Wes Ellis./ a personal notebook
Technology. Stories. Side projects.
A few things worth writing down.
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Welcome in. I'm Wes: a systems engineer who builds websites, writes fiction and songs, tinkers with old hardware and cooks a lot of breakfast. This notebook holds all of it. Here's the map.

Good first reads

hand-picked

Threads

All threads ↗
4 CONNECTED NOTES

Archive conversion workshop ↗

  1. Test and Convert a Folder of Mixed Archives with 7-Zip
  2. Convert 7z Archives to ZIP So Anyone Can Open Them
7 CONNECTED NOTES

Getting devices into Intune ↗

  1. Microsoft Intune, Before You Enroll Anything: What It Does and What to Plan
  2. How to Enroll a Windows Device in Intune by Hand
5 CONNECTED NOTES

The breakfast fundamentals ↗

  1. How to Make Eggs on a Griddle
  2. Pancakes
9 CONNECTED NOTES

Windows Update, untangled ↗

  1. Patching Without Fear: Rings, Risk and a Way Back
  2. WSUS, WUfB or Windows Update? Check (and Reset) Where a PC Gets Its Updates
4 CONNECTED NOTES

Dell BIOS passwords, without the pain ↗

  1. Set or Rotate the Dell BIOS Admin Password Without Baking It Into a Package
  2. Remove a Dell BIOS Admin Password with PowerShell and ConfigMgr
4 CONNECTED NOTES

Local admin, done right ↗

  1. Create a Local Administrator Account with PowerShell
  2. Create a Dedicated Local Admin Account for Windows LAPS to Manage
7 CONNECTED NOTES

Keeping Active Directory tidy ↗

  1. Delegating Your Tier 0 OU to a Dedicated Admin Group with PowerShell
  2. Building a Tier 2 OU Structure and Admin Group with PowerShell
5 CONNECTED NOTES

The Microsoft Graph toolbox ↗

  1. Clean Reinstall of the Microsoft Graph PowerShell Modules
  2. Set Extension Attributes on Entra ID Users with PowerShell
6 CONNECTED NOTES

Packaging with ConfigMgr ↗

  1. Create an MECM Package and Program from PowerShell
  2. Silently Uninstall Any App by Name with a ConfigMgr Package
7 CONNECTED NOTES

Spring cleaning for Windows PCs ↗

  1. A Safer Windows Disk Cleanup Script
  2. Removing Stale Windows User Profiles the Right Way
7 CONNECTED NOTES

PowerShell craft ↗

  1. The -WhatIf Trap Hiding in ForEach-Object
  2. Check PowerShell Scripts for Syntax Errors Without Running Them
5 CONNECTED NOTES

File wrangling ↗

  1. Flatten a Messy Media Library into A-Z Bucket Folders
  2. Zip Up Folders Nobody Has Touched in Months
7 CONNECTED NOTES

Building this notebook ↗

  1. Rebuilding This Notebook
  2. Picking a CMS for a Static Blog in 2026
4 CONNECTED NOTES

The design notebook ↗

  1. The '90s Computer-Ad Look, Without Faking an Operating System
  2. Designing with Vignelli's Rules
10 CONNECTED NOTES

Building G8KEPR ↗

  1. What G8KEPR Is, in Plain English
  2. Four Checkpoints on One Request: The G8KEPR Pillars
5 CONNECTED NOTES

The retro workbench ↗

  1. Building a FieldStation42 Cable Box
  2. WeatherStar 4000: The '90s Weather Channel on a Raspberry Pi
7 CONNECTED NOTES

Games and gear ↗

  1. My Cyberpunk 2077 Mod Loadout
  2. Modding Shadow of Mordor in 2026
7 CONNECTED NOTES

Hash brown school ↗

  1. Fresh Hash Browns from Scratch
  2. Tater Tot Hash Browns
5 CONNECTED NOTES

The omelet station ↗

  1. How to Make an Omelet with a Ring
  2. 3 Cheese Omelet
4 CONNECTED NOTES

Hashes and scrambles ↗

  1. Breakfast Fiesta Mix
  2. Southwestern Hash
6 CONNECTED NOTES

Big breakfasts and sandwiches ↗

  1. The Full Griddle Breakfast
  2. Irish Breakfast
4 CONNECTED NOTES

Something sweet ↗

  1. Bananas Foster Pancakes
  2. Griddle Cinnamon Rolls