Windows Server 2003

“Help and Support” is missing after you upgrade to Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2

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To resolve this problem, reinstall the Help and Support service. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. At the command prompt, locate the following folder:
    %windir%\PCHealth\HelpCtr\Binaries
  3. At the command prompt, type the following commands, and then press ENTER after each command:
    • HelpSvc.exe /regserver /svchost netsvcs /RAInstall
    • HSCUpd.exe -i hscmui.cab
    • HSCUpd.exe -i hscsp_s3.cab

      Note The following commands do not apply to some language versions of Windows Server 2003:

      • HSCUpd.exe -i hscmui.cab
      • HSCUpd.exe -i hscsp_s3.cab

      The reason is that the Hscmui.cab compressed file is not included in some language versions of Windows Server 2003, such as the Japanese version of Windows Server 2003.

 

Remote Shutdown – XP, Server 2003

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From the command line, you can shut down or reboot any Windows Server 2003 computer (or even Windows XP or Vista machines) with the Shutdown.exe command. (Note: The exe file extension is optional for the Shutdown command.) Shutdown.exe contains a number of switches that allow you to specify different actions for the server when the Shutdown command executes. The Shutdown.exe switches are as follows:

/? Displays the Help listing
/i Displays the graphical user interface (GUI); it must be the first option
/l Logs off the current user; it cannot be used with the /d or /m options
/s Shuts down the computer
/r Shuts down and restarts the computer
/g Shuts down and restarts the computer and then restarts any registered applications
/a Aborts system Shutdown
/p Turns off the local computer with no timeout or warning
/h Hibernates the local machine
/e Documents the reason for shutting down the computer
/m Specifies the target computer; it is used with \\computername
/t xxx Where xxx is the number of seconds before Shutdown
/c “comment” Where “comment” is the reason for the Shutdown or restart
/f Forces running applications to close without warning users
/d [p|u:]xx:yy Provides the reason for the Shutdown action: p = planned; u= unplanned; xx supplies the major reason code; yy = supplies the minor reason code

When you enter a Shutdown with no arguments, the Help listing will display. The Help listing also includes the reason codes available for use with the /d switch. The reason codes are shown below:

Reasons on this computer:
E=Expected U=Unexpected P=Planned c=Customer Defined
Type Major Minor Title
U

0

0

 Other(Unplanned)
E

0

0

 Other(Unplanned)
EP

0

0

 Other(Planned)
U

0

5

 Other Failure: System Unresponsive
E

1

1

 Hardware: Maintenance(Unplanned)
EP

1

1

 Hardware: Maintenance(Planned)
E

1

2

 Hardware: Installation(Unplanned)
EP

1

2

 Hardware: Installation(Planned)
P

2

3

 Operating System: Upgrade (Planned)
E

2

4

 Operating System:
Reconfiguration (Unplanned)
EP

2

4

 Operating System:
Reconfiguration(Planned)
P

2

16

 Operating System:
Service Pack (Planned)
U

2

17

 Operating System:
Hotfix (Unplanned)
P

2

17

 Operating System:
Hotfix(Planned)
U

2

18

 Operating System:
Security Fix(Unplanned)
P

2

18

 Operating System:
Security Fix(Planned)
E

4

1

 Application: Maintenance(Unplanned)
EP

4

1

 Application: Maintenance(Planned)
EP

4

2

 Application: Installation(Planned)
E

4

5

 Application: Unresponsive
E

4

6

 Application: Unstable
U

5

15

 System Failure: Stop Error
E

5

19

 Security Issue
U

5

19

 Security Issue
EP

5

19

 Security Issue
E

5

20

 Loss of Network Connectivity
(Unplanned)
U

6

11

 Power Failure: Cord Unplugged
U

6

12

 Power Failure: Environment
P

7

0

 Legacy API Shutdown

You can use many of these switches in conjunction with one another when issuing the Shutdown command. A usage example for the Shutdown command follows:

Shutdown /r /c “Hanging Application or service” /t 30

This example would restart the local machine storing the comment provided with the /c switch. Windows would wait 30 seconds before initiating the restart. You might also create a batch file to use when it is necessary to restart a server in a remote location. The batch file might look like this:

Shutdown /m \\computername /r /c “Remote Restart” /t 45

By saving this command in a batch file, it can save you time if you routinely restart the same remote server.

Steps to move a DHCP database from a Windows Server 2003 or 2008 to another Windows Server 2008 machine

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The DHCP database can be moved or migrated from a Windows Server 2003 server to a Windows Server 2008 server, or from one Windows Server 2008 server to another.  The information below details the necessary steps.

Export the DHCP database from a server that is running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008

To move a DHCP database and configuration from a server that is running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 to another server that is running Windows Server 2008:

1.   Log on to the source DHCP server by using an account that is a member of the local Administrators group.

2.   Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK.

3.   Type netsh dhcp server export C:\dhcp.txt all , and then press ENTER.

Note: You must have local administrator permissions to export the data.

Configure the DHCP server service on the server that is running Windows Server 2008

1.   Click Start, click Administrative Tools, click Server Manager. If needed acknowledge User Account Control.

2.   In Roles Summary click Add Roles, click Next, check DHCP server, and then click Next.

Import the DHCP database

1.   Log on as a user who is an explicit member of the local Administrators group. A user account in a group that is a member of the local Administrators group will not work. If a local Administrators account does not exist for the domain controller, restart the computer in Directory Services Restore Mode, and use the administrator account to import the database as described later in this section.

2.   Copy the exported DHCP database file to the local hard disk of the Windows Server 2008-based computer.

3.   Verify that the DHCP service is started on the Windows Server 2008-based computer.

4.   Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK.

5.   At the command prompt, type netsh dhcp server import c:\dhcpdatabase.txt all , and then press ENTER, where c:\dhcpdatabase.txt is the full path and file name of the database file that you copied to the server.

Note When you try to export a DHCP database from a Windows 2000/2003 domain controller to a Windows Server 2008 member server of the domain, you may receive the following error message:

Error initializing and reading the service configuration – Access Denied

Note You must have local administrator permissions to import the data.

6.   To resolve this issue, add the Windows Server 2008 DHCP server computer to the DHCP Admins group at the Enterprise level and redo steps 4 & 5.

7.   If the “access is denied” error message occurs after you add the Windows Server 2008 DCHP server computer to the DHCP Admins group at the Enterprise level that is mentioned in step 6, verify that the user account that is currently used to import belongs to the local Administrators group. If the account does not belong to this group, add the account to that group, or log on as a local administrator to complete the import and redo steps 4 & 5.

Authorize the DHCP server

1.   Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DHCP.

Note You must be logged on to the server by using an account that is a member of the Administrators group. In an Active Directory domain, you must be logged on to the server by using an account that is a member of the Enterprise Administrators group.

2.   In the console tree of the DHCP snap-in, expand the new DHCP server. If there is a red arrow in the lower-right corner of the server object, the server has not yet been authorized.

3.   Right-click the server object, and then click Authorize.

4.   After several moments, right-click the server again, and then click Refresh. A green arrow indicates that the DHCP server is authorized.