If you were a systems admin in the early days of DOS and Windows, you may remember the deltree command was able to delete a directory and all files and directories below that point of the tree, hence the name. You may also notice that deltree doesn’t exist anymore in modern Windows operating systems, even Read more about What happened to the old “deltree” Command?[…]

Microsoft has been going backwards in regards to consumer freedom by forcing users to create/log in with Microsoft account on a new machine. Last year the Home version of Windows changed the requirement. This year the requirement has come to the Professional version. We heard from so many complaints that we decided to try to Read more about Windows 11 setup without being forced to use a Microsoft Account[…]

A client of ours has a server with a built-in RAID controller that seems to be failing. The server is due to be replaced soon, but until then we had to come up with a “quickfix” over the weekend. First, we took a good backup with Windows Server Backup. Then we went into the BIOS Read more about Windows Server Software Mirror of Boot Volume[…]

We are now offering a VPN Guard service! With this service, we can:1. Block most advertisements2. Block known malware servers3. Block Tracking agents4. Block Porn sitesThe VPN runs on Android and newer Chromebooks, iOS, Windows and MacOS. We are charging $3 per month, per device. Let us know if you are interested.

There is a new Windows 10 bug that seems to show up randomly. If you see a yellow “No Internet Access” error triangle in the Windows 10 system tray and can’t connect to the internet in some apps but can browse the web as you normally would, you’ve got the bug. Microsoft acknowledged this bug Read more about How to fix the Windows 10 version 2004 network connectivity bug[…]

A number of clients have told us about some current scams they have been hit with. The most recent involved an innocent Google search for the Charles Schwab login page. It appears that the scammer was able to get an “advertisement” in through a “drive-by attack” and our client didn’t notice the page URL was Read more about Anatomy of a recent Malvertising attack[…]

Zoom has recently become one of the “go-to” options for video meetings. Zoom was designed to be easy to use and not require too many settings to work. However, some of the default settings can cause issue for your meetings! Edit 3/31/2020: Since these complaints are getting some traction, Zoom may change the defaults. In Read more about Check these Settings on Zoom before you give out your meeting address![…]

After installing vnc4server and trying to connect, you will probably see a grey screen with some check boxes. To resolve this, install some more packages: $ sudo apt-get install gnome-panel gnome-settings-daemon metacity nautilus gnome-terminal And then add the following lines to the bottom of your ~/.vnc/xstartup: gnome-panel & gnome-settings-daemon & metacity & nautilus & Kill Read more about VNC on Ubuntu[…]

With the current COVID-19 news on our minds, it’s a good time for a reminder about keeping our phones/tablets clean! After all, it does no good to wash our hands and then immediately put them on our grubby screens… How would you clean your phone? Many people’s first thoughts are to use Clorox or Lysol Read more about Don’t use Bleach/Disinfectant Wipes on your Phone![…]

A client of ours has been seeing significant slow downs with their server for quite a while. We have been working with them and their vendor to try to determine what it might be. The most recent change we made was to replace their aging HDD’s in RAID 1 with some SSDs. It was not Read more about Upgrading from HDD to SSD in a Dell PERC H310 (and probably others)[…]

Previously Untangle required a purchased SSL cert. Now you can do it with LetsEncrypt! While this is unsupported by Untangle, you are unlikely to break anything permanently. Just follow each step and double check the commands. We have installed it on dozens of client’s UVMs and not had a problem yet. The only issue with Read more about Lets Encrypt Untangle with DNS verification[…]

curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sivel/speedtest-cli/master/speedtest.py | python –

To restart Windows graphics drivers, press Win+Ctrl+Shift+B. The screen will go blank for a split second and a short beep will sound. When it comes back, everything will be as it was with no data loss or game crash.

This is easiest with GUI access, you can also click the icon at the top right corner of your top bar. Depending on which version of desktop you are running, click either the Settings icon or the “System Settings” option in the menu. Click the “Details” option in the left sidebar or click the “Details” Read more about Ubuntu Upgrading[…]

In most cases, the bad guys create fake advertisements filled with malware and try to slip them past security checks at large ad networks. These infected ads can then sneak malware onto a web user’s computer, even if he or she doesn’t click on the ad. It’s really a cat-and-mouse game. Ad networks have to Read more about Malvertising Drive-By Attacks[…]

A client process kept failing because the mapped drive was randomly being lost. This fixed the issue by mapping the drive using the machines local service account. You will need SysinternalsSuite to make this work. 1. Open an elevated cmd.exe prompt (Run as administrator) 2. Elevate again to root using PSExec.exe: Navigate to the folder Read more about Force Map Network Drive with Local System Account[…]

It appears that there is a bug in versions of Outlook beyond 2010 that makes the “All Mail” folder not show up, even when subscribed to it in the IMAP settings. It turns out, as long as you are subscribed, you can create a new folder named “All Mail” under the GMAIL heading and refresh Read more about Missing Gmail “All Mail” Folder in Outlook 2016[…]

In setting up a very old Windows XP box to automatically reboot each night for a customer machine, I ran into the above error code. This appears to be an issue with a corrupt RSA file. To delete the corrupt file and have Windows recreate it do the following: 1. Double-click My Computer, and then Read more about Error 0X80090016 Keyset does not exist, Task Scheduler is not performing tasks (Win XP)[…]

If you have seen this error: You may be able to fix it like this: 1. Close VMWare Player 2. Edit the file ~/.vmware/preferences file. 3. Create or edit a line to include: mks.gl.allowBlacklistedDrivers = “TRUE” 4. Start VMWare Player and the error should be gone.

As the internet becomes more ingrained in life and children are using it earlier and earlier, it is that much more important to be able to keep them safe. There are a number of ways to do this and some work better than others. If you have a limited number of devices and don’t have Read more about Network Security and Family Safety[…]

Yesterday marks the first time that we ran into the “Cyber Police” Android malware. This hack is caused by “Stage Fright”, a bug in the default Android browser. Google says that it only affects older versions of the Android operating system. Most phones less than a year or two old have been patched or have Read more about Cyber Police Android Malware[…]