My Knowledge Base - IT

Persian, Arabic and other languages not working in Oracle Forms 6i in Windows 7 64bit

2012-09-14T10:01:00.000+03:00

Problem:
Recently we encountered a problem while transitioning some of our clients to Windows 7. There are some line of business applications that run on Oracle Forms 6i and clients need to enter persian, arabic, hebrew and other languages. When Oracle forms are installed, the language setting is set as following in the registry:

For 32bit machines -

Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Oracle
Value Name: NLS_LANG
Value: AMERICAN_AMERICA.WE8ISO8859P1

For 64bit machines -

Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Oracle
Value Name: NLS_LANG
Value: AMERICAN_AMERICA.WE8ISO8859P1

this by default does not support UTF8 encoding.

Solution:
To get the languages working, change the value of NLS_LANG to

AMERICAN_AMERICA.UTF8

beware, this may break other forms that are not designed well and cannot take UTF8 so test before implementing it to all

The Internet Explorer 6 Goodbye Countdown

2012-01-05T09:07:00.001+02:00

10 years ago a
browser was born.

Its name was Internet Explorer 6. Now that we’re in 2012, in an era of modern web standards, it’s time to say goodbye.

This website is dedicated to watching Internet Explorer 6 usage drop to less than 1% worldwide, so more websites can choose to drop support for Internet Explorer 6, saving hours of work for web developers.

http://www.ie6countdown.com/

PowerShell 3.0 CTP #2 is out. Excitement ahead!

2012-01-02T10:46:00.001+02:00

To download: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=27548

Windows PowerShell 3.0
Some of the new features in Windows PowerShell 3.0 include:

Workflows
Workflows that run long-running activities (in sequence or in parallel) to perform complex, larger management tasks, such as multi-machine application provisioning. Using the Windows Workflow Foundation at the command line, Windows PowerShell workflows are repeatable, parallelizable, interruptible, and recoverable.
Robust Sessions
Robust sessions that automatically recover from network failures and interruptions and allow you to disconnect from the session, shut down the computer, and reconnect from a different computer without interrupting the task.
Scheduled Jobs
Scheduled jobs that run regularly or in response to an event.
Delegated Administration
Commands that can be executed with a delegated set of credentials so users with limited permissions can run critical jobs
Simplified Language Syntax
Simplified language syntax that make commands and scripts look a lot less like code and a lot more like natural language.
Cmdlet Discovery
Improved cmdlet discovery and automatic module loading that make it easier to find and run any of the cmdlets installed on your computer.
Show-Command
Show-Command, a cmdlet and ISE Add-On that helps users find the right cmdlet, view its parameters in a dialog box, and run it.

KMS Activation Issue - Windows 7 on Dell OptiPlex

2011-12-20T11:49:00.001+02:00

Problem

One of the Dell OptiPlex machines were not getting Windows 7 activated by KMS.

I tried running slmgr –ato with no success. Every time following error appeared

Error Code: 0xc004f035. The Software Licensing Service reported that the computer could not be activated with a Volume license product key. Volume licensed systems require upgrading from a qualified operating system. Please contact your system administrator or use a different type of key.

Resolution

To fix this issue, update BIOS to the latest version available on Dell support site

As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are Promised

2011-12-12T09:02:00.001+02:00

“..The Kindle Fire, Amazon’s heavily promoted tablet, is less than a blazing success with many of its early users. The most disgruntled are packing the device up and firing it back to the retailer.

A few of their many complaints: there is no external volume control. The off switch is easy to hit by accident. Web pages take a long time to load. There is no privacy on the device; a spouse or child who picks it up will instantly know everything you have been doing. The touch screen is frequently hesitant and sometimes downright balky…”

“..“In less than two weeks, we’re rolling out an over-the-air update to Kindle Fire,” said Drew Herdener, a company spokesman.

There will be improvements in performance and multitouch navigation, and customers will have the option of editing the list of items that show what they have recently been doing…”

Source

Outlook Advanced Search Error

2011-10-18T14:50:00.001+02:00

Issue

When you try to run Advanced Search in Microsoft Outlook following error appears

“Outlook cannot perform your search. Outlook cannot display this view”

Simple Search works fine but the issue only occurs when searching a shared or just one mailbox. All users that access this mailbox have same symptom.

Resolution

Since all users are getting the same issue, its not just outlook. There is some wrong with the mailbox itself. In most cases it is a custom Search Folder that is creating this issue.

there are two ways to resolve this issue.

1. Delete the Search Folder that is not working properly (Right Click –> Delete Folder)

a. Create a new mapi profile for just that one mailbox and make sure that Outlook prompts you to choose a profile when opened

b. Go to Start –> Run or press Win+R keys and type outlook /cleanfinders press Enter

c. Choose the profile for the mailbox that has issue

Any of the above actions will clear the broken search folder, fixing the search issue.

Skype is now part of Microsoft

2011-10-16T11:29:00.001+02:00

Together we will bring innovative technology to friends, families and colleagues everywhere. And now the future possibilities for our customers are even more exciting. We will enable more people to connect in more ways that transform and enhance their lives. And this is just the beginning.

Source: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/skype/?WT.mc_id=MSCOM_EN_US_DLC_DETAILS_122LSUS011889

Microsoft Skype acquisition finalized

2011-10-15T21:35:00.001+02:00

“I am delighted to announce the deal with Microsoft has formally closed, and Skype is now a division of Microsoft. This represents a huge leap forward in Skype's mission to be the communications choice for a billion people every day…”

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2011/oct11/10-13SkypePR.mspx

http://blogs.skype.com/en/2011/10/acquisitionclose.html

Send a WebPage to Kindle

2011-10-09T12:54:00.001+02:00

I have been using a kindle for a few weeks now and I find it extremely useful.

Reading on computer screen is not comfortable specially I spend more than 20 minutes reading on an LCD my eyes start to hurt so Kindle is great for that. Anyways, since Amazon is not really paying me to advertise their Kindle I will get to the point.

There are many time when I am doing some research and I come across some great articles that I want to read online. I have two ways to read it on my Kindle

1. Go to the URL on experimental browser on kindle (not a great reading experience still)

2. Use a plugin with your browser (Chrome, Firefox) or an Android app to send the page converted to Kindle readable format (This is great!)

There is a tool called Kindle it, It allows me to send an webpage I am reading to my …@free.kindle.com email which converts it and sends it to my kindle.

To get the add-on visit
http://fivefilters.org/kindle-it/

Bulk Convert Office 97/2003 Files to Office 2007 or Office 2010

2011-10-05T11:26:00.001+02:00

Many organizations are now using Office 2007 or Office 2010 most documents are still in legacy format. Although there is no harm with using doc files created in previous versions. But there are limitations with formatting options and manipulation of the overall document.

Microsoft provides with a tool that can help converting many doc file and a fileshare or a multiple directories to the new docx format.

here you can download tools for the relevant version of Office

Office 2007

Office 2010

with OMPM (Office Migration Planning Manager) one can batch convert old doc file to docx format.

Instructions to Migrate Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files to the 2007 Office system can be found here

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc179019%28office.12%29.aspx

Instructions to Convert binary Office files by using the Office File Converter (OFC) and Version Extraction Tool (VET) can be found here

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc179019.aspx

Is 10/GUI the Future Replacement of the Mouse and Keyboard?

2011-09-28T11:11:00.001+03:00

Here, watch the demo, and it'll be much clearer than my explanation:

http://vimeo.com/7408389

Windows 8 Developer’s Preview - Remove Metro UI

2011-09-22T10:50:00.001+03:00

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/window-on-windows/tweak-windows-8-to-remove-the-metro-interface/5077?tag=nl.e064

“…First, start regedit. In Windows 8, if you are in the Metro Interface, you can just type r e g e d i t and that application will appear in the search, like you see in Figure A.

Figure A

Just start typing in Windows 8 and the OS will assume you want to search for an application

Inside the registry editor, navigate to this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Double-click the key labeled: RPEnabled as shown in Figure B.

Figure B

Double-click RPEnabled

When the Edit DWORD comes up (Figure C), change the Value data from 1 to zero and click OK.

Figure C

Change the Value data from 1 to zero

That’s it. Now, when you click the Start Menu on the Windows 8 Desktop you will get the old Start Menu you know rather than the tiled screen Microsoft is hoping you will want to know..”

Video: Introducing Windows Server 8

2011-09-17T13:43:00.001+03:00

Download the Developer Preview
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/windows-server/v8.aspx

Video Introducing Server 8
http://www.grouppolicy.biz/2011/09/video-introducing-windows-server-8/

Windows Server 8 - Built for Virtualization
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2011/09/windows-server-8-built-for-the-cloud-built-for-virtualization.ars

Performance improvements and optimizations
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/BUILD/BUILD2011/SAC-417T

BUILD Sessions for Windows Server 8
http://www.grouppolicy.biz/2011/09/build-sessions-list-for-windows-server-8-hyper-v/

Windows 8 Action Center

2011-09-15T14:53:00.001+03:00

Unlike Windows 7 Action Center Windows 8 Action Center can actually perform remediation tasks for the notifications.

These small but significant changes can make Windows 8 one of the best OS.

Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts

2011-09-14T17:05:00.001+03:00

Anywhere in Windows 8

WIN + Q
Find and Application

WIN + W
Search Settings or Control Panel

WIN + I
Open Preferences of currently running application and windows

WIN + O
Disable screen rotation (turn off the gyro reaction to the tablets)

WIN + C
Opens MetroUI Start Menu with taskbar items like time and network connectivity

Windows Explorer Hotkeys; (Press ALT Key + the below combination)

A – to open the “special features”

C O – to copy the selected items.

C P – copy the path to the file / folder.

C F – copy the folder (use the drop-down list)

D – delete the selected.

E – edit the selected files.

H – to show the history of file versions.

M – move the files (using the drop-down list).

N – Create a new folder.

P S – insert label

P R – open properties.

P E – Open With …, select the application again using a drop-down list.

S A – select all.

S N – deselect.

S I – invert the selection.

R – rename a selected file (s).

T – cut

V – to paste.

W – to create a new document, choose the template – using the drop-down list.

How to Create Bootable USB for Windows 8 Developer Preview

2011-09-14T13:47:00.001+03:00

“..Like many folks, after watching the BUILD keynote this morning, I couldn't wait to get home and install Windows 8 Developer Preview on my laptop. The instructions for installing Windows 8 are simple enough. The only fly in the ointment is that installing Windows 8 requires a DVD to create an install package…”

So Mount the ISO first lest say it is mounted on I: drive

Here are the steps to format a USB flash drive.

Insert a USB flash drive into your computer
Start a Command Prompt as an Administrator and type diskpart. This starts the Disk Partition tool which you need to use to format the flash drive. Once you see the DISKPART command prompt, type in the following commands
DISKPART> list disk /* shows list of active disks */
DISKPART> select disk # /* # is the number for your USB flash drive */
DISKPART> clean /* deletes any existing partitions on the USB flash drive */
DISKPART> create partition primary /* create a primary partition on the USB flash drive */
DISKPART> select partition 1 /* select the newly created partition */
DISKPART> active /* make the new partition active */
DISKPART> format /FS:NTFS /* format the USB drive with NTFS file system */
DISKPART> assign /* assign a volume and drive letter to the USB drive */
DISKPART> exit /* exit Disk Partition */

At this point, your USB flash drive should be showing up in Windows Explorer and have a drive letter assigned to it, e.g. F:\.

Make the USB flash drive bootable

We just need to make the USB flash drive bootable before copying the files. To do this, you can use the Boot Sector Registration Tool (bootsect.exe) which is located in the boot folder of the Windows 8 ISO image.

Start a Command Prompt as an Administrator and CHDIR into the boot folder of the Windows 8 ISO image, e.g. I:\boot where I:\ is the drive where the ISO image is mounted
Type bootsect /nt60 E: /* where E: is the drive assigned to the USB flash drive */

Step 3: Copy the Windows 8 files onto the USB flash drive

From a command line, use XCOPY to copy the Windows 8 files to the USB flash drive . In the example below, I:\ is the drive where the ISO image is mounted. F:\ is the USB flash drive.

XCOPY I:\*.* F:\ /E /F /H

Source

Windows 8–Useful Links

2011-09-14T09:14:00.000+03:00

Windows 8 is the hot news on every technical news portal and blog, here is a collection of links that will help you get more info on anything related to Windows 8. Watch the keynote from yesterday during BUILD Conference. If you just want to watch Windows 8 related bit in the keynote use the link below:

Everything You Need to Know About Windows 8 in Eight Minutes

Download ISO

Download Windows 8 ISOs Right Now

Feature Talks

Windows 8: classic desktop features [video]

Windows 8 requires less power than Windows 7

Windows 8: What's new on the desktop experience

Windows 8: Introducing Windows 8's tablet interface, Metro

Windows 8 app store approval policy outlined

Windows 8 Metro apps and Windows Store [video]

Hands on: Windows 8 input options and pen computing

Windows 8: A look at Internet Explorer 10

Windows Live SkyDrive Integration in Windows 8

Reviews

Welcome to Windows 8 – The Developer Preview

Windows 8 developer preview UX in pictures

Windows 8 really does change everything, it’s mind-blowing

Hands on: Windows 8 review

Microsoft blows up Windows with Windows 8

Microsoft download from The Garage: Mouse without Borders and Others

2011-09-11T11:10:00.001+03:00

Microsoft have released a great little app for users us with multiple PCs. The addin comes from a Garage project at Microsoft which is a program designed to encourage incubations of ideas and projects.

With the application it treats all your Windows PCs as if they were one single desktop, so if you have two machines side by site (as I do at work) you can use the mouse as though they were one PC including dragging files between them. It’s a great idea and if you have a dedicated Media Center machine connected to your TV as well a laptop it would be a great way of controlling it from one place.

Source: link

Download: link

There are other applications that can be used to achieve the same and even better in some cases.

http://inputdirector.com/

http://synergy-foss.org/

Exchange 2010 SP2 on its way

2011-08-31T17:10:00.001+03:00

“..With the release of Exchange Server 2010 SP2 later this year, we will add a new feature known as Address Book Policies . Following this addition, hosters who wish to deploy the standard on-premises configuration of Exchange and use ABP will be supported. As you may have read in a recent post over on the Exchange Partner Marketing blog, our view on whether to host Exchange using Hosting Mode or the standard on-premises configuration is changing in response to feedback we’ve had...”

Exchange 2010 SP1 - Rollup 5 is released

2011-08-27T11:15:00.000+03:00

Microsoft has released Update Rollup 5 for Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1) that is dated August 23, 2011...

download from the link below

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=27193

Why was Exchange 2010 sp1 Rollup 4 recalled?

2011-08-10T08:33:00.001+03:00

Here are some details on why Exchange 2010 sp1 RU4 was recalled.

An Update on Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Rollup Update 4

I really hope that Microsoft makes some proper changes to avoid this in future. Having a reputation for recalling updates for something as critical as Exchange or anything for that matter is not a good sign. Industry learns and inherits standards from such companies so they have to be very diligent in their offerings.

Well I wish the Exchange Team well for future rollouts.

Emails stuck in submissions queue–Exchange 2010 sp1

2011-08-09T09:12:00.001+03:00

While checking the message queue on a hub transport server I found many messages stuck with status retry and last error read something like the following

400 4.4.7 The server responded with: 550 5.6.0 CAT.InvalidContent.Exception: InvalidCharsetException, Character set name (ISO-8859-6-i) is invalid or not installed.; cannot handle content of message with InternalId….

I always like to have the mail queue clear and specially submission (local deliveries), which can be a nightmare if clogged.

Resolution

by looking at the details of these messages one could tell that they are either spam of Exchange server cannot process it because the FromAddress field is <> empty.

to get rid of these messages from the queue, I just used the following cmdlet.

Get-Message -Filter {FromAddress -eq "<>"} -Server htserver | Remove-Message

Missing Manage Send as Permissions option in Exchange Management Console

2011-08-01T09:58:00.001+03:00

In Exchange 2010 RBAC allows you to grant permissions to Helpdesk or Administrators in a very granular manner. There are built in groups that one can use for Helpdesk and Recipient Management that one can add User Support team to be able to manage permissions on a mailbox, create and delete mailbox, mail enable public folders, manage permissions on mailbox etc.

Issue

I used the built in groups to grant our user support team permissions that they required. All works fine but User Support was unable to see or grant send as permissions. When any of them right click a mailbox they don’t even see an option to view or change send as permissions. They do see an option for managing full mailbox permissions.

Resolution

In Toolbox of EMC go to “Role Based Access Control (RBAC) User Editor”

Double click Recipient Management Role and in the Roles add “Active Directory Permissions” click on Save.

Announcing the re-release of Exchange 2010 SP1 Rollup 4

2011-07-29T08:59:00.001+03:00

“….The review completed by the Exchange CXP team determined that the issue identified in 'KB 2581545: The copy or move operation on a folder that contains subfolders does not work as expected after you install Update Rollup 4 for Exchange Server 2010 SP1 dated June 22, 2011’ introduced a serious regression in the original release of Rollup 4. As a result, a new version of Rollup 4 dated July 23, 2011 has been tested and released with the change that caused the regression removed. The re-release of Rollup 4 is tracked by 'KB 2579150: Description of Update Rollup 4 for Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1'…”

My Knowledge Base - IT

Persian, Arabic and other languages not working in Oracle Forms 6i in Windows 7 64bit

The Internet Explorer 6 Goodbye Countdown

10 years ago a browser was born.

PowerShell 3.0 CTP #2 is out. Excitement ahead!

KMS Activation Issue - Windows 7 on Dell OptiPlex

Problem

Resolution

As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are Promised

Outlook Advanced Search Error

Skype is now part of Microsoft

Microsoft Skype acquisition finalized

Send a WebPage to Kindle

Bulk Convert Office 97/2003 Files to Office 2007 or Office 2010

Is 10/GUI the Future Replacement of the Mouse and Keyboard?

Windows 8 Developer’s Preview - Remove Metro UI

Figure A

Just start typing in Windows 8 and the OS will assume you want to search for an application

Figure B

Double-click RPEnabled

Figure C

Change the Value data from 1 to zero

Video: Introducing Windows Server 8

Windows 8 Action Center

More on Windows 8

Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts

Anywhere in Windows 8

Windows Explorer Hotkeys; (Press ALT Key + the below combination)

How to Create Bootable USB for Windows 8 Developer Preview

Make the USB flash drive bootable

Step 3: Copy the Windows 8 files onto the USB flash drive

Windows 8–Useful Links

Microsoft download from The Garage: Mouse without Borders and Others

Exchange 2010 SP2 on its way

Exchange 2010 SP1 - Rollup 5 is released

Why was Exchange 2010 sp1 Rollup 4 recalled?

An Update on Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Rollup Update 4

Emails stuck in submissions queue–Exchange 2010 sp1

Missing Manage Send as Permissions option in Exchange Management Console

Announcing the re-release of Exchange 2010 SP1 Rollup 4

10 years ago a
browser was born.