These are some pictures I snapped on a relatively recent visit to Chicago. It's a beautiful city.

Trump Tower

The Iconic Sign

Sears Tower now renamed to the Willis Tower

John Hancock

View from the Willis Tower

Move Primary Domain Controller to New Server

Copied from Ali's Blog for my own convenience and for the sake of knowledge redundancy.

Here is a High Level process of migrating from a server 2003 PDC to 2008R2 PDC (Or to any new windows server):

1.     Configure a new server 2008 R2

2.     Join to the domain

3.     Run adprep /forestprep on the server 2003 PDC (This can be found in the tools directory of Server2008r2 dvd)

4.     raise the Domain and forest functional levels to 2003 in Active Directory Domains & Trusts

5.     Run adprep /domainprep on the server 2003 pdc

6.     Run DCpromo to add it as secondary DC, make the new server a GC and DNS server

7.     Move all 5 FSMO roles to the new server (See Below)

A.    Schema

B.    Domain Naming

C.    RID

D.    PDC Emulator

E.    Infrastructure

8.     Leave the two servers to replicate for an acceptable period.

9.     Run DCpromo on the old server and demote from DC role.

A.    Note that this is an important step to decommission the server properly from the network

B.    If this step is skipped, the new server will still have all the traces of the old server in DNS and everywhere

C.    This may cause issues down the line.

10.  Once the server is gracefully decommissioned, take it off the domain

11.  Shut down and remove from network.

Further details shamelessly copied from KB 324801

FSMO Roles

In a forest, there are at least five FSMO roles that are assigned to one or more domain controllers. The five FSMO roles are:

·      Schema Master: The schema master domain controller controls all updates and modifications to the schema. To update the schema of a forest, you must have access to the schema master. There can be only one schema master in the whole forest.

·      Domain naming master: The domain naming master domain controller controls the addition or removal of domains in the forest. There can be only one domain naming master in the whole forest.

·      Infrastructure Master: The infrastructure is responsible for updating references from objects in its domain to objects in other domains. At any one time, there can be only one domain controller acting as the infrastructure master in each domain.

·      Relative ID (RID) Master: The RID master is responsible for processing RID pool requests from all domain controllers in a particular domain. At any one time, there can be only one domain controller acting as the RID master in the domain.

·      PDC Emulator: The PDC emulator is a domain controller that advertises itself as the primary domain controller (PDC) to workstations, member servers, and domain controllers that are running earlier versions of Windows. For example, if the domain contains computers that are not running Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Microsoft Windows 2000 client software, or if it contains Microsoft Windows NT backup domain controllers, the PDC emulator master acts as a Windows NT PDC. It is also the Domain Master Browser, and it handles password discrepancies. At any one time, there can be only one domain controller acting as the PDC emulator master in each domain in the forest.

You can transfer FSMO roles by using the Ntdsutil.exe command-line utility or by using an MMC snap-in tool. Depending on the FSMO role that you want to transfer, you can use one of the following three MMC snap-in tools:

Active Directory Schema snap-in

Active Directory Domains and Trusts snap-in

Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in

If a computer no longer exists, the role must be seized. To seize a role, use the Ntdsutil.exe utility. 

For additional information about how to use the Ntdsutil.exe utility to seize FSMO roles, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

255504 Using Ntdsutil.exe to Seize or Transfer the FSMO Roles to a Domain

Transfer the Schema Master Role

Use the Active Directory Schema Master snap-in to transfer the schema master role. Before you can use this snap-in, you must register the Schmmgmt.dll file. 

Register Schmmgmt.dll

1.    Click Start, and then click Run.

2.    Type regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll in the Open box, and then click OK.

3.    Click OK when you receive the message that the operation succeeded.

Transfer the Schema Master Role

1.    Click Start, click Run, type mmc in the Open box, and then click OK.

2.    On the File, menu click Add/Remove Snap-in.

3.    Click Add.

4.    Click Active Directory Schema, click Add, click Close, and then click OK.

5.    In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Schema, and then click Change Domain Controller.

6.    Click Specify Name, type the name of the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.

7.    In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Schema, and then click Operations Master.

8.    Click Change.

9.    Click OK to confirm that you want to transfer the role, and then click Close.

Transfer the Domain Naming Master Role

1.    Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Domains and Trusts.

2.    Right-click Active Directory Domains and Trusts, and then click Connect to Domain Controller.

NOTE: You must perform this step if you are not on the domain controller to which you want to transfer the role. You do not have to perform this step if you are already connected to the domain controller whose role you want to transfer.

3.    Do one of the following:

o  In the Enter the name of another domain controller box, type the name of the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.

-or-

o  In the Or, select an available domain controller list, click the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.

4.    In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Domains and Trusts, and then click Operations Master.

5.    Click Change.

6.    Click OK to confirm that you want to transfer the role, and then click Close.

Transfer the RID Master, PDC Emulator, and Infrastructure Master Roles

1.    Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.

2.    Right-click Active Directory Users and Computers, and then click Connect to Domain Controller.

NOTE: You must perform this step if you are not on the domain controller to which you want to transfer the role. You do not have to perform this step if you are already connected to the domain controller whose role you want to transfer.

3.    Do one of the following:

o  In the Enter the name of another domain controller box, type the name of the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.

-or-

o  In the Or, select an available domain controller list, click the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.

4.    In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Users and Computers, point to All Tasks, and then click Operations Master.

5.    Click the appropriate tab for the role that you want to transfer (RID, PDC, or Infrastructure), and then click Change.

6.    Click OK to confirm that you want to transfer the role, and then click Close.

Restore Lenovo G550 Laptop to Factory Settings

My latest struggle in restoring a computer to usefulness after a virus infection led me to throw my hands into the air and do a system restore. Of course the laptop came with no restoration discs and the extra partition on the hard drive usually used in lieu of them did not seem to contain the required files. My google searching on how to do this led me to these gems which I will post here just in case they get lost in the woods.

From the Lenovo Users Guide (Page 23)

Chapter 4. OneKey Rescue System

OneKey Rescue System

Introduction

The Lenovo OneKey Rescue System is an easy-to-use application that can be used to back up the data on your system partition (C drive) for easy restore when required. You can run Lenovo OneKey Recovery under the Windows operating system, and the OneKey Rescue System without starting the Windows operating system.

Attention:
In order to utilize the features of the OneKey Rescue System, your hard disk already includes a hidden partition by default to store the system image file and OneKey Rescue System program files. This default partition is hidden for security reasons and is the reason the available disk space is less than it claims. The exact available hard disk space depends on the file size of the mirror image file (based on the size of operating system and preinstalled software).

Using Lenovo OneKey Recovery (Within Windows operating system)
In Windows operating system, double click the OneKey Recovery System Icon on the desktop to launch Lenovo OneKey Recovery.
Within the program, you can back up the system partition on the hard disk drive, other storage devices, or by creating recovery discs.
For more instructions, see the help file of Lenovo OneKey Recovery.

Using Lenovo OneKey Rescue System (Without Windows operating system)
In the event that the operating system cannot be loaded, follow the steps below to access OneKey Rescue System.
• Shut down your computer.
• Press the key to launch OneKey Rescue System.
Within the program, you can choose to restore your system partition to the original factory status, or to a previously generated backup.

Notes:
• The backup process and creation of recovery discs may take some time, connect the AC adapter and battery pack to your computer.
• After the recovery discs are burned, please number them so that you can use them in the correct order.
• Computers without an integrated optical drive support the creation of recovery discs; however an appropriate external optical drive is needed to physically create the recovery discs.
Note: The recovery process is irreversible. Make sure to back up any critical data before using the recovery feature.

Posted by joyson baira on fixya.com

Hi,

All you need to do is removed the battery and unplugged the charger then press and hold the power button for 15 seconds then connect the laptop directly to the power outlet without using the battery just for the meantime then press the little button near the power button which has a drawing of an arrow going to the lef or soing down like a horseshoe or headset, press that button then you will see there One Key Recovery, choose that one then choose restore from factory default, then choose restore from initial back up then click OK and Start, that will restore your computer from the factory default, if this button doesnt work, contact lenovo to asked for a cd, its free and you just have to pay for the shipping which is $10.

Hope this will help...

The Rules

"The game is played, not to protect the rules; rather, the rules are made to protect the game." - Ravi Zacharias in Recapture the Wonder

Often when people are confronted with rules, especially rules that do not make sense, they rebel against them in some fashion or another. It is also a nearly universal problem that if one does not understand something, it must be stupid or useless. Because of this, when we disobey a rule that doesn't make sense it doesn't really feel like we are rebelling when in fact we are.

How a person relates to rules tells a lot about them and is most likely an indicator of a lot of things that he would never tell you to your face.

The longest game in history is life and everyone is playing.

The sheer stupidity of mankind shaking its collective fist at its creator can only be explained by the nefarious evil known as the "great lie" that was told to Eve. She was told that knowledge would make her a god. Mankind still believes this today and is in the process of testing all of the rules that were handed to them by preceding generations. We believe that if we "figure it out" we can make our own rules and thus be gods. This makes sense if you are believing a lie.

A false rule.

The only absolute being that there are no absolutes. Thought experiments filter down to action that result in mass destruction, chaos, pain and misery and are blamed on the personal evil of one person or another. Confusion stems from the results of the experiment because the facts are looked at through the filter of “the great lie.” We hate truth. We think it limits us so we bash at it, bloodying our hands and hurting ourselves but never budging the wall.

There is a God.

And we are not Him. He gave us enough rope to hang ourselves or help ourselves. If you believe that Christ is the Son of God and that He can forgive you of your sin you are suddenly winning the game. There is nothing you can do to win, except to believe. And when you do this, the rules no longer apply because the only reason the rules exist is to make everyone who believes "the great lie" lose. When you enter the Kingdom of Heaven you Honor the King and by doing so you renounce the "great lie" and you are justified - pardoned from the guilt that is heaped on you by the rules. The crazy thing about Honoring the King is that you end up obeying the rules because that is who He is and that is how you honor Him because the rules are a revelation of truth. It is the nature of the beast. If you are not Honoring the King and you are trying to win the game by yourself, you are still believing "the great lie."

"Love the Lord thy God" is the greatest rule or the rule that all the other rules are bullet points of. "The most irresistible force in the world is love and the most vulnerable." - Ravi Zacharias in Cries of the Heart

So the rules protect you from the "great lie" and allow you to play the game of life for real.

Rewards Cards are thieves

There is a nearly criminal racket that is very active and pervasive. Chances are, even you have taken part in it. The racket is called Rewards Cards. Have you ever wondered where the "rewards" that you get from your Rewards Card come from?  Straight from the vendor where you bought your stuff. To pay for your rewards, the credit card companies take an extra percentage right off the top of the transaction. So by using the rewards card, you steal from the store you bought from and by extension if you steal, you are a thief. Sure, you get part of your money back which is cool, but the major beneficiary of this vile scheme is the credit card industry. You see, they don't pass all of the "rewards" on to you, they keep a chunk of them for themselves.

In the last few months, the rewards cards have been skimming an extra 2.5% right off the top of the transactions that I submitted here at work and there is absolutely no way to recover the money or to keep it from happening again. It is illegal for us to refuse credit card payment, to refuse rewards cards or even put a cap on how much people can pay with cards. So, if you want to steal from us, we are open for business. The only way we can avoid the racket is to stop offering credit card payment options or by charging an extra processing fee.

Do your merchant a favor and stop using your rewards cards. I'm sure places like Wal-Mart and Target have it figured out so they don't have to pay it but for the small businesses, it just hurts.

Arbor Day Foundation

I just joined the National Arbor Day Foundation. The registration costs $10 for a year and with that I get 10 trees. I wanted a Weeping Willow tree too, so I bought one for $8 and got a free Red Maple with that. All said and done I got 12 trees for $23. You need to order soon to get your trees in time for spring planting. Go join up already, unless of course you are deprived of the blessing of land.

I think trees are awesome. What better way is there to dress up God's green earth?

Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina
The Four Moments from Wikipedia

Lectio Divina has been likened to "Feasting on the Word." The four parts are first taking a bite (Lectio), then chewing on it (Meditatio). Next is the opportunity to savor the essence of it (Oratio). Finally, the Word is digested and made a part of the body (Contemplatio).

Lectio

This first moment consists in reading the scriptural passage slowly, attentively several times. Many write down words in the scripture that stick out to them or grasp their attention during this moment.

Meditatio

The Christian, gravitating around the passage or one of its words, takes it and ruminates on it, thinking in God’s presence about the text. He or she benefits from the Holy Spirit’s ministry of illumination, i.e. the work of the Holy Spirit that imparts spiritual understanding of the sacred text. It is not a special revelation from God, but the inward working of the Holy Spirit, which enables the Christian to grasp the revelation contained in the Scripture.

Oratio

This is prayer: prayer understood both as dialogue with God, that is, as loving conversation with the One who has invited us into His embrace; and as consecration, prayer as the priestly offering to God of parts of ourselves that we have not previously believed God wants. In this consecration-prayer we allow the word that we have taken in and on which we are pondering to touch and change our deepest selves. ...God invites us in lectio divina to hold up our most difficult and pain-filled experiences to Him, and to gently recite over them the healing word or phrase He has given us in our lectio and meditatio. In this oratio, this consecration-prayer, we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God.

Contemplatio

This moment is characterized by a simple, loving focus on God. In other words, it is a beautiful, wordless contemplation of God, a joyful rest in His presence.