Duplicati 2.0

Duplicati 2.0 is free backup software and open source. It is quite unique among many such free backup programs. The web-based user interface is clean and logical, although some of the more advanced features are hidden by default and you may want to pay notice to this. It runs extremely efficient and fast compared to many commercial counterparts. The storage requirements for backup are also amazingly slim. You can store many versions of the backup in the same location without worrying about overflowing the disk. File restoration also works perfectly. Duplicati 2.0 offers a serious alternative to File History that came with Windows in terms of the overall backup strategy.

Network Computers are not Showing Up in Windows 10/11

Windows Network Neighborhood is a historic mechanism to access other Windows computers in the same network. The concept of network has evolved over the years and there is now a pretty standard way of using TCP/IP for that purpose in most platforms. However exploring other computers in the same network using “File Explorer –> Network” is still very convenient and works in modern Windows versions, although issues may pop up from time to time mostly related to computers not showing up. Check out this article for potential solutions and ideas on how to fix some of these problems.

VMware – Connecting a USB3 Device

Depending on the version of VMware Workstation and the guest operating system, problems may occur when connecting a USB 3 device (e.g. external disk) from the host to the guest system. Error messages may include “not recognizing the USB device” or there is no message displayed at all. Device Manager will indicate that the device is not working properly even if it is detected.

Adding the following line to the configuration file (.VMX) of the virtual machine may help resolve the problem. Follow these steps: shutdown the guest operating system, edit the configuration file and restart the system.

usb.generic.keepStreamsEnabled = “FALSE”

Mouse Double Clicking Issues

This seems like a common issue when a mouse has been used for some time, say after a year or so. When you do a click, the mouse actually does a double click causing potential problems depending on what you are doing at the time. There are a number of “solutions” in the web trying to resolve the issue but most of them require disassembling the device with a lot of skill that is too much for the majority of us. Try the following simple solution by all means. It works in my case, and it may work for you too.

Logitech Mouse Double Click Fix – The Most Simple Method. No Dis-assembly Required – YouTube

Advanced MCE Remote Mapper

If you are still holding onto a Microsoft Windows Media Center machine, its remote is critical in operating such a device. The button on the remote can actually be remapped to perform a different function to your liking. One practical usage is to remap the ‘sleep’ function to a button that is seldom used, to supplement the ‘power’ button that may start working inconsistently due to wear and tear over the years. Download the remapping program from here.

Chrome Remote Desktop

Chrome Remote Desktop is a free remote desktop program from Google that runs as an extension that’s paired with the Chrome web browser.

You can use it to set up any computer running the Chrome browser to be a host computer that you can connect to at any time, whether the user is logged in or not, for full unattended access. It’s also useful for temporary, on-demand, one-time access/support. (read more)