all written video podcast

  • Please STOP trusting email. - Jim Salter

    Please STOP trusting email. - Jim Salter

    2025-10-30
    It is now Anno Domini 2025, and for some reason, people keep trusting email. That needs to stop. Let’s talk about why–but first, let’s talk about why I’m telling you this now. All things happen in cycles, including grifting. And folks, we are at an...
  • Rustdesk Server on Ubuntu 22.04 - Jim Salter

    Rustdesk Server on Ubuntu 22.04 - Jim Salter

    2025-08-11
    As usual, I’m self-documenting a project while I work on it. Rustdesk is an open source remote control utility that caught my eye about a year ago; it’s cross platform and allows you to self-host your own “relay server” so that you can connect...
  • Salter’s Screwdriver Theory of Latency - Jim Salter

    Salter’s Screwdriver Theory of Latency - Jim Salter

    2025-05-15
    We’ve all noticed that software never seems to get any faster no matter how much faster the hardware gets. This easily-observable fact is usually explained in one of two ways: Software devs are lazy, and refuse to optimize more than they absolutely...
  • TPM errors in Windows 11 - Jim Salter

    TPM errors in Windows 11 - Jim Salter

    2025-04-03
    The last several machines I’ve built–and several long-running machines with nothing wrong with them–have suddenly started displaying strange errors regarding Microsoft 365. The affected machines can neither register Office365 apps to the entire...
  • Windows, KVM, and time zones - Jim Salter

    Windows, KVM, and time zones - Jim Salter

    2024-10-16
    If you’re running Windows VMs beneath a Linux KVM host, you’ve very likely been plagued by an annoying issue: they start up with the wrong time by several hours, every time they’re rebooted, no matter what you do. The issue is that Windows syncs its...
  • Adventures in network repair - Jim Salter

    Adventures in network repair - Jim Salter

    2023-09-30
    Recently, I acquired a new client with a massive load of technical debt (in other words: a new client). The facility internet connection appeared to go down for an hour or two every day, typically in the mid-afternoon. Complicating things...
  • PSA: Cannot open Credentials Manager - Jim Salter

    PSA: Cannot open Credentials Manager - Jim Salter

    2022-05-12
    I blew several INCREDIBLY frustrating hours trying to troubleshoot issues installing Google Workspace Sync and Microsoft Office 365 on multiple Windows 10 workstations today. Searching for “failed to create profile” errors when setting up a Google...
  • 520 byte sectors and Ubuntu - Jim Salter

    520 byte sectors and Ubuntu - Jim Salter

    2022-01-26
    I recently bought a server which came with Samsung PM1643 SSDs. Trying to install Ubuntu on them didn’t work at first try, because the drives had 520 byte sectors instead of 512 byte. Luckily, there’s a fix–get the drive(s) to a WORKING Ubuntu system,...
  • WSL2, keychain, /etc/hosts and you - Jim Salter

    WSL2, keychain, /etc/hosts and you - Jim Salter

    2021-11-17
    There unfortunately are still a few stumbling blocks toward getting a properly, fully-working virt-manager setup running under WSL2 on Windows 11. apt install virt-manager just works, of course–but getting WSL2 to properly handle hostnames and SSH key...
  • When NOTHING else will remove a half-installed .deb package - Jim Salter

    When NOTHING else will remove a half-installed .deb package - Jim Salter

    2020-05-05
    WARNING: ALL WARRANTIES NULL AND VOID With that important disclaimer out of the way… when you’re stuck in the world’s worst apt -f install loop and can’t figure out any other way to get the damn thing unwedged when there’s a half-installed package (eg...