Find out information about your processor with CPU ID

I’ve found a great little freeware utility that gives you valuable information about your processor, and other hardware devices on your PC – CPU ID

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

From their site, heres what information is retrieved:

CPU

• Name and number.
• Core stepping and process.
• Package.
• Core voltage.
• Internal and external clocks, clock multiplier.
• Supported instructions sets.
• Cache information.

Mainboard

• Vendor, model and revision.
• BIOS model and date.
• Chipset (northbridge and southbridge) and sensor.
• Graphic interface.

Memory

• Frequency and timings.
• Module(s) specification using SPD (Serial Presence Detect) : vendor, serial number, timings table.

System

• Windows and DirectX version.

I ran this on my mums’ pc, in order to find out what processor it had, and here’s the results:

How to change the language on a Buffalo LinkStation from Japanese to English

I recently had massive problems with my LinkStation and had to flash the firmware on it….

When I finally got it up and running again, my admin screen was in Japanese!!

I followed the instructions on the FAQ – http://www.buffalo-technology.com/knowledgebase/users/kb.php?id=10213&category_id=5&sid2

I thought I’d just put a few pics up to illustrate it a little better:

Step 1

Log in to your admin panel
You’ll see the screen below:

Step 2

Click the 2nd option on the left, as shown here with a red arrow:

Step 3

Change the text in the box indicated by the first arrow (not sure why, but that’s what the FAQ says….)

Then, change the first drop down (indicated by arrow) to English, and the second drop down to CP437.

Click the button at the bottom.

Exit the browser, and restart.

Voila!

How to use MagicISO

MagicISO is a brilliant piece of freeware that I use.

It enables you to mount an ISO file, as an actual drive.
For example, MSDN provides subscribers with ISO images of their DVD’s – We can then mount these files, and they will appear to the computer, as an actual drive, and so, can install the software.

Simply download MagicISO from here – http://www.magiciso.com/tutorials/miso-magicdisc-overview.htm

Install it, and it will provide you with a system tray icon.

Right click it, and select Virtual CD/DVD-ROM – You will notice that in my case (below) F: has no media.

Select Mount, and then select the ISO file you wish to use.

There are many other options – you can configure many virtual drives etc…

In this freeware version, you can’t edit the contents of the ISO files, you’ll need the paid for version of the software to do that.

Upgrading from Navision 4 to Navision 5 – Database Error

This is a tad of a messy blog post, so apologies for that, however it’s mainly for my own reference.

Here at Crocus, we run Navision to handle product inventory, orders, and the like…
We wanted to upgrade from version 4, to version 5.

After following the upgrade instructions, I got this error:

Msg 8662, Level 16, State 0, Line 1
Cannot create the clustered index "VSIFTIDX" on view "Nav5.dbo.Crocus Live$OrderRequestDetail$VSIFT$1" because the view references an unknown value (SUM aggregate of nullable expression). Consider referencing only non-nullable values in SUM. ISNULL() may be useful for this.

Annoying.

There wasn’t anything obviously wrong.
So I opened up SQL Profiler, and re-ran the update process in the Navision client, to capture the exact SQL queries that were causing the error….

I saw it created a view called Crocus Live$OrderRequestDetail$VSIFT$1

Heres the create view script:

CREATE VIEW dbo."Crocus Live$OrderRequestDetail$VSIFT$1"
WITH SCHEMABINDING
AS
SELECT "PaidFor",COUNT_BIG(*) "$Cnt",SUM("Amount") "SUM$Amount",
SUM("AmountIncludingVAT") "SUM$AmountIncludingVAT"
FROM dbo."Crocus Live$OrderRequestDetail"
GROUP BY "PaidFor"

It was failing on the following query:

CREATE UNIQUE CLUSTERED INDEX "VSIFTIDX"
ON dbo."Crocus Live$OrderRequestDetail$VSIFT$1" ("PaidFor")

Problem was:

Some of the columns specified as “boolean” within Navision, were in fact NULLABLE tinyint columns within SQL Server.

I suspect that this was due to some legacy version of SQL not supporting bit columns, or something along those lines…

Anyway, none of the values in the column (close to a million rows within the table) was null, so I changed the datatype to BIT and set NOT NULL. I did this for each of the columns in the table which should of been a boolean (and were specified in the CREATE VIEW statement (in my case was Amount, AmountIncludingVAT and PaidFor)

This immediately solved the “Cannot create the clustered index” problem

OWA Tray – Outlook Web Access notifications

I often use OWA to access my emails where I don’t have Outlook installed (work PC’s for example)

One problem is, understandably, there is no pop-up alert (it is a web-app after all!) for new emails.

Using Growl (for Windows) – OWATray provides this much-missed feature (see below)

Set up is simple. Simply enter your Outlook Web Access settings, and OWA Tray does the rest!

Download OWATray

http://www.owatray.com/

C# Ternary conditional operator – Question mark in an if statement

I’m all for shortening the amount of code we write, if it makes it more readable.

One enhancement I make use of in C# is the ternary conditional operator.

Consider the following block of code:

            string input = "hi";
            bool saidHello;

            if (input = "hello")
            {
                saidHello = true;
            }
            else
            {
                saidHello = false;
            }

In this example, we can see, the saidHello boolean value would be false,  as the input string actually said ‘hi’ rather than hello.

This could be shortened down to a single line like so (or 2, if we count the input initialisation)

            string input = "hi";
            var saidHello = input == "hello" ? true : false;

This makes use of the ternary operator – the ? (and of course var – as explained in another article)

the ? acts as a ‘then’ and the : acts as an else…

So you can think of it as something like below:

saidHello equals (if input equals hello then) true, else false.

These can of course be nested, as explained in this article, however in my opinion, this kind of defeats the whole point of this from my point of view – to increase readability of code.

Fitting a backlit keyboard to a Dell E6400

Both of the Dell E6400 laptops I’ve owned came without the backlit keyboard (first one was stolen in Ibiza)

So, both times, I have retro-fitted a backlit keyboard.
The process is simple, and I’ll show you how below. They don’t need any drivers – they light up when you press a key, and dim to save battery after a minute or so.

Dell provides a Service Manual, with good instructions on doing this also –
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/late6400/en/sm/html/keyboard.htm#wp1179980

If you want one, please contact me
I can usually get hold of them for around £20 – £25, plus delivery.

Step 1

Remove the battery. Fairly self explanatory. Just in case you’re not sure…. here’s a picture:

Step 2

Locate the little plastic clips that hold the led cover on (the bit on the front that runs across the top – above the keyboard, below the screen hinges)

Use something plastic and ease them out.

The led cover should pop off.

Step 3

There are two small Philips head screws under the led cover that hold the keyboard in place.

Unscrew them, be careful not to lose them (my first laptop had one screw when I put it back together, thanks to me not heeding above advice)

Step 4

Theres a little plastic tab in the middle, at the top (see blue arrow)
Use this to gently pull the keyboard towards the top (as indicated by red arrows)
The keyboard should pop out of its connections at the bottom, and easily come away.

Step 5

Without sounding like a Hanes manual, refitting the new keyboard, is the opposite of removal.

Turn on your laptop, and press one of the keys – it should light up!

Problem with Firefox 3.5.2 and Facebook

After upgrading to Firefox 3.5.2, I’ve been having trouble with Facebook – certain pages would take ages to load (if load at all)
The photos page was a particular problem.

At first, I thought the problem could of been with Facebook – some of their AJAX user interface getting carried away or something, however I narrowed down the problem to Firefox by trying the site in IE.

I did some Googling, and found other people were having the same problem, and that they had narrowed down the problem to the Skype add-on for Firefox.

The Skype add-on detects phone numbers within a web page, and renders them as a Skype call button – so that you can easily call numbers from a web page.

The amount I actually use this feature is far far less than that of Facebook, so I decided to disable the add-on (at least until they fix the issues with it)

Here’s how:

1) Click the Tools –> Add-ons menu in Firefox

2) Click the Uninstall button next to the “Skype extension for Firefox” in the resulting dialog.

3) Restart Firefox.

That should fix the issues with Facebook (and any other website that is showing similar problems)

Robbed in Ibiza! – Booked with jonnyibiza@live.com & Holiday Rentals

After searching around for apartments for our holiday in Ibiza, I found our apartment on the Holiday-Rentals website. This advert, surprisingly, has now been removed.

I contacted the owner, and had a reply from someone called Jonny Simons (jonnyibiza@live.com)

Everything seemed ideal – located in San Antonio, near to Kanya (a bar on the sea front) and Café del Mar etc…

The week before, I asked for the check in details, to which he sent:

Hi Alex,

Thanks for your email. The office contact number for your check in is +34 638 739 320, please call us when you are leaving the airport so we know when to meet you. I have you down as arriving at 4pm on the island, is that still correct? Please also let us know if your flight is delayed.

We will be meeting you on the road outside the Coastline Cafe, on the LHS of the Cafe as you are facing the sea and will take you up to the apartments from there.

Please make sure that when you are checking in you have the balance in cash of €945 + €500 refundable damages deposit ready or we won´t be able to give you the keys.

The latter we can accept the equivalent in GBP if it´s easier for you.
If you have any questions please let me know.

Kind regards,

Jonny

We got there, checked in, everything seemed fine.
We were instructed how to use the alarm, and lock the door etc…

2 days later (Tuesday, 25th August 2009) we headed out, and, as we did every night, locked the door, set the alarm (pathetically easy alarm code – I won’t post it here), and went off in to town.

We returned to the apartment at about 5am, and that’s when the problems started.

All of us had things missing.

For example:

• Ipods
  Ipod Dock
  4 Phones
  Cash
  Jewellery
  Aftershave
  Cameras

There was absolutely no sign of a break in.

I phoned Monica, the girl who had given us the keys, and she offered absolutely no help what so ever.
I asked her to come to the apartment, and help us (none of us speak Spanish) so we could of done with her talking to the police, but she wouldn’t even come and help.

We scoured the apartment, and found a police report, dated a couple of weeks before, which had the EXACT same thing happen. If only we’d of seen this on our first day! We would of checked straight out!

Eventually, I got hold of Jonny, who offered the same lack of care.

We were blamed for not setting the alarm, or locking the door.
This, is nonsense. There were 5 of us in that apartment, and we ALL know we set the alarm and locked the door.

It is quite obvious to me that it is an inside job of sort.
Somone has another key for the apartment, and the alarm code.

They wait for the occupents to head out at night, and enter the apartment, and take everything they can.

I shared my concerns with Jonny:

Hi Jonny

I’m very disappointed with the lack of customer care we received whilst in Ibiza.

We had the distinct impression that you, nor Monique cared at all.  You said you would call us, however never did.

As soon as i rang Monique and asked for help, she immediately tried to blame us!

Like i said, i work in security, and one of the other guys is a CCTV installer, so we’re all clued up on security. The ONLY way someone got into that apartment is with a key, and the alarm code.

Please can you send me the full details of the apartment, including address and booking company name, so I can begin the lengthy process of claiming from our travel insurance.

Alex

And got this reply:

Hi Alex,
Thanks for your email. I am travelling for a few days and will send you the address for the apartment shortly.

Please understand that myself and Monica work directly for the owner of the apartment, and we are the messengers. Everything that you have asked or said to us has been directly referred to him, and any replies have been related back to you. He has sent me a reply to your email below.

Regards,
Jonny

´ I appreciate your comments, and I am sorry that you feel you were not properly looked after, however I do not share your point of view.

There is no-one else who has a key to the apartment, and no-one who has the alarm code. As I said to you when you were here, the alarm company confirmed that the alarm was not set when the break in ocurred and that is why it did not trip. I have sent the alarm company to review the system and it is working correctly.

You have compounded your situation over here by denouncing myself, and also Monica, neither of whom are at fault for what happened. We appreciate that there was a break in in the apartment and we are very sorry that it has happened, however, had you set the alarm correctly and put your money in the safe provided, then this situation could have been avoided. ´

Now, let me show you this “safe”

As you can plainly see, after a camera, couple of passports and wallets had been placed in there, it was full.
How we were supposed to fit 5 peoples worth of valuables in there, is anybodies guess.

The question still remains – how did they get in the apartment in the first place?

Simple answer – THEY HAD A KEY!!!!

The full address of the apartment was:

Edificio Luna y Sol, 3,3
C/ Don Bosco s/n
Sant Antoni 07820
IBIZA

And the details we were asked to pay the deposit into are:

Mr George Allen
SOLBANK
Paseo Maritimo, San Antonio
IBAN – ES03 0081 7039 01 0001 0763 15
SWIFT – BSABESBB

If this article helps just ONE person from getting conned, It’s been worth my while writing it.

Heres a few more pictures illustrating my point – the MUST of had a key!!!

Eco-Disc Stuck In Slot Loading Drive

AVG kindly provided us with an Eco-Disc of their software – so we began installing it on one of our Dell XPS laptops – with a slot loading drive.

Everything worked fine, until it came to eject it – or at least try to!
Because the CD’s are so thin, there isn’t enough thickness for the rollers to push it out of the drive.

After a bit of Googling, it seems we are not alone – Macs are having the same problem with these Eco-Discs.

They do seem to work fine in standard tray loading drives however.

The Eco-Disc is a nice idea, and I’m all for “helping the environment” etc…. but not at the cost of replacing my CD/DVD drive!