In this post, I describe how to open a Microsoft Excel Worksheet as read only. This can be useful if you want to open a Microsoft Excel Worksheet on a shared folder without preventing another user from being able to edit the same spreadsheet. I'm using Windows 10 and Microsoft Excel 2019. Resolution To open a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet as read only, in Windows Explorer, hold the SHIFT key on the keyboard then right click the xlsx file to reveal some additional options: On my computer,  Open as Read-only  did  not  open the Worksheet as read only. However,  Open in Protected View  allows you to view the spreadsheet whilst also enabling another user to edit that spreadsheet. Open Read-Only You can force Excel to open a Worksheet as read only by: 1. Open Microsoft Excel. 2. Go to  Open  then  Browse . 3. Navigate to the Worksheet you want to open,  single click  the file to select it then click the down arrow to the right o...

In this blog post, I describe how to insert multiple rows, either above or below an existing row, in a Google Sheet. If you right click a row in a Google Sheet or press Insert then Rows , you will only be able to insert 1 row above or below the selected row: Resolution To insert more than 1 row above or below an existing row, whilst holding down the left mouse button (or using the SHIFT key), select the number of rows that you wish to insert, then either right click or press Insert then Rows .  Here, I have five rows selected, so I'm able to insert 5 rows above or below: The rows are inserted at the bottom of the selection if you insert below, or at the top of the selection if you insert above, as I've done here: Related Posts - You cannot delete a sheet with a linked form. Please unlink the form first.

In this post, I describe how to fix the error: Get-DnsServerTrustAnchor : The remote procedure call failed. Cause This error can occur when you try to get the DNS server trust anchor for a trust point with an invalid public key. This can occur in PowerShell or when scanning DNS using the  IT documentation tool  XIA Configuration Server. Resolution To fix this error, delete the DNS trust point with the invalid public key then recreate it with a valid key. Get-DnsServerTrustAnchor should now run without an error.

In this blog post, I describe how to find the folder an email is located within in Microsoft Outlook and where that folder is located in the folder hierarchy. If you search for an email in Outlook, you can open it, but it can be difficult to find out which folder that email is located within and where that folder is located in the folder hierarchy. Resolution To see where the email is located, open the email by double clicking it, then press CTRL  and SHIFT  and  F  together on the keyboard to open the Advanced Find window: The In: text box in the top right shows the name of the parent folder of the email - in the screenshot above, this is CRM . To see where that parent folder is located in the folder hierarchy, press the Browse button in the top right of the Advanced Find window. This will open the Select Folder(s) window which shows you where that folder is located: Related Posts - Microsoft Outlook 2019 Remove Mention Column Everywhere - Padding not show...

CENTREL Solutions has released version 14.2 of their IT documentation tool XIA Configuration. This release includes the following functionality: - Microsoft DHCP audit and documentation tool . Improved support for Microsoft DHCP including IPv6 leases, policies, filters and multicast scopes. - The ability to compare Microsoft DHCP IPv4 and IPv6 scopes. - A new report showing your SSL and TLS to help audit Windows server security . - Improved support for scanning and documenting VMware systems . Download XIA Configuration v14.2 here > Request a free 30-day trial here >

In this post, I describe how to fix the error: C:\Windows\system32\rundll32.exe Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item. Cause This error can occur on Windows Server 2019 when you press Desktop icon settings within Themes and related settings whilst logged in as the built-in Administrator account on a domain controller. The error occurs because of User Account Control (UAC) for the built-in Administrator account. Resolution To resolve the issue, enable the following policy: User Account Control: Admin Approval Mode for the Built-in Administrator account This is located in Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options Then restart the server. Desktop icon settings should now open as expected: Alternative Workaround An alternative way to open Desktop icon settings is to open a run prompt (Windows key + R) then type: desk.cpl ,5 Video YouTube link:  rundll32.exe Wi...

In this post, I describe how to add a YouTube featured playlist link below a video, above the title. Clicking this link takes you to the playlist so you can easily watch other videos in that playlist. Resolution 1. The first step I took was to add the video to a playlist in my channel. 2. Next, I made that YouTube playlist into a series playlist . The playlist link above the video title then started appearing for some of the videos in that playlist.  The series playlist also appears as a Featured playlist in the video description: But, unfortunately, this didn't apply to the latest videos in the playlist. Adding hashtags to the video title, playlist title or video description didn't seem to make any difference. I also did the same for another video in another playlist and the link hasn't appeared yet. So, it seems it may be something YouTube automatically does if a video is in a series playlist. If you have more information, please do comment below!

In this post, I describe how to make a YouTube playlist into a series playlist. This is required if you want add a YouTube playlist link below a video and above the title . Resolution 1. Login to YouTube Studio then select Playlists on the left. 2. Hover your playlist to reveal the pencil (edit) icon 3. Press the button with 3 vertical dots on the left 4. Press Playlist Settings (be careful not to press  Delete playlist  as there is no delete confirmation dialog so the playlist immediately deletes and I couldn't find a way to restore it!) 4. Slide the  Set as official series for this playlist  slider to the righ 5. Press Done You can find out more about Series playlists directly from Google here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6084043?hl=en

In this post, I describe how to fix the error: "A connection was successfully established with the server, but then an error occurred during the login process. (provider: SSL Provider, error: 0 - The client and server cannot communicate, because they do not possess a common algorithm.) (.Net SqlClient Data Provider) Error Number: -2146893007" Cause This error can occur when TLS 1.0 is disabled (perhaps for security compliance purposes) and you try to connect to a version of SQL server that has not been updated to support later versions of the protocol e.g. TLS 1.1 or TLS 1.2. It can occur on SQL Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012 and 2014. This error occurs when TLS 1.0 is disabled on the computer connecting to the SQL server.  If TLS 1.0 is disabled on the SQL Server, after a delay, a different error can occur: "The system cannot find the file specified" Resolution Ensure the SQL server is updated to support a common algorithm that is enabled i.e. TLS 1.2.  You can check w...

I wanted to buy something on Amazon but it was just under the free delivery threshold of £20.  I wanted to find a cheap item to add to the order so it qualified for free delivery. I ended up going for toothpaste which was only 80p and it's something I will end up using eventually anyway! I hope this helps you if you need to find a cheap thing on Amazon to add to your order to get free delivery!

The CIS benchmark includes security best practices designed to harden the security of your Windows servers and workstations. The software XIA Configuration includes its own security benchmark with over 340 tests based on best practices directly from Microsoft. The security configuration of your servers is automatically scanned by the software. The reporting feature enables you to quickly audit the security across all your servers at once and immediately expose any non-compliance. The benchmark can be customised to meet your specific organization security policies. Find out more about the Windows server security benchmark compliance tool . A free 30 day XIA Configuration trial is available .

CENTREL Solutions has recently released a new version of their automated IT documentation tool XIA Configuration. Version 14.0 of XIA Configuration includes the following new functionality: A completely rewritten Azure agent for scanning and documenting Microsoft Azure Support for vSphere 7.0 when scanning and documenting VMware vCenter and ESXi New reports including a  Windows Machine Microsoft Defender Summary and a Windows Machine Time Zones Summary to help you perform a Windows server security audit A revamped XIA Configuration Client user interface with a more modern look and feel You can try all this functionality for free by requesting a free XIA Configuration trial >

In this post, I describe how to delete the Evaluation License from VMware vSphere when you have added a Production License but you are still seeing the warning message "There are expired or expiring licenses in your inventory.": Cause The Evaluation License remains and can't be manually deleted, even if you've added a Production License, if the Evaluation License is still assigned to an asset. Resolution Check if your Production License is assigned: If it is not assigned, go to the Assets tab, select your Production License, then press ASSIGN LICENSE : Change the license assignment from the Evaluation License to your Production License: Go back to the Licenses tab, the Evaluation License is automatically removed and the warning message disappears after refreshing the page: Related Posts -  VMware vCenter Install Select Datastore Insufficient Disk Space - VMware ESXi Change Password Policy

In this post, I describe how you can change the VMware ESXi password policy. By default, a password with three different character classes is required.  I wanted to weaken this as I'm in a test environment and I want everything to have a simple password.  This post also describes how you can strengthen the password policy. Resolution To change the ESXi password policy: 1. Login to the ESXi administration user interface in the web browser. 2. Press Manage under Host 3. Search for Security.PasswordQualityControl  in Advanced settings 4. Edit the option to the value required (this article explains the syntax  https://linux.die.net/man/8/pam_passwdqc ) On my test environment, I changed mine to  min=7,7,7,7,7 which allows a weak password. This article contains more information on how you can enforce stronger passwords or use pass phrases:  https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/7.0/com.vmware.vsphere.security.doc/GUID-DC96FFDB-F5F2-43EC-8C73-05ACDAE6BE43.ht...

In this post, I describe how to fix the error "Insufficient disk space. Minimum required: 25GB" which can occur when installing vCenter Server and selecting the datastore: Cause This error occurred for me when I tried to install vCenter Server on an ESXi host which I had created in VMware Workstation version 16.2.2 using the default disk size of 142GB. Despite seeming to be enough space for a tiny test install, this actually only leaves 14GB free for the datastore due to the 120GB taken up by VMFSL (ESXi System Partition): Resolution There are two ways to resolve this issue.  Either increase the size of the datastore or reinstall ESXi with a smaller VMFSL partition. Resolution 1: Increase Datastore Size To increase the datastore size, simply add another disk to the ESXi server, then increase datastore capacity through the ESX management UI (accessible through a web browser using the IP address of the ESXi host). Resolution 2: Install ESXi with a smaller VMFSL partition This V...

Earlier this month, CENTREL Solutions released XIA Automation v5, a new version of their user provisioning tool which helps organizations automate their common network tasks. The software allows you to automatically provision users into Active Directory, Exchange, Office 365 and Google. In this release, the following new functionality has been added: Responsive Web Interface A new and improved web interface: New Administration Interface A new, modernized administration interface: Windows Server 2022 Support for Windows Server 2022. You can try it for free by requesting a free trial .

This post describes how to resolve the error "The user's account has expired" on a Microsoft Windows Workgroup machine i.e. without Active Directory Users and Computers. Cause This error can occur when the local user account's expiry date is in the past and you try to logon as that user. Resolution You can't use Local Users and Groups to change the user account expiry date. The expiry date can be be changed using either Powershell or VBScript. PowerShell method To get the current expiry date, run the following command in PowerShell, replacing accountname with the account you want to get. Get-LocalUser accountname|SELECT * To set the expiry date to a specified date: Set-LocalUser asmith -AccountExpires (Get-Date).AddDays(12) To set the expiry date to never expire: Set-LocalUser accountname -AccountNeverExpires VBScript method The following VBScript gets the current expiry date: Set objUser = GetObject("WinNT://hostname/accountname") Wscript.Echo objUser....

In this post, I describe how you can embed a YouTube video in HTML without using a fixed size height and width. Problem The problem with a fixed height and width is that the embedded YouTube video doesn't fit once the screen gets narrower than the fixed width (for example, on a mobile device) and you end up with the sides of the video being cut off and horizontal scrollbars: Resolution Thanks to CSS tricks for this post which has an excellent solution: 1. Create a container (e.g. a div) and put the embed video code from YouTube inside this container: < div class ="video-container">      < iframe src ="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HF7GTGaJdVg"></ iframe > </ div > 2. Specify the CSS for the container and the iFrame inside it: .video-container {     position : relative ;     padding-bottom : 56.63% ;     height : 0 ; }     ...