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  • Essential Console commands in Linux

    Having once again forgotten most of the commands I use in the command shell in Linux in general and Ubuntu especially, I did a quick google search, which turned up this thread at the Ubuntuforums. The thread had two amazingly useful links, both of which referred to quick reference cheat sheets provided by FOSSwire.com Here they are:
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  • Ubuntu: Reinstalling MadWifi

    I’ve been having some problems connecting my EeePC to wireless networks of late. The problem was that it didn’t detect available wireless networks, nor did it connect to the ones I’d already defined.
     
    It runs Ubuntu 8.04, and I originally had to fuss around a bit to get the Atheros WLAN card to work. After reading more than a few forum posts, I found that reinstalling MadWifi most likely would fix the problem. The fix is done solely in the command line shell. I ran the following commands, in succession:
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  • Reducing memory usage in Mozilla Firefox

    If you’re like me, you use Mozilla Firefox as your preferred web browser. However, Firefox has one great weakness; its great love of RAM. I browsed around the web a bit, and found this workaround, which should help a bit at least. I have tried it, and it worked nicely for me.
     
    What this workaround does is move Firefox to your hard drive when minimized, which results in Firefox taking up less RAM. Obviously, the amount of RAM taken up will increase when you maximize the window, but it appears to increase to less than it used to be, which could certainly be said to be an improvement.
     
    The number one objection I have seen to this workaround is that people say that Firefx will take longer to maximize as the cache is located on the hard drive instead of in RAM. However, according to other bloggers out there, any delay is not noticeable.
     
    Now, to the step-by-step:
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  • Installing printers using a batch script

    Part of my job is installing printers for users. Now, I could just go on mapping the printserver and finding the printer from there, but that takes a lot of time, as we have some 100 plus printers per printserver. Instead, I spent an hour creating batch scripts, and have since used them to install printers.
     
    The command we need is an extension of the rundll32 command. The basic command is this: rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry. Now, just this will not really help you. You need to define some switches and operators. First off, you might want to know what switches and operators are available to you. To find them, simply open the “run” dialog box, and enter the command rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /?. This will yield an information box looking something like this:
     
    Information box containing shitloads of information
     
    The command I usually use looks something like this:
     
    rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /in /q /n "\\PRINTSERVER\PRINTER"
     
    The switches I use are:
    /in – Adds a network printer connection
    /q – Runs in quiet mode
    /n – Defines what printer to add
     
    There are many possibilities with this script, and I have never seen it fail.

  • 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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  • FileZilla – the only FTP client you’ll ever need.

    In managing two websites of my own, and one for an organisation I’m involved with, not to mention just to upload all the pictures I use in this blog, I use an excellent little application called FileZilla. Simply put, it’s an FTP client, a program designed to upload and download files using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Packed with features, it’s one of those programs I just can’t live without.

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  • Sametime: Resolving "There was an error opening a chat session…" errors

    I recently encountered the following error message when trying to initiate a chat session with a colleague.
     
    There was an error opening a chat session with User User/Organization/Server. Please try again later or contact your system administrator.Reason : 0x80000005
     
    Apparently, the error “0x80000005” means “The element is non-existent”. What happens is that when I tried to initialize a chat with my colleague, the Sametime client tries to open a Sametime channel to this user. It seems this is so rare an occurrence, the client hasn’t been programmed with a proper error message.
     
    Luckily, the problem is resolved fairly easily. Logging off and on Sametime has resolved the problem for me.

  • 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.

  • Resolving COM port conflicts in Mobile broadband cards

    I was called out to help with a problem that had stumped a few of our more experienced techs. The problem was that a user was unable to use her Mobile Broadband USB device.
     
    The specific device we use is supplied by one of the major norwegian telecoms, Telenor. It is a Globetrotter HSDPA USB dongle. The nifty thing about it is that it is totally plug and play. It installs itself, with drivers and connection software, when plugged in.
     
    The problem occurs when the install goes wrong. By default, the dongle installs itself set to use the first two consecutive COM ports available for uplink and downlink respectively. The solution to my clients problem was simply to change what ports the dongle used, followed by a restart.
     
    Here’s how you implement the solution:
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  • Thin client unable to connect to server

    HP t5520My employer has a few locations that uses thin clients. The thin clients they use are HP t5520, which are configured using a predefined script installed from a USB memory stick. When setting up these clients, I’ve noticed a problem that they are unable to connect to the server, and simply returns to the connect view. Luckily, this problem is easily resolved. Here’s how:
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  • Finding the name of a service

    In my last post, I showed you how to use a batch script to start a service from a desktop shortcut. The command we used was the net start command. In order to use it, you need to find the name of the service you want to start. Here’s how: (more…)