Windows 11 Compatibility Hold: Avoid 25H2 and 26H1 Upgrade Problems
Understand why Windows Update refuses to offer Windows 11 25H2 or 26H1 to some devices, how safeguard holds work, how to identify the hold ID with Update Compliance or the registry, and when it is safe to override.
September 29, 2026
Windows 11 Patch Tuesday September 2026 (KB5124008) and the KB5129195 out-of-band fix: what changed
What the September 2026 cumulative update KB5124008 brings to Windows 11 25H2 and 26H1, why Microsoft shipped the KB5129195 out-of-band update for Remote Desktop, and how to stage both safely.
September 29, 2026
Transfer FSMO Roles with PowerShell and ntdsutil: Safe Steps
How to move the five FSMO roles between domain controllers cleanly with Move-ADDirectoryServerOperationMasterRole, and how to seize them with ntdsutil when the old holder is gone for good, including the metadata cleanup you must do afterwards.
September 29, 2026
Group Policy Not Applying: 12 Checks with gpresult and Events
A systematic way to find out why a GPO does not reach a Windows 11 client or Windows Server 2025 member: read gpresult, check scope and filtering, decode the Group Policy events, compare AD and SYSVOL versions and turn on gpsvc debug logging.
September 29, 2026
DISM RestoreHealth Offline Source: Windows 11 Repair
Run DISM RestoreHealth and SFC in the right order on Windows 11 and Windows Server, read the CBS and DISM logs, and repair the component store from a mounted install.wim when Windows Update cannot be reached.
September 29, 2026
Dcgpofix: Safely Reset the Default Domain Policy and DC Policy
When the Default Domain Policy or Default Domain Controllers Policy is corrupted or missing, dcgpofix recreates it with Windows defaults. Learn what it resets, what it never restores, how to back up first and how to put password, lockout, Kerberos and user rights settings back.
September 29, 2026
A basic RMM monitoring policy for small-business endpoints: disk, patching and antivirus
A practical baseline monitoring policy for Windows endpoints in an RMM tool, with thresholds for disk space, patch age and Defender health, the PowerShell checks behind each monitor, and how to keep alert noise down.
September 29, 2026
Set up Windows LAPS on Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11
Extend the schema for Windows LAPS, delegate password permissions on the OU, configure the policy with Group Policy, and retrieve or rotate local administrator passwords with Get-LapsADPassword on Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11.
September 29, 2026
Employee Offboarding Checklist: Secure AD, M365 and Workspace Steps
A practical leaver checklist covering Active Directory disable and group cleanup, Microsoft 365 session revocation and mailbox conversion, Google Workspace suspension and data transfer, Zoho user deactivation, plus shared credentials, devices and verification steps.
September 29, 2026
Raise AD Functional Level Safely: Forest and Domain
What the Active Directory domain and forest functional levels actually gate, the checks to run before raising them, the PowerShell to do it, and the narrow window in which the change can still be rolled back.
September 29, 2026
Enable RDS session shadowing and allow non-admin users RDP access
Configure Remote Desktop session shadowing through Group Policy so helpdesk staff can view or control user sessions with or without consent, connect with mstsc /shadow, and grant non-administrators the right to log on through Remote Desktop and to shadow others.
September 29, 2026
Map Network Drives with Group Policy: Drive Maps, Targeting and Fixes
Map department and home drives on Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025 with Group Policy Preferences Drive Maps and item-level targeting, a logon script alternative, the EnableLinkedConnections fix for elevated apps and an Intune script for cloud devices.
September 29, 2026