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That's really kind of you guys many thanks - all sorted now. All the best.

I haven't installed the extensions no. I always used scripts but now we are over to Windows Server 2012 R2 I have moved over to GPP exclusively as Windows 8.1 clients were not showing drive maps. Now, since then we are beginning to experience the odd windows XP client and Server 2003 client not mapping the drives. This has not been immediate but a gradual thing. I have tried changing the GPP prefs to replace and this does not seem to have fixed it even after a GPUPDATE/FORCE and reboot. So I expect it's the extensions we need to install then. I have never looked at this so can somebody point me in the right direction? Does it require a login script or something on these clients? We intend discontinuing the use of Windows XP within a month so it shouldn't be an issue but I have a couple of Windows Server 2003 client still and it would be nice to get it sorted for those. Appreciate the help guys thanks

Morning all, Ever since rolling out Windows Server 2012 R2 as a DC on our Domain some of our XP and Server 2003 clients (Physical and virtual) are not displaying drive maps! We are now completely over to GPP and disabled all scripts pertaining to drive maps. In GPP we have all drive maps set to create. Any ideas anybody?

But what a faf... Found a better way now.... Downgrade your PDC to Explorer 9 and GPO from there, maintenance is back, yay

Yep it is, thanks for maybe half a dozen but multiple folders and say 150 faves will be a PITA! Thanks for the links though, great!

Group Policy Prefs yeah. Where is the section for faves then because I can't find it here...

It's mad. I have been googling and found this: Appendix B: Replacements for Internet Explorer Maintenance and then this: Internet Explorer Administration Kit. It looks to me that you have to use this software to specify which version of IE it's going to leverage and then import all of your settings a URL's this way. It seems that you have to specify which type x86 or 64bit as well. This is making IE maintenance a nightmare. Tell me I have this wrong please! If not then we run different versions of IE in different places because some software is not compatible with old software. To my knowledge we have: IE 8,9,10 and now 11 running in both x86 and 64bit versions so that means 8 of the same configs plus two different grouping so that 16 policies instead of (2). By the way do I run the IEAK package from the main Schema Master (PDC) or can I run it form my machine and then when I have set this, does it deploy IE or does it just update! very confused!

Upgraded one of our DC's to Server 2012 R2 and low and behold: Internet Explorer Maintenance has been either removed or relocated under GPO via Domain since our upgrade so all the faves are not populating on new PC's. What with the mapped network drives not working either this seems to be a slight issue. Anybody found this yet? Any ideas where it's gone?

Hi all, Just testing the latest from Redmond and..... Some legacy programs installed from MSI via GPO don't install with elevated privs so end up not operating like Task Magic for example. Closer inspection of the files and folders reveal that users of the host PC and the target folders are relegated to read only access without any way to add further privs. I added myself specifically and voila, it worked. Drives maps don't work completely either whether via script or GPO, the only way we can get them to work totally is via invoking a script manually then it works. About half of the eight maps works the others don't appear. We have tried two different systems and both exhibit this error. If we look at group policy management modelling this is inconclusive and using the command gpresult /r does not give us any clues as it reports no failures and all gpos are applied so....apart from outlook on the web, google and these Widoze appears to be working ok (ish) on two of our laptops. Our domain runs on Windows Server 2008 R2 with the latest templates. I haven't imported the Windows 2012 R2 templates yet and I haven't promoted our Windows 2012 R2 server yet to a DC but maybe this is the next step. I would be interested if anybody else has experienced similar issue.

I Agree, the reg is....spot on that is... I quite like it but from an education POV the desktop may need some tweaking I fear.

slightly? That's a joke right?

Interesting to note: Can't get SIMS to install and if you have UAC off in GPO (I have) then metro app don't work! I agree with other comments here in as much as: I think during the install process and as a control panel later MS should offer: A Metro or Desktop with Start Button option To use Metro on a desktop computer is just plain dumb imho. What I like: The speed it installed The speed of booting Any other stuff I will post here as I discover and if Server 8 doesn't have a Start Menu either as a previous post said I won't be upgrading anytime soon, linux anybody - ubunto here I come....

Beware all that want to deploy sophos 10 console. The new features do not like: SonicWall CDP Agent software and stops you running it, it doesn't like Adobe Air. Seems to interfere with logging into AD When you go to the console to disable the new features it doesn't push the preferences out so keeps it at default levels (on). The offending new features seem to be: Under Configure anti-virus and HIPS For servers disable: Enable on-access scanning for this computer check box For clients: Under Web Protection Uncheck the check box called Block access to malicious websites I am yet to experiment more and contact sophos about this but Sonic know about the CDP issue as our supplier knows too. SO beware everybody!

All checked but still no updating. Not only that but after the last roll out of updates all of my Windows 2003 server are giving me this issue! Obviosuly a MS screw up again. Smacks of certificate issues to me. Any other ideas guys?

You are right of course we could and that would have been our next step I think but the System Manager had a brain wave and suggested to pull the network cables and it worked!!!! The switch is at fault. The switch seems faulty and of course because network services cannot talk to the network and Exchange DNS and AD couldn't run hence the non boot up. Resolved. Thanks for that anyway. Have a good weekend.

All checked and sorted. I think rules are all ok, I have also checked Windows Updates via Windows 2008 and Windows 7 and that works no problem. Will check Windows XP on Monday. Weird.

Thanks for that will go and check this....

Hi again guys: Here's one for you: At a remote site our tech is having difficulties booting his main DC (only one, I know I know). Thing is, it just won't boot up. It will go into safe mode ok but when normally booting it sticks at the point where it's loading explorer or in other words at the point of loading a blank desktop and a windows logo bottom left corner and an operational mouse pointer! Weird. The other week, building work was done and brick dust contaminated the server room and we had it cleaned by a specialist but I am concerned the hardware may have been somehow damaged by this. Where does one start? I don't think he has backed up AD but I may be wrong with that one. AD restore mode? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

All my Windows 2003 Servers (Since the last update last week) now get this error when checking manually for updates: Error number: 0x80190193 ....and will not go to the Windows Update Site. Has anybody else had this lately? Would you mind checking to see if you get the same results. Checked firewall rules and checked AV and security and nothing has changed. I have even disabled the AV plugin with no effect. At this rate I may have to WSUS them but held back after a bad experience. Thanks Guys

Hey guys. Sorted! Thanks for all the help with this you guys here and this resource is ace. The fix was complex but worked: 1. Replaced one failing switch on one segment 2. The older of the two switches could not access it's own GUI because it didn't have one....doh. The original system had no GUI and I about to flash one onto it! 3. The switch is operating normally anyway. So the main issue was a failing switch on another segment on the same subnet! So far so good, looking calm..... lol

...Yes thanks for that. Actually I agree, this should be as you say and Out Of Band port. Strangley though it work as a serial port. I have now (using it this way) set the switch up to be accesible from HTTP requests from an IP in our subnet range. One of the 9900 series switches has done this correctly, but this one refuses to connect. I have ensured and double checked that the config file is there and that the HTTP server is running as well as the IP is pingable and it is. Any ideas?

*** UPDATE *** We have managed to get two new switches and I have replaced one of them and the issue seems to have gone (so far). The core switch that I have been able to connect to, seems to be operating in within normal thresholds. For some reason although I have set up the switch via telnet and successfully connected to it I cannot HTTP into it! The sister switch, no issues at all. I will reset the non-connectable switch tonight and try again. I found out that you do indeed need a RS232 or DB9 to RJ45 cable in the end. I got one with my new 8000 switch and was able to utilise this. I cannot believe that our networking company did not leave this for us. I have also set up IP's on the rest of one of our more problematic segments and been able to test these switches. Early indications are that nothing untoward it going on.....the plot thickens I think. Anyway, thanks everybody for the help with these issues and to Paul above too...

In answer I am not sure whether this switch needs configuring with an RJ45 to DB9 connector or not. In any case, we have no netbooks or laptops with a Db9 or RS232 as these have dissappeared in recent years. The hardware manual is soemwhat confusing because one section says it needs a DB9 - RJ45 cable to set this up and then in the next section is says this: "Out-of-Band Ethernet Management Port The out-of-band 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet port is dedicated to management traffic on the AT-9900s switch. Use it for initial configuration and on-going management tasks. The default IP address for the port is 192.168.242.242 to allow remote access. This port is reserved for management only; the switch does not transmit frames between this port and switch ports." So PASS, anybody else have dealing with AT-9924SP switches?

Latest UPDATE We successfully tested and reset the switch yesterday and found some interesting things: Even after isolating the switch from the network by removing ALL links and then just inserting ONE link with transceiver we started to get the rapid traffic. It didn’t seem to matter which link we plugged in the switch exhibited this issue. Also, during the exercise, the other 9924 below was continually exhibiting this rapid packet traffic transfer as usual and was NOT affected by the removal of all those segments! This is good news for one thing and maybe bad news for another! The good news is that I think this proves that there doesn’t appear to be anything looping on our network. The bad news is (I think) that the AT switches may be transferring bad packets and taking ports out instead of dealing with them in a timely fashion. It might be possible to configure the switch to do this if only I could only get the management ports to work on them; whether this port has already been set up and somehow disabled I don't know. In any case this may be a fault with both switches as I have tried to link to both without success! I have contacted the company to look into this and we'll wait and see what happens there I guess. For the next week I am doing power tests to verify a hunch I have about power surges. Postulating an idea that when a power surge or brownout occurs, although the switch in that segment is proteccted by a Smart UPS the client PC in that segment isn't. My idea is that maybe the spike or surge will generate a bad packet or two which will be sent to that switch, the switch cannot handle it so it stops the port recieving. Just an idea that fits the facts but an interesting one... Will keep all updated and many thanks to everyone for your commend and suggestions so far.

Thanks SYNACK. I'll play with the fluke tester tonight and if no go I will order a new switch I think, only a Cisco or HP. Also, I think I will contact the network company about the switch and Management Port too. Thanks