Category: Windows Server 2025
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A Guide to Managing Per-User Services in Windows
In Windows, per-user services are specialized services generated for each user during their logon and removed when they log off. They are designed to handle personalized tasks such as search indexing, notifications, and data synchronization, operating within the user account context rather than the LocalSystem context. This concept has been available since Windows 10 and…
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How to Change the Default Organizational Unit for New Computers and Users in Active Directory
When a computer is joined to a domain using the System Properties GUI, its account is created in the default Computers container. This container is not an Organizational Unit (OU), meaning that it does not support Group Policy assignments, relying instead on root domain Group Policies like the Default Domain Policy. This setup can lead…
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A Step-by-Step Guide to Migrating Your Existing Windows Shares to a New File Server
To migrate existing Windows shares to a new file server, you’ll need to utilize a combination of registry editing and file transfer methods. The shared network folders and their settings are stored under HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesLanmanServerShares in the Windows registry. Step-by-Step Guide for Migration: List Existing Shares:To view current shared SMB resources on a Windows host, use…
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Leveraging KDC (Kerberos) Proxy in Active Directory for Secure Remote Access
The Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) proxy service is designed to provide a secure way for remote clients to authenticate using Kerberos when they cannot access Active Directory domain controllers directly. Initially intended for services like DirectAccess and Remote Desktop Gateway, the KDC proxy becomes increasingly important as Microsoft phases out NTLM authentication protocols, necessitating…
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Step-by-Step Guide to Manually Create and Install a Windows Service
In Windows, services operate in the background, allowing applications to run without user interaction and start automatically during boot. This guide walks you through the process of creating a new system service from an executable file using built-in tools available in Windows. To create a service, you can utilize the sc.exe command from the command…
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Enabling or Disabling VBScript in Windows: A Guide Post-Deprecation
In 2024, Microsoft announced its intention to phase out support for VBScript, a scripting language previously favored for automation in Windows environments due to its simplicity and accessibility. VBScript garnered popularity because it included a built-in Windows runtime and access to a vast library of scripts. However, because of its legacy structure and associated vulnerabilities,…
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Seamless File Sharing: How to Use SMB over QUIC on Windows Server 2025 Without a VPN
SMB over QUIC is a new feature in Windows Server 2025 that enables users to securely access Windows file shares over the internet without needing a VPN. This functionality, previously available only in the Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition, allows for direct access to SMB file servers from untrusted public networks. The protocol enhances security…
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Optimizing Performance: Resource Fair Sharing in Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS)
A prevalent challenge with terminal servers that accommodate multiple users is the potential for one user to initiate a resource-heavy process, which can severely impact the performance of others. For instance, when a single user launches a process consuming over 90% of the CPU, it can render the server nearly unusable for other users. To…
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How to Block NTLM Connections on Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025
Microsoft has taken a significant step towards enhancing security by phasing out the deprecated NTLMv1 authentication protocol in Windows 11 version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025. The removal of support for NTLMv1 aims to encourage users to adopt more secure alternatives such as Kerberos. Additionally, Microsoft has indicated that NTLMv2 may also face deprecation in…
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Seamlessly Share Host Directories with VMs in Proxmox Using VirtioFS
With the launch of Proxmox VE 8.4, users can now create host-level shared directories, giving virtual machines (VMs) access to files from the Proxmox host without utilizing network protocols like SMB or NFS. This feature utilizes the VirtIOFS file system, which facilitates direct connections to shared directories, similar to shared folders in VMware Workstation. Setting…