David Vielmetter

Adventures in stupid technology

  • Windows 10 Remote Desktop Connection crashes seconds after being established

    [the problem] Establishing an Remote Desktop Connection via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to another system using Windows 10 build 1709 causes the session to crash shortly after being created. The error given is generic. The event log shows that the faulting application name mstsc.exe version 10.0.16299.15 crashed with an exception code of 0x0000409 and because…

  • QuickBooks Desktop with active subscription says it needs subscription

    So starting in June 2018 when I tried to install QuickBooks Enterprise 2017 on Windows 10, I observed a new error indicating that I needed a subscription. This error is in in error and here’s how to fix it: [the problem] Even with an active QuickBooks subscription, if a QuickBooks Desktop 2017 installer (QuickBooksSetup.exe file)…

  • Installing Ubuntu (dual boot) on a Dell Precision which already runs Windows 10

    Ubuntu is arguably one of the easiest Linux flavors to use and install. Getting it to install as an alternate (dual boot) operating system on a Dell Precision workstation certified for Linux that shipped with Windows 10 can be tricky though. [the goal] Install Ubuntu 18.04 alongside pre-installed Windows 10 Pro (dual boot) on a…

  • UPS WorldShip 2017 upgrade to 2018 fails

    [problem] UPS WorldShip 2017 running on Windows 7 SP1 fails to upgrade to UPS WorldShip 2018 when the upgrade is performed via the in-application upgrade button due to the following error: [solution] Backup UPS WorldShip database. Uninstall UPS WorldShip 2017 Visit C:\UPS\WSTD\Autodownload\TEMP\ and run setup.exe if it exists there. NOTE: This will be the already…

  • Windows 10 TPM issues after 1803 update

    After upgrading HP Surface devices (HP Pro 612 X2 G2) to the Windows 10 April update version 1803, Windows Defender complains about an issue with the device security referencing the following Microsoft article KB4096377: [the problem] After following the instructions presented in KB4096377 the system no longer allows logging in with a Biometrics, Windows Hello, or…

  • Google File Stream can’t mount to default mount point

    [problem] After the April Windows 10 feature upgrade version 1803, Google File Stream displays the following error on startup. Drive File Stream: “Can’t mount to default mount point. Drive File Stream is mounted to “I:\”. Would you like to continue?” NOTE: Uninstalling, rebooting and re-installing Google File Stream (part of G-Suite) does not resolve the…

  • Silently upgrade Office 2013 to 2016 via GPO

    [the problem] How to silently deploy Microsoft Office 2016, uninstall previous versions of MS Office, migrate existing MAPI profiles, and remove old shortcuts & replace them with new ones. NOTE: This article is for deploying Microsoft Office 2016 Standard or Professional with a perpetual volume license or MAK key. To deploy Office 365 applications, I’d…

  • Define a hotkey for windows playback device settings

    Switching your HDMI inputs can cause Windows to reset your computers Sound playback device configuration back to Stereo. At my house, I’m using a Sony amplifier to control several HDMI devices connected to a single Sharp TV. [the problem] When I switch audio sources on the amplifier from Windows (used for DVR) to my PS4,…

  • Microsoft Office cannot verify the license for this product

    Apparently this is a known issue with Microsoft Office 2013 and 2016. Unfortunately the support article describing the resolution to the issue isn’t very clear. I spent some time analyzing this issue and here’s what I’ve found. [UPDATE] This issue and resolution applies specifically to Microsoft Office 2013 and 2016 on Windows 7 and Windows…

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