Tag: computer

Office 365: Turn Password Reset Off

To anyone who has had Office 365 for 90 days or more, I am sure you have come to find it extremely useful. Especially to have the ability of having full control of your e-mail, no matter what computer or device you are using. But if you are like me and have also reached that 90 day checkpoint, then you have realised its time to change your password like it or not.

 I logged in on Saturday to check my e-mail only to have it ask me to change my password which I don’t like to do. And yes I know its good security measure to change your password but I don’t like to. Now after much research and reading through command list ontop of a lot of red text in powershell, I got it so that my account doesn’t change require I change my password.

 To do the following you have to use Powershell and if you are using Windows 7, you run it as administrator.If you are using Windows XP, you will have to download the Powershell program found here.

 What follows are the commands in order of how I put them in:

 (You can copy paste into powershell, when you right click in powershell it will paste whats in your clipboard automatically)

 Open Microsoft Online Services PowerShell

These commands will log you in to your account.

 Connect-msolservice

 If you have any problems with that command try running these first:

 $Cred = Get-Credential 

$Session = New-PSSession -ConfigurationName Microsoft.Exchange -ConnectionUri -Credential $Cred -Authentication Basic –AllowRedirection

 Import-PSSession $Session

 Once you have successfully logged in, here are the commands to make the password never expire for individual users or an organization.

 

How to check if the “Password never expires” setting is enabled or disabled for a user

Connect to the Microsoft Online Services Module for Windows PowerShell by using your company administrator credentials.

 Run the following command by using the user principal name (UPN) or the Microsoft Online Services ID of the user you want to check:

Get-MSOLUser -UserPrincipalName <Microsoft Online Services ID> | Select PasswordNeverExpires

 Alternatively, to see all users and their “Password never expires setting”, you can run the following PowerShell command:

 Get-MSOLUser | Select UserPrincipalName, PasswordNeverExpires

 

How to enable the “Password never expires” setting

Connect to the Microsoft Online Services Module for Windows PowerShell by using your company administrator credentials.

 Run the following command by using the user principal name (UPN) or the Microsoft Online Services ID of the user to configure the password for that user to never change:

Set-MsolUser -UserPrincipalName <Microsoft Online Services ID> -PasswordNeverExpires $true 

Note If you want to change the setting for all the users in an organization, run the following command:

 Get-MSOLUser | Set-MsolUser -PasswordNeverExpires $true 

 

How to disable the “Password never expires” setting

Connect to the Microsoft Online Services Module for Windows PowerShell (MOSMWP) by using your company administrator credentials. 

Run the following command by using the user principal name (UPN) or the Microsoft Online Services ID of the user to disable the Password never expire setting for that user:

Set-MsolUser -UserPrincipalName  <Microsoft Online Services ID> -PasswordNeverExpires $false

 Note If you want to change the setting for all the users in an organization, use the following cmdlet:

 Get-MSOLUser | Set-MsolUser -PasswordNeverExpires $false

 

Related posts:

  1. Reset a password in OSX 10.7
  2. Office 365 Send on Behalf
  3. How to Reset Internet Explorer
  4. Formatting MacBook Air Restore USB

Unwanted Toolbars, Pop-ups, Viruses

In my previous post, I spoke about getting your Internet Explorer to go back to default settings to get rid of tool bars and pop ups. I mentioned how when installing some free programs you get them, but I didn’t elaborate too much on it. In this post I am going to go a little more in-depth into that topic which could most possible prevent you from getting unwanted pop-ups and viruses.

So first of, I am going to deal with those toolbars. The ones that have several and dozens of advertisements on them. How did you get them? You don’t remember installing them but they are there somehow. Well here is what happens. Someone or a company will create a program and post it as free and you downloading it thinking, “Great! Now I don`t have to pay x-amount of money for a program that does what this does!”  It is true you are getting the program free, but how is the person or company making money? The get sponsored that’s how.

They place other programs (mainly toolbars) in with their program and as you are installing said free program you will come across a screen while clicking next, it will ask if you want to agree to allow having third party tool bars and or software installed. Here is where you say no if you don’t want all those tool bars and such. All you have to do is just uncheck the box that asks if you agree (Not to the actual program you want but to the tool bars and third party programs) and now you don’t get those “extras.”

Now apart from just that way of getting toolbars and other programs you don’t want, there is another way you get them. Pop-up’s. The internet users worst enemy. Even if you have a good pop up blocker they can get through but having them pop up is not where you get the software from. It’s when you click on them. You seem the everyday, “Congratulations you are visitor # 1,000,000, click here to claim your prize.” Or “Shoot 5 iPad’s to win a free iPad!”

Truth is majority if not all of these pop ads are scams and/or fake. Just to get you to click on them so websites get views and the site owner makes money from the views or you get some program you never heard of and didn’t want or worse yet, you get a virus.

So in summary, when installing programs just be wary of extra programs it tries to install, and don’t click on pop-up’s no matter how legitimate they may seem. Those prizes are fake. There are some tool bars that are not all bad, for example the Google search bar is perfectly fine. The bad tool bars are usually bundled it freeware and shareware programs.

 

Related posts:

  1. How to Reset Internet Explorer
  2. Formatting MacBook Air Restore USB
  3. Apple Push Stopped Working
  4. Toronto Virus Removal

How to Reset Internet Explorer

So you had your computer for a while now, programs and files are starting to stack up, especially those free and shareware programs that do everything you needed from those the expensive programs.

However you’re Internet Explorer if filled with search bars and the occasional pop-up that shares the same name as that tool bar, and you don’t remember installing them. Well here is the downside to the great free programs. They are free for a reason. People sponsor these programs by having them included their toolbars and search engines in their program so while your clicking away at the next button in the install you miss that page that as if you want to install X Toolbar or X search engine.

On top of that you may have dabbled with your browser settings, or maybe you worked with a company that modified the settings on your browser for work purposes and now at home nothing works right. Well now you can easily reset Internet Explorer back to its default settings.

Preparing

Now when you do the reset, it will put EVERYTHING back to default meaning bookmarks, history, passwords stored ect will no longer be there but I shall show you how to keep some of them.

Back Up

  • Now if there are any bookmarks you would like to keep here is what you do;
  • Click on file. (if you don’t see file try pressing the “Alt” key on the keyboard)
  • Click on “Import/Export.”
  • Select “Export to a file” then click next.
  • Select “ Favorites” click next and next again.
  • Specify where you would like to save and then hit “Export.”
  • Also before you restore if you had any add-ons you may want to make a list of the ones you want to install later. You can do this by going to the tools menu and clicking on “Mange Add-ons” and go through and decide on what you will get after.

Time to reset Internet Explorer

  • Time to reset Internet Explorer, just follow these steps and all will go well;
  • Open your Internet Explorer and click on tools (Remember if you don’t see it try pressing “Alt” on your keyboard.) then click on “Internet Options”.
  • Go to the “Advanced” tab
  • Here you will see a section saying “Reset Internet Explorer settings” with the button saying “Reset…” you guessed it, click on “Reset…”
  • A pop up window will come up you can select the “Delete Personal Settings” option if you like, I would recommended it but it is at your digression as there may be something in those settings that may be causing you problems. Now just click on reset and when it is done it will request that you restart Internet Explorer, just hit OK when that comes up.
  • After you close Internet Explorer and reopen.
  • Now it’s time to bring back your bookmarks. Go to “File” (Remember “Alt”) and then click on “Import/Export.”
  • This time select “Import” and click next. Choose “ Favorites” then click next.
  • Now point to where you saved the back up of your favorites.

And you’re done! All that’s left is to find the add-ons you use to use and re-install them but other than that everything should be back to how it was the day your first doubled click Internet Explorer. If after adding back your add-ons your browser starts going slowly again then you need to go through you add-on list to find out which one it was.

Related posts:

  1. Unwanted Toolbars, Pop-ups, Viruses
  2. Reset a password in OSX 10.7
  3. Office 365: Turn Password Reset Off
  4. How To Use Local Internet Connection To Access Internet While Still Connected with VPN

Formatting MacBook Air Restore USB

So you bought yourself a brand new MacBook Air and you got that restore usb key that comes with it. Now that little key is locked by default and can’t be used for regular files. But there is a way to unlock it! It is actually very simple all you have to do is put the stick in the computer, and run this program:

(Click here to download)

When it is done download, extract the contents to a folder anywhere, your desktop might be most convenient. After that just follow these instructions (We are not responsible for any damages you cause to you device or computer if anything is to go wrong which it shouldn’t if you follow the instructions):

  1. Run the program sm32Xtest.exe, if you are using windows vista or windows 7 run it as administrator.
  2. Plug the Restore Thumb Drive into your computer.
  3. Click on scan even if it shows up immediately still click on scan.
  4. Hit start and wait for it to give you a green OK above the start button.
  5. Now the drive should be formatted in a FAT format which you can reformat to any file system you like. Enjoy!

Related posts:

  1. How To Use Local Internet Connection To Access Internet While Still Connected with VPN
  2. How to Reset Internet Explorer
  3. Unwanted Toolbars, Pop-ups, Viruses
  4. Toronto laptop repair Laptop repair in Toronto

Reset a password in OSX 10.7

  1. First of you have to turn off (Shut Down) your system.
  2. Now you turn the computer back on but while it turns on hold down the combination “Command+R” and don’t release it until the Recovery Utilities comes up.
  3. At the top of the screen you should see a menu called “Utilities”, go ahead and click on that and select “Terminal”
  4. In here you simply type “resetpassword”
  5. Now you a window should open allowing you to reset your password for your administrator account.
  6. Once you are finished resetting the password you need to quit reset password from the menu bar at the top, then select restart.
  7. And you are finished! Your administrator password should be reset to what you set it to.

Related posts:

  1. Office 365: Turn Password Reset Off
  2. How To Use Local Internet Connection To Access Internet While Still Connected with VPN
  3. Office 365 Send on Behalf
  4. How to Reset Internet Explorer

L. Faye Stephenson

I saw the PC Mechanix name in the Yellow Pages after my last tech support sadly passed away. They now attends to all my computer needs, including giving me advice and help in making better use of my computer. He is very knowledgeable, reliable, courteous, friendly and I recommend him highly.

Related posts:

  1. Dr. Mark Friedlander, MBChB FRCPC
  2. Jim Danahy – CustomerLAB Business Performance Services
  3. Joseph Mimran – Joe Fresh
  4. Christine Lim – ANEW Building Corporation

Mark Wellings – GMP Securities L.P.

PC Mechanix was a seamless experience they came and took away our faulty old computer reloaded a new one, delivered and installed it and it was a great experience. I will definitely use them again for my computing needs.

Related posts:

  1. Geoff Hadrill – Past Marketing Director, Johnson and Johnson’s Tylenol Brand
  2. Kathryn Asaro Mayers – Send Out Cards
  3. Dr. Mark Friedlander, MBChB FRCPC
  4. Michael Simonetta – Propel Capital

Marilyn Legge – University of Toronto

The technician that responded to my call was diligent and an expert in his service, he knew how to solve all kinds of problems so my computer works better than ever, and gave extra tips for keeping things running smoothly. I recommend with fullest confidence.

Related posts:

  1. Kathryn Asaro Mayers – Send Out Cards
  2. Franklyn Griffiths – University of Toronto, Professor Emeritus
  3. Sam Trozzo
  4. Mel Rosenberg – MEL’S TV

Meghan Bailey – Silver Lining Limited

I cant express my gratitude towards PC Mechanix for their never-ending kindness, efficiency and professionalism. I have never dealt with an organization that will come to where you are and accommodate your needs and be so kind in the process. My experience has been wonderful with them every time, and I would recommend them in a instant. I wouldn’t go anywhere else for my computer needs. Thanks PC!!!!

Related posts:

  1. Suzanne Park – Communicating Brilliance
  2. Jeff Banfield – President JMO Research Limited
  3. Ron Factor – Delhar Consulting Inc.
  4. Joseph Mimran – Joe Fresh