TweakHound

Computer stuff...

How-To's

Using Macrium Reflect Boot Media

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First and foremost, I do not backup from within Windows. I only use the boot CD.
Why? After many years of backup and restoring Windows and Linux I have seen just about every method fail at one time or another.
It is my belief that the only way to do an Operating System backup and restore is:
1 – Only use system images.
2 – Not to be using that OS. This is referred to as being offline.
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Hacking My Amazon Fire HD 10

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*** This guide was written in December, 2018. I do not know if this guide works anymore.
*** There is now a better alternative: Fire Toolbox

I purchased:
Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet and the Samsung 256GB microSD card to go with it [$40.00 off (47%)]
My aim is to watch stuff while on the treadmill or bike at the gym and maybe web surf while watching TV.
This guide is how I rooted and customized my new Fire HD 10.
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Blocking A Programs Internet Access Via The Windows Firewall

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Many programs on your computer access the internet even though they don’t need to. They phone home for a variety of reason including telemetry and checking for updates.
I don’t need or want most programs phoning home for any reason. Still, they try.
With programs getting more invasive I thought it would be appropriate to show you how to block their access to the net.
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How To – Linux Mint Virtual Machine

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How to install Linux Mint as a virtual machine.
I do my day-to-day web activities is a Linux Mint virtual machine. This means web surfing, downloading, YouTube watching, etc. This is a quick guide on how I install and setup Linux Mint.
FYI – one of the great things about VMs is you can copy them to other computers. After setup I will copy my Linux Mint VM to my laptop for use one the road.

The steps:
– Download and install VMWare Player
– Download Linux Mint
– Create a new folder on a fast partition
– Create your new VM
– Install Linux Mint
– Configure power options
– Install VMware Tools
– Update
– Install extra software
– Anti-virus
– Configure Linux Mint
– Backup
(click for full-size)

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Tweaking Windows 10 Updated

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It’s been a year since I’ve updated Tweaking Windows 10 and Windows 10 Privacy Settings.
In my humble opinion, not all that much has changed. At least, not for the way I use a PC. Screens look different, a few more options here and there…
For the Windows 10 Privacy Settings there were few significant changes. For the Tweak Guide, 9 of 21 web pages had changes, again nothing earth shattering. (FYI, pages 9, 10, 12-17, 19)
One thing I refused to put in the Tweak Guide at this point was anything related to Game Mode. I’ve yet to see any reliable benchmarks on this and in my own limited benchmarks I’ve seen no change at all.

If you have purchased a Win10 Tweak Guide and are due an upgrade, please forward your receipt to me.

My Home Server – Windows 7

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Here is my current setup. I will be attempting to switch over to a Linux server setup in the near future (just because).
This machine was my secondary workstation and has been repurposed for my home server.
This is a quickie article. No hand holding. If you do not know your way around Windows this article is not for you.
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Fix Windows 10 Network Browsing

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After my latest computer build, parts swapping in/out old computers, and making a new/old home server I noticed network browsing was FUBAR. I double-checked everything I could think of. Everything worked last time I checked. I did some Googling and finally came up with the answer.
Fall Creators Update broke network browsing. Surprise, surprise:
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