NJ Computer Guys

COMCAST BUSINESS INTERNET ROUTER BRIDGE MODE

2011-10-21T18:58:00.000-04:00

Login with default 10.1.10.1 login cusadmin:highspeed (SMC type)
put it in "modem/bridge" mode by:

ON FIREWALL TAB
check off Disable Firewall for True Static IP
check off Disable Gateway Smart Packet Detection

ON LAN TAB
Uncheck Enable LAN DHCP (this turns off DHCP but you can still get to 10.1.10.1 IP privately...)
Now you can plug in a Linksys to one of the 4 ports and set it and do NAT

GETTY IMAGES Cease and Desist

2011-10-03T23:05:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I was contacted by Getty Images concerning a single thumbnail sized computer-related photo I had used on my website... the letter stated the photo was their property and that I must...

1. Cease using the photo, which I immediately did.
2. Pay a fee of $800.00 to then settle the dispute.

Apparently this is a similar tactic to the one used by Monster Cable, RIAA,
and other entities to scare people into ponying up cash. I am placing this
on my blog so others may become more aware of this kind of unethical behavior being used in the name of copyright enforcement.

To give you some details..

1. There was no indication nor marker on the image that gave it claim of
ownership nor copyright. No image rights nor record were found on it at all.

2. Getty Images has provided no information as to it's claim of copyright.
I was given no Library of Congress case # for the image or image set.

3. The image is very "generic" and could be confused for another image of
similar use or layout.

I strongly suggest others look over their websites to use images that are
freely licensed, and that you check with an attorney before forking
over money to Getty Images.

http://extortionletterinfo.com/
http://www.zyra.info/getstu.htm

Recoving Deleted email in Thunderbird

2011-06-24T14:49:00.000-04:00

Thunderbird only deletes email when it "compacts" it's folders.
To restore deleted (pre-compacted) email in Thunderbird, locate the email store under...

C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR USER NAME\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles.

And open the .MSF file (there will be no association)...

Open it with notepad and do a global replace for
“X-Mozilla-Status: 0009″ replacing it with “X-Mozilla-Status: 0″
and save the file.

Move can be found here...
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-recover-deleted-emails-in-thunderbird/

Migrate Thunderbird Email to Outlook & Outlook Express

2011-06-24T14:40:00.000-04:00

The program mbox-eml-extractor converts mailbox format for Thunderbird, Eudora, and Entourage into EML type usable by Outlook and Outlook Express.

http://www.outlookimport.com/mbox-eml-converter-extract-emails-mailbox-thunderbird-eudora-entourage/

To export the address book... export it as LDIF format, then use Outlook
Express to import the LDIF file.

Fix bad CDROM driver in WinXP (and other O/S)

2011-05-18T18:38:00.000-04:00

If you encounter a situation where your CDROM hardware verifies good, but
you have a yellow triangle in device manager stating your hardware
is not available...

1) Close all open programs
2) Click on Start, Run, and type REGEDIT and press Enter
3) Click on the plus signs (+) next to the following folders
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
* SYSTEM
* CurrentControlSet
* Control
* Class
* {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

4) This folder is the DVD/CD-ROM Drive Class Description in the registry. Look for any of the following names in the right hand column.
* UpperFilters
* LowerFilters
* UpperFilters.bak
* LowerFilters.bak

5) If any of the above keys shown in step 4 are listed, right-click on them and choose Delete
6) After deleting the keys, close the Registry Editor
7) Reboot your computer

http://en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-25531-help-i-have-uninstalled-my-cd-dvd-rom-driver

Manually removing partitions in Windows

2011-04-14T15:24:00.000-04:00

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/300415

Diskpart enables a superset of the actions that are supported by the Disk Management snap-in. The Disk Management snap-in prohibits you from inadvertently performing actions that may result in data loss. It is recommended that you use the Diskpart utility cautiously because Diskpart enables explicit control of partitions and volumes.

Why Bob Parsons of GoDaddy is an Ass Hat

2011-04-01T23:49:00.000-04:00

Although I used to recommend GoDaddy for website hosting, once my term runs out I will no longer be using them, and I encourage all to not use them either. CEO Bob Parsons' stand on game hunting of endangered species to further his own zest for fame and publicity is morally repugnant. I am appalled at the century he seems to be living in, and I am very disappointed.

If Mr. Parsons truly wished to help feed people in Africa, I would think there are better ways of doing so that promote sustainabilty and not animal slaughter.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/04/peta-closes-godaddy-account-after-ceo-shoots-elephant.html

Compaq Presario SR1720NX Athlon X2 upgrade and Bad Image

2011-03-18T13:19:00.000-04:00

Recently I had a Presario SR1720NX thrown at me for a repair. Nomatter
how many times I reloaded from the restore partition, it would soon lockup after login. Task manager would not work, clicking the mouse did nothing.
It was like the machine would seize up for no reason, as if you had a bad motherboard or something.
I fixed it by reloading with a known good CD of Windows XP Pro. The machine worked fine after that. The fctory image was garbage.
During this time, I also was able to upgrade the Socket 939 Sempron to an Athlon X2 processor (the board will support up to Athlon x2 4800+). No issues were found, swapped out old IDE for a SATA drive as well.

Use VMWARE to create a WINXP VM if you cant run XPMode natively.

2011-01-15T11:42:00.000-05:00

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/11060/create-an-xp-mode-for-windows7-home-versions-and-vista/

Use VMWARE to create a WINXP VM if you cant run XPMode natively, in case your machine doesnt support hardware virtualization or your Windows7
license doesnt include XP mode (as in Home Premium).

Issue with boot.ini SIGNATURE entry

2011-01-15T11:23:00.000-05:00

Windows 2000's boot.ini ARC syntax adds the signature() statement. See NT's boot.ini for a writeup of Windows NT's ARC syntax. The signature() syntax added to Windows 2000 is equivalent to the scsi() syntax, but adds support for Plug and Play architecture. For Plug and Play operating systems, the SCSI controller number instance may vary each time you start the operating system, especially if you add new SCSI controller hardware after Setup is finished. An example of the signature( ) syntax:
signature(8c468c12)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(2)\winnt="Windows 2000"

In Windows 2000, the signature() syntax instructs the NTLDR program to locate the drive whose disk signature matches the value in the signature parentheses, no matter which SCSI controller number the drive is connected to. The signature() value is extracted from the physical disk's Master Boot Record (MBR). The signature value is a hexadecimal number that is written to the MBR during the text-mode portion of Setup, or it is written by an installation of Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 or earlier. Yes, its that signature written to the disk the first time NT / W2K / XP accesses the hard drive using Disk Manager.

Windows 2000 / XP uses the signature( ) syntax in the boot.ini if one of the following conditions exists:

Your PC's BIOS or the IDE controller does not support int13 BIOS extensions
The int13 BIOS extensions are disabled.
The installation partition is larger than 7.8 GBs.
The ending cylinder number for the installation partition is higher than 1024.
Your SCSI controller's BIOS is disabled and thus int13 BIOS calls cannot be used during the boot process.
There is an important gotcha! if the signature gets corrupted or changed. Now the boot.ini can not find the correct partition to boot from and you get the following error:

Windows 2000 could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem. Could not read from selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware. Please check the Windows 2000 documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information.

You can try replacing the signature(#####) portions of the statement with multi(0) and the disk should boot fine in most cases.

FREE CLONING SOFTWARE FROM SEAGATE

2011-01-01T11:15:00.000-05:00

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads

A stripped down version of Acronis. Free to all.

How to Clean Install Windows 7 with a Upgrade DVD Disc or ISO Image

2010-11-29T15:04:00.000-05:00

To install a clean copy of Win7 using upgrade media...

1.Boot up the PC with the Windows 7 Upgrade DVD disc media into DVD-ROM drive.
2.Follow the Windows 7 Install Wizard to install the operating system on the blank, empty and clean system.
3.During installation, when prompted for a product key, DO NOT enter the upgrade version product key.
4.Unselect and untick the Automatically activate Windows when I’m online check box during the installation process. Hit NEXT...
5.After Windows 7 is installed, boot up to desktop, and manually enter the Windows 7 upgrade product key to activate online or activate via phone.

If online activation does not work... try one of these workarounds...

Workaround 1: SLMgr Commands to Insert Product Key and Activate
1.Open an elevated command prompt as administrator.
2.Use the following command to install product key:
slmgr -ipk
3.Activate Windows 7 with the following command:
slmgr -ato
4.To check activation status from command line, use slmgr -dlv or
slmgr -dli.

Workaround 2: Double Installs
1.After starting up the just installed Windows 7 system, allow system to boot to desktop.
2.Insert the same Windows 7 DVD media into CD/DVD optical drive tray to start Install Windows wizard again. Alternatively, mount the Windows 7 ISO image to a virtual CD/DVD-ROM drive, or directly run setup.exe from the unpacked Windows 7 installation files.
3.Reinstall Windows 7 once again (both Upgrade or Custom Install should be OK), enter product key during installation so that Windows 7 can be automatically activated when user first online after installation is done.
Steps above is originally used as a workaround to clean install Windows Vista with upgrade media, and is less commonly used as it’s time-consuming.

Workaround 3: MediaBootInstall Registry Hack

1.After booting up, ensure that no Windows Updates pending task which requires a system reboot to finish installing.
2.Run Registry Editor (RegEdit).
3.Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\OOBE
4.In the right pane, change the value data for MediaBootInstall
from 1 to 0.
5.Open an elevated command prompt as administrator.
6.Run the command below to reset Windows 7 activation status:
slmgr -rearm
7.Reboot the computer.
8.Run the Activate Windows utility (accessible from bottom section of Control Panel -> System and Security -> System, or type Activate Windows into Start Search), type in the upgrade product key and activate Windows.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/10/27/clean-install-windows-7-with-upgrade-media-and-product-key-on-formatted-or-empty-blank-hard-drive/

Hyperterm refresh command

2010-11-22T12:30:00.002-05:00

cntl-L (hyperterm refresh)

Get Office 2003 & older versions to handle DOCx (2007/2010 format)

2010-10-24T14:58:00.000-04:00

Use the following converter pack to allow older versions of
Office Suite to handle newer DOCx format now used in 2007 and
newer versions of Office...

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?familyid=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en

Free Games from Steam !

2010-08-24T16:37:00.003-04:00

Nvidia card owners :
http://www.steamgames.com/nvidia/

ATI card owners :
http://www.steampowered.com/ati_offer1a/

Team Fortress 2 free for all :
http://store.steampowered.com/app/440/

NASA's Moonbase Alpha :
http://store.steampowered.com/app/39000/

Portal 1 :
http://store.steampowered.com/app/400/

How to Cold Reset an HP Laserjet Printer

2010-07-28T16:34:00.000-04:00

"Older" printers with a display panel. (e.g. 4000, 4100, 5si, 8000, etc.)

Cold resetting the printer is simply a matter of turning the power off, holding down the GO or Online button while turning the printer on.
Resetting NVRAM settings must be done manually through service mode. See entering service mode.

"Newer" printers with a display panel. (e.g. 2300, 2400, 4200, 4250/4350, 4300, etc.)

Turn the printer off and then on. When the printer begins its memory count, press and hold down the Checkmark button until all the main LED signal lights illuminate and stay illuminated. Then release the Checkmark button, and use the Up/Down arrow keys to find the Cold Reset option, then press the Checkmark button again to choose that option.

Printers with no display panel.

HP 1100, 1200 - While the printer is on, press and hold the Go button for 5 seconds. This will reset the printer.
To reset the NVRAM. Turn the printer off. Press and hold the Go button for 20 seconds while powering on the printer.

HP 2100 - To perform a cold reset, turn the printer power off, then press and hold the JOB CANCEL button. Turn the printer power back on and after all the LEDs come on release the JOB CANCEL button. A cold reset changes most system parameters in NVRAM to the factory defaults. The JOB CANCEL button must be released within 20 seconds after all of the LEDs come on; otherwise, an NVRAM initialization is performed instead of a cold reset.

HP 2200 -
Cold reset:
1. Turn the printer power off.
2. Press and hold GO.
3. Turn the printer power back on and continue to hold GO until the Attention light turns on.
4. Release GO.
5. The device lights will begin cycling from front to rear. The cold-reset process will run until completion and the device will go to the ready state.

NVRAM Reset:
1. Turn the printer power off.
2. Press and hold GO.
3. Turn the printer power back on and continue to hold GO until the Attention, Ready, and Go lights turn on.
4. Release GO.
5. The device lights will begin cycling from font to rear. The NVRAM initialization will run until completion and the device will go to the ready state.

HP 5P & 6P
Cold reset:
Turn the power off and hold the reset button (button closest to the back of the printer) for LESS than 20 seconds while turning the printer on.

Reset the NVRAM:
Turn the power off and hold the reset button for MORE than 20 seconds while turning the printer on..

http://www.printertechs.com/tech/coldreset.php

Phenom 2 940 upgrade on M2N32-SLI Premium and Deluxe by ASUS

2010-07-25T12:32:00.001-04:00

A fast and cheap upgrade for the ASUS AM2 motherboard.
Contrary to other posts, the ASUS M2N32-SLI Premium and Deluxe motherboards WILL support this CPU... you need to do the following...

1. Upgrade to latest BIOS 1304 (for premium) or 1802 (for deluxe).
2. Install CPU.
3. Clear CMOS.
4. Disable HPET in BIOS power settings (to fix clock issue).
5. Disable C1E setting in BIOS CPU config (to fix clock issue).
6. Set RAM timing to 667 (otherwise it will not POST properly).
7. Enjoy your new CPU.

My friend and I both upgraded at the same time, and we love the processor. No issues encountered.

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=286970

Iphone or other cheap/free electronics SPAM

2010-07-15T09:51:00.000-04:00

If your contacts list starts getting emails from you with giveaways and such, your MSN Messenger or Live Messenger password may have been compromised. Change the password to a strong password and the problem should go away. Also update and scan with Malwarebytes and your virus scanning software.

XP Antivirus Pro 2010, XP Antivirus Pro malware removal

2010-07-15T09:45:00.000-04:00

XP Antivirus Pro 2010 (also can be met as XP Antivirus Pro or other variants) is a rogue anti-spyware application. It uses false scan results and fake security warnings in order to scare you into purchasing this bogus software. It states that your computer is infected with Trojans, adware or malware and that you should purchase XP Antivirus Pro 2010 to remove the infections that of course don't even exist.

1. Click Start->Run (or WinKey+R). Input: "command". Press Enter or click OK.
2. Type "notepad" as shown in the image below and press Enter. Notepad will open.
3. Copy and past the following text into Notepad:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\open\command]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile\shell\open\command]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe\shell\open\command]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe]
@="exefile"
"Content Type"="application/x-msdownload"

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\secfile]

4. Save file as "exefix.reg" (without quotation-marks) to your Desktop.
NOTE: choose Save as type: All files
5. Double-click to open exefix.reg. Click "Yes" for Registry Editor prompt window.

6. Download Malwarebytes. Update Malwarebytes and run a full system scan.

If you can't complete the above steps then please use another PC to download an automatic removal tool and exefix.reg (Right Click (Save Target As)) to download file. Copy these files to USB flash drive or any other external media and transfer them to infected computer. Launch exefix.reg file first and then install Malwarebytes.

MANUAL REMOVAL:
Kill processes:
av.exe

Delete files:
%UserProfile%\\Local Settings\\Application Data\\av.exe %UserProfile%\\Local Settings\\Application Data\\WRblt8464P (or equivalent data file, with no file extension, and a similar creation date as “av.exe”).

Delete registry values:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\DefaultIcon
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\open
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\open\command
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\runas
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\runas\command
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\start
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\start\command
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile\DefaultIcon
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile\shell
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile\shell\open
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile\shell\open\command
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile\shell\runas
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile\shell\runas\command
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile\shell\start
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile\shell\start\command
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\open\command | @ = “”%AppData%\av.exe” /START “%1″ %*”
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\open\command | IsolatedCommand = “”%1″ %*”
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe | @ = “secfile”
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe | Content Type = “application/x-msdownload”
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile\shell\open\command | @ = “”%AppData%\av.exe” /START “%1″ %*”
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile\shell\open\command | IsolatedCommand = “”%1″ %*”

Security Tool Fake AntiVirus - how to remove

2010-07-15T09:37:00.000-04:00

Security Tool Virus is a rogue anti-spyware program that’s distributed through websites that simulate virus scans. The user is than prompted to download the software to clean the infected PC. The tool provides false alerts of legitimate files that are needed by your Windows PC. Do not remove these files!

1.Stop Security Tool Processes: [random numbers].exe
2.Remove Security Tool Files
3.C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\[random numbers]\
4.C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\[random numbers]\[random numbers].exe
5.Remove Security Tool Registry Keys
*HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Security Tool
*HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Security Tool
6.Remove Security Tool Startup Entry: [random numbers].exe
You can also download MalwareBytes Anti-Malware to remove Security Tool Virus.

Good & Free Backup Software

2010-06-30T12:40:00.000-04:00

Runtime's Shadow Copy Software is very simple and will
backup open files as well. Use it in batch mode (just
modify its shortcut with the appropriate switches) to
do custom backups. It can be automated using Windows
Task Scheduler.

http://www.runtime.org/shadow-copy.htm

Prolific USB to Serial port issues

2010-06-25T15:38:00.001-04:00

Prolific-based USB to serial dongles do not like being removed and reattached, always insert/remove them after the PC is powered off.

Also, to maintain the SAME COM PORT consistently, always plug the
unit into the SAME USB port.

Updated drivers for Prolific are available here... use these as
they are updated with more fixes than the packaged disc...

http://www.prolific.com.tw/eng/downloads.asp?ID=31

IPSEC issue with Lenovo T60 and Verizon UMW190 USB EVDO aircard

2010-06-25T15:33:00.001-04:00

When using a Verizon wireless UMW 190 EVDO aircard on a Lenovo T60 laptop running Windows XP Pro, I discovered that if I turned off the on-board WIFI chipset using the front selector switch... I found that IPsec tunneling would no longer function (no DNS resolution through IPsec even though the tunnel connected properly). Without IPsec running, IP and internet access worked fine. When I switched the on-board WI-FI chipset back on... the IPsec DNS resolution worked correctly after that.

Set RDP Client to Listen on a Specific Port

2010-06-23T15:28:00.000-04:00

On the client, add the port # to the IP address of the server
you are attaching to...

%REMOTESERVERIP%:%PORT#%
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304304

On the server, change...

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TerminalServer\WinStations\RDP-Tcp\PortNumber
to the port you desire.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306759

Repairing the MS Windows Installer

2010-06-23T15:24:00.001-04:00

Follow this procedure from MS...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324516

RDP console shadow for Terminal Services

2010-06-23T15:22:00.000-04:00

Create a batch file with the following syntax... you will connect
to the console directly rather than through another session on
top of the one running.

mstsc -v:%SERVERNAME% /F -console

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/278845

DNS FORWARDING for Active Directory

2010-04-28T16:51:00.000-04:00

To configure DNS forwarding:

Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DNS to start the DNS Management Console. Right click the DNS Server object for your server in the left pane of the console, and click Properties.

Click the Forwarders tab. Check the Enable forwarders check-box.

In the IP address box enter the IP address of the DNS servers you want to forward queries to - typically the DNS server of your ISP. You can also move them up or down. The one that is highest in the list gets the first try, and if it does not respond within a given time limit - the query will be forwarded to the next server in the list.

http://www.petri.co.il/configure_dns_forwarding.htm

Default password for Minolta Pagescope

2010-04-28T16:49:00.000-04:00

For PageScope Light... the initial default administrator password is "sysadm"

Mitigate World of Warcraft Lag

2010-03-30T19:36:00.001-04:00

Anyone who runs World of Warcraft, especially on Windows XP systems,
should download and run the following patch to optimize your TCPIP stack settings...

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,69213-order,1/reviews.html

I am unsure if this fix is valid for Windows 7 systems, but it proved
very useful on XP and to some extent on Vista as well.

PREVENT OVERSCAN ON SHARP LC-42SB45U

2010-03-26T22:52:00.000-04:00

I bought a Sharp 42" TV (LC-42SB45U) back during a Black Friday sale for $500 and I've been having a problem with overscan. I don't like to use the Nvidia desktop-resizing tool because all that does is give you a custom resolution. It irritated me that I couldn't get my 1080p TV to properly display a 1080p signal from my HTPC over HDMI. Apparently Sharp TV's are really picky about when they'll let you choose their "Dot-by-Dot" scaling mode but I finally figured out a solution.

I had to go to Nvidia Control Panel > Change Resolution > Add Resolution > Create Custom Resolution > Timing and then select "CVT reduced blank" in the "Standard" drop down. Then Test, accept, ok, confirm, whatever to get back to using that resolution.

After doing that I had a 1920x1080 image that fit my TV perfectly because the TV now let me select the "Dot-by-Dot" scaling mode. So anyway, that should point you to a possible solution if you're having overscan problems.

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:pHEVdEie-5oJ:forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php%3Fthreadid%3D2386006%26userid%3D0%26perpage%3D40%26pagenumber%3D91+http://forums.somethingawful.com/sho...%23post370435843&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

No Contacts list in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

2010-03-15T00:42:00.000-04:00

In the Navigation Pane (Navigation Pane: The column on the left side of the Outlook window that includes panes such as Shortcuts or Mail and the shortcuts or folders within each pane. Click a folder to show the items in the folder.), click Contacts.

Under My Contacts, right-click the Contacts folder you want to view in the address book, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu.
Click the Outlook Address Book tab, and make sure that the "Show this folder as an e-mail address book" check box is selected. If the check box is unavailable, you need to add the Outlook Address Book to your profile.

Should I use Monster Cable or any of it's other Products ?

2010-03-11T12:21:00.000-05:00

I am not a fan of Monster Cable branded products for several reasons...

1. Their cables are extremely overpriced for stuff made in China that can be had elsewhere for much cheaper yet similar quality.

2. Their associated products for power and signal filtering can be improved upon by purchasing similar computer-related use products
(such as UPS units) at less expense.

3. Their unacceptable business practices and history of frivolous litigation.

Please view the following links if you have any doubts if this is the kind of company you want to give your hard-earned money to...

http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/blue-jeans-strikes-back
http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/05/27/monster-cable-sues-monster-mini-golf-in-monster-lawsuit/

BRIDGING MODE FOR VERIZON WESTELL A90

2010-03-06T14:26:00.003-05:00

If you want to turn the internal crap off on a Verizon Westell A90
(also 7500) modem so that you can use it with an existing wireless router...

Login to the unit with admin:password, you will be asked to change
the password right away... make it admin:admin or whatever..

Choose WIRELESS SETTINGS and disable it.

Choose MY NETWORK... NETWORK CONNECTIONS... under ACTION click
the icon to edit DSL BROADBAND CONNECTION... change the VC1 CONFIGURATION settings for PROTOCOL and BRIDGE MODE both to "BRIDGE". This will probably reset the modem.

Choose MY NETWORK... NETWORK CONNECTIONS... LAN... then uncheck
ENABLE DHCP SERVER.

After you hit apply, connect the existing network router WAN port to
the E1-UPLINK port on the A90. You are done. The INTERNET light on the modem will now be dark as an indication it is in bridging mode.

Dont forget to configure your router to use PPPoE using the main
account username and password.

Auto login with Debian Linux using GDM

2010-02-02T17:13:00.000-05:00

Simply goto SYSTEM... ADMINISTRATION... LOGIN WINDOW...
SECURITY tab...

Then click ENABLE AUTOMATIC LOGIN and choose a user to login as.

http://www.go2linux.org/how_to_enable_autologin_on_debian_ubuntu_gnome

Setting up a Static Interface in Debian

2010-02-02T16:09:00.002-05:00

To configure a static IP in debian you must edit the file /etc/network/interfaces and modify the following section...

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp

To this... assuming interface eth0 is what you want...

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.1.10
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.1.0
broadcast 192.168.1.255
gateway 192.168.1.1

Also edit your /etc/hosts and insert similar to
the following to configure the IP to your hostname...

192.168.1.10 hostname hostname.full.qual.domain

Working with RANCID - Cisco Config Differ

2010-01-18T11:16:00.002-05:00

For those of you with a need for backup of your network devices (such as routers and switches) and if you have absolutely no budget (but alot of time) then you may want to consider RANCID by Shrubbery Networks (available at http://www.shrubbery.net/rancid/). It is an open-source product that runs on Linux or Solaris.

I installed RANCID on top of Fedora 11, and was able to finally get it to work. The major problem I had with this package is the absolutely AWFUL documentation provided... you really have to sift through the readme to get what the hell they are trying to say. Even some of the better install tutorials were either out of date or not well written for the admin who just wants a simple step-by-step guide.

So, I compiled a word doc with the steps I took to configure Rancid for my work environment. You may grab it at the link provided...

http://www.njcomputerguys.com/rancid.doc

Hopefully it will save some people from pulling their hair out.

UPDATE - administrator Steve Smith contributed his experience working
with Rancid on Fedora 15...

http://njcomputerguys.com/RancidConfigFedora15.doc

SHUTDOWN button in Vista and Win7

2010-01-09T12:42:00.003-05:00

One of the most ridiculous things Microsoft did with Vista
and Windows 7 was the idea of having the shutdown button
and start menu shutdown selection both default to SLEEP.

This has caused enormous frustration for users who actually
want to do a hard reset of their computers to clear a
problem... as SLEEP only puts them back to the point they
started.

Change this by adjusting power options in control panel.
Select the power mode you are currently using, choose
advanced selections, and change the settings for POWER
BUTTONS AND LID, POWER BUTTON ACTION to choose SHUTDOWN.

Wireless B and security

2010-01-09T12:28:00.004-05:00

If you have a wireless B router and enable security, you may have
an issue with stability of your connections. In these instances,
I would suggest disabling security or replacing the router.

I found this issue with older B Linksys and Netgear routers.

Fedora Graphical/Text interface

2009-12-02T13:38:00.003-05:00

To switch between text and graphical login just edit the
/etc/inittab file...

and change the line " id:X:initdefault: "
where X is the runlevel (5 for graphical, 3 for text)

If at the console prompt already, just use "init X"
to boot the correct runlevel.

Symantec Antivirus Terminates : error 7031 or 7034

2009-11-28T15:25:00.004-05:00

On Windows Server 2000 sp4 w/rollup & SAV 10.2.224.0 I got the following in the event logger...

"The Symantec AntiVirus service terminated unexpectedly. It has done this 2 time(s). The following corrective action will be taken in 10000 milliseconds: Restart the service"

I tried the following on Symantec's site..

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ent-security.nsf/docid/2005060211491948

The Cache entry didn't resolve it and the LoginCaCertIssueSerNum
registry entry wasnt even there.

To workaround it, I went to SERVICES... selected Symantec Antivirus
service and made it use the Administrator login instead of the System
account. After rebooting the error only came up once, but SAV stayed
up afterward.

Remove Win 7 Libraries

2009-11-21T15:35:00.002-05:00

Using regedit, remove the two registry keys under...

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\

{B4FB3F98-C1EA-428d-A78A-D1F5659CBA93}
{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}

And Win7 will no longer default to displaying those
annoying Libraries that Microsoft thought everyone
would love.

How to create a USB bootable drive (nee floppy)

2009-10-30T14:51:00.002-04:00

These guys not only provided the HP USB drive utility, but DOS
files to go with it...

http://www.lowfps.com/creating-a-bootable-usb-thumb-drive

Large Drive Formatting in XP or 2000

2009-10-29T03:10:00.005-04:00

To see a larger size hard drive >137 GB in Windows 2000 you must have SP4 installed and the EnableBigLba flag set to 1 in the registry...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305098

For Windows XP, you must have SP1 installed with EnableBigLba set to 1...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/303013

Both O/Ss expect a 48bit LBA-compatible BIOS.

Remote Desktop

2009-09-29T13:19:00.003-04:00

I am always asked for methods of accessing your desktop remotely, some
good programs are...

TeamViewer (easy to use, highly recommended):
http://www.teamviewer.com/download/index.aspx

RealVNC:
http://www.realvnc.com/products/free/4.1/download.html

Windows RDP (included with XP, Vista, 7):
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/tools/rdclientdl.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/getstarted/remoteintro.mspx

Backup & Restoring of AOL saved PFC cabinet files

2009-09-26T13:53:00.001-04:00

Use the following directions backup your Personal Filing Cabinet...

To backup mail in your AOL Saved on My PC filing cabinet:

•Search your computer for a file called "(your AOL screen name).abi".
•If your screen name is "myscreenname", for example, search for a file called "myscreenname.abi".
•You should find it in a folder called organize. A typical location is "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AOL\C_America Online 9.0\organize". You can go to this folder directly, too.
•Go up one directory, to the C_America Online 9.0 folder.
•For other versions of AOL, the folder name may be different. In any case, go up one directory from the organize folder.
•Highlight the organize folder.
•Select Edit | Copy from the menu of the Explorer window.
•Open the desired backup location (a CD or DVD, another hard disk, a network location or a USB stick, for example) in Explorer.
•Select Edit | Paste from the menu.

How to Restore Locally-saved AOL email

2009-09-26T13:45:00.000-04:00

To recover mail and other AOL data from a "Saved on My PC" copy:

•Log on to AOL with your screen name at least once to create the user mail
profile, then make sure AOL is not currently running.

•Search your computer for a file called "(your AOL screen name).abi".
•If your screen name is "myscreenname", for example, search for a file called "myscreenname.abi".
•You should find it in a folder called organize under "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AOL\C_America Online 9.1\organize", although some variation in the path has been noticed from time-to-time.

•Go up one directory, to the C_America Online 9.1 folder.
•For other versions of AOL, the folder name may be different. In any case, go up one directory from the organize folder.
•Rename the organize folder "organize.save".
•Go up another directory.
•Open the folder containing the backup copy of your old organize folder in a new Explorer window.
•Highlight the backup organize folder.
•Press Ctrl-C.
•Switch to the AOL folder window.
•Highlight C-America Online 9.1 or whatever the folder containing the organize.save folder is called on your system.
•Press Ctrl-V.
•Log on to AOL.
•If everything is back in place, delete the organize.save folder.

http://email.about.com/od/aoltips/qt/et042206.htm

Windows XP Rebuild & fixboot command

2009-09-19T16:46:00.000-04:00

If your copy of XP will not boot, and even safe mode or LKGood cannot help you...
Try using the rebuild option...

Boot up from XP setup disk and enter recovery console...

cd \

attrib -h -r -s boot.ini

copy boot.ini boot.ini.old

delete boot.ini

chkdsk

bootcfg /rebuild

fixboot

http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=185301251&pgno=2&queryText=&isPrev=

Fedora 11 auto-login

2009-09-15T17:35:00.001-04:00

Modify the /etc/gdm/gdm.schemas file to have the following...

AutomaticLoginEnable setting at true

AutomaticLogin set with the actual system login - do NOT use the friendly
or full name

Reboot and the system will enter Gnome desktop automatically.

http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=220794

Fedora 11 single user mode

2009-09-15T17:31:00.000-04:00

To get into single user text based mode from GRUB... hit F8 a million times between post and GRUB loader, then choose A to append to existing boot line, then insert an s to the line and continue booting.

http://dailypackage.fedorabook.com/index.php?/archives/157-System-Recovery-Week-Single-user-mode.html

Fedora YUM and installers will not work

2009-09-13T11:30:00.005-04:00

If using Fedora (any flavor but I tried on 8, 10 and 11) and YUM installer (or package installer) and you get the following, (even with a fresh install of Fedora)...

"Cannot retrieve repository metadata (repomd.xml)"

I finally was able to get around this problem, caused by my corporate
firewall, by using this combination...

1) Disabling client firewall in Fedora

2) Exporting the proxy server at the command line (even though I had
specified it in the GUI) as follows...

export http_proxy=http://%yourproxyhere%:port#

3) Changing each https entry in the /etc/yum.repos.d/*.repo files to http to
make fetching non-secure.

4) Inserting the following into the /etc/hosts file...

80.239.156.215 mirrors.fedoraproject.org
213.129.242.84 mirrors.rpmfusion.org

And finally it worked for me.

http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=223472

Skype unable to create account

2009-09-13T11:27:00.001-04:00

If you are running Skype and it hangs at "creating account" during first time
setup...

Try disabling all firewalls. In this case, a copy of McAfee Client Firewall was
causing the issue. The account creation went through after that. This could also cause you not to connect to Skype at all.

Issues with Webpage ads not displaying

2009-09-13T11:23:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine has an ad income generator and had issues with her ads not displaying correctly in any Windows browser. Although she had a recent virus attack, it wasn't the virus causing the issue.

Disabling Symantec client firewall resolved the issue. One of the sub-components of SCF was disabling certain webpage ads from displaying. The SCF security settings could have been hightened during the attack, and needed to be put back to normal.

Issues with Network Shares not Accessible

2009-09-13T11:18:00.003-04:00

You are trying to attach to a network share using Windows... and you get a response "sharename already in use" or something to that effect. It may be
your Norton or Symantec client firewall causing the problem. Disable it
and you should then be able to attach without hassle. If you wish to keep firewalling active at your client, you will need to drill down to the actual
specific setting that is causing the issue. Or, you can setup the client to
disregard IP address ranges on your local network (like having it ignore
every 192.x.x.x address).

Symantec CF would not allow me to attach to a customer's Terastation Live.
I find having to do this workaround particularly stupid since network sharing
is a basic Windows function nowadays...

Symantec Corporate A/V hangs at 99% updating

2009-09-13T11:11:00.001-04:00

If you are running Symantec Corporate AntiVirus (I have versions 7 and 10.x) and it ceases to update after 99% and just hangs there... there is a simple resolution although it makes no sense.

Open the client and goto CONFIGURE... DISABLE tamper protection, Exchange mail support, Lotus Notes support, and (at least temporarily) Internet Mail support. Rerun the updater and it should go through next time.

Source (SRCDS) Fast Download with GoDaddy

2009-06-14T22:53:00.000-04:00

There are alot of HLDS users stating you cannot run HLDS Fast Download over a Godaddy account (free or paid). This is not true. We have had ours working for years.

First, make sure you replicate the server directory structure on the download account, and configure the software to point to that download spot.

Second, make sure your account directory permissions are set to 755 so the downloading client can obtain the files.

Third, make sure you have a .htaccess file located in the directory you are downloading from, make sure that file contains similar to the following...

Options +Indexes
AddType application/octet-stream .bin .bsp .res .bz2 .vmt .vtf

Tagged Email Phishing Scam

2009-06-14T11:22:00.000-04:00

I recieved several emails from a friend stating they sent me
pictures or other stuff via Tagged Email, and it asks me
to join.

DO NOT JOIN TAGGED EMAIL under any circumstances. It is a
phishing scam that will rob your identity and flood your
PC with Crapware... it uses your address book to propagate
email floods and spam. Delete these emails immediately and
clean out your trash.

Is file sharing safe ?

2009-06-14T11:15:00.000-04:00

The practice of sharing files via Bearshare, BitTorrent, Kazaa, and other programs opens you up to several issues...

1. Malicious programs and viruses from the internet can funnel into your computer, being costly to remove.
2. Your personal files can be opened up for the world to see, fueling possible identity theft.
3. Copyright-protected files (videos, music, programs) may be opened up for the world to download, spreading piracy and possibly exposing you to litigation by the copyright holder or their authorities.

We at NJ ComputerGuys do not suggest you engage in sharing files.

What is Spyware ?

2009-06-14T11:09:00.002-04:00

Spyware and Malware and Crapware are programs (often disguised as free offers, toolbars, and smilee/icon packs) that infect your computer to promote unwanted advertising, prevent your PC from functioning correctly (if at all), mine your PC for private data or other such specious activity. We suggest purchasing a well-known anti-virus suite. Many free spyware removal tools and cleaners out on the internet
are actually spyware installers in disguise, so be careful with what you install! If it's free and it tries to scare you into buying it... it's usually not good. We recommend you use a combination of the following (some of which are available free)...

Lavasoft Ad Aware spyware cleaner (free version):
http://download.cnet.com/Ad-Aware-Free-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5

Microsoft Security Essentials malware and virus protection
for Windows Vista and Windows 7 only (free):
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Norton Antivirus, 360, Norton Internet Security (trial versions):
http://www.symantec.com/norton/theme4.jsp?themeid=free_tools_trials2

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware spyware and rootkit cleaner (free):
http://www.malwarebytes.org

AVG anti-virus (free):
http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage

Windows Server 2000 Domain Detection Issue

2009-06-14T11:04:00.002-04:00

At some point of installation of Server 2000 (or Advanced), the setup asks you if you wish to join the server to an existing domain, run as a PDC itself, or run as standalone server.

For some weird reason, the setup acts as if it tries to join you to a domain anyway. It then puts you into a loop you cannot get out of.

I worked around this by reinstalling the O/S with the NETWORK CABLE REMOVED, when the setup has passed domain setup phase, you can then REATTACH THE NETWORK CABLE.

Linksys WVC54GCA camera

2009-06-14T10:54:00.000-04:00

I purchased four of these WVC54GCA cameras new. After configuring them as per the manual, I found they would die (seize up) from one to three days later. I had the latest firmware R24.

Setting the units to STATIC IP (not DHCP) solved the issue and the cameras now work much longer (one to two months) before requiring power cycle.

The camera itself is a good buy for about 100 bucks. The image is clear even in low light. It works well with my linksys wireless routers, it uses b/g wireless. 640x480pixel view.