"The mind of a Mad Tech!"

This article covers both Windows workstations and servers.

Windows does not include a function that lets you mount an ISO into the Operating System, which normally would force you to convert that ISO to a CD. However there are utilities that will allow you to mount an ISO, which comes in handy, especially if you are wanting to convert CD’s to ISO’s  for transfer to your server.

Virtual Clone Drive

Virtual Clone Drive is a free to use ISO mounting utility that will work on Windows 98/XP/7/Vista and Windows 2000/2003/2008 server. You just install it and it will associate with your ISO’s which you can then can simply double click on an ISO or right click on it and choose to mount it.

Installing Virtual Clone Drive

1. You can download Virtual Clone Drive by going to http://www.slysoft.com/en/download.html. This install file works for both 32-bit and 64-bit, so there\’s no need to look for different versions of the install. Downclick the application and follow the directions.
2. Either elect to take the default assoications or choose to manually selection the associations.

   

3. You will need to specify a directory if you choose not to use the default location.

   

4. Once installed, you will need to click on the icon that was placed on your desktop or choose the application from your programs list. There you will be able to set the options for Virtual Clone Drive, such as the amount of drives to emulate and how long the mount history can be seen.

   

5. Finally to mount an ISO, you will need to click on one of the drives you created and choose “Mount”. You will then be able to browse to the ISO and mount it.

    

Now you can view the contents of the ISO now by opening the drive, just like you would with a CD or DVD.

Tags: iso, mount, Windows

*Edit* I updated this article  to include both Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 R1 / R2. The basic concept is the same just the wording is different depending on the OS.

This article explains how to make changes to how Windows 2008 R2 handles the remote desktop connections since they are left in their default configuration from the start. Please note this also can be used to make the very same changes to Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 / R1, the one difference is that Windows 2008 R2 refers to the sessions as Remote Desktop Services where Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 / R1 refer to them as Terminal Services

1. Start -> Administrative Tools -> Remote Desktop Services -> Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration or you can access it by typing in “tsconfig.msc” at the run command prompt. For Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 /R1 navigate Start -> Administrative Tools -> Terminal Services Configuration  or type “tscc.msc”
    
2. This will take you to the Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration / Terminal Services Configuration  home screen. To your immediate middle will be a screen that lists your server name and the remote connections. You will need to either right click on the connection name which will be labeled “RDP-tcp Microsoft RDP 6.1″ for Windows 2008 or “RDP-tcp 5.2″ for Windows 2003 or double click on it to bring up the “RDP properties” screen.

   
    

3. In the “RDP properties” screen you will now be able to click on the “Sessions” tab and change how the server handles Disconnected” sessions, Idle Sessions and Active Sessions.

   
    

4. Once you have made your changes click “Apply” and then “Ok”. Changes made will not go into affect until a new Remote Connection is made to the server.

Disable UAC for windows 2008 Dedicated Servers

User access control was developed for windows vista and has been incorporated into windows server 2008 as well. User Account Control (UAC) is a new security component in Windows Vista. UAC enables users to perform common tasks as non-administrators, called standard users in Windows Vista, and as administrators without having to switch users, log off, or use Run As. A standard user account is synonymous with a user account in Windows XP. User accounts that are members of the local Administrators group will run most applications as a standard user. By separating user and administrator functions while enabling productivity, UAC is an important enhancement for Windows Vista.

We generally recommend turning this function off as it is seems to be more of a pain than it is worth. It does provide greater security for your server, however, so it is up to you whether you wish to disable it or not.

1. Open the Control Panel.

2. Click User Accounts.

3. Click Turn User Account Control on or off.(If you receive a User Account Control message click Continue.)

4. Clear the “Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer” check box, and then click OK.

5. Click Restart Now to apply the change right away, or click Restart Later and close the User Accounts tasks window.

Phpmyadmin is a free software tool written in PHP intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the World Wide Web. phpMyAdmin supports a wide range of operations with MySQL. Since Windows doesn’t include a GUI  managment tool for Mysql, you will need to install phpMyadmin to acess a GUI  rather than administratering Mysql via the command line interface.

Please be sure that your php installation already has the GD/GD2 Library, Mysql and MBString extensions active. You can see this by going to your IIS server and accessing the php test page. If you do not have one, you can make one by going to “C:\inetpub\wwwroot\ and my creating a text with the following line;

<? phpinfo(); ?>

Save the file as phptest.php.

This will allow you to goto Http://localhost/phptest.php. If you don’t see the Mysql or MBstring sections, you will need to have them enabled to proceed as phpMyadmin requires this.
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Tags: IIS7, MySql, PhpMyAdmin

To resize a partition with Windows Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 2008, follow these steps:

Be sure to back up any valuable information, because there is a slight chance that data can be lost when dealing with partitions.

1) Click on the Start menu

2) Right click on Computer and click on Manage.

3) Open up the Storage category and click on Disk Management on the left hand panel.

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Tags: partition, resize, windows 2008, Windows 7, Windows Vista