Steve Galloway | Comstat | Ruthin, North Wales

Index of articles

by Steve Galloway | Jun 6, 2026

Click open the Index headers below to browse FAQ

Our support articles address the most common issues we deal with “in the field” about Windows, Microsoft 365 Business, web server support, and web design. Click open the accordion sections below to look for self-serve help. Often, issues rely on a knowledge of IT concepts and language. Also, Microsoft, cPanel, and other software houses featured in these articles often update practice notes and procedures without notice. We review our pages regulalry, however you are advised to contact us for further help about these articles especially concerning issues around sovereign account identity and Multifactor Authentication (MFA).

Microsoft Windows 11

Microsoft 365 setup, licensing and user management

Microsoft 365, Exchange Online and Outlook

Microsoft 365 configuration and user tips and tricks

The following articles can be found using <Search> or scrolling through our list of articles. Procedures may have changed since and therefore this content is either being eidted or deprecated. So, although we are editing this content, you might still find useful information to help with issues.

– Exchange Online – room and equipment resources
– Reset Office 365 password expiration policy
– Exchange Email – EOP antivirus/spam
– Exchange Online Protection – EOP
– Microsoft 365 Exchange Email – data leakage & loss protection
– Microsoft ActiveSync

cPanel - web server | email |DNS

cPanel - Sitejet web design software

cPanel Disaster Recovery Backups: Ownership responsibility

by Steve Galloway | Jun 1, 2026

cPanel Disaster Recovery Backups: your data is yours to protect

Comstat maintains disaster recovery backups for your web server content and data strictly for our own administrative and disaster recovery purposes. This article sets out our backup policy which, in common with industry convention, relies on the principle that responsibility for data protection rests with the owner of the virtual server or hosting account.

This article explains how our disaster recovery backups are used within our hosting and virtual server environments — and just as importantly, how they are not used.

Click open the headers below to learn more about our policy regarding disaster recovery backups. Support options are available for professional assistance, and at the end of the article you can find links to guidance and help for implementing backups. You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here.

Data is the responsibility of the owner

In all hosting environments managed by Comstat, the responsibility for data protection rests with the owner of the virtual server or hosting account.

That includes, but is not limited to:

Website content and uploads
Databases
Email data
Application‑specific files
Configuration changes made by the account holder

This is in line with Internet Service Provider (ISP) practice. For instance, neither Google nor Outlook.com undertake to back up your email or files. Although Microsoft 365 guarantees service level availability, data remains the responsibility of the owner.

Every website owner should maintain their own backup strategy that aligns with their business, regulatory, and operational needs. This may include one or more of these approaches:

cPanel backup (provided with your server)
Backup utilities like Backuply which you can install using WordPress or cPanel Softaculous library
off‑platform backups
third‑party backup services
or application‑level backup tools

We are glad to help you decide what is the best solution for your needs.

Importantly, although we do keep temporary backups which may be helpful as a last resort, our platform is not positioned as a primary backup service for end users.

Who Is Responsible for Data?

Responsibility for data protection rests with the owner of the virtual server or hosting account. In the case of the services we provide to you, this includes but is not limited to:

Website content and uploads
Databases
Email data
Application‑specific files
Configuration changes made by the account holder

Every website owner should maintain their own backup strategy. This makes sense because your strategy needs to align with your business, regulatory, and operational needs. This might include using:

solutions available to you with your hosting (e.g. Backuply, Softaculous WordPress Manager)
solutions provided to you by agreement with your agents
off‑platform backups
third‑party backup services
application‑level backup tools

Our data recovery backups are designed to cope with force majeure risks that your hardware is exposed to. Therefore, our platform is not positioned as a primary backup service for end users.

Why Comstat Takes Backups at All

Although responsibility for content and data ownership lies with an account holder, Comstat performs disaster recovery backups for clear and limited reasons:

Platform‑level disaster recovery
Server migration
Administrative resilience
Infrastructure failure scenarios
Major security incidents

In this way, our backup regime exists to protect the integrity of the hosting platform as a whole, not to replace user‑managed backup solutions.

Our backup framework is designed to support hardware management and recovery in exceptional circumstances—not routine file restoration or historical data retrieval.

How Our Backup Policy Works

Unfortunately, web site owners do not always deal with backups. In this situation, our operational backups might be able to restore a recent working configuration. However, this might not accomplish a most recent known working configuration. Also, our backup library extends to a 90-day rolling window.

Backup Scope

Full cPanel account backups
Incremental – file changes made since baseline/last increment
No guarantee of granular file‑level recovery
No long‑term archival storage
System files are excluded

Retention Model

Daily backups: retained for 7 days
Weekly backups: retained for 4 weeks
Monthly backups: retained for 3 months

This schedule provides a maximum recovery window of approximately 90 days, which is appropriate for disaster recovery while avoiding unnecessary data retention.

Backup Access

Backups are governed using native WHM and cPanel tools
Restore actions are typically administrator‑controlled
In some cases, backups may be visible to account holders in cPanel
Access is provided only as a last resort, not as a service guarantee

This model ensures that cPanel disaster recovery backups remain predictable, auditable, and aligned with platform boundaries.

Why We Use Native WHM Backups

Firstly, it helps to understand how a web server operates.

WHM – Web Host Manager

Web server (platform) administrators use an operating system called WHM (Web Host Manager) to manage servers. Think of WHM as an equivalent of Microsoft Windows (admin user). Usually, web site owners do not have access to this hierarchy level. This is because WHM requires specialist knowledge

cPanel – where daily work happens

Web site owners typically use cPanel (Windows standard user) to manage their web site, email, etc.cPanel provides a broad toolset to deal with web sites, email, file management, and many other end-user features. Like a Windows (standard) user, cPanel users have daily control of the web server for email, WordPress, and other features. However, some functions are omitted because they are not likely to be needed, and pose elevated security or operational risk.

How our backup policy fits

We operate backups at WHM level. These backups are executed by a WHM admin account which is not available to the web site owner. Using WHM’s built‑in backup utilities offers several advantages, but some limitations, too:

Tight integration with cPanel account structure
Correct handling of permissions and metadata
Well‑tested restore paths during emergencies
Clear separation between platform and user responsibility

Custom or script‑based backup systems can introduce ambiguity, complexity, and increased operational risk. For disaster recovery, reliability and predictability matter more than flexibility. This also means that because our backups are executed at an “admin” level, restoration of data usually requires adjustment to ownership and read/write permissions. This is why owner-operated backups work more efficiently. Also, restoration from our WHM environment entails cost.

What This Means for Website Owners

In practical terms:

You must maintain your own backups
You should not rely on platform backups for routine “restores”
Platform backups may help in exceptional circumstances
No backup availability is guaranteed beyond the defined retention window

This approach keeps expectations clear and ensures that responsibility is properly aligned.

Summary - Next Steps

If you have questions about suitable backup strategies for your workload, we are always happy to discuss best practices. Backup utilities are already available to you at cPanel level, including Backup for cPanel which allows you to download and store your site in a backup file. WordPress can be backed up using plugins like Backuply, and your installation can also be backed up using Softaculous WordPress Manager. This is available on your server too. Lastly, we publish articles about options like:

We continually introduce new content to our support section, so please do check our How To pages periodically.

Bear in mind that different solutions have their own merits. For instance, Softaculous WordPress Manager is great for ease of use. If you want to export your WordPress website to a new server, though, it is not a viable option. For that eventuality the second article in the list above is desirable. Admittedly, this approach is seemingly daunting, and you may need to contact us about this methodology. So, when you plan a backup strategy, you should define what the backups need to accomplish.

Remember, ownership of the data remains exactly where it should be: with you.

If you need help adopting this workflow, or you need disaster recovery planning or assistance, please get in touch, or use our contact page to organize an appointment which suits your timetable. You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here .

Email System Audit and Recovery Review: What It Includes and Why It Matters

by Steve Galloway | May 10, 2026

What Is an Email System Audit and Recovery Review?

An email system audit and recovery review is a structured assessment of your company’s email environment. It examines how your system is configured, how secure it is, and how well it can recover from failure or attack.

Most modern businesses rely on platforms such as Microsoft 365. These systems are powerful, but they are also complex. Over time, settings drift, risks increase, and gaps appear. An audit brings clarity.

A proper email system audit and recovery review answers three key questions:

Is the system secure?
Is it configured correctly?
Can it recover quickly if something goes wrong?

Click open the headers below to learn more about how a professional email system audit helps meet IT compliance standards. Support options are available for professional assistance. You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here.

What Does an Email System Audit Cover?

An email system audit and recovery review focuses on several core areas. Each one plays a role in protecting your business.

Security and Access

This aspect of an email system audit includes checks on:

Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Admin permissions and access levels
Legacy protocols such as IMAP or POP
Conditional access policies

The goal is to reduce the risk of account compromise, which is one of the most common entry points for attackers.

Mail Flow and Protection

At this stage of an email system audit we review how email enters and leaves your system:

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records
Anti-spoofing protection
Anti-phishing and malware filtering
A well-configured system stops threats before they reach users.

Mailbox and Data Configuration

As your email system audit progresses, the focus of this exercise deals with how data is stored and managed:

Mailbox permissions and shared access
Retention policies
Archiving and audit logging

Often, businesses discover that data is either not protected enough, or kept longer than needed.

What Is a Recovery Review?

While the audit looks at your current state, the recovery element looks at your future resilience.

A strong email system audit and recovery review will assess:

Backup and Restore Capability

Microsoft 365 includes retention, but it is not a full backup solution. Other email systems make no provision for retention or broader backups at all. A review checks:

Whether backups exist
How quickly data can be restored
How granular recovery is (single emails vs full mailboxes)

Incident Response Readiness

If an account is compromised, speed matters. The review looks at whether you can:

Revoke sessions quickly
Reset access securely
Remove malicious rules or forwarding

Business Continuity

You should also know what happens if:
DNS settings fail
A widespread outage occurs

Few organisations have a good understanding of these areas.

Why This Matters for Modern Businesses

Email is still the backbone of business communication. It is also a primary attack vector. A thorough email system audit and recovery review helps to:

Reduce the risk of phishing and account takeover
Protect sensitive client data
Protect sensitive client data
Improve compliance and record keeping
Provide confidence for directors and stakeholders

In many cases, it also highlights unused features within your existing licensing—especially in Microsoft 365—that can improve security without increasing cost.

A Practical Approach: Audit in Stages

Many assume an audit must be a large, one-off exercise. In reality, a staged approach is often more effective.
An email system audit and recovery review can be delivered in phases:

Phase 1: Security Baseline

Address critical risks such as MFA, admin access, and mail spoofing.

Phase 2: Configuration and Data

Review policies, permissions, and retention settings.

Phase 3: Recovery and Resilience

Assess backup, monitoring, and incident response processes.

This staged model allows work to be budgeted and managed over time. It also reflects how systems evolve, rather than treating the audit as a fixed snapshot.

A useful comparison is financial accounting. Accounts show a position at a moment in time. By contrast, an email system audit and recovery review can act as an ongoing process, adapting as your business grows and risks change.

What You Should Expect from an Audit

A professional email system audit and recovery review should deliver:

A clear findings report
Risk ratings (critical, high, medium, low)
Plain English explanations
A prioritised action plan

The aim is not just to highlight issues, but to give practical steps that improve your system.

Summary

An email system audit and recovery review is not just a technical exercise. It is a way to protect your operations, your data, and your reputation.

Handled correctly, a dsicipline like this provides both immediate improvements and a long-term roadmap. Whether delivered in one piece or in stages, it helps ensure your email system is secure, resilient, and fit for purpose.

Comstat provides independent advice on business IT choices that reduce risk, protect continuity, and support long‑term growth. If you need help managhing email, please get in touch, or use our contact page to organize an appointment which suits your timetable. You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here .

cPanel WordPress Backup: A Practical Guide for Virtual Host Owners

by Steve Galloway | May 5, 2026

Introduction

If you manage your own virtual host, you need a cPanel WordPress backup strategy. While you can configure cPanel a few ways to automate backups, the truth is that using cPanel Terminal or SSH is more comprehensive. It also affords maximum flexibility when restoring content.

For instance, Softaculous and other third party backup utilities impose attributes during backup/export that can obstruct access to files during restoration.

Instead, cPanel’s CLI (Command Line Interface) provides means to rename directory/file ownership and avoid WordPress ID codes that can render backups unusable. This guide shows you how to back up and restore your WordPress site, database, and (optionally) email quickly and reliably.

Important: this article gives an overview of a backup procedure assuming conventional configurations. You may need to tailor this workflow according to your virtual host’s LAMP, PHP, WordPress (or nested WordPress), and MySQL versions. If in doubt, you should contact us especially for production web sites for professional help.

Click open the headers below to learn more about using simple command line instructions to secure maximum flexibility for data restoration. Support options are available for professional assistance. You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here.

What You Need Before You Start

To follow this cPanel WordPress backup workflow, you will need:

SSH access to your server
Your cPanel username and password credentials
Basic command-line familiarity
Permission to run backup commands

You may need to contact us for SSH access. SSH is usually restricted for improved security, and we are happy to enable it should you want SSH on an ongoing basis.

Step 1: Back Up WordPress Files

Your WordPress site lives in the public_html directory in your server’s home directory. Use this command to create a compressed archive:

tar -czf /home/username/public_html.tar.gz -C /home/username public_html

This creates a clean file backup that includes:

Themes
Plugins
Media uploads
Configuration files

This is the first part of your cPanel WordPress backup process.

Step 2: Back Up your WordPress Database

WordPress stores your web site’s content in a MySQL database. Credentials for your database are stored “server side” in a WordPress file called wp-config.php. You can open this file with a text editor to make a note of these credentials:

DB name
DB user
DB password

Next, using your SSH command line, run this command:

mysqldump -u dbuser -p dbname > /home/username/database.sql

This database dump contains:

Posts and pages
Users
Site settings

You can alternately export the database using phpMyAdmin. This is another efficient option, and it is secure because the database “dump” is downloaded to your local workstation.

Step 3 (OPTIONAL) Back Up Email

Email is stored separately from your website. Usually, email is handled via Microsoft 365, Gmail, or another email service. If you manage email via your web server, though, you need to back up your email. To capture this content use:

tar -czf /home/username/email.tar.gz -C /home/username mail etc

This captures:

Mailboxes and messages
Email account configuration

You can back up all accounts at once or target individual mailboxes if needed.

Step 4: Store Your Backups Safely

Once created, download your backups or move them to a safe location. For example:

scp username@server:/home/username/*.tar.gz ./

This command copies files from the server to your local machine. You can use cPanel File Explorer to do the same thing. Sometimes, using a mouse is a more familiar way to deal with files. Either way, keeping copies off the server ensures you can recover even if the original host fails.

Restoring your WordPress site

There are a few reasons backups are useful:

you want to restore a last known working condition
you want to migrate your web site to a new web server
you may need to re-house your web site using a different domain name

Using Linux commands using cPanel’s SSH access is the only way to allow these eventualities to happen.

Restore your WordPress site

This cPanel WordPress backup workflow makes recovery simple. If you are restoring files to your existing server, skip to step 2.

Recreate the cPanel Account
1. Set up a new account with the same username if possible.
Restore WordPress Themes/Plugins/Admin files
1. tar -xzf public_html.tar.gz -C /home/username
Restore Database
1. mysql -u dbuser -p dbname < database.sql
Fix Permissions
1. chown -R username:username /home/username/public_html
Check configuration
1. Ensure wp-config.php matches the database details.

Restore email (optional)

If you included email in your cPanel backup WordPress process:

Recreate email accounts in cPanel
Restore files:
1. tar -xzf email.tar.gz -C /home/username
Reset permissions:
1. chown -R username:mail /home/username/mail

Mail clients should then resynchronise automatically.

Why This Method Works Well

There are a few ways to backup a WordPress installation. Most methods become problematic because of limitations that backup utilities offer. Sometimes, this is to suit a limited purpose in the first place. This cPanel WordPress backup approach gives you:

Independence from cPanel restore tools
Fast, lightweight backups
Full control over restoration
- including file naming
- ignoring WordPress ID codes that might prohibit import
- renaming and credentialling WordPress databases
Clean rebuilds without legacy issues

Summary

A manual cPanel WordPress backup workflow using SSH is simple, reliable, and efficient. It suits users who want clarity and control during migrations or recovery.

Used alongside standard cPanel tools, our cPanel WordPress backup workflow gives you both flexibility and peace of mind.

Business PC Recovery Tools Explained: Windows Recovery Drive vs Manufacturer Tools

by Steve Galloway | Apr 12, 2026

Plan for recovery

Managing your IT at workstation or even network level is about preparing for failure, rather than waiting for a problem. PC recovery tools play an important part in ongoing hardware management.

When business owners and professionals choose a laptop, the conversation usually starts and ends with price. A £250 generic Windows laptop appears to do the same job as an £800 business‑grade device. Both run Windows. Both open email. Both connect to the cloud. However, although the price looks great, the reality does not hit until the computer develops a problem. Suddenly, PC recovery tools that could remedy a problem are note available to cinch an issue.

The difference only becomes Windows or hardware problems happen. In conventional offices, ‘work” computers tend to work with finite core applications only. Home office computers do not enjoy this discipline: a user often uses a computer for recreational and social functions that would not be tolerated in an office network. This makes home office computers more difficult to diagnose and remedy. So, recovery tools SHOULD be a prime consideration when buying a computer for home/small office use.

While Windowes provides recovery tools to look after itself, inexpensive generic computers do not usually provide manufacturer hardware diagnostics and recovery available to business class hardware.

Business PC recovery tools exist for:

failed updates
storage errors
firmware problems
full operating system corruption.

Understanding how these tools work—and why higher‑quality systems manage failure better—can significantly reduce downtime, data loss, and support costs.

Click open the headers below to learn more about how Manufacturer hardware recovery tools work with Windows Recovery to provide the best capability for restoring PC faults. Support options are available for professional assistance. You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here.

How the Windows Recovery Drive Helps Recover Windows

The Windows Recovery Drive is a Microsoft‑provided safety net. Created using a USB stick, it contains the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), which can be used when Windows will not start.

At a basic level, Windows recovery tools allow you to:

Repair startup issues
Roll back recent updates
Reset Windows while keeping or removing user files
Access advanced tools such as Command Prompt for manual repair

For many home users, this is sufficient. Windows recovery is generic by design. It is meant to work on almost any compatible PC regardless of manufacturer.

However, that strength is also its limitation. Windows recovery focuses solely on the operating system. It does not deeply understand the hardware it runs on, nor does it diagnose whether Windows failed because the hardware itself is deteriorating.

The Limits of Windows‑Only Recovery

When a system will not boot, Windows Recovery (see our article here) assumes that:

The storage device is healthy
Firmware is intact
Drivers can be reapplied later
Hardware faults are unlikely

In a business environment, or in circumstances where users provide consultative or professional/advisory work, these assumptions are optimistic. Instead, in keeping with professionally managed network, it should be anticipated that IT will fail and plan for the eventuality.

If a failing SSD (hard disk drive), memory error, or firmware issue is the cause of the failure, Windows recovery may repeatedly reinstall an operating system that cannot remain stable. This leads to extended downtime and escalating support effort.

This is where manufacturer PC recovery tools from the become important. This kind of utility wraps around Windows Recovery, and apart from providing early warnings for hardware failure, these kinds of utilities are often capable of reinstalling the manufacturer’s OEM version of Windows. This is useful in situations where Windows might have been optimized for the computer’s hardware performance.

Manufacturer Recovery Tools: Beyond Windows Recovery

Major PC manufacturers add their own recovery layers on top of Windows. Manufacturer tools are tightly integrated with firmware, drivers, and hardware diagnostics.

Suppliers like Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, and other mature brands supply spohisticated diagnostics, early warning, and recovery tools for computers which start in intermedate price ranges and above. Availability varies on specifications so do check before buying,

For the purposes of this article we will refer to Dell’s SupportAssist OS Recovery. Dell’s bundle operates similarly to other major manufacturer solutions.

What Manufacturer Recovery Tools Typically Provide

Manufacturer or PC recovery tools like Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery typically feature:

Pre‑boot hardware diagnostics to test storage, memory, CPU, and motherboard
OEM‑aware Windows repair that understands the exact device model
Data backup tools before reinstallation
Factory image restore matched to the device
Firmware‑level recovery when disks or partitions are damaged

These utilities are beyond Windows Recovery capability. Manufacturer PC recovery tools operate outside Windows and, in some cases, partially inside the computer’s own system firmware. This allows recovery to begin even when Windows is completely unusable. In the right hands, this software can recover computers that might be otherwise determined to be unviable to repair.

Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery dashboard

Manufacturers provide utilities like Dell’s SupportAssist OS Recovery which practively monitor performance and provide recovery tools not available in Microsoft Recovery Drive.

Why This Matters for Professional Users

From a cost perspective, the difference rarely shows up on day one. It appears later, when a device fails during a critical work period.

Without strong business PC recovery tools:

Diagnosis takes longer
Data recovery is riskier
Rebuilds become manual and error‑prone
Support costs rise quickly

With manufacturer PC recovery tools in place:

Hardware faults are identified early
Recovery paths are clearer
Downtime is measured in hours, not days
Devices can often be restored remotely or with minimal intervention

What looks like a £550 saving at purchase can easily become a £1,000 loss during a single serious failure.

The Strategic Difference Between Generic and Business‑Grade PCs

The real difference between a £250 laptop and an £800 business‑grade device is not performance. It is survivability.
Business‑grade systems are designed with the expectation that:

Failures should be expected
Mission critical devices must be recovered quickly
Data must be protected
Support needs to scale

These expectations are embodied in better business PC recovery tools for professional-level equipment, not just stronger materials or better keyboards.

Summary

Microsoft Windows’ Recovery Drive remains useful and should still be part of a basic disaster‑recovery plan. However, it is only one part of a comprehensive disaster recovery approach.

Manufacturer PC recovery tools—such as Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery—wrap around Windows recovery to provide diagnostics, data protection, and device‑specific restoration that Windows alone cannot offer.

For businesses, or users who rely on their computer for time-constrained productivity, choosing devices with strong recovery ecosystems is not a luxury. It is a practical investment in continuity, resilience, and predictable support costs.

If you are managing systems for the long term, recovery capability matters just as much as processor speed or storage size.

Comstat provides independent advice on business IT choices that reduce risk, protect continuity, and support long‑term growth. If you need help configuring email, please get in touch, or use our contact page to organize an appointment which suits your timetable. You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here .

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