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CDMA phones use a PRL file to determine which systems (towers) to conenct to, as well as to determine if the phone is currently roaming. It is recommended that you update the PRL if you use your phone outside the home (non-roaming) area frequently or if you notice your phone is having difficulty establishing and maintaining a strong signal. Updating a phone’s PRL file is accomplished by dialing a specific code (*228, ##873283##, etc.). As is the case with Verizon, after dialing *228, you will be pr0ompted to “…press 2 to update…” the PRL file. When running CyanogenMod and other third party Android ROMs, dialing *228 brings up a special phone activation app which does not give you the ability to press 2; therefore you are unable to update the PRL file.

There are a number of “solutions” to this problem floating around the ‘net including updating the PRL from a different ROM, attempting to open a soft-keyboard while in the activation app and entering “2” from there, or finding the proper PRL file online and flashing it from an Android recovery image. However, there is a much simpler way to get the PRL list updated:

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I tried to update my rooted TF using a repacked 8.4.4.11 update.zip file (the
one with all the patch files in it), but it kept failing on checking of the
existing APK hashes. Not sure why, but I got around it by doing a clean install
of 8.4.4.5, manually applying the 8.4.4.11 patch, then taking all of the changed
(between 8.4.4.5 and .11) files and packing them up in a zip file with an
updater-script file.

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Depending on how you setup you computer, the default “Administrator” account may be disabled. To enable the account again, you can use the Local Users and Groups management console built-in to Windows.

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Windows Vista and Windows 7 include a “Users” folder (default C:\Users) under which all user profile folders are created. This is very much like the “Documents and Settings” folder found in previous versions of Windows. Since each user’s profile folder contains their “My Documents”, “Music”, “Videos”, and “AppData” folders –just to name a few– it doesn’t take long for the Users folder to expand in size. This can become an issue if you have Windows (and therefore the Users folder) installed on a small capacity solid state drive. You may also notice a slow down when manipualting files in the Users folder (particularly when copying data over a network) as the hard drive seeks for all the data. A solution to both of these problems is to move the Users folder to a different drive.

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I, and many others, have recently noticed a “debug.log” file appearing on our desktops. The file is empty and there are no obvious indication of where it is coming from. Deleting the file results in it being recreated shortly. The culprit has finally been found! Read on to find out how to remove the “debug.log” file once and for all.

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After installing Adobe Photoshop CS4/CS5, you will find a new item, “Browse in Adobe Bridge” in the right-click context menu of any folder. While this may be useful for those of you that use Adobe Bridge, for me, it was just another item cluttering up the menu. Adobe didn’t include any easy way to turn off this integration feature, but with a simple registry edit or a single file download, you can easily remove it yourself.
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After you install Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 on a computer that is running Windows 7, the Dial-in tab is missing in the properties of a user account in the Active Directory Users and Computers Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in. While Microsoft is aware of this problem, they don’t offer a real solution. Instead they offer several workarounds which all require you to use another computer (not running Windows 7). If you want to actually fix the problem, and restore the Dial-in tab on the Windows 7 computer you are using, I’ve found a way.

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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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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 →]

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 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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