Working remotely, like teleworking or telecommuting, is becoming more popular nowadays. Being able to access files on another computer that is miles away from you can be a real lifesaver. So here is how to set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on Windows 10 or Windows 11 using LogMeIn Hamachi.

Hamachi is a hosted VPN service that allows you to remotely access files on another computer. It works well for home users or small businesses that need to open and save data on a computer outside their network.

And pricing for Hamachi is reasonable. If you have five (5) or fewer computers than need VPN service, it's free. I have set up Hamachi several times for customers who just wanted to access files while on vacation.

Setting up Hamachi is pretty simple. The first thing you will need to do is create an account over at VPN.net. Once you have created an account, you will log into your account, set up your network, and deploy the Hamachi software to your computers.

Note: When you log in to VPN.net, you will be taken to the LogMeIn website. Hamachi is one of LogMeIn's products. Everything you need to configure and deploy Hamachi will be under the Networks menu in the left-side column. Completely ignore the rest of the sub-menus in the left-side column, as they are for other LogMeIn products.

Under the Networks tab, you will find three sub-menus: My Networks, Deployment, and Network Settings. The majority of configuration for your Hamachi VPN can be done under My Networks. Here, you can Add Client or Add Network. You can add clients or networks in whatever order you want, but for this article, we are going to start with setting up a network first.

Now, there are three (3) types of networks you can create in Hamachi: Mesh, Hub-and-spoke, and Gateway. For the free version (under five clients), a mesh network is recommended. Remember that once you create a network, you cannot change the type of network it is. If you want to change the network type, you will need to create a new network.

And since you can have multiple types of networks, all you have to do is give them different names. And you can quickly reassign a client to a different network if you want. For this article, we will create three (3) various networks based on their type.

The following is a list of the different types of networks.

• Mesh: With this type of network, every device is directly connected to each other. This is a simple, no-frills, peer-to-peer type network and a good choice when each device needs access to all of the other devices on the network.
• Hub and spoke: This type of network is more restrictive and is more like a standard corporate network. With this type of network, you have servers (hubs) that have access to all of the devices (spokes), but the devices only have access to the resources on the servers, not each other.
• Gateway: This type of network is a standard point-to-point VPN. The gateway device controls IP addressing and allows remote devices to access the entire network. There can be only one gateway in this network, and it cannot be a workstation that is a member of a domain.

Once you have decided on the type of network you want, you need to configure some of the details of it. How will the devices join the network? Is a network password required to join, and what is the subscription associated with the network? Just go to My Networks in the left-hand column and left-click on the Add Network button.

Remember that you can easily change any of the settings for your network(s) from the website interface. You can add or remove devices with a click of the mouse. It comes in handy if you find a device that is having trouble connecting to a specific network.

Once you have a network setup, it's time to get deploying the Hamachi installer to the clients. Now you might have noticed that I have been referring to the Hamachi members as devices. That's because you can have computers and mobile devices connecting to your Hamachi VPN.

Computers have software that you install to connect to your network, and mobile devices do not. Mobile devices use web browsers to access resources on your network. And since there is no app to install on mobile devices, you cannot share any resources on them. For this reason, I am going to focus on setting up Windows 10 computers on the VPN. I have included links at the bottom for how to connect Android and iOS devices.

There are a couple of ways to deploy the Hamachi software to your computers. You can either directly download it from the LogMeIn website when you are logged into your account (preferred) or send an installation link via e-mail. I like to directly install it from the site, as I can check the status of the installation as soon as it is done.

When you directly download the software from the website, you do not have the option of predefining a network to attach it to. When you send a link via e-mail, you can decide what network to add it to. However, changing the network that a Hamachi client is attached to is easy on the website. As I said before, you can make all sorts of modifications to your network(s) on the website.

The Hamachi software will work on various operating systems, including Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11. It also works on Mac OS 10.6 or higher, Ubuntu 16.04 or higher, and CentOS 7.2 or higher. The only drawback is that you cannot use a Mac OS computer as a gateway, but it can be a client on a gateway network.

Once you download and install the Hamachi software on your computer, you should be able to see it listed in the LogMeIn website console. It will show up under the network name you attached to or as a non-member client.

If the computer is shown as a non-member client, just click on the Edit link on the right-hand side, then click on the Networks tab and select the network(s) you want it to be a member of.

Then just click on Save.

Now click on the My Networks tab in the left-hand column, and that computer should now show up under the network(s) that you just attached it to.

It will have a status indicator (dot/circle) to the left of its name. Green means it is online; red means it is offline.

Technically, we should now have our VPN all set and ready to go. The next thing we have to do is to set up the resources we want to share. There are two (2) things we can share across a network: folders/files and printers. Now, since we are connecting to a remote network that is not close to us, you may not want to set up a remote printer.

Setting up folder sharing on a Windows computer can be a little frustrating, so here's a link to an article that shows you how to share a folder on Windows 10.

How to share a folder on a private network in Windows 10

Sharing a printer is pretty simple. On a Windows computer that has the printer attached you want to share, bring up a Run dialog box and type in control printers. Then click OK.

The Device and Printers dialog box will appear. Just right-click on the printer you want to share and left-click on Printer properties.

Left-click on the Sharing tab and left-click on the box next to Share this printer. You can keep the name that appears or change it to something that might make more sense to a remote user. Maybe add in the location of the printer (city or office name). Then left-click on the Apply button in the lower right-hand corner.

Now that you have got the resources you want to share ready to go, let's go ahead and get things set up. The first thing we need to do is bring up the LogMeIn Hamachi program. By default, it starts up when you start Windows, and the icon is located in the notification area on the Taskbar (down by the clock). Just right-click on the icon and left-click Restore. You can also double-click on the shortcut on the desktop.

Now that you have the Hamachi program on the screen, right-click on the name of the computer on which you want to access the folder(s) or printer(s).

Left-click on Browse in the context menu that appears. This will bring up the File Explorer with a list of resources that are shared on that computer.

To access a shared folder, we could just double-click on the folder name and be done with it. But we would have to open the Hamachi program every time we wanted to get to that folder. But we can map that folder to a drive letter and access it through File Explorer.

To map a shared folder, just right-click on the name of the folder and left-click on Map network drive.

The Map Network Drive form will appear. Just select the drive letter you want to use for the folder from the pull-down menu.

Make sure that Reconnect at sign-in is selected and click on Finish.

To use a remote printer, we will need to install the remote printer on your computer.

To do this, we need to right-click on the name of the printer and left-click on Connect. Windows 10 will then download the driver for the printer and install it into your computer.

At this point, you should be ready to go with your VPN. Just remember that you need to be connected via the LogMeIn Hamachi program to be able to access any shared folders or printers.

LogMeIn Hamachi

Setting up an Android or iOS device as a Hamachi mobile client

Are you looking for an e-mail program with a lot of features? One that has a calendar and task scheduler and can handle multiple e-mail addresses? Then look no further than Mozilla Thunderbird.

You have probably heard of Mozilla's popular web browser, Firefox, but did you know they also have a great e-mail program, Mozilla Thunderbird? It has some fantastic features, too.

Free e-mail programs usually lack the features of the corporate standard Microsoft Outlook. Even Outlook for Windows, the e-mail program that comes with Windows 11, has a limited feature set.

But Mozilla Thunderbird comes with all sorts of features right out of the box. It includes a calendar, an address book, and a task scheduler.

Account settings inside of Mozilla Thunderbird

When it comes to e-mail, Mozilla Thunderbird can handle multiple e-mail addresses (POP or IMAP) and can send mail in either plain text or HTML format. You can also add signatures (HTML or plain text) for each e-mail account.

Mozilla Thunderbird includes an adaptive junk mail filter for each account; you have to train it using the Junk toolbar. You can also request return receipts, just like in Outlook.

There are also message filters similar to rules in Outlook so that you can automatically process mail as it comes in. You can also create folders and sub-folders for local storage.

When I compared Mozilla Thunderbird to Microsoft Outlook, I found they had almost identicall features. One of those features, just like Mozilla Firefox, is the ability to add more functionally with Add-ons. With Add-ons, you can extend what you can do with Mozilla Thunderbird.

Some Add-ons allow you to connect to a Gmail calendar, sync the address book with Gmail contacts, and create custom menus. And if you want to change the way Thunderbird looks, there are numerous themes too.

Thunderbird can import data from Microsoft Outlook, but you must have Outlook installed on the same computer to do it. Several add-ons claim they can import data from an Outlook PST file; you would have to install the add-ons and try them to see if they work.

Now, Thunderbird does have the ability to import data from Microsoft Outlook, but you have to have Outlook installed on the same computer to do it. There serveral add-ons that claim they can import data from a Outlook PST database, you would just have to install the add-ons and give them a try to see if they work.

There are versions of Mozilla Thunderbird that run on Windows 7 through Windows 11, Mac OS X 10.12 or later, and GNU/Linux. For a complete list of system requirements, see the link below.

As with Mozilla Firefox, Thunderbird is also open source and free for personal/commercial use. Mozilla is a non-profit organization that relies on donations. So, if you find Mozilla Thunderbird useful, donate to help support its ongoing development. Click here to go to their donation page.

For more information on Mozilla Thunderbird, follow the link below.

Mozilla Thunderbird

For most people, there is nothing better than a brand-new computer. But of course, you cannot get a new computer every few months. But you can get that same feeling. Here is how to make your computer look and run like brand-new.

For most of us, getting a brand-new computer every year is not financially possible. It would be nice, but realistically it is out of the question. But with a little work, you can get that brand-new feeling from your existing computer.

Looking brand-new

Perception is everything. If it looks new to you, it will feel new to you. And with a little cleaning and maybe a couple of hardware changes, it can look brand-new.

The first place to start is with the keyboard. Most keyboards are black and will show dirt and grim like no tomorrow. You will be amazed at how a good cleaning will make it appear brand new.

A filthy keyboard before cleaning

Now when cleaning your keyboard, you will need to turn off your computer. That way, you do not accidentally press the wrong keys. I have seen it happen, especially with laptops with FN keys.

Since most of us eat while we work, compressed air can help dislodge anything that may have gotten in between or under the keys. A good spray of compressed air should get rid of the massive debris.

When it comes to psychically cleaning the keyboard, remember that liquid and electronics do not mix. Never spray a cleaning solution directly on your keyboard. Always apply it to the cleaning material (cotton swab, paper towel, etc.) first.

Lightly dampen a cotton swab or paper towel with a cleaning solution and ring out any excess liquid before cleaning. It may take some time to clean all of the keys, but remember how long it took to get them dirty (months? years?).

That same dirty keyboard after being cleaned

Now, if the printing has faded or worn off, maybe it is time to go ahead and replace the keyboard. Desktop keyboards are easy to replace; laptop keyboards can be a little harder. For new laptop keyboards, I recommend LaptopKeyboard.com.

When it comes to your mouse, the body will get dirty, and the buttons get looking worn. The same cleaning technique used for your keyboard applies to your mouse.

If it is a wired mouse, turn off the computer. If it is wireless, turn it off. Clean both the top and bottom with a lightly dampened paper towel. Use a lightly damped cotton swab to clean the optical lens on the bottom.

The next thing you might want to clean is the monitor. As with the keyboard and mouse, you will want to turn it off, unplug it and let it cool down. Once it is cooled down, you can start to clean it.

Just like with your keyboard, you want to start cleaning your monitor with some compressed air. If your monitor is dusty, you may want to take it outside before clean it with compressed air.

Use the compressed air to clean out all of the ventilation holes in the case. Make sure you get as much of the grime out as you can, as dust does conduct electricity.

Now lightly dampen a paper towel with a cleaning solution and wipe the outside of the case. When you get done with that, it is time to clean the screen.

To clean the screen, I recommend using a soap-based, not ammonia-based, glass cleaner, and microfiber towels to protect the finish. Never directly apply the glass cleaner to the screen to prevent damage to it.

Lightly dampen a microfiber towel with glass cleaner and thoroughly wipe the screen. Now before it has a chance to dry, wipe the screen off with a dry micro-fiber towel to remove any streaks that may have appeared.

The last thing to clean is the outside of the computer case itself. Please make sure you turn it off and unplug the power cord (desktop computer) or ac adapter (laptop computer) before you start to clean it.

Lightly dampen a paper towel with a cleaning solution and wipe down the outside (front, sides, top, bottom, and back). If you have any old and faded stickers, this would be a great time to remove them.

To remove stickers, I recommend using an adhesive remover like Goof Off. Just make sure the area with the label is laying completely horizontal, so you can let the adhesive remover sit on it for a little while.

Once you have let the adhesive remover soak in, use a plastic razor blade or plastic putty knife to scrape the label off. If the sticker has been on there for a while, it may take a few passes to get it removed.

When all of the labels are gone, go ahead and clean it with a paper towel with a cleaning solution. You want to get any residue from the adhesive remover off.

The next thing we want to do is clean the inside of the computer with some compressed air. For this step, we will need to disconnect all cables attached to the computer and take it outside.

Now the procedure is about the same for desktop and laptop computers. For desktop computers, here is a detailed article we did a little while back on how to clean the dust out of your computer.

The same procedures in the article above apply to laptops as well. All you have to do for a laptop computer is to locate the air intake for the cooling fan(s). But instead of using a nonmetallic rod to hold the cooling fan(s), use a straightened-out paper clip.

Running like brand-new

Now that you have the outside and inside clean, maybe it is time to get the operating system and programs cleaned up. Using the Windows built-in Disk Cleanup tool is an excellent place to start.

Windows 7 Disk Cleanup

Windows 8.1 Disk Cleanup

Windows 10 Disk Cleanup

Windows 11 Disk Cleanup

Once you have used the Disk Cleanup program, you can now look at getting rid of some of the programs you no longer need. You will need to get to the Control Panel to do this. The quickest way to get to the Control Panel is by using the Run dialog box.

How to get to and use the Run dialog box in Windows

My favorite (and the fastest way) to bring up the Run dialog box is to press the Windows logo key + R keys simultaneously. When it appears, type control and then select OK.

When the Control Panel appears, select either Uninstall a program (category view) or Programs and Features (icon view). You can then start to uninstall the programs you no longer use.

Now, if you want your computer to have that brand-new feeling, you can reset Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and Windows 11. The procedure is similar for Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and Windows 11.

How to reset Windows 10

How to reset Windows 11

But if you want that brand-new feeling, a clean installation of Windows is the way to go. Follow the instructions in the following article to perform a clean installation of Windows 10 or Windows 11.

How to perform a clean Windows 10 installation

How to perform a clean Windows 11 installation

You can use the same procedures listed in the article above for Windows 8.1, but you will have to download the Windows 8.1 Disc Image.

Windows 8.1 Disc Image

What you can do with an ISO file

Have you ever downloaded an ISO file and wondered what to do with it? More and more software companies are now distributing their software using ISO files. Here is what you can do with an ISO file.

Nowadays, every company seems to be using ISO files to distribute software. ISO files are just images of a CD or DVD. They are commonly used to deliver bootable software.

Now, really quickly, ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization. They have a set standard (ISO 9660) for the file system used for optical disks (CD, DVD, BD, etc.).

Even Microsoft has started using ISO files to distribute its software. If you download Windows 11 or Windows 10, you will have the option of downloading an ISO file.

But what do you do with the ISO file once you have downloaded it? If you are running Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 7, you have three (3) options: mount it as a virtual drive, burn it to a disk, or create a bootable USB drive.

You can also create ISO image files. For more information, check out How to create ISO files from your software disks.

How to mount and access files in an ISO file

By default, Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8.1 can mount an ISO file as a virtual optical drive. Windows 7 requires a third-party program to mount an ISO file.

Once you mount an ISO file as a virtual drive, you can access the files and folders inside it. Most of the time, you will use this feature to run software installations.

Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8.1

1. Open File Explorer (name changed in Windows 8.1) by using one of the following:
• Left-click on the manila folder icon to the Taskbar.
or
• Press the Windows logo key + E at the same time.
2. Navigate to the ISO image you want to open.
3. Right-click on it and select Mount on the context menu that appears. Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8.1 automatically assign the next available drive letter.
   
4. Using File Explorer, navigate to the virtual drive you just mounted. You can now use it as you would with any other physically attached optical drive.
5. When you finish with the virtual drive, you can remove the drive by right-clicking on it and selecting Eject on the context menu that appears.
   

Windows 7

For Windows 7, we are going to use the open-source optical drive emulator WinCDEmu. Just download and install it using the default settings. Once WinCDEmu is installed, an ISO image is mounted, similar to Windows 11, Windows 10, or Windows 8.1.

1. Open Windows Explorer by using one of the following:
• Left-click on the manila folder icon to the Taskbar.
or
• Press the Windows logo key + E at the same time.
2. Navigate to the ISO image you want to open.
3. Right-click on it and select Select drive letter and mount on the context menu that appears.
   
4. On the WinCDEmu screen that appears, select the drive letter you want to use for the virtual optical drive and left-click on OK.
   
5. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the virtual drive you just mounted. You can now use it as you would with any other physically attached optical drive.
6. When you finish with the virtual drive, you can remove the drive by right-clicking on it and selecting Eject on the context menu that appears.
   

How to burn an ISO image file to a disk

The process for burning an ISO image to disk is the same for Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7. Just make sure you have the correct blank media for the disk you want to burn.

For example, if your ISO file is under 700 MB (Megabyte), it will fit on a CD. If it is between 700 MB (Megabyte) and 4.7 GB (Gigabyte), then it will fit on a DVD. If it is between 4.7 and 8.5 GB (Gigabyte), it will fit on a Double-Layer DVD. Anything over 8.5 GB (Gigabyte) will go on a BD.

For more information on Megabytes and Gigabytes, check out What is a Bit? What is a Byte?.

Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7

1. Open File Explorer (Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8.1) or Windows Explorer (Windows 7) by using one of the following:
• Left-click on the manila folder icon to the Taskbar.
or
• Press the Windows logo key + E at the same time.
2. Navigate to the ISO image you want to burn to disk.
3. Right-click on the ISO files and select Burn disk image on the context menu that appears.
   
4. On the Windows Disc Image Burner screen, select the optical drive you want to use to burn the disk from the pull-down menu. You can also verify the disk after it is created. When you are ready, left-click on the Burn button.
   
5. When the optical drive is finished burning the disk, left-click on the Close button.
   

How to create a bootable USB drive from an ISO file

When you want to create a bootable USB drive, you will need a USB flash drive that is empty or that you do not mind if it gets erased. If you are going to use a USB flash drive that has been used before, double-check it to make sure there is nothing on it you may want to keep.

Remember to use a USB drive larger than the ISO file you want to put on it. A good rule of thumb is to use one with a capacity of more than 4GB. I prefer using 8GB or larger, as Windows does require a USB drive with a minimum capacity of 8GB.

To create a bootable USB drive, you will need to download and install a separate program. There are several on the Internet, but one stands out above the rest: Rufus.

Create custom Windows installation media with Rufus

Rufus requires no installation. Just download it, and it is ready to go. There are a lot more options, including partition scheme, file system, and cluster size. You also have more boot options, including MS-DOS and FreeDOS.

Did you know that Windows limits the length of a file name? Did you know that the character limit also includes the folder name? And what about the Path? Let's look at the long folder and file names in Windows.

I recently recovered files from several Windows computers for a client. He asked that I put them onto an external drive for storage, but I ran into a problem: the file names were too long.

Many people think the maximum length for a File's name in Windows is 255 characters. But that is not correct. Technically, Folders are also files, but they have a unique attribute designating them as Folders.

The full name of the File also includes the Folder and Sub-Folder names. So, the File's actual name also consists of the Folder and Sub-Folder name(s) as well. All of these names factor into the 255-character limit.

So, when you include the names of the Folder, Sub-Folder(s), and File together, it is called a Path. A Path is a string of Folder, Sub-Folder, File, backslashes, and sometimes a volume name (drive letter).

The Path to a Folder or File on your computer will initially contain a drive letter (C:, D:, etc.). A Path to a network Folder and File will contain just two (2) backslashes (\\) at the beginning. A Path can be up to 260 characters in length.

For example, let's say you have a file named 'My Text File.txt' in a Sub-Folder of your Documents Folder called 'Simply Text Files'. The complete Path for it would be:

C:\Users\username\Documents\Simply Text Files\My Text File.txt

The name of the File itself is only 16 characters, but with the name of the Folder and Sub-Folders included, it is 59 characters. And the complete Path is 62 characters. And yes, spaces do count as characters.

So, getting a long name error does not necessarily mean the actual name of the File is too long; it just means the length of the names of the Folder, Sub-Folder(s), and File altogether is. The simplest solution is to shrink the Folder or Sub-Folder(s) name(s) and leave the actual File name alone.

In my case, I was dealing with a couple of thousand File names that were too long. I needed help determining where all of the Files were on the drives, so I went looking online for a program that could help me with this issue.

What I found was a neat little program called TLPD (Too Long Path Detector).

It showed me where all the long file names were. Lucky for me, they were grouped in Folders and Sub-Folders with reasonably long names.

So, using the output from TLPD,

I started shortening the Folder and Sub-Folder names. I kept running TLPD until all the Paths were down to under 225 characters. Then, I could copy all of the Files to an external drive for storage.