Windows 7/XP Install Printer Without Being Local Administrator

If you run a “locked down” group policy model and need users to add new network and local printers to their machine without being Local Administrators you will need to configure the below group policy. 

This will stop the  UAC Box in Windows 7 coming up and asking to administrator permissions to run “C:\windows\system32\NtPrint.exe”. This can be applied through a domain controller via a networked group policy or locally using gpedit.msc

In Windows XP this setting is configured in

User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Control Panel -> Printers

However in Windows 7 this setting is configured in

Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Administrative Templates -> Printers : Point and Print Restrictions

N.B. If you want to deploy the below group policy you will need to have your Domain Controllers up to the 2008 R2 Schema or use this tool to Modify the Windows 7 Policy

http://blogs.technet.com/b/iftekhar/archive/2009/08/13/remote-server-admin-tools-rsat-for-windows-7-now-available.aspx

You need to set Point and Print Restrictions to DISABLED

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Top 10 Largest File Sharing Websites On The Net

According to Google’s search engine rankings, only 2 of the top 10 most visited file sharing websites are related to BitTorrent. This isn’t to say that torrents aren’t still popular, but five years ago the situation would have been quite different.

Cyberlockers are to blame for this shift in file-sharing habits. They provide a simple browser-based upload solution, often with a premium option for faster downloads and other perks. Thanks to fast Internet, cheap storage and browser advancements these sites are now 10-a-penny.

Here are the top 10 file sharing sites on the web, in descending order according to data from Google for July 2011.

4Shared

Officially the most popular site here, 4Shared offers a decent free option for those who are reluctant to reach for a credit card. A free account provides 10GB of free storage space which can be used to upload files below 2GB. Interestingly there are also apps available for the iPhone, Android devices and BlackBerry phones as well as an outdated Symbian version too.


Premium accounts provide 100GB of space and vastly improved download speeds, and the cheapest I could find started at $6.50 a month based on a year’s subscription.


MegaUpload

Another massively popular site, MegaUpload provides two free options – non-members and members. Registering a free account is worth it in order to net 200GB of free storage and a maximum upload file size of 2GB. Free membership delivers “limited” download speeds (as opposed to “very limited” for non-members) and an average load of adverts.


Premium accounts are available for as little as 24 hours for a few bucks, or you could opt for the monthly plan which comes in at around €10 a month. As you’d expect, premium unclogs your download tubes, removes adverts and all manner of other pleasant things.


MediaFire

MediaFire’s free accounts are supported with adverts and pleasantly provide no limits to your total storage or number of files. The drawback? A maximum file size of 200MB.


The cheapest premium option costs only $9 a month and removes all those adverts plus allows for files up to 10GB in size. You also get 100GB worth of direct/hotlinking to your uploads, which you can share with anyone for instant download goodness.


FilesTube

Not a cyberlocker, but a search engine which scours other cyberlockers and returns the results in one easy to find place. Not a bad solution if you’re looking for something elusive, although the lack of an upload option makes this a bit of a one-trick-pony.


RapidShare

A free membership allows you to upload all you want, with no restrictions. That’s right – unlimited file size and unlimited storage for free! However, if a file is not downloaded within 30 days it is earmarked for deletion – so be warned.


Premium accounts start at around €10 for a month’s access and removes this 30 day limit, as well as the usual download speed restrictions.


The Pirate Bay

A public torrent tracker currently indexing over 3.5 million torrents in a variety of categories. Be sure to take care if you do use public trackers.


FileServe

Another cyberlocker for all your uploading needs, FileServe provides free accounts that are good for files under 1GB. The site says that split archives are allowed too, so with some clever archiving you should be able to overcome the size limit.


Premium accounts are competetively priced and remove download/speed limits and increase the size cap to 2GB.


Hotfile

A relatively average site, only allowing for files up to 400MB to be uploaded for free. Split archives are fine, and the free option is supported with the usual advertising. A premium account will cost about $9 and for that you get 100GB of direct/hotlinking, unlimited downloading and an advert-free browsing experience.


Torrentz.eu

Torrentz is a torrent search engine which queries a lot of other trackers and returns all relevant results on one page. Clean, quick and minimalistic, Torrentz is a no-fuss search engine designed to check elsewhere so you don’t have to.


Deposit Files

Deposit Files is the least popular of all the file sharing websites on this list, yet has an incredible free option. With maximum file sizes of 2GB, unlimited storage and no deletion policy, this host is a beast. The site’s layout is clean and not littered with distracting adverts and there are a variety of ways to upload including queuing up multiple files.


Granted, as a free user your download speeds will be limited, but for around €9 a month, you can lift those limits.


Conclusion


So the cyberlockers overtook BitTorrent trackers as the most popular file sharing option out there. It’s not all pirated movies and cracked copies of Windows – these services are useful for backup, collaborating or quickly spreading your work. Of course I’d be lying if I said that piracy didn’t make up the majority of traffic, ad revenue and downloads these services receive.


What do you think of these sites? Any personal favourites? Any hidden gems? Any horror stories? Share your comments below!

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How to transfer a domain from FOPE ( Forcefront/Frontbridge ) to Microsoft 365 / BPOS

Recently when setting up a domain which was already being filtered and hosted by Microsoft forefront into Office 365, Upon changing the nameservers, the MX records correctly updated from mail.global.frontbridge.com to 365's one (domain.outlook.com) , however the email still flowed to the host setup up in Frontbridge instead of the 365 Mailbox.

The local UK support number for Office 365 : 02034506455 did not pick up after 2 x 30minute sessions with holding music!

Next I tried Frontbridge International Support : 0018662917726 ( Which is free to call via Skype from anywhere ! ). Luckily a helpful techican ‘Mudassir Ansari’ helped me with the following :

You can fix this issue by performing the following ( pretty sure this will work to BPOS as well as 365) :

Make sure your domain is verified in Office 365 and the correct DNS is set or nameservers migrated

Download and install the Migration Tools 32bit here : 

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?familyid=9ed5f4c1-7f0b-4506-a214-32093af6147a&displaylang=en

Go into your frontbridge control panel and disable the domain , then delete it!

Open a Power Shell Window

Enter this command : $LiveCred = Get-Credential

Enter your office 365 administrator Details

Enter this command : $Session = New-PSSession -ConfigurationName Microsoft.Exchange -ConnectionUri https://ps.outlook.com/powershell/ -Credential $LiveCred -Authentication Basic -AllowRedirection

Then this command : Import-PSSession $Session

Then this command : Set-AcceptedDomain **ENTER YOUR DOMAIN HERE** -OutboundOnly 

$true

Wait 2-3 Minutes

Then this command : Set-AcceptedDomain **ENTER YOUR DOMAIN HERE** -OutboundOnly $false

Then wait for Microsofts Cloud SMTP Servers to Update , in my instance it took 15 minutes.

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Opera Launches New Versions Of Mobile Browsers

Mobile World Congress may be primarily a place where new phones and tablets are launched, but it’s a good place to launch an app, as well. Opera has seized the opportunity with two new mobile versions of its browser, Opera Mini Next and Opera Mobile 12.

Opera Mini Next is a developer preview of the next Opera Mini. It includes a home screen called a “smart page” that features regularly visited websites and includes one-click access to social networks like Facebook and Twitter. This new menu will be located besides the current Speed Dial interface.

None of this may sound particularly innovative, but Opera Mini is designed for use not just on smartphones but also feature phones, which often have smaller displays and rely on effective use of screen real-estate. To quote SEO Lars Boilsen, “When people think of using social networks on the go, they often imagine a smartphone […] we know that’s not the way a majority of mobile phone owners access their social networks.” In fact, smartphone users won’t be able to access Smart Page at all.

Opera Mobile 12’s update more of an under-the-hood revision instead of a feature update. It adds WebGL support, a new HTML5 parser ominously called Ragnarok, and support for mobile camera use through your browser.

Opera Mini for iPhone has been given a minor update, as well. File uploads are now supported and the Speed Dial page can handle more than nine items.

Android and Symbian users can download Opera Mobile 12 off their respective markets and iPhone users can download the new version of Opera Mini from the Apple App Store. As always, all versions of Opera’s browser are free.

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