Tag: windows

  • Find a string and copy its whole line to new file

    The other day I got a zip archive of a hundred xml files. The task was to identify a single key word/phrase (STR_RESTORING_FILE_FAILED) in each xml file that indicated a failure to restore a file (part of a larger job) and create a new file with just line in each xml file that matched the…

  • Disable HDMI hot plug detection in Windows 7

    Whether you’re running Windows Media Center or another homebrew HTPC/DVR where Windows 7 is the underlying operating system, you may have noticed that HDMI hot plug detection can be extremely annoying. New receivers that allow you to switch between different HDMI connected entertainment devices, often also register an HDMI hot-plug or auto-detect event in Windows…

  • Show up-to-date server info on the desktop background of all your servers

    If you’re a sysadmin like me, you’ll have multiple RDP sessions to multiple servers open a the same time on occasion. They tend to look alike if you keep things standardized and this can introduce the risk of human error when it comes to maintenance. If all RDP sessions look the same, it can be…

  • Delete a windows service

    The more applications you install, the more services are created on your Windows computer. Services in Windows are akin to daemons on a Mac or Linux system. They run in the background and perform various tasks. Sometimes when you uninstall an application from Windows, its service(s) are left behind by the uninstaller. These left behind…

  • Bypass a sysadmin with a trial of Windows Intune

    As far as your online security is concerned, there are few things worse than an unpatched windows computer. So what can you to do if your company been locked down your systems ability to get critical windows updates and your systems administrator is too busy to patch computers regularly with WSUS or Systems Center? Well,…

  • Free 5gigs of cloud storage

    Last week I managed to max out my free 2gb of cloud storage at Dropbox. That got me thinking…should I bite the bullet and sift through 2GB of accumulated crap to clear some space OR should I look for an alternative to continue my reckless cloud based file storage behavior? After looking around a bit,…

  • Access the DCIM folder on your iPhone

    I am updating this article for the first time since 2011 because I get a lot of requests for help on this particular topic. The original article (now crossed out below) is 6 years old and likely doesn’t apply to newer model iPhones. Now then, with that bit out of the way, here’s some updated…

  • Extend your desktop to a notebook

    Want to add your notebook to an existing display environment? Then Synergy is for you. It’s a cross platform open source application that lets you control a systems mouse and keyboard through the network. Its server/client architecture let you extend the reach of your mouse and keyboard to other computers. Here’s how I configured Synergy…

  • Get Windows 7 for $29.99

    Here’s another reason to go back to school during the recession: Get cheap software just for being a student. In a previous article I showed you how to get Office 2007 Ultimate for $60 bucks, now Microsoft is making their latest and greatest in operating systems available to students for $29.99. Here’s how: