Author: Peter Whyte

  • How to Check Listening Ports on Windows

    This guide will show you how to check which service is running on a specific TCP or UDP port on a Windows computer. This can be useful for verifying which service is tied to a port or proactively checking for any dodgy (suspicious) open ports. In this post,…

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  • Get Database Sizes in SQL Server

    Knowing how much disk space your databases are consuming in SQL Server is an important thing to know and monitor as a Database Administrator. As well as this, we should be looking at future growth of database files, ensuring we have enough disk space for years to come.…

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  • How to Backup a SQL Server Database

    This guide provides a simple demo on how to back up a SQL Server database and explains three main types of backups in MS SQL: > SQL Server Full Backup > SQL Server Transaction Log Backup > SQL Server Differential Backup > Additional Notes on SQL Server Backups…

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  • Get Estimated Database Backup/Restore Example

    When you’re waiting on a database backup or restore to complete in SQL Server, we can run the script below to get an estimated time of how long the backup has left to go – We have one 5GB database here currently being backed up at the time…

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  • Get Last Backup Times for all Databases in SQL Server

    Ensuring your databases are regularly backed up is critical for data recovery in case of corruption, accidental deletions, or other failures. If you don’t have a backup, recovering lost data may be impossible. As a Database Administrator, it’s your number one Priority along-side ensuring your SQL Service is…

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  • How to Check Windows Firewall Status with PowerShell

    Want to quickly check whether your Windows Firewall is enabled or disabled? This guide shows you how to use PowerShell to get the status of your local Windows Firewall for each profile. PowerShell cmdlets follow a standard format: verb-noun. The verb describes the action, and the noun specifies…

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  • How to Enable Windows Firewall using PowerShell

    Windows Firewall is an essential security feature that protects your system from unauthorized access and threats. If it has been disabled for testing or mistakenly turned off, you can quickly re-enable it using PowerShell. This guide provides a straightforward process to restore your firewall settings and ensure a…

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  • How to Disable Windows Firewall with PowerShell

    This post provides a demo on how to disable Windows Firewall with PowerShell on a Windows computer. ⚠ Important: Disabling the Windows Firewall is not recommended as it reduces your system’s security. However, there are scenarios, such as troubleshooting, where temporarily disabling the firewall may help identify if…

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  • The Best Terminal for Windows

    This is a post to share an opinion on the best Terminal for Windows, which is Windows Terminal. The easiest way to install Windows Terminal is by following this link which takes you to the Microsoft Store, we can one click download/install from there. Windows Terminal is installed…

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  • How to Reboot WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

    To restart WSL simply, run wsl –shutdown to stop your WSL distros, then enter back into WSL distro as normal to start it back up again. This post contains a guide to help explain the process. A WSL reboot might be needed if your WSL instance or app…

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