INDUSTRY INSIGHTS YOUR PEERS ARE READING
The Windows 10 upgrades required us to move profile contents off of the machines to a file share and then move them back. This was because USMT could not be used due to the architecture changing from 32-bit to 64-bit. This script I wrote will copy all of the pertinent data from a user profile to a specified UNC path. I made two text files to include all exclusions for directories and files. The exclusion files need to reside in the same directory as this script. MORE
While rewriting a PowerShell automation script to move machines in Active Directory, I had been trying to pass the MachineObjectOU task sequence variable to the PowerShell script within the command line task sequence. It constantly failed. MORE
While working on the Windows 10 upgrade project, I ran into a situation which I needed the information from an MSU file for the task sequence. Specifically, I needed the KB number. MORE
Here is a video guide on how to remove bulk Facebook content from your Facebook profile. Some will just say to delete the profile and create a new one. That can be rather troublesome, especially if you have a lot of Facebook contacts and/or are well known in certain areas of expertise. MORE
I am working on the Windows 10 image, and part of this project is converting to UEFI. We do have several older systems that are still in production because systems that are used for temporary or loaner aren't as important to keep up-to-date. MORE
As often as Java must be updated, I wanted to have an auto installer that would make the update a breeze. The way this installer has been written is it will first determine if the system is x86 or x64. At that point, it will uninstall the old version first and then install the x86 if the system is 32-bit, or it will install the x86 and x64 versions if the system is 64-bit. The parameters are the same for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions so you can define the parameters once. MORE
While building the new Windows 10 image with Office 2016 along with exchange 2016 on the backend, I got the following error message every time I tried to open up Outlook for the first time. MORE
A while back, I posted a PowerShell script that verified if the TPM was ready for BitLocker to be applied in a build. Recently, the script stopped working. I decided to decipher the code I had borrowed to make the script work. MORE
As you have probably seen recently in my latest blog entries, I am working on a bunch of PowerShell one-liners to do away with the actual scripts and be able to implement the PowerShell process as a command line task sequence. MORE
I recently encountered an application that uses the Inno Setup installer. Part of my process when I deploy an application is to also create an uninstaller. While creating the uninstaller, I decided to make a function for uninstalling Inno Setup installed applications. The way I have written this function is that you need to use the exact name as displayed in the add/remove programs for the AppName parameter. MORE
Below is a video on how to add ShareThis to Blogger. It is a very easy process. Apparantly the process has changed since other instuction pages were created. I spent a few hours trying to figure out why injecting the javascript into the HTML code was not working. MORE
I have been coming to the Microsoft Ignite convention since it's inception in 2015. The first conference held in Chicago had a lot of fallacies. It was the first time Microsoft had combined the conferences into one. Since then, Microsoft has steadily improved. MORE
Back in November 2016, I posted the blog entry on reporting local administrators on machines. That script is deployed to machines via an SCCM package that reports the local administrators back to SCCM to be able to be queried into a report. MORE
While building out the Windows 10 reference image task sequence, it dawned on me that I should be making sure the latest Dell Application Component Updates are installed. MORE
We wanted a comprehensive report of systems to be automatically generated on a monthly basis with the following information: System Name IP Address Last Logon Time Stamp Is it pingable? MORE
I originally wrote this blog entry when I had first started at my current firm. At the time, I was on a tight schedule to complete a LOT of tasks. Since then, we are going to a 64-bit OS. This required me to revisit the scripts that control the TPM portion of the BIOS. MORE
I have been working on a way that I can ensure the maximum resolution is set on monitors. Every so often, a monitor does not have the resolution set to maximum. MORE
While in the middle of the planning phase for the Windows 10 rollout, we wanted a report on the size of the My Documents and Desktops of all users. These will be the folders we have decided to back up. USMT is not possible in our environment due to the cross-architectures. MORE
Recently, we ran into a problem when we discovered some of the newer laptops were not automatically disabling the WiFi when connected to ethernet. What made the task even more difficult was that all of our Dell Latitude 7480 systems were already deployed. MORE
Here is a function that will uninstall an MSI installed application by the name of the app. You do not need to input the entire name either. For instance, say you are uninstalling all previous versions of Adobe Reader. Adobe Reader is always labeled Adobe Reader X, Adobe Reader XI, and so forth. MORE
Recently, I was reviewing the bitlocker recovery password backups. We still use active directory to store them, and yes, we are planning on moving to MBAM. That is a ways off as we're in the process of the Windows 10, Exchange 2016, and Office 2016 migrations. MORE
Ever since the Spectre and Meltdown issues arose, we have been waiting on patching, at least reliable patching. Microsoft has taken it on itself to patch systems for the vulnerability. MORE
When I installed the new MDT 6.3.8450.1000 to build the deployment package for Windows 10 1709, I ran into issues with the operating system deployment. In the process of building out the new task sequence, I also decided to convert over to UEFI. MORE
This script function will uninstall an MSI installed application by specifying the GUID and the switches. I have included the ability for the script to query the registry for the name of the application to display for user output. The function also will exit the script if there was a failure. MORE
If you have tried adding a GPO to create a shortcut to the root network share, contoso for instance, then you have probably seen that it is not working. The solution is to not use Shell Object and not File System Object. MORE
This script will generate a logon report of a specific user on a specific machine. This script is designed to query the event viewer logs on either a local or remote machine. It does not require WinRM for this to occur. MORE
Recently, I upgraded to the new MDT 6.3.8450.1000. It was a fresh install of the new MDT product in which I created an entirely new MDT share for our Windows 10 build. MORE
Here is a script that will delete Cisco Jabber conversations. If you are in an environment where you do not want these conversations to be saved and recoverable, this tool with take care of it. MORE
While planning and configuring the Windows 10 upgrades, we had to also include the transition to UEFI from BIOS. I wanted to make sure that when the build team builds new models that they are configured for UEFI when applicable, otherwise the build fails within seconds after it starts. MORE
Dell Command | Configure can be of great use in the WinPE environment. It allows you to configure and/or query the BIOS before an operating system is laid down. This is easy to do. The first thing is to determine the architecture of the WinPE environment. MORE
Recently, Dell released the BIOS updates covering systems starting with the Intel Family 6 Model 42 and later processors. This is the first part of the patching process. The second part is to apply all windows updates, which I also included all optional updates. That was my personal preference. MORE
Here is a script that will gather a list of local administrators on a machine. The script can report the list to SCCM by writing the list to a WMI entry. It can also write the list to a text file at a specified location for admins that do not have SCCM. The text file is named.txt. MORE
As we are implementing the ADR in SCCM for servers, we want to know if systems are pending a reboot without having to log into every server. Thankfully, Kent Agerlund , formulated and posted this awesome solution for tracking pending reboots using a compliance rule and baseline in SCCM. MORE
We have started the Windows 10 upgrades and part of this process is installing applications for users that are not included in the standard build. One option is to use the SCCM Resource Explorer for a list of apps installed. The problem with that is it is a blanket report. It shows everything and all we were wanting is a report of the additional apps installed after a build. MORE
I found it nice to be able to get a clean, filtered report on what Windows updates got installed during the build process. This allows me to inject those updates into the MDT Packages so they get injected into the image before it is laid down to speed the process up. MORE
Mick's IT Blog
OCTOBER 17, 2018
While planning and configuring the Windows 10 upgrades, we had to also include the transition to UEFI from BIOS. I wanted to make sure that when the build team builds new models that they are configured for UEFI when applicable, otherwise the build fails within seconds after it starts.
Mick's IT Blog
OCTOBER 5, 2018
We have started the Windows 10 upgrades and part of this process is installing applications for users that are not included in the standard build. One option is to use the SCCM Resource Explorer for a list of apps installed. The problem with that is it is a blanket report. It shows everything and all we were wanting is a report of the additional apps installed after a build.
Mick's IT Blog
SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
The Windows 10 upgrades required us to move profile contents off of the machines to a file share and then move them back. This was because USMT could not be used due to the architecture changing from 32-bit to 64-bit. This script I wrote will copy all of the pertinent data from a user profile to a specified UNC path. I made two text files to include all exclusions for directories and files. The exclusion files need to reside in the same directory as this script.
Mick's IT Blog
JULY 27, 2018
Recently, I was reviewing the bitlocker recovery password backups. We still use active directory to store them, and yes, we are planning on moving to MBAM. That is a ways off as we're in the process of the Windows 10, Exchange 2016, and Office 2016 migrations.
Mick's IT Blog
AUGUST 14, 2018
While in the middle of the planning phase for the Windows 10 rollout, we wanted a report on the size of the My Documents and Desktops of all users. These will be the folders we have decided to back up. USMT is not possible in our environment due to the cross-architectures.
Mick's IT Blog
AUGUST 8, 2018
Dell Command | Configure can be of great use in the WinPE environment. It allows you to configure and/or query the BIOS before an operating system is laid down. This is easy to do. The first thing is to determine the architecture of the WinPE environment.
Mick's IT Blog
JULY 17, 2018
It has been four years since I published the last version of the PowerShell script to move systems from one OU to another during a build process. In that version, it required making a task sequence for each OU, which if there are a lot of OUs, that would be a very daunting process.
Mick's IT Blog
MARCH 16, 2018
Ever since the Spectre and Meltdown issues arose, we have been waiting on patching, at least reliable patching. Microsoft has taken it on itself to patch systems for the vulnerability.
Mick's IT Blog
MAY 21, 2018
Recently, I upgraded to the new MDT 6.3.8450.1000. It was a fresh install of the new MDT product in which I created an entirely new MDT share for our Windows 10 build.
Mick's IT Blog
MAY 4, 2018
When I installed the new MDT 6.3.8450.1000 to build the deployment package for Windows 10 1709, I ran into issues with the operating system deployment. In the process of building out the new task sequence, I also decided to convert over to UEFI.
Mick's IT Blog
JUNE 14, 2018
Here is a video guide on how to remove bulk Facebook content from your Facebook profile. Some will just say to delete the profile and create a new one. That can be rather troublesome, especially if you have a lot of Facebook contacts and/or are well known in certain areas of expertise.
Mick's IT Blog
JUNE 28, 2018
If you have tried adding a GPO to create a shortcut to the root network share, contoso for instance, then you have probably seen that it is not working. The solution is to not use Shell Object and not File System Object.
Mick's IT Blog
JUNE 14, 2018
While building the new Windows 10 image with Office 2016 along with exchange 2016 on the backend, I got the following error message every time I tried to open up Outlook for the first time.
Mick's IT Blog
NOVEMBER 28, 2017
I have been coming to the Microsoft Ignite convention since it's inception in 2015. The first conference held in Chicago had a lot of fallacies. It was the first time Microsoft had combined the conferences into one. Since then, Microsoft has steadily improved.
Mick's IT Blog
MARCH 23, 2018
Recently, Dell released the BIOS updates covering systems starting with the Intel Family 6 Model 42 and later processors. This is the first part of the patching process. The second part is to apply all windows updates, which I also included all optional updates. That was my personal preference.
Mick's IT Blog
MAY 7, 2018
I am working on the Windows 10 image, and part of this project is converting to UEFI. We do have several older systems that are still in production because systems that are used for temporary or loaner aren't as important to keep up-to-date.
Mick's IT Blog
APRIL 3, 2018
While building out the Windows 10 reference image task sequence, it dawned on me that I should be making sure the latest Dell Application Component Updates are installed.
Mick's IT Blog
APRIL 10, 2018
I recently encountered an application that uses the Inno Setup installer. Part of my process when I deploy an application is to also create an uninstaller. While creating the uninstaller, I decided to make a function for uninstalling Inno Setup installed applications. The way I have written this function is that you need to use the exact name as displayed in the add/remove programs for the AppName parameter.
Mick's IT Blog
JULY 26, 2017
Recently, we ran into a problem when we discovered some of the newer laptops were not automatically disabling the WiFi when connected to ethernet. What made the task even more difficult was that all of our Dell Latitude 7480 systems were already deployed.
Mick's IT Blog
MAY 19, 2017
Back in November 2016, I posted the blog entry on reporting local administrators on machines. That script is deployed to machines via an SCCM package that reports the local administrators back to SCCM to be able to be queried into a report.
Mick's IT Blog
JULY 17, 2017
A while back, I posted a PowerShell script that verified if the TPM was ready for BitLocker to be applied in a build. Recently, the script stopped working. I decided to decipher the code I had borrowed to make the script work.
Mick's IT Blog
JUNE 14, 2017
I found it nice to be able to get a clean, filtered report on what Windows updates got installed during the build process. This allows me to inject those updates into the MDT Packages so they get injected into the image before it is laid down to speed the process up.
Mick's IT Blog
APRIL 23, 2018
As often as Java must be updated, I wanted to have an auto installer that would make the update a breeze. The way this installer has been written is it will first determine if the system is x86 or x64. At that point, it will uninstall the old version first and then install the x86 if the system is 32-bit, or it will install the x86 and x64 versions if the system is 64-bit. The parameters are the same for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions so you can define the parameters once.
Mick's IT Blog
MARCH 12, 2018
While working on the Windows 10 upgrade project, I ran into a situation which I needed the information from an MSU file for the task sequence. Specifically, I needed the KB number.
Mick's IT Blog
FEBRUARY 20, 2017
Here is a script that will delete Cisco Jabber conversations. If you are in an environment where you do not want these conversations to be saved and recoverable, this tool with take care of it.
Mick's IT Blog
NOVEMBER 11, 2016
Here is a script that will gather a list of local administrators on a machine. The script can report the list to SCCM by writing the list to a WMI entry. It can also write the list to a text file at a specified location for admins that do not have SCCM. The text file is named.txt.
Mick's IT Blog
FEBRUARY 9, 2018
As you have probably seen recently in my latest blog entries, I am working on a bunch of PowerShell one-liners to do away with the actual scripts and be able to implement the PowerShell process as a command line task sequence.
Mick's IT Blog
MARCH 1, 2018
Below is a video on how to add ShareThis to Blogger. It is a very easy process. Apparantly the process has changed since other instuction pages were created. I spent a few hours trying to figure out why injecting the javascript into the HTML code was not working.
Mick's IT Blog
FEBRUARY 21, 2018
Here is a function that will uninstall an MSI installed application by the name of the app. You do not need to input the entire name either. For instance, say you are uninstalling all previous versions of Adobe Reader. Adobe Reader is always labeled Adobe Reader X, Adobe Reader XI, and so forth.
Mick's IT Blog
FEBRUARY 26, 2018
This script function will uninstall an MSI installed application by specifying the GUID and the switches. I have included the ability for the script to query the registry for the name of the application to display for user output. The function also will exit the script if there was a failure.
Mick's IT Blog
MAY 23, 2017
As we are implementing the ADR in SCCM for servers, we want to know if systems are pending a reboot without having to log into every server. Thankfully, Kent Agerlund , formulated and posted this awesome solution for tracking pending reboots using a compliance rule and baseline in SCCM.
Mick's IT Blog
MARCH 29, 2017
We wanted a comprehensive report of systems to be automatically generated on a monthly basis with the following information: System Name IP Address Last Logon Time Stamp Is it pingable?
Mick's IT Blog
JANUARY 15, 2018
I originally wrote this blog entry when I had first started at my current firm. At the time, I was on a tight schedule to complete a LOT of tasks. Since then, we are going to a 64-bit OS. This required me to revisit the scripts that control the TPM portion of the BIOS.
Mick's IT Blog
MARCH 16, 2017
This script will generate a logon report of a specific user on a specific machine. This script is designed to query the event viewer logs on either a local or remote machine. It does not require WinRM for this to occur.
Mick's IT Blog
MAY 30, 2017
I have been working on a way that I can ensure the maximum resolution is set on monitors. Every so often, a monitor does not have the resolution set to maximum.
97 
Let's personalize your content