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Mark Minasi

Mark Minasi is a senior contributing editor for Windows IT Pro, an MCSE, and the author of more than 30 books, including Mastering Windows Server 2008 R2 (Sybex). He writes and speaks around the world about Windows networking.
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Author Articles

SOPA and PIPA: A Couple of Better Solutions

By Mark Minasi, 01/31/2012

SOPA and PIPA are well-intentioned but still very bad ideas. Read on for a couple of alternative solutions that make a lot more sense.

Use Get-ADUser to Find Inactive AD Users

By Mark Minasi, 01/21/2012

An AD attribute called Lastlogontimestamp helps you search for people who haven't logged on to a domain in a while—but it’s got some quirks.

Goodbye, Flash, We Hardly Knew Ye...

By Mark Minasi, 12/22/2011

When Apple made it clear that the company had no intention of letting the Adobe Flash conspiracy pollute the iPhone/iPad universe, I figured that a popular outcry would eventually ...

Use Get-ADUser to Determine Who Has Never Logged On

By Mark Minasi, 12/20/2011

It’s time to get serious with this useful PowerShell cmdlet. Here’s how to accomplish a rather tricky query. Can you feel your PowerShell skills improving?

Giving Microsoft Your Feedback About Windows 8

By Mark Minasi, 11/22/2011

Microsoft has a new Windows OS on the way, and many long-time Windows users have some strong opinions about it. Now is the time to share your opinion of Windows 8 with Microsoft.

Digging Deeper into Get-ADUser

By Mark Minasi, 11/17/2011

Now that you know some Get-ADUser basics, let’s dive further into the tool and see how to get the most out of PowerShell AD queries.

A First Take on Windows 8's Metro

By Mark Minasi, 10/25/2011

Metro is fun, but Mark isn't very optimistic about how competitive Windows 8 can really be.

Go Remote with Windows Server 2008 R2’s AD Cmdlets

By Mark Minasi, 10/24/2011

Learn how to use the OS's AD-related PowerShell cmdlets for remote administration.

How Windows 8 Could Be “Windows Great”

By Mark Minasi, 09/27/2011

Before Microsoft's Windows Server 8 Reviewers Workshop, Mark Minasi had some definite ideas about what he wanted to see in the newest Windows OSs.

Find Users with Get-ADUser

By Minasi, Mark, 09/23/2011

Get-ADUser is a helpful member of Windows Server 2008 R2’s 76-cmdlet PowerShell team that lets you retrieve AD user objects. Here’s how it works.

Windows 8’s GUI: A Tale of Three Desktops

By Mark Minasi, 08/30/2011

Microsoft is about to release a beta of the next version of Windows, code-named Windows 8, which will have three different desktops.

Finishing Up Your Dual-Boot Windows PE System

By Minasi, Mark, 08/24/2011

In this useful application of previously covered power tools, you’ll combine the WAIK, ImageX, and Bcdedit to create a more fixable OS deployment.

Getting the Right Kind of Cloud Agility: Eye the Exits

By Mark Minasi, 07/26/2011

Cloud vendors tout two main advantages to their products: cost and agility. Let’s talk about the kind of agility that I want all cloud users to possess: the power to make a quick ...

Creating a Dual-Boot WinPE System, Take Two

By Mark Minasi, 07/24/2011

In the interest of simplifying some troubleshooting and disaster recovery tasks, Mark begins a series of articles about creating a dual-boot WinPE and Windows 7/Server 2008 system ...

Getting Service From Cloud Services

By Mark Minasi, 06/28/2011

Last month brought yet another big “cloudtage,” as Microsoft’s BPOS had a bad day on May 10 and then two days later on May 12, but I think in this case, the cloud did show ...

Build a Bootable BCD from Scratch with Bcdedit

By Mark Minasi, 06/22/2011

Bootmgr gets its marching orders from a binary file called the BCD, and Bcdedit is how you configure BCD.

April 2011: A Bad Month for Uptime and Security in the Cloud

By Mark Minasi, 05/31/2011

EC2 failed on April 21 around 5 AM Eastern time, and in nearby Virginia. That failure left many customers without their cloud services, including Reddit, Foursquare, Netflix, and ...

Fix Unbootable Systems with Bootsect

By Mark Minasi, 05/22/2011

If you have a non-booting system, sometimes it's best to get back to basics. Here's how to use Bootsect to investigate the MBR and the so-called "Windows Boot Record" for ...

Oops, I was Right Again: Nothing "Nu" About the Epsilon Affair

By Mark Minasi, 04/26/2011

Gosh, we're sorry, but we held onto your email because, well, because we could. Unfortunately, however, we were too lazy to keep track of your email address ourselves despite our ...

Adding Windows PE to Your Windows 7 System

By Mark Minasi, 04/25/2011

Learn how to install a second OS on the hard disk so that you have a sleek, maintenance-focused “onboard emergency kit.”