Excel 32-bit vs 64-bit memory usage

https://support.microsoft.com/da-dk/help/3066990/memory-usage-in-the-32-bit-edition-of-excel-2013-and-2016

Remote Windows Service Administration using SC produces OpenService FAILED 5: error

Attempting to administer a Windows Service on a remote computer using the SC command may produce an unexpected error

[SC] OpenService FAILED 5:

Access is denied.


This can occur where a remote command window has been created using PSEXEC and SC commands are issued to control or query a Windows Service e.g.

sc query "Target Windows Service Name"


The cause is the original permissioning of the service during installation uses SSDL text strings which denies access to "over the network" admin attempts.

An example of such a SSDL string is:
D:(D;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;NU)

Check the MsiLockPermissionsEx Table of the MSI responsible for installation to verify the SSDL string presence.

Administering the service can properly be carried out via a locally logged on (or over RDP) session at the target computer.

This situation was discovered from this post
https://serverfault.com/questions/762824/remote-service-query-sc-exe-query-fails-with-access-is-denied-for-one-servic

History of application streaming

 

Excellent article with a brief history of application streaming and virtualization by Tim Mangan

https://www.tmurgent.com/TmBlog/?p=2134

Perfmon options

perfmon /rel Lets you review your computer’s reliability and problem history (the same result as right-clicking the Monitoring Tools node in Performance Monitor and selecting View System Reliability). 

perfmon /report Collects performance data for 60 seconds and then generates and displays a system diagnostics report. 

perfmon /res Opens the Resource Monitor (the same result as right-clicking the Monitoring Tools node in Performance Monitor and selecting Resource Monitor). 

perfmon /sys Opens the Performance Monitor in stand-alone mode (the Sysmon.ocx ActiveX control). 

An additional option, /comp, allows for comparison overlay between two open instances of Performance Monitor. 

Note that these options are for use with Perfmon.exe but not for use with Perfmon.msc. 

from
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff723776.aspx

Windows 10 AppX apps may not inter-operate with AppV 5 apps as expected

Scenario

App-V package of software that used image file formats, copied the files to %TEMP% before using the prevailing FTA to launch the assigned app.  For operational reasons the %TEMP% folder in the App-V package needed to be virtualised.  In this case, on Windows 10, the application for displaying images was the built in AppX app "Photos". 

Fault

In the above scenario "Photos" was unable to display the image in the virtualised %TEMP% folder. It is theorized that the AppX app Photos was unable to "see" inside the App-V bubble as conventional apps can.

Workaround

If the user changed the FTA for the file extension to MSPaint (a conventional windows app) then paint would correctly launch, see the image file in the virtual %TEMP% folder and display it.

What is it Han Solo says.......?

Windows 10 1703 changes the virtual registry staging......

http://blog.fslogix.com/app-v-1703-virtual-registry-and-containers

App-V Office Add-in fails to load. Sorry, we couldn't find.........

In some situations App-V Microsoft Office Add-ins can fail to load and also cause a particular type of error message to be generated.  This effect has been seen with COM add-ins crashing Excel at launch and failing to load in Powerpoint.  If attempts are made to activate the add-in via the COM Add-in manager, then an error can appear similar to:

Microsoft Powerpoint
Sorry, we couldn't find C:\Users\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Powerpoint\.  Is it possible it was moved, renamed or deleted?


If this occurs, evaluate the sequencing method being used and how the normal installation behaves when the Add-in is first launched with Excel or Powerpoint.  With the Mekko Graphics add-in, a license dialog is initialized at first launch.  It is this which appears to result in this type of error.

For the Mekko Graphics sequence the correct approach was to launch Excel and Powerpoint during sequencing.  Then edit the sequence to apply the following modifications:

The following keys MUST be set to Merge
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\Excel\Addins
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\Excel
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\PowerPoint\Addins
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\PowerPoint
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Excel\Addins
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Excel
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\PowerPoint\Addins
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\PowerPoint

The following files must be removed from the sequence
Package\Root\VFS\Common AppData\Knowledge Management\Mekko Graphics\mekko.lic
Package\Root\VFS\Common AppData\Knowledge Management\MekkoGraphics\MGConfig

The merge settings allow the add-in to co-exist with other add-in type packages that may exist in the connection group.  Deleting the license files allows "normal" operation of the add-in.  Repair / Reset works ;-)