Oddbyte originals

Step-by-step walkthroughs

Longer guides written for this site. Each one lists the sources it was checked against.

Servers & Self-HostingadvancedA self-healing camera wall: Agent DVR kiosk + watchdog on WindowsPowerShell scripts that open Agent DVR full-screen on each monitor and automatically fix frozen video, Retry pop-ups and error pages. Download and adapt.Servers & Self-HostingadvancedAuto-mount NAS shares on a Mac and keep them mountedA launchd job and a bash script that mount SMB shares at login, remount after sleep or network changes, and clear stale mounts. Download included.Windows HacksbeginnerEdit the Windows registry safely: back up, apply, undoBefore you try any registry hack: make a restore point, export the key you're changing, read the .reg file, and know how to get back if Windows won't start.WindowsintermediateExternal drive says "Not Initialized" or "You need to format the disk": don't click yes yetWhat to do when a drive that has your files on it suddenly shows as Not Initialized, Unknown, Unallocated or RAW. When to stop, the cheap checks, and how to get the files off before anything that erases.Scripting & AutomationintermediateIt works when I run it, but fails on a schedule (Windows, Mac, Linux)Why scripts that run fine by hand break under Task Scheduler, launchd or cron, and a checklist that finds the cause: identity, paths, environment, permissions and logging.EssentialsintermediateMake a verified offline archive of your phone photos (iPhone and Android)Copy every photo and video off your phone to a computer and an external drive at full quality, then prove nothing is missing with counts and SHA-256 checksums before you delete anything.EssentialsintermediateMatter device pairs, then goes offline or disappears: how to fix itYour Matter plug, bulb or sensor sets up fine, then shows No Response or vanishes. Why it happens (Thread, border routers, IPv6, mDNS, network isolation) and how to fix it, safest steps first.EssentialsbeginnerModem, router, Wi-Fi: how home internet reaches your devicesA plain-English map of a home network, plus the order to check things when the internet drops.Servers & Self-HostingadvancedMove or restore a Docker Compose app onto a new machineBack up a Compose stack (compose files, .env, named volumes and bind-mounted folders) and bring it back on a blank machine with its data intact, without the 'it started fresh and empty' surprise.WindowsintermediateMy NAS or shared folder disappeared after a Windows updateWhy a NAS, router USB share or Samba box stops working after upgrading to Windows 11 24H2 (SMB signing and blocked guest access), how to tell which problem you have, and the safe fix before the risky workarounds.Domains, DNS & CertificatesintermediateMy self-hosted site works everywhere except at home (NAT loopback and split DNS)Your home server is reachable from mobile data and from friends' houses, but not from your own Wi-Fi. Why that happens, how to confirm it in two minutes, and the two fixes: split DNS (best) or NAT loopback.Domains, DNS & CertificatesintermediateOne address for all your home-lab apps: a reverse proxy with CaddyUse Caddy to put several self-hosted apps behind friendly names with automatic HTTPS, without memorising ports.Domains, DNS & CertificatesintermediatePoint a Cloudflare domain at Netlify, get HTTPS, and make local test certificatesThe exact DNS records for a Netlify site on a Cloudflare domain, why the orange cloud breaks certificates, and how to make trusted HTTPS certificates for local development.Servers & Self-HostingadvancedProxmox LXC container can't write to a NAS share: fix permissions with real UID/GID numbersUnprivileged LXC sees 'Permission denied' or files owned by nobody on a NAS share? Mount it on the Proxmox host, bind it in, and line up the shifted UID/GID numbers.WindowsintermediateTurn a Windows PC into a basic home server: SSH, file shares and Remote DesktopUse any always-on Windows PC as a small server: install the built-in OpenSSH server, share folders over SMB from PowerShell, and enable Remote Desktop safely.WindowsintermediateWindows Sandbox: a throwaway Windows PC in seconds (plus .wsb config files)Turn on Windows Sandbox, test sketchy files and apps safely, and use .wsb files to share folders, cut off networking or run a script at startup.Scripting & AutomationbeginnerYour first Mac shell script (zsh), and running it automatically with launchdWrite a script in Terminal, make it executable, put it on your PATH, and schedule it with a LaunchAgent, the Mac's built-in alternative to cron.Scripting & AutomationbeginnerYour first PowerShell script (and how to run it on a schedule)Write a .ps1 file, get past the 'running scripts is disabled' error the safe way, and make Windows run it automatically with Task Scheduler.