Ed Tittel

Author Archives: Ed Tittel

Benefits of modern campus networking

Call it “trickle-down networking” if you like. But what has long been possible—and even best practice— in data center networking is now moving aggressively into and onto campus networking ecosystems. And with that move companies and organizations can realize numerous benefits in or on the campus networks they own or operate. As readers peruse this list of potential benisons, they’ll undoubtedly hit hot buttons with their users (thanks to increased features and functionality) and with management (thanks to cost savings and improved efficiencies that reduce staff time commitments and involvement).

Delivering key capabilities

With the adoption of data center tools and technologies in campus networks, a handful of key capabilities becomes available throughout. These include Power over Ethernet (PoE), which makes it possible to extend services more easily and affordably, and to integrate Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities more directly (such as sensors, surveillance cameras, ID badge readers and so forth). In addition, networks gain ready access to 802.1X capabilities when they adopt a data center model, including improved and more powerful authentication mechanisms, as well as access and security control.

Moving to data center-oriented networks usually also brings voice VLANs into the networking picture. This not only offers Continue reading

How to use PowerShell with DISM

With the release of the Windows 10 Creators Update in early April, Microsoft changed the default command-line environment in Windows 10 from the Command Prompt (aka cmd.exe) to PowerShell. There, the old black-and-white command-line interface gives way to a new, blue-and-white style in the latest version of Windows 10.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

How to improve Dynamic Lock in Windows 10 Creators Update

When Microsoft released Build 15031 of the Windows 10 Insider Preview on February 8, 2017, it added a new OS feature for Bluetooth-equipped devices. It's called Dynamic Lock, and lets you control access to your PCs based on how close they — and your Bluetooth-paired phones — are to them. That is, if the phone you've paired with your PC (it works for laptops, notebooks, tablets and desktops) is not found within radio range of your PC, Windows 10 turns off the screen and locks the PC after 30 seconds have elapsed. Thus, Dynamic Lock makes a dandy new security feature in Creators Update, one that most business users (or their IT departments) will find worth turning on and using.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to improve Dynamic Lock in Windows 10 Creators Update

When Microsoft released Build 15031 of the Windows 10 Insider Preview on February 8, 2017, it added a new OS feature for Bluetooth-equipped devices. It's called Dynamic Lock, and lets you control access to your PCs based on how close they — and your Bluetooth-paired phones — are to them. That is, if the phone you've paired with your PC (it works for laptops, notebooks, tablets and desktops) is not found within radio range of your PC, Windows 10 turns off the screen and locks the PC after 30 seconds have elapsed. Thus, Dynamic Lock makes a dandy new security feature in Creators Update, one that most business users (or their IT departments) will find worth turning on and using.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Understanding Windows 10’s Unified Update Platform

The Unified Update Platform (UUP) was introduced to the Windows 10 Insider Preview with Build 14986 on December 11, 2016. It changes how Windows Update works in a profound and interesting way. This is explained in some detail in a Windows Insider blog post entitled "Introducing Unified Update Platform (UUP)" that posted on November 3, 2016, so I'll just hit some high points here. The original post is well worth a read, if you're into the nitty-gritty details.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

The essential guide to anti-malware tools

It's a sad fact of life in IT nowadays that some form of preparation for dealing with malware is part and parcel of what systems and network administrators must do. This goes above and beyond normal due diligence in warding off malware. It includes a proper appreciation of the work and risks involved in handling malware infections, and acquiring a toolkit of repair and cleanup tools to complement protective measures involved in exercising due diligence. It should also include at least two forms of insurance – one literal, the other metaphorical – that can help avert or cover an organization against costs and liabilities that malware could otherwise force the organization to incur.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

The essential guide to anti-malware tools

It's a sad fact of life in IT nowadays that some form of preparation for dealing with malware is part and parcel of what systems and network administrators must do. This goes above and beyond normal due diligence in warding off malware. It includes a proper appreciation of the work and risks involved in handling malware infections, and acquiring a toolkit of repair and cleanup tools to complement protective measures involved in exercising due diligence. It should also include at least two forms of insurance – one literal, the other metaphorical – that can help avert or cover an organization against costs and liabilities that malware could otherwise force the organization to incur.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

WUMT is a viable Windows Update alternative

WUMT is short for Windows Update MiniTool, a free software tool that handles Windows updates without requiring use of the built-in Update & Security facility in Windows 10. WUMT, which originally appeared on the Wilders Security Forums in October 2015, comes from an anonymous Russian translator who goes by "Mr. X." He maintains the tool on a Spanish language page on blogspot, where he regularly updates the program, currently numbered 30.09.2016 (which corresponds to its release date at the end of September 2016). You can also download the tool from MajorGeeks.com.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

5 recovery environments for tricky Windows 10 repairs

If you work with Windows systems, especially on the client side, you’ll occasionally need to bring an inoperable system back to life. The causes of this lamentable system state are as varied as the symptoms, which can range from an inability to boot Windows to a non-functional keyboard or display (hard to do anything in Windows without input or output). Despite all the many potential causes and symptoms, the situation remains the same: For whatever reason, a Windows system won’t start up and run as it should.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

How to reduce Windows 10’s on-disk footprint

While certain areas of the Windows file structure may be off-limits to direct action — most notably, deleting files inside the C:\Windows (or %windir%) folder — that doesn’t mean that savvy Windows admins and power users can’t selectively prune excess or obsolete files. You just need the right tools.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Enter the brave new world of Windows 10 license activation

Windows 10 brought a lot of changes to Microsoft's flagship desktop operating system when it debuted on July 29, 2015, and it has changed even more since then. With the release of the Anniversary Update in August (Build 1607 for Current Branch users, at Build 14393.105 as I write this), even license activation has changed. Here's what most users of the business-oriented Windows 10 Enterprise will see if they check their Activation screen:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Why Microsoft’s Edge browser is missing its edge

The introduction of Windows 10 in October 2014 also brought along a new default web browser named Edge. The company has been touting Edge as a replacement for Internet Explorer (IE), which is now into its third decade of service for the company. But user adoption of the new browser isn’t piling up the way the company would probably like.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Windows 10 troubleshooting and fixes revisited

Long before the Windows 10 Anniversary Update appeared, it was obvious that Microsoft was putting more energy and effort into its troubleshooting tools. These are readily available by typing "trouble" into Cortana (or the search box, if you prefer) and then selecting the Troubleshooting (Control panel) result. What I didn't know at the time was that the future of Windows 10 didn't include fix-its.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

8 noteworthy improvements in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update

Since the initial release of Windows 10 last July, Microsoft has been working to improve the look and feel of its flagship desktop operating system and has solicited user input and feedback through the Windows Feedback app, which has been integrated into all Windows 10 versions. And the company shows every sign of reading, considering and often acting upon user requests for interface changes and improvements. Thus, you'll see lots helpful, if small, changes to the Windows 10 UI, as the company works to complete what is now called the "Anniversary Update," which will be released on August 2. Here are the most noteworthy of those changes and additions.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Your step-by-step guide to repairing Windows 10

Though it's showing itself to be a good operating system (in line with Windows XP and Windows 7), sometimes a Windows 10 system will start misbehaving to the point where repair is needed. This often takes the form of worsening performance or stability and can originate from damage to or loss or corruption of Windows system files typically found in the C:\Windows folder hierarchy. When that happens, users would be well advised to break out the following routine to help them set things back to rights.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Windows 10 post-upgrade cleanup tips

At the end of July 2016, the free upgrade from Windows 7 and 8.1 to Windows 10 will come to an end. In the meantime, lots of users and admins may find themselves electing to exercise their upgrade options, rather than let them go unused.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Key features of Windows 10 Enterprise

The Enterprise edition of any Windows version is aimed directly and more or less exclusively at businesses and other organizations of some considerable scale. It isn’t normally available for retail purchase (though you can find some retailers online willing to sell single copies). Usually, Windows 10 Enterprise must be acquired through some kind of licensing agreement with Microsoft or one of its partners, such as through the company’s Volume Licensing Service Center.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)