Archive for the ‘Tech Tips’ Category

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XP Update Hell

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

According to Microsoft Update, my Dell desktop has successfully installed the following update 110 times:

Security Update for Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package (KB2538242)

Apparently, someone is unclear on the concept of “successful.”

Every time I tried to use Microsoft Update to run the update with me watching, I got an error message informing me that Microsoft Update couldn’t locate vcredist.msi, a required installation file.

Around 60 updates ago, I thought I’d do an internet search to try and find a solution to the problem. Incredibly, there were dozens and dozens of complaints about this particular update, but zero solutions (none that I could get to work, anyway).

It became kind of a perverse hobby — every few days I would do another internet search, and take another couple of lame stabs.

Finally, last week, I came up with my own solution.

Here it is:

  1. I used the Windows Installer Cleanup utility (MSICUU2.exe) to uninstall Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Service Pack 1, and Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 (in that order).
  2. I then went to www.microsoft.com, and manually (i.e., not using Microsoft Update) downloaded and reinstalled Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 and Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Service Pack 1 (again, in that order).

Problem solved. My computer is no longer trying to install KB2538242.

However, a warning if you try this with your own computer — Microsoft no longer distributes the Windows Installer Cleanup utility because it can damage other components. I have no idea what those components are. (You can download a free copy of the utility from a whole bunch of different sites.) FWIW, my computer is working just fine, as far as I can tell.

Also, rumor has it that Microsoft is working on a fix, so you might want to wait a while before doing anything drastic.

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Mind-Blowing Software

Friday, December 10th, 2010

It’s called TimeSnapper, and you can download a copy from www.timesnapper.com (Windows only, I’m afraid).  There’s a free version, and a paid version. (The paid version comes with a 30-day trial period.)

TimeSnapper runs in the background and takes a picture of your monitor at a selected time interval (say, every 10 seconds). The images are stored on your hard drive, to be played back as needed. You can protect your images with a password, which is highly recommended at work or at any computer that someone else has access to.

What on earth do you need this for? Consider:

  1. I’ve had jobs where I’ve had to keep track of my time for billing purposes. TimeSnapper makes an impossibly tedious chore way easier. (Although it will also provide indisputable evidence of how much time you really spend on eBay.) TimeSnapper can store a month or more of images.
  2. Have you ever jumped from screen to screen only to find yourself unable to retrace your steps to find something that you really need? With TimeSnapper, it only takes seconds to blitz through hours of screen time.
  3. Have you ever forgotten to save a document?  With TimeSnapper, you can reconstruct just about anything that has appeared on your computer screen.
  4. Have you ever wondered where the day has gone? Just click on a couple of buttons, and you can replay the day or week at high speed.
  5. If you have a problem with software, or if your computer is attacked by malware, you can see exactly what happened before disaster struck.
  6. You can also use TimeSnapper to see whether anyone else has been using your computer, and what they’ve been doing.

There are also some fun uses for the software:

  1. I often work with an online TV show playing the background. If I turn on the subtitles (if available), I can use TimeSnapper to quickly go back and catch up on stuff I may have missed.
  2. If you play games on your computer, you can use TimeSnapper to review your gameplay.
  3. If you’re learning how to do something new on your computer, TimeSnapper will create a useful record that you can use as a reference.

I should note that TimeSnapper could also be used for nefarious purposes.  All I can say is that what goes around comes around.  (Speaking of which, you might want to take a look at your work computer to make sure someone else isn’t already spying on you…)

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Geek Tip — Don’t Use Periods in File Names!

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

To quote Chris Rock:  “Just because you can do something doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea!”

Some years ago, I started using periods in file names, because I thought it was a neat way to keep my hard drive organized.  For example, I might give an Excel spreadsheet a name like:  TY2010.Form1040.ScheduleC.xls

Well, today I found out the downside.

It turns out that some email servers freak out when they see an attachment with multiple periods.  These servers assume that the multiple periods are being used to disguise a harmful extension (like .exe), and the email will be killed in transit.  The receiver will not get any notice that an email was sent, and the sender will not get any notice that the email was killed.

So, a word to the wise — don’t use periods!  (You can use “-” or “_” instead.)

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Another XP Annoyance Bites the Dust!

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

I’ve been using Windows XP for 8 years.  8 long years.

Ironically, one reason that I have been so hesitant to upgrade to Vista or Windows 7 is that my transition from Windows 98 to Windows XP was so traumatic.  (OMG, I sound like an abuse victim on Dr. Phil.)

Anyway, one thing that has always irritated the sh*t out of me is the “All Programs” menu that you get when you click on the XP “Start” button.

If you love software as much as I do (especially free demos), your “All Programs” menu is chock-full of mysterious menu items arranged in a random, non-alphabetized mess.  More than once I’ve started to download software only to find out that it was already installed on my PC.

And for 8 long years, I’ve assumed that there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

But today is a new day!

Just open up the All Programs menus, and right-click on any menu item.  Near the bottom of the drop-down menu, you’ll see the magic words “Sort by Name.”  Give that baby a click, and all of a sudden, everything is in alphabetical order.

Yep.  8 long years…

Here are some more tips:

  1. You can rename any item on the All Programs menu by right-clicking it.
  2. Specifically, if there are any items that you want at the top of the list, you can add an initial zero or two to the name of the item to get it to come first in the alphabet.  (Some folder names shouldn’t be changed.  Don’t rename “Startup.”  Also, pay attention to any warnings that pop up — it’s XP trying to stop you from doing something stupid.)
  3. You might also want to rename any items with non-intuitive or downright baffling names.
  4. If you want to go to the folder containing the items on the All Programs menu, you can right-click on the All Programs button and then click on “Explore.”  (The items on the All Programs list should be located in the folder containing your profile in a sub-folder named “Start Menu\Programs.”)
  5. Actually, clicking on “Explore” will only show you the menu items associated with the profile you logged in with.  If you can’t find what you’re looking for in that folder, try right-clicking on All Programs and then clicking on “Explore All Users.”
  6. One reason that you might want to go into the Start Menu\Programs folder(s) is to create groups and subgroups of menu items — you can create new folders, name them whatever you want, and then drag (or cut-and-paste) menu items to your heart’s delight.
  7. If there’s a menu item that belongs in more than one group or subgroup, you can make as many copies of that item as you need.
  8. You may find one or more All Programs menu items consisting of a folder containing a single folder or shortcut.  You can chop out a layer of the hierarchy by dragging, moving, or cutting and pasting the single lower-level item up into the “Start Menu\Programs” folder, and then deleting the original folder (which should now be empty).
  9. If you want, you can move individual menu items from one profile to another.
  10. Finally, the All Programs list includes both shortcuts and folders containing shortcuts.  After you alphabetize the list, the folders and the shortcuts will be alphabetized into two separate groups.  If that bothers you, you can move each shortcut you care about into its own appropriately named new folder.

Before you get too creative, especially with Tips 6-10, I urge you to make a backup copy of any “Start Menu\Programs” folder that you want to make changes to.  (But you knew that already, didn’t you?)

Good luck!

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Windows XP Tip — Selecting from Cursor to the End of the Doc

Saturday, May 8th, 2010

This has bothered me for years.

Here’s the situation — you’re working with a long document (20, 50, 100 pages, whatever).  You want to chop off the last 10+ pages.  So you move the cursor to the cutting point, click on it, and then laboriously scroll through the pages to be deleted while holding down the left mouse button.  Then, when you get to the end, you hope that everything is still highlighted as you hit the Delete key.  But more often than not, your finger slips somewhere or other, and you have to spend a couple of really annoying minutes trying to figure out if you’ve deleted exactly what you wanted to…

Never again!

Shift-Ctrl-End

will highlight everything from the current cursor location to the end of the document.

Shift-Ctrl-Home

will highlight everything from the current cursor location to the beginning of the document.

Unbelievable!

Time for a doughnut.

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The joy of the extended desktop…

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

It’s only a matter of time before just about everyone at work will have more than one monitor on their desk.  (I’ve got 5.)

It’s unbelievably handy — you can use one monitor for a document you are working on, and another monitor for looking at other documents or doing research on the internet.  You can even open the same document on both computers — this saves a bunch of time and aggravation, for example, if you’re revising a document and need to look at page 22 while editing page 50.

Years ago, I had two PCs on my desk, and I used a KVM switch so that I could use the same keyboard and mouse for both computers.

However, there is a far more elegant solution — the extended desktop.  In effect, the desktop of the primary computer is stretched across one or more secondary computers.  You can move your mouse cursor seamlessly between the monitors, and you can also drag individual windows from one monitor to another.  The keyboard is operative in whatever window is the “active” one, regardless of which monitor it is located on.

The easiest way to create an extended desktop is to connect a monitor to your laptop. (Just about every laptop or notebook has an external monitor jack.)  Assuming you’re using Windows, you can go to “display properties” and select “extended desktop.” Your desktop now extends across both the notebook’s built-in monitor and the external monitor. If you like, you can also hook up an external mouse and keyboard to your notebook — that way, you can position the two screens any way you want.

Another way to create an extended desktop is if your graphics card has a second monitor jack.  (Not all graphics cards have a second monitor jack, but it’s worth a look.)

A third way to create an extended desktop is to place a second PC and monitor on your desk, network the second PC with the first PC, and then install Maxivista multi-monitor software.  The basic version costs $39.95, and is worth every penny.  (If nothing else, it will keep your old PC out of the landfill.)  In addition to an extended desktop mode, Maxivista also has a “remote control” mode that allows you to control the second PC with a keyboard and mouse connected to the first PC.

I’m a PC guy, so I can’t speak for Apple computers — the extended desktop is so awesome, though, I can’t imagine that there isn’t some way to use a Mac to drive multiple displays.

Good luck!

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Why did my TiVo stop working?

Monday, April 26th, 2010

TiVo rules! (Except when it sucks...)

I have a love/hate relationship with my TiVo.

99% of the relationship is love — really, it’s a terrific device that has completely changed the way I watch television.

But 1% of the relationship is deep, searing hatred.

You can sail along for a few months — maybe even a full year — without incident, and you’re Master of the TiVo Universe.  Then, one day, you try to transfer a show to your PC, and you find that your computer is no longer able to find shows on your TiVo.

As you grind your teeth into non-existence, you shake your head in disbelief.  It was working perfectly yesterday!  What the f**k happened?

The answer usually boils down to software and firmware updates.  Late at night, while you’re asleep (or while I’m working), your TiVo is dialing into the Mother Ship for the latest TV schedules.  Every once in a while, it also gets an updated set of instructions.  While all of this is going on, your cable box may also be getting its own set of updated instructions.  And in the meantime, you may also be updating TiVo DesktopPlus (or Sonic MyDVD, or whatever) on your PC.

Hilarity often ensues.

The problem is that TiVo isn’t in bed with Verizon FiOS (or whoever your local provider may be).  Thus, when your local provider makes some change in your cable box, it takes time for TiVo to catch up.  Sometimes a lot of time.  Sometimes, TiVo never catches up (at least, not without intervention on your part).

The other night, I spent a good 3 hours trying to get my TiVo DesktopPlus 2.8 software to work again.  If the internet is to be believed, there are thousands of frustrated subscribers out there having similar issues.

One fix that has apparently worked for a lot of people is to unplug the  TiVo box for a couple of minutes. (Note — this is not the same thing as using the TiVo reset option on the onscreen menu.)  For those lucky folks, when the box is plugged back in, it magically starts working again.

That didn’t happen for me.

After trying a half-dozen other fixes, this is what finally did the trick:

(BTW, I’m running DesktopPlus on an old Dell Dimension, Windows XP Home Edition, SP3.)

  1. Completely uninstall everything on your PC having anything to do with TiVo, Sonic, and Roxio.
  2. Use the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility to remove any dregs that you can’t remove otherwise.
  3. Use the fabulous freeware CCleaner to scrub your registry of anything relating to TiVo, Sonic, and Roxio.  (Of course, make a backup copy of your registry before making any changes to it.)
  4. Reboot.  (It may not always be necessary, but IMHO it’s never wrong to reboot any time you remove software.  In fact, you might want to reboot between steps 1 and 2, and between steps 2 and 3.)
  5. Now, get the latest version of DesktopPlus from the TiVo website.
  6. Install the software, and cross your fingers.

DesktopPlus now works perfectly.  I haven’t summoned up the courage to reinstall Sonic, but I’m cautiously optimistic…

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Things to try before throwing that old _____ away…

Friday, December 18th, 2009

I’m on a roll!  I’ve gotten three things to work that were headed for the scrap heap:

  1. My dad’s Gateway notebook computer.  It’s maybe 5 years old, running Windows XP Home.  It had slowed to an agonizing crawl, and my dad was thinking about tossing it.
  2. My old Dell P991 Ultrascan monitor.  Maybe 6-7 years old.  It was working okay, but it couldn’t show a true “black,” and there were these tiny green diagonal lines spaced apart by two inches or so.  Really annoying, but I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.
  3. My old Zenith color TV.  Maybe 8+ years old.  It was working fine, but then one day, the greens started looking blue, and the picture in general had an orange tint.

Here’s how I fixed them, without spending a dime:

It turns out that the old Gateway computer was the victim of the security suite that comes with Verizon FiOS.  (My dad had recently switched over from Optimum Online.)  I uninstalled the Verizon bloatware, and all of a sudden the notebook was blazing fast.  (I subsequently installed Microsoft’s free Security Essentials software, which apparently has a way smaller footprint than the Verizon package.)

I fixed my Ultrascan monitor by rolling the driver back to the OEM driver that came with the monitor all those years ago.  I then used the “color return” feature, and the monitor is now as good as ever, with true black and without those unbelievably annoying green lines.

I fixed my old Zenith color TV by unplugging it (literally pulling the plug out of the socket), and leaving it unplugged for 2 hours.  (I found this tip somewhere or other on the internet — it acts as a hard reset.)  Amazingly, when I plugged it in again, the greens had come back.

Hope this helps!

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Tech Tip: You Might Want to Rethink Buying That Secondhand Lithium Ion Battery

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Before you shell out any cash for a secondhand lithium ion battery on ebay or wherever, be warned!  Unlike their predecessors, lithium ion batteries have a limited shelf life. 

That means that, if a lithium ion battery is old enough, it may not work very well for very long, even if it has never been used.

Buyer beware!

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Geek Tip: Send Sensitive Stuff over Email as Images

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

If you have to use email to send highly sensitive material to someone, convert the information into an image (e.g., a PDF, JPEG, TIFF, GIF, etc.).  Doing so will add a significant layer of protection against malware that is programmed to automatically search email for anything looking like SSNs, passwords, bank account numbers, and the like.  Likewise, if you insist on storing highly sensitive information on your computer, that should be stored as an image as well.

If you have Adobe Acrobat (or other PDF maker), you can easily convert a Word doc into a PDF image file.  (Warning — be careful not to create a PDF with ”embedded text.”  If you can search a PDF, then it’s got embedded text, ripe for the harvesting.)  A quick and dirty (and free) way to convert a Word doc into an image is to use the “Print Screen” function to add an image of your screen to your Clipboard.  You can then paste the screen image into another Word doc that you can save and email.

Note — when you save a doc as an image, you will no longer be able to search the body of the document.  Keep that in mind when you name and store the doc on your PC.

Good luck!

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