Windows Server
Windows Server guides: Active Directory, RDP hardening, Hyper-V, IIS, backups and PowerShell automation.
-
Two-Way Syncing a Windows Desktop to a Storage Box with rclone bisync and Task Scheduler
Two Windows laptops, one SMB storage box, no OneDrive: rclone bisync every 10 minutes via Task Scheduler, with the resync, filter and PST gotchas I hit.
Running Windows Server -
My Gaming Laptop Called Its Own Charger "Non-Original" and Throttled Everything — an EC Reset Fixed It
HP gaming laptop flagged its original charger and throttled CPU + GPU. Measuring it with PowerShell and nvidia-smi, and the EC reset that fixed it.
Running hardware -
Microsoft 365 Expired? Rescuing a Mailbox from the Local OST into a PST
The M365 subscription lapsed, the mailbox was locked server-side, only Outlook's OST cache was left. How I got 3,844 items into a PST plus .msg files.
Running Windows Server -
Mapping a Storage Box as a Windows Network Drive (and Why Windows "Forgets" the Password)
Map an SMB storage box as a persistent Windows drive with PowerShell, and fix the MicrosoftAccount\ prefix that makes Windows lose the saved password.
Running Windows Server -
Managing Windows Server Core Without a GUI
Run Windows Server Core without the desktop — sconfig basics, PowerShell remoting, Windows Admin Center, adding roles, and the gotchas that catch GUI admins.
Running Windows Server -
Windows Task Scheduler from PowerShell — Cron for Windows
Create and manage scheduled tasks on Windows from PowerShell — New-ScheduledTaskAction, triggers, run as SYSTEM, S4U logon, XML export, and the gotchas.
Running Windows Server -
wbadmin — Free Bare-Metal Backup on Windows Server
Free bare-metal backup on Windows Server with wbadmin and Windows Server Backup — one-off image, scheduled policy, and the full WinRE recovery drill.
Running Windows Server -
Hosting a Website on IIS — Windows Server Without the Bloat
Set up IIS from PowerShell without the bloat — install only the role services you need, create an app pool and site, bind HTTPS, harden, verify. No clicking through the GUI.
Running Windows Server -
Hyper-V on Windows Server — Your First VM Without the GUI
Install Hyper-V and build your first VM on Windows Server entirely from PowerShell — switch, VHD, ISO, boot order, Secure Boot, checkpoints. The commands I run.
Running Windows Server -
DHCP on Windows Server — Scopes, Reservations, and the Gotchas
Set up the Windows Server DHCP role end to end in PowerShell — install, authorise in AD, scope, options, reservations, failover. The gotchas that cost real time.
Running Windows Server -
Reset a Windows Password with the Sticky Keys Trick (sethc.exe)
Alternative to the Utilman trick — replace sethc.exe to get SYSTEM-level cmd at the Windows lockscreen. When to use it, how to harden against it.
Running Windows Server -
RDP Hardening on Windows Server — NLA, IP Allowlist, and Audit
Lock down RDP on Windows Server — enforce NLA, restrict the firewall to specific IPs, audit failed logons, kill the bot brute-force traffic. The settings I run on every internet-exposed server.
Running Windows Server -
Windows Server Hardening — Kill SMBv1, LLMNR, and NTLMv1
Three legacy protocols still enabled by default on Windows Server that no modern network needs. PowerShell one-liners to disable each, the rare exceptions, and how to verify.
Running Windows Server -
BitLocker on Windows Server — Encrypting the OS Volume Without Locking Yourself Out
Enable BitLocker on a Windows Server OS volume via PowerShell — TPM unlock, recovery key handling, the boot quirks specific to Server, and how to unlock from WinPE.
Running Windows Server -
Active Directory Part 3 — GPO Hardening for the Whole Domain
The GPOs every domain should have — password policy, account lockout, audit, RDP restrictions, SMBv1 / LLMNR / NTLMv1 kill, BitLocker enforcement. The defaults are not enough.
Running Windows Server -
Active Directory Part 2 — OUs, Users, and GPO Basics
Build a sane AD structure — OU layout, user and group provisioning via PowerShell, first GPO. The patterns that scale from 10 users to 1000.
Running Windows Server -
Active Directory Part 1 — Promoting Your First Domain Controller
Stand up a new Active Directory forest from scratch. Install AD DS, promote the first DC, DNS integration, the post-promo checks. PowerShell-driven, no GUI.
Running Windows Server -
PowerShell for Sysadmins — A Cheatsheet From My Daily Use
The PowerShell snippets I actually use every day on Windows Server — pipeline filters, remoting, services, event logs, scheduled tasks, error handling.
Running Windows Server -
Join Windows Server to AD Domain with PowerShell
Domain-join a Windows Server with Add-Computer: point DNS at the DC first, land in the right OU, verify the secure channel, fix the usual join errors.
Running Windows Server -
Reset a Forgotten Windows Administrator Password — the Utilman Trick
You're staring at a Windows login screen. You don't know the password. You own the machine. You need back in. This is the utilman trick — a classic…
Running Windows Server