Items filtered by date: December 2015

I'd like to share with everyone a way to tweak your gamma, brightness, and contrast for your LCD screen. As you know, the Ferrari keyboard only allows you to adjust the overall brightness of the picture. Using ATI's Catalyst control panel, you can further adjust the individual levels to help you find just the right settings.

Depending on your tastes, the default screen settings might appear a bit bright and not very saturated with color, at least to my liking. After I updated my ATI Mobility Catalyst drivers to the latest and greatest, I updated the following settings in the ATI control panel as follows:

Gamma: 1.00
Brightness: -45
Contrast: 95

To adjust your settings:

1. Load up the ATI control panel (either right-click the desktop and select the ATI Catalyst Control Center or get to it via Display Properties)
2. On the "View" button on the toolbar, make sure you have 'Advanced View' selected
3. In the "Graphics Settings" area (the treeview), select "Color"
4. Adjust the sliders until you find the levels that suit you best.

After doing so, the screen is much more readable and I can easily see higher color contrast and definition.

ATI Mobile Catalyst drivers:
http://www.ati.com/online/mobilecatalyst/

These methods should work for XP, Vista and Windows 7

1. Go to the Start Menu and the Run box.

2. Type in the following and click OK:

control userpasswords2

3. In the new Windows that appears select the account you wish to make the primary logon.

4. Now uncheck the "Users must enter a username and password..." box.

5. Hit Apply and a dialog box will appear asking you to confirm the selected users password.

6. Click OK and you are finished.

For Vista, if the above does not work try:

a) click Start and type ‘netplwiz’ or click that name on the Start menu
b) in the GUI window that comes up, uncheck the “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer” box
c) click ‘Apply’
d) in the new dialog box that opens type the name of the account you want to auto-logon by default (if the account is not normally passworded then it blank)
e) click OK and exit

Make sure you are not connected to the internet !!!

Vista was installed using a trial key and has now run out

1. when prompted select go online to buy a new key.
2. type C: into the address bar and press enter.
3. enter any folder.
4. right click and create shortcut, enter cmd click next and finish.
5. right click on the shortcut and run as administrator, and allow if needed.
6. type slmgr -rearm , if needed run slmgr -cpky (this removes serial number from the registry).
7. restart the PC.

Your Vista should now let you in, this method might only reset the license 3 times.

A hacked vista was upgraded

If you have upgraded vista which had been activated by the clony one click activator it will give you similiar fault to above, however it will no be successful until the clony hack is removed.

To do this, type 'control panel' into the webbrowser, close all uneeded windows down as there is a limit on them. remove the clony activator as normal, reset the machine and then follow the above instuctions.

Still asking for product key

in the unlikely event of vista asking for a product key enter one of the following default keys

Ultimate     VMCB9-FDRV6-6CDQM-RV23K-RP8F7
Business     VMCB9-FDRV6-6CDQM-RV23K-MRW4W
BusinessN    VMCB9-FDRV6-6CDQM-RV23K-QXX44
HomeBasic    VMCB9-FDRV6-6CDQM-RV23K-3V4VD
HomeBasicN   VMCB9-FDRV6-6CDQM-RV23K-GFJBT
HomePremium  VMCB9-FDRV6-6CDQM-RV23K-76PKF

WinXP's setupp.ini controls how the CD acts. IE is it an OEM version or retail? First, find your setupp.ini file in the i386 directory on your WinXP CD. Open it up, it'll look something like this:

ExtraData=707A667567736F696F697911AE7E05
Pid=55034000

The Pid value is what we're interested in. What's there now looks like a standard default. There are special numbers that determine if it's a retail, oem, or volume license edition. First, we break down that number into two parts. The first five digits determines how the CD will behave, ie is it a retail cd that lets you clean install or upgrade, or an oem cd that only lets you perform a clean install? The last three digits determines what CD key it will accept. You are able to mix and match these values. For example you could make a WinXP cd that acted like a retail cd, yet accepted OEM keys.

Now, for the actual values. Remember the first and last values are interchangable, but usually you'd keep them as a pair:

Retail = 51882 335
Volume License = 51883 270
OEM = 82503 OEM

So if you wanted a retail CD that took retail keys, the last line of your setupp.ini file would read:

Pid=51882335

And if you wanted a retail CD that took OEM keys, you'd use:

Pid=51882OEM

Note that this does NOT get rid of WinXP's activation. Changing the Pid to a Volume License will not bypass activation. You must have a volume license (corporate) key to do so.

High Speed Copies

To print multiple copies of your document faster, select High Speed Copies. This speeds up printing by using your hard disk space as a cache when printing multiple copies of your document.

Disable EPSON Status Monitor 3

The status monitor can cause printing over networks to stop completely, either remove it or disable it monitoring printer over a network.

Always spool RAW datatype (for Windows XP and 2000)

Select this check box to have Windows NT based clients spool documents using the RAW format instead of the EMF (metafile) format (Windows NT based applications use the EMF format by default).

Try using this option if documents spooled in EMF format do not print correctly.

Spooling RAW datatype requires less resources than EMF, so some problems ("Insufficient memory/disk space to print", "Slow print speed", etc.) can be solved by selecting the Always spool RAW datatype check box.

Printing in RAW format can also speed up printing.

Page Rendering Mode (for Windows XP and 2000)

Select this check box when the print speed is extremely slow or when the print head stops for a few minutes while printing.

Print as Bitmap (for Windows XP and 2000)

Select this check box when the print speed is extremely slow or when the print head stops for a few minutes while printing. Try this option if Always spool RAW datatype and Page Rendering Mode do not solve the problem.

Apply these settings (except Epson monitoring prefernces where appropiate) to all computers, server or client.

I had been having problems with XP taking several minutes while "loading personal settings" I tried all the usual suggestions eg taking all unneeded items out of start up, and checking I wasn't having any DHCP problems.

Then I discovered this Reg Hack which shows which files are actually being executed while windows is loading (rather than just saying loading personal settings):-

Show Verbose Security Status Messages (Windows 2000/XP) This setting allows you to configure Windows so that you receive verbose startup, shutdown, logon, and logoff status messages. This may be helpful to in troubleshooting slow startup, shutdown, logon, or logoff behaviour.

Open your registry and find or create this key:-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE -> Microsoft -> Windows -> CurrentVersion -> Policies -> System

To enable verbose status messages create a new DWORD value called "verbosestatus" and set it to "1". (verbosestatus REG_DWORD 0x00000001 (1))

An additional value called "DisableStatusMessages" forces status messages to be disabled, make sure this value does not exist or is set to "0". (DisableStatusMessages REG_DWORD 0x00000000 (0))

Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Registry Settings

System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPolicies
System]
Value Name: verbosestatus
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = default, 1 = enable verbose status)

System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPolicies
System]
Value Name: disablestatusmessages
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (1 = default, 0 = enable verbose status)

During installation of MediaWiki you receive the following error:

Query "CREATE TABLE `job` ( job_id int(9) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment, job_cmd varchar(255) NOT NULL default '', job_namespace int NOT NULL, job_title varchar(255) binary NOT NULL, job_params blob NOT NULL default '', PRIMARY KEY job_id (job_id), KEY (job_cmd, job_namespace, job_title) ) TYPE=InnoDB, DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8 " failed with error code "Specified key was too long; max key length is 1024 bytes (localhost)

or

Fix

open file: tables.sql

Search for:

CREATE TABLE /*$wgDBprefix*/job (
 job_id int(9) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment,
 
 -- Command name, currently only refreshLinks is defined
 job_cmd varchar(255) NOT NULL default '',

 -- Namespace and title to act on
 -- Should be 0 and '' if the command does not operate on a title
 job_namespace int NOT NULL,
 job_title varchar(255) binary NOT NULL,

 -- Any other parameters to the command
 -- Presently unused, format undefined
 job_params blob NOT NULL default '',

 PRIMARY KEY job_id (job_id),
 KEY (job_cmd, job_namespace, job_title)
) TYPE=InnoDB;

Replace With:

CREATE TABLE /*$wgDBprefix*/job (
 job_id int(9) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment,
 
 -- Command name, currently only refreshLinks is defined
 job_cmd varchar(255) NOT NULL default '',

 -- Namespace and title to act on
 -- Should be 0 and '' if the command does not operate on a title
 job_namespace int NOT NULL,
 job_title varchar(255) binary NOT NULL,

 -- Any other parameters to the command
 -- Presently unused, format undefined
 job_params blob NOT NULL default '',

 PRIMARY KEY job_id (job_id),
 KEY (job_cmd (160), job_namespace, job_title (160))
) TYPE=InnoDB;

open file: /maintenance/tables.sql

Search for:

CREATE TABLE /*$wgDBprefix*/job (
 job_id int(9) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment,
 
 -- Command name, currently only refreshLinks is defined
 job_cmd varchar(255) NOT NULL default '',

 -- Namespace and title to act on
 -- Should be 0 and '' if the command does not operate on a title
 job_namespace int NOT NULL,
 job_title varchar(255) binary NOT NULL,

 -- Any other parameters to the command
 -- Presently unused, format undefined
 job_params blob NOT NULL default '',

 PRIMARY KEY job_id (job_id),
 KEY (job_cmd, job_namespace, job_title)
) TYPE=InnoDB;

Replace With:

CREATE TABLE /*$wgDBprefix*/job (
 job_id int(9) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment,
 
 -- Command name, currently only refreshLinks is defined
 job_cmd varchar(255) NOT NULL default '',

 -- Namespace and title to act on
 -- Should be 0 and '' if the command does not operate on a title
 job_namespace int NOT NULL,
 job_title varchar(255) binary NOT NULL,

 -- Any other parameters to the command
 -- Presently unused, format undefined
 job_params blob NOT NULL default '',

 PRIMARY KEY job_id (job_id),
 KEY (job_cmd (160), job_namespace, job_title (160))
) TYPE=InnoDB;

Run the Setup

After uploading the modified files you should now be able to install MediaWiki succesfully.

Overview

First let me start by saying that one of the main features of Windows Vista is the new user accounts security enhancements, but sometimes, defaults don't meet everyone's taste when it comes to how we deal with our PCs. I for one, always used full administrator accounts since I first knew what a Windows user account is, and never been hit by a virus/spyware/crap, using common sense and updated AV software, so I don't want to give permissions to myself or face strange error messages every time I do a simple task on my computer.

We know UAC feature in Windows Vista, and we all know how to disable it, this is not the purpose of this thread, because even after you disable UAC, you'll have other prompts about folder/file permissions errors sometimes (I faced it in strange, unexpected occasions, like deleting an empty folder for a program left by the uninstaller), or you'll need to right click and select "Run as Administrator" for most applications to work/install correctly.

That's because Microsoft made the administrators accounts (in local administrators group) run as standard users, unless we give permissions for every and each administrative tasks, with a little difference when UAC is turned on/off.

Enough introductions, lets get our hands dirty:

Remember that cute "Administrator" account you see when you login to safe mode in XP? That's the built-in administrator account that's installed by default, and disabled by default too, after a little digging-in I made this tutorial that'll let you enable and use this account in normal mode, and with a little other tweak, enjoying an XP-like administrator experience, while UAC is left ON (or off, it doesn't matter), but with no prompts or right clicks.

For Windows Vista Ultimate/Business/Enterprise:

1- Click Start, and type "secpol.msc" in the search area and click Enter. (You may receive a prompt from UAC, approve/login and proceed)

2- In the left list, choose "Local Policies", then "Security Options"

3- Set "Accounts: Administrator account status" to Enabled.

4- Set "User Account Control: Admin Approval Mode for the Built-in Administrator account" to Disabled.

For Windows Vista Home Basic/Home Premium:

1- Click Start, and type "cmd" in the search area, right click on "Command Prompt" and select 'Run as Administrator".

2- In the command prompt type "net users Administrator /active:yes" (Note the capital "A" in Administrator) and press Enter, you will get a confirmation as "The command completed successfully".

3- Click Start, and type "regedit" in the search area and click Enter, navigate to: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System] Double click on "FilterAdministratorToken" and set it to "0"

Now log-off, and you'll see new account named "Administrator" is available, click on it to login.

Now you are the master of your domain! I recommend if you're going to use this method is to apply it as soon as you do a fresh install of Windows, so you can simply delete whatever administrator you've created in the setup process, and make this one the "real" administrator for your PC, also you can rename this new admin account or change its password like any other account from "User Accounts" in the Control Panel.

A last note/disclaimer:

Please note that disabling UAC and using the built in Adminstrator account will also disable IE7 "Protected Mode", fore more information and a work around please see this post.

NiCad

These batterys discharge after time and have something called 'battery memory' this is where a battery if not kept fully charged will have a tendancy not to hold a full charge.

Suggestions:

Charge the battery fully and then Discharge fully / use till dead

It can be helpful to overcharge (leave on the charge for longer than needed by up to 20%). 

These will reduce battery memory and prolong life. A NiCad battery left discharged will not last as long as a charged battery

Lithium Ion

With these batterys it does not matter from what level they are charged from they will not suffer from a battery memory, however a Lithium Ion battery that is left fully charged will not last as long as an uncharged battery.

Suggestions:

Leave battery fully discharged when it will not be used for a long time.

1. Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM drive.

2. Click Start, and then click Run.

3. In the Open box, type d:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons where d is the drive letter for the CD-ROM drive.

4. A Windows Setup Dialog Box appears. The Windows Setup Dialog Box describes the Recovery Console option. To confirm the installation, click Yes.

5. Restart the computer. The next time that you start your computer, "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" appears on the startup menu.