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How to Easily Reset Windows Passwords with PCUnlocker or Password Recovery Bundle

Resetting a forgotten Windows password is easy with PCUnlocker or Password Recovery Bundle. Just burn the bootable CD or create a bootable USB drive, boot to it, and reset the password. This works on nearly all versions of Windows, including Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, Server 2003, Server 2008, Server 2012, and others.

PCUnlocker is software from Top Password Software INC that allows you to create a bootable CD or USB drive to reset Windows passwords. Password Recovery Bundle is a collection of some of their best password resetting software, including PCUnlocker, at a discounted price. In addition to unlocking local user account passwords, you can also reset domain accounts, including the domain administrator account with both products.

You can purchase each product directly by following the links below:

How to Fix - Setup Was Unable to Create a New System Partition or Locate an Existing System Partition

When installing Windows, you sometimes can get the following error message: "Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. See the Setup log files for more information." In my example, it happened while installing Server 2008 R2, however, this can happen on Server 2012, Windows 7, & Windows 8 also:

How to Fix - Setup Was Unable to Create a New System Partition or Locate an Existing System Partition

To get rid of this error and install the operating system, the solution is simple:

Remove any USB drives, SD cards, or any other additional storage that the operating system is not being installed on, reboot, and try again.

If you have a usb drive connected because it contains drivers for the disk or raid card, do not insert the usb drive until it you are prompted. I've seen this issue many times, and every time it was because there was additional storage connected to the server, causing the installation to halt at this point. Removing the additional storage fixed it every time.

How to Fix C00002E2 Directory Services Could Not Start - Blue Screen

There are several reasons you may get get this error. The most common being a corrupt Active Directory database (NTDS.DIT). I know this sounds detrimental, but it's actually easy to fix this blue screen.

*** This is the Active Directory Database we're talking about here, so make sure you have a good backup of the server, in case this doesn't work***

This Stop code is only seen on a system with Active Directory on it. You notice it when the server is booting. You'll get a blue screen and an error code, like the following:

STOP: c00002e2 Directory Services could not start because of the following error:

A device attached to the system is not functioning.

Error Status: 0xc0000001.

Please shutdown this system and reboot into Directory Services Restore Mode, check the event log for more detailed information.

How to Fix C00002E2 Directory Services Could Not Start - Blue Screen 1

To begin, do as the message says, and boot into Directory Services Restore Mode. When the server powers on, press F8 before the OS begins to load. You should see a selection screen like this. Choose Directory Services Restore Mode:

Windows - How to Measure Time or Length of Command or Executable

There are serveral reasons you would want to see how long it takes to execute a command, or run a program. Perhaps you are benchmarking a command line application you made, or want to see how long it takes to run the same command on different computers. Whatever your reason, here are 3 ways to measure the time it takes to execute a command or application on Windows. In my example, I'm seeing how long it takes to perform a DNS query (you can replace the underlined portion with the command you want to time):

1. In PowerShell, run the following command:

Measure-Command {nslookup itswapshop.com}

 

2. Here is a one-liner you can run from the command prompt:

cmd /v:on /c "echo !time! & nslookup itswapshop.com & echo !time!"

 

3. Save this at a batch file, and then run it:

echo %time%

nslookup itswapshop.com

echo %time%

 

Here is a screenshot of each method:

Windows - How to Measure Time or Length of Command or Executable

How to Find Listening Ports on Windows from Command Line

Any version of Windows, including XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003, Server 2008, and Server 2012, you can use the netstat command to find listening ports on a system. This helps you are troubleshooting if a service or server is actually running on a system. Simply run the following command to find all listening ports on a system:

netstat -an | find /i "listening"

Find Listening Ports - Windows

How to Schedule a Reboot or Restart - Windows

Thanks to the task scheduler in Windows, scheduling a reboot of a system is very easy. Simply schedule the task for the preferred time, and set the action to run the shutdown program with the restart switch. Here are step-by-step picture instructions on how to do it (This should work on any version of WIndows, including: Server 2008, Windows 7 & 8, and Windows Vista):

Open the Task Scheduler by typing "Task Scheduler" in the start menu's search box, or by going here:

Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Task Scheduler

Right click on "Task Scheduler (local)" in the left pane and click "Create Basic Task":

Windows Schedule Reboot 1

Give the task a name and description:

Windows Schedule Reboot 2

Choose when you want the task to start (in my case, it's a one time task):

Windows Schedule Reboot 3

Choose the date and time for the task:

Windows Schedule Reboot 4

Choose "Start a program":

How to Get List of All Groups in Domain from Command Line - Windows

To get a list of all groups in a domain and export them into a text file, run the following command (you need to have the appropriate permissions to run this command, a domain admin will work):

net group /domain > domain-groups-list.txt

This will export a list of all domain groups into a text file in the working directory. This should work in any Microsoft Windows Active Directory Domain.

How to Get List of All Domain User Accounts from Command Line - Windows

To get a list of all user accounts in a domain and export them into a text file, run the following command (you need to have the appropriate permissions to run this command, a domain admin will work):

net user /domain > domain-user-list.txt

This will export a list of all domain users to a text file in the working directory. This should work in any Microsoft Windows Active Directory Domain.

Find Total and Free Disk Space from Command Line Windows XP - 7 - 2003 - 2008

To find the total and free disk space in all modern versions of Microsoft Windows from the command line, you need to use the fsutil command. Here is an example:

fsutil volume diskfree c:

Total # of free bytes        : 11658346496

Total # of bytes             : 209712050176

Total # of avail free bytes  : 11658346496
 
Unfortunately, there is no way to change the output from bytes to megabytes or gigabytes. If you want to learn how to find total and free disk space in Linux, check out this tutorial.

How to Uninstall Internet Explorer 9 on Windows 7 SP1 and Revert to IE8

Windows 7 with service pack 1 comes loaded with Internet Explorer 9 by default. You can revert to Internet Explorer 8 by following theses steps:

  • Open "Programs and Features", formerly called "Add or Remove Programs", by clicking on the start button (or by holding down "Windows key + R" to bring up the run menu) and typing appwiz.cpl and hit enter. Click on "View installed  updates":Internet Explorer 9 Remove 1
  • Select "Windows Internet Explorer 9" from the update list and click "Uninstall" Internet Explorer 9 Remove 2
  • Reboot your computer and you will have Internet Explorer 8

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