it is a context menu editor, an autoplay editor, and default programs association editor; essentially, the settings in the "Default Programs" Control Panel page. It's a replacement for the "File Types" dialog in Windows XP, and brings some key features of TweakUI to Windows Vista/7.
Really cool and well done tool, a must have.
Source : defaultprogramseditor.com
I was looking for a function to get the script directory in a PowerShell script and I didn’t found exaclty found what I was looking for.
I found some scripts on the net that works on PowerShell 1.0 or 2.0 and with Powershell host or PrimalScript 2009 Host (yes I’m using PrimalScript everyday).
So I tooked some code form others and added some of my stuff and here what I came up with :
function get-scriptdirectory {
# .SYNOPSIS
# Return the current script directory path, compatible with PrimalScript 2009
# Equivalent to VBscript fso.GetParentFolderName(WScript.ScriptFullName)
# Requires PowerShell 2.0
#
# .DESCRIPTION
# Author : Jean-Pierre.Paradis@fsa.ulaval.ca
# Date : March 31, 2010
# Version : 1.01
#
# .LINK
# http://blog.sapien.com/index.php/2009/09/02/powershell-hosting-and-myinvocation/
if (Test-Path variable:\hostinvocation)
{$FullPath=$hostinvocation.MyCommand.Path}
Else {
$FullPath=(get-variable myinvocation -scope script).value.Mycommand.Definition }
if (Test-Path $FullPath) {
return (Split-Path $FullPath)
}
Else {
$FullPath=(Get-Location).path
Write-Warning ("Get-ScriptDirectory: Powershell Host <" + $Host.name + "> may not be compatible with this function, the current directory <" + $FullPath + "> will be used.")
return $FullPath
}
}My function will work on PowerShell command line, PowerShell ISE or PrimalScript 2009. You will, however need PowerShell 2.0.
It is also compatible with a ‘Set-StrictMode -Version 2.0’ (you the thing most best practices guide told you to use).
Update (march 31, 2010) :
Looks like there is currently no way to get the script directory from PowerGUIScriptEditorHost, so I’ve modified my script to return the current directory (and a warning) instead of throwing an error.
Finally got the time to install the fantastic SyntaxHighlighter on my blog so I can post my code more easily.
I just followed the well done Blogger Syntax Highlighting guide from MLA Wire.
So I’ve added the following code in my Blogger site’s template, just before de </head> tag :
<link href='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/styles/shCore.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/> <link href='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/styles/shThemeDefault.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/> <script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shCore.js' type='text/javascript'/> <!-- add brushes here --> <script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushCss.js' type='text/javascript'/> <script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushJScript.js' type='text/javascript'/> <script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushPhp.js' type='text/javascript'/> <script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushPlain.js' type='text/javascript'/> <script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushPowerShell.js' type='text/javascript'/> <script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushSql.js' type='text/javascript'/> <script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushVb.js' type='text/javascript'/> <script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushXml.js' type='text/javascript'/> <script type='text/javascript'> SyntaxHighlighter.config.bloggerMode = true; SyntaxHighlighter.config.clipboardSwf = 'http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/2.1.364/scripts/clipboard.swf'; SyntaxHighlighter.all(); </script>
Daniel Oxley has created a debugger for custom scripts in Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.
You should look at it : MDT Debugger
I’ve installed the “Outlook Social Connector 32 bit (February 2010 Beta)” on my Outlook 2010 Beta following the instructions on the Outlook blog but I keep getting the following error :
If you found how to make it works Contact Me
Microsoft is making a slew of virtualization-related announcements on March 18 -- including one that will be welcome by customers who've been stymied by the chip-level virtualization requirements for running Windows 7 in XP Mode.
Source : All about Microsoft
I recently installed Microsoft Office 2010 Beta, I choosed to keep my Office 2007 applications and to only install Outlook 2010 and Office 2010 Shared Components. I did not installed Access 2010.
After that my Microsoft Access 2007 crashed every time I opened a database that use the CurrentProject.Connection object in the code.
It seems that Office 2010 setup installed the “Microsoft Office 14.0 Access Database Engine Object Library (Beta)” component even if I did not choosed to install Access 2010. Even worst it also removed the reference to the “Microsoft Office 12.0 Access Database Engine Object Library” component witch is require by Access 2007.
How to fix this ?
Do a repair of Microsoft Office 2007 installation and everything will be back to normal. Except if you played with the References in your Project (Database tools > Visual Basic > Tools > References), you may have to un check all references to “Microsoft Office 14.0 Access” objects and recheck all references to “Microsoft Office 12.0 Access”.
Every time I want to share a YouTube video on my facebook page I forgot how to do it, so I though I should post how to do it on my blog :
How to Post a YouTube Video on Facebook
You can also watch this video :
Last month, Microsoft rolled out a controversial anti-piracy update for Windows 7. Everything you've read about KB971033 so far, including my report last week, has been based on what Microsoft said it was going to do. But what does this update really do? I took a close look using my best CSI toolkit. Here are the details Microsoft doesn't tell you about.
Source : Ed Bott's Microsoft Report
I've been hanging out with a bad crowd lately, trying out popular hacking tools and utilities to see if I could install Windows 7 without paying for it. Unfortunately, I succeeded. In this post, I'll share my experiences, including close encounters with some very nasty malware and some analysis on how the latest showdown between Microsoft and the pirates is likely to play out.
Source : Ed Bott's Microsoft Report
Hyper-V customers are running both SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux as guests. We have provided Linux integration components for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, but customers did not have the same level of performance with Red Hat Enterprise Linux as a guest since the IC’s were not supported for RHEL.
We are excited to announce the availability of Linux integration components for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4) which provides synthetic network and storage drivers enabling RHEL to work with the optimized devices provided by Hyper-V. We’ve already submitted these drivers to the upstream Linux kernel in July 2009 (read here for more information) and are looking forward to these being integrated with a future version of RHEL. In the meantime, Microsoft will provide full support for these drivers. Red Hat provides best effort support for these components. Customers interested in understanding how these are supported by Red Hat prior to their inclusion natively into to their distribution can read the details at the Red Hat Knowledge Base article.
To download this new version of the Linux Integration Components, visit this link on the Microsoft Download Center.
Mike Sterling
Hyper-V Program Manager, Microsoft
Source : Windows Virtualization Team Blog
I recently switch to VirtualBox (from VirtualPC), but i was not ready to dump all my VHD files. So i decided to keep working with VHD. The other thing I use a lot is “differencing disk”, VirtualBox also support these, but, as with VHD the documentation is not always very clear on how to use them.
First you have to understand a difference between Virtual PC and Virtual Box about “differencing disk” :
| In VirtualPC | In VirtualBox |
| You create a normal VHD that will become the parent, then you create a child VHD pointing to the parent | You create a normal VHD and flag it as “immutable”, then you create new VMs using this “immutable” VHD. VirtualBox will automatically create the child VHD that will appear like a snapshot ({GUID}.VHD) |
Here’s how I do it :
Step 1 : Create a 20Go dynamic disk VHD
vboxmanage createhd --filename "F:\.VirtualBox\HardDisks\WinXP_Parent.vhd" --size 20480 --format VHD --variant standard --remember
Step 2 : Change the new VHD into an immutable disk
vboxmanage "F:\.VirtualBox\HardDisks\WinXP_Parent.vhd" --type immutable
I Also like to force it to read-only as an additionnal precaution :
attrib +R "F:\.VirtualBox\HardDisks\WinXP_Parent.vhd"
Step 3 : Create a new VM using the WinXP_parent.vhd
Yon now have a new virtual machine with a differencing disk in the VHD format.
Nice article By Netanel Ben-Shushan about DHCP.
Abstract
This article will help you to learn everything that you need to know as a systems administrator (or SysAdmin) about this protocol and what can you do with him.
Source : Bink.nu
Google's belated second shot at social networking with the Gmail-based Buzz service was supposed to catapult the company into competition with Twitter and Facebook. But instead, it has created an amazing uproar among Gmail users who feel the service is invasive at best and privacy-adverse at worst.
How this piece of junk escaped internal testing is unclear, given how poorly implemented it was at launch last week, as well as its complete lack of configuration. But with Google now facing a class-action lawsuit over the service, maybe it's time for the online giant to step back and ask itself what the heck just happened.
For all the bad stuff Google has done over the years—working with the Chinese and scanning copyrighted books without asking permission, for starters—it's interesting to see that a silly and pointless service is what brought this clueless and insular high-flyer down to Earth.
The issue here is simple, however, and although I wish I could take credit for this observation, it comes from my friend Fabrice: No one cared when Google was violating IP and copyright laws around the world by scanning books, because that was other people's data. But when Google opens up actual users to privacy invasion, it gets personal. I think Fabrice is right. Google is a smart company full of smart people. But this is one the dumbest things I've ever seen.
Source : WinInfo Dailey by Paul thurrott
« Where is the Powershell 2.0 download ? »
Don’t ask me why, but the official release of PowerShell 2.0 is not available in a standalone download. It is now part of the «Window Management Framework».
The framework includes :
It is available for Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista and Windows 2008 (already included with Windows 7 and 2008 R2).
You will find all the download links and infos at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968929/en-us
Note : Don’t forget, PowerShell shortcuts are in Programs/Accessories/Windows PowerShell
This is common knowledge; you should use a combination of alphabets, numerical digits, and special characters (!, @) to create strong passwords. Yet, the most commonly used password on the Internet is 123456 followed by 12345 – see full list.
…
… Microsoft too offers an online tool that will instantly tell if your password is strong or weak.
…
Enter Password Meter – this is an online tool that will not only rate your password’s strength but will offer clues on what you kind of characters can you add or remove to improve the password’s strength.
Source : Digital Inspiration Technology Blog
In the past days I had to troubleshoot a problem with an SSL certificate and Outlook. I didn’t found any useful infos on the net to help me so I thought I could share one little tips that help me solve my problem.
First my problem :
We have a Sharepoint site configure with HTTPS. Everything works fine in Internet Explorer, but when we try to connect a calendar or a document library in Outlook it wouldn’t synch. If a replace my normal SSL certificate (on the web site) with a self signed one it works like a charm, so I suspect it is a certificate problem.
What’s bugging me is that Outlook never showed any error dialog. Nothing in the system event log either and no way to get kind of a trace or log of what’s happening from Outlook.
Here’s my tip :
Outlook is using the Microsoft Cryptography application programming interface (CAPI) or simply put Crypto API.
Starting with Windows Vista the Crypto API has an operational event log, you just have to enable it to see what’s really happening.
- Open the Event Viewer
- Look For CAPI2 under Applications and Service Logs > Microsoft > Windows
- Right click on “Operationnal” and select “Enable Log”
From the log you may be able to spot the problem with your certificate. Worked for me, I was able to see that it was trying to reach an non-existing server to get the certificate revocation list (CRL).
Don’t forget to disable the CAPI2 operational log when you’re done with the debugging.
Hope this could help someone else,
First, a caveat. This is not supported. Most of what I am about to talk about is not supported. Feel free to use this information, but do not call Microsoft if it does not work for you.
With that out of the way – this morning I was asked how to get a Windows Server 2008 core installation working on Windows Virtual PC, with integration components. This is possible, and very handy, but is a little tricky to do.
Windows Server 2008 will install onto Windows Virtual PC in a core configuration with no issues. But when you try to install the Integration Components, the installer will fail.
The problem is that the installer is trying, and failing, to initialize the sound card driver that is part of the integration components. What you need to do is to disable the sound card in the virtual machine.
Source : Virtual PC Guy's WebLog
Don't waste your time trying to understand what this blog is about or why is there so many unrelated news in it (from Formula 1 to computer programming). It's simply my own personal blog where I can put any information I like.
