Snafder's Hood

UCCX v8 services descriptions

2011-04-29T14:38:00.001+08:00

An exact copy and paste from this Cisco document:

https://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cust_contact/contact_center/crs/express_8_0/installation/guide/cad80ccxig-cm.pdf (page 11)

Services
The following are the individual CAD services that are installed on the Unified CCX server as part of the Unified CCX installation.

Agent E-Mail Service (Cisco Desktop Agent E-Mail Service (Agent E-Mail service))
The Agent E-Mail service supports the handling and managing of e-mails for a contact center's agents and supervisors. It provides the basic set of features for receiving e-mails from customers, distributing them to agents to service customer requests, sending responses from the contact center to the customer, and reporting on e-mail activity.

Call/Chat Service (Cisco Desktop Call/Chat Service (Call/Chat service))
The Call/Chat service acts as a message broker between the Call/Chat clients and Supervisor Desktop. It is in constant communication with all agent and supervisor desktops.
Agents’ desktops inform the Call/Chat service of all call activity. The service, in turn, sends this information to all appropriate supervisors. It also facilitates the sending of text chat and team performance messages between agents (excluding IP Phone agents) and supervisors.

Directory Services
The LDAP Monitor service and the LRM service register with Directory Services at startup. All other services use the LRM service to determine how to connect to each other.
The majority of the agent, supervisor, team, and skill information is kept in Directory Services. Most of this information is imported from Unified CCX and kept synchronized by the Sync (Synchronization) service. Directory Services is also used to hold the configuration information administered via Desktop Administrator.

Enterprise Service (Cisco Desktop Enterprise Service (Enterprise service))
The Enterprise service tracks calls in the system. It is used to attach IVR-collected data to a call in order to make it available at the Agent Desktop. It also provides real-time call history.

BIPPA Service (Cisco Browser and IP Phone Agent Service (BIPPA service))
The BIPPA service enables IP phone agents to log in and out of Unified CCX, change agent states, and enter reason codes and wrap-up data without having the Agent Desktop software.
This service works in conjunction with the Services feature of Unified CME and supported Cisco IP phones. It is also used to hold the configuration information administered via Desktop Administrator. CAD-BE agents use this service to interact with the other services.

LDAP Monitor Service (Cisco Desktop LDAP Monitor Service (LDAP Monitor service))
The LDAP Monitor service starts Directory Services and then monitors it to ensure that it keeps running. It also sets up the configuration for LDAP replication, and resynchronizes LDAP data.

LRM Service (Cisco Desktop Licensing and Resource Manager Service (LRM service))
The LRM service distributes licenses to clients and oversees the health of the CAD services. All other CAD services, except the LDAP Monitor service, register themselves with the LRM service so that clients can locate them.

Recording Service (Cisco Desktop Recording Service (Recording service))
The Recording service extends the capabilities of the VoIP Monitor service by allowing supervisors and agents to record and play back calls.

Recording and Statistics Service (Cisco Desktop Recording and Statistics Service (Recording and Statistics service))
The Recording and Statistics service maintains a 1-day history of agent and team statistics, such as average time an agent is in a particular agent state, last login time, number of calls an agent has received. It maintains a rolling 7-day history of recordings (unless they are saved, in which case they are saved for 30 days).

Sync Service
The Sync service connects to Unified CCX via ACMI and retrieves agent, supervisor, team, and skill information. It then compares the information with the information in Directory Services and adds, updates, or deletes entries as needed to stay consistent with the Unified CCX configuration.

Voice over IP Monitor Service (Cisco Desktop VoIP Monitor Service (VoIP Monitor service))
The Voice over IP (VoIP) Monitor service enables supervisors to silently monitor agents. The service accomplishes this by "sniffing" network traffic for voice packets.
Multiple VoIP Monitor services can be installed in one logical contact center to ensure there is enough capacity to handle the number of agents.

Script to upload MOTD / prompt by phone for UCCX v8

2011-04-10T20:34:00.000+08:00

< Apologies if this post is all over the shop – was operating on about 3 hours sleep when writing >
As most would be aware, as of version 8 of UCCX the OS is now a Linux based OS with a different structure in terms of file storage/document management and access.
Most folks would also know that if you had a ‘dial-in prompt recording’ script working in the past and then upgraded to v8 and above, it breaks.
I struggled to find a ‘how to’ online to get this working for UCCX 8+.
I ended up using the ‘SNU.aef’ tutorial script described in the scripting ‘getting started’ guide and then tinkering until I got it working.
To save you the tinkering, this is how it’s done.
Important note and deal breaker: You must have an authenticated user, with prompt upload access to the UCCX system, in order to save the prompt. As I don’t want staff to have to use domain (long) passwords, I set a PIN for them in their user account in CUCM. Cisco say:

“The Upload Prompt step will not work unless the user specified in the step is an authenticated user. Use the Authenticate User step before the Upload Prompt step to authenticate the user.”

What you need to do…

Record and upload a [random] prompt of your choice using the GUI. This prompt will be overwritten by the script when you record a new prompt. Take note of the path and name.
If you need assistance recording a prompt that will work in Cisco VoIP systems (including Unity, CUCM, and UCCX) – see my post here:
"Saving WAV files in CCITT u-law format using Audacity (free)"
I have a TEST folder in the prompts root folder for my language.
I uploaded a random WAV file to the TEST folder in Prompt Management, named: "pMotD.wav"
Create the script

Gather username
Gather PIN
Authenticate user with gathered username and PIN
Record new prompt
Write new prompt to .

I’ve linked to the script for you to download and work with/modify but also laid it out in text format down the post (below). I’ve also taken screen shots of ALL variable editor and programming steps dialog boxes right at the end of this blog post.
Remember to change the localised things – such as the folder for the ‘Upload Prompt’ step – where I use L[en_AU] – you would need to select your language.
Disclaimer and important note:
I took a previous script (‘Designing a Basic Script’ – Chapter 6/page 163 – SNU.aef from "Cisco Unified Contact Center Express Getting Started with Scripts Release 8.0(1)") and modified it – so it isn’t necessarily the most efficient script under the sun. It got it working and I haven’t bothered to refine it or configure it for all clients yet. When I rewrite this as a more simple and efficient script for multiple clients/prompts – I’ll re-post for sure.
Also – uploading prompts to UCCX is something that should be kept to a minimum per Cisco warning in this document: UCCX Scripting Step Reference Guide

”Although the prompt repository is meant to hold prompts used by scripts,
do not use the Upload Prompt functionality to store all types of prompts.
There is no provision for a delete prompt operation from a script. Also, the
system will not behave properly if this step is over-utilized. This means that
this step has not been designed to be extensively used by all calls coming into the system. Rather, this step is meant for updating prompts, like the
"message-of-the-day" prompt, in the repository database from time to time.”

Right – now to the script…
Variables:
Note that I have not set any of my variables to parameters – which means that any modifications need to be performed using Unified CCX Editor and can’t be modified using the UCCX GUI Application Management. I leave all checkboxes un-checked in the Edit Variable dialog box:

Name	Type	Value
finalPrompt	Prompt	P[]
firstName	String	""
fullName	String	""
instructPrompt	Prompt	P[]
language	Language	L[en_AU] (***set this to your own language e.g. L[en_US])
lastName	String	""
namePrompt	Prompt	P[]
pin	String	""
pound	Prompt	P[]
recording	Document	null
triesAuthentication	int	0
triesGetDigit	int	0
triesMaxAuthentication	int	3
triesMaxGetDigit	int	3
triesMaxRecord	int	3
triesRecord	int	0
user	User	null
MotD	String	"TEST\pMotD.wav"

Script (screenshots follow this listing):
Script download link: /UCCX/TESTMOTD.aef
Start
    Accept (--Triggering Contact—)
    Play Prompt (--Triggering Contact--, P[TEST\pMotD.wav] )
    GetUser:
    user = Name To User (--Triggering Contact--, -- Default –)
       Successful
          Get User Info (user)
          GetPin:
          pin = Get Digit String (--Triggering Contact—)
             Successful
                Authenticate:
                Authenticate User PIN (user, pin)
                   Success
                      pound = Create Generated Prompt telephone.number ("#")
                      Record:
                      /* Localise based on language */
                      instructPrompt = Create Language Prompt(L[en_AU]: SP[SNU\finished.wav] + pound + SP[SNU\press.wav], L[]: SP[SNU\finished.wav] + pound + SP[SNU\press.wav])
                      recording = Recording (--Triggering Contact--, SP[SNU\rec_name.wav] + instructPrompt , 10)
                         Successful
                            Play Prompt (--Triggering Contact--, SP[SNU\new_rec.wav] + recording )
                            Menu (--Triggering Contact--, SP[SNU\menu_re_rec.wav])
                               Key 1
                                  Upload Prompt (recording to L[en_AU], MotD)
                                     Successful
                                        finalPrompt = Create Container Prompt Concatenation (SP[SNU\store_success.wav])
                                        Goto Bye
                                     Unsuccessful
                                        finalPrompt = Create Container Prompt Concatenation (SP[SNU\error_general.wav] + SP[SNU\error_try_later.wav])
                                        Goto Bye
                               Key 2
                                  If (triesRecord < triesMaxRecord ) Then
                                     True
                                        Set triesRecord = triesRecord + 1
                                        Goto Record
                                     False
                                        finalPrompt = Create Container Prompt Concatenation (SP[SNU\error_try_later.wav])
                                        Goto Bye
                               Timeout
                                  finalPrompt = Create Container Prompt Concatenation (SP[SNU\error_try_later.wav])
                                  Goto Bye
                               Unsuccessful
                                  finalPrompt = Create Container Prompt Concatenation (SP[SNU\error_try_later.wav])                                  Goto Bye
                         Unsuccessful
                            finalPrompt = Create Container Prompt Concatenation (SP[SNU\error_rec.wav] + SP[SNU\error_try_later.wav])
                            Goto Bye
                   Unsuccessful
                      If (triesAuthentication < triesMaxAuthentication ) Then
                         True
                            Play Prompt (--Triggering Contact--, SP[SNU\error_auth.wav] )
                            Set triesAuthentication = triesAuthentication + 1
                            Goto GetUser
                         False
                            finalPrompt = Create Container Prompt Concatenation (SP[SNU\error_auth.wav] + SP[SNU\error_try_later.wav])
                            Goto Bye
             Timeout
                If (pin == "") Then
                   True
                      /* No pin was entered */
                      If (triesGetDigit < triesMaxGetDigit ) Then
                         True
                            Set triesGetDigit = triesGetDigit + 1
                            Play Prompt (--Triggering Contact--, SP[SNU\still_there.wav])
                            Goto GetPin
                         False
                            /* Disconnect caller
                               Max retries reached */
                            finalPrompt = Create Container Prompt Concatenation (SP[SNU\error_try_later.wav])
                            Goto Bye
                   False
                      Goto Authenticate
             Unsuccessful
                finalPrompt = Create Container Prompt Concatenation (SP[SNU\error_try_later.wav])
                Goto Bye
       Timeout
          finalPrompt = Create Container Prompt Concatenation (SP[SNU\error_try_later.wav])
          Goto Bye
       Unsuccessful
          finalPrompt = Create Container Prompt Concatenation (SP[SNU\error_try_later.wav])
          Goto Bye
    End
    Bye:
    Set Contact Info (--Triggering Contact--, handled)
    Set finalPrompt = finalPrompt + DP[500] + SP[SNU\goodbye.wav]
    Play Prompt (--Triggering Contact--, finalPrompt)
    Terminate (--Triggering Contact—)
    End

Screenshots of everything relevant:
Variables…

Coding ‘steps’…
NOTE: SP[] stands for System Prompt. These are prompts that should be readily available to anyone and come as part of the UCCX deployment/installation. I’ve not been able to navigate to them anywhere in the Prompt Management with the GUI – but they work so go ahead an use them (I have yet to find a complete list of system prompts – if I do I will post here).

SP[SNU\finished.wav] + pound + SP[SNU\press.wav]

Be sure to set the ‘Duration’ to something appropriate to your needs.

Note DP[] is Delay Prompt and inserts a delay between the first and second prompts specified.

That is a good selection of the steps – the rest are essentially replications of the above with minor variation which I’m certain you can work out (especially since you can just open the .aef I linked to and check it out yourself).
Hope this helps.
Disclaimer: As always use this information and script at your own risk. Be sure to test everything in a non-production system or at least a test application which is not considered part of production. This works for me and hasn’t destroyed our system yet.

Saving WAV files in CCITT U-Law format for Cisco Unified Call Centre Express UCCX Prompts using Audacity

2011-01-31T15:16:00.003+08:00

Saving .WAV files for Cisco Unified Call Centre Express Prompts (UCCX) using Audacity

Keywords: ccitt, ulaw, u-law, uccx, cisco, voip, wav, 8 bit, audacity, 8-bit, audio, call manager, call centre express, save as, prompt, prompts, recording.

Audacity can be used to create .WAV files in the CCITT U-Law 8-bit format required for Cisco Unified Call Centre Express (UCCX) and other Cisco VOIP audio requirements.
Audacity is FREE for commercial use. Excerpt taken from Audacity’s website:
“Is Audacity really free? Why?
Yes, Audacity is completely free, open source software. You are free to use this program for any personal, commercial, or educational purposes, including installing it on as many different computers as you wish.”
Record the audio however you see fit, Audacity can be used directly; however you can record in any application and open the file in Audacity later.
Once you have the file loaded in Audacity (or recorded), do the following:
In Audacity, set the 'Project Rate (Hz)' in the bottom left hand corner to ‘8000’.
It is also important that you have it set to MONO (one channel only).
This can be achieved by clicking on the drop down arrow of the track and selecting ‘Split Stereo to Mono’ and then clicking the ‘x’ on one of the now separated tracks.
Now it’s time to export the file…
Select 'File'.
Select 'Export'.
Change the 'Save as type' to 'Other uncompressed files' (yes, it’s a bit misleading as it will make a file that is a lot smaller than the 44000 Hz WAV equivalent - but it isn't actually compressed, simply less samples a second and therefore a smaller file size).
Click the 'Options' button (bottom right).
Select 'WAV (Microsoft)' for 'Header'.
Select 'U-Law' for 'Encoding'.
Click 'OK'.
Choose a name and enter it into 'File name' field (no need to enter the extension .WAV – it will automatically add it).
Click 'Save'.
Click 'OK' to the 'Edit Metadata' screen (don't enter ANY metadata).
Load the file into UCCX (Applications > Prompt Management).
Update the Script and/or Application
Test
Should work a treat.
ALWAYS test uploading to a non-used ‘test Application’ before associating to the main ‘Application’ in UCCX.

Remember, if you don’t set 'Project Rate (Hz)' in the bottom left hand corner to ‘8000’ and don’t make it mono, choosing ‘WAV (Microsoft)’ and ‘U-Law’ won’t be enough!

Microsoft's Windows Live Essentials 2011 issue - Messenger won't sign in while at workplace using proxy - "Key Ports" - Error 81000306

2010-10-26T17:34:00.006+08:00

Heya folks,

If anyone else took the plunge and installed the latest Windows Live Essentials 2011 (including the new Messenger) – only to find that Messenger works sweet at home but will NOT sign in at the workplace (using a Proxy) - presented with this error:

"You could not sign in because of a problem with the service or with your Internet connection. Please make sure that you are connected to the Internet. Error 81000306”
…well look [possibly] no further.

I tried, in vain, all of Microsoft's ideas here http://windowslivehelp.com/solution.aspx?solutionid=a98f0a08-91cb-40f7-ab9c-c51984e8c9d8. Disclaimer: In my case Live Messenger WAS working, at my employer, before the upgrade and, therefore, this only works if your company doesn't actively block Messenger, etc.
Save yourself the hair tearing out and do the following…
   • Open IE (Internet Explorer) →
   • Select ‘Tools’ →
   • ‘Internet Options’ →
   • ‘Connections’ →
   • ‘LAN Settings’ →
   • Now leave the Proxy settings as they are – but ALSO tick the ‘Automatically detect settings’ check box.
   • Click ‘Ok’ a few times to get out.
   • Try signing in again…bingo bongo and she’s sweet (well for me and a couple of others at least).
   • Yes, it’s that easy…hard to believe isn’t it?
I’ve tried un-ticking the ‘Automatically detect settings’ checkbox (after signing in at least once or twice) and it stopped working - had to make sure it was ticked otherwise it just won't work for some reason.Also when I login to a VPN connection which automaticall changes my IE proxy settings, I have to go back into Internet Settings and set it again. Otherwise the problem persists.Here is the download link to the standalone installer http://g.live.com/1rewlive4-all/en/wlsetup-all.exe (which will likely be required for installations from within corporate networks)
PS. I, personally, recommend NOT installing the BING toolbar (options you can de-select during install) as I've had troubles with various apps, and general Windows stability, caused by its predecessor - Live Toolbar/MSN Toolbar - particularly with the likes of Java and Oracle apps that use Java.

Hope this helps…had me stumped with all sorts of other random trial and error for a while before resolution.

Outlook 2003 Issue : Meeting / Calendar Reminders are NOT Working / Showing

2010-02-12T21:42:00.002+08:00

Are you receiving the error …
"There was a problem reading one or more of your reminders. Some reminders may not appear. Cannot locate recurrence for this appointment."
… instead of showing reminders???
I found some bits and pieces around the net with some Outlook switches to try – I tried them with no success (the full process shown below)
In the end, it was resolved as follows:

Start Outlook
After a few seconds, the error comes up (instead of reminders)
"There was a problem reading one or more of your reminders. Some reminders may not appear. Cannot locate recurrence for this appointment."
Click on Calendar View (so you can see your calendar)
Select ‘View’ > ‘Arrange By’ > ‘Current View’ > ‘Recurring Appointments’
Check the list
You may notice appointments that have no 'Recurrence Pattern'
Delete all entries without a 'Recurrence Pattern'
(Warning…they will be gone after you delete them. Keep note of the details so you can re-add them later. Sorry to state the obvious.)
Close Outlook
Restart Outlook
Wait a minute, the 'Reminders' dialog box should came up as expected now.
Solved

Hope this helps!!!
PS. Here is the bulk of the troubleshooting process, that I took to resolve this issue. As you can see, I could’ve skipped steps 1 to 4 inclusive.
One thing I didn’t try, which could also have solved the issue, was to rebuild the Outlook profile using the mail Control Panel. I’m pretty sure I read on forums that it didn’t work for this problem anyway – but if this fails, you could try it.

Restarted PC, no change
Closed Outlook
Start > Run >
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\Outlook.exe" /cleanreminders /cleanprofile /cleansniff
Outlook started, then after a few seconds, the error came up again.
Clicked on Calendar View
Selected ‘View’ > ‘Arrange By’ > ‘Current View’ > ‘Recurring Appointments’
Checked the list
There were several appointments that had no 'Recurrence Pattern'
Deleted all entries without a 'Recurrence Pattern'
Closed Outlook
Restarted Outlook
Waited a minute, the 'Reminders' dialog box came up as expected.
Solved

*** Additional info [if the above doesn't immediately solve your issue] provided via a comment from "rmhle" ***
"Nearly worked. Eliminating entries without recurrence info was not sufficient. I had to remove the properly titled entry even though it appeared to have recurrence info. Then it worked."

DISCLAIMER: As always, you take this advice at your own risk. This was solved in a production environment. The end user was prepared to re-create the 5 or 6 entries which I deleted. There may be other ways, to resolve the issue, that don’t involve deleting the entries – but it ended up solving the problem in this case – and therefore may help you if you are at whit’s end. Bzzzt

Winning

2010-02-05T23:05:00.002+08:00

Winning

When printing HTML emails, from Outlook 2003, it does not print the attachment listing…arrrrrrg!

2010-01-14T11:00:00.002+08:00

(Not printing / won’t print / will not print / attachment list)

NOTE: Administrator rights are required for this solution

Have you come across an issue when you are using Outlook 2003, where you print an email – but and it doesn’t list the email attachments on the print out?

You may note that this issue is predominantly when printing HTML format emails!

Odds are that you’re running Outlook 2003 with no Service Packs (SP) installed at all. Service Pack-less ;)

The solution is to install Office / Outlook Service Pack 1 (SP1)

I, however, recommend (disclaimer: at your own risk / peril) installing the Office 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) or, even better, Service Pack 3 (SP3)

You can skip straight to SP3, but at the time I installed SP2 and then SP3 straight after (I did NOT install SP1 – I went straight to SP2 then SP3).

How I did it:

(There are other methods, such as using Windows Update – but I did it this way)

(Feel free to skip to the next step – to SP3) First I downloaded "Office2003SP2-KB887616-FullFile-ENU.exe"
From here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=57E27A97-2DB6-4654-9DB6-EC7D5B4DD867&displaylang=en#filelist
Then I downloaded "Office2003SP3-KB923618-FullFile-ENU.exe"
From here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=E25B7049-3E13-433B-B9D2-5E3C1132F206&displaylang=en
(If you skipped the first step, skip this step) After that, I ran the SP2 installer "Office2003SP2-KB887616-FullFile-ENU.exe"
Once that finished, I then ran the SP3 installer "Office2003SP3-KB923618-FullFile-ENU.exe"

After the installation of the Service Packs was complete, I ran Outlook again, tested,

SOLVED

Hope this helps :)

Kudos to Slipstick.com for the info which helped me figure out what was going on (http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/ol2003/ol2003sp1.htm)

Outlook "Disconnected"

2009-12-31T13:06:00.003+08:00

Is your Outlook showing "Disconnected" in the bottom right corner and you're connecting to an Exchange Server (not POP, etc.)?

All the following information is to be used at your own risk – I have successfully used all the below methods in production environments, and without issue. I cannot, however, speak for your environment. Please be sure to consult with your local IT support before acting on any of this advice.
Quick troubleshooting check list (detailed explanations follow):

Is the issue affecting multiple users or only one?
If multiple staff are affected, this blog can't help you [yet].
Can you ‘ping’ the Exchange server from the PC with the issue?
Check network cable / confirm access to other network resources is without issue
Try restart the PC
Is Outlook in 'Work Offline' mode?
Try setting Outlook to 'Work Offline' mode and then taking it out of 'Work Offline' mode again
Clear the PC's Local Security Log / Logs and then restart the PC
Try an Active Directory (LAN) account password reset / unlock / status check.
Make sure it hasn't expired / been suspended too.
Create a new Outlook profile via the 'mail' Control Panel and set it to the default
Try a 'Detect and Repair' from Outlook's Help menu or Repair Office via Add / Remove Programs Control Panel
Try disabling 'Cached Exchange Mode' (last resort and should only be used as a workaround until proper resolution is found)
Call Microsoft support in your country

For the explanations of each of these troubleshooting steps, read on....

Is the issue affecting multiple users or only one?
If multiple staff are affected, this blog can't help you [yet].
1st thing to check is this ... is the issue affecting one user or multiple (company wide)?
If the issue affecting multiple users, this blog will probably prove useless [at this stage] - best to contact your IT / Server Management department.

If your colleagues or other staff are NOT having the issue and it is only affecting 1 or 2 people - then this blog post should be helpful.

Can you ‘ping’ the Exchange server from the PC with the issue?
First off, you should try to ‘ping’ the Exchange server.
‘ping’ is a utility that comes with pretty much any operating system – it is useful for determining if a particular host / server is reachable across your network – from the PC you are running it.
To do this, you first need to know the Exchange Server name – which you can find in Outlook

In Outlook, select the ‘Tools’ menu
Then ‘Email Accounts’
Then ‘Next’
Then ‘Change’
Copy the bit next to ‘Microsoft Exchange Server’ e.g. myexchange.mydomain.com

Right, now you have the Exchange Server name, lets try to ‘ping’ it

Click ‘Start’ (Windows ‘Start’ menu)
Click ‘Run’
Enter ‘CMD’ (without the ‘’) and click OK
A black window will appear, aka CMD / DOS Window / Command Prompt
Type, into this CMD window, ‘ping’ followed by the Exchange Server name and then press Enter. See the example below (be sure to replace myexchange.mydomain.com with the server name you garnished from Outlook before)

ping myexchange.mydomain.com
The ‘ping’ utility will then run for a few seconds and output some info into the CMD window.
If the responses are “Request timed out” – then network connectivity is likely your issue.
If the responses are summed up at the end with “Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0” then network connectivity is not the issue and the next step (“Check network cable / confirm access to other network resources is without issue”) can be skipped.

Check network cable / confirm access to other network resources is without issue
Right, if you had issue with ping coming back with “Request timed out” – you should check your network connectivity.
A simple check is to open up your web browser of choice and try navigate to a web page you have not visited. Odds are if you are reading this blog post from the PC in question, you can skip to the next step (“Try restart the PC”). A Google search of random characters is normally a good option – if you can get results, you have some form of network connectivity – but for some reason can’t communicate with Exchange.

If you can’t get results from a Google search, or get to www.google.com for that matter, you might find your network cable is unplugged (or even worse, the network admins may have accidentally un-patched your network port).
So, unplug your network cable from the wall and then re-plug it back in, nice and firm.
Then do the same, but this time unplug it from the back of your PC and then back in, nice and firm. You should see some flashing LED’s/lights where you plug in your cable (at the PC).
If you can’t see any lights, try the next step (restart the PC) – but if that fails, consult with your network administrators first – before pursuing any additional troubleshooting steps from this blog post.

Try restart the PC
Next thing to try, quoting Roy from 'The IT Crowd' - "Have you tried turning it off and on again?"
Yes, like many PC problems - a simple PC restart could fix the issue - so before pressing on, be sure to restart your PC and then test again.

Right, you've restarted your PC and it's still not working??? Next thing to try:

Is Outlook in 'Work Offline' mode? / Try setting Outlook to 'Work Offline' mode and then taking it out of 'Work Offline' mode again

With Outlook open
Click on 'Disconnected' (should be very bottom right hand corner of Outlook - you should know this 'cause it's probably why you're here to start with)
A context menu list appears
If 'Work Offline' is ticked, then click 'Work Offline' to ‘un-tick’ it. This should solve your problem immediately.
If 'Work Offline' was NOT ticked, then click 'Work Offline' to 'tick' it
Then click on 'Disconnected' (again)
Click 'Work Offline' (again) to 'un-tick' it.

If Outlook was in 'Work Offline' mode, un-ticking it puts it back into 'Online' mode, which is good - and should mean that you would probably not be reading any further (unless you want to expand your general troubleshooting knowledge or post a comment at the end).

If Outlook wasn't in 'Work Offline' mode, by putting it into 'Work Offline' and then taking it out of 'Work Offline' mode (by 'ticking' and then 'un-ticking' Work Offline) can sometimes be enough to kick it into action.

Clear the PC's Local Security Log / Logs and then restart the PC

Still no good? Another thing to try per comment from 'Rob' in this post's comments...
Rob said... "In my case the local security log was full..."
"The local what log was who now?" - you say. OK, to clear the 'local security log', do the following:

For XP:

Close Outlook
Locate your 'My Computer' icon (either on your Desktop in your Start menu
Right-Click on your 'My Computer' icon and click 'Manage' (this will open the Computer Management Console)
If you can't find 'My Computer' -> an alternative route to the 'Computer Management' Console is as follows:
Click 'Start' -> 'Control Panel' -> (in 'Classic View') 'Administrative Tools' -> 'Computer Management'
In Computer Management,
* Expand out 'System Tools' (click the little '+' sign)
* Expand out 'Event Viewer' (click the little '+' sign)
* Select 'Security' (Left-Click)
* Right-Click 'Security'
* Select 'Clear All Events' (Left-Click)
* Agree to any prompts

[see image below -> if you click on the below image, the full sized version will open up]
Close 'Computer Management'
Re-open Outlook - the problem should go away
You may need to restart your PC at this point, I don't thinks so - but it wouldn't hurt

If that didn't work, you can try doing the same again, except this time 'Clear All Events' for 'System' and 'Application' - in the 'Even Viewer' section - as above.

Try an Active Directory (LAN) account password reset / unlock / status check.
Make sure it hasn't expired / been suspended too.
Call your IT support help desk and ask for this to be done. Restart your PC and login with the new password.
AD Account Password reset / account unlock (sometimes the account could have become locked, expired, or other - while you were already logged in and then you would be denied access to the Exchange Server. Admittedly, you would likely get bugged with a popup asking for username and password - but hey - it's worth a try.) Also - the worst case is with laptop users, when you log into your laptop after your password has been changed - but your laptop accepts the old credentials as they are cached locally, if you happen to login when not connected to the network)
Still no luck?…
Create a new Outlook profile via the 'mail' Control Panel and set it to the default

If that still didn't fix it ... try this (re-create the Outlook profile in Control Panel)...

Close Outlook (and all other MS Office apps) ->
Open Control Panel ->
Open the Mail Control Panel (you may need to switch to Classic view in Control Panel) ->
Click on 'Show Profiles ->
Click 'Add' ->
Choose a name for your new profile, then follow the on screen prompts to create a new profile ->
Select it as the default (check 'Always use this profile and then select the newly created profile from the drop down) ->
Re-open Outlook...

If this fixed the issue, you can go back and look at the properties of your old profile via the Mail control panel - to locate archive PST files, etc. Although I'm sure your IT dept. can help with this.

Try a 'Detect and Repair' from Outlook's Help menu or Repair Office via Add / Remove Programs Control Panel
To Repair Outlook / Office do the following (I believe that from Outlook, selecting 'Help' menu then 'Detect and Repair' is the same - but I have generally done it as follows):

Open Control Panel
Open Add/Remove Programs
Locate Microsoft Office in the list (which ever is your version) and select it
A bunch of text will appear under the program once you select it in the list
Click on 'Click here for support information'
A 'Support Info' dialog box will appear, click on 'Repair' then wait...patiently.
Once the repair is complete, restart the PC and test again.

The issue persists??? ...read on...

Ando commented below as "Anonymous" advised to try the following:

Type the following 3 commands in to a command prompt (with elevated privileges):

netsh firewall reset
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset log.txt

...then reboot.

I've not tried this personally - but it could be a winner - so give it a red-hot-go!
Thanks for the additional info Ando.

...some more possible troubleshooting steps...

Try disabling 'Cached Exchange Mode' (last resort and should only be used as a workaround until proper resolution is found)

If you:

can access the internet,
can access other network resources,
are NOT in "work offline" mode,
can ping the Exchange Server,
are currently using 'cached exchange mode',
none of the above troubleshooting helped!!!

But for some maaaaad reason you can still see the word "Disconnected" in the bottom right corner of Outlook???

Try the following :

Open Outlook
Select the 'Tools' menu
Then 'Email Accounts'
Select 'View or change existing e-mail accounts' and click 'Next'
Click 'Change...'
Uncheck 'Use Cached Exchange Mode'.
Exit Outlook and then run it again

Hey presto...should be working now.

Then try setting it back to 'Use Cached Exchange Mode' again - as this can help save on excess network usage. If it goes back to disconnected again - just disable it again.

If not...good luck with that whole MAPI exceeded connections thingo and registry edits...blah blah.

Also - another alternative is to point to another Exchange Server which wasn't possible at the time due to Admin rights - so can't test but worth a try.

Happy days...for me anyway

*** DISCLAIMER ***
Remember to always backup your work, keep note of any locations to PST files, and consult with your Administrator first.
Also - in most circumstances, it is not best practice to disable 'Cached Exchange Mode'.
The reason is that with it disabled - the network and Exchange server utilization will be increased unnecessarily.

Microsoft describe 'Cached Exchange Mode' as:

Cached Exchange Mode provides you with a better experience when you use a Microsoft Exchange Server e-mail account.
A copy of your mailbox is stored on your computer.
This copy provides quick access to your data and is frequently updated with the mail server.

If you work offline, whether by choice or due to a connection problem, your data is still available to you instantly wherever you are.
If a connection from your computer to the computer running Exchange server isn't available, Outlook switches to Trying to connect or Disconnected.
If the connection is restored, Microsoft Outlook automatically switches back to Connected or Connected (Headers).
Any changes you make while a connection to the server isn't available are synchronized automatically when a connection is available.
You can continue to work while changes are synchronized.
(Taken from here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/outlook/HP010000671033.aspx )

Per the disclaimer, I only recommend the 'disable cached exchange mode’ as last resort or a work around .

Finally, if all else fails, Call Microsoft support in your country

Hope this helps :D

First post using Microsoft Live Writer

2009-12-28T18:31:00.001+08:00

Thought I would try out MS Live Writer to write a post.

This is it.

Yay – it seems to work.

Well, it’s a lot easier than the standard online version, in terms of WYSIWYG

Note to self: Don’t bother with the ‘Effects’ tab for pictures…it crashed the program out.
LOL

The definitive guide on how to create a candle with animated flame in RLC/Red Light Center/Utherverse

2009-12-27T13:20:00.020+08:00

This tutorial assumes the that you have already created a standard 'Candle4' prop in your Zaby - which you, now, desperately want to add flamage to :)

Great, now that we have that out of the way, lets get flaming

1) In Utherverse/RLC, head over to your Zaby (if you don't know how to do this, you shouldn't be reading this article)

2) From your Zaby, enter Prop-Editor mode
- Click the Down Arrow
- Click 'Prop-Editor'

3) Next we need to select our pre-fab candle and select 'Properties'
- Roam about until you have your candle in view.
- Point your mouse cursor at the Candle in your view
- Right-click on your candle
- A menu appears
- Left-Click on 'Properties'

*** Note: If more than one object appear in the menu that appears, make sure you click on the properties for your candle!

Also, If you have difficulty clicking on your Candle in the viewport, then use the Object list in the Editor (image below shows which icon to click). Scroll down to the Candle, Right-Click on it there and select Properties

***

4) Left click on 'Script'
Then Left click on the 'Script' drop down (see below)

5) From the drop down list that appears, select 'Attach Animated Sprite'

6) Enter 'fire.spr' (without the '') into 'Sprite' (see below)

Oh no, there's nothing there!!! What's going on. The number one rule in life is what? Don't panic! That's right, so don't panic.

Believe it or not, the flame already exists, but due to positioning - it is currently hidden INSIDE the candle...woooot? Read on...

7) Enter 110 into 'Y Offset' (this is the up/down value)
"OMG, I can now see a flame...but it's microscopic" - refer to life's number one rule and don't panic!!!

Click on the down arrow (as indicated in the image below) to scroll down to see some more options.
Ahh, there it is, the magical 'Scale' option.

I find a good value to set this to is 20 (for your standard sized Candle4 prop) - so go ahead and enter 20 into 'Scale'

"Dang, I got me some flamage!"

8) Now - the most important step is to remember to always click on 'Save & Release'.This will make your changes stick

Some additional tips:

If you decide to 'Scale' up your candle to a larger size - YOU MUST REMEMBER to increase the value that you entered at 'Y Offset'(step 7).

For example, if you have a Candle4 prop that you have set the 'Scale Y'value to say '1.50' - then a good value for the 'Y Offset', under the 'Attach Animated Sprite' 'Script' section, would be about 155

It's all relative. The taller your candle, the higher the 'Y Offset' needs to be.

If you happen to make your candle fatter, in terms of the 'Scale Z' or 'Scale X' - then you will likely need to increase the value for 'Scale', under the 'Attach Animated Sprite' 'Script' section.

Under the 'Attach Animated Sprite' 'Script' section, the following should be kept in mind:

1) 'Scale' = Makes the flame larger or smaller - 20 is a good size, 1 is microscopic, 100 is huge.

2) 'X Offset' = Moves the flame along the X axis, generally left or right, relative to your avatar. 0 is really the best value here.

3) 'Y Offset' = Moves the flame up or down the Y axis, generally up or down, relative to your avatar. 0 will likely cause the flames to be hidden inside the object, 110 is generally good for standard sized candles, increase to higher values if you make your candle taller, or lesser if you make your candle shorter than default. If you can't see your flame, mess around with this value, increasing it until you can see the flames.

4) 'Z Offset' = Moves the flame along the Z axis, generally towards or away, relative to your Avatar. 0 is best for flames on candles. If you want flames in front of things, you can mess about with this value - you should have the idea by now.

Hope this helps, oh and always remember to 'Save & Release'

Big "Breasts" for your Avatar in RLC (Red Light Center / Utherverse)

2009-12-16T23:11:00.024+08:00

Do you want big breasts for your avatar in Red Light Center (RLC / Utherverse)?

One for the grrrlz... or those desperate lads

Easy as pie.

The short (what to do):

Edit your Avatar via the website and
Paste this:
UFCL001_Blu_Illusive_Tan.jpg
Into SkinLegMap
Paste this:
UFCH001_Blu_Illusive_Tan.png
Into SkinHeadMap
Paste this:
UFCT001_Blu_Illusive_Tan.png
Into SkinTorsoMap

The long (how to do it):

Please be sure to read all the way through, including the last section about setting up a template because of how the images will change, when you change your clothes.

Also - please note that the images may be squashed or cut short - simply click on any image in the post - to see it in full size. It will open in the same window - so to avoid this, click on them with your middle mouse button (should open the image in a new tab)

Anyway, here's what to do...

Navigate to http://www.redlightcenter.com
Login, if you haven't already (click Login)
If you were already logged in - it will cry on about how you are already logged in.
Either way, click 'My Home'
Click Edit Profile
Click Avatar
Paste this:
UFCL001_Blu_Illusive_Tan.jpg
Into SkinLegMap

Paste this:
UFCH001_Blu_Illusive_Tan.png
Into SkinHeadMap

Paste this:
UFCT001_Blu_Illusive_Tan.png
Into SkinTorsoMap

Leave the drop downs on the right as 'Public'
Scroll all the way down and click 'Save Changes'
After the 'Save Changes' has finished, scroll back to the top.
Type a name, of your choice, into the 'Outfit Title:' and then click 'Save Outfit'
Now when you go back into RLC / Utherverse, your Avatar will have big breasts

Disclaimer: Truth is that if you look at your Avatar from the side, there is no change in the breast size - it is merely an image with bigger looking cleavage.

Once you get back into RLC and change your top or some item of clothing, your breasts will change for some reason.
Solution: Create a 'Template' with the 'bigger' breasts.
How to do this?

Perform all the same steps above - up to, and including, point number 6
After entering in the entries into SkinLeg, SkinHead, and SkinTorso - go ahead and remove all the entries from the other fields.
Once all the other fields are empty, scroll down and save the changes
Then scroll back to the top.
Type a name, of your choice, for the template into the 'Outfit Title:' and then click 'Save Outfit'
Now when you go back to RLC / Utherverse, you have a base 'nude' outfit to work with.

Hope this helps :D

Outlook issue - 'File' menu has disappeared from emails that are openened from Inbox

2009-04-16T08:17:00.005+08:00

The Issue:

When Outlook is open -> the 'File' menu is visible [good]
When a new email is created -> the 'File' menu is visible [good]
When an email from the Inbox is opened (double click) -> the 'File' menu has vanished [BAD]

The Solution:

Close Outlook
Start -> Search -> 'outcmd.dat' -> Search hidden & system folders -> locate the file
Rename 'outcmd.dat' to 'outcmd.old'
Open Outlook
Open an email from the Inbox
The 'File' menu should've returned -> Solved

YAAAAAAY

PS. This fix was courtesy of Richdoode ( http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-7343-0.html?forumID=101&threadID=210197&messageID=2197512 ) - thanks Richdoode - saved my bacon

Narwhals yeah.... blood flowz where ever needle-nose goes

2008-11-13T13:16:00.008+09:00

This is my tribute to the awesomeness of this forum poster...

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/7835/ignboardsofficiallookinkj4.png

Pure awesomeness

Ror-shak Deep Rox

2008-10-04T15:43:00.005+08:00

Ror-shak: "Deep" is a killer album.
I kill this album. It's just too awesome!

Ror-Shak is DB and DJ Stakka who have created a down-tempo, drum & bass, soulful chill, electronic mix.. a style not easily comparable with anything else.

The album features vocalists Julee Cruise, Lisa Shaw, Wendy Starland, Mark Holmes and Morningwood’s Chantal Claret.

Buy this album....

Cloverfield ... arrrrrrrrg

2008-09-05T07:07:00.005+08:00

Hired Cloverfield a couple of days ago from the video store.....

Watched 5 minutes...needed to spew....skipped to the end...felt depressed and with a sense if incompleteness.

Don't bother watching this movie - even iron guts will be spewing.

Cloverfield in one paragraph...

War of the Worlds type theme - but no happy ending (or quality of story)

MEETS

Blair Witch Project - but makes the camera work for Blair Witch look like still shots.

The only horror of this movie was the camera work and half baked Blair Witch effort.

The story could've been ok if done with decent cameras, widescreen, etc.

Blah blah.

Curiosity never killed a cat...

2008-08-16T09:24:00.001+08:00

"Curiosity never killed a cat,
Got us to the moon & back!
Then again, what's the moon?
...round & round & back again!

Choose your loop,
Spiral out!!!" - BJ

"This is just a ride" - Bill Hicks...one of my favourite quotes.

2008-08-14T06:57:00.000+08:00

"The world is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very brightly coloured and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time and they begin to question: "Is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, "Hey, don't worry, don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." And we kill those people."
Bill Hicks

"No custom dictionary exists. Would you like to create one?" - Outlook

2008-08-04T09:39:00.000+08:00

When doing a spell check in Outlook it comes up with a message saying "No custom dictionary exists. Would you like to create one?"

Go back to Outlook and create a new message...

From Outlook -> New (email message) -> type some rubbish into the email (e.g. "sdaasdhasdih" and select 'Check Spelling' - when the prompt comes up, click 'Options' -> 'Custom Dictionaries' - then check 'CUSTOM.DIC' in the list - selected 'OK' and the error should appear no more.

Hope this helps... :)

PS. Microsoft has some Regedit solution on their pages - but this worked so why mess with the registry if you don't have to? (Microsoft say... http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930478 )

Printing HTML format emails from Outlook issue - missing text on left margin/column

2008-08-03T10:14:00.003+08:00

Hi All,

Do you ever have issues printing emails from Outlook - in particular HTML emails?

I had a case the other day - and recall having this issue in the past - where a user prints a HTML format email from Outlook and the entire left column/margin of 1 or 2 characters is mysteriously missing (or just not how you would expect).
When printing 'Plain Text' emails - they print without issue....wtf?

Messing with all the margin and 'Page Setup' settings in Outlook brings no joy?

The reason is this....
Outlook calls on/uses IE (Internet Explorer) to print HTML format emails!!!

To fix the problem...

Open IE and go to Page Setup ('File' -> 'Page Setup' - or if using IE7 or greater - just click the drop down arrow next to the little printer icon at top right of tool bar and then choose 'Page Setup').
From here - make sure that the margin settings are all set to 19.05mm (0.75 inches) and select 'OK'
Note: You can also choose other options from here to suit your needs, e.g. paper size, landscape, etc.

Go back to Outlook
Print the document as normal - bingo - should print as desired...without the missing bit on the left!!!

PS. I forget - but Outlook might require an exit and reload after applying new settings in IE - I don't think so but if it doesn't work initially - try it.

I nearly forgot to mention.
Make sure that the 'default printer' in Internet Explorer (IE) is NOT a label printer or some non-existant printer.

Hope this helps..

The current time on this computer and the current time on the network are different

2008-07-24T13:21:00.000+08:00

Hi All, FYI and future reference…

When trying to login to Windows and you receive the error “The current time on this computer and the current time on the network are different. For more information about Date/Time Properties, see Help and Support. To log on, contact your system administrator.”

The problem is that somehow the system time/date has been changed (probably from the time/date control found in the Windows “tray” in bottom right corner) and then logged off or who knows…none the less…

Get the user to unplug their network cable and then log into the system!
They will then be logged in with cached credentials.
Once logged in, plug the cable back in, and get them to restart the pc.
This should reset the time.
If this fails - repeat the process again - but this time get them to change the date to the current date when logged in and before the cable is plugged in.

If this method fails on both counts...do the following at own risk (not much risk if you know the BIOS - but don't change anything but that which I mention or risk losing your setup)....

The solution is to reboot the machine and enter the “system setup” (aka BIOS) by pressing the key appropriate to your machine e.g. F1, F2, DEL, etc. when the PC is first started.
From here – you should be able to change the DATE to "today’s" date.

Be aware that some BIOS's use the US date format – MM/DD/YYYY.

Follow the instructions in or around the BIOS environment on how to navigate around and then change the date.

When that's done – save and exit (choose yes).

The system will reboot and the you should be able to login to Windows successfully.

Hope this helps... :)

Autocad 2008 scroll wheel not working

2008-07-24T07:16:00.000+08:00

I had an issue with a client today where their mouse would work all through Windows - Office, IE, etc.

When they ran Autocad 2008 - the mouse would work, they could select things, they could press menu buttons, you name it - but the damn scroll wheel and middle button did not respond...at all.

In this instance the mouse was an IBM MO28UO USB wheel mouse - and my own mouse (Cherry) does not have the same Control Panel as the IBM - but you may find the issue is similar or related...

The problem was caused by the type of scroll wheel emulation used by Windows.

The solution...
Go to the following START -> Control Panel -> Mouse (Classic View) -> 'Wheel' or 'Scroll Wheel' tab...
The default setting in there was with 'Enable Universal Scrolling' checked.

Then from here you need to select 'Exceptions' -> 'Add' -> 'Browse'.
Find the Autocad program - in my case it was 'C:\Autodesk Autocad 2008\acad.exe' - but best to browse and find it yourself.

Then 'Ok' / 'Apply' all the way out (including out of the original Mouse Control Panel so that you are back to the actual Control Panel)

Then re-start Autocad 2008 (if you were still in Autocad 2008 - exit and re-start Autocad 2008) - problem solved.

By putting 'acad.exe' in the 'Enable Universal Scrolling' exceptions - it forces 'acad.exe' to use 'Microsoft Office 97 Scrolling Emulation Only' - which seems to work with Autocad 2008.

NOTE: This was for the IBM Mouse only...may work with other mice - but the options are not available in my own mouse control panel (Cherry brand). In this case - the mouse was the IBM MO28UO USB wheel mouse - but like I said - if this fixed it - it's likely a similar setting with your mouse.

Also - you could always use another mouse - in this case the client swapped the IBM for a Dell mouse which he borrowed from a colleague and it worked immediately - it was an issue with the IBM Mouse Control Panel Settings. Rather than swap the mouse - check the control panel.

It may also help to know about this option when the scroll wheel won't work in some apps, but will work in others...

Hopefully it solves your problem or at least points you in the right direction :)

Amit - Motherland - DnB with a basic 3D cartoon animation

2008-02-10T14:29:00.001+09:00

Amit - "Motherland" - from the 12" Vinyl
Label: Commercial Suicide

Accompanied by a 3D cartoon animation by yours truly...a really basic 3D animation.

There's some pretty trippy fractal textured footage if you watch all the way thru.

The track is quite ambient/trance like with a middle eastern/eastern woman singing.

Curiosity never killed a cat,
Got us to the moon & back!
Then again, what's the moon?
...round & round & back again!

Choose your loop,
Spiral out!!!

PS. Fractal textures from Electric Sheep - the most kick ass screen saver ever...it can be found here - http://www.electricsheep.org/

NOTE: Please ignore the fact that it says "Sound Warrior" in the video - too many late nights - got the sides mixed up on the Vinyl. Arrrrg.

Loops (synchronicity)

2008-02-09T19:25:00.000+09:00

Does anyone else notice the loops getting smaller & smaller, faster & faster?
It seems everyday now I'm seeing loops in life - from 5 seconds to a week apart...and anywhere inbetween!

Just 1 example is where only last night (Fri 8 Feb '08) while exploring Myspace - we stumbled on the site of a BBW (big beautiful woman). Someone in the room commented (very politically incorrectly) that she "looked like Marshmallow man" (Ghostbusters). Not an insult - an observation. A discussion followed in relation to Marshmallow man, the BBW, & Ghostbusters & a fair bit of energy placed into it. Anyway - after a late night of beer drinking & coffee (what a combination) - we got to bed sometime today. After hours of sleeping we woke up, reached for the TV remote (note that while we have a TV in the room, we rarely watch it), and switched on the TV. Who else is on the TV but...you guessed it...Marshmallow man! Huh!
Sure - Ghostbusters is on the TV regularly...but to switch on to the Marshmallow man scene - without so much as a glance at a TV guide or even any knowledge that it was going to be on today.

I must mention that the person who noted the Marshmellow man resemblance & began the whole event/loop happened to be the person who switched on the TV. It seems that the loops, while being visible to & experienced by others, belong to the individual. Comments??

This is happening so hardcore.

How do we use these loops to our advantage? How do we break out of the loops that we notice & don't want to be a part of?

Is this looping a form of psychic ability? or is simply tapping into the collective energy/consciousness which operates outside of time?

Are we simply an oscillating point of light with memory?

The "big bang"...are we creatures in a universe formed by the "big bang", awaiting it's eventual destruction?
...Or are WE the "big bang" creating & destroying universes in an infinite loop.

Will update with some more examples later or as they come - 2 busy right now.

Any comments would be appreciated!

More examples:
Last night (Sat 9 Feb '08) while setting up the projector for a stint of movie enjoyment - my girly decided to do my head in with a little budget alarm clock I picked up in last years 'secret santa'. She set it off and was waving it around near my head & then stashed it under the bed out of my reach so it would get to me! .....It did!!! I lost it...and lets just say the alarm clock will never sound another sound in my lifetime & my foot hurts a little from the sharp fragments of plastic that nearly penetrated it. Anyway - I settled down (I really dislike alarm clocks) & we watched 'No country for old men'. I then retired for the night.
When I woke up - my girly was still ticking away at her PC so I started to look around on my HDD for something interesting to watch. Sifting thru the folders - I found a Spongebob Squarepants collection my roomy had slung me recently. Not having seen a single episode (of Squarepants...full stop) - I opened a random episode (not even looking at the title). My girly heard the intro music & came to lie with me & watch. And what dya know!! It was an episode where Patrick Starfish was being sent spare by his alarm clock...I mean he went bonkers with it. A whole chunk of the episode (or file that I happened to open) was him running rampant about this alarm clock that was sending him spare.
(Just checked...the episode is called 'Rise & Shine' from 'Spongebob Friend or Foe' for any who wants to watch it)

Please note that while the 1st example & this example both involve TV - the loops are far from limited to this. In fact - most occur without any link to TV at all. When I remember more examples - will add.

[Notes to self]
Sputnik
Hannah Montana cinebuzz
Opposable thumbs
Fake Hypnotic LSD swirly thing
Blue planet - Ellen & Parky (D.A)
Wine Kone - Spontaneous Combustion (spelling?) hand puppets

Banned from Stickam?? I know how to easily unban!!

2007-10-22T19:37:00.002+08:00

Have those loser mods at Stickam.com banned you from going live [go live] for crackers???
Did they invade your privacy by watching your "private" room?

Stress no more - this is how to get around it.

You will most likely need to create a new Stickam account with a new email address (hotmail is easy & quick to setup). You may also need to reset your modem/router to renew your IP (as mentioned at the bottom - I cant confirm if this is a requirement - I dont think so - but if all esle fails).

Anyway - do the following:

-Log/sign in to Stickam.

-Click on "Go Live".

-What's that? "Banned 1016"? Huh what a joke!!!

-Click ok or cross off the "banned 1016" popup.

-Right click on the video window & click "settings" then select the "Local Storage" tab (see below).

-Drag the slider down to zero (the far left).

-It will prompt you "Decreasing the amount below xx will cause all information for player.stickam.com to be removed - OK / CANCEL" - ah doooosh. Of course we want to remove all of Stickams half baked banning info. Select "OK".

-It will take you back to the Local Storage screen again. Click "Close".

-Exit your cam room "Go Live" session.

-Click "Go Live" again - what? What? What's that Stickam? Booyah - no more ban!!

-Stick that up your kam!!

PS. I change the settings again to allow Stickam ~100k of storage. Not sure if it's needed but I keep there in case. If I get banned - I will just clear the data again.

And there you have it - can't believe how easy it was.

As a matter of interest - I originally tried the whole renew IP thing by switching the Router off/reconnect to the internet/etc. - several times - with no success. It was only when I did this that I had success.

Hope this helps :)

Happy

2007-03-24T13:45:00.000+09:00

Happy.

Love everything & everyone.