Can't RDP into server (specified domain does not exist or could not be contacted)

So you go to RDP into a server and this lovely message:

Let me tell you, after rebooting a clients server for a RAID update I was greated with this, on their DC. I wanted to just go home.

The troopoer that I am I used GOOOOGGGLLLEE who found the answer:

Edit the registry of the affected machine. Go to

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server

Create a new DWord "IgnoreRegUserConfigErrors" (no quotes) and edit it as a decimal and make the value one. That should get you connected in.

Disable Windows firewall in SBS 2003/2008 by group policy

Thanks to MS we are stuck with MS firewall turned on on the domain workstations by group policy. You can force the firewalls to be turned off of just give yourself the ability to manually shut it off.

Find the "windows firewall" group policy on sbs 2003 or on 2008 its the default client policy.


SBS 2008
Navigate to Computer Configuration-Policies-Administrative Templates-Network-Network Connections-Windows Firewall-Domain Profiles.
Find Windows Firewall: Protect all network connections. If set to disable, its turns off FW, is "not configured" will allow you to manually activate or de-activate the FW.

SBS 2003
Computer Config-Admin Templates-Network-Network Connections-Windows Firewall-Domain Profile. Look for Windows Firewall: Protect all network connections. above settings apply.

Telnet Mail Relay

To test a mail server for connectivity and to test sending messages:

Telnet to your mailserver on port 25. Open CMD prompt type "telnet 25
So when the server responds, assuming it does, if not something else may be broken check that first, type:
helo
Server responds with blah blah Hello

Next type: Mail From: John@mymail.com
Server kicks back "Sender Ok"
Type: Rcpt to: John@goingto.com
server says "250 2.1.5 John@goingto.com"

Type: Data
New message "Start mail input"
Type in your test message, hit enter, hit period enter and you should get your message is queued for delivery.

Can't view Adobe PDF's in IE

Do you have Acrobat and Reader installed? This may also work for old Adobe versions as well.

You click on an adobe doc and rather than the document opening in a separate tab, a box comes up and tells you "The adobe acrobat/reader that is running can not be used to view PDF files in a web browser"

Fix is to open each Adobe and choose Edit-Preferences
Find Internet on the left side and look for "Display PDF in web browser" Uncheck this. Yes, uncheck it, while it sounds retarded since you actually want to open them in the browser this makes Adobe do something. After you do it for all versions, close IE and re-open it. Find the PDF and click on it, you should get prompted asking if you would like to open PDF files in the browser, say yes and you should be back in business.

RWW no workie?

Having problems connecting to remote web workplace? Here are a few things to check:
Under Tools-Internet Options-Programs-Manage Add-Ons check to make sure Microsoft Terminal Services Client Control (redist) is enabled.

So you may say what if its not there! Hopefully you are running SP3 on an XP box. If that is the case, edit the registry.

Find this key and delete it:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Settings\{7584C670-2274-4EFB-B00B-D6AABA6D3850}

Now when you try to go to RWW again it should prompt you to download and install the Active X control.

You will need to do the above regedit for each user that is using that box.

Things that did not work to fix this, save yourself time:

Adding the RWW site to the trusted site.

Downloading and extracting SP3 then finding some vile called tscuinst.vb_ and extracting that and running it on the problem workstation. Sure it sayd "complete" but still no workie. The regedit worked for me.

Herro

This here is really not so much a blog but spot for me to keep IT bits that I seem to use a lot. These bits are here because they work in the real world for the problems which they were intended to fix.