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How to zip a folder in Windows 10

Dave Farquhar Windows May 3, 2018April 21, 2018 0 Comment

You probably know how to unzip a file in Windows 10. You double-click on it. But Windows 10 can create zip files too, not just extract them. Here’s how to zip a folder in Windows 10 without buying or installing any additional software.

This option isn’t exclusive to Windows 10. Windows 7 included this functionality too, as did some versions of Windows I wish you wouldn’t use anymore. It’s hiding in a menu that doesn’t get a lot of use these days. But back when floppy disks existed, this menu was the fastest way to copy a file to a floppy. Today it’s the fastest way to create a zip file.

Reboot Windows from a command line

Dave Farquhar Windows March 7, 2018March 4, 2018 0 Comment

A good trick for the busy system administrator is knowing how to reboot Windows from a command line. For example, I used to push patches on Thursday and Friday, suppress the reboots, then reboot my servers from a batch file starting on Monday. Rebooting from a command line rather than using the Start menu and selecting shutdown or restart saved me countless hours.

As a security professional, I know when systems need to reboot based on seeing Tenable plugin 34543 or Qualys QID 90126 in my scan results.

VMware Fusion screen resolution too small

Dave Farquhar Windows January 31, 2018January 23, 2018 0 Comment

Is your VMware Fusion screen resolution too small? Mine was. When I pulled up my Windows VM, Windows came up looking like everything was a 4-point font. I know I’m not 25 anymore, but I don’t think I could have read that at 25, even. Fortunately the fix is pretty easy once you know where to look.

I’m not sure how well this works in operating systems other than Windows, but if you run Windows 10 in a VM like I do, this seems to fix it.

Windows 10 sound not working? Here’s the quick fix.

Dave Farquhar Windows January 4, 2018December 29, 2017 0 Comment

My Windows 10 sound stopped working suddenly. One day it worked, the next day, it quit. Nothing else changed–I hadn’t even rebooted. If, like me, you experience Windows 10 sound not working, here’s a quick fix to try that should take you less than a minute.

My symptoms were simple. My web browser quit playing audio. Muting and unmuting didn’t help. Changing the volume didn’t help. I tried a different browser and it wouldn’t play audio either. Then I fired up Windows Media Player and tried to play a song. I got silence. Then I got a red X next to the song that didn’t play. If this sounds familiar, keep reading. I can probably help you.

The update is already installed on this system

Dave Farquhar security, Windows September 13, 2017September 12, 2017command prompt, desktop support, DLL, error message, Exploit, microsoft, microsoft updates, scanner, server, servers, vulnerability, Windows Explorer, XML 2 Comments

I had an update on my system in a partially installed state. Our vulnerability scanner determined one file, MSO.dll, was still out of date. It recommended a patch to apply. Running it gave me an error message. Here’s what to do when Windows says the update is already installed on this system and refuses to let you do anything but click OK.

Because hey, from a security analyst’s point of view, this is anything but OK. I get questions about patches in a partially deployed state all the time, so I figured I’d write about it.

Is Windows Firewall enough security?

Dave Farquhar security, Windows August 17, 2017October 10, 2017antivirus, corporate environment, firewall, PC, servers, spam, steve gibson, web page, wifi 1 Comment

Windows versions from XP onward include a built in firewall. But is Windows Firewall enough security?

Yes. And no. Security answers are almost always complicated. But I’ll explain.

Command line for active directory users and computers

Dave Farquhar Windows July 28, 2017June 13, 2017Active Directory, sysadmin 2 Comments

Sometimes it’s faster just to type a command than to dig around in the start menu. That’s especially true for many sysadmin tasks. Knowing the command line for active directory users and computers can save you a lot of time.

What went wrong with Windows Vista

Dave Farquhar Windows June 4, 2017hard drive, microsoft, vista, windows 7, windows 98, Windows Vista, Windows XP 0 Comment

What went wrong with Windows Vista? If you were around when it launched, you probably wouldn’t argue with me if I said the things that went right were easier to count than the things that went wrong. Windows XP lived nearly forever because Vista was so bad.

Still using Windows XP? Let’s talk options.

Dave Farquhar Windows June 1, 2017April 10, 2018antivirus, antivirus software, Exploit, facebook, firewall, gmail, google, hacking, hard drives, hp, lenovo, microsoft, samsung, twitter, upgrade, web browser, web page, Windows 10, Windows XP, yahoo 4 Comments

If you’re still using Windows XP, I wish you’d stop. Seriously, for your safety and the safety of others, I wish you’d stop. The good news is you have some options, and you’ll probably be happier with one of them.

Benefits of defragmenting your computer hard drive

Dave Farquhar Windows May 31, 2017August 1, 2017CPU, defragmenter, desktop support, disk, DLL, hard drive, hard drives, life expectancy, reliability, speedup, Windows 10 1 Comment

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone explain the benefits of defragmenting your computer hard drive. I do see a lot of misconceptions out there. I explained defragmenting in my 1999 book, so I’ll explain it again.

Part of the misconception is that things have changed. The tools have changed, yes. But the need hasn’t.

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