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• Add Spell Checking to Your Favorite Windows Apps

  - by Asian Angel

  Some but not all Windows apps have built-in spell checking of some sort. If you want to add spell checking to all of your apps (or a select group) then join us as we look at tinySpell. Note: There is a paid version of this software (tinySpell+) available as well for those who want extra functionality. tinySpell in Action The installation process is simple and straightforward…as soon as you have finished installing tinySpell you will see your new “System Tray Icon”. You can see tinySpell’s “Context Menu” here. Before going any further you may want to have a look through the settings to make any desired display modifications. During our tests we found it very helpful to modify the Spelling Tip options…it will make for a much nicer and easier to read display when you have a spelling error. Clicking on the Applications… Command in the Context Menu will bring up the following window. You can really finesse how active tinySpell will be here: Create a special list of apps that tinySpell will not monitor Create a custom list of apps that tinySpell will monitor If you have any particular or unique words that you would like to add to tinySpell’s Dictionary ahead of time you can do that by clicking on the Dictionary… Command in the Context Menu. Want to check the spelling of a word ahead of time or find that you are just curious about how it is spelled? Click on Open spelling window in the Context Menu to access a special spell check window. For our example we misspelled “spelling” on purpose…notice that the word has turned red. Clicking on the Check Mark Button will open a drop-down list with suggested spellings for the word that you are inquiring about. Click on the appropriate listing if you intend to copy and paste the word. Next we moved on to Notepad. As we were typing tinySpell alerted us when we typed the word “app”. You will hear a small default system sound and see a small popup as shown here if tinySpell thinks a word has been misspelled. The System Tray Icon will also change to a yellow color. You can access the list of suggested spellings by either left clicking on the small popup or the System Tray Icon. If the word is a properly spelled “abbreviation” (or special/custom) like our word here you can select Add to dictionary. Going further in our text document we once again purposely misspelled “spelling”… Left clicking on the popup gave us access to the drop-down list of suggested spellings… And clicking on the correct spelling automatically inserted it into our document in place of the misspelled word. As you can see here tinySpell was even monitoring file names when we went to save the document. Very thorough indeed. Conclusion If your favorite app does not have built-in spell checking, then tinySpell will definitely be a welcome (and very helpful) addition to your Windows system. They offer a portable version as well so you can take it with you to any PC. Links Download tinySpell *Note: The download link is located approximately half-way down the page. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Quick Tip: Spell Check Firefox Text Input FieldsEdit the Windows Live Writer Custom DictionaryAccess Your Favorite Google Services in Chrome the Easy WayLaunch External Apps from FirefoxNinite Makes Installing Software Incredibly Simple TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips All My Movies 5.9 CloudBerry Online Backup 1.5 for Windows Home Server Snagit 10 VMware Workstation 7 OpenDNS Guide Google TV The iPod Revolution Ultimate Boot CD can help when disaster strikes Windows Firewall with Advanced Security – How To Guides Sculptris 1.0, 3D Drawing app

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• Windows Cluster issue

  - by George2

  Hello everyone, For Windows Server 2008 failover cluster, I find it is dependent on Windows domain (in other words, Windows domain is pre-requisite of installing Windows Server 2008 fail over cluster). I am not sure why it is dependent on Windows domain? What features of Windows domain will Windows Server 2008 failover cluster utilize? thanks in advance, George

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• installing windows XP in Samsung SENS 145 plus notebook (no CD drive)

  - by user13267

  Hi I was trying to install Windows XP in a Samsung SENS 145 plus Notebook. It does not have a cd drive and I already managed to format it and semi install Windows XP, so now it does not even boot up either. This is what I did: Since it supports USB booting, I first made a bootable USB of Windows XP (Korean version; SP2 I think, may be SP 3) using Novicorp WinToFlash enter link description here. It managed to boot up at first and I was able to format the C driveand get Windows install to start up. It took forever to copy all the files from the USB and after the first reboot, before installation started, I cancelled the reboot from windows install, went to BIOS and changed the boot device priority from USB to internal hard drive. But now on bootup it showed me a list with two options for booting windows XP (much like in the case of a multi OS system) so I assumed that I had formatted drive D by mistake and installed XP there, instead of on C drive. Anyway, I chose one of them and it continued my Windows installation. I got the blue installation screen that shows ads about Windows XP on the right frame and estimated remaining time on the left. However, after completing the process, after the first reboot, instead of showing the Windows XP logo, it says \system32\hall.dll is missing (or corrupted I'm not sure, I needed to install the Korean version of windows and I could not exactly read the error message, however it was one that I have already seen in an English version installation, and I am sure it says either missing or corrupted). The problem is, now it shows the same error again when I try to reboot it from the USB drive as well. I tried to boot a portable version of Linux I made in another USB, but the computer does not boot up from that USB, and it shows hal.dll error when I try to boot it using the WIN XP installation USB I made, as well as when I try to boot it from the hard drive, where I suppose Win XP is now semiinstalled. So now I can't get the computer to start up at all, except going to the BIOS. What else can I try to solve this? Also, would it be possible to install XP on this computer by connecting it to another one running Windows 7 ultimate, through the ethernet card? That is, network just the two computers together, then install windows XP on the notebook from the desktop running windows 7? Please help, I'm running out of ideas on this one. If Korean version of windows XP is the problem then I am willing to install English version as well. (but I need to make sure if that is the real cause of the problem)

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• Why won't my Windows 8 Command line update its path

  - by mawcsco

  I needed to add a new entry to my PATH variable. This is a common activity for me in my job, but I've recently started using Windows 8. I assumed the process would be similar to Windows 7, Vista, XP... Here's my sequence of events: Open System properties (Start- [type "Control Panel"] - Control Panel\System and Security\System - Advanced system settings - Environment Variables) Add the new path to beginning of my USER PATH variable (C:\dev\Java\apache-ant-1.8.4\bin;) Opened a command prompt (Start - [type "command prompt" enter] - [type "path" enter] My new path entry is not available (see attached image and vide). I Duplicated the exact same process on a Windows 7 machine and it worked. EDIT Windows 8 Environment Variables and Command Prompt video EDIT This is definitely not the behavior of Windows 7. Watch this video to see the behavior I expect working in Windows 7. http://youtu.be/95JXY5X0fII EDIT 5/31/2013 So, after much frustration, I wrote a small C# app to test the WM_SETTINGCHANGE event. This code receives the event in both Windows 7 and Windows 8. However, in Windows 8 on my system, I do not get the correct path; but, I do in Windows 7. This could not be reproduced in other Windows 8 systems. Here is the C# code. using System; using Microsoft.Win32; public sealed class App { static void Main() { SystemEvents.UserPreferenceChanging += new UserPreferenceChangingEventHandler(OnUserPreferenceChanging); Console.WriteLine("Waiting for system events."); Console.WriteLine("Press <Enter> to exit."); Console.ReadLine(); } static void OnUserPreferenceChanging(object sender, UserPreferenceChangingEventArgs e) { Console.WriteLine("The user preference is changing. Category={0}", e.Category); Console.WriteLine("path={0}", System.Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH")); } } OnUserPreferenceChanging is equivalent to WM_SETTINGCHANGE C# program running in Windows 7 (you can see the event come through and it picks up the correct path). C# program running in Windows 8 (you can see the event come through, but the wrong path). There is something about my environment that is precipitating this problem. However, is this a Windows 8 bug?

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• Is it possible upgrade to Windows 8 from Windows OEM?

  - by Drake

  In a Microsoft's post about Windows 8 upgrade it is written: We set out to make it as easy as possible for everyone to upgrade to Windows 8. Starting at general availability, if your PC is running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 you will qualify to download an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $39.99 in 131 markets. I am now interested in understanding if this upgrade options are available also for Windows XP/Vista/7 OEM versions. Do you have any idea?

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• Print SSRS Report / PDF automatically from SQL Server agent or Windows Service

  - by Jeremy Ramos

  Originally posted on: http://geekswithblogs.net/JeremyRamos/archive/2013/10/22/print-ssrs-report--pdf-from-sql-server-agent-or.aspxI have turned the Web upside-down to find a solution to this considering the least components and least maintenance as possible to achieve automated printing of an SSRS report. This is for the reason that we do not have a full software development team to maintain an app and we have to minimize the support overhead for the support team.Here is my setup:SQL Server 2008 R2 in Windows Server 2008 R2PDF format reports generated by SSRS Reports subscriptions to a Windows File ShareNetwork printerColoured reports with logo and brandingI have found and tested the following solutions to no avail:ProsConsCalling Adobe Acrobat Reader exe: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Reader 11.0\Reader\acroRd32.exe" /n /s /o /h /t "C:\temp\print.pdf" \\printserver\printername"Very simple optionAdobe Acrobat reader requires to launch the GUI to send a job to a printer. Hence, this option cannot be used when printing from a service.Calling Adobe Acrobat Reader exe as a process from a .NET console appA bit harder than above, but still a simple solutionSame as cons abovePowershell script(Start-Process -FilePath "C:\temp\print.pdf" -Verb Print)Very simple optionUses default PDF client in quiet mode to Print, but also requires an active session.    Foxit ReaderVery simple optionRequires GUI same as Adobe Acrobat Reader Using the Reporting Services Web service to run and stream the report to an image object and then passed to the printerQuite complexThis is what we're trying to avoid  After pulling my hair out for two days, testing and evaluating the above solutions, I ended up learning more about printers (more than ever in my entire life) and how printer drivers work with PostScripts. I then bumped on to a PostScript interpreter called GhostScript (http://www.ghostscript.com/) and then the solution starts to get clearer and clearer.I managed to achieve a solution (maybe not be the simplest but efficient enough to achieve the least-maintenance-least-components goal) in 3-simple steps:Install GhostScript (http://www.ghostscript.com/download/) - this is an open-source PostScript and PDF interpreter. Printing directly using GhostScript only produces grayscale prints using the laserjet generic driver unless you save as BMP image and then interpret the colours using the imageInstall GSView (http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/gsview/)- this is a GhostScript add-on to make it easier to directly print to a Windows printer. GSPrint automates the above  PDF -> BMP -> Printer Driver.Run the GSPrint command from SQL Server agent or Windows Service:"C:\Program Files\Ghostgum\gsview\gsprint.exe" -color -landscape -all -printer "printername" "C:\temp\print.pdf"Command line options are here: http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/gsview/gsprint.htmAnother lesson learned is, since you are calling the script from the Service Account, it will not necessarily have the Printer mapped in its Windows profile (if it even has one). The workaround to this is by adding a local printer as you normally would and then map this printer to the network printer. Note that you may need to install the Printer Driver locally in the server.So, that's it! There are many ways to achieve a solution. The key thing is how you provide the smartest solution!

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• What can a Service do on Windows?

  - by Akemi Iwaya

  If you open up Task Manager or Process Explorer on your system, you will see many services running. But how much of an impact can a service have on your system, especially if it is ‘corrupted’ by malware? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answers to a curious reader’s questions. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. The Question SuperUser reader Forivin wants to know how much impact a service can have on a Windows system, especially if it is ‘corrupted’ by malware: What kind malware/spyware could someone put into a service that does not have its own process on Windows? I mean services that use svchost.exe for example, like this: Could a service spy on my keyboard input? Take screenshots? Send and/or receive data over the internet? Infect other processes or files? Delete files? Kill processes? How much impact could a service have on a Windows installation? Are there any limits to what a malware ‘corrupted’ service could do? The Answer SuperUser contributor Keltari has the answer for us: What is a service? A service is an application, no more, no less. The advantage is that a service can run without a user session. This allows things like databases, backups, the ability to login, etc. to run when needed and without a user logged in. What is svchost? According to Microsoft: “svchost.exe is a generic host process name for services that run from dynamic-link libraries”. Could we have that in English please? Some time ago, Microsoft started moving all of the functionality from internal Windows services into .dll files instead of .exe files. From a programming perspective, this makes more sense for reusability…but the problem is that you can not launch a .dll file directly from Windows, it has to be loaded up from a running executable (exe). Thus the svchost.exe process was born. So, essentially a service which uses svchost is just calling a .dll and can do pretty much anything with the right credentials and/or permissions. If I remember correctly, there are viruses and other malware that do hide behind the svchost process, or name the executable svchost.exe to avoid detection. Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.

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• Monitor the Weather from Your Windows 7 Taskbar

  - by Asian Angel

  Keeping up with the weather forecast can be hard when you are extra busy with work. If you need a simple but nice looking way to integrate weather monitoring into your Taskbar then join us as we look at WeatherBar. Setting Up & Using WeatherBar To get started unzip the following files, place them in an appropriate “Program Files Folder”, and create a shortcut. When you start WeatherBar for the first time you will be presented with the following window and a random/default location. To get WeatherBar set up for your location there are only two settings to adjust (using the “Pencil & Gear Buttons”). Clicking on the “Pencil Button” will open up this small window…enter the name of your location and click “OK”. Next click on the “Gear Button” where you can choose the “Update Interval” and “Measurement Format” that best suits your needs. Click “OK” when finished and WeatherBar will be ready to go. That definitely looks nice. When you are finished viewing this window minimize it to the “Taskbar Icon” instead of clicking on the “Close Button”…otherwise the entire app will close. Left click on the “Taskbar Icon” to bring the window back up… Hovering the mouse over the “Taskbar Icon” provides a nice thumbnail of the weather forecast. Right clicking on the “Taskbar Icon” will display a nice mini forecast. Conclusion While WeatherBar may not be for everyone it does provide a nice easy way to monitor the weather from your “Taskbar” without taking up a lot of room. Links Download WeatherBar Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Monitor the Weather for Your Location in ChromeCheck Weather Conditions in Real-time with Weather WatcherMonitor CPU, Memory, and Disk IO In Windows 7 with Taskbar MetersTaskbar Eliminator Does What the Name Implies: Hides Your Windows TaskbarBring Misplaced Off-Screen Windows Back to Your Desktop (Keyboard Trick) TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Home Networks – How do they look like & the problems they cause Check Your IMAP Mail Offline In Thunderbird Follow Finder Finds You Twitter Users To Follow Combine MP3 Files Easily QuicklyCode Provides Cheatsheets & Other Programming Stuff Download Free MP3s from Amazon

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• Registry ReadString method is not working in Windows 7 in Delphi 7

  - by Tofig Hasanov

  The following code sample used to return me windows id before, but now it doesn't work, and returns empty string, dunno why. function GetWindowsID: string; var Registry: TRegistry; str:string; begin Registry := TRegistry.Create(KEY_WRITE); try Registry.Lazywrite := false; Registry.RootKey := HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE; // Registry.RootKey := HKEY_CURRENT_USER; if CheckForWinNT = true then Begin if not Registry.OpenKeyReadOnly('\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion') then showmessagE('cant open'); end else Registry.OpenKeyReadOnly('\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion'); str := Registry.ReadString('ProductId'); result:=str; Registry.CloseKey; finally Registry.Free; end; // try..finally end; Anybody can help?

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• IP Address Lookup in VB.net (XP vs Windows 7)

  - by TheHockeyGeek

  Currently I use the following code to retrieve the IP address of the local workstation... strIPAddress = System.Net.Dns.GetHostEntry(strComputerName).AddressList(0).ToString() This is fine for the Windows XP workstations. However, in Vista and Windows 7, this returns the IPv6 address which is not used at all. Is there a method of setting this to work so it always returns the IPv4 address regardless of platform? I know I can increment the AddressList value to 1 and get the correct IP in Windows 7. The bad part is that this requires going through the motions of identifying the OS and choosing one or the other. The must be some way of specifying IPv4 only. Perhaps getting a result from DNS on the network rather than the workstation itself?

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• How to use VisualStyleRenderer in Windows 7?

  - by Paulo Santos

  In a small project of mine I've came across the need of a collapsible group box. Searching the Net, I've found one here. In one of the comments there's an improvement on the original code that uses the VisualStyleRenderer class in order to acquire the TreeView open and closed glyph. Running the code it draws properly the Plus and Minus sing as Windows XP would draw it, however in Windows Vista and Windows 7 the glyph for open and closed nodes are small triangles. What kind of interface, class or PInvoke, I need to use in order to acquire the right glyph?

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• Named ports in windows!

  - by Jay

  I wonder how stuff like this works in windows (xp and other that have telnet): Start-> Run -> cmd -> telnet <xyz.com> http Start-> Run -> cmd -> telnet <xyz.com> pop3 Start-> Run -> cmd -> telnet <xyz.com> smtp Are these "named" ports? Only windows knows that it has to substitute port numbers coz these are standard ports? Is there way I could create such a named port on windows? I would like something like this : telnet <xyz.com> oracle to translate to telnet <xyz.com> 1521

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• Running mongod as a windows service

  - by andreas

  Hello, i have installed mongodb on win32 and i am trying to run it as a service. I have followed the instructions posted here: http://www.deltasdevelopers.com/post/Running-MongoDB-as-a-Windows-Service.aspx but when when windows tries to 'load'/'run' the service there is a problem. I see the service under the services control banner constantly in the 'starting' state. The result: the service is not started and windows is constantly trying to start it without success. The instructions i have followed are: At the command line C:\mongodb\mongod -install then C:\mongodb\mongod -service Then i modified the Win Registry Entry for the MongoDB Service by setting the ImagePath key to the value of C:\mongodb\mongodb.exe -service Any advice? What am i doing wrong?

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• Windows Forms: Enable/Disable WS_CLIPCHILDREN

  - by Agnel Kurian

  How do I turn on/off the WS_CLIPCHILDREN window style in a Windows Forms parent control? I would like to display some text on top of the child control after it has painted. In my parent control, this is what I have: class Parent : public Control { void Parent::OnPaint(PaintEventArgs ^e){ Control::OnPaint(e); // parent draws here // some drawing should happen over the child windows // in other words, do not clip child window regions } }; On checking with Spy++ I find that the parent has the WS_CLIPCHILDREN window style enabled by default. What is the Windows Forms way to turn this off? Note: Sample code is in C++/CLI but I have tagged this C# for visibility... language is immaterial here. Feel free to translate the code to C#.

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• Reinstall of Microsoft Office 2010 beta isn't prompting me for upgrade vs. side-by-side installation

  - by Howiecamp

  I'm running Office 2007 on Windows 7. When I ran the Microsoft Office 2010 beta installation, it asked if I wanted to upgrade the existing 2007 installation or install along side 2007. I later uninstalled 2010 and rebooted. When I re-ran the Office 2010 setup program, it no longer asked if I wanted to upgrade or install side by side. It just did a side by side install by default. How can I get it to re-prompt me, as I'd now like to upgrade my 2007 install.

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• Stopping Windows Mobile 6.5 tab reordering

  - by PaulH

  I have a C++ Visual Studio 2008 Windows Mobile 6.5 application that uses a tab control. I've noticed that depending on how careful you are with the stylus, when using the tab control you can accidentally re-order the tabs. It's difficult to do deliberately, but it's very easy to do when you're not trying. I assume this is a new "feature" of Windows Mobile 6.5 as it doesn't happen in Windows Mobile 6.1 with the same code. Is there a window style or something I can set that will lock the tab order such that people don't accidentally re-arrange them? Also, is there an MSDN page that describes this behavior and how it is supposed to work? I've looked, but have come up empty. Thanks, PaulH

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• .NET CF on Windows CE - problem with filtering system messages

  - by mack369

  Hello, I'm trying to get every windows message that tells that the user has touched the screen. It works everywhere, except the button, when it is disabled. It seems that the application doesn't get any message when clicked on disabled control. I'm using OpenNetCF Application2 class for filtering messages: Application2.AddMessageFilter(Device.PowerManager); Application2.Run(new MainForm()); PowerManager class contains a following method (as required by IMessageFilter interface): public bool PreFilterMessage(ref Microsoft.WindowsCE.Forms.Message m) { log.DebugFormat("windows message {0} - 0x{0:X}", m.Msg); if (m.Msg == 0x0201 || m.Msg == 0x8001 || m.Msg == 0x0005) { return this.ResetPowerManager(); } return false; } in the log file there is no indication of a windows message when clicking on disabled button. I'm wondering how is it possible and how can I get this message.

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• Problem with testing a Windows service

  - by prateeksaluja20

  I want to make a Windows service that will access my database. My database is SQL Server 2005. Actually I am working on a website and my database is inside our server. I need to access my database every second and update the records. For that purpose I need to make a Windows service that will install into our server and perform the task. I have been accessing the database from my local machine and then running the service, but problem is I'm not sure how I can test this service. I tried to install into my local machine. It installed and then I ran the service but it did not perform the task and I think service is not able to connect with the database. There is no problem in the service nor its installer. The only issue is how to test my Windows service.

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• Running a Java process in Windows even after the user is logged out

  - by Mani

  I have a batch file that starts a Java process in a Windows 2003 server. As per the security policy, the users of that machine are logged off forcefully, if the user is inactive for a certain period of time. The problem is that when the user is logged out, the process also dies. I scheduled a new task (Control Panel - Scheduled Tasks) and selected the option of 'When my computer starts' and gave the user account details there. But it doesn't seem to have any effect, the user is still logged out and the process dies. Is a reboot necessary to make this change effective? And after the reboot, will I achieve what I'm expecting (keeping the process alive)? Alternatively, will running this process as a Windows Service solve the problem? If so, can you please let me know how I can make a Java program or a batch file to run as a Windows Service? I would prefer not to use any other third party tools or libraries. Thanks

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• Email Sending Task in Windows Phone Universal App

  - by Tanvir Sourov

  I was trying to write an Email sending code for Windows Phone Universal App. This is the Code that I have written in my Event Handler: Windows.ApplicationModel.Email.EmailMessage email = new Windows.ApplicationModel.Email.EmailMessage(); email.Subject = "Good morning"; email.Body = "Hello, how are you?"; var emailRecipient = new Windows.ApplicationModel.Email.EmailRecipient(email.Address); email.To.Add(emailRecipient); await Windows.ApplicationModel.Email.EmailManager.ShowComposeNewEmailAsync(emailMessage); This code works for my Windows Phone 8.1 App. But it's not working in the Universal App. Shall I have to add any reference? Is there any way to make it work in the Universal app? Thanks a lot. :)

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• What advantages does Windows Embedded Enterprise give you?

  - by Max Schmeling

  My company has built a machine that measures wedge and roundness of lenses by reading and interacting with very precise indicators, motors, and a switch panel. The interface for the machine is a WPF application and it runs on Windows Vista on a normal PC bought from the store. I've never worked with Windows Embedded, but it sounds to me like it's intended for this type of system. My question is, what does it buy me? If I were to run this on Windows Embedded Enterprise (Vista) what benefits do I get? Do I get more control of the load, login, and all that? Can I make it more seamless where it doesn't really feel just like a normal application running full screen? Is it something I should look into more?

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• Windows Azure VMs - New "Stopped" VM Options Provide Cost-effective Flexibility for On-Demand Workloads

  - by KeithMayer

  Originally posted on: http://geekswithblogs.net/KeithMayer/archive/2013/06/22/windows-azure-vms---new-stopped-vm-options-provide-cost-effective.aspxDidn’t make it to TechEd this year? Don’t worry!  This month, we’ll be releasing a new article series that highlights the Best of TechEd announcements and technical information for IT Pros.  Today’s article focuses on a new, much-heralded enhancement to Windows Azure Infrastructure Services to make it more cost-effective for spinning VMs up and down on-demand on the Windows Azure cloud platform. NEW! VMs that are shutdown from the Windows Azure Management Portal will no longer continue to accumulate compute charges while stopped! Previous to this enhancement being available, the Azure platform maintained fabric resource reservations for VMs, even in a shutdown state, to ensure consistent resource availability when starting those VMs in the future.  And, this meant that VMs had to be exported and completely deprovisioned when not in use to avoid compute charges. In this article, I'll provide more details on the scenarios that this enhancement best fits, and I'll also review the new options and considerations that we now have for performing safe shutdowns of Windows Azure VMs. Which scenarios does the new enhancement best fit? Being able to easily shutdown VMs from the Windows Azure Management Portal without continued compute charges is a great enhancement for certain cloud use cases, such as: On-demand dev/test/lab environments - Freely start and stop lab VMs so that they are only accumulating compute charges when being actively used.  "Bursting" load-balanced web applications - Provision a number of load-balanced VMs, but keep the minimum number of VMs running to support "normal" loads. Easily start-up the remaining VMs only when needed to support peak loads. Disaster Recovery - Start-up "cold" VMs when needed to recover from disaster scenarios. BUT ... there is a consideration to keep in mind when using the Windows Azure Management Portal to shutdown VMs: although performing a VM shutdown via the Windows Azure Management Portal causes that VM to no longer accumulate compute charges, it also deallocates the VM from fabric resources to which it was previously assigned.  These fabric resources include compute resources such as virtual CPU cores and memory, as well as network resources, such as IP addresses.  This means that when the VM is later started after being shutdown from the portal, the VM could be assigned a different IP address or placed on a different compute node within the fabric. In some cases, you may want to shutdown VMs using the old approach, where fabric resource assignments are maintained while the VM is in a shutdown state.  Specifically, you may wish to do this when temporarily shutting down or restarting a "7x24" VM as part of a maintenance activity.  Good news - you can still revert back to the old VM shutdown behavior when necessary by using the alternate VM shutdown approaches listed below.  Let's walk through each approach for performing a VM Shutdown action on Windows Azure so that we can understand the benefits and considerations of each... How many ways can I shutdown a VM? In Windows Azure Infrastructure Services, there's three general ways that can be used to safely shutdown VMs: Shutdown VM via Windows Azure Management Portal Shutdown Guest Operating System inside the VM Stop VM via Windows PowerShell using Windows Azure PowerShell Module Although each of these options performs a safe shutdown of the guest operation system and the VM itself, each option handles the VM shutdown end state differently. Shutdown VM via Windows Azure Management Portal When clicking the Shutdown button at the bottom of the Virtual Machines page in the Windows Azure Management Portal, the VM is safely shutdown and "deallocated" from fabric resources.  Shutdown button on Virtual Machines page in Windows Azure Management Portal  When the shutdown process completes, the VM will be shown on the Virtual Machines page with a "Stopped ( Deallocated )" status as shown in the figure below. Virtual Machine in a "Stopped (Deallocated)" Status "Deallocated" means that the VM configuration is no longer being actively associated with fabric resources, such as virtual CPUs, memory and networks. In this state, the VM will not continue to allocate compute charges, but since fabric resources are deallocated, the VM could receive a different internal IP address ( called "Dynamic IPs" or "DIPs" in Windows Azure ) the next time it is started.  TIP: If you are leveraging this shutdown option and consistency of DIPs is important to applications running inside your VMs, you should consider using virtual networks with your VMs.  Virtual networks permit you to assign a specific IP Address Space for use with VMs that are assigned to that virtual network.  As long as you start VMs in the same order in which they were originally provisioned, each VM should be reassigned the same DIP that it was previously using. What about consistency of External IP Addresses? Great question! External IP addresses ( called "Virtual IPs" or "VIPs" in Windows Azure ) are associated with the cloud service in which one or more Windows Azure VMs are running.  As long as at least 1 VM inside a cloud service remains in a "Running" state, the VIP assigned to a cloud service will be preserved.  If all VMs inside a cloud service are in a "Stopped ( Deallocated )" status, then the cloud service may receive a different VIP when VMs are next restarted. TIP: If consistency of VIPs is important for the cloud services in which you are running VMs, consider keeping one VM inside each cloud service in the alternate VM shutdown state listed below to preserve the VIP associated with the cloud service. Shutdown Guest Operating System inside the VM When performing a Guest OS shutdown or restart ( ie., a shutdown or restart operation initiated from the Guest OS running inside the VM ), the VM configuration will not be deallocated from fabric resources. In the figure below, the VM has been shutdown from within the Guest OS and is shown with a "Stopped" VM status rather than the "Stopped ( Deallocated )" VM status that was shown in the previous figure. Note that it may require a few minutes for the Windows Azure Management Portal to reflect that the VM is in a "Stopped" state in this scenario, because we are performing an OS shutdown inside the VM rather than through an Azure management endpoint. Virtual Machine in a "Stopped" Status VMs shown in a "Stopped" status will continue to accumulate compute charges, because fabric resources are still being reserved for these VMs.  However, this also means that DIPs and VIPs are preserved for VMs in this state, so you don't have to worry about VMs and cloud services getting different IP addresses when they are started in the future. Stop VM via Windows PowerShell In the latest version of the Windows Azure PowerShell Module, a new -StayProvisioned parameter has been added to the Stop-AzureVM cmdlet. This new parameter provides the flexibility to choose the VM configuration end result when stopping VMs using PowerShell: When running the Stop-AzureVM cmdlet without the -StayProvisioned parameter specified, the VM will be safely stopped and deallocated; that is, the VM will be left in a "Stopped ( Deallocated )" status just like the end result when a VM Shutdown operation is performed via the Windows Azure Management Portal.  When running the Stop-AzureVM cmdlet with the -StayProvisioned parameter specified, the VM will be safely stopped but fabric resource reservations will be preserved; that is the VM will be left in a "Stopped" status just like the end result when performing a Guest OS shutdown operation. So, with PowerShell, you can choose how Windows Azure should handle VM configuration and fabric resource reservations when stopping VMs on a case-by-case basis. TIP: It's important to note that the -StayProvisioned parameter is only available in the latest version of the Windows Azure PowerShell Module.  So, if you've previously downloaded this module, be sure to download and install the latest version to get this new functionality. Want to Learn More about Windows Azure Infrastructure Services? To learn more about Windows Azure Infrastructure Services, be sure to check-out these additional FREE resources: Become our next "Early Expert"! Complete the Early Experts "Cloud Quest" and build a multi-VM lab network in the cloud for FREE!  Build some cool scenarios! Check out our list of over 20+ Step-by-Step Lab Guides based on key scenarios that IT Pros are implementing on Windows Azure Infrastructure Services TODAY!  Looking forward to seeing you in the Cloud! - Keith Build Your Lab! Download Windows Server 2012 Don’t Have a Lab? Build Your Lab in the Cloud with Windows Azure Virtual Machines Want to Get Certified? Join our Windows Server 2012 "Early Experts" Study Group

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• Application Does Not Start in Windows 7

  - by Jim Fell

  I recently installed a new 60GB SSD as my primary hard drive and re-installed Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. I then installed SSD Fresh from Abelssoft to optimize Windows to run on the SSD. It seemed to install okay, but when I try to run the utility, its splash screen appears briefly before it quietly closes. No errors are displayed; the utility just fails to launch. I have run SSD Fresh on another SSD-equipped Windows 7 Pro x64 computer in the past without any problems. Does anyone know what might be preventing the program from running? I tried running sfc /scannow from the command line (with administrator privileges), shutting down the Spybot Resident, and disabling the firewall and virus scanner. I also tried running the tool as administrator; I even tried reinstalling it, running the installer as administrator. No luck. Every time I try to launch the program the Event Viewer logs this same set of errors: Error 4/2/2012 11:35:44 PM Application Error 1000 (100) Faulting application name: SSDFresh.exe, version: 1.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x4f2a45d8 Faulting module name: unknown, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x00000000 Exception code: 0xc0000005 Fault offset: 0x000007ff0016dbba Faulting process id: 0x994 Faulting application start time: 0x01cd11fd9fe978df Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\SSD Fresh\SSDFresh.exe Faulting module path: unknown Report Id: dfeed551-7df0-11e1-a2c7-002522c47ec0 Error 4/2/2012 11:35:43 PM .NET Runtime 1026 None Application: SSDFresh.exe Framework Version: v4.0.30319 Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception. Exception Info: System.NullReferenceException Stack: at AbBugReporter.BugForm.InitLanguage() at AbBugReporter.BugForm..ctor(AbFlexTrans.LanguageInfo, AbBugReporter.BugReportManager, Boolean) at AbBugReporter.BugReportManager.Show(System.Exception) at SSDFresh.App.App_DispatcherUnhandledException(System.Object, System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherUnhandledExceptionEventArgs) at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.CatchException(System.Exception) at MS.Internal.Threading.ExceptionFilterHelper.TryCatchWhen(System.Object, System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32, System.Delegate) at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.WrappedInvoke(System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32, System.Delegate) at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.InvokeImpl(System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherPriority, System.TimeSpan, System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32) at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.SubclassWndProc(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr) at MS.Win32.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessage(System.Windows.Interop.MSG ByRef) at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.PushFrameImpl(System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherFrame) at System.Windows.Application.RunInternal(System.Windows.Window) at System.Windows.Application.Run() at SSDFresh.App.Main() Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Activation context generation failed for "C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\csc.exe".Error in manifest or policy file "C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\csc.exe.Config" on line 0. Invalid Xml syntax. Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None Error 4/2/2012 11:35:39 PM SideBySide 59 None For those who are interested, here is my system configuration: ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard AMD Athlon II X3 455 Rana 3.3GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX455WFGMBOX G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe MKNSSDCR60GB-DX 2.5" 60GB SATA III Synchronous MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Primary/Boot HD) Western Digital Caviar Blue RFHWD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (Secondary HD) Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7261S-0B LightScribe Support RAIDMAX RX-850AE 850W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply ASUS HD7850-DC2-2GD5 Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card Asus ML228H 21.5" Full HD LED BackLight LED Monitor Slim Design (x3)

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• Installing Ubuntu on an Asus Vivotab Smart Windows 8 32-bit processor tablet

  - by Ikenna

  Good day, I just got an Asus Vivotab Smart with Windows 8 but the processor is actually a 32-bit type. I am kinda confused with the Ubuntu version to install (32-bit or 64-bit). I have read all the tips and guidelines on installing Ubuntu on a Windows 8 machine. I have disabled fast boot, quiet boot, secure boot, and still cannot boot from the usb. I tried this with Ubuntu 12.04.2, 12.10, and 13.04 (the 64-bit versions only). I am yet to try a 32-bit version but I'm reluctant since Canonical says only the 64-bit version was developed to handle the Windows 8 UEFI issues. Also, I have a boot-override field in my UEFI options which I think force-boots from the boot option one selects. I selected to force-boot from my pendrive containing Ubuntu, but the screen just blinks momentarily and nothing happens. Please help me to figure out how to load ubuntu on my machine. I don't really want the Windows 8......just Ubuntu on my tablet. Thank you.

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• The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better

  - by The Geek

  We’re big fans of hacking the Windows Registry around here, and we’ve got one of the biggest collections of registry hacks you’ll find. Don’t believe us? Here’s a list of the top 50 registry hacks that we’ve covered. It’s important to note that you should never hack the registry if you don’t know what you’re doing, because your computer will light on fire and some squirrels may be injured. Also, you should create a System Restore point before doing so. Otherwise, keep reading Latest Features How-To Geek ETC The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better The How-To Geek Holiday Gift Guide (Geeky Stuff We Like) LCD? LED? Plasma? The How-To Geek Guide to HDTV Technology The How-To Geek Guide to Learning Photoshop, Part 8: Filters Improve Digital Photography by Calibrating Your Monitor Our Favorite Tech: What We’re Thankful For at How-To Geek Snowy Christmas House Personas Theme for Firefox The Mystic Underground Tunnel Wallpaper Ubunchu! – The Ubuntu Manga Available in Multiple Languages Breathe New Life into Your PlayStation 2 Peripherals by Hooking Them Up to Your Computer Move the Window Control Buttons to the Left Side in Windows Fun and Colorful Firefox Theme for Windows 7

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