Windows 7 Pro with XP Mode

This isn't always obvious to people who get Windows 7 (unfortunately it requires Professional or Enterprise or Ultimate to support XP Mode directly), but you can have a Virtual XP Pro installation that you can either run as a second virtual computer simultaneously as Windows 7, or, can use specific apps that are only installed on the virtual xp (known as XP Mode integration or so). Here's the info you need: Microsoft download page: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

Samsung SGH-i727R Root and upgrade from ICS to Jelly Bean

• Download Odin3 v1.85 
• Download Odin tar.md5 recovery image (CWM or TWRP)
• Download and Install Samsung Kies (this provides the correct drivers for the phone)
• Reboot computer to allow Samsung Kies drivers to complete installing
• Download SuperSU-0.93-Busybox-1.20.2.zip and copy it to your phone using USB storage mode (/downloads folder works well )
• Unplug phone from computer
• power off phone
• Reboot phone into ODIN Download mode by following the next steps
• phone should be powered off to start with
• while holding down volume key, press and hold power key
• release power key when phone vibrates
• release volume key when black screen appears, or download warning screen appears
• to enter download mode, accept the warning by pressing the volume up key (the warning should mention to press Volume up to continue into Download mode)
• run Odin on the computer
• uncheck all options except Auto Reboot (important!)
• click on PDA button to choose your tar.md5 file (CWM 5.5.0.4 or TWRP 2.2.0.2)
• connect phone to computer using usb cable
• Odin should recognize the phone (a few visual cues), nothing should change on phone's screen
• click on the Start button in Odin
• the Odin log window should show success, and it will reboot your phone (assuming you selected the auto reboot checkbox)

• Root your phone
• shutdown phone
• while holding volume up AND down together, press and hold the power button down
• release the power button when the phone vibrates
• release the volume buttons after the Samsung screen flashes and then goes to a black screen
• wait for CWM or TWRP to load (up to a few seconds of black screen first)
• choose install zip from sdcard
• choose instlal from internal memory (or external if you put SuperUser on the external card
• browse to and highlight the SuperUser file and press the enter button
• with CWM you should see in the log lines that it was successful
• with TWRP you have to press the bottom middle button on screen to see the log to see if it was successful
• return to main menu and choose to reboot the phone
• run SuperSU#, accept its offer to update its files
• close SuperSU
• reboot into recovery mode (if doing this via Rom Manager, SuperSU will ask you to give Rom Manager root permissions to reboot the phone, Grant Rom Manager access, you may get an "internet not connected" or similar error message, simply choose okay for the boot process to continue, or it may continue without interaction and they are just warnings while processes are being killed during the shutdown process)

• Backup your phone's stock ROM before installing any custom ones
• reboot into recovery (CWM in this example)
• choose backup current ROM
• choose Backup to internnal SD card (or external, whatever floats your boat)
• this will take up to a few minutes
• reboot phone
• when booted up again, take a copy of the backup file over to your computer for safe keeping

• Install custom Jelly Bean 4.1 or 4.2 ROM
• Download your preferred Jelly Bean 4.1 or 4.2 ROM from xda-developers
• save it to your internal or external sd card on the phone
• boot into recovery mode

• Notes:
• I did all of the above steps with no SD Card installed and no SIM card installed, Wifi was on, Airplane mode was not enabled
• Always do things with a near full battery
• wipe data / factory reset, TWICE (x2)
• wipe cache partition, TWICE (x2)

I'm publishing this post, it's been sitting in draft for quite a while, and I don't know what (if anything) may be missing, I forgot to finish it while it was fresh in my mind.  I've since given the i727r phone back to it's owner.

HTC Raider LTE ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) Update goes to white HTC Screen

HTC Raider LTE ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) Update goes to white HTC Screen

notes:
- phone is a Rogers HTC Raider LTE
- I cellular unlocked / carrier unlocked the phone months ago before this
- I HTC Dev unlocked the phone
- The phone is S-ON / Security-ON still, as I haven't S-OFF'd it yet

I went to do the Rogers ICS 4.03 update that was finally released on July 7th.

- downloaded the update over wifi
- initiated the ICS update
- during the update, the phone showed a download/progress bar several times in between reboots (at least 4 or 5 reboots, and new progress bars)
- it seemed to be stuck on a white HTC screen
- after waiting about 30 minutes for the update to finish (while still on the white HTC screen), I finally pulled the battery
- tried booting the phone several times
- started researching on the net
- came to the conclusion that I should try re-locking it first
- installed HTC Sync for this phone (including all 4 pieces of software and drivers that it suggested), no reboot of the desktop was necessary
- installed Android SDK
- second stage of Android SDK prompted to install the 4.1 (API 16) kit, I didn't install this, instead, I made sure to pick and install the following from the SDK Manager:
  - Under Tools: Android SDK Tools
  - Under Tools: Android SDK Platform-tools
  - Under Extras: Google USB Driver
- once again, no reboot of the desktop was required
- plugged my HTC Raider into USB on my computer
- held-down VOLUME-DOWN button while pressing and holding the POWER button until I saw something on the screen (should be HTC boot menu for Fastboot, Recovery, Factory Wipe, etc, etc)
- after it finished loading (it tries to run any updates on the internal (or SD?) flash cards first, I then chose the FASTBOOT option
- I opened a command prompt in windows (right-clicked and ran as administrator)
- ran "cd \Program files (x86)\android\android-sdk\platform-tools" to change to the correct directory where my android SDK tools were installed
- then ran "fastboot oem lock" which returned with:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools>fastboot oem lock
...
(bootloader) Lock successfully...
FAILED (status read failed (No such file or directory))
finished. total time: 0.115s

- I then either powered off the phone or it rebooted, I don't remember
- I then held-down VOLUME-DOWN button while pressing and holding the POWER button until I saw something on the screen (should be HTC boot menu for Fastboot, Recovery, Factory Wipe, etc, etc)
- this time I chose Recovery.. I should have just booted it normally instead, I don't think I needed to choose recovery, but I'm including it here for completeness
- it then continued to show a black screen with a small phone and three green arrows (2 arrows circling another green arrow), and a progress bar
- I continued to watch it (the phone was still plugged into my computer USB cable)
- it got to the end of the progress bar, and sat there, I got a little impatient and was googling while I was waiting, and someone had suggested (on another phone model) that during their update when it stopped on a similar screen, they unplugged their USB cable from the phone, and it continued on, so I did the same, I don't know that it really needed to be unplugged... your mileage may vary, maybe having just waited a littler longer, it might have continued on anyways.
- the phone continued to reboot
- it eventually started showing a more light-green/bluey colored arrows (the first hint that the ICS upgrade is continuing!! yay!)
- it continued to do this for a bit, and eventually got to a new screen saying it was updating components or packages (I forget the exact words)
- it eventually finished updating and I was able to use the phone again
- I had one touchwiz (I think) crash fairly quickly after the update.. but everything has been alright since then (these touchwiz crashes were common when I was using/reorganizing my Producteev todo lists, so I can always try that again and see if I have more crashes)

Anyways... maybe this will help some people out.

Windows XP Update KB2481109 won't install

Ran into a few computers that would continually try to install Windows Update KB2481109 and fail. The logfile in c:\windows\KB2481109.log (or .txt?) mentioned that it didn't have the correct prerequisite.

Researching led to suggesting to install KB969084 first, and then try the KB2481109 update again if it comes up.

KB969084 is available here, or just google it:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=20609

I followed this method and it fixed the problem on several Windows XP machines.

Ubuntu Server 11.10 black screen no video after install

After installing Ubuntu Server 11.10 x64 on a freshly built server, after the eject disc and press Enter to reboot option, the system reboots, goes through grub, then shows a black screen, then shows nothing but a blank / black screen.

Thinking it was locked up at first, I decided to try my luck with a CTRL-ALT-DEL (control alt delete), and was greeted with the system rebooting, posting, going through grub, then black screen again. I first thought it was an issue of needing to use the new GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=KEEP, but I decided to google it, and found the post that my post title links to, and it suggested adding the nomodeset kernel option. I'm not sure if the other option might have worked as well, and if it is/would be a better solution... I didn't need to try it as the nomodeset option worked, and its very similar in how to go about fixing it anyways (editing the grub config).

Following the linked to poster's description (a good description for newbies) of what to edit in Grub didn't quite match the new grub menu / editing selection of Ubuntu 11.10 during bootup (I didn't see splash or quiet options that he mentioned in this new interface / menu), but I simply added the nomodeset to the end of the line that loads the kernel and its options.

After successfully booting, edit /etc/defaults/grub and add nomodeset to the following option in grubs config file for future boots:

sudo nano /etc/defaults/grub

add / update the following: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="nomodeset"

then run "sudo update-grub"

Now during bootup, the screen still goes blank temporarily, but then comes back and works as normal.

Windows 7 Backup fails saying it skipped files

Using Windows 7 built-in backup system with the automated settings is simple... sometimes too over-simple, and lacking for easy adjustment.

Certain programs you install create their own user account on Windows 7 (and Vista or XP I assume). In my case, I was working on a system that has two programs installed that Windows 7 Backup complains about, Logmein Remote support Software and Quickbooks (2010, 2011, 2012 are all the same I believe).

When the Windows 7 Backup runs, it completes, but gives you a system warning saying that it has failed since it wasn't able to backup certain files (listed below in my instance).

C:\Users\LogmeinRemoteUser\Contacts
C:\Users\LogmeinRemoteUser\Searches
C:\Users\QBDataServiceUser20\Contacts
C:\Users\QBDataServiceUser20\Searches
C:\Users\QBDataServiceUser22\Contacts
C:\Users\QBDataServiceUser22\Searches

The article I've linked to in the title had a response from someone mentioning a microsoft Knowledge base (KB) article:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/979281

I used one of the Resolutions listed for Scenario 2, the 1st bullet point / resolution says:

- Create the missing LocalLow, Contacts, and Searches folders that are listed in the error message.

So I simply traversed to one folder below the folders listed in the error messages about files being skipping, and created new Empty folders with names that match the error message names (I had to provide / confirm administrative privileges to continue and take ownership to get into the folders).

I created new empty folders the same as the following:

C:\Users\LogmeinRemoteUser\Contacts
C:\Users\LogmeinRemoteUser\Searches
C:\Users\QBDataServiceUser20\Contacts
C:\Users\QBDataServiceUser20\Searches
C:\Users\QBDataServiceUser22\Contacts
C:\Users\QBDataServiceUser22\Searches

I then re-ran the backup and it didn't complain about files being skipped anymore, and now I can assume/presume that when (if ever) there actually is an error about a file being skipped, I will get the system warning message, and I will know there's a real problem instead of "ignoring" the warnings and never looking too closely since it used to warn after every backup saying the backup had either not finished successfully or had completed with errors (skipped files).

Troubleshooting Outlook 2000 Won't Start

This information is what I referenced during my research, which the poster also copied from an unreferenced source:

A couple things and posts I found while researching Outlook 2000 not starting:

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

Try starting Outlook once with the /safe command line switch for example from the Start > Run > type "c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Outlook.exe" /safe with the quotes and the space before the forward slash. Note your path to outlook.exe may be different. If Outlook starts this way then the most common causes for the locking up are:

1. Corrupt messages in your Inbox.
2. Corrupt or damaged Toolbar.
3. Damaged view.
4. Add-in causing the error.

Resolution
For No.1 remove the first or last message in your Inbox depending on how you sort the Inbox.

If it is No 2 then renaming outcmd.dat (with Outlook closed) should clear the toolbars, search your hard drive for a file called outcmd.dat and rename it to outcmd.old then start Outlook (if this doesn't cure your problem then you can rename the file back to outcmd.dat and regain any customization of the Toolbars).

For No. 3 the running the /cleanviews command line switch will reset all views to default for example from the Start > Run > type "c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Outlook.exe" /cleanviews with the quotes and the space before the forward slash. Note your path to outlook.exe may be different.

For No. 4 go to Tools > Options > Other > Advanced Options > Add-ins and uncheck all the add-ins. Close and restart Outlook, then add the add-ins one by one (closing and restarting Outlook each time) until you get to the problematic add-in. Depending on the add-in you may be able to remove it completely via Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel and then re-install a
fresh copy. If after a re-install you are still getting problems with the add-in then uninstall it again close Outlook do a search for a file called extend.dat and rename it to extend.old and repeat the installation of the add-in.

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

Another one:

How to find and run the Inbox Repair tool in Outlook

Let me fix it myself
The Inbox Repair tool is automatically installed with all English-language Microsoft Outlook installation options depending on your operating system.

For Microsoft Windows NT and Microsoft Windows 2000:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\NT

For Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows 98:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\95

The Inbox Repair Tool installs automatically during Microsoft Outlook 2002 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 setup. Unlike the Microsoft Office 97 version of the tool, Microsoft Office 2000 does not place the Inbox Repair tool on a menu. To use the Inbox Repair tool, locate one of the folders by using Microsoft Windows Explorer, and then double-click the Scanpst.exe file.

Quickbooks 2010, 2011, 2012 Statements for Clients without active balances

We had needed to print a "statement" of account for a client that didn't have any outstanding balances. I think by default Quickbooks won't print/create a statement for a client that has a $0 balance, so I just had to figure out how to get it to print all charges and payments to the client during a time range.

Choosing the "Create Statements" on a client, then choosing "Statement Period from: xx/xx/xxxx to xx/xx/xxxx", under "Select Additional Options / Do Not Create Statements " uncheck "with a zero balance" and uncheck "with a balance less than 0.00" and any other options you might want to change.

This should produce a statement of charges and payments for a client between the specified date range.

fi.

HTC Amaze solid amber - orange - red light - won't turn on

Just wanted to post about a power-on issue I had with my HTC Amaze 4G from Telus (same model as T-Mobile, and similar hard-ware to the Telus SII X (same cpu)).

Scenario: I forgot to plug my HTC Amaze in before falling asleep. In the morning when I woke up, it was at 9% battery. Since I didn't need it right away, I thought I would just shut it down, and plug it in later to charge it up and continue using it. I tried to do just that... I pressed the power button until I got the menu that offered "shutdown" .. I chose that, and thought it was shutting down. I wasn't able to get it to power up later, and during some of my troubleshooting, I saw a recovery screen (but no backlight.. I barely noticed it because of the backlight not being on), which I used the volume up/down buttons to select shutdown from the menu and power button to select/press enter on the selection. After this moment, I never saw anything on the screen of the Amaze, no buzz, no backlight, no recovery without backlight or otherwise. I tried different Key combinations such as volume down + power button, then I tried volume up + power button... all with no result.

Long story short: I had been trying to plug it in all day to charge using a usb cable plugged into a computer. This did not work to recover the battery from its discharged power state. I finally rectified the situation when I went to bed again (and decided to try fiddling with it again before taking it in for warranty), and it ended up finally "charging" when I plugged it into the HTC provided wall charger. I later read online that USB cables plugged into computers or other "small" power sources (I'm assuming 5 volts and 500mah) that it just "trickle charges" (according to another HTC manual for another similar phone). The HTC wall charger has a higher output (don't have it here right now to check if it outputs higher volts, or just higher amps, or both). Once I finally got the charging light to be on solid amber / orange, I was able to turn on my HTC Amaze 4G without any problems like usual. When I finally got booted up again, it showed the battery charging, and only had a 4% charge at the time.

I'm assuming that when I chose "shutdown", it either failed to shutdown, or HTC's (proprietary?) feature of providing for faster boots by doing something that seems closely related to a "suspend", and ran the battery right dead, and the usb cable plugged into my computer, and into my cigarrette lighter was unable to actually charge the battery up in order to turn it on again... only using HTC's wall charger did it get enough juice to bring the battery back to life.

fi.