How to set up Syncthing with a tray icon on a Windows PC you don’t have admin rights to

First things first: I do not recommend SyncTrayzor as it bundles the Syncthing binary. As such, it does not have the latest build of the latter. As a longtime user of various sync software, I absolutely assure you that you will always want to be running the latest build as the very nature of syncing makes it more vulnerable to bugs.

Step 1: Download Syncthing & Syncthing Tray

While downloading Syncthing should be straightforward (just choose the build matching your platform), Syncthing Tray is a bit trickier. Download the highest 86_64 version number without qt in the filename.

Neither app has a Windows installer in 2022(!!!) so you’ll have to extract the archives to your desired locations. I recommend C:\Users\YourUsername\Syncthing for Syncthing and C:\Users\YourUsername\Syncthing Tray for Syncthing Tray.

Step 2: Start and configure Syncthing

• Double-click on the corresponding executable from Step 1. A console window should open up and the web UI should open in your default browser
• Note the URL (should be http://127.0.0.1:8384) as you’ll have to use it later
• Click Actions
• Click Settings
• Click the GUI tab
• Enter your desired username in GUI Authentication User
• Enter your desired password in GUI Authentication Password
• Click Save

The browser will show a login dialog. Login using the username and password you just set.

Note that if you don’t set a username and password for Syncthing, any account on the host machine will be able to access the web UI.

Step 3: Exit Syncthing

• Close the web UI browser tab
• Close the console window

Step 4: Start and configure Syncthing Tray

• Double-click on the corresponding executable from Step 1
• Right-click the corresponding system tray icon
• Click Settings
• Click Startup
• In the Autostart tab, check the Start the tray icon when the desktop environment launches box
• In the Syncthing launcher tab, check the Launch Syncthing when starting the tray icon box
• In the Syncthing executable field, enter C:\Users\YourUsername\Syncthing
• Click Apply
• Click Tray
• Enter the URL from Step 2 in the Syncthing URL field
• Check the Authentication box
• Enter the username from Step 2 in the User field
• Enter the password from Step 2 in the Password field
• Click Insert values from local Syncthing configuration to populate the API key field
• Ensure the Connect automatically on startup box is checked

Step 5: Exit Syncthing Tray

• Right-click on the tray icon
• Click Close

Step 6: Start Syncthing Tray

Start Syncthing Tray as before. The icon should turn green shortly.

Step 7: Set up a 2nd PC

Repeat Steps 1 to 6. We’ll call this PC2 and the 1st machine PC1.

Step 8: Connect PC1 and PC2

Follow these instructions. To share a folder that resides outside the default folder (C:\Users\YourUsername\Sync):

• On PC1, right-click the Syncthing Tray tray icon
• Click Open Syncthing
• In the ensuing web UI, click Add Folder
• Enter a folder label under Folder Label
• Enter your desired path under Folder Path
• Click the Sharing tab
• Check the box next to the hostname of the machine you want to share this folder with
• Click Save
• On PC2, right-click the Syncthing Tray tray icon
• Click Open Syncthing
• Click Add in the folder notification at the top of the page
• Set the desired folder label and path as above
• Click the Sharing tab
• Ensure the box for PC1 is selected
• Click Save

Your folders should now sync.

The above instructions should be very useful for limited privilege users in corporate/enterprise environments. A couple things to remember:

1. Syncthing is P2P and does not use cloud resources. As such, it’s good for data that’s not allowed to be in the cloud. This is especially the case for VPN overlay environments such as Zscaler, etc: as peer devices are always on the same network, transmitted data never “exits” the organization.
2. Because Syncthing is P2P, all data exists on the peer devices themselves. People who travel – especially internationally – with client devices should be very mindful and aware of statutory and regulatory data location restrictions.

from DEV Community 👩‍💻👨‍💻: jdrch https://dev.to/jdrch/how-to-set-up-syncthing-with-a-tray-icon-on-a-windows-pc-you-dont-have-admin-rights-to-4ih8
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How to Afford the Latest New Apple Products

TL,DR: Apple gift cards

If you think the iPad, iPhone, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Studio, iMac, Mac Mini, and Mac Pro are all too expensive and/or poor values for money relative to their competition, you’re not alone. It certainly doesn’t help that Apple’s own 0% interest financing tops out at 12 months for Macs.

But what if you still want one of the above? How do you do so affordably?

The overarching answer to this problem is to use Apple gift cards to prepay for Apple products over time at your own pace.

This works because Apple keeps their prices for a particular product the same for as long as they said product, giving you a static savings target. It also works best if you live in the US or have a US based credit card and can shop at US based retailers.

Step 0: Identify your desired product

This not only tells you how much in gift cards you have to buy, it tells you the maximum you should spend per month on gift cards if you want to pay less than what Apple charges. To find that latter number, click the Buy link for any product and look at the financing monthly payment.

Step 1: Get all of the following credit cards

These cards give you 5% cash back or instant discount on purchases from their retailers:

1. Best Buy Visa (5% store credit rewards on non-payment plan Best Buy purchases)
2. Target RedCard Mastercard (instant 5% off all Target purchases)
3. Amazon Prime Card (5% store credit on all non-payment plan Best Buy purchases)
4. A rewards credit card – called RewardsCreditCard for ease of reference going forward – that allows those rewards to be redeemed on Apple gift cards on sale. An example is Chase Freedom Ultimate

If you buy more than 20 x [Amazon Prime Annual Membership Fee] from Amazon per year, the Prime card will pay for itself. Not to mention you also get Prime Video included for free.

Step 2: Check for discounted Apple git cards at each RewardsCreditCard statement

These should be located in RewardsCreditCard’s online account. Some such credit cards rotate which gift cards are discounted monthly, so stock up on rewards points until the Apple gift cards are discounted. For example, Chase Freedom Rewards gift card sales are 10% off. This means that you can turn 1.5% cash back rewards into 1.65% Apple gift card rewards.

Once you have received any gift card, redeem (Apple instructions) it immediately, otherwise the number may be compromised and the funds drained.

Step 3: Create a Slickdeals alert for Apple gift cards

I use the following settings:

• Keyword: apple gift card
• Target Forum: Freebies, Rebates, Hot Deals, Coupons, Free Magazines, Contests & Sweepstakes, Drugstore/Grocery B&M Deals + Discussion, Black Friday Deals, Local Deals, Free Digital Goods, Cyber Monday Deals, Circulars Deals

Step 4: Watch your Slickdeals alerts

You’ll want to look for deals that offer at least 10% off or 10% in rewards for Apple gift cards. Typical deals are:

• Best Buy: $10 reward certificate with >=$100 Apple gift card
• Target: $10 gift card with >=$100 Apple gift card
• Amazon: Varies, but don’t buy anything that gives less than 10% rewards

Step 5: Buy Apple gift card from Slickdeals alert

Complete each transaction with the corresponding store card so you get the extra 5% off.

For the Amazon Prime Card specifically, you might want to choose the 0% interest or equal payments plan (in that order) if your purchase total is eligible, as this can lower your monthly cash outflow. However, doing so removes the 5% rewards on the purchase.

For Best Buy Visa you’ll want to combine the gift card purchase with enough other items to qualify for 1 of their 0% interest payment plans.

Target doesn’t do payment plans, but unlike Best Buy and Amazon the 5% discount is applied at the point of sale, so you save money instantly. As with the Apple gift card, redeem the included Target gift card immediately. You can do so by adding it to your Target account from any web browser.

As mentioned before, redeem the Apple gift card immediately.

Step 6: Set up a Rakuten account

This can give you cash back on some Apple purchases.

Step 7: Buy your Mac with your account balance

Due to Apple’s artificially short product update support periods, choose a current generation Mac only. Previous gen Macs at Apple retail prices are poor values for money for this reason.

Be sure to activate your Rakuten savings before checking out!

Check Apple’s Certified Refurbished Products first. My experience with refurbished machines is they’re just as reliable as brand new machines.

If you can’t find a refurb you like, wait for Apple’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals. Typically (it varies) these include a discount on the product + a gift card with the purchase. As before, you’ll want to apply the gift card immediately.

Step 8: Repeat Steps 0 to 7

Because of the short product support periods, all Apple products – especially Macs – have dates beyond which they are insecure for use. As such, you’ll want to start preparing for your replacement product as soon as you get your new one. If this sounds like a hardware subscription without a name, congratulations, you’ve discovered Apple’s business model.

Step 8: Keep the product box and packaging

That’s right, you’re not done yet! A major aspect of Apple hardware is their resale value¹ as well as the Apple Trade In program.

By using this method you’ll eventually you’ll have enough of an Apple account balance + trade in/swappa sale value to afford the latest Apple device when Apple drops support for the one you currently have.

You should also save anywhere from 10 to 20% overall on the purchase via the cumulative discounts.

from DEV Community 👩‍💻👨‍💻: jdrch https://dev.to/jdrch/how-to-afford-the-latest-new-apple-products-46dk
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How to restore the People Pane in Outlook 365

Microsoft has retired the People Pane, but you can still get it back … albeit not in the Outlook desktop app itself.

1. Log in to the corresponding Outlook web app. You can find this via File -> Info -> Account Information -> Account Settings -> below Access this account on the web. If you do not have a corresponding Outlook web app, this method will not work
2. In the Outlook web app, find the message you want to see people details for
3. Mouseover the name of the person of interest in the email header
4. To the right of the Call icon, mouseover the V icon

The ensuing dropdown menu provides much of the People Pane’s functionality, including finding previous emails, attachments, and more.

from DEV Community: jdrch https://dev.to/jdrch/how-to-restore-the-people-pane-in-outlook-365-35be
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How to get around Outlook 365 automatically encrypting emails you save to your computer

If the Microsoft Outlook 365 desktop app is encrypting emails you manually save to disk, here’s how to get around that.

1. Log in to the corresponding Outlook web app. You can find this via File -> Info -> Account Information -> Account Settings -> below Access this account on the web. If you do not have a corresponding Outlook web app, this method will not work
2. In the Outlook web app, find the message you want to download
3. Click the ... icon at the top right of the message
4. Click Other reply options >
5. Click Forward as attachment
6. Forward the email to yourself
7. Open the above email in the Outlook 365 desktop app. You’ll notice the attached email is unencrypted
8. Save the attached email as a .msg file

You should now be able to attach the saved .msg file above without it being encrypted.

The above worked on Outlook 2016 365 on Windows 10.

from DEV Community: jdrch https://dev.to/jdrch/how-to-get-around-outlook-365-automatically-encrypting-emails-you-save-to-your-computer-4530
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How to connect to the NETGEAR BR500 router using OpenVPN-GUI on Windows

Assuming you’ve already installed OpenVPN and renamed the corresponding network adapter as the user manual‘s instructs, here are a few additional details:

1. The config files downloaded from the router must all be located at C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config or C:\Users\$USERNAME\OpenVPN\config and must all have unique names. If you need only 1 connection and manually place files in 1 of those 2 locations, delete files with the same names in the other location
2. Once the above is satisfied, start OpenVPN GUI
3. Right-click on the tray icon
4. Mouseover Import
5. Click Import from file...
6. Import the client.opvn file downloaded from the router
7. Once the import is complete, right-click on the tray icon again
8. Click Connect

Your OpenVPN connection should now work perfectly.

The above works on Windows 11 and should also work on Windows 10.

Source: https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/wiki/OpenVPN-GUI-New

from DEV Community: jdrch https://dev.to/jdrch/how-to-connect-to-the-netgear-br500-router-using-openvpn-gui-41ld
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How to fix the HDHomeRun app getting stuck on the Recorded screen or being unable to find any tuners

If you find the above is happening, do this:

1. If not already installed, install the HDHomeRun Software for your desktop OS. Please note that this is not the same as the app
2. Run the HDHomeRun Setup app on your desktop. If a firmware update is available, it will execute and reboot the network tuner automatically. Once this happens, check your client apps again; they should be working now. If no firmware update occurs, then continue
3. Download the latest beta HDHomeRun Software from here
4. Repeat Step 2. All your client apps should work now

from jdrch https://dev.to/jdrch/how-to-fix-the-hdhomerun-app-getting-stuck-on-the-recorded-screen-or-being-unable-to-find-any-tuners-1p2j
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How to convert a Workday job listing login redirect to the actual job listing

You just tried to apply directly to a job on the employer website from a job board link, but are greeted with a Workday login redirect that looks like this:

To get to the original actual job listing:

1. Click on the login page URL
2. Delete login?redirect=%2FCompanyString
3. Delete %2Fapply
4. Replace remaining %2F strings with /
5. Click Enter or tap the browser Go icon

The original actual job listing should now load properly.

from jdrch https://dev.to/jdrch/how-to-convert-a-workday-job-listing-login-redirect-to-the-actual-job-listing-1d37
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How to fix Windows Hello facial recognition locking your screen while the PC is use

If this is happening to you, you may have Personify ChromaCam installed. Stop the matching service in Serices.msc, then uninstall all Personify apps (as well as Logitech Capture).

Fixed the problem for me with the Logitech BRIO 4K webcam on Windows 10.

from jdrch https://dev.to/jdrch/how-to-fix-windows-hello-facial-recognition-locking-your-screen-while-the-pc-is-use-59ac
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How to resolve the Resilio Sync service “Error 1069: The service did not start due to a logon failure.” on Windows

So you restarted your PC and Resilio Sync isn’t running. When you try to manually start the service, you get the Could not start the Resilio Sync Service service on Local Computer. Error 1069: The service did not start due to a logon failure. message.

Here’s how to fix it:

1. In Services.msc (which I assume you’re already in to have seen the error message), right click Resilio Sync Service -> Properties -> Log On
2. (You may be able to skip Steps 2) to 6). I’m just regurgitating what worked for me) Enable the Local System account radio button
3. Click Apply
4. Click OK
5. Click Start the service
6. After the service has started, click Stop the service
7. Repeat Step 1)
8. Click This account:
9. Click Browse...
10. In the Select User windows, click Object Types...
11. Uncheck Built-in security principals
12. Click OK
13. Enter your username in the Enter the object name to select (examples) field
14. Click Check Names
15. Select your username
16. Click OK
17. Enter your user password in the Password: and Confirm password: fields
18. Click Apply
19. Click OK
20. Repeat Step 5)

Resilio Sync should now start normally.

from jdrch https://dev.to/jdrch/how-to-resolve-the-resilio-sync-service-error-1069-the-service-did-not-start-due-to-a-logon-failure-on-windows-5dfd
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How to reset a default app preference in Samsung One UI 3.1 (Android 11)

Couldn’t find any writeup for this specifically elsewhere, so here’s how:

1. Go to Settings -> Apps -> Choose default apps -> Opening links
2. In the Installed apps list, tap the app you no longer want to be the default for something
3. In the ensuing dialog, tap Clear defaults

The above worked on a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Wi-Fi.

from jdrch https://dev.to/jdrch/how-to-reset-a-default-app-preference-in-samsung-one-ui-3-1-android-11-3bfd
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