Need to copy files off of a user’s computer but don’t have a flash drive big enough?
Say a user clicked a link they shouldn’t have, or maybe Windows installed updates and then promptly fell down. Regardless, you’ll need to wipe Windows and reinstall, but you don’t want the user to lose all of their locally saved work. It’s simple! Just go to “\\COMPUTERNAME\C$” and you’ll be on the user’s C:\ drive. “D$” will get you the D:\ drive, and so on. I’ve also used this handy tip to copy files off of an old CD where only one computer in the building had a CD drive.
When was the last time you even rebooted that thing?
With hibernation and smarter sleep settings, Windows users don’t have to boot their computers every time they get to the office or open their laptop. This can lead to instances in which Windows has been running for months straight! Now on a server, this is often the preferred outcome. Servers should generally not be rebooting without someone being aware of it. If you want to check how long it’s been since a user has rebooted or if a server might have spontaneously decided to restart overnight, you can open a command prompt and type “net statistics server” and it will provide you with a bunch of stats, along with the last time the computer started.
Recently installed Windows 7, but are having trouble updating?
A while back, Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom, changed how Windows Update works. However, they didn’t leave a good way for newly installed machines to find it. This means that new Windows 7 installs can take hours, or even days, before it gets updates. Luckily, someone at Microsoft has a guide (https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-update/windows-7-update-solution/f39a65fa-9d10-42e7-9bc0-7f5096b36d0c)[here] which shows you one or two updates you can install to make things right!
And now some helpful websites!
IoT Scanner (http://iotscanner.bullguard.com/) – This checks the search engine Shodan to see what ports you have open. Try it at home, at work, at any and all clients, friends and family and be surprised (and maybe horrified)!
Down for Everyone or Just Me?
(http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/) – A quick, easy way to see if a website is really down, or if there’s an issue with your network. (Pro Tip: if you can’t get to this either, you probably have a network problem)
GRC Password Generator – (https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm) and Random.org Password Generator – (https://www.random.org/passwords/) – Need a new, secure password? Go here!
MXToolbox Email Headers – (http://mxtoolbox.com/EmailHeaders.aspx) – Want to find out where that email really came from? Paste the headers here and it’ll parse them and give you a full rundown!