I had a bit of trouble today trying to install Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.4xxx on a Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit virtual machine. The installer would fail and give cryptic advice through the windows event viewer console which was almost worthless. I followed the random number given to me (1603) to a few articles on Symantec's website but all referenced an issue that was supposed to have been fixed in 12.1.3xxx.
Sad to say I must have found a loophole.
I did check into a few things but was not able to find a work around. (Disabled Windows Defender, looked for a bad KB update)
I opened a case with Symantec and will report back my findings.
EDIT 2/4/14:
We were able to resolve this after running the clean wipe utility from Symantec. After that the installation completed successfully!
Lessons from an IT Network Administrator to help simplify your life.
Showing posts with label Windows 8. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Windows 8. Show all posts
Monday, February 3, 2014
Friday, September 13, 2013
Windows 8.0 Review
After using Windows 8.0 for 2 months (this would be my second try at using this OS) I have come to somewhat of a conclusion about the state of the OS and its potential as well as drawbacks. My wife has also acquired a Windows 8.0 laptop (Dell brand) and her discussions and opinions on it have made me rethink many things as I have to face the coming of deploying it to users once Windows 7 becomes extinct.
I will focus on 5 items to make this post short, sweet and hopefully information.
1. Start Button - A lot can be said of this. I installed Classic Shell day 1 of trying this system out again and there hasn't been 1 time when I have said to myself, yes I would love to have a hot corner back to get to my programs. In fact I use it much like I did in windows 7 and before. The missing start menu is still an issue of frustration for my wife (whom will get Classic Start installed as soon as I get the chance). Why this was missing and waiting to 8.1 I will never know, and by then neither of us will care.
2. Start Screen - No, just no. The whole thing is confusing and I am in the IT field. For my wife it's even worse. There are times I can't even help her, I end up opening some random application and then constantly switching to it via another hot corner. It's a mess. Since Classic Start I have only ventured into the Start Screen when I get curious about an app, in fact I haven't really used any apps since then. When the computer is setup I could be able to pick Laptop or Tablet experience and have it optimized for my use.
3. Speed - Windows 8.0 is fast, there is no denying that. My wifes new Dell is not a power machine by any means but the speed at which Windows 8 runs vs Windows 7 is blinding. I love how a restart can take less than a minute. Startup time is even less. Keep this, at all costs.
4. Apps - Poor selection and the fact that on a laptop if I want netflix I can just bring up a web browser to do it negates any reason for the app store in the first place let alone the App like start screen. Are my apps taking up processing power and ram? Probably. Is it a lot? Probably not. But if I never get into it, id like that extra 5% please, especially on a budget machine.
5. Program compatibility - Great! In fact I have only come across 1 program that wouldn't run in Windows 8 due to a missing driver. Being able to run to old programs without the need for a virtual machine is a great thing.
Would I deploy it to my users? - Sure, If I had to. You could bet yourself that I would install Classic Shell and disable most Windows 8 features though. And my users are on their own signing up for a Live ID to purchase things if they really want into the App Store.
I will focus on 5 items to make this post short, sweet and hopefully information.
1. Start Button - A lot can be said of this. I installed Classic Shell day 1 of trying this system out again and there hasn't been 1 time when I have said to myself, yes I would love to have a hot corner back to get to my programs. In fact I use it much like I did in windows 7 and before. The missing start menu is still an issue of frustration for my wife (whom will get Classic Start installed as soon as I get the chance). Why this was missing and waiting to 8.1 I will never know, and by then neither of us will care.
2. Start Screen - No, just no. The whole thing is confusing and I am in the IT field. For my wife it's even worse. There are times I can't even help her, I end up opening some random application and then constantly switching to it via another hot corner. It's a mess. Since Classic Start I have only ventured into the Start Screen when I get curious about an app, in fact I haven't really used any apps since then. When the computer is setup I could be able to pick Laptop or Tablet experience and have it optimized for my use.
3. Speed - Windows 8.0 is fast, there is no denying that. My wifes new Dell is not a power machine by any means but the speed at which Windows 8 runs vs Windows 7 is blinding. I love how a restart can take less than a minute. Startup time is even less. Keep this, at all costs.
4. Apps - Poor selection and the fact that on a laptop if I want netflix I can just bring up a web browser to do it negates any reason for the app store in the first place let alone the App like start screen. Are my apps taking up processing power and ram? Probably. Is it a lot? Probably not. But if I never get into it, id like that extra 5% please, especially on a budget machine.
5. Program compatibility - Great! In fact I have only come across 1 program that wouldn't run in Windows 8 due to a missing driver. Being able to run to old programs without the need for a virtual machine is a great thing.
Would I deploy it to my users? - Sure, If I had to. You could bet yourself that I would install Classic Shell and disable most Windows 8 features though. And my users are on their own signing up for a Live ID to purchase things if they really want into the App Store.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Working in Windows 8 Preview for a Day
On friday I gave Windows 8 Preview a shot after setting up a dual boot environment on my laptop. I attempted to only use W8 and Office 2013 for the day without running back to Windows 7 to do necessary work. Unfortunately it flopped and I ended up making it through only 3/4 of the day. I will go over what made the test fail as well as my impressions of the OS as it is today.
Part 1 "Excuse me while i reboot" -
Trying to work in an SMB environment has its challenges for an OS built for home use, and in short it doesn't work. I am not quite sure what Microsoft has up its sleeve with W8 RP but unlike Office 2013 where SMB and Pro versions were available Windows 8 is a Home Premium install only. It makes it very tough then to test this OS with my programs, domain setup, administration tools and more without having to spend money on an OS that might not work. I struggled throughout the day using remote desktop to our servers to do simple administration tasks that I could have done natively, as well as logging into network shares and other machines using network file sharing. These issues were tough but did not cause me to reboot quite yet. I finally ran into a driver issue (I won't blame the OS for this fault however) and could not complete the task at hand with some software. Rebooting into Windows 7 solved this and I felt no desire to run through what is a lengthy reboot process for Windows 8 dual boot environments. In fact I have not quite sure why the bootup process has changed, yes I still get the choice to setup a 10 second choice screen for the OS I would like, but if I decide on Windows 7 the computer has to shut down, go through POST procedures again and then boot into Windows 7 adding another 20-30 seconds delay. A bit strange I do say.
Part 2 "Excuse me Sir, I seem to be lost" -
Windows 8 can be summed up in one word after Fridays immersing test, "confusing". I became quite frustrated trying to find simple programs or tasks using the Metro start screen, depending on which screen it would show up on. This problem baffled me, using a dual monitor setup I could get the desktop showing on both screens, and a task bar mirrored on each as well. This was great as I could bring up windows without having to run to the other monitor. This was not great as it felt like, depending on the operating systems mood when I would hit the Windows key the Metro Start screen would randomly pop up on one of the monitors. I think I saw the Start screen change positions over 5 times and could not for the life of me figure out why it chose the monitor it did. Then there is the all programs menu and lack of need for the Metro Start screen all together. Trying to find all the programs installed on the machine if the icon was not present in the Metro screen had you treck all the way to the corer of the screen before listing everything side by side instead of traditional list form like in previous Windows versions. I found this change more time consuming especially when Start changed monitors. Windows 7 search through the start menu which I have come to use for everything now needed me to use another function key set (Windows Key + F) to bring it up whereas before I could just hit the Windows Key and start typing, or click on the start menu in the corner. My last bone to pick on this post is the horrible App Switching interface. Trying to find the window you just had open was a flipping nightmare, I would have an App open on the left monitor then want to go back to the desktop I had before. Clicking on the desktop on the right would not bring it up, and trying to find Desktop in the Metro screen was a pain as well. This is where App Switching would be nice and efficient, but it isn't. To bring up the App Switching interface you have to go to the Start "hot" corner, then slide your mouse up the side of the screen...but dont move it out of the window that appears or it will disappear again leaving you to start from scratch. And for some dumb reason Microsoft felt the need to make your current window list start from the top, as far as virtually possible from the Start button. Because why make it close and easy and a second quicker to use?
Part 1 "Excuse me while i reboot" -
Trying to work in an SMB environment has its challenges for an OS built for home use, and in short it doesn't work. I am not quite sure what Microsoft has up its sleeve with W8 RP but unlike Office 2013 where SMB and Pro versions were available Windows 8 is a Home Premium install only. It makes it very tough then to test this OS with my programs, domain setup, administration tools and more without having to spend money on an OS that might not work. I struggled throughout the day using remote desktop to our servers to do simple administration tasks that I could have done natively, as well as logging into network shares and other machines using network file sharing. These issues were tough but did not cause me to reboot quite yet. I finally ran into a driver issue (I won't blame the OS for this fault however) and could not complete the task at hand with some software. Rebooting into Windows 7 solved this and I felt no desire to run through what is a lengthy reboot process for Windows 8 dual boot environments. In fact I have not quite sure why the bootup process has changed, yes I still get the choice to setup a 10 second choice screen for the OS I would like, but if I decide on Windows 7 the computer has to shut down, go through POST procedures again and then boot into Windows 7 adding another 20-30 seconds delay. A bit strange I do say.
Part 2 "Excuse me Sir, I seem to be lost" -
Windows 8 can be summed up in one word after Fridays immersing test, "confusing". I became quite frustrated trying to find simple programs or tasks using the Metro start screen, depending on which screen it would show up on. This problem baffled me, using a dual monitor setup I could get the desktop showing on both screens, and a task bar mirrored on each as well. This was great as I could bring up windows without having to run to the other monitor. This was not great as it felt like, depending on the operating systems mood when I would hit the Windows key the Metro Start screen would randomly pop up on one of the monitors. I think I saw the Start screen change positions over 5 times and could not for the life of me figure out why it chose the monitor it did. Then there is the all programs menu and lack of need for the Metro Start screen all together. Trying to find all the programs installed on the machine if the icon was not present in the Metro screen had you treck all the way to the corer of the screen before listing everything side by side instead of traditional list form like in previous Windows versions. I found this change more time consuming especially when Start changed monitors. Windows 7 search through the start menu which I have come to use for everything now needed me to use another function key set (Windows Key + F) to bring it up whereas before I could just hit the Windows Key and start typing, or click on the start menu in the corner. My last bone to pick on this post is the horrible App Switching interface. Trying to find the window you just had open was a flipping nightmare, I would have an App open on the left monitor then want to go back to the desktop I had before. Clicking on the desktop on the right would not bring it up, and trying to find Desktop in the Metro screen was a pain as well. This is where App Switching would be nice and efficient, but it isn't. To bring up the App Switching interface you have to go to the Start "hot" corner, then slide your mouse up the side of the screen...but dont move it out of the window that appears or it will disappear again leaving you to start from scratch. And for some dumb reason Microsoft felt the need to make your current window list start from the top, as far as virtually possible from the Start button. Because why make it close and easy and a second quicker to use?
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