Tag: aeroadmin

Windows 11 Pro setup

First time for me doing the out-of-box experience with Windows 11 Pro preloaded on new hardware.

ThinkPad X13 2-in-1 Gen 5 is a very nice laptop. Completing initial power-on and setup, since it was Windows Pro, I opted for a local admin account and associated it with a Microsoft account.

Once on the desktop I installed KeePassXC, Calibre, AeroAdmin, Firefox, iTunes, and Kdenlive. I used Kdenlive to create a few videos describing settings or usage for some of the apps. YouTube links sprinkled through this post.

The person getting the laptop has decided to step up their online credential game. Rather than using variations of a base password they want to learn to use and manage more complex ones. Bravo, I say. And check out the videos I made about using KeePassXC to do that, Login with KeePassXC and KeePassXC, Updating a Password.

Calibre is an e-book library manager. I included it because it has become very useful to me and I encourage everyone to try it. All those household documents, appliance manuals, car owner manuals, serial numbers and VINs can be cataloged and available at your fingertips. It’s also a great way to organize training guides, magazine and web articles, etc. Maybe my calibre library info system review will pique your interest.

Sometimes the hardest part of giving remote support is getting the recipient to recognize the steps that need to be taken to complete the connection. This AeroAdmin guide is my attempt to clarify that.

Then Firefox was added because after some updates Edge would no longer login to some Microsoft websites. That prevented access to some account info, among other things. So, install Firefox and with it successfully login to every Microsoft site that Edge would not login to. Firefox is there because a backup to Edge is necessary.

And what resolved Edge’s problems with Microsoft’s own sites? Disabling all Edge security features for any Microsoft.com, Office.com, Live.com domain. And after all that “Device encryption” couldn’t be enabled because it didn’t recognize the Microsoft account was logged in. It clearly was as demonstrated by access to OneDrive, Microsoft365, and other integrated features after logon to the desktop with no more credential prompts for any of those services.

It seems Microsoft tries to soften the blow when enabling device encryption fails with their messages, “Oops something when wrong” and “it was probably us”. It sets a light mood and is a relief at first. But after having the problem for more than a week it is disturbing that nothing has changed.

That didn’t get resolved before the laptop was delivered to its owner.

Remote Support

Using RealVNC and AeroAdmin to help people at their computer

I provide remote computer support to people. Mostly to family but also occasionally to friends and acquaintances.

For family I’ve been using RealVNC. For other folks, AeroAdmin.

RealVNC has several advantages from my perspective. Two important ones are there’s a native Linux version. Family doesn’t use Linux but I do and I want to be able to run something directly on my system rather than running it through layers. Secondly and most importantly for family, it’s running all the time on their system. If support is needed we get on the phone, I start the connection, a message pops up on their screen and they click OK to allow the connection. Shazam! remote support has started. There’s nothing for them to install, no program for them to start. Just ask for support then click OK.

Other pluses are it runs on Linux so I have remote access to my own system when I’m away from it and I can register up to five systems in my RealVNC account with no subscription license required.

For the person I’m tutoring now and others I’ve helped in the past AeroAdmin has been the way to go. There’s a free license that allows occasional usage without charge. When I say “occasional” I don’t mean to imply crazy limited. From my perspective the free license is very generous with the time and connections allowed. I have certainly never bumped into the usage limits.

Of course there’s drawbacks to both. With RealVNC the issue is running it on my system. RealVNC occasionally freezes and restarts. When it does I either have to wait out the freeze before I can begin using my pc again (same experience whether I’m connected remotely or at the keyboard) or I restart my system if I’m at the keyboard. An issue I choose to live with because it gives me remote access to my system and I know how to deal with it. When I’m at the keyboard I sometimes just shut down RealVNC so there’s no chance it interrupts me. I really should file a bug report but haven’t bothered yet. And since it’s me that’s affected, not family I provide remote support to, I know what’s going on and corrective actions I can take.

EDIT 3/2020: I found the issue back in January. A wall paper changer set to change wall paper every five minutes. Increased the interval to 15 minutes and the problem became less frequent. Switched to a different wallpaper changer and the problem has gone away

AeroAdmin is a different story. The biggest challenge is always getting the person who needs to use it to get it on their system, get it started, provide me the information I need to connect, and finally make the correct choices when the connection starts so I can actually help. That sounds hard but it’s not. But it is for many people.

I’ve made documentation and sent it to people. I’ve recently made this video, AeroAdmin, letting someone help you. But it is still a challenge. Getting the connection started so people can get help always seems to be the biggest issue.

Another AeroAdmin drawback, for me not the person supported, is that I need to run Wine to run AeroAdmin. I’ve never been a fan of Wine because whenever I tried it my system was changed in ways that I couldn’t easily undo. Plus, depending on the install package, it added things to my system that I didn’t want. Getting stuck with things I didn’t want was one of the reasons for getting away from Windows. However AeroAdmin does run well under Wine so, when I need it, I run it in an isolated Linux vm with Wine installed so Wine isn’t impacting my actual running system.