Nvidia’s new GeForce RTX 30-series laptops are finally here, and while they’re no longer equivalent to their identically named desktop cousins, this new breed of GPUs is still formidable, as our RTX 3080 mobile review proves. Even better? Unlike desktop graphics cards, you can actually buy them! Well, some of them. Most of the GeForce RTX 30-series we’ve spotted so far come paired with Intel’s potent, yet older 10th-gen Comet Lake H gaming processors. New AMD Ryzen 5000 Mobile and Intel Tiger Lake H35 gaming processors were announced at CES 2021, but they’re not available quite yet—though the page for Asus’s intriguing Ryzen 9 5900HS-powered ROG Flow X13 laptop and its complementary ROG XG Mobile graphics dock teases that they’ll be available soon, and we’ve already got a review unit in our hands. The Asus ROG Flow X13 weighs as much as an XPS 13 2-in-1 yet features an 8-core Ryzen 9 5980HS, GeForce GTX 1650 and can be paired with a GeForce RTX 3080. For now, however, if you want an RTX 30-series laptops in your hands, you have to go with 10th-gen Intel. Good thing those chips still rock for gaming. You’ll also need to go with a more powerful RTX 3070 or 3080 graphics, at least for a few days, because more moderately priced (and modestly performing) RTX 3060 laptops won’t hit the streets until after February 2. Shopping for a gaming laptop is harder now because of some fundamental changes Nvidia made with the RTX 30-series. None of the listings for these laptops include crucial power or clock speed info to let you know how hard the manufacturers are pushing these machines. Nonetheless, at a time when desktop graphics cards are impossible to find and inflated to incredible prices in the rare times you can, we felt it worthwhile to pull together a list of some of the RTX 30-series laptops you can buy right now. All of the models in this non-comprehensive list come with drool-worthy, ultra-fast displays, and all were in stock at the time of writing, though a noted few remain in preorder status. Feel free to hit any link for even deeper configuration info. Let’s dig in. 11 GeForce RTX 30-series laptops you can buy right now If you want to spend under two grand on an RTX 30-series laptop, your options are extremely limited in these early days. You’ve only got two, in fact. The Gigabyte Aorus 15G costs $1,800 at Newegg. Here’s what you get for your cash: CPU: Intel Core i7-10870H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Display: 15.6-inch, 240Hz 1080p IPS Memory: 32GB Storage: 512GB SSD Weight: 4.51 pounds The $2,099 Gigabyte Aorus 17G includes the same basic hardware but steps up to a larger, faster 17-inch display with a blistering 300Hz refresh rate. If you want a more potent RTX 3080 laptop from Gigabyte, you’ll need to opt for the company’s Aero line instead. It starts at $2,200 for the Aero 15 with an RTX 3070 inside, but several configurations are available, culminating in a beastly $3,700 Gigabyte Aero 17. For your cash, you’ll get an RTX 3080 paired with Intel’s ferocious Core i9-10980HK, 64GB of memory, 2TB of fast PCIe SSD storage, and a factory calibrated 4K display. MSI If you want to spend under two grand on an RTX 30-series laptop, your options are extremely limited in these early days. You’ve only got two, in fact. The Gigabyte Aorus 15G costs $1,800 at Newegg. Here’s what you get for your cash: CPU: Intel Core i7-10870H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Display: 15.6-inch, 240Hz 1080p IPS Memory: 32GB Storage: 512GB SSD Weight: 4.51 pounds The $2,099 Gigabyte Aorus 17G includes the same basic hardware but steps up to a larger, faster 17-inch display with a blistering 300Hz refresh rate. If you want a more potent RTX 3080 laptop from Gigabyte, you’ll need to opt for the company’s Aero line instead. It starts at $2,200 for the Aero 15 with an RTX 3070 inside, but several configurations are available, culminating in a beastly $3,700 Gigabyte Aero 17. For your cash, you’ll get an RTX 3080 paired with Intel’s ferocious Core i9-10980HK, 64GB of memory, 2TB of fast PCIe SSD storage, and a factory calibrated 4K display. MSI MSI also offers a sub-$2,000 RTX 30-series laptop with the $1,799 MSI GP66 Leopard. It’s the same price as the Gigabyte Aorus 15G discussed previously, but a bit more modestly spec’d out. The overall experience matters greatly for laptops but the Gigabyte notebook definitely offers more bang for your buck on paper. Both wield the RTX 3070 mobile chip, though. CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Display: 15.6-inch, 144Hz 1080p “IPS-level” Memory: 16GB Storage: 512GB SSD Weight: 5.25 pounds MSI offers a wider variety of RTX 30-series laptop lines. The $2,300 MSI GE66 Raider bumps things up to a 300Hz display, a Core i7-10870H processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. The company’s larger 17-inch GE76 Raider is only in preorder status for now, alas, as are more potent notebooks with a step-up RTX 3080 inside. The flagship $2,999 MSI GS66 Stealth for example can be ordered on Amazon now but won’t ship until February 15. Razer leaned hard into the RTX 30-series, with plans for Razer Blade and Razer Blade Pro models with an awesome selection of displays in various sizes, speeds, and panel types. Currently, however, you can only buy the Razer Blade 15 base edition with either a 144Hz, 1080p display for $2,000 or a 165Hz, 1440p display for $2,200. Every other model is listed as a preorder, or comes with a notification button for when stock arrives. Here’s what’s inside the Razer Blade 15 Base Edition, aside from those differing display configurations: CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Memory: 16GB Storage: 512GB SSD Weight: 4.6 pounds Eventually, you’ll be able to buy a 17-inch 4K Razer Blade Pro with a Core i7-10875H, an RTX 3080, a 1TB PCIe SSD (with an option for 2TB), and 32GB of RAM (with a 64GB option) as the ultimate Razer offering. For now, you can preorder it. Cutting-edge GeForce RTX 30-series laptops are only just starting to hit our test bench, but be sure to check out our guide to the best gaming notebooks for concrete recommendations as time goes on. Until then, the guide offers buying advice that can help you navigate the somewhat confusing world of laptop specs and configurations. Good luck! Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.

Mozilla has yet to completely win or lose the war on video codecs, but has made a tactical retreat to preserve its forces, according to Ogg Vorbis creator Monty Montgomery. Cisco and Mozilla have announced a plan that will enable the browser maker to distribute an H.264 codec, and in effect end a standoff over which video codec should be at the end of the W3C's WebRTC standard. The problems for Mozilla stem from the fact that the H.264 codec is licensed by MPEG LA under terms that Mozilla is not willing to accept. The new arrangement will see Cisco pay the licence fee and distribute binary builds that can be used in Firefox. "We plan to open source our H.264 codec, and to provide it as a binary module that can be downloaded for free from the internet," wrote Rowan Trollope senior vice president and general manager, Cisco Collaboration Technology Group, in a blog post. "Cisco will not pass on our MPEG LA licensing costs for this module, and, based on the current licensing environment, this will effectively make H.264 free for use in WebRTC." Mozilla CTO Brendan Eich welcomed the move, but admitted that it is not a complete solution. "At Mozilla, we always come back to the question of what's good for the users, and in this case, that means interoperation of copious H.264 content across OSes and other browsers," "We've already started looking at how to integrate the Cisco-hosted H.264 binary module, and we hope to have something ready for users in early 2014." Mozilla is working on a new codec called Daala, which it hopes will leapfrog its competition to be the best video codec, but one that is also free from patents and licencing. Monty Montgomery, author of Ogg Vorbis and a recent Mozilla recruit charged with developing Daala, said that the deal with Cisco is not a win, though. "Let's state the obvious with respect to VP8 vs H.264: We lost, and we're admitting defeat," said Montgomery in his response. "Cisco is providing a path for orderly retreat that leaves supporters of an open web in a strong enough position to face the next battle, so we're taking it. "By endorsing Cisco's plan, there's no getting around the fact that we've caved on our principles." Montgomery said that it makes little sense for Mozilla to maintain its holdout against H.264 after its chief ally, Google, shipped recently with H.264 support. He said that the move by Cisco will see it cough up at least $6.5 million per year, due to the terms of the codec's licensing, which sets a yearly cap for licensing costs. The Ogg Vorbis author said that the arrangement has short-term benefits, but solves nothing in the long term. "H.264 is already considered 'on the way out' by MPEG, and today's announcement doesn't address any licensing issues surrounding the next generation of video codecs. "We've merely kicked the can down the road and set a dangerous precedent for next time around. And there will be a next time around, " he said.

When you search online, you will find various blog posts, documentation and tutorials on Azure DevOps. All of these items are valuable resources but rarely does one walk you through a real-world scenario. Many skim over the security aspect leaving passwords in clear text for simplicity or an end product that essentially does nothing. Let's change that. In this article/tutorial, you're going to learn from soup to nuts how to build a real Azure DevOps release pipeline that automates infrastructure. More specifically, you're going to learn how to use Azure DevOps to build a continuous deployment pipeline to provision Azure virtual machines. By the end of this project, you will have a fully-functioning Azure pipeline. From a single GitHub repo commit, it will: Build a temporary Azure resource group Provision an Azure VM via an ARM template Set up said ARM template in a CI/CD pipeline Upon any change to the template, kick off a template validation test Deploy the ARM template to Azure Test the deployed infrastructure Tear down all Azure resources Let's dive right in! Project Overview This project is going to be broken down into six main sections. They are: Azure resource preparation In this section, you will learn how to set up all of the prerequisite resources in Azure. Here you will: Create an Azure service principal for various tasks in the pipeline Set up an Azure Key Vault with secrets for the pipeline to use Set appropriate access policies for ARM deployments and pipeline usage Azure DevOps preparation Once you have all of the Azure resources set up, it's time to prepare Azure DevOps for your pipeline. In this section, you will: Install the Pester Test Runner build task in your Azure DevOps organization Create service connections to provide Azure DevOps with required resource access Create an Azure DevOps variable group linking a key vault to access Azure Key Vault secrets Script/template overview There are various artifacts that go with this project including the ARM template to build the server and the Pester tests. In this section, we'll briefly cover what the template is provisioning and what exactly Pester is testing in the pipeline. Pipeline creation In this section is where the real fun begins. You will begin setting up the actual pipeline. Here you'll learn how to setup this entire orchestration via a single YAML file. You'll be building the pipeline using the Multi-Stage Pipeline UI experience. As of this writing, this feature is in Preview. Pipeline demonstration Once the pipeline is built, you need to see it run! In this section is where you'll learn how to trigger the pipeline and simply watch the magic happen. Cleanup And finally, this since is just a demonstration, you'll get access to a script to tear down everything built during the tutorial. Does this sound like a lot? It is! But don't worry, you'll learn step-by-step as attack each task one at a time. If you’d like a script with all of the Azure CLI commands used to build this pipeline, you can find it in the ServerAutomationDemo GitHub repo as demo.ps1. Prerequisites You're going to learn a lot but you're also expected to come to the table with a few things. If you plan to follow along, be sure you have the following: An Azure DevOps organization - Check out the Microsoft QuickStart guide for instructions on how to do this. In this article, you'll be working with a project called ServerAutomationDemo. A GitHub repo - In this article, you'll be learning from a GitHub repo called ServerAutomationDemo. Sorry, we're not using Azure repos in this article. A GitHub personal access token - Be sure to create the token with the permissions of admin:repo_hook, all repo and all user options Cloud Shell or PowerShell 6+ if running locally - Examples may work in Windows PowerShell but were not tested. All of the examples will be performed locally via a PowerShell console but the Cloud Shell will work just as well. You will automate building the pipeline. Azure CLI installed (if running locally) - You'll learn how to perform tasks in this article with the Azure CLI. But, the same procedures can also be performed via the Azure Portal, PowerShell or the Azure SDK. Warning: The actions you're about to perform do cost real money unless you have some Azure credit. The most cost-intensive resources you'll be bringing up in Azure is a VM but only temporarily. Before you Start You're going to be doing a lot of configuration in this tutorial. Before you begin, please be sure you have the following items handy. The name of the Azure subscription resources will be deployed to - the examples will use Adam the Automator. The ID of the subscription The Azure AD tenant ID The DevOps organization name - the examples will use adbertram. The region you're placing resources into - the examples will use eastus. The name of the Azure resource group to put the temporary key vault into - the examples will use ServerAutomationDemo. A password to assign to the local administrator account on a deployed VM - the examples will use "I like azure.". The URL to the GitHub repo - the examples will use https://github.com/adbertram/ServerAutomationDemo. Logging in with the Azure CLI Be prepared to do a lot of work with the Azure CLI in the article. I love the Azure PowerShell cmdlets but the Azure CLI is currently capable of doing more DevOps tasks. Your first task is getting to a PowerShell 6+ console. Once in the console, authenticate to Azure using the command az login. This command will open a browser window and prompt you for your account. Once authenticated, be sure to set your subscription to the default. Setting it as the default will prevent you from having to specify it constantly. az login az account set --subscription 'Adam the Automator' Preparing Azure Resources Once you're logged in with the Azure CLI, it's time to get down to business. An Azure Pipeline has many different dependencies and various knobs to turn. In this first section, you're going to learn how to do some set up and prepare your environment for your pipeline. Installing the Azure CLI DevOps Extension You'll need a way to build the various Azure DevOps components with the Azure CLI. By default, it doesn't include that functionality. To manage Azure DevOps from the Azure CLI, you'll need to install the DevOps extension. Luckily, installing the extension is a single line as shown below. az extension add --name azure-devops Once the extension has been installed, then set your organization as the default to prevent specifying it over and over. az devops configure --defaults organization=https://dev.azure.com/adbertram Creating the Resource Group Although the pipeline will be creating a temporary resource group, you should also create one for any resources brought up in this demo. More specifically, this resource group is where you'll create an Azure Key Vault. az group create --location "eastus" --name "ServerAutomationDemo" Creating the Azure Service Principal The next task is to create an Azure service principal. You're going to need an Azure service principal to authenticate to the Azure Key Vault. You'll also use this service principal to authenticate a service connection. Create the service principal for both the key vault and for the eventual ARM deployment as shown below. $spIdUri = "http://ServerAutomationDemo"$sp = az ad sp create-for-rbac --name $spIdUri | ConvertFrom-Json At this point, it’d be a good idea to save the value of $sp.appId somewhere. When you get to building the pipeline later, you will need this! You'll notice some PowerShell commands in the examples e.g. ConvertFrom-Json. Since the Azure CLI only returns JSON strings, it's easier to reference properties if converted to a PowerShell object. Building the Key Vault The pipeline in this tutorial needs to reference a couple of passwords. Rather than storing passwords in clear text, let's do it the right way. All sensitive information will be stored in an Azure Key Vault. To create the key vault, use the az keyvault create command as shown below. This command creates the key vault in the previously-created resource group. Also notice the enabled-for-template-deployment switch. This changes the key vault access policy to allow the future ARM deployment to access the key vault. az keyvault create --location $region --name "ServerAutomationDemo-KV" --resource-group "ServerAutomationDemo" --enabled-for-template-deployment true Once in the variable group, click on Link secrets from an Azure key vault as variables. Once you do, you'll then be warned you'll be erasing all variables and click Confirm. You'll see how to do this below. This action is fine since the foo variable was temporary all along anyway. Once confirmed, select the ARM service connection and the ServerAutomationDemo-KV key vault created earlier as shown below. Click Add. Now check both of the secrets created earlier as shown below and click OK and Save to save the changes. Project Files Overview If you've made it this far, congratulations! You're now ready to begin building the pipeline. But wait...there's more! To make building an Azure Pipeline real world, this tutorial builds a pipeline complete with "unit" and "acceptance" tests. This makes the tutorial more interesting but also warrants some additional explanation on what's going on. In the GitHub repo for this tutorial, you'll find a few files as shown below. Now would be a good time to either clone this repo or build your own from the files. azure-pipelines.yml - The final YAML pipeline connect-azure.ps1 - PowerShell script to authenticate to an Azure subscription server.infrastructure.tests.ps1 - A simple Pester test to confirm VM configuration is goodserver.json - An Azure ARM template to provision a VM server.parameters.json - An Azure ARM parameters template that provides the ARM template with parameter values. server.templates.tests.ps1 - Pester "unit" tests to confirm the ARM template is valid You'll see how each of these files fits together in the pipeline in a little bit. Creating the Pipeline Assuming you've cloned my GitHub repo or set one up on your own, it's time to create the pipeline! To do so, run the az pipelines create command. The below command creates a pipeline called ServerAutomationDemo using the provided GitHub repo as a trigger. It will look at the master branch and use the service connection built earlier. az pipelines create --name "ServerAutomationDemo" --repository "https://github.com/adbertram/ServerAutomationDemo" --branch master --service-connection $gitHubServiceEndpoint.id --skip-run Depending on if you have the azure-pipelines.yml file in your GitHub repo, you may or may not receive feedback like below. Either way, your console will look similar. Be sure to have your GitHub personal access token ready! YAML Pipeline Review At this point, your pipeline is ready to run but it's important to first understand the YAML pipeline. Take a look at the azure-pipelines.yml file. This file is the pipeline when using the multi-stage YAML pipeline feature. Let's break down the various components that make up this YAML pipeline. The Trigger Since you're building a CI pipeline that automatically runs, you need a trigger. The trigger below instructs the pipeline to run when a commit is detected in the Git master branch. Notice also the paths section. By default, if you don't specifically include or exclude files or directories in a CI build, the pipeline will run when a commit it done on any file. Because this project is all built around an ARM template, you don't want to run the pipeline if, for example, you made a tweak to a Pester test. trigger: branches: include: - master paths: include: - server.json - server.parameters.json The Pool Every build needs an agent. Every build agent needs to run on a VM. In this case, the VM is using the ubuntu-latest VM image. This image is the default image that was defined when the build was originally created. It hasn't been changed due to the "simplicity" of this pipeline. pool: vmImage: "ubuntu-latest" Variables Next up, we have all of the variables and the variable group. The various tasks in this pipeline require reading values like the Azure subscription ID, tenant ID and the application ID for the service principal and so on. Rather than replicating static values in each task, they are defined as variable. Also notice the group element. This element is referencing the variable group you created earlier. Be sure to replace the subscription_id and tenant_id at this time. You'll learn how to get the application_id a little bit later. Remember in the Creating the Azure Service Principal section you were reminded to save the value of $sp.appId somewhere? This is where you’ll need it. Assign the value of that service principal application ID to application_id as shown below. variables: - group: ServerAutomationDemo - name: azure_resource_group_name value: "ServerProvisionTesting-$(Build.BuildId)" - name: subscription_id value: "XXXXXXXXXXXXX" - name: application_id value: "XXXXXXXXXXXXX" - name: tenant_id value: "XXXXXXXXXXXX" Note the value of the azure_resource_group_name variable. Inside of that value you'll see $(Build.BuildId). This is a system variable that represents the build ID of the current job. In this context, it is being used to ensure the temporary resource group created is unique. PowerShell Prep Tasks The next set of tasks invoke PowerShell code. This pipeline example uses PowerShell to create and remove a temporary resource group for testing purposes. In these deployment tasks, you'll see two examples of invoking PowerShell code. The first task invokes a script called connect-azure.ps1 that exists in the GitHub repo. This task authenticating to the Azure subscription for the subsequent Azure PowerShell commands to run. This Azure PowerShell connect task is calling the script and passing a key vault secret value (Server Automation Demo-AppPw) and the pipeline variables subscription_id, application_id and tenant_id. The second task is running PowerShell code inline meaning a script doesn't already exist. Instead, PowerShell code is defined in the pipeline YAML itself using the value of the azure_resource_group_name pipeline variable. - task: PowerShell@2 inputs: filePath: "connect-azure.ps1" arguments: '-ServicePrincipalPassword "$(ServerAutomationDemo-AppPw)" -SubscriptionId $(subscription_id) -ApplicationId $(application_id) -TenantId $(tenant_id)'- task: PowerShell@2 inputs: targetType: "inline" script: New-AzResourceGroup -Name $(azure_resource_group_name) -Location eastus -Force Pester Template Test Next up we have the first Pester test. In a CI/CD pipeline such as this, it's important to have a few different layers of tests. If you were creating a pipeline for a software project, you may create various unit tests. Since this example pipeline is built around a single ARM VM deployment, the first "unit" tests will be to test the validity of the JSON template. Inside of the server.templates.tests.ps1 file is where you can add as many different tests on the ARM template file itself as you'd like. Notice below, the pipeline is using various system variables. These variables are referencing the file location of the files once they get onto the build agent. The Peste rRunner task is sending the test results out to an XML file which will then be read later in the pipeline. - task: Pester@0 inputs: scriptFolder: "@{Path='$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/server.template.tests.ps1'; Parameters=@{ResourceGroupName='$(azure_resource_group_name)'}}" resultsFile: "$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/server.template.tests.XML" usePSCore: true run32Bit: False The ARM VM Deployment We have now come to the ARM deployment. Since the entire pipeline is build around the ability to deploy a VM, this one is important! This task deploying the ARM template providing all of the required attributes needed to make it happen. Note the deployment Outputs: arm_output attribute. In the next step, a task needs to connect to the VM that was deployed. A great way to get the DNS name or IP address of this VM is by returning it via the ARM deployment. The deployment Outputs option creates a pipeline variable that can be referenced in other tasks. - task: AzureResourceManagerTemplateDeployment@3 inputs: deploymentScope: "Resource Group" azureResourceManagerConnection: "ARM" subscriptionId: "1427e7fb-a488-4ec5-be44-30ac10ca2e95" action: "Create Or Update Resource Group" resourceGroupName: $(azure_resource_group_name) location: "East US" templateLocation: "Linked artifact" csmFile: "server.json" csmParametersFile: "server.parameters.json" deploymentMode: "Incremental" deploymentOutputs: "arm_output" Pester "Acceptance" Test Once the VM has been deployed, you need to ensure it was deployed properly with an "integration" or "acceptance" test. This Pester Runner task is invoking Pester and running another set of infrastructure-related tests to ensure the VM was deployed successfully. Notice that we're passing in the value of the output of the ARM deployment via the Arm Deployment Json Output parameter. The Pester test script file has a parameter defined that takes the value and reads the DNS hostname of the VM. task: Pester@0 inputs: scriptFolder: "@{Path='$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/server.infrastructure.tests.ps1'; Parameters=@{ArmDeploymentJsonOutput='$(arm_output)'}}" resultsFile: "$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/server.infrastructure.tests.XML" usePSCore: true run32Bit: False You can see below what he server.infrastructure.tests.ps1 PowerShell script looks like. Notice that it's reading the VM's DNS hostname to then run a simple open port check. $ArmDeploymentOutput = $ArmDeploymentJsonOutput | convertfrom-json## Run the tests describe 'Network Connnectivity' { it 'the VM has RDP/3389 open' { Test-Connection -TCPPort 3389 -TargetName $ArmDeploymentOutput.hostname.value -Quiet | should -Be $true } } "Acceptance" Test Cleanup The only reason the pipeline deployed any infrastructure was to test the validity of the ARM template. Because this infrastructure as only temporary, it needs to be cleaned up. In the last PowerShell task, the pipeline is removing the resource group created earlier and everything in it. - task: PowerShell@2 inputs: targetType: "inline" script: Get-AzResourceGroup -Name $(azure_resource_group_name) | Remove-AzResourceGroup -Force Pester Test Publishing And finally, we have come to the last set of tasks. Azure Pipelines has a task called Publish Test Results. This task reads an XML file on the build agent and displays tests results in Azure DevOps. This is a handy way to easily see the results of all tests run. - task: PublishTestResults@2 inputs: testResultsFormat: "NUnit" testResultsFiles: "$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/server.infrastructure.tests.XML" failTaskOnFailedTests: true- task: PublishTestResults@2 inputs: testResultsFormat: "NUnit" testResultsFiles: "$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/server.template.tests.XML" failTaskOnFailedTests: true Using the Azure DevOps Pipeline Finally, we're ready to run the pipeline and see how it works. In the Azure DevOps web UI, ensure you're in the Server Automation Demo project. Once here, click on Pipelines and then you should see the Server Automation Demo pipeline. One way to run the pipeline is to click on the three dots on the far right as shown below. Then, click on Run pipeline. This will kick off the automation goodness. The pipeline will chug along and run each task as instructed. By the end, you should see all green check marks for each task performed by the job as shown below. Cleaning Up Once you've fiddled around with the pipeline and everything you've accomplished here, you should clean things up. After all, this was just meant to be a tutorial and not a production task! Below you'll find some commands to clean up everything built in this article. This code removes the service principal, Azure AD application, the resource group and everything in it and the Azure DevOps project. $spId = ((az ad sp list --all | ConvertFrom-Json) | ? { '' -in $_.serviceprincipalnames }).objectId az ad sp delete --id $spId## Remove the resource group az group delete --name "ServerAutomationDemo" --yes --no-wait ## remove project$projectId = ((az devops project list | convertfrom-json).value | where { $_.name -eq 'ServerAutomationDemo' }).id az devops project delete --id $projectId --yes Summary This tutorial was meant to give you a peak into building a real Azure DevOps infrastructure automation pipeline. Even though there are countless other ways to build pipelines such as this, the skills you've learned in this tutorial should assist you through many different configurations. Now get out there and start doing more automating!

Top 10 Secure Computing Tips "Top 10" List of Secure Computing Tips Tip #1 - You are a target to hackers Don't ever say, "It won't happen to me." We are all at risk and the stakes are high - both for your personal and financial well-being and for the university's standing and reputation. Cybersecurity is everyone's responsibility. By following the tips below and remaining vigilant, you are doing your part to protect yourself and others. Tip #2 - Keep software up-to-date Installing software updates for your operating system and programs is critical. Always install the latest security updates for your devices: Turn on Automatic Updates for your operating system. Use web browsers such as Chrome or Firefox that receive frequent, automatic security updates. Make sure to keep browser plug-ins (Flash, Java, etc.) up-to-date. Tip #3 - Avoid Phishing scams - beware of suspicious emails and phone calls Phishing scams are a constant threat - using various social engineering(link is external) ploys, cyber-criminals will attempt to trick you into divulging personal information such as your login ID and password, banking or credit card information. Phishing scams can be carried out by phone, text, or through social networking sites - but most commonly by email. Be suspicious of any official-looking email message or phone call that asks for personal or financial information. Check out our Phishing Resources section for details about identifying phishing scams and protecting yourself. Tip #4 - Practice good password management We all have too many passwords to manage - and it's easy to take short-cuts, like reusing the same password. A password manager can help you to maintain strong unique passwords for all of your accounts. These programs can generate strong passwords for you, enter credentials automatically, and remind you to update your passwords periodically. Our Protecting Your Credentials how-to article contains detailed recommendations for keeping your password safe. Tip #5 - Be careful what you click Avoid visiting unknown websites or downloading software from untrusted sources. These sites often host malware that will automatically install (often silently) and compromise your computer. If attachments or links in the email are unexpected or suspicious for any reason, don't click on it. ISO recommends using Click-to-Play(link is external) or NoScript(link is external), browser add-on features that prevent the automatic download of plug-in content (e.g., Java, Flash) and scripts that can harbor malicious code. Tip #6 - Never leave devices unattended The physical security of your devices is just as important as their technical security. If you need to leave your laptop, phone, or tablet for any length of time - lock it up so no one else can use it. If you keep protected data on a flash drive or external hard drive, make sure their encrypted and locked up as well. For desktop computers, lock your screen or shut-down the system when not in use. Tip #7 - Safeguard Protected Data Be aware of Protected Data that you come into contact with and its associated restrictions. Review the UCB Data Classification Standard to understand data protection level requirements. In general: Keep high-level Protected Data (e.g., SSN's, credit card information, student records, health information, etc.) off of your workstation, laptop, or mobile devices. Securely remove sensitive data files from your system when they are no longer needed. Always use encryption when storing or transmitting sensitive data. Unsure of how to store or handle sensitive data? Email us at security@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail). Tip #8 - Use mobile devices safely Considering how much we rely on our mobile devices and how susceptible they are to attack, you'll want to make sure you are protected: Lock your device with a PIN or password - and never leave it unprotected in public. Only install apps from trusted sources (Apple AppStore, Google Play). Keep the device's operating system up-to-date. Don't click on links or attachments from unsolicited emails or texts. Avoid transmitting or storing personal information on the device. Most handheld devices are capable of employing data encryption - consult your device's documentation for available options. Use Apple's Find my iPhone(link is external) or the Android Device Manager(link is external) tools to help prevent loss or theft. Tip #9 - Install antivirus/anti-malware protection Only install these programs from a known and trusted source. Keep virus definitions, engines and software up-to-date to ensure your programs remains effective. See our Minimum Security Standards Anti-Malware Software Guidelines for more information Tip #10 - Back up your data Back up regularly - if you are a victim of a security incident, the only guaranteed way to repair your computer is to erase and re-install the system Author# Nerdcore Computers

You can configure your fans however you like, use as many dust filters as you can, and make sure your PC is well away from carpets and floor-bound fluff, but at some point, the inside of your case is going to get dusty. You can't escape it, and it's a good idea to clean your PC now and then if you want to keep your components' temperatures manageable. Here are the methods we use to safely and thoroughly clean out our computers. How to clean dust from your PC The Complete Guide to PC Gaming Nerdcore Computers is going back to the basics with a series of guides, how-tos, and deep dives into PC gaming's core concepts that we're calling The Complete Guide to PC Gaming. There's much more to come, and it's all being made possible by Razer, which stepped up to support this months-long project. Thanks, Razer! The most important thing to consider when cleaning your case is that we want to make it possible for cool, fresh air to get into the case and hot air to get out. If dust filters are clogged or there's excess dust collected around the heat sinks, that's not going to be possible and your system could overheat. To counter that, you want to do everything you can to eliminate dust and leave your system fresh and clean. Note: Whenever cleaning your PC or its components, you need to take extra special care about static damage. Using an anti-static wristband is ideal, but if you don't have one to hand, make sure to regularly ground yourself by touching your case or PSU housing. Wear a dust mask or respirator if you want to avoid breathing in any of the dust and dirt you remove from your case. Turn off your PC and unplug the power cable from the rear. If you want to be extra safe, unplug everything. Move your computer to somewhere well ventilated if possible, or at least open a window or door to let fresh air into the room. Remove the side panels and (if possible) the front panel of your case. Use a lint-free cloth or can of compressed air to clean the dust from any dust filters, as well as any obvious collections in the base of the case. Use a can of compressed air—we don't recommend trying to blow forcefully yourself—to clean the dust from any heatsinks like your CPU or graphics card cooler. A quick few blasts will have your components, like this radiator, looking good as new. Once you've knocked all the dust loose, use a vacuum cleaner to clean up any dust that ends up on the floor. However, don't use the vacuum directly on the interior of your case, as there is a real risk of static damage. (You could use one as a blower in a pinch, which Jarred regularly does, but don't get the tip close to sensitive components.) If your PC hasn't been cleaned in a while, there's a good chance you have dust caked onto the fans, vents, and heat sinks. In this case, a quick dusting won't get you much further than the below picture, and you'll need to do a deep clean. How to deep clean your PC If you display your PC like a work of art as much as a functional tool or gaming machine, then you'll want to do more than just give it a light dusting. For that, we'd recommend removing everything from the case. That means redoing all of your cable management, draining the water-cooling loop, and unhooking all your drive caddies. The end result, though, is worth it. Note: We still recommend an anti-static wrist band when handling any components. If you don't have one to hand, periodically touch your PC case to ground yourself. Remove all of your components and lay them out on a non-conductive surface. If you remove your CPU heat sink—not strictly necessary—be aware that you should remove and re-apply the thermal paste. If you're not sure how, read our guide. Use compressed air and a lint free cloth to blow and wipe any dust build up you can see. Pay particular attention to any crevices, plastic shrouds, and heat sinks. Thoroughly clean any dust filters too. To clean fan blades, hold them steady and wipe or blow each blade individually. If there are any fingerprint or oily marks on anything, use cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol or equivalent to wipe them clean. Make sure to leave them to dry before putting them back together. Some components, like a graphics card, can get dust build-up inside a covered area. Cleaning these may require disassembling the card, which is possible if you have the right tools (small hex and Torx bits are often required). There are certain components, like the interior of your PSU, that you aren't going to be able to clean effectively without taking it apart and voiding your warranty. Doing so can be dangerous, too. Instead, we'd recommend using a can of compressed air with a long straw attached to give it a little blast to dislodge any stubborn dust. When you next turn it on, its own fan and natural airflow should blow any loosened dust out of the rear. When you're finished cleaning, put everything back together. Take this opportunity to do a little cable management as it can help avoid dust build up by making for a cleaner passage of air through your system. How often should I clean my PC? To maintain a healthy system, we recommend a light dusting at least every three to six months, or more often if you have pets or live in an especially dusty environment. For deep cleanings, every six months to a year is recommended if you want to maintain peak performance, or every couple of years at the very least to avoid any potential overheating issues. Author Nerdcore

It’s official! The iPhone 12 is here, and it has some incredible features for both Apple lovers and Apple newbies alike. Launched on October 23, the iPhone 12 has a family of four models: the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Mini, the iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. In this blog, we’ll cover the need-to-knows of each model. By the end of the blog, you’ll want to get your hands on one of these—trust us! (Quick reminder before we get started: Our technicians are continuously trained on new Apple models as they are released. So if you ever experience any issues with your iPhone 12 or any other iPhone model, we’ve got you covered with our Apple iPhone repair experts!) The iPhone 12 The iPhone 12 is a huge technological success, boasting a new design, exceptional dual-lens cameras, 5G connectivity, and a solid battery life. As far as iPhones go, it is the future! Its exciting new features include: Design – Unlike the rounded edges of previous iPhones, the iPhone 12’s edges are flat, making it more comfortable to grip and hold. Perhaps the most exciting design aspect of the iPhone 12, however, is its color options—black, white, deep blue, light green, and red. Display – The iPhone 12’s Super Retina XDR display makes colors intense and lifelike, transforming the viewing experience into something truly incomparable. And more! The iPhone 12 Mini The iPhone 12 Mini is almost identical to the iPhone 12, holding all of the same features in a smaller, sleeker package. The iPhone 12 features a 6.1 inch display, while the Mini features a 5.4 inch display, making it the smallest iPhone since the iPhone SE. Its compact size is perfect for those who have been looking for a phone they can use one-handed. A couple of other features of the iPhone 12 Mini include: Water Resistance – Less graceful iPhone users will be happy to discover that the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini can withstand up to six meters of water for up to thirty minutes. This means they can withstand rain, spills, and other common accidents with no problem! No one likes needing iPhone water damage repair, so this feature is a gamechanger. Drop Protection – The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini have four times stronger drop protection than other iPhone models due to the “ceramic shield” material protecting them. Ceramic shield is known as one of the toughest, most durable smartphone glasses. With a ceramic shield, you will rarely be in need of iPhone screen repair! The iPhone 12 Pro Photographer lovers, this one is for you! The iPhone 12 Pro offers advanced triple-camera setups and other photography features such as: Telephoto Lens – This third telephoto lens is only a feature of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models. This lens is designed for taking accurate, precise images of distant objects. Night Mode – Although the Night Mode feature is on the iPhone 11, Night Mode on the iPhone 12 Pro is a part of the ultra-wide camera, standard wide camera, and the front camera. This allows you to take low-light photos that are crisper without having to use the flash. The iPhone 12 Pro Max The iPhone 12 Pro Max offers almost all of the same features as the iPhone 12 Pro, except it boasts a larger and better display, battery, and camera system. Other features include: A Wider Wide Camera – You read that right! The iPhone 12 Pro Max’s wide camera is even more improved with a 47% larger sensor and pixels. Sensor-Shift Stabilization – Yet another incredible camera feature, sensor-shift stabilization makes your pictures and videos steadier. Say goodbye to blurry photos! Convinced yet that you want to upgrade to one of these beauties? Whether you’re looking for a new iPhone, looking for iPhone repair help, or just looking to learn more, Nerdcore Computer Technicians are here to help!

You’ve probably noticed that your phone battery begins to drain more quickly as your phone ages. When you first purchase the laptop, you hardly ever have to hook it up to its charger. But the more you use it and the older it gets, the shorter its battery lifespan becomes. As soon as this happens, many people choose to purchase a new laptop without considering other options like laptop battery replacement. At the right local laptop repair shop, replacing the Laptop battery is a much cheaper solution than dumping your old phone and buying a new one. Stay tuned to learn why! Fortunately, if you’re noticing any issues with your laptop battery, we can quickly and affordably replace it for you here at Nerdcore Computers. Our technicians will have your laptop running optimally again in no time! Here are a few reasons you should consider laptop battery replacement: 1. Cost Efficiency Laptops are more expensive than ever, and as tempting as it is to simply purchase a new laptop when your laptop battery is giving out, it will likely be a far more expensive purchase than a basic battery replacement. Plus, your laptop battery life may start to give out before the performance of the laptop itself slows down. This means everything except your battery is functioning perfectly, and it would be a bit of a waste to throw out a laptop that is only experiencing one particular problem. 2. Time Efficiency Another benefit to getting your laptop battery replaced (especially at a local repair shop like ours) is the fact that it will save you a significant amount of time. Most local laptop repair shops can replace your laptop battery the same day you bring it in, or they can even replace the battery within the hour. So getting your laptop battery replaced is both cheaper and faster than buying a new laptop 3. Security Most laptop repair shops offer some kind of warranty on their work as well. This means that if they replace your battery and it fails only weeks or months later, you’ll be covered. No time or money wasted! 4. Safety At this point, you’re probably thinking, “Hey, I can replace my battery myself and save even more money!” Although you might be a smartphone expert and capable of replacing the battery on your own, we highly recommend taking it to a professional. It’s the safest, easiest, and most reliable way to replace your phone’s battery. Here are a few things that could go wrong with DIY laptop battery replacement: There’s a strong possibility that you will break your laptop. Opening your laptop requires specific tools and specific skills like knowing how much pressure to use when opening up the laptop. You will have to purchase expensive tools and know how to use them. Most modern laptops have embedded batteries, which means replacing them isn’t as simple as opening your laptop and pulling out the battery. Removing the battery can entail heating, prying, and removing screws so you can access the internal components of the laptop, all of which are time consuming and difficult tasks. An exposed battery can release dangerous chemicals into the air if it’s broken or ruptured, meaning it could also start to swell and explode. Your laptop will be in good hands with the help of a local laptop repair shop technician. Perhaps the largest benefit of having your laptop battery replaced by a professional repair shop is the comforting knowledge that it will be replaced with a battery of the highest quality, and it will be installed efficiently and correctly. So count on us for all of your laptop battery repair and replacement needs! Author Nerdcore Computers

Here are five different health apps that helped improve our fitness and wellbeing and gave us useful information during COVID 19. Coronavirus had an unprecedented impact on healthcare in Australia. And changed the traditional way treatment was distributed and delivered. With digital technology and healthcare professionals forced to combine their services the use of telehealth surged – and allowed “health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies” to effectively attend to the needs of even the most remote patients. Here are five digital health-based organisations, apps and approaches that truly made an impact in improving people’s wellbeing 2020. 1. COVIDSafe https://apps.apple.com/au/app/covidsafe/id1509242894 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.gov.health.covidsafe&hl=en_AU&gl=US Released by the Australian Health Department, the COVIDSafe app served as a contact tracking tool designed to slow the spread of the virus. 2. Bloom https://apps.apple.com/au/app/bloom-meditation-sleep/id1469479066 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.applantis.bloomapp&hl=en_AU&gl=US This free online self-help program features over 500+ exercises from cognitive-behavioural-therapy (CBT), designed to significantly improve mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. According to its founder, Molly Jane, the app saw a surge in usage, as coronavirus-related stress drove young people to find solutions on their phones. Telehab https://apps.apple.com/au/app/telehab/id1439042849 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.telehab.client.pwa&hl=en_AU&gl=US In an attempt to control the spread of COVID19, and adhere to the rules of quarantine and movement restrictions, physiotherapists were forced to innovate and use telehealth to allow patients to attend appointments virtually. Through Telehab, therapists were empowered to consult via video and prescribe a treatment program, while patients were also able to record themselves performing their home exercises. This allowed for a safe and confidential way to digitally report and track progress for all participants. F45 Training https://apps.apple.com/au/app/f45-training/id946427655 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fitnessmobileapps.f45training&hl=en_AU&gl=US With gyms, fitness studios and indoor boot camps forced to shut their doors during the height of the pandemic in March, 2020, fitness brands pivoted and provided a solution to the mission of keeping physically fit by offering a plethora of free online or subscription classes and routines. One of the best was the F45 Challenge app which provided users with body weight exercises designed to be completed at home. Daybreak by Hello Sunday Morning https://apps.apple.com/au/app/daybreak-alcohol-support/id1107514492 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hellosundaymorning.android.challenges&hl=en_AU&gl=US While COVID closed pubs and limited public gatherings, social isolation created a lonely, stressful, anxious situation that had the potential to serve as a trigger for alcohol abuse. In recognising the importance of responding to this, online and phone support services for people experiencing drug and alcohol problems received an additional $6 million from the Australians Government during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of them was Daybreak by Hello Sunday Morning – a treatment and early invention mobile app that provides online support to individuals seeking assistance in reducing their alcohol consumption. This provided a substitute for people who may have previously relied on face-to-face meetings with counsellors and psychologists to continue to receive the support they required to make healthy choices about their drinking behaviours.

1. Make WhatsApp messages automatically disappear We're huge fans of the WhatsApp messaging service. Offering free, cross-platform text, multimedia, voice messaging, and free voice and video calls, what's not to like? Chances are you've been using it on your phone for a while now, but you may not have spent any time tinkering under the hood to get next-level good at WhatsApp. We've taken some time to really drill down into the app to find its special tips, tricks, tweaks, hacks, and secret features so you can become a WhatsApp expert. 2. Change your WhatsApp chats background While we wouldn't suggest activating this functionality for your bae's message history, the ability to have WhatsApp messages automatically disappear after a certain period of time is useful to keep more noisy chats manageable. It is possible to change a setting that means all future messages in a certain chat will be automatically deleted from your phone after seven days. Do be aware though that this doesn't mean someone hasn't screenshotted or shared any messages in the meantime. To enable this feature, go into the WhatsApp chat you want to change the settings for, and at the top of your screen click on the person's or the group chat's name. In the menu screen that next appears, scroll down until you see the "Disappearing messages" option and tap it to toggle it on. This means the messages will disappear for everyone, but do note that you can only activate this option for group chats where you are the admin. If you're still stuck with the default WhatsApp wallpaper for your chats, then ya basic! It's super simple to change it out for a more interesting choice. To do it, go into WhatsApp and click on the cog-shaped Settings icon. Select Chats from the next menu screen that appears, then tap on Chat Wallpaper. This will then bring up your further options. You can choose to use one of WhatsApp's preloaded images from its gallery (it's worth having a browse, there are some pretty sweets pics), change your wallpaper to a solid color, or use an image from your own photos. If you select one of WhatsApp's images you will be prompted to select whether you want the image to remain still or move slightly by choosing the "perspective" view. 3. Use bold, italic, and crossed out text in WhatsApp chats You can make your WhatsApp text messages more interesting — and get your points across better — by using bold text, italics, and even crossing text out with a strikethrough. For bold text, simply add an *asterisk* to either side of the word or phrase. Adding an _underscore_ to either side of the word or phrase creates italic text. To strikethrough text, add a ~tilde~ to either side of the word or phrase. 4. Use the secret WhatsApp typewriter font Did you know WhatsApp has a secret font you can use to make your messages stand out from the crowd? You can use a special sequence of symbols to activate an old school typewriter-style typeface. To do it, you simply need to add three slanting apostrophes: ```. Note that on iOS this is not the standard apostrophe you will see in your main keyboard view. You have to press and hold the apostrophe sign to see the correct symbol to use — you want to select the first one that slants diagonally downwards from left to right. 5. Reply to a specific message within a WhatsApp chat thread Group chats on WhatsApp can get seriously noisy, and messages can come flying in from all directions when things get a bit busy. If someone messaged something that you want to reply to that would not make sense to post in a chronological way, you can go back to that past message to highlight it and reply directly. This makes the original message, with your reply beneath, appear at the bottom of your chat screen. To do this, press and hold on the message until a menu pops up from which you can select Reply. Alternatively, and a quicker method, is simply to swipe on the message you want to reply to from left to right. 6. Pin a WhatsApp chat to the top of your chats screen This is a really useful hack to keep a chat thread visible at the top of your Chats screen. If you want to give any of your chats top billing, simply swipe on the chat from left to right and tap on the drawing pin icon that appears. This will move that chat to the top of your chats screen so it's always immediately visible. This also adds a pin icon to the chat so you know it's been pinned. To undo this action, simply swipe the chat again to unpin it. You can pin up to three chats at one time. 7. Broadcast a personal WhatsApp message to multiple contacts It's possible in WhatsApp to send the same message to multiple contacts without them being in a group chat or even seeing who else received the message. Useful if you want to share important news with an announcement, or if you want to wish everyone seasonal greetings. It’s quick and simple to do. From your chats screen on iOS, tap on Broadcast Lists at the top right of your screen, then New List at the bottom, and then add the recipients you want to get the message. On Android devices, you need to choose New Broadcast from the chats menu. Any messages you send using this method will be received as individual messages in WhatsApp chat threads. 8. Give yourself more time to read WhatsApp messages before they are marked as read We all know that those two ticks below WhatsApp messages turn blue when the message has been seen, which puts you under pressure to reply. On iOS, if you want to get a sneak preview of a WhatsApp message before it's marked as read, you can tweak your notification settings to ensure a preview of the message appears on your home screen and stays there until you manually dismiss it. To set this useful feature up, ensure that you have message previews enabled in your WhatsApp settings menu. Check this by going to Settings, then Notifications, then toggling Show Preview to on. Next, go to your iPhone settings menu and select Notifications, then scroll down to find WhatsApp. In the next screen, ensure your notifications are enabled, then tap on Banner Style and change it to Persistent. This now means the previews of any WhatsApp messages you receive will remain on your iPhone's home screen until you dismiss them and the person who has sent the message won't get the blue ticks to say you've read it until you actually go into the app. 9. Customize alert tones for different WhatsApp chat threads you can customize the sound alert tone you hear when you receive a WhatsApp message from any contact or group. This is very useful because it means you can differentiate between group chats that you might not necessarily need to keep up with in real time and important direct messages from your loved ones. To give a WhatsApp group or contact a custom tone, go into the chat and tap on the person's or group's name at the top of the screen. Scroll down to Custom Tone and click through. You can then change the default tone to one you know you're either safe to ignore or one that you know means you need to grab your phone stat. What's up on WhatsApp Hopefully, you'll have found some useful tips, tricks, tweaks, and more within this list. From buying yourself time to reply to messages, to making your messages stand out with a different font, there are some great tricks here for all users of the popular WhatsApp messaging platform.

On average, a desktop PC gets replaced every 5.2 years in Australia Just like any other device, your Windows 10 Machine can sometimes stop working as well as it should. Whether you’re trying to get things back in order with a serious tune-up or are ready to upgrade and hand over your device to a friend or colleague, you may want to look into resetting your PC to factory settings. In this article, you’ll learn how to do a factory reset on Windows 10 to get your PC running smoothly again. How to do a Factory Reset on Windows 10 After deciding to give your computer a fresh restart, give yourself plenty of time in advance to work. If you’re keeping the device, you’ll want to back up your files before you get started. Expect the reset to take anywhere from two to three hours to complete. Once you’re ready, follow these steps to reset your Microsoft Windows computer to its factory settings. Open the Recovery Tool First, click on the Start menu in the bottom left-hand corner and open your settings menu by selecting the gear icon. Additionally, you can type in “Settings” directly into the search bar and double click when it shows up. Once you’re in settings, select “Update & Security” in the lower-left corner of your screen. Select Recovery Options A new window will appear, asking you to either keep your files or remove everything. If you’re looking to wipe out all your personal data and pass your PC onto a new user, click “Remove everything.” Otherwise, choose “Keep my files” to refresh your device and retain your information. This option also allows you to see a list of apps and settings that will be wiped from your PC. If you’ve opted to clear everything, you’ll be prompted to confirm once more before proceeding. Additionally, you can remove data by clicking on “Just remove my files” or wipe the drive entirely by selecting “Remove files and clean drive.” For security purposes, we recommend going with the second option before you hand over your device. Wiping your hard drive helps keep your files safe while minimizing the chances of them being recovered from another user. This option is a must if you’re selling or recycling your PC. Reset your Computer Lastly, click “Reset” to fully restore your computer to its original settings. Your PC will automatically restart or prompt you to do so. After a few minutes, it will reboot. Once you’re able to login after the reset process, your computer is ready to go. If you’re lending it off to someone, double-check that everything you previously selected is clear from the device. Need some additional tech help? Get the most out of your Windows PC or laptop with Computer Troubleshooter’s IT services! We proudly provide residential and business services and can troubleshoot and repair a variety of issues. Whether you need diagnostic services, maintenance, upgrades, or file back up solutions, we have you covered. Contact your nearest Nerdcore office today for reputable and customized IT solutions. Author Nerdcore Computers

Good Stuff Excellent camera Killer performance Dolby Vision video looks great 5G can be very fast Bad Stuff Battery life not as good as last year 5G hype is exhausting Not quite enough of an upgrade over the iPhone 12 iPhone 12 Pro design The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro share the same fundamental new design, which is very squared off and very flat — almost shockingly flat. Nearly every other phone has a curved edge and an obvious border between the display and the frame, but the iPhone 12s feels much more like a single piece. It reminds me a little of the iPhone 5, but more importantly, it looks and feels very different than any other modern phone, in the way Apple is historically good at making older designs seem instantly out of date. Oddly, the squared-off design also makes the iPhone 12 Pro seem more substantial than it actually is. It doesn’t look it, but it’s thinner than an iPhone 11 Pro. iPhone 12 Pro Camera Last year I said the iPhone 11 Pro had the best camera on a smartphone, and it’s not like the iPhone 12 Pro went backward. But it’s only a small step forward — enough to stay just ahead of the competition. Most of the improvements are fairly minor. The main camera has a very slightly brighter lens than last year, which helps it in low light, and Apple’s new Smart HDR 3 processing seems to be, well, a little smarter. The noise reduction is improved and looks better than the iPhone 11: photos look less grainy, and there’s a little more detail. The photos are also slightly more contrasty; every year, Apple seems to be more willing to let highlights be highlights and shadows be shadows, which is a look I’m personally fond of. iPhone 12 Pro on the left, Pixel 5 on the right All four cameras on the phone can do night mode now, which is very nice to have, but it’s most useful on the front camera for night mode selfies. Using the tele or the ultrawide for night mode shots works, but I’d stick with the main camera. It’s the best camera on the phone, and it takes the best images. There are some other small but noticeable photo improvements over the 11 Pro: the ultrawide lens distorts a little less at the edges, and photos from the ultrawide and telephoto are a tad sharper and more detailed. There are also some new settings: you can actually turn lens correction off, and you can turn off both Smart HDR and “scene detection,” which tries to intelligently recognize a shot and expose it correctly. It’s nice to see Apple embrace additional camera options, but I would generally leave everything flipped on; if you are offended by auto camera modes, you should just use an app with good manual controls like Halide 5G on the iPhone 12 Pro II am obligated to discuss 5G in a review of a new 5G iPhone, even though I personally do not find 5G compelling because I do not live anywhere close to a 5G service area on any of the major networks. I think that will be the case for a great many people for some time to come, and so I am happy to report the iPhone 12 Pro does just fine on LTE. But I did spend a day in Melbourne, and I can report that Optusnet Sub-6 “nationwide” 5G is basically fine. It’s there, and it was reasonably fast, although my iPhone 11 Pro on Telstra could produce equivalent speeds in many cases. Optusnet “nationwide” 5G network feels like the early days of LTE to me: I can’t tell if it’s always going to be this fast or whether it will slow down as a flood of devices — like, say, aggressively subsidized 5G iPhones — hit the network. We’ll find out! Real 5G is blazing-fast — when you can find it There’s a optusnet mmWave 5G tower just across the street from our office, and the iPhone 12 Pro was fast to latch onto it and light up the UW indicator. In a patch of 20 glorious square feet, I pulled over 2 gigabits per second down. (And 40 megabits per second up, which matched regular 5G.) If I walked 100 feet away, the signal dropped, and that was that. I hope you are not anticipating being very mobile with your 5G mobile phone if you have giant files to download. Using mmWave definitely made the phone get a little warm, and it seemed to drain the battery a little faster. It’s good that it’s very difficult to use mmWave, I suppose.

About MEGA MEGA's end-to-end encrypted cloud storage and chat service has stored more than 66 billion files for over 160 million users in 250 countries / territories. MEGA is accessible in multiple languages from desktop (Windows, macOS and Linux) and Android / iOS mobile apps. User files are stored in secure facilities in Europe or in countries (such as New Zealand) that the European Commission has determined to have an adequate level of protection under Article 45 of the GDPR, depending where the user based. No user files are stored in, or made available from, the United States of America. MEGA The Privacy Company was architected around the simple fact that cryptography, for it to be accepted and used, must not interfere with usability. MEGA is accessible without prior software installs and remains the only cloud storage provider with browser-based high-performance end-to-end encryption. Today, millions of business and personal users rely on MEGA to securely and reliably store and serve petabytes of data. We believe that this success is the result of MEGA's low barrier to entry to a more secure cloud. Get a free 50gb of cloud storage for basic file storage you can also look at some of there compare plans. Its the fastest an cheapest by far compared to Google drive and one drive or even drop box.

Learn how to sync music, films and more using iTunes on your Mac or PC. If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier or a Windows PC, use iTunes to sync content to your devices. Before you use iTunes to sync content to your iOS or iPadOS device, consider using iCloud, Apple Music or similar services to keep content from your Mac or PC in the cloud. This way, you can access your music, photos and more on your devices when you aren’t near your computer. Learn more about using Apple Music or iCloud Photos instead of iTunes. If you use iCloud or other services like Apple Music to keep your content up-to-date across all of your devices, some syncing features through iTunes might be turned off. What you can sync with iTunes Albums, songs, playlists, films, TV shows, podcasts and audiobooks. Photos and videos. Contacts and calendars. iTunes features might vary by country or region. Sync or remove content using iTunes Open iTunes and connect your device to your computer with a USB cable. Click the device icon in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window. Learn what to do if you don't see the icon. From the list under Settings on the left side of the iTunes window, click the type of content that you want to sync or remove.* To turn syncing on for a content type, select the checkbox next to Sync. Select the tick box next to each item that you want to sync. Click the Apply button in the lower-right corner of the window. If syncing doesn't start automatically, click the Sync button. * You can only sync your device with one iTunes library at a time. If you see a message that your device is synced with another iTunes library, your device was previously connected to another computer. If you click "Erase and Sync" in that message, all content of the selected type on your device will be erased and replaced with content from this computer. Sync your content using Wi-Fi After you set up syncing with iTunes using USB, you can set up iTunes to sync to your device with Wi-Fi instead of USB. Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable, then open iTunes and select your device. Click Summary on the left side of the iTunes window. Select "Sync with this [device] over Wi-Fi". Click Apply. When the computer and the device are on the same Wi-Fi network, the device appears in iTunes. The device syncs automatically whenever it's plugged in to power and iTunes is open on the computer. Author Nerdcore Computers

Apple is expected to introduce the first Macs running on Apple Silicon on Nov. 10, and Microsoft appears ready to make good on its promise to support these new Apple-powered Macs and macOS Big Sur. ARM support for Office Microsoft has already confirmed it will support Apple’s new Mac processors in Office. Word, PowerPoint and Excel were all shown running on these new processors at Apple’s WWDC event, where Apple Silicon was introduced. The expectation is that this support was enabled through use of Apple’s "Rosetta 2" technology, which lets applications developed for Intel Macs function on Apple Silicon. Microsoft has demonstrated a range of new Office for Mac features designed for Apple’s new macOS, which is perceptually becoming semi-synonymous with the new Apple Silicon Macs. Get native However, Microsoft is clearly planning to field native support of its apps on these new Macs. This is evidenced in the form of the latest "Slow ring" Office Insider update, which introduces a couple of new features and ushers in support for SQL Open Data Connectivity (ODBC) connectivity running on Apple’s chips in Excel. "The built-in SQL Server ODBC data connection provider will now support the new Apple Silicon devices as well as the TLS v1.2 communication protocol. This feature provides support for SQL Server ODBC data connections to work properly on new devices that have Apple Silicon processors, as well as support for SQL Servers that require secure connections via the TLS v1.2 protocol,” Microsoft’s release notes state. In September, we learned Microsoft and other developers were working to port Java (OpenJDK) to ARM-based Macs and Windows devices. Windows for ARM The latter is particularly interesting as it confirms Microsoft continues work on Windows for ARM. As recently as September, the company was revealed to be working on x64 app emulation support for Windows on ARM chips, which it needs to improve application support on Surface Pro X. One thing we don’t yet know is whether Microsoft has any plans to make it possible to support Windows on Apple Silicon. Microsoft has been reticent to discuss any such plans. Nor has it revealed any intention to make a version of Windows capable of running in VM on Parallels on Apple Silicon. Author Nerdcore Computers

Spyware Removal Don't be fooled by the term Spyware being minor or less innocent than viruses. Spyware is a malicious program that collects information about habits of users without their knowledge. As in the word "SPY", the presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user and most often is difficult to detect. There are countless types of spyware and the most common are keyloggers which are used to monitor users on corporate or public computers. Spyware can be designed to collect any type of data such as personal information, internet surfing habits, user logins, and bank or credit account information. Most often spyware causes degradation of system performance. Common signs of spyware infestation are significant CPU activity, disk usage, and network traffic. Spyware is also quite often associated with program applications freezing and system crashes. When a computer is infected with spyware it is rarely alone. It has been the experience of Nerdcore Computers that a computer infected with spyware usually has multiple infections such as viruses, and in the some worst cases trojan viruses and malware. Nerdcore Computers specializes in removing spyware, malware, trojans, backdoor viruses, conflicker viruses, contra viruses, darksma viruses, and defender viruses. If you have spyware, viruses or malware problems or suspect your system has been compromised call 1300Nerdcore In Shop Technical Support About Us Apple Computer Repairs Common Computer Problems Computer Services Computer Tune-Up Computer Tutoring Computers We Service Custom Computer Systems Data Backup Services Data Recovery Desktop Computer Repairs Firewall Setup Home Theatre Installation In-Shop Tech Support IT Services Laptop Computer Repairs Laptop Screen Replacement Mac Computer Repairs Mac Computer Setup Mac Operating System Install Malware Removal Network Design and Setup Network Security Setup Online Tech Support On-Site Tech Support Outlook Repair and Recovery Parental Control and Monitoring Smartphone Setup Spyware Removal System Recovery Tablet Setup Virus Removal Windows Computer Setup Windows Operating System Wireless Installations Contact Us Software Training Apple - Mac OS X Training Adobe Creative Suites Training Microsoft Office Training Microsoft Windows OS Training QuickBooks Accounting Training Myob Accounting Training Search Engine Optimization SEO Local Geo-centric Website Design Website Hosting Locations We Service On-site Melbourne North East Suburbs of Melbourne South Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne Western Suburbs of Melbourne Melbourne CBD One of the questions Nerdcore Computers is most asked is, "Why do I get viruses when I have antivirus software?" Well, the simple and short answer is, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The long answer is much more complicated. However, luck or the lack thereof is a big factor. Read More Monday - Friday: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm Saturday: 7:30 am - Noon Telephone: 1300637326 In-Shop Computer Help and Technical Support Nerdcore Computers do in-shop PC and Mac desktop and laptop computer repair services. These computer services include; desktop repair, laptop repair, notebook LCD repair, mother boards, GPU, hard drive repair and replacement, power supply, video card, memory, CPU and all major computer components. Regardless if it’s a simple printer problem or Malware Viruses, Trojan Viruses, Spyware, or any of the many thousands of computer issues that could be causing your computer problems, Nerdcore Computers will resolve them. Our specialists fixes that simple printer problem or scans and clears your PC of viruses and secures your system quickly. Nerdcore Computers specializes in removing malware, trojans, backdoor viruses, conflicker viruses, contra viruses, darksma viruses, and defender viruses. Nerdcore Computer Specialists can install Windows 7, 8, 10 and Mac OS X Operating Systems. Nerdcore Computers has developed a strong partnership with many Australia businesses. We have earned a reputation as an active and aggressive player in many residential and business sectors providing In-Shop Tech Support. If you require In-Shop Tech Support, System Recovery, Operating System Install - Software, Computer Help & Technical Support call Nerdcore Computers on 1300nerdcore.

As a computer user, you have most likely faced one of the following Most Common Computer Desktop & Laptop Problems at one time or another. Here are the Most Common Computer Desktop & Laptop Problems The nerdcore group repairs: Windows or MAC Systems Business IT Technical support MacBook Air Repair MacBook Pro Repair iMac Repair Software Tech Support Microsoft Windows 10 Repairs PC Repairs System Setup / Move Old System Data to a New System Move Programs & Data from Old System to a New System Windows 10 stuck in restart loop Computer keeps rebooting on startup Home network setup services Laptop repetitive beep sound on startup Laptop sound not working Laptop touch pad touchiness Laptop turns on and off repeatedly Laptop does not turn on at all Laptop Screen is blank / black Laptop screen repair Cracked laptop screen replacement MacBook Pro screen repair Cracked MacBook Pro screen replacement Laptop Battery not charging properly Laptop Power Connector repair Laptop Power Connector replacement Laptop Keyboard repair Laptop Keyboard replacements Laptop liquid spill MacBook Pro liquid spill Computer is extremely slow Computer needs to be tuned up Computer is infected with Viruses, Worms, Trojans, Malware and Spyware Pop-ups Make Computer Unusable Applications or Programs that won't Install Applications or Programs run slowly Abnormal Applications or Program behavior Microsoft Windows Missing DLL File Computer is not responding, freezing, crashing, mouse not working Wireless Network setup & troubleshooting Wireless Router Security Setup Dropped Internet Connections Internet & E-mail setup & troubleshooting Outlook or Outlook Express emails are lost or missing Microsoft Outlook setup or repair Windows Reinstallation, Recovery & Re-format Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10 Upgrade or Reinstallation Computer shows a blue screen... often referred to as Blue Screen of Death Computer won't start up - power supply problems Computer won't boot - corrupted files on hard drive or hard drive failure Computer keeps shutting down Synchronization & Consolidation of Contact lists & Databases Data backup On-line Data Backup Data Recovery - Personal or Business Security and data protection Lost Password(s) - Password Recovery for: 7, 2008, 2003, 2000, NT or MAC OS X Systems - Internet Explorer - Mozilla Firefox Password recovery for Outlook or Outlook Express - Microsoft Office Access, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, Publisher, Word - Adobe Acrobat - QuickBooks - Filemaker Password recovery for archives such as .zip, .rar, .exe files and many other programs Bios power on Password Removal Computer has overheating problems, cooling solutions Strange or garbled image on the screen Desktop Computer beeping Driver conflicts DVD RW / CD RW not working or replacement Memory (RAM) upgrade or replacement / installation Hard drive upgrade or replacement / installation Solid State Drive (SSD) upgrade or replacement / installation Graphics Card upgrade or replacement / installation Motherboard upgrade / installation Fan replacement or noise reduction Hardware Installations & Upgrades Software Installations & Upgrades File and Printer Sharing / Networking Printers and Scanners Setup / installation Tablets and Smartphones If you have one or more of these computer problems, you are at the right place. MR PC DOCTOR will do all these repairs either In-shop, On Location or On Line Remote Assistance. Call Nerdcore Computers today at 1300637326

Your network is arguably your business’s most valuable asset. It keeps your team connected to critical information and applications that are imperative to the continued success of your company. With complex cabling, however, your workstation and network infrastructure can quickly grow uncontrollable. Isn’t there an easier way to manage your network components that can help your business grow, unhindered by physical infrastructure? One of the best ways that you can improve your business’s infrastructure is by implementing a virtual network. Basically, this process entails taking your current physical network infrastructure, virtualizing it, and migrating it to the cloud, making the deployment and access of data much easier. Doing so allows you to tie all of your IT components together without having to go through the painful process of cabling. Furthermore, a virtual network provides the following benefits: Mobility: Most notable is the fact that virtual networks allow business owners and their employees to access data from anywhere with an Internet connection. This is particularly helpful while out of the office. If you’re at a trade show or on a business trip, you can access data while on the road. Or, if you have a team of remote employees, they can access files that are critical to your company’s success. Flexibility: Playing off of mobility, adding new network users can be a huge pain, especially when cabling is involved. Instead of physically being connected to a network, anyone with an Internet connection and proper credentials can access the network. This makes adding new users and connecting new workstations to your company’s network much easier. The Main Problem: Security Of course, the biggest problem that faces virtual networks is by far security. If you’re accessing your network through a local wireless signal, you’re placing all of your faith on the wireless Internet connection to be secure. Particularly in public places, doing this can put sensitive data in the way of hackers. You need a virtual network solution that’s capable of encrypting your data while it’s in transit; otherwise, any hacker on the network can grab your data, which makes using public networks a liability. A virtual private network (VPN) from Nerdcore Computers Management provides a quality solution to this problem. A VPN encrypts data that’s transferred along your business’s virtual network, protecting it while it’s in transit. This allows your business to send and receive information from your virtual machine without fear of it being compromised by hackers. It’s an absolute must-have technology for business owners that are constantly on the move for work purposes. To learn more about VPNs and other virtualization services, give the nerdcore group a call on 1300637326

These days it’s possible to feel completely confident about hacker attacks as long as you have the most effective security in place. But what is the most effective security? How do hackers work? How can you feel completely confident? If you want to know, read on. In order to attack someones network, you will need to know as much as you can about that network, so gathering as much information as possible is pretty much where they all start. The information can be technical or non-technical, for example, the partners of the target can be useful for them to know, the location of all office branches etc. This information can help hackers understand the possible technologies in place to stop them. Technical information may contain IP addresses in use, services available, etc. More services running on servers means more entry points. More entry points make it easier to get access. The more services running on servers means more points of entry for the hackers. For example, if you saw that server A only had port 21 open, but server B had 7 different ports open, then server B is the clear choice for entry because each open port is an entry point and you get full access if you can bypass the security to one port entry point, so the one with more options would be the clear choice. Now what if I deployed SERVER-B just to grab your attention, distracting you from some meaningful server SERVER-A. I may install a (fake) server SERVER-B for hackers to attack so as to safe guard my production servers, as soon as they start I can now study attack patterns. Is it not a brilliant idea? That’s called the honey pot. Basically, what a honey pot is is effectively a trap designed to detect, distract and generally counter attempts to hack into your servers. Usually its in the form of data or a network that appears to be part of your main system and to contain valuable data, but in fact its isolated and monitored. A honeypot is valuable as a surveillance and early-warning tool. It can carry risks to a network, and must be handled with care. If they are not properly walled off, an attacker can use them to break into a system. Honeypots can be classified based on their deployment and based on their level of involvement. Based on the deployment, they can be classified as: Production Honey Pots  and Research Honey Pots Production Honey Pots: These Honey Pots are used mainly by the bigger companies and corporations in order to increase their overall security. They are easy to use, and only capture a small amount of information which would be useless to a hacker. Research Honey Pots: These are run by volunteers or an educational organization to simply gather information about how hackers work, their motives and tactics in order to create better protection from them. To learn about great ways to enhance your software security and train to become an expert in their uses, browse through the security training courses on koenig-solutions.com where you’ll also find a great range of cisco training courses. Tags: Computer Networking, computers, hackers, internet, IT, network, online, online protection, security, systems, technology Category: Computer Networking

Laptops are becoming as much of a necessity as cell phones and choosing the right one for you can be cumbersome. Choosing the most feasible laptop in fact depends upon personal preference and usage. If we look at the laptops on the market today, each extols their own traits. However, the mainstream has the same attributes on average. Processors, chipsets, size of hard disk drives, DVD players, and a wireless interface are found on all laptops. Of course all the other standard features are also there too like network ports, USB ports, serial port, etc. Right now it’s the Intel i9 Core or the Ryzen processors that have taken the market by storm but there are multiple features you may want from your laptop. Some want to use their laptop for gaming so you’ll want high speed processors. Others want to listen to music while they are working and want high quality speakers. Still others require high quality graphics. Students want laptops that are lightweight as they have to be carried all over the campus. Elderly people also want lightweight computers. Some people want widescreen laptops. The individual needs for laptops are so speckled that one single laptop cannot realize all the wants. Laptop makers are active in trying to add more attributes and make their laptops more versatile. Here it’s not only the American laptop makers that are in stiff competition, there are laptop manufacturers world wide. All are trying to achieve a sizable niche in the world of laptops. So when you’re in the market for a laptop, first recognize your requirements. Is the weight of the laptop a concern for you? Should the laptop be so strong that it can resist falls or weights falling on them? What is the absolute elementary size of hard disk you require? How fast should the processor speed be? How much battery time do you need? After you’ve determined what you’re looking for,  do a search for that specific laptop. Cost will also be a main concern and you want your laptop to work for a long time. Also the type of guarantees that are presented by laptop manufacturers has to be taken into account. Some people fancy international warranties as they do a lot of traveling. You may replace your cell phone after a couple of months but not your laptop. Your laptop is going to be around for a long time. Laptops have become the life support systems for a number of people globally. Journalists, business executives, students, and many other people have now become totally dependent on their laptops so buying a feasible laptop is a big decision. What you want is a laptop that suits your needs, gives you the battery time you want and is not a burden to carry around. Finding an apt and viable laptop is not tough once you categorize what you require. Do some research and gawk at reviews on the diverse brands and models available. This little research will help to narrow down your choices then you should be able to find a suitable laptop that will meet your current and future needs. Tags: acer laptop repairs, branded laptops, buying a laptop, cheap laptops, Computer Shopping, dell laptop repairs, laptop, Laptops, notebook, shopping, shopping for a laptop, sony vaio laptop repairs, toshiba laptop repairs Category: Computer Shopping

A high quality data center disaster recovery plan is a must for any company. It is not wise to be complacent as there is no telling when a problem may occur or disaster may strike. This plan is not something to put off until it’s more convenient, or until you have more money or more time. Too many company managers make the mistake of concentrating on business proposals, deadlines, and meetings…failing to consider that the deadline for a good data center disaster recovery plan could be at any given time. Quite a few have paid dearly for this mistake. The disaster recovery solution enables the use of remote standby servers to take over an application in case of server or application failure. Data is replicated in real-time to the remote site by using data replication software or storage devices. When a failure is detected, recovery procedures are started automatically. There are currently two options available for disaster recovery: One being a 2 node: this is when there is one server on the local site and one server at the recovery site. The other being 3 node: this is when there are two servers at the local site and one at the recovery site. Having a top-notch data center disaster recovery plan is a good investment. Not only does it give the assurance of surviving a potential catastrophe, but it can save money over the longer-term by keeping your business running smoothly through efficient data management. Getting a high quality plan can offer your business a new life, while readily dismissing such a plan may lead to the death of your business. In more than one case, companies or individuals that lose important data to a fire or earthquake face a time of uncertainty that is unrivaled in the world of business conflicts and personal negativity. The pits of despair are now too familiar a home for those that have lost crucial pieces of data or information because of a strong type of calamity. Disaster data recovery can not only serve to restore the data to its original form but it can also restore relationships between them and, perhaps more profoundly, the human heart. Tags: Computer Data Recovery, data disaster recovery plan, data management, data recovery, data replication software, disaster recovery solution, failure data, standby servers Category: Computer Data Recovery

Life has taken a jet fast pace where there is no place for the “slow and the steady” to win the race. Evidently, electronic mixers have replaced the hand crusher/grinder in the kitchen, telephones have replaced the telegram and market hopping has given way for subsidized e-shopping. While this has become an inseparable part and parcel of our lives, we are still looking for alternative faster means of sustenance at a cost-effective price, which is also reflected on the market. For instance, cheap laptops and computers have taken the market on their stride. However, one has to be very careful while buying a cheap laptop. With the demand steadily going up, thanks to advanced education and the IT boom, retailers and manufacturers have started providing discount offers for the convenience of the users and the consumers. For instance, some of the computers nerdcore computers like to sell are HP, Acer, Sony, etc have some of the best bargains in cheap laptops that range from $350.00 to $1000.00 The demand for cheap portable laptops is going up at a steady pace with the present developments in the global market. The advanced education pertaining to information technology new aspects of this field are being developed with the passing day. The consumer markets pertaining to these goods are also picking sales with the help of different types of discounts, steal deals, and many more. If you are buying a second hand cheap laptop it is better to invest in one that has a memory of 8gb memory minimum. The memory space is the main determining factor in the amount of information that can be stored in the laptop. Once the memory in upgraded, the processor speed increases remarkably. Make sure that the second-hand laptop has a memory of at least 8gb memory. This is because if the speed of the processor is slow then you could store more information at a given time for further reference. A stark difference can be seen in the speed of the processor if the memory is slightly increased. If you can, just go to the dealer and ask for second hand laptops they can provide you with a very good option. But you have to go through the configuration well. The cost of these laptops will be far less than the new ones. Another thing while buying a second hand laptop is that the system should not be more than a year old. A cheap laptop needs at least 8 GB memory in order to function properly. If you want a notebook, buy one that has at least 8gb memory. It is your requirement that decides what laptop you should buy. A small screened laptop with a screen of 14.1 inch is the best option if you travel a lot. It is light, portable and its battery life is also better. Know all about the warranty period, the after sales service and the charges of servicing when buying cheap portable laptops. Then you are sure about where to go when your portable laptop gives you trouble. It saves your money as well. Combining service and cost-effectiveness, cheap portable laptops are the best when you want to buy one for your personal or professional use. Online sources can also give you ideas about the cheap portable laptops available in the market. We also buy second hand computers. Just remember 1300nerdcore

Being a computer repair company, we get all kinds of computers in our shop. Some customers wonder why we often need to get their computer in the shop before we can give a free estimate – and there are two main reasons! We need to be sure of the problem at hand If we give someone a quote over the phone for an OS reinstall, that’s a software-only procedure and thus has no part-cost tied to it. If we get to look at it later and unfortunately something ELSE is a problem (need to replace a hard drive, for example) the estimate is useless because now we need to do more work on the computer, AND we need to account for the cost of the part. Thus, a customer can get upset and feel like they were lied to on the phone with the first quote. We try to avoid this situation completely and take a look at the computer before we give an estimate, or we make sure that the customer knows we will need to inspect the computer before we do anything to verify that the estimate we gave is still accurate. Some computers are more “repairable” than others Most PC desktop computers are pretty simple and easy to get into. Replacing a part is straightforward and usually doesn’t have any unseen complications. Getting into some laptops and iMacs can be a real hassle sometimes though! In fact, some newer Chromebooks are almost impossible to open up for hardware replacements without severely damaging the computer. There are so many different types of PC laptops out there now that it’s hard for the customer to give a full-detailed description of the computer they’re bringing in. We might be expecting one type of laptop and when it gets in the shop and we realize we under-estimated how long it will take to open up the computer and replace a part (and therefore we need to increase the labor cost). In rare cases, we might get surprised with the laptop and have to tell a customer that we can’t safely perform hardware repairs on their model! Both of those scenarios can be avoided if we avoid giving an estimate until we get the computer in front of us. That being said, many customers want to hear something over the phone, so we try to assess the situation as best we can and give a tentative estimate. Ring our service team during covid Just remember 1300nerdcore

You’ve probably heard of Cloud computing and services, but you may not know the many assets that it provides. By taking advantage of cloud services, small and medium-sized business owners gain access to numerous solutions and products ranging from hosted servers and email, virtual desktops, and industry and business applications. Since the inception of Cloud services, the industry has seen various improvements. The following benefits make cloud computing in 2020 more useful than ever. Three Reasons You Should Use Cloud Computing in 2020 Cloud services change the way small businesses use technology and operate day-to-day. Whether your goals are to increase productivity in the workplace or strengthen your security efforts, cloud computing has solutions to help you achieve them. Continue reading to learn how you can improve productivity with your business and your employees and take advantage of these improvements to cloud services in 2020. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is Cost-Effective SaaS now contributes $20 billion to the quarterly revenues of software vendors. The number is expected to grow with 32 percent each year. As SaaS continues to grow, there are more specialized platforms to monitor and manage the spend on cloud-based apps. Plus, with the Cloud, you’ll be hosting databases and software remotely. This means you won’t have to budget the purchase and maintenance of equipment. Typically with cloud computing, you pay for services as you go, and you only pay for what you end up using. Since you won’t be paying for things you don’t need, you’ll ultimately save money by switching to the Cloud. AI Offers Improved Security As cybercrime damages are expected to reach $6 trillion annually by 2021, cybersecurity is a growing concern around the world. With the implementation of Artificial Intelligence, the Cloud can detect security threats and help businesses become proactive in protecting against unauthorized entrance into cloud services. AI in Cloud computing provides you with excellent security standards that keep your confidential information safe. There are policies, procedures, and technologies in place to protect cloud-based systems. These security protocols will protect your company from third-party tampering when transmitting data to clients or fellow employees. While you’re looking for cloud services, find a company that will assess security threats and provides the right solutions for your business through AI. Cloud Services Support Flexible Schedules 4.3 million people in the Australia work from home at least half of the time. The same report indicates that 40 percent more Australian companies offer remote work than five years ago. With more and more employees working from home, cloud services can support remote work by providing your employees with everything they need online.  As an employer, you may be concerned with your employees’ productivity while working at home. You can rest assured knowing that 77 percent of workers report higher productivity while working remotely, and 52 percent are less likely to take time off work. Providing this flexibility and accessibility has the opportunity to pay off in the long run. Are you thinking about making the switch to the Cloud? Our local experts will help you understand how the Cloud works, what services it can provide your business, and decide if it’s the right fit for your business. Get in touch with us today by finding the office nearest you!

What's new You expect your data, applications, and systems to always be available. Acronis True Image 2021 does that by delivering true cyber protection, integrating reliable backups and advanced antimalware in one. Real-time protection Cyberthreats are constantly evolving, with 350,000 new types of malware being reported every day. Our integrated, AI-enhanced antimalware technology blocks them all – even those never seen before – by checking every file you interact with to detect and stop malicious activity in real-time. On-demand antivirus scans Ensure threats aren’t lurking on your computer by scanning for malware whenever you want. Choose a quick scan of files that are most typically where malware will hide or conduct a full system scan to check everything. You can schedule a scan or run one with the click of a button. Web filtering Most websites are useful, informative, or fun – but others are designed to inject malware, ransomware, and cryptojackers onto your system, or harbor scams, fake news, and phishing threats. Our new protection automatically blocks those malicious URLs the moment someone tries to visit them. Videoconference protection As work applications like Zoom, Cisco Webex, and Microsoft Teams are used to keep people family and friends connected, they don’t have IT support ensuring their security. Acronis’ new protections stop malware injection attacks and prevent hackers from exploiting these tools on your machine. Visual protection dashboard Your data is valuable, but so is your time. That’s why our Protection Dashboard let’s you quickly run scans, manage exclusion lists and quarantined items, etc., and monitor your protection at a glance with graphic displays of files checked, threats found, threats stopped, and the status of scans. New capabilities Signature-based analysis Traditional antivirus defenses deliver constantly updated protection by checking for updates to the threat database every five minutes. Behavioral analysis engine Our new dynamic detection engine is able to identify malware when it executes based on how it interacts with your Windows machine. CPU load balancing A new load-balancing setting keeps your computer’s CPU from overloading during antivirus scans by giving priority to other applications. Protection pause Suspend protection functions when you want for as long as you want: resume them automatically, on a schedule, or on your next restart. Quarantine and exclusions Potential threats are isolated in quarantine, while you control exclusion lists that allow approved programs to run uninterrupted. Windows Security Center Integration with Windows’ built-in protection ensures compliance with Windows guidelines and compatibility with other security solutions. Enhancement highlights Quick backup validation You now have the option to validate only the latest version for your backup, which significantly speeds up the standard process for validating the effectiveness of your backups. Resumable replication If the replication of a backup is interrupted, the replication process restarts from the point of the interruption, ensuring data isn’t duplicated – saving you time and cloud storage space. More backup functionality Several in-demand capabilities have been incorporated so you can do more with your backup files, such as the ability for .tibx archives to be mounted, moved, renamed, and converted to the .vhd format. Faster anywhere access Our Web Restore page has been redesigned to deliver faster, convenient, and more secure access to your cloud data – including the new option to password-protect your shared files and folders. Author Nerdcore Computers

Personal or business computers networked in a peer to peer fashion might function well when the number of interconnected users ranges from 2 to 3. If the number of users exceeds the aforementioned range, you should consider setting up a server to serve all your online business requirements. A server based network has several benefits that are tailor made for small business ventures. Let’s take a peek at a few of them without further ado. A server gives your business a whole lot of reliability Every business wants to lay their foundations on a bed of reliability. If that’s your thing, a server is an absolute must for you. Why? Let’s see. Say for example, you have three working PCs on an interlinked network connection. If one PC fails (on basis of any motherboard, hard disk or power supply faults) on the interlinked network, your entire system goes down until and unless the problems are diagnosed successfully with proper solutions. A server, on the other hand is an effective solution to such a serious issue. Server hardware maintains redundant hardware to tackle these issues at moment’s notice. In such cases, the failure of one device doesn’t guarantee the failure of the entire server system. Thus, it can continue to serve your business with full gusto even after the failure of a petty little associated device unlike your interlinked PCs. Reliability you wanted, reliability you’ll get. A server provides your business with network security This can be considered one of the best and most significant benefits of a server. By creating distinguished group and individual accounts, individual right can be assigned to users based on the nature and amount of data they can access on basis of their requirements. This can bring down unauthorized data access to a great extent and can provide your network with additional security that you had craved for in the past. For example: If you have a sales team and a HR team in your company, both would not be able to access data of one another even if the entire data is present on a single server. A server provides your business with a seamless remote accessibility A Windows 2020 server would give you the option to have 2 remote users on its network at the same time by default. And it also gives you the opportunity to add as many remote users you want in the near future through Remote Desktop licensing or a 3rd party software. Thus, geographical barriers cease to be a problem anymore. Your workers will be able to work remotely and access files on your server whenever they want wherever they are. They would also be able to access their individual company emails from any web browser on their respective devices whenever they want from anywhere in the world. You can’t ask for more than that; can you? A server provides your business with a centralized back up facility Data losses occur commonly in workplaces for several reasons ranging from machine failures to carelessness. These things create huge issues especially when the workplace functions in the absence of a server. A server can be considered a blessing in this aspect because it aids a lot in smoothing up your data backup process. You will be able to back up all your data including your mails to a centralized storage on your server and reduce all the hassles associated with data losses thereby, improving your workplace productivity at the same time. A server system aids in proper virus management One of the greatest threats faced by your network is a possible virus or spyware infection. Hence, an antivirus system is an absolute necessity these days. A server system can aid a lot in convenient virus management. The system administrator will be able to deploy the anti-virus software from a single PC to each workstation PC connected on the network, run a network wide scan as a whole (including the devices connected on the WiFi network) and remove all sorts of viruses if any. So you can very well see that this convenience is basically unmatched. Thanks to the compact server system, the entire virus management process can be done from a single PC itself. Always remember that expenses incurred in creating a server based network isn’t just a cost. It’s an investment; an invest having high ROI especially when your small business venture is concerned. It’s definitely going to benefit you in the long run. Author Nerdcore computers

10 x Hp 8200 small form factor desktop 2nd generation core i5 14 x Hp 6300 small form factor 3rd generation core i5 9 x Hp 8200 small form factor 2nd generation core i5 - 1 has slight cosmetic damage 2x Lenovo m91p think centre core i5 2nd gen They were from a school all information is deleted wiped you have to reinstall windows 10 with the license that comes with each computer Most have hard drives and memory all come with power cords all have windows 10 professional licenses Please ring me on 0468546397 if i dont answer leave a message or on facebook messenger i will return your call. serious buyers only location is Hughesdale Selling all together no separations. All working an tested an in very good condition. None are bios locked would suit computer technician a courier drop off service might be available depending on the bubble opening in your area. We have work permits to drive around. A small fee will be included. If you are in regional victoria an can have them collected from our office in Hughesdale address will be provided once you ring. Available by appointment $3400.00

Fast, Powerful and Easy Whether you need to run Windows programs that don’t have Mac versions, or you are making the switch from PC to Mac and need to transfer your data, Parallels Desktop has you covered. Pros Near-effortless installation of Windows in OS X. Lets you open Windows files in Mac apps or Mac files in Windows apps. Deep integration options give Windows apps access to OS X folders. Fastest performance of any virtual-machine software. Cons Minor stability issues. Unless you turn off many options, the OS X interface gets cluttered with Windows icons. Bottom Line Parallels Desktop is the first choice for beginners and non-technical users who want to run Windows apps under OS X. Parallels Desktop is the fastest and friendliest way to run Windows apps on a Mac for the majority of users who are likely to want to do so. IT pros may prefer VMware Fusion; expert users who want no-cost apps will prefer the open-source VirtualBox. Hardcore gamers may prefer Apple's Boot Camp, which lets users boot directly into Windows, with the added bonus of native graphics card support. For most ordinary Mac users who prefer Windows versions of apps like Microsoft Office or AutoCAD, however, or who use Windows-only apps like CorelDraw or WordPerfect Office, Parallels Desktop is the clear first choice for virtualization software. Parallel's Performance Compared to VMware, Parallels starts up Windows at top speed in testing. On my vintage 2015 MacBook Pro, Parallels boots Windows 10 to the desktop in 35 seconds, compared to 60 seconds for VMware. VirtualBox matches Parallels' boot speed, but it performs far fewer integration tasks while booting up. For example, VirtualBox doesn't provide printer integration and the ability to open Windows files with Mac apps and vice versa. One reason for Parallels' bootup speed advantage is that Parallels uses an emulated PC BIOS that supports the Fast Startup option, and the others don't. The speed difference isn't nearly as obvious when running Windows apps after the OS starts up, however. Parallels feels slightly faster than its rivals, but not drastically so. Fast as it is, Parallels won't satisfy hard-core gamers because Parallels, like VMware Fusion, only supports DirectX 10, while VirtualBox only supports DirectX 9. There's nothing that Parallels can do about this limitation, which is the result of the Mac's limited support for OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) features. By default when Parallels runs a Windows system, any files on your Mac desktop will also appear on your Windows desktop. This may sound convenient, but it's a feature that I always to turn off in Parallels' settings dialog. One reason I turn it off is that it leaves the Windows desktop cluttered. Another is that much of what I keep on my Mac desktop—like folders and apps—simply won't work when I click on them in Parallels' Windows desktop. Parallels tends to go overboard with integration features, turning them on by default whether you want them or not Parallels starts up with a menu for creating a new virtual machine or opening an existing one. This is where Parallels' focus on ordinary end users shines best. Unlike all other virtualization apps, Parallels doesn't expect you to have a Windows or Linux installer disk or disk image ready when you start it up, although it can use that image if you have one. Instead, Parallel's user-helpful menu lets you buy a Windows 10 download directly from Microsoft, or simply download a Windows 10 installer if you already have a license key. Another set of options lets you install a Parallels system-export utility on your Windows PC, and export it to Parallels via a network (slowly) or an external drive. A scrolling list at the foot of the menu lets you download specific versions of Linux or Android, install a virtual copy of macOS from your Mac's hidden recovery partition, or install Windows from a Boot Camp partition if you have one. Platforms and Pricing Parallels Desktop supports all Windows versions since Windows 2000, all Intel-based macOS versions (with some exceptions for licensing reasons), many flavors of Linux, BSD, Solaris, and a few other OSes. VMware Fusion and VirtualBox are even more flexible, and can run historical curiosities like OS/2 and NeXTSTEP. Also, unlike Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion and VirtualBox have versions that run on Windows and Linux machines, while Parallels Desktop is Mac-only. Office 365 Integration Allows Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents in Safari to open in their native Windows Office app. Works with Boot Camp Reuse your existing Boot Camp installation. Converting a virtual machine from Boot Camp is easy, just follow our installation assistant at startup. Retina Display Support Smart resizing and independent screen resolutions for separate displays. One-Click Tuning Select productivity, games, design, software testing, or development and Parallels Desktop will optimize your VM settings and performance for you. Instant Access Launch and access Windows applications right from the Mac Dock. Save Disk Space Get the most out of your Mac with automatic Disk Space optimization. Volume License Key Unified volume license key, centralized license management and advanced security features are available in Parallels Desktop Business Edition. Travel Mode Extend battery life while away from a power source. Parallels Toolbox Bonus with Subscription! Over 30 one-touch tools—clean your drive, take screenshots, download a video and more—all with just a single click. Remote AccessBonus with Subscription! Remote access to your Mac from any iOS device, Android device or browser with Parallels Access®. 24/7 Support Premium 24/7 phone, email and social support after activation.

Windows 10 is, by and large, a pretty good operating system. Microsoft have gone in hard on keeping their operating systems as unified as possible with forceful (though no longer completely mandatory updates), free upgrades to older Windows users and so on. Unfortunately, a possible consequence of Microsoft’s fast pushing of Windows updates means that some of them cause problems. There are some improvements. At the start of 2020 Microsoft revealed that drivers pending approval will no longer be released concurrently with Windows 10 updates, but so far this year it seems that updates are just as prone to causing problems as they were before. KB4566782: BSOD, Green(!) Screen of Death, Performance Issues (Lenovo users worst-affected)While BSOD (or Blue Screen of Death) errors are bad, at least there’s a familiarity to them and a sense that the Windows OS feels designed to do something about them. Green screens of death, on the other hand, are much rarer, and therefore scarier, and that’s what some users are reporting with this recent ‘bug-fixing’ update. Luckily, GSOD is basically the same thing as BSOD, so it’s not like it’s necessarily more serious, but it’s still a cause for concern much like any broken Windows 10 update. Lenovo users seem to be disproportionately affected by the unwanted side-effects of this August 2020 update. While we wait for an official fix, some users have reported that disabling virtualization features like Hyper-V- Intel virtualization and Windows Sandbox can help. [FIXED] May 2020 (2004) Update: “No Internet” Warning What is a computer without internet? Many users who have downloaded the Windows 10 May 2020 update (v2004) are probably in a good position to answer this philosophical question after the update has been causing the “No internet” indicator to appear, despite the fact that they can continue browsing the web. Users have been reporting that in the notification tray, the yellow hazard triangle has appeared over the Wi-Fi or ethernet symbol, denoting that there is no internet access. This issue occurs over both wired and wireless connections. While the internet should still work with this error, various apps like Spotify, Cortana and Microsoft Store might not. The Fix While Microsoft sorts this issue, you can fix it in the registry editor like so: Open the registry editor (Win + R then regedit), back up the registry, then go to the following registry address: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters\Internet Double-click “EnableActiveProbing”, change the “value data” to 1, then click OK and restart your PC. [FIXED] May 2020 (2004) Update Blocked This is a strange one. Many Windows users have now received the option to manually install the Windows 10 May 2020 update. But when they click it, they just get the notification that “This PC can’t be upgraded to Windows 10”. Don’t worry, this isn’t a problem at your PC’s end. It just that there are unspecified “unsupported settings” in this version of Windows 10 that aren’t yet ready to be released to the public. It’s annoying, but it’s simply a case of waiting out the update until it’s ready at Microsoft’s end. Granted, it’s a ‘May’ update and we’re now in July, but that’s the Windows update process for you! On the bright side, it’s good to see Microsoft withholding an update on account of it not being ready, because a rushed release could lead to similar problems to those listed below. KB4556799: BSOD, Flickering Screen, Audio Issues, Buggy Fonts The latest Windows 10 update, KB455699, is meant to improve stability for the latest versions of Windows 10 (v1903 and v1909). While it does that for most users, it also doubles as a Who’s Who of Windows update problems for some – including a Blue Screen of Death, white flickers, changes to system fonts, audio problems Based on the number of problems it causes, this update is one of the worst Windows 10 updates to date. Thankfully, Microsoft has made it easier to uninstall Windows 10 updates, and this problem can be fixed by doing that. Scroll down for pointers on how to uninstall Windows updates. How to Fix and Avoid Broken Windows 10 Updates Uninstall Windows 10 Updates You can uninstall smaller Windows 10 updates (to roll back builds, see next heading) by doing the following. In Windows, go to Settings -> Update & Security -> View update history -> Uninstall updates. In this window, scroll down in the main pane to the “Microsoft Windows” heading, and you’ll see all the KB and security updates for Windows 10, along with the dates they were installed. Simply right-click the one you want to uninstall, and reboot your PC. How to Roll Back Windows 10 Builds After every major update Windows 10 gives you a ten-day window to roll back to a previous version of Windows. It’s a useful feature and should give you enough time to judge whether you have a problematic update. Of course, this won’t recover your files if Windows 10 deletes them, but at least you’ll be on a more stable version of the OS. To do this, go to Windows 10 Settings, then click “Update & security -> Recovery.” Below “Reset this PC” you should see the option to “go back to the previous version of Windows 10.” Click “Get started,” then follow the steps to roll back Windows 10. Again, this option is only available for ten days after a Windows 10 build update. Check Your Windows 10 Build Before looking into rolling back and fixing broken Windows 10 updates, you need to check which build of Windows you’re currently on, which will confirm which issues are affecting you. To do this, just go to “Settings -> Update & Security -> View update history.” In the new window click the arrow next to “Feature Updates” to see the version of Windows that you’re currently using, and click “Quality Updates” to see all the smaller “KB” updates you have installed. Block and Defer Windows 10 Updates The first thing you can do to avoid getting the above update problems and more is to take over the control when your Windows 10 updates. This way you can hold off getting updates the moment Microsoft rolls them out, monitor the news for a bit to see if any major errors crop up, then manually do the update yourself. Recently, Windows Insiders revealed that an update is coming to Windows 10 (around April 2019) which will allow all Windows users (including Home users) to pause updates by up to seven days. In the meantime, if you’re on Windows 10 Pro, enterprise, Education or S, you can postpone updates by going to Settings -> Update & Security -> Windows Update. Here, select the option ‘Choose when updates are installed’ and pick the number of days you’d like to delay it by. Few things on PC are more frustrating than an update – ostensibly to improve performance – borking your system, but unfortunately Microsoft has form in this respect. Other teething issues with Windows 10 include the Start menu search not working and the Windows Store not working, so we can help you out there too!

How to Check if wget is Installed? Most likely, the wget package is already on your system as it now comes pre-installed on most Linux distributions. To check, open the terminal window and type in: wget If you have the wget software, the output tells you that the wget command is missing a URL, as shown in the image below: wget Command Not Found If the output displays wget command not found you need to download and install the tool manually. Below you will find the installation instructions for Ubuntu/Debian, CentOS, and Windows. How to Install wget on Ubuntu/Debian? To install wget on Ubuntu or Debian releases, use the command: sudo apt-get install wget How to Install wget on CentOS/Fedora? To install wget on CentOS or Fedora, type the following command: sudo yum install wget How to Install wget on Windows? To install and configure wget for Windows: Download wget for Windows and install the package. Add the wget bin path to environment variables (optional). Configuring this removes the need for full paths, and makes it a lot easier to run wget from the command prompt: Open the Start menu and search for “environment.” SelectEdit the system environment variables. Select the Advanced tab and click the Environment Variables button. Select the Path variable under System Variables. Click Edit. In the Variable value field add the path to the wget bin directory preceded by a semicolon (;). If installed in the default path, add C:\Program Files (x86)\GnuWin32\bin. Open the command prompt (cmd.exe) and start running wget commands. Introduction to wget Syntax The wget syntax has the following pattern: wget [option][URL] Each [option] has its long and short form which are conveniently interchangeable. This attribute specifies what to do with the URL that follows. [URL] is the address of the file or directory you wish to download. wget Command Examples Download File from Web To download a file from the web use: wget [URL] For example, to install Tomcat 9, first you need to download the package with wget using the command: wget http://apache.cs.utah.edu/tomcat/tomcat-9/v9.0.20/bin/apache-tomcat-9.0.20.tar.gz Download File and Save Under Specific Name To download a file and save it under a specified name run: wget –O [file_name] [URL] The wget command allows you to rename files prior to downloading them on your computer. For instance, you may want to install Terraform. To download the package and rename it terraform.zip use the following command: wget –O terraform.zip https://releases.hashicorp.com/terraform/0.12.2/terraform_0.12.2_linux_amd64.zip Download File to Specific Directory By default wget downloads a file in the directory the user is in. To save the file in a different location, add the –P option: wget –P [wanted_directory] [URL] For example, while installing Git on Ubuntu, you can download the package in the /temp directory with the command: wget –P /temp https://github.com/git/git/archive/master.zip Set Download Speed You can set the download speed when downloading a big file, so it does not use the full available bandwidth. The download speed is defined in kilobytes (k) and megabytes (m). Use the command: wget --limit-rate [wanted_speed] [URL] For example, if you are installing NVIDIA TESLA drivers on Linux and want to limit the download speed to 1 megabyte, would use the command: wget --limit-rate 1m http://us.download.nvidia.com/tesla/396.37/nvidia-diag-driver-local-repo-ubuntu1710-396.37_1.0-1_amd64.deb Continue Download After Interruption Instead of having to start from scratch, wget can resume downloading where it stopped before the interruption. This is a useful feature if there is a lost of connection while downloading a file. wget –c [URL] For instance, you may want to install a Mumble Server on Linux and suddenly lose internet connection while downloading the installation file. To continue downloading, type in the command: wget –c https://github.com/mumble-voip/mumble/releases/download/1.2.19/murmur-static_x86-1.2.19.tar.bz2 Download Multiple Files wget allows downloading multiple files at the same time using the command: wget –i [file_name] To do so, follow the steps outlined below: 1. First, create and open a file under the name MultipleDownloads.txt (or a name of your choice), using a text editor. In this case, we used Nano: nano MultipleDownloads.txt 2. Once in the editor, add the URLs of the packages you want to download, one per line. 3. Save and exit the file. 4. Run the following wget command in the terminal window: wget –i MultipleDownloads.txt This prompts wget to download from each URL in the text file. Download Web page (Mirror Web page) With wget you can download an entire website from the internet, using the –m option. It prompts wget to create a mirror of the specified webpage. The basic command for doing so is: wget –m [URL] For example: wget –m https://phoenixnap.com Download via FTP To download via FTP, type in the username and password of the FTP server, followed by the ftp address: wget --ftp-user=[ftp_username] --ftp-password=[ftp_password] ftp://... For instance: wget --ftp-user=sofiftp --ftp-password=TopSecretPassword ftp://123.456.7890 Download in Background You can download in the background, a practical feature when dealing with a large file: wget –b [URL] You can check the status of the download with the command: tail –f wget –log To download the RPM package manager in the background, type: wget –b http://some_website/sample_file.rpm Increase Retry Attempts You can set how many times wget attempts to download a file after being interrupted by a bad network with: wget --tries=[number_of_tries] [URL] By default, the number of retry attempts is set to 20. You can also set the number to infinity with the values 0 or inf, as in the following example: wget --tries=inf http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/rpm/rhel/virtualbox.repo Skip Certificate Check By default, wget checks whether the server has a valid SSL/TLS certificate. If it does not identify an authentic certificate, it refuses to download. The --no-check-certificate option is used to avoid certificate authorities checking for a server certificate. However, utilize it only if you are sure of the website’s credibility or are not worried about security issues it may cause. wget --no-check-certificate [URL] If http://enteratonerisk.com has an untrusted certificate, but will not harm the system, you can download it with: wget --no-check-certificate http://enteratonerisk.com Change User Agent When downloading a webpage, wget essentially emulates a browser. In some cases, the output might say you don’t have permission to access the server, or that the connection is forbidden. This may be due to a website blocking client browsers that have a specific “User-Agent.” “User-Agent” is a header field that the browser sends to the server it wants to access. Therefore, to download from a server that is refusing to connect, try to modify the user agent. Find a database of all user agents online, search for the one you need and run the command: wget --user-agent=”User Agent Here” “[URL]” or wget –U ”User Agent Here” “[URL]” For example, to emulate Chrome (version 74), you would change the user agent with the command: wget --user-agent=” Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/74.0.3729.169 Safari/537.36” “https://phoenixnap.com” Conclusion This article sums up why wget is such a powerful tool for downloading files over the internet. It also serves as a good reference for beginners with its list of 12 essential wget commands and examples.

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Once a small business has scaled beyond two or three personnel, likely it’s time to buy a server computer for the office. Depending on the context, the term “server” may refer to server hardware, software, or the functionality of either or both. As with any equipment purchase, the logical place to start is with one simple question: what problem do you want the server to solve? Is the answer in the cloud? Your first choice when it comes to servers is whether or not you actually need one physically in your office. For businesses tight on space, introducing a business server may not be the best idea. Leasing a server on the cloud sometimes makes more sense—especially for small businesses that don’t have a robust IT infrastructure. However, there are limits to what you can do with a cloud-based server. Cloud servers are ideal for when businesses are first starting out. However, cloud costs grow as a business adds headcount. Monthly costs accumulate as data grows. Eventually, business sense says to bring some server infrastructure in-house. If you’re at this point, you’ll want to scale up not scale out with your infrastructure, which means using a combined, hybrid approach to your data architecture. If you decide that you definitely need the server on premises, then you should choose whether to assemble a server in-house or to purchase a pre-built. Building vs. Buying Building and buying both have their advantages and disadvantages. Buying a server gives you plenty of value from bundled software, warranty, and support from a brand-name manufacturer. Building a server, on the other hand, gives you the opportunity to custom-tailor your build so it’s tuned to the application you’re deploying. Keep in mind that purchasing a pre-built server may still require you to physically build out the system—certain SKUs may not include hard drives, memory, or optical drives. You may need to install them in-house before acclimating them to your environment. How does server hardware determine function? Servers do an amazing range of tasks. Does that mean one type of server is better than another for specific functions? Yes and no. Certain hardware specifications lend themselves to various tasks. At the hardware level, a server shares much in common with a standard PC. It’s helpful to think of servers as computers that dish out resources for other computers to use in order to illustrate the relationship. Server components differ in that they have extra features for 24/7 operation. For example, ECC server memory has error-correction firmware built into the controller is an extra protection against downtime. Additionally servers may have backup hardware components encased in the build—a redundant power supply, central processor, or hot-swappable drive bays—if one part faults out, backups step up and keep the data accessible for users. What is the server hardware doing? Server resources tie closely to three specific types of hardware: hard disk storage; CPU size—number of cores, and to a lesser extent, clock speed; and the capacity of on-board server memory (RAM). A file server will have multiple bays for hard drives since it’s primarily used for storage. A database server that handles lots of user queries benefits from a large (12- or 16-core) CPU. Web servers and application servers have framework-specific requirements you might reference, usually the number of users querying or writing to the database affects how robust you should go with the hardware. How to pick the right server for the job So, getting back to that initial question—what will your server actually do? A business buys a server to handle one or more specific tasks: Sharing assets with file server, or network attached storage (NAS) appliance across a local network or as so-called private cloud storage. Look for: multiple hot-swappable drive bays, configurable hardware/software RAID options; a low-power CPU should suffice. Providing authentication for a domain. Username, password, levels of access, and security settings resides in a designated server computer or network switch. Called a domain controller (DC) in Windows Server, and used for managing Active Directory (AD). Look for: a virtualization-capable server (any 64-bit CPU, 4 GB+ RAM) Providing database services to other servers. Applications and websites are built upon a database layer which is often stored on its own server. Development and non-user specific tasks like data analysis, mining, archiving, and storage using Oracle, MySQL, MS Access, and similar applications utilizes this server hardware. Look for: hard drives rated for fast writes; deploy an identical backup ‘slave’ server as a read-only database. Hosting a website with a web server. Web servers use HTTP to serve files that make up web pages served to users browsing a website. Web servers work in tandem with a database server. This may occur within the same physical hardware server, or by using two servers networked together. Look for: hardware redundancy especially if you host e-commerce. Increasing server RAM capacity benefits performance under load. Providing e-mail services with a mail server. Messaging servers, like Microsoft Exchange, use specific protocols (SMTP, POP3, IMAP) to send and receive messages. Dedicating server hardware to this task is recommend for optimal operation. Look for: similar specifications as a file server. Controlling shared peripheral equipment, like a printer. Low-power specs will suffice. You might repurpose and old PC as a print server if you have one. Running shared softwareon an application server. Centralizing applications their native framework (Java, PHP, .NET, various flavors of .js) improves performance under heavy usage, makes updates easier, and reduces TCO for maintaining tools organizations use for productivity. Look for: enterprise-grade storage bays (SAS hard drives) and ECC RAM. Note that un-virtualized instances tend to work better for development. Choosing server form factor to fit your physical space Servers come in several different physical form factors that can be classified into three umbrellas: tower, blade, and rack mount. The form factors are determined by the server case; you’ll find the same components on the inside of comparable models. Tower – A tower server resembles a regular desktop computers—except that they have server components inside. Same as their PC cousins, towers come in several different shapes. These make sense as first servers because they can offer plenty of processing power and don’t require you to purchase additional mounting hardware. The drawback of tower servers is that they take up more room than either rack mount or blade setups once you start adding more. Rackmount –Rack mount servers need to be installed onto a rack chassis. A chassis, typically several feet high, can hold multiple servers on top of each other in slots. Consider rack mount units when you have several servers and want to consolidate them into a smaller space. Blade – Similar to rack mount servers in that they require a chassis to be installed. Blade servers are even more space-efficient than rack mount servers. However, properly cooling blade servers can be more challenging; consider these when your server closet scales into a server room. They are an even bigger investment than rack mount servers. Server Operating Systems When you use a computer in client/server architecture, the server operating system (server OS) is designed specifically for making sure computing power is distributed appropriately to the endpoint machines on the domain. Configuring the server OS is what enables a server computer to act in various roles of deployment, as a mail server, file server, domain controller, web server, application server, and so forth. Think of a server OS as a more advanced and stable operating system than a desktop or mobile OS you would use on a client computer. A server OS supports more RAM, is more efficient with CPU power, and supports a greater number of network connections. They provide administrators a main interface for authenticating users, managing applications and file storage, and setting up permissions and other administrative processes across the domain. There are dozens of server operating systems. Proprietary server OSes like Windows Server, Ubuntu Server, CentOS, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux are some of the more popular choices for running medium-size business domains. Conclusion Plan ahead five years when assessing your server needs. It’s a waste of money to outgrow your infrastructure before end of life. Choosing a business server workstation, especially your first one, can either improve the way professionals carry out their tasks or be a potential bottleneck. If they don’t have enough storage bays, you may easily find yourself rushing to purchase another machine with even more drive bays. You can avoid both overpaying and bottle necking your office simply by allowing your organizational data room to grow. The SMB server buying guide was first published 9-4-2020 by the nerdcore group small business server team and is updated subsequently at the beginning each year.

Applies to: Cloud Services (Web roles/Worker roles) Azure Active Directory Microsoft Intune More PROBLEM The Office 365 Integration Module (OIM) for Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials (SBS 2011 Essentials) does not work as expected. For example, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms: When users' passwords change, the changes do not synchronize to Office 365. Office 365 subscription and user account wizards in the OIM fail. Office 365 subscription data is displayed as "not available" in the OIM, and Office 365 user data is displayed as "unknown" in the OIM. CAUSE This issue may occur for one or more of the following reasons: The OIM was installed and set up incorrectly. The passwords of the administrator accounts in the OIM and in Office 365 do not match. Microsoft Online Services Sign-in Assistant is not installed or is not running. Wizard actions cannot be completed or reporting data cannot be retrieved because of Office 365 issues. An unexpected failure occurred in the OIM. SOLUTION To resolve this issue, follow these steps:Step 1: Make sure that the OIM is installed and set up correctly For more information, visit the following Microsoft website:Integrating Office 365 with Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials Step 2: Troubleshoot the Office 365 administrator account that is used to set up the OIM Sign in to the Office 365 portal by using your administrator user ID. Check that you can sign in successfully. This confirms that you are using the correct password and that you can authenticate to Office 365. Open the SBS console on the computer that is running SBS, click the Office 365 tab, and then run the "Change the Office 365 administrator account" wizard to make sure that the correct administrator password is set up in the OIM for SBS. Step 3: Check that the Microsoft Online Services Sign-In Assistant is running On the computer that is running SBS, click Start, click All Programs, click Administrative Tools, and then click Services. In the list of services, locate Microsoft Online Services Sign-in Assistant, and then make sure that its status is set to Started. If the status is set to Not Started, right-click Microsoft Online Services Sign-in Assistant, and then click Start. If the Microsoft Online Services Sign-in Assistant is not installed, download and then install the most recent version. To do this, go to Microsoft Online Services Sign-In Assistant for IT Professionals RTW. Step 4: Determine whether the administrative tasks that you want to perform in the OIM can be performed in the Office 365 portal Sign in to the Office 365 portal by using your administrator user ID. In the Office 365 portal, try to perform the administrative tasks that you wanted to perform by using the wizards in the OIM. Take one of the following actions, as appropriate for your situation: If you can successfully complete the tasks by using the Office 365 portal, the issue might be related to SBS. In this case, troubleshoot possible SBS issues. If you cannot successfully complete the tasks by using the Office 365 portal, the issue might be related to Office 365. In this case, troubleshoot possible Office 365 issues. For more help, contact Nerdcore Computers on 1300637326.

Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC) is a Microsoft Management Console snap-in that you use to administer Active Directory (AD). You can manage objects (users, computers), Organizational Units (OU), and attributes of each. ADUC is one of the many tools that you can use to administer AD, but since it has been around since Windows 2000, it is one of the most popular. Read on to see how to run and use ADUC to manage AD. How Do I Add Active Directory Users and Computers? Some of you might have already looked for ADUC on your laptop to discover that it’s not there. It’s not part of the default installation, and how you get it installed depends on your version of Windows. In current versions of Windows, ADUC is part of an administrative suite of tools called Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT). Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) In an October 2018 update, Microsoft moved all of the Active Directory administration tools to a ‘feature on demand’ called RSAT. Attackers use whatever they can for privilege escalations and exfiltration. They don’t need RSAT to do major damage to your network, but it sure makes it easier! If an attacker got hold of a computer with ADUC installed, they could just change passwords and access rights at will. That would be very bad. Anyway, if you want to access ADUC on your computer, you need to install RSAT. ADUC is not part of the default installation for any Windows version. Follow the instructions below to install: Installing ADUC for Windows 10 Version 1809 and Above From the Start menu, select Settings > Apps. Click the hyperlink on the right side labeled Manage Optional Features and then click the button to Add feature. Select RSAT: Active Directory Domain Services and Lightweight Directory Tools. Click Install. When the installation completes, you will have a new menu item in the start menu called Windows Administrative Tools. Installing ADUC for Windows 8 and Windows 10 Version 1803 and Below Download and install Remote Server Administrator Tools depending on your version of Windows. The link is for Windows 10, other versions are available in the Microsoft Download Center. Click the Start button and select Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off. Scroll down the list and expand Remote Server Administration Tools. Expand Role Administration Tools. Expand AD DS and AD LDS Tools. Check AD DS Tools, then select “OK.” When the install completes you will have a folder for Administrative Tools on the Start menu. ADUC should be in this list. Troubleshooting RSAT Installation There are two common installation issues to check if something goes sideways and you can’t get RSAT installed. First, check that you have enabled Windows Firewall. RSAT uses the Windows Update backend and thus needs Windows Firewall enabled. Sometimes after the install, you might be missing tabs and such. Uninstall and reinstall. You might have had an older version and the update didn’t work 100%. You can also right click on ADUC in the Start menu and verify the shortcut is pointing to %SystemRoot%\system32\dsa.msc. If it doesn’t point there then you need to uninstall and reinstall for sure. What is Active Directory Users and Computers Used For? ADUC can cover most of your AD admin responsibilities. The most important missing task is probably managing GPOs, but you can do most everything else in ADUC. With ADUC, you can manage the FSMO server roles, reset passwords, unlock users, change group memberships, and too many more to list. There are other tools in RSAT you can also use to manage AD. Active Directory Administrative Center: Allows management for the AD Trash Can (accidental deletes), password policies, and displays the PowerShell history. Active Directory Domains and Trusts: Lets you administer multiple domains to manage functional level, manage forest functional level, manage User Principle Names (UPN), and manage trusts between domains and forests. Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell: Enables the PowerShell cmdlets to administer AD. Active Directory Sites and Services: Allows you to view and manage Sites and Services. You can define the topology of AD and schedule replication. ADSI Edit: ADSI Edit is a low-end tool to manage AD objects. AD experts don’t recommend that you use ADSI Edit, use ADUC instead. Now let’s look at a few different use cases for ADUC. ADUC for Delegating Control Scenario: You are looking to limit the sysadmin team’s responsibility to manage specific domains in your network. You would like to assign two sysadmins per domain, a primary and a backup. Here is how you would do this: Open ADUC as Admin. Right click the domain and select Delegate Control. Click through the Wizard until you get to this screen. Add the user(s) you want to delegate administrative responsibilities to here. Select the user and click Next. Select the tasks you are delegating to this user in the next screen. On the next screen you get a recap, click Finish if it looks correct. ADUC for Adding New Users to Domain Next we will look at how to add a new user to the domain. Expand the tree for the domain where you want the new user, right click the User container and select New -> User. Fill in the blanks and click Next. Set a password and check the correct boxes and click Next. Verify the user is set up correctly in the next screen and click Finish. ADUC for Adding a New Group And to create a new group, follow these steps: Just as before, expand the domain and right click the container where you want the new Group to live, and select New -> Group. Fill in the blanks of the wizard, making sure to select the correct button for “Security” or “Distribution.” Click OK, and then find your new group and open it up, select the Members tab, and add the correct users to this group. The more you know about the intricacies of AD the better prepared you are to defend it. Nerdcore Computers monitors and automates the tasks users perform with ADUC. Nerdcore Computers provides a full audit log of any AD events (users added, logged in, group changes, GPO changes, etc.) and compares the current activity to a baseline of normalized behavior over time. Any new activity that looks like a cyberattack (brute force, ticket harvesting, privilege escalations, and more) triggers alerts that help protect your network from compromise and data breach. Additionally, Nerdcore Computers enables your data owners with the power to control who has access to their data. Nerdcore Computers automates the process to request, approve, and audit data access. It’s a simple but elegant solution to a huge and increasingly important problem. Want to see all the ways Nerdcore Computers can help you manage and secure AD? Check out this on-demand webinar:

Using the internet for business can have its benefits. But it can also increase the risk of scams and security threats. Follow our steps to help protect your business from cyber threats. A single cyber attack could seriously damage your business and its reputation. 1. Back up data Back up your business’s data and website. This can help you recover any information you lose if you experience a cyber incident or you have computer issues. It’s essential that you back up your important data and information regularly. Fortunately, backing up doesn’t generally cost much and is easy to do. It’s a good idea to use multiple back-up methods to help ensure the safety of your important files. A good back up system typically includes: daily incremental back-ups to a portable device and/or cloud storage end-of-week server back-ups quarterly server back-ups yearly server back-ups Regularly check and test that you can restore your data from your back up. Make it a habit to back up your data to an external drive or portable device like a USB stick. Store portable devices separately offsite, which will give your business a plan b if the office site is robbed or damaged. Do not leave the devices connected to the computer as they can be infected by a cyber attack. Alternatively, you can also back up your data through a cloud storage solution. An ideal solution will use encryption when transferring and storing your data, and provides multi-factor authentication for access. 2. Secure your devices and network Make sure you update your software Ensure you program your operating system and security software to update automatically. Updates may contain important security upgrades for recent viruses and attacks. Most updates allow you to schedule these updates after business hours, or another more convenient time. Updates fix serious security flaws, so it is important to never ignore update prompts. Install security software Install security software on your business computers and devices to help prevent infection. Make sure the software includes anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-spam filters. Malware or viruses can infect your computers, laptops and mobile devices. Set up a firewall A firewall is a piece of software or hardware that sits between your computer and the internet, it acts as the gatekeeper for all incoming and outgoing traffic. Setting up a firewall protects your business’ internal networks, but they also need to be regularly patched in order to do their job. Remember to install the firewall on all your portable business devices. Turn on your spam filters Use spam filters to reduce the amount of spam and phishing emails that your business receives. Spam emails are usually from a person or company that you don’t know. They usually contain offers too good to be true. Don’t respond, attempt to unsubscribe or call the number in the message. The best thing to do is delete them. Applying a spam filter will help reduce the chance of you or your employees opening a spam or dishonest email by accident. 3. Encrypt important information Make sure you turn your network encryption on and encrypt data when stored or sent online. Encryption converts your data into a secret code before you send it over the internet. This reduces the risk of theft, destruction or tampering. 4. Ensure you use two-factor authentication (2FA) Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a two-step verification security process you need to provide before you can access your account. You use two different authentication factors to verify who you are such as your password and a code sent to your mobile device or your finger print. The two-factor authentication process adds an additional layer of security making it harder for attackers to gain access to your device or online accounts. 5. Manage passwords Use strong passwords to protect access to your devices that hold important business information. Having a password such as ‘123456’ or worse still, ‘password’ is leaving yourself open to being hacked. If you use the same password for everything and someone gets hold of it, all your accounts could be at risk. Consider using a password manager that securely stores and creates passwords for you. Administrative privileges To avoid an cyber criminal gaining access to your computer or network: change all default passwords to new passwords that can’t be easily guessed restrict use of accounts with administrative privileges restrict access to accounts with administrative privileges look at disabling administrative access entirely Administrative privileges allow someone to undertake higher or more sensitive tasks than normal, such as installing programs or creating other accounts. These will be very different from standard privileges or guest user privileges. Criminals will often seek these privileges to give them greater access and control of your business. To reduce this risk, create a standard user account with a strong password you can use on a daily basis. Only use accounts with administrative privileges when necessary, limit those who have access, and never read emails or use the internet when using an account with administrative privileges. 6. Monitor use of computer equipment and systems Keep a record of all the computer equipment and software that your business uses. Make sure they are secure to prevent forbidden access. Remind your employees to be careful about: where and how they keep their devices using USB sticks or portable hard drives. Unknown viruses and other threats could be accidentally transferred on them from home to your business. Remove any software or equipment that you no longer need, making sure that there isn’t any sensitive information on them when thrown out. If older and unused software or equipment remain part of your business network, it is unlikely they will be updated and may be a backdoor targeted by criminals to attack your business. Unauthorised access to systems by past employees is a common security issue for business. Immediately remove access (including AUSkey), from people who don’t work for you anymore or if they change roles and no longer require access. 7. Put policies in place to guide your staff A cyber security policy helps your staff to understand their responsibilities and what is acceptable when they use or share: data computers and devices emails internet sites It’s also important to have a strong social media policy. This can set out what type of business information your staff can share online, and where. An attacker could tailor a convincing scam around your employee by using the business and personal information they post online. Make sure your employees are aware of the policies and review them regularly. Consider refresher training to make sure all employees are aware of the policies in your business. 8. Train your staff to be safe online Your staff are your business’ most important and last line of defense. It’s important to make sure your staff know about the threats they can face online and the major role they play in keeping your business safe. Educate them about: their computer rights and responsibilities their network access and use acceptable online practices when using email, work computers and devices maintaining good passwords fraudulent emails reporting suspicious online activity 9. Protect your customers It’s vital that you keep your customers information safe. If you lose their information it will damage your business reputation, and you could face legal consequences. Make sure your business: invests in and provides a secure online environment for transactions secures any personal customer information that it stores Find out what your payment gateway provider can do to prevent online payment fraud. There are privacy laws around what you can do with your customers’ personal information. It’s important to be aware of the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and have a clear, up-to-date privacy policy. If your business is online, it’s a good idea to provide this on your website. 10. Protect yourself Consider cyber insurance to protect your business. The cost of dealing with a cyber attack can be much more than just repairing databases, strengthening security or replacing laptops. Cyber liability insurance cover can help your business with the costs of recovering from an attack. Like all insurance policies, it is very important your business understands what it is covered for. For more guidance on cyber security for your small business, consider the following advice from the US Federal Trade Commission.

Most people want to access the Internet from any room in the house/office and maybe even in the garden or summer house. Although most people will want extended Wireless (Wi-Fi) access we will also look at how to extend both wired access and wireless access. If we start with a basic home network consisting of a single Wireless access point (WAP) that is part of the Wireless router as described in building a home network. and shown below: The home router is the hub of the network as it connects your home network to the Internet. This basic configuration can be extended to provide both wired and Wireless access using a variety of methods and illustrated in the network diagram below: Extending Wireless Access Before you go to the trouble of extending a network it is a good idea to try an get a better signal by relocating the router if possible. If we assume that the present WAP (Wireless Access Point) covers area 1 but not area 2 and our task is to extend the network to cover area 2. To extend the Wi-Fi coverage to area 2 we will need a second WAP (Wireless access point), and this second access point will need to connect to the WAP in Area 1. There are three methods available for connecting the Wireless Access Points ( WAPs) together. They are: Use a WAP connected to the hub on network 1 using a UTP cable. Use a WAP connected to the hub on network 1 using Homeplug adapters. Connect with Wi-FI using a Wi-Fi range extender or repeater. Using a Wireless Repeater or Range Extender This is probably the quickest and easiest method and according to a recent survey used by over 20% ot US households. It is also the slowest and the most error prone method method. Note You will hear the terms repeater,range extender and booster used but they are generally describing the same thing. A Wireless Repeater takes a wireless signal and then re-broadcasts it. This means that the repeater must be in range of the original Wireless signal. It also usually means that the throughput is halved. Some repeaters using different bands i.e. they could use the 5Ghz band for the connection to the WAP and the 2.5 Ghz band for connecting devices. The repeater creates a second Wireless network which can have the same SSID as the original network. Because wireless devices on network 2 must go through two wireless hops this connection method is much slower than using an extension cable or homeplug adaptors. Extending a Wired Network To extend a wired network you will need an Ethernet Switch. You use a port on the Home router to connect to the remote switch using either: A long UTP cable 2 Homeplug adapters. This is illustrated in the main network diagram above. General Considerations Using a UTP Cable You can purchase UTP connection cables of various lengths which means that you don’t need to create your own cables. You should note that the maximum cable distance between network devices is 100m. However you will need to run the cable between rooms which usually involves drilling holes etc. Although this is a very low cost method it is usually not the easiest. It does however provide the fastest and most reliable connection. Using Homeplug Adapters Homeplug adaptors are the more flexible option than straight wiring as they can easily add network connectivity to any room that has a power outlet. They work by using the home electrical wiring to carry the Ethernet signal between rooms. Homeplug adapters can be used to extend a wired and wireless network . Generally they work in pairs but you can use more than 2 on a network. They plug into the mains socket and usually provide an Ethernet connection on each end. You simply plug the Ethernet cables into the adapters at each end. They can also come with built in wireless access points so that you don’t need an additional wireless access points to extend the wireless network. Homeplug adapters with built in Wireless access points tend to be a little more expensive than standard Ethernet ones but are very convenient. Network SSIDs (Network Name) Regardless of how you extend the network you will likely end up with two or more wireless networks. You can configure these networks to use the same broadcast SSID so that they appear to be a single network. You would also need to use the same security settings. This configuration means that when a user moves from one location, and network to another they don’t need to switch networks. However some devices have problems with this configuration, so you may want to use separate SSIDs. Ref- ASUS FAQ –Why is the wireless network name (SSID) of range extender different from my Wi-Fi router? What happens if my neighbour sets his wifi SSID the same as mine? The Screen shot below shows my home network with multiple Access points and Network IDs. Extending Ethernet Ports If you are short of Ethernet ports in any location you can use a second Ethernet switch connected to the other Ethernet switch as shown in the diagram below. Note: It isn’t important which port you use. Extending Cable Length The maximum cable distance between networking devices is 100m. This can be extending up to approx 300m by using an Ethernet repeater/extender. Most of the ones available today appear to be PoE repeaters. With PoE devices you can connect remote devices like IP cameras without the need for installing a separate power supply. Wi-FI Mesh Networks These are also relatively new systems that aim to provide Wi-Fi access in larger homes. They comprise 2 or more Wi-Fi nodes that work together to offer a single Wi-Fi network. Useful Devices Wireless electrical power sockets are a new introduction to the market and function as wireless repeaters. They are convenient because they don’t consume a electrical power socket. Here is a picture of a UK socket. Ethernet Coupler/Extender Used for connecting two short Ethernet cables to create a longer cable. Common Questions and Answers Q-Can I use an old Wi-Fi router to extend my network.? A- Yes but it will need to function solely as an access point. This PCworld article describes how. Personally I’m not keen on this as the setup is convoluted, easy to get wrong, and it is not possible on all routers. Wi-Fi access points are cheap it is easier to get a new access point. Q-Can I extend my home network with another router? A- Yes but a router is the wrong choice on a home network unless you want two separate networks. A network switch is the better choice and the easiest. Using a router would involve setup that would require a very good knowledge of networking and subnetting in particular. Case Studies I often get asked questions via the ask Nerdcore page and thought it would be useful if I included the questions and answers here as they might be applicable to your situation. I have removed names to protect the identity. Case Study 1 – Bad Wi-Fi Question- Hi , I have just moved into an old house in a rural location. Because of very poor WIFI over the land line and poor router signal coverage in the house (thick walls etc), the previous owner installed an EE SIMM based router linked by CAT5 to a ceiling mounted EnGenius EAP150. Apparently this has improved things (download speeds of 15 MBPS and 3.3 MBPS for uploads when close to the EAP), but the the signal does not go very far and dropped connections and lack of connection are a frequent pain. Using Netflix and a couple of mobile phones seems to cause loss of signal very easily, I guess this is a capacity issue? Can you make any suggestions on how to address these problems please? E.G Can I use signal boosters around the house to strengthen the EAP signal? Do I need a better WAP/EAP device? Are there other alternatives? Answer – I would try using homeplug adapters you can get them with Wi-FI access points. Get a pair and put one next to your router and move the other wi-fi homeplug around the rooms to make sure it works as there could potentially be wiring problems. If that works ok you can always add additional adapters.

Intel Comet Lake mobile processors are now out in the world, finally making their way into the best Ultrabooks in late 2019. And now in 2020, they’re bringing the fight to AMD Ryzen 4000, with chips making their way to gaming laptops and workstations. Keeping track of Intel’s releases is already confusing enough – looking at you, Cannon Lake – and its 10th-generation Comet Lake processors have really taken things to a new level. Designed alongside Intel’s Ice Lake processors for laptops, these chips were released around the same time as Ice Lake, with the two altogether making up Intel’s 10th-generation Core lineup. The only major difference is the manufacturing process, with Ice Lake being the first 10nm processors Intel has put out in the mainstream and part of Project Athena, and Comet Lake being yet another iteration of the 14nm Skylake architecture. On top of that, there are also the Comet Lake-S processors for desktop. After being the subject of speculation for months, these desktop processors are now officially launched – led by the Intel Core i9-10900K and the surprisingly robust for the price i5-10600K. And, they are now on the latest PCs, with Asus and MSI being the first ones to unveil Intel Comet Lake-S Z490 motherboards. Since there’s already a mouthful of information out there about Intel Comet Lake, let us help you make sense of it all. We’ve broken Intel Comet Lake range down for you, covering everything from rumors and speculations about future additions to the lineup to all the official news from Intel. Keep this page bookmarked, as we'll update it with any new information that comes our way. Intel Comet Lake release date Intel pushed out its 10th-generation Comet Lake processors for laptops back in August, with the actual laptops filtering out over the following months. On top of those, Intel has announced early April the full lineup of Comet Lake-H processors, which will be the high-performance chips that will be found in gaming laptops this year. That means we will be seeing those chips out in the wild in the next few months. As for the Comet Lake-S desktop chips, Intel launched them on April 30, and they’re now available for purchase. It won’t be long until we’ll see them inside many PCs soon. In fact, the latest Alienware Aurora, R11, already has the i9-10900KF chip inside. Intel Comet Lake price Now that the Comet Lake processors for laptops are out, the price tag for each chip is also finally available. We’ve listed them out for you below so you can decide whether or not to upgrade. These are Intel’s recommended price for every Comet Lake chip: Intel Core i7-10710U – $443 (about £340, AU$635) Intel Core i7-10510U – $409 (about £315, AU$585) Intel Core i5-10210U – $297 (about £230, AU$425) Intel Core i3-10110U – $281 (about £215, AU$405) With laptop pricing, though, it’s important to keep in mind that these aren’t prices that consumers will ever see. Instead, it’s a suggested price that Intel gives to its distributors, which can charge above or below this price to laptop manufacturers. These prices will generally be worked into the overall price of the laptop, but these numbers can still give a decent idea of which segment of the laptop market each chip falls into. As far as Intel Comet Lake-S processors, these are Intel’s recommended prices for each: Intel Core i9-10900K – $488 (about £395/A$765) Intel Core i9-10900KF – $472 (about £380/A$740) Intel Core i9-10900 – $439 (about £355/A$690) Intel Core i9-10900F – $422 (about £340/A$660) Intel Core i7-10700K – $374 (about £302/A$585) Intel Core i7-10700KF – $349 (about £280/A$545) Intel Core i7-10700 – $323 (about £260/A$505) Intel Core i7-10700F – $298 (about £240/A$465) Intel Core i5-10600K – $262 (about £215/A$410) Intel Core i5-10600KF – $237 (about £190/A$370) Intel Core i5-10600 – $213 (about £170/A$335) Intel Core i5-10500 – $192 (about £155/A$300) Intel Core i5-10400 – $182 (about £150/A$285) Intel Core i5-10400F – $157 (about £130/A$245) Intel Core i3-10320 – $154 (about £125/A$240) Intel Core i3-10300 – $143 (about £115/A$225) Intel Core i3-10100 – $122 (about £98/A$190) These are about on par with Coffee Lake Refresh prices below, with some differences here and there that are pretty negligible. Intel Core i9-9900K – $488 (£519, AU$899) Intel Core i7-9700K – $374 (£409, AU$659) Intel Core i7-9700 – $323 (about £250, AU$450) Intel Core i5-9600 – $192 (about £150, AU$260) Intel Core i5-9400 – $182 (£194, about AU$250) Intel Core i5-9400F – $182 (£188, about AU$250) Intel Core i3-9350K – $173 (about £130, AU$240) Intel Core i3-9350KF – $173 (£194, about AU$230) Intel Core i3-9320 – $154 (about £118, AU$215) Intel Core i3-9300 – $143 (about £110, AU$199) Intel Core i3-9100 – $122 (about £90, AU$170) Intel Core i3-9100F – $122 (about £90, AU$170) Intel Comet Lake specs Comet Lake is yet another iteration of Intel’s 14nm manufacturing process. This means that there isn’t much improvement in the way of power efficiency, and thermals will probably start to ramp up. We haven't got a chance to test each of these processors yet, but we expect the difference over 8th-generation Whiskey Lake chips to be pretty minor – aside from the Intel Core i7-10710U, of course, which boasts is a 6-core (12-thread) processor with a boost of up to 4.7GHz. We've got all the specs of the Intel Comet Lake Mobile chips here: Intel Core i7-10710U – 6-cores, 12-threads | 12MB Cache | 1.1GHz base / 4.7GHz boost Intel Core i7-10510U – 4-cores, 8-threads | 8MB Cache | 1.8GHz base / 4.9GHz boost Intel Core i5-10210U – 4-cores, 8-threads | 6MB Cache | 1.6GHz base / 4.2GHz boost Intel Core i3-10110U – 2-cores, 4-threads | 4MB Cache | 2.1GHz base / 4.1GHz boost These may look very similar to Whiskey Lake, but with some higher clock speeds. The biggest differences here, though, are the inclusion of Wi-Fi 6 compatibility and Thunderbolt 3 on the die. Advertisement As far as Comet Lake-S desktop processors go, there’s a noticeable increase in cores, threads and turbo speeds that’s reflected across the new Comet Lake-S lineup. What's perhaps most notable is the Core i7-10700K, which still has that massive 125W TDP, but offers 8 cores and 16 threads with a 5.1GHz turbo. That’s a higher spec than the 9900K Here are the Comet Lake-S processors specs, with a noticeable increase in TDP across the board – even the Intel Core i5-10600K has a 125W TDP – which means increased heat: Core i9-10900K: 10 Cores, 20 threads | 3.7GHz base, 5.3GHz boost | 125W TDP Core i9-10900: 10 cores, 20 threads | 2.8GHz base, 5.1GHz boost | 65W TDP Core i7-10700K: 8 cores, 16 threads | 3.8GHz base, 5.1GHz boost | 125W TDP Core i7-10700: 8 cores, 16 threads | 2.9GHz base, 4.8GHz boost | 65W TDP Core i5-10600K: 6 cores, 12 threads | 4.1GHz base, 4.8GHz boost | 125W TDP Core i5-10600: 6 cores, 12 threads | 3.3GHz base, 4.8GHz boost | 65W TDP Core i5-10500: 6 cores, 12 threads | 3.1GHz base, 4.5GHz boost | 65W TDP Core i5-10400: 6 cores, 12 threads | 2.9GHz base, 4.3GHz boost | 65W TDP Core i3-10320: 4 cores, 8 threads | 3.8GHz base, 4.6GHz boost | 65W TDP Core i3-10300: 4 cores, 8 threads | 3.7GHz base, 4.4GHz boost | 65W TDP Core i3-10100: 4 cores, 8 threads | 3.6GHz base, 4.3GHz boost | 65W TDP We’ve had a chance to test both the Intel Core i9-10900K and the Intel Core i5-10600K. A benchmark leak hinted that the Intel Core i9-10900K will deliver an almost 30% leap in performance. Unfortunately, while it does come with two extra cores over 2018's Core i9-9900K, along with boost clocks that reach 5.3GHz across one or two cores, it actually loses ground to the 9900K in terms of raw gaming performance. It’s the Intel Core i5-10600K that actually proved to be an impressive contender, especially next to AMD’s affordable offerings. It delivers excellent multi-core performance and an improved single-core performance, making it a great value for mid-range consumers, especially those looking to do more than just gaming. Not that this came as a surprise. We’ve already gotten a preview of how these might compare to AMD Ryzen 3000, which shows that Intel will have to offer some competitive prices for its Comet Lake-S chips to keep up with AMD. Leaked benchmarks for the i7-10700K, i5-10600K and i5-10600KF show off their single-core performance, unsurprisingly outmatching their respective AMD rivals.

We are still offering a computer repair service via courier. Its very easy to complete the repairs when you send to us via a courier. Just place your faulty device into a box and then organize a courier to deliver it to our office at 3a Willesden Road Hughesdale. You then send us the tracking number so we can track the machine and then once it arrives at our repair centre we will get stuck into it straight away for you. The whole process takes around 1 week. Send to our repair centre but first please callus to arrange this via one of our friendly phone staff. We can resolve most computer laptop problems via this method. Its effective and you only pay once the problem has been resolved.

Here’s all you need to know about virtual data rooms and how they are the key to your business success. Nerdcore Computers are here to unveil the myths & mysteries of virtual data rooms, answer your most asked questions and take you through important checklists for companies and advisors. Removing the myths & mysteries From M&A through capital raises, audits, strategic reviews and tenders, material outcomes depend on virtual data rooms. But data rooms aren’t created equal. What sets a modern data room apart from legacy rooms: More than storage and file sharing Data rooms aren’t just about collecting, collating and storing information. Modern virtual data rooms integrate with other platforms to allow two-way syncing and drag-and-drop functionality that can get a room up and running in minutes. Granular access privileges, print and save controls, tracking of all actions, reporting and sophisticated Q&A enables seamless collaboration. Artificial intelligence powers and automates smart analytics on the motives and behaviour behind people’s activity. More than manual labour and guesswork Artificial Intelligence and automated scorecards not only automate reporting, they predict outcomes with 97% probability within seven days when using a virtual data room for selling an asset. Workflows and processes developed by experts enable advisors and companies to prepare for deals fast and get to work immediately on driving their desired outcome. This saves significant time and money compared to generic tools and processes. Pathways that are reverse engineered from thousands of deals outline what is required - in quantity and quality - in a path to follow for proven success in critical transactions and deals. Only highly advanced data rooms remove the guesswork as to what documents and steps are needed to prepare for and complete a transaction in line with an investor’s or buyer’s requirements. More than fixed pricing plans and feature packages The Nerdcore Group offers dynamic, pay-as-you-go pricing with entry level plans encourages teams to start securing better outcomes earlier through readiness. Whether for a single user or a small team, pricing scales as the opportunity and requirements do, in a predictable and controllable way. Many vendors contract data rooms off a three-month proposal, leading to pricing surprises as most events run for more than nine months. Look for month-to-month pricing or a discount on an annual subscription to be safe. Customers not wishing to start with a full ‘bells-and-whistles’ virtual data room can now start earlier with a core data room offering, adding features and users they need as the opportunity progresses through convenient add-on packs. More than limits on data size Legacy data rooms trouble users with information limits and a price tax when they exceed that limit. Some even charge unpredictably based on how many pages you load. Modern data rooms enable you to load as much, or as little, information as you need, so you can budget costs accurately. More than a transaction tool Modern data rooms position you to get ready, run and realize value from more than just an M&A, asset sale or capital raise. Companies lower the cost of ownership and leverage data room capabilities for instilling operational discipline, governance and risk management around material information necessary for audits, compliance, tenders, post deal integrations, readiness, investor reporting, board communication and more. Lack of functionality, no integration with cloud storage, complexity of use and pricing based on information limits imposed by legacy rooms - all combine to create roadblocks for companies to prepare for and achieve optimal outcomes. What is a data room? A data room is a physical or virtual space where one party can disclose confidential information in a controlled manner to a number of other interested parties. Data rooms are used frequently during mergers and acquisitions (M&A) where a seller and their advisors need to facilitate due diligence and reveal information about their company or asset to several interested buyers at the same time. What is a virtual Room? A virtual data room (VDR) is a virtual space that acts much like a physical data room except that all data is hosted securely online with security controls over information and reporting on usage. In the days before virtual data rooms, M&A potential buyers would need to visit an actual room in person to review stacks of critical documents and paperwork. Today, multiple potential buyers can access confidential information simultaneously online. Why use a virtual data room during M&A? Data rooms make the entire M&A due diligence process easier, more efficient and safer for everyone involved. They allow the sell-side party to keep full control over how and when information is revealed and to whom. The sell-side can also manage all communication with their bidders through the virtual data room. When the deal is done, they offer a full audit trail of disclosure through a single digital archive of all activity. What is due Diligence? Due diligence, as it relates to M&A, involves the disclosure of information by the sell-side to prospective parties. It is the process to ensure each party involved is exposed to all relevant facts before making any final decisions on the deal. The term originated in the United States Security Act 1933, where any broker accused of inadequate disclosure was protected from liability if they could demonstrate that they had performed due diligence. Naturally, to avoid risk this practice soon became the industry standard. It is now the norm for companies to make a legal and voluntary disclosure of all sorts of information to help potential buyers form a clear picture of their current operations and future prospects. Interested parties are then able to make informed and intelligent business decisions. What happens during due diligence? Documents concerning the past, present, and future prospects of the business are made available to each bidder during due diligence. The aim is to be as open and transparent as possible, while still protecting the interests of the business. Care needs to be taken, as interested parties could include the seller’s direct competitor or perhaps a new company entering the industry. Equally, the deal may at any time fall through or be called off. In the case where the deal does successfully go through, there is a duty of care to ensure that unsuccessful bidders aren’t left with information that could be used against the new owner. For this reason, extremely sensitive information may be held back until the final stages of negotiation when it is clear which bidders are serious about making a deal. Is there really any difference between data room providers? Yes! There are many products on the market that often get labelled as ‘data rooms’ but are in fact more like simple file sharing. When it comes to M&A, they are ill-equipped to offer the level of security, collaboration tools, reporting and flexibility needed in the typical high risk low trust environment of M&A due diligence with bidders who can be the selling companies direct competitors. Products can vary from the very basic, with minimum security and rudimentary filing structure and navigation, to more sophisticated, highly secure and at times, very complex setups. Going with generic file sharing and storage tools is a false economy as the lack of features creates inefficiencies that result in higher transaction costs and waste time of busy management teams who should be maximizing focus on running the business while a transaction is occurring. Why not just use a basic data room for deals like M&A? Basic data rooms are great for sharing files between offices and disclosure. However, during M&A when a seller wants greater control over who sees what and when, with greater visibility over potential buyer behaviour in the data room it pays to invest in a data room built with the specific M&A workflow and process in mind. At first glance, it might seem that a simple secure environment is all that is needed to share documents during your deal. However, beyond document storage you need to consider how easy it is to upload and download documents, to integrate with Excel and email, to set security for different users, to change access quickly if the mood changes during negotiations, to shut down access in an instant if the deal is called off, to analyze reports to focus on risks, and to restrict access to some parties and not all - for instance, if a close competitor is in your data room. Even seemingly simple things like how documents are indexed and numbered can cost hours and thousands of dollars, whereas a data room can do this automatically to best practice standards that advisors and investors require.  In short, the impact on every users experience for both buy side and sell side teams translates into greater efficiency, confidence and outcomes or significant frustrations, stress, risk and inefficiency. The right tool for the job at hand is a critical decision. What are the risks in using a file sharing system vs a fully fledged data room? Simple systems are intended for simple usage. They can fast become a headache when used for anything more. Limited functionality can cause a huge waste of time and potential security issues for all involved. Why use a data room such as Nerdcore computers designed for deals like M&A and raising capital? By using a specialist data room, you will find features built specifically to make the M&A due diligence process easier and more secure. What you won’t find is a bunch of stuff you will never use cluttering up the page and slowing down the system. That means potential buyers accessing your data room will see a professional looking system where they can find the information they need to make their decision fast. Great news if you are the one selling! What's the best way to manage Q&A? Some people choose to run Q&A outside the data room using complex Excel spreadsheets passed back and forth over email. On each buy-side team, long lists of questions are compiled and sent to someone on the sell-side. That person then has to review the list and send out clusters of questions to different people in their team to review and respond to. When they receive answers bit by bit from different people they have to continually update their spreadsheet and forward the relevant answers to the relevant buyers. If this sounds like a chore, then you would be right! It’s the single, most time-consuming part of the M&A process. This is where ‘M&A’ can equal ‘Misery & Angst’! This method is complex, laborious and risky, with question and answers often getting duplicated. There’s the continual risk of sending the wrong information to the wrong person, potentially outdated spreadsheets being in circulation and the creation of an understandably complicated audit trail across numerous email accounts. It can be overwhelming. Thankfully there is a better way. With all Q&A-related documents being held within the data room, it makes sense to run Q&A here as well. Nerdcore Computers offer a Q&A process designed exclusively for M&A to help centralise Q&A workflow and make life easier and safer on both sides of the deal. What should i look our for when choosing a data room for M&A? Access Can you easily connect your data room to drag & drop or automatically import documents from other systems and Cloud storage solutions? Will documents imported from Cloud storage solutions automatically sync for constant updating? How easy is it to open and view documents? Do you need to download any sort of viewing software? Can you and your potential bidders access the data room from all operating systems and devices with the same ease or are there any restrictions/caveats? How fast and easy it is to change access by user or user group if needed? Flexibility Can you change who sees what, or do blanket security settings apply? Do you have flexibility on watermarking, document access, printing, saving, revoking access by user? Is the system easily scalable to suit any size deal? Ease of use How fast and easy is it to get the data room up and running? How easy will it really be for multiple users to log in from different time zones and operating systems? How intuitive is the system to navigate around? What systems are in place to help save time, such as bulk upload and download? Does the Room come pre-provisioned with workflows and processes? Control How much control can the data room offer over workflow? How easy is it to get a clear overview of all activity within the data room? Search How sophisticated is the search facility? Can you search within documents as well as across headlines? Can you search for terms within PDFs as well as Microsoft Office documents? Reporting What reporting tools are available? What format will reports come in? Does the Room use AI to automatically predict outcomes and score activity? Are easy-to-view and use dashboards included? Does the Data Room feature scorecards that automatically show you how your transaction is progressing and the status of documents? Q&A for M&A How easy would it be to run Q&A through the data room? Can you easily create scorecards and templates for the transaction? Will you still need to use email and spreadsheets for tracking and Q&A? Can you easily assign people to review documents, Q&A and information? Does the Data Room offer threaded commenting? Support Does the data room offer 24/7/365 support if needed? Where is the support based geographically? What kind of support is available – just technical, or is more strategic expert support available? How fast will they respond to your enquiries? In what format? Pricing How is the cost of your data room calculated? Are there any additional fees that could potentially be added as the project moves forward? What happens if your deal gets delayed or even cancelled? What happens if you exceed information limits? What happens if you need to scale-up or scale-down users? Can you get access to monthly pricing? Security What independent security accreditation does the provider have? What other security measures are in place to keep data from falling into the wrong hands? How foolproof is the audit trail? Experience What experience does your provider have in the M&A space? Have they ever worked on a deal like yours before?

Open attachment to find what businesses you can still v isit and trade with during this stage 4 restrictions.

Thanks to digital audio workstation software, the right laptop can make or record professional-quality music tracks1. Whether you’re recording bass guitar or hip-hop or a classical quartet, you can now produce practically any kind of music on a laptop computer. But while any laptop can be used to produce music on some level, the more serious your ambitions, the more selective you need to be when choosing a laptop for music production. First, let’s figure out what you’re going to do with music on this laptop, then we’ll run down the basic options and identify the most important software and peripherals. Recording, Producing/Composing, or Performing? Musicians use laptops in different ways. Many employ a traditional approach, recording tracks from microphones and instruments, then mixing them to create the final product. Hip-hop, pop, and EDM musicians typically use the laptop itself to produce most of the actual sounds—programming the sounds into a sequencer or playing them on a MIDI keyboard or touchpads connected to the laptop. But they still record vocals and some other sounds using microphones, and mix those with computer-generated audio and often with snippets of other artists’ recordings. DJs typically do all of the above and also use the laptop as a performance device, often triggering everything with a controller that has touchpads and a couple of turntable-style discs for scratching. All of these applications use software packages called digital audio workstations, or DAWs. Some DAWs are targeted more at recording, others more at generating music in the laptop itself. Here’s a great guide to selecting a DAW. The folk singer/songwriter who wants to carry a laptop with her on the subway to record gigs in Brooklyn has different needs than the producer who wants to put together hip-hop beats in his home studio in Atlanta. So the first step should be deciding what your work requires. Is portability important? Are your productions going to be fairly simple or complex? Is your laptop going to be used in a music live performance? Screen Size The screen is important because it determines the size of your visual workspace. The more complex your productions, the more workspace you need. Almost any laptop screen will let you monitor 6 to 10 tracks of music comfortably, but managing 30 tracks is nearly impossible on a small screen. Smaller screens (10–13” diagonally) will nestle easily in backpacks. For basic recording and mixing, a small display is fine. Midsized laptops (14–16”) generally represent a balance between portability and performance. Large laptops (17–18”) are great for music producers who need to monitor dozens of tracks at once, which is the norm with hip-hop, pop, and EDM productions. Mobility If you’re planning to use your laptop for live recording or performing, a smaller model is usually a better choice because it’s easier to carry and takes up less space on stage. Another consideration in these applications is battery life. This isn’t important in homes or clubs where there’s an outlet nearby, but might be vital for mobile recording. Also, if you’re planning to use your laptop for a performance or to record in clubs, it’s a good idea to choose a model with a backlit keyboard. Mac or Windows? MacBooks are fast and reliable, yet there are some equally powerful Windows laptops, typically at more affordable prices. This choice depends mainly on two factors: your budget and which software you prefer to use. Note that professional music studios tend to use Macs, so if you plan to work in conjunction with pro studios—recording a few tracks in a large room, perhaps, or hiring a pro to mix or master your recording—a Mac might be a safer choice, although audio files from Windows machines can be transferred to Mac OS and vice-versa. More information can be found in our PC vs Mac article › Processor Music production can put a heavy load on a CPU, or processor, which is the heart of any computer. Get the best, most capable processor within your budget because it’s rarely possible to upgrade it later. The more complicated your productions, the more the CPU matters. Mixing a tune with 30 tracks, multiple sampled instruments, and lots of digital audio effects demands a powerful computer. There are two measures of processor performance to keep in mind. One is the number of cores. Each core can process data independently, so adding cores dramatically increases processing power. A quad-core processor is the best choice for music production. The other measure is clock speed, which typically runs from about 2.4 to 4.2 GHz. The faster the better. Typically, a more compact laptop will have a less-powerful processor, but that’s not always true. RAM RAM, or random-access memory, stores programs and data temporarily when your computer is on. The more complex the program, the more RAM it requires. For music production, you need at least 8 GB and preferably 16 GB of RAM, especially if you’re working with a lot of recorded tracks and/or virtual instruments, or applying multiple effects to your tracks. Luckily, RAM is one of the more upgradeable components of a computer, but every laptop has its limits. It’s best to choose one that can accommodate at least 16 GB of RAM. Storage: HDD or SSD?                                                                                     Audio files take up a lot of storage space: Just one complicated tune can easily fill 1 GB. This is why it’s a good idea to have at least 1TB of available storage. How that storage is arranged is a different issue. Your options are a conventional hard drive (HDD) that relies on one or more internal spinning discs, a solid-state drive (SSD) with no moving parts, or an external HDD, which connects to your laptop through USB. An SSD can read and write data much faster than an HDD and it’s quieter and more reliable. However, an SSD is typically about five times as costly per GB as an HDD. One solution, if your laptop permits it, is to have a 128 or 256 GB SSD plus a 1TB HDD. This way, boot-up and loading of programs from the SSD are ultra-fast, and you have plenty of storage for music files on the HDD. Another solution is to keep your music files—or at least your archived ones—on an external HDD. This method adds complexity, but it lets you add more storage when you need it, and it does let you opt for a smaller, slimmer computer. Ports To interface a laptop with microphones, instruments, and other audio gear, you’ll need an audio interface, which will connect to the laptop through a USB port. If you’re producing music directly on the laptop, you’ll also use USB to connect a keyboard, MIDI pads (for tapping out rhythms), and DJ controllers. Many music pros like to use control surfaces, which provide a physical interface much like a mixing board, instead of controlling their recording and audio mixing using a mouse. Laptops come with at least two USB ports, but obviously you may want more, especially if you want to connect peripherals such as a wired keyboard or mouse, or an external hard drive. Any computer’s USB ports can be augmented by connecting a USB hub, but for portable users, that will be one more piece of gear to carry. Speakers/headphone jacks Surprisingly, these features don’t matter much in a laptop used for music production. The speakers built into laptops are very low-quality devices that are only there for situations where you have nothing else to listen through. Nothing will sound good through them, and if you try to tailor your mixes to sound good through them, the music will probably sound strange when played on good speakers. You can use the headphone jack built into the laptop, but in most laptops, the amplifier connected to the headphone jack is of low quality and may throw off the sound of your headphones a bit. Fortunately, most audio interfaces have headphone jacks as well as connections that allow you to hook up a set of high-quality powered monitor speakers that will let you do great-sounding mixes. Because isn’t it a little crazy to invest hours in choosing the right laptop, and hundreds of hours in producing a piece of music, only to listen to it through poor-quality speakers? Final Tracks Once you’ve chosen the laptop, audio interface, and the DAW software that’s best for your needs, you’ll be ready to create studio-quality music productions. In fact, a lot of the music you hear on the radio is created using nothing more. All you need to add is your own creativity and imagination.

Whenever you hear of the term cyber-crime, you probably associate it with big businesses and corporations. After all, why would anyone target your small enterprise? Thinking like this could prove to be damaging and possibly catastrophic. Small businesses are increasingly becoming the victims of cyber-attacks. In fact, Symantec reported that out of all the cyber-attacks perpetrated in 2015, , 43% targeted small businesses. Their report also indicated that the attack on small businesses has been on the rise with 2011 having 18%, 2012 having 31%, 2013 having 30%, and 2014 having 34%. The trend indicated above is worrying. But, remember, the reason for the increased attacks is because hackers have realized that small businesses apply little to no effort in the securing of their data. So what is data security and how does it protect your business from potential threats? How to keep your small business data safe? Data security or protection, put simply, is the procedure employed to ensure that your data cannot be corrupted or accessed illegally. The idea behind securing your data is to protect your business’s data while ensuring that it stays private. Data includes all personal and business files that are stored in the database. The process of securing data generally follows these three steps: Encryption. For any data to be of any use, it has to be understandable on a human level. Encryption counters this by using a set of algorithms and mathematical schemes to scramble the information into an unreadable format. This encrypted text can only be decoded by someone who has the decryption key. To take it up a notch, end-point full encryption is employed. It encrypts every last bit of data in your hard disk thus giving you a very high form of protection. Strong user Authentication. We encounter user authentication on a daily basis. Every time you try to login into your computer or social media account, you are required to go through a one-step verification process. One-step verification is weak and is easily hacked. A strong user authentication process will often involve multiple stages of verification making it very difficult to hack. Data Backup. You have to be prepared for when the worst happens. Securing your data will never give you 100% assurance. There is always the chance that there might be a loophole in the system which may include an inside job. That is why the process of securing data also includes a backup plan. The backup will ensure that although the information may be stolen, you can always restore it. By now, you might be inclined to start securing your data; but why is it important to do so? Someone could be accessing your information without your knowledge In this internet technology-driven world, anything is possible. Industrial espionage is no longer a term that is relegated to spy films and large corporations; the threat of it happening to you is very real. Someone, probably a competitor, could be keeping track of your undertakings. This information could give them an edge. You might be playing clean, but that doesn’t mean that someone else does. A trillion cyber-attacks were attempted during the past year Dell reported that they helped prevent over 1 trillion hacks during the previous year. This figure is mind-boggling. You cannot possibly want to put your business at risk knowing that you could get attacked at any time. The financial implications of a data breach The costs of cleaning up and recovering your data after an attack are very high. The cost of setting up a data security system pales in comparison with that of picking up the pieces after being subjected to cyber-crime. Reputation As a small and growing business, your business wears its reputation like a badge of honor. Nothing could devastate your company faster than losing your customer’s trust. Now that we know why it is important to secure your data, here are seven data security tips for small business: 1. Adopting EMV EMV initials stand for Europay, MasterCard, and Visa. EMV is an encrypted payment system that uses microchips in the credit card to process transactions. In addition, it also protects the information in the card. This ensures that both parties are free from fraud. Upgrade the payment system in your business to accept EMV cards. Not only will this protect your business, but it will also absolve you from liability in the event that fraud does happen. Plus train your team with PCI training online. 2. Securing your wireless network Wireless networks attract more hackers than a moth to a light bulb. While your standard network encryption key might keep your next door neighbors from accessing your network, hackers could log into it in their sleep. This is why you need to use the strongest encryption setting in your router to protect your business. Additionally, disable the broadcasting function in order to make your network invisible. After all, they cannot hack what they can’t see. 3. Perform background checks At times, we might get caught up in securing our businesses against outside intrusions and fail to protect it from what is happening right in front of us. Inside jobs are the biggest threats to a business apart from cyber-crime. Price water coopers reported that employees orchestrated over 70% of frauds committed to small businesses. This is why you need to be extra vigilant when it comes to selecting the right employees for your business. Check their backgrounds as these will often give a clue on what kind of person they are. In addition, be observant of what is going on with your employees. Changes in character should be duly noted as changes in their performance will often accompany these. 4. Decentralize password access to sensitive data Never allow one person to have access to all the passwords. The levels of entry should be distributed to different employees to minimize the risk of the data being breached. Maintain the central access key yourself. 5. Shred business documents Physical documents need to be safeguarded. Access to the documents should require authorization from the necessary source. This should ensure that in case a document goes missing, you can easily trail the theft process, or at least there will be someone to be held accountable. Additionally, old records that have their information in the database should follow the correct process of discarding. The best way to achieve this is through shredding by a particular person. 6. Upgrade your software Buy the necessary software that will help you in this quest. These include encryption software and excellent anti-virus programs. Good corporate anti-virus programs come in handy because hackers nowadays have automated their hacking systems. These means that bots will try to infiltrate your system, a good antivirus should take care of this. Plus don’t forget your smartphone. You should also look into protecting your mobile from viruses and this is even more important if you do work on a phone and that includes just answering emails. 7. Data backup of your business data Like we previously discussed, backing up your data is preparing yourself for the worst. It will save you a lot of hassle in case something does happen. These security threats against your data information are unlikely to end anytime soon. This is because the world has all but embraced the internet. Failing to have a website for your business is just bad business practice. The caveat is that this puts your business at risk of hacking. It is therefore imperative to secure your business in all ways that you can.

Make sure that your Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive data is protected—while still being easy for you to access. With cloud storage now so tightly integrated into desktop and mobile operating systems, we're all syncing more data to and from the cloud than ever before: our photos, videos, documents, passwords, music, and more. There are plenty of benefits to having access to all of your data anywhere and from any device, of course, but it does open the door to someone else getting at your files from a different device too. Here's how to keep that from happening. 1. Use Strong Passwords and Two-Factor Authentication All the standard security tips apply to your cloud accounts as well: Choose long and unique passwords that are difficult to guess, and use a password manager. Keep your passwords secret and safe and be wary of any attempts to get you to part with them (in an unexpected email, for example). You should also switch on two-factor authentication (2FA) if it's available (most popular cloud storage services now support it). Enabling 2FA means unwelcome visitors won't be able to get at your cloud storage files even if they know your username and password—another code from your phone will be required as well. 2. Audit Your File and Folder Shares Cloud storage services are fantastic for sharing files with other people—from family members to work colleagues—but it can leave your data open to unauthorized access if someone else finds those links, or manages to access the account of a person you've shared files with. Be careful who you share files and folders with, and add passwords and expiry dates to your shares, if these features are available. It's also a good idea to run a regular audit of all the shares that are currently active on your account—in the Dropbox web interface, for example, click the Shared button on the left. For those shares that do need to stay active, use whatever options you have inside your cloud storage accounts to make these shares read-only unless the other parties absolutely need to be able to edit files (Google Drive is one service where you can do this). 3. Clear Out Your 'Deleted' Files Many cloud storage services run a recycle bin of sorts, keeping deleted files around for a few days or weeks just in case you want them back. This is often very helpful and can be an advantage if someone tries to wipe your account. That said, you might want to make sure certain sensitive files are completely obliterated and no longer able to be recovered. If you're deleting something that you definitely don't want to get back, and that you definitely don't want anyone else to find either—especially if the file or folder is shared—dig into whatever undelete options the service has and make sure the files are really, truly gone. In the case of iCloud on the web, for example, click the Recently Deleted link to view and permanently wipe deleted files. 4. Check Your Connected Apps and Accounts Even if hackers aren't able to get into your accounts through the front door, they might try and gain access through a side window—in other words, through another account that's connected to your cloud storage. While it can be convenient to have connections to your calendar or email apps set up, for example, it also makes your account more vulnerable. At the very least, make sure you're regularly checking which third-party applications have access to your cloud storage, and remove any that you're not actively using (you can always add them again if you need to). For example, if you're in the Dropbox web interface, click your avatar (top right), then Settings and Connected to see connected apps. 5. Turn on Account Alerts Most cloud storage services will be able to send you alerts about significant account events, such as new sign-ins, and it's important to make sure these are switched on. You might also be able to subscribe to alerts about activity inside your accounts, such as new shares that have been created, or files and folders that have been removed. At the very least, you should be able to check in on what's been happening recently in your cloud accounts, and it's worth doing this regularly. In the case of Google Drive on the web, for instance, click My Drive, then the Info button (top right), then Activity to see recent changes in your account. 6. Deactivate Old Devices That Still Have Access Most cloud storage services let you sync files from multiple devices, so if you upgrade your phone or switch jobs and use a new laptop, it's important that you properly disconnect and deactivate the old ones—just in case whoever inherits those old devices somehow has access to your old data. This usually just means signing out of the relevant app before uninstalling it completely, but you should also sign out inside the browser that you've been using as well (see below). You can also do this remotely inside most accounts: In the case of OneDrive, for example, go to your Microsoft account online and click All devices to view and remove devices associated with your account. Sign out of a computer when you're done using it. 7. Enable Account Recovery Options Your cloud storage account is only as secure as the weakest link attached to it, which means you need to keep the account recovery options as well protected as your login credentials. Is the password reset email set to an email address that you have full access to, for example? What this looks like depends on the account, but the recovery options are usually in the account or security settings. Make sure they're up to date. If you have security questions associated with account access, these should be ones that can't easily be figured out by someone you live with or work with (or who is following your social media accounts). 8. Sign Out When You're Not Using Your Accounts For the sake of convenience, you'll probably want to stay signed into your cloud storage accounts while you're using them. When you're done, it's important that you sign out to stop anyone else gaining access to your files—especially if you're on a computer that's shared with other people (such as the rest of your household). The option to sign out should be fairly prominently displayed (cloud storage providers don't want you getting hacked either): In the case of iCloud on the web, click on your name up in the top right-hand corner of the browser tab and pick Sign out. 9. Protect Your Devices, Too Physical security is important too. Keep the phones, laptops, and other devices where you use your cloud storage accounts guarded against unauthorized access. Otherwise someone could get straight into one of your accounts if they get physical access to your phone or laptop. You don't want to have a phone or laptop lost or stolen only to discover that whoever ends up with it also ends up with all of your personal information. Some cloud storage apps will let you add extra protection inside the app itself, like an additional PIN or face unlock. For example, Dropbox for Android and iOS both offer this, so look out for a similar feature in the apps you use. In Dropbox, find the settings menu inside the app and then choose Configure passcode (Android) or Change passcode (iOS).

We are providing some online information to the tracking device we have been installing on our customers electronic devices. Please read Description: GF07 Ultra Mini Vehicle GPS Tracker Long Standby Magnetic GSM/GPRS Real Time Car Locator System Tracking Device Specifications: Appearance size: 3.5cm*2.0cm*1.4cm (L*W*H)/1.38*0.79*0.55" Charging input: AC 110-220V 50/60Hz Charging output: DC 5.0V 300-500mA Machine battery: 3.7V 400mAh Li-ion battery Standby time: 12 days Working time 4-6 days Expansion card: support mini TF card Continuous call time: 150-180 minutes Network standard: GSM/GPRS Storage temperature: -40°C to +85°C Operating temperature: -20 ° C to +55 ° C Humidity range: 5%-95% non-condensing GPRS: Upload60, TCP/IP Working voltage: 3.4-4.2V DC Standby current: about 2.5mA Turn on voice control current: about 30mA Call current: about 150mA GSM positioning time: 25 seconds Frequency band: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz Supported countries: China, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Denmark, Russia, Poland, Turkey, Hungary, Thailand, Greece, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Pakistan, Iraq, Saudi, Arabia, United States, Kazakhstan, Outer Mongolia, Dubai, etc. Trouble shootings: 1. The host cannot be connected A: You must insert the SIM phone card and turn it on to enable the phone signal, so you only need to restart the machine. Also, if your phone card is not on the server and there will be no signal. 2. TF memory card can work normally A: First check if the TF memory card is wrong. If there is no problem with the TF card, you can format the TF memory card and try again. 3. Can't charge A: To charge, you need to insert a GSM card. If there is no SIM card, it can't be charged. 4. What is the master phone A: The phone you use to monitor the GPS tracker. Special warnings: 1. When the tracker power is low (below 5%), please charge it in time. If the battery is in a deficient state for a long time, it will inevitably cause deep discharge of the battery, affecting the battery performance and life. In severe cases, the battery will not be charged or scrap. If it is not in use, please charge the battery to 60%-80%, disconnect the power supply and then store it. When it is not in use for a long time (three months), please charge it regularly to protect the battery. In order to better use this machine, please read carefully and follow the above, thank you. 2. This product is limited to personal safety, anti-lost and anti-theft use. It is strictly forbidden to use it illegally. All legal liabilities arising therefrom shall be borne by the user. Included: 1 x GPS Tracker 1 x Charging Cable 1 x User Manual

What is a medical ID? A medical ID is jewelry that could save your life. Medical conditions, drug and food allergies, prescribed medicines and emergency contacts can be engraved onto the surface of a medical ID bracelet or necklace. Who should wear a medical ID? People with certain medical conditions wear medical IDs to alert emergency medical professionals in an emergency. The following are good reasons to wear a medical ID: Food, Drug or Insect allergies Cardiac problems (angina,arrhythmias,atrial fibrillation,pacemakers) Pulmonary Conditions(Asthma/COPD) Kidney Failure Diabetes, blood disorders Alzheimer's/Memory Impairment Blood thinners/ Anticoagulants (Coumadin/Warfarin) Emphysema/Breathing disorders Rare diseases Epilepsy/Seizure disorder Hearing, sight or mentally impaired Surgery, transplant and cancer patients Clinical trial participants Special needs children Hypertension Stroke risk Sickle Cell Anemia People taking multiple medicines Anemia Tourette Syndrome Some order medical IDs engraved with their blood type, online health records and contact information. Do emergency responders even look for a medical ID? Australian Medical ID recently surveyed emergency medical professionals ranging from first responders to paramedics. Among the results: More than 95 percent of respondents look for a medical ID during emergencies. More than 75 percent look for a medical ID immediately upon assessing a patient. 95 percent look at the patient's wrist to find a medical ID, and 68 percent look for an ID on the patient's neck. What are the benefits of wearing a medical ID? In an emergency, when you might be unable to speak for yourself, a medical ID bracelet or necklace speaks for you. Symptoms of common ailments can easily be misdiagnosed. Prompt diagnosis is critical to effective treatment. A brief description of vital medical facts engraved on your medical ID ensures appropriate and timely medical care. According to a published study, half of all medical errors occur because of mistakes made upon admission or discharge from the hospital. Wearing a medical ID protects against potentially harmful medical errors. More than 95 percent of emergency responders look for a medical ID; more than 75 percent check for a medical ID immediately upon assessing the patient. If you're wearing a medical ID, it won't be missed. Medical IDs are not just for emergencies, they eliminate trips to the hospital, reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and prevent minor emergencies from becoming major ones. Medical IDs save lives! The imminent iOS 13.5 update includes a new feature that could save your life. Once the update drops, you’ll be able to opt into automatically sharing your medical ID with emergency dispatchers and first responders, which will then provide you with the best care. To edit your Medical ID information: Open the Health app on your iOS device. Tap your profile picture.in the “Summary” screen Tap “Medical ID” under “Medical Details” Tap “Edit.” Add any relevant medical information you wish to share, such as current medications, allergies, blood type, pre-existing conditions, etc. Enabling “Show When Locked” will add an icon to your lock screen your medical information viewable by tapping an icon in the lower left of your lock screen. This is how first responders will be able to access your Medical ID info without needing to unlock your device. Tap “Done” to save the changes and close the editing window. Know what MedicAlert ID to look for MedicAlert IDs all look different – and are updated every year. So it’s a good idea to regularly check our products and get to know the different IDs.

In the near future, you’ll be able to launch and navigate Android and iOS apps using Alexa voice commands. Today, Amazon released a bunch of new developer tools. The most interesting might be Alexa for Apps, which allows developers to add Alexa functions to their Android and iOS apps. Amazon has tested the tool with companies like TikTok, Uber, Yellow Pages and Sonic. So already, you can ask Alexa to start your TikTok recording or open the Sonic app so you can check the menu. If you book an Uber ride through Alexa, the voice assistant will ask if you want to see the driver’s location on a map in the app. As more developers use the tool, you’ll be able to ask Alexa to open apps, run quick searches, view more info and access key functions. This will work through the Alexa app, Alexa built-in phones or mobile accessories like Echo Buds. This could give Alexa an advantage over other voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant because it will allow Alexa to cross the iOS-Android divide. But as The Verge points out, it could also be more work for developers. Many apps already work with both Siri and Google Assistant, and now they’ll have to work with Alexa too. Alexa for Apps is still in preview, and interested developers can request early access. Author Nerdcore Computers

What is the Azure Application Proxy? Azure AD Application Proxy is a feature of Azure AD Premium and Azure AD Basic. It allows publication of internal web-based application to provide Internet access to authorized users in the corporate domain. The Azure AD Application Proxy can be used in place of internal Web Application Proxy Servers to provide authorized internal users access to internal, web-based applications from outside the security of the corporate network. Typically, your organization will have internally deployed SharePoint sites, Outlook Web Access, Citrix Director (for those Citrix customers), and many other line-of-business web applications. Using Application Proxy (a feature of Azure AD), you integrate those applications with Azure AD, and the applications can be consumed externally in a secure manner. Often the case when needing to present such applications out to the internet, you have to depend on VPN-type solutions for security, proxies, DMZ extensions of your applications, or else modify different firewalls to accept direct traffic to your internal resources. Using Application Proxy, a Proxy Connector is installed on a server in your internal network, which acts as the broker (reverse-proxy) to provide you with access to that application. No need to deal with VPNs or firewall rules, just allow ports 80 and 443 from the Connector out to the internet. Why should I use the Azure Application Proxy? There are many advantages, that is why we should use the Azure Application Proxy, here is a short list of some of them (This list is not final). One outgoing and none One incoming connection You do not need to have an incoming HTTPS publication in your firewall to an internal web server. The connector internal opens an outgoing connection. No public IP For me personally one of the two most important points, if a company has only few or no more free public IP addresses or its IP address changes from time to time, this has no influence on the publications with the Azure Application Proxy. No public certificate My second personal highlight is that it does not necessarily need its own public certificate. Microsoft provides this and it can be used as often as you like. In this case, however, the domain is specified in the address link. If you don’t want this, you can of course also use your own public certificates. These can be used relatively easily. PreAuth, Conditional Access, MFA You can also select “Passthough” but the pre-qualification of users is a great protection against attacks on accounts, as Azure can already fend off these logins DDoS protection Since your own web server is always hidden behind the Azure services, you have a very good DDoS protection built in. Here, too, you have to consider that Microsoft has a huge infrastructure in front of it and this would normally rarely or never be built by companies. OAUTH If a user has already authenticated himself on the AzureAD Ap Proxy (preferably with MFA), then you may want to avoid a second login to the actual back end. This is possible via OAUTH tokens. The Azure AD App proxy “knows” the user and your backend app is also known in Azure AD. Then you can also send the user a suitable token which he passes on to the backend service. More and more applications support this login. Guest Access Pre-authentication is not limited to its own tenant. You can also authenticate the users of other tenants via the Azure AD App Proxy. Depending on the application, this option opens up the horizon by a right slice. Cost/License In order to use Azure Application Proxy and all its benefits, one of the following licenses is required: Azure AD Premium P1 or P2. Azure AD Premium P1 is currently also included in the following Microsoft plan: Enterprise Mobility & Security E3 The Azure AD Premium P2 version is offered in the following Microsoft plan Azure Mobility & Security E5 The complete overview of the features can be found here: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/active-directory/ Configuration Azure Application Proxy Log on to the Azure portal Navigate to Enterprise applications. Select On-premises application. The Azure portal will inform you that you have no Application Proxy Connector servers and that you must download and install the required software to a server. Click Download Application Proxy Connector. Before installing the Application Proxy Connector software, turn off IE ESC (Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration) via Server Manager. Click Accept terms & Download. Run the installer from a supported server operating system, and click I agree to the license termsand conditions followed by Install. Enter credentials of an Azure global administrator account. Click Close to complete the install. Two services are installed alongside the Proxy Connector: Microsoft AAD Application Proxy Connector – Enables connectivity. Microsoft AAD Application Proxy Connector Updater – Checks for new versions of the connector and updates the connector accordingly. Return back to the Azure portal and click I’ve finished the installation. Add an application Back in the Enterprise applications portal at the Azure Portal we click on + New application Here we choose the type of our deployment, in our case we choose On-premises application We fill in the needed information it is shown in the form. I will use for this article one of my printers… Your application will show as below and is editable at any time. You can also add new applications from this screen. Click on Application proxy. In the next Step, we need to assign the new application to Users or User Groups, who should be allowed, to access the App. For that we click on Assign users and groups Here we do it in the way, how we also add permissions to other Groups in Azure. Accessing the Application There are two ways, how we can now access the configured Application: The first way is, if we go to the Office 365 Portal using the path https://portal.office.com Here we click on the  symbol and scroll down to our app. The second way is if we know the public link, we simply hit it in a web Browser. Author Nerdcore

Last week showed that the browser wars are far from over, and might just be heating up again soon. Microsoft announced a full-on coming out party for Internet Explorer 9's beta release, scheduled for September. Almost simultaneously, Google released the newest beta version of its browser, Chrome, featuring faster speeds and its Autofill functionality. The browser market, once a stronghold of Microsoft dominance, has seen significant changes recently.  Earlier this year, IE's market share dropped below 60% for the first time.  As IE was slipping, Chrome was moving upward, passing Apple's Safari as the number three ranked browser, trailing only IE and Mozilla's Firefox. As Microsoft turns to IE 9 to try and right the ship, Google continues its upward push and, for the first time, stagnant Firefox is in its sights. Fans of Chrome, Firefox, and the other non-IE browsers cite multiple reasons why the once dominant browser has slipped.  Slower speeds, less security, and heavy bloat are among the chief complaints of IE's opponents. IE's supporters simply point to the facts:  it's still the number one ranked browser, it's ubiquitous on desktops and laptops, and it remains the most preferred browser among enterprise users. With so many competing points of view, the decision of which browser is best often comes down to personal choice.  But what should you even be considering? SponsoredPost Sponsored by Huawei Huawei Cloud Paves Way for Global Opportunities A positive ecosystem supports growth of all participants. Huawei Cloud aims to establish an ecosystem to help partners across the globe. Speed:  One thing both sides agree on - speed is vital.  With so many sites running JavaScript, the quicker a browser is, the better. Which is the fastest? That depends on where you look. TopTenReviews ranked all three of the top browsers - IE, Firefox, and Chrome - the same in terms of speed.  Yet, earlier this year, Computerworld tests showed Chrome was the fastest of the three, with IE the slowest.  Firefox remains steady, but is overshadowed by IE and Chrome. Speed though, can be deceiving.  What a user actually does with a browser, the hardware it's installed on, Internet traffic, and the performance and reliability of an Internet connection all affect the speed of any browser. Perhaps the best test is to try it yourself.  As Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols wrote of Chrome in May: "All you have to do is use it, and you'll see that it blows other browsers away." Of course, if Chrome is so much faster, than shouldn't it already be the number one ranked browser? IE maintains that title, despite its recent drops, in large part because of it's superiority in another category: Ease and Standards: IE remains the number one browser of choice for business and enterprise customers because it is the standard.  Unlike Chrome and Firefox, IE comes standard on virtually all PCs and laptops and has been an integrated part of business for years. Because of that, and IE's direct integration into Windows, it's a simple matter for businesses to control it.  IE is also the common denominator among Internet browsers - even those who don't like it, know how to use it. That level of widespread understanding makes a huge difference in a browser's usefulness to an enterprise customer.  It takes little or no effort to get IE up and running across an entire network. As of yet, Firefox and Chrome can't say that. Security: Recently, Internet security company McAfee reported that over ten million pieces of malware were cataloged in the first half of this year. With so much malicious code running loose, the security of a browser is most users' top priority. Yet, as with speed, determining which browser is the most secure can be tricky. In January, Gregg Keizer wrote of one researcher who declared that Chrome was the security model all browsers should follow.  However, Google's recent problems with privacy breaches have left a bad taste in some user's mouths. Microsoft recently released a record number of security patches for its products, including IE.  But, the ability to include Windows domain security adds to IE's security for business. Firefox, which has had its share of patches as well, recently added additional support for the https protocol, through the HTTPS Everywhere add on.  Through this add on, users are automatically directed to a more secure https URL whenever one is present. Certainly, this is significant step for Firefox, both in increasing its security profile, and taking away some of the concerns over browsing. In the end though, any browser is only as secure as users allow it to be. Internet security software, user behavior, and surfing habits all directly affect the security of a browser. So, which browser is best? Each has its own benefits.  IE is the standard and offers familiarity and comfort.  Chrome is faster, more streamlined, and has an expanding array of extensions.  Firefox combines speed close to Chrome's, a level of familiarity that approximates IE's, and the widest selection of extensions available. Browsers, like computers themselves, need to be evaluated and experienced.  That's the only way to make a truly smart choice about which is the best for you.

Comcast is partnering with Mozilla to deploy encrypted DNS lookups on the Firefox browser, the companies announced today. Comcast's version of DNS over HTTPS (DoH) will be turned on by default for Firefox users on Comcast's broadband network, but people will be able to switch to other options like Cloudflare and NextDNS. No availability date was announced. Comcast is the first ISP to join Firefox's Trusted Recursive Resolver (TRR) program, Mozilla said in today's announcement. Cloudflare and NextDNS were already in Mozilla's program, which requires encrypted-DNS providers to meet privacy and transparency criteria and pledge not to block or filter domains by default "unless specifically required by law in the jurisdiction in which the resolver operates." Further Reading Firefox turns encrypted DNS on by default to thwart snooping ISPs "Adding ISPs in the TRR program paves the way for providing customers with the security of trusted DNS resolution, while also offering the benefits of a resolver provided by their ISP such as parental control services and better optimized, localized results," the announcement said. "Mozilla and Comcast will be jointly running tests to inform how Firefox can assign the best available TRR to each user." Firefox CTO Eric Rescorla said that "bringing ISPs into the TRR program helps us protect user privacy online without disrupting existing user experiences," and that Mozilla hopes today's news "sets a precedent for further cooperation between browsers and ISPs." Joining Mozilla's program means that Comcast agreed that it won't "retain, sell, or transfer to any third party (except as may be required by law) any personal information, IP addresses, or other user identifiers, or user query patterns from the DNS queries sent from the Firefox browser," along with other requirements. Mozilla noted in today's announcement that encrypting DNS is "the first step" toward privacy, and not the only necessary step. Firefox started providing DNS over HTTPS (DoH) by default with Cloudflare to US-based users in February. Mozilla and Comcast haven't said exactly when Comcast's encrypted DNS will be available on Firefox. Whenever it happens, the change should be automatic for users unless they've chosen a different DoH provider or disabled DoH altogether. Comcast told Ars yesterday that "Firefox users on Xfinity should automatically default to Xfinity resolvers under Mozilla's Trusted Recursive Resolver program, unless they have manually chosen a different resolver, or if DoH is disabled. The precise mechanism is still being tested and the companies plan to document it soon in an IETF [Internet Engineering Task Force] Draft." Mozilla told Ars that Comcast's DoH in Firefox will be "opt-out," meaning that it will be possible to switch from Comcast to Cloudflare or NextDNS. Instructions for switching encrypted-DNS providers in Firefox are available here. Mozilla, Comcast previously fought over DNS plans DNS over HTTPS helps keep eavesdroppers from seeing what DNS lookups your browser is making. This can make it more difficult for ISPs or other third parties to monitor what websites you visit. Further Reading ISPs lied to Congress to spread confusion about encrypted DNS, Mozilla says The Comcast/Mozilla partnership is notable because ISPs have fought plans to deploy DNS over HTTPS in browsers, and Mozilla's work on the technology is largely intended to prevent ISPs from snooping on their users' browsing. In September 2019, industry groups including the NCTA cable lobby that Comcast belongs to wrote a letter to Congress objecting to Google's plans for encrypted DNS in Chrome and Android. Comcast gave members of Congress a lobbying presentation that claimed the encrypted-DNS plan would "centraliz[e] a majority of worldwide DNS data with Google" and "give one provider control of Internet traffic routing and vast amounts of new data about consumers and competitors." Comcast's lobbying presentation also complained about Mozilla's plan for Firefox. Mozilla in November accused ISPs of lying to Congress in order to spread confusion about encrypted DNS. Mozilla's letter to Congress criticized Comcast, pointing to an incident in 2014 in which Comcast "injected ads to users connected to its public Wi-Fi hotspots, potentially creating new security vulnerabilities in websites." Mozilla said that because of the Comcast incident and others involving Verizon and AT&T, "We believe that such proactive measures [to implement encrypted DNS] have become necessary to protect users in light of the extensive record of ISP abuse of personal data." Mozilla also pointed out the country's lack of broadband privacy rules, which were killed by Congress in 2017 at the request of ISPs. As Mozilla moved ahead with plans to automatically switch Firefox users to encrypted DNS providers such as Cloudflare, Comcast said it does not track its broadband users' Web browsing histories and launched a public beta of its own version of DNS over HTTPS. Eventually, they began working together. "Comcast and Mozilla have been discussing DNS encryption since 2019 and signed an agreement to deploy DoH to Firefox users on Comcast networks in March 2020," Mozilla told Ars. Comcast's encrypted DNS should also be coming to Chrome at some point. Comcast is part of Chromium's DNS over HTTPS beta program, along with Cloudflare, OpenDNS, and others.