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Does Microsoft Listen?
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…
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Windows To Go: State of Mitch’s Union
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…
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BSOD Issue: Nothing to do with Windows Updates
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…
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Face Recognition Issue in Windows 10
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…
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Mitch’s QOTD
Trying to debate religion using logic is like trying to install SQL Server with a monkey wrench. Don’t bother, it won’t work.
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1809 Recalled
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…
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It’s a Lock! TappLock wins.
I took the summer off from the gym. I played a lot of golf, I wasn’t in the right mindset, it doesn’t matter why… I just did. I started back this week, and it was painful. Fortunately, one aspect of the pain was easily resolved. In my gym bag there were two padlocks. The first,…
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Windows 10 1809: What’s New
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…
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Surface Pro Firmware Patch Leads to WTG Woes
I have been a huge proponent of Windows to Go (WTG) since it was first announced in Windows 8. I love being able to run Windows off a USB key, because it allows me to use any computer as my corporate environment. That is the theory; the practical is that I use my personal device…
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PowerShell: A Colourful Experience
One of the topics I inject into every one of my classes (and frankly, most of my customer conversations) is how to do whatever we are doing in PowerShell. Scripting is one of the ways I make my life easier, and I recommend my students and customers use the knowledge I share to make their…
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Windows 7 End of Life and Extended Support
When Microsoft released Windows 7 in October, 2009 the vast majority of users (both corporate and home) were still running Windows XP. While they had released Windows Vista three years earlier, it was never widely accepted. The improvements over the then six-year-old operating system were revolutionary, especially for the vast majority of users who eschewed…
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Domain Controller Ports
Recently I was asked by a client to produce a list of firewall ports that are used by Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), specifically those for domain controllers. This is what I came up with: TCP and UDP 389 Directory, Replication, User and Computer Authentication, Group Policy, Trusts LDAP TCP 636 Directory, Replication, User…
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Rosh Hashanah 5779
Dear friends, family, and readers, Sunday evening we will be celebrating the Jewish New Year – the year 5779. Rose Hashana is a time of reflection. We are meant to ask forgiveness of those we have wronged, and forgive those who have sought our forgiveness. When these traditions were introduced, probably until the mid-nineteenth century,…
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IPv6: Be gone!
Let me start this piece by stating that I am not advocating that we all ignore IPv6. There are many reasons to use it, and there is nothing wrong with it. Sure, it is more complicated than we may like… but then again, so was IPv4 when we were first introduced to it. But alas,…
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A PowerShell Gotcha
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…
The World According to Mitch
The day to day ramblings of an IT Professional (and so much more…)
