This is a handy way to get the model of your computer from the command line. Should work on most systems: wmic csproduct get name This can be useful in a number of situations: Finding the model number on a remote computer where you can’t physically look for the model You don’t want to open […]
Category: Windows 7
Windows 7 Stuck “Checking for Updates”
Have you tried patching a fresh install of Windows 7 lately? If you’re reading this then you’re probably stuck checking for updates right now. I’ve seen a lot of articles explaining tons of ways to fix the perpetually checking issue. Not only are the articles usually difficult to follow, but none of them worked for […]
“Windows could not complete the installation” Error – HOME Edition
This article is specifically aimed at users of Windows Home Edition. This is intended to help you fix the error that reads, “Windows could not complete the installation. To install Windows on this computer, restart the installation.” At the error message, do the following: Press SHIFT+F10 to open the command prompt Type net user administrator <password> […]
Remotely Modifying the Registry Using Regedit
This is one of my favorite tricks. I use this trick when someone’s Adobe suddenly decides to update so aggressively that the computer slows to a crawl. Or when Java keeps prompting to update even though auto updates are disabled. You can easily connect to the machine, make the change and the user never needs […]
Enable Remote Registry Access
By default, Windows does not allow remote access to the registry. To access the registry remotely you’ll first need start the Remote Registry service. There are multiple ways to achieve this; we’ll cover three ways here: Manually start the service (good option when building an image, not so good if the device is already remote) […]
UPDATED: “Windows could not complete the installation” Error After Joining a Domain During SysPrep
If you’re here, I’m sorry. You must be wearing quite a frown. The good news is that this error can be resolved, and without much trouble. While preparing an image you may get an error when you restart Windows that reads, “Windows could not complete the installation. To install Windows on this computer, restart the […]
Querying Windows for the IMEI Number on a Local or Remote Computer
This trick should work to get the IMEI number of your WWAN device. This is useful in the event that you don’t want to remove the battery to find the IMEI sticker. Or you already removed the battery and the sticker isn’t there 🙁 Or maybe you just need to get the number from a machine in […]
POODLE Attack: Registry Settings to Disable SSL 3.0
To address the POODLE vulnerability, you should obviously deploy a policy that globally updates all vulnerable machines. Suppose, though, that you need to be able to make the change using the registry. Well, I’m here to hook. you. up. Per Microsoft’s recommendation, this setting will disable SSL 3.0 and enable TLS 1.1 and 1.2 in Internet Explorer […]
Windows could not parse or process the unattend answer file…
When trying to update an imaged machine you may get an error that states, “Windows could not parse or process the unattend answer file for pass [specialize]. The settings specified in the answer file cannot be applied. The error was detected while processing settings for component [Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup].” The error is pictured below and it has the potential to […]
Downgrade Internet Explorer in Windows 7
Many companies use tools that are not compatible with newer versions of Internet Explorer. As a result, complications often arise when Microsoft pushes out new versions of IE as an automatic update. Since Internet Explorer 8 is included with the standard Windows 7 install, Microsoft does not include a Windows 7 version for download. This […]