RyanTAdams.com

Virtual PC.exe is the Virtual PC command-line utility and can be used to perform a variety of Virtual PC and virtual machine tasks. By default, it is located in \Program Files\Microsoft Virtual PC. The following is a list of all supported command line options for Virtual PC 2007.
[Read article →]

Every computer connected to a network has an IP address. An IP address is the digital equivalent of a street address. It allows information to be delivered to the appropriate computer. Normally, your computer is automatically assigned a unique IP address by your Internet service provider, or the router on your network. This normally works fine, but since an automatically assigned IP address can change from time to time, sometimes a manually configured, “static” IP address is needed. Here is how to configure your computer to use a static, user set IP address:
[Read article →]

Recently, my Toshiba M200 stopped booting. I needed it reinstall Windows, but the M200 doesn’t have a CD drive. I tried everything from booting from a Secure Digital card to external USB drives (which weren’t recognized at the BIOS level). Finally I came across information about PXE booting, also know as booting from a network connection. Using the method below, I was able to install Windows Vista from the original DVD. This method should work for any computer that allows PXE booting, and will allow you to install any operating system, but is most practical when the computer doesn’t have a working CD/DVD drive.
[Read article →]

If you receive an error message when performing a Send and Receive in Outlook or Outlook Express, examine the message for the error code. The following error codes are the most common:

• 0x800ccc15
• 0x80042108
• 0x800ccc0e
• 0x8004210b
• 0x800ccc0b
• 0x800ccc79
• 0x800ccc67
• 0x80040900
• 0x800ccc19
• 0x8004210a
• 0x80042109
• 0x800ccc0f
• 0x800ccc0d

All of these error codes are typically associated with Outlook or Outlook Express not being able to communicate with the mail server. This can happen if you are not connected to the Internet, a firewall is configured wrong, or the account settings are wrong, among many other reasons. To troubleshoot the problem, try the following steps:
[Read article →]

When you first install Windows XP or Vista you are asked to enter the name owner of the computer and the organization it is associated with. Sometimes you need to change this information (particuallry if Windows came preinstalled on your computer and the registered owner is something like “Dell Customer”).

[Read article →]

The retail version installation disk for Windows Vista contains more than just installation related files. There is also a “recovery center” included on the disk which lets you repair start up problems, restore backups, and lots more. However, if you bought a computer with Windows Vista preinstalled, chances are you weren’t provided with a Vista install disk.

[Read article →]

VundoFix is a simple, automated tool for fixing infections caused by the Vundo (or similar) viruses.

A Vundo infection bombardes the user with pop-ups for WinFixer, Amaena, WinAntiVirus, ErrorSafe, SystemDoctor and DriveCleaner. You may also notice multiple “pos.tmp” files on your computer, particularly in the “My Documents” folder.

[Read article →]

Ruckus is a free music download service offered by several universities and colleges. The service requires you two sign up with an approved .edu email address. After signing up, you can download their proprietary music player (“Ruckus Player”) and use it to download music and videos from the Ruckus website. The idea is that by providing students with a place to legally download music for free, piracy rates can be wained.

The problem: music downloaded from Ruckus can only be played with the Ruckus Player. This means you can only listen to music on your PC (no Macs, no Ipods, no PSPs, etc.)

The solution: The Ruckus music files are really just DRM protected Windows Media Audio (WMA) files. There are programs available which will allow you to remove the DRM protection from the downloaded files. Once the DRM is gone, you can easily convert the files to play on any device.

[Read article →]

SUMo is a free program from KC Softwares that scans for programs installed on your computer and then informs you if updates are available. It is similar to File Hippo Update Checker, except this program shows you all the information that you need right in the program, where as File Hippo redirects you to a webpage. This is a disadvantage for SUMo as there is no direct link to the latest installer for a program as there is with File Hippo. However, SUMo seems to be better at finding updates, and is more stable. I would recommend you give both programs a try, and pick the one that works best for you.


Download here: http://www.kcsoftwares.com/?sumo

If your keyboard is not working, and its status is listed as “Code 39” in device manager, there is a good chance a simple registry edit can fix the issue. Here is what you need to do:

 ***UPDATE: I’ve created a REG file that when run should fix the problem. However, I’ve only tested the REG file on my computer and I cannot guarantee it will work for you. I would recommend you read the manual solution steps below and follow them if you feel comfortable. If not, or if the manual steps don’t solve your problem then try the automatic steps.

[Read article →]

With broadband access expanding to new areas and being accepted by new customers daily, one question seems to come up frequently. Most cable modems include ports to connect the modem with ether an Ethernet cable or a USB cable. If the cable modem is being connected to a router, switch, hub, or other network device, only the Ethernet cable will work. However, if the cable modem is only being connected to a single computer, either the USB or Ethernet connection can be used, and many users seem to be stumped as to which they should go with.
[Read article →]

There is a bug in Ad-Aware that can cause users to receive the message “lsDelete program not found – Skipping Autocheck” (that is Lsdelete, not Isdelete or 1sdelete) while their computer is booting. This seems to occur after the user has uninstalled Ad-Aware. While it presents no immediate problems (other than a slight start-up delay), it can cause issues with disk imaging and other maintenance programs. The solution involves editing the registry, which can be dangerous. If you don’t know what you are doing, ask for help. Here are the steps (for Windows XP and Vista) to correct the problem:
[Read article →]

Cisco Clean Access (CCA), is an access control system that is becoming popular on many school networks. Originally, the system was produced by Perfigo and marketed under the name of Perfigo SmartEnforcer. After being bought out by Cisco, the system was renamed to Cisco Clean Access. Recently, Cisco has renamed its product to Cisco NAC Appliance, though “Clean Access” is still widely used.
[Read article →]

SIW is an advanced System Information for Windows tool that gathers detailed information about your system properties and settings and displays it in an extremely comprehensible manner.

You can download the latest version here: http://www.gtopala.com/siw-download.html

If you are familiar with the Windows XP Repair install option, you probably know that you can often restore a damaged Windows XP installation to a working state without losing data. Windows 98 has a similar, but fairly undocumented/unrecognized feature. To restore the critical Windows files, but leave your data intact, do the following:
[Read article →]

It seems that after uninstalling AOL, many people experience an issue with Internet Explorer (version 6 and 7) that causes source code to be printed instead of the normal page view. If you are trying to print from Internet Explorer and are only getting cryptic code, instead of the page view you expect, try the following:
[Read article →]

If you are receiving a STOP error message with the code 0x0000000A during the installation of Windows XP, take a look at this Microsoft article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314063

Windows XP has an option to automatically reboot the computer when a STOP error occurs. This convenient because it ensures your computer doesn’t stay “frozen.” However, this feature also means you won’t be able to read any of the information present on the STOP error screen. If you are trying to troubleshoot a STOP error, I would recommend disabling the automatic restart option.
[Read article →]

Microsoft may not have officially released their latest service pack for Windows XP yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get it.

[Read article →]

If you are creating digital forms with Adobe Acrobat, you probably are including a submit button that returns the form to you via e-mail. By default, when an end-user clicks that button, only the form data is returned as an XML file. This is fine if you are also using Acrobat to collect the forms, but there are situations where you might want the whole form (original PDF with the end-users data) returned. For example, when creating a form but having it returned to a different person who does not have Adobe Acrobat. Here’s how to do it:
[Read article →]

I’ve just finished moving my old Gallery2 (picture management system based on PHP) installation to a new server. For some reason, viewing said gallery using http://www.gallery.ryantadams.com worked, whereas using http://gallery.ryantadams.com (notice no “www.”) would prevent any of my pictures from being displayed. I searched the Gallery2 support forums, but there were only a few related posts, and none had been resolved. I came up with the following solution, which seems to work but has not be thoroughly tested:
[Read article →]

 Encrypting your torrents will prevent throttling ISP’s from limiting your BitTorrent bandwidth and potential stop packet snooping. The  encryption obfuscates not only the header but all the BitTorrent data. This makes it very hard for your ISP to determine if that data coming to your computer is from BitTorrent. Read on to find out how to enable encryption:
[Read article →]

Firefox is a popular alternative to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer web browser. The developers claim that end users will get a better, faster, safer web experience by using Firefox over Internet Explorer. Web developers favor Firefox for its adherence to web standards. Firefox is free to use.

Download here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

If one of the following error messages is displayed as Windows is booting up (before you see your desktop, but after the POST screen), you have a corrupt HAL.dll file:

• “Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
  <Windows root>\system32\hal.dll. Please re-install a copy of the above file.”
• Winnt_root>\System32\Hal.dll missing or corrupt:
  Please re-install a copy of the above file.”
• “Cannot find \Windows\System32\hal.dll”
• “Cannot find hal.dll”

This problem is usually fixable, but it takes some work. TO fix the error, you will need access to a Windows XP installation CD. Once you have your CD handy, do the following:
[Read article →]

1. Locate your Windows XP CD and insert it in your primary CD or CD/DVD drive.
2. Turn your PC on or restart your PC if it’s already running.
3. Instead of loading Windows XP, your computer should boot from the Windows XP CD and you should see a message to Press any key to boot from CD, as in the screen shot above.
4. Press any key to allow the computer to boot from the CD. If you do not press a key, your PC will continue to boot to the Windows XP installation on your hard drive as it normally does.
5. When the Windows XP Professional/Home Setup screen appears, press R to enter Recovery Console.
6. The Recovery Console is now loading but needs to know which Windows installation to access. Usually you just need to type 1 and press Enter.
7. You will then be prompted fro the Administrator’s password. Unless you are using a PC on a business network, the administrator password is most likely the same password you use to access Windows XP on a daily basis. The password may also be blank (don’t type anything, just press enter). If you don’t know the password, or the Recovery Console won’t acecpt the correct password, see this post.
8. The recovery console is now ready for use.