Chris Stauffer at myITForum.com

Wow 2 releases from FF in 1 week what's up with that.

v3.0.3, released September 26, 2008

Here is what was updated:

Firefox 3.0.3 contains the following updates:

• Fixed a problem where users were unable to retrieve saved passwords or save new passwords (bug 454708)
• See the Firefox 3.0.2 release notes for previous changes.

Download

Here at the state I get some interesting requests sometimes. The latest task was to create a report that would show a count of machine at 500 meg intervals. I had some ideas of how to do it and I knew what I wanted it to look like when it was completed but the force isn't with me when it comes to some of the more complex SQL queries (I’m not a programmer). Special thanks to John Nelson (affectionately known by his colleagues as Number 2) ,the force is strong with this one, who was able to write this awesome code for me.

As you may know if you have read any of my blogs on patch management you know that I use a parent collection that has all of the agencies listed below. So I use this list of collections so that I can give reports on agencies and the Commonwealth as a whole.

Again thanks John.

Here is what the report looks like:

Report Code

**************************************

SELECT

   col.Name AS [Agency],

SUM(CASE WHEN (mem.TotalPhysicalMemory0/524288) = 0 THEN 1 END) AS [Up to 512MB],

SUM(CASE WHEN (mem.TotalPhysicalMemory0/524288) = 1 THEN 1 END) AS [512MB to 1GB],

SUM(CASE WHEN (mem.TotalPhysicalMemory0/524288) = 2 THEN 1 END) AS [1GB to 1.5GB],

SUM(CASE WHEN (mem.TotalPhysicalMemory0/524288) = 3 THEN 1 END) AS [1.5GB TO 2GB],

SUM(CASE WHEN (mem.TotalPhysicalMemory0/524288) = 4 THEN 1 END) AS [2GB to 2.5GB],

SUM(CASE WHEN (mem.TotalPhysicalMemory0/524288) = 5 THEN 1 END) AS [2.5GB to 3GB],

SUM(CASE WHEN (mem.TotalPhysicalMemory0/524288) = 6 THEN 1 END) AS [3GB to 3.5GB],

SUM(CASE WHEN (mem.TotalPhysicalMemory0/524288) = 7 THEN 1 END) AS [3.5GB to 4GB],

SUM(CASE WHEN (mem.TotalPhysicalMemory0/524288) > 7 THEN 1 END) AS [Over 4GB]

FROM

   dbo.v_GS_X86_PC_MEMORY AS mem

INNER JOIN v_FullCollectionMembership AS mbr

ON mem.resourceID = mbr.resourceID

AND CollectionID IN (SELECT subCollectionID FROM dbo.v_CollectToSubCollect WHERE ParentCollectionID = 'xxxxxxxx') <-- change to your parent collection

INNER JOIN dbo.v_Collection AS col

ON mbr.CollectionID = col.CollectionID

INNER JOIN dbo.v_R_System AS sys

ON mem.resourceID = sys.resourceID

AND sys.Operating_System_Name_and0 NOT LIKE '%Server%'

GROUP BY   col.Name

ORDER BY  1

*************************************

Chris Stauffer <><

Connecting a site that is not on the Host Domain

1. Create a local security File on the Server to communicate with
   1. Place account in SMS_SiteToSiteConnection_(SiteCode)
2. Try to ping the child server
   1. If ping fails because host is not found, make an entry in the host file so the name can be resolved it should look like this

         i. IP Address (Space) FQDN (Space) Servername

1. Create Security Key’s
1. Exchange Keys
1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb693690.aspx 

                        i. Place keys in inboxes\Hman

1. Create an Address (Standard Sender Address) account
   1. Under Site Settings àaddresses
2. Add Parent Site to Child Site
   1. Check sender and Hman log and look for errors
3. Replace SMS_Def.Mof and Configuration.Mof with Enterprise Standard Mof Files
4. Monitor Replication
   1. Explain what is happening to the Admin

Connecting a site that is on the Host Domain

1. Place Child Server account in SMS_SiteToSiteConnection_(SiteCode)
2. Try to ping the child server

1. If ping fails because host is not found, make an entry in the host file so the name can be resolved it should look like this

                     i. IP Address (Space) FQDN (Space) Servername

1. Security Keys are not necessary because site will be set to automatically exchange keys.
2. Create an Address (Standard Sender Address) account

1. Under Site Settings àaddresses

1. Add Parent Site to Child Site

1. Check sender and Hman log and look for errors

1. Replace SMS_Def.Mof and Configuration.Mof with Enterprise Standard Mof Files
2. Monitor Replication
   1. Explain what is happening to the Admin

The guys at Zune Boards have been busy updating the games made for zune 2.0 comparable with Zune 3.0. For some reason the games created by MS don’t cause a reboot of the zune. Games that have been upgraded to work with Zune 3.0 sill cause a reboot. Hopefully this will be fixed soon.

Get your games here

http://www.zuneboards.com/site-news/zune-3.0-games-package.html

or Here

http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/download-completed-games/32003-3-0-firmware-game-package.html

List of Games Available so far

4ToWin - Download
Alien Aggressors - Download
Alien Game - Download
Arcade Classics v2 - Download
Asteroids - Download
Attack! - Download
Blackout - Download
Bombastic! - Download
Breakout - Download
Collapse - Download
Gravity - Download
Guess The Song - Download
LEGO Pacman - Download
Life - Download
Marblets - Download
MatchEm - Download
Minesweeper v3.0 - Download
N.A.M.E. - Download
Name That Song v2.1 - Download
Pacman - Download
Pong Of Doom - Download
PopEm - Download
Rock Rain SD v2.1 - Download
Solitaire v2.6 - Download
Sonic And Knuckles: Capture The Emerald - Download
Squadron Z - Download
Xmonster v2.2 - Download
zBreak - Download
zJewels - Download
Zune Hero v1 - Download

Firefox 3.02 was released today. Here is what was updated

Firefox 3.0.2 contains the following updates:

• Fixed several security issues.
• Fixed several stability issues.
• Official releases for Sinhala and Slovene are now available.
• Beta releases for Bengali, Galician, Hindi, Icelandic, Kannada, Marathi, Telugu, and Thai are available for testing.
• Fixed a number of minor issues with the layout of certain web pages.
• Fixed several theme issues that affected right-to-left locales.
• Fixed issue that caused some users with customized toolbars to have their Back and Forward buttons go missing(bug 426026)
• Add new Extended Validation (EV) roots to Firefox 3.0.2.
• On certain IDN sites, the password manager would not fill in username and password details properly.
• Fixed several hangs and crashes that occurred when using screen readers.
• Fixed Mac-specific issues:
  • Keyboard shortcuts would stop working in some cases.
  • Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Indic characters can not be entered (using IME) into text fields in Flash objects (bug 357670)
  • Firefox 3.0.1 could not be used when the user profile is stored on an AFP directory (bug 417037)
  • See the Firefox 3.0.1 release notes for previous changes.

v3.0.2, released September 23, 2008
Check out what’s new, the known issues and frequently asked questions about the latest version of Firefox. As always, you’re encouraged to tell us what you think, either using this feedback form or by filing a bug in Bugzilla.

Download here http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-3.0.2&os=win&lang=en-GB

If you are like me an NEVER use the language bar and find if annoying that it is on even after you choose to turn it off here is how to get rid of it permanently

If you really want it gone so you can't ever see it again:
1. Go to "Start", then "Run"
2. Type "Regsvr32.exe /u msutb.dll" and press enter
3. The Language bar will never bother you again!

Well the Beta for XNA has been released which means that the Game creation for the Zune can continue.

You can download the update here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=63f74eeb-02ef-4339-9dcb-0cb58362bd7c&displaylang=en 

Unfortunately you still cant get the old games to work until whom ever created it updates the code to work with the new software.

In the help file it claims that all you have to do is update the XML file (csproj) but that doesn't seem to be enough with any of the games and apps that I tried to update. I’m not a coder so I have no clue what to do with the additional errors I was getting after making the changes so I guess I will have to wait a few more days like everyone else to get my games back :-(

http://creators.xna.com/en-us/XNAGS3BetaReadMe 

Here are the directions to update the csproj file to work with the new software.

Now you just have to figure out what else is broken :-P

1.2.1. How To Upgrade Projects from XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP to XNA Game Studio 3.0 (Beta)

You will need to manually upgrade projects that were created with XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP in order to use them with XNA Game Studio 3.0 (Beta). The upgrade wizard for XNA Game Studio 3.0 (Beta) upgrades only XNA Game Studio 2.0 projects. To manually upgrade a project created in XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP, use the following procedure.

1. Right-click the project node for the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP project and select Unload Project. The node will now be marked unavailable.
2. Right-click the project node again and select Edit <projectname>.csproj. If you are using Visual C# 2008 Express Edition, you will not be able to edit the .csproj file directly in the IDE. Instead, use an external editor such as notepad.exe.

3. In the XML editor, scroll down to the bottom of the .csproj file and locate the following three <Import.../> elements.

               <Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
               <Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\Microsoft\XNA Game Studio\v3.0\Microsoft.Xna.GameStudio.Common.targets" />
               <Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\Microsoft\XNA Game Studio\v3.0\Microsoft.Xna.GameStudio.NestedContent.targets" />
               

   Replace these with the following two <Import.../> elements. Note that the first element is the same.

               <Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
               <Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\Microsoft\XNA Game Studio\Microsoft.Xna.GameStudio.targets" />
               

4. Save the .csproj file.
5. Right-click the project node again. The project node will still be marked unavailable.
6. Select Reload Project .
7. Click Yes to close the editor.

Ok I finally got the kids to bed and updated my home PC so I could Update my Zune 30. I like the new clock feature but I like the clock on Zune boards better.

Here is the main issue I have.

They Officially gave us games with this update but if you had any unofficial games installed they will not work. You will need to install xna 3.0 beta when it is released in a few weeks then reinstall any games that you had provided those that created the games update the game to work with the new software. On the plus side the games no longer cause a system reboot so you can exit a game without causing your zune to reboot.

More info can be found here

http://klucher.com/archive/2008/09/13/xna-game-studio-3-0-ctp-and-zune-3-0.aspx 

I checked at home to see if the CPU usage is still high on my home PC and it is so I guess I need to look into that issue also I want to change the color of the animation but haven’t found a setting for this yet. If i do i will post how to change it.

Ok so I installed the new version at work so I could listen to my collection. I use work as a guest account so I can listen to my collection so I don’t go insane. Anyway  I cant check out a lot of the new features yet because I don’t have my zune with me but…

One new thing I noticed is the red automation that they added to the bottom of the zune window.

(Look at bottom of picture to see the red bouncing lines when a song is playing) I wonder if you can change the color. I looked under settings but didn’t see a way to change it. I will have to (god forbid) look at the manual to see if it is customizable.

I also noticed that if you have the zune window up it takes up to 30% or greater of my cpu usage but if I minimize it then the software only takes about 2-4% or less of the cpu process. That new automation is cool but it looks to me to be sucking up CPU Usage. So if you are like me and desperate for more power at work try minimizing the zune window and see if that gives you more power :-)

I will write up part 2 once I get home and upgrade my actual zune. I can’t wait to try out the new games and the clock. I hope we can still add other games because I have some really cool ones that people developed over the summer.

The new Zune 3.0 Software is now available. You can download the new version from here

New capacities
We've added 16GB and 120GB devices to the lineup, both with a glossy black front and a black metal back.

Buy from FM
Hear a song you like while listening to the radio on your Zune? Your device will identify it, and download it the next time you sync.

Browse Zune Marketplace wirelessly
Download music directly to your Zune: at home, at a café… wherever there's a wireless hotspot.

Zune has partnered with high-speed Internet access provider Wayport to let customers wirelessly shop Zune Marketplace on their player at more than 9,800 McDonald's restaurants across the U.S.

New Zune Originals
Even more designs for you to personalize your Zune.

Zune Channels
Combining the best features of podcasts and playlists, subscribe to channels by Billboard, The FADER, and radio stations like KROQ and KEXP.

Games
You can now play games on your Zune! Devices come preloaded with Texas hold 'em and Hexic.

Audiobooks
One of our most-requested features is here: audiobooks on your Zune, from Audible.com and OverDrive.

Clock
You'll never again wonder what time it is.

Read more about Zune players in our User's Guide.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb680869.aspx

I got this error today telling me that i needed a new version. I think one of the other MyITforum guys blogged about this a few days ago. So I went looking for a new version. Turns out it is just a bug.

Here is what I found on the Live Writer blog

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Technical Preview Triggers False Expiration

For those of you who downloaded the Technical Preview and have used Writer in the last couple of days, you may have seen a notification to upgrade to the new version only to be directed to http://get.live.com/writer to find that there is nothing new to install.

On Monday (September 1, 2008) the Technical Preview of Writer started erroneously triggering expiration for October 1, 2008.  We have fixed the issue that was causing the false expiration.  While the Technical Preview of Writer will not expire on October 1, you may still see this notification again. 

When you see this notification, click the “Ask Me Later” button and you will be able to continue using Writer without any change.

We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

The Windows Live Writer Team

I just heard about this from Garth Jones and I thought I would share it. I had never heard of it. I think I will look further into this in the coming days.

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About Supplemental Reports

Supplemental reports in Configuration Manager 2007 are reports that are created outside of Configuration Manager and added to the Supplemental folder on a reporting point. If there are multiple reporting points, the supplemental report must be copied to the folder on each of the reporting points from which users need access to the report. Supplemental reports do not appear in the Configuration Manager console; they appear only in Report Viewer. However, the Supplemental Reports item does not appear in the Report Viewer tree until you install at least one supplemental report file on the reporting point.

Supplemental reports can be Active Server Pages (ASP) files or any other file that can be displayed by using Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, such as HTML files, Microsoft Office files, or text files. Supplemental reports can be run directly from Report Viewer or from a link configured in a report, using the URL for the supplemental report as the target. For more information, see About Report Links.

Supplemental reports are not Configuration Manager database objects and therefore are not backed up routinely by the Configuration Manager backup service. These files must be backed up manually. If a reporting point is disabled, Configuration Manager automatically copies any supplemental reports to the root drive on the reporting point site system computer. If the reporting point is re-created on the computer, Configuration Manager automatically moves the supplemental reports from the folder to the designated supplemental reports folder on the reporting point.

See Also

Tasks

Concepts