Tales from the Techside

Unread Email on Welcome Screen Windows XP

The Windows XP welcome screen each time you go to login tells you the number of unread emails you have. I for one find this feature annoying for several reasons:

• I generally don't want to know
• Only Outlook and Outlook Express Report the information correctly (Thunder-bird does some times but not always for me)
• Multiple accounts cause problems and it doesn't tell me what number of emails go with what account.

So all-in-all I find this feature fairly useless and actually a little irritating. So if you are like me and want to fix this then read below for how:

Select the text below and copy it. Open notepad and paste the text you selected. Save the file as disableunreadmail.reg close notepad and double click the file to add the changes to the registry

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail\]
"MessageExpiryDays"=dword:00000000

If for some reason you want to bring back this feature then change "MessageExpiryDays"=dword:00000000 to the number of days you want to save your unread mail so five days would be:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail\]

"MessageExpiryDays"=dword:00000005

Select the text above and copy it. Open notepad and paste the text you selected. Save the file as enableunreadmail.reg close notepad and double click the file to add the changes to the registry

IE7 Beta Publicly Release Security Hole Found Microsoft Spins the Issue

Days after releasing IE7 to public beta Microsoft is admitting that a security hole has been found that can cause the browser to crash and raises the possibility of executing external code. However Microsoft maintains that while the flaw is there but does not allow for code to executed.

My take on this is that this is a beta relaese, and we should expect holes, flaws, and exploits and it is better to get them resolved now then rear their ugly heads when the beta testing is done. The best thing Microsoft could do is acknowledge the hole fix the hole and thank the finder publicly. The spin doctors don't need to turn it around and make it out to be not a big deal. Unfortunately the biggest problem everyone has with Microsoft is their lack of willingness to just say oops we messed up.

Now don't get me wrong I love Microsoft, without them I would probably be a mid level manager in an accounting firm rather than living the life in the IT field. I have also participated in many public and private Beta tests for Microsoft and it is often my experience that they love to make small of problems. I understand the desire to meet deadlines and the pressures of a global economy but still its a beta test just say we messed up the issue is fixed now and thank you for reporting it.

The people who spend their time exposing these flaws don't do it for fame or money so a little thanks would go a long way. When the turn around time of exploitable flaw to malicious code is shrinking daily it is Microsoft's best interest to garner support from the security community. If someone reports the flaw acknowledge the flaw and correct but don't argue over the semantics of the issue.

In the end it is about security a better operating system and a safer more productive experience on-line. On Microsoft's end it is about a shrinking market share in the web browser market personally I love Internet Explorer but it hasn't kept pace with the times and as such I was forced to shift to an alternative browser. If I could go back to IE I would, so please Microsoft just acknowledge the issues fix them and move on. So that we can all enjoy your browser once again.

Security glitch bites IE7 beta | The Register

Unable to login into websites check your cookie settings

If you find that you are unable to login to websites such as your email or online banking systems you may have inadvertently set Internet Explorer 6 to deny all cookies. To fix this follow the steps below:

1. In Internet Explorer, click "Tools" and then "Internet Options".
2. Select the "Privacy" tab.
3. Click the "Default" button
4. Press "OK" and then close and reopen Internet Explorer

If cookies weren’t the cause then you may have another issue that is spyware or malware related in that case drop me an email and I will be happy to help

Printers and Faxes Missing from Start Menu Heres How to get it Back

1. Right-click on the taskbar click properties
2. Click the start menu tab.
3. Click the customize button
4. Click the advanced tab
5. In the list of start menu items find the one that says printer and faxes and check the box
6. Click ok

RedX in Outlook for the Web Try This

If you have ever used Outlook for the Web commonly known as OWA and seen a redx instead of the rich text input screen this should fix your problem.

Copy the lines below in notepad and save the file as fixredx.bat double click the file and you will be all fixed up.

regsvr32 /u "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Triedit\dhtmled.ocx"
regsvr32 /u "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Triedit\triedit.dll"
regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Triedit\dhtmled.ocx"
regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Triedit\triedit.dll"

If for some reason this doesn't fix your issue just ping me on yahoo or send me an email and I will assist you further.

Word: Split text to columns

This will cover how to use Microsoft Word to split text to columns newspaper style.

1. First type what you want into Word

2. Select the text you want to want to split to columns with your mouse or if you want to split it all click edit and then select all.

3. Next click format and then columns

4. Select or enter the number of columns you wish to use.

5. Now you can select the width of your columns and whether or not you want lines between.

6. When you are done click OK and your text will be split into columns

Power Tip: Make sure that next to apply to you see your selected text if not you may inadvertently split something you didn't intend to split to columns.

Remove Burn In From LCD Screens

Got this from apple support but no reason it should not work on Windows PC's as well. Burn in occurs if you leave an unchanging image (like a login screen or the same desktop picture) on the screen for a long period of time, you may see a faint remnant of the image even after a new image has replaced it.

You can prevent burn by setting your pc to turn off the display when it is not in use, or by using a Screen Saver to make sure that a static image isn't on the display for long periods of time.

In case you do get a burned in image these steps should fix up:

1. Set your computer to never turn off the monitor when it is idle.
2. Display an all-white pattern across the entire display for the same amount of time that the persistent image had been displayed on the screen. For example if you left up a picture of pregnant Brittany for 1 day and it got burned into your monitor (and your eyes)
   
   1. Set your background to the color white with no image
      
   2. Right click on your taskbar and click properties and taskbar then choose autohide
   3. Disable any screen savers
   4. Right click on the desktop and under arrange icons uncheck show desktop icons
   5. Leave your computer for 24 hours showing nothing but white
3. If necessary, repeat the process until the persistent image is gone.
4. Restore your orignal desktop settings.

Add a Delete Button To GMAIL

Arantius.com has posted an awesome grease-monkey script that allows firefox users to add a delete button to GMAIL. For all their vaunted 2 gigs of space I still need to delete things from my account from time to time. Aside from the lack of a delete button GMAIL is an awesome system that I come to heavily depend on I mean where else do you get an HTML converter, email, and contact management package all in one. So if you use GMAIL, are a Firefox user, and are frustrated by the lack of a delete button try this grease monkey script out.

Link: Greasemonkey User Scripts - Gmail Delete Button - Arantius.com.

Unable to Access SSL Sites in IE

If you are having problems accessing secure sites using Internet Explorer then this article is for you. This article is intended to go from the least invasive to all but reinstalling Windows. So please and I can not stress this enough try these steps one at time, make a back up before deleting anything or editing the registry and if you get stuck please drop me an email. I will be happy to help. Please note I will be using https://mail.google.com as an example secure site throughout this article feel free to use another website if you wish though.

First delete Temporary Internet Files

Make sure you are in Internet Explorer.

Click Tools then Internet Options

Under Temporary Internet files, click Delete Cookies.

Click OK when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.

Click Delete Files.

Check the box that says delete all offline content

Click OK when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.

Click OK and Apply to close the Internet Properties Dialog Box

Next close Internet Explorer

Open Internet Explorer again and try to visit a secure website https://mail.google.com

Next Configure Internet Explorer

Make sure you are in Internet Explorer.

Click Tools then Internet Options

Click the Security tab.

Click trusted sites, and then click Default Level.

Add the secure Web site (mail.google.com) you are trying to reach to the Trusted sites.

Click Sites, type the address of the site in the Add this Web site to the zone box

Click Add, click OK, and then click Apply.

Next close Internet Explorer

Open Internet Explorer again and try to visit a secure website https://mail.google.com

Clear the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) slate and AutoComplete history.

Click the Content tab.

Under Certificates, click Clear SSL Slate.

Click OK when you receive the message that the SSL cache was successfully cleared.

Under Personal information, click AutoComplete.

Under Clear AutoComplete history, click Clear Forms. Click OK when windows asks you if you are sure.

Click Clear Passwords. Click OK when you are prompted to clear all previously saved passwords, and then click OK two more times.

Next close Internet Explorer

Open Internet Explorer again and try to visit a secure website https://mail.google.com

Verify that Internet Explorer is configured to use SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0

Click the Advanced tab.

Click the Restore Defaults button

Click Apply then OK.

Next close Internet Explorer

Open Internet Explorer again and try to visit a secure website https://mail.google.com

Verify that the Date and Time Settings on Your Computer Are Correct

Click Start

Select Control Panel.

Click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options, and then click Date and Time.

Click the Date and Time tab

Make sure that the date and time settings are configured to use the current date and time, and then click OK.

Open Internet Explorer and try to visit a secure website https://mail.google.com

Verify that Your Computer Is Using 128-Bit Encryption

Make sure you are in Internet Explorer.

Click Help, About Internet Explorer.

The level of encryption on your computer appears next to the words Cipher Strength. Verify that the Cipher Strength value appears as 128-bit.

Click OK.

If it you are not running 128 bit encryption then click the link below to download the pack

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/recommended/128bit/default.mspx

Verify that the Microsoft Cryptographic Services Service Is Started

Click Start

Click Run.

In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.

At the command prompt, type net start cryptsvc, and then press ENTER.

Type exit to quit Command Prompt.

Open Internet Explorer and try to visit a secure website https://mail.google.com

Re-register the following .dll files:

Softpub.dll
Wintrust.dll
Initpki.dll
Dssenh.dll
Rsaenh.dll
Gpkcsp.dll
Sccbase.dll
Slbcsp.dll
Cryptdlg.dll

Click Start, and then click Run.

In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.

At the command prompt, type the following lines and press ENTER after each line:

regsvr32 softpub.dll
regsvr32 wintrust.dll
regsvr32 initpki.dll
regsvr32 dssenh.dll
regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32 sccbase.dll
regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll

Click OK when you receive the message that DllRegisterServer in FileName succeeded.

Open Internet Explorer and try to visit a secure website https://mail.google.com

Or click here to download a batchfile to reregister these files automatically

Download repair.bat

Use the System File Checker Tool to Verify Protected System Files

Use System File Checker with the /scannow parameter (sfc /scannow) to immediately scan and verify the versions of all protected system files. If System File Checker discovers that a protected file was overwritten, it retrieves the correct version of the file from the cache folder (Systemroot\System32\Dllcache) or from the Windows installation source files, and then replaces the incorrect file. System File Checker also checks and repopulates the cache folder. You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to run System File Checker. To run System File Checker:

Click Start, and then click Run.

In the Open box, type sfc /scannow, and then press ENTER.

Use System Restore to Return Your Computer to a Previous State

Click Start.

All Programs.

Accessories.

System Tools.

Click System Restore.

Follow the instructions on the wizard.

Keyboard not working in Windows disable filter keys

This morning I encountered a computer where a customer could type at the dos prompt but not in Windows. This was a laptop so the immediate thought that there was a problem with the keyboard driver, however after plugging in a USB keyboard the issue was still there.

So then what could the cause be? As I am sure you have deduced from the title the cause of the issue was the user had enabled filter keys in accessibility options. In most cases where multiple keyboards do not work in Windows but work in WinPE, Knoppix, or DOS then this will be case so here is how we fix it.

First click “Start”

Next click “Control Panel”

If you see the text “ Pick a category “ as the main title then you will need to click the “Switch to Classic View”

 

Next Double click “Accessibility” Options. Note: If for any reason your machine does not display this icon:

Then Windows Accessibility has been removed, or not installed. You will need to install it from a Windows CD.

If you are not already looking at the “Keyboard tab “, then click on it

Next uncheck the checkbox marked “Use FilterKeys “

Click “Apply “then “OK “ to confirm the choice and exit accessibility options.