Author: Jerry

The new Edge browser no longer supports Silverlight (as well as Flash, and some Java stuff) in order to be more secure. Most other browsers (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) are going (or have gone) in this direction because of the security and behavior vulnerabilities that can exist in these add-ons.

Windows 10 still includes the original Internet Explorer 11, but it is not anywhere that is easy to find. The shortcuts to IE 11 on your desktop, start, and taskbar need to be recreated; and IE needs to be set as your default browser so that it (rather than Edge) runs when you click a link.

Luckily, Windows 10 makes it very easy to find stuff. Search (Click on the magnifying glass on the bottom left, next to the start button), and type “internet” – right-click on Internet Explorer and “Pin to Start”, then “Pin to Taskbar”, and lastly, left-click it and choose “Open file location” – you will see the shortcut to IE – right-click that, and choose “Send to” and choose “Desktop (create shortcut)”. This process will put the original IE everywhere you need it to be.

In order to make IE open as the default internet browser (instead of Edge) when you click on links, search again for “internet” and click on the “Internet Options”. Go to the “Programs” tab, and click on the link to “Make Internet Explorer the default browser”. In the “Set Default Programs” window that has opened, find and select “Internet Explorer” on the left side, then click “Set the program as default” near the bottom right of the window. The next time you click on a web link or type a web address in the search bar, it should cause IE to open instead of Edge.

Now, one more thing: Other browsers (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) may realize that you have changed the default browser to IE, and may prompt you to change that (to set them as the default); this is entirely up to you, but if you wish to keep IE as the default browser, you may need to answer “No” to the other browsers (and check the box to never ask again).

As more and more work that we do becomes internet-based, we find that we may be logging into two or more web sites in order to do our work. One web site may be where we looked up information, such as a property tax record; and the other web site may be where we need to enter some information found on the first web site.

The default behavior for our browsers is that when we open up a new link or desktop shortcut, the browser opens the additional page(s) in a separate tab in the same browser window. While it’s easy to click on the different tabs to switch back and forth between the two sites, it’s not so easy when you’re having to copy (re-type) information from one site to the other(s).

You can change the behavior so that any new links (or shortcuts) will open in an entirely new window of the browser, and this will allow you to move and position the two separate browser windows so that you can see both at the same time and more easily copy/paste or re-type information.

To do this, go to the Start Menu/Control Panel. Choose Internet Options (you can also get here from within the browser Tools menu). On the General tab, there is a button in the middle named “Tabs”; click it and change the section “Open links from other programs in:” to “A new window”. Click OK all the way out.

Try it on a shortcut you may already have on your desktop. If you click the same shortcut more than once, you will get a new browser window each time. The additional windows can be resized or moved as desired to make your work easier.

Unfortunately, the browser window location will only remember where it was the last time it was closed, so it won’t be able to remember, for example, that xyz.com was on the left and abc.com was on the right, but it’s a simple matter to move the windows around after they have been opened. If these are web sites that you work with frequently, then after you’ve arranged them where you want them, simply minimize them when you need them out of your way, and when you restore from the taskbar it will be right back where you left it.

Connect to Exchange Online using remote PowerShell (e.g. Turn Off Clutter)

To enable Windows PowerShell to run signed scripts, run the following command in an elevated Windows PowerShell window (a Windows PowerShell window you open by selecting Run as administrator):

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

(You need to configure this setting only once on your computer, not every time you connect.)

1. On your local computer, open Windows PowerShell and run the following command:

$UserCredential = Get-Credential

In the Windows PowerShell Credential Request dialog box, type your Office 365 user name and password, and then click OK.

2. Run the following command:

$Session = New-PSSession -ConfigurationName Microsoft.Exchange -ConnectionUri https://outlook.office365.com/powershell-liveid/ -Credential $UserCredential -Authentication Basic -AllowRedirection

3. Run the following command:

Import-PSSession $Session

4. Perform any PowerShell commands as needed. For example, to disable Clutter on all mailboxes, run the following command:

get-mailbox |set-clutter -enable $false

5. NOTE: Be sure to disconnect the remote PowerShell session when you’re finished. If you close the Windows PowerShell window without disconnecting the session, you could use up all the remote PowerShell sessions available to you, and you’ll need to wait for the sessions to expire. To disconnect the remote PowerShell session, run the following command:

Remove-PSSession $Session

6. Exit PowerShell by typing “Exit”.