Articles & Tutorials

Here are some tips and tweaks that are available for all Windows Operating Systems from Windows ’95 to Windows 2000.

Articles & Tutorials / Common for all OSes

Server Hardware Explained (Part 6): Date - Feb 02, 2012; Author - Brien M. Posey; This article continues the series on server hardware by discussing solid state hard drives.
Server Hardware Explained (Part 5): Date - Dec 22, 2011; Author - Brien M. Posey; This article continues the discussion of server hardware by talking about server storage options.
Server Hardware Explained (Part 4): Date - Nov 17, 2011; Author - Brien M. Posey; In this article, we'll take a look at server memory.
Server Hardware Explained (Part 3): Date - Oct 13, 2011; Author - Brien M. Posey; This article continues the discussion of server hardware by examining the management capabilities that are often built into servers.
Hardware Acceleration: Date - Oct 06, 2011; Author - Russell Hitchcock; In this article the author discusses concepts and ideas related to hardware acceleration.
Server Hardware Explained (Part 2): Date - Sep 15, 2011; Author - Brien M. Posey; This article continues the discussion of server case design by describing some of the features of server cases.
Phase Change Memory: Date - Aug 23, 2011; Author - Russell Hitchcock; In this article the author revisits a previous article to expand upon a new memory technology.
Server Hardware Explained (Part 1): Date - Aug 09, 2011; Author - Brien M. Posey; This article series is designed to teach beginners about server hardware. The first article in the series discusses the differences between PCs and servers and also talks about server form factors.
Silicon (Part 1): Date - Jun 09, 2011; Author - Russell Hitchcock; In this article the author explores how silicon is used in the electronic components of computer hardware.
QuickPath Interconnect: Date - Mar 17, 2011; Author - Russell Hitchcock; In this article the author discusses Intel's QuickPath technology and how it relates to HyperTransport.
Introduction to Configuration Manager 2012 (Part 1): Date - Mar 08, 2011; Author - Scott D. Lowe; This article goes through the installation process of the System Center Configuration Manager beta release 1 and discusses the changes and new features of SCCM 2012.
Microsoft System Center Service Manager - Part 4: Initial use of the product: Date - Jan 04, 2011; Author - Scott D. Lowe; This article takes us through the configuration steps of Service Manager that are required to start using the product.
Leveraging PowerShell for Active Directory Administration: Date - Dec 21, 2010; Author - Derek Melber; This article gives an overview of PowerShell including some cmdlets examples.
Microsoft System Center Service Manager - Part 3: Initial Configuration: Date - Nov 23, 2010; Author - Scott D. Lowe; How to use and configure Service Manager.
Microsoft System Center Service Manager - Part 2: Installation: Date - Sep 02, 2010; Author - Scott D. Lowe; How to install Service Desk’s base services as well as the product’s data warehouse components.
Microsoft System Center Service Manager - Part 1: Introduction and Planning: Date - Aug 12, 2010; Author - Scott D. Lowe; Taking a look at Service Manger’s features as well as providing detailed prerequisite information.
Syncing and Backing up files with free Dropbox: Date - Aug 10, 2010; Author - David Davis; How Dropbox helps to sync and backup files.
Using Group Policy: Policy or Preference?: Date - Jul 01, 2010; Author - Robert J. Shimonski; Does Group Policy help to remove dependency from scripting? Is Group Policy a "must" or a choice?
Internet Routing: More Complicated Than You Thought: Date - May 25, 2010; Author - Russell Hitchcock; Taking a deep dive into internet routing.
The Forefront Unified Access Gateway DirectAccess Wizard – Part2: Examining the UAG DirectAccess Wizard Options: Date - May 13, 2010; Author - Deb Shinder; Taking a look at the UAG DirectAccess wizard.
The Forefront Unified Access Gateway DirectAccess Wizard – Part 1: A little Background about DirectAccess and the UAG DirectAccess Wizard: Date - Apr 27, 2010; Author - Deb Shinder; Deb Shinder gives a brief background on DirectAccess and the UAG DirectAccess wizard.
Seven Free Network Tools for the Busy Admin: Date - Mar 16, 2010; Author - Aaron Leskiw; Taking a look at seven free networking tools that will help the busy Admin.
Group Policy Object Backups (Part 1): Date - Mar 09, 2010; Author - Derek Melber; The options available for a Group Policy backup to be completed manually.
Using Custom ADM Templates with Windows Server 2008/Vista/7: Date - Feb 16, 2010; Author - Derek Melber; What ADM templates do and how to edit them in your new Windows Server 2008/Vista/7 environment.
Top 5 Networking Issues with Windows Clients: Date - Nov 03, 2009; Author - Robert J. Shimonski; The 5 most common problems associated with Windows clients over a networked infrastructure.
Managing your network remotely with Cellular Routers: Date - Oct 13, 2009; Author - David Davis; How to use cellular Internet routers to manage your network remotely; how it is done and the technology used.
Group Policy Settings: How Settings are Stored (Part 1): Date - Aug 20, 2009; Author - Derek Melber; How to store GPO settings, where they are stored, and how they are tracked by the domain controllers in an Active Directory domain.
Working with Read Only Domain Controllers (Part 3): Date - Jul 30, 2009; Author - Brien M. Posey; Concluding the series on Read Only Domain Controllers by guiding you through the deployment process.
Working with Read Only Domain Controllers (Part 2): Date - Jul 09, 2009; Author - Brien M. Posey; Examining some of the practical aspects of working with Read Only Domain Controllers.
Group Policy Preferences: Understanding and Implementing Item - Level Targeting: Date - Jun 25, 2009; Author - Derek Melber; Taking a look at Group Policy preferences, more specifically, the implementation of Item-Level targeting.
Group Policy Preferences: Get Them Running Today!: Date - Jun 18, 2009; Author - Derek Melber; Taking a look at the new Group Policy preferences and how to get them up and running, today!
Working with Read Only Domain Controllers (Part 1): Date - Jun 11, 2009; Author - Brien M. Posey; Why Microsoft has brought back Read Only Domain Controllers whilst outlining their importance.
A First Look at Windows 7 Backup (Part 2): Date - Jun 04, 2009; Author - Brien M. Posey; Outlining more improvements in the Windows 7 Backup and Restore Center.
A First Look at Windows 7 Backup (Part 1): Date - May 28, 2009; Author - Brien M. Posey; How Microsoft has designed the Windows 7 backup application to compensate for Vista’s shortcomings.
Windows 7: Understanding Network Administration and Configuration: Date - May 05, 2009; Author - David Davis; Important differences and improvements between Windows Vista and the new Windows 7 OS when it comes to configuring networking.
Monitoring Network Performance with PRTG free edition: Date - Apr 02, 2009; Author - David Davis; How to download, install, and use the free PRTG Network Monitor to Monitor and Troubleshoot Windows Networking Issues.
The Arithmetic Logic Unit: Date - Feb 26, 2009; Author - Russell Hitchcock; How a processor performs logic and arithmetic operations.
Cache Coherency: Date - Dec 18, 2008; Author - Russell Hitchcock; Cache coherency as it relates to multi-core processors.
Multi-core Programming: Taking Advantage of Multi-cores: Date - Nov 06, 2008; Author - Russell Hitchcock; A deeper look into the world of multithreading and highlighting some ways which can alleviate some of the difficulties developing a well threaded application.
OSI Reference Model: Layer 7 Hardware: Date - Oct 21, 2008; Author - Russell Hitchcock; A continuation in a series; this article will discus the seventh layer of the OSI Reference Model from a hardware perspective.
OSI Reference Model: Layer 6 Hardware: Date - Oct 02, 2008; Author - Russell Hitchcock; We will discuss the sixth layer, the Presentation Layer, which is the first layer concerned with transmitting data across a network at a more abstract level than just ones and zeros.
OSI Reference Model: Layer 5 Hardware: Date - Sep 03, 2008; Author - Russell Hitchcock; This article discusses the fifth layer of the OSI Reference Model, called the Session layer. This layer is responsible for the management of sessions between two communicating end points.
Clearing the Confusion of OU Design: Date - Aug 07, 2008; Author - Brien M. Posey; This article explains why OUs might often be overused, and how you can create a simpler Active Directory model for your organization.
OSI Reference Model: Layer 4 Hardware: Date - Aug 05, 2008; Author - Russell Hitchcock; The previous articles in the series have discussed the first three layers of the OSI Reference Model. We will now discuss the fourth layer; the Transport layer.
Understanding Group Policy Replication: Date - Jul 10, 2008; Author - Derek Melber; Group Policy replication is controlled by two different replication mechanisms: FRS and Active Directory replication. We will take a look at both mthods within this article.
OSI Reference Model: Layer 3 Hardware: Date - Jul 01, 2008; Author - Russell Hitchcock; A discussion of the third layer of the OSI reference model, focusing mostly on routers and why they are usually placed in this layer.
OSI Reference Model: Layer 2 Hardware: Date - Jun 04, 2008; Author - Russell Hitchcock; A discussion of the second layer of the OSI reference model from a hardware perspective.
OSI Reference Model: Layer 1 hardware: Date - May 08, 2008; Author - Russell Hitchcock; A description of layer 1 of the OSI reference model and the hardware which relates to that layer.
Graphic Cards: Date - Mar 20, 2008; Author - Russell Hitchcock; An overview of graphic cards, why they are important in some businesses, and some common features.
Batteries: Date - Dec 18, 2007; Author - Russell Hitchcock; Explanation of common battery technologies seen in the computer industry.
Computer Cooling Technologies: Date - Nov 22, 2007; Author - Russell Hitchcock; An overview of some different computer cooling technologies and an introduction to some of the issues involved when attempting to limit your network's energy usage.
Multi-Core CPUs: Date - Oct 23, 2007; Author - Russell Hitchcock; Topics related to the adoption of multi-core CPUs.
Memory and Storage - Part 3: Bus Specifications: Date - Sep 11, 2007; Author - Russell Hitchcock; Understanding how memory is connected to the CPU and how it can be manipulated.
Memory and Storage - Part 2: New Memory Technologies: Date - Aug 02, 2007; Author - Russell Hitchcock; Data storage up-and-coming technologies
Memory and Storage - Part 1: Date - Jul 17, 2007; Author - Russell Hitchcock; Common forms of data storage, up-and-coming technologies and common memory addressing protocols.
Using Logon Scripts in Pure and Mixed Active Directory Environments: Date - Dec 09, 2004; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article looks at the differences in implementing logon scripts in pure and mixed Active Directory environments, including how to use Group Policy to assign scripts and how to run Windows Script Host (WSH) scripts from batch files.
TweakUI for Win95/98/ME/NT/2000: Date - Oct 21, 2000; Author - Johannes Helmig
Popup Messages: Date - Jul 01, 2000; Author - Johannes Helmig
Hidden Shared Resources: Date - Jun 28, 1998; Author - Johannes Helmig