Category: Windows Admin

Windows Administration Blog Archives, by Peter Whyte (Database Administrator).
Includes: Database Admin, Windows Admin, PowerShell, WSL & more…

  • 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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  • Best Terminal for Windows 2022

    This is a post to share an opinion on the best Terminal for Windows 2022. The answer to all our needs in the year 2022 is Windows Terminal. I have a blog post on How to Install Windows Terminal, and here is a link to the main Windows…

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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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  • How to Restart Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

    If your Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) instance encounters errors or you’ve updated the .wslconfig file (e.g., to modify memory limits), restarting your WSL distributions may be necessary. This guide demonstrates two effective methods for restarting WSL distributions: > (Preferred Approach) Run the WSL –Shutdown Command > (Old…

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  • How to Upgrade WSL from Version 1 to Version 2

    This guide explains how to upgrade your Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) distribution from Version 1 (WSL 1) to Version 2 (WSL 2). WSL supports two versions: the original WSL 1 and the more advanced WSL 2. You can install multiple Linux distributions on your system and easily…

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  • How to Downgrade from WSL Version 2 to WSL Version 1

    In certain development or system administration scenarios, you may need to downgrade your Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) distribution from WSL version 2 (WSL 2) to version 1 (WSL 1). While WSL 2 brings many enhancements, such as a real Linux kernel and better performance, there are times…

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  • How to Open WSL Projects in Windows File Explorer

    This is a guide on how to open WSL files in Windows File Explorer, with added descriptions. The best practice for managing project files in WSL is to store your files on the same Operating System as the tools your plan to use. So if the reason you’re…

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  • How to Change Your Default Distro in WSL

    This post is a quick note on how to set your default Windows Subsystem for Linux Distro, which is useful for when managing multiple WSL installations on a computer. Setting Default WSL Distro First,we can list our installed WSL distributions by running wsl -l -v, note the name…

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  • How to Install Postgres on Ubuntu 20.04 in WSL

    This is a post on how to install Postgres on Ubuntu 20.04, on Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). This should hopefully be a straightforward installation for you, which is done by following these 2 steps: # Update Local Packages on Ubuntu in WSL# Install Postgres on Ubuntu Update…

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  • How to Check WSL Distro Versions

    This is a quick post on how to check your Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) distribution versions, with added info on what being on a different WSL version means. To check your WSL version we can simply run wsl -l -v in our PowerShell terminal window. This will…

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