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Win XP SMS advanced client setup problems

In our case, wondering where that cannot create Microsoft.SMS.Client object 800A01AD error comes from…

http://blogs.technet.com/b/configmgrteam/archive/2009/03/13/troubleshooting-client-deployment-issues-running-ccmsetup-as-a-service.aspx

Sometimes you need to let ccmsetup.exe do it’s thing when joining systems to the domain.

Windows Server 2003 (and XP) logon screen power config to allow reliable ACPI shutdown

It can sometimes be difficult to get Windows systems to shut down reliably using an ACPI signal (either the power button for a physical system, or an equivalent signal from a virtual machine hypervisor). Generally you find after the system has been on for a period of time, the first ACPI signal merely wakes up the screen. On a physical system this makes some sense – it shows you the system is in fact on already. To turn a physical system off you just press the power button again. For a virtual system this is not convenient, especially when you want the system to shut down cleanly when the host system is going down. The trick is to keep everything, particularly the screen, alive so that the first ACPI signal does actually initiate shutdown.

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Windows Server 2003 change to multiprocessor HAL

According to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc782277(v=ws.10).aspx this should be simple. Trying it on a Server 2003 VM (that had been converted from Virtual Server 2005) didn’t give the options of the other HALs. The answer is at http://www.pimp-my-rig.com/2008/08/article-acpi-uniprocessor-to.html – use the command line devcon.exe tool and the .cmd script at http://www.pimp-my-rig.com/2008/10/acpi-multiprocessor-hal-upgrade-script.html .

Devcon can be downloaded from Microsoft at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311272

The script is:

@echo off
@title "Upgrading to ACPI Multi-Processor HAL.."
cls

echo ====================================================
echo Upgrading to ACPI Multi-Processor HAL..
echo ====================================================
echo.
echo please wait..

devcon sethwid @ROOT\PCI_HAL\0000 := !E_ISA_UP !ACPIPIC_UP !ACPIAPIC_UP !ACPIAPIC_MP !MPS_UP !MPS_MP !SGI_MPS_MP !SYSPRO_MP !SGI_MPS_MP > nul
devcon sethwid @ROOT\ACPI_HAL\0000 := !E_ISA_UP !ACPIPIC_UP !ACPIAPIC_UP !ACPIAPIC_MP !MPS_UP !MPS_MP !SGI_MPS_MP !SYSPRO_MP !SGI_MPS_MP > nul
devcon sethwid @ROOT\PCI_HAL\0000 := +ACPIAPIC_MP > nul
devcon sethwid @ROOT\ACPI_HAL\0000 := +ACPIAPIC_MP > nul
devcon update %windir%\inf\hal.inf ACPIAPIC_MP > nul

echo.
echo ====================================================
echo Script Completed: press any key to reboot..
echo ====================================================

pause > nul

devcon reboot

Windows Server 2003 shutdown Group Policy

Because I always forget about this one…

http://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Acpi_kvm

For Server 2003 (and 2008) run

gpedit.msc

and change the key

Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options\Shutdown: Allow system to be shut down without having to log on

Yumex setup on Fedora 17 LDXE

Yumex (I’ll probably remove it later, but it might be handy for removing cruft) complains that it can’t download stuff and bombs out. Even if yum proxy has been set and yum is working.

To fix, edit /etc/yumex.conf and add the proxy in:

proxy = "http://your.cache.address:port"

The quotes are required!

Some information about the grub font error at http://unsolicitedbutoffered.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/fedora-17-lxde-review-just-facts-mam.html