February 2, 2010

STRANGE CHARACTER ?ӱ WHEN YOU TRY TO PING SOME IP ADDRESS

Filed under: Fixes, Technology — Tags: , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 6:20 pm

When you open a command prompt and try pinging a IP address or a name like www.google.com you get a strange character on the screen. The strange characters resemble the letter o and the letter y with two dots above it.

To fix this problem you need to run the following command at the command prompt.

c:\NETSH WINSOCK RESET

Then reboot your computer and you should be good to go.

I offer free advice and fixes via my blog usually for my personal reference. By using any of the advise in this blog you understand that you are using it at your own risk.

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January 15, 2010

How to set a password on a wireless router.

Filed under: Fixes, Technology — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 5:38 pm

Every day someone will ask “how do i set a password on my wireless router”.

I will give you detailed instructions on how to do just that.

I will be using the Linksys wrt54g for my example. If you have a different model wireless router you can still follow the instructions.

There are a couple of steps involved.

First we will find the IP address of the router. Which will be the “default gateway” of your computer.
Then we will connect to the configuration screens in your router.
Then change the password.

1. Click on Start->Run(if using vista/seven type the command from step 2 in the “search” field and press enter)

2. Type “cmd” w/o the quotes.

3. At the MS-DOS prompt type ‘ipconfig’

4. Make note of the “Gateway Address” IP address.

5. Open a web browser(IE or Firefox) remove the address that is in the address bar and type in the numbers that you made note of in step 4. Press enter

6. You should be prompted for a username and password. The default for most linksys devices. Is admin/admin. If that doesn’t work lookup the model number and cross reference it with this list: http://www.phenoelit-us.org/dpl/dpl.html

Now there are a couple of ‘passwords’ that you can set. When people ask to set a password for a wireless access point they are usually referring to the ‘network key’. This ‘network key’ will secure your wireless network so unauthorized people cannot connect to your Internet. There is also a ‘administration password’ which is the password you typed in step 6 to access the configuration screens. I advise changing both. Be sure you write these downs and don’t lose them. I usually write them down and tape them to the wireless router (make sure you don’t cover up ventilation slots).

Note: The below direction are for a wrt54g. Your screens may differ but the idea/concept will be the same.

7. To set the network key: Click “Wireless” -> “Wireless Security”

8. Choose WPA/Personal then enter your desired wireless key. I do not advise using WEP it is easily hacked in about 2 minutes.

9. To change the administration password: Click “Administration” and change the password.

If you ever forget these password there is a small “reset” button which you can press with a ball point pen. Press and hold that down for about a minute and you will back at the factory default settings. Therefore all password will be cleared/reset.

Good luck,
–SpaCeTraNce

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December 30, 2009

How to manually restore the Windows XP registry. File c:\windows\system32\config\system missing or corrupt

Filed under: Fixes, Technology — Tags: , , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 4:19 pm

The Scenario: Due to various reasons you may want to manually restore the registry from one of the restore points. I have used this because of viruses or because I just couldn’t get a computer to boot and suspect that the problem is in the registry. Sometimes this will fix the “File c:\windows\system32\config\system missing or corrupt” error but not always. IF the problem is related to a virus then you can almost guarantee that the virus has also infected the restore points. So this fix will NOT get rid of any viruses but it will sometimes bring the computer back to a usable state so that you can manually remove the virus.

The Warning: This is a very advanced fix. I am not responsible if you break your computer. This is for MY reference therefore if you use it you are on your own.

The Fix: Boot your computer into either the recovery console OR another boot disk. I use ActiveBoot, it is an excellent utility disk. It has saved my butt many of times. Once you are at a command prompt you need to do a couple of things.
First you need to backup the current registry files by renaming them. I like to rename them to filename.bak. Then you need to copy the files from a restore point to the location where the registry lies.
Technical information:
Files are located in C:\windows\system32\config
The Files are(they have no extension): system , security , sam , software and default.

The Fix(continued):
1. Naviagate to a Restore point.
a. C:
b. cd “system volume information”
c. dir /a:hs
Make note of the listed directory that begins with “_restore{”
d. cd _restore{number found from step c}
e. dir
Make note of a resore point that you want to recover from. I like to choose one from about a week ago.
f. cd RP
g. cd snapshot
At this point you are in a the directory for which you will copy the registry files from.
2. Backup old registry:
a. ren c:\windows\system32\config\system system.bak
b. ren c:\windows\system32\config\software software.bak
c. ren c:\windows\system32\config\security security.bak
d. ren c:\windows\system32\config\sam sam.bak
e. ren c:\windows\system32\config\default default.bak
All old registry files have been backed up to to files with the .bak extension.
3. Copy restore point registry files to correct place.
a. copy _registry_machine_sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
b. copy _registry_machine_security c:\windows\system32\config\security
c. copy _registry_machine_software c:\windows\system32\config\software
d. copy _registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\system
e. copy _registry_user_.default c:\windows\system32\config\default

Now reboot the computer and it will start using the old registry. You may see a brief screen that says something like, “Performing recovery”. Then the computer will be back up.

Obviously any programs that you have installed after the date of the backup that we used will no longer be installed. The files will be there but the program will not be installed.

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December 10, 2009

How to test your own fax machine.

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 3:54 pm

If you are living in the United States of America you can test your fax machine using the National Fire Protection Association’s Fax on Demand service.

Go to: http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=487&itemID=17976&URL=About%20NFPA/Contact%20Us/Fax%20on%20demand&cookie_test=1 and follow the directions.

I found this to be a very handy feature. Plus you will receive some valuable information regarding fire protection. ;)

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November 12, 2009

Scheduled Tasks – Applying/Running tasks without a password

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , , , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 4:23 pm

For Pro: Go to Start/Administrative Tools/’Local Security Policy/Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options
Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only. This is enabled by default, disable it.

For Home: (Keith Miller) Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa

Value name: limitblankpassworduse, Type: REG_DWORD, Data: 0 (disabled) 1 (enabled)

For Home: Run Scheduled Task without a Password (Line 67)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

How to Enable Automatic Logon in Windows
HOW TO: Modify Scheduled Tasks in Windows XP
Task Scheduler Does Not Run Tasks When “Run As” User Account Has No Password

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October 30, 2009

Using robocopy to copy all files and folders.

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 2:59 pm

Once again this is just for my reference so I don’t have to dig through the /? help file each time I want to copy all files due to windows not reloading.

robocopy /e /r:1 /w:1
Explaination:
/e copies all folders and their files.
/r:1 retries one time if a copy failed
/w:1 waits one second to perform retry

Note:
You will need to use quotations if there are spaces in the directory names. You do NOT need to add a trailing backslash if you do the command will fail.

EG:
robocopy “c:\documents and settings\your name” f:\backup\yourname /e /r:1 /w:1

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Double-Clicking the IE icon creates a shortcut.

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , , , , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 1:02 pm

Being in the P.C. repair business I have come across this issue numerous times. Each time it takes me a while to dig though the web to find the correct fix.

Sure there are those who say things which in effect create a new IE icon but this doesn’t fix the registry error that causes this.

Therefore I am posting the real fix to my blog so me (and you) no longer have to do all the digging.

Remove the bad IE icon from desktop, either delete or right click desktop -> Properties->Desktop->customize desktop-> uncheck Internet Explorer

Go to http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/ie_fix.reg – Restore IE Desktop Shortcut Icon Functions

Download that.

Open registry, go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}

Delete that key {871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D} + all sub keys

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}

Delete that key {871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D} + all sub keys

Merge that registry script into registry.

Last, right click desktop -> Properties->Desktop->customize desktop-> check Internet Explorer hit ok, and ok

Source: http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-2857428.php

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October 14, 2009

October 1, 2009

Website F.A.Q.

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , , , , , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 11:32 am

How do i get a website?

There are three steps you have to accomplish to “get a website”. These days these three steps have very blurred lines of distinction. The first thing you will need to do is to decide on a domain name (www.YourNameHere.com) and register that name. Registering your domain name usually cost on average $6.00 USD per year for a .com address. With the completion of this step you now own your own domain name!

Now that you have a domain name you need to purchase some “hosting”. Because you most likely do not have the type of dedicated connection nor do you have the technical expertise to run your own server you will need to buy some space on a server. This server will host your site so that everyone will be able to access it. Hosting comes in many different platforms and packages. Many companies will sell you a hosting package when you register your domain name with them. (Like I said the lines that divide these steps are getting harder to define) If this is your first experience with websites and hosting we STRONGLY recommend that you purchase your hosting with the same company that you purchase your domain name from. This way you do not have to deal with setting up your DNS servers as it will be done automatically for you. The price you will pay for your hosting will vary by how “large” of a space you need and how much traffic you expect to have. The price will range from $3.00 USD to $30.00+ USD per month.

The final step is the creation and uploading of your website. The creation of your site is where most of your budget for your project will be spent. Traditionally you would hire a graphics firm to come up with a look, logo and other images and a programmer would create a site using the images. The range of cost in this area can range dramatically depending on what you need. Dynamic sites are websites in which the owner can log into and administer. These type of sites cost much more than what most small business, churches and individuals need. The reason they cost more is because a developer that programs a site with dynamic functions will charge a firm much more than a programmer who is programming a static site (a static site is the “opposite” of a dynamic site) and rightfully so. A programmer who developing a dynamic site will most likely be using ASP.NET, PHP, ColdFusion or something similar. These types of programming languages take years of study and experience to become efficient at, which is why they will get paid more.

How much does a website cost?

The cost of a website can vary greatly depending you your needs. We cater our services to the small business, churches and individules and can usually design and implement a site for under 1,000 USD. When other design firms will charger thousands of dollars we are able to keep costs down using a number of different strategies.

How can you provide web design solutions as a fraction of the costs of the other guys?

Certain sectors of the I.T. industry is beginning to be viewed the same way that mechanics or used car dealers are viewed by consumers. Simply put: “You better trust them before you use them”. This mindset is unfortunate but sometimes grounded in some truth. We can provide design services at a fraction of the cost because of three reasons.
1. We do not generally ‘outsource’ our work to other firms.
2. We allow users to pick templates which keeps the hours you are billed down to a minimum.
3. We do not overcharge you like many design firms do. I’m not saying all firms do this, but many do.

What is search engine optimization?

According to wikipedia: “Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” (”organic” or “algorithmic”) search results. Typically, the earlier a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine.”
In other words SEO is the process of manipulating the content of a website so that it is easily read by search engines and so that search engines will “know” what type of content your site contains. The purpose of SEO is to get your site the highest possible ranking when relevant keywords are searched.

How do i get traffic to my website?

While most people will focus their marketing campaign on SEO there are many more ways to promote your site and get traffic to your site. A successful marketing campaign will cover multiple areas; hard copy advertising (newspaper, magazines and phone books), “paid advertising on search engines and other pages, building high quality web pages to engage and persuade, addressing technical issues that may keep search engines from crawling and indexing those sites, setting up analytics programs to enable site owners to measure their successes, and improving a site’s conversion rate.”

How do I make my own site Website?

If you want to do it yourself there are many options. The first is to learn HTML, CSS and do it yourself. This is the most time consuming but often most rewarding way to go. You are looking at about a 3-6 month period of time where you need to spend time studing the technical aspect of programming a webpage, learning the basics about graphic design and finally desiging and implemintiing your own site. Learning basic HTML and CSS isn’t very hard but ending up with a professional product at the end can be difficult. There are also many sites and programs out there that will enable you to create a website without touching any of the code. I have seen some sites built with these applications that are decent but in the end you will not be able to do everything that you can do if you were manipulating the code yourself. The last option is to hire someone to develop and implement a site for your.

Source: http://www.yourtypeofsite.com/

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September 29, 2009

XP vs. 7 – Comparing the Commercials

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 11:09 am

With the release of the new Windows 7 commercial I took a trip down memory lane. Most Windows users love XP and have kicked and screamed at trying to switch over to Microsoft’s XP predecessor, Vista. On September 11th, on T.V. screens across the nation and possibly the world, Microsoft started it’s newest advertising campaign by reintroducing Kylie. Microsoft displayed, for the whole world to see, her newest slide show and her take on Windows 7.

Quite honestly the commercial is cute but probably didn’t do much attention grabbing for most users. It seems to play more on fixing Vista apparent release issues then giving us any serious things to chew on. I’m amazed that they let Kylie’s slide that says, “With Windows 7 the OS is great again.” It seems like they are admitting to the past operating systems(OS) were not so great?!?!

Now compared to the first commercial that was broadcast for Microsoft’s XP operating system, the Windows 7 commercial has a completly different marketing target. The Windows XP commercial seems to target both the business users and the home users. Most of the characters are dressed in their nine-to-five suits but there is also the element of Windows Movie Maker and Windows Media Player functionality to appeal to the recreational computer user.

My conclusion: The Windows 7 commercial is cute but seems to admit to past failures and doesn’t seem to target any serious users or showcase any real function. The Windows XP commercial gives the impression of speed and functionality. Microsoft is going to really have to give Windows users something new that they will want. People don’t like change. People love XP even though it is really old it is still loved. It is still loved because of its small footprint, ease of use and stability. Windows 7 is the next step after Vista… people don’t like change but it is comming and resistance will be futile at some point.

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September 25, 2009

Converting a FAT32 drive to a NTFS drive.

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , , , , , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 11:23 am

There are many reasons to convert a drive to the NTFS files system. I will spare you the reasons and just give you the steps.

NOTE: Once you convert to NTFS you cannot convert back to FAT32/16 without reformatting the drive. Windows 95, 98 and ME cannot read a NTFS drive.

1. Click Start -> Run -> Type “cmd” -> Press Enter

2. At the command prompt type: convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs

In the example above make sure you replace “drive_letter” with the letter of the drive that you will be converting. Example: if you are converting an external hard drive that you need to backup to you may type convert f /fs:ntfs. If you were converting your system drive you would type(in most cases) convert c /fs:ntfs.

A more detailed explanation of the convert command can be found here.

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September 22, 2009

How do I backup files on my computer. (XP, Vista, Ubuntu/Linux)

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , , , , , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 12:30 pm

I have written several posts on keeping your files backed up. Find your operating system below and click on the link to see the post.

To see how to back up your Vista files, click here.

To see how to backup your XP files, click here.

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How do I backup files on my computer. (Vista)

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , — SpaCeTraNce @ 12:07 pm

After reading these step-by-step directions you may want to read Microsoft’s Backup F.A.Q.

1. Click on your Start button.

2. Click “All Programs” -> “Maintenance” -> “Backup and Restore Center”

The Backup and Restore Center will open. You will see a screen like below.

3. Click on the “Backup Files” button.

Capture1

 

Next you will receive a screen asking you where you will want to save your backup. You can save your information to either a second hard drive, a set of DVD-R/CD-R or a network drive. Vista does not allow you to save your backup to the same drive for which you are backing up from. Vista also does not allow you to save to a network drive that is hosted on a Windows XP Home Edition computer. Last we need to mention that you cannot backup to a flash drive.
4. Choose where you want to save your backup. Click “Next”.
Capture2

 

The next screen will prompt you for what type of files you would like to backup. For most users the default settings will be suffice.
5. Choose what files you want to backup. Click “Next”.
Capture3

 

This screen will ask you how often to perform a backup. Your computer will have to be on for the backup to take place but according to Microsoft’s FAQ the backup will try to run after you turn your computer back on.
6. Choose how often to run an automatic backup. Click “Save Settings and Start Backup”. Sit back and wait for your backup to complete.

Your backup will now run automatically. Please read Microsoft’s Backup and Restore F.A.Q. for more information.
Capture4

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September 10, 2009

How do i backup my files on my computer? (XP)

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , — SpaCeTraNce @ 6:47 pm

Being in the P.C. repair business I am often asked this. So I will show you step-by-step how to use Windows XP’s built in backup utility.
If you are using Windows XP Professional Edition skip to step 6. If you are using Windows XP Home Edition you need to install the utility from the XP cd.

Note: If you are backing up your data to a drive that is formated with the FAT32 file system you are limited to a 4GB file size. Therefore if you have more then 4GB of data to backup you need to convert your FAT32 drive to NTFS. To learn how to do that click here.

To do this follow these instructions:
1. Insert your Windows XP CD into the drive and, if necessary, double-click the CD icon in My Computer.

2. On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP screen, click Perform Additional Tasks.

3. Click Browse this CD.

4. In Windows Explorer, double-click the ValueAdd folder, then Msft, and then Ntbackup.

5. Double-click Ntbackup.msi to install the Backup utility.

6. Click “Start” -> “Run”. In the run dialog box type “ntbackup” Click “OK”

7. You will see a screen similar to the one below. You only have one option. The first thing we need to perform is an incremental backup. To start the incremental backup click the “Next” button.

Step 1
8. On the next screen since we are backing up our files and not restoring them click the “Next” button.

Step 2
9. On this screen we will choose what to backup. Backing up the “My Documents and settings” will work for most users. If you have specific needs you can choose “Let me choose what to backup” and pick the exact folders that you want saved.

Step 3
10. Next we specify where to save the backup file. I would suggest an external hard drive to save your file to. USB flash drives are to small for a lot of people and not as reliable as a USB flash drive. If you have EXTREMLY important data you may look into a RAID array.

Step 4
11. On the last sceen we confirm the settings and click “Finish” and your computer will begin to backup your data.

Step 5

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