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 Functionality
Key Functions
Thumbnail Caching: Thumbs.db files cache small versions of images, videos, and documents to allow quick previews.
Location: Each folder containing images will have its own Thumbs.db file, which is stored in the same directory.File Format
Thumbs.db files are stored in the OLE Compound File format, similar to Microsoft Office files.
They typically contain resized images, usually at 96x96 pixels.Deleting Thumbs.db Files
Deleting a Thumbs.db file will not harm your system; it will be recreated the next time you view the folder in Thumbnail mode.
If you encounter issues deleting a folder due to a Thumbs.db file being in use, switching to Details view in File Explorer can help.To prevent Thumbs.db files from being created:
Open the Group Policy Editor by typing gpedit.msc in the Run dialog.
Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer.
Find and enable the setting "Turn off the caching of thumbnails in hidden thumbs.db files."This will stop Windows from generating new Thumbs.db files, helping to keep your directories cleaner.
One of the most annoying things about using the Mac in a multiscreen setup is that sometimes the Dock moves to a different screen when it is not your intention to do so.
Per Apple design, the Dock cannot be displayed simultaneously on multiple screens. To move the Dock to the bottom of the screen you would like it to be on:
The Dock should appear on this screen and disappear from the other screen.
There are many ways to connect to another Mac on your local network. Here’s one that is one of the easiest.
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 to your device when you close all windows.
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. Type “sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder” or “sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder” or shutdown and restart your Mac.
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:Â
1. Download PsExec from Microsoft (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/psexec) and extract files from the zipped file.
2. Start the command prompt as an administrator. Go to the folder that contains the extracted Sysinternal Tools, and use PsExec to start a command prompt window under the System account privileges by typing “psexec—sid cmd.exe.” The System account provides higher privileges than an Administrator account.Â
3. In the command prompt window, type “dsregcmd /leave” to unregister the device from Azure Active Directory.Â
4. Restart the PC.
5. Check the machine’s status by using the “dsregcmd /status” command, and it should show AzureAdJoined status as NO under Device Status.
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 screenshots every few seconds, analyzing them with AI help, and making the data searchable using natural language. And here is where Big Brother became outright creepy for me.
This feature was supposed to be only in the Copilot+ PCs, but this week, it mysteriously showed in non-Copilot+ PCs. For the time being, if you are concerned about privacy, you can disable it with a few commands. Keep in mind that Microsoft may automatically enable it with any of their monthly updates.
Open a command prompt with Administrator privliges.
To check if Recall is enabled on your PC, type the following:
dism /online /get-featureinfo /featurename:recall
You will get the following result:
Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.26100.1150
Image Version: 10.0.26100.2033
Feature Information:
Feature Name : Recall
Display Name : Recall
Description : Recall application.
Restart Required : Possible
State : Enabled
To turn off Recall on your PC, type the following:
dism /online /disable-feature /featurename:recall
You will get the following result:
Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.26100.1150
Image Version: 10.0.26100.2033
Disabling feature(s)
[==========================100.0%==========================]
The operation completed successfully.
When some feature in MS Teams doesn’t work right and you have exhausted most troubleshooting steps, it’s possible that the MS Teams Cache has become corrupted. On a Windows PC, you can delete the MS Teams cache and when Teams starts again, a fresh copy of the cache will be created.
Follow the instructions below to delete and recreate a fresh cache:
Old Teams
1. Exit of the Microsoft Teams Desktop App.
2. Right-click on the Teams icon in your system tray and click Quit.
3. Open File Explorer and in the address bar copy and paste the following location: %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams.
4. Delete all files and folders in that Directory.
5. Open MS Teams and you will see a fresh cache created in the %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams folder.
New Teams
1. Exit of the Microsoft Teams Desktop App.
2. Right-click on the Teams icon in your system tray and click Quit.
3. Open File Explorer and in the address bar copy and paste the following location:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
4. Delete all files and folders in that Directory.
5. Open MS Teams and you will see a fresh cache created in the
“C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe” folder.
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 1 for the value.
2. Reboot the computer for the changes to take effect.
You should now be able to see the mapped network drive when opening a data file in QuickBooks.
After updating your iPhone to iOS 16.4, you can change the Mic Mode setting from Standard to Voice Isolation to block out ambient noise and make the calls sound clearer to the party on the other end, especially when you are speaking.
To turn on this feature dial a number and while on the call, swipe down from the top-right to access the Control Center, select the button labeled Mic Mode, and then select Voice Isolation. Once the feature is activated, it stays on. To turn it off, swipe down from the top-right during a call and change the Mic Mode setting back to Standard.
Similar features are now available in Teams and Zoom under the Noise Suppression settings.
Moving Microsoft Authenticator to a new iPhone is a straightforward process. Here are the steps to follow:
That’s it! Your Microsoft Authenticator app should now be set up on your new iPhone and all your accounts and settings should be restored.
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 it to OFF and close the window!
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. Select the user, and in the flyout that appears, click Mail.
3. In the Email apps section, click Manage email apps.
4. Verify the Authenticated SMTP setting: unchecked = disabled, checked = enabled.
5. When you’re finished, click Save changes.
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 in their IT environments and prevent costly incidents.
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 from potential harm.
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 for these and other IT disasters. These plans should include regular backups of critical data, redundant IT systems, and procedures for restoring operations in the event of an outage or disaster.
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 more resilient, adaptable, and capable of withstanding unexpected events.
IT Ops (Information Technology Operations) culture refers to the set of practices, values, and behaviors that define how an organization manages and operates its IT infrastructure and systems. It focuses on ensuring the availability, reliability, and performance of IT services and infrastructure.
In an IT Ops culture, the primary goal is to maintain stable IT operations and minimize disruption to business processes. The IT Ops team is responsible for managing and monitoring the IT infrastructure, ensuring that it is secure, reliable, and scalable.
IT Ops culture emphasizes the following key values:
IT Ops culture often works in conjunction with a DevOps culture, where the focus is on collaboration and communication between development and operations teams. By combining DevOps and IT Ops practices, organizations can create a more agile and responsive IT environment that can support business growth and change.
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 steps, SMBs can create a disaster recovery plan that ensures business continuity and minimizes the impact of a disaster. It is essential to have a disaster recovery plan in place to protect your business and ensure that you can recover quickly from a disaster.
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 and services quickly and reliably.
In a DevOps culture, the focus is on breaking down the traditional silos between development, operations, and other stakeholders, such as security and quality assurance teams. It emphasizes the importance of open communication, sharing of knowledge, and working together towards common goals.
DevOps culture promotes a set of values that include:
By adopting a DevOps culture, organizations can create a more agile, resilient, and responsive IT environment that can adapt to changing market demands and customer needs.
3-2-1 backup is a widely recommended data backup strategy that helps ensure the safety and recoverability of important data. The strategy involves creating three copies of your data, storing the copies in two different storage media, and keeping one backup copy offsite or in the cloud.
The 3-2-1 backup strategy helps protect against data loss due to various events such as hardware failure, software corruption, theft, fire, or natural disasters. By having multiple copies of your data, in different locations, and on different storage media, you increase the chances of being able to restore your data in the event of a catastrophic data loss event.
For example, you could have one copy of your data stored locally on your computer’s hard drive (copy 1), a second copy stored on an external hard drive or network-attached storage device (copy 2), and a third copy stored in the cloud (copy 3). This way, if your computer’s hard drive fails, you still have two additional copies of your data that you can recover from. And if a fire or other disaster strikes your home or office, you still have a copy of your data stored safely offsite or in the cloud.
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
wmic logicaldisk get size,freespace,caption
Output:
Caption FreeSpace Size
C: 176635428864 254055673856
S: 105710261248 107374182400
wmic path win32_VideoController get name
Output:
Name
Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620
wmic path win32_videocontroller get caption, CurrentHorizontalResolution, CurrentVerticalResolution
Output:
Caption CurrentHorizontalResolution CurrentVerticalResolution
Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620 1920 1200