Today Microsoft TechNet has launched the Update Centre for Microsoft Office, Office Server and Related Products. This site will will consolidate all Service Packs, Public Updates and Cumulative updates for the Office Product suite in one location. Please note that this is not just for the Office Desktop products but also includes the server products i.e. SharePoint.
The site includes:
This will be a valuable resource for all system administrators and is something that has been long over due.
SkyDrive Explorer is a free, easy-to-use, but very powerful extension for Windows Explorer. With SkyDrive Explorer you can make any every-day operations with your documents from Microsoft Live SkyDrive™ service using Windows Explorer, as if they were on your computer.
View the structure and contents of folders in SkyDrive™;
View files information (type, size, creation date in GMT format);
Create new root folders and subfolders;
Copy files into the storage;
Delete files and folders;
Copy files from the storage to the computer;
Copy folders and subfolders from the storage to the computer keeping their structure;
Use Drag & Drop for files operations;
Rename files and folders;
Create links to SkyDrive™ folders on your computer;
Copy URL of the selected object(s) to the Clipboard;
Automatic check for the latest version;
Bidirectional languages support.
Check it out at http://skydriveexplorer.com/
Stephen Cummins the founder of the SharePoint User Group Ireland (SUGI) will be giving a introduction to SharePoint 2010. This will be a great forum to ask questions about the forth coming SharePoint release.
Date / Time: 11th November 2009 @ 7pm
Venue: Radisson Hotel on Golden Lane Dublin
If like me you’ve recently updated to Windows 7 (which generally I find a real improvement over Vista) you may have difficulties downloading products from the MSDN site using the Microsoft MSDN File Transfer Manager (TFM). Now I have to be honest I’m not sure if this is an issue with Windows 7 or Internet Explorer 8 (IE8). My gut feeling is it is a issue with IE8. Either way if you are having issues downloading files from the MSDN download site, then you need to manually download and install it from:
Microsoft MSDN File Transfer Manager
Also if your Corporate Group Policy requires you to have Administrative privileges to install ActiveX controls then you can use the above link to download and install.
There is an alternative download manager from Akamai, for those not using Internet Explorer or FireFox on Windows:
Akamai Download Manager.
Note: FTM is implemented as an ActiveX control and is a 32-bit application, so you may need to run your 64-bit browser in 32-bit mode.
More information can be found on the File Transfer Manager Help pages.
This even I was clean up one of my external USB drives when I encountered an error trying to delete some directories. As it transpires some of the files and directories within the folder I was trying to delete had invalid names, which was preventing the files from being deleted.
I tried to delete the files using the dos command del *.* but this gave the same error.
I tried Malwarebytes “File Assassin“ tool, but this too failed.
After a some googling I found the answer… you need to run chkdsk /f on the folder location that is giving you the error.
When presented with the option to Convert Folder to File select Yes.
When presented with the option to Convert Lost Chains to File select Yes.
I hope that this will save you some time if you get the same issue as I encountered. Admittedly I still am unsure as to what may have caused the file names to have been become corrupted. My theory is an error occurred while changing a file name from the Long File Names format to it’s 8.3 File Name format.
I’ve had a HUAWEI E160G modem from Three Ireland for a while now. I’ve not had a need to use over the last couple of months. When I reconnected the modem to my laptop I kept getting an error The device has been disconnected or is unavailable.
After a number of frustrating phone calls to technical support and a visit to a three shop, was still experiencing the problem. The technical support basically said that they would not be able to resolve my issue and that it was obviously something wrong with my pc. Well OK, we did establish that the modem was not faulty by getting it to work on the shops computer, but you’d think that the tech support would know how to resolve compatibility issues with there own product and windows. The shop assistant was more helpful than the tech support who basically only know how to follow scripts. Anyway enough ranting!
I was able to solve the issue myself by a little trial and error. Hopefully this may help you, but please be aware that you must fully understand what you are doing to carry out the fix, and that I take no responsibility for your system if the solution does not work for you.
- Uninstall the Mobile Partner software provided by Three;
- Right mouse click My Computer select Properties. Select the Hardware tab and then select Device Manager;
- On the Device Manager Screen Delete all HUAWEI Modems and ALL USB drives
- Remove the modem from the USB port on the computer;
- Reboot the computer;
- Once the computer has complete rebooted and all start-up applications can loaded, plug in the modem and wait a few minutes;
- Windows should detect the new USB device, it may take a while. One thing I learnt is to give the computer plenty of time to do the detection;
- Install the Mobile Partner software;
- Wait a while after you install the software before starting it;
- Start the Mobile Partner software and click connect;
- Click Connect you should now be good to go;
- If for some reason the connection is still failing, connect the modem to a different USB port, then re-insert it into the original port.
Now these steps worked for me but I cannot guarantee that they will work for you. I spent a fair amount of time getting this to work, and repeated a number of these steps, but the above should be the bare minimum required as basically you’re removing all references to the modem so it’s like a vanilla installation.
Microsoft Security Essential is now ready for download at http://www.microsoft.com/Security_essentials/
This is the replacement for its predecessor Windows Defender.
Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
Microsoft Security Essentials is a free* download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always kept up to date so you can be assured your PC is protected by the latest technology. It’s easy to tell if your PC is secure — when you’re green, you’re good. It’s that simple.
Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times.
Just received my new 500 GB USB drive. From my initial first glance it seems to be as solid and robust as advertise. Not been brave enough to drop it yet, but considering the amount of knocks my laptop get’s it will only be time before it is put to the test.
One annoying feature I’ve noticed from the out set is that the USB connector is larger than normal and actually blocks the second USB port on my laptop. I’m sure I’ll be able to live with it but its a bit of a design floor.
It’s slightly larger than I imagined and I’m not sure what the large whole at the top is for. Maybe it’s there for when I’m next rock climbing with my laptop and hard drives! Also it comes with a Carabineer for those climbing experiences:)
I have to say though the Password protection software is really quick and easy to install and its great to know that your data is safe.
Also the NTI Shadow software was also quick and easy to install and configure. Great for backing up files from your primary partition. All those mp3, photos and .pst files are now that much safer!
Anyway if I find any faults with it I will surely update it here. Otherwise from my initial assessment I definitely recommend it.
Enjoy!
