EXPLORE THE NOTEBOOK
Notes from the command line, the workbench, and the vintage computer shelf.
The console that was a hit in Japan as the PC Engine and an also-ran in America as the TurboGrafx-16. Its odd 8-bit and 16-bit hardware, the first CD add-on, the games worth playing, and how to play them now.
Console field guide · Note 2 ↗Create a Tier 0 admin group, keep it where only Tier 0 can touch it, and give it full control of the Tier 0 OU. Preview the whole thing with -WhatIf first.
Keeping Active Directory tidy · Note 1 ↗Put a BIOS admin password on new Dells, or change the old one across the fleet, with both passwords handed over at runtime.
Dell BIOS passwords, without the pain · Note 1 ↗Repack ZIPs as 7z, see exactly how much space each one saved, and keep the ZIP when the 7z wouldn't be any smaller.
Archive conversion workshop · Note 3 ↗Find project folders that haven't changed in N days, zip each one to an archive location with the date of its last change, verify it, and optionally clear out the original.
File wrangling · Note 2 ↗How I worked out whether a used RX 570 and Ryzen 3 gaming PC was worth $250, what it can actually run, and the checks and questions I'd use on any used PC listing.
Games and gear · Note 12 ↗Switch workstations to High Performance (or Ultimate Performance) by GUID, restore the plan if the image hid it, and don't end up with five copies of it.
Packaging with ConfigMgr · Note 3 ↗My parts list and order of operations for turning a Pentium 4 Dell Optiplex GX280 into a period-correct Windows XP gaming machine.
The retro workbench · Note 9 ↗Integrity-test every ZIP, 7z, RAR and TAR in a folder, then optionally repack the good ones into a single format. Broken archives never get touched.
Archive conversion workshop · Note 1 ↗Clear the BIOS setup password on Dell PCs and see exactly what changed, with the password supplied at runtime instead of sitting in a package.
Dell BIOS passwords, without the pain · Note 2 ↗One uninstall script for every retired app. Give it a display name and it finds the right uninstall command, MSI or not, and runs it quietly.
Packaging with ConfigMgr · Note 2 ↗Find out which Chrome version a machine is really running, whether an update is stuck waiting on a restart, and kick Google's updater into checking now.
Spring cleaning for Windows PCs · Note 7 ↗
