Ground Control

For those out there using Linux, you are probably aware of a package called Evolution which is the Linux equivalent of Outlook from Microsoft.

This is now available in an experimental form for Windows machines and I am currently testing it on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 without any real issues apart from the occasional crash of the package.

The main thing about this package is that not only can it connect to an Exchange server via the owa address but it will also connect directly to your google mail account and use the contacts and calendar without any additional software.

The page giving the information is here:

And I've got the install file here as soon as an update is available I'll put the latest one on the site.

Have fun and see what you think

Some people occasionally find that the Content Manager in Internet Explorer is turned on. And when they go to turn it off realise that they have either forgotten the password or don't remember putting one in there.

If you find yourself in this situation then this is what to do:

Fire up Regedit and go to :

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Ratings

Then right click on the entry marked key and delete it.

You should now find that the password has been removed and you can either put a new one in or disable the content advisor.

Occasionally user profiles become corrupt.

You can copy data from your old profile to a new one, to preserve your settings, preferences and documents.

Here's how:

First create a new profile by logging on with administrative credentials and clicking Start | Control Panel | User Accounts

1. Under "Pick a Task," click "Create a new account," enter a name, and click Next.
2. Select the account type and click "Create account."
3. Now log on with an account that is not the one you're copying the files from or to.
4. Right click Start, select Windows Explorer, and click Folder Options.
5. On the View tab, check "Show hidden files and folders," uncheck "Hide Protected Operating System files," and click OK.
6. Navigate to
7. Press and hold the CTRL key to click every subfolder and file in this folder except: Ntuser.dat, Ntuser.dat.log, and Ntuser.ini.
8. Click Edit | Copy or press CTRL+C or right click and select Copy.
9. Navigate to the :\Documents and Settings folder again and find the folder with the user name of the new profile. Open that folder.
10. Click Edit | Paste or press CTRL+V or right click and select Paste.
11. Log off and then log on with the new user account. This will transfer your preferences (wallpaper, desktop icons), settings and documents from the My Documents folder. This will not import your email messages to the new profile.

Remote desktop protocol (RDP) is the de facto administrative console access, and it may be necessary to make it even more secure by changing the TCP port used for the network access. RDP transports on TCP 3389 by default for all supported versions of Windows; if you want to change the port, it requires a quick change in the Windows registry.

(Note: Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before saving any changes.)

The following hive has the specific TCP port used for RDP:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp]

In this hive, the PortNumber value contains the configured port that Windows will listen for RDP connections. The default port assignment is represented as D3D in hexadecimal or 3389 in binary. For this example, I will change the port to 53389. Figure A shows this change being made on a test server.

Figure A

It may require a reboot to make the port assignment take effect (my Windows Server 2008 R2 test system did). Once the system is listening on the new port, connections need to specify the new port in the RDP client properties, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B

The Windows Server system will now listen on the new port with the Svchost.exe process, visible in task manager by entering Netstat  -a -n -o to view the current processes and list the associated executable.

Have you had to change your RDP port to another port or possibly change it back? If so, share your thoughts about the experience in the discussion.