Reinstall or Repair .NET Framework

Recently, my desktop always need to check .NET Framework after logon computer. I don’t understand what happen so that decide to repair it. When I do it, the result always fail.

How to resolve this problem?
To view Installation log and enable “Errors” check box
Drag down the scrollbar to bottom, you will see some message mark red block
Based on “0x80070663” error codes to search it by Google, I find out one KB can help me.
Because it have a utility “dotnetfx_cleanup_tool.zip” can be downloaded.
I download/extract this tool next to execute it, click “Yes” to run the .NET Framework Setup Cleanup Utility.
Click “Yes” button to accept all of the terms of the preceding License Agreement if you want to execute this utility.
In “Product to cleanup” field to select you want to be removed. In the moment, I select “.NET Framework – All Versions (Windows 7)” next to click “Cleanup Now” button.
Processing now!
Click “Finish” button to end up the Installation if it is successful.

If you try to reinstall or repair .NET Framework, it will be done and no any error show up now.

How to resolve F5 VPN Connection issue

As before, I have to do some homework at home in holiday so that I need to connect to the corporative environment by VPN. When I connect to VPN Server by IE and pass the authentication next to click “Access Network Resources” hyper-link, its error status is “Network Access Connection Device was not found”
In the moment, I still follow my troubleshooting rule --- Based on the error message to search the information by Google. Although I get some information to try and error as uninstall F5 VPN driver next to reinstall it again, the result still fail again and again.
Until I find out that VPN function is the relation with Remote Access Connection Manager Service by System Event Viewer.
So I decide to search the information based on this word. Finally, I get the answer to workaround this problem. That is Edit Registry Key Value!
In Registry Editor, Select “\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\RasMan” –> Right-Click “DependOnService” –> Click “Modify…”
The Value Data will exist two strings --- Tapisrv and SstpSvc
Please delete “SstpSvc” next to reboot the computer.
Now you can connect to VPN Server and Remote Access Connection Manager Service will be started.
Although the above problem can be resolved, I still don’t know Why?
Maybe need to research F5 VPN theory if I can touch F5 device in the future.

Install 64-bit Oracle Client on 64-bit Windows 7

Last time, I install 32-bit PowerPivot 2012 on 32-bit Windows 7 to replace PowerPivot 2010. When I open Excel 2010 and select PowerPivot item, the remind message show up and ask me whether want to upgrade the workbook.
Of course, you have to press “OK” button so that the PowerPivot workbook will be showed up. In the moment, I follow the previous activity to execute refresh worksheet for retrieving Oracle Data but the result fail.
In this Error Message, it give me a suggestion either upgrading to 64-bit version or increasing memory. I choose upgrading to 64-bit version because the original 32-bit environment before replace PowerPivot version is normal so that it will be not enough memory.

For 64-bit environment, I need to install 64-bit OS, Office 2010, PowerPivot and hotfix with up-to-date. When finish the related Microsoft Prerequisite, the Oracle Client need to be installed then.
Download “Oracle Database 11g Release 2 Client (11.2.0.1.0) for Microsoft Windows (x64) from Oracle Website and extract “win64_11gR2_client” compressed file to the selected folder. The extracted path will be “\client” and its setup file is under this path.
Executing "setup.exe” to begin the installation process of Oracle Client.
In Select Installation Type,select “Administrator” option next to click “Next>” button
Click “Next> “ button if we don’t need to select another language.
Keep the default Oracle Base and Software Location next to click “Next> “ button
If no any problem in Perform Prerequisite Checks, click “Finish” button to begin to install Oracle Client Software now.
The installation of Oracle Client almost is successful if no any surprise.

In the moment, we need to add a “tnsnames.oRA” file under the installation path as “c:\app\davidwa_wang\product\11.2.0\client_1\network\admin\” for creating an entry in this file to allows the ODBC driver to establish network connections to an Oracle Database.
In this file content, need to define “Data Source Name”, "Host” (by FQDN or NETBIOS name or IP), “Port” (default = 1521) and “Service Name”
After saving this file and opening Excel 2010 to execute PowerPivot Data Refresh, its function will be normal now.

Recover data from Volume Shadow Copy mechanism (part 2 of 2)

(2).Use ShadowExplorer Utility
We can download from http://www.shadowexplorer.com/downloads.html and install it on 32-bit or 64-bit Windows platform.
Open this program next to select one volume as “C:” and create time, you can see all contents in right plane.
Right-Click the loss data from this and select “Export” to put this data to the special location.
In Server version, we need to do item (1) for creating Shadow Copy.
But in workstation version as 64-bit windows 7, We can directly create it by ShadowExplorer’s “Configure System Protection…”
It will pop up the System Properties and press “Create…” button for creating Shadow Copy.

(3).Restore file by Shared Folder in Remote ComputerIf one folder want to be restored, we can make it into shared folder as “\\TEST-SQL-03\sqlfile”
In remote computer with Shadow Copy Client installed, right-click this shared folder next to select “Properties” in menu so that the shared folder property will show up.
In the proptery of shared folder, click “Previous Versions” tab –> select the right timestamp –> click “Open” button
So does that all files will show up behind this shared folder. Now we can select one or some loss files to recover.
Or If we click “Copy” button and select one path, all files & folders behind the shared folder will be restored into the special path.


<<<   Recover data from Volume Shadow Copy mechanism (part 1 of 2)

Recover data from Volume Shadow Copy mechanism (part 1 of 2)

Volume Shadow Copy is a Microsoft mechanism that can automatically backup the volume content based on pre-determined interval. If need to restore individual files,you can select any of the previous 64 versions of the shadowed volume to restore it and get the deleted, damaged or overwritten files.

At first, we need to configure and enable Shadow Copy from command line or computer management as follows:
Adds a shadow copy storage association for a specified volumeTo enable Shadow Copy for a volume, we can do the following syntax from the command-line RunAs administrator:
”vssadmin add shadowstorage /for=volume /on=storevolume /maxsize=xxxMB”
In the Shadow Copies tab of property of Volume, click  “Volume C:\” and “Settings” button
You will see the related value mapping to the above command-line
Run “vssadmin list shadows” & “vssadmin list shadowstorage” again to realize the information about shadow copy

Creates a new shadow copy of a specified volume
To create Shadow Copy for a volume, we can do the following syntax from the command-line RunAs administrator:
”vssadmin create shadow /for=volume”
In the Shadow Copies tab of property of Volume, you will see a times tag on Shadow copies of selected volume.
The above command is as click “Create Now” button so that it show a new time tag record now.
Run “vssadmin list shadows” & “vssadmin list shadowstorage” again to know there is two contents of shadow copy and its storage space is occupied now.

One day, I go wrong to delete a database “Northwind” & overwrite file content from “1” to “shadow copy” in C:\SQLFILE\TEST1.sql

How to recover these data now?

(1).Create a symbolic link to a shadow copy volume<Method 1>
Run “vssadmin list shadows /for=C:” and base on create time to find which shadow copy volume will be restored. In the output screen, we will use this shadow copy volume “\\?\GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2” as restore base.
To create a directory symbolic link, we can do the following syntax from the command-line RunAs administrator: ”mklink /d NewLinkName ShadowCopyVolume\”
Now we can explore the content of shadow copy.

<Method 2>
Right-click the drive letter on which the shadow copy is created next to click “Properties” in menu.
In Disk Properties, click “Previous Versions” –> select one shadow copies based on data modified –> click “Open” button
Now we can explore the content of shadow copy.
When we choose either method, the loss file will be found and recovered now!

Recover data from Volume Shadow Copy mechanism (part 2 of 2)   >>>