OK, a tad of a “dry” subject, but hardly a week goes by without having to Google myself a subnet cheat sheet. Saves me from having to work this out manually!...

Automate That!

Why not put the internet to work for you?

Windows Disaster Recovery Using NetBackup - The Full Process

First off, is it Symantec or Veritas NetBackup? :oS

Hello and Welcome

So here we are. Finally a propper domain name for a propper blog!

MS15-034 Patch NOW!

So I finally had a chance to test this little doozy of an issue this lunchtime. Crash a webserver by issuing a simple wget command?

Monitor Your ADSL / VDSL Connection Statistics via Twitter

Just under a year ago now I was fortunate enough to be able to upgrade from ADSL to FTTC (Fibre To The Cabinet) VDSL broadband.

Re-Arm Remote Desktop Session Host

So here is a little fix for an unlicensed remote desktop session host I found…

2014

Fix Boot/BCD 0xc000000f Error

File this one under a post for another day / ah yes, I’ve seen that before, cant remember how I fixed it however…

LDWin v2.0 Released

Quick post to let you know that yes, I’m still alive and I’ve just released version 2.0 of my popular link discovery tool for Windows, LDWin.

2013

Screaming Woods Pluckley

So what do you and 10 other people do in the woods at night?? No, not that... Ghost hunting of course!Where better to find some ghosts? Why, Pluckley; ...

VM Snapshot Discovery and Attribution

The Golden Snapshot Rule: VM SNAPSHOTS ARE NOT BACKUPS!

UCS Blade Discovery Failed

A simple job then; lift and shift some Cisco UCS blades from a legacy site to into the Datacentre to help with capacity for consolidation in the Datacentre.

VMware Component Integration & Interoperability

You may have noticed VMware have been busy growing their portfolio of products.Previously it was simple to understand VMware's software components; you effec...

LDWin: Link Discovery for Windows

Brand New!!!So you regularly use and enjoy using my WinCDP program. You wish it could also discover link information for devices connected to dev...

Cisco UCS: What The?

A quick non-too-technical post detailing the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and how it works. No, I'm not affiliated with Cisco, I just work on U...

2012

Adding VLANs to Cisco Nexus 1000v

Having scoured the internet and drawing a blank when looking for a simple process to follow when adding a VLAN and subsequent VMware VM access port gro...

BSOD Debugging Part 2: Debugging

Check out BSOD Debugging: Part 1 if you missed it. OK, so you have your Windows debugging environment set up and you have a dump file to analyse. Lets ...

BSOD Debugging Part 1: Setup

By now I'm sure we are all familiar with the humble Windows 'Blue Screen Of Death' (BSOD), displayed when windows crashes. No? Strange as they do tend to pop...

Clone Windows Installed Roles and Features

Mmmm a Roll with a Ham Feature...Quite often I'm asked to build servers that need to have identical configurations in terms of the Windows roles and features...

New Release: Cisco Discovery for Windows v1.3

Yes, that is correct dear reader, your favorite cable tracing tool just got a version bump.Whats new in this release? Here you go:Release 1.3 - 02 Oct ...

vSphere 5.1 Update to Build Number

Once again, continuing series of VMware vSphere update to build number tracking.As always, it's a simple bit of info, often hard to find.ESXi 5.1: ESXi 5.1 =...

What Do You Expect?

Watch it. Do more. Get involved. I have. - Chris

What The Blog Reader v0.7 (Beta 3)

Yep all 'pimped out' and looking good in its new Android Ice Cream Sandwich compliant style, checkout beta 3 of What The.....? Blog Reader for android. ...

Easy Bootable Antivirus CD/USB: UPDATED

Weighing in at fourth place most popular post on this site is Easy Bootable Antivirus CD/USB written in April 2010, just over two years ago (yes, time ...

Fixing Remote Desktop Annoyances

Please don't get me wrong, Microsoft Remote Desktop is a great tool for remote control / administration of Windows Servers and desktops.However in later vers...

vSphere 5.0 Update to Build Number

Once again, continuing series of VMware vSphere update to build number tracking.As always, it's a simple bit of info, often hard to find.ESXi 5.0: ESXi 5.0 =...

Cloud: What is it? Free Cloud?

OK lets cut the jargon, the buzz words, the misconceptions, the downright rubbish. What is this 'cloud' all about? What exactly is cloud c...

ESXi Command Line Networking Configuration

Ages and ages ago, I posted an article detailing ESX Command Line Networking Configuration, and at the bottom of the post I added the sign off "Next time.......

Chris' Better Jam Cams

No one likes to get stuck in a traffic jam. Much less one that could be avoided. Even more annoying is the 'jam out of the blue' on what is usu...

Access VM Consoles From Linux

So you want to access the consoles of your VMware virtual machines, yet your chosen administration client is running Linux? No problem.Sure VMware provide th...

Disable IE Enhanced Security

Another one to file in the "Yes, done that before, but I can't remember how" pile. Probably because it is so easy to do has some bearing on not being able to...

Build it Again

Lego.Hate it when stepping barefoot on a stray piece left hanging around or love it for keeping the kids quiet for hours... and hours.What other toy gives y...

Sky HD: Highlight HD Programmes

So you have got a High Definition Television. You have also taken the plunge and gone for a Sky HD box (other HD solutions are available). You ha...

New and Improved What The Mark IV!

Happy new year. No your eyes do no deceive you, it is all change on the only blog that counts (TM). Now it counts even more!!!Hopefully you'll fi...

2011

Raspberry Pi - A £16 Linux PC!

A credit card sized computer being developed by a UK based charitable foundation that is hoped will promote the education of computer science at school level...

vSphere VM Clone Problems + Fixes

Just recently a colleague of mine had some fun and games completing what should have been a simple clone of Windows 2008 R2 64bit VMware virtual machine.We m...

Find HBA WWNs from ESXi Console

A question this comes up quite a bit: How can I find the World Wide Names (WWNs) of the fibre channel Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) my ESXi server fro...

Beta 1 What The Android Released

Yes that's right the What The.....? Android application has just gone Beta!To mark this momentous occasion (remember developing in Java is completely new to ...

VMware vSphere Client Download URL

Ever since VMware stopped bundling the vSphere client in with ESX / ESXi, try as hard as I can, I can never seem to quickly and easily find the URL to downlo...

Extended Disks Remain Wrong Size

Whats wrong with this picture?Spotted it yet?Yes, that's right. The Data (D:) Properties dialogue does not tie up with the details shown in Disk Manage...

ESX Command Line Networking Configuration

So you’ve built your VMware ESX server and your dead impressed with yourself that you got this far. You leave the datacentre head back to the office sa...

Location via Wi-Fi MAC Address

With all the iPhone tracking claims and counter claims, (see here for details) it appears that Google have been silently collecting and building a publicly a...

Reminder: Win2008R2 SQL Clustering

Yet another reminder / quick fire how to post. This time Windows 2008 R2 Clustering ready for a clustered SQL install.In it's latest guise, Windows 200...

The Dot Slash Login Shortcut

Consider the above login screen, as seen when you login to either a Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 2008 machine that is joined to an Active Directory. The quest...

Making Good Use of Technology

Think of some of the great technological advances of the 20 century, the industrial revolution, the advent of the internet, the desktop computer, the mobile ...

What the....? Anywhere

Thats right, What the.....? is now mobile! There's no excuse now for a bit of What the.....? even on the move! Everyone needs a bit of What the.....? in th...

Vertigo? Don't Look Down!

"Vertigo is the conflict between the fear of falling and the desire to fall." I couldn't have put it better myself.Have you ever suffered from vertigo withou...

ESX Reminder 2: Patching & USB Errors

Continuing my series of quick fire reminders for when (a) I *think* I've seen that issue before and (b) I dont remember what the fix is / was. Previous post...

Remote Control via Web Browser

Over the years, I've tried many, many remote administration tools.For Windows, built in remote desktop is the best choice but you need an RDP (Remote Desktop...

Disaster and Emergency AlertMap

What's happening around the world now? No, right now: this minute?Agreed dear readers, we have indeed looked at real-time trending before right here in...

Video for Android or iPhone

Long gone are the days when mobile phones were simply used for making telephone calls.Nowadays these mini devices that we still call "mobile phones" more clo...

2010

Enjoy Vinyl - NOW!

OK, time to go out on a limb here. It is a well known fact that reproduction from vinyl records and analogue audio equipment is superior to digital reproduct...

Gawker Hacked. Am I affected?

On the weekend of 11 and 12 of December 2010 it was discovered that the servers of Gawker Media (that includes the websites Gawker, Deadspin, Kotaku, Jezebe...

Memtest and Build ESX from USB

REDUX Adj: Brought back; returned. Used postpositively.Back in November last year, I showed you how to easily create a VMware ESX4.x Installation USB u...

Signing Android apk or zip Files

Bit of a memory jogger for me this post, but possibly handy for others too. Yes I realise that this information is almost everywhere on the net, but I can ne...

Windows: Lost User & Password?

Windows users: Lost both Administrator user account name and password? Perhaps you need access without changing any existing administrative accounts?&n...

Lotus Sametime for Android

The holy grail of Android and Lotus users is one step closer! A Lotus Sametime client that runs on Android! Almost. Let me clarify this a l...

Keep Calm...

From the 1939 propaganda poster, with a dash of IT Crowd.If ever you have a tech problem and don't know what to do, just complete the above. You'll be ...

Facebook: The Movie??!!!?

Well here it is - the trailer! Now, now, now, contain yourself dear reader!One thing to keep in mind whilst watching; it just goes to show that Radiohe...

Dungeness: A Way of Life

Not sure how I found this on youtube... Dungeness is about twenty minutes car drive from me. Very well made and interesting short film. Well worth a wa...

Sky Plus Noisy Fan Fix

Sky+ receiver sounding like it's about to take off? Don't remember parking that F1-11 in the lounge?OK this has happened to me a couple of times now, u...

Remote Support: Get the Basics

When it comes to supporting friends, family, whomever remotely - perhaps over the telephone - it is not unusual to spend extended amounts of time just answer...

Sherlock - It's Good!

Having finally got around to watching the first episode tonight, and unaccustomed as I am for posting about TV shows on this here Blog, I feel compelled to s...

Welcome What the.....? MarkIII

Bye Bye What the.....? Blog Mark II, hello Mark III.I'm sure you'll agree, Mark III is a significant improvement over its predecessor in ease of use, navigat...

VMware ESX 4.1 Update to Build Number

Continuing series of VMware ESX update to build number tracking.As always, it's a simple bit of info, often hard to find.ESXi 4.1 = Build 260247 - Released 1...

Browser Extensions Link-around

A quick link-around post detailing the browser extensions I usually install plus a bit of info on each. The idea is to try and keep a frequently used e...

ARGH! Thrips!

It's that time of year again. Only this time, I have a name for the enemy that plagues us.Why it's thips (there is no singular term apparently).Thrips (Order...

Killing Blogger Comment Spam

I like comments. They make blogging worthwhile. Its good to feel engaged. However, Blogger's comment system is primitive to say the least. I...

Android Market Fingerprints Demystified

Like it or not smartphone applications ("apps") are here to stay.Lets face it, we all like to have that "wizzy" app that allows us to do this or that, or dis...

Summer Views from 'Mount' Ashford

Mount Ashford? What's all this?Didn't you know Ashford had a 'mountain'? OK, OK, Ashford doesn't. However, it does have a triangulation point (ak...

Dyson AirBlade: Wet Sleeves Since 2006

Had occasion to visit a customer's site last week. Business as usual, nothing much to write home about.All except their hand dryers in the Gents lavato...

Easy Facebook Privacy

Make no mistake, Facebook privacy is at best, so overly complicated, it's pants.With around 50 settings and over 170 options, Facebook's privacy settings are...

When All Else Fails, Kon-Boot

*** NOTE*** This post relates to bypassing Windows and Linux Operating System security. The tool discussed here is for HOME USE ONLY! ...

USB Boot Without BIOS Support

Here is a great little workaround; how to boot any PC (or virtual machine) from a USB device.As shown in previous posts USB Antivirus, Ubuntu USB and ESX4 US...

Easy Bootable Antivirus CD/USB

*** Checkout Easy Bootable Antivirus CD/USB: UPDATED for an even easier process!*** With the prevalence of Viruses / Rootkits / Spyware and all sorts o...

On the Day the Skies Went Quiet

If you are not aware, all UK airports are closed tonight due to an ash cloud from a volcanic eruption in Iceland:See this BBC article for additional detail. ...

Ubuntu 10.04 Beta2: First Look

As last Thursday (April 8th) saw the Beta 2 release of Ubuntu v10.04-LTS (Long Term Support), I thought I would give this new version a trial run on my test-...

UNetbootin Strikes Again! Ubuntu 10.04 Beta 2

As I've had such great success using UNetbootin to create a VMware ESX 4.0 bootable installer USB - See here for details - I'm going to have a bash at creati...

What the.....? Blog Tour 2010 - A Diary

With over 10,000 hits coming from America alone, it was decided that this year's What the.....? Blog tour should be to go visit Uncle Sam - to say thank you ...

T-Mobile Pulse Eye Candy

A couple of gratuitous eye candy screenshots from my Android T-Mobile Pulse (based on the Huawei U8220).You'll see why I know it as my "Funky Phone":Operatin...

CHoogle: Power Searching Google

Google.Love them or hate them as a company and leaving the privacy issues aside for a moment, you have to agree that Google have built themselves a pretty go...

Easily Test for 64bit Capability!

It's a simple question. A question that seems to be popping up more and more these days."Can my laptop / desktop / server / whatever run a 64bit Operat...

Google: Lesson in Advertising

As readers will know, advertising in general really does wind me up. So, why prey tell am I posing an advert here?Simple. This advert typifies the exac...

Windows 7: Fix Wireless Trouble

With the proliferation of wireless networks, it is becoming more and more likely that if you live in upwards of a fairly well a populated area, you are going...

Blogger Related Posts Widget

Do you like my latest addition?Yeah, I do too!In an effort to lower the bounce rate of this site, I found this excellent related posts widget. The kill...

How to Enable Access to Windows 7 Administrative Shares

From Wikipedia:The administrative shares are the default network shares created by all Windows NT-based operating systems (NT / 2000 / XP / 2003 / Vista / Wi...

Pork Chops on the Bus

They certainly are!Bus Slogan Generator Have fun.- Chris

Live Aircraft Tracking Link-around

Ever looked up into the sky and thought "I wonder where that plane is off to or coming from?"Or more importantly "I bet they're going somewhere warm.... luck...

VMware ESX 4 Update to Build Number

Simple bit of info, often hard to find:ESX 4.0 = Build 164009 - Released 21 May 2009ESX 4.0 Update 1 = Build 208167 - Released 19 Nov 2009ESX 4.0 Update 2 = ...

Expected Drugging?

Just signed in to facebook. Sending a quick reply to a comment, you know, no biggie.Looks like you have to enter some captcha words before you are allo...

VMware ESX 3.5, ESX 4 - Reset Lost or Forgotten root Password

It happens to us all eventually.Just like anything else, appointments, meetings, conference calls, you name it, wedding anniversaries (especially wedding ann...

Chris' Natural Disaster Tracker - Trending

OK, this was a fun little side line project until it got serious. All our heats and prayers go out to all those affected by the recent earthquake in Haiti. ...

ChrisControl v2 Beta 2 Released - Get your copy now!

Quick post to mention that I've just released ChrisControl v2 Beta 2.See all the details on the ChrisControl Google code site hereDownload from the ChrisCont...

Self Updating Realtime Search - Chris' Natural Disaster Tracker

What's happening around the world now?No, right now - this minute?By now, I'm sure we are all aware about the magnitude 6.5 earthquake off off the California...

LogMeIn Free Client with Embedded Credentials

On the two or three occasions I've used LogMeIn 'in anger' to remotely assist in resolving issues with friends computers, I've always had the same issue. &nb...

ChrisControl v2 Beta - 06 Jan

OK, OK, It's been a while since I promised to, but I've started development on ChrisControl again.Decided to host the shebang over at google code. Link...

Cheapest way to faster broadband?!? - Part 2: Going for More

Back in May 2009 (blimey... that long ago?!), I posted this guide on how to get faster ADSL broadband for less than £20.Recap: the deal is to purchase a DG83...

2008

Hello

Hello world