Daniel Petri

Disabling first run welcome screen in IE8 & IE9 via Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor. Daniel Petri provides a walkthrough for disabling the “Welcome to Internet Explorer” page that continues to appear if you reset the IE settings or log in as a different user.

Daniel Petri explains how to block Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) automatic updates with the Windows Service Pack Blocker Tool Kit. Unlike the IE9 blocking tool, this tool does have an expiration date – the 22nd of February 2012.

Explanation of RemoteFX by Daniel Petri. Now, with Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1, RemoteFX introduces a set of end-user experience enhancements for Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) that enable a rich desktop environment within the corporate network. Article includes hardware and software requirements, functionality overview, and a rundown of required editions of Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1.

Daniel Petri covers some of the basic configuration options for RemoteFX – a set of RDP technologies, most prominently graphics virtualization and the use of advanced codes, that are being added to Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1.

Tips from Daniel Petri for blocking Windows Automatic Update of Internet Explorer 9. Internet Explorer 9 Blocker Toolkit from Microsoft blocks automatic delivery of IE9 to machines in environments where Automatic Updates are enabled. If you’d previously used the IE7 or IE8 Blocker Toolkit, you will still need to run the IE9 version, as each version of the toolkit uses different registry keys to block or unblock automatic delivery.

Microsoft has announced the availability of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 includes previous improvements delivered via Windows Update and addresses feedback from customers. Currently, there are 625 hotfixes and updates. Many of these updates are available to the public on the Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update, while others are only available to specific customers or partners. It is standard practice to include all of these updates in a Service Pack, and as such they are included in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1.

Daniel outlines 3 possible solutions for migrating a virtual machine between Hyper-V hosts. He discusses minimizing downtime of the VM and limiting the effect of other VMs on the virtualization host.

In this article, Daniel explains how to download and use RDCMan (Remote Desktop Connection Manager) to more efficiently manage multiple remote desktop connections.

In this article, Daniel explains how to replace the default Windows Recovery Environment with DaRT version 6.5. Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) is a part of Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2009 R2 and is the new version of Winternals ERD Commander.

In this article, Daniel gives step-by-step instructions for enabling remote management of Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core using SCONFIG and Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT).

Another great Windows 7 tip from Daniel as he explains how to remove the Windows Live Messenger Icon from the taskbar without closing down the application.

Daniel discusses using Windows Server Hyper-V, or Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V, and the quick migration capability to rapidly migrate a running virtual machine from one physical host system to another with minimal downtime.