Java Applet for Remote Suppport

You can find the applet here http://vncj.com/default.aspx but the download appears to be version 1.1

Remote Support

If you need free remote support then please click on the link below and run the program. This is for a limited time only while I test the system.

Helpdesk

Unable to access Windows Update website from Windows XP SP3 KB2497281

I was unable to update a customers Windows XP pc via the web browser but automatic updates worked fine. I thought there was a problem with the disc I had, so I re-installed xp with an original disc but the same problem existed, I recently found an article at: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/itproxpsp/thread/7aebba8b-3779-4257-8a21-66828d89da82 where other people were experiencing the same problem, It seems that Microsoft has changed something there end that is stopping updates working via the browser (thanks Microsoft). The fix that worked for me was to re-install Windows Update Agent (WUA) links are provided below.

For x86-based computers (WindowsUpdateAgent20-x86.exe)
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=43264

For x64-based computers (WindowsUpdateAgent20-x64.exe)
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=43265

Full universal xp.vhd running from usb

Very interesting article at reboot.pro how to install Windows XP into a virtual hard drive image and boot of a USB flash drive, the full article can be found at:

http://reboot.pro/13731/page__pid__120764#entry120764

boot.ini being deleted

My work colleague had a strange problem where boot.ini was being deleted on a Windows XP box. He rebuilt the boot.ini with bootcfg /rebuild, after a restart he would get the boot menu, boot into Windows then find that boot.ini had been deleted again, I automatically thought it was malware or a virus, I then found on the net that uninstalling IE would fix the problem, which it did, but as soon as IE was reinstalled the problem persisted, that's when I started to think IE plugins, after a bit of searching it turned out to be the Ask Toolbar plugin, the file responsible for the file deletions was 'ASKUpgrade.exe' in 'C:\Program Files\AskBarDis\bar\bin' this is a known problem on the net, one article can be found here

Samba for the iPhone / iPod Touch

This is a beta for the most technical users. If you cannot follow the instructions below without help, you should not be attempting the process.

About
Samba for iPhone/iPod Touch allows you to see your device as a network drive on your computer (and you can copy / change / stream files from / to it). It works on any OS that supports SMB/CIFS protocols (out of the box for most ones, including Windows). Basically it should work / interact just like another computer in your network with regards to file sharing. This package should work on both 2.x and 3.x OS versions.

Disclaimer
This is a BETA release, install it at your own risk, only if you feel comfortable with accessing the device via terminal. The final release will be made publicly on Cydia with a much simpler installation routine. If you install it, please provide me back with feedback about this package as much as possible, including on what device & OS and if it works Ok or not.

Please report your findings to openhebrew@gmail.com with Samba in the topic.

Installation instructions
Run this lines on a terminal on the iPhone/iPod Touch as user root:

1. apt-get install wget
2. wget http://apt.saurik.com/debs/samba_3.2.7-4_iphoneos-arm.deb
3. dpkg -i samba_3.2.7-4_iphoneos-arm.deb
4. wget http://tom.zickel.org/samba/com.openhebrew.samba_latest_iphoneos-arm.deb
5. apt-get install mobilesubstrate preferenceloader
6. dpkg -i com.openhebrew.samba_latest_iphoneos-arm.deb
7. respring/restart the device.

Uninstall
Again, in the terminal:

1. apt-get remove samba

How to use this
Samba is disabled after installation, to turn it on and configure it:

1. Go to Settings in your device.
2. Go to Samba.
3. Change the settings as you like.
4. To start samba, make sure to turn autostart on, and leave the settings pane.

After turning it on, find your device’s IP and put it in your computer as a samba / network share (windows \\ or linux smb:// etc…)

Important Notes

• The service is turned off by default after installation.
• The service username is root and cannot be changed.
• The service default password is listed on the bottom on the settings pane (this is a security feature, each device has it’s own auto generated passwd), you can use it, or change to your own one.
• nmbd isn’t automatically loaded, so device doesn’t show up at “network neighbourhood” (and the likes) for now.
• The whole filesystem of the device shows up as a writable network share with the URI \\\main in windows or smb:///main otherwise.
• To make samba work also when screen is black (device is idle), consider installing insomnia and running it: apt-get install com.imalc.insomnia (and respring), this makes network applications still keep running when device goes idle, and is not specific to samba.
  

SBSettings switch
You may also install an SBSettings switch to quickly turn samba on/off via running:

1. wget http://tom.zickel.org/samba/com.oranav.sambatoggle_0.0.1_iphoneos-arm.deb
2. dpkg -i com.oranav.sambatoggle_0.0.1_iphoneos-arm.deb

Then, you should have an samba sbsettings toggle in your list (after you run samba settings atleast once).

Homebrew Mobile Broadband Router

I recently moved house and could not get a decent mobile broadband signal, only one room in the house had a good signal. Obviously I know you can buy mobile routers, but why buy one when you can build one out of old bits.

I uses the following hardware for the project:

• Sky Netgear DG834GT router, flashed with netgear firmware
• HP t5000 thin clent, running Windows XP Embedded
• Huawei E169G modem
• Network cable

This setup now gives me internet access anywhere in the house, I will add more details of the configuration when I get more time. Below are some pictures of the setup.











Top
Desktop of XP embedded viewed via
Windows remote desktop

Left
Homebrew mobile broadband router

Various Network Speed Tests

BBC iPlayer Speed test

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/diagnostics

Speedtest.net

Depends on Adobe Flash Player
http://www.speedtest.net

Computer Hardware Identifier

Found this interesting chart whilst browsing, might be useful to some people that are having problems identifying particular hardware.

You can find the original image at deviantart (24.1Mb)

Computer Shops In Data Scam

Computer technicians like these who steel customer data should have there b**ls cut off, they should be named and shamed, shut down and never allowed to trade again. It's people like these that give the IT industry a bad reputation.

UPDATE:  08/08/10



The guy that did the snooping Grzegorz Zachodni had nine months in prison for this offence. Let that be a lesson to computer engineers who think they can do what they want with customer data.

FirstKMH Computers Ltd

For all your computing needs. Maintenance Contracts, Web Hosting, Broadband Supplier and Laptop Repairs.

1st KMH Computers,
The Shop, Amex Park,
Johnstown,
Carmarthen,
Carmarthenshire.
SA31 3NF

http://www.1stkmhcomputers.ltd.uk
http://www.firstkmh.co.uk
http://www.westwalescomputers.co.uk

Broken Links

Sorry for any problems in the site move, but I have had to use 301 redirects and mod rewrite to try and get around things.

I think most things have been fixed now, but If your experiencing any problems with the site then please send me a message via the contact form.

Enabling File Security in XP Home

On a Windows XP Home system, Simple File Sharing cannot be disabled, therefore the Security tab will remain hidden while operating in Normal Mode. The Security tab is still accessible through Safe Mode, If you want to be able to alter file security in Normal Mode then download the file below and follow the instructions in the Readme.

Download 13.3Kb

ThickBox 3.1 Open Source

I have been doing a bit of editing to my blogger template the last two days, plus I have incorporated Thickbox into my site. If you now click on an image Thickbox will load it and display it as an overlay on the page, rather that how it used to be before loading in a blank page.

Obviously some images on my site wont display as they should in Thickbox, but you can still right click and save as, if you want to view the image in its correct resolution.

Thickbox can be downloaded from http://jquery.com/demo/thickbox/

New Release of XPE Builder

I have finally released a new version of XPE Builder, please see my previous post here
Current version is v0.1.146 (26/06/2009)