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Synchronize Microsoft Authenticator Between Devices

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This article provides a step-by-step guide on an attempt to synchronize the Microsoft Authenticator app across multiple devices. Please be aware that the methods outlined here may not be officially supported by Microsoft and could potentially lead to the loss of your stored two-factor authentication codes. Use this information at your own discretion and risk.

WARNING! The instructions herein are for my own personal use to jog my memory since I keep forgetting to take my memory pills. These instructions may be wrong and may cause you to lose all of your stored two factor authentication codes. This will obviously prevent you from accessing your two factor authentication enabled accounts. Do not attempt to synchronize your Microsoft Authenticator between devices using this article. Now back to jogging my memory.

 

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Bypass Windows 10 Login Password

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Occasionally I will have a client who forgets their Windows 10 Local Account login password.

This article, which is strictly for my personal and educational use only, covers how to bypass the Windows 10 login screen so that I can, with their consent and permission, access client data for recovery or properly reset their Windows 10 login password.

 

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Safely Remove USB Flash Drive on Windows PC

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If you have a USB flash drive plugged into your Windows 10 PC and would like to safely eject it, locate the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon (which looks like a USB plug, see photo below) in your taskbar notifications area. This icon is in the lower-right corner of your screen.

 

Safely Remove USB Drive on Windows Safe to Remote Hardware

 

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Windows Defender Threat Blocked Behavior Win32 Hive ZY

Threat blocked Behavior:Win32/Hive.ZY

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After a standard Windows Update and restart I had my Microsoft Defender Antivirus security service freak out (and me with it) with constant notifications regarding a blocked severe threat.

The blocked threat was detected as: Behavior:Win32/Hive.ZY

In short, this was a false positive and took over 8 hours and 4 different Security Intelligence Updates for Microsoft Defender Antivirus to resolve the (non) issue.

It sucks that this had to happen, but I am appreciative that the team at Microsoft was able to correct their error and get it resolved.

 

Threat blocked Behavior Win32 Hive ZY

 

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Google Authenticator versus Microsoft Authenticator

Google Authenticator versus Microsoft Authenticator

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Recently switched my 80+ Two Factor Authentication Accounts application from Google Authenticator to Microsoft Authenticator on my Android phone and am very happy with the switch. It may also be worth noting that Microsoft Authenticator currently has a 4.6 star rating whereas Google Authenticator only has a 3.7 rating.

Even with that, I was reluctant to switch over. After all, I have over 80 accounts to manually port over. So I started out with only a few everyday accounts and once I obtained greater confidence I made the full conversion over.

 

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Restrict Server Access by IP using Apache .htaccess

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There may be some situations when you want to restrict or redirect your website traffic by IP address. To accomplish this simply add the following lines of code to your website’s .htaccess file (assuming your website is on an Apache webserver):

 

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Enable Clipboard History App on Windows 10

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There is no need to install a clipboard history app from the Microsoft Store. Windows 10, as of x update, comes with one built in.

This new Windows 10 built-in Clipboard History app lets you store your clipboard history and recall it with a simple keyboard shortcut as well as share it across your devices.

Within this article I will show you how to quickly access and view your clipboard history on Windows 10.

 

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Clear Windows Defender Protection History

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For me, the Protection History page isn’t really helpful and can be confusing since I have to manually expand each issue to see just what the was done or needs to be done. There is no bulk action feature or clear history button. I like clearing the Windows Security Protection History in the event of an issue so I can quickly see any new issues when I rescan my drives.

In this post, I will show you how to manually clear your Protection History in Windows Defender on Windows 11 as well as how to manually clear your Protection History in Windows Defender on Windows 10.

 

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How to Fix WordPress File and Folder Permissions

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I recently completed and uploaded a client’s web site to their server. Upon doing so the WordPress website generated an Internal Server Error 500. Checking the .htaccess file and other server settings everything checked out. Looking into their servers error log I discovered a soft error relating to file and folder permissions.

Sure enough, the uploaded project had all sorts of incorrect permissions set. I believe this was caused by an issue with the compression program I was using to archive the project into one file for  easier uploading to their server.

Making sure your WordPress installations’ file and folder permissions are set correctly is critical to keeping your WordPress site safe. Not only for security, but if the file and folder permissions are incorrect, you’ll run across any number of issues importing media, creating posts and so on.

Fixing WordPress File & Folder Permissions

There is no “push button” fix for this issue. However, the following solution is simple enough without the use of any plugins and only requires about 5 minutes of attention. You will want to use an FTP client (such as FileZilla) for this. It should also go without saying that you need to have a recent full backup of your website, just in case you push the wrong button(s).

When you’re ready, fire up your FTP client and log onto your web server and follow the instructions below.

 

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