tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19356118501387460932025-12-15T11:51:24.206-08:00Digital PlaybookTips, how-to's, solutions, and instructions that work for us.
Use at your own risk.<p>
Please visit the 'About Us' page to show your support for our blog.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-21132596366365041502014-01-04T19:34:00.002-08:002014-01-04T19:34:37.425-08:00SOLVED: Firefox Sometimes Starts in Safe Mode
Occasionally when Firefox starts up,
this screen shows up.
Another symptom of this problem is in Explorer. Open Explorer and attempt to select a file by clicking on the filename. All files above the file you are trying to select are also
automatically highlighted. Only your selected file should be chosen
SOLUTION:
Most likely, your keyboard SHIFT key is sticky. Lift gently on theUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-84380048164351990222013-05-19T18:23:00.004-07:002013-06-12T16:50:08.339-07:00SOLVED: Firefox - Cannot CUT/COPY/PASTE[Updated 19 May 2013]
Just like you, we sometimes wish to copy text from a web page. For the past couple of days, we have been unable to paste anything in Firefox on one of our laptops. COPY seems to work (not greyed out, acts like it normally does, no indication anything is out of the ordinary). PASTE is completely not an option (greyed out, Ctrl-V does not do the trick, no reaction to any Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-7492821019642880972013-05-19T18:23:00.003-07:002013-05-19T19:14:04.306-07:00HOWTO: Remove Pushow or AdvertMen Adware From Windows MachinesThe adware program known as "Pushow" or "AdvertMen" is easily removed from your Windows computer by deleting the files. Follow the instructions provided below. It only takes a moment to free yourself of the annoying pop-up ads and the underlying tracking and reporting. If you're comfortable with the Command Line, it's only three lines of typing!
NOTE: The files you see in the screenshots Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-3648361935418807632013-01-27T18:37:00.001-08:002013-01-27T18:39:52.499-08:00HOW TO: Set a Windows Program To Always Be Run As Administrator
Some programs require special administrative authorization to execute properly, no matter the logged-on user. Installers and updaters are great examples of programs that need elevated administrative permission, especially when installing something for use by all users.
Because this exposes your entire system to the program, make sure you absolutely trust the program completely before granting Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-35608748540731115062013-01-06T22:46:00.000-08:002013-01-06T22:46:42.647-08:00SOLVED: LINUX - Unable to Update, Add, or Remove Programs and MaxReports is reached alreadyWhile updating Ubuntu (and many other Linux systems), the update manager crashed. The error message probably references some broken or missing dependencies. There is also a message about MaxReports having been reached. The fix is a simple 3-step process requiring you to use a terminal (command line) window. First, you must fix the package manager itself. Second, you'll need to reinstall the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-38940895131872850432012-11-16T18:54:00.000-08:002013-01-13T18:20:48.328-08:00SOLVED: Touchpad Stopped Working
Recently, my personal laptop stopped responding to touchpad input. I took the thing apart, hoping to find it had come unplugged or something had shorted out, knowing I'd just invalidated my warranty. Nope, it looked clean, attached, and showed no evidence of a problem. Stumped, I searched the web and found lots of unanswered questions about what to do.
However, I found a hint that ultimately Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-24699617225967542732012-11-16T15:59:00.002-08:002012-11-17T14:38:07.422-08:00HOW TO: Find Linux Distro and Version InformationThere are many reasons you might want to pull up information about the installed operating system. System administrators monitor hundreds of machines. Many new and used computers come pre-loaded with Linux. Machines sometimes sit untouched for weeks or months. The list goes on and on.
Most of the time, you're most interested in finding the The easiest way to get all the information you want is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-5258623635595853312012-11-15T21:16:00.001-08:002013-08-11T15:02:57.926-07:00MUST HAVE: Our Favorite Android Apps
[Updated 11 August 2013]
In alphabetical order, these are the apps we find most useful for our Android devices.
App Name (Publisher)
Advanced Task Killer (Rechild)
Allows you to kill runaway apps and/or services.
Aldiko Book Reader (Aldiko Systems)
Nice, simple eReader with access to a large supply of free books.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-39381524732410081752012-11-15T20:27:00.002-08:002012-11-15T20:32:49.148-08:00HOW TO: Locate the ESN | IMEI | MEID (Unique Serial Number Identifier) On A DeviceWhen activating a new device yourself, you will be asked for the ESN, IMEI, or MEID of the device. This is simply the serial number used by your carrier to uniquely identify your device. If you don't know where to find it, you've come to the right place. There are several places to look. Some of these places will depend on the type of device you're using.
Any Device
Original Packaging
The firstUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-86782509259659565592012-11-15T20:15:00.001-08:002012-12-13T19:54:24.376-08:00HOW TO: Activate a Pre-Paid Virgin Mobile Phone
Virgin Mobile's phone activation process is very easy and straight-forward, once you understand the proper sequence of events. The first couple of times we did this, we got the sequence wrong and ended up calling Customer Support to bail us out (which they did). Now, we get it right every time because it's posted here on the Digital Playbook.
NOTE: If you are activating a Broadband2Go device (Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-34989781714781283282012-11-11T15:56:00.000-08:002012-12-13T21:16:06.721-08:00HOW TO: Connect to FREE Hotspots from any WiFi-enabled device
It seems nearly every business and many cities offer free hotspots these days. Connecting to them is not always as straightforward as it might seem, however. We spent many a minute trying to troubleshoot connections before realizing what was going on. Once we figured that out, we came up with the following steps, which we always follow when using someone else's internet connection.
- First, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-83001561200516015022012-09-23T17:03:00.002-07:002012-09-23T17:07:15.607-07:00SQLite Command Line SyntaxFor Android development, SQLite3 is the default database that comes with the Android OS. As such, it's a good idea to know some of the basic commands. We decided to keep them here for a handy reference. Leave us a Comment if we missed something you'd like us to include.
The ADB prompt looks like this.
#
The sqlite3 prompt looks like this.
sqlite>
To connect to a database:
&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-71567585526350153802012-09-23T16:39:00.001-07:002012-12-13T18:42:14.365-08:00HOW TO: Shutdown WindowsHere's an easy way to shutdown your Windows machine.
1. Left-Click on an empty space on the Desktop.
2. Type Alt-F4 to bring up the Shutdown Dialog.
3. Select the type of action you wish to perform: Switch User, LogOff, Restart, Sleep, Hibernate, or Shutdown.
4. Bookmark this page in case you ever forget what to do. <wink>
NOTE: This works on all modern version of Windows: 9x,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-81480548390193636852012-09-23T13:56:00.000-07:002013-08-11T13:43:51.637-07:00SOLVED: Android Google / Gmail account password reset[Updated 11 August, 2013]
Not all Android devices provide simple ways to update your Google password, especially if it's your primary account (the one you used when you first configured your device). The Samsung Galaxy series of tablets, for example, provides many options for customizing accounts but seems to hide how to change your password. Some suggestions we found seemed to cause us more Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-43554472613977849552012-07-21T16:51:00.003-07:002012-11-08T14:17:03.294-08:00SOLVED: Windows Won't BootProblem: Windows won't start!
SYMPTOMS (one or both might occur):
- Windows will not boot.
- Black screen, which might flash occasional glimpses of the "real" desktop (GUI).
- Boot process stops after the CRCDISK.SYS driver loads.
Our MSI motherboard running Vista sometimes has this problem, though we're certain other motherboards and operating system have seen these problems (for instance, AsusUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-34828753848463943902012-06-06T18:08:00.000-07:002012-06-06T18:08:09.102-07:00SOLVED: Project contains R.java error, R.java is missing, R.java not generating
Problem:
1. Eclipse refuses to generate a new .APK, instead generating a popup chiding you for having the gall to include error(s) in your code, as here.
(X) Your project contains error(s), please fix them before running your application.
2. Your code looks fine. No red stuff anywhere near your files.
3. Travel up the project tree and notice R.java (the automatically Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-65082716508334722182012-05-26T21:21:00.002-07:002015-03-04T18:19:51.292-08:00SOLVED: Google Play Store error message No connection [ Retry ][Last Updated: 04 March 2015]
You're using your Android device and you know you're connected to the Internet (for instance, your browser works just fine), but you just got this message trying to connect to the Google Play Store. It makes no sense, because you can go right back into the browser and cruise the 'Net as usual. No connection problem there at all! This happens on devices that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com83tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-81426144924764870992012-04-29T04:59:00.001-07:002012-12-11T14:31:21.498-08:00TIP: Location of Windows 7 Start Menu Files[Updated 11 Dec 2012]
As is often the case with a new Windows release, the file structure has changed again with Windows 7. If you need to tweak the Start Menu, it has again been relocated.
It's in such an odd place, it seems every time we need to make a change, we have to relearn where it is. Below, we give the Start Menu locations for individual accounts and for the master Start Menu, which Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-80347083488270864702012-04-18T22:14:00.003-07:002012-04-20T17:15:13.431-07:00HOW TO: (Android) Rotate the Screen on your EmulatorWant to see what your layout looks like when rotated 90ยบ?
Use [Cntl] +
[F11]
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-84584665252664610022012-04-18T21:39:00.002-07:002013-01-08T13:28:01.787-08:00HOW TO: Create a New Thread in JavaHere's how to create a new Thread.
new Thread() {
public void run() {
// insert code to be done by new thread here
}
}.start();Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-68918191182622831612012-04-18T21:36:00.001-07:002012-12-02T19:53:52.159-08:00TERMINAL TIP: Handy ADB Commands (Android Debug Bridge)Here are some very useful commands. To use them, you must have installed the Android SDK (Software Development Kit), which includes the command line tool ADB. When you have installed it, you can then open a Windows command window.
adb devices lists connected devices
adb [-d | -e] shell &Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-58043189141012007542012-04-18T16:10:00.000-07:002012-04-18T21:20:52.734-07:00HOW TO: Add a Menu for an Android App using Java in EclipseThese are the steps needed in order to add a menu.
1. File > New > class: BaseActivity
2. Modify to read "BaseActivity extends Activity"
3. CTL-SHFT-O Organize Imports
4. [HoverOver] Click: Add unimplemented methods
5. Put common functionality suchUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-24314407966961042532012-04-14T22:49:00.008-07:002012-04-14T23:56:04.467-07:00HOW TO: Add a Resource Library in EclipseTo add a new resource library file into your project, follow these simple steps.Drop the file into your project's root directoryOpen Package ExplorerRight-Click on the project nameSelect 'Refresh' (or press F5)If it's a JAR file, you also need to add the new library to the class path:Right-Click on project nameSelect 'Properties'Select 'Java Build Path'Select 'Libraries'Select 'Add JARs'Select 'Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-59224068889432166782012-04-14T22:35:00.005-07:002012-04-14T23:56:04.471-07:00SOLVED: R.layout.main cannot be resolved to a variableThis is a misleading error message. A telltale symptom is your class file containsimport android.R; in your imports list. Remove this line, then look for the real cause of the error message.More than likely, there is an error in a /res file preventing the project's 'R' file from being generated. If Eclipse can't find one, it will use Android's 'R' file. Check your /res folder for errors (red Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935611850138746093.post-16098138688916184792012-04-14T19:23:00.028-07:002013-01-28T17:50:38.444-08:00SOLVED: Eclipse Update - Connection refused (https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/repository/)[Updated 28 January 2013]
Every time I try to update Eclipse, I get a variation of this error message.
Connection refused (https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/repository/)
There are several solutions to this issue. Google recommends using the non-secure variant of the repository address, http://dl-ssl.google.com/android/repository/, but I no longer travel this road. I've discovered that once I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1