WizYo Sytes Net

Add default route to AS/400

2008-07-30T10:35:00.002-05:00

CFGTCP
add *DFTROUTE *NONE 192.168.1.254

( AS400 TCP/IP internet gateway )

Windows XP open file Annoyance

2008-06-04T11:45:00.003-05:00

I've been seeing this on a few systems, but it hasn't been an issue until it cropped up on only one workstation out of 30.

When trying to access a program located over a Windows network, the following annoyance appears so the user has to click an extra time:

The fix is to disable the Automatically detect intranet network selection if it is available after opening up Internet Properties, Security tab, click Intranet, and then click Sites.

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Can't access server share with Domain User account

2008-06-04T11:01:00.007-05:00

Windows XP Pro workstation would not access Windows 2000 server shares. I think the error mentioned "invalid username" even though both systems are on a Windows domain and the user in question is a domain user. All other network connections to other servers appear fine.

Turns out, the workstation had somehow saved a different password specifically for this server's connection. Removed it by going through Control Panel, User Accounts, Advanced, and Manage Passwords.

Here are some sample images of this bizarre area:

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XP Home Permissions Fix

2008-05-06T11:00:00.003-05:00

Here's a handy command for allowing access to a permission restricted folder on XP Home:

cacls dir /e /c /g everyone:f
(where dir is the folder to target)

QuickBooks failed to install on a PC because of some restriction on a folder in the "All Users" folder. After making the correction, it appeared as though the permission had been removed by the loss of any users (or groups) that had been listed previously.

Everyone listing similar commands also mentioned to be careful with permissions because of potentially locking up your computer, but I didn't have any trouble.

( Win WinXP Windows XP Home Security Permissions )

Time Policy Lockdown

2008-01-27T18:33:00.000-06:00

(incomplete) Control Panel .. Administrative Tools .. Local Security Settings Change the system time .. remove all entries --- change the key at the following location .. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config from .. "UpdateInterval"=dword:00057e40 to .. "UpdateInterval"=dword:00000e10 360000

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old, but still good NTFS file system tweak

2008-01-01T00:31:00.000-06:00

This information was fairly easy to come by, but I wanted to keep it in my files anyway.

Set NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate DWORD to 1 at this location in the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Filesystem

Grabbed this tip from: Increase XP NTFS performance

As usual, I got distracted along the way and found this tip at: Show File and Folder Names Using the Correct Case. I frequently capitalize my folders as I wish, but have noticed Windows "corrects" these items for me. This fix removes such behavior.

Set DontPrettyPath DWORD to 1 at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ Advanced

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Still using Windows Update ?

2007-12-28T12:03:00.000-06:00

Internet Explorer 6 crashes after you install security update 942615 on a computer that is running Windows XP Service Pack 2

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HyperTerminal missing ? Install Fix !

2007-12-10T10:49:00.000-06:00

Surprisingly, the install command for HyperTerminal is significantly difficult to find online. I've copied it from the following article as a quick reference for anyone else searching for this info:

How to reinstall Hyper Terminal on Windows XP

Click "Start" .. "Run" .. and then paste in one of these commands before clicking "OK" ..

install:
RUNDLL32 ADVPACK.DLL,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\communic.inf,Hypertrm

remove:
RUNDLL32 ADVPACK.DLL,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\communic.inf,HypertrmUninstall

( hypertrm hypertrm.exe HyperTerminal WinXP Windows XP Professional Pro Home )

Dell hard drive recovery

2007-12-04T11:43:00.000-06:00

One Dell XPS/Dimension 200/5150C has been reloaded several times since it's purchase. An identical unit purchased at the same time has had no trouble at all.

The latest round has been for data recovery after the unit locks up and then will not boot at all.

clipped from my service ticket...
Hook up on workbench and boot to BartPE CD. Hard drive isn't recognized properly. Reseat SATA cable and power to hard drive. Try booting again, but CD doesn't see drive. Try booting normally, but system crashes. Download Sata drivers to floppy from Dell's website. Boot using drivers on diskette, but system takes a long time to come up. System still fails to run chkdsk and R-Studio on drive. Try Dell hard drive diagnostics, but they don't appear to run completely. Boot to PowerMax utility and receive error code dd69937b after read scan fails. Try recovering data using Windows XP CD with Service Pack 2. Boot to Ubuntu live CD, but receive errors. Download and create "Ultimate Boot CD" but all utilities fail to read drive. Pick up SATA adapter and return PC. Pull hard drive and hook up to another PC using SATA adapter. Drive fails to access, but does display a drive letter. Successfully kick off "chkdsk /f" and allow to run. Successfully access documents! Copy "My Documents" folder and Outlook data from problem hard drive to network server. Replace drive in PC and it boots to desktop without any trouble. Reboot to Dell diagnostic CD and hard drive scan reports numerous errors.

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Change Drive Letter Assignments

2007-11-30T10:12:00.000-06:00

this is a quick email written for a customer to help with a card reader conflict...

Right click My Computer and choose Manage .. Computer Management will open
On the left side under Storage, click to select Disk Management Your drives will display on the right side now.
Look for errors.
Look for conflicts.
Look for missing drive letter assignments.

To change or assign a drive letter...
(don't change C: drive!)

Right click the space to the right beside the drives listed on the bottom right of the window.
Select Change Drive Letters and Paths...
Add or change to prevent conflicts.
Pay special attention to drive letter assignments that conflict with network drives. Windows will automatically handle local drive conflicts most of the time. For some reason, Windows doesn't pay attention to network drives and may assign the same letter twice (only one will work at a time).

There is a software package that I've seen, but never used that boasts that it will automatically monitor and assign correct drive letters for usb drives. It is not free software, but may be handy if you continue to have trouble.

( WinXP Windows XP 2000 Win2k )

Can't access Control Panel

2007-11-13T15:57:00.000-06:00

"This operation has been cancelled due to restriction in effect on this computer."

After receiving the above error, locate helpful suggestions at the following forum:
Control Panel disappear

Type GPEDIT.MSC from the Run box. Navigate to User Configuration>Administrative Templates>Control Panel:Prohibit Access to the Control Panel=enabled.

Make sure this is set to not configured or disabled

Also check HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Policies
and HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Policies

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More AS/400 notes

2007-11-08T11:02:00.000-06:00

Handy commands used in troubleshooting a printing error ..

WrkOutQ *all	work with outqueue
Go CMDS36	control for System 36 environment
ChgS36	change system 36 settings
DskSts	show disk space used
WrkWtr writernam*	work with writer (don't use last character of name?)

items located while researching:

My job is hung up on the AS400!

THINGS TO CHECK AT THE AS/400

( AS/400 as400 os400 System36 )

Revisit: Handy time zone information

2007-10-30T21:24:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in a previous article (WizYo Sytes Net: Handy time zone information) recent changes to the laws concerning Daylight Savings Time have caused several computers to have their clocks set incorrectly since no one has bothered to inform your computer that someone at NIST changed the dates.

The simple solution is to let your computer know what the correct dates are for falling back and springing forward. The following utility makes this process very simple. Download and run to update your computer.
EZ Time Zone Update Released !

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State of the Webmaster - Fall 2007

2007-10-18T23:42:00.000-05:00

This started out as an email response. After rambling on for several minutes, I realized this is not quite a response to a friend, but instead turns out to be me letting off a little steam .. enjoy

Let's just say this is a bad week for a positive response :)

I'm still breathing, so I guess it's not too bad yet ~!

All in all everything is just about the same for me. I work as fast and hard as I can, but never seem to catch up.

This week's catastrophe is flavored with a touch of "bad UPS battery" and topped off with "nearly total loss of your data" served up on a well aged IBM server with a side of "pointless USB backup via Acronis 8.0" .. and of course, your beverage of choice ~! :-D

Tip from the tip-meister .. Dawn in a spray bottle ! Take an ordinary spray bottle and fill with water. Add about a teaspoon squirt of Dawn dish soap and screw on the sprayer top. Shake for 5 seconds and use on everything. Engine parts, cabinets .. air conditioner coils! .. hands .. anything greasy or just dirty .. etc .. Take in the car with a roll of paper towels for quick and easy cleanup.

BartPE is good, CleanUp and Windows Updates are bad .. VPN can be done with software instead of router hardware. Ubuntu Linux is highly recommended.

P4 processors are too slow for QuickBooks.

I should probably find a therapist to talk to.. but he'd probably ignore me too! haha

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Surge Protection 101

2007-10-04T11:14:00.000-05:00

Surge protectors don't provide any protection if the "ground" is not present. The way they protect is by bleeding off excessive voltage to ground during a spike situation. If the ground is missing or overloaded, the surge passes right on into the connected equipment (Computer/Modem/Monitor/etc..).

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MatchMaker Workstation Installation

2007-10-02T10:23:00.000-05:00

Open DOS window and browse to program folder (eg F:\M2)

Type: ADDUSER DBFS and press enter

Select Hard Drive Directory and confirm C:\M2FOX

press enter

Add mode con lines=25 to your batch file to fix display in full screen mode

( Matchmaker 2000 )

Unfortunate Realization

2007-10-01T15:58:00.000-05:00

I've come to the conclusion that not all P4's are worthy of being upgraded.

Latest evaluation finds a P4 2GHz with 768MB RAM running Windows 2000. PC's slow performance is most likely the result of the older architecture and will not see any benefit in upgrading the memory.

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Wanted: QoS and VPN firewall router

2007-09-27T10:52:00.000-05:00

After much research, I've discovered that there is no hardware solution to match using VoIP with QoS and VPN capabilities.

Customer was wanting to sign up with Vonage for long distance service, but also establish a VPN from the remote office back to the corporate office. Both devices would be required to be connected to the DSL modem. A single hardware solution does not exist.

I have proposed a software VPN solution between key PCs. The Vonage box should now have no trouble bordering the internet and controlling traffic.

(btw, Vonage phone support is horrible)

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Display session fails to connect

2007-09-27T09:46:00.000-05:00

If your AS/400 Client Access display session opens, but only shows a black screen without the cursor flashing, try this:

Click Communication on the menu bar
Click Connect
If this works, go back and click Autoconnect to have the session connect automatically when opened.

Usually, autoconnect is enabled by default, but it can get turned off (somehow) and ends up costing a service call.

( CA400 AS/400 )

CA400 Print Screen on Kyocera Mita

2007-09-20T08:48:00.000-05:00

Problem:
Kyocera Mita FS-1010 networked via Standard TCP/IP Port produces only a blank page (with faint dots) when trying to use the Print Screen feature in Client Access for AS/400.

Solution:

File
Printer Setup...
Check Use PDT
Click Select PDT... button
Select PDT file basic_ascii
Click OK
Click OK again

notes:

"Publisher could not be verified"

Personal Communications

iSeries Access for Windows

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Misc links ...

2007-09-13T21:31:00.000-05:00

VPN and QoS (quality of service) solved!

Password Exporter 1.0.6

XML Viewer 2.0 Simple, very useful program for XML viewing.

( voip vpn qos )

Fax Confirmation (aka: Fax Call Report )

2007-09-12T00:35:00.000-05:00

"Fax confirmation" is a very difficult item to locate in the HP LaserJet 3390 manual. "Fax call report" is easier to find, but is a little confusing to configure. Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet?

The following information is quoted from the service manual:

On the all-in-one control panel, press Menu.
Use the < or the > button to select Reports, and then press (check).
Use the < or the > button to select Fax Call report, and then press (check).
Press the > button to select Print report, and then press (check).
Use the < or the > button to select the option for when you want the fax call reports to be printed.
Press (check) to save your selection.

Send fax only is the correct selection for printing confirmation pages for only sent faxes. (what exactly is the point of printing a confirmation for received faxes??)

This multi-function printer also offers faxing from the desktop of multiple Windows PCs with the convenience of a shared address book (fax-dress book?).

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Great add-on for Windows Mobile

2007-09-05T22:07:00.000-05:00

Definitely a must have for Windows Mobile 5.0 !! I simply can not understand why there is no included utility for switching and closing programs. Clicking the little X appears to close programs, but they keep running for some reason.

Enter Pocket Nav and easily switch between programs or terminate a rogue application on the loose! With it's nifty little lightening bolt and easy access to other advanced options, Pocket Nav will quickly become your most commonly used mobile utility.

Quoted from Scott's CE Applications (the author's page):
Pocket Nav is a Task Switcher for Windows CE and Pocket PC's. It allows you to close any program, and on the pocket pc's it also gives one tap access to the desktop at any point.

(Palm Page didn't quite work the way I expected, but it is listed on the page so I tried it first.)

Here's the steps I like to follow when setting this up:
Download pocketnav.zip and extract the files. Look at the extracted files and the one you want has a little lightening bolt. Right click the file and choose cut. Navigate to the Program Files folder, right click and choose paste. Right click the file again and choose copy. Navigate to the Windows\StartUp folder. Right click and choose paste as shortcut. Right click the new shortcut and choose rename. Edit off Shortcut to to make it look better. Now the program will automatically start after rebooting. Double click your new shortcut to start the program. There should now be a little lightening bolt in the top right hand corner of your screen. Click it and have fun!

( ce task switcher pda )

3gp Ubuntu

2007-09-03T03:12:00.000-05:00

Ubuntu has this nifty little feature where it shows a thumbnail of movies which is a great tool in locating a particular video. I've actually uncovered a few untitled videos that had been somewhat misplaced and forgotten. Without making any modifications, Ubuntu plays video recordings from my Motorola Slvr L7 cell phone, but there is no sound :(

After doing a quick bit of searching on Google, I download and install Mobile Media Converter and easily batch convert all my phone videos into MPG format with sound!

Not completely impressive, but then I got a wild hair to go the other way. I grabbed an old MPG and converted it using the same tool, but this time to 3GP and then copied it to my phone. It sure was neat to watch videos that are several years old being played just fine on my cell phone.

This thread is where I got the tip for the program. I had actually been searching for a way to play the 3GP files with sound as this thread describes, but I didn't get that far tonight.

Mike Rowehl: This is Mobility has some good info, but I'm going to bed. (sorry ~!)

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WizYo Sytes Net: Registry hack so that multiple users share one profile

2007-08-27T09:10:00.000-05:00

Profile hack does not work on Vista. (tried it .. ewww nasty!) WizYo Sytes Net: Registry hack so that multiple users share one profile