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Occasionally, and for no particular reason, my computer will no longer establish Remote Desktop connections to any computer. When trying to connect, I get the error message “The remote computer disconnected the session because of an error in the licensing protocol. Please try connecting to the remote computer again or contact your server administrator.” The issue seems to stem from a corrupt registry key, so the best way to resolve the problem is by removing that key from the registry and allowing Remote Desktop to recreate it. The fix is basically the same for Windows XP through Windows 7, though Vista/7 may require one more step.

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I have seen several cases recently where my clients’ computers are unable to access the Internet (Windows updates, AV updates, websites, etc.) even though the computer has a network connection. Additionally, when trying to visit any website, Internet Explore would redirect to http:/// and display a “address is not valid” error. Fortunately, the solution in all of these cases was rather simple. [Read article →]

The windows Task Manager (well know to those of you who have to frequently end hung programs) has the ability to run in “tiny footprint mode” which hides the menu bar and tabs. [Read article →]

Many large websites now offer “mobile” versions that are specially formatted to work better with mobile devices like phones and PDAs. Generally, the website is programmed to automatically detect if a visitor is using a mobile browser and redirect them to the mobile version of the site. If you have the “Creative AutoUpdate” software installed on your computer (and you probably do if you have installed a Creative sound card in the last 6 months), some websites may incorrectly think you are using a mobile browser, and redirect you to the mobile version of your site. Here is how to fix this. [Read article →]

Microsoft’s latest version of Windows, “Windows 7″, was released at the end of October. Now that it’s been out for just over a month, I’ve been receiving the question “Should I upgrade?” quite frequently. Unfortunately, the answer is not cut and dry. It will depend a several variables. [Read article →]

Occasionally, an issue can occur in Windows 7 which causes the Windows 7 splash screen (normally 4 colored orbs) to revert to the old Windows Vista style screen (a green progress bar). While I’m not sure of what initially causes this problem, the solution is simple…

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I see that visitors to my site search for this topic frequently, so I figured I should make a post about it. Let me start by saying, I will not be telling you how to change your Windows Vista registry to prevent programs from stealing focus. Why? Because you don’t need to. By default, Windows Vista (unlike some past Windows versions) already prevents applications from stealing focus. Of course, this doesn’t always work, but in those cases it is usually a poorly made program, not the operating system itself that is at fault. If you search other websites for information about this, you’ll probably find tips about changing the value of “ForegroundLockTimeout” in the registry. This key was used in previous Windows versions, but is ignored in Vista. In other words, that registry key does nothing. If you are the curious type, you can try changing it (it won’t hurt anything, the key is just ignored) and you’ll notice your computers behavior doesn’t change at all.

Microsoft has just released a official chart showing the various Windows 7 upgrade options. Keep reading to see it and get my take on everything.

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I recently updated the Bluetooth software/drivers on my Thinkpad T400. The latest release seems to be more stable, but there was one annoying new “feature” I found. When ever I would connect a Bluetooth device (mouse, headset, my Palm), a shortcut to the device would be placed on my desktop and in a “Bluetooth Devices” folder in my Start menu. Deleting the shortcuts was only a temporary fix, as they would be recreated the next time the device connected. While the shortcuts are convenient for enabling some devices (like my headset), other’s were completely pointless (such as the Bluetooth connection I use to HotSync my Palm phone). The Bluetooth software didn’t have a way to disable this shortcut creation, but fortunately, I found a way to turn it off. [Read article →]

There are many things that can prevent you from establishing a network connection. Often times it is an incorrect setting, sometimes it’s a bad driver. Less often, a hardware problem prevents you from connecting. What happens when you’ve checked all those things, but still can’t connect to a network? Resetting the Windows TCP/IP stack will solve the issue. TCP/IP is the protocol (a “language” and set of procedures) Windows and most other devices use to communicate over a network. The TCP/IP stack built into Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Server 2003/2008 tells Windows how to communicate with TCP/IP. If it gets messed up, your computer won’t be able to establish a reliable network connection. [Read article →]

If your CD/DVD/BD drive is not working, and its status is listed as “Code 41″ in device manager, there is a good chance a simple registry edit can fix the issue. Here is what you need to do:

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If you have icons that are not displaying correctly (for example, showing a different icon), you may need to rebuild Windows’ icon cache. This does not change any icons, but only clears the cache to get rid of corrupt information. After clearing the icon cache, you may want to increase its size to prevent future problems. Instructions are provided for both Windows Vista and Windows XP.

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MemTest86+ is a diagnostic program used to detect hardware problems with RAM (memory) modules. Since it can be run from a bootable CD, it is faster, safer, and more accurate at detecting memory problems than similar tools which would be run from within Windows.

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The Palm HotSync software does a great job of keeping the data on your PDA and in Outlook synchronized. But when it fails, your often on your own to figure out why. After a failed HotSync, you will be notified and asked if you want to view the HotSync log (how you are notified, and how you view the log varies depending on the version of HotSync you use). If you notice HotSync is generating a “OLERR” when attempting to sync with Outlooks calendar, contacts, tasks or notes, read on. [Read article →]

There are a plethora of so-called “notepad replacements” available. Some popular ones include Notepad++, PSPad, and Notepad2. All three of these programs can be set as the default editor for text (and other) files, but there are still times when Windows will open a file with plain old Notepad. The solution is to replace the default Notepad program with the 3rd party editor of your choice. Unfortunately, Notepad.exe is protected Windows file, and simply trying to overwrite it will result in failure. [Read article →]

User’s frequently report receiving an error about an “Invalid Update Control CTF File” when attempting to update AVG 8. This error originates when the CTF file AVG downloads as part of its update process becomes corrupt. The fix is to delete the CTF file and thereby force AVG to re-download a non-corrupt version.

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DMA (Direct Memory Access) mode is a high performance mode for transferring data to an from hard drives, optical drives, and other devices attached to an ATA controller. DMA mode allows a computer processor to transfer large pieces of data with very little software overhead, which reduces CPU usage. The alternative transfer mode is called PIO, which is slower and requires more CPU usage. Your hard drives should be operating in DMA mode automatically. However, often times CD/DVD-Rom and burner drives default to PIO mode. If you notice an extreme slow down when reading or burning optical disks, or if you get buffer under-run errors frequently when burning CD/DVDs, your drive is probably operating in PIO mode. Here is how to change it, and what to do if you encounter it:

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Windows Vista has a particularly nasty habit of preventing a user from accessing a file they really should have access to. I personally have received “Access Denied” error messages when attempting to delete files I created only seconds earlier. Vista also (intentionally) prevents you from making changes to certain system files, such as the HOSTS file.

In any case, the following download will give you the ability to “take ownership” of almost any file, and there-after have unrestricted access to it.

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I’ve been using Microsoft’s free “SyncToy” program to keep the content on my main computer and my tablet PC synchronized. It works well, and can even be run automatically from the command-line, which opens up all sorts of scheduling possibilities. However, it periodically leaves behind cryptically named temporary files. [Read article →]

I often get calls from customers who 30 or 60 days after buying a new computer begin receiving prompts to “renew” their antivirus subscription. This is a common tactic of McAfee and Norton to get more users. These companies give incentives to computer manufactures to install their antivirus products (along with a 30 or 60 day subscription) on new computers. The idea is that most people will get used to the product, and then when the trial subscription expires, will readily pay $50+ for another year.

With the availability of great free antivirus programs (such as my favorite, AVG), I usually recommend removing the pre-installed Norton or McAfee programs and replacing them with a free alternative. I’m not sure whether it is poor design on the software side, or a great marketing gimmick, but it can often be hard to remove the products. It can be so bad, both McAfee and Norton have released utilities specifically designed to remove their programs.

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Every network capable device has a unique MAC (media access control) address. In the most basic sense, a MAC address is a serial number that allows one networked device to identify and communicate with another. Normally, there is no reason to change your network card’s MAC address. Doing so may even cause problems if you happen to chose a number that is already in use by another device. However, there are some reasons you may want to change your MAC address:

1. To get past MAC address filtering on a router or firewall.
2. For sniffing other connections on the network.
3. To keep your “real” MAC address out of traffic and security logs.
4. To pull off a denial of service attack by assuming the MAC of the gateway.

There are also a slew of other reasons for needing to change your MAC address.

Here are two ways to do it in Windows 9x/XP/Vista:

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The default action for the Power button on the start menu in Windows Vista is Sleep, which puts your computer in a low power (but still “on”) state. Some (most?) users would prefer that the power button shutdown Vista. You can configure this setting easily by using the advanced power settings panel found nested deep in the Control Panel.

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The “Safely Remove Hardware” icon was included with Windows XP and Vista to provide a “safe” way to disconnect removable devices. According to Microsoft, you are supposed to use this icon, instead of just unplugging your removable devices (such as USB flash drives, eSATA drives, etc.). Realistically, as long as the device isn’t being written too, you can usually just yank it out.

The “Safely Remove Hardware” icon seems to annoy people who either know not to unplug a device while it is in use, or have “removable” devices that stay permanently attached to their computer. Using the program below, you can effectively remove the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon from your system tray.

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This is a great frame from one of my favorite comics, Cyanide and Happiness:

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