MS Windows Vista Compatible Software

Windows Search 4 Coming to WU Soon

Odd-Magne Kristoffersen — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:15:00 +0000

Thought I’d drop a line and remind you that we’re planning to release Windows Search 4.0 (KB940157) via Windows Update sometime in late July. Windows Search 4.0 updates previous versions of Search in Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP SP2 and Windows XP SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Home Server.

Windows XP users will see Windows Search 4.0 available as an Optional update, which means you must visit the Windows Update Web site to install it. Windows Vista users with SP1 installed will see the update as a Recommended update. This means that, if a Windows Vista user has set their machine to automatically install updates, Windows Search 4.0 will automatically install on PCs running Windows Vista SP1. The release of Windows Search 4.0 to Windows Update will be gradual for these users. If you’re running Windows Vista SP1, and you would like to install it right away, you can go to the Windows Update control panel and install it manually once it is made available.

One thing you should note: In order to make search functionality more efficient and reliable, the Windows Search team updated the structure...

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Windows Server 7

Odd-Magne Kristoffersen — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:06:00 +0000

Man, it seems like yesterday that we were dogfooding Longhorn Server. But that’s long gone, and Windows Server 2008 has RTM’d, so it’s time for a break right? Yeah, well, breaks over and there are new toys to play with already.

So congratulations to the operations team, the product group, pm’s, and everyone else that has put the effort in to get us to the point where we put the first Win7 domain controller in production:

Server Name: TK5-WING-DC-01
Security: Users
Registered Owner: Windows User
Registered Organization: MSIT
ProductID: 00484-082-2500885-76802
Original Install Date: Fri Jul 11 13:37:56 2008
Base Source Path:
Version: 6.1
Build: 6608.winmain_win7m2.080511-1400
Current Type: Multiprocessor Free
Product Name: Windows Server (R) 2008 Enterprise
Product Options: ProductType
HAL.DLL is 6.1.6608.1 - Microsoft Corporation - 6.1:6608.1
…
System Up Time: 0 Days, 13 Hr, 41 Min, 29 Sec

News Source: BPuhl's Blog

Solution for Dial-up Connection Disconnects while LOGOFF / Fast User Switching

magakos — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:15:00 +0000

This method is very old but still usable for dial-up internet users.

Use the below method to resume internet connection while LogOff / Fast User Switching,

Start -> Run then type regedit and press enter

Locate the following entry,

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Right-click within the right pane, select New and then select String Value, and give name as

KeepRasConnections

and press enter, then double click on KeepRasConnections and set the value to 1. Close the Registry Editer and restart your PC. Now, your dial-up internet connection will resume after LogOff / Fast User Switching.

Microsoft Offers Free Tech Support to All Windows Vista Customers

magakos — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:09:00 +0000

Got a problem finding the correct printer driver for your Windows Vista computer? Or did some of your software programs and hardware devices stop working after you installed SP1? Or are you facing trouble while installing Vista SP1?

Well, you may stop hunting blogs and web forums for solutions and contact Microsoft directly over phone, email or web chat as they now offer free and unlimited tech support to all Windows Vista customers worldwide who are using Vista Service Pack 1.
The offer is valid worldwide until March 18, 2009.
To get started, go here and pick your country. Here are direct links to Microsoft toll-free phone numbers in India, United States, UK, Australia, Singapore and France.
The offer may not be used with pirated copies of Windows Vista as you would require the 20 digit Product ID for filing a support. Right click My Computer and choose Properties. The Product ID is mentioned under "Windows Activation"

Setup IIS ( Internet Information Server) on Windows Vista

magakos — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:58:00 +0000

If you are thinking of using ASP.Net or certain aspects of Visual Studio on your Windows Vista computer then you will need to have IIS (Internet Information Server) installed. All versions of Windows Vista come with IIS(Internet Information Server) but all will need to be installed and only Vista Home Premium and above can use IIS(Internet Information Server) for development. Before you begin, please verify that you have the version of Vista needed to take advantage of coding with IIS(Internet Information Server).If you are running a small workgroup of computers, you may want to use a computer running Windows Vista as a Web server. You can do so by installing Internet Information Services (IIS). It is included with Windows Vista but is not installed by default. Once it has been installed, it provides for basic Web server functionality and includes the WWW, FTP, NNTP, and SMTP services.The steps for enabling IIS ( Internet Information Server) on Windows Vista is

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Enable / Activate Hidden Administrator Account in Windows Vista

magakos — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:57:00 +0000

In Windows XP and the earlier Windows versions, there was only one administrator account and most single users used it as their main account. But Windows Vista has another, what may be referred to as a secret 'super' administrator account. It is hidden & turned off by default, and is similar to the 'root' account in Unix.The use of the Administrator account is being phased out in Windows Vista, and there’s actually seldom a need to use it, instead of another administrator account. On installation of Windows Vista, the Administrator account is disabled; but if you upgrade from Windows XP and Administrator is the only active local administrator account, then Administrator remains enabled. In this situation, it is placed in Approval Mode, for purposes of UAC(User Account Control). Since it is not subject to UAC prompts and runs with full administrative privileges, it’s rather risky, to run it on a regular basis. Any application could then have full control of the computer. So I suggest using it sparingly, only when you need to perform several administrative and don't want to be bothered by UAC prompts. Initially, this 'super' Administrator account does not have a password, a serious vulnerability for

...

Some Useful Windows Media Player Mobile Tips

magakos — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:56:00 +0000

Do not use the "Update Library" function in Windows Media Player on your Windows Mobile Device. This will add all sorts of audio files and sound effects to your media library from both your main device and storage card. If you have a GPS navigation program that uses WAV files, you'll see what a mess this becomes.
By letting Windows Media Player convert files to WMA/WMV, you know that the Mobile Media Player will be able to handle the file formats. This way there's no guessing involved as to whether your MP3's bitrate encoding is going to play.
Mobile Windows Media Player, when launched, defaults to showing the "My Device" library. You probably want it to open the "Storage Card" library by default. You can remove the "My Device" library listing option completely by deleting the following file: "Mobile Device\Application Data\Microsoft\Media Player\XMEMediaLibrary.mlb." This way, only the files in your Storage Card library will show up in Windows Media Player Mobile.
If you notice a significant slow-down or persistent memory leaks when using Windows Media Player Mobile, you may have a corrupt library. On the storage card, delete the following file "\Storage Card\MSMETADATA\XMEMediaLibrary.mlb". You may have to tap & hold in the File Manager

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Setup a Bluetooth GPS with Live Search for Windows Mobile

magakos — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:54:00 +0000

Live Search for Windows Mobile is a highly useful program that allows you to search, get directions, and check on traffic conditions, movie times, and a whole lot more—all from your Windows Mobile smartphone. What many people don't realize, however, is that Live Search also works with Bluetooth GPS units.

When you use Live Search for Windows Mobile with a Bluetooth GPS, you gain even better search results because the software can direct you to what you're looking for based on where you are right now; and you can get accurate, turn-by-turn driving directions. Without a Bluetooth GPS, Live Search is still tremendously useful, but when you add in the GPS factor, the combination is even better—especially when it comes to finding restaurants and businesses close to where you are. This article is going to cover the basics of buying, configuring, and using a Bluetooth GPS with Live Search for Windows Mobile.

Picking the right GPS unit

Sometimes shopping for technology can be difficult because there are so many choices and you want to make sure you pick the right solution. Thankfully, buying a Bluetooth GPS is relatively simple—all modern Bluetooth GPS units have the same basic

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DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 Patches Updated for XP SP3 and Vista SP1

ShaDow — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:29:00 +0000

Two security bulletins, from December 2007 and from June 2008 respectively, affecting the DirectX components of a wide range of Windows operating systems including Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3, have been updated. According to Microsoft, the modifications were designed to simply add DirectX 9.0a on the list of impacted DirectX versions. The pair of patches are set up to resolve no less than four security vulnerabilities and both security bulletins are labeled with the maximum severity rating from Microsoft: Critical.

Released initially on December 11, 2007, Security Bulletin MS07-064 plugs security holes in DirectX 7.0, 8.1, 9.0 and 10.0 running on Windows 2000, Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista RTM. One of the security issues is related to a DirectX Code Execution Vulnerability Parsing SAMI Files while the remaining one deals with a DirectX Code Execution Vulnerability Parsing WAV and AVI Files.

"This critical security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft DirectX. These vulnerabilities could allow code execution if a user opened a specially crafted file used for streaming media in DirectX. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights," Microsoft informed.

As far as Security Bulletin MS08-033 is concerned, Microsoft also patched vulnerabilities in all the DirectX and Windows versions mentioned above, but also in XP SP3, Windows Vista SP1, and Windows Server 2008. The company resolved a MJPEG Decoder Vulnerability and a Format Parsing Vulnerability. "This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft DirectX that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted media file," the Redmond giant stated.

Source : Softpedia News

Internet Security Deluxe Removal Guide

Valentino — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:28:35 +0000

Do you know what Internet Security Deluxe is?

DESCRIPTION

Internet Security Deluxe, believe it or not, is a fake anti-spyware program. Even though the name may be misleading, it is still classified as a rogue program that we find to be useless at removing spyware or adding security features for your computer. Internet Security Deluxe does neither, all that it is good for is taking your money in return for a worthless program.

Internet Security Deluxe or sometimes called InternetSecurityDeluxe typically comes from a Trojan infection which can be obtained through a fake video codec download. The Trojans that we have narrowed Internet Security Deluxe coming from are the Zlob and Vundo Trojan. Some computer users have reported getting Internet Security Deluxe directly from the InternetSecurityDeluxe.com website. Internet Security Deluxe can be installed by these Trojans without your permission. Sometimes the only way that you know you have Internet Security Deluxe installed is after you start to get fake popups and alert messages.

In non-techie terms: Internet Security Deluxe is not much different from other rogue anti-spyware programs. It performs malicious actions to get you to purchase a full version of the Internet Security Deluxe

...

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Unlock Vista Super-Secret Administrator Account

magakos — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:01:06 +0000

Hidden in the bowels of Windows is a super-secret Administrator account. Here’s how to unlock it, in case you ever need to use it.

Deep inside Windows, there’s a secret Administrator account, and it’s different from the normal administrator account you most likely have set up on your PC. Oddly enough, this Administrator account is not part of the Administrator group. (Note the differentiation between the secret Administrator account, and the administrator account you’ve set up. In describing this hack, we’ll always use the capital “A” for the secret account, and a lowercase “a” for an administrator account you’ve set up.)

What’s the difference between the secret Administrator account and a normal administrator account? On Vista, the difference is more than the name: the Administrator account is not subject to User Account Control. So the Administrator can make any changes to the system and will see no UAC prompts.

For this reason, you may want to unlock the Administrator account, and use it only for those times when you want to make a series of system changes and don’t want to be bothered by UAC. True, you could instead simply disable UAC on your system, but it’s a pain to do this, and you may forget to turn it back on.

Turning on the Administrator account is pretty straightforward. On Vista, open an elevated command prompt by typing cmd.exe into the Search box on the Start menu and pressing Ctrl-Shift-Enter. Next, enter this command:

Net user administrator /active:yes

On XP Professional, fire up TweakUI, go to the Logon section, and choose “Show Administrator on Welcome Screen”.

On Windows XP Home, the Administrator account is only available when you boot into safe mode.

From now on, the Administrator account will appear on the Welcome screen. Use it like any other account. Be aware that it won’t have a password, so it’s a good idea to set a password for it by going to Control Panel -> User Accounts and Family Safety (Vista) or Control Panel -> User Accounts (XP). If you want to disable the account and hide it, enter this command at an elevated command prompt:

Net user administrator /active:no

Use WHOAMI To See Account Information - Windows Vista has a cool new command line tool called Whoami that shows plenty of information about the currently logged on user, including the account name, a list of group memberships, and much more as well. At any command line, type whoami, and you’ll be shown the name of the loggedon user. Type whoami /all to see a wide variety of information, including a list of groups to which the account is a member, user privileges, and much more. For a list of all parameters, type whoami /?.

Pretty Sweet Updates to Windows Live Calendar Beta

Brandon LeBlanc — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:50:00 +0000

The Windows Live Calendar Team have been rolling out an update to the Windows Live Calendar Beta today and have recently blogged about what users will find within the update. I am a very heavy Windows Live Calendar user currently so this is a very exciting release for me. I figured I'd go down their list of changes / improvements / new features with a little context of my own based on my own experiences. Here we go!

Birthday Calendars: Any Windows Live Contacts that have their birthday entered in their Windows Live Profile (you can make sure you have your birthday added to your profile by going here) will have their birthday appear in a new calendar for you called "Birthday Calendar". This allows you to keep track of all your friend's birthdays. Never forget a birthday again!

iCal Subscriptions: You can now subscribe to public calendars (*.ics calendars) in Windows Live Calendar. A great resource for public calendars is http://www.icalshare.com/ (although at the time of writing this post I was having some issues with their website). I am a Space buff so I went and grabbed the calendar for astronomical events and subscribed to it.

Once you subscribe to these calendars - as long as the publisher continues to update them they will automatically update in Windows Live Calendar. If anyone has any other useful iCal resources on the web for free calendars to subscribe to, let me know!

UPDATE: Some calendars available on www.icalshare.com have URLs that direct to a different location. Windows Live Calendar Beta does not yet support following redirects. However if you are able to determine where the URL redirects to - you can always subscribe to its "final destination".

Holiday Calendar: A new calendar will show up (depending on which part of the world you're from) that will display holidays for your country. I find this incredibly useful. Currently users in the following countries will see a Holiday Calendar:

China
Taiwan
Hong Kong
Thailand
Singapore
Malaysia
Korea
Indonesia
Philippines
India
Russia
France
United States
Spain
German
United Kingdom

UI Changes: Notably - users can now right-click on a specific calendar in their calendar list and change its color and also its order in that list.

Print Views: You are now able to print from the day, week, and month views. I prefer printing from the Month view myself. You can also print your Agenda as well. I am noticing I am using the Agenda tab quite often these days.

A few more notable changes to Windows Live Calendar Beta with this release are accessibility functionality which includes better tabbing (and F6 key support). And users can now go directly to Windows Live Calendar via the calendar tab in Windows Live Hotmail.

Want to test out subscribing to a calendar? I've shared out my Windows Experience Blog calendar to anyone interested in subscribing:

webcal://windowsexperience.calendar.live.com/calendar/The+Windows+Experience+Calendar/calendar.ics

Not a whole bunch of events there just yet. You'll find I've added today's Windows Live Calendar Beta update as an event and in October you should see events for the PDC2008 Pre-Conference and PDC2008 as well. I definitely plan on updating it. If you have any suggestions for events that would be of interest to the Windows community - leave a comment!

If you're attending PDC2008 you can also subscribe to their calendar they publish as well to add a separate PDC2008 calendar to Windows Live Calendar:

http://www.microsoftpdc.com/Microsoft-PDC08.ics

REMEMBER: You can also subscribe your calendars in Windows Calendar in Windows Vista as well!

[Vista/XP-IE] How to Show the File Download Window after “Always ask before opening this type of file” was Unchecked

magakos — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:40:33 +0000

If Internet Explorer (IE7 or maybe IE8) Automatically Downloads the File Without Asking you where to save it, How to Re-Enable, Restore or Reset it to default is a problem especially in downloading Office Document Files (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx) and Zip files .zip, .Rar, .7z and other formats.

CAUSE: While Downloading a File, the "File Download" dialog box was clicked to clear the "Always ask before opening this type of file" checkbox.

You can do it Manually or just Download WinBubble 1.74 (The version will be release soon), Go to IE Tab and It will Fix easily...

Registry HACK: Manually Resetting the option

1. Go to the path below and Remove any related values that is associated with the file.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\AttachmentExecute\{0002DF01-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

For Example in my situation, Zip files and other archives are associated with IZarc. So just delete the Izarc value, "IZArcZip". The same procedure, if you are using Winzip, 7-zip and other programs.

Thanks to Microsoft.com For Publishing a detailed Documentation of File Download Window.

Related Articles:

How to Find or Specify the Download Directory Before and After Downloading a file

Taking the Ownership of Files and Folder

Unlock for Us: Windows Vista Unlocks, News, Tips and Tweaks

Put a Language translation to your website

Virtual Girl of the Future, A.I. (Artificial Intelligence)?

Infector Trojan Removal Guide

Valentino — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:38:33 +0000

Do you know what Infector Trojan is?

DESCRIPTION

Infector Trojan is a malicious Trojan infection that has the ability to open up your computer to outside or remote users. Infector Trojan may be installed onto your computer undetected or without you knowing about it. Once you start getting popups and fake security messages you will immediately know something has gone wrong.

Infector Trojan poses a great risk to you by downloading or installing other malware or spyware onto your computer. Infector Trojan may allow outsiders or hackers to control your computer remotely. This allows others to steal your personal information such as passwords and private stored data.

In non-techie terms: Infector Trojan performs various functions that could allow a hacker to infiltrate your computer which can lead to theft of your personal information or data. Many times gullible computer users do not take action to remove a Trojan infection such as Infector Trojan and end up having identity theft. That is can be a major pain in the butt! You must take the bull by the horns and remove Infector Trojan the moment that you find out that you have it on your system.

Aliases: Infector Trojan, InfectorTrojan, Backdoor.Ciadoor.10, Backdoor:Win32/Ciadoor.

Infector Trojan Automatic Removal Instructions

This

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How to Find or Specify the Download Directory Before and After Downloading a file

magakos — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:00:52 +0000

FireFox or IE: How to Find the file that you have downloaded in Internet Explorer? How Specify or Set the Download Directly?

Internet Explorer: Specify or change the default Download Directory

1. Simple Way (If you don't want to memorize the steps...)

Download WinBubble, The program can do many useful things that most editors said it is a must-have in Windows Vista.

Go to IE Tab > At the Miscellaneous Group, Just edit or change the values as shown below or Press the Browse Button to find and set the Directory > Finally, Press the Apply Button. Simple isn't it?

2. I'm a Geek! Teach me the manual way to edit the path...

a. Go to the Path Below:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer

b. Double-Click to Modify the Value Name called

Download Directory

c. If you can't see the Value, Right-Click in the vacant space > New > String Value > Type "Download Directory" > Double-Click and Add the Path.

That's it!

OTHER PROBLEMS: If Internet Explorer Automatically Downloads the File Without Asking you where to save it, How to Restore or Reset it to default is a problem especially in downloading Zip files.

SOLUTION: [Vista-IE] How to Show the File Download Window after "Always ask before opening this type of file" was Unchecked

FireFox: How to change the default Download Directory

At the Tools Menu > Options > Click the Main Icon > Downloads Group > This is very similar to WinBubble, Just Click the Browse Button to find and set the Default Download Directory.

If you want FireFox to Ask you Before you start Downloading the File, Choose the Second option "Always ask me where to save files"

Simple isn't it? This is the reason why Firefox is very popular...

Related Articles:

UnlockME: Internet Explorer 7 and FireFox 3 doesn't load the latest web page

WebGadgetsUnlimited!

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Vista SP1 Desktop Optimization Pack

ShaDow — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:44:00 +0000

The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack is designed to help customers get the most out of their Windows Vista clients, according to Microsoft's official description of the solution. Delivering a comprehensive package of technologies from virtualization to asset inventory service, but also including an advanced group policy manager, a diagnostics and recovery toolset, desktop error monitoring, Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization MDOP is tailored specifically to Vista SP1 since the end of April 2008.

Eric Ligman, Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement, US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs, issued a public invitation to customers to make the first step toward enjoying the benefits of MDOP. The promise is that in the end, the Microsoft Desktop Optimization pack will take environment and infrastructure management to a new level.

"MDOP is sold as an add-on to the Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise (Windows Vista Business + Software Assurance) SKU through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Programs. Plus, here is a really attractive part of this… The Estimated Retail Price (ERP) for MDOP is only 90¢ per desktop per month. That’s it! Just 90¢ per desktop per month gets you all of the features and benefits of the MDOP suite for your desktops with Windows Vista Enterprise on them," Ligman stated.

In the end, the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack is yet another solution from the company aimed exclusively at its corporate customers and set up to help reduce complexity and the costs associated with managing their infrastructure. Following the release of Vista SP1, Microsoft has begun pushing the operating system harder and harder in the corporate environment, and MDOP should always be connected with the Enterprise SKU of the operating system.

"To make it easier for you, here are the Part #s for MDOP through the Open Value and Open Value Subscription programs: Open Value Subscription: Part #: WSB-00075 - MDOP add-on for Windows Vista SA non-company; Open Value Subscription: Part #: WSB-00114 - MDOP add-on for Windows Vista SA company wide; Open Value: Part #: WSB-00073 - MDOP add-on for Windows Vista SA non-company wide and Open Value: Part #: WSB-00090 - MDOP add-on for Windows Vista SA company wide," Ligman added.

Source : Softpedia News

Connecting to Data Sources in IIS 7.0

magakos — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:31:19 +0000

IIS can store connection strings used by managed code applications to connect to local and remote data sources, which can include SQL Server databases and other types of databases. To view currently configured connection strings, in IIS Manager, navigate to the level of the configuration hierarchy you want to manage, and then access the Connection Strings page by double-clicking the Connection Strings feature. In the main pane, you'll see a list of the currently defined connection strings. Local entries are configured at the level you are working with. Inherited entries are configured at a higher level of the configuration hierarchy.

You can create a connection string for SQL Server by completing the following steps:

1. In IIS Manager, navigate to the level of the configuration hierarchy you want to manage, and then access the Connection Strings page by double-clicking the Connection Strings feature.

2. On the Connection Strings page, in the Actions pane, click Add. This displays the Add Connection String dialog box.

3. In the Name text box, type the name of the connection string, such as SqlServerCustDb. This name must be the same name that you reference in your application code to retrieve data that uses this connection string. You cannot change the name later without re-creating the connection string.

4. In the Server text box, type the name of the SQL server that hosts the database.

5. In the Database text box, type the name of the SQL server database.

6. Select one of the following Credentials options to specify the security credentials that are used to connect to the database:

• Use Windows Integrated Security Configures the connection string so that the application uses the current Windows identity established on the operating system thread to access the SQL Server database. Use this option to pass through authenticated Windows domain credentials to the database.
You can use integrated security only when SQL Server runs on the same computer as IIS or when you've configured delegation between computers. Additionally, all application users must be in the same domain so that their credentials are available to IIS.

• Specify Credentials Configures the connection string to use a specific SQL Server user name and password. Use this option when you do not want to pass through user credentials to the database for authentication. After you select Specify Credentials, click Set. In the Set Credentials dialog box, type the SQL Server user name to use for the connection. After you type and then confirm the password for this user, click OK.

7. Click OK to close the Add Connection String dialog box.

You can create a custom connection string for other types of database servers by completing the following steps:

1. In IIS Manager, navigate to the level of the configuration hierarchy you want to manage, and then access the Connection Strings page by double-clicking the Connection Strings feature.

2. On the Connection Strings page, in the Actions pane, click Add. This displays the Add Connection String dialog box, with the Custom option enabled.

3. In the Name text box, type the name of the connection string, such as LocalSqlServer. This name must be the same name that you reference in your application code to retrieve data that uses this connection string. You cannot change the name later without re-creating the connection string.

4. Select the Custom option, and then type the connection string. The connection string should by formatted as appropriate for the type of database to which you are connecting.
Your organization's application developer or database administrator should be able to provide the required connection string. The following example connects to a local SQL Express database, which is stored in the aspnetdb.mdf file:

Data source=.\SQLEXPRESS;Integrated Security=SSPI;
AttachDBFilename=|DataDirectory|aspnetdb.mdf;User Instance=true

5. Click OK to close the Add Connection String dialog box.

To edit an existing connection string, select the string that you want to modify, and then click Edit. In the Edit Connection String dialog box, modify the settings as necessary, and then click OK to save your changes. To remove a connection string that is no longer needed, select the connection string you want to remove, and then click Remove. When prompted to confirm the action, click Yes.

Microsoft Hyper-V (I’m Impressed!)

Steve Wiseman — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:20:00 +0000

I have been toying around with different configurations here using the free VMWare server package. I decided I would take another look at the Microsoft VM solution (Now known as Hyper-V)

In the past I have been underwhelmed by the truly abysmal state of Microsoft's Virtual Machine server software. Last time I tried it out I believe it was called Microsoft Virtual Server 2005. I had so much trouble getting it to work I vowed to never allow it on my system again - in fact Virutal Server caused so much trouble I had to reformat and reload the host PC that I had installed it on.

Come back to today...three years later. I was installing a fresh copy of Windows 2008 as a new domain controller. I saw the option to install Hyper-V, or not to install it. I figured I would give it a spin (And work on my new DC later)

I ran automatic update right after my fresh copy of Windows 2008 was installed. This brought me from a pre-release version of Hyper-V to the final version. Once my updates were complete I opened up the server manager and drilled down to the...

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AntivirusMaster (Antivirus Master) Removal Instructions

admin — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:10:16 +0000

AntivirusMaster Descriptions:

AntivirusMaster, also known as Antivirus Master, is the latest counterfeit anti-spyware software that causes headaches for the users around the world today. It’s believed that Antivirus Master is a variant of Master Antivirus and its family. AntivirusMaster usually installed itself onto your PC without your permission, through Vundo Trojan, Zlob Trojan, Virus or fake software. AntivirusMaster will display fake system alerts or fake security alerts to trick user to buy the paid version of AntivirusMaster, in order to remove the potential and reported problems.

Likely error message include, “WARNING! Attack Detected. Antivirus Master has detected possible harmful actions from remote computer on the network. Blaster/Sasser.variant worm behaviour detected. You have to register your copy to get full protection feature set and an ability to defeat upcoming threats. To begin online registration, please click “Activate now” button below.”

Not only does it cause your machine to slow down dramatically, it would also put your privacy and data in risk. If you are one of the victims to Antivirus Master, remove it immediately. Good luck!

Download SpyHunter* Spyware Detection Utility.

Manual Removal Instructions:

Stop AntivirusMaster Processes:
(Learn how to do

…

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SPTimerV3 Problems During MOSS/WSS Upgrade

Odd-Magne Kristoffersen — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:49:00 +0000

I ran into a problem installing the latest Infrastructure Update for MOSS/WSS, when running thorugh the SharePoint Products and Technologies i recived the following error message;

"Cannot start service SPTimerV3 on computer"

When looking in the installer log I found the following;

4 ERR An exception of type System.InvalidOperationException was thrown. Additional exception information: Cannot start service SPTimerV3 on computer '.'.System.InvalidOperationException: Cannot start service SPTimerV3 on computer '.'. ---> System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController.Start(String[] args) at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.ServiceHelper.Start(String serviceName) at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.ServiceHelper.TryToStartService(String serviceName, Boolean autostart, Boolean throwOnFailure)

4 ERR Task upgrade has failed with an unknown exception

4 ERR Exception: System.InvalidOperationException: Cannot start service SPTimerV3 on computer '.'. ---> System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController.Start(String[] args) at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.ServiceHelper.Start(String serviceName) at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.ServiceHelper.TryToStartService(String serviceName, Boolean autostart, Boolean throwOnFailure) at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.UpgradeTask.Run() at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.TaskThread.ExecuteTask()

I tried to restart the service manually, but that failed also. (The service did not respond to the start or control request in...

Click to continue reading "SPTimerV3 Problems During MOSS/WSS Upgrade"

Slow Domain Logon on with Windows XP

Odd-Magne Kristoffersen — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:37:00 +0000

A time ago we had a customer who struggeled with slow domain logon from Windows XP clients. Logon process was taking more than 20 minutes to complete with logon process hanging on "applying computer settings". We finally go the problem pinpointed;

ACTION:
Users are logging onto Windows XP workstations.

RESULT:
The logon process was taking more than 20 minutes to complete.
The logon process was hanging for approximately 15 minutes when “applying computer settings”.

CAUSE:
The Message Queuing Service (MSMQ) was in a start pending state during startup.

The services database was locked, waiting on MSMQ to start and also making other services like Computer Browser, Security Center and Network Location Awareness (NLA) to hang therefore blocking group policy.
The Message Queuing Service has a timeout of 900000 milliseconds, i.e. 15 minutes, so only after this time the other services were able to proceed so as logon to complete.

The message queuing service was failing to start up because it was receiving an 0xc000101d error status when attempting to initialize the MSMQ log
The error “0xc000101d” is reported when the log is corrupt.

RESOLUTION:
The following actions resolved the problem:

Ran MQBKUP.EXE to backup

...

Click to continue reading "Slow Domain Logon on with Windows XP"

About:Config Tweaks For Firefox 3

magakos — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:33:00 +0000

Firefox 3 one of the maximum downloaded open source browser which has set a Guinness world record. Their were Over 8,000,000 downloads in 24 hours!. Along with Firefox 3 Spreadfirefox also got new cool look.

Firefox 3 about:config file is the core configuration file of Firefox. By editing about:config file we can get amazing hacks for Firefox 3. Firefox allows the users to change many preferences in the about:config file so it’s totally ethical to do it.Here is list of 21 Firefox 3 hacks & tweaks.

To get the Firefox 3 configuration file type “about:config” at address bar.

Here is List of about:config hacks for Firefox 3

1) Disable Extension Compatibility Checks

extensions.checkCompatibility = False
extensions.checkUpdateSecurity = False

2) Location Bar (Set number Auto Complete URL at Address Bar)

This is a good hack to trim down that huge auto-complete list on your URL bar. By default it displays maximum 12 URL

browser.urlbar.maxRichResults = #

Enter Number at # (3,10,12 etc)

3) Stop Displaying Website Icon (Favicon) in Address bar & On Tab

...

Click to continue reading "About:Config Tweaks For Firefox 3"

Reset ILO Username and Password

Odd-Magne Kristoffersen — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:08:00 +0000

Here is a tip on how to reset the ILO password for the Administrator user or create a new userlogin. You will need access to the computer via console or RDP to be able to complete this.

Download
HP Lights-Out Online Configuration Utility for Windows Server 2003/2008
HP Lights-Out XML Scripting Sample for Windows

Install the Configuration Utility and extract the XML scripts to the installation folder.

Reset the Administrator password
Open the Administrator_reset_pw.xml in notepad and change the Password value to what you want;

Save the .xml file and run this command from CMD;

HPONCFG.EXE /f add_user.xml /l log.txt > output.txt

You can now log in with the new password.

To create a new user
Open the Change_Password.xml in notepad and change the MOD_USER USER_LOGIN and Password value to what you want;

Save the .xml file and run this command from CMD;

HPONCFG.EXE /f add_user.xml /l log.txt > output.txt

You can now log in with the new username and password.

Ocean Gadgets Sidebar - Free Download

MyVistaThemes.com — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:47:16 +0000

What a sidebar package. This ocean themed side package includes a clock, radio, stats, shutdown, email, recycle bin, network, cpu, feedreader, calendar and more. I love the blue colors and light feel to all the gadgets.

Title: Ocean Gadgets
Author: gersma
Download:

Download Ocean Gadgets Sidebar Here

AeroStatic Theme - Free Download

MyVistaThemes.com — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:39:59 +0000

Now this is a cool Vista theme. I like the choice of the background image and the side bar. The start menu looks great with its black look and really mixes well with the transparency effect. The start orb looks great too. This theme is not heavily modified, which is nice because it doesn’t need to be. Great job to the creator on a fantastic design.

Are you still using Windows XP? If you are then visit our FAQ page to download our XP Theme Patcher. If you’re using Windows Vista, you don’t need the Theme Patcher.
Title: AeroStatic
Author: Canflip
Download:

Download Vista AeroStatic for Vista Here