Saajid Ismail's questions

I have a Windows Server 2008 R2 box, which is set up as a very basic file server in a Workgroup environment. We have a single Shared folder, with subfolders for each department. For some reason all the file and folders permissions are messed up.

I get Access Denied messages all the time, even as Administrator, and several programs can't get to their files any more. Backups are also starting to fail due this.

I know the problem is permission related but don't know the best way to restore them to a default state. Attempting to grant Administtrator permissions also fails.

What do I do? Are there any tools available that can help to assist? Ideally, I'd like to wipe the slate clean, remove all permissions, and grant only Administrator full permissions. Then grant permissions on a per folder basis, one at a time.

I have a Windows Server 2008 64 bit machine, and there is one program that is set to run on startup (shortcut placed in the Startup folder). So whenever a user logs in, the application starts up.

However, since this is a server, we have several users logging in via remote desktop, and (I believe) the application is started up for each user, resulting in multiple instances.

Now each time the application runs, it downloads some data from an external buffer via the LAN. These are call records for our telephone system. But because we have multiple instances running at the same time is causing problems and inconsistencies with the data.

Is there a way to force the Windows to run only one instance of the application? Alternatively, could this application be made to run as a Windows Service instead?

I've got a 1 year old Dell laptop running Windows 7 Pro 32 bit.

Last week, the PC started refusing to obtain an IP address via DHCP, but this only happens on the Wired Ethernet connection. The PC is assigned an APIPA address in the 169.XXX.XXX.XXX range. However, if I manually assign an IP address, the connection works fine.

If I switch over to wireless, the PC is able to obtain an IP address via DHCP just fine. The WAP which it is connecting to is on the same network as the DHCP server (a Netgear DG834 ADSL Modem router).

The network is a simple Windows network (no domain, active directory, etc).

I've tried connecting the laptop to different network points around the office, and even directly into the ADSL router, and it doesn't make a difference.

All indications suggest that there is something wrong in the Windows Networking stack on this machine.

Please help.

UPDATE: It's worth pointing out that we changed the router (and thus DHCP server) from a Siemens Gigaset to the current DG834 router on the same day. No other machines on our our network of 40+ devices were affected by the change. It's possible that the problem could be related to this, though I can't see how.

I have a Windows Server 2003 box, with 2 identical hard drives installed (not in a RAID array).

For some reason, Windows just stopped recognising the second hard drive. It doesn't appear in My Computer or Windows Disk Management. However, when booting the server up, if I go into my BIOS settings, the BIOS does pick up the hard drive.

What could be the problem? How do I troubleshoot this? Are there any free tools available that I can use to diagnose and fix this problem?

I have to upgrade the RAM on 8 different desktop PCs - each of them with varying specs, different ages, different manufacturers, different motherboards, etc. I'm pretty sure they don't all use the same type of RAM.

I've been doing some Googling, and just can't wrap my head around how to determine what type of RAM I will need. I think the main issue is that I don't understand what the different types of RAM are (DDR, DDR2, DDD3, PC400, PC3200), the different speeds, the different physcial sizes (160 pin, 184pin, etc), SIMM, DIMM, DRAM, SDRAM, dual channel, single channel, etc. If you consider the many different permutations that the above can result in, you will understand my predicament.

1. Is there are good website/online resource that explains modern RAM (ONLY the last 5 years), without explaining all the way back to the 1990s, 1980s or even earlier.

2. Is there are free tool that I can download to help me determine what type of RAM I need to purchase?

3. Is there any other advice/suggestions that could be useful/helpful for me to get past this problem.

I have taken over the administration of a Windows Server 2008 64bit installation. The server has ESET NOD32 Antivirus Business Edition v4.2 installed.

The server hasn't been updating its virus signature database in the last few days, and upon trying to do a manual update, I get the following error message:

"Base file missing".

Here is a screenshot of the error:

I've tried to find a solution for this problem on the ESET website, as well as on Google, but this hasn't been successful.

Please help.

I'm planning to get my Windows Server 2003 box to boot up using Wake on LAN (WOL), and have a few questions before diving in:

1. Is WOL a feature of Windows, or of the BIOS and network card, or both?
2. The Server 2003 box is connected to the switch/router via Ethernet, however, there are laptops that are connected only via wireless. Will these laptops be able to wake the server?
3. Are there any specific tools I need to enable WOL. From what I understand, there should be something to configure on the server, and some utility on the client side to send the WOL packet.
4. Is it possible to use WOL accross the internet, or accross a VPN (where the VPN is independant of Windows Server?
5. The big question - how do I do it?

I'd like to know if it is possible to shut down a Windows Server 2003 box, without have to log into the machine via remote desktop.

The server is on my network, I know the IP address and host name, as well the Administrator password.

I want to shutdown by simply double clicking a shortcut or executing a script.

How do I do this?

I need advice on purchasing an ADSL modem/router for a small company.

At the moment, we are using the iBurst Wireless service for internet connectivity. I have the iBurst desktop modem, which connects to my Netgear WNR2000 router via ethernet. I am using the Netgear WNR2000 to deploy a wireless network as well.

I have also set up a VPN using Windows Server 2003, and enabled the VPN Passthrough settings on the Netgear router. I am able to connect to the office network remotely without difficulty. However the problem that I've read is that the Netgear WNR2000 only supports VPN passthrough for a single session. This is simply not good enough. I need to be able to support at least 3 concurrent VPN connections immediately, and up to 5 in the near future.

Now I am cancelling my iBurst Wireless service and have just got my ADSL line installed. I have to purchase an ADSL modem, and now is a good time to think of future proofing my investment. I need a good ADSL modem, that will allow me to support at least 5 concurrent VPN connections, or more, without breaking the bank. My budget is about 150-200 USD.

I believe that my current Netgear WNR2000 router will be useless, except maybe to extend my wireless network in the future by a bit. Is there a solution where I can still use my Netgear WNR2000 for WiFi, for e.g., by connecting a cheaper non-WiFi ADSL modem to the Netgear router?

If not, then which WiFi-enabled ADSL modem/router that supports at least 5 VPN passthroughs can you recommend?

To sum it up, I need an ADSL modem/router that is:

• ADSL & ADSL2+ compatible
• has built-in 802.11n 270/300mbps WiFi (if having this feature doesn't push the price up too much)
• supports at least 5 VPN connections using VPN passthrough

EDIT: Answer 2.10 in the following FAQ has me a bit worried - What is VPN/multiple VPN Pass-through?

I am a software developer for a small company, and I need to set up a VPN for my office network.

I want to be able to access the office network from home, almost as if I am plugged in directly. I need access to several servers and other network resources. Is it possible to do this?

For example, I work with Subversion, and would like to be able to commit my source code from home, without the need to change repository URLs or stuff around with any other such things. It needs to be completely transparent. I believe that this is what VPN was created for?

How can I set this up for under $150? I don't have a dedicated machine to surrender as a VPN box. However, I do have a Windows Server 2003 box where my source code is sitting. Do I set up VPN on this box, through Windows? Do I need to purchase additional hardware/software? My broadband router supports something called "VPN passthrough".

Thanks in advance.