The day to day ramblings of an IT Professional and Community Leader
For the last who-knows-how-long, Microsoft Windows users have been opting for a third-party web browser in lieu of the dreaded Internet Explorer. They went through so many versions over the years, it was almost comical. Each time they released a new version, Microsoft would tout their modern browser. Each time, the masses would snicker, claiming... Continue Reading →
It happens twice every year… Microsoft releases a new version of Windows 10. For most people, the new version will be installed for them automatically by whatever method they use for patch management… either Windows Update, or any of myriad enterprise deployment tools their organization uses to manage desktop operating systems.Unfortunately, due to a Windows... Continue Reading →
Sometimes the universe is talking to me. This weekend, for reasons I cannot recall, I was thinking about the fact that Microsoft announced that it will be deprecating Windows to Go, and that sometime this fall I would be faced with the choice of either: Keeping my supported Windows 10 v1903 Windows to Go key;... Continue Reading →
In April of 2012 I was extremely excited as I walked to the stage at an event in Redmond, Washington and did my first ever presentation on Windows to Go. I loved the idea of being able to take my installation of Windows – operating system version, applications, documents, the works – with me anywhere... Continue Reading →
It has been seven years since my buddies Raymond and Erdal and I got on stage at a conference in Redmond and demonstrated – for the first time ever to a non-NDA crowd – the functionality of Windows to Go (WTG)… and nearly four years since I picked up my Spyrus Worksafe Pro 64GB key... Continue Reading →
Once upon a time, the Windows Control Panel was an easy to navigate set of icons that consolidated in one place all of the administrative tasks we would need, both as an end user and as a desktop administrator. Things change, systems evolve. The Control Panel that we knew in Windows XP evolved, through Windows... Continue Reading →
Yes, it has actually happened. The title of this article is a callback to The Sounds of Music. My ex-girlfriend (who will not be reading this article) would be proud. On October 4th I wrote an article called Windows 10 1809: What's New. I was all excited. Two days later I wrote 1809 Recalled. Microsoft has since... Continue Reading →
By now, it is likely that I do not need to explain to you that a hardware driver is a piece of software that allows your computer (through the operating system) to communicate with a hardware component. You know that, right? Good. You are ready to install a new operating system on your computer. You do... Continue Reading →
You were all excited to upgrade your existing Windows 10 installation to the Fall 2018 update. On October 2nd you downloaded the bits to Version 1809. You installed it, using the same in-place upgrade process you have been using for years. You realize that you have lost data... crucial data... a lot of it. You... Continue Reading →
I have been writing about Windows to Go (WTG) since Windows 8 was in beta, and I have not stopped because frankly, I think it truly is an amazing tool. I have never really gone without a WTG key, but there have been times when it has been much more important… namely, when I was... Continue Reading →
This week many users were working on their computers and received a Blue Screen Of Death. It started happening right after a Windows Update cycle, so it stood to reason... right? Wrong. In this particular case, a vendor driver (I believe it was with HP) started causing issues. Not good... but not catastrophic. Why am... Continue Reading →
Before anyone gets upset, let me be clear that there is no issue with Facial Recognition in Windows 10... at least, not that I am aware of. It is not a security flaw; rather, it is a usability issue that I have with the functionality. I have several computers that I use on a regular... Continue Reading →
It was launched on October 2nd, but word is that Windows 1809 has been recalled due to bugs. I downloaded it on Tuesday, but it is not currently available, so I have to advise all of my readers to hold off deploying it until Microsoft rereleases it. Microsoft has a tradition of launching major releases... Continue Reading →
Last night I was pleased to hear that, as predicted, Windows 10 version 1809 dropped at the Microsoft Surface event in New York City. While it may or may not be available for you via Windows Update this morning, I downloaded the ISO yesterday and went right to work. Well, to be more specific, I... Continue Reading →
I was bulk-creating users for a test environment today, and in doing so, I borrowed a script from an article online, which set the password for all users to 'Pa$$word' I usually use a variation on the same for test environments, but I opted to leave this one as it was. The script worked. A... Continue Reading →
