Make DFS use FQDN

First, remove the server from the Namespaces

Launch powershell as an admin and run this:

Dfsutil.exe server registry dfsdnsconfig set <ServerName>



Reboot the server



Add to the namespace, if configured correctly, the server path will show up \\<ServerName>.<Domain> under the path in Folder Targets.

I recently added a third server to the DFS, and it didn't show up with .domain in the folder targets.  It did show up with its FQDN in Namespace Servers.

If your server is not displaying its FQDN in folder targets, and you've already followed the above steps, go to Replication, and go to the Replication Group.  Select the Replicated Folders tab, right click the folders, removing them from the namespace, right click and add them back.  Boom, server.domain FQDN populates for the new server.

Remove and prevent Windows 8 apps from installing on new profiles

Using Windows 8 in a network environment is annoying.  Its a decent OS, I mean, it works fine enough.  But the fact that it auto installs apps for every user is annoying to say the least.  Every time a new person logs into the computer it sets up a bunch of news and food apps that use the network.
Uninstalling them from a specific user account is easy enough, simply right click the tile and remove.  But the next person that logs in gets all the apps again... Until I found this gem of the internet:
http://news.softpedia.com/news/How-to-Remove-All-Pre-Installed-Windows-8-Metro-Apps-328110.shtml

Get-AppXProvisionedPackage -online | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage –online

Log in with a new user, it'll do the "Hi...... lets get started...." etc etc, but it won't install any apps.

Combine this with Go to the Desktop instead of Start (go to desktop, right click task bar, Properties, Navigation, check "When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop.") and you have a pretty normal windows OS.

Updates:
You have to run powershell as admin.
This also works in Windows 10

VMWare machine, CD/DVD drive connecting

I was setting up a new machine, attaching an ISO to the CD/DVD of the virtual machine.  I switched to another ISO and it got stuck in a (connecting) status.  Restarting the virtual machine didn't help, I had to close all the way out of vSphere, when I reconnected I was able to add the ISO and image the virtual machine.

Missing Site Actions button in sharepoint

For me, my user wasn't in the Owners group.  Some sites would come up with Site Actions, some wouldn't.  Once I put myself in the Owners group I had full access and Site Actions appeared on every page.