How to find a user’s SID (security identifier)?

The Problem:

You need to find out the security identifier (SID) for a user.)

The Solution:

Run the following command:

wmic useraccount get name,sid

--Neno

Visual Studio Express 2015–File names and sizes

With Visual Studio 2015, there are three free-to-use Express editions made available that can be used by individuals as well as enterprises.

Although there are no .ISO files provided, it’s possible to download the installation files by passing the /layout argument to the appropriate installer.

Two surprises:

• The files names of the web installers are not very intuitive.
• The offline folder sizes are bigger than what you would expect (with VS 2015 Update 2).

Here’s a table of the file names and offline folder sizes:

Product (Update 2)	Size (offline folder)
VS Express 2015 for Windows Desktop (wdexpress_full_ENU.exe)	7.11 GB
VS Express 2015 for Web (vsn_full_ENU.exe)	5.44 GB
VS Express 2015 for Windows 10 (winexpress_full_ENU.exe)	7.25 GB

--Neno

List of Windows client OS versions and their Windows Server equivalents

Here’s a list of Windows versions and their Server equivalent:

Windows client version	Windows Server version
Windows XP	Windows Server 2003
Windows Vista	Server 2008
Windows 7	Server 2008 R2
Windows 8	Server 2012
Windows 8.1	Server 2012 R2

--Neno

Where do I find the BitLocker Recovery Key for my Surface RT/Surface 2?

You can find them here: http://windows.microsoft.com/recoverykey

After upgrade to Windows 8.1, svchost.exe continuously consumes CPU time

The workaround that worked for me is to stop and disable the service: Intel(R) PROSet Monitoring Service.

Good luck!

--Neno

How to hibernate Windows using command line

Use this command:

rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState

Source: Microsoft KB article 555569

This works on Windows XP and higher.

--Neno

Windows Update Cleanup

Just recently I discovered an option in the Disk Cleanup feature of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 to clean up Windows updates.

In all cases I tried Windows Update cleanup freed up more than 2 GB.

However, be advised that the cleanup can take quite a while.

--Neno

Facebook Business Pages: How can I add an administrator?

The Problem

You want to add somebody (or your personal account) as administrator for your page, but you get an error.

The Solution

You can easily add administrators by using the e-mail-address (that is known to Facebook), but there are two privacy settings that come into play for that (on the account of the desired administrator):

Step 1: Make sure your likes are public

Step 2: Make sure your profile can be found by using the e-mail address:

--Neno

How to append/remove trailing slash in an URL?

You might want to use the System.Web.VirtualPathUtility  class (from System.Web.dll), which has methods like:

• AppendTrailingSlash
• RemoveTrailingSlash

--Neno

Configure for Web Deploy Publishing menu item missing in IIS Management Console

Luckily, there is a solution:

1. Use Web Platform Installer and install
   “Web Deploy 3.0 for Hosting Server”.
2. Restart IIS Management Console.

Good luck!

--Neno

Should the Windows Search Email Indexer add-in be deactivated in Outlook 2010/2013?

Yes, this is by design and supposed to be that way.

Get more details at:

• Windows Search Email Indexer remains disabled in Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013 (KB 2385524), http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2385524

--Neno

SOLVED: Windows Installer keeps running infinitely after installing SQL Server 2012 SP1

The Problem

After installing SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1, Windows Installer is running constantly.

The Fix

Download and apply SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1 Cumulative Update 2.

More information

• SQL 2012: msiexec.exe running constantly after SP1 install
• Microsoft Connect: msiexec.exe processes keep running after installation of SQL Server 2012 SP1 

--Neno

Awarded as Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Visual Studio ALM (Application Lifecycle Management)

Today, I got re-awarded as a Visual Studio ALM MVP for the 8th time.

The Visual Studio ALM brand is used to refer to Team Foundation Server (and service) as the core, surrounded by clients like the Visual Studio IDE, Microsoft Test Manager, Team Explorer, Microsoft Feedback Client, Team Web Access, and some more).

Here’s how Microsoft describes the MVP Award Program:

Congratulations to the New and Renewed MVPs

Today, 885 exemplary community leaders around the world were notified that they have received the MVP Award! These individuals were chosen because they have demonstrated their deep commitment to helping others make the most of their technology, voluntarily sharing their passion and real-world knowledge of Microsoft products with the community.

While there are more than 100 million social and technical community members, only a small portion are selected to be recognized as MVPs. Each year, around 4,000 MVPs are honored. They are nominated by Microsoft, other community individuals, or in some cases themselves. Candidates are rigorously evaluated for their technical expertise, community leadership, and voluntary community contributions for the previous year. They come from more than 90 countries, speak over 40 different languages, and are awarded in more than 90 Microsoft technologies. Together, they answer more than 10 million questions a year!

MVPs are recognized each quarter for this annual award, which continues to grow and evolve to reflect the development of Microsoft technologies.

Congratulations to the new MVPs, and welcome back to renewed MVPs. We are very excited to recognize your amazing accomplishments!

--Neno

How to fix: IE keeps asking for credentials

On a computer, where you have all necessary permissions, IE presents you the credentials prompt every time you try to open a site on that machine.

You have probably already tried one of the following:

• Turned off User Account Control (UAC)
• Turned off Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration (IE ESC)
• Added the URL to Trusted Sites in Internet Options

Try this:

1. In IE, open Internet Options, Security tab, click on Sites.
2. Unselect “Automatically detect intranet network” and check all checkboxes (so that it matches the following screenshot):

How to securely erase a hard disk?

Solution:

1. Delete all files on hard disk (and clear recycle bin)
2. Download the free SDelete.exe from Sysinternals and run the following command:

sdelete.exe –z <Driverletter> (e.g. K:)