Tag Archives: Microsoft

Configuring Symantec AntiVirus for deployment as part of a drive image

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Symantec Document ID: 2005092215503348

Question/Issue:
You need to create a drive image with Symantec AntiVirus already installed.

Solution:
Every installation of Symantec AntiVirus creates a globally unique identifier (GUID) for that installation when the Rtvscan service first starts. If you use a computer with Symantec AntiVirus to create a drive image, and if that image is used to create clones of that computer on the same network, then each computer will have the same GUID. This causes problems in Symantec System Center, such as the following:

  • Clients do not appear.
  • Clients randomly appear and disappear.

You can prevent this problem by creating a drive image that does not have a Symantec AntiVirus GUID.

To create an image without a Symantec AntiVirus GUID

  1. Install the operating system, and install all patches as you would normally.
    Do not install Symantec AntiVirus yet.
  2. Install any other software besides Symantec AntiVirus that will be on the image.
  3. Install Symantec AntiVirus last, after any other installations.
  4. Before you save the image, start the Registry Editor.
  5. Go to the following key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intel\LANDesk\VirusProtect6\CurrentVersion

  6. In the right pane, right-click GUID, and then click Delete.
  7. Exit the Registry Editor.
    The hard drive now contains the final image. Do not restart the computer.
  8. Create the image with your preferred disk imaging software.

When the computer starts again, Rtvscan checks for the GUID value, and when it determines that it does not exist, it generates a new one.

If you have computers that were already deployed with identical GUID values, you can delete the GUID value on each computer, as described above. This can be done with a batch file, a login script, or a group policy object.

Wrong preferred DNS server (BIND) with VPN client

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When you are connected with VPN to your work network, some dns names are resolving to the wrong number. This is because you are using the wrong preferred dns.

When typing nslookup, you see that the used DNS server is the dns server from your networkcard and not the VPN dns server.

Look with ipconfig /all” for the name of your vpn network interface, then go to the following key in the register:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\SERVICES\TCPIP\LINKAGE\BIND

Make sure the name of your network interface is on top of the bind sequence. This should set your preferred DNS to your VPN DNS server.

Viewing Ghost Hardware after P2V

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After converting a physical machine to a virtual machine, you need to remove the “old” hardware. Sometimes this hardware is not shown in the device manager. To do this you will need to follow the Microsoft KB article 241257 or 269155.

Abstract:
Device Manager displays only non-Plug and Play devices, drivers, and printers when you click the Show hidden devices command on the View menu to enable it. Devices that are installed but are not currently connected to the computer (such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device or “ghosted” devices) are not displayed in Device Manager, even when you use the Show hidden devices command.

To work around this behavior and display phantom devices when you use the Show hidden devices command:

  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
  2. At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after each line
    set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
    cd\%SystemRoot%\System32
    start devmgmt.msc

    where %SystemRoot% is the folder in which Windows 2000 is installed.

  3. Troubleshoot the devices and drivers in Device Manager, as required.NOTE: You must first select show hidden devices on the Device Manager View menu before you can see devices that are no longer present in the system.
  4. When you are done troubleshooting, quit Device Manager, and then close the Command Prompt window. Closing the window clears the variable you set in step 2 and prevents ghosted devices from being displayed when you use the Show hidden devices command.

NOTE: When you quit Device Manager and close the Command Prompt window, the set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1 variable is turned off so you cannot see the phantom devices.

VMware server 2 and Vista problem

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When installing VMware server 2 on a vista ultimate 32/64bit machine you get the following error when trying to logon:

The VMware Infrastructure Web Service at “http://localhost:8222/sdk” is not responding (Connection Refused)

Turns out that in my Vista Ultimate 64 installation the host file entry for localhost has been reduced to  the IPV6 lookup only:

::1             localhost

Adding back the usual:

127.0.0.1     localhost

Fixed the problem!

VMware Server.msi is not permitted due to an error in software restriction policy processing. The object cannot be trusted.

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You try to install a Vmware Server 2, and get an error claiming that software restriction policies prohibit this installation.

In the eventvwr (application log) you find an entry like this :

The installation of C:\DOCUME~1\ADMINI~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\1\{AF08C71F-F822-4416-87A9-2BBF5A8A5F12}~setup\VMware Server.msi is not permitted due to an error in software restriction policy processing. The object cannot be trusted.

Solution : KB9253326

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925336