Forem: Hunter Ryskoski

⚠️ Yahoo App Passwords Not Available on New Accounts — What I Ran Into and How I Worked Around It

Hunter Ryskoski — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 21:10:15 +0000

While setting up email notifications for a website contact form, I ran into an unexpected issue with Yahoo Mail that cost me more time than it should have. I figured I’d document it here in case it saves someone else the headache.

The Goal

I was setting up a dedicated email account to receive contact form notifications from a website.

Typical setup:

Website contact form
SMTP email notifications
Secure login using App Password
MFA enabled for security

Pretty standard stuff.

I chose Yahoo Mail initially because it’s simple to create accounts and works fine for lightweight notification use.

The Problem

After creating a new Yahoo account and enabling MFA, I navigated to:

Account Security → App Passwords

But instead of being able to generate one, I saw:

App passwords are not available for this account.

Even after:

Adding a phone number
Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Verifying the account
Logging out and back in

The option was still unavailable.

What Made This Confusing

Normally, app passwords become available after MFA is enabled, so seeing this message after completing setup made it feel like something was misconfigured.

There was:

No clear error explanation
No visible toggle missing
No documentation warning during account creation

Just:

App passwords are not available for this account.

The Root Cause (What I Learned)

After digging into Yahoo documentation and testing further, I found that:

New Yahoo accounts are often temporarily restricted from generating app passwords.

This appears to be part of Yahoo’s anti-abuse and security eligibility system.

Some contributing factors:

Brand-new account
Minimal login history
Not enough trust history yet
Possibly using private/incognito mode
Limited account age

Even with MFA enabled, eligibility may not activate immediately.

There is no manual override, and support typically cannot force-enable it.

Why This Matters

Many modern workflows depend on app passwords, especially:

Website contact forms
SMTP email notifications
WordPress mail plugins
Form submission alerts
Printer scan-to-email setups
Automation tools

Without an app password, SMTP authentication often fails.

Workarounds That Help

Here are the options I found:

Option 1 — Wait (Sometimes Works)

Keep using the account normally for a few days:

Log in daily
Avoid incognito mode
Send and receive some emails
Build basic activity history

After some time, the App Password option may appear.

But this is not guaranteed.

Option 2 — Use Gmail Instead (What I Did)

This ended up being the fastest and most reliable solution.

Steps:

Create a new Gmail account
Enable 2-Step Verification
Generate an App Password
Use Gmail SMTP credentials

Gmail enables app passwords immediately after MFA is configured.

Lessons Learned

Here are my takeaways from this:

Yahoo accounts may delay app password eligibility
MFA alone does not guarantee availability
There is no visible timer or eligibility indicator
Gmail currently provides a smoother setup experience
Dedicated notification emails are still a best practice

When Yahoo Might Still Work

Yahoo may still be fine if:

The account is older
It already has login history
App passwords were previously available
SMTP usage is not required immediately

My Recommendation

If you're setting up:

Website contact forms
SMTP notifications
Email automation
Scan-to-email workflows

Use Gmail unless you specifically need Yahoo.

It’s simply faster to get working.

Final Thoughts

This wasn’t a configuration mistake — it was an account eligibility issue that isn’t clearly documented during setup.

Hopefully this saves someone else an hour or two of troubleshooting.

If you've run into this too, I'd be curious:

Did waiting eventually unlock app passwords?
Or did you switch providers like I did?

About the Author

Hunter Ryskoski is an IT Specialist and developer who builds websites, automation tools, and technical solutions for small businesses. He shares practical troubleshooting guides and real-world lessons learned from production environments.

You can find more of Hunter Ryskoski’s work here:

🌐 https://www.hunterryskoskiportfolio.com

🧰 https://www.hunterryskoski.com

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunterryskoski/

How To Rebuild a Drive with PowerShell

Hunter Ryskoski — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:40:14 +0000

How To Rebuild a Drive with PowerShell

Hunter Ryskoski

3 min read · Just now

Sometimes the fastest way to fix a drive issue is to start fresh.

Whether you are preparing a machine for a clean Windows install, repurposing a device, or clearing out an old partition layout, there are times when you need to completely wipe a disk and rebuild it with the correct partition style.

One of the quickest ways to do that on a Windows machine is through PowerShell using DiskPart.

This week, I used the following commands:

diskpart
select disk 0
clean
convert gpt
exit
exit

It is a very short command sequence, but it does something extremely important.

What These Commands Actually Do

At a glance, this might look simple. In reality, it is a full reset of the selected disk’s partition structure.

Here is what each command does:

`diskpart`

This launches the DiskPart utility from PowerShell.

DiskPart is a built-in Windows command-line tool used to manage disks, partitions, and volumes.

`select disk 0`

This tells DiskPart which disk you want to work with.

In this case, it selects Disk 0, which is often the primary internal drive on a machine. That is why it is so important to verify the disk number before running anything destructive.

`clean`

This removes the partition and volume information from the selected disk.

In plain English, it wipes the current disk layout so the drive becomes unallocated space. This is the point of no return for most practical purposes.

`convert gpt`

This changes the disk’s partition style to GPT.

GPT stands for GUID Partition Table, and it is the modern partitioning standard used with most current systems.

`exit`

This exits DiskPart.

`exit`

This exits the PowerShell session.

Why Convert a Disk to GPT?

GPT is generally the right choice for modern Windows deployments. If you are installing Windows 11, or even just trying to align with current best practices, GPT is usually the format you want.

Why This Can Be Useful

There are a few common situations where this process makes sense:

preparing a PC for a clean operating system install
fixing a disk with a corrupted or messy partition layout

Sometimes Windows setup issues are not really “Windows issues” at all. They are disk layout problems. Starting from a clean GPT disk can remove a lot of unnecessary friction.

The Important Warning

This process is destructive.

Running clean erases the partition structure on the selected disk. That means the data and existing layout are removed from normal access. Before doing this, make sure:

you have selected the correct disk
anything important is backed up
you are intentionally wiping the drive

If you are unsure which disk is which, use:

list disk

before selecting a disk.

That one extra step can save you from wiping the wrong drive.

Final Thoughts

I like command-line tools like DiskPart because they are direct. No extra clicks, no guessing, no hidden menus. You tell the system exactly what to do, and it does it.

That said, the same thing that makes DiskPart useful also makes it dangerous: it does exactly what you tell it to do.

Used correctly, this is a quick and effective way to reset a drive and prepare it for a modern Windows deployment. Just make sure Disk 0 is really the disk you want before you press Enter on clean.

Written by Hunter Ryskoski — IT support specialist, Power BI builder, and tech writer sharing practical fixes, lessons learned, and real-world how-to content.

How to Access Shared Calendars in the Outlook Mobile App

Hunter Ryskoski — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 21:18:42 +0000

Accessing Shared Calendars in the Outlook Mobile App

Need to view a shared Microsoft 365 calendar from your iPhone? Outlook Mobile makes it pretty easy once you know where to look.

If the calendar has already been shared with you, you can turn it on in just a few taps.

Open the Calendar view

Start by opening the Outlook app on your iPhone and tapping the Calendar icon at the bottom.

Open your calendar list

Next, tap your account icon in the top-left corner of the screen. This opens the list of calendars connected to your account.

Expand the available sections

Look for the Show More section and expand any dropdowns that appear.

Depending on your environment, this may include:

People’s Calendars
Groups
Other shared calendar sections tied to your organization

Turn on the shared calendar

If you already have permission to a shared calendar, it should appear in the list.

Tap the checkmark next to the calendar name to enable it. Once selected, it will show up in your Outlook calendar view.

A few things to keep in mind

If you don’t see the calendar:

Confirm that the calendar has already been shared with you
Verify that your access permissions are active
Check the expanded sections carefully, since shared calendars may be nested under different groups

Final thought

This is a quick way to access team, department, or resource calendars from Outlook Mobile without needing to jump back to desktop Outlook.

Written by Hunter Ryskoski, an IT professional focused on systems administration, endpoint management, Microsoft 365, Intune, and technical documentation. I share practical how-to guides, troubleshooting steps, and real-world IT support insights.

How To Create and Configure a Local User Account on a Windows PC

Hunter Ryskoski — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:49:25 +0000

How To Create and Configure a Local User Account on a Windows PC

Purpose

This procedure outlines how to create a local user account on a Windows PC, configure common account settings, optionally add the account to the local Administrators group, and verify that the account was set up correctly.

Scope

Use this process when a device needs:

a standard local user account
a local administrative account
a fallback/local support account
a shared local account for a specific device function

Requirements

Administrator access on the PC
PowerShell or Command Prompt opened as Administrator
Approved username, full name, password, and intended permission level

Procedure

1. Create the local account

Run the following command:

net user "Username" "Password" /add /active:yes /fullname:"Full Name" /passwordchg:no

What this does

Creates the local account
Sets the password
Makes the account active
Sets the full name/display name
Prevents the user from changing the password

2. Set the password to never expire

Run:

Set-LocalUser -Name "Username" -PasswordNeverExpires 1

What this does

Configures the local account so the password does not expire automatically

3. Ensure the account requires a password

Run:

net user "Username" /passwordreq:yes

What this does

Ensures the account must have a password
Prevents the account from being treated as if a blank password is allowed

4. Add the account to the local Administrators group if needed

Only do this if the account is intended to be a local administrator.

Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member "Username" -ErrorAction Stop

What this does

Grants the account local administrator rights on that PC

If the account should be a standard local user, skip this step.

Verification

5. Verify the account settings

Run:

net user "Username"

Review the output and confirm the following fields.

Account active

Yes = the account is enabled and can be used to sign in
No = the account is disabled

Password expires

Never = password expiration is disabled
If a date or standard expiration behavior applies, the password is still subject to expiration rules

Password required

Yes = the account must have a password
No = Windows will allow the account to exist without requiring one, which is generally not preferred

User may change password

No = the user cannot change the account password
Yes = the user is allowed to change the password

Local Group Memberships

This shows what local group(s) the account belongs to.

Common examples:

*Users = standard local user account
*Administrators = local administrator account

6. Verify local administrator membership separately

If the account was meant to be a local administrator, confirm it with:

net localgroup Administrators

Expected result

The username should appear in the list if it was successfully added to the local Administrators group

Interpretation of Key Fields

Account active

Indicates whether the account is enabled for sign-in.

Password expires

Indicates whether the password is subject to expiration. For service, support, or shared local accounts, this is often set to Never based on company standards.

Password required

Indicates whether the account must have a password. This should generally be Yes.

User may change password

Indicates whether the account itself can change its password. This is often set to No for controlled support or shared-use accounts.

Local Group Memberships

Indicates the permission level of the account on the device:

Users = standard permissions
Administrators = elevated local admin permissions

Example Outcomes

Standard local user account

A standard local user account should typically show:

Account active = Yes
Password expires = Never
Password required = Yes
User may change password = No
Local Group Memberships = *Users

Local administrator account

A local administrator account should typically show:

Account active = Yes
Password expires = Never
Password required = Yes
User may change password = No
Local Group Memberships = *Administrators

Optional: Change the password later

To change the password for an existing local account:

net user "Username" "NewPasswordHere"

To avoid showing the password on screen:

net user "Username" *

This prompts for the password securely.

Recommended Final Check

After setup, run:

net user "Username"

Confirm:

Account is active
Password expires = Never
Password required = Yes
User may change password = No
Local group membership matches intended role

If the account should be an admin, also run:

net localgroup Administrators

And confirm the username is listed.

How I Built My Own Portfolio Website with Next.js, Tailwind CSS, and Codex

Hunter Ryskoski — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 17:02:29 +0000

When I decided to build my own portfolio website, I did not want it to feel like a generic template with a name, a job title, and a few links.

I wanted something that actually reflected how I work.

I wanted one place where I could showcase my projects, technical documentation, resume, and the kind of IT and systems work I enjoy doing. I also wanted the website itself to become part of the portfolio instead of just being a container for it. If someone visited it, I wanted them to see not only what I have done, but also how I think about organization, layout, iteration, and polish.

If you want to see the finished result, you can view my portfolio here: dev.hunterryskoski.com

Why I Chose to Build It Myself

A lot of portfolio sites feel interchangeable. They look fine, but they do not really say much about the person behind them.

I wanted mine to feel more personal and more practical.

My work has continued to grow across documentation, endpoint management, reporting, and project write-ups, so I needed a site that would be easy to update over time. I did not want to rebuild everything every time I added a new project or wanted to expand a section.

The Stack I Used

I built the site with:

Next.js
React
TypeScript
Tailwind CSS

I used Next.js with the App Router to structure the homepage, project pages, documentation pages, and shared layout components. That gave me a clean and scalable way to organize the site as it grew.

I used React and TypeScript to make the site easier to maintain and update without everything becoming messy over time.

I used Tailwind CSS for layout, spacing, gradients, responsiveness, card styling, typography, and hover effects. It made it much easier to build quickly while keeping the design consistent.

Why This Stack Worked Well

One of the biggest wins was how easy it became to expand the site without starting over.

Because the site is built around the App Router, I can keep adding new pages and sections as needed. That matters a lot for a portfolio, because a portfolio is never really "done." It changes as your work changes.

Tailwind also made a huge difference. Instead of fighting a giant CSS file, I could move quickly on layout and styling while still keeping things consistent. That helped me spend more time improving the experience and less time wrestling with structure.

How I Used Codex During Development

One of the most interesting parts of this project was how I used Codex.

I did not treat it like a one-shot website generator. I treated it more like a coding partner.

That meant giving it a specific task, letting it inspect the existing codebase, and then iterating from there. Sometimes the task was something bigger, like building a new section or creating a page. Other times it was more focused, like fixing a layout issue, updating a resume link, cleaning up a component, or helping push finished changes to GitHub.

That approach worked much better than vague prompting.

The more grounded the task was, the more useful the collaboration became.

What AI Helped With — and What It Didn’t

Codex helped me move faster, but it did not replace judgment.

That part still mattered just as much.

I still had to decide what belonged on the site, what tone felt right, what should be published, and which ideas were actually worth keeping.
It was a good reminder that AI can accelerate implementation, but it does not make product decisions for you.

My Workflow

The workflow I settled into was pretty simple:

Describe the change in plain language.
Point Codex to the relevant page or component.
Let it inspect the existing code before making assumptions.
Review the result and iterate on wording, layout, or behavior.
Run checks like linting to make sure things are clean.
Commit and push only when the change matches the direction I want.

Once I started working this way, the project felt much more manageable. Instead of thinking, "I need to build an entire portfolio site," I could focus on one decision at a time and keep moving.

Real Things I Built and Refined

A few examples of what that looked like in practice:

Building and refining the homepage layout
Updating the resume button to point to a new PDF
Creating the Projects section and a dedicated page for this website
Cleaning up components that were not behaving the way I wanted
Committing and pushing completed changes to GitHub

That kind of incremental progress made the whole project feel realistic instead of overwhelming.

What I Ended Up With

The final result is a portfolio site that feels much closer to how I actually work.

It includes a homepage, resume section, project pages, and documentation sections, with enough structure to keep growing over time. Just as important, the process gave me a workflow I would use again: move from idea to implementation faster, keep momentum on the project, and still review each change carefully before it goes live.

That is probably my favorite part of the whole thing.

I did not just end up with a website. I ended up with a better process for building future projects.

Lessons I Learned

A few takeaways stood out to me:

AI works best when the task is specific and grounded in a real codebase.
It is more useful as a collaborator than as a one-shot generator.
Small, iterative requests usually work better than huge vague prompts.
You still need to review the output and keep your standards high.

I think those lessons are the part that will stick with me the most going forward.

Final Thoughts

Building this portfolio changed how I think about AI in development.

The value was not that it replaced my thinking. The value was that it helped me keep momentum, execute faster, and spend more of my time making decisions instead of getting stuck in the slower parts of implementation.

Codex helped me build the site faster, but the project still felt like mine at every step.

How to Change a Passcode on a 10th Gen iPad

Hunter Ryskoski — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:30:46 +0000

Overview

In managed and personal environments, there may be times when an iPad passcode needs to be updated for security, compliance, or general account maintenance.

Changing the passcode on a 10th Generation iPad is a straightforward process that can be completed directly from the Settings app, as long as the current passcode is known.

This guide outlines the process for changing the passcode on an Apple iPad (10th Generation).

When to Use This Procedure

This process should be used when:

The current iPad passcode needs to be updated
A user wants to improve device security
A temporary passcode needs to be replaced
A standard passcode rotation is being performed

Note: You must know the current passcode in order to change it. If the current passcode is unknown, the device will need to be erased and recovered.

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1 — Open Settings

On the iPad, open the Settings app.

Step 2 — Navigate to Passcode Settings

Scroll down and select:

Touch ID & Passcode

Depending on configuration, this may simply appear as Passcode.

Step 3 — Enter the Current Passcode

When prompted, enter the device’s current passcode.

This allows access to the passcode management settings.

Step 4 — Select Change Passcode

Within the passcode settings screen, tap:

Change Passcode

Step 5 — Re-enter the Current Passcode

The device may prompt again for the existing passcode before allowing the change.

Enter the current passcode again to continue.

Step 6 — Enter the New Passcode

Type the new passcode you want to use on the device.

If needed, select Passcode Options to choose a different format, such as:

4-Digit Numeric Code
6-Digit Numeric Code
Custom Numeric Code
Custom Alphanumeric Code

Step 7 — Confirm the New Passcode

Re-enter the new passcode to confirm it.

Once confirmed, the new passcode will be applied to the iPad.

After Changing the Passcode

Once the process is complete:

The new passcode will be required the next time the device is unlocked
Any user accessing the device will need the updated passcode
The updated passcode will remain in effect until it is changed again

Notes for Managed Environments

If the iPad is part of a managed environment:

Passcode requirements may be enforced by MDM policy
The device may require a minimum passcode length or complexity
Some organizations may restrict certain passcode options
If passcode settings are unavailable or grayed out, verify the applied compliance or configuration policies in Microsoft Intune or the relevant MDM platform

Author

Hunter Ryskoski

Systems Administrator

Website:

https://hunterryskoski.com

GitHub:

https://github.com/HunterRyskoski

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunter-ryskoski-772a81170/

How to Install Active Directory Users and Computers with PowerShell

Hunter Ryskoski — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:12:25 +0000

Install Active Directory Users and Computers with PowerShell

Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC) can be installed on supported Windows devices by adding the RSAT Active Directory tools through PowerShell.

When to Use This

Use this when you need to install Active Directory Users and Computers on a Windows workstation for domain administration tasks.
You can expect the full process to take about 15 minutes in total.

Prerequisites

Windows Pro, Enterprise, or another edition that supports RSAT
PowerShell opened as Administrator
Internet access or access to your organization's Windows update source

Install Command

Run the following command in an elevated PowerShell window:

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0

Why does the command include `~~~~0.0.1.0`?

That part is simply built into the full Windows capability name. Windows uses the complete feature identifier when installing or removing optional capabilities, so the tildes and version number need to stay in the command.

Launch ADUC

After installation, open Active Directory Users and Computers by running:

dsa.msc

Link to Video Walkthrough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQew6eI3Vwc

How to Recover an Apple iPad (10th Generation) Using a Windows PC

Hunter Ryskoski — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 15:46:56 +0000

In enterprise and managed environments, iPads occasionally become unresponsive, fail enrollment, or refuse to boot properly.

When standard troubleshooting does not resolve the issue, a full device recovery may be required.

Below is the step-by-step process I use to recover an Apple iPad (10th Generation) using a Windows PC.

When to Use This

This should be considered a last resort when:

The iPad is stuck during setup
MDM enrollment fails and cannot be corrected
The device is unresponsive
A normal reset does not work

Note: This process will fully erase the device.

Step 1 – Install Apple Devices App

On your Windows computer:

Install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store.

This replaces the older iTunes workflow for device recovery.

Step 2 – Power Off the iPad

Ensure the iPad is completely powered down before proceeding.

Step 3 – Connect USB to Computer

Plug a USB cable into your computer.

Do not connect it to the iPad yet.

Step 4 – Enter Recovery Mode

This step is important.

While holding the Power button on the iPad,
Connect the USB cable to the iPad at the same time.
Continue holding the Power button.

You will see:

The Apple logo briefly appear.
Keep holding the button.
The screen will change to the Recovery Mode screen (computer + cable icon).

Step 5 – Choose Restore in Apple Devices

On your computer, the Apple Devices app will detect the iPad in recovery mode.

You will see a prompt indicating the device needs to be updated or restored.

Select:

Restore

Step 6 – Select “Restore and Update”

You will then see a confirmation dialog.

Select:

Restore and Update

This will:

Erase the iPad
Install the latest iPadOS version
Prepare the device for fresh setup

Step 7 – Allow the Recovery Process to Complete

The recovery process will begin.

You will see a loading screen indicating:

Preparing iPad for restore…

Do not disconnect the device during this process.

After Recovery

Once complete:

The iPad will reboot.
You can proceed with standard setup.
If the device is assigned in Apple Business Manager and managed via Microsoft Intune, it will automatically re-enroll during setup.

Enterprise Environment Note

If this device is part of a managed environment:

Confirm the device record in Intune is not in a failed or pending wipe state.
Verify proper assignment in Apple Business Manager.
Allow adequate time for MDM enrollment during setup.

Recovery mode is often the fastest and cleanest method to resolve enrollment or configuration issues in enterprise deployments.

Hunter Ryskoski

Systems Administrator

Website: https://hunterryskoski.com

GitHub: https://github.com/HunterRyskoski

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunter-ryskoski-772a81170/