BeatificaBytes

The Joys of Computing

  • Bootable Floppy, Usb Key or CD/DVD with Dos or Windows 9X/Me/NT/2K/XP

    It’s always a nightmare when I have to flash a Bios or boot a PC in a Dos mode for any other purpose (recover a corrupted partition). Sometimes because I don’t have a floppy drive on the PC, sometimes because I don’t find my Bootable CD with Win98, etc…

    Fortunately, there are all the required utilities to create bootable devices (floppy, usb or CD) on the Bootdisk.com website.

    Click to Read More

    My favorite utility being the one to create a bootable usb key (Method 1). It’s indeed

    • nowadays very seldom to still have a floppy drive on a PC (an even much seldom to find a floppy in good condition)
    • not practical to use a CD as even if it’s not a read-only one, to add some exe/files for the purpose of the operation is not always as easy as with a usb key.

    As far as you are concerned with creating a Bootable USB Key from a Windows Setup ISO, You may simply use the “ISO to USB” tool.

    For Windows 7, use the Microsoft “Windows7-USB-DVD-tool” – Official “Windows 7 Setup ISO” being available here.

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  • Plug an old IDE device on a Sata Controller (and vise versa)

    If for any reason you need to access an old IDE device from a PC with only Sata controllers or if you want to access a Sata device from an old PC with only IDE controllers, you need a SATA to IDE or an IDE to SATA Adapter.

    Click to Read More

    Actually, if you don’t want to keep the device plugged for ever on the PC, the best option is to buy a device a little bit more expensive (~10€): a SATA to IDE, IDE to SATA Bi-Directional Adapter.

    I did buy one from Syba which is great (and efficient): the “SD-ADA50016”.

    Notice: I have no issue with it but it is based on the SunplusIT SPIF223A chip which is not reported of the best one. Users complains about very poor performances (as low as 4MB/s) and recommend other models. From my own experience, it’s indeed very slow but it is actually close to Blue-Ray speed 1X (4.5MB/s) with my DVD burner.

    Here bellow is the full spec. Notice that it works not only for HDD but also for CD/DVD burners and does not look like a basic piece of plastic that wouldn’t support to be plugged and plugged often. It can really help you to

    • access data forgot on an old IDE backup drive, from you brand new PC,
    • connect Sata disk on an old machine (e.g. a server you don’t want or may not renovate or extend with a Sata Controller) or
    • reuse an expensive DVD Burner in a new machine (although you have great portable ones for less than 30€).

    Important: Don’t forget to plug also the power cable (6pin LP4) on the controller or it won’t work 😉

    Full spec:

    • Unique Bi-directional SATA <–> IDE Converter
    • Chipset: Satalink Spif223a
    • Supports 3.5-inch SATA and IDE (ATA) Hard Drive
    • Supports 5.25-inch SATA and IDE (ATA) Optical Drives
    • LED Indicators: Power-On and HDD-Activity
    • Ultra Low Power Consumption
    • Connectors:
      • IDE (ATA)
      • SATA to Computer (Yellow)
      • SATA to Drive (Black)
      • 4-pin FDD Power Connector
    • Two Independent Ultra ATA Channels with 128/256 Bytes Buffer Per Channel
    • Driverless Installation
    • Serial ATA Interface:
      • Complies with SATA 1.0a Specification
      • Supports SATA Generation 1 with Transfer Rate up to 1.5Gbps (150MB/s)
      • Supports Spread Spectrum in Receiver
      • Supports SATA Power Saving Mode (Partial and Slumber)
    • IDE (ATA) Interface:
      • Complies with ATA Specification
      • Complies with Ultra ATA 133 with Transfer Rate Up To 133MB/s
      • Supports PIO Mode o, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
      • Supports MDMA Mode 0, 1, 2
      • Supports Ultra DMA Mode 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
      • Supports Master/Slave/Cable Select Mode by Configuration Switches
    Pictures:

    This adapter looks like this:

    Syba SD-ADA50016 IDE/SATA Converter Bi-directional IDE to SATASyba SD-ADA50016 IDE/SATA Converter Bi-directional IDE to SATA

    Alternatives:

    For sure, you can get cheaper generic adapters, for half that price, E.g.:

    IDE to SATA or SATA to IDE Adapter

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  • Promise FastTrak TX4660 issue when used with NVidia MediaShield Raid

    Building a new machine, I have experienced the lack of compatibility between the Sata RAID Controllers from the FastTrak TX Series and some on-board Sata RAID controllers 🙁

    Click to Read More

    I have 6 Sata II controllers on my Motherboard “Asus Striker II Formula“. They support RAID thanks to the NVidia MediaShield Storage Technology.

    Yesterday, I plugged into a PCI-e 16x port of this motherboard a Promise FastTrak TX4660 controller card with RAID support.

    Unfortunately, the initialization sequence of the FastTrak (during the boot sequence) kept  blocked forever on the message “Press <Ctrl-F> to enter FastBuild Utility”. I was  unable to either enter this utility pressing Ctrl-F or continue the boot sequence (and start  the OS). And although the PC didn’t look completely freezed, Ctrl-Alt-Delete was not responding either. Notice: I was using a PS2 keyboard, just to be sure… as some USB controllers are sometimes not initialized before the end of the boot sequence to make this one shorter.

    I quickly discovered that the FastTrak was passing successfully if I was disabling the RAID Support on the motherboard. But then, my PC was not able to start the OS as this one was installed on a RAID 0 array managed by the motherboard’s controllers.

    To make it clear: if I was restoring the “default settings” in the Bios (which does not enable the RAID support), then the FastTrack was passing successfully (or I could enter the utility pressing Ctrl-F). But as soon as I was re-enabling the Raid Support on the Sata Controller of my motherboard (and nothing else), the boot sequence stopped after the message mentioned above…

    This morning, I read that the Promise FastTrak is incompatible with some other Raid Controllers. I assumed I was in such a case. So, I started to hope that a Bios Update would possibly fix the incompatibility.

    1) I did first update the Bios of my Asus Striker II Formula from v1305 to v2402 (the latest) using the tool of Asus, the “EZ Flash 2” available in the BIOS itself, and the new firmware copied on a USB key. The update was a piece of cake…

    Unfortunately, it did not solve the problem 🙁

    2) I did next downgrade the Bios of my Promise FastTrak Tx4660 from v2.9.0.0039 (the latest) to v2.9.0.0037 (the previous one) using a Bootable USB Key created with a tool from BootDisk and the flash utility found on Promise.com

    And BINGO!!!

    The boot sequence completes now successfully with RAID enabled on the motherboard. Only notice that I see a black screen for 15s to 25s while the FastTrak scans for the drives…

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  • Access Synology from Windows 8 with a Windows Live ID

    Since I did upgrade my PC from Windows 7 to Windows 8 and did start to use my Microsoft account (Windows Live ID) to sign in, I am prompted for credentials when I try to  access shared folders on my Synology, although I did create an account with the same name on the NAS. The Credential Manager (formerly known as Windows Vault) is the solution!

    Click to Read More

    First, to be sure that I did create an  account with the same name as my Windows Live Id on the Synology, I did check the name of that Live Id in C:\Users. It was the very same.

    However, that’s not the name sent by Windows 8 to the NAS.

    I could provide valid credentials but I don’t want to do that at each access. And unfortunately,  the old good “Remember my credentials” checkbox seems to be gone in Windows 8. But the feature behind this option (Windows Vault) is still available.

    1. If you are not on the Start Screen, type “Ctrl-Esc”
    2. Once on the Start Screen, type “Control” and select the search result “Control Panel”.
    3. In the “Control Panel” search box, type “Credential” and select the search result “Credential Manager” (This one is the feature formerly known as Windows Vault).
    4. Select the “Windows Credentials” button.
    5. Now, select “Add a Windows Credential.”
    6. In the view that opens, type in the hostname of your NAS or its network address
    7. Provide the user name and password that you want to use to connect on the NAS instead of your Windows Live ID.
    Et voilà!

     

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  • Fresh re-install of Windows 7 before upgrading to Windows 8 Pro for less than 15€

    As you really should know, if you bought a computer with Windows 7 home premium or above between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013, you can buy the upgrade to Windows 8 pro for about 15€!!! And actually, it works also for older Windows 7 PC as far as you mention that you bought it recently…

    Here is the link to get the Promo Code

    However, just like me, you most probably don’t want to upgrade your PC with all the crap currently installed on it. Instead, you want to upgrade from a fresh install of Windows 7. But unfortunately, you don’t have the setup media to re-install Windows 7 SP1 🙁

    No problem! The official ISO’s (English versions) from Microsoft are available here.

    Click to Read More

    Reinstal you PC with the adequate ISO and upgrade next to Windows 8 using the Upgrade Assistant – providing your Promo Code to pay the lowest price (Payment with Paypal is available). No need to install any Windows updates for Windows 7 before starting the upgrade to windows 8. But when upgrading to Windows 8 choose the option “keep nothing” to have a cleanest installation.

    Finally, after the installation, delete the “windows.old” folder using the Disk Clean-up utility:

    1. Right click your System Drive and select properties
    2. Start the Disk Clean-up Utility (button next to the pie chart).
    3. Click “Clean-up system files” (Disk Clean-up will restart itself)
    4. Select now “Previous Windows Installation(s)” in the list of files to delete (This option was not available before step 3).
    5. Click “Ok” and confirm the “Delete Files”

    Et voilà!

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  • A check box is not appearing on all “Spams” in WordPress Dashboard

    I did notice in WordPress that there is sometimes no check box displayed next to some comments of the “Spam” category. I am in such case unable to permanently delete them. It’s actually not a bug but the result of the fine grained security (i.e.: permissions).

    Click to Read More

    Actually, we see the check box used to handle a comment depending on our profile and the author of that comment…

    E.g.: I am using two distinct accounts in WordPress; one as “Administrator” to manage WordPress and one as “Author” to publish. But I did publish a few posts by accident with my “Administrator” account.

    When connected as an “Author”, I can see the comments of any type (including the spams) written on any post (including those published by other accounts). However, I can only handle the comments written in response to my own posts. For that reason, I don’t see a check box on comments written in response to posts of other accounts…

    It’s quite confusing because who did publish a post is not displayed in the screen displaying the comments 🙁

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  • Windows command

    Just as I intensively use windows hot keys and shortcuts that boost my productivity, I also like some “windows commands” to avoid clicking on sub-sub-sub-extra-sub-menus to reach some windows configuration screens…

    Click to Read More

    Using commands is straightforward, if you know it: Use the Shortcut  :start:Start +R and type your command in the dialog box.

    Here is a list of available commands, most of them being actually components like:

    • .cpl : « Control Panel » Applet
    • .msc : Microsoft System Console
    • .mmc : Microsoft Management Console.

    Control Panel Commands

    • control : opens the “Control Panel” window
    • control admintools : opens the “Administrative Tools”
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\System and Security\Administrative Tools
    • control color : opens advanced appearance settings with the “Window Color and Appearance” tab to customize colors used in your theme
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Personalization\Window Color and Appearance\Advanced appearance settings…
    • control desktop or desk.cpl : opens display properties with the themes “Personalization” tab
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Personalization
    • control folders : opens “Folder options” mainly to customize the windows explorer
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Folder Options
    • control fonts : opens “Fonts” tab of the Appearance and Personalization” window where you can preview and delete available fonts
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\ Fonts
    • control international or intl.cpl : opens the “Regional and Language” options
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Clock, Language, and Region\Region and Language
    • control keyboard : opens “Keyboard Properties” mainly to customize the speed parameters
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Devices and Printers\ right click the keyboard and select Keyboard Settings
    • control mouse or main.cpl: opens mouse properties
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Mouse (under Devices and Printers)
    • control netconnections or ncpa.cpl: opens “Network Connections”
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center\Change adapter settings (on the left)
    • control userpasswords: opens “User Accounts” editor to change password
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\User Accounts and Family Safety\User Accounts
    • control printers : opens “Printers and Faxes” available
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\ View devices and printers (under Hardware and Sound)
    • control userpasswords2 or netplwiz : opens “User Account” for access restrictions and advanced user management.
    • control schedtasks or taskschd.msc : opens the “Tasks Scheduler”
    • optionalfeatures : opens the “Turn on/off Windows Features” utility
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel \Programs\Programs\Turn Windows features on or off

    Control Panel Applets

    • access.cpl : opens “Ease of Access Center”.
    • appwiz.cpl : opens the “Add/Remove programs” wizard
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Uninstall a program (under Programs)
    • desk.cpl : opens display properties with the themes “Personalization” tab
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Personalization
    • hdwwiz.cpl or devmgmt.msc : opens the “Device Manager” utility
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\System and Security\Device Manager (under System)
    • intl.cpl : opens the “Regional and Language” options
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Clock, Language, and Region\Region and Language
    • irprops.cpl : infrared utility tool (if installed)
    • joy.cpl : opens “Game Controllers” settings
    • main.cpl : opens “Mouse Properties”
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Mouse (under Devices and Printers)
    • mmsys.cpl : opens “Sound “ utility with the Playback, Recording, Sounds and Communication tabs
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Sound
    • ncpa.cpl : opens “Network Connections”
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center\Change adapter settings (on the left)
    • powercfg.cpl : opens “Power Options” properties for Power Plan configuration
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Power Options
    • sysdm.cpl : opens “System Properties”
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\System and Security\System\Change settings (bottom right) – Win + pause
    • telephon.cpl : opens the phone/modem “Location Information”
    • timedate.cpl : opens “Date and Time” properties
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\Clock, Language, and Region\Date and Time
    • wscui.cpl : opens the “Action Center” for Windows “Security Management” et “Maintenance”
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\System and Security\Action Center
    • wuaucpl.cpl : opens “Windows Updates”
      • :start:Start  > Control Panel\System and Security\Windows Update

    System Consoles

    • mmc : opens the “Microsoft Management Console”
    • azman.msc : opens “Authorization Management” console
    • certmgr.msc : opens “Certificate Management” console
    • compmgmt.msc : opens the “Computer Management” console
    • comexp.msc or dcomcnfg: opens the “Component Services” console including COM+, IIS, Event Viewer and Services Manager, …
    • eventvwr : opens the “Event Viewer”
    • fsmgmt.msc : opens the “Shared Folders” console
    • gpedit.msc : opens the “Local Group Policy Editor” console
    • lusrmgr.msc : opens the “Local Users and Groups” console
    • napclcfg.msc : opens the “NAP Client Configuration” console
    • rsop.msc : opens the “Resultant Set of Policy” issued from all defined “Group Policy” objects
    • services.msc : opens the “Service Manager”
    • secpol.msc : opens the “Local Security Policy” console
    • wmimgmt.msc : opens the (WMI) “Window Management Instrumentation”

    Windows utility and applications

    • explorer : opens Windows Explorer ( :win: + E  )
    • iexplorer : opens Internet Explorer
    • calc : opens Calculator
    • soundrecorder : opens sound recording tool
    • dpinst : opens the “Device Driver Installation Wizard”
    • dvdplay : play CD or DVD
    • osk : opens “On-Screen Keyboard” (Win+U)
    • magnify : opens “Magnifier”
    • dialer : opens “Phone Dialer”
    • eudcedit : opens the “Private Character Editor”
    • sndvol : opens the “volume mixer”
    • rstrui : opens the “System Restore”
    • msinfo32 : opens the “System Information”
    • mrt : opens the “Malicious Software Removal”
    • taskmgr : opens “the Windows Task Manager” (Ctrl + Alt + Esc)
    • cmd : opens a command prompt
    • sigverif : opens the “File Signature Verification” tool
    • winver : displays your Windows version
    • iexpress : opens the wizard for creating self-extracting archives.
    • mblctr : opens the “Mobility Center” on laptops only (Win+X)
    • msra : opens “Windows Remote Assistance” to request help to a friend
    • mstsc: opens the “Remote Desktop connection” window
      • mstsc -v:host opens directly the remote desktop of the host.
    • msdt : opens the “Microsoft support diagnostic tool”
    • printbrmui : opens “Printer Migration Wizard” to export/import queues and printer drivers to/from file.
    • shrpubw : opens the “Create a shared folder wizard”
    • narrator : starts the “Windows Narrator”
    • wscript : opens the “Windows Script host settings” window
    • fxscover : opens the “Fax Cover Sheet Editor”
    • iscsicpl : opens the “iSCSI Initiator” properties
    • mdsched : opens the “Windows Memory Diagnostics” tool
    • dxdiag : opens the “DirectX Diagnostics” tool
    • odbcad32 : opens the “ODBC Data Source Administrator” tool
    • regedit : opens the “Registry editor” with support to search on values. May not be used to set permissions.
    • regedt32: opens the “Registry editor” with support to set permissions. May not be used to search on values (only searching for keys is supported).
    • verifier : opens the “Driver Verifier Manager”
    • cliconfg : opens the “SQL Server Client Network Utility”
    • colorcpl : opens the “Color Management” tool used to calibrate displays ad fine-tune color rendering.
    • credwiz : open the “Stored User Names and Password” wizard to backup and recover user passwords
    • mobsync : opens the “Synchronization Center”:
    • msconfig : opens the “System Configuration” utility which give access to all Startup and Boot options
    • syskey : opens the “Windows Account Database” security management which allows the enable data encryption on Windows.
    • comp : Compare files in a console

    Disk management

    • diskmgmt.msc : opens the “Disk Management” console
    • cleanmgr : opens the “Disk Cleanup” utility
    • dfrgui : opens “Disk Defragmenter”
    • chkdsk : starts a complete analysis of disk partition in console mode
    • diskpart : starts the “Disk Partitioning tool” in console mode

    Connection management

    • ipconfig: lists the configuration of IP addresses on your PC (for more information type ipconfig/? in the CMD menu)
      • ipconfig /all : show details
      • ipconfig /release : release IP of all adapters
      • ipconfig /renew : renew IP of all adapters
      • ipconfig /displaydns : display DNS cache entries
      • ipconfig /flushdns : delete all DNS cache entries
      • ipconfig /registerdns : refresh DHCP and re-register DNS
    • inetcpl.cpl : opens the “Internet Properties”
    • firewall.cpl : opens the “Windows firewall” settings: Control Panel\System and Security\Windows Firewall
    • fw.msc : opens the “Windows Firewall with Advanced Security” console

    Miscellaneous commands

    • netproj : allow or not connecting to a network projector
    • logoff : closes the current session
    • shutdown : shuts down Windows
    • shutdown -a : to interrupt Windows shutdown
    • dism /online /cleanup-image /spsuperseded : clean cache for installation of service packs (useful to release a lot of space on the system drive!)
    • sfc : System File Checker (Requires Windows CD if the cache is not available):
      • sfc /scannow: immediately scans all system files and repairs damaged files
      • sfc /VERIFYONLY: scans only those files system
      • sfc /Scanfil = “name and file path”: scans the specified file, and repairs if damaged
      • sfc /VERIFYFILE = “name and file path”: Scans only the file specified
      • sfc /scanonce: scans the system files on the next restart
      • sfc /REVERT: return the initial configuration (For more information, type sfc /? In the command prompt CMD.
      • sfc /scanboot: scans the system files on every boot
      • sfc /purgecache: purge File Cache
      • sfc /cachesize=x: Set Cache Size to size x:
    • ftp : ftp client
    • telnet : Telnet client
    • rasphone : Manage Remote Access Service connections
    • msiexec : Windows Installer
    • wiaacmgr : Windows Picture Import Wizard (Need camera/scanner connected)

    Environment Variables

    • %WINDIR% or %SYSTEMROOT%: windows installation folder (e.g.: C:\Windows)
    • %PROGRAMFILES%: location where programs are installed (e.g.: C:\Program Files)
    • %USERPROFILE%: location of currently logged user’s profile (e.g.: C:\Users\ [username])
    • %HOMEDRIVE%: partition where the operating system is installed (e.g.: C:)
    • %HOMEPATH%: location of currently logged user’s home (e.g.: \Users\ [username])
    • %TEMP%: location of the temporary folder

    Sources: Oreilly, Microsoft Control Panel, Web Talk’s Command Guide.

    Command to Control Panel

    Control Panel Applet

    Command

    		  
     
    Action Center control /name Microsoft.ActionCenter  
    control wscui.cpl  
    Add Features to Windows 8 control /name Microsoft.WindowsAnytimeUpgrade  
    Administrative Tools control /name Microsoft.AdministrativeTools  
    control admintools  
    AutoPlay control /name Microsoft.AutoPlay  
    Biometric Devices control /name Microsoft.BiometricDevices  
    BitLocker Drive Encryption control /name Microsoft.BitLockerDriveEncryption  
    Bluetooth Devices control bthprops.cpl13
    Color Management control /name Microsoft.ColorManagement  
    Credential Manager control /name Microsoft.CredentialManager  
    Date and Time control /name Microsoft.DateAndTime  
    control timedate.cpl  
    control date/time  
    Default Programs control /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms  
    Device Manager control /name Microsoft.DeviceManager  
    control hdwwiz.cpl  
    devmgmt.msc  
    Devices and Printers control /name Microsoft.DevicesAndPrinters  
    control printers  
    Display control /name Microsoft.Display
    Ease of Access Center control /name Microsoft.EaseOfAccessCenter  
    control access.cpl  
    Family Safety control /name Microsoft.ParentalControls  
    File History control /name Microsoft.FileHistory  
    Flash Player Settings Manager control flashplayercplapp.cpl  
    Folder Options control /name Microsoft.FolderOptions  
    control folders  
    Fonts control /name Microsoft.Fonts  
    control fonts  
    Game Controllers control /name Microsoft.GameControllers  
    control joy.cpl  
    Get Programs control /name Microsoft.GetPrograms  
    Home Group control /name Microsoft.HomeGroup  
    Indexing Options control /name Microsoft.IndexingOptions  
    rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL srchadmin.dll  
    Infrared control /name Microsoft.Infrared  
    control irprops.cpl  
    Internet Options control /name Microsoft.InternetOptions  
    control inetcpl.cpl  
    iSCSI Initiator control /name Microsoft.iSCSIInitiator  
    Keyboard control /name Microsoft.Keyboard  
    control keyboard  
    Language control /name Microsoft.Language  
     
    Location Settings control /name Microsoft.LocationSettings  
    Mail4 control mlcfg32.cpl5  
    Mouse control /name Microsoft.Mouse  
    control main.cpl  
    control mouse  
    Network and Sharing Center control /name Microsoft.NetworkAndSharingCenter  
    Network Connections control ncpa.cpl  
    control netconnections  
    Network Setup Wizard control netsetup.cpl  
    Notification Area Icons control /name Microsoft.NotificationAreaIcons  
    Offline Files control /name Microsoft.OfflineFiles  
    Pen and Touch control /name Microsoft.PenAndTouch  
    control tabletpc.cpl  
    Performance Information and Tools control /name Microsoft.PerformanceInformationAndTools  
    Personalization control /name Microsoft.Personalization  
    control desktop  
     
    Phone and Modem control /name Microsoft.PhoneAndModem  
    control telephon.cpl  
    Power Options control /name Microsoft.PowerOptions  
    control powercfg.cpl  
    Programs and Features control /name Microsoft.ProgramsAndFeatures  
    control appwiz.cpl  
    Recovery control /name Microsoft.Recovery  
    Region control /name Microsoft.RegionAndLanguage  
    control intl.cpl  
    control international  
    RemoteApp and Desktop Connections control /name Microsoft.RemoteAppAndDesktopConnections  
    Scanners and Cameras control /name Microsoft.ScannersAndCameras  
    Screen Resolution control desk.cpl  
    Sound control /name Microsoft.Sound  
    control mmsys.cpl  
    Speech Recognition control /name Microsoft.SpeechRecognition  
    Storage Spaces control /name Microsoft.StorageSpaces  
    Sync Center control /name Microsoft.SyncCenter  
    System control /name Microsoft.System  
    System Properties control sysdm.cpl  
    Tablet PC Settings control /name Microsoft.TabletPCSettings  
    Task Scheduler7 control schedtasks  
    Taskbar control /name Microsoft.Taskbar  
    rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 1  
    Text to Speech control /name Microsoft.TextToSpeech  
    Troubleshooting control /name Microsoft.Troubleshooting  
    User Accounts control /name Microsoft.UserAccounts  
    control userpasswords  
    Windows 7 File Recovery control /name Microsoft.BackupAndRestore  
    Windows Defender control /name Microsoft.WindowsDefender  
    Windows Firewall control /name Microsoft.WindowsFirewall  
    control firewall.cpl  
    Windows Mobility Center control /name Microsoft.MobilityCenter  
    Windows SideShow control /name Microsoft.WindowsSideShow  
    Windows Update control /name Microsoft.WindowsUpdate  

    See also the shortest path to access any Control Panel Applet.

    Click to Read More

    Notice: Another quick access to all “Control Panel” applet if you don’t want to type commands.

    1. Press Ctrl + Esc
    2. Click on “Control Panel”
    3. Start to type the title of the applet (no need to click in the search area)

    You may also create your own shortcut key to access directly the “Control Panel”:

    1. Create a shortcut (in any folder) to C:\Windows\System32\control.exe
    2. Assign a shortcut Key to that shortcut via the tab “Shortcut” of its “Properties”.
    See also “here“

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  • Sync MS Outlook and Android using gmail account

    I really like MS Outlook and use it on all my Windows PC and laptops – at work as well as at home. But there was nothing offered my MS to sync Outlook’s emails, contacts and calendars between multiple PC and Android. So, I started to use a gmail account to that purpose.

    Click to Read More

    • First, I did enable the imap support on my gmail account and took note of all the gmail “imap parameters” for the next steps.
    • Next, I did configure an imap account to access my gmail mailbox in MS Outlook (on all my PC/Laptops).
    • A also configured my Google account on my Android smartphone to access my gmail mailbox , my Google Calendar and my Google Contacts.
    • Finally, I did install two freeware on all my Windows PC to sync my Google Calendar and my Google Contacts with Outlook:
      • “Go Contact Sync Mod” to sync my Outlook’s Contacts with gmail (both way)
      • “Google Calendar Sync” to sync my Outlook’s Calendar with gmail (both way on my private PC, one way at work => to get my professional appointments on my personal computers but no the opposite).

    Et voilà 😉

     

    Now, I should have a look on my “Outlook Web Account” (previously “hotmail”) to see if I could not use it to sync MS Outlook and Android in a similar way… MS did add/integrate indeed several services which deserve some attention…

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  • Web Site projects, TFS and branches can mess up your workspace…

    Yet another issue experienced when working on multiple branches in TFS: working with branched Visual Studio Web Site Projects (not to be confused with Visual Studio Web Application Projects) could indeed result in the creation of messy mappings in your workspace. This is due to the way Visual Studio manages the Virtual Directories behind Web Site Projects.

    Click to Read More

    My colleagues reported indeed some troubles when working with Visual Studio 2010 on Visual Studio Solutions containing Web Sites (not Web Applications) branched, e.g., from an existing TFS folder $/TeamProject/Main/Website onto a new branch $/TeamProject/Dev/WebSite (They still have indeed a few such Web Site Projects. Those cannot be upgraded into Web Applications as they use a framework that relies on various typical features of web sites, not supported by web applications. In addition, note that on the development workstations, the web sites are hosted in IIS due to some prerequisites of that framework, a.o. some limitation on the host header name and port).

    Assume now that $/TeamProject is mapped withing a local workspace on C:\TFS\TeamProject, that there is no other mapping in this workspace and that one checks-in a new Web Site created in C:\TFS\TeamProject\Dev\WebSite. By default, the resulting server items will be located in  $/TeamProject/Dev/WebSite. And as you should know, a virtual directory named “WebSite” will have been created in IIS by Visual Studio and mapped on C:\TFS\TeamProject\Dev\WebSite behind the scene – mapping which is saved in the Visual Studio suo file).

    Next, assume that one does a reverse integration of the Dev branch on the Main branch, that one checks-in the pending changes and that one opens next the Visual Studio Solution located in C:/TFS/TeamProject/Main (opening de facto also the web site)

    Using Web Application Projects instead of a Web Site Projects, Visual Studio would alert the user that a Virtual Directory already exists with the same name but with another physical path (C:/TFS/TeamProject/Dev/WebSite in this case). And the user would be prompted to possibly redefine this Virtual Directory with the new location (i.e.: with C:/TFS/TeamProject/Main/WebSite). If the user refuses, the Web Application won’t be loaded in Visual Studio. If he agrees, the Virtual Directory is remapped on the new location.

    But with Web Site Projects, it’s slightly different…. Visual Studio prompts the user to reuse the Virtual Directory. If the user refuses, a new Virtual Directory with the same name but suffixed with “_1” is created and mapped on the new physical path (opening again the web site from yet another physical location would results in suffixes “_2”, “_3”, etc…). This new name is unfortunately an issue for my colleagues, if they want to run the web site, again due to some constraints of the framework in use.

    Instead, if the user accepts to reuse the Virtual Directory (expecting a behavior similar to the one experienced with Web Application Projects), Visual Studio will not redefine the physical location of the Virtual Directory; it will create new mappings in the workspace to get the sources from TFS in the physical location currently defined for the existing Virtual Directory. I.e.: the definition of the workspace will be like:

    • $/TeamProject                          ==>  C:/TFS/TeamProject
    • $/TeamProject/Main/WebSite ==>  C:/TFS/TeamProject/Dev/WebSite
    And the Virtual Directory “WebSite” will be kept mapped on the physical location C:/TFS/TeamProject/Dev/WebSite.

    Guess what if the user reopens later the solution in C:/TFS/TeamProject/Dev to implement new features on the web site in the Dev branch ? He will actually check-in his changes under the branch $/TeamProject/Main/

    Upgrade to Web Applications is not an option at all – it was already investigated years ago and the cost was to high. But I could possibly investigate the use of the Visual Studio Development Web Server instead of IIS, although it is a prerequisite for the framework used in those web sites projects.

    As a temporary solution, I suggest all users to delete any existing Virtual Directory before opening a Solution containing Web Sites Projects. If they have already reused an existing Virtual Directory, I suggest them to clean the messy mappings in their workspace and delete next the existing Virtual Directory. If they have a Solution working with a Virtual Directory suffixed with _1, I suggest them to delete their .suo file (otherwise Visual Studio will always recreate a Virtual Directory with that name when opening the Web Site Projects) and delete that Virtual Directory.

    Notice: in some case (if not deleting/recreating correctly the Virtual Directory and the suo), you could have Visual Studio Solution files opened from various branches referencing the same Virtual Directory, obviously mapped on only one physical path, but without extra mappings in the workspace… And Visual Studio won’t prompt you to use the existing Virtual directory when opening a solution. In such a case, delete the suo file of that solution.

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  • MSSCCI, TFS and branches can mess up your workspace…

    At work, some colleagues are developing a standalone application hosted within the Visual Studio Isolated Shell. This application makes use of the DSM extension for Visual Studio to generate source code based on diagrams, source code which should be stored within TFS. Unfortunately, Team Explorer does not integrate with the Visual Studio Isolated Shell 🙁

    So, they use MSSCCI as a solution to access TFS. But they recently noticed that this solution was messing up their workspace when working in multiple branches.

    Click to Read More

    TFS can be accessed from the Visual Studio Isolated Shell using the MSSCCI provider for Team Foundation (<= here the link for the 32bits/VS 2010 version).

    My colleagues reported however some troubles when working on Visual Studio Solutions branched, e.g., from an existing TFS folder $/TeamProject/Main onto a new branch $/TeamProject/Dev.

    Assume that $/TeamProject is mapped in a local workspace on C:\TFS\TeamProject, that there is no other mapping in this workspace and that one checks-in a new Visual Studio Solution created in C:\TFS\TeamProject\Dev (with one sub-folder per included Visual Studio Project). By default, the resulting server items will be located in  $/TeamProject/Dev with all projects’ sub-folders created “recursively” bellow.

    Next, assume that one does a reverse integration of the Dev branch on the Main branch, that one checks-in the pending changes and that one opens next the Visual Studio Solution located in C:/TFS/TeamProject/Main.

    It appears that, behind the scene, Visual Studio with MSSCCI will create new workspace mappings between $/TeamProject/Main/xxx and C:/TFS/TeamProject/Dev/xxx. Any “Get Latest” made on the Main folder in TFS will update the local Dev subfolders! And when one will later open the Visual Studio Solution in this local Dev folder, expecting to work on the Dev branch, one will actually be working on the Main branch 😉

    The reason is that the Visual Studio Isolated Shell with MSSCCI is using absolute paths in the Visual Studio Solution Files as references to included Visual Studio Project files. Visual Studio with Team Explorer is using relative paths instead. And when one opens a Visual Studio Solution Files containing absolute paths, mappings are created in the workspace, between the “server” items and those local “absolute paths”. I.e.: the definition of the  workspace will be like:

    • $/TeamProject                          ==>  C:/TFS/TeamProject
    • $/TeamProject/Main/Project1   ==>  C:/TFS/TeamProject/Dev/Project1
    • $/TeamProject/Main/Project2   ==>  C:/TFS/TeamProject/Dev/Project2

    If you ignore that absolute paths are used in your Visual Studio Solution file and if you don’t pay attention to the server path of your pending changes, you will really be confused when your colleagues will complain that you didn’t check-in your new features in the right branch or when a Gated Build will start on the Main branch when you check-in your changes 😀

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