Create Logon Event in Event Log

SCENARIO

You don't like how the Windows Security Log records logon events. You want to create your own logon events and record information that you find useful.

SCCM Task Sequence Error 0x4005(16389)

Scenario

You are deploying Windows 10 x64 1607 update. After you click on the update in software center, it looks like everything is working. Files are getting downloaded and whatnot, but you eventually get the error above - Task Sequence: Upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise x64 1607 has failed with the error code (0x80004005).

After you click "Close" on that, you look back in the software center and it eventually fails with an error code of 0x4005(16389).  It looks something like this:

Pull Specific events from event logs on multiple remote computers

SCENARIO

You want to get a specific event from multiple remote computers.  For example, you want to find 1074 events in the System log, but you want to pull those events from a bunch of computers.

RDS 2012 R2 - Server Manager Won't Show RDS Deployment

Scenario

Ok so you know that you installed your RDS roles and your server manager used to show you your RDS deployment.  But today you logged in and you get the above message: "A Remote Desktop Services deployment does not exist in the server pool.  To create a deployment, run the Add Roles and Features Wizard and select the Remote Desktop Services installation option".

When this happened to me, I verified that the RDS roles were in installed - they were.  My remote apps still worked, the roles were still there, etc.  But server manager would not recognize the deployment.

PowerShell - Create Users, Databases, and Set Permission on MySQL

SCENARIO

You want to automate the creation of lots of MySQL user accounts, databases, and permissions set on those user accounts.  You can do this through PowerShell.

I modified a script by berniecamus: https://github.com/berniecamus/create-mysql-database/blob/master/createmysql.ps1

Create a csv file with the following headings:

WSUS Server 2012 R2: Computers won't show up in console

SCENARIO

You used to use Server 2008 or Server 2008 R2 for your WSUS server.  You are upgrading to Server 2012 R2, but when you point your clients to the new server, they don't show up in the Update Services Console.

Powershell - Create List of Installed Software

Scenario

You want to find out what software is installed on the computers in your organization.  You can use PowerShell to do this.

First open PowerShell ISE and paste the following code in the script portion.

$list = Import-Csv "C:\TEMP\computers.csv"
foreach ($entry in $list)
{

try
    {
$machinename = $entry.pcname
$SrvPath = "\\server\share"
$Date = Get-Date -UFormat %m-%d-%y
$FileName = "$machinename" + "_" + "$Date" + ".csv"
Get-WmiObject Win32_Product -ComputerName $machinename | Select-Object PSComputerName,Name,Vendor,Version | Export-Csv C:\$FileName -NoTypeInformation

    }
    catch [Exception]
    {
    }
}

Outlook Troubleshooting - Enable Logging

Scenario 

There may be times when you are  troubleshooting Outlook issues, but you would like to have more information about what Outlook is doing in the background.  This is often the case when something happens in Outlook that isn’t right, but there aren’t any popup error messages.

Add GImagex to Your WinPE Environment

Scenario

You have a WinPE boot drive with imagex on it, but you want to add GImageX to your WinPE environment so that you have a GUI front end for your WinPE boot drive.  Mostly likely because you are tired of entering the imagex commands manually.

If you want to know how to create the WinPE USB drive, please view this article.

Create Basic WinPE USB Drive - Windows 10

Scenario

You want to create a basic (no frills) bootable drive with WinPE on it.  In this case we will be using the Windows 10 ADK tools.

What you will need:

• Windows 10 ADK - https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/dn913721.aspx
• USB Drive
• DISM GUI (Optional) - https://dismgui.codeplex.com/