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Items filtered by date: December 2015

Wednesday, 26 November 2014 00:00

Windows Activation Error 0x8007007B

You cannot activate Windows and when trying to Activate Windows do you get the following error.

"A Problem occured when Windows tried to activate. Error Code 0x8007007B."

Cause

  • A KMS Key has been used when a MAK Key should of been used
  • The activation state has become corrupt or has been changed a state that cannot be activated.
  • This can also occur is a pirated version of windows is used and the activation technologies fail. There is an activation status of 'Pirated Windows' and once this is set even if windows is running you can never activate it.

Solution

  1. Reset / Re-Arm the activation status. I used a utility called 'Windows 7 Loader Extreme Edition v3" which allowed me to reset the activation status and then i could used the correct MAK Key
  2. Reboot the computer

  3. Change the product key to an MAK (if required). To do this, follow these steps:

    1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then right-click Command Prompt.
    2. Click Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
    3. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press Enter:
      slmgr -ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
       
      Note In this command, the placeholder xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx represents your MAK product key.
  4. reboot the computer and the activation status should now be correct with a valid key if entered in previous steps.

Other Resources

Published in Windows General
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Wednesday, 26 November 2014 00:00

Configuring Projectfork for first Use

Configuring Projectfork for first Use

  1. install googles
  2. enable project fork menu module (+ menu) in position 7 (assuming googles template)
  3. enable dashboard buttons module
  4. enable project tasks module
  5. assign googles template to the project fork menu items
  6. take main Joomla menu module and disable on projectfork menu items

 

Published in Extensions
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Wednesday, 26 November 2014 00:00

Phoca Gallery - Putting the category images in a Grid

i have read the forum and the manual, but i cannot find a way to put categories that i include in an article in to a grid or at least all float left (display: inline-block) rather than a vertical list using:

{phocagallery view=categories|imagecategories=1|imagecategoriessize=1}
  • i am aware that i can surround stuff in divs and then style that but the output using this plugin seems to be table based. I did give it a go.
  • i could not find a template file or css for the plugin.
  • is it possible to make the categories output in a grid, preferably one that i can set or a responsive float left or float right ?
  • will i have to actually edit the plugin code itself?

Solution

I had a look at editing the plugin, but i was not really keen to do that. You will love the solution i figured it out, no core code or phocagallery code was harmed in the making of this.

Phocagallery, when displaying a category through a link floats the categories exactly as i want, but my problem was that i wanted to display 2 categories like that, floated and below each other. However when you create a menu item you can only select 1 category and tweak it as needed.

So i used the following method to get the result i wanted

  • I created a menu (but not attached to a module)
  • in this menu i created 2 phocagallery category links, each link pointing at their own respective category and tweaked as required
  • i created an article called Portfolio
  • I then use a plugin called 'Plugin include component' (available for free on joomla extensions) and included each of the menu items (via jlink) into the portfolio article. (i used a clear: both command between the two items just incase)
  • I then pointed a main menu item to the article, portfolio
  • i now have 2 x separate sub categories displayed on the same page, floated

You can use this method to get different layouts and the best thing is, upgrading will not break this method.

Configuring the Menu Items / Phoca Gallery Hidden links

3 links published in a hidden menu to get the look i wanted

  • Link 1 - General link to phoca gallery categories view
    • i set the parent directory as 1 (which is portflios
    • make sure this is the first 'phoca menu item' in the menu

    NB joomla will look for the first menu item to use to style the SEF. The order of the items in a menu is used. ie in your hidden menu joomla will use the first 'phoca menu item' irreispectiv of its item ID. (There might be times where the item id is used ie you have different phoca urls in different menus or perhaps it will look at the module order and then the menu order).

The following 2 links are configure so they will display how you want on the page

  • Link 2 - point to category 1
  • Link 3 - point to category 2

set all variables appropriately. ie set parent id to filter results, hide menu options

Published in Extensions
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Wednesday, 26 November 2014 00:00

Create a link to a menu item but with no menu item

Sometimes you want to create a link to a menu item, but you do not want a menu item.

You can link directely with the ugly internal joomla link but no-one wants that. To get around this, there is a trick.

  • create a new menu and call it 'Hidden Menu Links'
  • create a link in this menu to the item you want
  • in your article or Custom HTML, add a JTree link and select the 'Hidden Menu Links', select the link yoou want, and there you go.

NB:

  • If the menu item's alias is contact-us you could just use /contact-us as a normal link but this will not have all the benefits of a joomla JLink
  • in joomla 3.0x the 'Hidden Menu Links' module is not required, everything relates to the 'Hidden Link Menu' and it's permissions
  • Joomla Article Link With No Visible Menu Item - YouTube
Published in Joomla
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Tuesday, 25 November 2014 00:00

Laptop Chargers and their Tips

This is an unfinished article on the different types of laptop chargers and their tips.

18.5V
19v 3.5A
19.5V Dell 3.34A
19V Hp 4.7A
18.5 Hp 3.5A
19V 4.62A
20V 3.25A
18.5V 3.5A
19V 3.42A
19V 3.42A (YELLOW TIP)


/*------sorted by voltage---------*/
18.5V
18.5v Hp 3.5A
18.5V 3.5A
19V 3.42A A Tip or B Tip
19V 3.42A (Yellow A Tip) Acer
19v 3.5A
19V 4.62A
19V Hp 4.7A Barrel Tip and A Yellow Tip
19.5V 3.34A Sony/Dell
20V 3.25A lenovo/advent/elonex

-------------------

Tip Types

ABCDE

A = Standard small Tip - this is a thin tip
B = Barrel Tip - this is a thicker tip

Barrel = This is where there is apin inside fo the tip

 

Acer - always 19V

  • 19V 3.42A Yellow, thin, A Tip
  • 19V 4.7A Blue, thin
  • 19V 7.1A orange, B Tip

 

Published in Laptops
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Tuesday, 25 November 2014 00:00

multiple skype names - one email account - What are the account names?

Have you signed up to skype several times and want to know what the other account names are so you can delete them (see deleting skype account article).

Here is the information straight from Skype.

Solution

We understand that you want to retrieve the list of Skype names that is associated with your email address. I will be more than happy to assist you with your concern.

You might have trouble signing in if you've forgotten your Skype Name or password. The steps below will guide you through the process of recovering either (or both):

  1. Click here to open the Problems Signing In? page.
  2. Enter your registered email address.
  3. Click the Send email button.
     
  4. You will receive an email with a temporary code. If you aren't receiving the email in your inbox, check your junk or spam folders.
  5. Click the link inside the email to display a list of Skype accounts associated with that email address.

    If for some reason the email link doesn't work, copy the recovery code listed in the email text, click the Enter code button on the Email sent screen, paste the code from the email, and click the Submit button.
     
  6. The Skype account(s) for the registered email address will appear on the screen. If you've forgotten your username, click the correct account in the list, then click the Sign in link to sign into this account on skype.com. Make note of this username so that you can also sign into Skype on your desktop or mobile device.

    If you've forgotten your password, click the correct account in the list, then click the Reset Password button to establish a new password.

You can also check this link for more information on how to get the list of Skype names:

https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA109/i-can-t-sign-in-to-skype

Published in Microsoft Other
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Tuesday, 25 November 2014 00:00

Internet Explorer Corrupted Default Search Provider

Do you keep getting the following error when you open Internet Explorer even after you have restarted IE.

"A program on your computer has corrupted your default search provider setting for Internet Explorer"

Solution

I uninstalled AVG Secure search. If AVG Secure Search is not in the add remove list, Install AVG Secure Search and then uninstall it.

Other Resources

Published in Microsoft Other
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Monday, 24 November 2014 00:00

Updaters and Online Scanners

Software Updating / Repository Sites

Software Updater Applications

  • Secunia PSI
  • Bullguard – built in
  • CNET's Download App (Previously TechTracker)
  • PatchMyPC.exe - can install updates and ad software automatic. - Patch My PC is a small portable application that updates third party
  • Major Geeks SoftwareUpdater
  • Glary utilities (uses filepuma)
  • software.informer.com
    • shows you all of your apps not just the out of date ones
    • this is now all controlled in the app
    • there are descriptions of the app on the righ and review
    • the app requires admin privaledges to run. a note is that if you primary account is not an administrator account you will be prompeted to enter an adminstrator accoutn details and the filehippo app will set the default download directory in that admin accoutn and not yours
    • can schedule frequent scans
    • can select which apps you check for updates
  • FilePuma Update Detector
  • FileHippo Update Checker (UDC)
    • easy to use
    • some programs you can download and run, but some just download. I think this might be an issue in the app. Generally the first app you select you can download and run. the rest in the que will just download.
    • if you download more than 1 program, they will all download but on the first one will run automatically
    • when the program is download the button in the list will change to run
    • the app requires admin privaledges to run. a note is that if you primary account is not an administrator account you will be prompeted to enter an adminstrator accoutn details and the filehippo app will set the default download directory in that admin accoutn and not yours
    • file hippo downloads the files to a specified folder and they remain after install.
    • can be run on startup
    • can schedule frequent scans
  • Avast Antivirus - inbuilt to the antivirus software
  • SUMo Lite (Software Update Monitor) - can also do drivers, requires DUMo
  • AppFresh for Mac
  • Update Notifier

Articles

Driver updaters

Online AV Scanners

Browser Security Toolbars

Website Scanners

Other Scanners

Other Browser Security addons

Lots of links on this page

Published in Applications
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Monday, 24 November 2014 00:00

Sound not working in Windows 8 - 'Error 0x800706cc: The Endpoint is a duplicate'

Your sound card has stopped working and you have the following symptoms

  • Complete loss of audio
  • A red cross over the speaker icon in the system tray (bottom right corner) area of the screen.
  • Unresponsive navigation of the Windows Control Panel causing explorer.exe to hang.
  • Inability to start the 'Windows Audio' service with the error message Error 0x800706cc: The Endpoint is a duplicate.

Things I Tried that did not work

  • There is no point in re-installing the driver as this will no fix the issue as this problem is not a fault of the sound card.
  • The fault is with windopws system files
  • SFC makes no difference
  • fixing issues in the registry makes no difference
  • resetting all windows services to default
  • manually starting the appropriate services

Cause

The basic cause of this is that AVG has incorrectely identified windows system files as Virus and as such one or more the following happens on registry entries and files. I am not sure which, but the outcome is the same.

  • a file has been cleaned - some of the file that appears as a virus has been removed but the orginal file is left remaining, just not intact
  • a file has been deleted
  • registry settings have been deleted

My guess is that AVG has cleaned a file incorrectely, but for some reason SFC does not detect the change when it is run.

Solution

This depends on how much messing about you have done but i will outline the solutions.

  1. The files have been quarantined in AVG, so just go into AVG and unquarantine all files anf things in the vault. Restore all files and settings even if you get a message that you are going to replace files or settings. This is what you want.
  2. If you have uninstalled AVG, Re-Install AVG and see if you still have the files in the vault and follow option 1.
  3. If the above does not work try running system restore too before a time when you had the issue.

I am sure AVG is aware of this issue and will fix it in newer versions of their software.

Other Resources

 

Published in Windows 8
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Monday, 24 November 2014 00:00

HP Officejet 7610 won't direct scan from the Printer to the PC

Do you have a HP Officejet 7610 A large format printer that will scan from your computer but if you try and use the console on the priner to scan you get the follwing error

The scan could not be completed due to one or more of the following reasons /
The scan could not be completed due to one or more of the following issue:
   - Connection to the computer is lost.
   - The application scans on the computer is currently in use.
   - OCR application is not installed on the computer.

You might also come across this when the printer is working fine and then seems to loose its settings.

Solution

Uninstalling the driver and re-installing it seems to fix the issue temporarily. The key to completely fixing this issue is as follows.

  1. download the latest Full software package
  2. uninstall all the printer software including the 3rd party packages that came with the printer software, this seems to be the key because i beleieve it is the 3rd party softwares that have the daemon/monitor that waits for contact from the printer. To find out what software was installed by the printer software if you do not know is to start the install of the new software package and then select custom install. The software list that then pops up will have greyed out options against software that is already installed and thus cannot be installed. What this means is the software that you cannot install is already installed and should be removed.
  3. Make sure you reboot your computer after you have uninstalled the software.
  4. install the latest software package for the printer and to be on the safe side run as administrator whilst your antivirus and firewall is completely disabled. This makes sure that all registry settings is installed correctely
  5. check your USB cable is USB 2.0 rated and that the USB port you are using is supplying enough voltage.

Please note that Using the HP Connection Doctor seems to temporarily fix this issue but might perfom a permanent fix on some peoples PCs.

Other Resources

Published in Printers
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