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Build a Windows Server Update Services(WSUS) Server

2008-07-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

Install Internet Information Services
To verify that IIS was installed, open a web browser, and navigate to http://127.0.0.1/. You should receive an Under Construction page if IIS is installed successfully.
Install Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) 2.0 and WinHTTP 5.1
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=47251
Install .NET Framework Version 2.0 Redistributable Package
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=68935
Install Report Viewer Redistributable 2005
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=70410
Install Microsoft Management Console 3.0
http://go.microsoft.com/fslink/?LinkID=70412
Give Read permissions to Network Service on the root of the drive where the updates will be stored. In this case, it will be E:.
Install WSUS
a. Set the location to store updates.
b. Create the WSUS database
c. Configure the update site.
d. Set Product and Classification download settings.

Plantronics Discovery 665 Review

2008-07-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

Today I'll be reviewing the Plantronics Discovery 665. This is one of a few bluetooth headsets that I've used, but this one is probably my favorite.

The Discovery 665 is very light and weighs in at only 9 grams. The headset is an in-ear design, much like headphones, but there is an optional stabilizing loop that hooks to your ear. It comes with different gel ear pieces to accommodate for people with larger or smaller ears.

The sound quality of this headset is much better than headsets that I've used in the past. Voice sounds clear to me during conversations and I haven't had anyone tell me that the quality on the receiving end was poor.

What really makes this headset stand out is it's charger. Rather than a traditional wall charger, this headset comes with a vehicle charger that you plug into the cigarette lighter. This feature practically sold the headset to me, since I'd be using this headset nearly 100% of the time while driving around Southern California.

This headset also comes with a USB charger, so you could alternatively charge this headset on your computer. Alternatively, you could purchase this traditional Plantronics Charger if you wanted to charge your headset in a more traditional manner.

The one gripe that I do have about this headset are the buttons to adjust the volume or to answer/hang up. The buttons feel very stiff and while you're wearing the headset, it feels like you're trying to mash it through your skull.

Overall, I would recommend this headset. It's simplistic interface, comfort to wear, and unique vehicle charger make this headset a keeper.

New User Account Not Showing Up on Login Screen in OSX 10.5

2008-06-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Macs in a predominately Windows environment don't play well. We all know that. But here's another reason that they don't play well. With OS X 10.5 systems, when you bind the computer to the domain, when new users log into the system, their account will be created but the account will not show up on the login screen. When creating local accounts, I've found that OS X 10.5 has no problem also displaying on the login screen. However, when a network account was logged into the machine, their account would not show up on the login screen. In Tiger, I didn't have problems, but since this is our first Leopard build, we're having all kinds of fun. The fix is simple, however.

Launch Directory Utility, which can be found in the Applications\Utilities folder.
On the Directory Servers tab, click + to bind it to the domain.
Click the Services tab.
Double-click where it says Active Directory.
Show the Advanced Options.
In the User Experience tab, right below, tick the box that says Create mobile account at login.
Reboot the system.

Recover Deleted Emails in Outlook

2008-06-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ever get that weird feeling in your stomach after you delete something and realize that you need it? We all do. In Microsoft Outlook, you can recover your deleted emails quite easily.

Open the folder where the email was located.
Click on Tools -> Recover Deleted Items.
In there, you'll see a list of your emails that you recently deleted. Highlight the emails that you want recovered, and click Recover Selected Items.
You emails will then be recovered back to its original folder.

Hide Contacts from Showing Up in GAL

2008-06-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

In certain environments, you may have created contacts which you don't want to show up in your Global Address List (GAL).

To hide these certain contacts,

Open Active Directory Users and Computers.
Locate the contact that you want to be hidden.
Open their properties and go to the Exchange Advanced tab.
Tick the box that reads "Hide from Exchange address lists".

In my case, it took about 5 minutes for the contact to be hidden in the GAL. If you're using Outlook in cache mode, it may take up to 24 hours for this change to take effect.

Force Empty Trash in OSX

2008-06-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

If you put files that are in use in your trash, OSX will prevent you from emptying the trash can. To force deletion, hold down Option then Empty Trash.

This was useful to me today when apparently, I had 50GB of data that was sitting in the Trash but couldn't be deleted. Somewhat of a pain.

Recreate a Show Desktop Shortcut

2008-06-17T15:17:00.001-07:00

Its so easy to accidentally delete your Show Desktop shortcut on your Quick Launch bar in Windows XP and Windows Vista. However, it is also easy to recreate this shortcut if you accidentally delete it.

Here's what you need to do to recreate a Show Desktop shortcut.

Create a new text document in Notepad.
Type in the following lines.
[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop
Save the file as Show Desktop.scf.
Move this file to your Quick Launch toolbar.

How to Free Up BlackBerry Device Memory

2008-06-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Delete Old Email
Keep a tidy inbox. I like to delete my emails on my BlackBerry once I've read them. I don't feel that I really go back to them once I've read them, and if I did need to go back, I could always check back to my email client at my desk. I only try to keep any emails that are absolutely necessary.

You can also choose to only keep messages for a certain period of time. To do this, open your Inbox, press the BlackBerry Menu button, select Options, then General Options. If you scroll down, you'll see an option for Keep Messages, you can adjust this. The minimum is 15 days, but you could if you wanted to keep the messages forever.

Keep A Clean Calendar
Calendar is pretty much similar to inbox. No need to keep old appointments unless you can somehow look at your old appointments then close your eyes and relive the past. To clear your old appointments, open your Calendar, click the BlackBerry Menu button, select Options. Scroll down and find Keep Appointments. Like your inbox, the minimum is 15, and you can keep appointments forever.

Move Media Files to a MicroSD Card
Do you really need your MP3 collection on your BlackBerry's internal memory? Purchase a MicroSD card and store your media there.

Delete Unused Applications
Why keep applications that you never use? Free them up by going into Options -> Advanced Options -> Applications. You can then press the BlackBerry Menu button and select Delete.

Clear Event Logs
The BlackBerry actually stores logs of every action that was performed on your device. To view and clear the even log, press ALT, then type in LGLG. This will bring up the event log. To clear it, press the Blackberry Menu button and select Clear Log.

Propogate Exchange Public Folder Permissions

2008-06-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

Work hard, but don't do hard work. This applies to so many things, but never more appropriate than doing tedious and repetitive work. Changing the permissions on a few folders is no problem, but what if there are thousands. Here's how to change permissions on all subfolders for Exchange Public Folders.

Launch Exchange System Manager
Drill Down to Administrative Groups -> [Your Org] -> Folders -> Public Folders.
Right-click on the parent folder that has the permissions that you want to push down to the children.
Select All Tasks then Manage Settings.
Select Overwrite Settings.
Select the settings that you want to overwrite on the children.
Click Finish to confirm your changes.

The changes may take a while if you have many subfolders under the parent.

Error when Running Exmerge.exe

2008-06-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Today, I had a difficult time launching Exmerge, which is a cool little tool I might add. On lauch, I would receive an error message which read "This application has failed to start because EXCHMEM.dll was not found."

When you download Exmerge from Microsoft's site, you can extract the files anywhere you'd like. However, you can only extract it in one location for this tool to launch successfully. You'll want to extract the Exmerge files to C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\bin\. Any other location will generate the error message above.

Prevent Windows Messenger from Starting at Launch

2008-06-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

The other day, I noticed that Windows Messenger started launching again when I logged onto my computer at home. Playing around in Group Policy, I found a setting that would prevent it from starting up.

Open the Local Group Policy Editor. You can do this by clicking Start -> Run -> type in 'gpedit.msc' -> click OK.
Navigate to Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Messenger.
Right click on the setting that reads 'Do not automatically start Windows Messenger initially' -> Select Properties -> Enabled -> OK.
Restart your computer.

Office 2007: Initializing the Places Bar

2008-05-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

In Office applications, when you initiate a Save As command, you may experience a window that pops up and says "Initializing the Places Bar". During this time, it can take a a few seconds to a few minutes to bring up the Save As window that you're expecting to see.

What is happening is the Office application, whether it be Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, is trying to find any network drives that you have mapped. If it can find the network drives, then this process will be fast. However, if it can't find the network path, then the process have to time out and then the Save As dialog box will come up. If you have multiple network drives that can't be reached, this can take a very frustratingly long time to time out and complete.

To correct this:

Make sure that all of your network drives are able to be accessed. If they can't be accessed, you'll want to disconnect the drive or make sure that it's accessible.
If you have group policy in place, then you'll want to review your policies and make sure that there are no places bar locations that can't be accessed. You'll need to have your systems administrator, or whoever manages your group policy look at this, but it can be found in the Group Policy Management Editor under User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Classic Administrative Templates > Microsoft Office 2007 system > File Open/Save dialog box > Places Bar Locations.

In my environment, we had an entry in group policy for the Places Bar Location that pointed to a server that no longer existed. Once that key was disabled and the changes were reflected on all of the domain controllers, I rebooted my system and the Save As command ran lightning fast.

Clear Outlook AutoComplete Cache

2008-05-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

This tip is especially useful if you've sent an email to someone, but accidentally misspelled their email address. Clearing the cache will delete this entry and allow you to create another entry that is correct.

Quit Microsoft Outlook.
Click on Start -> Run
Type in %appdata%\microsoft\outlook.
Delete the file [profile name].n2k.
Relaunch Outlook.

Outlook will then create a new .n2k file to store your cache.

Linux: Whats the Super Button?

2008-05-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

In the Linux world, the super button will be your Windows key on your keyboard.

Setup Windows Machines as Media Servers for Playstation 3

2008-05-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

If you want to play your MP3 collection that you have stored on your computer on your Playstation 3, you can setup your Windows machine to act as a media server. This will allow you to access all of your MP3, so that you can play them on your TV through your Playstation 3. You will be able to view your pictures and videos on your computer as well. The setup is really simple, and literally takes about 2 minutes.

Launch Windows Media Player 11.
Right Click on the Library tab and select Media Sharing.
Check the option Share My Media.
On your Playstation 3,under Photos, Music, or Video, select Search for Media Servers.
Go back to your PC, you should see a screen that says that an unknown device is trying to connect. Allow the device, and you should now be able to play your files on your Playstation.

Disable Firefox Extension Install Timer

2008-05-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Whenever you install an extension for Firefox, Firefox makes you wait for about 5 seconds before you can click the install button. Its somewhat of a mechanism to protect you from malicious websites...and in some cases protect you from yourself.

You can disable this timer, but remember to be very careful.

In the URL field, type in about:config and press enter.
Search for security.dialog_enable_delay.
Double click on this entry, and set its value to 0.

You then can install extensions without having to wait.

Video Games aren't Toys

2008-05-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

Yup. That's right. According to Best Buy, video games aren't toys. My mom gave me a coupon for Best Buy which was good for 10% off any single item. This coupon was only good for items in certain categories. The coupon had a variety of categories that it was good for. While it didn't explicitly say that video games were included, it didn't explicitly say that they weren't included. They did list "Toys" as being eligible. With that, I did a search for "Toy" on Best Buy's website. What I came up with was a list of video games.

I do know that someone else had the same experience a few months ago, and I wasn't quite sure if I was going to have the same experience that they did, so I gave it a shot. I should have known better that even though someone else had the same experience a few months ago that Best Buy wouldn't have done anything to correct this issue. To me, its a bit deceitful, but hey, thats the Best Buy quality of service that we've all come to expect.

Well, Best Buy, one less customer for you for good.

VMware Infrastructure Client could not establish the initial connection

2008-05-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

After upgrading VMWare Virtual Center to version 2.5, I received a message that read

VMWare Infrastructure Client could not establish the initial connection

To correct this error, you would need to log onto the VirtualCenter server and make sure that VMWare VirtualCenter Service is running. After I started this service, I was able to connect to the VirtualCenter Server to maintain my guest OSes.

Delete Files that are in Use in Windows

2008-05-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

If you try to delete a file, but the file is in use, you will likely get an error message that reads

The action can't be completed because the file is open in another program.

What this boils down to is that you need to figure out which process is using the file. A good utility to figure this out is called Process Explorer. Process Explorer is basically Task Manager, but all juiced up on steroids.

Process Explorer is really a powerful tool, but figuring out which process is using a file is actually quite simple.

Click the Find menu at the top and select Find Handle or DLL.
In the windows that opens up, type in the name of the file that you want to delete and then click Search.
Below, a list will show which processes are using that particular file.
You can then close that particular application/process and try the delete again.
Optionally, you can find the process in the process list, kill that process tree, then delete the file.

Microsoft Outlook Error Code: 0X8004010d

2008-05-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Outlook will throw out an error that reads

An unknown error occurred, error code: 0x8004010d.

I was able to generate this error when I was trying to mount a PST file. The problem ended up being that there was very little to no free disk space available on the same volume as the PST. Once I cleared up some space, I was able to add the PST with no additional problems.

If you're having problems deleting files because they are in use, you can follow this guide on figuring out which processes are using files.

Show BCC Field in Outlook

2008-05-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

To show the BCC field in all new messages that you compose, click New and compose a new Mail Message. Up top, click on Options and then click Show BCC.

To hide the BCC field, do the same thing and untoggle the BCC field by clicking Show BCC again.

Change Grab's Default Filetype

2008-05-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

If you use Grab to take screenshots on your Mac, you don't really have many options as to which type of file Grab is going to save the screenshot as.

You do have options to change this default file type. Simply type one of the following commands in Terminal (found under /Applications/Utilities) to change the default.

defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type pdf
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type png
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type psd
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type tif

Solving Entourage Launch Issues

2008-04-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

Entourage in Microsoft 2008 is by far not a very fun email client to use. This is especially true when Entourage won't even launch for you to read your email.

You may receive the following errors which will prevent Entourage from launching.

The Rules file appears corrupt. Rules cannot be used.
The Signatures file appears corrupt. Please remove the Signatures file from your Office 2008 identity folder and relaunch.
The Mailing Lists file is corrupt.

All three of these error message prevent Entourage from launching, however, they are quite easy to fix. You simply have to navigate to the following folder and delete the files called Mailing Lists, Rules, and Signatures.

Macintosh HD/Users/[your user name]/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Office 2008 Identities/

Once you remove those files, Entourage will recreate those files and Entourage will launch without issue.

SimpleTech External Drives Suck

2008-04-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

At work, we purchased some SimpleTech 1TB drives for use with our disaster recovery plan and let me just start off by saying that these drives would cause more of a disaster than relieving one.

The drives come in a plastic case that feels really quite fragile and flimsy. There are small vents on the bottom of the drive for cooling purposes, but the slots are very thin and probably would let in much air to flow in and out of the casing anyways. There isn't even a fan in the casing to get the air moving.

The problem with the thin air vents and no fan is that this drive will overheat. When it overheats, the drive will restart itself and break connection. This is not something that you're going to want to deal with in a DR situation.

With that, I decided to try and re purpose this drive. I've never tried time machine in OS X Leopard so I wanted to give that a shot. Backing up data to this drive was somewhat slow. Not necessarily the drive's fault, but slow either way. When using time machine, the drive would consistently overheat and power off.

These drives are just so pathetic and worthless. I wouldn't want to store anything that is valuable to me on this drive at all. Its really quite odd because the smaller SimpleTech drive that I got to use with my MacBook works fine. I can leave that drive plugged in all day with no problems. Either way, if you're looking for an external hard drive with high capacity, avoid these SimpleTech drives at all costs. Unless you don't really care about the data that you're storing on these drives. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Someday...Another Bank

2008-04-16T17:19:00.001-07:00

The day was April 15, 2008...payday. Also happened to be tax day...but thats another story. I checked my bank account in the morning and had seen funds come in. I figured that I only had 403.64 left of this debt. So, seeing that it wasn't very much, decided to make a transfer and make the final payment to the account.

I was promptly given an error. The error read "You cannot make a payment that is equal or greater than the balance." What the hell is that supposed to mean?

I called the support line to find out what was going on. A customer service representative, Heather answered the phone. I told her the message that I was receiving and she told me that through online transfers, I cannot make the final payment on any loan accounts with this particular financial institution. She explained that I can't make the final payment because the online system doesn't reflect the outstanding principal. I then asked her for the outstanding principal balance including the interest that had accrued. She told me that the outstanding balance up to the day was 406.44. Fine, I asked if I could make the payment over the phone through her. She told me that I could, except that there would be an 8 dollar fee associated with this transaction.

This particular bank nickel-and-dimes me for everything. Pretty much everything that I do, they charge me a fee. It's quite ridiculous.

I asked her what I could do then. She said that I either had to do the transfer on the phone with her and get charged 8 dollars or go into the branch and close it in person. I told her that its ridiculous to charge me 8 dollars in order for me to make the final payment or require me to go into the local branch to make the final payment.

During today's lunch, I went down to the local branch to make the final payment. I stood in line and was helped by Jaqueline. I told her the situation about me wanting to pay off my student loan. She just looked at me in a puzzled way and called over the teller supervisor, Rodrigo. Rodrigo asked what I was trying to do, and I told him that I wanted to pay off my student loan. He spoke to Jaqueline for a moment, I couldn't hear what they were saying. Jaqueline then tells me that I should talk to Matt about making the final payment to this student loan. I turn around and look for Matt. She tells me that Matt is directly behind me with the tie.

Matt told me that it wasn't going to be a problem and that he just had to get the current outstanding principal balance. This looked promising. So he got on the phone and called the student loan department. The first person he spoke to was Josie. When Matt explained the situation to her, it sounded like he reached the wrong department. He was then transfered to Melody. Matt again explained the situation to her. She then was able to give him the balance that needed to be paid. Great. I then asked if I could make the payment through him. Matt told me that I'd have to go back in line to one of the tellers and have the transfer done through one of them. Dangit.

So I stand back in the teller line and wait for another teller to help me out in closing this. Its finally my turn and Tracey helps me out. I tell her exactly what I want to do and what the outstanding balance is. She looks down at the counter and thinks for a bit. She then calls Rodrigo over again and asks how to perform the transaction that I want to do. He then punches something into the computer real quick and it somehow rings a bell to Tracey and she was able to carry out the transaction.

Finally, I've paid this thing off and it only took me 1 phone call, standing and waiting for a teller, getting referred to a personal banker, who had to place a call and got transfered, then standing and waiting for another teller to finally make the final payment. Ugh!

Someday...I'll have another bank.