Windows Server

Solved: Complete List of Supported Guest Windows VM’s On Server 2016, 2012 R2, 2012 and 2008 R2

Yes, you can run Server 2016 VM’s on Server 2012 R2 Host. In general Mircrosoft supports the release immediately after the host operating system (i.e. 2012 on 2008 R2, 2012 R2 on 2012 R1,…)

Server 2016 Supported Guest Operating Systems:

Windows Server 2016 is expected to be able to host Windows Server 2019 VM’s but as of today’s date the official line up for Server 2016 hosting VM’s is:

Guest Operating System	Maximum Virtual Cores	Integration Services
Windows Server 2016	240 for generation 2	Built-in
Windows Server 2016	64 for generation 1	Built-in
Windows Server 2012 R2	64	Built-in
Windows Server 2012	64	Built-in
Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1	64	Install all critical Windows updates after you
Windows Server 2008 with SP2	8	Install all critical Windows updates after you set up the guest operating system.
Windows 10	32	Built-in
Windows 8.1	32	Built-in
Windows 7 with SP1	4	Upgrade the integration services after you set up the guest operating system.

Server 2012 R2 Supported Guest Operating Systems:

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By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsMay 11, 2018 ago

SOLVED: VIDEO: How To Enable Shadow Copies / Previous Versions in Server 2016

Recently we have received a number of complaints from people that Microsoft Windows Server 2016 does not have Shadow Copies so Previous Versions no longer functions. While this is more or less true in Windows 10 (you need a second hard disk to make it work), it is not true Read more…

By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsApril 25, 2018 ago

SOLVED: 500 Error on Downloads in WordPress Running on IIS

If you are running a default WordPress installation on IIS you will find that you can upload files into the MEDIA LIBRARY without any problem but if you try to download those files, you will see a 500 INTERNAL SERVER ERROR or a 500.50 URL REWRITE MODULE ERROR (depending on Read more…

By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsApril 24, 2018 ago

wordpress-server-2016-iis-change-file-upload-size-limitation

SOLVED: WordPress On IIS – Change Upload File Size Limit & Avoid HTTP Error

If you are running WordPress on your own IIS server (i.e. Windows Server 2016 or Windows 10), you may find that the default 2MB size limit for media is very difficult to change following instructions for those that have WordPress installed on hosted sites. This short video provides the simple Read more…

By Ian Matthews, 7 years ago

SOLVED: 404 Error on WordPress Posts & Pages When Running on IIS

A default install of IIS on Server 2008, 2012 or 2016 does support URL rewriting the way WordPress expects. This means that if you change the PERMALINK structure from the default (and ugly and SEO killing) page ID so your URLs look like: http://www.URTech.ca/?page_id=4 . If you do change the Read more…

By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsApril 20, 2018 ago

wsus-configuration-wizard-choose-classifications

SOLVED: How To Install & Configure WSUS on Windows Server 2012R2 or Server 2016 in 20 Minutes

Installing and configuring Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) on Server 2016 or Server 2012R2 is straight forward. There are four key steps:

Add the WSUS Role
Configure WSUS
Set a Group Policy to have your PC’s point to the WSUS server for updates
Approving Updates

To be clear, the process below will take you 20 minutes of work time to complete, but because you have to wait for the install to complete (5-15mins) and then the initial sync to complete (several hours), you will need a day to get your WSUS server functional.

1 – HOW TO INSTALL WSUS:

To add the WSUS role launch SERVER MANAGER > MANAGE > ADD ROLES > then click next through to the ROLES and select WSUS. Then click NEXT to the end. Do NOT change the defaults.

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By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsApril 20, 2018 ago

wordpress-server-2016-web-platform-installer

SOLVED: How To Install WordPress On Server 2016 or Windows 10 in 5 Minutes

This video shows you how to install WordPress on Server 2016 or Windows 10 in just 5 minutes using Microsoft’s amazing Web Platform Installer. You can source the Web Platform Installer directly from Microsoft HERE.

By Ian Matthews, 7 years ago

SOLVED: How To Setup RDS User Profile Disks

A User Profile Disk is simply a VHDX that is created for each user that contains their C:\USERS\<user> profile and blocks remote users from interacting with the physical disk. This is good for security and also lets user profiles roam across different Session Hosts.

Setting up User Profile Disks is easy but the thing tech’s make a mistake on is using a local path. You MUST use a path that all of your RDS users can get to. We recommend that you make it a hidden network share so that others on your network can not see it.

To Setup & Enable RDS User Profile Disks:

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By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsApril 5, 2018 ago

SOLVED: GPOs To Lock Down Your Remote Desktop Session Host Server

If you have a Server 2016 Remote Desktop Services infrastructure, you will likely want to lock down the Sessions Hosts. Below are some of the useful Group Policies that we suggest you apply.

Note that Server 2012 and Server 2016 have the option to use something very important for security named USER PROFILE DISKS. A User Profile Disk is a VHDX that is created for each user. That Virtual Hard Disk contains their C:\USERS\ profile and blocks remote users from interacting with the physical disk.

If you want to use USER PROFILE DISKS click HERE for more information. If you don’t want to use USER PROFILE DISKS, you should consider configuring the following GPOs:

USER > POLICIES > SYSTEM > FOLDER REDIRECTION
USER > POLICIES > ADMINISTRATIVE TEMPLATES > WINDOWS COMPONENTS > FILE EXPLORER > HIDE THESE SPECIFIED DRIVES IN MY COMPUTER
USER > POLICIES > ADMINISTRATIVE TEMPLATES > WINDOWS COMPONENTS > FILE EXPLORER > PREVENT ACCESS TO DRIVES FROM MY COMPUTER

Lets get started. Below are the GPO’s we suggest you consider to lock down your RDS Session Hosts:

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By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsApril 5, 2018 ago

SOLVED: How to Create a .PFX Certificate File

I needed to import a certificate into a Server 2016 RDS server but it was requesting a .PFX file I did not have, so I had a problem. The certificate I wanted the RDS to use was already installed and functional but the RDS CONFIGURE THE DEPLOYMENT did not show Read more…

By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsApril 4, 2018 ago

Windows-Update-error-0x8024416-on-Server-2016-RDS-Session-Host

SOLVED: How To Fix Windows Update Error 0x8024416 & Patch Your Server 2016 RD Session Host Servers

If you have a Server 2016 Session Host in your Remote Desktop Services (RDS) configuration and it is returning error 0x8024416 on all its Windows Updates, we have the fix. You simply need to put the Session Host into a maintenance mode called

You can use the Windows Server Manager GUI or PowerShell:

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By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsMarch 30, 2018 ago

cortana-download-personal-assistant-notification-disable

SOLVED: GPO’s To Disable Notifications Like Windows Update, Cortana, Store, Photos, News, Calendar, OneDrive, Mail & More

UPDATED: Oct 31 2022 – If you are in a corporate setting, so called “alerts” can be quite annoying to your users and you will likely want to disable them. Unfortunately there are no native GPO’s to disable the various notifications. Fortunately there are two very easy ways to disable Read more…

By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsMarch 30, 2018 ago

SOLVED: How To Customize Your RDS RDWeb Page

If you are running Remote Desktop Services (RDS) you likely have an /RDWeb landing page that you would like to reconfigure to make it easier for people to visit. My RDWeb page now looks like the one on the right.

If you are interested in customizing the RDWeb page, you might be interested in our easy explanation of how to eliminate the /RDWeb portion of the rds.YourDomain.com/RDWeb and change it to just rds.YourDomain.com, HERE.

WARNING: Internet Explorer does a good job of detecting the changes when you refresh RDWeb page but Chrome does not. Soooo, if you are testing with Chrome, make sure you flush your browser cache.

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By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsMarch 30, 2018 ago

SOLVED: How To Remove /RDWeb From The RDS Login Page URL

By default, RDS will setup yourdomain.com/RDWeb to present Work Resources like published apps to your visitors. You can easily eliminate the need for to add /RDWeb to the URL, using a simple redirect in IIS: Launch IIS Click on DEFAULT WEBSITE Double click on HTTP REDIRECT from them middle pane Read more…

By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsMarch 29, 2018 ago

how-to-assign-certificate-to-website-iis-rds-gateway

SOLVED: Certificate Disappears From IIS After COMPLETE CERTIFICATE REQUEST on Server 2016

If you add a certificate to IIS Manager SERVER CERTIFICATES section using COMPLETE CERTIFICATE REQUEST that appears without error but then is not visible the next time you go to (or refresh) the SERVER CERTIFICATES, we have the answer. The problem is likely that you somehow added that certificate to Read more…

By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsMarch 22, 2018 ago

SOLVED: What is Quarantine in a Server 2016 Cluster & How Can a Node be Moved Out of Quarantine?

Server 2016 introduced three new “node states” and the one that people are confused about is Quarantine. Quarantined nodes are just that; their roles are drained to other nodes in the cluster and they are not allowed to rejoin the cluster for two hours. The idea is to stop failing Read more…

By Ian Matthews, 7 yearsMarch 15, 2018 ago

Windows Server 2008, 2012, 2016, 2019 & 2022 How To’s

Solved: Complete List of Supported Guest Windows VM’s On Server 2016, 2012 R2, 2012 and 2008 R2

Server 2016 Supported Guest Operating Systems:

Server 2012 R2 Supported Guest Operating Systems:

SOLVED: VIDEO: How To Enable Shadow Copies / Previous Versions in Server 2016

SOLVED: 500 Error on Downloads in WordPress Running on IIS

SOLVED: WordPress On IIS – Change Upload File Size Limit & Avoid HTTP Error

SOLVED: 404 Error on WordPress Posts & Pages When Running on IIS

SOLVED: How To Install & Configure WSUS on Windows Server 2012R2 or Server 2016 in 20 Minutes

1 – HOW TO INSTALL WSUS:

SOLVED: How To Install WordPress On Server 2016 or Windows 10 in 5 Minutes

SOLVED: How To Setup RDS User Profile Disks

SOLVED: GPOs To Lock Down Your Remote Desktop Session Host Server

USER > POLICIES > SYSTEM > FOLDER REDIRECTION
USER > POLICIES > ADMINISTRATIVE TEMPLATES > WINDOWS COMPONENTS > FILE EXPLORER > HIDE THESE SPECIFIED DRIVES IN MY COMPUTER
USER > POLICIES > ADMINISTRATIVE TEMPLATES > WINDOWS COMPONENTS > FILE EXPLORER > PREVENT ACCESS TO DRIVES FROM MY COMPUTER

SOLVED: How to Create a .PFX Certificate File

SOLVED: How To Fix Windows Update Error 0x8024416 & Patch Your Server 2016 RD Session Host Servers

SOLVED: GPO’s To Disable Notifications Like Windows Update, Cortana, Store, Photos, News, Calendar, OneDrive, Mail & More

SOLVED: How To Customize Your RDS RDWeb Page

SOLVED: How To Remove /RDWeb From The RDS Login Page URL

SOLVED: Certificate Disappears From IIS After COMPLETE CERTIFICATE REQUEST on Server 2016

SOLVED: What is Quarantine in a Server 2016 Cluster & How Can a Node be Moved Out of Quarantine?

Windows Server

Windows Server 2008, 2012, 2016, 2019 & 2022 How To’s

Server 2016 Supported Guest Operating Systems:

Server 2012 R2 Supported Guest Operating Systems:

1 – HOW TO INSTALL WSUS:

USER > POLICIES > SYSTEM > FOLDER REDIRECTION USER > POLICIES > ADMINISTRATIVE TEMPLATES > WINDOWS COMPONENTS > FILE EXPLORER > HIDE THESE SPECIFIED DRIVES IN MY COMPUTER USER > POLICIES > ADMINISTRATIVE TEMPLATES > WINDOWS COMPONENTS > FILE EXPLORER > PREVENT ACCESS TO DRIVES FROM MY COMPUTER

USER > POLICIES > SYSTEM > FOLDER REDIRECTION
USER > POLICIES > ADMINISTRATIVE TEMPLATES > WINDOWS COMPONENTS > FILE EXPLORER > HIDE THESE SPECIFIED DRIVES IN MY COMPUTER
USER > POLICIES > ADMINISTRATIVE TEMPLATES > WINDOWS COMPONENTS > FILE EXPLORER > PREVENT ACCESS TO DRIVES FROM MY COMPUTER