Category: Microsoft

Counting Visible cells in Excel

Today, I created yet another report in Excel. As usual, I had used the Format as a Table command and then filtered out some data. The next step was to count the number of rows that were still visible. I used the formula =SUBTOTAL(3,A2:A144) and had the required information. This website has a good explanation of the process, along with how to count rows that have been manually hidden (instead of filtered).

Running PowerShell on macOS

At work, I have to manage several Office 365 tenants. While many tasks can be completed via the GUI, there are times PowerShell commands are required. That is fine on a Windows 10 computer, since PowerShell is part of the operating system.

However, I prefer to use the company’s iMac. While I was working on an issue with one of our clients, I found an article from Microsoft about using homebrew to install a PowerShell module on macOS!

When I started in IT, I don’t think that would have ever happened.

Compare two columns for missing values in Excel

At work this morning, I had to make a list of managed computers with 32-bit operating systems which were not checking into a console. In this article from ExtendOffice, they walked through the process of comparing two columns for duplicate data by using a formula in the third column.

Once I had the formula 1 in place, I formatted the data as a table. Clicking the third column’s header provided the option to uncheck “Select All”, then scroll down and select (Blanks). The resulting view showed the items missing from my list.

 

Using Two-Factor Authentication with Office 365

Back in the 90’s and 00’s, using encrypted e-mail and 2FA to secure systems were stigmatized as something only hackers and paranoid people used.

Increasingly, encrypted e-mail and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), also called Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) by Microsoft, has become more common, and more necessary.

I would document the process to enable and use 2FA for Office 365, but there’s a problem: Microsoft is continuously updating O365, so the steps and setting names this month may not be the same when you read these words. Instead, I will link to Microsoft’s documentation (and hope they keep the URL’s the same).

The pages I feel are most useful are Documentation for Administrators to set up the system, and Documentation for End Users on what to expect and how to set their authentication method(s).

In practice, enabling 2FA is pretty straightforward, but the initial user experience can be bumpy. While documentation says Office 2016 does not require an app password, that’s not correct. The morning after I enabled this on my account, upon login I was prompted for credentials when opening both the Office 365 versions of Skype for Business and Outlook.

Windows setup failure on Dell computer

I was installing Windows 7 on a Dell notebook today, and got an error that this computer, which had Win 7 before the hard drive crashed, could not be configured to install Windows 7. I found a Dell tech note that advised OOBE had to be manually executed and then all would be fine. Yeesh, Windows.

"Windows setup could not configure to run on this computer's hardware" error during Windows 7 or Windows 10 installation

tl;dr version:

Windows 7:

  1. At the error screen, press Shift+F10 to open a command prompt.
  2. Type cd \ and press Enter.
  3. Type cd c:\windows\system32\oobe and press Enter.
  4. Type msoobe and press Enter. The installation process should now automatically continue.
  5. Remove the installation media and the system should finish the installation and boot into Windows.

Windows 10:

  1. While on the screen where the error appears, press Shift+F10 to bring up the command prompt.
  2. Type CD C:\windows\system32\oobe and hit Enter.
  3. Type msoobe and hit Enter.
  4. You may then be prompted to create an account name and password, and set the time and date. Click Finish when done.

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