The Moorfox blog

Practical answers to the problems MSPs and IT teams actually search for. Every post starts with the short version, so you can take the fix and go. There are free tools to match.

MSP

Does a one-person MSP need an RMM?

What an RMM adds over Quick Assist and a spreadsheet, the moment the spreadsheet stops working, and how to pick one without a sales call.

Security

How do I check if a Windows PC has been hacked?

Remote tools the client never installed, new admin accounts, scheduled tasks, Defender exclusions and inbox rules: the checks in the order that finds the common cases.

RMM

Why does my RMM agent show a machine offline when it is on?

Sleep, a dead service, blocked port 443, a wrong clock, a cloned image. The check for each, in the order they turn out to be the cause.

PowerShell

How do I run PowerShell on a remote computer without RDP?

Invoke-Command over WinRM, PsExec, or the RMM agent's terminal: what each needs in a domain and a workgroup, and the gotchas that produce 'access is denied'.

Windows

How do I free up space when the C: drive is full?

Measure first with TreeSize or one PowerShell line, then Windows.old, WinSxS, hiberfil, the OST, shadow copies. Plus the server list and the folders never to delete.

Networking

Why does Windows say no internet when it is connected?

The probe behind the globe icon, the seven commands that find where the path breaks, and the filter rule that makes every machine on a site lie.

Security

Where do I find a BitLocker recovery key?

Find BitLocker keys in Entra ID, Microsoft accounts, AD, or locally. Match the 8-character ID. No backdoors exist if the key is missing.

Windows

How do I force a Group Policy update?

gpupdate /force locally, Invoke-GPUpdate or GPMC for remote machines, gpresult to verify, and the cases a refresh cannot fix: logon-only settings, group membership, replication.

Windows

What does Windows 10 extended support cost a business?

Windows 10 ESU is $61, then $122, then $244 per device, cumulative. Year 1 ends October 13, 2026, so the year-2 decision is now: prices, free paths, and the replace-or-patch math.

Windows

Windows Update stuck at 0% or 100%: the fix order that works

Reset the update components, then DISM, then SFC. The order matters and so does knowing when to stop.

Domains

How to check when a domain expires

One RDAP command, the grace and redemption timeline, and monitoring so a client domain never drops.

Networking

IPv4 subnet cheat sheet: every mask, and the maths behind it

The full /8 to /32 table, block-size mental arithmetic, wildcard masks and the mistakes that cause tickets.

Backup

The 3-2-1 backup rule for client fleets

What counts as a copy, what quietly does not, and the modern 3-2-1-1-0 extension for the ransomware era.

Security

Remote access without opening ports

Why exposed RDP keeps ending badly, and how outbound-only agents give unattended access with nothing listening.