Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit version 4.1

The Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit or EMET version 4.1 is an application that attempts to add additional protections to applications.  The utility helps harden legacy applications with newer technologies.  Group Policy template files are available for management.  The current download link for version 4.1 is:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=41138

Below are some screens from the installation on a Windows 7 machine.

Once installed, the application has a GUI and a command line option available.

If within the GUI the “Apps” menu option is selected, a separate dialog box will appear with the ability to add new applications with different parameters.

At the time of this posting, a technical preview of version 5.0 was available.

How to use a PowerShell script within a scheduled task entry

If you wish to use a PowerShell script within a scheduled task entry within a Windows Server such as 2008 R2 or 2012 R2, use the following syntax.

powershell -nologo  -noninteractive script path

Open Broadcaster Software

Open Broadcaster Software is free and open source software for recording and live streaming for Windows.

http://obsproject.com/

PowerShell Deployment Toolkit for System Center 2012/R2

The PowerShell Deployment Toolkit is a set of scripts and knowledge for automated deployment of System Center 2012 SP1/R2, including all prerequisites and all automatable post-setup integration.

http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/PowerShell-Deployment-f20bb605

Windows Azure Virtual Machine Readiness Assessment

The Windows Azure Virtual Machine Readiness Assessment is an assessment tool that tests the readiness for Active Directory, SharePoint Server, and SQL Server for full migration to Windows Azure.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40898&WT.mc_id=rss_alldownloads_all

How to prevent the Server Manager from loading each time with Windows Server 2012/R2

To prevent the Server Manager dialog box from loading each time upon login, click on Manage, Server Manager Properties.

Enable the checkmark to not automatically load the application at login.

ExplainShell.com

ExplainShell.com is a web site that attempts to offer details on Unix/Linux shell commands.

http://explainshell.com/

Thinapp Configuration Editor

Thinapp Configuration Editor is an easy-to-use solution for Virtualization Specialists to modify, build and export their virtual VMware ThinApp applications.

http://www.loginconsultants.com/en/about/blog/all/item/tooling-thinapp-configuration-editor

How to customize the Server Manager Tools list within Windows Server 2012/R2

The Server Manager within Windows Server 2010/R2 includes a Tools menu option.

The list of shortcuts can be found at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools\

To add a new entry to the Tools list within Server Manager, add an entry to this location.

SMTPDIAG

SMTPDIAG is an utility from Microsoft that is a diagnostic tool to determine if Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and Domain Name System (DNS) are configured correctly to deliver mail to an external e-mail address.  The application can be downloaded at:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=11393

The syntax for the application is:

SMTPDIAG "sender address" "recipient address" [-d target DNS] [/v]

Below is an example of the –d switch to specify a DNS server to use, as well as the /v switch to include more details.

The following error may be returned when the server is not an Exchange server and is not a member of an Active Directory domain.