Archive for May, 2008

A doozy for sure… but no fear, Dumb Technician is here!

This was actually an easy one. The error basically is given because an attempt to write to the registry was denied due to insufficient rights. That’s Microsoft for you, nothing simple.

This is how I was able to fix and there are other solutions!

1. I was able to turn UAC off.

2. Go to start and type msconfig  and hit enter.

3. Select tools from the above tabes and select disable UAC and reboot.

Then hit Start > run cmd and at the prompt enter each line:

cd c:\windows\system32
regsvr32 xxxxxxxx.ocx

This has got to be one of the worst nightmares….. I know it’s not an IT solution, but geez. This is just disgusting!

A computer store is closing its Portland area locations and customers who brought their computers in for repair are urged to pick their computers up as soon as possible, an employee told KGW on Tuesday.

Regional manager Jonas Fowler with the Tigard PC Club store said PC Club was sold to another entity a couple months ago and officials were setting up to liquidate the store but have now filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

He said employees were told to shut down all the stores Tuesday and not to come back on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Fowler — who is now out of a job — was trying to reach customers that have computers in the store so they can come pick them up since he doesn’t know what will happen Wednesday.

I was called by a client whom has recently purchased a laptop with XP Media Center 2005.  Of course joining the domain on his company’s network was not going to happen because the option was ‘greyed out.’

So what did I do? Google baby….  Found out that there is a single registry key hack that enables and disables this feature. Here are the steps to re-enable, and be able to join a domain.

1. Insert any Windows XP CD.
2. Boot to the CD and choose ‘Recovery Console’
3. Select the installation to log onto (default: 1) and press Enter. (Most likely the administrator password will be blank. If
it is not enter the password you set or contact the manufacturer.)
4. Type cd system32\config and press Enter.
5. Type copy SYSTEM c:\ and press Enter.
6. Type exit and press Enter.
7. Boot the PC back into Windows
8. Start > Run > Type: regedit and press Enter.
9. Click on ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE’.
10. File > Load Hive…
11. Browse and select C:\SYSTEM
12. Specify key name ‘TEMP’ and click OK.
13. Expand: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > TEMP > WPA > MedCtrUpg
14. Change the IsLegacyMCE value to 1 and click ok.(one, not an L)
15. Click on TEMP subkey (under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE).
16. File > Unload Hive. Confirm.
17. Reboot the PC.
18. Boot into the Recovery Console using the Windows CD again
19. Select the installation to log onto (default: 1) and press Enter.
20. Type cd\ and press Enter.
21. Type copy SYSTEM C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM and press Enter.(Choose ‘yes’ to overwrite)
22. Type del SYSTEM and press Enter.
23. Type exit and press Enter.
24. Boot up Windows.
25. The ‘Join Domain’ option should no longer be grayed
out.

And you’re done…

Lol… this is a good one.

I went to a client about an issue they were having with Excel… but of course, since “the computer guy” was in the office they asked me to take care of something else.

One of their employees was having a tough time getting a 4mm DDS tape out of the tape drive. It was an Archive Python drive.

I tried disabling/enabling the drive…. nothing. I tried restarting the server…. nothing. So, I called backup. I was supposed to hold the eject button on the tape drive while I restarted the server.

I tried it… nohting. Ahhhhh.

Solution: Turn off the server completely…. when coming back on hit the eject button…. POOF! It came out.

I felt dumb…

Well, let’s clear the air here…. there has been some confusion about the retail market.

Here’s an excerpt of what James, from PCAdvisor, was able to find out:

“Ballmer’s comments at a press conference at Louvain-la-Neuve University in Belgium led to a flurry of reports on Thursday that Microsoft may be considering an extension of its deadline.

“If customer feedback varies we can always wake up smarter, but right now we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments,” Ballmer said, according to Reuters. Microsoft did not have a transcript of the event, but the spokeswoman from Waggener Edstrom said the comments seem accurate.

However, while a Microsoft spokesperson said the company is aware that some customers are pushing for an extension to the deadline, its own research among partners and customers suggests “the dates are right”.

“Our plan for Windows XP availability is unchanged. We’re confident that’s the right thing to do based on the feedback we’ve heard from our customers and partners,” the spokeswoman said.

“We feel we’ve made the right accommodations for customers in certain segments who may need more time to transition to Windows Vista,” she said. “But as Steve noted, we maintain a constant stance of listening to our customers and our partners. That’s what is guiding our plan, and will continue to guide us going forward.”

The “accommodations” refer to several exceptions that Microsoft has made to the June 30 deadline. For example, companies that make volume purchases of Vista Business or Vista Ultimate can ask their vendor to ‘downgrade’ their licence to Windows XP. Microsoft has also made exceptions for the emerging class of small, ultra-low-cost PCs, and it will continue to provide Windows XP Starter Edition for PCs sold in emerging markets.

Retailers and PC vendors can also continue to sell any backlog of Windows XP licences that they bought before the June 30 deadline. Beyond those exceptions, most new Windows licenses purchased after June 30 will be for Windows Vista.”