I recently encountered a Windows 10 KMS (Key Management Service) activation issue reported by a customer. The problem was evident from the screenshot provided, where the device displayed an "Activation Required" message on the desktop. The Issue The activation issue was reported from a remote system, and unfortunately, there wasn’t much information on whether the devices at the customer’s site were activated using KMS or MAK (Multiple Activation Key). Given the limited details and the fact that these devices are managed through SCCM/SCCM, I decided to leverage SCCM’s scripting capabilities to investigate the activation status. Activation Methods Overview If you're…
Author: Eswar Koneti
This blog post details the troubleshooting steps taken to resolve an issue where a co-managed device wasn't enrolling successfully in Microsoft Intune. The user wasn't able to access applications through the Company Portal, receiving a message about belonging to another organization. "This device is already set up in another organization. Contact company support." Despite the device being co-managed and all workloads transitioned to Intune, the error persisted. Here's a step-by-step breakdown of the investigation and resolution process. Check Device Status in Intune Console The first step was to verify the device's status in the Intune console. I noted that there…
In a recent project, I was involved in migrating endpoint workloads from SCCM/ConfigMgr to Microsoft Intune. A key part of this migration was transferring the Windows Update for Business (WUfB) workload to Intune, with the goal of managing Windows updates exclusively through Intune. However, after migrating the WUfB workload to Intune, I noticed that some devices continued to receive patches from SCCM. This discrepancy occurs because you will need to configure and assign update rings in Intune otherwise, SCCM will still manage the Windows update patching. To determine whether a device’s Windows patching is controlled by SCCM or Intune, you…
Two years ago, I wrote an article on how to disable or enable the auto-start feature of the classic Microsoft Teams application on Windows devices using Group Policy (GPO). For more details, please refer to my previous post: How to Disable or Enable Auto-Start of Teams Application Using GPO. With the release of the new Microsoft Teams, many of my blog readers have asked how to disable the auto-start feature for this updated version. Since the methods used for the classic Teams no longer apply, this blog post explores various options for managing auto-start with the new Teams. Managing Auto-Start…
Managing user profiles on shared or newly built Windows devices can be challenging, especially when dealing with stale profiles that haven't been active for a while. This need arises in various scenarios: For customers using Microsoft Intune, there’s a streamlined way to handle this issue. For customers using Microsoft Intune, there’s a streamlined way to handle this issue. If you are not using Intune to manage your endpoints yet (if co-managed, make sure the device configuration workload is moved to Intune), you can still leverage GPO to do the same. Here’s a step-by-step guide to leveraging Intune for automatically deleting…
During a recent Windows 11 migration project for a customer, I encountered some challenges using Intune (WUfB) to upgrade devices. As part of my troubleshooting efforts (collecting the windows device logs), mostly conducted remotely, I encountered an unexpected issue with the traditional Windows Update command-line tool, WUAUCLT.exe, which was no longer effective on Windows 10 and later versions. After looking into the issue, I discovered that WUAUCLT.exe has been replaced by USOClient.exe (Update Session Orchestrator Client). This newer tool serves to force scans, downloads, and installations of updates, essential for effective troubleshooting. For instance, I utilized the command-line switch USOClient.exe…
The term "Chassis Type" refers to the physical form factor or case design of computer hardware. Essentially, it defines the shape, size, and overall configuration of the computer enclosure that houses all internal components. This specification is crucial as it determines the design and compatibility of the components that can be accommodated within the system. Where Chassis Type Information is Stored: On Windows devices, details regarding the chassis type are stored within the WMI class "Win32_SystemEnclosure". For those unfamiliar, WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) provides a comprehensive infrastructure for managing and querying system data on Windows operating systems. You can deeper…
Exporting entra ID group members (transitivemember) with PowerShell: Recently, while working with Intune deployments, I was asked to extract devices from a specific group into a CSV format. This task seemed straightforward, but the problem arose when attempting to gather all members, including those within nested groups. While the Intune or Entra ID portal offers a convenient option to export members using direct members, bulk operations, and a simple click on "Download members," it falls short when it comes to exporting devices associated with nested groups. This limitation spurred the exploration of alternative methods, leading to the discovery of PowerShell…