Fixes
Windows File Corruption
With all the malware I’ve been cleaning lately I’ve noticed a rise in windows file corruption. There’s no way to tell if the problem is from the infection or from the cleanup. Probably a little of both but I’d rather blame the infection.
To clean up the file system I do 2 things:
- A hard disk scan: go to My Computer – right click on the C:\ drive and select Properties. In the properties sheet choose the Tools tab. In the Error Checking section click Check Now. In the window that pops up check both selections. You will get a warning that says something like “the check can’t be performed now, do you want to schedule for the next time you reboot” click yes and restart your computer.
- sfc -scannow This command checks all the files in your Windows installation and makes sure they are the same files that were installed originally and that they have not become corrupted. To run click on the Start button and select Run. In the text box type “sfc -scannow” (without the quotation marks) and click ok. If the scan needs to rebuild or recopy a file you’ll need a copy of the Windows cd that is the same version that you have installed.
Exchange Mail Limits
To increase mail attachment sending limits look in one of two places.
- Active Directory – domainName.nnn – Users – userName properties – Exchange General tab – Delivery Restrictions Button. Under the Sending or Receiving message size areas click the radio button for “Maximum KB” and set as desired. 1000 KB is approximately 1 MB (20,000KB = 20MB)
- Exchange Server Manager: Under the “First Organization (Exchange)” open the Global Settings folder, then Message Delivery, and then Defaults to set the limit.
Act! Database Connection Issues
“The database name could not be accessed. In order to access this database, check your network connection and verify that your database server is available. It may be necessary to disable any firewall software on your computer or server.”
Act! Answer ID 19640 http://is.gd/rpqb
In this user’s case the SQL Server (ACT7) service keeps stopping or doesn’t start when the laptop is rebooted (we’re tracking which). So I wrote a batch file (of which I’ve only done a couple) that will start the service. For those of you who don’t know, a batch file is just a text file saved with the .bat extention instead of the .txt extention and the contents contain a command for Windows to perform (careful that you have “Hide extensions for known file types” unselected in “Folder Options” -> “View”. In this case the command in the batch file is
::Turns on Act SQL Server Service
@ECHO OFF
NET START (or STOP) “exact name of service”
Programming is fun!! BTW, I stole this batch file from http://www.codingforums.com/archive/index.php/t-137177.html
iPod Dissection
I was very nervous. I have all but stopped listening to the radio. I roll my own driving entertainment in the form of my sleek (beatup) new (fairly old) 5th generation iPod. I know its old but its the best 30gig jump drive money can buy. I use it in the car, work, Wal-Mart (It is amazing how much more tollerable walmart is when you can’t hear what’s going on around you…) Anyway the battery died last week and – again – I know I’m not the first person to do this but it is nerve racking to open up an electronic device that you’re not sure will ever go back the same way again. We’ll its over now and here are the pics. And it cost less than $10. bucks.
The scary bit.
Its Alive - Closing it back up
Exchange: Block Mail from a Sender or Domain
Fight Back
A client has a need to block email from a domain (that’s the part of an email address behind the @). This post from Daniel Petri at the Petri IT Knowledgebase explains how. I’ve been using this blog as a reference for years; If you can do it with a Windows Server then this guy knows it- and probably has a post on it. In this article Petri shows you how to configure an Exchange tool called the Intelligent Message Filter. Once configured, use this article from Microsoft to enable the feature.
If you would like help emplementing this or any other email feature, get in touch with us at IT Solutions.
