Installing PHP 5 and Apache 2.2 on Vista June 25, 2008
Posted by Bryan in : Coding, How-to, Microsoft, QuickTips , 1 comment so farSometimes you want to get things done right and sometimes you just want to get them done. When your installing a PHP 5 and Apache 2.2 development setup on Windows Vista using the automatic installers, it may seem like neither one of these is an option. This quick tip is going to save you a lot of time and trouble.
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Empty that Tray! Running lean and clean… July 23, 2007
Posted by Jeff in : DIY, How-to, Microsoft, Tips , 1 comment so farFix your database CSV report woes using Excel June 19, 2007
Posted by Beth in : How-to, Microsoft, Tips , add a commentThis article refers to Excel 2003, but should apply to most other versions as well.
I work for a large company that uses a vast mainframe system to track data. We’ve got programmers who’ve written fabulous scripts, so that we can just go click a button, make a couple of choices, and BAM - there’s a CSV file with the data we need to analyze. Problem is, the data is often not in a very useful format. The names are all upper case, first name and last name are in the same cell, phone numbers are regarded as generic numbers and are dropping zeros, etc. What a lot of people at my company don’t know, and that I try to help them learn, is that Excel has functionality specifically to help you work around these problems. (more…)
Microsoft Windows Automatic Updates Broke My Computer May 16, 2007
Posted by Tara in : Microsoft, Tips , 4 commentsWell, not really. What it did do was cause my machine to hang and prompt a system error that garbled all of the text on my screen. I called my friendly tech support team and they came to the rescue, but I decided to delve a bit deeper into the problem to see what others people’s experiences were.
It turns out that 5 other people at my company had that exact problem, and that was just at my company alone. Think of all of the hundreds of thousands of users out there having the exact same problem. If you are like me, when the Microsoft pop-up prompts me to “run automatic updates,” I just comply, fearing that if I don’t my computer will be vulnerable to all of the nastiness that can affect one’s machine. (more…)
How-to: Find “lost” Windows Vista Drivers when adding a new device May 9, 2007
Posted by Liz in : How-to, Microsoft , 21 commentsThis is caused by a corrupted INFCACHE.1 file. This file is hidden, has restricted access, and can be found in “c:\windows\inf”. This file stores the location of drivers and their INF files. (more…)
Setting up Microsoft Word your way April 22, 2007
Posted by Jeff in : DIY, How-to, Microsoft, Tips , add a comment
When you open Microsoft Word, do you find yourself repeating the same ritual? Changing margin sizes, changing to Print view, adding tab settings, setting a default font, etc.? Isn’t it annoying? Well, you can set it so don’t have to do this every time - just change your normal.dot file. What the heck is that? It’s the default document that Word uses when you start it up. You can customize it any way you want. Here’s what you do:
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Can’t print in Microsoft Works? April 20, 2007
Posted by Liz in : How-to, Microsoft, Tips , add a commentMicrosoft is aware of a problem printing spreadsheets and databases in Microsoft Works 8 on a computer running Windows Vista. Until the problem is fixed, here is a workaround:
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Problem with VIA IDE controllers and Windows Update April 18, 2007
Posted by Liz in : Microsoft, News, Tips , 1 comment so farOk, so I have pinpointed the cause of an issue I was having at my job with 12 computers. Some were restores, some were new hard drives which were then restored… but they all ended up having an identical problem. After doing the last batch of updates on Windows Update, they ALL BSOD’ed. Two HPs. 3 Dells, a Gateway and three E-Machines. The only commonality was the repartition/reinstalls, so I did some research. (more…)
Liz’s Random Tech Tips #1 April 17, 2007
Posted by Liz in : Hacks, How-to, Microsoft, Tips , add a commentEditor’s note: Liz is a tech support person and all-around electro-guru. She’s got all kinds of random fix-it tips running around in her brain, some of which occasionally make it to paper (or pixels in this case). Below is the first installment of Liz’s Random Tech Tips.
Windows Vista and the 1950 Pro
Installing 7.3 drivers for the Radeon 1950 Pro can sometimes cause a BSOD (”blue screen of death” for the uninitiated), or corrupt the original drivers. To fix this, install the “drivers only” version of 7.3 to get it to stop, and don’t install the CCCC (Catalyst Control Center Crap).
Network Problems (Windows XP)
The god of networking fixes is here: WinSockXPFix.
Run the tool. It modifies some registry keys, resets some settings, and generally makes sure it all works fine.
Unless your settings are different, make sure the connection settings are set to automatically configure settings under Tools > Internet Options > Connections > Lan Settings. Check “Automatically Detect Settings,” and make sure there is no proxy server set.
Why You Might Want to Wait to Upgrade to Windows Vista April 16, 2007
Posted by Beth in : Microsoft, Opinion , 3 commentsI’m not a clueless computer user; actually, I’m a technology trainer, mostly with Microsoft Office software. But I’m also not a tech geek. My husband would laugh till he cried if I tried to claim I was. So you can guess that I haven’t yet explored all the ins and outs of Windows Vista, which is installed on my work-provided Dell Latitude D620 notebook computer. But lately I have been using it just enough to be finding reasons I dislike it.
This article isn’t written from a OS geek or tech support person’s point of view – I’m sure there are lots of great reasons they have for liking or disliking Vista. These are reasons from a reasonably savvy but typical end-user’s viewpoint. (more…)
