Windows Terminal (Preview) – Run as Administrator [Solved]

Launched a few months ago and still in preview, Microsoft’s Windows Terminal is the future console from Microsoft that combines Command-prompt, Powershell, Azure Cloud Shell and more in a single app.

And…”app” here is the key word.
Because Windows Terminal (preview) is available through Microsoft Store, the way this apps work (linked to the user that installed it) make it difficult to run the app as administrator, if you like me, login with a non-administrator user.

To solve this, the easy way, its really simple:

• Login with your administrative account
• Install Windows Terminal (Preview) from the Microsoft Store
• Login again with your “normal” account
• “Run as Administrator” and…voilà!

Microsoft Endpoint Manager FAQs

Announced at Ignite, Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM) is the new solution for Endpoint Management that brings together SCCM + Intune + Autopilot + etc
Because there is a lot of questions about what’s the future for SCCM and Intune, Microsoft launched a FAQ website that answers to almost everything.
But really, the most important things that I think should be noticed are:

• SCCM and Intune will continue to exist and get Microsoft’s investment
• You should connect your SCCM with Intune right now with co-management
• Microsoft Endpoint Manager will be the best of both worlds:
• The benefits of using your on-premises information in the cloud
• The seamless usage of the cloud information to manage your on-premises devices
• One console to rule them all

Take a look at the Microsoft Endpoint Manager FAQs:
Microsoft Endpoint Manager FAQs

Microsoft Endpoint Manager – The Future of SCCM + Intune

Last few days at Ignite, Microsoft announced Microsoft Endpoint Manager.
This “new solution” will somewhat replace both SCCM and Intune but is more than just a new branding.
It includes Device Management, Desktop Analytics and also the co-management feature.
A lot of new features with “intelligent actions” like “Startup Perfomance Analysis” will be added to the product.

To know more about Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM):

Microsoft Endpoint Manager

Microsoft PowerToys – PowerRename

Microsoft PowerToys was a very famous set of tools in Windows 95 era designed for power users that wanted to do some things quickly with the need to edit registry for example.

Although less famous nowadays, there’s still plenty of good things for Windows 10.
One of this nice tools is PowerRename.

Every wonder how to batch rename a lot of files quickly? PowerToys PowerRename is your answer!

Take a look here for release notes about PowerRename:
Microsoft PowerToys – PowerRename

And here’s a direct link for installers for each release (at this time 0.13 version is available):
Microsoft PowerToys Releases (GitHub)

Microsoft “Edgeium” GA expected January 15, 2020

With a new fantastic logo launching on the last beta release of Microsoft Edge “Chromium”, there’s also the announcement of the expected general availability launch date.

It seems that January 15, 2020 its the objective. The next weeks are reserved for feedback and a little few more beta releases and than a final stable release of the new Microsoft Edge browser.

Microsoft Surface 2019 Lineup – Just mind-blowing!

So this post is just because Microsoft event yesterday was just…mind blowing. For the first time I must say that Microsoft completely delivered in every aspect of the event.

The perfect lineup adding exactly what fans asked for on the existing devices and than…it comes Surface Neo and of course…Surface Duo! A lot of things were said before the event but when you see the product, just couldn’t believe how perfect and consistent this product is.

And, after all of that we also have a glimpse of the new Windows OS (Windows 10X) aka Windows Core OS. This event was simply mind blowing!

So, here’s the complete lineup that was presented yesterday:

Surface Pro X

Surface Pro 7

Surface Laptop 3

Surface Neo and Surface Duo

You can view or review the full event here:

Microsoft’s October 2 Event – Save the Date!

Getting more and more hype, Microsoft’s October event can be the first time we see the new ‘Centaurus’ hardware and know a little bit more about the upcoming operating system.

Don’t miss the live stream and save the date on Microsoft’s dedicated event website:
Microsoft October Event - Tune in to see what's next!

Visual Studio – When Administrator privileges are needed?

A lot of times users will ask to have administrator privileges on their machine because they “use Visual Studio”. This is a very broad concept and not every Visual Studio user needs administrator privileges.

Microsoft created a table which explains the right user permissions needed for each task:
Microsoft Docs - User permissions and Visual Studio

Windows 10–Your Phone App….phone calls! :)

So another really nice feature will be available soon on Your Phone App in Windows 10.
Following the nice to have notifications you’ll be able to do phone calls. And yes…this makes this app even more cool and helpful.
I believe Microsoft is listening to all the feedback they receive and also, I really believe that Windows 10 is now on this mature stage where the most important thing is not to add a bunch of new features but tweak to the best it’s current features.
Here’s a nice video showing of the new Call preview for Your Phone App from the one and only @ZacBowden from Windows Central:

Microsoft Intune – Administrative Templates

Continuing in track with Microsoft journey to move everyone to the cloud, Microsoft announced in the past days, a new Intune feature that was in public preview for a while and definitely one of my most anticipated ones.

Until now, this was for me one of the biggest drawbacks about Intune and cloud device management for Windows devices.

Administrative Templates is the (real) first step for SysAdmins to start moving Windows 10 settings from on-premises group policies to cloud-base settings.

With Intune Administrative Templates, we get the best things of GPOs merged with the goods of a cloud solution.

To know more about the new Microsoft Intune Administrative Templates, click below for the Tech Community post:

Tech Community - Microsoft Intune announces general availability of administrative templates

Office 365 ProPlus Update History

This is just a quick post if you ever need to know the update history for Microsoft Office 365.
This listings include information about dates, what was updates on each update channel, etc

Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus Update History

Office 365 – Versions and Update Channels – Registry Information

Because Microsoft Office 365 is a “Software as a Service” (SaaS) like almost everything on Microsoft nowadays, it is continuously updating and getting better.

As a SysAdmin on an enterprise, you may want to have some kind of control about when updates occur, which machines receive the new updates first, etc.

Additionally, you may want to have a view of the installed versions, update channels, etc on your software management suite or simply need to query a machine to get this information.
All of this can be found in registry so, here’s a quick look where to find them:

Registry Path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration

Keys

• ClientVersionToReport
  Current installed Office 365 client version
• UpdateChannel / CDNBaseUrl
  Sets the update channel configuration:

• Current Channel:
  CDNBaseUrl = http://officecdn.microsoft.com/pr/492350f6-3a01-4f97-b9c0-c7c6ddf67d60

• Deferred Channel:
  CDNBaseUrl = http://officecdn.microsoft.com/pr/7ffbc6bf-bc32-4f92-8982-f9dd17fd3114

• First Release for Current Channel:
  CDNBaseUrl = http://officecdn.microsoft.com/pr/64256afe-f5d9-4f86-8936-8840a6a4f5be

• First Release for Deferred Channel:
  CDNBaseUrl = http://officecdn.microsoft.com/pr/b8f9b850-328d-4355-9145-c59439a0c4cf

There’s a lot more to explore but this ones gives you a lot of information about your installed versions and update configuration.

New Microsoft Edge with Chromium (Edgium) is getting ready for business

With the new Microsoft Edge getting a good feedback from users and a very fast paced development, Microsoft announced today a new very important step.

Because enterprise/business means a lot to Microsoft, they’re trying to get back on track and regain some market share that they loose to Chrome on the enterprise environment. So it’s really nice to see that since today a set of new features are getting available:

• Internet Explorer Mode
• This is something similar to IE Enterprise Mode, but all the magic happens inside the same browser. So, instead of the user gets redirected from Edge to IE, now it opens in single browser with IE compatibility
• Offline deployment package
• This is fundamental for enterprise environment so, MSI and PKG are now available for download
• Group Policies for Windows and MAC
• Again, something fundamental for enterprises to control features and behavior. A note here, although not just yet but, MDM and Intune support is on the roadmap

So, to take a look at a full list of features and downloads follow this link:
Microsoft Edge - Enterprise

SetupDiag – Know what went wrong with your Windows 10 upgrade

With no whistles and fireworks, Microsoft launch a tiny but very useful tool to analyze what went wrong with your Windows 10 update.

SetupDiag is a standalone diagnostic tool that can be used to obtain details about why Windows 10 upgrade wasn’t successful.
It analyzes the Windows Setup logs and tries to parse them trying to obtain a single log file that tells you where’s the issue.

Download and read more about it here:
Microsoft - SetupDiag Tool

One Insider to rule them all!

Since Satya Nadella become Microsoft’s CEO, a lot has change there.
One of the most important one’s was the way Microsoft started to communicate with consumers (and “old rivals” by the way).

In a more open strategy, Windows Insider was a trademark of Windows 10. Allowing users to shape the future of the most used operating system in the world was a bold step and a necessary one at the same time.
This allowed Microsoft to get almost instant feedback and telemetry about what they were doing right or wrong and also create an even more passionate community.

After Windows 10 a lot of other Insider Programs appeared and a lot of times was difficult to keep the pace of how many Insider Programs were out there.

So…thinking about this, Microsoft launched a new website that groups all the Insider Programs in one place.
Although it uses a very simple and basic design, the goal here is facilitate users life.

So go ahead and take a look at:
Insider Programs at Microsoft

Tips & Tricks – Ready for Windows? Quickly search before you deploy

Need to know if certain app is ready for Windows 10?
And…after that, need to know if that app is compatible with a specific Windows 10 build/version?

Quickly search for that info with Microsoft help with this website:
Microsoft - Ready for Windows

Tips & Tricks – Windows version and build number on your desktop

Although not used regularly, this tip is a good one for those running Windows 10 Insider Program builds.
This allows you to keep track of your current Windows 10 build and minor build versions with less effort.

So, to see you Windows 10 version on your desktop follow this steps:

• Open Registry editor (regedit.exe)
• Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
• Look up for “PaintDesktopVersion” value and double-click it
• Change the value to “1”
• Reboot your machine

And you’re done.

Just remember that this is a per-user value so, if you login with another user you need to repeat the above steps.

M365 Series – Simplify your IT Management and level up with Microsoft 365

Following the posts about Microsoft 365, at MIcrosoft’s Ignite 2019 event, Brad Anderson talked about the advantages of M365 with nice information and a couple of good demos.

It’s a nice video where it shows all M365 ecosystem and important for everyone that feel overwhelmed with a lot of information and solutions:

M365 Series - Windows Autopilot White Glove – What is it?

The world of Windows deployment is radically changing in the last couple of years with Windows 10.

With the introduction of Windows as a Service, Windows Autopilot and the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, the need to create a golden image and deploying it massively is no more the “only good scenario” available for enterprises.

Specifically the Windows Autopilot was a very nice way to give the user a machine where he only needed to login with it’s corporate device and the machine get all the corporate configurations.

But…in a lot of scenarios this was a poor experience for the end user that needed to wait a lot of time before he really could use the machine, specially in a poor network environment.

Thinking on this issue, Microsoft developed Windows Autopilot White Glove.
This basically allows IT Administrator to do all the initial work of pre-provisioning all “non-user specific” data. For example, corporate wide software.

After this pre-provisioning, when the user receives the machine, the Autopilot process just resumes the process for the “user-specific” configuration.

Take a look at Windows Autopilot White Glove in action:

M365 Series – Understanding Microsoft 365

Everyday more and more IT Professionals are getting in touch with something called Microsoft 365. And no, this is not Office 365, or better said, it’s not ONLY Office 365. It’s really more than that.

In fact…it’s a lot more than that!

Microsoft 365 it’s a large number of software solutions, almost all relying in the cloud, that allows users and IT Professionals to take advantage of the always connected world, making users get more productive everywhere but also allowing IT Administrators to manage users and devices…everywhere.

That’s one of the major benefits of Microsoft 365.

In this first post, I would like to share a Microsoft video that introduces some of the features available and the big picture of Microsoft 365. It’s a video about Windows and Office modern deployment but shows a lot of Microsoft 365 experience:

Windows Terminal (Preview) now available on Microsoft Store

It’s not usual that a feature like this generates so much hype, but the truth is that since it was announced at Microsoft Build 2019, the new Windows Terminal was a feature that a lot of people wants to try out.

This new Windows Terminal allows users to use command-line tools and shells like command-prompt, PowerShell and WSL.
It also allows multiple tabs, custom themes, and a lot more.

Just notice that this is a preview version and will probably have some issues and bugs for now.

Microsoft Store - Windows Terminal (Preview)

Microsoft Edge based on Chromium (Edgium) GPOs early preview

Later last week Microsoft’s Sean Lyndersay made a post at Microsoft Tech Community where it was announced the first look of new Microsoft Edge based on Chromium group policies.

Without a lot of information for now, we were told that there will be correspondent one’s for Intune also.

He also stressed that this is obviously a work in progress and there’s still much work to do.

Take a look and download the preview GPOs here:

Microsoft Tech Community - Early preview of Microsoft Edge group policies

Microsoft Intune – How to remove Microsoft Store for Business app from Client Apps List

Starting the first steps with Microsoft Intune with some try and error on the mix, here’s something I’ve learned about client apps.

When you go to Client Apps, and if you’ve already synced your Microsoft Store for Business with Intune, you’ll see the apps you’ve approved on the store on that list.

But, a strange or…by design thing happens. Imagine you approve an app and the you revoke it. You’ll notice when you manage your Store for Business that the app isn’t there no more but…you still see it in Intune Client Apps list and the option to delete it is greyed out.

Now, to solve this, follow this steps:

1. Login to the Microsoft Store for Business
2. Select Manage and then Order History. Here you’ll see all the apps you previously approved.
3. Now, select the app you want to remove from Intune Client Apps list
4. On the next screen, in the Action column select Refund and agree with the action
5. Go back to Intune and then Client Apps
6. Select Microsoft Store for Business and Sync
7. Go back to Client Apps list and…the app is gone!

Microsoft Windows 10 19H1 (1903) – Available through Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center

It’s now available the new Windows 10 v1903 or 19H1 at Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center website.
Here you can download all the new enterprise versions ISOS (x86; x64; ARM).

Window Central website has a full changelog for this version:
Windows Central - Windows 10 19H1: The complete changelog

EUA & Google vs. Huawei - Why can this be good for a former Windows Phone user

The world gets stone cold while Google announces that will cut off business with Huawei.
No more official Android updates, no more Google Services.

While this looks a huge issue for a lot of people that bought any Huawei device, it’s ironic to think a little bit what this means to a former Windows Phone user that was pushed to migrate to a different mobile operating system.

Speaking of personal experience, I did not want to move to Android or iOS but the complete lack of apps and the death of Windows Phone made me choose. I’ve chosen Android and a Xiaomi Mi 9 and because my goal was to keep Microsoft’s ecosystem, I just disabled everything Google service I could.

Like me, a lot of former WP users that needed to change mobile device wanted the same and Android was notoriously easy to modify and have Microsoft services all over the phone.

So…flagship devices with a “forked” Android with no Google services? Seems like a good deal to me!

Chinese devices are implemented all over the world, in places with a huge population density like India.
Is Google prepared to a huge decrease of internet traffic from this countries?

Let’s see what happens then….

How are GPOs processed

Here’s just a quick, and very high-level, review about how group policies processing works.

Computer Policies

1.Network Services Start

2.Client performs DNS request for LDAP SRV record of DC(s) in its site

3.Client binds to DC using normal DC Locator process

4.Client performs ICMP slow link detection to DC to determine link speed

5.Client uses LDAP to build GPO list at OU, domain and then site containers - determines whether it has permission to process GPO

6.The client then connects to SYSVOL using SMB’s, locates the required GPT folder , then commences download

7.The computer then applies the policy

8.CSE’s may be required to implement some settings

9.The startup scripts are then processed and executed

10.The logon Screen is then displayed

User Policies

1.The user presses Ctrl-Alt-Del to logon

2.Check RAS settings

3.After domain validation, the client loads the profile controlled by the Group Policy settings that are in effect

4.Check the loopback processing mode value

5.Client binds to DC using normal DC Locator process

6.Obtain a list of GPO’s that need to be applied to the user

7.Connects to SYSVOL using SMB’s

8.Check for any changes to the GPO’s and downloads the changed policies

9.Applies the GPOs in the correct order

10.CSE’s will be required to process the various configurations

11.Runs the logon script

12.User gets their desktop

Microsoft Edge’s IE Mode will give a better experience over the current Enterprise Mode

For me, one of the biggest announcements at Microsoft Build 2019 it’s Microsoft Edge’s IE Mode.
Looks like Microsoft is really committed with the new “Edgium” browser and trying to allow enterprises to stop installing 2 browsers (usually Edge/Internet Explorer and Google Chrome).

With the new Microsoft Edge, based in chromium, plus the new IE Mode Microsoft tries to eliminate the need for Google Chrome and also gives users a better experience when accessing internal websites that only work with Internet Explorer.
Instead of automatically opening an IE browser, the IE Mode allows a new instance of IE directly in a new Edge tab. This gives the users a very very nice and integrated experience.

Find everything announce for Microsoft Edge here:
Microsoft Edge – All the news from Build 2019

Microsoft Build 2019 – Vision Keynote

It’s know live!

Follow Microsoft Build 2019 keynote right now:

Windows Admin Center (WAC) v1904 Now Available

The modern administration tool for Windows servers, desktops and cloud has a new version, following the Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel rhythm.

This new version has nice additions like new tools to manage Active Directory and DNS for example, which may allow in the near future to stop using mmc console.

Also nice is the ability to share device lists that also allows a user to backup previously added devices so you don’t need to add them all again.

Here are all things new and download link to Windows Admin Center v1904:
Windows Admin Center Blog - Windows Admin Center 1904 GA update is now available!

Microsoft 365 – Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (WDATP) – Implementation Docs

With more and more enterprises embracing digitalization and also the Microsoft Cloud solutions, there’s a nice add-on to Microsoft 365 subscriptions (or if you’re using E5 tier) called Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection or WDATP.

WDATP is a unified, cloud based platform for, preventative protection, post breach detection, automated investigation and response.

You can read a little bit more about it here:
Microsoft 365 - Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection – Overview

But this post is about what you need to do to implement it in your organization.

Below are direct links to Microsoft documentation that helps to easily implement and troubleshoot WDATP:

WDATP - Onboard Windows 10 machine

WDATP - Run a detection test on a newly onboarded Windows Defender ATP machine

WDATP - Configure machine proxy and Internet connectivity settings

WDATP - Enable access to Windows Defender ATP service URLs in the proxy server

WDATP - Troubleshoot Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection onboarding issues

Microsoft Surface Hub 2S Presentation with Panos Panay

Microsoft presented last week the new Microsoft Surface Hub 2S.
Like always, a passionate presentation from Surface team leader Panos Panay showing of all the new things and it’s integration in Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

View the full presentation here:
Microsoft Hub 2S Presentation

Office 365, 2019 and 2016 ADMX 4849.1000 (19/04/2019)

Microsoft launched new ADMX files for Office 365, 2019 and 2016.
The download includes the usual excel file with all the new settings available.

Download it here:
Administrative Template files (ADMX/ADML) and Office Customization Tool for Office 365 ProPlus, Office 2019, and Office 2016

Issues - Windows April Updates vs McAfee

Slow boot times, sometimes freezes, this are some of the symptoms described by some users after installing Microsoft’s April 2019 Patch Tuesday.

As it seems this happens in machines with McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) installed.

Both McAfee and Microsoft have identified the issue and are currently investigating the issue:
McAfee Knowledge Center - KB91465
BleepingComputer - Windows April Updates Also Have Problems with McAfee Software

RSS Feeds–Keep up-to-date with the latest product updates

If you’re like me and still loves using rss feeds to get the latest information, Microsoft has a nice service to let you choose which rss feeds you receive.

This makes it easy to get only what you want without the need to choose from a wide list of rss links.
Here, you’ll select the product, create the RSS feed link and add it to your favorite RSS reader.

Take a look at:
Microsoft Support Content Updates RSS generator

Microsoft Edge with Chromium preview available for download

Although there was over the Internet, some unofficial versions of Microsoft Edge with Chromium, it is now available through Microsoft’s preview programs.

In this phase it is available in 2 preview channels:

• Dev Channel – here you’ll have access to upcoming features that later will be available to final users.
• Canary Channel - this branch has pre-released code that was not totally tested.
• Beta Channel – Not yet available and presumably will be in next fall.

So go ahead and try the next Microsoft’s browser, Microsoft Edge with Chromium:
Microsoft Edge Insider Channels

[Solved] Windows Admin Center not opening in Edge after update

If you’ve recently upgraded Windows Admin Center to the latest version, you may get the following error in Edge:
”HTTP 403 error saying "can't get to this page"

In my case, this happened because I was not selecting the correct certificate when launching WAC.

So, when launching WAC, make sure you select the following certificate:

Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise 1809 finally available on VLSC

Don’t know if this happened with a lot of you guys but, at least at my Microsoft Volume License Service Center, Windows 10 Enterprise 1809 a.k.a. October Update appeared and then disappeared in the downloads section.

Well, logged in today and there it was again for download in 3 flavors (x86; x64 and 64bit ARM version)

Visual Studio 2019 Network Installs

Here’s just a very quick guide for creating a Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 network/package install

The first thing you need to do is to download the install bootstrapper that you want (Enterprise or Professional):

Visual Studio Community	vs_community.exe
Visual Studio Professional	vs_professional.exe
Visual Studio Enterprise	vs_enterprise.exe

You’ll notice that if you don’t use any parameters you’ll download a complete source of Visual Studio 2019. This means at least 35GB of source files, and I doubt you need that, so, to download exactly what you need and get a much lighter install source, follow these steps:

1. You can download only the components you need and the language you need
   
   
2. To determine the components and language IDs (this may vary between SKUs) visit this webpages:
   Workload or Components IDs
   Language IDs
   
   
3. Now that you have all you need, just run the command-line below. In this example I’m creating an offline installer for Visual Studio 2019 Enterprise that includes:
   
   - Visual Studio Core Files
   - Managed Desktop components (for C# developing for example)
   - Recommend components (a Microsoft recommended files based on components id)
   
   Command-line
   vs_enterprise__2022417084.1542710334.exe --layout C:\Temp\MSVisualStudioEnterprise2019 --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop --includeRecommended --lang en-US
   
   
4. Now that you have all files, just run the following command line for silent install:
   vs_setup.exe --quiet --wait --nocache --noweb --norestart
   
   
   

A day in a life of an OSD Guru

Here’s one excellent presentation during Microsoft Ignite 2018 with Johan and Ami Arwidmark.
Although not a in-depth presentation, it really touch's all different themes about Windows 10 deployment, from the traditional scenarios to the new one’s, like AutoPilot.

Take a look here:

O365 – SharePoint + OneDrive Integration with Microsoft Teams

Here’s one of the best presentations during Microsoft Ignite 2018 that answers a lot of questions and doubts about what and when to use SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams.

Office 365 – Office Customization Tool – Online!

Microsoft Office 365 is starting to be the “standard” version of Office suite all over the world.
For enterprises there’s always the need to customize this installation.
Sometime because you don’t want to install the all package, you need to install an additional language, configure the license activation method, etc.

For those with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), Office Customization Tool it’s like “embedded”, for others there was the need to download Office Customization Tool.

Well, now you can create your xml file for Office 365 installation directly from the web!

With Office Customization Tool online you create and download the generated xml file to use with your deployment.

So, go ahead and give it a try here:
Microsoft Office Customization Tool

For more information about Office Customization Tool:
Overview of the Office Customization Tool

Powershell Tips – How to know installed Powershell version

Need to know which version of Powershell you’re using?

As easy as:

1. Open an elevated Powershell console
   
   
2. Run the follow command:
   $PSVersionTable
   
   
3. You’ll get a complete list of installed versions for each module: