my Computer Quest

AOSP 15 Learning RoadMap

2025-11-28T20:08:00.001+08:00

AOSP 15 Learning Roadmap

BEGINNER

Android Architecture Overview
Learn Android layers: Apps, Framework, HAL, Kernel
Resource: Android Developer Guide
Difficulty: ⭐ | Est. Time: 2–3 hrs
💡 Tips & Notes
- Focus on the role of the Linux kernel in Android.
- Understand the separation between app and framework layers.
- Draw architecture diagrams to visualize interactions.
Setting Up AOSP Build Environment
Install Ubuntu 22.04, dependencies, repo tool, and sync source
Resource: AOSP Setup Guide
Difficulty: ⭐⭐ | Est. Time: 3–5 hrs
💡 Tips & Notes
- Allocate at least 200 GB disk space for source and build output.
- Set up ccache to speed up rebuilds.
- Keep a record of all environment variables for reproducibility.
Building AOSP for Emulator
Lunch, build, and run with launch_cvd (Cuttlefish)
Resource: Cuttlefish Docs
Difficulty: ⭐⭐ | Est. Time: 3–6 hrs
💡 Tips & Notes
- Use `m` for partial builds during iterative testing.
- Verify `/dev/kvm` for virtualization support.
- Document build flags and options for consistency.

INTERMEDIATE

Understanding System Services
Explore Binder, HAL, and native services
Resource: System Architecture Docs
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐ | Est. Time: 4–6 hrs
💡 Tips & Notes
- Start with Binder communication basics between processes.
- Experiment with modifying a simple HAL module.
- Log service outputs to trace behavior.
Modifying Framework Code
Add a simple feature or tweak system UI
Resource: Framework Docs
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐ | Est. Time: 6–8 hrs
💡 Tips & Notes
- Use `repo sync` carefully to avoid overwriting changes.
- Build specific modules to save time.
- Keep a separate branch for experiments.
Running and Debugging Emulator
Use adb, logcat, and device monitor
Resource: Logcat Guide
Difficulty: ⭐⭐ | Est. Time: 3–4 hrs
💡 Tips & Notes
- Set filters to focus on your module logs.
- Use `adb shell` for direct device inspection.
- Monitor CPU, memory, and storage usage for performance tuning.

ADVANCED

Custom ROM Modifications
Change build.prop, system apps, or add new APKs
Resource: Build Customization Docs
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Est. Time: 5–8 hrs
💡 Tips & Notes
- Always back up your AOSP build before making changes.
- Test on emulator first before real device deployment.
- Keep track of commit history to revert if needed.
Integrating Hardware Drivers
Add or update HAL for custom device components
Resource: Hardware Docs
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Est. Time: 6–10 hrs
💡 Tips & Notes
- Check kernel compatibility before adding drivers.
- Compile drivers separately for testing.
- Use logs to confirm proper hardware initialization.

EXPERT

Android Internals & Security
SELinux policies, system security, and low-level debugging
Resource: Security Docs
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Est. Time: 8–12 hrs
💡 Tips & Notes
- Understand SELinux modes: permissive vs enforcing.
- Trace system calls for security analysis.
- Keep a separate test environment for risky experiments.
Performance Tuning & Profiling
Optimize CPU, memory, storage, and app performance
Resource: Profiling Guide
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Est. Time: 6–10 hrs
💡 Tips & Notes
- Use `systrace` and `perfetto` for deep performance metrics.
- Benchmark before and after changes.
- Profile both emulator and real devices for comparison.
Contributing to AOSP
Submit patches, participate in code reviews, maintain modules
Resource: Contributing Guide
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Est. Time: Variable
💡 Tips & Notes
- Follow AOSP commit and review guidelines strictly.
- Start with small bug fixes or documentation improvements.
- Maintain a clean Git history for your contributions.

2025-11-13T08:09:00.002+08:00

AOSP 15 Setup on ThinkBook 16p G5 IRX – Part 2

System Update & Essentials

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install git curl wget unzip build-essential openjdk-11-jdk ccache -y
sudo apt install htop iotop ncdu gnome-disk-utility -y

System Refresh Script

#!/bin/bash
echo "============================================="
echo "🕒 System refresh started at: $(date)"
echo "============================================="
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt autoremove -y
sudo apt autoclean
echo "---------------------------------------------"
echo "✅ Last refresh completed: $(date)"
echo "---------------------------------------------"

AOSP Repository Setup

repo init -u https://android.googlesource.com/platform/manifest -b vanilla-ice-cream
repo sync -c -j$(nproc)
cd ~/aosp15
source build/envsetup.sh
lunch aosp_cf_x86_64_phone-eng

Emulator Scripts

#!/bin/bash
case "$1" in
  start)
    emulator &
    ;;
  stop)
    pkill -f emulator
    ;;
  status)
    ps aux | grep -E 'emulator|qemu' 
    ;;
  clean)
    rm -rf ~/.android/avd/*
    ;;
  *)
    echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop|status|clean}"
    ;;
esac

Dual Monitor Script

#!/bin/bash
INTERNAL="eDP-1"
EXTERNAL="HDMI-1-0"

if xrandr | grep "^$EXTERNAL connected" >/dev/null; then
    xrandr --output $INTERNAL --auto --primary --output $EXTERNAL --mode 3840x2160 --scale 2x2
    echo "Dual monitor setup applied: $INTERNAL + $EXTERNAL"
else
    xrandr --output $INTERNAL --auto --primary
    echo "External monitor not detected. Using internal display only."
fi

Automated Monitor Detection

#!/bin/bash
EXT_MON=$(xrandr | grep " connected " | grep -v "eDP" | cut -d' ' -f1)
if [ -z "$EXT_MON" ]; then
    xrandr --output eDP-1 --auto --scale 1x1 --primary
else
    xrandr --output eDP-1 --off \
           --output "$EXT_MON" --auto --scale 2x2 --primary
fi

Collapsible Tips & Warnings

Building Android from Source (AOSP 15) on Lenovo ThinkBook 16p G5 IRX

2025-10-29T14:22:00.000+08:00

🚀 Building Android from Source (AOSP 15) on Lenovo ThinkBook 16p G5 IRX

Author: Porfy Vidal
Platform: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Target: AOSP 15 (Vanilla Ice Cream, Cuttlefish Emulator)

🧩 1. System Overview

After multiple rebuilds and optimizations, this guide shows the complete setup for a working AOSP 15 development environment on the Lenovo ThinkBook 16p G5 IRX with Ubuntu 22.04.

Key goals:

Compile AOSP 15 from source
Run Cuttlefish emulator (x86_64 phone)
Enable ADB access and app installation
Automate system maintenance tasks

⚙️ 2. Preparing Ubuntu 22.04

Install the essentials and developer tools:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y \

  openjdk-17-jdk python3 git-core gnupg flex bison gperf build-essential \

  zip curl zlib1g-dev libc6-dev libncurses5-dev libncurses5 \

  x11proto-core-dev libx11-dev libgl1-mesa-dev libxml2-utils xsltproc unzip \

  fontconfig repo ccache

Optional (but useful) developer tools:

sudo apt install -y htop nvtop iotop baobab gnome-disk-utility gparted \

  vim nano gnome-tweaks filezilla qbittorrent chrome-gnome-shell

🧰 3. Set Up the AOSP Source Tree

mkdir ~/aosp15

cd ~/aosp15

repo init -u https://android.googlesource.com/platform/manifest -b aosp-main

To sync specific components only (faster iteration):

repo sync -j1 --fail-fast external/ComputeLibrary external/apache-harmony \

external/aws-sdk-java-v2 prebuilts/remoteexecution-client prebuilts/tools

Expected output:

repo sync has finished successfully.

🧱 4. Build Configuration

cd ~/aosp15

source build/envsetup.sh

Choose the target build:

lunch aosp_cf_x86_64_phone-trunk_staging-userdebug

🖥️ 5. Installing Cuttlefish Emulator Packages

Download the following from the official AOSP Cuttlefish build server:

cvd-host_package.tar.gz

aosp_cf_x86_64_only_phone-img-14253210.zip

Extract them:

mkdir ~/cuttlefish

tar -xzf ~/Downloads/cvd-host_package.tar.gz -C ~/cuttlefish

unzip ~/Downloads/aosp_cf_x86_64_only_phone-img-14253210.zip -d ~/cuttlefish

Verify images exist:

ls ~/cuttlefish | grep img

You should see:

boot.img

init_boot.img

super.img

userdata.img

vendor_boot.img

...

🧪 6. Launching the Emulator

cd ~/cuttlefish/bin

./launch_cvd

Once launched, check ADB connectivity:

adb devices

Expected:

List of devices attached

0.0.0.0:6520	device

Open an interactive shell:

adb shell

📦 7. Installing Apps via ADB

To install an APK:

adb install MyApp.apk

For .xapk packages:

Unzip the .xapk.
Find the contained .apk file.
Install it:

adb install app.apk

🧼 8. System Maintenance Automation

Create /usr/local/bin/sysrefresh to automate updates and cleanup:

#!/bin/bash

echo "============================================="

echo "🕒 System refresh started at: $(date)"

echo "============================================="



echo "🔄 Checking for package updates..."

UPDATES=$(apt list --upgradable 2>/dev/null | grep -v Listing | wc -l)

if [ "$UPDATES" -eq 0 ]; then

  echo "☑️  No updates were needed. System is already up to date."

else

  echo "🛠️  Installing updates..."

  sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

fi



echo "🧹 Performing cleanup..."

sudo apt autoremove -y

sudo apt autoclean -y



echo "🧠 Disk space usage summary:"

df -h | grep -E '^/dev/nvme|Filesystem'

echo "---------------------------------------------"

echo "✅ Last refresh completed: $(date)"

echo "---------------------------------------------"

echo "🟢 sysrefresh complete."

Make it executable:

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/sysrefresh

Run it any time:

sysrefresh

🖥️ 9. Display Configuration

Switching to Xorg restored full dual-monitor support.

Current setup:

Internal display: eDP-1 (3200×2000)
External monitor: HDMI-1-0 (3840×2160)

Dual display:

xrandr --output eDP-1 --primary --mode 3200x2000 --pos 0x0

xrandr --output HDMI-1-0 --mode 3840x2160 --right-of eDP-1 --scale 0.5x0.5

External only:

xrandr --output eDP-1 --off --output HDMI-1-0 --auto

Internal only:

xrandr --output HDMI-1-0 --off --output eDP-1 --auto

🧩 10. Summary of Achievements

✅ AOSP 15 environment successfully built
✅ Cuttlefish emulator running smoothly
✅ ADB functional for app install and testing
✅ Automated maintenance script (sysrefresh)
✅ Dual-display working under Xorg
✅ Optimized Ubuntu 22.04 for development

💡 Final Thoughts

This setup transforms the ThinkBook 16p G5 IRX into a powerful Android development workstation. While the process takes patience, once configured, the environment is stable and production-ready.

“Building Android from source isn’t just about compiling code — it’s about understanding the entire ecosystem.”

Guidance provided with the help of ChatGPT (OpenAI)

Till then!

Visual Studio 2026. Finally!

2025-10-11T12:08:00.004+08:00

11-Oct-2025

Visual Studio 2026 is finally here!

I began using Visual Studio since installation disks were using a floppy. So much has evolved since then. And then, Microsoft would always release a new version like every two years.

From Visual Studio 2019, it took a while for Visual Studio 2022 to be released. That was the initial veersion where the IDE was using 64 bit.

But then, it took much longer for the next version after VS 2022 to be released.

But then again, the wait is over!

Visual Studio 2026 is here.

The article that I read which led me to the download site says that you have to be a Visual Studio Insider to be able to download the installer. For sure, I am a Windows Insider, but Visual Studio Insider?

Nonetheless, out of curiosity and having waited for sooooo looooong, I clicked the link.

And lo and behold, I was able to download the Visual Studio 2026 installer. Finally!

I run the installer, tried the IDE, and yes, I like it!

Try it!

Visual Studio 2026 Insider

Enjoy!

Till then.

Winhance - Debloat and Enhance Windows!

2025-02-28T06:00:00.001+08:00

Ever thought of ways to debloat and enhance Windows 11?

I have.

Since I tried Windows 11 and found that it runs faster and better than Windows 10. I like the functions being put into icons where I can just click the task away. That is at least 1 mouse click less, compared to the old way of right mouse way of doing things.

Right out of the box, Windows 11 already rocks. That's at least how I find this latest Windows OS. But...

There's always room for improvement.

There is the File Explorer that remains the same in its performance - slow, clumsy way of copying files. That is why I have never let go of NiceCopier since Windows 7. Yes, since Windows 7. I got fed up with a very bad file management UI, and have tried many external file manager applications, where some actually are sold at a price. From here, you can understand that there is really something lacking about Windows' own set of applications, not to mention Windows itself. It's not perfect, we know, just like other OSes, but at least make it decently super even though imperfect (yet).

Then there is the issue with slowness when doing file search, or, even when it is fast, returns limited result, and more often not finding what you wanted to find. I used Everything for this. It's a free application that I find super-efficient, and very flexible in the options that you can apply when doing file search. It can even search file content.

And so on, and so forth.

Lately, I read about debloating Windows 11 so it runs even faster -- and better.

Winhance!

And of course, as in all new things, there's a caveat emptor attached to it. But don't lose heart. Exercise caution, and you still get a better Windows 11, or at least, less bloatware to deal with.

From BetaNews, this article about Winhance gave me some info that I understand could make Windows 11 lighter and faster, better.

I have a number of laptops. Different brands. Acer. HP. Lenovo. Asus. There is the eMachines, which was an old brand under Acer. And also, Compaq.

Why am I listing down my PC brands? Because part of what Winhance do is to uninstall applications, including Bing, Microsoft Edge and some of its variants, OneDrive, etc.

And if you do choose to remove Edge, then Lenovo PCs will be impacted. I found that Lenovo Vantage is using Edge (API), so it will try to install Edge before it is able to work. And since part of Winhance's logic is to prevent the re-installation of an uninstalled program, that's good as always having to install Edge, then Vantage, every time you boot up. So when that did happen to me, I reinstalled Edge. Yes, Winhance include the option of installing some applications, which, of course, include Edge.

Then there is the 'clean up' part. This is where you really must be very careful, or all of your icons, thumbnails, Taskbar, etc. - will be gone! I'd say it like that, gone. But not really. If you include clean up of Taskbar, it will be wiped clean. Well, this is just unpinning those icons, which is similar to wiping your Taskbar clean. Yes, it happened to me. I reverted that change and put back all those icons into the Taskbar one by one.

Okay, Nuff said. I leave some room for you to try Winhance and see how it works for you. Hope you like it. Really!

Let us know, will ya?

Till then!

My Xiaomi 11T Phone Unlocked!

2024-05-21T13:56:00.002+08:00

So today past noon, 1.00 pm, after the 72 hours of required waiting time, my Xiaomi phone was unlocked!

There.

This proves that this Mi account registration method really works.

1. Register an account using 'US' as your region;

2. Use an e-mail that is fresh (or new) > not used before; and

3. A new phone number for recovery

Then you wait for 30 days at least to be granted 'rights' to unlock bootloader.

Afterwhich you add your account in Settings... Mi Unlock status.

Then wait for 72 hours.

Then unlock bootloader.

All done for me now, and my Xiaomi 11T phone's bootloader is unlocked, and all data erased.

I shall now proceed to flashing custom ROMs.

Hope you also succeed in doing Xiaomi phone unlock of bootloader.

Till then!

Unlock Xiaomi Phone

2024-05-18T13:51:00.000+08:00

I got a phone, not new, so I want to unlock Xiaomi phone and test the Xiaomi 11T phone's capabilities.

So I did a registration using my country of residence, waited for 30 days and when I was granted the rights, I went to fire up the Mi Unlock program.

Simply, the program responded with me not having done the adding of my phone's unlock status something-something.

So I followed the text. Went to Settings > Additional settings > Developer options > Mi Unlock status to add my unlock status, and lo and behold, error came, it cannot be added, try again, and the same error message cycles one after another. Days trying, but no success.

I searched the web high and low, with many suggesting seemingly sensible solutions, but of course, just nonsense chatter, useless blabber. Sorry, I got fed up with these guys whose aim is to only get viewership and page view count.

Anyway, I found one that experienced the same issue, but also found how to do it right. Now, that is the key point here: 'do it right' from the start.

Apparently, only users whose region = 'US' will be allowed to unlock their phones, unless of course, yours is the China variant, which is allowed automatically as you are doing it within China. Outside of China, only 'US' users are allowed to unlock their Xiaomi phones.

These are the requirements:

1. e-mail

2. phone #

3. region = US

I used the same phone # which is in my country of residence, a different e-mail as some have tried using the same e-mail and ran into the same error after 30 days of waiting, and most importantly, region = US.

Well, this is how you should register for your Xiaomi account:

1. new e-mail

2. working phone # (as WiFi is supposed to be disabled)

3. region = US (no matter where in the world you are, except China, of course)

I did just that. And today is the 31st day, and once I was able to get the 'rights' to unlock my phone, did the unlock, and after being prompted that phone data will be erased and the phone will be less secure, etc., proceeded, and I got the 'wait for 72 hours' message.

Wait. Before I can attempt to unlock my phone using a laptop, I was told to add the unlock status in Settings > Additional settings > Developer options > Mi Unlock status. This is where the US region plays its part very well: this is the second account registered but with the US region, and it was a one-time attempt in adding my account.

So now, I am waiting. 3 days later, I will again try to unlock the phone, and see what awesomeness the Xiaomi 11T phone has to offer.

Again, here's how to simply get the rights to unlock Xiaomi phone and get an error-free additon of account in the Mi Unlock status page:

1. register using US as region (regardless of country of residence, except China-variant phone)

2. use a new e-mail (just to be sure)

3. have a working phone # (as WiFi need to be disabled)

I hope that this short article on how to unlock Xiaomi phone the right way is found first and foremost by those who need this. Happy rooting!

Till then!

Get Local or Remote Logon User Using Request.LogonUserIdentity.Name

2022-04-15T19:27:00.001+08:00

Using Environment.UserName returned server name, then application pool name. That is what I encountered recently. And since I needed to know who is using that small web app, as it is logged into an Oracle table, I had to find out how to get this info correctly.

Searching the web usually and always gives a lot of answers. And you have to fish out what may work. But apparently, I had to really search for longer.

My goal is to get the logged-on user from a laptop, as well as the PC name. And aside from the failure of returning the server name, the application pool name, and even the IIS IUSR at one time, that is not what I wanted. It had to be the logged-on user, and also the machine used (Environment.MachineName).

Fortunately, I managed to piece together and make do 3 points:

1. In the server, you have to disable the Web Site's Anonymous Authentication setting.

2. Then, to get the logged-on user, use Request.LogonUserIdentity.Name.

3. Finally, get PC or computer name using System.Net.Dns.GetHostEntry(Request.ServerVariables("remote_addr")).HostName

1. Disable the Web Site's Anonymous Authentication Setting

In the server where your web application is published or deployed, select and double-click on your website. In the IIS section, double-click on Authentication. Right-click on Anonymous Authentication and select Disable if it is Enabled. Step one is done.

2. Capture Local UserName

Below is the code sample, where I employed redundancy. This will work only when step 1 is done.

Dim userName As String = Environment.UserName

Dim pcUser As String = Request.LogonUserIdentity.Name

If (pcUser.Trim.Length > 0) Then

userName = pcUser

End If

3. Capture Local Computer Name

Finally, use the below code to get the local PC or computer name. Again, this is employing redundancy.

Dim pcName As String = Environment.MachineName

Dim comp_name() As String = System.Net.Dns.GetHostEntry(Request.ServerVariables("remote_addr")).HostName.Split(New Char() {"."c})

pcName = comp_name(0).ToString()

There you go! 3 steps to capture the local user and local computer name. Nothing else, or if these steps don't work for you, then you need something else. Otherwise, you are all set. Hope this helps, how to get the local or remote logged-on user.

Till then!

Remove TFS Connection from Solution

2022-03-16T21:34:00.001+08:00

How to remove TFS connection from solution? I was asking this question to myself. We are migrating from TFS to Tortoise, and it is taking some time for this to happen.

And meanwhile, whenever I am opening solutions to do edit on the source codes I have copied in my laptop, I get the notification:

Team Foundation Server Version Control

The solution you are opening is bound to source control on the following Team Foundation Server: [TFS SERVER NAME]. Would you like to contact this server to try to enable source control integration?

I would click on No, do one with the code edit, debug, save, and done.

Or maybe not.

You see, the next time I open the source code, I am greeted with this question, and the source code won't load until I click on No. And again on the next edit, and so on and so forth.

So I searched the web for how to do this permanently.

Pretty quickly came one suggestion with 2 steps:

1. Go to your solution's folder, search and destroy (read: delete) all files with *.vssscc and *.vspscc extensions.

2. Open your solution's .sln file in Notepad++ (or in a much more basic text editor such as Notepad) and remove the GlobalSection(TeamFoundationVersionControl) section.

Well, I'm in a hurry and most of the time I am even lazy to do these just 2 steps. And besides, this method requires some other steps not listed, but feel free to search for more info if you want to go this way.

Fortunately, I found another method that I can say is a one-time deal and it is done. Final.

Here's how it goes, 3 steps:

1. Open the solution, then when the prompt comes, click on No and make no mistake, click on No.

2. Once fully loaded, click on File, then Source Control, then Advanced, then Change Source Control.

3. You will be prompted with the following question, so affirmatively click on Yes.

---------------------------

Microsoft Visual Studio

---------------------------

Change Source Control - [MY_SOLUTION_NAME].sln

The current solution is associated with source control but is offline.

Would you like to completely disassociate the solution from source control?

---------------------------

Yes No Help

---------------------------

How to remove TFS connection from a solution? 2 methods I have shown, with the 2nd method I have tried to be sure-fire. And that's how I am no longer bothered with the incessant "Would you like to contact this server to try to enable source control integration?" question.

If you are also bothered and you want it to stop, for good, try it. I did, and I am very much contented and now happily coding.

Till then!

Windows 11 from Official ISO Installer

2021-12-02T12:24:00.001+08:00

Windows 11 final update was released by Microsoft a couple of weeks back. My laptops were all updated as a result.

By George! One laptop suddenly threw some errors. Then on recovery, it was unable to find the boot device!

By hardware design, I think the laptop is bound to fail in the new Windows 11 OS as there is a substantial tweak done to this laptop in Windows 7 and Windows 10. At least during the beta release, it was running.

These are the specs of the said machine:
> HP Envy TS15
> SSD: SATA and miniSATA
> 2x 8GB RAM
> current OS: Windows 10

As mentioned earlier, there is a tweak done to make the SATA and mSATA drives work together. That is done in the BIOS and in some settings in Windows.

When the production version of Windows 11 was released and this laptop was updated, the tweaks were wiped out. That caused the issue of the boot device not being found. I wasn't prepared for that, but life must go on, and that I wanted to see how the production version of Windows 11 fares. Curiouser and curiouser!

Hard way it is, so after trying several times as I did in Windows 7 and Windows 10, installing Windows 11 with the SATA and mSATA drive, or only the SATA drive then putting in the mSATA drive, changing BIOS settings, Windows settings, etc., etc., I found that Windows 11 UEFI with SecureBoot on can only work on this machine with only the SATA drive installed. And that is all the time. So I had to ditch the 512 GB mSATA drive foregoing the real-time online additional computing space.

I went for that and did a clean install of Windows 11, and voila! Lesser space and bare basics for this unit and Windows 11 64 bit UEFI was installed and running. And yes, it is a better OS than Windows 10.

Now I don't get the blue screen of death, or at least I still don't get it. Normally I would open Chrome with at least 20 tabs open and my laptop still goes through smoothly. Perhaps Windows 11 is a better OS after all.

Wanna try it? Go ahead and see how it goes. Let's hear from you soon!

Till then!

How To Install Windows 11 On Older PCs

2021-07-24T15:19:00.005+08:00

How to install Windows 11 when check says unable to?

Well, I am always one who is curious whether it is Ubuntu Linux or Windows OS. And talking about Windows 11, I can't just sit down and wait while others have all the fun (and headache!).

I'll go straight to the point. While the PC Health Check app may say that this PC is unable to install Windows 11, the requirements that the check is looking for is the ideal scenario where all the features and functionalities will run properly and smoothly.

N.B.: PC Health Check was taken down after WhyNotWin11 proved better, providing more details to the user than the other guy.

And I am writing this article to say that millions of old, older and even newer computers don't meet that requirement. My latest laptop is an HP EliteBook 755 G3 which uses an AMD processor, and this machine passes the WhyNotWin11 list except for the CPU Compatibility item. The best I own so far is an 8-year-old HP Envy TS15 laptop that uses an i7-4910MQ processor after I replaced the original i7-4700MQ CPU. And this particular laptop fails CPU compatibility and TPM checks. And I have other older laptops from different manufacturers like Asus, Acer, eMachines (yeap, this is now under Acer), some more HP models, etc.

So what I'm saying is that it is possible to install Windows 11 on older PCs, even those that do not pass the check. In fact, none of my laptops pass the check. Really! And to be honest, Microsoft is also eager to know how Windows 11 will fare on older machines, at least those devices just within 5 years, and at most for those even way older than that.

Good thing we have some enthusiasts who know what to do, and they share that knowledge with the world.

I've been following articles on Windows 11 ever since it was announced for release. When? That doesn't matter now. Some really are good in simply attracting internet traffic but giving nothing in return. But when I came upon this article in zdnet.com, How to bypass Windows 11 limits and install on almost any old PC, that's where I started getting some tangible results (as if I can hold Windows 11, eh). Nah, I mean, I was either able to do an inline upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 (HP EliteBook 755 G3 laptop) or do a clean install using USB device (for all my other laptops).

First note: Windows 11 becomes like Android now in the sense that previous devices are listed as possible sources of back-up with which you can install settings and apps from.

How to download the installer file is from xda.developers.com's article, How to install Windows 11 on almost any unsupported PC, as mentioned in the zdnet.com article. And how to bypass the check during install is from bleepingcomputer.com's article, How to bypass the Windows 11 TPM 2.0 requirement. As I said, after reading and following several earlier posts and articles, this is where I was able to really install Windows 11, either through inline upgrade or a clean install.

To be honest, I got most of the help from the XDA article, telling and explaining more than I am willing to know now. But the one that helped me most is the tool OfflineInsiderEnroll, which automates Windows Insider enrolment, even bypassing the Windows 11 checks and getting you in through the backdoor. That's what I call ethical hacking!

After install, I switched to Beta Channel, and I'm all set.

Second note: Windows 11 has slightly rounded corners, so you would know right away those applications that don't follow the new Windows 11 scheme as they retain the unrounded corners, Hey, Office 365 does not, so it affects Microsoft applications, too. WhatsApp sports a rounded corner, but Visual Studio (2013, 2015, 2019, 2022 Preview) all have sharp mitred corners.

Third note: Windows 11 is faster than Windows 10, that is why after I had it installed in the supposedly 'newer' or better laptops, I had to try it on the really old laptops. I have a 2008 Compaq V3000 machine, and it is fitted with a 1TB HDD, 4GB RAM. Pretty the basic specs for an old laptop. And my Asus U36J unit, while having a 1TB SSD, is using 2x 2GB 1066 RAM sticks. And yes, Windows 11 installed successfully on these 2 machines! (Total I installed Windows 11 on 8 machines).

So how did I download the installer? I had to read the XDA article a number of times, until I saw the UUP Dump link somewhere near the bottom end. When on the page, click on Dev Channel and select the Windows 11 flavor you want to install (14 to select from as of this writing). Just make sure that the architecture you pick is matching your unit's capability. UEFI or BIOS comes later, and that is via Rufus when you finally create the USB installer. When you go this way, please be patient, and plug in your laptop as the download will take some time. An hour? Could be more or less,

Well, I end here. While I open the door, I leave the rest of the steps for you to test and know. I'm sure being able to install Windows 11 on your machine and your favorite applications after will leave you curiouser and curiouser. I almost forgot to say I wrote this article using one of the laptops running Windows 11.

Till then!

Tower Fan Disassembly and Cleaning

2021-06-06T12:10:00.003+08:00

I just published a new blog, Stand/Tower Fan Disassembly in my other blog.

For a long time, I was holding off to doing it on my own, but the tinker in me got fed up with a dusty fan that even at maximum (06) speed, the wind isn't strong enough. And, I can see (and smell) the dust hiding inside.

So I took it upon myself to just do it!

Here goes: Stand, Tower Fan Disassembly for Cleaning

Hope it helps you, or somebody our there needing to do this on their own without a technician's help. Just a Philips screwdriver tool.

Till then!

Fix Static or Crackling Sound on Acer Laptop

2021-01-14T00:30:00.094+08:00

I got one unit of Acer Aspire V5-473P laptop on the first week of December, one that is supposedly for scrappage already. But as it turned out, it was still okay. Last week I brought it home when the owner gave me the charger.

I cleaned the unit then proceeded to do checks. Nothing is spoiled, and it is fitted with a slot for mSATA SSD. A winner!

Windows was installed, license keyed in, and all other software and applications completed, I found that it is fast, so this is a good unit, I declared.

Not so fast.

Once I tried playing music via internet radio, the crackling sound from the left speaker surfaced out.

I searched, and to my surprise, this is a common problem! Not only that, but I also found that many, many websites present the same (supposedly) solutions, the steps, and the wordings. Talk of plagiarism en masse.

Let me just list them down here again:

Change Sound Format ]
Update Audio Driver
Disable Sound Enhancement
Change Power Settings

Then there is the article from Microsoft: Fix sound problems in Windows 10

Now I have to say that none of these helped. I have to open up the laptop and take out the left and right speakers to see further what the problem could be. Sound Control check indicated that the left speaker, the one that crackles on high volume, it is softer compared to the right speaker unit. That's actually 2 speaker units in one assembly on both sides, so 4 speakers in all.

Now, I knew a bit about speakers, so I did a light tap on each speaker, and I found that the 2 speakers on the left assembly, well, they don't have the bouncy feel as compared with the right assembly speakers - which are known to be okay.

On closer inspection, I saw that the 'glue' that is supposed to attach the cone to the suspension is flaked out, with the light tap creating a high-pitched sound like 'tik', 'tik', as compared to the good speakers almost quiet and bouncy. The crackling speakers would have made the cone 'stick' on to the magnet, so there is less movement, or imbalanced movement, scraping on the sides, etc., and with the light tap, it is like tapping on solid wood already.

So what I tried is completedly detach the cone from the suspension by running a sewing pin around carefully and running a vacuum cleaner to make sure nothing got inside the tiny speakers, or that if anything got in, they'd be sucked out, leaving a clear, free movement for the cone later on.

Then, I took a paper glue, used a toothpick to apply small amounts on each side of one speaker first, a small amount enough so it dries fast, and made sure that the cone part is moving freely and correctly. Before the glue completely dried up, I did the light tap to verify my solution, and yes, now the cone is bouncy and quiet, no more 'tik', 'tik' sound. And I did put some pressure on the suspension where I applied the glue to make sure there is no gap.

I turned on the laptop and played music and voila! No more crackling sound!

I completed the fix, applying glue full circle on both of the left speaker units, waiting for the glue to dry a bit (and don't forget, apply only what's necessary, not too much) and I turned on the laptop once again to check if everything okay. And yes, the sound is clear and crisp, even at high, or higher, volumes.

Once I am sure that it won't take any time long for the glue to completely dry, I put the cover back and screwed it tight. I let the laptop sit for another 2 hours, then turned it on, and yes, the sound is so clean and clear, bass, treble and all.

N.B. Do not turn the laptop on while the glue is drying up. The charged coil will be sucked into the magnet which will pull the cone away from the suspension. The laptop must be turned off completely so the cone is attached to the suspension without any gap.

So there you have it, maybe for the first time. How I fixed the static or crackling sound on my laptop. It could be Acer or any other brand, but this worked, and it is not a copy of what's been written. I hope it helps you, too.

Till then!

Pointers for Online Selling, e-Commerce

2020-12-28T00:30:00.003+08:00

I found some points for online selling, or e-commerce, in my wallet. That was when I had to change to a new wallet that I got as a gift from my daughters this Christmas 2020. So without further ado, here goes:

1. Sell what people really want. Use Analytics to research on this.

2. Don't give people reasons to choose; give them reasons to crave, covet, and to belong. Wow! I find this really heavy. I remember the very advertisement methodology used by big brands like Coke - subliminal. I should learn more from them.

3. Show what people can do with your products. So the point here is that when you sell something that is aligned with your own interests and skills, know-how, then you can answer enquiries and questions from buyers with ease and accuracy. Plus point for you!

4. Price isn't always the driving force.

5. Sell what works for everyone, or most people.

6. Sell what enables people to do more, or better.

7. Gain heart-share first, money-share next.

8. Focus on what makes customers' lives better!

9. Don't copy; be who you are. When you start, I think you do this, but as you go along, you copy and make adjustments. So don't be surprised when somebody copies your listings, styles, etc. Duh!

10. Don't be a cheap imitation. Be yourself and bring meaning to people as you are.

There you have it. Not what would make a newbie an expert right away, but knowing these would be a good starting point for anyone who is thinking of doing online selling. I have been into online selling for 6 years now and I can attest to all these points here.

Hope it helps you, too.

Till then!

How to Speed Up Windows, Startup and Shutdown

2020-11-28T22:55:00.001+08:00

To speed up Windows, its startup and shutdown time, follow the simple steps below. Especially if you are using HDD, turning off file indexing will be most effective. But even when using SSD, turning file indexing off will have its benefit. There is a better tool than using Cortana, and once you start using it, you'd be scratching your head.

1. Remove File Index Per Drive; use Everything Search for search functions

a. Right-click on Drive, Properties, Uncheck File Index
b. Install Everything Search ( http://www.voidtools.com/ )

2. Shorten Registry Time Values (all settings of String type)

a. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control

i. Set WaitToKillServiceTimeout value to 8000

b. For current User, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

i. Set WaitToKillAppTimeout value to 8000
ii. Set AutoEndTasks value to 1
iii. Set HungAppTimeout value to 7000 (if not present, def is 5000)

c. To set for all Users, set these values in

i. HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
ii. Set WaitToKillAppTimeout value to 8000
iii. Set AutoEndTasks value to 1
iv. Set HungAppTimeout value to 7000 (if not present, def is 5000)

These millisecond time values are recommended, but you can choose your own shorter or longer times. It's all up to you.

So there you have it! Without adding anything fancy or buying any expensive device or paying for some software licenses, you can have a faster Windows, faster startup, and faster shutdown. And honestly, Cortana pales in comparison to the capability and speed of (Search) Everything -- which is free. I'm using this even in Windows Server machines where millions of files are deposited and searched on a daily basis. How about that?

Till then!

Huawei Mate 30 Pro with Google Play Store - 6 Months Later

2020-11-14T16:37:00.000+08:00

14-Nov-2020

I managed to install Google Play in my Huawei Mate 30 Pro back in April 2020. I have nothing to say against the phone itself. Speed, features, SD Card capacity, RAM size, name it and this phone has it. And here's the killer feature that I like very much: the camera!

Focusing speed, brilliance, night time shots, crispiness of the photos, are but a few of the camera features that you will immediately see and feel. Call quality, cell, and Wi-Fi connection, these are its basic features that never fail.

But here's the deal-breaker.

A lot of financial apps, bank apps, and insurance apps, and those that require integration with government services, well, these and more are usually tied up to Google accounts. And while I was able to install the Google Play application back then, enrol my (many, many) accounts including Google Mail, Google Maps, etc., the prevailing prohibition imposed by then-President Trump against Huawei and Huawei products, which includes the unlicensing of Google Play on Huawei Android devices makes Google Play working intermittently on my phone.

Nothing lasts forever -- even a hack on how to install Google Play on Huawei Mate 30 Pro.

And I had to wait 6 months until I threw in the white towel.

So now I went back to my Huawei Mate 20 X phone. It's heavy, but the weight is a small burden to bear compared to a lot of essential apps not working. That really is a deal-breaker for me.A show stopper. I'm not able to do payments and money transfers, enquiries, check on my tax payments and provident fund contributions, etc., etc. And that is a lot of reasons for me to let go of my Huawei Mate 30 Pro phone.

Nonetheless, now that Job Biden has won the US presidential race if the Google Play prohibition gets lifted, I sure would not think twice of going back to my Huawei Mate 30 Pro phone. I would have all the best of both worlds, being able to install Google Play on Huawei Mate 30 Pro.

Till then!

Upgrade to Ubuntu Linux 20.04 from 18.04 or 19.04

2020-05-18T00:30:00.000+08:00

15-May-2020

Ubuntu 20.04 is out. "How do I upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04?", was something I asked myself, as it was for years back, when an LTS version is released. And sometimes, on curiosity, non-LTS versions.

And for the past 2 weeks, I've been doing that upgrade.

I have several laptops, and they are running either Ubuntu 18.04 or Ubuntu 19.04. So normally, it is through Software Updater. In some cases, it is through the terminal. This time, as it is a Long Term Support release, I insisted on applying the upgrade through Software Updater.

I have varied experiences on the update, and I'm putting them down in this article, as it might also happen to others. Well, most are not so good, to say prematurely. But no, I did not give up on Ubuntu Linux.

Case 1. Upgrade via Software Updater

So I checked for any available update. In the month of April 2020, normally, the upgrade is already available immediately. But for Ubuntu 20.04, it was not. I had to wait until May 2020, then the upgrade was showing up via Software Updater.

I applied the change, and there are different results.

One laptop was able to complete the upgrade without any problem, but on reboot, Ubuntu 20.04 is corrupted.

Another newer laptop, while in the process of applying the upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 suddenly went to black screen. Sure, the laptop is still powered on, but I cannot bring up the screen anymore. So I did a forced power off by pressing power key for at least 5 seconds. I tried now to apply the upgrade via Live CD.

I am on dual boot, and at this time, I am still able to boot up Windows, either by forcibly selecting Windows via boot option, or that the laptop automatically boots up to Windows .

Now, for this particular unit, the newer laptop, I had many times of trying to apply the upgrade via Live CD: apply the changes over the existing partitions without formatting, which again, after upgrade, unable to reboot. Well, at least this time, the upgrade process completed. But to no use. I can't boot to Ubuntu.

And, sadly, I am no longer able to boot even to Windows. The Windows partition is still there, but I can't boot to it anymore. I did recovery, bootrec, etc., all that I know that will help, but no point.

So I had to do a full wipe of the disc, clearing out both Windows and Ubuntu partitions.

Then I installed Windows 10 64 bit, checked and applied all updates, and powered off the laptop. I then proceeded to do a new Ubuntu Linux 20.04 installation. It went through. I completed the basic setup. Then powered off. It booted to Windows. So I had to insert the Live CD and run Grub Customizer, and fix up the boot process.

Well and good, I am able to see grub. I booted to Ubuntu, and fixed up the configuration, and after rebooting again to Ubuntu, I powered off, then booted to Windows. I repeated the reboot to U, reboot to W, and after confirming that everything is working and in place, I installed the rest of the software and applications both in Windows and Ubuntu, and I am done for this laptop.

Well, this was the most problematic unit which resulted in me doing a clean wipe of both Windows and Ubuntu, but it is worth the effort, and I gained a whole new experience (again). That could be rhetoric, as this is a new experience. Any Linux player would say that this is a 'normal' thing, not a 'new normal' actually.

Anyway, here is me chronicling my experience on how to upgrade to Ubuntu Linux 20.04, from either Ubuntu 18.04 or Ubuntu 19.04.

Till then!

Install Google Apps, Google Play Store in Huawei Mate 30 Pro, P40

2020-04-27T00:30:00.000+08:00

How to install Google Apps, Play Store in Huawei Mate 30 Pro, P40?

The specs of a Huawei phone is almost always super compared to other brands that can be got at the same price, or within the price range, Huawei offers a phone whose specs are superior to the others, but at a lower cost. Especially the camera.

And with the Trump administration putting a ban on Huawei devices the license to use Google services, which was around May 2019, so that any new device coming out of the factory is deprived of Google Apps, you are down to a Google-less phone, smart watch, etc. Can you live with that?

Well, there are ways to get apps, but they will not be coming from the Play Store. There is of course, the HMS, Huawei Mobile Services, along with their AppGallery, which is having more and more new apps every day. There is also F-Droid, AppToide, ApkPure, and if there is any more, do let me know.

The caveat? Always make sure that the apk files you are downloading are legits. Why, even in Google Play Store, there are lousy, shady apps. Which brings into contrast Play Store and App Store. But that's another story. Wherever your source, just make sure your app is legit.

About 10 days ago, my time to renew my phone plan is up, and I was vascillating between 3 models: the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, the Oppo Reno 10X Zoom 12GB Special Edition, and the Huawei Mate 30 Pro. Of course, as mentioned before, Huawei is always the top when it comes to the specs, but I have to say, Galaxy Note 10+ is the best screen resolution. What made me zero in on these models is or course, the cash out, which is at the least, $0, or at most, $18. Yep, the mobile plan I was in gave me that opportunity to get a new phone without spending anything, or a minimum amount, if any.

By the time I am able to decide, Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ has run out of stock. I guess everybody avoided the Huawei phones, Mate 30 and P40 series, which are up for grabs. So it was a choice between the Oppo Reno 10X Zoom and the Huawei Mate 30 Pro units.

I picked Huawei Mate 30 Pro. Perhaps as part of my curious nature.

Part of the prevailing knowledge on how to get your old phone's apps installed into your new Huawei phone is by using Phone Close, which is installed by default in all Huawei phones, but which can also be downloaded from the Google Play Store, or from the Huawei AppGallery. All yo have to do is run Phone Close, identify the old and new phones, and go. Everything is transferred!

But not really.

That what I did. I run phone clone between my Huawei Mate 20X and Huawei Mate 10 Pro, and everything was migrated without any problem at all. I gave away my Mate 20X phone to my youngest daughter so she has a large screen phone (compared to the Mate 10 Pro display size). And when Phone Clone did its work, transferring from Huawei Mate 10 Pro to Huawei Mate 30 Pro, not everything was transferred. Of course, that is expected. financial apps, and the likes, are disqualified by default. Then there is the Google apps set, including GMS (Google Mobile Services), GMF (Google Mobile Framework), GAM (Google Account Manager), Google Play Services, Google Play Store, etc., etc., etc.

Actually, even if all apps gets transferred to the new Huawei phone, they will not run -- because they will be looking for Google Mobile Services, or Google Play Store. And as mentioned earlier, a lot of these apps already have their counterpart version available from Huawei AppGallery, or ApkPure. Just uninstall the useless and non-working app version and install the Huawei compatible version, and you're all set.

I spent a week living life and adjusting to the use of a Google-less Android phone that is a very good hardware. I guess all Huawei phone users can say the same. I missed a lot of things. Like so many ads from almost all apps, primarily!

Wonders! And I am always wondering, if Huawei lost something, what is the financial implication to Google, and all the many, many other hundreds of companies that P. Trump directed to cut business deals with Huawei? I'm sure they simply followed the presidential decree. Did they have a choice at all?

So I am not getting a ton of ads, and I was forced to remember my passwords! Hah! Good way to exercise the brain! I have to log in via the borwser and need to type in my passwords, and I have to say I did enjoy that.

I thought I was just okay with this set up. But I wasn't.

My Whatsapp chats can't be backed up to my Google Drive. And while Huawei have a copy of my contacts and all, there's a ton of missing features that Google made it wasy for Android device users to get on with. But really, Huawei's camera features are awesome!

So after about a week, I searched the web on how to install Google Apps, Google Play Store in my Huawei Mate 30 Pro phone. I got a ton of results, all saying that it is possible, but a caveat: Google does not license the device to use their services.

I'm on my own.

And just like doing roots on my Samsung and Acer phones, I proceeded with caution: read very well, and watch the videos many times (which I really didn't do). I skipped talks here and there, but repeated the videos a number of times.

Then I did it!

I reset my phone, followed the instructions, and did I get Google Mobile Services and Google Play Services and Play Store installed? Yes, I did. Error notifications? Yes, expected. I get them. a ton. Many more than the ads themselves. But I can live with that. At least the services I need to get me going I now have in my new Huawei Mate 30 Pro. And the steps also apply to the Huawei P40 phones.

Curious?

Here are the 3 videos that I watched and followed. Of course, the risk is all yours, it's your call. I don't recommend you doing it, but if you find that you can't live your life without Google, there's a way around it.

1. Tech-Magnet's method

2. The Portuguese way

3. Emkwan Reviews

Again, should you decide to go this way, it is your call, your choice. May the force be with you. May you get to install Google Apps, Google Mobile Services, Google Mobile Framework, Google Play Store in your new Huawei Mate 30 and Huawei P40 phones, and all your other apps as well.

Till then!

DISM in Action: Windows Update Error Code 0x80096004

2020-04-13T00:30:00.000+08:00

I got Windows Update Error Code 0x80096004 when I run update. That was KB4541335.

It happened about a week ago or so. I usually would manually check for updates, Windows updates, laptop updates, driver updates, etc. At times, I would get hardware updates, at times, software updates, like MonoSnap, or visual Studio Community Edition 2019, or Visual Studio Code. Sometimes it would be an update for Notepad++, which comes very infrequently. And sometimes, it is for the laptop components, coming either from HP Assistant, Acer Live Updater, the Lenovo System Update, and sometimes from IDSA, Intel Driver and Support Assistant.

I have used many laptop brands, and it is the keyboard performance of the Dell laptop that I like best. As for the layout, I like HP islandwide keyboard the most. Nothing compares. And its performance is satisfactory. The layout is okay, unlike other brands where the [CTRL] and [Fn] keys are interchanged. What are they thinking? And my dislike of the Acer F 15 power button put together with the numeric keypad keys, just next to the [End] key, well, for a software developer like me who uses that key a lot, I think that is just counter-productive. There is so much space on the keyboard surface that can be of use. Well, that's my own opinion, anyway.

Now, about the Windows Update KB4541335. I saw it when I checked for updates, so I run it. It failed.

I restarted the laptop, and attempted again the update, which again failed a second time.

I again restarted the laptop, and for the third time, run the Windows Update KB4541335. It failed again. For what reason, I do not know.

So I restarted the laptop, and knowing a thing or two about corrupted system files, and for this specific case, failed Windows Updates due to windows update corrupted files, I decided to right away perform DISM checks.

I run all 3:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Some system file corruption was found, and it was corrected in no time. And searching in the web for Windows Update Error Code 0x80096004 pointed to one solution, which is manually installing the update. And it can be downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog where you just type the KB number.

Having run DISM checks and with the system file corruption fixed, with the KB4541335 update file downloaded for my Windows version, I proceeded with the update, and voila! Update applied.

So here is me saying again that much of the Windows problems, including updates, can be fixed using DISM, SFC and Chkdsk utilities.

Hope this short article helps you, as it did me.

Till then!

DISM online health check

2020-03-20T00:30:00.000+08:00

DISM. Chkdsk. SFC. In my work of maintaining computers, I would sometimes come across computers, mostly laptops, that seem to have their Windows not behaving right, or that their Windows Update utility don’t get things right.

I would usually try many times, check a few more things here and there, and one of the checks I do, or the utilities I run, aside from chkdsk and sfc is DISM.

I will dive right in.

DISM has 3 options, which I run in sequence:
1. CheckHealth
2. ScanHealth
3. RestoreHealth

Cmd Window

By the way, the DISM commands are run via the cmd window, or the command prompt, that small text-based normally black background window that is invoked by pressing the Windows key, then typing cmd right away, and it shows in the search bar, which you open with a combination of CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER keys so it opens in elevated mode, having Administrator privilege.

The other way is by clicking on Start, looking for Command Prompt, doing a right-click on your mouse, then selecting Run as administrator. If you don’t see it, then you search for it, then do the right-click thingy, then choose Run as administrator. That is why I save myself the trouble by going the first method of pressing the Windows key, typing cmd, then doing a CTRL-SHIFT-ENTER.

Let’s proceed with DISM commands now.

CheckHealth

The command is DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth. Type it at the command prompt then press Enter.

You will be notified if there is any data corruption that the utility finds. You then proceed to the next steps.

ScanHealth

At the command prompt, you type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth and press Enter. The check runs for a short while in most cases, showing the image version and the progress of the check being done. Once done, you will be notified of corruptions, if any, that the utility finds.

RestoreHealth

Finally, you do a DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, and this is what will attempt to fix any errors that CheckHealth and ScanHealth may have found.

Type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth at the command prompt, press Enter, and you will see the image version and the counter indicating the progress of the operation, and when it finishes, the fixes done, if any.

It doesn’t get much harder than that, supposedly.

DISM. Chkdsk. SFC. These are simple but helpful Windows utilities that I use every now and then, and they help a lot. Hope you find them useful, too!

Till then.

For more info, you can look here:
How to use DISM command tool to repair Windows 10 image

Ultimate Power Plan in Windows 10

2020-03-16T00:30:00.000+08:00

Windows 10 Ultimate Power Plan.

I came across a few articles in the web about this new feature when Windows Update 1909 was released. I became curious, as I continue to explore new ways to speed up laptop and desktop performance, even after a massive upgrade to SSD was carried out in the company where I work in.

And it was easy.

Just open up a command prompt with Administrative privilege, or what others would call an elevated user privilege, and type in below, and hit enter.

powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61

If you have Control Panel opened up at Power Options, you need to close it first.

When you open up Power Options after this, you would see Ultimate Performance as a new option in the list of power plans. So if Power Options was open when this command is executed, close it, then open it again. That's when you will see it.

Right after the plan was selected, my laptop's screen brightness was set to maximum. I have to quickly turn it down.

Adjust and tweak to your liking, and you are set to experience the Ultimate Performance power plan.

Till then!

How To Get The Value of Textarea Using jQuery, Javascript, Set Maxlength, Width, Height

2020-03-13T00:30:00.000+08:00

Textarea Get Value using jQuery or Javascript, Set Char Limit, Set Width and Height

Last week I needed to use a textarea instead of a textbox, or an input control. Very simple indeed to change the html control type, then the problem of capturing the value arose.

Thankfully, there are many forums or articles in the web that addresses exactly this question.

As an aside, we include the setting of width and height, and the maximum number of chars typed in.

Say for example, you have this basic definition:

"<"textarea id="usercomment" name="usercomment" rows="15" cols="100" wrap="soft" maxlength="200" style="overflow: hidden; resize: none; font-family: 'Segoe UI'">""<"/textarea">"

N.B.: Make sure you use id tag, and not just name tag. If you forget the id tag, and you don't get the value, check your definition again. There must be the id tag. And do take note that the double-quote chars enclosing the opening and closing tags "<" and ">" should not be there at all.

This will create a textarea in your page that is 15px x 100px, and it will accept only until up to 200 chars. Continue typing and it will stop accepting input. If you test the limit by copying and pasting a char set more than 200, only up until the 200th char is shown. Want to test it, go ahead by all means!

Now, to get the value, I basically use jQuery. Here's how it is done:

var userinput = $("#usercomment").val();

If you want to trim the input, this is how it's done:

var userinput = $.trim($("#usercomment").val());

Sometimes you will see examples like this; they also work:

var userinput = $.trim($("textarea#usercomment").val());

Or sometimes, when the rows are created dynamically, as when the rows are created from a dB result set:

var userinput = $('#usercomment').val();

/* single quote instead of double quote */

Sometimes you will see some examples or answers in forums, as below:

var userinput = $("#usercomment").value();

/* this will be undefined */

var userinput = $("#usercomment").text();

/* this will give you a '' (empty) value */

Sometimes, the width and height is defined in the css style section this way:

textarea { width: 200px; height: 15px;}

This will be most useful when you have many textarea controls in your page.

Now, to get the value using plain vanilla javascript, it is done this way:

var userinput = document.getElementById("usercomment").value;

So there you have it! Now you know:

Textarea Get Value using jQuery or Javascript, Set Char Limit, Set Width and Height

Hopefully this short explanation is of use to you today.

Till then!

Why contactless payment is safer than swiping credit cards when you're travelling

2020-03-09T00:30:00.000+08:00

Thanks to “contactless” payment systems, there’s a revolutionary change going on in how credit cards are used. And the technology is a huge improvement for overseas travellers. But what is contactless technology and why is it good for travel? Read on.

KEEP THAT WALLET HIDDEN, OR BETTER YET, IN YOUR ROOM SAFE

Instead of swiping your credit card or inserting its chip to complete the payment process, contactless technology lets you make a purchase by placing or hovering your card or phone near a payment terminal, aka the credit card machine.

Some recently issued credit cards also have the same contactless ability found in your mobile phone's digital wallet.

While some recently issued credit cards have this ability built in, the real improvement, particularly while travelling, is using contactless payments on your mobile phone. A digital wallet like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay securely stores your credit card details, and to purchase something, you merely unlock your phone and tap it to the pay terminal. Often getting your phone close is enough: In most cases, you don’t even need to open an app.

Most Apple and Android phones from the last few years have the ability to make contactless payments. Smartwatches and many new fitness trackers can also be used. Your credit cards will function exactly as they would normally; the digital wallet is merely card storage and a facilitator of payments. (And using a digital wallet is free.)

IN THE STORE

Ask the seller if they take contactless or look on the terminal for the contactless symbol, which appears like a sideways Wi-Fi logo, sometimes with a hand holding a card next to it. Once you start looking for this logo, you’ll see it just about everywhere.

Visa estimates that 50 per cent of its in-person credit card sales outside the US are now contactless, while Mastercard says 25 per cent worldwide. Both companies say those numbers are increasing each year.

The technology is not reliant on a specific brand of phone or type of mobile wallet app. For example, if it has the contactless logo and the Apple Pay logo, your Android phone with Google Pay should work fine.

Conveniently, many airline and other tickets can be stored in the digital wallet, too. Some metro systems, like London’s Underground, also accept payment this way.

WHY BOTHER?

Not only is contactless easier, it’s actually safer. Your credit cards are encrypted and hidden behind your phone’s lock screen. This makes it nearly impossible for a nefarious shopkeeper to copy your credit card number. Your name and three-digit security code are not transmitted, nor even seen, so even in the unlikely event they get your number, they can’t make online purchases.

If you get a new credit card with the contactless ability built in, this is still more secure than the magnetic swipe. Visa says more than 100 million of these cards have already been issued in the United States and estimates there will be 300 million by the end of 2020.

If you don’t have cellular data when you travel, contactless should still work – the technology only requires the connection between your phone and the payment terminal. You just won’t get purchase notifications in the app until you log into Wi-Fi. If your phone gets stolen, logging into your account from a secure place will let you deactivate any cards in your digital wallet.

Visa, Mastercard and most big compatible banks like Chase, Bank of America and Citibank offer more details about contactless payments. Check your bank or card issuer to be sure, then give it a try at a local store before your next trip. You might end up using contactless when you’re not traveling, too.

THE KEY WORD: 'SHOULD'

You should be able to use your phone or card anywhere you see the contactless payment logo. Annoyingly, even if you’re in a country with widespread contactless adoption and are standing over a payment terminal with the logo … it still might not work. During four months of travel last year across Asia and Europe, this happened to me a few times. But thankfully, getting out and inserting or swiping the card, then signing the receipt, did the trick. This felt surprisingly archaic after months of the seeming magic of contactless. Depending on the country and the amount of your purchase, you might still need to do this, but not usually.

By Geoffrey Morrison © The New York Times

Taken from this article:
https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/travel/why-contactless-payment-is-safer-than-swiping-credit-cards-12418914

Panicking about your kids and their phones? New research says you don’t have to

2020-03-05T20:15:00.000+08:00

Panicking about your kids and their phones? New research says you don’t have to

It has become common wisdom that too much time spent on smartphones and social media is responsible for a recent spike in anxiety, depression and other mental health problems, especially among teenagers.

But a growing number of academic researchers have produced studies that suggest the common wisdom is wrong.

The latest research, published Friday (Jan 17) by two psychology professors, combs through about 40 studies that have examined the link between social media use and both depression and anxiety among adolescents. That link, according to the professors, is small and inconsistent.

“There doesn’t seem to be an evidence base that would explain the level of panic and consternation around these issues,” said Candice L Odgers, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, and the lead author of the paper, which was published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

DO PHONES POSE A SIGNIFICANT RISK TO MENTAL HEALTH?

The debate over the harm we – and especially our children – are doing to ourselves by staring into phones is generally predicated on the assumption that the machines we carry in our pockets pose a significant risk to our mental health.

Worries about smartphones have led the US Congress to pass legislation to examine the impact of heavy smartphone use and pushed investors to pressure big tech companies to change the way they approach young customers.

The World Health Organization said last year that infants under a year old should not be exposed to electronic screens and that children between the ages of two and four should not have more than an hour of “sedentary screen time” each day.

Even in Silicon Valley, technology executives have made a point of keeping the devices and the software they develop away from their own children.

But some researchers question whether those fears are justified. They are not arguing that intensive use of phones does not matter. Children who are on their phones too much can miss out on other valuable activities, like exercise. And research has shown that excessive phone use can exacerbate the problems of certain vulnerable groups, like children with mental health issues.

They are, however, challenging the widespread belief that screens are responsible for broad societal problems like the rising rates of anxiety and sleep deprivation among teenagers. In most cases, they say, the phone is just a mirror that reveals the problems a child would have even without the phone.

The researchers worry that the focus on keeping children away from screens is making it hard to have more productive conversations about topics like how to make phones more useful for low-income people, who tend to use them more, or how to protect the privacy of teenagers who share their lives online.

“Many of the people who are terrifying kids about screens, they have hit a vein of attention from society and they are going to ride that. But that is super bad for society,” said Andrew Przybylski, director of research at the Oxford Internet Institute, who has published several studies on the topic.

'A LOT OF HYPE AND A LOT OF FEAR'

The new article by Odgers and Michaeline R Jensen, of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, comes just a few weeks after the publication of an analysis by Amy Orben, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, and shortly before the planned publication of similar work from Jeff Hancock, the founder of the Stanford Social Media Lab. Both reached similar conclusions.

“The current dominant discourse around phones and well-being is a lot of hype and a lot of fear,” Hancock said. “But if you compare the effects of your phone to eating properly or sleeping or smoking, it’s not even close.”

Hancock’s analysis of about 226 studies on the well-being of phone users concluded that “when you look at all these different kinds of well-being, the net effect size is essentially zero.”

The debate about screen time and mental health goes back to the early days of the iPhone.

The debate about screen time and mental health goes back to the early days of the iPhone. In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics published a widely cited paper that warned doctors about “Facebook depression.”

But by 2016, as more research came out, the academy revised that statement, deleting any mention of Facebook depression and emphasising the conflicting evidence and the potential positive benefits of using social media.

Megan Moreno, one of the lead authors of the revised statement, said the original statement had been a problem “because it created panic without a strong basis of evidence.”

Moreno, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Wisconsin, said that in her own medical practice, she tends to be struck by the number of children with mental health problems who are helped by social media because of the resources and connections it provides.

Concern about the connection between smartphones and mental health has also been fed by high-profile works like a 2017 article in The Atlantic – and a related book – by psychologist Jean Twenge, who argued that a recent rise in suicide and depression among teenagers was linked to the arrival of smartphones.

CORRELATION, NOT CAUSATION

In her article, “Have Smartphones Ruined a Generation?,” Twenge attributed the sudden rise in reports of anxiety, depression and suicide from teens after 2012 to the spread of smartphones and social media.

Twenge’s critics argue that her work found a correlation between the appearance of smartphones and a real rise in reports of mental health issues, but that it did not establish that phones were the cause.

It could, researchers argue, just as easily be that the rise in depression led teenagers to excessive phone use at a time when there were many other potential explanations for depression and anxiety. What’s more, anxiety and suicide rates appear not to have risen in large parts of Europe, where phones have also become more prevalent.

“Why else might American kids be anxious other than telephones?” Hancock said. “How about climate change? How about income inequality? How about more student debt? There are so many big giant structural issues that have a huge impact on us but are invisible and that we aren’t looking at.”

Twenge remains committed to her position, and she points to several more recent studies by other academics who have found a specific link between social media use and poor mental health. One paper found that when a group of college students gave up social media for three weeks, their sense of loneliness and depression declined.

Odgers, Hancock and Przybylski said they had not taken any funding from the tech industry, and all have been outspoken critics of the industry on issues other than mental health, such as privacy and the companies’ lack of transparency.

Odgers added that she was not surprised that people had a hard time accepting her findings. Her own mother questioned her research after one of her grandsons stopped talking to her during the long drives she used to enjoy. But children tuning out their elders when they become teenagers is hardly a new trend, she said.

She also reminded her mother that their conversation was taking place during a video chat with Odgers’ son – the kind of intergenerational connection that was impossible before smartphones.

Odgers acknowledged that she was reluctant to give her two children more time on their iPads. But she recently tried playing the video game Fortnite with her son and found it an unexpectedly positive experience.

“It’s hard work because it’s not the environment we were raised in,” she said. “It can be a little scary at times. I have those moments, too.”

By Nathaniel Popper © 2020 The New York Times

Taken from this article:
https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/new-research-phone-usage-mental-health-12308294

Outlook 2016 not receiving mails

2020-01-21T19:22:00.000+08:00

Outlook 2016 not receiving mails. I hit this problem when I had to copy over my pst file to a new laptop. And I have been doing this for over a dozen times since Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013 and now, 2016.

There's a lot of users who also experience this problem, and there have been various suggestions, fixes, etc., and while many have it fixed and done and working again, still a lot encounter it, or never get to fix it.

Well, I did mine, and it is working fine again.

First attempted fix:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/i-am-not-receiving-emails-in-my-outlook-2016/df4ba6ea-e554-40f3-8094-77c287e3f616

What worked for me:
https://www.lifewire.com/fix-outlook-not-receiving-email-4177911

I won't copy over the fix outlined in page as per link above, which worked for me, so I don't go plagiarizing somebody else's work. Besides, the list is so long, and perhaps I tried more than one before getting Outlook 2016 not receiving mails fixed for me. Or maybe the first one already did it. I can't remember. But surely I marked the pages and which one worked for me.

Hope you fix yours, too. Happy e-mailing again.

Till then!

21-Jan-2020