Synology Active Backup for Microsoft 365 – ErrorAccessDenied
We have a few IT support customers in Oxford and Abingdon who use their onsite Synology DiskStation NAS units to back up their cloud-based Microsoft Office 365 systems. The Synology package required for this is called “Active Backup for Microsoft 365“. It’s free of charge (as long as you have a supported Synology DiskStation unit) […]
Windows 10 installation – We couldn’t find any drivers…
I was setting up a new Dell OptiPlex 7020 (Intel Core i5-14500) PC for one of our customers in Oxford and hit a small issue installing Windows 10 Pro. The PC originally came with Windows 11, however, the rest of the company’s computers were still on Windows 10 and I prefer to keep all devices […]
This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions…
I vaguely remember seeing this error in some old versions of MS Outlook many years ago in my previous IT Support workplace, so was a bit surprised when a customer from Oxford emailed me a screenshot above saying that it was popping up when trying to open any link in the latest version of MS […]
MS Office – Couldn’t update license – Error Code: 18
A small business from Oxford recently contacted us with a little IT Support query. They were trying to activate a Microsoft Office 365 license in Microsoft Outlook. However, after entering the user’s login credentials (with an active Microsoft 365 license), the following error popped up: I’ve seen similar errors before and the first port of […]
OneDrive on Mac stuck on “Preparing to upload”
This small issue occasionally affects OneDrive application and it’s not the first time I’ve seen it. In this particular case, it happened on a Mac, but the same can occur on a Windows PC. OneDrive stays in a permanent “updating” status. Clicking on the app icon shows “preparing to upload”. Sometimes it can happen if […]
Virgin Media Business + Static IP prevents modem mode
I have quite a few clients in and around Oxford using Virgin Media Business broadband. I normally don’t recommend Virgin Media as a primary business broadband provider due to inconsistent and somewhat unreliable service (fine if you combine it with another non-Virgin broadband in a dual-WAN setup). Regardless, Virgin Media offers good headline speeds for […]
Remove restrictions from protected PDF file
A client from Oxford sent me a restricted PDF file which he wanted to modify (to add notes and highlight some text). The document was encrypted with the owner’s password, but didn’t require any password to open and print it. There are a few ways to remove edit restrictions from such files. I tried 3 […]
Adobe Reader quit unexpectedly…
A few people contacted me from a business client in Oxford with a minor IT issue. Adobe Acrobat Reader would keep popping the error below: The Adobe Reader wasn’t actually crashing, however, it was quite annoying receiving these errors multiple times per day. The software was up to date and the “Learn More” link was […]
Microsoft Office 365 IMAP / SMTP account keeps asking for a password
I had a call from a customer in Abingdon (just a few miles from Oxford) who could no longer configure his Microsoft Office 365 email account inside a Windows 10 desktop email client. After a bit of back and forth, it became clear that he was using IMAP / SMTP configuration and some sort of […]
Garmin Edge not recognised by a PC – charge only
A friend from Bicester (Oxfordshire) recently contacted me with a personal, non-business query. His Windows 11 PC suddenly stopped recognising the Garmin Edge 530 cycling computer. Upon connecting with a mini USB cable the computer would make the usual short “device connected” sound, but then nothing happens… Garmin Express software doesn’t “see” the device, and […]