Just can't get enough of IT

You might encounter a situation where you log on to your Windows 10 client and the Start menu is unresponsive and the taskbar remains empty.

The following two actions help to recover from the situation.

Step 1

Open an administrative PowerShell window and execute the following command

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Restart Windows and check if the issue has been fixed.

Step 2

Reinstall (fix) all Windows apps. This step requires internet access, as all sources are downloaded using the local app manifest information

Open an administrative PowerShell window and execute the following command

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Be patient and wait until the app download and installation process has been completed. Just ignore any error message and restart Windows.

The first step might fix the issue already. if this is the case, do not execute the PowerShell cmdlet described in step 2.

Today I've passed the 70-414 exam and achieved my Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert - Server Infrastructure certification.

The Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Server Infrastructure certification validates that you have the skills needed to run a highly efficient and modern data center, with expertise in identity management, systems management, virtualization, storage, and networking.

Get certified by visiting the Training and Certification Community at Born to Learn

Links

• Born to Learn

When you maintain a number of servers which require to trigger the same scheduled task manually, you can simplify the process by triggering the scheduled task remotely.

In this example, I assume that the script is being executed on a dedicated management server (aka job server) within an Exchange Server 2013 environment. The scheduled task must exist on all servers having the same name.

Create a simple PowerShell script at a file location of your choice (i.e. D:\Scripts\Start-RemoteScheduledTasks.ps1)

$cimSession = New-CimSession -ComputerName SERVER1,SERVER2,SERVER3,SERVER4
Start-ScheduledTask TASKNAME -CimSession $cimSession
Remove-CimSession $cimSession

Now create a new shortcut on your server desktop with the following configuration:

Target: C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -command "& D:\Scripts\Start-RemoteScheduledTasks.ps1"

If required, select "Run as Administrator" in Shortcut -> Advanced settings.

Enjoy.

This post has been published originally on my legacy blog SF-Tools.