Author: Christian

Christian, Microsoft MVP, Veeam Vanguard & Legend (2021–2026), VMware vExpert, and Cisco Champion, shares expert guides, how-to tutorials, troubleshooting insights, and technical tips across Windows, Linux, Mac, databases, cloud, networking, hardware, and information security.

How to protect Microsoft 365 beyond native limits with VDC [Part 1]

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How to protect Microsoft 365 beyond native limits with VDC [Part 1]

In this article, we shall discuss how to protect Microsoft 365 beyond native limits with VDC [Part 1]. Microsoft 365 provides strong native security and compliance capabilities, but it does not deliver a complete backup solution. Key gaps remain around long-term data retention, granular recovery, protection against accidental or malicious deletion, and resilience against ransomware…

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Backup

Update WinPE Boot Images with Windows UEFI CA Certificates [Part 2]

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Update WinPE Boot Images with Windows UEFI CA Certificates [Part 2]

Secure Boot embeds into the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and ensures that the system boots using only software trusted by the hardware vendor. As stated in this blogpost “Enable Secure Boot: Fix Secure Boot certificates expiration [Part 1]“. For 15 years, the Secure Boot certificates that are part of Windows systems will start expiring….

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Windows Server

AGMP extended support ends April 2026: Find alternative solution

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AGMP extended support ends April 2026: Find alternative solution

In this guide, we shall discuss “AGMP extended support ends April 2026: Find alternative solution“. Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM) and Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM), both components of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP). Have reached their official End of Support today (14/04/2026). Please see How to extend a VM Hard Disk on VMware…

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Windows Server

Steps to customize Windows PE boot images

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Steps to customize Windows PE boot images

You can customize the Windows PE (WinPE) boot images included with the Windows ADK by adding drivers, optional components, and the latest cumulative updates, because they include only a minimal set of features and drivers by default. In this guide, we shall discuss “Steps to customize Windows PE boot images”. Please, see how to enable…

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Windows, Windows Server

[World Backup Day] V13 Upgrade Failure: Veeam Configuration Backup Saved the Day

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[World Backup Day] V13 Upgrade Failure: Veeam Configuration Backup Saved the Day

In-place upgrades represent the standard and vendor-recommended approach for advancing Veeam Backup & Replication (VBR) to newer releases, ensuring continuity of configuration, and retention of job etc without requiring a full reinstallation. But without a test lab, you are essentially performing a high-wire act. In this Real‑world “V13 Upgrade Failure: Veeam Configuration Backup Saved the…

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Backup

Reset or reinstall Windows Server without deleting the VM

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Reset or reinstall Windows Server without deleting the VM

If you have created a VM on Hyper-V, Proxmox, VMware, or XCP-ng and want to reinstall Windows, you don’t need to delete the VM or recreate it. In this guide, we will show you how to reinstall Windows directly on an existing VM while keeping the VM configuration intact. Therefore, in this guide, we will…

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Windows Server

How to replace Veeam Recovery Orchestrator License

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How to replace Veeam Recovery Orchestrator License

During the installation of Veeam Recovery Orchestrator (VRO), I initially applied an evaluation license, which expires after 30 days. Since this is not sustainable for my lab environment, I requested an NFR (Not‑For‑Resale) license, as discussed here “how to apply and install Veeam NFR License“. Therefore, in this article, I will discuss How to replace…

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Backup

Fix failed to connect to the backup server: Make sure it is online

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Fix failed to connect to the backup server: Make sure it is online

Recently while I was discussing the steps on how to license Veeam Enterprise Manager and Add VBR Servers. I ran into the following error which prompted the created of this topic “Fix failed to connect to the backup server: Make sure it is online”. Please, see how to link an iPhone with Windows PC with…

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Backup

How to fix Domain Join Error during Windows Deployment

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How to fix Domain Join Error during Windows Deployment

The message “ZtiDomainJoin has attempted to join to domain” comes from Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT). This happens during an automated or Lite touch OS deployment as shown in the image below. Therefore, in this guide, we shall discuss How to fix Domain Join Error during Windows Deployment. Please see how to fix the following errors…

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Windows Server