WSL 2 vs Docker Desktop: Which One Should You Use?
If you’re building and deploying containers on Windows, you’ve probably encountered either WSL 2 or Docker Desktop. While they’re closely related, they’re not interchangeable, and knowing which to use, and when, can drastically affect your system performance, development workflows, and licensing costs. In this article, I’ll cover the pros and cons of each, compare their
Top 3 Affordable USB-C Docks for Hybrid Workers in 2025
As hybrid working becomes the new normal, we all need better, more efficient setups both at home and in the office, but affordable. One of the most overlooked essentials is a reliable USB-C docking station.Whether you’re jumping between hot desks, managing a dual-screen home office, switching between work and personal devices, the right USB-C dock
How to Install DeepSeek-R1 Locally Using Ollama
In this article, I’ll introduce you to the DeepSeek-R1 LLM (Large Language Model), Ollama and how to install it locall on your Mac or PC. These instruction are put together using a Mac, but it’s more or less the same on a PC. Introduction to DeepSeek-R1 DeepSeek-R1 is a high performing reasoning LLM (Large Language
Mastering Automation with PowerShell: 10 Essential Scripts for IT Pros
In the ever-evolving world of IT, efficiency and automation are key to managing complex systems and networks. PowerShell, with its powerful scripting capabilities, is the go-to tool for IT administrators to automate routine tasks, improve productivity, and maintain system health. To help you get started, I’ve created a public GitHub repo with a collection of
Veeam Tips: How to Harden Veeam Backup and Replication
In today’s digital landscape, protecting your data against ransomware, cyber threats, and system failures is more critical than ever. Veeam Backup and Replication is a powerful tool for ensuring your data’s safety, but to maximise its effectiveness, hardening your Veeam deployment is essential. Below are some actionable tips to enhance the security and reliability of
Windows tip: Right click end task context menu option
Do you want to easily force-quit unresponsive applications directly from the Taskbar without needing to open Task Manager? Unfortunately, even in 2024 I still find a need to do this. Sometimes you can just hover over the item in the Taskbar, click the X and all is good, but often it’s not that straightforward. So
Why charging extra for basic security features like SSO is a bad practice
In today’s digital landscape, security isn’t just a feature, it’s a necessity. Yet, some major companies continue to place essential security features like Single Sign-On (SSO) behind higher-tier pricing plans. This practice not only undermines user safety by exploiting organisations need for basic security measures but also creates unnecessary barriers to efficient workflow, potentially leaving
Keeping Active Directory secure and tidy with PowerShell: Identifying stale accounts
Maintaining a clean and secure Active Directory (AD) environment is essential for ensuring the safety and efficiency of your organisation’s network. Regularly identifying and managing stale accounts, those that haven’t been used in a long time, helps mitigate security risks, reduce clutter, and streamline user management. In this article, we’ll walk through a PowerShell script
Understanding the ‘Protected Users’ group in Active Directory: When to use it and when not to
Active Directory (AD) is packed with powerful security features designed to reduce the risk of identity compromise. One such feature is the Protected Users group. Introduced with Windows Server 2012 R2, the Protected Users group offers an additional layer of security for high-risk and high-privilege accounts by enforcing strict authentication policies. However, this group is
VMware tip: How to resolve ‘Host TPM attestation alarm’
In the world of virtualisation, ensuring the security and integrity of your environment is paramount. VMware provides several mechanisms to enhance the security of ESXi hosts, one of which is the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) attestation. However, while using this feature, you may encounter the “Host TPM Attestation Alarm.” This article will delve into what
How to Create an ESXi Bootable USB Drive
Introduction Creating a bootable USB drive for VMware ESXi is an essential step for a smooth and efficient installation process. This guide provides a step-by-step guide to create an ESXi bootable USB drive, ensuring that even beginners and seasoned IT professionals can deploy their virtualisation environments with ease. By following these detailed instructions, you’ll not
PowerShell Tips: How to Use PowerShell to Search for Files Containing a String
Introduction to PowerShell for File Searches PowerShell is a powerful scripting language and command-line shell designed especially for system administrators. One of its useful functionalities is the ability to search for files containing a specific string. This capability can streamline many administrative tasks, making it easier to manage and locate vital information across your file
Why it’s not safe to store cloned access cards or credentials on a Flipper Zero
In recent years, the Flipper Zero has gained popularity among security enthusiasts and professionals for its versatility and ease of use, and I too love it. This portable multi-tool for pentesters and tech enthusiasts allows users to interact with various digital systems and devices, including access control systems. One of its most appealing and useful
PowerShell tips: Sending emails in PowerShell
In today’s fast-paced IT environments, automating routine tasks is not just beneficial; it’s essential. One of the most common automation tasks is sending emails. PowerShell, with its versatile cmdlets and scripting capabilities, provides a powerful tool for this purpose. This article delves into how you can leverage PowerShell to send emails, both with and without
Automating website deployment to AWS S3 bucket with GitHub workflows
In the world of web development, the ability to automate deployment processes, massively increases efficiency. GitHub workflows provides a powerful, flexible platform for automating workflows, including Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD). In this article, I’ll show you how to automate the deployment of your website to an AWS S3 bucket every time you
Mastering DAX: A comprehensive guide to enhancing your Power BI experience
Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) is a powerful language designed to handle data manipulation and queries in Microsoft’s various data platforms, notably Power BI, SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), and Power Pivot in Excel. I’ll dive into DAX a bit in this article, covering its history, applications, and the broad spectrum of functions it offers, particularly
How to use the VS Code timeline to recover a file: Navigating changes between commits
We all make mistakes, and sometimes making too many changes in your code, between commits can mean that you lose hours of work. However, if you use VS Code (Visual Studio Code), then it has a built-in timeline feature, which offers a robust solution for navigating and recovering files between commits. This functionality is particularly
Essential VS Code extensions: My top 10 picks for better coding
Whether you’re an experienced developer looking to streamline your workflow or a beginner eager to set up your coding environment, VS Code (Visual Studio Code) boasts a powerful feature that makes it the favourite IDE of many. These extensions, add-ons, or plugins if you prefer, enhance the functionality, improve your productivity, and transform how you
How to make the most of your new Surface Pro 10 / Laptop 6 for Business
First, lets start off by acknowleding the importance of this new device, utilising the new Intel Ultra and the addition of an NPU. It will delivery great performance for most uses, but especially developers, data scientists and creative workers who do photo and video editing/rendering. If you’re lucky enought to have a new Surface Pro
VmmemWSL: What is it, why it consumes so much memory, and how to shut it down
If like me, you’ve noticed a process called vmmemwsl using up a big chunk of your memory, this article should help you to understand what it is, why it uses so much memory and how to stop it. What is VmmemWSL? Vmmem is a process associated with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). WSL allows you to run
Unlocking Efficiency: How the Flipper Zero’s Bad USB can be good and transform your IT workflows
In IT, efficiency isn’t just a goal, it’s essential. This is where the Flipper Zero, a multi-tool device that’s been turning heads with its array of hacking features, particularly its Bad USB capability, comes into play. Despite the ominous name, this feature holds the potential to be a force for tremendous good, by streamlining tasks
The strategic importance of Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 for AI-driven business efficiency
In today’s fast-paced business environment, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance user efficiency stands as a cornerstone for companies aiming to maintain a competitive edge. The introduction of the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 by Microsoft marks a significant milestone in this journey, offering a suite of features that cater to the dynamic
Microsoft introduces hot patching: A game-changer for IT infrastructure
Microsoft’s recent announcement about the introduction of hot patching marks a significant milestone in the realm of IT infrastructure management and cyber security. This innovative approach to software maintenance allows for patches to be applied to servers and applications without the need for a system reboot. This advancement is poised to revolutionise how businesses maintain
Windows 11 Tip: Navigating the Linux Subsystem in Windows, A Comprehensive Guide
In the evolving landscape of operating systems, the integration of Linux within Windows, through the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), marks a revolutionary step for developers and IT professionals. This guide offers a comprehensive overview of WSL, detailing its variations, installation procedures, potential uses, and the requisite system requirements. Understanding WSL The Windows Subsystem for
Should you side load apps now that iOS 17.4 allows it?
The concept of app sideloading is not new, but its implications have taken on new weight in the context of iOS devices. Traditionally, Apple has maintained a closed ecosystem for its App Store, arguing that this approach is essential for ensuring security and privacy. However, the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) is set to
Android TV tips: How to use managed child Google accounts with YouTube on your smart tv
If like me, you have a Smart TV that runs on the Android TV OS, and you’d like to login to the YouTube app for your kids managed accounts, but can’t, then this article should help you. I purchased a Philips Ambilight OLED 65OLED707 TV several months ago, and it’s a pretty decent TV, apart
LG 49WQ95C super ultrawide curved monitor review
I was recently got my hands on a Philips 499P9H super ultrawide monitor in work, and was really impressed with it. Despite it being an old monitor, and not the most advanced because of it’s age, it still performs well and made me want one at home. So I dusted off the credit card and
Firefox Tip: How to reduce memory usage
If like me, you’ve noticed Firefox eating all of your memory, I hope this article, sharing my troubleshooting journey, will help you to get better insight into why it is using so much. I started by closing tabs, removing extensions and in fact doing this took my memory from 4.8GB to 6.2GB, and then restarting
Windows 11 tips: How to setup zones on ultrawide screen to organise your applications
If you have a super ultrawide screen monitor, such as the LG UltraWide 49 Inch 49WQ95C Curved Monitor, you may find it frustrating having to manually resize the apps to fit them on the screen. I’ll show you a fairly easy solution to make this easier to layout your screen and apps for day-to-day use.
Microsoft Teams Tip: How to share your screen when you have an ultrawide screen
If you have an ultrawide screen monitor, and get complaints when you share your screen, this article is for you. I’ve just got my hands on an ultrawidescreen display, and have found within a day that when sharing your screen via Teams, and I presume it’s the same via Zoom, TeamViewer etc, it’s unreadable for