Category Archives: Microsoft

Remove Duplicate Emails/Calendar Events from Public Folders on Exchange Online

Files required can be downloaded from Github: https://github.com/michelderooij/Remove-DuplicateItems

Details on the syntax can be found here: https://eightwone.com/2013/06/21/removing-duplicate-items-from-a-mailbox/

$cred = get-credential; #here I put in your o365 email and password as the credentials

.\Remove-DuplicateItems.ps1 -PublicFolders -Identity <user_email> -Server outlook.office365.com -Credentials $cred -PFStart “\”;

#the above connects to EO, cleans the public folders starting at the root.

System indexing mail based off query
Confirmation to remove found results
Process of deleting duplicate results

Surface Dock won’t display second monitor

I have been using dual displays with my Surface Dock and Surface Dock 2 for awhile now, but recently the second external display would just go to sleep and not display anything no matter what I tried.
The solution was found in a Microsoft forum.

Clear your display cache.

  1. Undock your Surface from the Surface Dock.
  2. Download the Surface Dock registry file. Choose to Open the file.
  3. Select and run surface dock registry.reg.
  4. Select Yes to allow changes to your Surface, select Yes to confirm, and then select OK to close.
  5. Restart your Surface, reconnect it to the Surface Dock, and try your external display again.

Windows Defender Error “Unexpected error. Sorry, we ran into a problem. Please try again”

Since the latest Windows 10 Creators Update, I have been seeing some issue with Windows Defender alerting me that it cannot start. When I try to start the service, I get the following error:

Unexpected error. Sorry, we ran into a problem. Please try again

 

The trick was to edit some registry settings (of course).Open Registry Editor and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender

Change DisableAntiSpyware and DisableAntiVirus values from 1 to 0

Coincidentally, I didn’t have an entry for DisableAntiVirus and had to create it

 

Uninstall Annoying Windows 10 Stock Apps via Powershell

These apps come with Windows 10, and some you can Right-Click and Uninstall, while others you cannot. That that you are able to Right-Click and uninstall, seem to come back with every Windows Updates you install (because Right-Click Uninstall doesn’t uninstall them completely).
So the easiest way to do this is with our favorite enemy friend, Powershell!

  1. First thing is to open Powershell as Administrator

All stock apps are in the AppxPackage command set. So running something like Get-AppxPackage would show you currently installed stock apps.

2. Here is the list of package commands that can be used to remove all or specific components

Remove all stock apps from all user accounts
Get-AppxPackage -allusers | Remove-AppxPackage

Remove all modern apps from system account
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -online | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -online

 

Skype: Get-AppxPackage *skype* | Remove-AppxPackage
Sway: Get-AppxPackage *sway* | Remove-AppxPackage
Phone: Get-AppxPackage *commsphone* | Remove-AppxPackage
Phone Companion: Get-AppxPackage *windowsphone* | Remove-AppxPackage
Phone and Phone Compantion Apps: Get-AppxPackage *phone* | Remove-AppxPackage
Calendar, Mail: Get-AppxPackage *communicationsapps* | Remove-AppxPackage
People: Get-AppxPackage *people* | Remove-AppxPackage
Groove Music: Get-AppxPackage *zunemusic* | Remove-AppxPackage
Movies and TV: Get-AppxPackage *zunevideo* | Remove-AppxPackage
Groove Music/Movies/TV: Get-AppxPackage *zune* | Remove-AppxPackage
Money: Get-AppxPackage *bingfinance* | Remove-AppxPackage
News: Get-AppxPackage *bingnews* | Remove-AppxPackage
Sports: Get-AppxPackage *bingsports* | Remove-AppxPackage
Weather: Get-AppxPackage *bingweather* | Remove-AppxPackage
Money, News, Sports, Weather: Get-AppxPackage *bing* | Remove-AppxPackage
OneNote: Get-AppxPackage *onenote* | Remove-AppxPackage
Alarms and Clock: Get-AppxPackage *alarms* | Remove-AppxPackage
Calculator: Get-AppxPackage *calculator* | Remove-AppxPackage
Camera: Get-AppxPackage *camera* | Remove-AppxPackage
Voice Recorder: Get-AppxPackage *soundrecorder | Remove-AppxPackage
Maps: Get-AppxPackage *maps* | Remove-AppxPackage
3D Builder: Get-AppxPackage *3dbuilder* | Remove-AppxPackage
Xbox: Get-AppxPackage *xbox* | Remove-AppxPackage
Solitaire: Get-AppxPackage *solitaire* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get Office: Get-AppxPackage *officehub* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get Skype: Get-AppxPackage *SkypeApp* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get Started: Get-AppxPackage *Getstarted* | Remove-AppxPackage
Windows Store: Get-AppxPackage *windowsstore* | Remove-AppxPackage

Copy GPO Policies to Notepad for faster discovery and editing

I had a customer that had well over 40 GPO polices with 500+ changes settings altogether. I had to parse through them all and doing so in Notepad++ was so much easier. Here is how you do it.

This example is for the default domain policy:

  1. Open Group Policy Management (GPMC).
  2. Select your GPO. You can choose a GPO link or the GPO itself.

  3. Choose the Settings Tab and click Show all

  4. Right Click anywhere and Select All
    The Right Click and Copy Selection (or use Ctrl-C)

  5. Paste that copied data into Wordpad or preferably Notepad++

  6. Click search at the top and then replace:
    Replace hide$ with nothing in Regular Expression mode and click Replace All.

    There you have it. Easy to read and find what you need!

SMTP Relay in Exchange 2007 and Above

For those familiar with earlier editions of Exchange, you know that setting up an SMTP relay was pretty easy and was done under IIS Manager. That has changed in Exchange 2007 and above. Now relays are setup under the Hub Transport – Receive Connectors tab of the Exchange Management Console. To get there follow this simple path:

– Open Exchange Management Console
– Under Server Configuration, Click on the Hub Transport
– Under Receive Connectors, this is where you add your SMTP relay

After adding a relay, it takes about 15 mins to start working. If you need it to work immediately, you’ll need to restart the hub transport service ins MS Services.

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