Disabling Thumbs.db creation

Overview of Thumbs.db Files Thumbs.db files are hidden system files created by Windows operating systems. They are used to store thumbnail images for the contents of a folder when viewed in Thumbnail or Filmstrip mode in File Explorer. This caching helps speed up the display of images and other media files.Purpose and FunctionalityKey Functions File …

How To Automatically Clear Google Chrome Browsing Data On Exit

In certain situations, it makes sense to delete browsing data when exiting the browser. However, Google has made it a bit difficult to find the setting. Go to Settings / Privacy and security / Site settings / Additional content settings / On-device site data / Default behavior / and select Delete data sites have saved …

How to locate and edit the Hosts file on a Mac

1. Open the Terminal app on your Mac. 2. Type “sudo nano /private/etc/hosts”. 3. Enter the administrator password for your user account. 4. Enter the IP address and hostname you need in the hosts file. For example:  <IP address>   <hostname> 10.8.4.2            server1 5. Press “Control + X” and then “Y” to save the changes.  6. …

How to disconnect a device from Azure Active Directory

When setting up a new PC, if you had to use a Microsoft account for the initial setup but want to set it up for local administration and you have exhausted other options for removing the Microsoft account from your PC, you can try the following method:  1. Download PsExec from Microsoft (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/psexec) and extract …

Disable Microsoft Recall

Microsoft Recall is a new AI-powered tool for Windows 11 that allows users to search and retrieve anything they’ve seen or done on their PC, functioning like a personal historian. It logs activities across apps, tracks communications in meetings, and remembers websites visited, all accessible through an explorable timeline interface.  It does so by taking …

Missing mapped network drives in QuickBooks

If you have a mapped network drive but are unable to see it when trying to open a QuickBooks data file stored on the mapped drive, you may need to EnableLinkedConnections in Windows 10 and 11.  1. Add or edit the following Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System and add or edit the DWord Value of EnableLinkedConnections and enter a …

How to opt out of Intuit QuickBooks Workforce

Intuit Workforce lets employees view their pay stubs, W-2s, and more from a secure website.  However, many business owners and employees consider this a big intrusion of their privacy.  If you use a QuickBooks Desktop product, go to Employees > Manage Payroll Cloud Services and you will see QuickBooks Workforce with a toggle switch.  Change …

Use the Microsoft 365 admin center to enable or disable SMTP AUTH

If you need to relay messages from devices like MPF printers and use a low-cost Office 365 license like Exchange Online Kiosk, you can enable SMTP AUTH for specific mailboxes. By default SMTP AUTH is disabled on Microsoft user accounts.  1. Open the Microsoft 365 admin center and go to Users > Active users. 2. …

Preventing human error in IT environments

Human error is one of the most common causes of IT incidents, and preventing it can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches, system downtime, and other issues. Here are some strategies that can be used to prevent human error in IT environments: By implementing these strategies, organizations can reduce the likelihood of human error …

Strategies to minimize threats from cyber attacks for SMBs

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are often targets of cyber attacks, which can result in significant financial losses and reputational damage. However, there are several strategies that SMBs can implement to mitigate the risk of cyber attacks: By implementing these strategies, SMBs can reduce their risk of cyber attacks and protect their operations and data …

Potential IT disasters facing SMBs

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) rely heavily on information technology (IT) to operate efficiently and effectively. However, they are also vulnerable to IT disasters that can cause significant damage to their operations. Here are some examples of IT disasters that SMBs should prepare for: SMBs should have comprehensive disaster recovery plans in place to prepare …

What’s an antifragile IT environment?

An antifragile IT environment can withstand unexpected events and even thrive under pressure. It is a system that can learn from past experiences and continuously improve to become more resilient over time. Here is a plan for creating an antifragile IT environment: By following these steps, you can create an antifragile IT environment that is …

What should a disaster recovery plan look like for a SMB?

Disaster recovery planning is critical for every organization, including small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). A disaster recovery plan outlines the steps that your organization will take in the event of a disaster to ensure business continuity and minimize the impact of the disaster. Here is a disaster recovery plan for an SMB: By following these …

What’s DevOps culture?

DevOps culture is a set of practices that combines software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to improve collaboration and communication between development, operations, and other stakeholders involved in the software delivery process. It aims to create a culture of continuous improvement, automation, and collaboration among teams to enable organizations to deliver high-quality software products …

How to get computer make and model, RAM, HD information via CLI

Open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges and type one of the commands in bold below: wmic computersystem get model,name,manufacturer,systemtype Output:  Manufacturer  Model                 Name      SystemType Dell Inc.     Latitude 7390 2-in-1  HOUPC401  x64-based PC wmic MEMORYCHIP get BankLabel, DeviceLocator, Capacity Output: BankLabel  Capacity    DeviceLocator BANK 0     8589934592  System Board Memory BANK 1     8589934592  System Board Memory …