Author: nrogoff

Installing SMTP and the missing adsiisex.dll

You have just tried to install SMTP onto your Windows 2003 server and can’t for the life of you find the requested file ‘adsiisex.dll’. After the blood has dried on the desk from banging your head on it, you start to search the web for help.

Rather annoying the file turns out to be buried in the ‘IMS.cab’ file. Here is how to get it out and continue with your install.

  1. Expand the ‘IMS.cab’ to a temp location. To do this you need to use the EXPAND command line tool as below.

Expand command

The ‘-F:*’ tells it to expand all the files in the CAB.

  1. Point the Windows Component wizard to the expanded files location and the install should complete OK.

 

T-Mobile doesn’t do 3G!

I unsuccessfully tried 3G with T-mobile on my last phone (Sony Ericsson K850). My girlfriend tried it on her phone(Sony Ericsson K850i). No good. My phone would not ring on incoming calls, making callers redirect to voice mail immediately. I would get network busy when dialling out and SMS message would fail (this is with full signal). T-mobile support (after much effort and recoding of every incident, which was all the time the phones were on 3G setting) told me that these phones were not entirely compatible with 3G. I believed them. The problem was solved by setting my phone to 2G! No problem, didn’t use the web much on those phones.

So when I upgraded to the latest KU990 phone with full web browser capability, not to mention built in YouTube application I did not give 3G capability a second thought. Surely T-mobile provides 3G for this phone, I mean I am paying for it have just bought a phone built specifically to use it, so naturally did expect it!

No. New phone, same problems. That leave one point of failure T-Mobile. Basically T-Mobile cannot and do not provide a reliable 3G service. As their solution is ‘set your phone to 2G’ every time I complain no matter where I am or what phone I am using.

My solution: return the phone and cancel my contract. My advice to anyone else, use a network that does provide the 3G service. I believe 3 do! Don’t get a LG Viewty till LG provide some kind of support for it!

LG KU990 Viewty review and T-mobile 3G Network

I have had my Viewty for a couple of weeks now. What is LG up to?

Technically the phone is great. The screen is very good, speed is all there. Most of the interface is good. The slow motion (120 frames per sec) video capability is amazing.

Why then do LG completely screw it up by limiting the Contacts to 500, the Calendar items to 100 and unbelievably the Memos to 5!!! Yes that’s an incredibly useless 5! This is all despite putting a 2GB Micro SD card in there. The synchronising software is pathetic.

No problem you think, they will be issuing loads of firmware updates and groovy improvements in a continuous customer focused way etc… You know, just like Sony-Ericsson and Nokia do. Surely….Surely NOT! They barely even acknowledge the device on their support page.

If you want support the best site is www.ku990.co.uk

   

Easy Guide to Turning off or Disable UAC

Here is the easy way to turn off or disable User Access Control in MS Windows Vista.
 
WARNING: Although very annoying it is advised to keep UAT on and not to run your PC with admintrator permissions. Hopefully MS will make it a little more configurable and therefore more useful in the future.
 
 
1. in the search field of the Start button type ‘System Config’ and press ENTER or select ‘System Configuration’ from the search result above.
(NOTE: The System Configuration Tool has got lots of very useful functions and can be good at disabling startup programs too. However use caution here and don’t do anything you are not sure of!)
2. Select the ‘Tools’ tab
3. Scroll down and select ‘Disable UAC’
4. Click the ‘Launch’ button.
 
Done. However you will now get annoying Security Alerts from ,Windows security Center’ the system tray that UAC is disabled.
 
To Turn this off do the following:
 
1. Open the ‘Windows Security Center’ by double clicking on the red shield
2. Click on ‘Change the way Security Center alerts me’ at the botom of the left side.
3. Select the option you are happy with.
 

A Good Solutions Architect is …

Just read that a Good Architect is
 
  • Decisive
  • Visionary
  • a Teacher

I would also add

  • Knowledgeable
  • Insightful

As they say, great programming can’t save a badly architected solution. Get it right and take the time to plan.

Lots of good architecture and SDLC stuff on the microsoft MSF site

Microsoft.com/msf

Euro Millions (or Euromillones) Scam Letter

Just received one of those annoying scam ‘You’ve won loads of money’ letters. I am surprised that they are still trying it over snail mail, but I guess we are all becoming more savvy to online and email scams.
 
The letter appears to come from ‘Euromillones lottery primitiva s.a’ and goes something like…
 
 
This is to inform you on the release of the Espana Euromillones Lotería/international Promotion Program held on the 4th April, 2007. Due to a mix up of some numbers and names, the results were released on the 8th May, 2007. Your name attached to ticket number…
…
You have therefore been approved for a lump sum payout of €650,000.00 (SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND EUROS ONLY) in cash credited to …
…
To begin your lottery claim, please contact your claims agent MR SILV ANDERSON the Foreign operations manager of GRUPO-CADIZ SECURITY COMPANY S.A MADRID On Tel: 0034 638-206-720 Fax:00 34 911-817-595 for processing…
 

 
You are then asked to submit loads of nice personal details on an enclosed form to a company called ‘Grupo-Cadiz Security Company S.A’
 
Just to be clear… This is a SCAM!! Do not phone, email or send anything back to these people!
 
I would not be surprised if the fax or phone numbers are not some very high premium rate line. The Fax will probably take half an hour to get through etc. etc..
 
You have been warned. If anyone did take it further please let us know what you experienced.