One of my mates has been playing about with XBAP, Pop Along and have a play.

I wrote last week about my move from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2007, and in that article I mentioned that I moved my Domain Controller over at the same time.

There has been questions about what and how, so I’ve knocked this together for anyone that needs to do likewise.

In this scenario we have our old server, and we have our new freshly Server 2003′d server, OLD and NEW.

• Install DNS on the NEW server, however do not configure it. To do this just add the DNS role through Add Remove programs. You may also need WINS if you use legacy OS’s.
• Configure the NEW server’s network with a static IP, and the primary DNS should point to the OLD server for DNS, with itself as a secondary.
• Join the domain on the new server (through computer properties) and reboot.
• DCPromo the server upto a DC, you should join this server as ‘Additional Domain Controller for an Existing Domain’. This will automatically configure the DNS to replicate the DNS of the domain. Use the defaults for all the settings, unless you have a good reason not to. Make sure you remember the recovery password that you enter.

Write after a reboot at this point you will have two DC servers on your LAN (NEW and OLD), the problem is however that OLD will still be the FSMO master for all the roles in the domain, seeming as we are decommissioning this box we need to move all the roles.

• First off we need to make the NEW server a Global Catalogue server, to do this launch ‘Active Directory Sites and Services’, now expand your site, then expand servers, select the NEW server, then right click and properties of NTDS Settings (on the right pain). Select the ‘Global Catalogue check box, now ok out of this screen.
• Now change the properties of the NEW server network to point to itself for DNS as primary and the OLD server as secondary.

Now that the server is a GC server we can assign it FSMO Roles, lets do that.

• Launch the ‘Active Directory Users and Computers’ from Admin tools.
• Select the Domain and right click, select ‘connect to domain controller’, select NEW then ok.
• Right click the Domain, select ‘Operations Masters’.
• You should now see a screen with three tabs, Select the change button on each tab to migrate that role to the connected server.
• Domain Naming Master must now be transferred. Launch the ‘Active Directory Domains and Trusts’ tool from Admin Tools.
• Right click the root level, and select the ‘Connect to Domain Controller and select the NEW server.
• Right click the root level, and select ‘Operations Master’ then Change. This should move the Ops Master role over to NEW.

The last couple of roles can either be done through script (as can all of the above), or with an ‘unsupported but shipped’ tool. We will use the later as it’s easiest to describe without going into how to use the NTDSUTIL.EXE tool.

• First register the Schema Management tool by typing regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll into the run box on the server.
• Now run MMC and add the Active Directory Schema snapin to it.
• Right click the Domain name, and select ‘Change Domain Controller, select NEW server.
• Right click the Domain name, and select ‘Schema Master’, then change.
• Now we need to change the Site Licensing Server, to do this open ‘Active Directory Sites and Services’, now select Sites, then your domain, then on the right pain right click ‘Licensing Site Settings’ and then Change on the Licensing Computer area.

Ok nearly done now. Reboot the NEW server, and wait, what we are looking for is an event type of 1869 (or 1119, but we should get an 1869) to show up in the NEW servers Directory Service log. Whatever you do don’t shutdown the OLD server until you get this, else nobody will be able to logon, as we will not have a GC server on the lan.

When we get that Event happen, we can remove the Global Catalog role from the OLD server, this is done in the same way as we added it to NEW earlier.

Now we do some checks and force the PDC role over, and for this we will use NTDSUTIL.

• Launch a command prompt
• type NTDSUTIL
• You should see ntdsutil: at the prompt. Here we type Roles and press enter
• fsmo maintenance: connections and enter
• server connections: connect to server NEW (or servername here) and enter
• Connected to NEW using credentials of locally logged on user.
  server connections: CTRL-Z and enter
• fsmo maintenance: Seize PDC
• This should result in the server attempting a nice transfer of the role (which should already be on the NEW server). The results will also tell you about the other roles. If any of the roles are still on the OLD server, then type the appropriate command from below to seize the role on the NEW server.

  Seize infrastructure master
  Seize domain naming master
  Seize RID master
  Seize schema master
  Select operation target

That should be it. You can now DCPromo out the OLD server, and use the new server as if the OLD one did not exist.

The only things left that may need to do are, setup the helper addresses in DNS so the server can lookup Internet DNS names. Setup your DHCP Scope and options.

If there is anything that I have missed, then please let me know.

Just noticed that Coding Horror has a way of extending the 30 day trial for Vista to 120 days, and what's better is that it's an officialy supported Microsoft way of doing it.

Fire Up a command prompt as an administrator
Type slmgr -rearm into the command line

Voila another 30 days on your trial, and you can do it 3 times, so 120 days trial.

Just thought I would mention that the first Official Ultimate Extras have hit the net. Fire up your Windows Update and download Texas Holdem Pocker and the Bitlocker Extensions. There is also a bunch of recomended Windows Updates as well.

Just rebooting now, will let you know what there like on the other side.

I've recently done a rebuild of my IBM T43 Laptop and bumped into an issue.

The Intel 2915ABG network card that's in the device has a load of issues. It seems to be a driver incompatibility between a good number of wireless routers and the drivers. That said I KNOW there are some drivers arounf that worked, I know because they did before a rebuild.

I unfortunatly forgot to write down the version that I was using (mistake). So does anyone know what drivers / settings (I know to turn the advanced power off) that work with this family of card.

If so let me know. I'm OK to surf, because all traffic on the inside of my LAN works just fine (so connection to my proxy works just fine), it's only Internet traffic that's an issue. Very odd.

Pop along to the Snort Site for the downloads.

I would not recomend installing this as your live version, but advise you to give it a go.

New additions in this version :-

• Target-based stream reassembly, including handling of TCP data overlaps and anomalous TCP header flags on a per-destination basis. 11 different target-based policies are supported. See README.stream5 for specific configuration options for operating system targets.
• UDP session tracking
• Option to emulate Stream4 flushing behaviour
• Stream5 replaces BOTH Stream4 Flow — should disable both of these when Stream5 is enabled.

muslix64 has done it again. There is now a BluRay decrypter available for anyone that wants to remove the DRM from their BR disk.

This is an early version and has the bellow limitations :

• Don't support BD+
• Don't support Volume unique key
• Only support one CPS unit key per disc
• I don't clear the HDMV_copy_control_descriptor in the stream
• Don't have any FAQ or document so far…
• You have to provide your own CPS unit key
• The playback seems to work with VideoLan

However it works, so get yourself a copy. BackupBluRayV001

A couple of people at work have asked me how to get some of the US only features working on Vista Media Center.

I have not put it off for any particular reason, It's just I forgot to do it.

Anyhow, it's easy! Copy the registry file content below into notepad and save it out into a .reg file.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layouts\00000409]
"Layout File"="KBDUK.DLL"
"Layout Text"="United Kingdom"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout\DosKeybCodes]
"00000409"="uk"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\MCE.GlobalSettings]
"systemGeoISO2"="US"

Yeah I know it looks like this will set your keyboard into US, it does but we swap the location over so that the US is actualy UK.

You can do this for any country by changing the DLL etc over to your keyboard.

Oh, nearly forgot, make sure you do a Guide Update after doing this (Tasks/Settings/TV/Guide/Get Latest Guide Listings)

I've been playing with coding a MCE Vista Plug-in for downloading Video's from Easynews of late, and I've come across a very useful command in the MCE developer documentation that I thought would be worth sharing.

If you start MCE on a Vista PC using c:\windows\eHome\ehshell.exe /widescreen Media Center will launch in Wide Screen (16×9) for you to test things etc, however the one slight downside is that it will only display in 16×9 when in windowed mode, and not full screen.

However it's great for testing how apps will look on a TV. But I'm sure you can find something else useful to do with it.

The Terratec Cinergy DT USB XS Diversity is one of the first Diversity devices to reach the market.

Diversity allows you to take the best parts of the signal from two aerial sources and combine them to create the best signal possible.

The box includes everything you will need to use the Cinergy DT USB XS Diversity straight away.

There is the device itself, a USB extension cable, remote, remote sensor, two magnetic aerials, two suction bases, converters for the mini aerial sockets, and the software.

Installation is as simple as inserting the device into a USB 2 socket, popping the driver CD into the drive and installing the software. After plugging the aerials in and scanning for channels using the Terratec Home Cinema software you are free to watch.

The version of Terratec Home Cinema that comes with the Cinergy DT USB XS Diversity includes the Diversity mode.

To test the diversity mode I decided to see if the included aerials were capable of holding a BBC1 signal whilst on the move in a car. I stuck the aerials to the two separate side windows of the car, turned on the Diversity mode, and tuned into BBC1.

I was not expecting the channel to remain watchable, but to my surprise the channel was rock solid whilst I was driving at 40Mph. Even going around corners and driving into built up areas did not disrupt the signal! Quite impressive.

After testing using my laptop – as if I was a mobile user – I decided to see if the little USB device was good enough to use in another of its likely locations, in the home.

The reason I class this as a likely location for use is because media center PCs are getting slimmer and slimmer, and most PCI/PCI-E dual DVB-T tuners are full height cards and won't fit in some of the smaller cases. This means that if you want a dual DVB-T tuner, the easiest way is to use an external one like the Cinergy DT USB XS Diversity.

To test the device in these conditions, I connected it to the Vista Media Center PC that I have been building to replace my Sky+ installation.

I was looking for a USB or half height dual DVB-T tuner, and when I had the chance to test the Cinergy device I jumped on it. The device fills all my needs: it should be reliable and well performing based on my previous tests of the XS's big brother the Cinergy 2400i DT, it is also well built and includes all the necessary drivers for Vista Media Center.

After plugging the device into my digital aerial and scanning for channels in Media Center I had a full channel lineup, a good sign as Media Center can be picky with channel reception.

I scheduled some recordings, making sure that some of them overlapped so I could test the Cinergy DT USB XS Diversity's abilities when recording two channels at once, as this usually shows up any issues that may exist with bandwidth on the device and between the device and the PC.

No issues located however; the Cinergy DT USB XS Diversity records two channels without any issues, and there is no sign of skipping and stuttering in the recordings, even on the channels that are difficult for some tuners to receive (Sky3/UKTV History).

Conclusion

The Cinergy DT USB XS Diversity is a great USB receiver. It is well built with a nice design, it has some really good features with the dual aerial inputs and the Diversity functionality. The only issue that I can see is that at the moment the Diversity functionality is only available when using the Terratec software, however some third party applications will enable its use shortly.

I can recommend this card to any laptop user that travels and would like to take a TV with them. I will also heartily recommend the device to anyone who does not have space in their Media Center PC for a full height card. The USB device could also be used to add two more tuners to an existing dual tuner Media Center setup, therefore allowing you to record three channels whilst watching a fourth (registry hacking is required to enable this).

The device retails for around 75GBP (111Euro/144USD) and for that price it is more expensive than some of its competition, but the build quality and Diversity functionality more than make up for the small price difference. Support seems to be as good with this device as with the Cinergy 2400i DT in that there is already 32 and 64bit BDA drivers for Vista available.

It is also worth noting that Terratec also sell an Apple version of the device, so even OSX users need not feel left out.