Robocopy is a wonderful tool for synchronizing directories, migrating servers, or just generally copying data on or between Windows systems. The built-in version of Robocopy on Windows 7/Server 2008 R2 introduced a multi-threaded copy option; however, this is not available in earlier editions of Windows. Read on to discover how to do multi-threaded Robocopy operations [...]

When Windows is joined to Active Directory, logging on or authenticating for User Account Control with a local account requires that the username be entered in a computername\ username format. This can be inconvenient, especially if the computername is long and difficult to remember and type. Here’s an easy solution.

Sometimes Windows patches or service packs simply will not install successfully. Following the definition of insanity and going back to Microsoft Update to try again and again does not usually fix the problem. Here are 3 things you can do to get that update installed.

Have you ever provisioned a new virtual machine in vSphere, put it in production, and discovered belatedly that you mistakenly used “thin provisioned” virtual disks? This can often happen when deploying from a template which was thin provisioned since the default option is to use the same disk format as the source. Good news! It [...]

Improve your experience with Remote Desktop Protocol when accessing your Windows Terminal Services or Windows Desktop. This will help correct typing delays, for example.

In versions of Outlook previous to 2010, the history of e-mail addresses to which you sent e-mail were stored in a cache file. With Outlook 2010 these addresses are stored in an object in your mailbox (or .pst file). This will show you how to find and edit the auto-complete names list.

Windows PowerShell contains many powerful commands and cmdlets, but sometimes typing the full name for commonly used commands is a pain. Good news! Many of the built-in commands already have shortcuts, a.k.a. Aliases.

In the classic Windows Command Processor, environment variables were referenced using “%” symbols surrounding the variable name. The environment variables were enumerated by simply typing “set” in the command prompt. This has changed considerably in PowerShell.

Being able to automate disk partitioning, volume creation, and filesystem formatting can be very useful. It is especially handy for imaging processes, e.g. from a WinPE boot disk.

By default, Microsoft has prevented the running of custom PowerShell scripts, a.k.a. cmdlets, by setting the PowerShell “ExecutionPolicy” to “Restricted”. This can be changed easily.