To change a GUID partition table disk into a master boot record disk using command line, follow the steps below.
1. Back up or move all volumes on the basic GUID partition table (GPT) disk you want to convert into a master boot record (MBR) disk.
2. Open an elevated command prompt (right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as Administrator) and type diskpart.
If the disk does not contain any partitions or volumes, skip to step 6.
3. At the DISKPART prompt, type list disk. Make note of the disk number you want to delete
4. At the DISKPART prompt, type select disk <disknumber>
Every now and then, you will encounter a situation when you need to find which ConfigMgr Collection(s) a specific computer is a member of for troubleshooting purposes. I came across this TechNet post which describes a SQL query to find the collection information.
Run the following query in SQL against the SMS Database:
select v_FullCollectionMembership.CollectionID As ‘Collection ID’, v_Collection.Name As ‘Collection Name’, v_R_System.Name0 As ‘Machine Name’ from v_FullCollectionMembership
JOIN v_R_System on v_FullCollectionMembership.ResourceID = v_R_System.ResourceID
JOIN v_Collection on v_FullCollectionMembership.CollectionID = v_Collection.CollectionID
Where v_R_System.Name0=’ClientMachineName’
Note: Replace ClientMachineName with the name of the Client Machine in question. Additionally, you can also make a Custom Report to get this information if you intend to use this frequently:
The SQL Statement For this Report would be as follows:
select v_FullCollectionMembership.CollectionID As ‘Collection ID’, v_Collection.Name As ‘Collection Name’, v_R_System.Name0 As ‘Machine Name’ from v_FullCollectionMembership
JOIN v_R_System on v_FullCollectionMembership.ResourceID = v_R_System.ResourceID
JOIN v_Collection on v_FullCollectionMembership.CollectionID = v_Collection.CollectionID
Where v_R_System.Name0=@Comp
Click on Prompts while providing the SQL Statement, and Create a new prompt named ‘Comp’ without the quotes. Provide a SQL Statement for the prompt as follows:
The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) has been released and the most current build (8450) can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center. This update requires the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 10 version 1709 (10.1.16299.15) which is available for download on the Microsoft Hardware Dev Center.
Some of the significant changes in this update include:
Supported configuration updates
Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 1709
Windows 10, version 1709
Configuration Manager, version 1710
Quality updates
Win10 Sideloaded App dependencies and license not installed
CaptureOnly task sequence doesn’t allow capturing an image
Error received when starting an MDT task sequence: Invalid DeploymentType value “” specified. The deployment will not proceed
ZTIMoveStateStore looks for the state store folder in the wrong location causing it to fail to move it
xml contains a simple typo that caused undesirable behavior
Install Roles & Features doesn’t work for Windows Server 2016 IIS Management Console feature
Browsing for OS images in the upgrade task sequence does not work when using folders
MDT tool improperly provisions the TPM into a Reduced Functionality State (see KB 4018657 for more information)
Updates to ZTIGather chassis type detection logic
Upgrade OS step leaves behind SetupComplete.cmd, breaking future deployments
Windows 10 ADK 1607 and later UEFI boot issue on some hardware
Includes updated Configuration Manager task sequence binaries
I recently came across a post by Jim Naroski on The Office 365 Guy TechNet blog site. He listed the links to the UserVoice portal for the various products or topics which Microsoft utilizes to gather feedback and feature requests. One important link is missing from the TechNet blog, which is for the System Center Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr) feedback site, and I have added that to the list below. Start using this valuable resource to help improve products and make your voice heard.
Uservoice provides an opportunity for customers or end users of products to provide feedback, request features and interact with others as well as with the product teams. If you discover a request or feedback that you agree with and would like to support, you can add a vote to that post. Each UserVoice member receives a limited number of votes to use and these votes are returned once the the particular feedback has been acknowledged and completed. See above screen capture.
Another useful feature of UserVoice is the ability to see the status of the posts such as Noted, Planned, Under Review, Started, and Completed. See examples below:
With the release of version 1710 for System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch on November 20, 2017, I pursued to update my ConfigMgr 1706 site to take advantage of some of the exciting new features, which you can read more here! Use this PowerShell script to enable the early update ring for ConfigMgr 1710.
I tested the update in my test lab and the upgrade to v1710 worked just fine. As usual with my production environment, I always run the prerequisite checker to make sure nothing is flagged as an issue, which in my case all was fine with green checkmarks. However, the actual installation of the update failed on the Installation step for “Upgrade ConfigMgr database” as seen in the screen capture above. The description for the error indicates: [Failed]: Upgrading ConfigMgr database. Check cmupdate.log for details.
The following is an error was seen in the cmupdate.log: Failed to apply update changes 0x87d20b15 –
I located a blog post by my friend Anoop dated from October 2016 referencing a similar error code where he points to providing the NT Authority/System account in SQL with the sysadmin security role, however that was not the cause of my upgrade failure and the security roles were already defined correctly. The following TechNet thread was a dead end as well.
My post on Twitter as seen above caught the attention of another friend of mine, David James, Director of Engineering for ConfigMgr at Microsoft, who with his team were able to pinpoint the problem in no time at all and quickly provided a solution which resolved my ConfigMgr 1710 upgrade installation hang up. Thanks David and to the ConfigMgr team! The gist of the problem is that my environment had an old compatibility level 100 set for the SQL Server database for the CM_XXX database, and you can find this referenced in the cmupdate.log file. Changing it to 110 fixed the compatibility level needed for ConfigMgr 1710.
If your SQL COMPATIBILITY_LEVEL<110 (i.e. SQL 2008); that will be a problem for #SCCM 1710. Set it to >=110. We will fix soon. If you see an upgrade failure, set it; and retry the upgrade.
Run the following query in SQL Management Studio (please change XXX to your ConfigMgr Site Code) and retry the installation via the Update and Servicing node in the ConfigMgr Admin Console. This also addresses the issue where TRY_CONVERT is not recognized as a built-in SQL function:
ALTER DATABASE CM_XXX SET COMPATIBILITY_LEVEL = 110
SUCCESS!!
** Additional Mention **
Check out this blog post, “In Telemetry We Trust?” written by a friend and fellow ConfigMgr admin, Peter Egerton, who shares a similar experience and the positive nature of telemetry data especially in the ConfigMgr space.
I recently got the chance to use and review one of Anker‘s newest products, called the Roav DashCam C2. This is a video camera to be used in a vehicle to record one’s travel from point A to point B for various reasons. In this day and age, we are surrounded by video cameras from speed traps, traffic lights, building security, merchandise stores, gas stations, office buildings, elevators, and the list goes on. Lately, video cameras aka dashcams have become more and more popular especially for documentation purposes as well as for proving wrong doings by other parties on traffic violations, and much more.
Check out some of these footage on YouTube from dashcams. There are also some plane crashes caught on dashcams such as the Taiwan plane crash, Mukilteo plane crash, and the Afghanistan plane crash to name a few. As you can see, these are unbelievable captures which would otherwise be disputed.
Now back to the Roav DashCam C2. Here’s what it offers:
Size: 3.4 x 2.5 x 1.4 inches
Weight: 3.5 ounces
Display: 1080P / 720P with a 3 inch LCD screen size
Storage: microSD card (not included)
Chipset: Ambarella A12
Sensor: Sony IMX323
Camera: f/2.0 wide-angle lens
Operating Temperature: -4*F – 158*F
Pros:
Easy to setup
Night mode for clarity
Parking detection mode
Emergency recording to lock footage
Easy to use menu and buttons
High quality video captures
Wide-angle coverage
Automatic recording
Small form factor
Cons:
No zooming for tighter or closer recording scenes
32GB microSD card preferred but not necessary. More of an annoyance reminder on each startup
Finicky touch screen
No smartphone app
No WiFi or Bluetooth capability
microSD card must be removed from unit to transfer to computer
Check out my unboxing video:
The Roav DashCam C2 is quite simple to use and just works. More often than not, I forget that I have it installed since I have it positioned behind my rear view mirror with the suction cup attachment provided. This is a good thing, as each drive I do with my vehicle is automatically recorded and I have the footage when I need it. The camera activates as soon as I start my car and power is received by the dashcam.
I do have a couple of pet peeves, and the first one is the constant reminder that I should be using a 32GB microSD card when the dashcam automatically turns on, but it works just fine with a lesser capacity card, which is what I’m using. The device is smart enough to loop and delete older recordings when it needs space for newer recordings. The other is the lack of a smartphone app which is available for the C1 model but not for the C2. Using an app allows more streamlined use of the device such as to change settings and to transfer recordings for upload to various sources. Otherwise, I’m quite happy with this dashcam as it does what I need it to do which is to record my travels without any effort. Plus, it’s inexpensive too. You’ll find it on Amazon for $79.99.
The reminder message to use a 32GB microSD card:
The various options as seen in the menu screens:
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On October 17, 2017, Microsoft has started to rollout Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (1709) to customers worldwide. The following tools to support this latest release has been made available, which includes Windows 10 Administrative Templates (.ADMX) and Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) as previously mentioned in my blog post. I have also posted about the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
The latest version of the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Windows 10 Falls Creators Update v1709 have been released. The download is available here. You will find the following download files available for version RS1-1.2, RS3-1.0 corresponding to x86 or x64 Operating Systems:
WindowsTH-RSAT_WS_1709-x64.msu (94.5MB)
WindowsTH-RSAT_WS_1709-x86.msu (69.9MB)
WindowsTH-RSAT_WS2016-x64.msu (92.3MB)
WindowsTH-RSAT_WS2016-x86.msu (69.5MB)
See here if you would like to determine if a computer is running 32-bit or 64-bit Windows OS.
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With the release of Windows 10 version 1709, the following tool to support this latest Windows 10 build, Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) version 1709 is now available.
You can download it from: Windows 10 Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK).
Note: You must use Windows 10 build 1709 with this version of the ADK.
The Windows ADK is also available to Windows Insiders. Join the Windows Insider Program to get the Windows ADK Insider Preview.
Update: April 6, 2017 ** Known Issues for ADK 1703 ** ADK Drivers don’t install on systems with secure boot enabled: Drivers on the ADK Deployment tools will not install on systems with Secure Boot (SB) enabled. To work around the issue, disable SB on these systems.This only impacts systems with Secure Boot enabled. More info here!
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The ISO download for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update edition (version 1709) has been released and is now available from the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) portal. You’ll find both 32-bit and 64-bit ISO files with a download size of 3186 MB and 4347 MB respectively.
Known issues are documented here. Also, this is a good article on “How to verify if you have downloaded or installed the latest version of Windows 10”. I would recommend that you check out Michael Niehaus’ recent blog post where he shares some important information regarding the changes with the volume license media and upgrade packages with Windows 10. There is only one ISO with a single WIM (Windows Image) file that contains all the volume license images as listed below:
Here’s what’s new in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. If you are looking for the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) for version 1709, you’ll find it here.
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