29 October 2012

Orange Customers: Beware TrafficTV

I recently noticed a charge of 3.33GBP plus VAT on my Orange bill hidden under 'extras' for something called TrafficTV. I have never knowingly subscribed to this service which was aparently added to my account 26 months ago! This is a totaI recently noticed a charge of 3.33GBP plus VAT on my Orange bill hidden under 'extras' for something called TrafficTV. I have never knowingly subscribed to this service which was aparently added to my account 26 months ago! This is a total of 104GBP

When I phoned Orange to ask to halt the subscription and refund it they offered me three months only which I have rejected and am awaiting a call back from a supervisor with regard to a full refund.

[UPDATE] The supervisor called back to offer a half refund of 52GBP. I asked to escalate it.

28 October 2012

Managing Passwords With Multiple Devices

I've written before about the best way to store passwords (using a password 'safe' like KeppPass or alternatives) but with so many devices in our lives now it can be difficult to ensure you have the most up to date version of your password file on every device. This is where a 'cloud' file store comes into play: you can store the password file securely in the cloud and then use a service like Dropbox or Google Drive to keep the password safe file synchronised across multiple devices.

NB: As of writing it seems iCloud does not yet offer an 'any file type' sync, only supporting mail, contacts, calendar  notes, reminders and iWork.

27 October 2012

Windows: Invert Mouse Scroll Wheel

If you would like to invert Mouse Scroll Wheel on Windows you need to edit a registration key.

  1. Go to Control Panel, mouse, click the Hardware tab then click properties
  2. Disable mice one by one until you discover which one you are using (use keyboard Shift F10 to re-enable)
  3. In the mouse Properties window click the details tab and select the "Device Instance Path" property. That is the registry path.
  4. Open regedit.exe and navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\HID\VID_???\????\Device Parameters\FlipFlopWheel
  5. Set the parameter to 1.
I had to unplug and plug back in my mouse for this to take effect.

UPDATE: Alternative solution is to use PowerShell as administrator:
# View registry settings
Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\HID\*\*\Device` Parameters FlipFlopWheel -EA 0

# Change registry settings
# Reverse mouse wheel scroll FlipFlopWheel = 1
# Normal mouse wheel scroll FlipFlopWheel = 0
Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\HID\*\*\Device` Parameters FlipFlopWheel -EA 0 | ForEach-Object { Set-ItemProperty $_.PSPath FlipFlopWheel 1 }

Write-Host "Mouse scroll wheel updated. New values are:"

# View registry settings
Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\HID\*\*\Device` Parameters FlipFlopWheel -EA 0

Map local folder to drive letter

On Windows you can map a local folder to drive letter:
subst X: C:\[Folder Path]
Where X is the drive letter to map

Resource interpreted as Script but transferred with MIME type text/plain

If you get this message when attempting to browse a file that uses javascript and you get this error message:
Resource interpreted as Script but transferred with MIME type text/plain.

Then you can edit the following key in the registry to change the mime type:
Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.js

23 October 2012

IIS .Net MVC HTTP Errors

I was setting up a new IIS server yesterday to host a .Net MVC app and got the usual string of errors including but not limited to:
  • Invalid/Cannot read config file
  • HTTP Error 403.14 - Forbidden
    The Web server is configured to not list the contents of this directory.
Here is a good post on a couple of other requirements of MVC on IIS but what it fixed it for me was much more basic: It was a legacy bit of code in it's own directory that originated elsewhere and so of course didn't have the local computer's necessary IIS_IUSRS permissions on the folder and it's contents. This has caught me out before so I'm posting it here as a reminder.

In Explorer, right click, Properties, Security tab, Edit, ensure the 'search for objects from' selection is set to local computer then enter the user IIS_IUSRS and ensure at least:
Read and execute
List folder contents
Read

16 October 2012

AsmSpy: A little tool to help fix assembly version conflicts (MSB3247)

A great utility to find references versions and help fix:
Warning MSB3247: Found conflicts between different versions of the same dependent assembly

Code rant: AsmSpy: A little tool to help fix assembly version conflicts

10 October 2012

How to Set Up Your Domain

Many people come to me with a need to rationalise or unify their various online services e.g. they might have email with Yahoo, another one with MobileMe, a domain hosted on GoDaddy And a website hosted somewhere else. As of writing I believe the most complete solution for this purpose is Google Apps For Your Domain.

Google Apps For Your Domain is a suite of services offered by Google which you can use for your domain name to provide amoungst other things:

Exchange services (pushed and synced data):

  • Email: Full IMAP support, excellent SPAM protection plus ability to pull in email from other accounts, and send as if from them (once verified).
  • Contacts: synced across all the devices you use.
  • Calendar: synced across devices and ability to create aditional calendars and share them with individuals, groups or the world. 

It also includes many other useful services like:

  • Google Documents: and online document store with syncing apps for Windows, OSX,   Android and iOS which provide access offline.
  • Google Sites: basic but operational web publishing suite.
  • Google+/Picasa Social interaction and photo sharing


Domain Name
It all starts with a domain name. If you have one then you can maintain the same email address whichever services you use. This will incur an annual fee but to me it's worth it not to loose contact with people every time you change email provider.

Choosing a Domain Name
If you're lucky enough to have an unusual company or surname then you could use that or perhaps your (rough) location and name, interest or occupation e.g. cumbrianphotos.com. As always when publishing world-wide, be careful not to give too much information away about yourself or your family.

Registering a Domain Name
There are a miriad of registras available online, varying in price and level of service, not always rationally! GoDaddy is currently the largest but not necessarily the best. In the uk http://www.123reg.co.uk offers competitive rates.

DNS
For another computer to communicate with your domain it needs to be registered with a Domain Name Server. This is the 'glue' between your domain name and your Google (or other) hosted services Some registras will configure this automatically for you e.g. GoDaddy or you can add DNS management to your domain registra account (sometimes for a minimal fee). For more information about DNS see here.

Tying it all together
Domain 
Once you have your domain you need to administer the DNS records to direct the various services for it. The Google Apps setup process will guide you through these steps. See this Google page or 123-reg page for more information.

Configuring Devices
Once you have your domain set up you need to configure your computers, phones etc (clients). The exact method will depend on the device but generally these settings should work. On Android it all happens automatically but in iOS you might need a little more tweaking:

  • Mail: On some devices/software e.g. Android, iPhone, Outlook (some versions) it can be configured automatically after you login with your email. Failing that use these settings:
    http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=78799
    imap.gmail.com
    SSL
    Port: 993
  • Contacts: Be sure to select contacts in the Exchange settings.
  • Calendar: Mac's OSX will configure this automatically but failing that: Go to calendar settings (cog icon top right) then click on the relevant calendar and scroll down to ICS link then copy that (right click, copy url). In your application look for a Subscribe function in calendar context and enter it there.

Spam Domains
If you find emails from your domain get filtered as spam then you should add SPF records See here For more information.













09 October 2012

Choosing a New Computer

People often ask me about buying a new computer as they are unsure what to get. Strictly speaking I'm a software engineer so whilst it's not my area of expertise I do have a lot of experience of choosing and living with machines for myself. I have also spent a lot of time reading up on them and living with the consequences of my choices so here are a few pointers.

General Points
  • Bigger is not always  better: the larger the screen, the more power is required to light it. Generally the largest drain on the battery is lighting the screen. This makes a larger machine less portable due to size, weight and reliance on external power. If you travel a lot you will need to be without power for extended periods. You can always get an external monitor if you need more screen 'real estate' when you in the office.
  • Please do read the specifications! It is enough to send most people into a coma but compare the specs of different machines especially look at not only the current spec but also what it can be 'maxed out' to. e.g. memory: my machine has a documented maximum 8GB of memory but in fact can take 16GB which means it should continue to be useful for some years. However, if the memory is not expandable or is limited then then machine won't continue to be useful for as long (as memory requirements of the operating systems grow over time). The same goes for the hard disk size... some models are not upgradable.
  • Consider day to day what will you actually use it for? Do you rely on a specific piece of software e.g. Outlook or some bespoke Windows only piece of software? If you are considering a Mac check your software suppliers to see if there is a 'conversion' capability i.e. to get a Mac version. Alternatively can you achieve the same result with different software?
  • Will you use if for work? If so will your office I.T. department support it e.g. do they support Mac? As per point above are there any windows specific pieces of software that work requires you use?


Mac vs PC

Then there is the 'platform' debate: basically Mac, PC or Linux. For me the race for most end users is really between Mac and PC. I have yet to find a version of Linux I feel I can recommend to what I call a 'consumer user'. I especially like to use the 'could your gran use it' test. e.g. will it install external hardware automatically and support most items without additional work.

Pros:
  • In my experience the Mac hardware is generally better, the operating system is more robust and you can get Mac versions of most software plus you can install Windows 'within' it if you really need it using a product like VMware Fusion http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/

Cons:
  • If you buy a Mac you'll have to purchase Windows separately if you need it e.g. Windows 7 personal: £110 on Amazon. You will also need to buy a virtual machine host (to install windows on your mac) like VMware Fusion approx.  £40: http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/
    If installing WIndows inside your Mac seems too technical for you, don't worry: it's really a point and click process.

In Conclusion

Ultimately it's all about usage. For me as a programmer I just need the most powerful portable machine I can afford with the largest screen possible and I'm prepared to take the downsides of reduced portability due to bulk, weight and reliance on external power. For a reporter or author the emphasis might be more on battery life and portability, and they might be more willing to accept the unit's inevitable demise due to lack of upgradability.

If you are looking for a Mac then don't forget to check out their re-furbished units: they come with a full one-year warrantee and so to all intents and purposes are like buying a new machine: http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

If you really do want a PC then I've had many years of success with Dell hardware, particularly when covered by their support package: http://www.dell.co.uk/