Rico Troubleshooting Encounter: February 2008

Identify SQL Server version and edition

How to identify your SQL Server version and edition

View products that this article applies to.

Article ID	:	321185
Last Review	:	November 20, 2007
Revision	:	11.4

This article was previously published under Q321185

SUMMARY

This article describes how to identify your current Microsoft SQL Server version number and the corresponding product or service pack (SP) level. It also describes how to identify the specific edition if you are using Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or Microsoft SQL Server 7.0.

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How to determine which version of SQL Server 2005 is running

To determine which version of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 is running, connect to SQL Server 2005 by using SQL Server Management Studio, and then run the following Transact-SQL statement:

SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('productversion'), SERVERPROPERTY ('productlevel'), SERVERPROPERTY ('edition')

The results are:

•	The product version (for example, "9.00.1399.06").
•	The product level (for example, "RTM").
•	The edition (for example, "Enterprise Edition").

For example, the result looks similar to:

9.00.1399.06

RTM

Enterprise Edition

The following table lists the Sqlservr.exe version number:

Release	Sqlservr.exe
RTM	2005.90.1399
SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1	2005.90.2047
SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2	2005.90.3042

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How to determine which version of SQL Server 2000 is running

To determine which version of SQL Server 2000 is running, connect to SQL Server 2000 by using Query Analyzer, and then run the following code:

SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('productversion'), SERVERPROPERTY ('productlevel'), SERVERPROPERTY ('edition')

The results are:

•	The product version (for example, 8.00.534).
•	The product level (for example, "RTM" or "SP2").
•	The edition (for example, "Standard Edition"). For example, the result looks similar to: 8.00.534 RTM Standard Edition

The following table lists the Sqlservr.exe version number:

Release	Sqlservr.exe
RTM	2000.80.194.0
SQL Server 2000 SP1	2000.80.384.0
SQL Server 2000 SP2	2000.80.534.0
SQL Server 2000 SP3	2000.80.760.0
SQL Server 2000 SP3a	2000.80.760.0
SQL Server 2000 SP4	2000.8.00.2039

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How to determine which version of SQL Server 7.0 is running

To determine which version of SQL Server 7.0 is running, connect to SQL Server 7.0 by using Query Analyzer, and then run the following code:

SELECT @@VERSION

The results look similar to the following:

Microsoft SQL Server 7.00 - 7.00.623 (Intel X86)

Nov 27 1998 22:20:07

Desktop Edition on Windows NT 5.1 (Build 2600: )

Note In this example, the version number is 7.00.623.

Use the version number in the following table to identify the product or service pack level:

Version Number	Service Pack
7.00.1063	SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 4 (SP4)
7.00.961	SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 3 (SP3)
7.00.842	SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 2 (SP2)
7.00.699	SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
7.00.623	SQL Server 7.0 RTM (Release To Manufacturing)

If the version number that is reported by @@VERSION is not listed in this table, SQL Server is running with a hotfix or a security update build. For example, if @@VERSION reports a version number of 7.00.859, you are running SQL Server 7.0 SP2 with a hotfix installed. The version number increases with each new version of the Sqlservr.exe executable file. See to the Readme.txt file for your hotfix or security update for more information.

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How to determine which version of SQL Server 6.5 is running

To determine which version of Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 is running, connect to SQL Server 6.5 by using Isql_w, and then run the following code:

SELECT @@VERSION

Use the version number in the following table to identify the product or service pack level:

Version Number	Service Pack
6.50.479	SQL Server 6.5 Service Pack 5a (SP5a) Update
6.50.416	SQL Server 6.5 Service Pack 5a (SP5a)
6.50.415	SQL Server 6.5 Service Pack 5 (SP5)
6.50.281	SQL Server 6.5 Service Pack 4 (SP4)
6.50.258	SQL Server 6.5 Service Pack 3 (SP3)
6.50.240	SQL Server 6.5 Service Pack 2 (SP2)
6.50.213	SQL Server 6.5 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
6.50.201	SQL Server 6.5 RTM

If the version number that is reported by @@VERSION is not listed in this table, SQL Server is running with a hotfix or a security update build. The version number increases with each new version of the Sqlservr.exe executable file. See to the Readme.txt file for your hotfix or security update for more information.

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How to determine which edition of SQL Server is running

If you are not sure about what edition of SQL Server you are running, the last line of output that is returned by @@VERSION reports the edition to which you have connected. The example that is used in this article is the Standard Edition of SQL Server 2000 on Windows NT 5.0 (Build 2195: Service Pack 2).

Note The build and service pack information provided earlier is for the operating system, not for SQL Server.

Standard Edition on Windows NT 5.0 (Build 2195: Service Pack 2)

What is Lotus Notes Compacting?

Your Notes mailbox contains usable documents and unused space ("white space"). Deletion of many documents or large attachments can cause considerable amounts of unused space, which takes up disk space unnecessarily. Compacting removes the unused space.

To check if your mailbox needs to be compacted, follow these steps:

1. Open you mailbox.

2. Select File - Database - Properties from the menu to bring up Database Properties dialog box.

3. In the dialog box click the second tab with letter "i" on it.

4. Click [% used] button to see the current compression ratio.

5. If the percentage of a database in use drops below 90% (it contains more than 10% unused space), click the Compact button to compact the database.

How do I check how big my mailbox is in Lotus Notes?

Your Notes mailbox is a single file on the server. In the Notes Help documents it is often referred to as a "mail file". All mail folders (Inbox, Sent, Drafts, etc), mail messages, calendar entries, etc. are stored inside this one file.

To check the current size of your mailbox (mail file) open it first, then select Actions - Add-on Features - Show Mailbox Info from the pull-down menus:

Your mail file size will be displayed in a dialogue box that will appear on your screen:

This also tells you how many documents are currently stored in your mailbox (includes messages in all folders, calendar entries, ToDo list entries, etc.), and whether quota has been assigned to your mailbox or not.

Follow-up on Gmail Search

Below is the advance search operators that you could use on Gmail.

Source Link

Operator	Definition	Example(s)
from:	Used to specify the sender	Example - from:amy Meaning - Messages from Amy
to:	Used to specify a recipient	Example - to:david Meaning - All messages that were sent to David (by you or someone else)
subject:	Search for words in the subject line	Example - subject:dinner Meaning - Messages that have the word "dinner" in the subject
OR	Search for messages matching term A or term B* *OR must be in all caps	Example - from:amy OR from:david Meaning - Messages from Amy or from David
- (hyphen)	Used to exclude messages from your search	Example - dinner -movie Meaning - Messages that contain the word "dinner" but do not contain the word "movie"
label:	Search for messages by label* *There isn't a search operator for unlabeled messages	Example - from:amy label:friends Meaning - Messages from Amy that have the label "friends" Example - from:david label:my-family Meaning - Messages from David that have the label "My Family"
has:attachment	Search for messages with an attachment	Example - from:david has:attachment Meaning - Messages from David that have an attachment
filename:	Search for an attachment by name or type	Example - filename:physicshomework.txt Meaning - Messages with an attachment named "physicshomework.txt" Example - label:work filename:pdf Meaning - Messages labeled "work" that also have a PDF file as an attachment
" " (quotes)	Used to search for an exact phrase* *Capitalization isn't taken into consideration	Example - "i'm feeling lucky" Meaning - Messages containing the phrase "i'm feeling lucky" or "I'm feeling lucky" Example - subject:"dinner and a movie" Meaning - Messages containing the phrase "dinner and a movie" in the subject
( )	Used to group words Used to specify terms that shouldn't be excluded	Example - from:amy(dinner OR movie) Meaning - Messages from Amy that contain either the word "dinner" or the word "movie" Example - subject:(dinner movie) Meaning - Messages in which the subject contains both the word "dinner" and the word "movie"
in:anywhere	Search for messages anywhere in your account* Messages in Spam* and Trash are excluded from searches by default	Example - in:anywhere movie Meaning - Messages in All Mail, Spam, and Trash that contain the word "movie"
in:inbox in:trash in:spam	Search for messages in Inbox, Trash, or Spam	Example - in:trash from:amy Meaning - Messages from Amy that are in Trash
is:starred is:unread is:read	Search for messages that are starred, unread or read	Example - is:read is:starred from:David Meaning - Messages from David that have been read and are marked with a star
cc: bcc:	Used to specify recipients in the cc: or bcc: fields* *Search on bcc: cannot retrieve messages on which you were blind carbon copied	Example - cc:david Meaning - Messages that were cc-ed to David
after: before:	Search for messages sent during a certain period of time* *Dates must be in yyyy/mm/dd format.	Example - after:2004/04/16 before:2004/04/18 Meaning - Messages sent after April 16, 2004, but before April 18, 2004.* *More precisely: Messages sent on April 17, 2004.
is:chat	Search for chat messages	Example - is:chat monkey Meaning - Any chat message including the word "monkey".

Search Unread Mail in Gmail

To search unread mails in Gmail, simply type

is:unread

into the search box and it will list out all the unread mail.

Mail Relay Test

How do you check whether is your mail server being block? Or whether is does your server allows mail relay?

This article is lifted from Audit My PC
Source Link

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An outside individual who uses your mail server to deliver email using a false email address is considered relaying mail via your server. A mail server that allows relaying is usually considered to be setup incorrectly and is frequently abused by spammers. These spammers find and use unsecured mail servers to send out unsolicited commercial email.

Tracking down a spammer who uses mail servers open to relaying is difficult. This is because the email appears to be coming from your server, rather than from the original sender. Such spam being delivered by your mail server can give your company a bad reputation.

Email Relay Test

How do you check your server for relaying? Easy, just use a computer outside of your organization and type the commands included in the tables below - you'll want to do this from a command prompt.

In the following examples, mail.example.com is the mail server you are checking, sender@example.com is a valid email account at mail.example.com (or a fake email address - try both), and youremail@outsideaddress.com is the email account you want this message to go to.

The parts you type are show in the table blow and replies from the server are shown to the right. This is an example of a mail server that does NOT allow relaying.

You type this text	Server should respond with this
TELNET mail.example.com 25	Trying 10.10.10.1. Connected to mail.example.com. Escape character is '^]'. 220 mail.example.com
HELO mail.example	250 OK
MAIL FROM:	250 OK - Mail from
RCPT TO:	550 Relaying is prohibited
QUIT	221 Closing connect, good bye

This is an example of a mail server that DOES allow relaying.

You type this text	Server should respond with this
TELNET mail.example.com 25	Trying 10.10.10.1. Connected to mail.example.com. Escape character is '^]'. 220 mail.example.com
HELO mail.example	250 OK
MAIL FROM:	250 OK - Mail from
RCPT TO:<youremail@outsideaddress.com>	250 OK
DATA	354 End data with
From: sender@example.com To: youremail@outsideaddress.com Subject: Relay test This is a relay test and only a test. (type . or [enter].[enter] to end data)	250 OK: Queued as T22122A5
QUIT	221 Closing connect, good bye

How to Use Nslookup to Verify MX record configuration

You can use the Nslookup tool to verify that your MX records are configured correctly by querying an external or Internet DNS server.
Before You Begin

Before you perform the procedure in this topic, read Verifying DNS Design and Configuration.
Procedure
How to use Nslookup to verify MX record configuration

1.

At a command prompt, type nslookup, and then press ENTER.
2.

Type server , where IP address is the IP address of your external DNS server, and then press ENTER.
3.

Type set q=MX, and then press ENTER.
4.

Type , where domain name is the name of your domain, and then press ENTER. The MX record for the domain you entered should be displayed. If the MX record is not displayed, DNS is not configured properly.

Example

The example below shows how MX records appear for the fictitious domain, example.com.

C:\> nslookup

Default Server: pdc.corp.example.com

Address: 192.168.6.13

> server 172.31.01.01

Default Server: dns1.example.com

Address: 172.31.01.01

> set q=mx

> example.com.

Server: dns1.example.com

Address: 10.107.1.7

example.com MX preference = 10, mail exchanger = mail1.example.com

example.com MX preference = 10, mail exchanger = mail2.example.com

example.com MX preference = 10, mail exchanger = mail3.example.com

example.com MX preference = 10, mail exchanger = mail4.example.com

example.com MX preference = 10, mail exchanger = mail5.example.com

mail1.example.com internet address = 172.31.31.01

mail2.example.com internet address = 172.31.31.02

mail3.example.com internet address = 172.31.31.03

mail4.example.com internet address = 172.31.31.04

mail5.example.com internet address = 172.31.31.05

In this example, the preconfigured DNS server is behind a proxy server. Therefore, an external or Internet DNS server with a known IP address of 172.31.01.01 was used to perform the query. Next, the query type was set to MX to locate the mail exchangers for example.com. In this example, five SMTP servers are equally balanced, each with its own IP address. However, your domain might only have a single entry, as seen in the following example:

contoso.com MX preference = 10, mail exchanger = mailbox.contoso.com

mailbox.contoso.com internet address = 10.57.22.3

How to Find and Change Windows Product Key and Registration Information

Extracted this guide from "Shivaranjan.com"

Source Link

Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder is freeware utility by which you can you do the following:

Find your Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Windows Vista product keys.
Find your Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Windows Vista registration information.
Change your Windows 95, 98, ME, and XP product key. (Windows 2000, 2003, NT4 and Vista supported)
Change your windows registration information.
Find your Microsoft Office 97, Office XP, and Office 2003 installation key. (Office 2000 not supported).

The screenshots provided below illustrate the process of changing your windows product key and registration information.

Is this software legal?
Yes this legal because Microsoft itself has knowledge base article which describes how to change your windows key and provides the script for this process. This freeware utility utilizes those scripts.

You can download this freeware (File Size: 260Kb): Download

Disclaimer:
Certain antivirus software like Mcafee and Nod32 consider this file as spyware and delete it, but this file is absolutely harmless you can go ahead and try it.

How to change the Volume Licensing product key on a computer that is running Windows XP SP1 and later versions of Windows XP

This article from Microsoft will guide you on changing your Windows XP Product Key.
Source Link

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1.	Click Start, and then click Run.
2.	In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3.	In the left pane, locate and then click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\WPAEvents
4.	In the right pane, right-click OOBETimer, and then click Modify.
5.	Change at least one digit of this value to deactivate Windows.
6.	Click Start, and then click Run.
7.	In the Open box, type the following command, and then click OK. %systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a
8.	Click Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows, and then click Next.
9.	Click Change Product key.
10.	Type the new product key in the New key boxes, and then click Update. If you are returned to the previous window, click Remind me later, and then restart the computer.
11.	Repeat steps 6 and 7 to verify that Windows is activated. You receive the following message: Windows is already activated. Click OK to exit.
12.	Click OK.
13.	Install Windows XP SP1 or a later version of Windows XP. If you cannot restart Windows after you install Windows XP SP1 or a later version of Windows XP, press F8 when you restart the computer, select Last Known Good Configuration, and then repeat this procedure.

HOWTO: Enable AHCI Mode After Installing Windows

Do update me if this doesn't work for you. :)

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AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) is present on newer Intel chipsets such as 975X (ICH7), P965 (ICH8), and P35 (ICH9). AHCI mode is enabled in the BIOS and 3 settings are commonly available: IDE, AHCI, and RAID. The last two (AHCI and RAID) require a driver floppy and the F6 method when installing Windows XP otherwise the hard disks won't be detected.

AHCI mode brings 3 main advantages:

Supports NCQ (Native Command Queuing) allowing SATA drives to accept more than one command at a time and dynamically reorder the commands for maximum efficiency.
Supports hot plugging of devices
Supports staggered spin ups of multiple hard drives at boot time

However, in the real world the performance difference isn't huge.

The problem is that if you installed Windows in IDE mode (ie you didn't use F6 and supply a driver disk), then simply changing the BIOS setting to AHCI mode and rebooting will cause Windows to fail and will require a repair install. Most people have been advising to reinstall Windows if you want AHCI enabled.

I managed to enable AHCI on Windows XP Professional for a Gigabyte P35-DS4 (ICH9R) without needing to reinstall. This should work on any P35 ICH9 based board:

1. Go to Intel's download centre and download the latest version of the Intel Matrix Storage Manager (7.6.0.1011, 8/2/2007 at time of writing) for your OS:

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Product_Filter.aspx?ProductID=2101&lang=eng

Keep this file as you'll need it again in step 4.

2. Run the installer with the -a switch to extract the files. This will NOT install the software, just extract the files. Follow the prompts as if you were installing the software:

Code:

iata76_enu.exe -a

The above should extract the files to \Program Files\Intel\Intel Matrix Storage Manager. There are two folders, \Drivers and \Drivers64 for 32-bit and 64-bit OS's, respectively.

Copy the file IaStor.sys from the Drivers folder to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\

3. copy the following registry file to your desktop (copy and paste into notepad) and save as ahci.reg

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\pci#ven_8086&dev_2922&cc_0106]
"Service"="iaStor"
"ClassGUID"="{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor]
"Type"=dword:00000001
"Start"=dword:00000000
"Group"="SCSI miniport"
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"ImagePath"="system32\\drivers\\iaStor.sys"
"tag"=dword:00000019
"DisplayName"="Intel AHCI Controller"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters]
"queuePriorityEnable"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Enum]
"0"="PCI\\VEN_8086&DEV_2922&SUBSYS_B0051458&REV_02\\3&13c0b0c5&0&FA"
"Count"=dword:00000001
"NextInstance"=dword:00000001

4. Double check you've copied the IaStor.sys file as part of step 2. Now do the following:

Run the ahci.reg file to add the entries into the registry
Reboot the computer and enter the BIOS - DO NOT allow it to start Windows yet.
Change the setting for the on board Intel controller to AHCI, save and exit BIOS
Boot into Windows

When Windows loads it will detect a new hard disk - cancel the wizard for installing the new hardware and run the Intel driver installer you downloaded in step 1.

Reboot the system again and you're good to go

Now, under Device Manager > IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers you should see Intel(R) ICH9 SATA AHCI Controller listed.

Hope someone finds this useful - I wanted to do this as I needed AHCI mode to dual boot Linux and I didn't have a floppy drive on the machine to allow me to install Windows XP in AHCI mode. This is one area Vista has moved forward - it will allow you to install drivers from devices other than A: such as a USB pendrive or CD.

If you want to enable write caching, see einshem's tip here:

http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?p=4149875&postcount=23

Quote:

Originally Posted by einshem

2. All this process worth nothing if you forget at the end to go to device manager, double klick your hard-drive(s) under "disk drivers", go to "policies" tab and mark "Enable write caching for this disk" (I recommend adding this to the guide)

EDIT: Here is a Registry file that should work for 975X and P965 based boards:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\pci#ven_8086&dev_2821&cc_0106]
"Service"="iaStor"
"ClassGUID"="{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor]
"Type"=dword:00000001
"Start"=dword:00000000
"Group"="SCSI miniport"
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"ImagePath"="system32\\drivers\\iaStor.sys"
"tag"=dword:00000019
"DisplayName"="Intel AHCI Controller"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters]
"queuePriorityEnable"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Enum]
"0"="PCI\\VEN_8086&DEV_2821&SUBSYS_B0051458&REV_02\\3&13c0b0c5&0&FA"
"Count"=dword:00000001
"NextInstance"=dword:00000001
"

Change Office 2007 Product Key

Follow these steps:

Close all Microsoft Office applications.
Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
Locate the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Registration

Note You may also find another subkey that resembles the following subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Registration\{91120000-0011-0000-0000-0000000FF1CE}
If you find additional subkeys that reference Microsoft 12.0 registration, open each subkey, and then identify the product by the ProductName entry.
For example: ProductName=Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007
When you find the subkey for the product from which you want to remove the existing product license key, delete the following entries:
- DigitalProductID
- ProductID
Exit Registry Editor.

The next time that you try to run an Office application, you will be prompted for a new product license key. Then, you can enter the product license key.

Hit the "Install Now" button and you Office app, will be updated with the new key. After updating you can activate you Office app, without reinstalling it.

Rico Troubleshooting Encounter

Identify SQL Server version and edition

What is Lotus Notes Compacting?

How do I check how big my mailbox is in Lotus Notes?

Follow-up on Gmail Search

Search Unread Mail in Gmail

DNSSTUFF.com Alternative Site?

Mail Relay Test

How to Use Nslookup to Verify MX record configuration

How to Find and Change Windows Product Key and Registration Information

How to change the Volume Licensing product key on a computer that is running Windows XP SP1 and later versions of Windows XP

HOWTO: Enable AHCI Mode After Installing Windows

Change Office 2007 Product Key

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