activate evaluation windows 2008 r2

Different License types

There are 3 different types of licenses with corresponding dvds for Windows Server 2008 R2: Volume License, OEM and Timebased Evaluation. All these licenses have different time limits before you have to activate in order to continue using the Operating System. There is a possibility to reset the evaluation period for a few times which is called “rearming”. This method is also explained in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. The different licenses with corresponding DVD-image, hashes and evaluation times are as follows:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Evaluation English (TIMEBASED_EVAL) – Usable: (10 days + 5 * 10 days using rearm) + 180 days after activating = 240 days
Filename: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_server_eval_en-us-GRMSXEVAL_EN_DVD.iso (download)
SHA1: 799BF8DA077A3E842AA97C990E468B3AA7BDA4EB
MD5: 134F607CF4C633EF11D2576D1C635D08
Windows Server 2008 R2 OEM English (RETAIL) – Usable without activation: 30 days + 3 * 30 days using rearm = 120 days
Filename: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_server_en-us_OEM-GRMSXFREO_EN_DVD.iso (only available for OEM manufacturers)
SHA1: 515A9E7F4C7DF41AACA6872CB806DABD15BF7D64
MD5: 4FFB420543F5A9265BE5EEDB6C4E55A2
Windows Server 2008 R2 VL English (VOLUME_KMSCLIENT) – Usable without activation: 30 days + 3 * 30 days using rearm = 120 days
Filename: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_server_en-us_VL-GRMSXVOL_EN_DVD.iso (only available for MSDN and TechNet subscribers)
SHA1: AD855EA913AAEC3F1D0E1833C1AEF7A0DE326B0A
MD5: 0207EF392C60EFDDA92071B0559CA0F9
As you can see you can use the evaluation version of Windows Server 2008 R2 for free for 6 months and even for more than 7 months if you use the rearm method described below!

Rearming

1. Check your remaining time by clicking Run in the Start menu and entering slmgr.vbs -dli. After clicking OK a window will show up which shows you the remaining time before expiration.

2. If you have less than one day left rearm your license so you have 10 days left again. To do this click Run in the Start menu, enter slmgr.vbs -rearm and click OK. After a few moments a window will popup that shows you the rearm has been completed and you have to restart your system.

3. After restaring your system verify that the rearm has worked by running slmgr.vbs -dli again. The remaining time should now be reset to 10 days!

Checking rearm count left

You can rearm the Evaluation version of Windows Server 2008 R2 up to 5 times. To check how much rearms you have left click Run in the Start menu, enter slmgr.vbs -dlv and click OK

Activating

1. After you used all rearms it’s time to activate. To activate click Activate Windows online now Windows Activation assistant.

2. Wait until the online key verification and activation has finished.

3. If everything went right Windows will now be activated with a 180 days license and a watermark appears on your desktop.

Removing Desktop Watermark

1. Download watermark.zip (9KB) from win2008r2workstation.
2. After downloading the zip extract the zip, run install.cmd as an Administrator and follow the instructions on the screen. After a successful installation, reboot your pc to remove the watermark. If you want to do this manually, open %SystemRoot%\System32\en-US\user32.dll.mui with a resource editor and replace the strings in the following resources with a space (” “): 45.715, 45.716, 46.* and 47.739.

If you get a sharing violation error during the installation, try running it again in Safe Mode. I Couldn’t test it myself because for some reason I can’t get into Safe Mode. Please confirm this works!

 http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/win2008r2/240-days-evaluation

Ways to Disable or Turn Off User Account (Access) Control (UAC) in Windows Vista

User Account Control (UAC), or unknowingly mistaken as User Access Control is new security feature in Windows Vista. The main display of UAC is the occasional pop up dialog box asking for user’s permission needed by Windows or for user to enter administrator’s password to perform the operation or run a program especially setup executable, installer or system tools. UAC also affects command prompt (Cmd.exe) with errors such as “The requested operation requires elevation” or “Access Denied” when not running in elevated command prompt with full privileges.

The annoying symptom happens because User Account (Access) Control or UAC forces all processes to run in lower elevation mode with limited privileges. When a program or process requires access to system files, folders or registry hives that only administrator can access, UAC launch a consent prompt to allow user to give approval or enter administrator’s credential to higher elevation with full administrator’s rights.
For user who find the constant UAC elevation approval request annoying, and confident that you can maintain the security of computer from infection without the help of UAC, it’s possible to turn off and disable UAC. Turning User Account Control off potentially fix compatibility issue where UAC prevents some programs, applications, components, processes or games from running properly even if authorization is given to elevate its privileges, as delay in execution as may break certain real-time functions.
There are a few ways that you can use to turn off the UAC, but most home and personal users should find method to disable UAC via Control Panel easiest to do. User Account Access Control, when turned off and disabled., will affect all users on the computer.
Method 1 – Turn Off UAC via Users Accounts Control Panel

1. Click Start and then open Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel, click User Accounts and Family Safety.
3. Click User Accounts.
4. Click Turn User Account Control on or off.
   When prompted that Windows needs your permission to continue, press Continue button or enter the administrator’s password.
5. Clear the tick or check mark on the check box beside the option to Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer.
6. Click OK.
7. When prompted that computer must be restarted to apply the changes, reboot the computer.
8. To enable the UAC, simply tick or select the checkbox again.

Method 2 – Disable UAC Using Registry Editor

1. Run Registry Editor by typing RegEdit in Start Search or command prompt.
2. Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key:HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
   where HKLM is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
3. Right click on EnableLUA registry subkey and choose Modify or double click on EnableLUA registry value name in the right pane to modify the setting.
4. On “Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value” dialog box, set the new value data as 0.
5. Exit from Registry Editor.
6. Restart the computer.
7. To enable the UAC again, simply change back the value data of EnableLUA to 1.

Method 3 – Turn Off UAC Using MSConfig System Configuration Utility

• Type MSConfig in Start Search box or Run command (open by pressing Win+R) and hit Enter key.When prompted that Windows needs your permission to continue, press Continue button or enter the administrator’s password.
• In System Configuration window, click on the Tools tab.
• Scroll down and locate to select Disable UAP or Disable UAC option in the item list.
• Click the Launch button.
• A command prompt window will open and automatically execute and run scripted process to disable UAC.
• On completion, The operation completed successfully message will be shown. Close Cmd.exe window when done, and then exit form MSConfig.
• Restart computer for changes to apply and become effective.
• To return UAC to on status, simply select Enable UAP or Enable UAC, and then click on Launch button.

Method 4 – Disable UAC Using Group Policy (Active Directory GPO or Local Group Policy)
Note: Windows Vista Home Premium and Home Basic editions do not have Local Group Policy Editor.

1. Click Start and then type GPEdit.msc in the Start Search box and hit Enter key to open the Group Policy Editor.Note: If you’re using Active Directory Domain GPO which controls many computers, open Group Policy Management Console by click on Start, and then type GPMC.msc in the Start Search and hit Enter key from a Windows Vista computer that is a member of the AD domain. In the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) window, browse to the respective GPO which is linked and enabled to the OU (organization unit) or domain where the Vista computers are located, then edit it.
2. Navigate and browse to Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options.
3. In the right details pane, there are a few User Account Control related policies. Right click each of the following policies and configure or change the value to the new value indicated below after the dash (-):
   • User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators – Elevate without prompting
   • User Account Control: Detect application installations and prompt for elevation – Disabled
   • User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode – Disabled
   
4. Restart the computer to make the changes effective.
5. To re-turn on UAC, revert back to original values of the policies, which is Enabled and Prompt for Consent.

Method 5 – Disable User Access Control from Command Prompt

1. Open an elevated command prompt.
2. Run the following command to disable and turn off UAC:C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
3. To re-enable and turn back on the User Account Control, run the following command:C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
4. Reboot the computer for the changes to take effect.

 http://www.tipandtrick.net/2008/ways-to-disable-or-turn-off-user-account-access-control-uac-in-windows-vista/

Change a Basic Disk into a Dynamic Disk

pplies To: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2
When you change a basic disk to dynamic, you can create volumes that span multiple disks (spanned and striped volumes). Dynamic volumes can be used in most but not all situations.
Basic disks support only primary partitions, extended partitions, and logical drives. Basic disks have been supported in operating systems since MS-DOS, while dynamic disks have been supported in operating systems since Windows 2000.
Backup Operators or Administrator is the minimum membership required.

Caution
Do not convert disks to dynamic that contain multiple installations of Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, or the Windows Server 2003 family of operating systems. It is likely that you will no longer be able to start the second installation. For more information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=64134.

Note
The decision to convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk has implications that should be considered carefully. For more information about basic and dynamic disks and how to choose which type to use, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=64133.

Note
Before you convert disks, close any programs that are running on those disks.

Changing a basic disk into a dynamic disk

• Using the Windows interface
  
  
• Using a command line
  
  

To change a basic disk into a dynamic disk using the Windows interface

1. In Disk Management, right-click the basic disk you want to convert.
   
2. Click Convert to Dynamic Disk….
   
3. Follow the instructions on your screen.
   

   Note

   If you do not see this menu item, you might be right-clicking a volume instead of a disk, the disk might have been previously converted to a dynamic disk, or the computer is a portable computer. (Dynamic disks are not supported on portable computers, removable disks, detachable disks that use Universal Serial Bus (USB) or IEEE 1394 (also called FireWire) interfaces, or on disks connected to shared SCSI buses.) In addition, you cannot convert cluster disks connected to shared SCSI or Fibre Channel buses to dynamic disks. The Cluster service supports basic disks only.)

   
   

   Caution

   If you are using a basic disk as a storage area for shadow copies and you intend to convert the disk into a dynamic disk, it is important to take the following precaution to avoid data loss. If the disk is a non-boot volume and is a different volume from where the original files reside, you must first dismount and take offline the volume containing the original files before you convert the disk containing shadow copies to a dynamic disk. You must bring the volume containing the original files back online within 20 minutes, otherwise, you will lose the data stored in the existing shadow copies. If the shadow copies are located on a boot volume, you can convert the disk to dynamic without losing shadow copies. You can use the mountvol command with the /p option to dismount the volume and take it offline. You can mount the volume and bring it online using the mountvol command or the Disk Management snap-in.

   
   

Additional considerations

• For additional information about converting basic disks to dynamic disks, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=64136.
  
• After you convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk, you cannot change the dynamic volumes back to partitions. Instead, you must delete all dynamic volumes on the disk and then use the Convert To Basic Disk command. If you want to keep your data, you must first back it up or move it to another volume.
  
• Once converted, a dynamic disk will not contain basic volumes (primary partitions or logical drives).
  
• When you convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk, any existing partitions or logical drives on the basic disk become simple volumes on the dynamic disk.
  
• For the conversion to succeed, any master boot record (MBR) disks to be converted must contain at least 1 MB of space for the dynamic disk database.
  

To change a basic disk into a dynamic disk using a command line

1. Open a command prompt and type diskpart.
   
2. At the DISKPART prompt, type list disk. Make note of the disk number you want to convert to dynamic.
   
3. At the DISKPART prompt, type select disk .
   
4. At the DISKPART prompt, type convert dynamic.
   

 

Value	Description
list disk	Displays a list of disks and information about them, such as their size, amount of available free space, whether the disk is a basic or dynamic disk, and whether the disk uses the master boot record (MBR) or GUID partition table (GPT) partition style. The disk marked with an asterisk (*) has focus.
select disk	Selects the specified disk, where disknumber is the disk number, and gives it focus.
convert dynamic	Converts a basic disk into a dynamic disk. Any existing partitions on the disk become simple volumes.

Caution

If you are using a basic disk as a storage area for shadow copies and you intend to convert the disk into a dynamic disk, it is important to take the following precaution to avoid data loss. If the disk is a non-boot volume and is a different volume from where the original files reside, you must first dismount and take offline the volume containing the original files before you convert the disk containing shadow copies to a dynamic disk. You must bring the volume containing the original files back online within 20 minutes, otherwise, you will lose the data stored in the existing shadow copies. If the shadow copies are located on a boot volume, you can convert the disk to dynamic without losing shadow copies. You can use the mountvol command with the /p option to dismount the volume and take it offline. You can mount the volume and bring it online using the mountvol command or the Disk Management snap-in.

Additional considerations

• For additional information about converting basic disks to dynamic disks, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=64136.
  
• After you convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk, you cannot change the dynamic volumes back to partitions. Instead, you must delete all dynamic volumes on the disk and then use the Convert To Basic Disk command. If you want to keep your data, you must first back it up or move it to another volume.
  
• Once converted, a dynamic disk will not contain basic volumes (primary partitions or logical drives).
  
• When you convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk, any existing partitions or logical drives on the basic disk become simple volumes on the dynamic disk.
  
• For the conversion to succeed, any master boot record (MBR) disks to be converted must contain at least 1 MB of space for the dynamic disk database.

 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731274.aspx

To use the Exchange Management Console to grant a user the Send As permission for another user's mailbox

1. Start the Exchange Management Console.
   
2. In the console tree, click Recipient Configuration.
   
3. In the result pane, select the mailbox for which you want to grant the Send As permission.
   
4. In the action pane, under the mailbox name, click Manage Send As Permission. The Manage Send As Permission wizard opens.
   
5. On the Manage Send As Permission page, click Add.
   
6. In Select User or Group, select the user to which you want to grant the Send As permission, and then click OK.
   
7. Click Manage.
   
8. On the Completion page, the Summary states whether the Send As permission was successfully granted. The summary also displays the Exchange Management Shell command that was used to grant the Send As permission.
   
9. Click Finish.
   
   http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998291%28EXCHG.80%29.aspx
   
   

the remote computer disconnected the session because of an error in the licensing protocol windows 7

 http://thisishelpful.com/fix-remote-session-disconnected-because-remote-desktop-client-access-licenses.html

Here is a fix to the following error message with Remote Desktop Connection when you try to connect to a machine: “Remote session was disconnected because there are no Remote Desktop client access licenses available for this computer. Please contact the server administrator“

The solution is delete the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSLicensing

Try connecting in again. If it doesn’t work and you get the following error message: “The remote computer disconnected the session because of an error in the licensing protocol“;

Then all you need to do is Right-Click on the Remote Desktop Connection icon and select “Run as Administrator“.

The NPF driver isn’t running wireshark

 First time run wireshark, the message popped up: “The NPF driver isn’t running…
go to command prompt;
cmd;run as administrator
type>net start npf
exit wireshark and re open. you should now able to see all the interfaces