Whenever I get a new (Windows) computer, one of the very first pieces of software I download and install is Notepad++. It gets used for just about anything, and everything, and takes the concept of Notepad, a simple text editor, up a few hundred notches.
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PowerShell: Building a script to find all members of several given groups
Last week, I showed you how I find all the nested members of a specified group. When we get requests for such audits, however, they usually specify doing so for a number of groups. Now, we could of course do it, one group at a time, adding information to our output as we go, however the script as written overwrites the file. What, then, if we want to run this on a number of groups, and avoid overwriting the file? That requires the -Append parameter:
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Building a script to find all members of a given group
Some time ago, I was asked to provide a list of everyone with access to a specific system. After communicating with the client, it transpired that they were particularly interested in knowing who were the members of a set of Active Directory groups. While this can be done manually, I wanted to try my hand at building a PowerShell-script that returned the information the client was asking for, and which I could reuse at some later point, as such requests pop up with some regularity.
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Software Spotlight: Spacemonger
Some software comes and goes, and other software is there for you for the long term. Spacemonger is one of the latter category. Simply put, it scans a hard drive and shows you what’s on it using blocks to represent relative file/folder size, like so:
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Keys to ITIL implementation
ITIL is an excellent framework for running IT operations. It offers tools and process management to help you improve on what you’ve got. Unlike what many consultants would have you believe, however, it is not a panacea. You cannot simply implement all of ITIL and call it a day. If you were to try, you would certainly fail.
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A tale of three recruiters
As so many others, I keep abreast of openings in my field, and apply when I see something relevant and interesting with an employer I might want to work for. These are my experiences with three such applications and the recruiters managing them (all of which, I might add, were external to the company recruiting for the position).
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Why techies start with first principles
As a tech support specialist, I often have to guide the end user through basic troubleshooting, and this often resolves the issue. I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating, in particular because it reinforces the lesson.
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On saying “I don’t know”
A couple of weeks ago, the excellent @IanColdwater posted the following:
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Five tips for giving better tech support
Having worked in tech support for fifteen years, I find I still enjoy my work. Yes, at times, I feel like a target at a live fire exercise, but at the end of the day, I still find fulfillment in knowing that I am able to help my users. Here are five tips to giving better tech support:
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Five tips for getting better tech support
One issue I meet from time to time, is the fact that many of my users do not understand how to approach tech support in a way that is conducive to receive good support in a timely manner. While this list is in no way exhaustive, following the tips and tricks will get you slack when you need it.
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Removing all trace of Zoom from your Mac
Over the past couple of weeks, a story has been breaking that video conferencing vendor Zoom leaves a back door on your Mac when uninstalling it, which will let them run their service and reinstall that much quicker in the future. For details, I recommend this Medium article.
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