Handbrake – Transcode Specific Chapters

If you have a video and you want to transcode (convert) only specific chapters, this is how. An example of this would be where a television series has multiple episodes in one giant file when ripped from a Blu-ray. Instead of editing a huge file and trying to get it right, just figure out the …

H.265 Encoding with Handbrake Nightly

I've been testing H.265 to cut down on storage requirements for my media collection. I was using StaxRip until I discovered I did not like how Plex handled subtitles when using the MKV container. I liked that StaxRip  would use my Nvidia GPU and not my CPU, but subtitles were the deal breaker. I decided …

Secure Your Router Against UPnP Threats

Routers have always been a popular target because people do not pay them much attention to them and it seems this threat is increasing. One easy point of attack for years has been UPnP (Universal Plug and Play). UPnP is great for non-technical people because it allows services and the router to automatically open ports …

TP-Link T1600G-52TS VLAN Tip

I bought a 48 port TP-Link JetStream 48-Port Gigabit Smart Switch (T1600G-52TS) because I wanted VLAN and LACP link aggregation (and the price was right). I wanted two VLANs with no complicated tagging, trunking, or DHCP. I just wanted VLAN 1 and VLAN 2 to act like dumb switches. I followed the VLAN instructions in the manual …

Windows 10 MacBook Reverse Scroll

If you want to reverse the scrolling of Windows 10 on a MacBook to natural style, do the following: Run Windows PowerShell as an Administrator (I search for powershell in Cortana > right-click on PowerShell in the search results). Paste the command below in its entirety into PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\HID\*\*\Device` Parameters FlipFlopWheel -EA 0 | …

Filter Ads on Your Network with Pi-hole

I had previously written a post about using a virtual machine to run the ad blocker called Pi-hole, but I found it better to use a Raspberry Pi. Advertisements online can be annoying, slow the loading of web pages (especially on mobile devices), and the worst is when ad servers actually deliver malware. Yes, a …

Acronis True Image “Failed to check last versions of the backup” Error

I have used Acronis True Image for many years and have experienced remarkably few issues. However, one issue that had me totally baffled today was the error "Failed to check last versions of the backup." I experienced this on two different computers running True Image 2015. An Acronis forum suggested changing an XML file to XML.OLD …

Symbolic Links

While trying to get CrashPlan to backup network drives, I tried out symbolic links. These are basically a shortcut to a drive or share on a different computer. This applies to Windows 7 or 10. Open Command Prompt as an administrator. Type mklink /d "E:Name of your Choosing" \192.168.1.50Share mklink /d "[Drive letter where symbolic …

ZoneEdit Free Dynamic DNS and SSL Certificates

This tutorial requires the following: A basic knowledge of DNS, domain name configuration/administration, and SSL certificates (optional). You will need a domain name you own or one where you can change the DNS settings. A free ZoneEdit account (zoneedit.com). An SSL certificate you own (optional). Let's Get Started Like most others with residential internet service, I …

SyncToy How-to

I am not going to spend much time explaining what SyncToy is, other than it's from Microsoft, it's free, and it is my favorite synchronization program. Please note that SyncToy is not officially supported on Windows 10, but it will work as long as you install .NET Framework Version 2.0. You will need to download the …