Websites that do useful text manipulation tricks including regexp, hashing, encoding (and decoding), case changing, escaping (and un-escaping), etc.

streetpc Text Utilities

TextOpus

txt2re, a regular expression generator

This is the equivalent of removing and reinstalling the TCP/IP protocol.

netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt

Note: the logfile parameter is not optional.

Apple hasn’t done ZENworks administrators, or Active Directory ones for that matter, any favors with iTunes 8. The install is needlessly complex, and installs additional software you’d probably just as soon not have on your end users machines. Why would I want to give non-administrative accounts Apple Software Update, when they can’t actually install the updates? Additionally, the setup tries to start the iTunes services during setup and users don’t actually have the rights to do so.

The new version of iTunes also includes (and requires) QuickTime to be updated to 7.5.5, so we’ll include that with this distribution. We’ll edit the MSIs to remove the call to start the services, pull out unneeded icons and prevent installation of (and calls to) the Apple Software Update.

What you’ll need:
Apple iTunes 8 Setup - download from here
A compression tool that can extract executables - I’ll use 7-Zip
An MSI editor - in this case, I’ll stick with Orca as it’s free and fairly straightforward

1. Set up source files
a. Extract the iTunes8Setup.exe into your source folder.
If you use 7-Zip (or WinRAR), you can just right click and extract.
b. Delete the AppleSoftwareUpdate.msi, MobileMe.msi and SetupAdmin.exe.
We won’t be using these.
c. Using Orca, edit the Bonjour.msi file.
Click on the CustomAction table.
Right click on the InstallPackages action and use Drop Row to remove the action.
In the Shortcuts table, drop the rows for both shortcuts.
Save your changes and close the MSI.
d. Using Orca, edit the QuickTime.msi file.
Click on the Shortcuts table.
Drop the rows for QuickTimePlayer_Desktop, QuickTimeUninstaller and QuickTimeReadMe.
Save your changes and close the MSI.
e. Now use Orca to edit the iTunes.msi file.
Click on the CustomAction table.
Right click on the InstallPackages action and use Drop Row to remove the action.
In the InstallExecuteSequence table, drop the row StartServices.
In the InstallUISequence table, drop the row InstallPackages.
Click on the Properties table.
Change the value of REGSRCH_DESKTOP_SHORTCUTS to 0 (zero).
Change the value of IAcceptLicense to Yes.
Change the value of SCHEDULE_ASUW to 0 (zero).
Finally, in the Shortcuts table, drop the row for the AboutiTunes shortcut.
Save your changes and close the MSI.

2. Customize application settings
a. Install iTunes and QuickTime on a test machine.
b. Launch the QuickTime Player.
c. Select Edit, Preferences, Player Preferences.
d. Customize your settings as desired. I generally just turn off Show Content Guide at startup.
e. Select Edit, Preferences, QuickTime Preferences.
f. On the Update tab, disable Check for updates automatically.
g. Exit QuickTime Player.
h. Launch iTunes, and proceed through the setup wizard, customizing as desired.
i. Select Edit, Preferences.
j. On the General tab, disable Check for updates automatically.
Personally, I also uncheck Genius in the Show section.
k. On the Sharing tab, uncheck all options.
l. Copy %appdata%\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunesPrefs.xml to your source folder.
m. Copy %AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\Apple Computer\QuickTime\QuickTime.qtp to your source folder.

3. Create ZENworks applications
a. Create one MSI-based ZENworks application for each of the 4 MSI files.
No reboots required. If you prefer you can hide progress (I only do so for the Bonjour and Mobile Device Support installs).
b. In the iTunes application object, add the following as a Run after distribution script:
XCOPY \\server\volume\path\to\source\iTunes8\iTunesPrefs.xml “%*appdata%\Apple Computer\iTunes\” /Y
c. In the QuickTime application object, add the following as a Run after distribution script:
XCOPY \\server\volume\path\to\source\iTunes8\QuickTime.qtp “%*CommonAppData%\Apple Computer\QuickTime\” /Y
d. In the iTunes application object, click on Run Options and select Applications Dependencies.
Add your installers for AppleMobileDeviceSupport, AppleQuickTime and AppleBonjour.

That’s it. Associate the iTunes application to your users and when they click the icon (or you push it to them) they’ll get the whole application chain. The QuickTime application object can also be used as a standalone application object to update the users’ QuickTime installs, regardless of whether they’re using iTunes or not.

…using MSI logging and the Windows Installer Log Utility.

Turn on verbose logging with this registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer
Reg_SZ: Logging
Value: voicewarmup

Then, after a failed attempt at installation, go look for the appropriately dated and timed MSIxxxx.log file in the %TEMP% directory. You can open it in Notepad, but I much prefer running them through the Windows Installer Log Utility, wilogutl.exe.

Normally you’d have to install the Windows Installer SDK to get that, and it is a worthwhile download, but since I can’t always be bothered I’ve got a copy here.

ClickOnce is yet another installer technology from Microsoft, this time for deployment of applications based on Windows Forms and the Windows Presentation Foundation. It’s a lot like the Java Web Start software, and requires at least .NET 2.0.

ClickOnce Team Blog

…between PEM, CER, DER, P7B or PFX formats.

SSL Converter from SSLShopper.com
https://www.sslshopper.com/ssl-converter.html

…from an Active Directory domain without user intervention.

Using VBScript:

Const NETSETUP_ACCT_DELETE = 2 ‘Disables computer account in domain.
strPassword = “password”
strUser = “username”

Set objNetwork = CreateObject(”WScript.Network”)
strComputer = objNetwork.ComputerName

Set objComputer = GetObject(”winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=Impersonate}!\\” & _
strComputer & “\root\cimv2:Win32_ComputerSystem.Name=’” & strComputer & “‘”)
strDomain = objComputer.Domain
intReturn = objComputer.UnjoinDomainOrWorkgroup _
(strPassword, strDomain & “\” & strUser, NETSETUP_ACCT_DELETE)

…on the Start Menu so it points at an internal support site (or anywhere else for that matter)?

Rather than remove the Help and Support Start Menu link, it can be customized using the following information.

1. Open Regedit

2. Find HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}

3. Set the value of (Default) to the name you want for the icon.

4. Create a sub-key DefaultIcon.

5. Set the value of DefaultIcon to the path to the icon you want to use, e.g. C:\icons\test.ico.

6. In the Instance, InitPropertyBag subkey, add these String Values:

Command: mouseover text for the link, e.g. Click to visit talentlesshack.com
Param1: the site you want the icon to reach, e.g. http://talentlesshack.com

…without using the ZENworks tray icon.

1. Open %ZENWORKS_HOME%\conf\logger-zmd-conf.xml

2. Find the following line and replace “false” with “true”

3. Find the following line and replace “false” with “true”

4. Restart the agent service by issuing the following two commands

NET STOP “Novell ZENworks Agent Service”
NET START “Novell ZENworks Agent Service”

The resulting log file is %ZENWORKS_HOME%\logs\LocalStore\zmd-messages.log