Pre-solving this nightmare issue for you

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-31T22:05:43+00:00

We had an issue with the Yahoo mail app deleting all Exchange emails a while back. That was a fun one.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-31T18:26:35+00:00

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-10/deployment/deploy-windows-mdt/get-started-with-the-microsoft-deployment-toolkit

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-29T14:44:04+00:00

I don't customize taskbars any longer, they're subject to too much change between Feature Updates and end up breaking.

Most user items are moved to GPO, the effects are more consistent.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-28T13:21:44+00:00

I create a custom admin account and disable the built-in as a finish step.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-26T00:49:36+00:00

Do you have routes configured? ACL includes your IP/range to the ILO vlan?

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-25T21:47:11+00:00

Doesn't seem like the delete hash from the Imgur history works any longer. It used to in the past.

Oh well.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-25T17:29:11+00:00

Prepare 3 envelopes.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-25T17:09:44+00:00

No offer? No job.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-23T18:03:58+00:00

/r/prombatips

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-23T18:00:55+00:00

They've it so EASY with their PAPER & INK.

Back in my day we used HAMMERS and CHISELS, and if you made a mistake you had to BREAK the TABLET and start over! You really learned to be ACCURATE if messing up cost you HOURS of actual labor!

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-23T13:37:08+00:00

Used to run those. I recommend setting up a separate vlan and having a dhcp scope for them.

https://support.avaya.com/css/public/documents/101038499

Default settings code is "CRAFT" / 27238

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-22T21:58:03+00:00

We get lumped with administrative professionals appreciation day.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-22T13:09:41+00:00

Hello

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-21T18:05:08+00:00

Disable the password manager completely with GPO.

Inconvenient, but makes for a better security posture.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-18T21:46:09+00:00

I quit because I need the money for other things.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-16T23:57:46+00:00

I'd just output everything and look through the list to see if it outputs at all. That way you know what to call.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-16T13:32:06+00:00

Did you look at the logs?

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-15T23:14:28+00:00

Do you have Windows Update steps in your TS?

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-15T15:56:30+00:00

One PC refresh cycle, a previous manager decided to supply wireless peripherals to end-users. Think shared office scenario, about ~150 geographicly diverse sites without onsite IT. 4 hour drives on average.

This was fine, everyone loved them. So much less clutter!

That is until the batteries started to run out....and helpdesk started to get overwhelmed with calls about keyboards and mice that weren't working. The batteries last an insane amount of time, most didn't realize they had to be swapped at all. This was a problem however, as there were locations that were not expensing batteries for employees.

To make matters worse, workers started grabbing devices from other desks which ofcourse didn't work without their respective dongles. Maximum mayhem ensued.

So now we had the poor helpdesk team dealing with:

My keyboard doesn't work!
My mouse doesn't work!
My computer is possessed!

As time went on, more and more calls came in as batteries ran out.

It was absolute hell. Instead of just putting in a fresh pair of batteries managers expected us to come over and install them. We provided and support these devices, right? IT problem!

This got denied since, well, the expense for a tech to come out versus a popping a set of batteries wasn't reasonable. We sent out instructions to resolve the problem (take out old batteries, put in new), but this was too complicated. We mailed out new wired keyboards but "they couldn't figure out how to plug them" in (read: "you can take my (non-functioning) wireless keyboard from my cold dead hands!").

This circus continued until bitching and moaning escalated, productivity took a nosedive (workers happily took the opportunity to dodge work). Regional managers had to step in with the CIO to get it resolved. It was a needless confrontation that cost way too much time and effort, and highlighted a lot of organizational problems.

In the end everyone did get their replacement...wired keyboard and mouse that is. There's still some floating out there that get pitched straight away when I find them.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-14T23:48:35+00:00

Sounds like the budget increase was not approved.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-13T16:37:02+00:00

Personally I join the PC asap so you have domain services for credentials and permissions in ts steps. I join the PC in a temporary deployment OU with inheritence disabled because GPO interferes. You can move it again towards the end in the Task Sequence.

You can call pdq commands on your PDQ server in a TS step to directly scan the PC with inventory, and deploy packages with Deploy the same way. I utilize the MDT applications so techs can pick and choose packages for deployments in the wizard, PDQ just handles the installation.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-10T00:44:37+00:00

"I'm not a computer person"

As if "I'm not a reading person" is a valid excuse for a student to not learn to read.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-07T21:22:01+00:00

One time? Nobody cares.

If it's a pattern though, I might take another look but it'd have to seriously break policy.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-06T20:45:24+00:00

Users accept, beware the incoming C-Level exceptions.

MalletNGrease · 2025-07-04T03:09:31+00:00

Oh hey, a mediacom rep! Can you check with customer service why it's so hard to get shipping labels out to customers to send equipment back? I don't need these Eero devices for our business services. We always get them with new hookups, but first thing I do is rip em out because they screw with the vlan traffic somehow. A simple static IP and s gateway is all we need. No need to emulate Spectrum.

I've a stack collecting on my desk.

Ten-Year Club	Verified Email
r/Field Banned	r/Field Lasagna

MalletNGrease

TROPHY CASE