Ramblings, ideas, problems, and solutions

Category: Microsoft Windows

  • Outlook 2007: "Cannot open the Outlook window"

    I recently had a user drop by and ask me about an odd error he was seeing when starting Microsoft Outlook. The error looked like this:
     

     
    Looking about on the internet, I couldn’t find a lot of help, and enlisted the assistance of a friend of mine. After some trial and error, we found that the problem lay with the navpane, and that the solution was to reset it. Here’s how:
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  • The "Show Desktop" icon has disappeared from Quick Launch

    I had a user call in, complaining that her “Show Desktop” icon had disappeared from the Quick Launch bar. She was unable to find it again, and was really distressed as she used it a lot.
     
    As it turns out, Show Desktop is not a regular program, but rather an OS command, known as an SCF-file, which according to FileInfo.com is a
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  • Windows XP SP3 blocks uninstall of software

    As previously reported, Windows XP with Service Pack 3 has a nasty tendency to cause people to be unable to uninstall software such as Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8.
     
    What I didn’t know, was that it doesn’t confine itself to blocking uninstall of these programs, but that it also blocks the uninstall of, for example, Lotus Notes.
     
    I even got an error message; this one, to be exact: “The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed”
     
    It would seem that Service Pack 3 actually blocks software from accessing the Windows Installer Service. The solution, then, is to uninstall Service Pack 3. After I did that, I could uninstall Lotus Notes.

  • Unable to uninstall Internet Explorer 8

    The next version of Microsofts Internet Explorer is currently in public beta. Many of the beta testers are reporting that they are unable to uninstall the beta. The reason? They are running Windows XP SP3.
     
    Now, you can still uninstall IE8, it just takes a little more time, and effort. The first step to doing so is uninstalling SP3, which in turn should allow you to uninstall IE8.

  • Oh no, they didn’t – or the many versions of Windows 7

    I have long been of the opinion that where Microsoft have gone very, very badly wrong indeed when it comes to Windows is that they release multiple versions. The argument could be made that this is how it has been since NT4.0/98, but that argument doesn’t hold, because they ditched the Windows 98 line of development in favor of the NT line of development with the release of Windows XP.
     
    XP, of course, was released in two versions, Home and Professional. More recently, Vista was launched with no less than six different versions. With the recent launch of the public beta of Windows 7, we see no less than five versions, with a possible sixth reserved for volume licence customers.
     
    In my opinion, what any version of Linux, as well as what Mac OS have going for them is a simplicity of choice: choose distribution. You are done. With Windows, you first need to choose Windows, then choose which version you want. I think it is time that no matter your needs, your should be able to get all of the features, provided your hardware can handle them.
     
    The division between XP Home and Professional was a mistake. Understandable, but a mistake. Why do Microsoft keep making the same rutting mistakes???

  • Disabling IPv6 or running IPv6/IPv4

    If you’re running Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 with DHCP, you’ll be likely to encounter problems if you don’t set up IPv6 properly. The fix is of course to set up IPv6 properly on the server, but there are a few workarounds if you can’t do that. You can’t uninstall IPv6, but you can, among others disable it, or configure it at will.
     
    To disable it, clear the Internet Protocol version 6 (TCP/IPv6) check box in the properties of a network connection. You can also configure it a bit more than that. What you need to do is create a registry key and set it properly. Here’s how:
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  • Quickly and simply troubleshoot networks from the command line

    I love using command line tools, especially for troubleshooting networking. There are two simple commands you need to know; ipconfig and ping. Here’s a simple guide to finding where the problem :
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  • Find the DiskCleanup utility easily

    I’m sure you know the problem: you’ve used someone elses computer, and want to remove your traces. One of the easiest ways of doing that is to use the DiskCleanup utility, however locating it isn’t exactly the easiest thing.
     
    Luckily, it’s pretty simple to initiate the utility from the Run dialog; simply enter the program name, cleanmgr.exe and hit “OK”, and there you go.

  • Breadcrumb address bar in Windows XP

    One of my favorite features in Windows Vista is the very usable breadcrumb address bar as seen below. What I love about it is that it simplifies navigation back to a folder higher in the hierarchy. In addition it visualises the path to the folder really well.
     
    > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Welcome Center
     
    I wanted to get this in Windows XP as well, and, as it turns out, there’s an app called QT Address Bar that does this for you. It’s a shell extension that gives you the same functionality in Windows XP. There’s a little bit of post-config involved, but don’t worry, here’s how to do it:
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  • Update your computer now!

    I rarely write posts off the cuff, but this warrants it. Microsoft has released Security Bulletin MS08-059, along with a hotfix for the problem detailed. There are already exploits in the wild to take advantage of the hotfix.
     
    What I ask is simply this: Update your computer. Run Windows Update, and update your computer.
     
    Here’s the bulletin from Microsoft:
    Bulletin Identifier – Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-059
    Bulletin Title – Vulnerability in Host Integration Server RPC Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (956695)
    Executive Summary – This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Host Integration Server. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if an attacker sent a specially crafted Remote Procedure Call (RPC) request to an affected system. Customers who follow best practices and configure the SNA RPC service account to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than customers who configure the SNA RPC service account to have administrative user rights.
    Maximum Severity Rating – Critical
    Impact of Vulnerability – Remote Code Execution
    Detection – Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer can detect whether your computer system requires this update. The update may require a restart.