How to upgrade Fedora in place from the Command Line
For this example I’m using Fedora 33, and will describe how to upgrade to 34. In-place upgrades work as far as two versions back, anything further will require intermediate steps. Update all packages for the current version before you start, then restart the system to make sure you’re on the latest kernel. Prerequisite: we need the system upgrade plugin for this process. We only need to do this once, and it will remain in place and update itself for future system upgrades. Here’s how to install it: dnf install...
read moreHow to disable Windows Updates FOREVER
Julia has recently found out how to disable Windows updates and I thought I’d make a video about it, and provide some written instructions too in case I forget. Windows updates have ruined my streaming PC one too many times, and I cannot rely on them to work whenever I need the system. While I can usually bring it back when something goes wrong, this seems to happen at the oddest moments. I’d rather add updates when I’m good and ready, rather than let Windows decide when the time is right. How Windows Updates work Under the...
read moreHow to move the Start Menu back to the Left in Windows 11
I’ve glanced at Windows 11 for a few weeks now, and I must admit that I like most of the graphical UI changes they’ve made. I also like that I can still use all the keyboard shortcuts and weird little abbreviations I need to search for to arrive at deep linked parts of the system, like the Control Panel and Command Prompt. What I cannot get over though is having the Start Menu in the middle. I position my mouse instinctively over to the left, a habit that’s been with me for too many decades. Thankfully there is a built-in...
read moreRepairing your PS4 Controller between different devices
I recently signed up for a free trial of the Apple Arcade and enjoy casually using my Apple TV to play the odd iOS/tvOS game. Trouble is, my trusty PS4 controller can only be paired with one device at a time, and the design is not clever enough to understand there’s more than once device in this world. Perhaps newer controllers will be designed like wireless headphones, but until that distant day arrives, I have to re-pair my controller manually. It’s not difficult, I just have to remember to do it in the following order. Assuming...
read moreConverting from BIOS to UEFI boot in preparation for Windows 11
Being the geek that I am, I thought I’d give the Windows 11 Preview a spin on one of my machines. One issue I ran into was that Windows 11 insisted on booting not via the legacy BIOS, but instead via the newer UEFI. I switched it over in the startup settings of my HP Z840, when I realised that the SSD I was using wasn’t being recognised as a startup disk. Why was that, I wondered? Turns out for UEFI to recognise it, the drive must be formatted with GPT (GUID Partition Table) instead of the more compatible MBR (Master Boot Record)....
read moreFixed: Logitech Options not loading on Windows
I’ve been relying on Logitech Options to move my mouse on both computers on my desk. It’s become an important part of my workflow, and as such it’s super annoying when it stops working. It recently happened on my Windows PC. Options hadn’t automatically loaded on startup. When I tried starting Options manually, only a grey screen came up, but the app didn’t load. I thought perhaps I’ll upgrade the software to the latest version, even though I thought I had done that recently. Nothing doing: after the...
read moreHow to find out what wakes up your Windows Computer
My wife’s computer keeps waking up after she puts it to sleep, or after the computer goes to sleep by itself. It’s… disturbing. Thankfully there’s a relatively easy to way to query why this happens and action it accordingly. Bring up a Command Prompt window by searching for cmd, then type the following: powercfg -lastwake This will show you what caused the last wake operation, usually indicating a particular piece of hardware that was involved. If it was the network adapter for example, some instruction over on your...
read moreHow to disable MEBx on the HP Z840 Workstation
I recently purhcased a HP Z840 worksation from eBay. It’s my fourth unit actually, and each model in the Z series is slightly different. This one had something called MEBx during boot, considerably increasing the time it takes to boot the system. Hence I was wondering how to disable it. In case you didn’t know this, MEBx is the Intel Management Engine’s BIOS Extension. If I understand correctly, it’s a MINIX based operating system that runs on workstations and servers before the actual operating system is loaded. This...
read moreHow to disable Audio Notifications in Discord
You’d think that when you disable notifications in your operating system’s notification centre, those super annoying plinks and plonks an app can send would just disappear. It’s true, unless you’re using Discord, where it doesn’t work. They’re perhaps a little too hip and trendy to follow an established pattern. Instead, audio notifications are set in the app itself, and whatever preference you set there counts. You have to do this for every machine Discord is install on, even though it appears such users...
read moreHow to check your NoMachine Version Number on Windows
NoMachine doesn’t have traditional menus, at least not on Windows. There’s no way to head over to something like Help – About NoMachine and discover the current version number, like there is on the Mac. Instead, you’ll have to do the following: start the NoMachine GUI, as if you are about to login to another machineselect Settingsat the bottom of the window, choose Server Preferencesselect the last tab at the top called Updates You can also update to the latest version manually from this window. This works on all...
read more