Author: Dave Farquhar

Install Windows 11 on an unsupported CPU

Dave Farquhar Windows
Install Windows 11 on an unsupported CPU

Ever since Microsoft announced Windows 11 would have much stricter hardware requirements than its predecessors, people who don’t want to go and replace all of their computers have been looking for work arounds. Here is the easiest way to install Windows 11 on an unsupported CPU, including virtual environments like VMware or Virtualbox. No need to edit files, mess with an ISO file or disk image or Rufus or the registry editor.

The easiest way to install Windows 11 on an unsupported CPU is to delete one file, appraiserres.dll, from your installation media. This trick will hopefully keep some usable computers out of landfills a little while longer.

Read more

Scroll lock on laptop

Dave Farquhar Hardware
Scroll lock on laptop

Scroll lock is an obscure key that has mostly outlived its usefulness. Size-constrained laptops often omit the key, layering it with some other key combination that you generate by pressing the FN key plus a second key that varies. Here’s how to get scroll lock on a laptop when your keyboard doesn’t have the key.

Usually to get scroll lock to toggle, use the FN key and a combination of a second key, often C, K, S, or even F12. You can also use the Windows on screen keyboard.

Read more

Don’t use vape fluid in your Marx smoke unit

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
Don’t use vape fluid in your Marx smoke unit

Someone sent me a YouTube video talking about using vape fluid in Marx smoke units as an alternative to using mineral oil. Here’s why vape fluid in your smoke unit is a terrible idea in any train, whether Marx, Lionel, or modern.

Read more

Floppy drive pinout

Dave Farquhar Hardware
Floppy drive pinout

You probably came here looking for the standard 34 pin floppy drive pinout, as used on most PCs. However, the PC floppy drive pinout was derived from a standard created by shugart in the 1970s, and More than one version of that pinout exists today. So let’s talk about the common floppy drive pinout, and the variance that you might see in your retro adventures.

Read more

Abandoned castle in Oakville, Mo.

Dave Farquhar St. Louis
Abandoned castle in Oakville, Mo.

The existence of an abandoned castle in Oakville Mo. will either be the most obvious thing in the world to you, or an absurd thought that would never cross your mind. And yet, behind Bee Tree Park, abandoned in the woods, there are, or were, ruins of a Scottish castle overlooking the Mississippi River that dated to the 1920s that was never finished.

Oakville had an abandoned hospital in the woods on the north edge of town. So why not an abandoned castle in the woods on the opposite end of town?

Read more

Local account in Windows 11

Dave Farquhar Windows
Local account in Windows 11

I prefer to use local accounts on my home network. If you’re reading this, chances are you do too, so I don’t need to sell you on the idea. You already know Microsoft doesn’t want you to use local accounts and makes it hard to create them now. But it’s not impossible. Here’s how to create a local account in Windows 11, even when you’re doing a new install.

Read more

Lionel smoke pellets

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
Lionel smoke pellets

Lionel’s smoke pellets are certainly iconic, and a memorable part of the post-war Lionel experience. Pre-war trains didn’t have smoke, and after World War II ended, the big three train makers raced to introduce smoke units to give their trains something new. The sight and smell of Lionel train smoke pellets is unforgettable for a generation or three. Why did Lionel stop using smoke pellets, and why can’t you buy them anymore?

Lionel smoke pellets made postwar steam locomotives emit vapors from their miniature stack to create toy train pseudo-smoke. This new twist to Lionel trains became an unforgettable part of the toy train scene and an enduring old postwar favorite.

Read more

Where are my apps in Android 12?

Dave Farquhar Android

I upgraded my Pixel phone to Android 12, and I couldn’t find my apps. When I swipe up on the home button, I get my running apps, but not the full list. Where are my apps on Android 12?

Swipe up on the desktop and you’ll find your list of installed apps in Android 12. Swiping up on the home button now pulls up the list of running apps.

Read more

Add a TCP/IP printer in Windows 11

Dave Farquhar Windows
Add a TCP/IP printer in Windows 11

Adding a TCP/IP printer to Windows 11 is a little different from earlier versions of Windows, though not terribly different from adding one to Windows 10. But here’s how to add one in Windows 11, step by step, complete with screenshots. It’s been more than a few years since I was a professional printer administrator, but I guess I still have a little of that in me.

Read more

What motivated the FBI e-mail hacker

Dave Farquhar security
What motivated the FBI e-mail hacker

Over the weekend of Nov 13, 2021, the FBI acknowledged unauthorized emails coming from a legitimate FBI email address to about 100,000 organizations warning them about ransomware. It appears to be the work of a self-styled white hat hacker, or security researcher.

I am a security professional. I am going to remind everyone that these are not the opinion of my current or any former employer. I have strong opinions on the, and those opinions are incredibly unpopular among security professionals. They may or may not agree with me privately, but agreeing with me publicly is not a great idea.

Read more