Migrating Vista/Server 2008 VMs from Virtual PC, Server or VMware to Hyper-V?

There is one little trick you need to remember if you are migrating VHDs with Vista/Server 2008 that was previously created on Virtual PC or Virtual Server 2005.

Enable Detect HAL!

How to Enable Detect HAL?

1. Start the virtual machine and Run Msconfig.exe.

   

2. In the System Configuration dialog box, click the Boot tab, and then click Advanced Options.
3. In the BOOT Advanced Options dialog box, click to select the Detect HAL check box, and then click OK.

    

4. Click Yes to restart the virtual machine.
5. Clear the Detect HAL check box after reboot (it takes longer to boot).

 

Source: KB 954282 – The VMBus device does not load on a virtual machine that is running on a Windows Server 2008-based computer that has Hyper-V installed

An update is available that improves the compatibility, reliability, and stability of Windows Vista

Microsoft released a couple of hotfixes about two months ago that improved the stability and reliability of Windows Vista that were not published to Automatic Updates. Now Microsoft released an update to existing updates that further improves the reliability of Windows Vista.

This update improves the compatibility, reliability, and stability of Windows Vista. This update includes the following improvements:

• It extends the battery life for mobile devices.
• It improves the stability of portable computers and of desktop computers that use an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).
• It improves the reliability of Windows Vista when you open the menu of a startup application.
• It improves the stability of wireless network services.
• It shortens the startup time of Windows Vista by using a better timing structure.
• It shortens the recovery time after Windows Vista experiences a period of inactivity.
• It shortens the recovery time when you try to exit the Photos screen saver.
• It improves the stability of Windows PowerShell.

This update also resolves the following issues in Windows Vista:

• A compatibility issue that affects some third-party antivirus software applications.
• A reliability issue that occurs when a Windows Vista-based computer uses certain network driver configurations.

Source: An update is available that improves the compatibility, reliability, and stability of Windows Vista

Windows Vista Administrative Templates (admx)

Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows Vista

This page provides the complete set of Administrative Template (.admx) files for Windows Vista. Group Policy tools use Administrative template files to populate policy settings in the user interface. This allows administrators to manage registry-based policy settings.

Windows Vista GDI hotfix

After a Windows Vista-based computer has been running for an extended period of time, the desktop screen may stop updating correctly. For example, you may experience any of the following symptoms:

• Parts of the screen may go black.
• Parts of the screen may become transparent.
• The toolbar may disappear.
• The toolbar may appear at the top of the screen instead of at the bottom of the screen.

KB932406 – The Windows desktop may stop updating correctly after a Windows Vista-based computer has been running for an extended period of time

Now my problems with transparent or black parts of screen are gone. 🙂

Windows Vista GDI hotfix

After a Windows Vista-based computer has been running for an extended period of time, the desktop screen may stop updating correctly. For example, you may experience any of the following symptoms:

• Parts of the screen may go black.
• Parts of the screen may become transparent.
• The toolbar may disappear.
• The toolbar may appear at the top of the screen instead of at the bottom of the screen.

KB932406 – The Windows desktop may stop updating correctly after a Windows Vista-based computer has been running for an extended period of time

Now my problems with transparent or black parts of screen are gone. 🙂

Windows Vista pre-SP1 wireless authentication hotfix

There are five issues relating to wireless authentication that are fixed with this non public hotfix (KB932063).

• IEEE 802.1X authentication that is based on Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) switching may fail.
• In a wireless profile, the information about the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) method that is selected in a user interface may be incorrect.
• A wireless profile that an independent hardware vendor (IHV) provides may be corrupted after you use the wireless profile user interface to edit the profile. When this problem occurs, you may receive an error message that Windows Explorer has crashed.
• Every time that you roam to a different wireless access point, you are prompted to provide a user credential. This problem occurs even if you have saved the user credential.
• You registered a Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP) method that the IHV provided. When you try to authenticate against an Internet Authentication Service (IAS) server, the server may reject the authentication, and the IAS server may send an error message that the authentication has failed. The Onex.dll file crashes when this problem occurs.

But at least you can receive this hotfix via this web site. Contact Us: Hotfix Request Web Submission Form

Windows Vista pre-SP1 wireless authentication hotfix

There are five issues relating to wireless authentication that are fixed with this non public hotfix (KB932063).

• IEEE 802.1X authentication that is based on Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) switching may fail.
• In a wireless profile, the information about the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) method that is selected in a user interface may be incorrect.
• A wireless profile that an independent hardware vendor (IHV) provides may be corrupted after you use the wireless profile user interface to edit the profile. When this problem occurs, you may receive an error message that Windows Explorer has crashed.
• Every time that you roam to a different wireless access point, you are prompted to provide a user credential. This problem occurs even if you have saved the user credential.
• You registered a Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP) method that the IHV provided. When you try to authenticate against an Internet Authentication Service (IAS) server, the server may reject the authentication, and the IAS server may send an error message that the authentication has failed. The Onex.dll file crashes when this problem occurs.

But at least you can receive this hotfix via this web site. Contact Us: Hotfix Request Web Submission Form

Re-enable Hibernate in Windows Vista

Well… If you run Disk Cleanup and if you select Hibernation File Cleaner it will disable hibernation in Windows Vista.

To re-enable hibernation run this from command line. And don`t forget to run as Administrator 🙂

powercfg -H ON

To disable hibernation in Windows Vista run this from command line as Administrator.

powercfg -H OFF

Windows Vista Step-by-Step Guides for IT Professionals

These step-by-step guides provide instructions for deploying or migrating to Windows Vista. These guides also describe how to configure security, monitor performance, and manage printers.

Overview
These step-by-step guides will assist IT Professionals in deploying or migrating to Windows Vista. These guides will also provide step-by-step information on how to control device installation using Device Management and Installation (DMI) and manage ADMX files. There are also step-by-step guides to help you protect data using BitLocker Drive Encryption, to administer the TPM Security Hardware in a computer using Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Services, and to help deploy better-managed desktops and mitigate the impact of malware using User Account Control (UAC).

Download: Windows Vista Step-by-Step Guides for IT Professionals v2.9

Windows Vista Whitepapers and interesting articles

• Introduction to Network Access Protection
• Network Access Protection Architecture
• Internet Protocol Security Enforcement in the Network Access Protection Platform
• Cable Guy – Network Access Protection Platform Overview
• Network Access Protection: Frequently Asked Questions
• Windows Vista Security Enhancements