Windows

Did a restart last night after noticing some Windows update been done. After login Windows, the taskbar suddenly become transparent. I have tried to change the transparency effects but it seems does not fix it. 

After googled around, some users reported the Windows update on OS Build 22631.3296 might have caused this and uninstalling KB5035853 seems able to fix this.

Another alternative, which I personally chose, was to download and install the EP V 22621.3296.64.1 Pre-Release. This seems to fixed this issue as well. You can download it here – https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases

Good luck.

So recently a user complaint that her the navigation bar of her Outlook application suddenly moved to the left, instead of bottom of the folder list.

I believe this was due to the recent update by Microsoft, which started rolling out since August 2022. She still not familiar with the new look and does not like it. Luckily, we still can change it back to the bottom.

To do that, go to File-> Options-> Advanced-> disable: Show Apps in Outlook.

Restart Outlook, and that’s it. The navigation bar will back at the bottom.

Early this year I took the advantage of the free upgrade from Microsoft, upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11 on my old computer. It was good and I like it. Recently I purchased a new computer to replace the old one, and without the Windows license which I planned to just use the one from my old computer. And it is possible!

But before that, I will need to check whether the license is transferable or not. Windows license can only be transfer if you purchase the retails license. Those OEM license which usually pre-installed in a computer is NOT transferable and can be used only on the device it was originally installed on. Take note on that.

So now lets check the type of the Windows license. Open the command prompt and type : slmgr.vbs /dli.

The command will launch a Windows Script Host window. If it says RETAIL Channel, you can continue transferring the license to your new device. If it says OEM Channel, you cannot transfer the license.

Next, you need to locate and know the product key of the Windows license. It should be on the sticker of the license that you purchased. If you lost it, you can use third party software such as ShowKeyPlus from Microsoft to retrieve it.

Once you done that, then you need to deactivate the license on the old computer first. To do that, open command prompt and type : slmgr /upk

This will deactivate the license associated with that computer, and you should receive a confirmation message.

You will also need to clear the product key from the windows registry. To do that, open command prompt and type : slmgr /cpky

Now you can proceed with the license transfer. On the new computer, open command prompt and type : slmgr.vbs /ipk (followed by a space), and then type in or paste your 25-character product key. You will receive a confirmation message once the product key is accepted.

Finally, activate your Windows 11 license by typing or copy & paste this command: slmgr /ato and hitting Enter. You would get a confirmation message if the activation were successful.

Another way to activate the license it by contacting Microsoft. To do that, open the command prompt and type : slui 4. The command will launch a new Windows Activation window. Just follow the instructions and Microsoft will guide you accordingly.

That’s it. Good luck.

Recently, Microsoft has removed the basic authentication for all its Microsoft 365 services. Basic authentication is turned off for Exchange Online mailboxes on Microsoft 365 which means that if Outlook 2013 is not configured to use modern authentication, it loses the ability to connect.

To enable modern authentication for Office 2013, a Windows Registry setting must be implemented. This can be achieved manually by adding the following key:

The EnableADAL registry key referenced earlier must be created (Reg_DWORD) and set to 1:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\Identity\EnableADAL = 1

A quicker way is by adding these code into a notepad, and save the file with the file extension .reg instead of .txt   :

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange]
“AlwaysUseMSOAuthForAutoDiscover”=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\Identity]
“EnableADAL”=dword:00000001
“Version”=dword:00000001

Alternatively, you can download it here – https://sotonproduction.service-now.com/sys_attachment.do?sys_id=7f85cd17dbbec4d4bc72b29f299619f3

For more info on this, you can find out more at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/security-and-compliance/enable-modern-authentication?view=o365-worldwide 

Another one is here – https://knowledgenow.soton.ac.uk/Articles/KB0059904

Planning to upgrade one of my Windows Storage Server 2012 soon, though the EOL could be in the next 2 or 3 years. I am much worried on the hardware, aging almost 10 years old and just a matter of time to break.

There are few options in my mind now. The first one is of course, going for the traditional upgrade of both software and hardware. Another option is to go for NAS, which I am really considering now. But there are also few other servers that also need upgrades or replacement, which makes me thinking of VMs.

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