Reliable Chicago IT companyWhen setting up RemoteApp or Remote Desktop Services on Windows Server 2012 R2, you may suddenly lose the ability to connect to the server using Remote Desktop.
Instead of the normal login screen, you may receive this error:
The remote session was disconnected because there are no Remote Desktop License Servers available to provide a license.
Please contact the server administrator.
This can be confusing, especially if Remote Desktop worked before the Remote Desktop Services role was installed.
A Windows 11 computer may suddenly start with a blue screen that says:
BitLocker Recovery
Enter the recovery key for this drive.
BitLocker needs your recovery key to unlock your drive.
This message can be scary, especially when the computer was working normally before. In most cases, it does not mean the hard drive is bad. It usually means Windows detected a security or boot change and BitLocker is asking you to prove that you are allowed to access the encrypted drive.
BitLocker is Microsoft’s drive encryption feature. It protects the data on your computer if the device is lost, stolen, or someone tries to remove the drive and read it from another machine.
When BitLocker is enabled, Windows normally unlocks the drive automatically by using the computer’s TPM security chip. The user does not notice anything during a normal startup.
But if Windows believes something important changed, it may stop the boot process and ask for the 48-digit BitLocker recovery key.
This guide explains how to create a new Windows Server 2025 virtual machine in Microsoft Hyper-V from scratch. It is written for a practical small-business server setup where the physical server acts as the Hyper-V host and the virtual machine will later be used for SQL Server, IIS, testing, or another Windows Server role.
The example below creates a Generation 2 VM named SQL2025-PROD, attaches a Windows Server 2025 ISO file, creates a 150 GB virtual hard drive, connects the VM to an external Hyper-V switch, and starts the Windows installation.
You need a physical Windows Server 2025 machine with the Hyper-V role installed or ready to install. You also need a Windows Server 2025 ISO file saved somewhere on the host server. In this example, the ISO is located here:
C:\VMs\Windows2025.isoFor a test machine, placing VM files on the C: drive is acceptable. For production, it is usually better to keep the host operating system on C: and place virtual machine files on a larger or faster drive, such as D:.
Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
Install-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V -IncludeManagementTools -RestartThe server will restart if Hyper-V was not already installed.
When you are trying to connect to an older Windows Server, especially Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2, from a newer Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer, you may run into the following Remote Desktop error:
An authentication error has occurred.
The function requested is not supported.
Remote computer:<computer name or IP>
This could be due to CredSSP encryption oracle remediation.
For more information, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=866660
I understand how frustrating this can be, especially when the device, VM, or application was working before and suddenly Remote Desktop refuses to connect.
This issue is usually related to CredSSP, which is the Credential Security Support Provider protocol used by Remote Desktop during authentication. Microsoft released updates for CVE-2018-0886 to address a CredSSP vulnerability, and systems with different patch levels or different CredSSP policy settings may fail to negotiate the RDP session correctly. Microsoft documents the CredSSP update behavior and the Encryption Oracle Remediation policy values as part of that security change.
In many environments, newer Windows 10 or Windows 11 devices are fully patched, while older servers such as Windows Server 2012 may not have the same update level or policy configuration.
ddrescue) to avoid stressing it further.
The Dell PERC HBA330/530-8i PCIe 12Gb RAID controller supports SAS and SATA drives — both types.
Here’s the breakdown:
| Drive Type | Supported? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) | ✅ Yes | Full 12Gbps support |
| SATA (Serial ATA) | ✅ Yes | Up to 6Gbps (limited by SATA standard) |
| You want to use… | Works? | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| 12Gbps SAS SSDs | ✅ Yes | Max performance |
| 6Gbps SATA SSDs | ✅ Yes | Lower speed, still compatible |
| SAS HDDs | ✅ Yes | Common in enterprise setups |
| SATA HDDs | ✅ Yes | Cheaper but slower |
very important distinction when working with controllers like the Dell PERC 530-8i or similar RAID/HBA cards.
Let’s break down RAID mode vs. HBA mode, both in theory and in practice:
| Feature | RAID Mode (aka “RAID BIOS/Controller Mode”) | HBA Mode (Host Bus Adapter / IT Mode) |
|---|---|---|
| Function | Controller manages virtual disks using RAID | Passes drives directly to OS/host |
| Visibility | OS sees RAID volumes only | OS sees individual drives |
| Performance | Slightly more overhead (depends on RAID level) | Often lower latency & full OS control |
| Use case | Best for redundancy (RAID 1, 5, 10, etc.) | Best for software RAID, ZFS, or direct disk access |
| Hot-swap support | Yes (with proper RAID config) | Yes (depends on OS support) |
| Recovery | Replacing failed disk requires rebuilding array | Disk is visible — just replace and remount |
| Popular in | Enterprise servers, VMware ESXi, Windows Server | FreeNAS, TrueNAS, ZFS, Linux mdadm, Proxmox |
In RAID mode, the controller:
Example:
If you configure 4 drives in RAID 10 → your OS sees 1 virtual disk, not 4.
Example:
FreeNAS/TrueNAS prefers HBA mode so it can handle ZFS checksums and disk integrity.
| You should use… | If you: |
|---|---|
| RAID mode | Want simple redundancy, are using Windows/Linux without software RAID, or prefer hardware-managed arrays. |
| HBA mode | Want ZFS, Proxmox, TrueNAS, or need individual disk access for backup, monitoring, or flexibility. |
1. RAID Mode:
Ctrl+R)2. HBA/IT Mode:
| RAID Mode | HBA Mode |
|---|---|
| Great for plug-and-play redundancy | Great for flexibility and software-defined storage |
| OS sees only RAID volumes | OS sees all disks individually |
| Good for VMware/Windows | Ideal for ZFS/Linux mdadm/Proxmox |
When trying to install the APK package on the Android scanner phone you might result with “App not installed” message:
Let’s explore on how to install the package using the Android studio from
Why, all of a sudden the need of such a solution? Huge variety of different inventory which is scattered around a warehouse, shelves keep changing, boxes keep moving, items cannot get found. As a result the orders get cancelled. No good.
RFID labels allow for the items to be located without direct line of sight and mostly RFID software has the feature of “Find Item” by the RFID programmed tag.
I chose the path of Zebra hardware to make sure it is mainstream and most popular and supported. Made a research for devices and here’s what you’d need:
RFID compatible scanner
There are scanners that are all-in-one like Zebra MC3330R that, at the time of writing cost $700+ used on eBay or around $3K new online.
https://www.zebra.com/us/en/products/rfid/rfid-handhelds.htmlThere are also small hand-helds that consist of Mobile computer and a sled/cradle. For example Zebra TC20 or TC25 with a Zebra RFD2000 sled. The mobile computer snaps into the sled and with an application running your can go hunting for the item you need to find. Or you can tag your folders for Document Management or… well the sky is the limit.
Now let’s talk about limitations. These are the underwater rocks which I am in the middle of navigating. Not every computer is made equal and consider TC20 or TC25 to be a family or devices. They have different capabilities.
Initially I have purchased TC200J-10C112US which is running Android 8.1, looks great but… turned out to NOT support RFID scanning in any shape or form. And no amount of knowledge or trying to force it work with RFID software produced any results. It just does not have 8 pin connector in the back and the firmware is not intended to work with RFID sled.
Here’s is a back connector of TC200J-10C213US for comparison:
Now to the points to watch for when acquiring equipment from eBay:
Now let’s get to the software. Zebra thought of low budget solutions and created RFID Manager Application for RFD2000 for Android 7.0.x and later:
In order to set up such an .APK file that you’d get from Zebra web site, you need to allow your TC20 scanner / phone to install unknown apps or apps from unknown sources. Go to Settings and type in word “unknown” in search and mark all of them for the time being.
Now the main part: the app would not install on the scanners that are not intended for RFID use.
If you received App not installed, there are other procedures to find out if your scanner is compatible. But I can tell for sure that ZEBRA TC200J-10C112US is NOT intended for RFID scanning.
.odb file. This file is required for managing the connection to the database from Calc.
Ctrl+Shift+F4)..odb file you saved earlier).Now that the data is imported:
This process correctly handles database connections between LibreOffice Calc and SQL Server via ODBC.
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Dell Optiplex 9020 that does not boot up properly. When the power button is pressed here’s what happens and keeps going in a loop:
– Keeps doing a single beep
– Power button blinks amber and then blinks white
– Hard Drive symbol blinks white
– PSU LED blinks green
– CPU and Case Fans spin briefly and then stop
