Category: Tips

Record steps to the point of failure

It is often difficult and hard to explain exactly what the problem is you are encountering when using a program on your computer to the experts like folks at belldeX.  The ideal thing for the expert to help you would be to remote in and see for themselves.  Sometimes this may not be possible.  You can actually record the steps in Windows 7 and above by a neat tool called Problem Steps Recorder (PSR).  To launch it simply type “psr” in the Winodws Search Programs and Files and hit enter.

Once it is launched, click on record and go through the steps until you see the problem.  At this point stop recording and then save the recorded event and send it as an attachement to be viewed by the person who will help you.

belldeX, our Tucson-based company is not in the business of feeding the rumor mill.  This however, is from confirmed sources.  Hopefully, you heard it here first: Windows 9 is coming soon and here is a screenshot to prove it.

 

If you remember the disaster with the rolling out of Vista, you know there wasn’t a whole lot of enthusiasm withe Windows 8 either.  Most IT professionals have shunned it, though the jury is still out there.  “Start” button is back with the Windows 9 which should cause a lot of jubilation for those who missed it.

Windows 9 is said to be released in the fall of 2015, but this could very well get extended to the Winter and beyond, simply judging by past roll-outs.  We have historically been one of the evaluators of new Microsoft OS and we expect to “test” out Windows 9 before it its release.  Stay tuned and and we will keep you informed of new developments.

 

Windows Calculator is not boring anymore

If you have used Windows all your life, you think Windows calculator is a boring basic function calculator.  If you are tech savvy, you most likely have discovered Scientific calculator as well.  But this changed in Windows 7 and above, like the Windows 8.  The new calculator is now capable of a host of features like (unit conversion, temperature, dates, mortgage, fuel economy (MPG) and more).  Just click on the View and choose your mode and type.

Free Wireless Access Point (WAP)

You have Internet connection and your computer is connected to it via an Ethernet cable and others in the household or in your small office have to connect to it via a switch and expensive cabling because you don’t have a Wi-Fi.  Right?  Wrong.  You do.  There is a hidden treasure in your Windows 7 that allows your computer to behave as a WAP.  In your Control Panel > Network Connections, you will see one called Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport adapter.  This is a handy feature, especially in places where Wi-Fi is charged per connection.  You can turn your computer or laptop into a hotspot and everyone in your party can access the Internet.  To utilize this feature, you do need to download a free connctivity program or find something similar on the web.

A Control Panel of “Everything”

Get the most out of your computer by unleashing the power of Windows with belldeX Mode.  Are you amazed how techies always seem know how to configure specific things in your computer?  You too can have the same power by using the powerful belledXMode.  This is very easy to do and has only one step.  On your desktop create a  folder and call it “belldeXMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}”.  Do not use the quotation marks.  Double-click the newly created folder and every conceivable configuration option on your computer is now at your fingertips.  A word of caution: if you don’t know what something is for, don’t mess with it.  Always document the changes you make.

 

When to decide to implement a proxy server?

Depending on the industry, smaller companies often lack adequate IT staff to implement this resource.  For larger company’s IT administrators, the need is fundamental.

Inner workings of Proxy Server

The job of the proxy server is to intercept traffic destined for the Internet from within the company and an run a few diagnostics on them to ensure company security and policies are not compromised.

Another job of the proxy server is to cache frequently accessed pages and then serves them to the user.  Since proxy servers do a good job of keeping up with changes to the cached pages, the data will always be fresh.

As employers cannot really monitor staff’s communication since it might violate privacy laws, proxy server will take the job of a human in in ascertaining company policies are followed.

There are also a number of very beneficial reasons to using a proxy.  For example, many ISP’s swear they do not throttle certain bandwith intensive sites like Youtube, but unbeknownst to the level 1 support, they actually do.  Here, is when a proxy becomes very useful.  Getting access to other parts of Netflix online titles is another reason for instance.

 

 

You are traveling to some city like Tucson for example, and you are near the University of Arizona and you see a free Wi-Fi.  First reaction is: awesome, I can get some work done and perhaps check your emails.  As with most temptations, this one should be avoided as well for a number of online activities.  If you must use a public Wif-Fi, a few considerations you must follow are:

1. Hotspots are made for convenience and the tradeoff is the security.  Virtually all activities can be intercepted very easily.   Therefore using hotspots to check the weather, the news and Wikipedia articles should be harmless enough.  SSL connections are relatively secure as well.
2. Never “remember” or “save” a public Wi-Fi on your device.  “Remember”ed connections tend to automatically connect when you are in range and you may not be aware that you are using an unsecured connection.
3. If your device is configured to use a VPN when you are out of the office, then you are relatively safe.  If not, a VPN is a must for unsecured connections.  There are a number of built-in and third party VPN’s such as the Norton Hotspot Privacy and they are easy to use.
4. Make sure you computer or device has “Sharing” disabled and your computer’s firewall is turned on.

As always, make sure your operating system and your applications have the latest updates.

Happy hotspoting.

 

If you receive “Invalid Product Key” in new install of Exchange 2013 CU3:

We were recently faced with one of these error messages in a new install (not an upgrade) for one of our clients, and we wanted to share the solution with your.

This happens when you setup a Hybrid deployment and you get the said error message after you enter the Product Key. The problem we found out has to do with a regression in within CU3, which recognizes the new install as invalid.

You can easily ignore this error and not waste any time troubleshooting. Your server is still licensed despite the error message. A fix will be forthcoming no doubt.

Library fields are not sortable

Here is another issue we came across recently and wanted to share with you our findings in hope that you will benefit from it while saving you time and money.

We received a trouble ticket from a client that their users were not able to neither sort nor filter a library field. The problem was specific to this newly created field. It turns out one of the columns was set as key filter. However, this caused the sort and filter in the list view to be disabled.

What does Soccer World Cup have to do with technology you ask?  Well, not much, but technology can enhance the experience of enjoying the World Cup in our hectic lives.  Why keep going to the Internet to see when the next match is or between which teams?  You don’t want to manually enter them into your calendar either because it just takes too much time.  Someone has already entered all the games into a calendar, so why reinvent the wheels?  Here are a few quick ways to import all the matches into your own calendar and you are done:

1. You can download the official FIFA app to your phone.  This should have the latest info and changes.
2. If you like ESPN, download their app.  You will probably need your cable subscription details to access.
3. Add it to your calendar (my proffered option).  Here is how you do it: a) in your phone, go to your Calendar option and “add account”. b) select “Add Subscribed Calendar”. c) Enter “http://www.worldcupbrazilcalendar.com/all.ics” and tap Continue.  Accept if you receive SSL warning. d) Save and you are done.

Enjoy the Word Cup starting tomorrow.