How to update your Xbox Controller Firmware from Windows
I have a ton of PlayStation controllers, but some Windows apps prefer a native Xbox controller so a month ago I bit the bullet and bought one. Huge mistake. The thing worked when connected via USB, but I had no luck connecting it to basically ANYTHING wireless. Two Windows PCs, iOS devices, Steam Deck – nothing worked. If I got lucky it paired, then never worked for anything. What a piece of junk indeed! Turns out I’m not the only one with this problem, and apparently there’s a way to update the firmware on these pieces of...
read moreHow to choose British spell checking with a US Keyboard on macOS
Here’s a tip I didn’t know about: there is an easy way to change what language is checked while you’re typing on your Mac, regardless of the keyboard layout you’re using. This is set to “automatic by language” by default, and it’s trying to be helpful, but of course it can get in the way of things, especially if you’re working across multiple languages. In most standard Mac apps, head over to Edit – Spelling and Grammar – Show Spelling and Grammar, then at the bottom of this window,...
read moreHow to use your Apple AirPort Time Capsule as NAS without being a router
When I got a new WiFi router, I’ve retired my old AirPort Time Capsule from being my main network hub. One thing I was missing from my setup though was the network attached Time Capsule functionality so that my Macs can use it Time Machine backups. Turns out the Time Capsules actually have an option that lets them act as “sort of” NAS devices, without getting involved in creating network functionality, and it works great. Here’s how to do it. Note that this will only work on a Mac, not with a Windows or Linux system....
read moreFixed: MacOS keeps asking for your Keychain Password
I had an issue with one of my Intel Macs yesterday: after resetting the admin password, several services kept asking for the Keychain Password. No matter what I typed in, these windows kept coming up, and cancelling out of them didn’t help. MacOS was stuck in an endless loop and seemingly couldn’t be broken. Here’s how I’ve fixed it: ignore all Keychain Password prompts use Activity Monitor to force quit the Preferences App log out or restart, then log back in use “Create new Keychain” in the pop up window...
read moreInstalling, Starting and Removing Nomachine on Fedora
I’ve been using NoMachine for many years, but there’s always something I forget about its intricacies, especially when it comes to Linux. Here are a few tips to get you and future me started on your next adventure. My distro of choice for this example is Fedora, but this should also work on CentOS and RHEL. Execute all commands below as sudo. Installing NoMachine Download the latest version from https://nomachine.com and get the rpm version. Once downloaded, you can install it with Software via GNOME, or do it from the command...
read moreInstalling, Starting and Removing Nomachine on Fedora
I’ve been using NoMachine for many years, but there’s always something I forget about its intricacies, especially when it comes to Linux. Here are a few tips to get you and future me started on your next adventure. My distro of choice for this example is Fedora, but this should also work on CentOS and RHEL. Execute all commands below as sudo. Installing NoMachine Download the latest version from https://nomachine.com and get the rpm version. Once downloaded, you can install it with Software via GNOME, or do it from the command...
read moreInstalling Fedora on a HP Z840 with M2 Drive
I’ve run into a problem installing Fedora after Windows 11 for a Dual-Boot environment on my HP Z840 Workstation. Although Fedora recognised other drives on the system, my Windows drive and its remaining space did not show up. This was a Samsung EVO 970 drive I had left about half un-allocated for the Linux installation. Neither GRUB nor the Fedora live system saw the partitions. Turns out that this is caused by a BIOS setting: there’s a default device setting for the SATA controller that’s set to RAID (under Advanced...
read moreInstalling Fedora on a HP Z840 with M2 Drive
I’ve run into a problem installing Fedora after Windows 11 for a Dual-Boot environment on my HP Z840 Workstation. Although Fedora recognised other drives on the system, my Windows drive and its remaining space did not show up. This was a Samsung EVO 970 drive I had left about half un-allocated for the Linux installation. Neither GRUB nor the Fedora live system saw the partitions. Turns out that this is caused by a BIOS setting: there’s a default device setting for the SATA controller that’s set to RAID (under Advanced...
read moreHow to reset the BIOS on a HP Z840 Workstation
I’ve had some spurious issues with my HP Z840 workstation recently. After transferring my data drives to a new system, the old system wouldn’t boot anymore. All fans and lights would come on, but no BIOS messages would display and the screen was dead. There were no diagnostics beeps either, which at first lead me to believe the system had completely died (just in time for my new system to be back up and running mind you – so it hasn’t let me down). Turns out a complete BIOS reset brought my Z840 back to life, yet every...
read moreHow to reset the BIOS on a HP Z840 Workstation
I’ve had some spurious issues with my HP Z840 workstation recently. After transferring my data drives to a new system, the old system wouldn’t boot anymore. All fans and lights would come on, but no BIOS messages would display and the screen was dead. There were no diagnostics beeps either, which at first lead me to believe the system had completely died (just in time for my new system to be back up and running mind you – so it hasn’t let me down). Turns out a complete BIOS reset brought my Z840 back to life, yet every...
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