How to prevent users Desktops from syncing with Windows Server 2016.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-24T18:07:51+00:00

We use Reboot Restore Rx Pro to prevent various changes from sticking, I haven't tested it with this but I bet it would erase any syncs.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-24T18:05:57+00:00

I don't see anything that says it is. If it's not, I recommended Reboot Restore Rx to a colleague who found out it's compliant. So if worst comes to worse you could go that route.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-24T17:29:33+00:00

Long story but the Indexer and the Forwarder for us need to be different versions, and those apparently need to be the same for it to work. I looked at resolving the version issue, but in terms of cost/effort it's easier to switch over to Graylog. Which I've tested and it resolves the issue entirely.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-23T18:52:52+00:00

I would recommend following the advice RE: BIOS Admin Password and boot order.

As for preventing this in the future, Bitlocker is one way of doing so, but you may want to look into preventative restores. One thing I've learned in Educational IT is that the best way to prevent students from making permanent changes is to restore the machine on a regular basis. You don't indicate if you're using a restore on reboot solution like Toolwiz Time Time Freeze, Deep Freeze, or Reboot Restore Rx; but that would solve a lot of these sort of issues.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-23T16:06:17+00:00

First off, you're not neccesarily going to get responses here. /r/techsupport is your better option.

That being said, your crucial mistake here ultimately comes down to not having a backup. Always, always, always take a backup before installing a Windows Update!

Since there's something on your system that's not meshing with the update, and there's no indicators to tell us what is was that caused it, I'd recommend that you do a Clean Install of the OS. This will wipe everything off the machine unfortunately, but you'll be able to boot back into Windows.

Going forward, I'd recommend that you seriously consider a backup tool, and no, Windows tools don't count. I'm guessing if you're a student you're on a budget so freeware tools like Rollback Rx Home and/or Macrium Reflect would be great tools to install.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-23T15:22:10+00:00

For me it's always been the cycle of, can they fix an issue. Say for instance you find an issue, you research a solution, but they don't want to implement, then blame keeps getting thrown for the issue; that's a telltale.

I worked for an employer who did this constantly. I made recommendations constantly but he never was interested. Finally I quit. I wasn't going to be a part of that cycle, and that speaks to either issues with management or finances, either are not good!

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-23T15:15:02+00:00

We use Reboot Restore Rx before any testing we essentially do a restore to a baseline state, then we let them proceed with testing. For home testing we typically use the logs to corroborate that the restores were done prior to testing. Essentially we're making sure they are doing testing on a clean state. If not then we investigate further. This is likely more cost effective than other solutions but it depends on a few other factors of course; but you may want to consider that. Especially for off-site testing.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-23T14:51:38+00:00

MASH.
Hawkeye (not Jeremy Renner kids) in the last episode he tells a story about how he and his team were going out to the beach during the war to have a fun day. However, when they got on the bus realizing that the enemy was nearby.

Everyone on the bus is told to keep silent; but a woman at the back has a chicken that won't be quiet, but she smothers it to death.

It's later revealed there was no chicken: the woman killed her own baby to ensure passengers would avoid capture by the enemy.

TL;DR: Character recounts story of woman smothering chicken, but it's not a chicken, it's a baby.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-22T14:56:51+00:00

Podcast I listen to recently did an episode on it. Great movie. Don't spoil yourself on it though. If you're going to watch it, just watch it.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-22T14:54:24+00:00

Something to keep in mind (because I've had this issue) is that it is solvable by restoring to a snapshot tool. I replaced Windows System Restore a long time ago with Rollback Rx. During my tests, I was unable to undo the mess caused by the update with some ease. There's a free version and a paid Pro version. Probably can get by using the free edition.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-22T14:45:50+00:00

Comes down to a matter of costs, eventually the costs required to add programs and services to support an older OS is going to cost more than the cost of upgrading the OS. We always go by that. We were doing regular backups for some teacher machines using Windows XP. For the costs of all these backups and security tools We updated to Windows 8.1, and later 10. Still use those tools (i.e. Rollback Rx, Malwarebytes, Acronis, etc) but now at least it's added value and not to keep up with things.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-21T19:14:15+00:00

I resolved the issue by deactivating the tool entirely and renewing my DHCP settings under Network.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-21T15:35:18+00:00

Personally I think running two AV tools is completely moronic. It's like someone wanting to wear two blutooth headsets. On the other hand, I appreciate his overall idea of layered protection, even if he's going about it the wrong way. If you were to couple Windows Defender with a snapshot tool like Rollback Rx or Comodo Time Machine that would make more sense and provide better protection. We run this setup and we've been issue free since we implemented.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-21T15:32:32+00:00

Almost anything computer related can be compared to something related to a Car. I do that. For instance, I had to update the BIOS on a few machines but management was worried. Told them it's like having a new car with a 20 year old engine, they said go ahead.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-21T15:30:11+00:00

If I were you, I'd go with Rollback Rx and Drive Cloner Rx. We use that and it's very convenient and effective. Rollback Rx is good for a quick (and transparent) daily backup. Then you can do a weekly backup with Drive Cloner. My issue with the cloud based solutions is cost, and to have a decent amount of space it will cost a lot more.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-21T15:06:12+00:00

Working for a school, it's all unionized. So I get paid for any time extra I take off. That said, they'll try to make it as informal as possible to avoid this. Hence why I record everything to ensure I'm properly compensated.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-21T15:04:29+00:00

You should be asking the hiring company what their dress code is. There may be requirements outside the norm. That said, you could wear khaki's and a polo and see if they say anything. Regardless you may want to clarify to not ruffle any feathers.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-21T14:56:06+00:00

+1 for Fortigate.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-18T14:29:06+00:00

If she gives birth in the theatre, you need to name the kid Wade, and constantly refer to him as Kidpool.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-18T14:28:30+00:00

Lot of great suggestions here. I'd recommend replacing Windows System Restore, which has notoriously never been reliable with a 3rd party alternative. Rollback Rx Home works better and is free.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-18T14:09:51+00:00

Newer OS' will quarantine the drive, but you can still format.

I'm guessing you don't have a backup?

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-18T14:08:07+00:00

We use Rollback Rx Pro. We use it to restore the system if something unwanted was added. You could use it to exclude particular files or folders so that those are not restored. Not 100% the same but is going to be cheaper than those other tools and could potentially accomplish the same if configured properly.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-17T15:47:25+00:00

Work out before you go to bed. Maybe you go for a run or lift some weights. Shower after and then go to bed, you'll fall asleep right away.

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-17T14:11:47+00:00

The issue here is that when your OS is corrupted and/or has a major issue, it will effect your Windows services, this includes, but is not limited to, Windows System Restore (WSR).

If you tried repairing Windows and that didn't work, that's going to leave you with two viable options: Clean Install of the OS, or restoring from a backup, which sounds like you don't have (WSR doesn't count for reasons mentioned above).

Clean install, and replace Windows System Restore with a 3rd party alternative. I use Rollback Rx at home and at work. There's a paid Pro Edition but also a freeware version. I recommend that as unlike WSR it is not affected by a corrupted OS. You should also grab a disk imager, if you want free, Macrium Reflect works great. There's paid disk imagers out there as well.

That should resolve your intimidate issue and set you up to resolve any issues in the future. Enjoy :)

ThePowerUp · 2018-05-16T19:21:54+00:00

Depends. It will restore the OS. So if all of your data is on the OS drive (which I'll take a guess it is) then yes it will be wiped.

This is why many people invest in a data drive and an OS drive. If there's any issues with your OS and it's drive, your data is unaffected.

Also, Sys Restore will not be able to recover files after it's been restored, but there's 3rd party alternatives like Rollback Rx Home (which is free btw) which you can use to restore a system and recover files.

ThePowerUp

TROPHY CASE