IT Work, and Creative Problem Solving, End of Year Reflections on Learning It’s the end of the year. Christmas time. That strange pause where everything slows down on the outside, while inside you are still moving.I feel tired. Not burned out. Not dramatic. Just that deep end of year tired that shows up when you…
When Windows Defender Met Server 2003: The Case of the Disappearing Security UI A few weeks after successfully joining Windows 11 machines to a Windows Server 2003 domain, something odd happened: the Windows Security app on one of the clients went completely blank. No buttons, no icons – just a message claiming my machine wasn’t…
How to Fix a Slow Computer? My 5-Minute Troubleshooting Routine A slow computer doesn’t always mean it’s time for a new one.Before you reinstall Windows or buy new hardware, try this quick 5-minute routine I use when diagnosing slow PCs for my coworkers. 1. Check Resource Usage Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift +…
Joining Windows 11 to a Windows Server 2003 Domain (and Why It Was a Headache) So here’s the situation:Windows 10 is hitting end of support in October 2025, which meant it was time to start replacing old PCs with shiny new Windows 11 machines.No big deal, right? Buy the PCs, unbox, plug in, join them…
Running DISM and SFC (Like a Beginner Who Knows What They’re Doing) You know that moment when Windows just feels wrong? Stuff’s not working, errors keep popping up, and you’re this close to formatting the whole drive? Before going full reset — I run DISM and SFC. They’re two built-in Windows tools that have saved…
The Case of the “No Internet” Icon (Even Though the Internet Worked) When I started my current job, I ran into something that drove me crazy for months. Some of the computers randomly showed that little globe icon in the taskbar — the one that means “No Internet.”But… the Internet was actually working.You could browse…
I’ve never really done this before — but after a wild year of switching from design to sysadmin, I figured it’s time to share how I got here.