Month: October 2024
Creating an Agent in SharePoint that Spans Multiple Sources – Copilot Snacks
I have been demonstrating the creation of an Agent in SharePoint to customers ever since it became available to me in Preview. Creating an Agent for a Document Library is quick, easy, and above all POWERFUL in its ability to unlock information in a way that search never could. Showing this though has led to the inevitable question… “what if I want to include multiple sources or libraries?”
In the Copilot Snack Video, I walk you through the setup of an Agent in SharePoint, the extending of the agent to additional sources, and the customizing of the suggested prompts to better reflect the purpose of the Agent. Finally, I show quickly sharing the agent as a link and making that link available on a SharePoint home page.
Resources:
Check out ALL the Copilot Snacks published to Date
Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2: AI Innovations in SharePoint and OneDrive – Microsoft Community Hub
Create and share Microsoft Copilot agents in SharePoint in Microsoft 365, in a few clicks
Supercharge your business with agents built with Microsoft Copilot Studio | Microsoft Copilot Blog
Microsoft 365 Copilot – Microsoft Adoption
Thanks for visiting – Michael Gannotti LinkedIn
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Microsoft AI Summit 31.10.
Microsoft AI Summit 31.10. online-versiona
Lämpimästi tervetuloa maistamaan tekoälyn satoa vuoden suurimpaan alan tapahtumaan Microsoft AI Summit Finlandiin 31.10. Luvassa on ajankohtaiset keynote-puheenvuorot: HUSin Matti Bergendahl, SOK:n Hannu Krook ja Microsoftin Mervi Airaksinen ja Teemu Vidgren. Iltapäivän liiketoiminnan ohjelmalinjassa Nokian, YIT:n, HUSin, Spondan ja Metson edustajat kertovat konkreettisin esimerkein tekoälyn hyödyntämisestä liiketoiminnassaan. Tekninen ohjelmalinja sukeltaa syvemmälle tekoälysovellusten rakentamiseen.
Mitä: Microsoft AI Summit Finland
Milloin: torstaina 31.10.2024 klo 9.10-16.00
Missä: Online
Ohjelmalinja liiketoimintapäättäjille
Ohjelmalinja tekniselle yleisölle
Tässä digitaalisessa ohjelmalinjassa sukelletaan tekoälytransformaatioon liiketoiminnassa asiakasesimerkkien kautta.
Tässä digitaalisessa ohjelmalinjassa pääset keynote-puheenvuorojen lisäksi sukeltamaan syvemmälle tekoälysovellusten rakentamiseen.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Automating Azure Monitor VM Insights Deployment with Python and Azure Functions
Real-time deployment of VM Insights
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, the need for automatic and scalable solutions for real-time deployment has never been greater. As many organizations rely on virtual machines as an underlying compute layer, implementing an effective observability strategy becomes essential to ensure optimal performance and reliability. With a solid observability framework, businesses can gain critical insights into their infrastructure, enabling them to identify and address issues before they impact service delivery. In other words, it’s important for customers to adopt a more proactive approach rather than a reactive one.
Azure Monitor VM Insights offer powerful capabilities for achieving this level of visibility. The easy enablement of VM Insights empowers organizations to monitor their VMs in real-time, providing actionable data and analytics that drive informed decision-making. By leveraging these tools, businesses can enhance their observability strategy, ensuring that their infrastructure remains resilient, efficient, and responsive to evolving demands.
source: Chart performance with VM insights – Azure Monitor | Microsoft Learn
Table of contents:
Introduction to Azure Monitor
Practical implementation of the solution
How to get started
Security considerations
Limitations & Future Enhancements
Resources
1. Introduction to Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor is a comprehensive solution for collecting and analyzing monitoring data from cloud and on-premises environments, enabling full stack observability and enhancing availability and performance. It aggregates data from various layers across multiple Azure and non-Azure environments, storing it in Azure for central analysis and visualization. For analysis, tools like Azure Monitor Metrics (for real-time metrics) and Log Analytics Workspace (for querying and analyzing logs) can be leveraged.
1.1 VM Insights
In the remainder of the article, the focus will be on Virtual Machine monitoring using VM Insights. The latter is a powerful feature within Azure Monitor that provides deep visibility into the performance and health of your virtual machines. It provides an easy and efficient way to begin monitoring client workloads on your virtual machines and virtual machine scale sets. VM Insights supports Windows and Linux operating systems on:
Azure Virtual Machines.
Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets.
Hybrid Virtual Machines connected with Azure Arc.
On-premises Virtual Machines.
Virtual Machines hosted in another cloud environment.
VM Insights offers you a set of predefined workbooks and curated visualizations that will allow you to do performance monitoring as well as analyze dependencies using the Map feature giving you a better understanding of the application components in your VM.
To enable VM Insights, please refer to the following documentation: Enable VM Insights overview – Azure Monitor | Microsoft Learn.
1.2 Azure Monitor Agent
As explained in the documentation, VM Insights is using an two different agents in the background, the Azure Monitor Agent and the Dependency Agent. The former will collect data from the machine and store it in a Log Analytics Workspace in Azure. The dependency agent, on the other hand, relies on the Azure Monitor Agent and captures data about processes running on the virtual machine and external process dependencies.
The data captured by the Azure Monitor Agent is being used by Performance Dashboards, e.g., CPU Utilization and Memory Usage. Data captured by the Dependency Agent is used by the Map feature in VM Insights.
1.3 Data Collection Rules
After the Agents are being installed on the machine, the next step is to deploy the Data Collection Rules. The Data Collection Rules are used by the Azure Monitor agent to specify which data to collect and how it should be processed. To make this connection, you would need to associate the machine with the Azure Monitor Agent running with the Data Collection Rule, as shown in the picture below.
Source: Data collection rules in Azure Monitor – Azure Monitor | Microsoft Learn
2. Practical implementation of the solution
The goal of the solution is to automate the enablement of VM Insights on virtual machines. For this, multiple tools are being used:
Azure Functions using Event Grid Trigger
Event Grid System Topic
Python scripting
Visual Studio Code for development and local testing
The architecture of the solution looks as follows:
The main component of this architecture is the Python script, which will execute the following high-level steps:
Authentication to Azure using a Service Principal
Assess environment and retrieve machines
Enable system-assigned managed identity on the discovered machines
Deploy Azure Monitor Agent & optionally the Dependency Agent
Associate the machine with the VM Insights Data Collection Rule
Next, to fully automate the process, the above steps will be applied automatically every time a new machine is deployed or enabled via Arc, eliminating the need for manual intervention. To do this, the Python script is deployed to an Azure Function app using an Event Grid Trigger.
Azure Functions is linked to an Event Grid System Topic that subscribes to virtual machine creation events at the subscription level. This means that every time a new virtual machine is deployed or enabled via Arc, an event is generated and captured by the Event Grid System Topic. This event then triggers the Azure Functions to execute the Python script.
More information about the tools can be found here:
Azure Functions Overview | Microsoft Learn
Azure Event Grid bindings for Azure Functions | Microsoft Learn
Create a Python function using Visual Studio Code – Azure Functions | Microsoft Learn
System topics in Azure Event Grid – Azure Event Grid | Microsoft Learn
Apps & service principals in Microsoft Entra ID – Microsoft identity platform | Microsoft Learn
3. How to get started
If you would like to test the solution in your own environment, please refer to the step-by-step tutorial available in this GitHub repository: claestom/AMA-deployment—DCR-association–Linux-Windows- (github.com).
The repository provides detailed guidance to:
Prerequisites
Configure your local environment
Create the Data Collection Rule
Configure the required permissions
Local testing of the script before deploying to Azure
Configure your environment in Azure
Azure Functions
Event Grid System Topic
Deployment of the script to Azure
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from azure.identity import ClientSecretCredential
from azure.mgmt.subscription import SubscriptionClient
from azure.mgmt.compute import ComputeManagementClient
from azure.mgmt.monitor import MonitorManagementClient
from azure.mgmt.monitor.models import DataCollectionRuleAssociationProxyOnlyResource
from azure.mgmt.resource import ResourceManagementClient
from azure.core.exceptions import HttpResponseError
from azure.mgmt.compute.models import VirtualMachineIdentity, ResourceIdentityType
load_dotenv()
# Retrieve the credentials from environment variables
TENANT_ID = os.getenv(“TENANT_ID”)
CLIENT_ID = os.getenv(“CLIENT_ID”)
CLIENT_SECRET = os.getenv(“CLIENT_SECRET”)
DATA_COLLECTION_RULE_ID = os.getenv(“DATA_COLLECTION_RULE_ID”)
# Tag key/value pairs
VM_TAG = [“”, “”]
SUBSCRIPTION_TAG = [“”, “”]
# Dependency agent installation
DEP_AGENT = True
def enable_system_assigned_identity(resource_group_name, vm_name, subscription_id, credential):
compute_client = ComputeManagementClient(credential, subscription_id)
vm = compute_client.virtual_machines.get(resource_group_name, vm_name)
if vm.identity and vm.identity.type == ResourceIdentityType.system_assigned:
print(f”VM: {vm_name} already has a system-assigned managed identity enabled. Proceeding with the script.”)
else:
print(f”Enabling system-assigned managed identity for VM: {vm_name}”)
vm.identity = VirtualMachineIdentity(type=ResourceIdentityType.system_assigned)
async_vm_update = compute_client.virtual_machines.begin_create_or_update(resource_group_name, vm_name, vm)
async_vm_update.result()
print(f”System-assigned managed identity enabled for VM: {vm_name}”)
def check_tag_subscription(subscription_id, credential):
resource_client = ResourceManagementClient(credential, subscription_id)
subscription_tags = resource_client.tags.get_at_scope(f”/subscriptions/{subscription_id}”)
tags = subscription_tags.properties.tags
if tags.get(SUBSCRIPTION_TAG[0]) == SUBSCRIPTION_TAG[1] or all(element == “” for element in SUBSCRIPTION_TAG):
print(f”Subscription {subscription_id} has the required tags. Proceeding.”)
return True
else:
print(f”Subscription {subscription_id} does not have the required tags. Skipping”)
return False
def install_ama_extension(compute_client, extension_name, vm, vm_name, resource_group):
extension_parameters = {
“location”: vm.location,
“publisher”: “Microsoft.Azure.Monitor”,
“type”: extension_name,
“type_handler_version”: “1.10”,
“auto_upgrade_minor_version”: True,
“settings”: {}
}
extensions_result = compute_client.virtual_machine_extensions.list(resource_group, vm_name)
extensions = extensions_result.value # Access the list of extensions
if not extensions or all(extension.name != extension_name for extension in extensions):
print(f”No {extension_name} extension found on VM {vm_name}. Proceeding with installation.”)
try:
compute_client.virtual_machine_extensions.begin_create_or_update(
resource_group_name=resource_group,
vm_name=vm_name,
vm_extension_name=extension_name,
extension_parameters=extension_parameters
).result()
print(f”{extension_name} installed on VM {vm_name}.”)
except HttpResponseError as e:
print(f”Failed to install {extension_name} on VM {vm_name}. Error: {e}. Potential issue with the VM’s OS.”)
else:
print(f”{extension_name} already installed on VM {vm_name}.”)
def install_map_extension(compute_client, extension_name, vm, vm_name, resource_group):
extension_parameters = {
“apiVersion” : “2015-01-01”,
“location”: vm.location,
“publisher”: “Microsoft.Azure.Monitoring.DependencyAgent”,
“type”: extension_name,
“type_handler_version”: “9.10”,
“auto_upgrade_minor_version”: True,
“settings”: {“enableAMA”: “true”}
}
extensions_result = compute_client.virtual_machine_extensions.list(resource_group, vm_name)
extensions = extensions_result.value # Access the list of extensions
if not extensions or all(extension.name != extension_name for extension in extensions):
print(f”No {extension_name} found on VM {vm_name}. Proceeding with installation.”)
try:
compute_client.virtual_machine_extensions.begin_create_or_update(
resource_group_name=resource_group,
vm_name=vm_name,
vm_extension_name=extension_name,
extension_parameters=extension_parameters
).result()
print(f”{extension_name} installed on VM {vm_name}.”)
except HttpResponseError as e:
print(f”Failed to install {extension_name} on VM {vm_name}. Error: {e}”)
else:
print(f”{extension_name} already installed on VM {vm_name}.”)
def associate_data_collection_rule(monitor_client, vm, vm_name):
association_parameters = DataCollectionRuleAssociationProxyOnlyResource(
data_collection_rule_id=DATA_COLLECTION_RULE_ID,
description=”Data Collection Rule Association”
)
try:
monitor_client.data_collection_rule_associations.create(
resource_uri=vm.id,
association_name=vm_name,
body=association_parameters
)
print(f”VM {vm_name} associated with Data Collection Rule.”)
except HttpResponseError as e:
print(f”Failed to associate VM {vm_name} with Data Collection Rule. Error: {e}”)
def process_vm(vm, compute_client, monitor_client, subscription_id, credential):
vm_name = vm.name
resource_group = vm.id.split(“/”)[4]
instance_view = compute_client.virtual_machines.instance_view(resource_group, vm_name)
is_running = any(status.code == ‘PowerState/running’ for status in instance_view.statuses)
if not is_running:
print(f”VM {vm_name} is not running. Skipping.”)
return
print(f”VM {vm_name} is running. Proceeding with installation of Azure Monitor agent.”)
tags = vm.tags
os_profile = vm.os_profile
if tags and tags.get(VM_TAG[0]) == VM_TAG[1] or all(element == “” for element in VM_TAG):
enable_system_assigned_identity(resource_group, vm.name, subscription_id, credential)
if os_profile.windows_configuration and DEP_AGENT:
install_ama_extension(compute_client, “AzureMonitorWindowsAgent”, vm, vm_name, resource_group)
install_map_extension(compute_client, “DependencyAgentWindows”, vm, vm_name, resource_group)
elif os_profile.windows_configuration and not DEP_AGENT:
install_ama_extension(compute_client, “AzureMonitorWindowsAgent”, vm, vm_name, resource_group)
elif os_profile.linux_configuration and DEP_AGENT:
install_ama_extension(compute_client, “AzureMonitorLinuxAgent”, vm, vm_name, resource_group)
install_map_extension(compute_client, “DependencyAgentLinux”, vm, vm_name, resource_group)
elif os_profile.linux_configuration and not DEP_AGENT:
install_ama_extension(compute_client, “AzureMonitorLinuxAgent”, vm, vm_name, resource_group)
else:
print(f”VM {vm_name} has an unsupported OS. Skipping.”)
return
associate_data_collection_rule(monitor_client, vm, vm_name)
else:
print(f”VM {vm_name} does not have the required tags. Skipping.”)
def process_subscription(subscription, credential):
subscription_id = subscription.subscription_id
print(f”Processing subscription: {subscription_id}”)
compute_client = ComputeManagementClient(credential, subscription_id)
monitor_client = MonitorManagementClient(credential, subscription_id)
for vm in compute_client.virtual_machines.list_all():
process_vm(vm, compute_client, monitor_client, subscription_id, credential)
def main():
# Authenticate using the service principal
credential = ClientSecretCredential(tenant_id=TENANT_ID, client_id=CLIENT_ID, client_secret=CLIENT_SECRET)
# Get a list of subscriptions
subscription_client = SubscriptionClient(credential)
for subscription in subscription_client.subscriptions.list():
if check_tag_subscription(subscription.subscription_id, credential) or all(element == “” for element in SUBSCRIPTION_TAG):
process_subscription(subscription, credential)
if __name__ == “__main__”:
main()
4. Security considerations
This solution relies on client secrets for authentication via the Service Principal and App Registration. To uphold robust security, our system enforces the expiration and periodic renewal of these critical credentials, mitigating potential vulnerabilities. It is essential to maintain vigilant monitoring to proactively detect and address any issues stemming from expired secrets, thereby avoiding disruptions to the solution’s functionality.
To achieve this, there are several options using Azure services to regularly check the expiration of the credentials:
Renew expiring service principal credentials recommendation – Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn
Use Azure Logic Apps to Notify of Pending AAD Application Client Secrets and Certificate Expirations – Microsoft Community Hub
In the solution as well, the System-Assigned Managed Identity is being enabled on the machines to make sure the data gets ingested into the VM Insights dashboards and dependency map. This is fine for test and development environments, however, when moving into production, it’s recommended to switch to User-Assigned Managed Identity as illustrated in following article: Best practice recommendations for managed system identities – Managed identities for Azure resources | Microsoft Learn.
5. Limitations & Future Enhancements
This section will cover the current limitations of the solution, as well as the features in development.
First, regarding compliance checks of the environment: goal is to automatically receive a compliance report. This includes information such as the percentage of non-compliant virtual machines and a list of those machines.
To improve the script’s performance and speed, an asynchronous check for the discovered virtual machines will be added. Currently, each subscription and virtual machine is processed synchronously.
Another limitation is in the filtering capabilities. At present, users can only filter by subscription and resource level using tagging. In the future, it would be valuable to introduce filtering mechanisms based on workload characteristics, such as identifying idle or unused machines.
Lastly, the solution is limited to Azure Virtual Machines and Azure Arc-enabled Virtual Machines, meaning only Virtual Machines recognized in the Azure portal. We are working on extending this to non-Azure Arc Virtual Machines. The approach would be like the current flow, but instead of using the Event Grid Trigger within Azure to activate Azure Functions, we could use an HTTP trigger. This would allow Azure Functions to be triggered from outside Azure via HTTP requests. However, some code modifications are still needed.
If you have any new feature ideas or remarks, feel free to raise issues or submit pull requests (PRs) in the GitHub repository!
6. Resources
claestom/AMA-deployment—DCR-association–Linux-Windows- (github.com)
Use the Azure libraries (SDK) for Python – Python on Azure | Microsoft Learn
Azure Monitor Agent overview – Azure Monitor | Microsoft Learn
Data collection rules in Azure Monitor – Azure Monitor | Microsoft Learn
What is VM insights? – Azure Monitor | Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Windows 11 versus Windows 10
Hello,
We have set up the following firewall rules which work perfectly on Windows 10 but not on Windows 11 :
Public/private profile :
– Inbound – block
– Outboud – Allow
Domain profile :
– Inbound – block
– Outboud – Allow
– Rule : Any-Any – Allow
When the Global Protect VPN goes up, we change the profile to ‘domain, private’.
And no more flows go through.
Why is there a difference in behaviour between Windows 10 and Windows 11?
How can we address our use case?
Best Regards
Hello,We have set up the following firewall rules which work perfectly on Windows 10 but not on Windows 11 :Public/private profile :- Inbound – block- Outboud – AllowDomain profile :- Inbound – block- Outboud – Allow- Rule : Any-Any – Allow When the Global Protect VPN goes up, we change the profile to ‘domain, private’.And no more flows go through. Why is there a difference in behaviour between Windows 10 and Windows 11?How can we address our use case? Best Regards Read More
Problem with Time Zones
I use bookings to arrange meetings with students. Often, students schedule a meeting and it appears to them in a different time zone, even though we are geographically in the same place. Perhaps they have a different time zone set somewhere in a Microsoft app, or perhaps the default when signing up for a meeting as a guest is somehow set to a different time zone–what ever the case, there seems to be a problem with default time zones for students. My time zones are all set to Eastern time across Bookings and Outlook. This issue is causing me (and my 12 colleagues) significant scheduling problems as we need to schedule hundreds of meetings with students.
When I search for solutions in community postings, it seems like selecting “Always show time slots in business time zone” would solve our problem. But this option does not appear in my Bookings setting anywhere that I can find. I have tried to follow step by step processes from Microsoft help pages, but the settings menus in the tutorials do not look like mine.
If it is helpful to know, I use an Apple MacBook Air M3; I access my Bookings page through Teams and my Firefox browser; and I use Outlook through the app.
I use bookings to arrange meetings with students. Often, students schedule a meeting and it appears to them in a different time zone, even though we are geographically in the same place. Perhaps they have a different time zone set somewhere in a Microsoft app, or perhaps the default when signing up for a meeting as a guest is somehow set to a different time zone–what ever the case, there seems to be a problem with default time zones for students. My time zones are all set to Eastern time across Bookings and Outlook. This issue is causing me (and my 12 colleagues) significant scheduling problems as we need to schedule hundreds of meetings with students. When I search for solutions in community postings, it seems like selecting “Always show time slots in business time zone” would solve our problem. But this option does not appear in my Bookings setting anywhere that I can find. I have tried to follow step by step processes from Microsoft help pages, but the settings menus in the tutorials do not look like mine. If it is helpful to know, I use an Apple MacBook Air M3; I access my Bookings page through Teams and my Firefox browser; and I use Outlook through the app. Read More
SQL servers on machines AMA Not Reflected In Resource Count
I have enabled SQL servers on machines at a subscription level:
I can see that the protection has been enabled on the SQL virtual machine resources within the subscription:
I can also see the ATP and Scan status data being ingested into the configured Log Analytics workspace as well as vulnerability assessment results on the SQL virtual machine under Microsoft Defender for Cloud so all seems to be working.
The issue is that Defender is not reflecting Resource quantity:
Is anyone able to advise why this would be the case and how I can go about getting this to update?
I am using the custom Log Analytics workspace option which is situated in a different subscription.
I have also noted that a subscription with the legacy Log Analytics agent solution for the SQL servers on machines seems to reflect the Resource quantity correctly, could this be the difference?
I have enabled SQL servers on machines at a subscription level: I can see that the protection has been enabled on the SQL virtual machine resources within the subscription: I can also see the ATP and Scan status data being ingested into the configured Log Analytics workspace as well as vulnerability assessment results on the SQL virtual machine under Microsoft Defender for Cloud so all seems to be working. The issue is that Defender is not reflecting Resource quantity: Is anyone able to advise why this would be the case and how I can go about getting this to update? I am using the custom Log Analytics workspace option which is situated in a different subscription. I have also noted that a subscription with the legacy Log Analytics agent solution for the SQL servers on machines seems to reflect the Resource quantity correctly, could this be the difference? Read More
Excel not processing times in a way that can be used to calculate totals
I’ve received data from a 3rd party regarding incoming calls to my organisation.
I’ve sorted the data and tried to use it in a pivot & Power BI but neither recognise the call duration time.
I’ve tried formatting the cells to a standard time as well as several custom ones but nothing helps.
The only way I’ve found to get it to recognise it is by retyping it, but i have several thousand entries and I’d, obviously, prefer not to rewrite them all by hand.
Has anyone else had, and hopefully, solved this issue?
Details:
The format is 00:00:00.
Custom formats tried: hh:mm:ss, mm:ss, [h]:mm:ss, [h]:mm
I’ve received data from a 3rd party regarding incoming calls to my organisation.I’ve sorted the data and tried to use it in a pivot & Power BI but neither recognise the call duration time.I’ve tried formatting the cells to a standard time as well as several custom ones but nothing helps.The only way I’ve found to get it to recognise it is by retyping it, but i have several thousand entries and I’d, obviously, prefer not to rewrite them all by hand. Has anyone else had, and hopefully, solved this issue? Details:The format is 00:00:00.Custom formats tried: hh:mm:ss, mm:ss, [h]:mm:ss, [h]:mm Read More
Remove from security portal
Hello!
This may be a really stupid question. We have a device which keeps popping up in the Defender portal as having hack tools installed.
We believe this belonged to an old consultant and somehow this got installed on their device a long time ago (it has no access to 365 and is not compliant but installed via intune I am guessing when they tried to add it)
We have no access to the device, and cant seem to remove it as it keeps popping up again with alerts for the hack tool each day.
It is MDE managed and not intune managed so cant use the intune methods. Absolutely no access or control over the end device.
Any ideas how to get this off of our defender portal? We dont own the device, have any responsibility over it or even know who owns it.
Thanks
Chris
Hello! This may be a really stupid question. We have a device which keeps popping up in the Defender portal as having hack tools installed. We believe this belonged to an old consultant and somehow this got installed on their device a long time ago (it has no access to 365 and is not compliant but installed via intune I am guessing when they tried to add it) We have no access to the device, and cant seem to remove it as it keeps popping up again with alerts for the hack tool each day. It is MDE managed and not intune managed so cant use the intune methods. Absolutely no access or control over the end device.Any ideas how to get this off of our defender portal? We dont own the device, have any responsibility over it or even know who owns it. ThanksChris Read More
Can not access “Services & Subscriptions” in MS Account
Hi everyone!
I’m quite frustrated after a recent support chat. The agent made some claims I find hard to believe, and then he suddenly went silent. Has anyone else experienced this issue?
In short:
I’m locked out of “Services and Subscriptions” in my Microsoft account. This happened yesterday (late September). I can see my order history, but not my subscriptions. I paid for my subscription on September 20th (order number: 7c99b924-a0dd-4a1e-8eb2-f4b084c2ef22).
I only have one Microsoft account, so I definitely haven’t tried logging in with the wrong one. I’ve logged out and in repeatedly, tried logging in from another device, and even changed my password, all to no avail. I receive an error message with the following trace ID: 6zmndLoC10ypInto.35.246.
During my previous support interaction, the agent said my account looked “jibberich.” He did send me a link to download the Office apps, which are working fine. Unfortunately, I had to end that conversation two weeks ago due to work commitments.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Chat Log with Microsoft Support
13:22
Bot WC: Abhishek
Bot WC: Hi there! Thank you for contacting us. My name is Abhishek and I’m a Microsoft Ambassador. To maximize your support experience, please refrain from closing this browser on your end, and stay in front of the computer all the time. For your security, avoid sharing sensitive information like product keys, passwords, and credit card information in this chat. I am sending you an email with a rejoin link that will lead you back to this conversation right away. How may I assist you today?
13:25
You: I have described the issue before you entered the chat 😊
13:27
Bot WC: As per my understanding you are facing an issue that you are not able to sign in to services and subscription page. Correct me if I am Wrong.
13:28
You: I can log into my account, but I am unable to access sections “services” and “Subscription”
13:31
Bot WC: Thank you for sharing your concern, so I would like to inform you that there is some bug going on with the Microsoft web page that is causing an issue with opening of Services and subscription. So please do not worry our team is working on this the issue will be fixed soon.
13:32
You: Are you saying this has been ongoing for three weeks?
13:33
Bot WC: Yes, some of the customers who are facing this issue… the issue will be fixed for everyone.
13:34
You: Ok, although I find it hard to believe that MS365 subscribers have been unable to download office apps for three weeks and not a word in tech media.
13:37
Bot WC: If you want, I can share a link to Download the Microsoft 365 Application.
13:39
You: Thank you but I got it from the guy I talked to a couple of weeks ago. (I was transferred to an expert team). He said my MS account didn’t make sense – How can a problem with the webpage make my account look “Jibberisch”?
After that I did not hear anything more from support.
Screenshot from my MS Account Page
Hi everyone!I’m quite frustrated after a recent support chat. The agent made some claims I find hard to believe, and then he suddenly went silent. Has anyone else experienced this issue?In short:I’m locked out of “Services and Subscriptions” in my Microsoft account. This happened yesterday (late September). I can see my order history, but not my subscriptions. I paid for my subscription on September 20th (order number: 7c99b924-a0dd-4a1e-8eb2-f4b084c2ef22).I only have one Microsoft account, so I definitely haven’t tried logging in with the wrong one. I’ve logged out and in repeatedly, tried logging in from another device, and even changed my password, all to no avail. I receive an error message with the following trace ID: 6zmndLoC10ypInto.35.246.During my previous support interaction, the agent said my account looked “jibberich.” He did send me a link to download the Office apps, which are working fine. Unfortunately, I had to end that conversation two weeks ago due to work commitments.Any help would be greatly appreciated!Chat Log with Microsoft Support13:22Bot WC: AbhishekBot WC: Hi there! Thank you for contacting us. My name is Abhishek and I’m a Microsoft Ambassador. To maximize your support experience, please refrain from closing this browser on your end, and stay in front of the computer all the time. For your security, avoid sharing sensitive information like product keys, passwords, and credit card information in this chat. I am sending you an email with a rejoin link that will lead you back to this conversation right away. How may I assist you today? 13:25You: I have described the issue before you entered the chat 😊13:27Bot WC: As per my understanding you are facing an issue that you are not able to sign in to services and subscription page. Correct me if I am Wrong.13:28You: I can log into my account, but I am unable to access sections “services” and “Subscription”13:31Bot WC: Thank you for sharing your concern, so I would like to inform you that there is some bug going on with the Microsoft web page that is causing an issue with opening of Services and subscription. So please do not worry our team is working on this the issue will be fixed soon.13:32You: Are you saying this has been ongoing for three weeks?13:33Bot WC: Yes, some of the customers who are facing this issue… the issue will be fixed for everyone.13:34You: Ok, although I find it hard to believe that MS365 subscribers have been unable to download office apps for three weeks and not a word in tech media.13:37Bot WC: If you want, I can share a link to Download the Microsoft 365 Application.13:39You: Thank you but I got it from the guy I talked to a couple of weeks ago. (I was transferred to an expert team). He said my MS account didn’t make sense – How can a problem with the webpage make my account look “Jibberisch”?After that I did not hear anything more from support.Screenshot from my MS Account Page Read More
I can’t seem to package Skype using MSIX Packaging Tool using the given template
Hi,
I have this Skype application with me, and a given packaging template with the following properties:
<PrepareComputer DisableWindowsSearchService=”true” DisableWindowsUpdateService=”true” />
<SaveLocation PackagePath=”C:ProgramDataToolsMSIXPackagingWorkspaceSkype Technologies S.A._Skype_8.110.0.218.msix” TemplatePath=”C:ProgramDataToolsMSIXPackagingWorkspaceSkype Technologies S.A._Skype_8.110.0.218.xml” />
<Installer Path=”C:UsersmhbDesktopSkypeSkype-8.110.0.218.exe” Arguments=”/SP- /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART” />
<PackageInformation PackageName=”Skype” PackageDisplayName=”Skype Technologies S.A._Skype_8.110.0.218″ PublisherName=”CN=AppMPackageCertv2″ PublisherDisplayName=”Skype Technologies S.A.” Version=”8.110.0.0″ p4:PackageDescription=”Description” xmlns:p4=”http://schemas.microsoft.com/msix/msixpackagingtool/template/1910″ />
But while letting the MSIX Packaging Tool run the installer, it doesn’t seem to stop and the tool keeps running indefinitely as we can see in the logs:
Even though we can see that Skype actually has installed successfully in the background…
The original installation command was:
“Skype-8.110.0.218.exe” /SP- /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART
P.S. Running the tool manually lets the installer finish successfully and I can progress to the next steps
Am I missing something?
Hi,I have this Skype application with me, and a given packaging template with the following properties: <PrepareComputer DisableWindowsSearchService=”true” DisableWindowsUpdateService=”true” />
<SaveLocation PackagePath=”C:ProgramDataToolsMSIXPackagingWorkspaceSkype Technologies S.A._Skype_8.110.0.218.msix” TemplatePath=”C:ProgramDataToolsMSIXPackagingWorkspaceSkype Technologies S.A._Skype_8.110.0.218.xml” />
<Installer Path=”C:UsersmhbDesktopSkypeSkype-8.110.0.218.exe” Arguments=”/SP- /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART” />
<PackageInformation PackageName=”Skype” PackageDisplayName=”Skype Technologies S.A._Skype_8.110.0.218″ PublisherName=”CN=AppMPackageCertv2″ PublisherDisplayName=”Skype Technologies S.A.” Version=”8.110.0.0″ p4:PackageDescription=”Description” xmlns:p4=”http://schemas.microsoft.com/msix/msixpackagingtool/template/1910″ /> But while letting the MSIX Packaging Tool run the installer, it doesn’t seem to stop and the tool keeps running indefinitely as we can see in the logs:Even though we can see that Skype actually has installed successfully in the background… The original installation command was: “Skype-8.110.0.218.exe” /SP- /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTARTP.S. Running the tool manually lets the installer finish successfully and I can progress to the next steps Am I missing something? Read More
Dismissing an update
I have this update that keeps trying to download and would like to dismiss it
I have tried wushowhide tool but it does not show up on the list
i
I have this update that keeps trying to download and would like to dismiss itI have tried wushowhide tool but it does not show up on the list i Read More
“How to Use Windows Narrator Consistently in Microsoft Edge and Chrome”
Hello Atchyut Ram Tutika,
Thank you for bringing up this issue on the Microsoft Community platform.
I see that you are encountering differences with the <mat-slide-toggle> component while using Angular on Edge and Chrome browsers. It’s great that you’re exploring various functionalities of this component.
While this particular issue may not have a solution within our community, I recommend posting it on Microsoft Learn for a more tailored response. After logging into your Microsoft account, you can click on “Ask a question” in the upper right corner to seek assistance from specialized support staff and developers who have extensive experience in development and can offer more specific guidance.
Thank you for your cooperation and continued support.
Hello Atchyut Ram Tutika, Thank you for bringing up this issue on the Microsoft Community platform. I see that you are encountering differences with the <mat-slide-toggle> component while using Angular on Edge and Chrome browsers. It’s great that you’re exploring various functionalities of this component. While this particular issue may not have a solution within our community, I recommend posting it on Microsoft Learn for a more tailored response. After logging into your Microsoft account, you can click on “Ask a question” in the upper right corner to seek assistance from specialized support staff and developers who have extensive experience in development and can offer more specific guidance. Thank you for your cooperation and continued support. Read More
Troubleshooting Code 31: Why Windows Is Unable to Load Required Drivers for This Device
Hello, we appreciate your input on this matter. It appears that you are facing a code 31 error, indicating issues with Windows loading device drivers.
To assist you effectively, could you please specify where you encountered this error – while playing a game or directly through a desktop pop-up notification? If possible, kindly provide a screenshot for reference, and I will analyze it promptly.
Initially, you may press the Windows key + x and choose Device Manager to identify any yellow error notifications. You can start by updating the drivers by right-clicking on them or sharing the screenshot here for detailed examination and tailored recommendations.
Hello, we appreciate your input on this matter. It appears that you are facing a code 31 error, indicating issues with Windows loading device drivers. To assist you effectively, could you please specify where you encountered this error – while playing a game or directly through a desktop pop-up notification? If possible, kindly provide a screenshot for reference, and I will analyze it promptly. Initially, you may press the Windows key + x and choose Device Manager to identify any yellow error notifications. You can start by updating the drivers by right-clicking on them or sharing the screenshot here for detailed examination and tailored recommendations. Read More
Monitor not recognized following update.
Thank you for reaching out in the Microsoft Community.
I see that following a recent system update, your laptop is unable to detect the display driver.
I completely empathize with the frustration of encountering this issue post-update. From the details you’ve shared, it seems like your computer is based on ARM architecture.
Although our community does not currently offer support for this specific problem, there’s no need to worry. I suggest posting your query on Microsoft Learn. Simply log in to your Microsoft account at the top right corner of the page and click on Ask a Question to submit your query.
On Microsoft Learn, you will be assisted by specialized support staff and developers who have expertise in addressing issues related to ARM architecture.
Your understanding and cooperation are greatly appreciated.
Warm regards,
Zev – MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist
Thank you for reaching out in the Microsoft Community. I see that following a recent system update, your laptop is unable to detect the display driver. I completely empathize with the frustration of encountering this issue post-update. From the details you’ve shared, it seems like your computer is based on ARM architecture. Although our community does not currently offer support for this specific problem, there’s no need to worry. I suggest posting your query on Microsoft Learn. Simply log in to your Microsoft account at the top right corner of the page and click on Ask a Question to submit your query. On Microsoft Learn, you will be assisted by specialized support staff and developers who have expertise in addressing issues related to ARM architecture. Your understanding and cooperation are greatly appreciated. Warm regards,Zev – MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist Read More
How to Open a Configuration Tab or Dialog When Clicking ‘Setup’ During App Installation on a Team
Hi, we are developing a custom Microsoft Teams application using the Microsoft Developers Portal. Our use case involves creating a Microsoft Teams bot that, when mentioned in a channel, replies to the user based on the context. Initially, we are hardcoding the responses but plan to integrate APIs to dynamically understand queries and respond accordingly.
When the app is installed, we also need to guide users through a sign-up process for our third-party platform. Also, we requires Azure AD permission consent as part of our integration. Without completing the sign-up and integration, the bot will not reply, as it not find the integration detail from our third party platform database
Currently, we want to open a dialog box that links to an external URL for the third-party platform’s sign-up page after a specific Team has been selected. To do this, we created a configurable tab in the app. The tab opens as expected, but it requires the user to click the “Set up a Tab” button. Our goal is to open the configurable tab or a dialog box with the external URL directly when the user clicks the “Setup” button during installation, without needing the “Set up a Tab” interaction.
We have seen this functionality in other apps, such as the JIRA Cloud app, which opens a dialog box when the “Setup” button is clicked during installation. Can you provide guidance or examples on how to implement this functionality in our custom app?
Thank you for your support!
Below are the screenshots what i wants to do:
Hi, we are developing a custom Microsoft Teams application using the Microsoft Developers Portal. Our use case involves creating a Microsoft Teams bot that, when mentioned in a channel, replies to the user based on the context. Initially, we are hardcoding the responses but plan to integrate APIs to dynamically understand queries and respond accordingly. When the app is installed, we also need to guide users through a sign-up process for our third-party platform. Also, we requires Azure AD permission consent as part of our integration. Without completing the sign-up and integration, the bot will not reply, as it not find the integration detail from our third party platform database Currently, we want to open a dialog box that links to an external URL for the third-party platform’s sign-up page after a specific Team has been selected. To do this, we created a configurable tab in the app. The tab opens as expected, but it requires the user to click the “Set up a Tab” button. Our goal is to open the configurable tab or a dialog box with the external URL directly when the user clicks the “Setup” button during installation, without needing the “Set up a Tab” interaction. We have seen this functionality in other apps, such as the JIRA Cloud app, which opens a dialog box when the “Setup” button is clicked during installation. Can you provide guidance or examples on how to implement this functionality in our custom app? Thank you for your support!Below are the screenshots what i wants to do: Read More
Obtained a Brown Box Icon for My Files in Dropbox on Windows 11
Greetings, I’m Virginia, a fellow user based in the UK. I’m sorry to hear that you’re facing some challenges. Could you kindly let me know which build of Windows you are using – 22H2 for Windows 10 or Windows 11, or 23H2 for Windows 11?
I understand that you are encountering issues with a box icon appearing on your files/folders. Not to worry, as I am here to provide assistance and support in resolving this matter for you.
The box icon might be related to a shortcut for ‘files on demand,’ commonly associated with OneDrive and Dropbox services.
If you notice a brown box overlaying your Windows Desktop icons, it could be due to a problem with Windows Explorer. To address this concern, you can follow these steps:
1. Press the Windows key + E.
2. Press CTRL + ALT + DEL and choose Task Manager.
3. Click on ‘More details’ to display all the apps.
4. Under the ‘Apps’ section on the Processes tab, right-click on Windows Explorer.
5. Select ‘Restart’ from the context menu.
For additional tips and information, you can visit the following links:
– Microsoft Support: [link]
– Microsoft Answers: [link]
Greetings, I’m Virginia, a fellow user based in the UK. I’m sorry to hear that you’re facing some challenges. Could you kindly let me know which build of Windows you are using – 22H2 for Windows 10 or Windows 11, or 23H2 for Windows 11? I understand that you are encountering issues with a box icon appearing on your files/folders. Not to worry, as I am here to provide assistance and support in resolving this matter for you. The box icon might be related to a shortcut for ‘files on demand,’ commonly associated with OneDrive and Dropbox services. If you notice a brown box overlaying your Windows Desktop icons, it could be due to a problem with Windows Explorer. To address this concern, you can follow these steps: 1. Press the Windows key + E.2. Press CTRL + ALT + DEL and choose Task Manager.3. Click on ‘More details’ to display all the apps.4. Under the ‘Apps’ section on the Processes tab, right-click on Windows Explorer.5. Select ‘Restart’ from the context menu. For additional tips and information, you can visit the following links: – Microsoft Support: [link]- Microsoft Answers: [link] Read More
Location Services Turned Off
I’m having a persistent issue with the Find My Device feature constantly reporting that Location Services are disabled on my laptop, despite verifying that the Location Settings are indeed switched on in my settings. This discrepancy is causing confusion, and I’m unsure of how to resolve this issue. I continuously receive instructions to navigate to my Settings app and enable Location settings, but I have double-checked that they are already turned on.
I’m having a persistent issue with the Find My Device feature constantly reporting that Location Services are disabled on my laptop, despite verifying that the Location Settings are indeed switched on in my settings. This discrepancy is causing confusion, and I’m unsure of how to resolve this issue. I continuously receive instructions to navigate to my Settings app and enable Location settings, but I have double-checked that they are already turned on. Read More
Moving the notification area to the right side of the screen: A step-by-step guide
Hello there!
Following a system restart, I notice that my notification area relocates to the right side of the screen. However, after a couple of hours, it shifts back to the left side. Is there a way to modify a setting in the system or the registry to permanently keep it on the right side?
Hello there! Following a system restart, I notice that my notification area relocates to the right side of the screen. However, after a couple of hours, it shifts back to the left side. Is there a way to modify a setting in the system or the registry to permanently keep it on the right side? Read More
NPC Resumes Random Restarts Without Warning
Greetings, my name is Dave and I’m here to assist you.
Firstly, let’s investigate if your computer generates any minidump files, which could offer clues regarding the root of the system crashes.
To start, launch Windows File Explorer.
Proceed to locate the following path: C:WindowsMinidump
Move any minidump files to your Desktop, and compress them into a zip file.
Next, upload the zip file to a cloud storage service like OneDrive or Dropbox. Share the file and obtain a shareable link.
Share the link to the zip file in this space so that we can review it for you.
Greetings, my name is Dave and I’m here to assist you. Firstly, let’s investigate if your computer generates any minidump files, which could offer clues regarding the root of the system crashes. To start, launch Windows File Explorer. Proceed to locate the following path: C:WindowsMinidump Move any minidump files to your Desktop, and compress them into a zip file. Next, upload the zip file to a cloud storage service like OneDrive or Dropbox. Share the file and obtain a shareable link. Share the link to the zip file in this space so that we can review it for you. Read More
How to query .xel log files in Azure SQL DB using T-sql
Issue
A recent issue was brought to our attention that customers could not query .xel log files in an Azure SQL DB using t-sql command. The customers complained that when they ran the command, they received column headers but no content whereas they know that there is content in the logs because they were able to open them with SSMS using Merge Extended Event Files. Here was the T-sql command used by the customer:
select * from sys.fn_get_audit_file (‘https://mydbastorage.blob.core.windows.net/sqldbauditlogs/servername/dbname/SqlDbAuditing_Audit_NoRetention/*.xel‘, NULL, NULL);
select * from sys.fn_get_audit_file (‘https://mydbastorage.blob.core.windows.net/sqldbauditlogs/servername/dbname/SqlDbAuditing_Audit_NoRetention/2023-06-29/17_20_28_*.xel‘, NULL, NULL);
Error
While no error is generated, the customers only received column headers but no data.
Permissions
Per our official documentation, CONTROL DATABASE permission is needed to query the .xel log files:
Workaround
In this case the customer confirmed he had CONTROL DATABASE permission (as noted above) on his SQL server login, however he was still unable to query the .xel files using the t-sql mentioned above. We finally recommended him to change his t-sql query slightly and he was able to successfully query the .xel log files after that. Please note that the asterisk wildcard ‘*’ doesn’t work in Azure SQL DB, hence if you use ‘*’ in your T-sql command for auditing, it won’t work. Here’s the updated T-sql command we recommended to the customer after which he was able to query the database:
select * from sys.fn_get_audit_file (‘https://mydbastorage.blob.core.windows.net/sqldbauditlogs/servername/dbname/SqlDbAuditing_Audit_NoRetention/2022-06-28/‘, NULL, NULL);
References
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More