PiShrink is a bash script that automatically shrink a pi image that will then resize to the max size of the SD card on boot. However, thanks to Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), you can now run it on Windows!
An .img backup of a MicroSD includes all of the unused space and will be the size of the Micro SD Card (ie: a 16GB MicroSD Card will create about a 16GB .img backup). The simplest method for Windows is to use Win32 Disk Manager. Windows cannot read an EXT4, so it should show the Micro SD card as a Boot Drive (with a disk size of about 250MB) and another drive (with no disk size). Make sure you backup the second drive without a size listed in WIn32 Disk Manager, and this will backup the entire Micro SD card.
Note: Micro SD cards can vary slightly in size by manufacturer as well as between different models of Micro SD cards. Therefore, there’s no guarantee creating an .img backup of a Micro SD Card will be able to write back to the same size Micro SD card unless it’s the exact same manufacturer/model.
PiShrink will shrink an .img backup of Raspberry Pi / Retropie by removing the “unused” space. For example, if you create a backup image a 16GB Micro SD with 7GB of data on it, the original .img will be about 16GB but after running PiShrink, it will be about 7GB. Upon the first boot, the image will resize the max size of the SD card, so if you restore the 7GB image to a 32GB card, it will expand to have a max of 32GB.
Shrink Raspberry Pi / RetroPie .img on Windows with WSL
Windows 10 version 2004 or higher (Build 19041 or higher)
Windows 11
Install WSL Command
From an elevated PowerShell or Command Prompt run the below command and you will need to reboot once complete. The command only works if WSL is not installed (See next section to determine WSL version & installed Linux distros), and by default will install Ubuntu (This can be change by specify -d <distributionname> in the command below).
wsl --install
After you reboot, the Ubuntu install will finish up and prompt you to create a username and password (Does not need to match your Windows username).
List and Install Linux Distributions
See a list of available Linux Distributions available for download through the Microsoft Online Store, run the below from an elevated PowerShell or Windows Command Prompt:
wsl --list --online
See a list of Linux Distributions installed
wsl --list -verbose
Install Linux Distribution
wsl --install -d <Distro>
wsl --install -d Debian
Ways to Run Multiple Linux Distributions with WSL
Install Windows Terminal(Recommended). Open as many tabs or Window panes to quickly switch between multiple Linux Distros or other command lines (PowerShell, Command Prompt, Azure CLI, etc). This can be installed by search Windows Terminal in the Microsoft Store.
Click Windows Start menu and start typing the name of the distro such as Ubuntu
From PowerShell or Windows Command Prompt, you can enter the name of your installed distro such as ubuntu
From PowerShell or Windows Command Prompt, open your default Linux distro by entering wsl.exe
From PowerShell or Windows Command Prompt, you can use the default Linux distro
Access Linux File System from Windows
In the Windows Explorer address bar enter \\wsl$ and you will be able to access a hidden file share for your Linux Distros.
Access Windows File System from Linux
In your Linux Distro, it automatically mounts all of your Windows drives (ex: C:). You can list them by running
If you’ve ever received an error connecting to a L2TP endpoint from a Windows client, where the L2TP endpoint or Windows client is behind a NAT-T device (Or Double NAT), it is most likely due to the Windows client not supporting Internet Protocol security (IPsec) network address translation (NAT) Traversal (NAT-T) security associations to servers that are located behind a NAT device. In my specific case, I setup an L2TP connection on an Ubiquiti Edge Router ER-4 that was behind a double NAT on the WAN. On the Windows client, you would most likely receive an error similar to:
The network connection between your computer and the VPN server could net be established because the remote server is not responding. This could be because one of the network devices (e.g., firewalls, NAT, routers, etc.) between your computer and the remote server is not configured to allow VPN connections. Please contact your Administrator or your service provider to determine which devices may be causing the problem.
By default, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 don’t support Internet Protocol security (IPsec) network address translation (NAT) Traversal (NAT-T) security associations to servers that are located behind a NAT device. If the virtual private network (VPN) server is behind a NAT device, a Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008-based VPN client computer can’t make a Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)/IPsec connection to the VPN server. This scenario includes VPN servers that are running Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2003.
Explanation
Because of the way in which NAT devices translate network traffic, you may experience unexpected results in the following scenario:
You put a server behind a NAT device.
You use an IPsec NAT-T environment.
If you must use IPsec for communication, use public IP addresses for all servers that you can connect to from the Internet. If you must put a server behind a NAT device, and then use an IPsec NAT-T environment, you can enable communication by changing a registry value on the VPN client computer and the VPN server.
Resolution
To create and configure the AssumeUDPEncapsulationContextOnSendRule registry value, follow these steps:
Log on to the Windows Vista client computer as a user who is a member of the Administrators group.
Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Run, type regedit, and then select OK. If the User Account Control dialog box is displayed on the screen and prompts you to elevate your administrator token, select Continue.
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Type AssumeUDPEncapsulationContextOnSendRule, and then press ENTER.
Right-click AssumeUDPEncapsulationContextOnSendRule, and then select Modify.
In the Value Data box, type one of the following values:
0It’s the default value. When it’s set to 0, Windows can’t establish security associations with servers located behind NAT devices.
1When it’s set to 1, Windows can establish security associations with servers that are located behind NAT devices.
2When it’s set to 2, Windows can establish security associations when both the server and VPN client computer (Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008-based) are behind NAT devices.
There are many circumstances where you will need to remove a RDS CALs from an RDS Server, or in some cases you want to rebuild the entire RD licensing database. Microsoft allows you to remove an individual CAL license pack using powershell, or rebuild the entire database. However, if neither of those work, it’s quite easy to manually rebuild the RD licensing database. I’ve included directions for all 3 methods below, and have tested this on Windows Server 2008, 2008R2, 2012, 2012R2, and 2016.
Remove An Individual RDS CAL License Pack Using Powershell (User or Device CAL)
Open powershell elevated as an administrator
Type the following command to list the RDS Licenses and note the KeyPackID
Alternatively, open RD Licensing Manager and note the Keypack ID
Get-WmiObject Win32_TSLicenseKeyPack
Run the below command to remove the licenses pack from your RD Server
Replace KEYPACKID with the number you obtained above
Manually Rebuild the Licensing Database (Guaranteed to Work if the Previous 2 methods Fail)
Make sure you have documentation of your MS License agreement that includes Authorization number, License number, License type (User/Device CAL), and Quantity before proceeding
Stop the Remote Desktop Licensing service
Rename C:\Windows\System32\lserver\TLSLic.edb to C:\Windows\System32\lserver\TLSLic.old
Start the Remote Desktop Licensing service
All licenses will now be cleared out of RD Licensing Manager, and you’ll need to re-install the licenses you want to add back in
Missing Power and Search Button On Start Screen on Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1
Recently, after installing a Windows 2012 R2 Server VM, I noticed the Start screen was missing the Power and Search buttons. All of my older Server 2012 R2 Server VM’s had the Power and Search button on the start screen, I used the same ISO to install, and Windows was 100% up to date. After researching, this issue can affect Windows Server 2012 R2 as well as Windows 8.1. Here is a screenshot of my Start screen missing both the Power and Search buttons:
The Solution
The short answer is KB2919355 needs installed. HOWEVER, you need to make sure you install the following updates in this order:
Have you ever had a window that ended up off of your screen and were unable to move it back into view? I’ve personally had this occur after disconnecting a monitor from my laptop which I had my desktop extended on. However, there’s a simple trick to move the Window back into view of your desktop.
Make the Off-Screen Window Active
Hold the Alt key down and then press Tab key until you’ve selected the Window that is off-screen
Select Move for the Active Window
Hold the Alt key down, press the Space-bar key, then press the M key
Move Your Window Back Into View
You can now move the window in the desired direction with the arrow keys
There is not native way to add an attachment when doing an mail merge in Microsoft Office (Outlook/Word/Excel). However, there are 3rd party apps that allow you to add attachments when doing a mail merge, but these programs usually cost $. If you’re like me and don’t want to spend money on an application you’ll probably use once, then I came up with an alternative free solution with Powershell. This method works similar to a Microsoft Office mail merge because it will require a data source, email template, and an Outlook profile.
Step 1 – Create Data Source
I will use a users.csv as the data source of users we want to email. The users.csv file will look as follows:
FirstName
LastName
Email
Username
Password
Joseph
smith
jsmith@domain.com
jsmith
VideoGame01
Bill
Contoso
bcontoso@company.com
bcontoso
LilyFlower18
Jim
Rufus
jim.rufus@yahoo.com
jrufus
StuffedAnimal23
Step 2 – Create Outlook Profile to Send Mail Merge From
Now that you have your data source, you’ll need to make sure you have an Outlook profile. This profile should be setup with the email address you wish to send the mail merge from.
Step 3 – Create Powershell Script
In the below powershell script, you’ll need to modify the following variables:
$DataSource – Path to the data source (users.csv) file created in step 1 $AttachFile – Path to the file to attach to the email $EmailSubject – Subject of the email
In addition to modifying the above variables, you’ll need to modify $Mail.Body, which is the body of the email. The below example is referencing data fields in users.csv for the mail merge, which you may want to modify. These correspond as follows:
$($_.FIRSTNAME) – FIRSTNAME field in users.csv
$($_.LASTNAME) – LASTNAME field in users.csv
$($_.USERNAME) – USERNAME field in users.csv
$($_.PASSWORD) – PASSWORD field in users.csv
Special Note: To add a new line in the body text use a backtick + n (`n)
$DataSource = "C:\mailmerge\users.csv"
$AttachFile = "C:\mailmerge\Setup Email Directions.docx"
$EmailSubject = "How to Setup Email"
Import-CSV $DataSource | Foreach-Object {
$ol = New-Object -comObject Outlook.Application
$Mail = $ol.CreateItem(0)
$Mail.Recipients.Add($_.EMAIL)
$Mail.Attachments.Add($AttachFile)
$Mail.Subject = $EmailSubject
$Mail.Body = "$($_.FIRSTNAME) $($_.LASTNAME),`n`n"
$Mail.Body += "The attached directions will guide you through setting up your email account. Your username and password are as follows:`n`n"
$Mail.Body += "Username: $($_.USERNAME)"
$Mail.Body += "Password: $($_.PASSWORD)`n`n"
$Mail.Body += "If you have any issues installing, please contact support"
$Mail.Send()
}
Extra Special Note: If you want to have the email body be HTML formatted instead of Plain Text, just modify $Mail.Body to $Mail.HTMLBody and add your HTML tags in the text. Using the example above:
$DataSource = "C:\mailmerge\users.csv"
$AttachFile = "C:\mailmerge\Setup Email Directions.docx"
$EmailSubject = "How to Setup Email"
Import-CSV $DataSource | Foreach-Object {
$ol = New-Object -comObject Outlook.Application
$Mail = $ol.CreateItem(0)
$Mail.Recipients.Add($_.EMAIL)
$Mail.Attachments.Add($AttachFile)
$Mail.Subject = $EmailSubject
$Mail.HTMLBody = "<html><body>"
$Mail.HTMLBody += "<h1>$($_.FIRSTNAME) $($_.LASTNAME),</h1>"
$Mail.HTMLBody += "<p>The attached directions will guide you through setting up your email account. Your username and password are as follows:</p>"
$Mail.HTMLBody += "<p>Username: $($_.USERNAME)</p>"
$Mail.HTMLBody += "<p>Password: $($_.PASSWORD)</p>"
$Mail.HTMLBody += "<p>If you have any issues installing, please contact support<p></body></html>"
$Mail.Send()
}
Step 4 – Send the Mail Merge
Open Microsoft Outlook with the profile created in step 2 (It is required for Outlook to be open in order for the powershell script to work!) Then open Powershell, and run the powershell script in step 3. You can confirm the emails are sending by looking in the “Sent Items” in Outlook.
Note: – If you’re using User Account Control (UAC), Outlook and Powershell must be running at the same security level. This simply means, if you open powershell using “Run as administrator” you must open Outlook with “Run as administrator”. Alternatively, if you open powershell normally (not elevated) you must open Outlook normally (not elevated).
Trend Micro Client/Server Security Agent 3.5.1163 Removal from Dell Laptops
OVERVIEW
Some Dell laptops came bundled with “Trend Micro Client/Server Security Agent” which most people will want to uninstall. I recently had to restore a Dell Latitude E6430 to the Factory Defaults. When removing the bundled bloatware, uninstalling “Trend Micro Client/Server Security Agent” froze up and I had to kill the process. Upon rebooting, it was still partially installed. However, when I tried uninstalling again, Trend Micro was prompting me for a password to uninstall it. Lots of searching kept leading me to Trend Micro removal tools that just flat out failed. I started to notice all the removal tools were for WFBS CSA 5.0+, WFBS SA 6.0+, Titanium 2011+, Diagnostic Toolkit, etc…. I looked in Windows Programs and Features and noticed the Trend Micro Client/Server Security Agent Product Version: 3.5.1163 matched nothing I could find on Trend Micro’s website. After hours of digging, I found a sure fire way to remove this program. I’ll list some of the “common” solutions below and finish with my guaranteed procedure.
If you have UAC enabled, right-click and select “Run as administrator”
REMOVAL METHOD 2
Open a command prompt
If you have UAC enabled, make sure you run it as an elevated command prompt
At the command prompt change to one of the following directories depending if you have a 32-bit or 64-bit Operating System
32-bit: C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\Client Server Security Agent\
64-bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\Trend Micro\Client Server Security Agent\
Run the following command
ntrmv -980223
REMOVAL METHOD 3
If you’re being prompted to supply a password to remove Trend Micro, the following registry edits will disable that prompt. After the prompt is disabled, you should be able to remove it through Programs and Features without having to supply the password:
Open the registry editor
Click Start and in the search box enter: regedit
Click regedit
Open the one of the following registry keys depending if you have a 32-bit or 64-bit Operating System
Locate the DWORD “Allow Uninstall” and change the Value from “0” to “1”
If it does not exist, you’ll need to create it:
Click Edit->New->DWORD (32-bit) Value
Name: Allow Uninstall
Data: 1
Uninstall Trend Micro through Programs and Features and you should no longer get prompted for an uninstall password
REMOVAL METHOD 4 (GUARANTEED TO WORK WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE FAILS!!!)
This method uses a special uninstall tool that’s not publicly listed on Trend Micro’s website. The tool is not graceful, will throw prompts you need to dismiss, and you’ll probably need to manually close it out. With that being said, here’s what you need to do.
There’s quite a few situations where you may need to run Active Directory Management tools like Active Directory Users and Computers with different credentials. For example:
Computer is not joined to the domain
Need to connect to another domain/forest
Logged in as a standard domain user and need to supply different credentials
etc…
Step 1 – Install Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT)
If you are using a 2008 or 2012 WIndows member server, RSAT is a feature you must enable using the directions below:
If you’re using Windows Vista, WIndows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 you must download, install, and enable the RSAT feature. Here are the links to download RSAT:
Once you’ve installed RSAT you need to enable the feature (Except Windows 10). Open Control Panel, click Programs and Features, and click Turn Windows features on or off. Then enable the following:
Step 2 – Make Sure You’re on the Domain Network
Make sure you’re on the same network as the Domain Controller. This simply means, connect to the LAN they’re on, or connect to a VPN if you’re remote.
Step 3 – Run As Commands for AD Management Tools
The key to running AD Management tools is the Runas command in Windows, which allows you to specify alternate credentials. However, there are a few gotcha’s with runas such as needing to specify the /netonly command when on a non-domain computer. Here are the commands you’ll need to run to successfully launch the AD Management tools, and all will work whether or not the computer is joined to a domain:
C:\Windows\System32\runas.exe – Default path to runas
/netonly – Credentials are specified for remote access, which is required for computers not joined to a domain but still works if the computer is on the domain
/user: – specify the username by the samaccountname(DOMAIN\user) or UPN(user@domain.local)
“mmc %SystemRoot%\system32\snapin.msc” – Microsoft Management Console with the path to the snapin.
Note: I’ve added an extra parameter to specify the PDC Emulator, otherwise you may receive the error “You cannot modify domain or trust information because a Primary Domain Controller (PDC) emulator cannot be contacted.”
Note: I’ve added an extra parameter to specify the domain, otherwise you may receive the error “Naming information cannot be located because: The specified domain either does not exist or could not be contacted.”
Note: I’ve added an extra parameter to specify the domain, otherwise you may receive the error “Naming information cannot be located because: The specified domain either does not exist or could not be contacted.”
Step 4 – Applying Run As Commands
Option 1: Run from an Elevated Command prompt
Right-click the command prompt (cmd.exe), select Run as Administrator, and enter one of the runas commands in the previous section.
option 2: create shortcut and run as administrator
Right-click in the Windows file explorer, select New, click shortcut, for the location enter one of the runas commands from the previous section, click Next, name the shortcut appropriately, and click Finish. Whenever you launch the shortcut, right-click it and select Run as Administrator.
option 3: modify RSAT shortcuts
Under Administrative Tools on the start menu, right-click each RSAT shortcut, click Properties, and modify the target using the appropriate runas command from the previous section. Whenever you launch the shortcut, right-click it and select Run as Administrator.
When using Outlook or Outlook Web App (OWA) in an Office 365 or Exchange environment, you can track the message from the client side. Both Outlook and OWA allow you to view a delivery report in order to confirm a message was delivered when the recipient claims they have not received it or if it’s taking a long time to deliver. Delivery reports work for both internal and external recipients.
View a Delivery Report in Outlook
In Outlook, go to your Sent Items folder
Locate the message you want to track and open it
Click File, click Info, and click Open Delivery Report
View a Delivery Report in Outlook Web App (OWA)
If you are using any other email client than Outlook (mobile device, OWA, etc), you can use OWA to view a delivery report.
Login to OWA at https://portal.microsoftonline.com
Click the Gear Icon, then click Options
Click Organize Email then click Delivery Reports
Enter your search criteria, click Search
Select the email you want to track and click the Pencil Icon to view the delivery report
Review Delivery Report
Internal delivery reports will show Delivered upon success delivering. Also note, Office 365 Exchange only keeps message tracking data for 14 days.
External delivery reports will only show Transferred which means it successfully sent out from your mail server. However, this does not guarantee the recipient received the email because there can be issues on the recipients email server.
