Posts from March 2025

Posts from March 2025 (5)

• 

  Published on

  2025-03-25 3:24 a.m.

  Authors

  koskila

  Tags

  netspotwindows11windowssearchwindowsupdate

  Windows Search not finding anything? That might be the default now, but you don't need to accept it!

  This article explains how to tweak Windows Search so that it finds something. Or better yet - that it finds even the files that your applications are trying to HIDE from you (by storing your personal files under Application Data folder)! Microsoft is actively trying to hide these files from you, and for a reason. You should store functional files (like cache) inside %AppData%, not the user's personal documents.

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• 

  Published on

  2025-03-18 3:08 a.m.

  Authors

  koskila

  Tags

  copilotwindowsupdate

  "The Copilot key isn't connected to an action. Choose what you'd like to happen when you press the Copilot key"

  So about a year ago, I paid (or made my employer pay) 4000 USD to get an AI-PC. That laptop had no AI features whatsoever, so its NPU is still in brand new condition. Great savings abound if I ever end up selling it! 😜 But about 6 months later, that pc got its first AI feature - the standalone Copilot app. I mean, I never got the fabled native app that actually integrated with Windows.

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• 

  Published on

  2025-03-11 3:25 a.m.

  Authors

  koskila

  Tags

  lync-2skypeforbusinesswindowswindows11

  How to remove Skype for Business, if it sneaks back onto your machine?

  This article explains how to uninstall Skype for Business when it's not visible in your Control Panel, Settings, Installed apps or Programs and features. This article also (accidentally) underlines the futility of using a separate uninstaller application. They'll typically introduce more trouble than they're worth. Me, skilling up my knowledge worker skill tree. Me, min-maxing my knowledge worker (read: project manager) skill tree. According to Copilot, this is what it looks like.

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• 

  Published on

  2025-03-04 3:42 a.m.

  Authors

  koskila

  Tags

  azuredevops

  How to output the value of a secret variable in Azure DevOps?

  This article explains how you can output the value of a secret variable stored in Azure DevOps. This applies both to secrets stored in a Variable Group, or Pipeline Variables stored as secrets. Is it safe, secure and advisable to do this? No! But is it possible? Yes it is! Let's get to it! Background There might be situations, when you want to output the value of a secret variable.

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• 

  Published on

  2025-03-03 12:40 p.m.

  Authors

  koskila

  Tags

  bloggingkrojamsoftlongpathtool

  Long Path Tool - an unfortunate review

  In one of my article's comments section, I've been suffering from semi-automated spam advertising "Long Path Tool". It's a tool that can be used to create symlinks for files located deep in folder structure - a simple use case with a lot of free tools available to resolve the same issue, and all of them work just fine and contain the same value proposal. I guess this is the reason why the developers have had to resort to shady practices to advertise their solution.

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