checking out your Postini Message Center from Outlook
If you use Postini for your spam protection and Outlook as your email client, you may want to streamline your Postini use doing the following:
- In Outlook, Select View>Folder list
- Right-click on “Outlook Today” and select “New Folder”.
- Call the folder whatever you chose to name it or Spam for lack of imagination. When prompted add an Outlook shortcut to the shortcut list. The shortcut will be placed on “My Shortcuts” but can be moved to the other Shortcut lists as necessary.
- Right click the “Spam” folder, select “Properties”.
- Select the “Home Page” tab in the Properties window.
- In the address window type the following URL and select the checkbox labeled “Show home page by default for this folder”:
- http://login.postini.com
- Click “Apply” and “OK”.
- Click on the Spam folder, login to your Message Center and if desired, select “Remember my Address and Password”
- Close Outlook
The next time Outlook is opened and the Spam folder is selected, the Message Center should appear within Outlook.
Search for a file with Powershell
I am slowly converting my command line skills from the good old command prompt to powershell. It is quite different and somehow very powerfull.
I will probably be sharing a few basic tips for daily life using powershell on your computer.
Today is a substitute to the old:
dir /s *filename*
So if you are looking for a file or directory in your file system try something simple like this:
dir -recurse -filter *filename* | sort name | ft directory, name
In fact, dir doesn't even exist anymore, dir is an alias of get-childitem.
I am not sure I should debate about this feature as MSFT does that very well on technet.
Just to sum up it is in fact a very powerfull search tool.
Hive corruption Fix Access Restore Point using Recovery Console
A colleague came to me today with an interesting issue.
Windows XP would not start as some system hive was corrupt.
Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
Stop: c0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SYSTEM or its log or alternate
CAUSE
This issue can occur if the System or Software hive for the Windows XP installation is missing or damaged.
Microsoft does describe the issue very well and it appears quite simple to fix. You want to check this KB for more info.
The fixing process is fairly easy and requires to use the recovery console to make a copy of the current corrupted system files (or not if they are totally missing) and replace them with a backup that windows does.
We are talking about files on c:\windows\system32\config to be replaced by copies.
Everything would have been easy and neat if everything was there as said. Yes, windows is to backup those up into the repair folder. But sometimes it happens.
I was interested in that SYSTEM file, but it was not there. The remaining option would have been to reinstall windows XP offer and have quick and dirty fix.
There had to be another way. Digging into my memory I though about other ways that Windows would have made another copy of those files. Restore Point snapshot was the answer!
Actually restore point are easily accessibly to the recovery console.
Booting from the XP CD. I started Windows Setup and press R to access the recovery console.
Just using the following command, you can get into the restore point files.
cd c:\
cd "system volume information\_resto~1"
dir
You'll see a list of restore point folders with names such as RP1, RP2 and so on. Pick the restore point you wish to use, using the folder date stamps to guide you. Enter the commands:
cd RPx (the restore point you chose)
cd snapshot
This takes you into the folder containing the restore point snapshot files. Then I could just copy what I needed to the target.
copy _Registry_machine_system C:\Windows\System32\Config\System
Sometimes, it is not because you don't see or if it is not where it is supposed to be that it is not there!
Make sure your PC is ready when you arrive in the office
You know you try to make your personal PC as efficient as it can be. In the office it is a different story especially when you have bunch of mandatory compliance stuff to load on startup. That's when regulatory compliance becomes a real pain. Well if it takes 20 minutes to load everything and you cannot do anything then you should try to use from technologies that are available around you.
1. My computer's BIOS supports autostartup, so I have it set to come on at 7:20AM every day (I arrive at the office at 8AM).
2. I use TweakUI to autologin to the computer, use kb315231 otherwise. This gets it starting and lets all the startup programs take however long they need to get going.
3. REMAIN COMPLIANT. I have a shortcut in my startup menu with a target of: %windir%\system32\rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation, which locks the workstation. This way, if anyone tries to power up my computer when I'm not there, they can't do anything, remember you are an admin.
4. I have a batch program in my startup menu with this command shutdown -s -t 7200 -c "If I'm not here, this computer will shut itself down." -f, which will shut the PC down in 2 hours. That way, if I'm out sick, the PC isn't on all day. Of course, if I'm late, I have 'till 9:20 or so to make it to my desk and abort the destruct sequence with #5...
5. I have a subfolder of Startup called Abort Shutdown, with a batch file in it with the command shutdown -a, which will (duh) abort the shutdown when I click it. The folder is open when I arrive, and the batch file is sitting there, waiting to be clicked on.
So, in the 40 minutes before I arrive, everything gets rolling. While 40 minutes might seem excessive, they are other things you may want to have your computer do while waiting for you such as backup or other sync.
This also works well in the middle of the day when a restart is required. I can fire and forget -- go get a double-double or something, and I don't have to come back just to log in and wait some more. By the time I'm back, it's ready to rock and roll.
Blackberry upgrade 4.2.2 to 4.5
I have had my BlackBerry Curve aka 8300 for quite a long time and I have been using it heavily from telneting/sshing to server to maps and calendar syncs. I thought I had done it all. I rejoiced when I've read while looking for something else that the OS revision 4.5 was available from my carrier.
There's a lot of awesome stuff here, with multimedia streaming support, Microsoft Office document editing and HTML e-mail support at the fore. I am still waiting for RIM to tune up its Web browser, though—it's falling behind the options available on Windows Mobile, Symbian, and the iPhone.
Some of the new features are handheld-only; some require server upgrades. If you're on BlackBerry Enterprise Server, your IT department will need to upgrade; if you're on BlackBerry Internet Service, you'll need to wait a few months for your carrier to upgrade.
I have read a lot of posts and things about how to upgrade its BlackBerry and it sounded somehow dangerous and scary as some users reported some bricking... In fact, it is very very easy. I got tired reading all the bad stories and warnings on forums and decided to get the information from the source. The download section of the blackberry.com site had a comprehensive listing of the good stuff.
My upgrade followed these steps:
- Download and install the latest BlackBerry Desktop Manager. This was the first time for to use it and I found it pretty neat, never had the need for it as a BES user.
- Reboot
- Download the OS update from the very same site. It even checks your PIN so you download the right one.
- Install the OS update. Once done connect you BBerry and follow the update instructions.
I ran into a few issues while upgrading but nothing was relate to the upgrade itself. I got scared when it fails during ROM upgrade. In fact, my usb drivers for my devices were not installed properly and it would not connect to the device as the device "was not working properly" as per windows. this said, the install retry went well as I installed those drivers once and for all - it probably asked me 3 times for the very same drivers.
The only bad things about this upgrade it that it is very slow, if not very very slow. While the ROM upgrade itself is fast (10min), the first boot up after upgrade is painfully slow and it took my Blackberry about 35 minutes to come back from the upgrading dead.
So what's new in this new OS revision?
If you have a BlackBerry Pearl 8100 or BlackBerry 8800, you'll get:
- Spell check
- BlackBerry Maps with Points of Interest
- Improved media player with play list support and automatic playlist generation
- Voice note recording
- Streaming support for YouTube and Sling Player
- Bluetooth stereo music
- Microsoft Office document editing with DocumentsToGo
If you have a BlackBerry Pearl 8130, you'll get:
- Automatic play list generation in the media player
- Microsoft Office document editing with DocumentsToGo
If you have any BlackBerry Curve or the BlackBerry 8820 or 8830, you'll get:
- BlackBerry Maps with Points of Interest
- Improved media player with play list support and automatic playlist generation
- Voice note recording
- Video recording on Curve models
- Streaming support for YouTube and Sling Player
- Microsoft Office document editing with DocumentsToGo
If you have a BlackBerry 8700 or 8703e, you'll get:
- Spell check
- BlackBerry Maps with Points of Interest
- New pictures and ringtones applications
- Voice note recording
- Microsoft Office document editing with DocumentsToGo
Also there are a bunch of BES advantage that I was not able to test as I don't have full BES authority at work but they list as below:
- Native format attachment downloading
- HTML e-mails
- Over-the-air device upgrades
- Free/busy calendar lookup
- Searching the server for old e-mail messages

KitKatNeko