Like many legacy protocols, NTLM (NT LAN Manager) is now deemed insecure, yet disabling it entirely would likely lead to considerable disruptions. Nonetheless, disabling NTLM 1.0 significantly improves security. However, it is crucial to verify any dependencies beforehand.

Microsoft's newest release of PowerToys, a collection of sophisticated tools for Windows 10 and 11 users, introduces Advanced Paste. This feature leverages AI to transform copied content into a different format.

When booting PCs from WinPE, you can run setup.exe with parameters and automate it with an answer file. This can partition the system drive without user interaction and skip the regional settings dialog. By additionally including an unattend.xml file in the image, you achieve a fully unattended installation.

OSDCloud is a free PowerShell framework for deploying Windows 10 and Windows 11. The tool provides simple methods for adding drivers and configuring settings in an image. After booting from a customized WinPE, either the OSDCloudGUI or an automated script initiates the installation.

Docker Desktop provides a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) for developing, building, testing, and running containerized applications on Linux, Windows, and macOS. Docker Desktop 4.30 introduces an experimental phase to simplify the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL 2) configuration by reducing the previously required two Docker Desktop WSL distributions (docker-desktop and docker-desktop-data) into one, aiming to improve startup time and simplify the codebase.

After capturing an image from a reference installation, you can deploy it to as many computers as needed. Multiple methods are available for this task. A common approach involves booting the target PCs from WinPE using a USB drive or PXE, and then applying the image with DISM or PowerShell.

The latest version of Ubuntu, 24.04, is out with new features for multiple platforms. This article specifically guides you through upgrading to 24.04 on the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) platform. Check out this article for a general upgrade guide for other platforms.

In professional environments, most store apps delivered with Windows are of little value, prompting admins to remove them from the image before deployment. However, you should avoid indiscriminately deleting them, as some system-relevant apps may be among them. PowerShell can be used to remove the crapware selectively.

Many admins prefer to use a customized image rather than Microsoft's standard image for deploying Windows 11. This involves creating a reference installation of the OS tailored to their specific needs. After generalizing it with Sysprep, the image is written to a WIM archive using DISM or PowerShell.

There are several reasons why Windows Update may fail or not work, including malfunctioning services, damaged Windows updates, insufficient free disk space, or faulty Windows devices. This article will walk you through seven methods to troubleshoot Windows Update.

An essential step towards automating the Windows setup process is replacing the system drive's interactive partitioning with a script. Microsoft's examples for this purpose rely on batch files and Diskpart. However, installing PowerShell in Windows PE allows for a much more elegant solution.

The instructions in this post outline how to execute arbitrary code with administrator privileges on the Windows logon screen before the user signs in.

The remediation of CVE-2023-24932, discovered in May 2023, is taking longer than Microsoft's initial timeline. This flaw allows attackers to bypass Secure Boot and disable security features like BitLocker. The April 2024 update introduces a new fix that admins should thoroughly test because it has significant ramifications and will be automatically activated in October.

The Windows setup goes through several phases, with the last one being the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE). It presents users with multiple dialogs for system configuration. Some settings are security-related, while others may be unclear to many users. Using an answer file, they can be automatically customized.

Microsoft PC Manager is a new Microsoft tool that helps improve Windows performance with features such as disk cleanup and startup program management. Additionally, it integrates with Microsoft Defender to provide security insights, ensuring that users have a comprehensive tool for both system optimization and protection.

iVentory allows for easy Windows 11 deployment using a PXE server. The solution includes a DHCP server, provides image management, including automation through answer files, and can be managed via a web console. It's free for private and 49 USD per server for commercial use.

If you want to pin the same program icons to the Start menu of many computers, you can export a reference configuration in JSON format and distribute it to the target PCs on the network. However, in Windows 11, this method no longer works when using Group Policy. If you don't have an MDM solution, two workarounds exist.