Managing Windows Updates with Group Policy
· ☕ 12 min read
In this post I’ll walk through how I manage and test the delivery of Windows Updates to all my clients and servers. I’ll also go through how I manage essential servers like Domain Controllers, Hyper-V hosts and I’ll touch on getting started with Cluster-Aware Updating. We’re going to group our machines into Clients and Servers, and then group each of those groups into Ring 1 and Ring 2. If you want, you can create more rings for more control, but generally I find two rings are sufficient.
App Spotlight: Windows Admin Center
· ☕ 2 min read
At the time of writing Windows Admin Center has been around for almost 18 months, in those 18 months it’s come a long way and is still being actively developed and updated. It’s a simple install, can be installed on either Windows 10 or Server 2016/2019, doesn’t require an internet connection or Azure, and will work with your existing on-prem servers. It’s also free. Windows Admin Center (WAC) is a much needed tool for modernising the management of servers in the Microsoft ecosystem.
It's time to update.
· ☕ 1 min read
As you may be able to tell I’ve updated the site design and structure to assist in finding the most relevant information. I’ve also recently updated all my PowerShell utilities to support custom subject lines in the email output, along with a few other improvements and fixes. The best place to get my most up to date utilities and see other scripts I’m working on is on my GitHub. I still update the scripts on TechNet and PowerShell Gallery, but GitHub is where I focus my work.
Windows Deployment
· ☕ 2 min read
I’ve been deploying Windows since the Windows 2000 and Ghost days. I began deploying Windows 10 at scale with version 1607, and over the years I’ve learned a lot and developed a good and proven system for building and deploying reference images using Task Sequences and Microsoft Deployment Toolkit. Windows 11 is (so far) very similar to Windows 10, but I’ll be continuing my deployment guides and tips just as before.
About
· ☕ 1 min read
Hi there I’m Mike Galvin. I have been working in IT for 20+ years, starting with first-line support and moving through several technical roles managing servers and network infrastructure. I have always been interested in the problem solving and implementation side of IT ever since I first started rolling out Windows 2000 in my first IT role. My primary skills are in Operating System Deployment, Group Policy, Active Directory, and scripting.
Other Work
· ☕ 2 min read
3D Maze Remix - Available for Windows, macOS and Linux A simple 3D Maze game built in Unity, based off the Windows 9x screensaver. Download and Play for Free (itch.io) Development History My Github My github containing all of my tools, scripts and config files. Link: Digressive on Github Warframe Community Warframe Stream Schedule A countdown and information website to track Warframe livestreams times for different time zones.
My Windows Utilities
· ☕ 3 min read
Over the years I’ve built a number of Windows Utilities. These scripts are aimed at IT workers and enthusiasts to help automate common tasks. I maintain them on GitHub and also make them available on Microsoft’s PowerShell Gallery. Below are links to the documentation pages for each utility. These are free for anyone to use, but if you like them and want to support their development monetarily, please check out these links:
Office Update Utility
· ☕ 5 min read
Microsoft Office Update Manager Office Update Utility is available from: GitHub The Microsoft PowerShell Gallery Please consider supporting my work: Support with a one-time donation using PayPal. Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub. Thanks -Mike Features and Requirements This utility will check for and download update files for Microsoft Office. It can also remove old update files. This utility requires the Office Deployment Tool a free download available here.
Hyper-V Virtual Machine Backup Utility - Update v4.4
· ☕ 1 min read
Download it from the Microsoft TechNet Gallery the PowerShell Gallery and GitHub. Today I’ve released a minor update to my Hyper-V Backup Utility. In version 4.4 I’ve added more feedback when the script is used interactively. Whether you are running Hyper-V on a Windows 10 desktop or a Windows Server 2016 cluster, this utility can be used to backup your virtual machines. My original post with the full documentation is available here.
Deploying Office 2019 or Office 365
· ☕ 4 min read
If you’re familiar with deploying Office 2016 or any previous version, then the first big change when looking into Office 2019 or Office 365 is that there is no longer an MSI installer. Office 2019/Office 365 is now only available as a ‘Click-to-Run’ installation, which means we’ll need to change how we package, deploy and update Office 2019 or Office 365. Links to sites used in this post: Download the Office Deployment Tool (ODT) from Microsoft here.

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