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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 365 configuration and user tips and tricks
  1. Why Professional IT Support Still Matters in the Age of AI
  2. How to Use Folder Color Coding in Microsoft 365 to Boost Productivity
  3. How to Set Up a Microsoft 365 SharePoint Site for a Small Business
  4. OneNote Sync Troubleshooting
  5. Create a Microsoft 365 Exchange Online connector
  6. Configure SPF, rDNS, DKIM, and DMARC for email

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.

  1. – Exchange Online – room and equipment resources
  2. – Reset Office 365 password expiration policy
  3. – Exchange Email – EOP antivirus/spam
  4. – Exchange Online Protection – EOP
  5. – Microsoft 365 Exchange Email – data leakage & loss protection
  6. – Microsoft ActiveSync

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

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 .

Why Professional IT Support Still Matters in the Age of AI

AI Helps — But It Does Not Replace Professional IT Support

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a useful tool in homes and small offices. It can answer questions, suggest fixes, and help diagnose problems. But AI does replace professional IT support, because small‑business systems are complex. They involve networks, security, backups, mobile devices, shared data, cloud services, and more. These parts work together, and a wrong change in one area often creates new problems somewhere else.

AI is excellent at offering general guidance. It gives ideas and helps people learn. However it answers only the question it is asked. IT problems are often nuanced and an evident problem may be grounded in an unexpected cause. So, most DIY attempts fail because the real problem was not the one AI was asked to fix. When the wrong question is asked, the answer—no matter how clever—cannot solve the issue. That is where professional IT support makes the difference.

Click open the headers below to learn more about how expert guidance still matters in IT management..

You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here.

AI Does Not Replace Human Oversight

You would not fly a plane without a pilot

If you tried to fly a commercial airliner by yourself with AI to guide you, it wouldn’t end well. Nobody would feel safe flying a commercial aircraft without a trained captain. Any one system can be easily understood. However all systems work in tandem. This needs nuanced understanding because managing the integrated whole is complex, and the consequences of mistakes are too serious. So, even with autopilot and advanced onboard computers, airlines still rely on skilled pilots for oversight.

Business networks are similarly complex. While livers might not be at stake, the income that a business owner derives from a computer network might be the means with a livelihood depends. A network with 35 connected devices – not unusual in today’s world – may include laptops, phones, IoT devices, printers, routers, switches, cloud services, and security tools. One wrong “fix” can disable access, expose data, or break something else that worked perfectly before. This is why professional IT support remains essential.

Would you repair your own car engine using AI?

Most drivers today cannot repair a modern car. The engine uses an array of sensors, electronics, and software. AI can help diagnose a possible fault. You might use AI to find pointers that might save an engineer diagnosis time on the workshop floor, but you would still take the car to your trained mechanic to fix it. Changing a brake pad yourself when the actual problem was a faulty ABS sensor might cause a fatal accident.

The same is true for IT. AI might suggest a setting to check, but it cannot look at logs or understand your computer setup (even something as simple as the difference between Windows Personal or Windows Professional). Nor can it anticipate your broader context within a network, or foresee the side‑effects of a change. Only someone who already knows your systems, your history, and your business can do that.

Root Cause: A Cached Notebook Structure on Android

OneNote Mobile caches each notebook’s structure when it is first opened. It continues to use that cached structure until the app is forced to refresh it. Even when new sections are added on desktop or web, Android may not notice new sections unless the OneNote cache on the Android handset is fully cleared.

In this case, the “Charlie’s Notebook” entry was an old OneDrive notebook created years earlier when the user first setup OneNote. Android had continued treating it as the default notebook. The result was:

  • Quick Notes were sent to the wrong notebook
  • New sections like 2026 never appeared
  • Notebook colours stayed out of date
  • Recent Notes showed pages from two different notebooks

All of this pointed toward a stale cached notebook that needed a proper reset.

The Hidden Cost of DIY Fixes

Small businesses often try to fix their own IT problems to save money. Unfortunately, DIY fixes tend to compound issues with unforeseen problems. One change leads to another, and by the time professional help is called, the recovery work is more difficult—and more expensive—than the original issue ever was.

Example – “my email does not work”.

We often deal with email problems. Often, we are asked to fix a computer because email does not work. The client has spent time trying to diagnose ApplMail or Outlook. However, in the example most recently dealt with, the client had note renewed a domain name. For whatever reason, AI did not detect this. The problem had nothing to do with the owner’s computer, and some days of email were lost (and time) because the problem was elsewhere.

AI does not always help

This is why many small businesses end up needing professional IT support more than ever, not less. AI has encouraged people to try more fixes, but these attempts are often made without understanding the underlying cause of the problem.

Solution – IT professionals solve problems

We do not offer ad-hoc support. Instead, we audit your network and needs firstg to establish benchmarks the benchmarks we rely on to plan ongoing support and deal with issues as they inevitably develop. IT constantly develops, and unfortunately this brings problems that nobody can anticipate. Disciplined planning and management helps to build a reliable network.

Our experience with field work since the beginning of 2025 underscores this. We have been asked to remedy more problems than ever before, and usually problems are exacerbated by unfortunate fixes that addressed the wrong issue.

What Professional IT Support Delivers That AI Cannot
  • Considered and contextual diagnosis, not guesswork
    • AI answers your question. An IT professional identifies the actual problem
  • Preventative care
    • Professionals maintain systems proactively, reducing faults before they appear
  • Security with accountability
    • Incorrect settings can expose data. AI does not take responsibility for outcomes
  • System‑wide insight
    • Fixing one device can affect every other device. Only human oversight can manage these relationships safely
  • Business continuity
    • Downtime costs money. Professional IT support reduces the risk of outages and speeds recovery when issues arise

Professional IT support ensures that your network runs smoothly, safely, and with confidence. If you would like help exploring support options, feel free to get in touch, or use out contact page to organize an appointment which suits your timetable. You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here.

Summary

The important point here is that when a notebook has changed significantly on OneNote desktop or Web, Android and Apple may need a full cache reset to see the updated structure.

This problem is not uncommon. Unfortunately, users often shrug their shoulders when this kind of sync fails and OneNote loses its utility as. Not unreasonably, users are not sure where to look for the problem or even what the problem is. Happily, functionality is easily fixed and this article should help you understand that OneNote caches on mobile devices can be easily remedied.

If you would like help exploring OneNote features implementing OneNote across devices, feel free to get in touch, or use out contact page to organize an appointment which suits your timetable. You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here.

How to Search by Category in Outlook (Using Favourites & Search Folders)

Using Categories to search for emails

Searching your email by category is a fast way to stay organised, especially for volume email users and if you rely on colour‑coded workflows. Outlook now offers two reliable ways to do this. The simplest method uses categories which you have saved as favourites in your Outlook folder pane.

For more complex needs, Search Folders still offer the most control. This guide shows Microsoft’s recommended approaches and explains what currently works on Windows, web, and Mac.

Hot Tip!! This guidance is written for “New” Outlook. Outlook Classic is scheduled for deprecation in the medium term.

Click open the headers below to learn more about how you can use categories to simplify your searches in Outlook. You can jump to associated articles about Outlook Categories here:

You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here.

1. The fastest method: using favourited categories in New Outlook

If your goal is simply to search by category in Outlook, the quickest method is to favourite the categories you use most.

How it works

When you favourite a category, it appears in the left‑hand folder pane. Selecting a favourited category instantly filters your mailbox to show every message tagged with that category. It behaves like a dynamic “saved search” without requiring any setup.

Why use this method?

  • Instant filtering without typing a query
  • Always up to date as new mail arrives
  • No Search Folder required
  • Works in:
    • New Outlook for Windows
    • Outlook on the web
    • New Outlook for Mac

Find out how to create Outlook Categories in this article.

2. When you need more: use Search Folders for complex searches

Favourited categories handle single‑category scenarios well. But if you need multi‑criteria filtering—for example:

  • Category + specific sender
  • Category + unread items
  • Category + timeframe
  • OR combinations (e.g., Category A or Category B)

…then a Search Folder is still the best solution.

What is a Search Folder?

A Search Folder is a virtual folder that stores criteria and updates in real time. It works like a reusable saved search. Although the new Outlook does not let users “save a search,” it does support Search Folders.

Outlook default saved search folder

Outlook provides a saved searchesd folder in your folder pane to which you can add search folders.

 

Creating a Search Folder (New/Classic Outlook for DESKTOP)
  1. Right click on Saved Searches Folder → select New (or Add) Search Folder
  2. Choose a preset, or select Create a custom Search Folder
  3. Select Criteria to define filters such as:
    1. Category
    2. From:
    3. Subject
    4. Keywords
    5. Date
  4. Name the folder clearly (e.g., Finance, Categorised, 2026 invoices) and Save.

in this example, a category caslled “Outstanding” has been selected. More attributes can be added to filter your search further.

Add your saved search to Favourites

For extra convenience you can make your saved search a Favourite. This puts a shortcut towards the top of your folder pane near Inbox, Sent, etc. The folder still resides in your Saved Searches folder.

Outlook on the Web: mixed support

Outlook on the web supports Search Folders at the mailbox level, but it does not allow you to pin them to Favourites in the same way the Windows desktop app does.

Practical notes:

  • Search Folders still work and remain visible
  • You cannot favourite saved search folders
  • For quick access, Microsoft recommends using favourited categories instead

If you need to reliably search by category in Outlook on the web, favouriting categories remains the simpler option.

New Outlook for Mac: saved searches exist, but pinning does not

At time of writing, Outlook for Mac allows users to create search queries and save them. However, adding saved searches or Search Folders to the Favourites pane is not supported. Drag‑and‑drop behaviour sometimes appears to work, but it is inconsistent and not officially documented.

Mac users who need fast access to tagged mail should rely on favourited categories until Microsoft expands this feature.

Practical tips for smoother workflows
  • Use meaningful names
    • For Search Folders, name them for purpose: e.g., Client Work – Categorised or Finance – Outstanding.
  • Combine categories with other filters
    • Ideal when you need more than a simple category filter.
  • Keep the list clean
    • Remove old Search Folders to reduce clutter.
  • Use categories as your backbone
    • Especially if your primary aim is to search by category in New Outlook
  • Plan a taxonomy that can be managed over time
    • planning a structure helps to reduce bloat and redundant categories. Also, a documented taxonomy helps colleagues who may need to duplicate categories – remember. categories operate at a user level, not an organisational level.
Summary

If you want to search by category in Outlook, the fastest and most widely supported method is simply to favourite your categories and use the dynamic filter. This works across Windows, web, and Mac.

For advanced filtering, Windows users can rely on Search Folders, which remain the best way to create a complex, reusable saved search. On the web and Mac, Search Folder support is more limited, so categories offer the most consistent experience.

If you need help or want advice about planning a category taxonomy, 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.

How cPanel Spam Filters Work: Managing Email Protection with SpamAssassin and BoxTrapper

About cPanel Spam Filters

Email security matters more than ever, and cPanel users rely heavily on spam filters to keep inboxes clean. Understanding how cPanel spam filters work—and how to adjust them—helps ensure real messages get through while junk is blocked. In this guide, we’ll explain how spam filters evaluate email, how you can manage those settings in cPanel, and how SpamAssassin compares with cPanel’s stricter tool, BoxTrapper.

Apache SpamAssassin is the no. 1 Open Source anti-spam platform giving system administrators and users a filter to classify email and block spam (unsolicited bulk email).

Click open the headers below to learn more about how to enable and manage SpamAssassin and learn about the stricter Boxtrapper utility which is also available. Support options are available for professional assistance. You can return to our Index of Articles by clicking here.

How cPanel Spam Filters Score Incoming Email

cPanel spam filters offer a scoring a scoring system that evaluates every incoming email message. Each email is analysed for spam indicators like:

  • suspicious wording
  • forged headers
  • missing SPF records
  • whether incoming email is “whitelisted” by the targeted recipient
  • unusual formatting and dozens of other signals

Each factor adds positive or negative points.

By default, your instance of SpamAssasin uses a default threshold of 5 when filtering is enabled. If the combined score of an email exceeds this value, the message is flagged as spam and is either moved to the Junk folder or discarded, depending on how the account is configured.

Because the calculation is cumulative, even legitimate emails can occasionally reach a high score—especially those containing marketing language, attachments, or forwarded content. This makes it important for users to tune cPanel spam filters to match their needs. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for example, would relaxe their threshold to 8, to permit end users to allow their own servers to deal with arguable decisions.

rDNS, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are all protocols that help “authenticate” valid emails. While email “just” works out of the box, without these services email that YOU send to others can be compromised because tools like SpamAssassin use these configurations to test email you send to recipients. These settings are often considered to be irrelevant by casual users because they are troublesome to implement and email seems to send when a user dispatches it. The problem is that if you send inadequately authenticated email, you usually do not know that it has been dropped by a spam filter. You can read more about authenticating your outgoing email in our article, Configure SPF, rDNS, DKIM, and DMARC for email.

Managing SpamAssassin Settings in cPanel

SpamAssassin is the default filtering engine in your cPanel environment, and it gives users fine‑grained control without requiring technical expertise. You can enable or disable the filter from the your cPanel home page in Email → Spam Filters panel.

cPanel spam filters

Open spam filters in your cPanel web server console

Adjusting the Spam Threshold

You will find a slider or a numerical box where you can adjust the spam score threshold in your Spam Filter preferences. Lower numbers make the filter more aggressive, while higher numbers reduce the chance of blocking legitimate emails. Users keep the threshold between 3 and 7, depending on how much mail they receive and how sensitive their workflow is.

The setting depends on your needs. Also, the setting needs periodic review. Above, we saw that ISPs use a more relaxed spam control of 8. Retailers, too, might need a more relaxed setting to accept orders from poorly authenticated email senders. In these sorts of situations, you would probably use locally implemented filtering to better target invoming email. For instance, a retailer might want to approve incoming email whose subject header or textual content matches “new order” or other metric.

cPanel spam filters configutration

Users typically configure their spam filtering like this – click open to adjust tolerance

Auto‑Delete and Spam Box

SpamAssassin also includes:

  • Spam Box, which moves suspected spam into a special folder
  • Auto‑Delete, which permanently removes messages over a certain score
  • Whitelist and blacklist settings, allowing total control over trusted and untrusted senders

These optional tools give you more precision without requiring deeper configuration.

By adjusting these controls, you ensure that cPanel spam filters behave appropriately for your daily email habits.

SpamAssassin vs BoxTrapper: Which Is Better?

Your email server provides another spam filtering tool called BoxTrapper. The two solutions take different approaches to spam filtering.

SpamAssassin

  • Uses an automated scoring system
  • Requires no interaction from the sender
  • Works quietly in the background
  • Allows whitelisting and custom scoring rules

SpamAssassin is designed for ease of use and minimal disruption while still providing strong protection via its cPanel spam filters.

BoxTrapper

  • Uses challenge–response verification
  • Sends an automatic confirmation email to unfamiliar senders
  • Requires the sender to take action before their message is delivered
  • Filters nearly all spam because automated bots cannot confirm

BoxTrapper is far more aggressive than SpamAssassin. It is extremely effective—but at the cost of convenience. Some businesses and individuals avoid it because legitimate senders may ignore the confirmation request, leading to missed messages. You can find out more about BoxTrapper in this article.

For everyday users, cPanel spam filters based on SpamAssassin offer the right balance. For those facing severe spam issues and who can tolerate the extra step for new contacts, BoxTrapper provides nearly complete protection.

cPanel boxTrapper

Summary

Most users will be well‑served by SpamAssassin’s flexible scoring system and simple management options. It provides reliable filtering via cPanel spam filters while allowing legitimate messages to pass through with minimal effort.

If you require near‑zero spam at the cost of extra friction for new senders, BoxTrapper may be the better choice. This would be desirable if you need to limit incoming email to known senders and you need to minimize the risk of phishing or other attempted attacks.

Both systems reflect the core strengths of cPanel spam filters, and understanding each helps you customise the best email experience for your needs.

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 .