Category: Windows Admin

Windows Administration Blog Archives, by Peter Whyte (Database Administrator).
Includes: Database Admin, Windows Admin, PowerShell, WSL & more…

  • How to Check Features Installed in SQL Server

    This guide explains how to check which features are installed on a SQL Server instance. When downgrading from SQL Server Enterprise to Standard, checking the installed features is crucial to ensure compatibility and avoid losing critical functionality. Some Enterprise features may not be available in the Standard edition,…

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  • Domain Join Sanity Checks

    In order to join a Windows Server to a domain, you may need to request that the network team open certain firewall rules. The network requirements for this process can be complex and may vary depending on your specific environment. After joining a domain, especially in a new…

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  • How to Create MySQL Databases & Tables

    Setting up MySQL databases and tables is a foundational skill for database administrators and developers. Whether you’re using Windows, Linux, or a cloud environment, this guide is aimed to help you create databases and tables in MySQL. Topics covered: > Create a MySQL Database> The USE DATABASE Command>…

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  • How to Remove Old Windows Upgrade Files

    When your machine is upgraded to a newer version of Windows, it leaves behind the C:\Windows.old directory. This folder contains backups of the previous Windows version and can take up significant disk space. Important Note:The Windows.old folder allows you to roll back to the previous Windows version. If…

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  • Installing MySQL 8.0 on Windows

    A simple run-through of installing MySQL Community Server 8.0, including MySQL Workbench on Windows. Don’t forget to checkout the MySQL Installation documentation, and here’s a link to prerequisites. Installing MySQL Open the MySQL installer exe as downloaded from the link above. Accept License Agreement and Next. I would…

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  • Adding & Removing SQL Features via Command

    This post will guide you on how to add and remove features from SQL Server via the command line. The process includes checking installed features, installing a new feature (such as replication), and uninstalling a feature when no longer needed. The following areas will be covered within this…

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  • Install/Uninstall SQL Server via Command

    This is a post on installing SQL Server via command; I have a Windows Server 2016 Core running on a local Hyper-V test environment, and I’m installing SQL Server 2019, then uninstalling it. There’s 4 parts to this one;# Download a SQL Server ISO. # Mount the ISO…

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  • Configuring Windows Server Core

    Windows Server Core is the CLI only version of the Windows OS. This post is a run-through of configuring a new Windows Server 2016 Core host, detailed in the following steps; # Installing Windows Server 2016 Core. # (CLI) Changing a Windows Server Hostname.# (CLI) Amending TCP/IP &…

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  • Joining a Windows Host to a Domain

    This post contains a demo of joining a Windows Server onto a test Domain, which I created in my previous post (Installing Active Directory on Windows Server 2016). Joining a Windows Computer to Active Directory Domain Services is required in 99% of Corporate environments, and is usually a…

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  • Installing Active Directory on Windows Server 2016

    This post contains a demo installation of Active Directory Domain Services on Windows Server 2016. It follows a previous post for a series of test lab configuration posts. Microsoft docs on installing AD on Windows Server can be found here: Install Active Directory Domain Services Configuring a Windows…

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