 7.
3.  Install FTP 7.5 on your IIS server.
4.  Add FTP Publishing to an existing site or create a new FTP site.

5. You'll notice a new selection of FTP related items in your sites IIS menu.

6.  Double-click the FTP Authentication and disable Anonymous and IISManagerAuth, enabling only Basic.
7. Double-click the FTP Authorization Rules icon and create a new Allow Rule.  I created a new local group and placed my FTP users in it from the various domains in the forest.

8.  Double-click the FTP SSL Settings icon and select Require "SSL connections." To perform this action, you'll need to either create a local certificate or have purchased one from GoDaddy, Verisign, Comodo, Digicert, Thawte, or some other SSL certificate provider.

9. Double-click on the FTP User Isolation icon and select "User name directory."  This allows the creation of Active Directory domain-based user Virtual Directories.   

10.  Now you have the ability to redirect each FTP user to their virtual folder based on their domain.  For instance, if you have a domain named mybusiness.net, you'll make a new virtual folder off the root called mybusiness (excluding the root suffix).  For local server accounts, create a folder called LocalUser.  In the picture below, I have a MyBusiness domain FTP user named Bob and a server-based FTP user named Tom.  Also remember that all these users have to be added to the local FTP Users group added in Step 7.

11.  Step 10 illustrates how easy it is to create FTP user home folders.  From there, you can create sub virtual directories and point those to any file location your server has access to.  This makes it nice when a user needs access to multiple folders.  Instead of having the perusing your server folder structure and securing NTFS so they don't accidentally manipulate file unintentionally, have IIS make a clean folder structure for them.

12.  Firewall: Configure your firewall to allow port 21 and a range of consecutive ports for file transferring.  IIS.Net recommends ranges so FTP doesn't step on other ports.  To manually set up a range of ports, access the FTP Firewall Support section on the actually IIS Server link in IIS, not your site.

13.  In step 12, I added a 30000 - 30015 port range.  After this setting is applied, add the rule to your server's Firewall settings and any other network firewall too.

14.  Click on your site then the FTP Firewall Support section and you'll see the ports added but grayed out.

15.  After researching numerous websites, I found no way to effectively limit the data channel ports.  Yes I can manipulate the port range in step 14 but found it not working.  As such, every other aspect of Microsoft FTP 7.5 is great but if you need to tighten your firewall, this product is NOT for you!  You would have to open approximately 20,000 ports in the RPC range -- not viable.  I'm going to try WFTPD instead and see if I have better success.

Windows Sysinternals: Documentation, downloads and additional resources

If you use utilities to fix Windows computers, this repository by SysInternals should be in your arsenal. Mark Russinovich started making Windows tools many moons ago and now his site is integrated into Microsoft's site and I believe he is a Fellow for Microsoft. His Process Explorer and Autoruns are just two quick examples of no frills get the job done technical tools.

Windows Sysinternals: Documentation, downloads and additional resources:

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Android Market "10 Billion Promo" Day Five Deals: Apparatus, The Sims 3, Pano, And More Just 10¢ Each

Hurry while it last! Google's discounting a handful of nice apps for 10 cents each in celebration of their 10 billion app downloads. I'm sure this won't last long so gettem while they're hot!


Android Market "10 Billion Promo" Day Five Deals: Apparatus, The Sims 3, Pano, And More Just 10¢ Each:

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Google Currents reader application

Currents! A new Google app worth downloading. Currents provides a nice list of websites to choose from and downloads current articles in the background for your viewing pleasure. A quick and clean application where perusing sites while waiting for your meeting or at lunch is a cinch. Links below include a review and information from Google:

Google Currents reader app: Hands-on first impressions:

Click here to read more about Currents from Google

Apple hits 15 billion app downloads, Android hits 10 billion

Apple and Google are leading the way into new the model of purchasing software. Their application download stores have reached over 25 billion! I think it's safe to say that the mobile market is here to stay. Phones have taken over as cameras, music players, GPS guides, time-wasting game players, web browsing, email recipients, book readers, and more.

Google’s Android Market Hits 10 Billion Downloads - HotHardware:



How many ways can you say 15 billion App Store downloads? - Apple 2.0 - Fortune Tech:

One of the best Web Debugging Programs, and it's free

I've used Fiddler bunches of times. It's easy to use too. Open Fiddler, browse websites, then look at Fiddler's log. It'll show you exactly where you've directed when browsing sites. If there's backend redirects, you'll be able to see them.
Fiddler Web Debugger - A free web debugging tool:

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Eating your own dogfood - Google Ice Cream Sandwich

A term to live by when creating new products or software: dogfooding.
Google employees are receiving Ice Cream Sandwich over-the-air (OTAs) updates on their Nexus S phones - Dogfooding Has Begun:

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SFTP (SSL) via Filezilla Server and Client

Microsoft FTP 7.0 for Windows 2008 IIS 7.0 does not multi-homed directories for FTP users.  As such, my task was to find a product that had secure sessions and allowed setup for individual user home folders.  It was suggested I try Filezilla, an open source FTP (file transfer protocol) product.  It has both a Server (Windows-only) and Client (all platforms) component.  To help others who may be tasked with a similar scenario, I'm creating this blog entry on the steps needed to create the solution:

SERVER

1.  Download the Server component and install it on your Windows IIS web server.

2.  Add Port 21 and 990 to your firewall exception list.

3.  Add the FileZilla executable to your firewall exception list.

4.  From the FileZilla Server Options menu, click on Passive Mode settings and select custom port range and use Port 21 or 990.  If not, the firewall will balk at directory inquiries and transfers.

5.  From the FileZilla Server Options menu, click on Admin Interface settings and note the port used by the Admin Interface.  Add that port to your Firewall exception list if you'll be managing Filezilla by another computer.  By default it denies all server management access requests except 127.0.0.1.

6.  From the FileZilla Server Options menu, click on SSL/TLS settings and click on "Generate new certificate."  Complete the certificate and save it somewhere where the Filezilla server can see it.  Once saved, ensure it's in a place where your users can access it as they'll need to install it on their computers when using the FileZilla client.

7.  When you've saved the certificate, the Private key file and Certificate file fields should now be completed.

8.  Type in the strong password you used to create the certificate into the Key password section of the SSL/TSL page.

9.  From the main Filezilla Server menu bar, add groups and users.  This is pretty standard stuff, play with the folders and accounts until you customize it for what you need.  Setting a home directory will root that folder for the user.  They will NOT be able to browse up the file hierarchy.  Ensure to check "Force SSL for user login" as you'll want to ensure they don't connect in the clear.

10.  FileZilla can use existing domain users, local users, or create local users as you input their names and information.


(Note: Ensure you create a Passive Mode port range and open those ports in your firewall.  This enables the client and server to communicate when actually performing a file transfer.)

CLIENT

1.  Download the Client component and install it on your computer.

2.  From the main FileZilla Client window, input the FTP servers address, Username,  Password, and Port.  Click on Quickconnect.  You will be presented with the servers certificate.  Approve the certificate.

3.  Use a remote connection on the server to monitor the FTP servers log to ensure the user logged on correctly and successfully listed their home folder.

4.  From the FileZilla Client, click the folder in the Remote Site window and press F5 to update the contents.  If everything is working, it should give you the correct contents.

5.  Drag and drop a file from your local computer to the Remote site folder to ensure the connection is working.  

That's it, you now have a secured FTP server/client combination that would be very hard to hack since the hacker would not have direct access to your server certificate and password.  You also have a multiple user friendly FTP environment that should be easy for them to use.

NET LOCALGROUP To Find Group Members from All Local Groups

For those like myself who are working with Windows 2000 servers, there aren't many choices when it comes to extracting local user and group information.  There is no DS commands and if you're only using a member server then there's no AD-related tools either.  As such, I manipulated the FOR and NET LOCALGROUP commands to create an output file which I can feed into a text cleaning program like PowerShell.  Use this command (from CMD.EXE) to create a file with all local groups and members thereof:

c:>FOR /F "delims=*" %X IN ('NET LOCALGROUP') DO NET LOCALGROUP %X >>GROUPLIST.TXT

The NET command in the parentheses produces a list of all local groups on the server.  The FOR command grabs each group, strips the * from the front of the group name output, and processes it as a variable in another NET LOCALGROUP command.  The result is added to a GROUPLIST.TXT file.  If you accidentally use one > then only one list, the last processed list, will be in your file.  The double > allows the file to receive additions without overwriting the existing data.

OWSADM Reference Spreadsheet

It was a big struggle to find a document that completely overviews OWSADM.EXE  but I found one.  Parts of it are in French but it's worth it's (virtual) weight in gold as it gives all arguments and explanations thereof.  I'm going to place keywords in this blog post so those searching for this document will be able to find it.  Here goes the keywords:





AccountTracking, AllowExecutableScripts, Authoring, CacheMaxDocMeta, CacheMaxImage, CacheMaxInclude, CacheMaxIncludeSize, CacheMinDocMeta, CheckRolesConfig, CheckUserAccess, CompletionChar, ComplexPasswords, DatabaseServer, DBCacheAgingInSeconds, DBCacheListsMax, DBCacheProjectsMax, DBCacheUserInfoMax, Debug, DisableAutoImgSizeExts, DisableMetaTagStore, DiscussionsExpiry, DontAutoRestartTimer, EnableDiscussions, EnableNotifications, EnableRulesScript, EnableVTIDebug, FolderSubscriptions, GlobalRightsMask, ImageMapFormat, ImageMapURLPrefix, Job-doc-events, ListLockLatency, ListSystemDSNs, LocalDiscussionsOnly, LocalNTAccountsOnly, LogFileFormat, LogFileLocation. Logging, LogInitialSourceControlErrors, LogRollover, MailCharSet, MailEncoding, MailReplyTo, MailSender, MaxFormContentLength, MaxThreadsCount, MaxUploadContentLength, MinThreadsCount, NewItemDisplayCutoff, NoAbsoluteFileResults, NoClientImageMaps, NoExecutableCgiUpload, NoIndexServer, NoMachineGroups, NoMarkScriptable, NoRolesSupport, NoSaveResultsPipeTo, NoSaveResultsToAbsoluteFile, PreserveTagCase, PrivateBrowsable, PrivateDirUMask , PublishMetainfoKeys, ReformatHtml, RemoveAnonymousAuthoring, RepairDB, RequestQueueSize, RequireSSL, RestrictAccountVisibility , RestrictIISUsersAndGroups, RunTimeFileExtensions, ScriptLanguage, SendMailCommand, SMTPHost, TextMemory, ThreadTimeout, TightenSecurity, UpperCaseTags, UsageAnalysisLogExpiry, UsageFullDaysOnly , UsageSendMailTo, UsageServerURLs, ValidateServicesCnf, WECCtlFlags

Multiple Domain Hosting on one IP address using IIS 7

I'm working on finding a way to save IP addresses while hosting several redirection IIS sites.  I've burned three IP's and have been playing with the possibility of combining them into one IP.  Here are my findings that you can replicate on your IIS7 server:

1. Add your new IP address to the production NIC group of IPs via the NIC's IPv4 properties
2. Create your new IIS sites:
1. I used Tom, Bob, and Ed for my new sites
2. Ensure you've created default document pages for each site (default.htm or .asp)
3. Tom is the anchor site which I connected bindings to the new IP address.  I selected the new IP address from the bindings menu and ensured there was no host name.
3. Now that you've added the new IP address to your NIC, you should notice a new A record in DNS for your domain.  Edit this Host(A) entry to something specific to your new sites; I used MyHostTom.domain.com - connecting the DNS name to the anchor sites IP address
4. I don't know if it's necessary but I also added a pointer record going to myhosttom.domain.com
5. Insert an alias record in your domain DNS of Tom and point it to myhosttom.domain.com (the A record you made earlier).
6. Use your web browser to test your DNS table by going to your new site via it's DNS address
7. If your sites default page opens properly, then you can connect your other sites to your anchor site
1. Go to the bindings for Bob and select "All unassigned" addresses and input bob.domain.com
2. For your third site Ed, use *All unassigned* and ed.domain.com
8. IIS will now read the incoming expected DNS name and route to the correct site via the anchor site of Tom.

If you have any questions about this post, as it's pretty full of acronyms and kinda vague, leave a comment or send me an email.  Thanks for reading.

View on Society

Personal experience shapes ones view of society.  Case in point, a coworker who works and lives in the same area as me has a different outlook on the future of our society.  The paths to how we became coworkers are different and must have influenced our views of the same society.  We can look at one object and possess two different interpretations.

I know this seems like a "duh" post but it's a realization to me of just how different humans are.  It reminds me of the Republicans and Democrats trying to fix our financial system.  But in their case, it's a lot more people than just two.

Finding Office Web Apps 2010 for SharePoint 2010

We've been searching everywhere for Microsoft's Office Web Apps 2010 for SharePoint 2010.  After asking a sales rep, we were given the link to Microsoft's VLSC site.  Your organization has to have a volume license agreement before you can enter the site.  Once in the site, go to the Office Professional Plus 2010 with SP1 site, click on the downloads link, then you'll see "Office Web Apps 2010 64-bit English (for SharePoint 2010)."  Also be aware that it uses its own software key, not that of Office 2010 or SharePoint.  Good luck.

Appending data to a list of items in a CSV file via PowerShell

I had a list of local usernames that needed to be appended with the domain name of bc\.  Since I'm learning PowerShell, I thought I'd try to find a solution via PS.  Here is what I did:
1.  Created a CSV file with everyone's name in one column and column header name of Name.
2.  Read up on how to append objects and write the new object out to a file.
3.  Created the script:
       import-csv .\names.csv|foreach -process { out-file -filepath names.txt -append -inputobject ("bc\" + $_.Name)}
4.  The script processes each line of the names.csv column by added bc\ to the existing column object then outputs the data into a new text file named names.txt and places the text file into the same file path as the CSV file.
5.  The result changed a username of BobSmith to BC\BobSmith.

New material claimed to store more energy and cost less money than batteries

Great discovery if it can make it to market. Finally a solution for electric-powered vehicles and other technologies currently forced to use inefficient batteries. This could be a breakthrough leading us to a new way of using electrical items.

New material claimed to store more energy and cost less money than batteries:

IIS Website Redirection (IIS 7.x)

If you wish to create a website that only connects via HTTPS (port 443) but want to ensure users don't see a blank website or receive an error when they type your URL into their browser, you can create an IIS redirection site.  Here are the steps:

1. Open IIS Manager, right click on Sites, and "Add Web Site..."

2. Name the site something that will help you remember what it's for (I used Redirector) and ensure it's capturing requests going to port 80 (HTTP native port number)

3.  Click on your website and double-click on the HTTP Redirect tool

4.  Type in your redirected website name (i.e. HTTPS://www.yoursite.com) and click Apply.  Web redirection is now in place.  Obviously this not only applies to 443 redirections but pretty much any kind of web redirection -- for instance, a subsite (http://www.yoursite.com/MoreInfo) or different server (http://anotherserver.yoursite.com) altogether.

SharePoint Designer editing for SharePoint Server 2010

If your organization decides to edit/create SharePoint 2010 content via SharePoint Designer, ensure you use the correct version of the designer.  I spent three hours trying to figure out why I kept getting "This web site has been configured to disallow editing with SharePoint Designer."  I created a brand new SharePoint site, ensured the check-boxes were checked and still received that message.  No where in Microsoft's website could I explicitly find a solution.  Finally someone blogged a solution to the problem, mentioning that they installed SharePoint Designer version 2010 and the problem was solved.  Luckily, SharePoint Designer 2010 is a free downloadable application.  Click here to visit the Microsoft site.

Fixing SharePoint 2010 Navigation Crumbs

I found a navigation crumb whose link was broken.  The library was working correctly when the user clicked the Library link in the "Quick aunch" left section but the crumb at the top wasn't pointing to the "Forms/AllItems.aspx" page but rather to nowhere. This problem occurs when there's no default view selected for the Library or list.  Perform the following to fix the problem:

1. Click Site Actions
2. Click Site Settings
3. Click Site libraries and lists from the Site Administration section
4. Click "Customize..." on the library or list that's not working
5. Scroll down the page until you see Views
6. You should notice that there is no view checked as Default View
7. If there are existing views to choose from, make one of them the default
8. If there are no views, click Create view, and pick "All Documents" at the bottom
9. Use the defaults and click OK
10. This will return you to the library/list page where you should see the views section updated
11. Use your crumb or Quick Launch link to return to the problemed library
12. Click on the updated crumb at the top of the page, it should be working now

Manipulating FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions in Windows 2008 Server

My recent task was to help move FrontPage 2002 websites from a Windows 2000 server utilizing IIS 5.0 to a new Windows 2008 R1 server with IIS 7.0.  Microsoft stopped supporting FrontPage Server Extensions (FPSE) in IIS 7 so a third party company named Ready-to-Run created a solution.  Beware though, for Windows 2008 R1, there is no need for a separate license server.  But, for 2008 R2, which is IIS 7.5, the FPSE add-on requires a separate license server if Windows 2008 is hosted on a virtual machine.  This requires at least 5 ports to be opened in your firewall plus having a dependency on a another (physical) computer to host the license file and associated program/service.


Adding the FPSE software is relatively easy.  IIS.Net has great information about this process. Warning:  logon as the Administrator and perform all duties as the Administrator, no matter what your user permissions are.  UAC creates unusual and unexpected results if you don't run as Administrator -- especially if running from the PowerShell or Command line.  Another note, ASP from IIS 5.0 uses .Net 2.0 and IIS 7.x uses .Net 3.0 (integrated).


FPSE comes with a powerful command line executable you may want to use if you have several websites, subwebs, and/or users and permissions to populate.  Combined with PowerShell, you can create some simple CSV files, input your information, and build your web environment without having to the use SharePoint Designer GUI in a painstakingly slow building process.


Using IIS, create a parent website that will host the subwebs.  Assign it's IP, port, etc. Use the SharePoint Admin web interface to extend the website with FPSE.  Once created and extended, click on IIS/Sites locate your new websites ID number.  That will be important for the scripts.


Creating subwebs using PowerShell and OWSADM:
The FPSE executable OWSADM.EXE is located in "%systemdrive%\program files (x86)\common files\microsoft shared\Web Server Extensions\50\bin".  Open a cmd.exe window and CD your way to the owsadm.exe location.  This is the syntax for creating a subweb:
owsadm.exe -o create -w /Subwebname -m YourParentSiteID -u InitialSubwebAdmn -pw (don't have to use)
Example:
owsadm -o create -w /TestSubWeb -m 4 -u Administrator -pw MyPa$$w0rd


Once your subsite is created, you can add users and roles.  To do so, follow this syntax:
owsadm -o roleusers -w /Subwebname -c add -u user1,user2,user3 -n Browser -m YourParentSideID
Example:
owsadm -o roleusers -w /TestSubWeb -c add -u Bob,Tom,Wilma -n Browser -m 4
(no spaces between users and commas and for Advanced author use Advauthor)


If you have several websites, subsites, and users, it might be worth your while to create CSV files to import into a couple of PowerShell scripts.  PowerShell is powerful and requires you to run it as Administrator.  Also, you have to turn on scripting for PS via the "set-executionpolicy Unrestricted."  Default is Restricted.  I mention how to change it in a previous blog post.  


Create a CSV for your Subwebs:



ParentWeb,Subweb,Admin,Password
4,2014,dbadmin,password

4,TestSubweb,Admin,password



Save this file as Subwebs.csv in the same folder as you'll run your PowerShell script from (I suggest from the owsadm.exe folder)


Create a PowerShell script:



import-csv Subwebs.csv|foreach {
$parent = $_.ParentWeb
$subweb = $_.Subweb
$admin = $_.Admin
$password = $_.Password
.\owsadm.exe -o create -w /$subweb -m $parent -u $admin
}


In this script I left out the password portion as the user accounts were already created and I ddn't want to jeopardize them.  You can add and use -pw and input the data from column four of the Subwebs.csv, just remember to add -pw $password to the owsadm line.


Once the subwebs are created, you can work on inputting your users and their subweb roles.  Create Webperms.csv and add users and roles:



Subweb,User,Perm
2014,brad,Browser
2014,anslo,advauthor


Save to the owsadm.exe folder then create a PowerShell script:

import-csv Webperms.csv|foreach {

$perm = $_.Perm

$user = $_.User

$subweb = $_.Subweb

.\owsadm.exe -o roleusers -w /$subweb -c add -u $user -n $perm -m 4

}

Now you can consult with your webmaster to get all the information about moving sites over to a new server.  Update the CSV files with the appropriate information and run the PowerShell scripts when you're finished dotting your I's and crossing your T's.  Both owsadm.exe and PowerShell are syntax picky so ensure there's no extra spaces, quotes, or other extraneous marks in your commands or CSV files.


Please leave comments if this article helped you or you need more information.  I wrote it with the assumption that you are well-versed in server administration and some scripting knowledge.  Enjoy!


References:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc768032.aspx
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/272945
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/838684
http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/134/installing-the-frontpage-server-extensions-on-iis-7/

Adding local users (and to a group) via PowerShell

After researching numerous sites over a two-day period, I've finally figured out how to use PowerShell, write a PS script, and complete the transition of users from one local server to another. And, add those users to a group on the new server. Here are the steps necessary to complete the task:

1. Ensure PowerShell has permissions to run scripts by either running the PS command set-executionpolicy unrestricted. I found out that the UAC stops this regkey from being created so I manually added the string value of Unrestricted in the HKLM\Software\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\Microsoft.PowerShell key.

2. No matter what security privileges you have on your computer, ALWAYS run PowerShell as Administrator. Again, the UAC will cause problems if you don't.

3. All PowerShell scripts have the extension .PS1. Ensure you name your script file accordingly. Also, when running the script, use the current folder . and backslash \ . For instance, I created a folder off the root called PowerShell. To run a script from the same folder, type in .\scriptname.ps1.

4. Create a CSV from your old server by going to the Computer Management MMC, clicking on Local Users and Groups, right-clicking on the Users folder, and selecting Export List. The resulting file will need to be converted from a tab-based file to a comma-based one. Use Excel to create this conversion.

5. Once you have a comma separated list of users, place three entries on the first line of your list of users: Users, FullName, and Description. Use commas between the words. Your CSV file should look something like this:

Users,FullName,Description

Bob,Bob Smith,Accountant

Jane,Jane Thomas,HR Lead

etc...

6. Create a script similar to this:

$target = [adsi]"WinNT://ComputerName"

$group = [adsi]"WinNT://ComputerName/Group1"

Import-CSV users.csv|foreach {

$newuser = $target.Create("user",$_.User)

$newuser.SetPassword("P@ssW0rd")

$newuser.SetInfo()

$newuser.InvokeSet("FullName",$_.FullName)

$newuser.SetInfo()

$newuser.InvokeSet("Description",$_.Description)

$newuser.SetInfo()

$user = "WinNT://ComputerName/" + $_.User

$group.Add($user)

}

Change ComputerName to your servers name. You can abbreviate your server name with . (ie. WinNT://. ) but found adding the user to a group section didn't work unless I explicitly named the server.

The $_. pulls the information from the CSV file based on the column heading name.

7. Ensure you've created the group you want all the new users to be apart of. If you don't want them in any special group, you can edit the script and place # in front of each line that pertains to the group addition. # is a remark character and PS ignores processing for that line.

8. Run the script, ensuring you've pointed it to the correct location of your CSV file. If you've done everything right, you'll simply see PS run the command and go back to the prompt. If something is wrong, you'll see lots of red text.

9. As a precaution, once you've run your script, set-executionpolicy restricted should be done to ensure rogue scripts aren't performed against your server.

Hope this helps you save time and enjoy PowerShell, it's very powerful.

Setting up a Small Business / Personal Website

A nice article describing a few ways to get a personal website going:

Setting up a Small Business / Personal Website | Precision Computing:

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Samsung Develops New 32GB RDIMM - HotHardware

32 Gigabytes on one memory chip! Most modern computers running Windows 7 are using 4 Gigabytes total. To see if your businesses computers can upgrade, call for more information.

Time Warner Cable’s future is in broadband, not TV

There's a broad shift in leisure time activities as indicated by an article about Time Warner Cable. More subscribers are opting for Internet services rather than cable TV. Viewers can find their favorite TV shows via Hulu, Netflix, or their favorite shows own website. As times become harder for some, they have to make a choice between TV and Internet, and the Internet is winning.

HTC Android phone owners: Your bootloader will soon be unlocked!

HTC released the bootloader key on the European Sensation model. Other worldwide phone models will soon follow. The unlocker allows you full access to your phone and will allow the removal of previously mandatory applications. It also enables third party developers to create HotSpot apps and similar banned programs. Contact if you'd like more information about the bootloader unlocker. Click the link to read more from HTC:

HTCdev - Unlock Bootloader

FCC finding about ISP's advertised speeds

Only Comcast and Verizon's fiber service met or exceeded their advertised download/upload speeds in the FCC yearlong study. Click on the link to see how your ISP rated:

(Most) ISPs Don't Inflate Their Speeds (Too Much): FCC - HotHardware

A new DVD-compatible disc can save data up to 1,000 years

Your data backup should always a concern. Choosing which medium for off-site storage now has a new choice. The new M-DISC stores information like a normal DVD but can retain it exponentially longer. If you'd like more information about data backup and solutions for your business, contact . For more information about M-DISCs, click on the link:

M-DISC offers up to 1,000 years of data storage on a DVD compatible disc

Best & Worst Lists - The 50 Best Websites of 2011 - TIME

Time Magazine's 2011 list of best and worst websites. Definitely worth a gander:

Best & Worst Lists - The 50 Best Websites of 2011 - TIME

Search the world's smartphone photos

New technology would allow governments or other bodies to search world cell phone live photos for victims, criminals, or other people. The potential invasion of privacy is enormous but people will be persuaded to install and use this app as commercial entities will pay big money for photos they use from your phone, i.e. sporting events or social celebrations.

Search the world's smartphone photos

MIT Research group predicts ice-free Arctic sea by 2100

An alarming prediction by MIT forecasts no ice in the Arctic within 90 years. Some forecasts predict ice melt four times quicker. Read more:

UN Climate Report Fails to Capture Arctic Ice Thinning Reality: MIT - International Business Times

Facebook stole every contact and phone number in your phone - here's how to undo the damage

If you have a smartphone with the Facebook app and are concerned about your personal data, please read this article about how to eliminate Facebook's saved data: (no guarantee it's truly gone though)

Facebook stole every contact and phone number in your phone - here's how to undo the damage

SF BART website hacked by Anonymous after they disabled cell services at an impending demonstration

Should citizens of the world have their social communications shutoff by the governments when they feel threatened? This issue is going to eventually have to be resolved. This article is about San Francisco's BART employees disabling the cell phone services at the BART stations when there was a scheduled protest. The hackavist group Anonymous hacked BARTs website and stole their user database and will publish it in the future. Read more to understand some views about this new type of social problem our world is experiencing:

CA transit agency under fire over wireless shutoff

Sony announces 'WhiteMagic' - new LCD screen that uses half the power

Great article about a new technology from Sony which will save electricity when it enters the market. Read more:

Sony announces 'WhiteMagic' - new LCD screen that uses half the power

Google Buys Motorola For $12.5 Billion

Quote from Google:

"The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business."

Find out more by clicking on the articles link:

Breaking: Google Buys Motorola For $12.5 Billion | LinkedIn

Vuzix Wrap 1200 3D Video Eyewear is immerses you in video

This is just plain cool! These video glasses (with earphones) project a 75" 2D/3D display 10 feet in front of your eyes. Yours for only $499.99.

Vuzix Wrap 1200 3D Video Eyewear is immerses you in video | Ubergizmo

HTML5: Working with the canvas element

Nice article from TechRepublic explains the canvas element which allows vector graphics in HTML5. Click on the link to see some good examples and comments:

HTML5: Working with the canvas element | TechRepublic

Looks like HTML5 is gaining momentum — Tech News and Analysis

HTML5 is quickly becoming the standard. Read more about more companies upgrading to this new web browser language:

Looks like HTML5 is gaining momentum — Tech News and Analysis

New drug could cure nearly any viral infection - MIT News Office

Great news! MIT has created a new drug that targets only cells infected by any type of virus. They have found it to be effective against H1N1 influenza, a stomach virus, a polio virus, and more. Read on:

New drug could cure nearly any viral infection - MIT News Office

Comcast Internet Essentials: $10 Web Access for Low-Income Families

This is a great deal for low income families. Anyone within the Comcast area and has a child receiving free lunches at school will qualify. Not only do you get $9.95 per month Internet access but also a coupon for a nice $149.99 computer.

Comcast Internet Essentials: $10 Web Access for Low-Income Families - CE Pro Article from CE Pro

Aluminum-Celmet Could Increase Electric Vehicle Range By 300% | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Electric car and mobile device battery capacity could be increased up to 300% by this new alloy. Read more as this will be a big factor in the public acceptance of electric vehicles:

Aluminum-Celmet Could Increase Electric Vehicle Range By 300% | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Jordan's $1.5 Billion Star Trek Theme Park to be Powered by Alternative Energy | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

A Jordanian Star Trek theme park to be developed.

Jordan's $1.5 Billion Star Trek Theme Park to be Powered by Alternative Energy | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Unfair To Blame Technology For Assisting U.K. Rioters, Say Experts - WSJ.com

What's your take on this topic about blaming secure texting technologies for the riots in London and other English cities? Should the governments have privileged access to these communications or should we continue to resist the requests?

Unfair To Blame Technology For Assisting U.K. Rioters, Say Experts - WSJ.com

Why 193,000 people stopped paying for TV (cord cutters) last quarter

Another trend coinciding with the increased popularity of online video viewing by Netflix and Hulu is the decreased TV cable/satellite subscribers.

Why 193,000 people stopped paying for TV last quarter — Online Video News

Netflix by the numbers, has more subscribers than Comcast

Hard to ignore the truth about the future of video. Circular media is going to the wayside as online viewing becoming the main method for watching movies and TV shows. Netflix has led the way in this arena and the numbers show how well they're doing. They're also expanding to the European and Central/South American markets. Read more in this linked article.

Infographic: Netflix by the numbers — Online Video News

Facebook Messenger Stand-Alone Chat App

Good news for those who enjoy Internet Messaging (IM). Facebook will have an app for that:

Facebook Messenger Stand-Alone Chat App | Ubergizmo

eBooks sales increased more than 1,000% since 2008

From the article: "Sales of eBooks made up 6.4% of all book sales in 2010, with the number expected to grow even more this year. In fact, since 2008, eBook sales have went up by 1039.6%, while revenue in the same period was also increased by 1274.1%! " Read more:

eBooks sales increased more than 1,000% since 2008 | Ubergizmo

California High-Speed Rail Authority releases Draft EIR/EIS - Bakersfield Environmental News | Examiner.com

From the article: “The high-speed rail system will always be a better and cheaper alternative than widening freeways and building more airports,” said Roelof van Ark, CEO of the CaHSRA. “After a little more than a year on this project, I am confident that we now have an accurate description of these segments, the refined alignment alternatives, potential impacts and mitigation measures, and credible cost estimates. The information contained in these reports will ensure we can successfully go to bid for the initial construction segment next year.”

California High-Speed Rail Authority releases Draft EIR/EIS - Bakersfield Environmental News | Examiner.com

World Reacts To U.S. Credit Downgrade - Money News Story - KERO Bakersfield

Standard & Poor has downgraded US credit rating and international markets are closing lower due to this credit hit. Read more at channel 23's website:

World Reacts To U.S. Credit Downgrade - Money News Story - KERO Bakersfield

No more bye-bye Bakersfield - Bakersfield.com

A great article by Heather James of the Bakersfield Californian about why she and her family love Bakersfield. I'm happy to say that I concur with her comments. Bakersfield is my families home too!

HEATHER IJAMES: No more bye-bye Bakersfield - Bakersfield.com

Tactile technology guaranteed to send shivers down your spine

Disney is working on tactile feedback devices. From the article:

"A new tactile technology developed at Disney Research, Pittsburgh (DRP), called Surround Haptics, makes it possible for video game players and film viewers to feel a wide variety of sensations, from the smoothness of a finger being drawn against skin to the jolt of a collision."

Tactile technology guaranteed to send shivers down your spine

HTML5 — Edition for Web Developers

An excellent website for learning HTML5.

HTML5 — Edition for Web Developers

10 things you should know about HTML5 | TechRepublic

For those of you who use HTML, here is a good article about the upcoming de facto HTML5:

10 things you should know about HTML5 | TechRepublic

#Antisec hackers release 10GB of law enforcement data | Ubergizmo

Two hackavist groups, Anonymous & Lulzsec, have acquired 10 gigabytes of police information. Here's a paragraph from the linked article:

"The leak contains hundreds of compromising email spools, personal information about officers, police training videos, contents of insecure anonymous tip systems, over 300 mail accounts from 56 law enforcement domains, the Missouri Sherriff account dump (7000+ usernames, passwords, home address, phones and SSNs), online police training academy files, Plesk plaintext server passwords, the “report a crime” snitch list compilation and stolen credit card information from the mosherriffs.com online store."

It's a double-edged sword. We place data online so it can be more accessible and share-able with those who need it but at the same time can be jeopardized if groups are persistent enough. So far there hasn't been any successful attacks on Google's cloud-based information storage. Read more:

#Antisec hackers release 10GB of law enforcement data | Ubergizmo

Google Steps Up Chromebook Marketing Campaign

As the PC evolves, more tasks are being performed online. Windows is being replaced by web functionality. Find out how can add Chromebooks to your company. See how these inexpensive yet great cloud-centric computers can add to your bottom line.

Google Steps Up Chromebook Marketing Campaign | Chrome OS Site

Smart introduces the blisteringly fast Optimus 1.6TB SSD

Solid state drives have many benefits over the traditional mechanical ones. This new 1.6 terabyte drive could be a perfect match for your company. Contact for more information about how we can integrate this new technology into your business!

Smart introduces the blisteringly fast Optimus 1.6TB SSD

Widespread Hijacking of Search Traffic in the United States | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are rerouting traffic going to search engines to third-party firms that gain access to your search engine history, without your consent.

In this article, there is a free tool which helps you become aware of this site redirection.

"The ICSI Networking group develops and operates the ICSI Netalyzr, a tool that tests the characteristics of users' Internet connections. Netalyzr's measurements show that approximately a dozen US Internet Service Providers (ISPs), including DirecPC, Frontier, Hughes, and Wide Open West, deliberately and with no visible indication route thousands of users' entire web search traffic via Paxfire's web proxies." Read more:

Widespread Hijacking of Search Traffic in the United States | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Anonymous vs. Facebook, Nov. 5th, 2011

Pay heed to the words from the hackivists known as Anonymous. They've been successfully bypassing security on several huge Internet corporations, organizations, and governments. They plan on taking down Facebook this November 5th, 2011.

Message from Anonymous: Operation Facebook, Nov 5 2011 - YouTube

Wikipedia needs content providers and editors

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is worried about the future of his online encyclopedia. Read more:

Wikipedia Says It's Losing Contributors : NPR

$16 trillion given in secret loans to businesses and banks

"The first top-to-bottom audit of the Federal Reserve uncovered eye-popping new details about how the U.S. provided a whopping $16 trillion in secret loans to bail out American and foreign banks and businesses during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression." - Posted on Sen. Sanders' site

The Fed Audit - Newsroom: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont)

Customer Satisfaction Index for E-Business

Great resource to find trends in E-business. The yearly customer satisfaction index report is now available. Google tops the list for search engines and Wikipedia is 12 points above Facebook for social media. Read more:

July 2011 and Historical ACSI Scores

NASA - NASA Spacecraft Data Suggest Water Flowing on Mars

NASA released findings which point to evidence of water flowing on Mars during its warm months.

NASA - NASA Spacecraft Data Suggest Water Flowing on Mars