Windows

HOW TO : Recover deleted SSL certs from IIS

Here’s the situation.. you installed SSL cert on a website in IIS. You think you don’t need that site anymore and delete the site from IIS. The moment you delete it, you bite your tounge and remember that you are supposed to back up the SSL cert for future purposes.. But since the site has been deleted from IIS, you cannot export the key from the IIS manager!!.

Thx to Microsoft’s oversight (or potentially by design), you can still recover the certificate from the server.. Here’s how

  1. Open a MMC console by typing “mmc” in the Start –> Run prompt
  2. In the MMC console, click on File -> Add/Remove Snap-in
  3. In the “Add/Remove Snap-in” window, click on Add
  4. Choose the “certificate” snap-on and click on Add.
  5. Choose Computer Account in the certificate snap-on window and click on Next.
  6. Choose “Local Computer” (Note : If you want to recover from a remote computer, you can put in the UNC path. But you need to have admin rights on that machine) and click on Finish.
  7. Click on close and go back to the MMC console
  8. You will see all the certificates installed on the server
  9. Expand the “personal certificates” folder and you will see the SSL certificate from the website you deleted from IIS. Follow standard steps to export the certificate.
November 23, 2008 by HOWTO Technology Uncategorized Windows 5

HOW TO : Sync files using FTP

If you ever run into a situation, where you need to sync two different directories and need to do that in a batch mode, try using FTPSync.

FTPSync is a freeware tool written by Kristof Gajsek. The tool has a bunch of options, like being able to operate in GUI and batch mode. Also good automated sync capabilities.

Only limitation is that it is windows based.

November 14, 2008 by HOWTO Technology Uncategorized Windows 0

HOW TO : Clear saved username/passwords in Windows

I came to know this method, when I saw one of the IT techs use it to troubleshoot some Internet connectivity issues.

To clear any saved username/passwords (i.e. Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer etc) in Microsoft Windows, do the following

  • Click Start –> Run, and type in control keymgr.dll
  • Delete any entries you want to from the list
  • Click on close

I tried this on Windows XP and Vista.

August 13, 2008 by HOWTO Technology Uncategorized Windows 0

HOW TO : Disable annoying message in e-mail by AVG anti-virus

If you are using the free version of AVG Anti-virus by AVG Technologies (Formerly GRISoft), you might have noticed an annoying message that the software inserts in all the e-mails it checks.. The message looks like this

No virus found in this incoming message.

Checked by AVG – http://www.avg.com

Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.5.4/1567 – Release Date: 7/22/2008 4:05 PM

I really appreciate the free service that AVG provides for home users, but I don’t want to be reminded or advertise to the world regd the anti-virus I use in every e-mail.

You can disable this message by doing the following in AVG 8.0

  • Open the AVG control panel
  • Click on Tools -> Advanced Settings in the file menu
  • Highlight the “E-mail Scanner” selection in the left hand pane and uncheck the “Certify e-mail” option for both the incoming and outgoing e-mail. Here’s a screen shot.

July 23, 2008 by HOWTO Technology Uncategorized Windows 0

Save XP!!

While, I am writing about couples smooching over each other!! :), my buddy Ray is writing something meaningful. As he states, Microsoft is planning on ending sales of Windows XP on June 30 2008. While Vista, has a lot of cool features, none of them are compelling for businesses to make the expensive migration. Not only does the new operating system require extensive planning for the migration and training for the tech support teams, but businesses also have to consider the expense of training end users because the interface has changed so much.

And not to mention the 100 different (I am exaggerating!! 🙂 ) flavors of Vista that Microsoft has come up with to make the decision even tougher.

Sign the petition here . [UPDATE : Link has been corrected.. Thx Ray for pointing this out.]

January 22, 2008 by Rantings Technology Uncategorized Windows 1

Operational Tips : Password parameter changes in Group Policy

I am planning on sharing some of the “Ahh.. we should have thought of that” moments on this site as I run into them. First is to remind of me of my past mistakes, so that I can avoid them in future, and two is help other folks out. Here’s my first one..

We decided to change the password parameters in our companies group policy recently. The password expiration was changed to 60 days from 120 days and password complexity was enabled.  We thought this was a pretty straight forward change and wouldn’t get the helpdesk swamped with calls, since the new policy will take affect as the current passwords expire..

Wrong!!! AD checks the last time your password was changed and compares it to the password expiration time frame in group policy. And you could just imagine, the look our helpdesk folks gave the engineers when they got swaped with people calling them that they are being forced to change passwords and all the ones they used before don’t work.

Morale : Decrease the password timeout in intervals. i..e in our case, we should have decreased the expiration date 10 days at a time. That way, you minimize the impact the change.

September 9, 2007 by Technology Uncategorized Windows 0

HOW TO : Delete exchange account on a Windows Mobile device

I use a T-Mobile Dash as my phone and mobile messaging platform. For those that are not aware, you pull e-mail from any Exchange 2003 server with SP2 from a Windows Mobile device over the air, using direct connect. The management features are not as robust as Blackberry for managing Windows Mobile devices, but it is a free feature :).

I have been trying to figure out for the last few weeks, how I can switch the exchange server that my DASH has been configured for. Finally, a lot of googling revealed the following steps.

On your mobile device,

  • Go to Start -> Active Sync
  • Click  Menu – >  Options
  • Choose Microsoft Exchange
  • Click on Menu-> Delete

NOTE : This will delete all your e-mail, contacts and calendar entries that were synchronized using the old exchange server.

May 13, 2007 by Networking Technology Uncategorized Windows 18