How to Lock Windows Computer from Command Line
In command line type:
rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
That will lock Windows.
How to reset Office 365 licenses on MAC – MACos
/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, Knowledge base /by Mike KhzouzHow to reset Office 365 licenses on MAC/MAC OS
Download Outlook Reset Tool, and choose to reset License info
https://office-reset.com
Then run Terminal on the MAC and type the following command
defaults write com.microsoft.Word ResetOneAuthCreds -bool YES
Adding Microsoft Account on Entra Joined Computer to Local Admin Groups
/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, Knowledge base /by Mike KhzouzIf you have a Microsoft account logged in to a Windows machine that’s also joined to Microsoft Azure/Entra, and you want to add that Microsoft Account to the local Administrators group on that computer, here’s how to do it:
Make sure you are logged in in to the Windows machine with the Microsoft account.
Run command line as Admin (you would need to know an admin credentials on the machine like a local admin).
Type:
WhoAmI
That should show you the full path of your account (something like AzureAD\SomeUsername)
In command like type the following:
net localgroup administrators AzureAD\SomeUsername /add
How to update/upgrade VMware vSphere ESXi from zip file
/3 Comments/in Frontpage Article, Knowledge base /by Mike KhzouzWe performed an upgrade from version 6.7 directly to 8.0.3 in a single step on a Dell PowerEdge server. The same process was also successfully used to update vSphere 8.0.2 (Build XXXX) to 8.0.3 (Build XXXX).
Typically, every six months or so we reach out to Dell Enterprise Support, as Dell is the vendor for the servers we manage. This collaboration ensures that all systems are up to date with the latest drivers, BIOS, and firmware. Prior to applying any VMware updates, we always verify compatibility between the new ESXi versions and the underlying hardware.
STEPS:
Find the appropriate Dell customized zip file from VMware/Broadcom support site and download.
Read the Release Notes.
Download the 8.0.3 build xxxx zip file into your PC.
Connect to the host running ESXi via a browser (usually we connect to host not vCenter)
Browse the Data Store.
Create a folder on Data Store to upload the zip file to, and upload it.
Enable SSH to the host from the host itself or through vCenter.
Shutdown all VMs running on host.
Place the host in Maintenance Mode.
SSH to host and login using root.
Type:
CD /
Now suppose the name and location of the uploaded zip file is:
vmfs/volumes/SAN1-Vol01/Updates/VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0.0.update03-24022510.x86_64-Dell_Customized-A00.zip
In the past, we used the vmware images not the customized vendor/Dell images to update, and with that the command to update would look like the following:
esxcli software vib update -d /vmfs/volumes/SAN1-Vol01/Updates/VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0.0.update03-24022510.x86_64-Dell_Customized-A00.zip
But when we tried it with 8.0.3 while using the Dell customized image, we got the following error:
ESXi version change is not allowed using esxcli software vib commands. Please use a supported method to upgrade ESXi.
We had to use a different command that included what is called the profile name stored inside the zip file instead of using vib .
To find out the name of the profile you would type:
esxcli software sources profile list -d /vmfs/volumes/SAN1-Vol01/Updates/VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0.0.update03-24022510.x86_64-Dell_Customized-A00.zip
Suppose the name of the profile listed is:
DEL-ESXi_803.24022510-A00
The you would type the following to update:
esxcli software profile update -p DEL-ESXi_803.24022510-A00
—depot=/vmfs/volumes/SAN1-Vol01/Updates/VMware-VMvisor-Ins..A00.zip
There are two dashes “-” above right before the “depot=” but they may appear as one in this browser session.
After it is finished, scroll up and make sure it says that the update was successful and you need to reboot.
Reboot, and once fully up, take out the host of Maintenance Mode and start the VMs. Stop SSH for security purposes.
Consult VMware and Dell support on your update
Office / Outlook 365 Authentication Couldn’t Be Completed, Blank page
/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, Knowledge base /by Mike KhzouzWe’ve encountered difficulties with Office 365 functionality on macOS systems.
When attempting to configure Outlook with Office 365, users encountered the following error message after entering their email address:
“Connecting to Office 365
Authentication Couldn’t be Completed
Try Again”
Moreover, even after successful configuration, Outlook failed to receive emails, accompanied by sporadic pop-up windows that quickly closed. Attempts to launch other Office 365 applications such as Word and Excel resulted in blank, white windows.
In our troubleshooting efforts, we undertook several steps:
– Removed and recreated Outlook profiles
– Deleted credentials stored in the Keychain
– Updated the macOS to the latest version
Despite these efforts, the issue persisted. However, when testing the macOS devices outside the office network (e.g., at home or over a hotspot), all Office 365 functionalities worked seamlessly.
Our preliminary conclusion is that the issue stems from the office network environment. We intend to investigate the SonicWall firewall settings and the DHCP server, focusing on potential IPv6-related issues that may be causing the disruption.
This investigation is ongoing, and further updates will follow.
How to White-list a domain/email in Office 365
/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, Knowledge base /by Mike KhzouzLogin to the Office 365 and go to the antispam section. Direct link:
https://security.microsoft.com/antispam
Edit the “Anti-spam Inbound Policy (Default)”
Scroll domain and you should find the a section for allowed domains to enter.
Windows 11 Button/Option Missing from Settings Page
/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, Knowledge base /by Mike Khzouz
If your Windows Updates option/button is missing from the Settings page of Windows 11, check the following Reg_SZ (SettingsPageVisibility), if exists delete. Close and Re-open Settings.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
SettingsPageVisibility —-> Value —-> REG_SZ hide:windowsupdate
Recovery is trying to change system settings. No Administrator Found
/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, Knowledge base /by Mike KhzouzI was trying to enable an Extension on a MAC, but the MAC asked to boot to Recovery, go to System Security settings and enable it from there.
The MAC was part of Jamf. I logged in to it using a username First.Last, then I needed to login to Azure/Office 365, First.Last@Domain.com and password, and when I went to System Setting/Preferences to enable an extension for Egnyte, I got a message that I would need to shut down the computer, which I did, then pressed and held power button, until I got to the recovery screen, and from there I selected Options, provided encryption recovery key for HD (can’t recall the order here), then when I went the top menu and chose the system security, and attempted to reduce security and enable Kernel extensions… I got a message saying that “Recovery is trying to change system settings. No Administrator Found”
Then another message, Biometric accessory is not connected.
The way I circumvented the issue was by shutting it down, turn it on until it got to the login screen, logged in with the user, then when I got to the Office 365 sign on screen, there was an option to Login Locally (we had a local admin user created on the MAC), I logged in with that local user, and shut down the MAC from there, pressed and held the power button like above, and I went through the above process and I was able make that change to recovery screen.
So the key here is to have been logged in as the local admin user not the Azure user when you shut the mac down, and that seemed to fix the issue.
How to search Outlook phrases using AND / OR
/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, Knowledge base /by Mike KhzouzHow to search Outlook email for phrases using AND / OR
First make sure you can use quotations in Outlook search, so you might need to make a registry change
If the leading keys don’t exist, please create them
Example of searching Outlook for emails received between 01/01/2019 to 01/01/2023 with phrases, words or email address like
Name@domain.com
-OR-
New Agreement
-OR-
26/23.6
-AND
Design
How where you can type in Outlook search
received:2019/01/01..2023/01/01 (“Name@Domain.com” OR “New agreement” OR “26/23.6” AND “Design”)
Manage AD from a PC that is not Member of the Domain
/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, Knowledge base /by Mike KhzouzIf you are remote and want to manage Active Directory from a computer that is not part of the AD domain.
VPN into the office
For Windows 10/11, add “RSAT: Active Directory Domain Services and Lightweight Directory Services Tool” to Windows. This is an Optional Feature in Windows so if you go to Optional Features you should be able to find it and add it.
Go to command line and change directory to C:\windows\system32
Run the following command
runas /netonly /user:User@Domain.Whatever “mmc dsa.msc /domain=Domain.Whatever”
Where user@Domain.Whatever is a domain user with domain admin privileges so if the user is John and the domain is domain.local, that would be John@Domain.local
Domain.Whatever would be Domain.local in the example above.