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Category: Windows 10

FREE Microsoft Office Training

You read that right! As a Microsoft Partner, Farmhouse Networking is able to setup free training lead by Microsoft Community Development Specialists for any client that purchases new Microsoft Office licenses or renews a current license agreement. Here are the courses offered:

  • Empower your Business with Microsoft Teams
  • Get to Know Windows 10
  • LinkedIn: Build Your Business Pipeline with LinkedIn Sales Navigator
  • Office Fundamentals – Five Series Workshop
    • Fundamentals of Word
    • Fundamentals of Excel
    • Fundamentals of Outlook
    • Fundamentals of PowerPoint
    • Fundamentals of OneNote
  • And several more…

If your company is going to upgrade to Office 2019 or is looking to migrate your email to Office 365, then contact us to get in on the free training for your entire company.

Microsoft Ends Windows Registry Backups

In a new Windows 10 Support article, dated June 28th, Microsoft comes clean that they will no longer be backing up the registry file with its built in backup feature. “This change is by design, and is intended to help reduce the overall disk footprint size of Windows.” They instead recommend that System Restore be enabled and used to recover in case of registry corruption (which by the way uses disk space too). 

Ending Registry Backup

The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores low-level settings for Windows 10 and installed applications that rely on it. The kernel, device drivers, services, Security Accounts Manager, and user interface configuration are all in the registry. If the registry is lost then system settings, drivers, user interface tweaks, and many programs will all need to be fixed or re-installed from scratch.

If your company is using the built in Windows Backup feature, then contact us for assistance moving to a system that provides complete backup of your systems.

Free New Computer & Screen to a Good Home

Lenovo Computer - Grants Pass, OR

As a partner with Lenovo and Intel, I have been given the opportunity to give one of my clients (or perspective clients) a brand new computer and workstation as pictured above. It contain a new memory cache chip from Intel that they would like some feedback on, so the company that accepts this will have to fill out a survey and be on a single phone interview. The computer will be used with the cache enabled and disabled to see the difference the chip makes. Once the testing is done the computer is FREE to keep.

I would like to give this computer to a well deserving non-profit or struggling business that would benefit from a technology infusion. This computer is suitable for normal office work. I will include free setup of the computer to help get them connected properly. I will decide who gets the computer at the end of March 2019.

Please contact us with ideas on who could best use this free new computer.

Windows 7 will be End of Life Shortly

Move to Windows 10 - Grants Pass, OR

With Windows 7 quickly moving to End of Life within a years time, it is time to consider replacing current workstations with newer ones.

Why make the move to Windows 10 Pro?

You’ll get the familiar yet improved desktop and Start Menus as well as all-new features, such as the Cortana personal digital assistant, Live Tiles, Tablet Mode, cloud services integration, improved support for touch, pen and voice and so much more. More importantly, you’ll get hardware and software enabled features that help protect device and company information from ever- evolving security threats. Most importantly, you will meet compliance requirements before they become enforceable.

Move to Windows 10 - Grants Pass, OR

If your company is still using Windows 7 in your business environment, then contact us for assistance.

Windows 10 Version 1803 Removes HomeGroup

According to the following Microsoft Support Post published in October 2018, the HomeGroup feature has now been removed from Windows 10. Most people won’t need to worry about this, but recently ran across a business that had relied on this feature to run their network. With HomeGroup removed from Windows 10 they were left without the ability to share properly with a new computer on the network. So here is how to fix the issue:

How to fix Windows Networking after HomeGroup Removal

  1. Turn off all sharing:
    1. Open Network & Sharing Center
    2. Click on Advanced Sharing Settings
    3. Turn off network discovery (Private & Public)
    4. Turn off file and print sharing (Private & Public)
    5. Turn off Public folder sharing (All Networks)
    6. Turn off Password Protected Sharing (All Networks)
    7. Save Changes
  2. Remove old password:
    1. Open Credentials Manager
    2. Change to Windows Credentials
    3. Remove all $HomeGroup users credentials from networked computers on all computers formerly in HomeGroup
  3. AutoStart Services
    1. Open Services
    2.  Find Function Discovery Provider Host and set to Automatic Startup then Start service
    3. Find Function Discovery Resource Publication and set to Automatic Startup then Start service
    4. Find SSDP Discovery and set to Automatic Startup then Start service
    5. Find UPnP Device Host and set to Automatic Startup then Start service
  4. Add Users
    1. Get username and password for all computers on network
    2. On each computer on the network, open command prompt
    3. For each username, use the command –  net user [username] [password] /add
  5. Turn on all sharing:
    1. Open Network & Sharing Center
    2. Click on Advanced Sharing Settings
    3. Turn on network discovery (Private)
    4. Turn on file and print sharing (Private)
    5. Turn on Public folder sharing (All Networks)
    6. Use 128-bit encryption (All Networks)
    7. Turn on Password Protected Sharing (All Networks)
    8. Save Changes
  6. Recreate Shares (if needed)
    1. Right-click on folder and choose Properties
    2. Click on Sharing tab
    3. Click on Advanced Sharing
    4. Check Share This Folder
    5. Name the share
    6. Click Permissions
    7. Click on Add
    8. Select username and add Full Control then click OK
    9. Repeat for each username
    10. Click OK to return to Properties window
    11. Click on Security Tab
    12. Click on Advanced
    13. Click on Add
    14. Select username and add Full Permissions (or appropriate level) then click OK
    15. Repeat for each username
    16. Check Replace Child Permisssions and click OK
    17. Click OK on all previous windows

Hope this post helps some other techs save the time in fixing Windows 10 networking when HomeGroup is removed.

If your company is still using HomeGroup or needs any help with advanced networking, then contact us for assistance.

Xerox Versalink Scan to Folder Windows 10 Home

Xerox Versalink C7000 - Grants Pass, OR

Ran into an issue with Scan to Folder on Windows 10 Home from a Xerox Versalink C7025 via SMB. Contacted support and they stated that Xerox does not support this setup. Further digging found that Windows 10 Home folder shares need passwords in a [Computername]\[Username] format that the Xerox Versalink could not provide correctly. I found another option that works well in this situation:

Scan to Folder via FTP

  1. Create a Scan folder in the Users directory
  2. Download and install Filezilla FTP Server with the defaults (I prefer to set “start user interface: to manually)
  3. Click on the Edit > Users menu item.
  4. Click on the Add button and create a username (case sensitive)
  5. Check the password box and create a password
  6. Click on the Shared Folders tab on the left then click on the Add under Shared Folders
  7. Browse to the Scan folder and click OK
  8. Check all File & Directory permissions then click OK at bottom left

With this setup on the Windows 10 Home computer an Address Book entry can be created for Scan to Folder via FTP on the Xerox Versalink. The only thing that could be a problem after that is a software firewall link Windows Firewall or McAfee LiveSafe.

 

If your company wants to utilize more functionality from your multi-function device, then contact us for assistance.

Get Windows 10 (GWX) Notification Removal

Many have by now experienced the annoyance of the Get Windows 10 (GWX) notification icon down by the clock and the subsequent pop-ups asking to install this update. There have also been reports that the update for some has automatically started and without user intervention the update will install itself. I have found two tools that will help to remove the notification, its related files and block the update from happening automatically.

GRC – Never10

Never10 is a great little tool made by Steve Gibson to both disable the update but also remove the files. This is done in two easy clicks of the “Disable Win10 Upgrade” button and “Remove Win10 Files” buttons on the main program screen.

Ultimate Outsider – GWX Control Panel

GWX Control Panel is more in-depth tool that allows removal of every trace of the Get Windows 10 update. There are several buttons that will need to be pressed here to complete the removal process, so for you techie people this is the way to go.

If your company is having issues with the Get Windows 10 update or would like to proceed with a deployment of Windows 10 to your network, then contact us for assistance.

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