Acer Aspire Recovery Partition Access Shortcut

To access the recovery partition for system restore press the ALT-F10 or ALT-F9 key, after post

Creating an Exchange Test Enviroment without Data

If you want to create a test/development enviroment for exchange with all you users but without the headache of the GBs of rubbish users call email?

This method is designed if you have imaged your server, minus the data to a Virtual Machine, I recommend the free VMWare server if you are unlucky like me to not have a ESX server hand..

Unfortunately Exchange will fail to start the Store service if your databases are missing. So you need to create an empty one, however without the store service running, Exchange System Manager wont come to the party....

Follow the steps below to get the service started and the store databases created:

1. Right click on each of the mailbox stores and check the option "Do not mount this store on startup"
2. Start the Exchange Information store service, it should now start...
3. Right click on each of the stores and click on Mount, you will be prompted to create an empty store, click Yes to do so.
4. Right click on the store and uncheck the option "Do not mount this store on startup".
5. Enjoy your new enviroment.

Converting a WIndows XP Professional Ghost Image to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

I have a Windows XP Pro Volume Licence image which we use to deploy out to your desktops and notebooks. However we know have some Tablet PC's (namely a HP 2710p).

Luckily I have found the Deploying Windows CP Tablet PC Edition guide and its supplement Single Image Deployment Supplemental Guide.

These describe in detail on various methods based on RIS, images, sysprep etc.

Our Windows XP Pro SP2 image has been sysprepped and part of the build process is a check for the processor type to adjust the HAL.

Our installation path is set to C:\I386 in sysprep.inf.

The basic overview of how to convert a sysprep Windows XP Sp2 Volume Licence ghost image to Tablet PC edition 2005 is the following:

1. Ghost your Windows XP Pro image to a hard disk and either use a windows PE / BartPE cd or mount the drive in a PC so you can add/edit files without booting from it.
   
   
2. Copy \CMPNENTS\TABLETPC\*.* from Tablet PC Edition Media to C:\I386\CMPNENTS\TABLETPC\*.*
   
   
3. Copy \CMPNENTS\NETFX\*.* from Tablet PC Edition Media to C:\I386\CMPNENTS\NETFX\*.*
   
   
4. Expand and copy into a folder used in your sysprep config for OEM drivers (eg. C:\Windows\PnPDrivers or C:\I386\PnPDrivers etc the following:
   
   hiddigi.in_ expand to hiddigi.inf
   mutohpen.sy_ expand to mutohpen.sys
   serial.sy_ expand to serial.sys
   wacompen.sy_ expand to wacompen.sys
   
   
5. Make sure the following is included in your sysprep.inf
   
   [Unattended]
   InstallFilesPath=C:\sysprep\i386
   OEMPreinstall=Yes
   UpdateInstalledDrivers=Yes
   OEMDriversPath=C:\Windows\PnpDrivers
   
   [UserData]
   ProductKey=xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
   
   (Product ID to be used is a valid Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 Volume Licence Key, we had to buy a Vista Business Licence and call for a downgrade key)
   
   
6. Create / Edit cmdlines.txt in C:\I386\$OEM$ to include the following:
   
   [Commands]
   "sysocmgr /i:%windir%\inf\sysoc.inf /u:c:\sysprep\tablet.txt /c /x"
   
   
7. Create the file C:\SysPrep\Tablet.txt that includes the following:
   
   [Components]
   TabletOC=On
   TPG=On
   System=On
   OOBE=On
   Notebook=On
   Stickynotes=On
   
   
8. You can now restart and the Mini-Setup will build you a Tablet PC edition install!
   

You could potentially just script the change / additon to cmdlines.txt and the change of product key and then use the same image for both Professional and Tablet PC editon. It is the change of product key, the line in cmdlines.txt and additon of the files that makes the build, however it is only the actual key change and the cmdlines.txt change that invokes the tablet PC install.

Some Troublshooting Extra steps that might be needed

Windows XP Pro image had .NET 2.0 SP1 on it, so I needed to repair the installation of it as Tablet PC install forces install of .NET 1.0. I simply went to the control panel and add/removes programs and clicked on change, the PC then needed a reboot.

My digitizer drivers (Wacom Serial Tablet) wouldnt install. It may have been because original image built with VMWare. It kept coming up telling that the drivers were corrupt even though I tried a gudzillion drivers... I discovered I needed to copy the following files to C\Windows\System32\Drivers and then uninstall and redetect the device

• hidclass.sys
• hidparse.sys
• hidusb.sys

This also stopped the HP Quick Launch drivers from installing!

GMail via POP3 using Exchange

Have a mate ruuning SBS 2003 that needed had issues with current mail provider and doesnt have a static address. Google Apps / Gmail for domains to the rescue.

Only catch? POP3 only runs via SSL which native connector does not support. Found a post located at http://doesitecho.com/archives/2007/02/gmail_via_pop3_on_exchange.php

Here is the basic steps I used:

1. Download the latest binary of Stunnel and install it. This program handles the SSL translation for you.

2. Download and install OpenSSL. After Install, you will then need to copy C:\Program Files\GnuWin32\bin\*.dll to C:\Windows\system32.

3: Next you need to edit stunnel.conf in C:\Program Files\stunnel and in this file you need to makle sure the following settings are present, I commented out the other services to remove confusion but left the rest of the original config present.

client=yes
service=gmail
[gmail]
accept = 127.0.0.1:8110
connect = pop.gmail.com:995

4. Install and start the Stunnel Service (found in Start menu).

5. Now configure the POP3 Connector to point to 127.0.0.1:8110 or whatever port you specified, using your Gmail username and password, and hopefully it will now be able to download emails from your Gmail account.

Nokia E51 Wireless LAN MAC Address

Currently trialling a Nokia E51 from Telstra and needed to find the WLAN MAC Address and discovered no menu item for such but after some time searching forums found that
you need to type the following code into your Nokia E51, apparently may work with a E61 as well....

*#62209526#

Easy NTP Time Updates on the eeePC

Due to my Recent time in Melbourne, my eeePC time got itself a little awry. So I thought it was an opportunity to find an easy way of using NTP to keep the time in sync with the rest of the world.

Found a nice article here that demonstrates a great way of using rdate which is already built into the Xandros install on the Asus eeePC. I used ntp.on.net as my time source.

Nokia 6120 Classic Firmware 4.21 Available

Nokia have finally released the long awaited firmware update to fix echo problems between Nokia 6120 Classics and the popular Nokia CK-7W Car Kits.

Its available to Telstra Product codes for the handset, but doesnt seem available to Hutchinson (Three / 3) customers.

http://www.nokia.com.au/A4520042

Asus eeePC BIOS Update 703

Fell across the fact that Asus have released a BIOS update for the eeePC 701 when I was poking around their update server (http://update.eeepc.asus.com/bios/)

So I followed the instructions at http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:updatebios to complete the update. Strangely I dont seem to find any info on what it does yet!

I did notice the BIOS Setup screen title bar is animated but not 100% sure it wasnt there before the update.

Holden VE Commodore Easter Eggs

Found some cool easter eggs today in my car. Firstly a way to reset the service indicator if you needed to and an engineering mode.

Engineering Mode

The most useful is definitely the Engineering mode as I wouldnt recommend bypassing the service reminders (they're for a reason!)

To bring up the engineering mode:

1. Switch off the ignition
2. Hold down the scroll wheel button on the left hand side of the steering wheel.
3. Switch on the ignition

You will now see a menu of various measurements including but not limited to Tacho, Speed, Coolant Temp, Instantaneous Fuel (strangely in Litres per Hour!), Actual fuel left, throttle position etc.

If you want a nice pretty dashboard, try going to Self Test and pushing the scrool wheel button in (ie press Enter). The dash will light up will all the LEDs lit, and the gauges at about half way and the beeper sounding constantly. Push the enter key (scroll wheel button) to exit.

To exit out of engineering mode either stop and start the ignition or press the trip button on the left hand side of the steering wheel.

Reset Service Reminders

I dont recommend this unless it has actually been serviced as the reminders are there for a reason!!

However to reset the service reminder:

1. Switch off the ignition
2. Hold down the trip button on the left hand side of the steering wheel.
3. Switch on the ignition