Category: Tech Articles

Articles on the topic of technology I’ve written for various personal blogs over the years

  • Resetting a user’s password with Windows 8 / 8.1

    By now, most people know that I love to use NTPassword to reset passwords of Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Windows 7 computers. The developer says it works on Windows 8, but here is the trouble I ran in to this weekend on a co-worker’s Windows 8 machine.

    First thing to remember is that Windows 8, by default anyway, uses your Microsoft account to login to Windows. Therefore, if you have access to the internet on another computer, you can simply go to account.live.com and reset your password by clicking the can’t access your account button beneath the username and password fields. After less than a minute, you should be able to use your new password to login to your computer, if your computer is connected to the internet. We’ll come back to this later, with some tips if your computer isn’t connected to the internet.

    First, I couldn’t just reset the user’s password online, because the computer was brought to me in our office and was not connected to our WiFi (and the slim netbook-like computer did not have an Ethernet port), so it had no way to receive the updated password from the website. I followed my own steps to reset (blank) the password, but it wouldn’t allow me to log in. Finally, I devised another solution, and this is what worked for me.

    (more…)

  • What is the 700MB+ KB3000850? Pretty amazing, that’s what!



    Update: Microsoft has finally brought the KB article online to verify that this “November Update” does bring some new features, but some of the biggest advancements are described here in our post from yesterday. Original post follows…


    Windows Server 2012r2 machines recently saw a Windows Update made available, but when clicking to the Knowledge Base Article for more information, the article (KB3000850) was missing. So I did some digging and found this PowerPoint presentation which specifically mentions a “November Update” on slide 7, and confirms the KB number (KB3000850) on slide 20. The slideshow was part of a Microsoft TechEd Europe presentation, and discusses a brilliant new technology being added to Hyper-V for Windows server to deduplicate data within VDI files.


    Before we go any further, the large update is also a rollup of all prior updates released for the Operating System, and includes new features. Consider it similar to a “Service Pack” in the old days – you don’t need to install the August Update, then this November update on a brand new machine, but this update should be considered a shortcut when deploying updates to a new computer. If you already have a computer or server running, the update is still considered optional, but will obviously include some new features. Once the Microsoft KB article goes live, you will be able to retrieve more details there.


    Let me do my best to break this down in the simplest terms. A hypervisor server might have thousands of VDI (Virtual Disk Image) files. Virtual hard drives. Those drives can have lots of duplicated data, taking up space. Imagine ten hard drives with the same version of Windows. Why have ten identical copies of Windows when you could have one that all ten virtual machines access? This is, of course, an extreme oversimplification of an hour long presentation, but imagine if they finger print the files, verify that different files that need to be made available are available but 100% identical files are de-duplicated, thus saving TONS of space.


    I don’t even run multiple virtual machines, and I certainly don’t host a Hyper-V server like some major “cloud-based” companies out there… but this is astounding technology and I can’t believe that they are releasing it to the public rather than hoarding it for their own Azure cloud. I have no use for this update, personally, but I’m excited by it nonetheless, it’s very impressive

  • Understanding “net neutrality” and Title II vs. Section 706

    Listen to / watch the next 3 minutes (or more) of this, continue reading my post if you’re still interested:




    In the video, Tom admits that Section 706 sounds like the right choice. And if it were properly amended, it could be.


    Understanding WHY geeks want Title II reclassification vs. Section 706 for “net neutrality.” The biggest thing is that Title II might force cable companies to allow other companies to come in and use their lines. Thus forcing MORE competition and a more “free-market-like” environment.


    Section 706, by definition, is basically “net neutrality” (no throttling, etc…), and says that the FCC is allowed to remove barriers and “promote competition” in the market, BUT has not been used in the past the same way Title II has (where other companies get to come in and “lease” lines from somebody like Verizon in order to compete with Verizon). So how it will promote competition is unclear.


    Internet providers WANT Sec. 706 reclassification because they suggest Title II would “reduce competition.” How many choices for internet providers or cable TV providers do you have right now? How can competition be much more reduced than it already is?


    Title II, although from the 1930’s, increases competition. Pure and simple. The parts that do not apply you can easily forbear (like cable companies being forced to assume the cost of putting up telephone poles, etc…), there is more than enough legal precedent to make that simple, it is a common practice. The law from 1996 means the providers the keep the network resources they are already hoarding and not using (spectrum purchased at FCC auctions then left untapped – I can expand on this if requested), which gives Internet Providers more leeway to “experiment” with data shaping – and they assure us that although it might technically violate what we know as the definition of net neutrality, it wouldn’t violate the “spirit” of net neutrality. Because they’ve proven to be so trustworthy thus far.


    I would rather see their excess capacity sold and leased to other, smaller, local internet providers and a new era of competition begin – lower prices, faster services, no monthly limitations. Title II is the best thing for the internet right now, lets hope it happens. If you’re looking for a better explaination of why we need net neutrality, I wrote an article back when I was concerned about the potential merger between Time Warner Cable and Comcast.

  • The Microsoft Subscription finally arrives



    This is almost what I have been looking for since March. Microsoft today announced the Work and Play subscription bundle. For $199 a year, here’s what you get:

    • Office 365 – That means full access to Office online, at least 1TB of OneDrive storage (should be “unlimited” now, due to recent changes in Office 365), and 5 installs of the latest version of Microsoft office on 5 of your family PC’s / Mac’s. A $70 value.
    • Xbox Live Gold – Although we discussed benefits of Gold in the past, it’s not as valuable as it once was, but with promotions like Games With Gold, it’s still an absolutely worthwhile investment.A $60 value.
    • Xbox Music Pass – Unlimited streaming and some “synchronized” management of your music library across multiple devices. A $99 value.
    • Skype Unlimited World + WiFi – Microsoft describes this as: “Unlimited minutes to call friends and family around the globe from your laptop, tablet, phone, or TV.” Also, “WiFi access at over 2 million hotspots worldwide – connect to the internet from virtually any device.” Paul Thurrott does the math to estimate the value at about $165 a year.

    • The only thing I wish it included was an Office 365-like subscription to Windows. Give me 2 licenses for 8.1, and allow me to upgrade to Windows 10 when it releases. That would be nice. But outside of that, this is almost exactly what I had been asking for!

  • Download Windows 10 Preview!

    Yes, yesterday Microsoft announced that Windows 10 was the name of the next version of Windows, skipping the name Windows 9. Microsoft claims that this is such an advanced release of Windows that it’s more than just one version different! These are claims that sound hard to believe, so Microsoft wants to challenge you to believe see for yourself! Today marks the release of the first public preview for Windows 10! preview.Windows.com has all of the information you need to know! The product key is listed on the top of the download page, so just visit Microsoft and download the latest version of the Windows 10 preview. There is a “preview upgrade” version available, however it embeds itself with your computer. I strongly recommend downloading the ISO version and installing it on a spare computer, separate partition, or a Virtual Machine.

    It is extremely important to note that this is a technical preview. It could have some bugs and other issues, and may also be substantially different from the final version of Windows 10. Remember, the earliest Windows 8 technical previews still had a Start Menu. 2015 will likely see a consumer preview and a developer’s preview prior to the typical RTM (Release to Manufacturing) release before it gets released at retail. Stay tuned for the future!

  • Windows Phone introduces MyFamily parental controls

    Microsoft has developed the MyFamily platform, allowing you to customize your child’s experience on Windows Phone. You can not only limit whether or not they are allowed to buy things from the store (i.e. spend your money), but you can also specify the age-ratings of the games they are allowed to play, and affords you additional auditing and safety features.

    From the Windows Phone team: “My Family works with Microsoft Family Safety, a service designed to help you keep tabs on kids’ computer and online activities. If your child uses a PC or Xbox, you may already have set up a family in order to use parental controls.”

    Some excellent instructions for setting up My Family can be found on WindowsPhone.com, so have that open or printed off, and then get started on WindowsPhone.com/Family.

  • Answering your questions: is cloud backup safe? Can I host my own cloud?

    These are some common questions to a pretty abstract concept. Whenever you “back up to the cloud” there will be a server out there somewhere with your information. Whether you use Apple’s iCloud, Google’s Google Drive, Microsoft’s OneDrive, or the well known independents DropBox and SpiderOak, or even paid “backup” solutions which offer syncing, like Mozy and Carbonite, you are trusting your data to someone else. I understand how uncomfortable that can make some people – whether it’s just for your peace of mind, or for privacy reasons. (more…)

  • 3 easy steps to disable Facebook Auto-Play videos

    Facebook’s new auto-playing video strategy is causing headaches. I disabled it when it was first introduced I’m shocked that, even a year later, not everybody else did. Maybe they just didn’t know how? This can make your facebook faster, keep your internet running speedier for other things, and alleviate the pressure on your bandwidth cap.

    Luckily, it’s an easy fix!

    1. In the upper right hand corner, near the notifications, click the downward facing arrow, then click Settings.
    2. On the left, at the bottom, click Videos.
    3. Using the bottom drop down, change “auto-play videos” to “Off.”
  • Facebook Messenger isn't QUITE as bad as everyone is making it out to be

    The Facebook Messenger App for Android has gotten a LOT of bad press, lately, so I wanted to clear up a few misconceptions.

    Before I discuss the app itself, first, let me say I’m not on Facebook’s side of much of anything. I detest the service, I lie to it whenever possible, and I really wish the world would move on to a new platform. But as much as I dislike Facebook as a service, the Messenger app itself is getting raked over the coals for taking less information than Candy Crush! As people go around Facebook clicking “Share” and “Like” on every little thing they see, they don’t realize they are giving the people who created those Facebook pages just as many permissions as this app they are complaining about. The ACLU created the Hi, Nice to Meet You application to show just what you reveal when you click “LIKE.”

    So, having said that, let’s actually look at why the app isn’t as bad as people are saying. (more…)

  • Video game fun with Wolfram|Alpha

    Ready to get your geek ALL THE WAY on for this holiday weekend (in the States)? Go to Wolfram|Alpha and type any of the following:

    graph Mario curve
    graph Donkey Kong curve
    graph Wario curve
    graph Waluigi curve
    graph Koopa curve
    graph Goomba curve
    graph Bowser curve
    graph Sonic curve
    graph Eggman curve (OR graph Robotnik curve).

    Leave a comment if you find more characters to draw!

  • Solved: Where is the Start Menu FOLDER in Windows 8 (adding shortcuts, folders, etc…)

    What I wanted to do was move a shortcut icon from my Desktop to my Steam folder deep in my Start Menu (under “Apps by name”). I had installed a game from Steam and it created the desktop icon, when I had intended to have it just install to the Start Menu. This one took a little digging. After using Windows 8 since the initial RTM nearly two years ago, I couldn’t believe I had never tried to do this before! Luckily, it isn’t very difficult, when you know where to look. Here’s the breakdown:

    In the Windows 7 (and prior) Start Menu, if you wanted to add a shortcut to a folder, all you had to do was drag the icon there. Or, to make it a little easier, you could right click the folder, click Explore, and then have a larger Window to drag the icon in to. In older versions of Windows , it would have been simply located at a specific path (I will use my username NuAngel in the examples):
    Vista/7: C:usersNuAngelStart Menu
    XP: C:Documents and SettingsNuAngelStart Menu

    Now, however, trying to navigate to that folder is impossible, and it doesn’t automatically redirect you to the new location. It turns out, your Start Menu is now under your AppData folder. Look here (of course, replacing NuAngel with your username):
    C:UsersNuAngelAppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms

    That folder is your personal Start Menu. If what you’re looking for isn’t there, it might be under what would basically be considered the “All Users” Start Menu, which can be found here:
    C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms

    Once there, I could navigate to the “Steam” subfolder, cut and paste the shortcut from my desktop, and it appeared within my Start Menu!

  • Microsoft Surface Pro 3 specs, pricing, and details


    Microsoft just wrapped up their Surface event, and they announced the Surface Pro 3. Me? I’m a geek. So here is the stuff that matters!

    General Surface Pro 3 specs:

    • Weight: 800 grams (1.76 pounds)
    • Thickness: 9.1mm
    • Speakers now 40% louder
    • 12″ screen
    • 3:2 aspect ratio – similar to “legal pad” sheet of paper
    • (more…)

  • Would you give up online privacy for…

    The US Government recently announced their own universal user ID service, which would basically prevent the need for multiple logins. Twitter, Facebook, your email, any site you comment on from FoxNews.com to Reddit, they all require some kind of credentials. Would that make your life easy enough that you would be willing to essentially let someone else in on everything you read and write? Most likely not. Not to worry, I don’t expect to be as widely adopted as they hope. Services like Disqus and LiveFyre (the comment system on this blog) have tried to solve the issue in the past, but nobody has strictly shown true market dominance.

    So if it isn’t just convenience, what about internet access? What would it take? Many people have understood and not had a problem with Google scanning their emails as long as their GMail is free. Until recently, that is. (more…)

  • How to use Project My Screen app in Windows Phone 8.1

    With the advent of Windows Phone 8.1, you will be able to use the “Project My Screen” feature to send the signal to your PC. If you’ve already got the Developer’s Preview, you can start playing with this feature now. Here’s a quick breakdown of how it works.

    (more…)

  • What is Heartbleed, how does it affect me?

    A lot of my friends, co-workers, even colleagues are still perplexed by this “Heartbleed” thing. It’s making the news, but in an effort to keep confusing tech news under a minute in their broadcast, reporters skim through the basics leaving the home audience confused. Here’s all you need to know about Heartbleed (CVE-2014-0160) as a basic user. Although some programs and even mobile apps will need updated, the majority of average home users only need to worry about the websites they visit. If you are running higher level software (Virtual Machines, Servers, etc…) you may need some more advanced information, but this article is for consumers, not IT Pros. (more…)

  • Is Remote Desktop Encrypted?

    Travel can be scary, and with my first long-distance trip in many years coming up this weekend, I want to be sure I’m playing it safe. All the time I hear about fake wireless hotspots and all kinds of other hacks happening in airports and coffee shops. I’m pretty well versed in these tricks, and consider myself aware of most of the tricks and can protect myself. But I want to go the extra mile. I have a computer set up, in my house, which I can use Microsoft Remote Desktop to connect to. I have also created a VPN connection via that same home computer, if I want to use it. But setting this up created a series of questions for me. Foremost: is RDP encrypted? (more…)

  • What would you pay for a Microsoft Subscription?

    Yesterday, Microsoft officially announced Office for iPad. The app will allow anyone who downloads it to view read-only versions of their documents stored in OneDrive. However, to modify your documents, you must be a paying Office 365 subscriber. Also, I have recently been considering signing up for an Xbox Music Pass. Not only that, but I have an ongoing Xbox Live Gold Member subscription.

    This got me thinking. Imagine some sort of “Microsoft Subscription” that enabled access to the works? Xbox Live, Office 365, let’s say 50 or 100GB of bonus OneDrive storage, Xbox Music Pass… everything! What would you pay? If the MSRP of Office 365’s base package is $60 for one year. A year of Xbox Live Gold is $59.99, and Xbox Music, if paid up front, is $99.99. You’re looking at $220 worth of products, if you pay in advance. Paying month by month brings both Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Music to $120/year, each. So, what would you pay for a “Microsoft Subscription” to unlock it all? $150? $200? What other products would you want out of your subscription fee? If it were $250 and included a downloadable desktop version of Office to install your PC? A Windows license that always allowed you to upgrade to the latest and greatest version of Windows?

    More importantly, do you believe something like this will happen in the future? Feel free to comment below.

  • Samsung Galaxy S5 Specs (Snapdragon & Exynos)

    Android 4.4.2 KitKat
    Size: 142 x 72.5 x 8.1
    Weight: 145g
    2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU*
    2GB of RAM
    16/32GB storage capacity
    microSD support up to 64GB
    5.1-inch FHD Super AMOLED display (1920 x 1080)
    16-megapixel camera with UHD 4K video recording at 30fps
    2.1-megapixel front-facing camera
    LTE Cat 4 (150/50Mbps)
    USB 3.0
    802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80 MIMO (2×2) Wi-Fi
    Bluetooth 4.0 BLE/ANT
    NFC
    IR Transceiver
    2800mAh battery
    IP67 Dust and Water Resistant (est. 30 minutes under 3 ft. of water)
    Fingerprint scanner
    Heart rate sensor

    *It has already been suggested the later version of the S5 (“Standard” vs. “Prime” are rumored names I have seen) will be released with an Exynos 2.1 Ghz Octa-Core CPU, allowing even higher on screen resolutions and better game performance, among other performance gains.

  • Apple products showing increased attacks from hackers

    On Friday, Feb 21st, 2014, Apple issued an update for iOS. Apple’s website noted a serious flaw in SSL. On Tuesday the 25th, Apple finally released an update for Mac OSX (10.9.2) to address the flaw. I do not know if other, pre 10.9 Mavericks versions of Mac OSX are getting this update, or if iOS 6 users are receiving patches.

    Considering Microsoft has supported Windows XP for over a decade and is only soon about to pull the plug, I find it shocking that Apple would only push these patches on their very latest operating systems, considering the severity of the flaw. (more…)

  • Will copycat mentality kill mega tech companies?

    Google has your email. Not just GMail users, but major businesses. Google Apps users store the core of their business in Google’s cloud. Even Twitter uses GMail. I got on GMail very early on, back before users could invite each other, before you were given 5, then 20, then 100 invites to bring other people to GMail. I was excited to use it. The interface, the functionality, it was a leap forward from Hotmail, or the webmail app I had been using on my own domain. There was a time when I was excited to see what the search engine giant would do next. But these days, Google, Microsoft, and now Facebook, are all taking the wrong approach to business. (more…)