How to buy mobile data with Bitcoin or Ethereum

Technorati Tags: Bitcoin,Mobile,Ethereum

So bitcoin is the latest craze, it solves a world problem and is very attractive to many people. It has a level of anonymity, if you so choose, its decentralised and its very nice to know that no government or federal reserve can own it. However ,the currency is not mainstream….yet and hence there isn't many things you can buy with it unless you sell it for another currency, but why do we have to?  Well here is at least one simple way of buying mobile date and airtime with your bitcoin using Luno.

1. From within the Luno mobile app click on Prepaid
   
   
   
   
2. Enter the mobile number you buying for. You can buy for yourself or someone else
   
   
   
   
3. Enter beneficiary name and select your mobile network
   
   
4. Enter your pin code or sign in with your finger print
   
   
   
   
5. Specify the type and amount of data or airtime you wish to buy with your bitcoin or ethereum.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Enter an optional reference number for the transaction and select if you want to buy with your Bitcoin or Ethereum wallet
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Confirm your purchase details and Enter your pin code or use finger print authentication
   
   
   
   
8. That's it. Good job on your first purchase using Bitcoin or Ethereum.

Let me know in the comments below if you think bitcoin is the currency of the future or if its just a bubble? Also if you found this help don't forget to share.

Recover GUI in Windows Server 2012

Today, while trying to fix another issue on my SCCM server I created another.

I was trying to uninstall and reinstall .NET 3.5 and 4.5. After a successful removal I rebooted the server and after logging in I was confronted with a Server 2012 alternative shell command prompt. I rebooted and still server 2012 r2 only boots to command prompt.I could CTRL+ALT+DEL and open the task manager and open things like firefox but not able to reinstall it. Obviously, I learned the hard way the effects of removing .NET as a windows server feature.

The Fix

On the command prompt window, run the following and wait till it asks you to restart. See Image below.




Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Server-Gui-Mgmt /featurename:Server-Gui-Shell /featurename:ServerCore-FullServer /all

This solution worked perfectly for me.

Be sure to let me know in the comments below if this quick post has been helpful or not.

UBER HACKED! Massive Data Leak

Yesterday another large global company became the victim of a data security breach and had 57 million customers and drivers personal data records stolen.
The sad part of it was that the Chief Security Officer (Joe Sullivan) and also one of Ubers executives tried to sweep this breach under the carpet by paying the attackers $100 000. They managed for a whole year and you must question their motives. Stolen data included email addresses , telephone numbers as well as names.Uber said no credit card information or trip location details was taken but considering the fact that they were trying to conceal it I definitely wouldn't take their word for it.
In light of this breach you have to notice that these breaches are becoming more common and attacks occurring more frequently.  No company is too large or too secure to be breached and its happening to “reputable” companies.
There is a database by an Australian security expert where you can check if any of your data has been compromised. You can visit https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Below is some of the more well known companies that has been compromised and what is available for you to search.















There is a list of hundreds more so be sure to check if you have been compromised.
You might also want to view these security tips to help you stay safe online.
The surface web is one big play area for hackers and cyber criminals looking to exploit and monetise the information you are already freely providing on the internet. Exercise some caution when using the internet and don’t get caught with your pants down and say you didn't know. Start protecting yourself by using the tor internet browser and take it from there. For further reading on the this hack you can view this post
If you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you.

The easiest way to watch MKV files on your iphone,ipad or imac

I really enjoy my iPhone, it's simple and easy to use.Well for most things at least but my biggest issue by far has to be how crap iTunes is at managing files. Then just look at how easy it is to copy your movies, books, and music to your Android.
So here is a quick, easy and free way on how copy any video files, most notably .mkv files, to your ios devices. This is also my preferred way to get an episode onto my iphone to watch in the bus on my way home.

1. On your Iphone , navigate to the app store and install vlc player
   
   
   
   
2. Plug your phone into your PC and open iTunes (it usually opens up automatically when plugged in)
   
   
   
3. Click your phone
   
   
   
4. Select Apps
   
   
   
   
   
5. On the right hand side scroll to the bottem where you will see File Sharing
   
   
   
6. Click on VLC then Add File…
   
   
   
7. Select your file and click Open or you can also hold Ctrl+Click to select multiple files
   
   
   
   
   
8. Wait a few seconds for your files to copy
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. That's it, Open VLC and your movies or episodes will already be on your device. Just open and enjoy
   
   
   
   
   
   

I hope you found this helpful and comment and let me know if I'm the only one that likes iOS but hates iTunes. 

How to Recover an Active Directory object using the Recycle Bin , 2008 & 2012 Methods

At some point in your career as an Active Directory Domain Administrator you will have the need to recover an AD object (user,computer,OU etc) and the last thing you want to do is an authoritive restore from backup.

In a previous post I show you how to check if the AD Recycle Bin feature is enabled and how to enable it which is the main prerequisite for this post.

In Windows Server 2012:

In Server 2012 it really easy using the Active Directory Administrative Center aka ADAC

1. Open the the ADAC
   
   
   
   
2. Select Deleted Objects
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Right click an object on the right and select Restore or Restore To… then select the location the object should be restored to.
   
   

In Windows Server 2008:

There are 3 ways if you’re in a Windows 2008 environment.

1. Use the ADAC tools installed on a Windows 2012 Server. This will have the same result and procedure as shown above and is by far the easiest.
2. Option 2 is using LPD.exe ,Microsoft has an easy to follow article detailing this procedure.
3. Using PowerShell.
• use the Get-ADObject command if you want a list of deleted objects
• once found you can simply restore the object using Restore-ADObject (See Example below of a computer object being restored. Same applies to users and other AD objects )
  
  
  

That's It!

I hope this post has been informative for you. Send a shout out if you found this post helpful or comment if you have any questions.

Check if Active Directory Recycle Bin is enabled and enable AD Recycle Bin

Back in the day when I started my AD journey, there wasn’t an easy way to recover an accidentally deleted Active Directory object. Back then I found a very helpful tool for Windows Server 2003 and 2008 called ADRestore.net

However, since Windows Server 2008 R2 they introduced a feature called the Recycle Bin, making recovery of AD objects allot easier. This is not enabled by default however and once enabled you cannot disable it.

So here are 2 easy steps to check if it's enabled and also how to enable it. Once complete you will want to review a previous post on how to actually restore an object using the recycle bin with methods for both 2008 and 2012


Check if Recycle Bin is enabled

1. Open up an admin PowerShell window and use the following command to check if ad recycle bin is enabled
   
   If  “Enabled Scopes” is empty then it is disabled. The below shows off a disabled environment.
   
   
   


2. To enable the Recycle Bin feature simply run the following command from an Admin PowerShell windows.
   
   
   
   

I hope this post has been informative for you.

How to Download ALL your Facebook data–Legally

There may come a time when you want to have a copy of your Facebook data, perhaps you thinking of deleting your account permanently and if you do, you may want to have a look at How to permanently delete your Facebook profile.
You will receive  a copy of your data in a zip file in simple website format with ALL your data,from password changes, where you logged in from 5 years ago, the browser you used, the IP address, all your photos, pokes, likes, comments, messages, videos you name it, its ALL there. See Pic Below
For a full list of items you can visit https://web.facebook.com/help/405183566203254

1. Clicking the at the top right of any Facebook page and select Settings

1. Click Download a copy of your Facebook data below your General Account Settings
   
   
   
   
2. Click Start My Archive
   
   
3. Enter your password
   
   
   
   
4. Click Start My Archive again
   
   
   
   
5. Your Download has been requested
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Wait for the Download Ready email and click the link in the e-mail
   
   
   
7. Click Download Archive
   
   
   
8. Enter your password again
9. Once the download is complete be sure to secure your archive .
   

Don’t get hooked and put down your phone ;-)