Advanced Diary is a journaling/diary application for Microsoft Windows systems developed by CSoftLab. It stores the location of the currently active datbase in the Windows registry at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Databases in the key Database0. You can query the value from a command prompt using the reg query command reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Databases" /v Database0. You can change the value from a command-line interface (CLI) using the reg add command.

C:\>reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Databases" /v Database0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Databases
    Database0    REG_SZ    Protocol=Local*Database=C:\Users\Alice\Documents\Advanced Diary\diary.dndb


C:\>

It stores the settings for automatic backups at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Options. The default option settings when no automatic backup has been set are shown below.

C:\>reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Options" | find "AutoBackup"
    AutoBackup    REG_DWORD    0x0
    AutoBackupPath    REG_SZ
    AutoBackupMode    REG_DWORD    0x0
    AutoBackupTime    REG_BINARY    4F5555555555D53F

C:\>

You can change the backup settings in the program by selecting Tools, then Options, then Backup from the Advanced Diary menu bar.

The registry settings when automatic backups have been turned on with a backup location specified and the default backup options left in place, e.g., every day, are shown below.

C:\>reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Options" | find "AutoBackup"
    AutoBackup    REG_DWORD    0x1
    AutoBackupPath    REG_SZ    P:\alice\Advanced Diary Backups\
    AutoBackupMode    REG_DWORD    0x0
    AutoBackupTime    REG_BINARY    4F5555555555D53F

C:\>

When you turn on the backup option, the next time you start the program you will see a AutoBackup window prompting you to OK a backup. if you leave the "Confirm before running AutoBackup" option checked.

The "AutoSave" option is stored in the registry at AutoSave under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Options. The default value is zero. With "AutoSave entry ever 5 minutes" turned on the value will be "1" as shown below.

C:\>reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Options" /v AutoSave

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Options
    AutoSave    REG_DWORD    0x1


C:\>

The value in minutes for the interval at which automatic saves are performed is stored in the AutoSaveInterval key. The key that controls whether the user is prompted to confirm backups is stored in the BackupConfirmation key. A value of "0" indicates that confirmation is not required.

C:\>reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Options" /v AutoSaveInterval

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Options
    AutoSaveInterval    REG_DWORD    0x5


C:\>reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Options" /v BackupConfirmation

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CSoftLab\Advanced Diary\Options
    BackupConfirmation    REG_DWORD    0x0


C:\>

Related articles:

1. Obtaining a command prompt in Windows 11
   Date: August 14, 2023
2. Remotely Enabling Remote Desktop Protocol From the Command Line
   Date: April 11, 2009
3. Checking Microsoft Windows proxy server settings
   Date: January 7, 2015

[/os/windows/software/journaling/AdvDiary] permanent link

You can view the current name of a system running a Microsoft Windows operating system (OS) using the hostname command in a PowerShell or command prompt window. You can change the name of the host by opening a PowerShell window with administrator privileges by choosing "Run as administrator" when opening the window and then using the PowerShell command Rename-Computer -NewName "name" where name is the new name you wish to assign to the system. Note: names must be 15 or fewer characters due to NetBIOS limitations and should only use standard alphanumeric characters, i.e, A-Z, 0-9, and hyphens (-). Spaces and most special characters are invalid and will cause an error.

PS C:\Windows\system32> hostname
DESKTOP-PNS32H3
PS C:\Windows\system32> Rename-Computer -NewName "Jamestown"
WARNING: The changes will take effect after you restart the computer DESKTOP-PNS32H3.
PS C:\Windows\system32>

You will need to reboot to have the new name go into effect; you can add the -Restart option to the command to restart automatically. E.g., Rename-Computer -NewName "TheNewName" -Restart.

To join a Windows domain from a command-line interface (CLI), you can issue the command Add-Computer -DomainName "YourDomainName" -Credential (Get-Credential) -Restart — replace YourDomainName with the name of the Windows domain. If you don't want to automatically reboot, omit the -Restart option.

Add-Computer -DomainName "ad.example.com" -Credential (Get-Credential) -Restart

cmdlet Get-Credential at command pipeline postion 1
Supply values for the following parameters:
Credential

You will see a "Windows PowerShell credential request" window open where you can provide a user name and password for an account in the domain administrators group. The system will automatically reboot if you have added the -Restart parameter.

[/os/windows/PowerShell] permanent link

To determine the IP address of a Microsoft Windows system from a command-line interface (CLI) you can open a command prompt window and use the ipconfig command ipconfig /all. If you only need the IPv4 address you can pipe the output into find or findstr. Alternatively, you can use a netsh command.

C:\>ipconfig /all | find "IPv4 Address"
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.8(Preferred)

C:\>ipconfig | findstr /C:"IPv4"
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.8

C:\>netsh interface ip show addresses

Configuration for interface "Ethernet"
    DHCP enabled:                         Yes
    IP Address:                           192.168.0.8
    Subnet Prefix:                        192.168.0.0/24 (mask 255.255.255.0)
    Default Gateway:                      192.168.0.1
    Gateway Metric:                       0
    InterfaceMetric:                      25

Configuration for interface "Loopback Pseudo-Interface 1"
    DHCP enabled:                         No
    IP Address:                           127.0.0.1
    Subnet Prefix:                        127.0.0.0/8 (mask 255.0.0.0)
    InterfaceMetric:                      75


C:\>

You can also use a PowerShell cmdlet to view the IP address.

PS C:\> Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4


IPAddress         : 192.168.0.8
InterfaceIndex    : 5
InterfaceAlias    : Ethernet
AddressFamily     : IPv4
Type              : Unicast
PrefixLength      : 24
PrefixOrigin      : Dhcp
SuffixOrigin      : Dhcp
AddressState      : Preferred
ValidLifetime     : 15:58:12
PreferredLifetime : 15:58:12
SkipAsSource      : False
PolicyStore       : ActiveStore

IPAddress         : 127.0.0.1
InterfaceIndex    : 1
InterfaceAlias    : Loopback Pseudo-Interface 1
AddressFamily     : IPv4
Type              : Unicast
PrefixLength      : 8
PrefixOrigin      : WellKnown
SuffixOrigin      : WellKnown
AddressState      : Preferred
ValidLifetime     : Infinite ([TimeSpan]::MaxValue)
PreferredLifetime : Infinite ([TimeSpan]::MaxValue)
SkipAsSource      : False
PolicyStore       : ActiveStore



PS C:\>

You can get a more concise version showing the interface and address with Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 |Select-Object InterfaceAlias, IPAddress.

PS C:\> Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 | Select-Object InterfaceAlias, IPAddress

InterfaceAlias              IPAddress
--------------              ---------
Ethernet                    192.168.0.8
Loopback Pseudo-Interface 1 127.0.0.1


PS C:\>

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows/PowerShell] permanent link

I needed to eject a optical disc drive tray from a command-line interface (CLI) on a system running Microsoft Windows 11 so that I could insert a DVD in the drive. That can be done using the Powershell command powershell (New-Object -ComObject WMPlayer.OCX.7).cdromCollection.item(0).Eject(), which will eject the tray of the first optical drive found by Windows Media Player's COM object.

PS C:\> powershell (New-Object -ComObject WMPlayer.OCX.7).cdromCollection.item(0).Eject()
Windows PowerShell
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Install the latest PowerShell for new features and improvements! https://aka.ms/PSWindows

PS C:\>

[/os/windows/PowerShell] permanent link

1. Open the program and then click on the gear icon near the top, right side of the window.

   

2. Choose Tools and Options.

   

3. Uncheck the option for "Automatically start the app when I log on to Windows" under the Personal options to prevent the program from restarting automatically upon a login to the system, then click on OK to apply the change after unchecking that option.

   

[/os/windows/software] permanent link

Microsoft Windows 8 introduced a feature called Fast Startup. The feature was a variation of hibernate mode, but when enabled would close all running programs and log the user out before hibernating. This feature would result in a user being able to log in more quickly when a system is powered back on after a shutdown. There may be cases where use of this feature is not desirable, however. E.g., if the user wants to boot the system into Linux, but still access data on the Windows boot drive. To turn fast startup off, you can take the following steps:

1. Type Control Panel in the Windows Search field at the bottom of the screen.
2. Click on System and Security.
3. Click on Change what the power buttons do under Power Options.
4. Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable. If prompted for administrator credentials, provide those for an administrator account.
5. Uncheck the check box next to "Turn on fast startup (recommended)".
6. Click on Save changes. You can then close the window.

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows] permanent link

1. Type services in the Windows Search field. You should see it returned by the search utility. Click on "Run as administrator" and provide the login credentials for an account that has adminisrator privileges.
2. When the Services window opens, scroll down until you see Windows Audio.
3. Right-click on the entry and choose "Restart".
4. When the status for the service returns to "Running", you can close the Services window.

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows] permanent link

If you need to determine if a drive in a Microsoft Windows system or connected to it via USB is BitLocker encrypted, you can use the manage-bde utility. To use the program, open a command prompt window with administrator privileges and then issue the command manage-bde -status to see the status of all drives. To see just the status of one drive, e.g., C:, you could use manage-bde -status C:.

C:\Windows\System32>manage-bde -status c:
BitLocker Drive Encryption: Configuration Tool version 10.0.26100
Copyright (C) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Volume C: [Windows]
[OS Volume]

    Size:                 14826.87 GB
    BitLocker Version:    None
    Conversion Status:    Fully Decrypted
    Percentage Encrypted: 0.0%
    Encryption Method:    None
    Protection Status:    Protection Off
    Lock Status:          Unlocked
    Identification Field: None
    Key Protectors:       None Found


C:\Windows\System32>

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows/commands] permanent link

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows/commands] permanent link

OpenSSH Server for Windows 10 requires at least Windows 10 (build 1809). You can determine the build number for Windows 10 by typing winver in the Windows "Type here to search" field at the bottom of the screen or at a PowerShell prompt. Or you can use the systeminfo utility and pipe it's output into the findstr command, filtering on the line that has "OS" at the beginning of the line and also "Version" in the line.

PS C:\> systeminfo | findstr -B "OS" | findstr "Version"
OS Version:                10.0.19045 N/A Build 19045
PS C:\>

The SSH Client software may already be installed. You can determine if it is already installed by opening a PowerShell prompt and typing ssh. If it is installed, as it was on the Windows 10 Professional Version 22H2 (OS Build 19045.6466) system on which I wanted to set up the OpenSSH Server software, you will see a response like the following one:

PS C:\> ssh
usage: ssh [-46AaCfGgKkMNnqsTtVvXxYy] [-B bind_interface] [-b bind_address]
           [-c cipher_spec] [-D [bind_address:]port] [-E log_file]
           [-e escape_char] [-F configfile] [-I pkcs11] [-i identity_file]
           [-J destination] [-L address] [-l login_name] [-m mac_spec]
           [-O ctl_cmd] [-o option] [-P tag] [-p port] [-Q query_option]
           [-R address] [-S ctl_path] [-W host:port] [-w local_tun[:remote_tun]]
           destination [command [argument ...]]
PS C:\>

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows/network/ssh/OpenSSH] permanent link