Monday, October 11, 2010

inSSIDer 2

inSSIDer 2


Nice blurb for inSSIDer to help with WiFi issues.

inSSIDer is FREE, open-source Wi-Fi scanning software. And yet you want to know more. Wow. you truly are our type of geek. Take a look at the features below to see what makes inSSIDer special.

What's Unique about inSSIDer?

  • Compatible with Windows XP, Vista and 7 (32 and 64-bit)
  • Uses the Native Wi-Fi API and your current Wireless network card
  • Sort results by Mac Address, SSID, Channel, RSSI and "Time Last Seen"
  • Compatible with most GPS devices (NMEA v2.3 and higher)

How can inSSIDer help me?

  • Inspect your WLAN and surrounding networks to troubleshoot competing access points
  • Track the strength of received signal in dBm over time
  • Filter access points in an easy-to-use format
  • Highlight access points for areas with high Wi-Fi concentration
  • Export Wi-Fi and GPS data to a KML file to view in Google Earth.
  • Filter through hundreds of scanned access points

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Fix for "The message store has reached its maximum size" message in Outlook

Fix for "The message store has reached its maximum size" in Outlook

Got this for one user and all mailbox size was within limits and quotas. Issues was a bad .OST file.

It was a corrupt .OST file. Close outlook, rename the .OST file in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\outlook and then re-open outlook. It will re-create the OST file for them.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

OS X Default User Template

Reposting from another blog as I have problems finding it again myself. Great info for setting up a default user profile on a Mac system. http://www.mytechmusings.com/2007/06/os-x-default-user-template.html

OS X Default User Template

I normally create a default OS X user template when prepping a master image for deployment. The last few times I've tried this I've run into a snafu or two, so it probably makes sense for me to document it here to jog my memory the next time I do it.

First, it's important to note that I've run into problems using the instructions from Mike Bombich's site here. The last few times I followed these instructions the default user template didn't stick. In fact, I've actually had more luck with the instructions posted by Glenn Rees in this forum post.

1. Tweak your default account including setting dock, clearing cache, recent items, etc. I usually name this account "teacher."

2. Login to the machine as root (I've had problems when I did these steps under a straight admin account as sudo).

3. Create a backup of your current English.lproj template. Don't just issue a mv (move) command to rename it-- create a copy of it using ditto instead.

3. Delete the default home directory files under English.lproj in /System/Library/User\ Template/English.lproj. Don't just delete the entire English.lproj directory!

4. Issue the following commands:

:~root# cd /System/Library/User\ Template/
:~root# sudo ditto -rsrcFork English.lproj/* English.lproj.bak
:~root# sudo rm -rf /System/Library/User\ Template/English.lproj/*
:~root# sudo cp -R /Users/teacher/* /System/Library/User\ Template/English.lproj/
:~root# sudo chown -R root English.lproj
:~root# sudo chgrp -R wheel English.lproj

5. Restart, log in as admin and repair permissions before creating a new account to see if it worked.

I know the sudo commands above are redundant but I just do it as a matter of habit. Slashes and astericks shown in commands above are critical! Also, I've read in some places that permissions on the default user template aren't important but I chown and chgrp on it just to be safe.

Friday, February 12, 2010

You cannot delete a file or a folder on an NTFS file system volume

You cannot delete a file or a folder on an NTFS file system volume where the files exist in paths that are deeper than MAX_PATH characters

Easiest way I find to delete folders like this is with the good old command prompt, using the remove directory command. The /S option will delete the entire tree below this folder and the /Q option will bypass any confirmations, so be sure you want to delete the directory you've specified.

Z:\>rmdir /?
Removes (deletes) a directory.

RMDIR [/S] [/Q] [drive:]path
RD [/S] [/Q] [drive:]path

/S Removes all directories and files in the specified directory
in addition to the directory itself. Used to remove a directory
tree.

/Q Quiet mode, do not ask if ok to remove a directory tree with /S

Z:\>RMDIR /S /Q Z:\DSMC

Microsoft has their own recommendations below:

Resolution 1: Use an auto-generated 8.3 name to access the file

To resolve this issue, you may want to use the auto-generated 8.3 name to access the file. This resolution may be the easiest resolution if the path is deep because the folder names are too long. If the 8.3 path is also too long or if 8.3 names have been disabled on the volume, go to Resolution 2. For additional information about disabling 8.3 file names on NTFS volumes, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
121007 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/121007/ ) How to disable the 8.3 name creation on NTFS partitions

Resolution 2: Rename or move a deep folder

Rename the folder so that the target files that are deeper than the MAX_PATH no longer exist. If you do this, start at the root folder (or any other convenient place), and then rename folders so that they have shorter names. If this step does not resolve this issue (for example, if a file is more than 128 folders deep), go to Resolution 4.

Resolution 3: Map a drive to a folder in the structure of the path

Map a drive to a folder inside the structure of the path of the target file or folder. This method shortens the virtual path.

For example, suppose you have a path that is structured as follows:
\\ServerName\SubfolderName1\SubfolderName2\SubfolderName3\SubfolderName4\...
In this path, the total character count is over 255 characters. To short the length of this path, to 73 characters, map a drive to SubfolderName4.

Resolution 4: Use a network share that is as deep as the folder

If Resolution 1, 2, and 3 are not convenient or do not resolve the issue, create a network share that is as deep in the folder tree as you can, and then rename the folders by accessing the share.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

How to create a virtual image of a working Windows installation with Disk2vhd

How to create a virtual image of a working Windows installation with Disk2vhd.

A cool how to I'd like to try once I get time.

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=1983&tag=nl.e064

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Motherboard, CPU, RAM Diagnostics Flowchart

Cool Motherboard, CPU, RAM Diagnostics Flowchart

http://www.fonerbooks.com/cpu_ram.htm#motherboard cpu ram 3

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

How To flush the DNS cache on Apple Mac OSX 10.4 Tiger

To flush the DNS cache on Apple Mac OSX 10.4 Tiger, do the following.

- type “lookupd –flushcache” in your terminal to flush the DNS resolver cache.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Useful iPhone apps for IT Pros

RDP Lite (Free)

RDP Lite is a helpful application when dealing with networks containing Windows XP Pro, Vista, or Windows 7 computers. It allows remote access of workstations, solving all sorts of logistics issues. RDP Lite is another application from MochaSoft.

LogMeIn Ignition ($29.99 US)

I use LogMeIn extensively, yet I balked at getting this app because of the price. Then I thought why not use my iPhone instead of a notebook and expensive data card? All of a sudden, 30 dollars didn’t seem like much. If you aren’t convinced, LogMeIn offers a free trial of Ignition on its Web site.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Byte Converter

Byte Converter Calculator

Nice handy info and website to calculate data size.


1 Byte = 8 Bit
1 Kilobyte = 1024 Bytes
1 Megabyte = 1048576 Bytes
1 Gigabyte = 1073741824 Bytes

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

How to turn off Netopia 3000 (SIP ALG) off

How to turn off Netopia 3000 (SIP ALG) off to have your DSL setup work with VOIP systems.

Netopia has SIP Passthrough "on" by default. (Or SIP ALG in newer models) In order to work with Junction Networks, you must turn SIP Passthrough (SIP ALG) off.

The setting is not in the web gui. You have to telnet into the
router, then type. Each line is a new command.


configure
set ip sip-passthrough off
save
exit
Restart

How to expose IP on Netopia 3000 router

On the Netopia 3000 router to expose the public IP go to -> Security>Stateful Inspection>Exposed Addresses

and then add the IP addresses that you need to expose to the internet.

How to rename and delete files and/or folders saved with invalid files names, such as with a period . or a space at the end of the file or folder name

How to rename and delete files and/or folders saved with invalid files names, such as with a period . or a space at the end of the file or folder name

To delete a file or folder with a space at the end of its name (or any name that contains special characters), do as follows in the command window (execute cmd.exe)

Go to the containing directory.

dir /X

lists you all files in long as well as abbreviated names, e.g. FILE~1

rename the file using the abbreviated name to something, and delete it, e.g.
ren FILE~1 asdf
del asdf

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

With a BlackBerry, how do I control synchronization of Sent Items?

By default, your BlackBerry device is configured to reconcile the Sent Items folder with your Exchange mailbox. To disable the synchronization of items sent from your Exchange mailbox:

  1. With the BlackBerry, go to the Messages screen and click the trackwheel.
  2. Select Options, and then select Email Settings. Click the trackwheel.
  3. From the Email Setting screen, click the trackwheel and choose Folder Redirection.
  4. Select Mailbox-Your Name and click the trackwheel. Choose Expand from the list and click the trackwheel again.
  5. Deselect the Sent Items checkbox. This will control the synchronization of messages sent from your Exchange email account and displayed on your BlackBerry.

Messages sent from your handheld will still appear in both your handheld Inbox and the Sent Items folder of your Exchange mailbox. To disable this feature:

  1. With the BlackBerry, go to the Messages screen and click the trackwheel.
  2. Select Options, and then select Email Settings. Click the trackwheel.
  3. From the Email Setting screen, select Save a Copy in Sent Folder.
  4. Click the trackwheel and choose Change Option. Use the trackwheel to change the Yes to No, and then click the trackwheel to make the change.
  5. When you are prompted to save your settings, choose Save.

Disabling synchronization in these ways will reduce the the number of messages displayed in your BlackBerry Messages folder and the amount of wireless data consumed by your BlackBerry.