Display accounts with a Mismatch between their AG and LegacyDN

Here is another script that you can run to display all of the accounts that have a mis-match between their Exchange AG and the Legacy ExchangeDN. (Yes, The Legacy ExchangeDN is still used - Thanks MSFT!!!)


'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------'
' Displays accounts with mis-matched Adminitrative groups vs. legacyExchangeDN. '
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------'
Option Explicit

Const ADS_PROPERTY_CLEAR = 1

Dim defaultNamingContext
Dim legacyExchangeDN, homeMDB, AdsPath, sAMAccountName
Dim AdConn, AdComm, AdRS, AdQuery
Dim Fix, objUser

If WScript.Arguments.Count = 1 then
If UCase(WScript.Arguments.Item(0)) = "-F" Or UCase(WScript.Arguments.Item(0)) = "/F" then
Fix = True
End If
Else
Fix = False
End If

defaultNamingContext = GetObject("LDAP://RootDSE").Get("defaultNamingContext")
AdQuery = "SELECT legacyExchangeDN, homeMDB, AdsPath, sAMAccountName " & _
"FROM 'LDAP://" & defaultNamingContext & "' " & _
"WHERE objectCategory='Person' " & _
"AND objectClass='User' " & _
"AND legacyExchangeDN='*' " & _
"AND homeMDB='*'"

Set AdConn = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection") ' Get an ADO connection object
AdConn.Provider = "ADsDSOObject" ' Set provider name
AdConn.Open "Active Directory Provider" ' open connection

Set AdComm = CreateObject("ADODB.Command") ' Get an ADO command object
AdComm.ActiveConnection = AdConn ' Tell command object about connection
AdComm.Properties("SearchScope") = 2 ' we want to search everything
AdComm.Properties("Page Size") = 100 ' and we want our records in lots of 500

AdComm.CommandText = AdQuery ' Set the ADO CommandText
Set AdRS = AdComm.Execute ' and run the query.

On Error Resume Next
With AdRs
AdRS.MoveFirst ' Go to 1st record in the set
While Not .EOF ' Read 'em until they're gone
legacyExchangeDN = .Fields("legacyExchangeDN")
homeMDB = .Fields("homeMDB")
AdsPath = .Fields("AdsPath")
sAMAccountName = .Fields("sAMAccountName")
legacyExchangeDN = Mid(legacyExchangeDN,2)
legacyExchangeDN = Mid(legacyExchangeDN,InStr(legacyExchangeDN,"/")+1)
legacyExchangeDN = Mid(legacyExchangeDN,InStr(legacyExchangeDN,"=")+1)
legacyExchangeDN = Mid(legacyExchangeDN,1,InStr(legacyExchangeDN,"/")-1)
homeMDB = Mid(homeMDB,InStr(homeMDB,"CN=Servers,CN=")+14)
homeMDB = Mid(homeMDB,1,InStr(homeMDB,"CN=Admin")-2)
If UCase(homeMDB) <> UCase(legacyExchangeDN) then
If Fix then
Err.Clear
Set objUser = GetObject(AdsPath)
objUser.PutEx ADS_PROPERTY_CLEAR, "legacyExchangeDN", vbNullString
objUser.SetInfo
If Err then
WScript.Echo "Error " & Hex(Err.Number) & " clearing legacyExchangeDN for " & AdsPath
Err.Clear
Else
WScript.Echo "legacyExchangeDN cleared for " & AdsPath & " " & legacyExchageDN & "<>" & homeMDB
End If
Set objUser = Nothing
Else
WScript.Echo legacyExchangeDN & "," & homeMDB & ",""" & AdsPath & """"
End If
End If
.MoveNext
Wend
End With

Set AdRs = Nothing
Set AdComm = Nothing
Set AdConn = Nothing

SAM Account Name attribute to the name attribute

'------------------------------------------------------------------------------'
' Compares the sAMAccountName attribute to the name attribute and displays '
' mismatches. '
'------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'
Option Explicit

Dim defaultNamingContext
Dim AdQuery
Dim AdsPath, sAMAccountName, cn
Dim AdConn, AdComm, AdRS

defaultNamingContext = GetObject("LDAP://RootDSE").Get("defaultNamingContext")

AdQuery = "SELECT cn, sAMAccountName " & _
"FROM 'LDAP://" &amp; defaultNamingContext & "' " & _
"WHERE objectCategory='group'"

Set AdConn = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
AdConn.Provider = "ADsDSOObject"
AdConn.Open "Active Directory Provider"

Set AdComm = CreateObject("ADODB.Command")
AdComm.ActiveConnection = AdConn
AdComm.Properties("SearchScope") = 2
AdComm.Properties("Page Size") = 1000

AdComm.CommandText = AdQuery
Set AdRS = AdComm.Execute

WScript.Echo "sAMAccountName,cn"
With AdRs
While Not .EOF
sAMAccountName = .Fields("sAMAccountName")
cn = .Fields("cn")
If UCase(sAMAccountName) <> UCase(cn) then
WScript.Echo sAMAccountName & "," & cn
End If
.MoveNext
Wend
End With

Set AdRs = Nothing
Set AdComm = Nothing
Set AdConn = Nothing

Report Last Logon

Ever want to have a database of the last logons in your environment? Well, here is a little vbs script that will do just that!

Option Explicit

Const adOpenKeyset = 1
Const adLockOptimistic = 3

' LastLogon table in LastLogon database:
' user_account varchar 50
' lastDC varchar 50
' lastlogon_time datetime 8
' insert_time datetime 8

Dim sqlConn, sqlComm, sqlProvider, sqlRS
Dim user_account, lastDC, lastlogon_time, insert_time

sqlProvider = "Server=***servername***;Database=LastLogon;Trusted_Connection=yes;"

Set sqlConn = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
sqlConn.Provider = "sqloledb"
sqlConn.Open sqlProvider

Set sqlRS = CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")
sqlRS.ActiveConnection = sqlConn
sqlRS.CursorType = adOpenKeyset
sqlRS.LockType = adLockOptimistic
sqlRS.Source = "SELECT DISTINCT user_account, lastDC, lastlogon_time, insert_Time " & _
"FROM LastLogon " & _
"ORDER BY user_account"
sqlRS.Open

While (Not sqlRS.EOF)
user_account = sqlRS.Fields("user_account")
lastDC = sqlRS.Fields("lastDC")
lastlogon_time = sqlRS.Fields("lastlogon_time")
insert_time = sqlRS.Fields("insert_time")
WScript.Echo user_account & " " & lastlogon_time & " " & lastDC
sqlRS.MoveNext
Wend

sqlRS.Close
sqlConn.Close

How To: List the Members of a Group

How many times have you been asked – “Who is a member of this group?” or “Can I have a list of members of this group?”

Well, I have.. a lot! Generally, it is a security group, where only an Admin can see the members or a person has a list of groups. So, here is an easy way to get that information.

for /f "tokens=* usebackq" %i in (`adfind -default -list -f "name=domain admins" member`) do @adfind -b "%i" -s base -list mail

The output will look like

Sam@somewhere.com
Bob@somewhere.com
John@somewhere.com

Then you can just pipe it to a text file (>>admins.txt).. then ship that off to whoever wants it. You can find the adfind tool from Joe Ware (http://www.joeware.net/freetools/index.htm).

Vista Tips and Tricks

I have only been running Vista on a test machine for about a month or so. So far, I am not impressed. It looks “cutesy” and is not compatible with most of the software that I use in my day to day operations. So, I will not be upgrading anytime in the foreseable future. However, here are a few tricks that I have discovered to make this OS more manageable.

1. If you hate the look of Aero, click Start/Control Panel/Themes and you can choose a non-Aero theme, such as Windows Classic.
2. If, for some reason, the Vista installation gets interrupted due to an unintentional shutdown or reboot, start the computer without booting the Vista DVD. Windows Vista's installer should pick up where it left off. If it doesn't, then restart the installation over from scratch.
3. When you perform a search with Vista's new, instant search feature, you can save the search in a special folder. This powerful feature allows you to create a virtual folder which, by default, is saved in your \\Searches\ folder. Every time you open such a folder, the search results are updated.
4. In Windows Vista, you can add additional clocks to the system tray. Click the clock, and then click Date and Time Settings. Click the Additional Clocks tab. You can add one or two additional clocks to the tray and select their time zones.
5. If you upgrade your graphics card in preparation for Windows Vista, be sure to get a new card with as much local memory as possible. Since Windows Vista renders everything—even the desktop and windows them-selves—as 3D surfaces, local 3D memory greatly improves performance...sometimes even more than a more powerful GPU.
6. Several applications are available to help you tweak Windows Vista for maximum performance. They in-clude TweakVI (www.totalidea.com), TweakVista (www.tweakvista.com/tweakvistautility), and VistaBootPRO (www.vistabootpro.org). And don't forget about Windows ReadyBoost, which lets you use a removable flash memory drive to boost system memory

Office 2007 runs faster than what I was expecting and DO go in and change the power settings beneath the High Performance, this will help out a lot. I do find that the requirements are still a little steep and it really shows if you do not have enough resources to through at Vista. It will just sit there and laugh at you – “Is this all you got??? Game on!”

Another Sign of Stupidity.

Okay. So, I am one of those people who finds fault with the stupidity of the general populace. I realize that no one is perfect, including me... But, this one I have to call out for being really STUPID!!! Here the background of the situation.

I was driving to work this morning, not feeling really well. So, I was taking it kind of easy, not rushing, and in the slow lane. Now, on this 4 lane road, it gets really busy, since it is a main artery though Beaverton.. So, there is a lot of cars on this road and I am rather boxed in. I saw that a Fire truck was coming up from behind, lights on and siren blaring. I mean it has to be loud for me to hear it over my stereo. So, I pulled over into the bike line and put on my blinker. Others did the same, making a hole right down the center. But this one Jackass, in a gold Lexus, decided that he was too self important to get out of the way of a 10 ton Fire Truck. He decided to angle his car into both of the lanes, causing the Fire Truck to dodge over into the oncoming traffic lanes. I know it was a long time ago that I had to take the driver’s test, but I thought it was a law that you had to get the way of an emergency vehicle.

If it was me… I would have totaled that little Lexis and then had the police officer give this self-important ass a ticket for not getting out of my way…but, that is just me.

Xbox 360: Dead Rising Review

I have not really done a full review on a 360 game, but I felt this one needed to be rated - Dead Rising for the XBox 360. I rented this game, since I was given a gift card for Christmas and this was one of the games that I was thinking about buying. I am sure glad that I did not actually spend my own money on this game.

You are playing a photojournalist that has a "hot tip" of something strange going on in this small town. You fly over snapping pictures of some really strange shit. People attacking other people, trying to fly off of a building (no so well), and burning from an exploding gas station. You land on top of the mall, where you begin the actual game.

Throughout the game, you try to find out what the hell is going on and how did these zombies get here??? There are mini missions, surrounded around the main objective, mostly search and rescue people that are stranded inside this mall. Oh, yeah, and take pictures to document what is going on.

The AI is truly STUPID!!! You gather people for them to follow you. But, they do not help, they just stand there, while you are trying to make your way to a door or inside a hallway. I had to constantly go back and help get the zombies off the person I was trying to rescue. I did have this one “kid” try and help, he had a gun, was not sure how to use it, but he sure had fun shooting me in the back!!! Not helping there son!

The graphics and effects were really quite good. The zombies were oozing and dripping with blood. There was a lot of blood on the floor, especially when you get to hit them with an electric guitar or saw them in half with a chainsaw.

That brings me to weapons. Everything that you can think of could be used as a weapon. Some were less effective than others. I mean, what is a cardboard box going to do to a mindless zombie, besides piss it off.

The only redeeming value I found was killing zombies. Much like Doom, it is a hack and slash game, if that is all you are looking for… KILLING!!!

Bottom line, Don’t waste your time or your money! It is not worth the price I paid for it..

Computer Tech Support

This ought to make you feel better about your computer skills! If you skip any, you have to read the last one! Unbelievable, but supposedly all true!!!!

1. Tech support: What kind of computer do you have?
Female customer: A white one...

2. Customer: Hi, this is Celine. I can't get my diskette out.
Tech support: Have you tried pushing the Button?
Customer: Yes, sure, it's really stuck.
Tech support: That doesn't sound good; I'll make a note.
Customer: No, wait a minute... I hadn't inserted it yet... it's still on my desk... sorry....

3. Tech support: Click on the 'my computer' icon on to the left of the screen.
Customer: Your left or my left?

4. Tech support: Good day. How may I help you?
Male customer: Hello... I can't print.
Tech support: Would you click on "start" for me and...
Customer: Listen pal; don't start getting technical on me! I'm not Bill Gates.

5. Customer: Hi, good afternoon, this is Martha, I can't print. Every time I try, it says 'Can't find printer'. I've even lifted the printer and placed it in front of the monitor, but the computer still says he can't find it...

6. Customer: I have problems printing in red...
Tech support: Do you have a color printer?
Customer: Aaaah....................thank you.

7. Tech support: What's on your monitor now, ma'am?
Customer: A teddy bear my boyfriend bought for me at the 7-11.

8. Customer: My keyboard is not working anymore.
Tech support: Are you sure it's plugged into the computer?
Customer: No. I can't get behind the computer.
Tech support: Pick up your keyboard and walk 10 paces back
Customer:! OK
Tech support: Did the keyboard come with you?
Customer: Yes
Tech support: That means the keyboard is not plugged in. Is there another keyboard?
Customer: Yes, there's another one here. Ah...that one does work...

9. Tech support: Your password is the small letter "a" as in apple, a capital letter V as in Victor, the number 7.
Customer: Is that 7 in capital letters?

10. Customer: can't get on the Internet.
Tech support: Are you sure you used the right password?
Customer: Yes, I'm sure. I saw my colleague do it.
Tech support: Can you tell me what the password was?
Customer: Five stars.

11. Tech support: What anti-virus program do you use?
Customer: Netscape.
Tech support: That's not an anti-virus program.
Customer: Oh, sorry...Internet Explorer.

12. Customer: I have a huge problem. A friend has placed a screen saver on my computer, but every time I move the mouse, it disappears.

13. Tech support: How may I help you?
Customer: I'm writing my first e-mail.
Tech support: OK, and what seems to be the problem?
Customer: Well, I have the letter 'a' in the address, but how do I get the circle around it?

14. A woman customer called the Canon help desk with a problem with her printer.
Tech support: Are you running it under windows?
Customer: "No, my desk is next to the door, but that is a good point. The man sitting in the cubicle next to me is under a window, and his printer is working fine."

And last but not least...

15. Tech support: "Okay Bob, let's press the control and escape keys at the same time. That brings up a task list in the middle of the screen. Now type the letter "P" to bring up the Program Manager"
Customer: I don't have a P.
Tech support: On your keyboard, Bob.
Customer: What do you mean?
Tech support: "P".....on your keyboard, Bob.
Customer: I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT!

A response to a post on Slashdot.

Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs blog takes a look at the numbers for last year, and makes an interesting observation: hardcore gamers are probably not the future. Specifically, last year's videogame sales numbers show a huge trend in the adoption of mass-market licensed games. We've also previously discussed the extreme popularity of casual games. Despite Gears of War selling around the same amount as Cars (both around 2 million units), the cost in time and money to create Gears was substantially greater than the cost to create the Pixar-licensed title. The result?

"As growth continues, we're bound to see some substantial changes. As it stands, hardcore gamers are still a pivotal purchasing force in the games market: most of the top ten titles were what I would consider "hardcore" games. However, the trend away from the hardcore and towards the casual is becoming increasingly more predominant. We've talked quite a bit lately about the growing demand and response for casual games, and when coupled with the shocking sales of licensed products, I'm left wondering whether or not the number of hardcore gamers is dwindling."
- http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/13/1754223&from=rss

After reading this from Slashdot, I began to question where I fit in the whole gaming world. I used to consider myself as a hard-core gamer, but not these days. Yes, my blood begins to teem when I hear news on Halo 3… But… Let’s take a look at when I play a game…

I get home after a full day of work, no time there to play games, and just plain tired... Now that I have kids, I can not play a game like Gears of War when the kids are awake. It is a totally gory, head smashing, blood-curdling game that is really not appropriate for the young to play, let-alone watch. So, I have to save that until after the kids go to bed. Besides, when I get home, the girls want to play with Daddy and not have Daddy play Xbox and ignore them. Weekends are shot, there is always something going on with the girls. And then there is the “Honey-do” list. I don’t know about the rest of you, but my wife gets really irritated if I neglect the chores and just play Xbox. So, keep the wife happy, (and me from sleeping on the couch) - do the list…

Then there is the money aspect. At $60 a pop… That is a lot of coin to shell out on a game that may or may not be any good. Yes, there are a few games that I am waiting to come down in price before I buy. Games like Rainbow Six, Need for Speed, and Call of Duty 3. However, I am not going to spend $60 on a game like Cars. That is just not going to happen. Besides, at the rate of games coming out for the Xbox 360, it seems like there is a new game every month. Lots of $$$ going out!

So, let’s recap… When do I get to play games? That would be when the kids are not awake and assuming that there is no “Honey-do”s to do. Not much time at all.

A little project…

Liz and I decided that we could not take the toilet leaking in the bathroom any more. So, we took out the toilet and noticed that the floor is a bit spongy. When we surveyed the damage, it was far greater than first expected. I am not too proud not to ask for help, so I enlisted my friend Kieth to help. Here is a guy that, more or less, rebuilt his house. This guy came in, while Liz, the girls, and I were at swimming class, did all of the demolition work. I mean shut of the water, took out the floor, sub-floor and sink, all by himself. “What a guy!” Now, I should mention that the beams are not 12” or 18” from center, they are 4 feet from center. So, we have to reinforce the new section of floor that we are putting in. So, after several broken drill bits and stripped screws later, Keith managed to put in 2 cross beams. He also took time on his way home after work on several nights to stop by and do additional work on the floor. He is a real friend!

Last night, I put one more cross section, with only one more to go. Doing it by yourself sucks, but it is manageable. I did have to break out the small laser leveler and another drill bit. :p There is still one more beam that needs to go in, before the floor can be put on top. It is slow going, but going to be nice when it is all done. I think that Liz has finally decided on fixtures at this point and color scheme.

Comtastic!

It is now official… I am a permanent Comcast employee. With my initial 90 day new hire probation period over, all of my benefits are starting to kick in. Well, except for the 401K and the TV/Phone/Internet package. They allow all new hires to enjoy the Comcast entertainment experience, no matter when you were hired.

I finally hooked up the internet service to my desktop yesterday, leaving the wifi on the Fios. I do have to say that I really enjoy the speeds of cable. I have always knocked it, since it is a shared connection. BUT, I do have to say that I was wrong. Most of the time I get a full 6 megs and (get this), if I am downloading a big file it will burst to 12 megs. That is 2.4 times the speed that I got from my previous Verizon Fios connection. (http://www.comcast.net/powerboost)

The whole family is enjoying the whole “ON Demand” feature of the Comcast TV service. This is where you can play movies for free any time you want. It seems that every month there is a new feature set. They provided the Star Wars series in HD, Harry Potter, as well as, all of the James Bonds. There are a bunch of kids channels that are also On Demand. Allie loves Sagwa and D-D-D-Doria. She is really cute… She says “Daddy, can I have Demanding Doria or Demanding Sagwa?” It is really cute… The take home message is that any TV in the house, regardless if it is hooked up to the DVR, will play any movie that is “On Demand”. Very Very Cool!!

As far as the cost, reliability, and features, I would have to say that Comcast wins out over my previous Satellite Provider. I have had no issues with getting signal from either provider, so that is not really a factor. It just comes down to cost and features… Comcast is far better than Direct TV for me and my family.

- And I am not just saying that as a Comcast Employee.. For those who know me, I don’t hold back if something truly sucks, I will let you know!

Microsoft Office Communicator experience on your BlackBerry device

This is new!!! Well, new to me.. :P
As you already know, I really love and hate my blackberry. It is a great little device that I can send/receive email, check appointments, call people, change people’s AD information (through another app), and communicate with other blackberry users. Well, it is even better… Now, I can instant message all corporate users right from my Blackberry.

How is this possible???

RIM has made an add-on to integrate with your Corporate LCS server. I really enjoy having this functionality of being able to see if someone is on-line without breaking out the laptop. I find that it is far easier to use and more reliable than the blackberry communicator. (Yes, I still use both) I find that the battery does not last as long, not that this is a surprise to anyone. Also, I am not sure how I like the BB taking over my LCS connection, even if I am signed into LCS from my laptop. I understand that you only can have one connection at a time, but I find that the BB is constantly taking over and signing me out on my laptop.

It is very cool and a must see. For more information… Here is the web address: http://www.blackberry.com/products/blackberry/im/windows_im.shtml

Response to my complaint

Yes, I sent the email stating how disappointed I am with Verizon’s Customer Service. So, I get an email stating that my secure email response is ready to be viewed on the Verizon.com website. Okay. So, I go and attempt to log into the Verizon.com website. It states that I do not have an account and need to contact customer service. So, spending even more time on hold, I talk to a very nice lady who states that since I discontinued my voice service, I will no longer be able to log into the Verizon.com website. So.. Let me get this straight… I have a secure email from Verizon that I can not view… She was very helpful.. She was actually able to log into the system and forward the email to my Verizon email account.

So, Here is the response to my email:

Dear S,

Thank you for contacting Verizon ePay. We are in receipt of your email dated 01/10/07 regarding charges on your account. We will be happy to assist you.

We apologize for the experience you had.

We apologize for the inconvenience of having you call one of our centers. You may contact our Billing Department directly at 1-800-483-3000 between the hours of 8:00AM and 6:00PM, Monday through Friday. A representative will be happy to assist you.

We understand your concern and appreciate your business. However, it is not that we are unwilling to help, we are just unable to help you with this.

We appreciate you using the Verizon Contact Us Page to address your issue through email. Always remember, the Verizon Contact Us Page is available 24/7 for you to contact us through email on any questions, issues or concerns you might have with your account.

You can also make a payment 24 hours a day 7 days a week at Verizon.com or by calling our Pay by Phone System at 1-800-345-6563. Verizon payment options include:

Verizon.com
Pay by Phone (Vendor Charge of $3.50)
Direct Bank Account Debit
Verizon Plus Store
Authorized Agent (May Charge Up to $1.00)
Mail

Thank you for using Verizon. We appreciate your business.


Sincerely,

WHAT??? Did you even bother to read the email??? Are you KIDDING !!!

Disappointment with Verizon

As you know, I have Verizon’s Fios service for my ISP. In fact, I have both Verizon and Comcast for my internet. I am just trying to figure out how to dual-hom cheaply, but that is something that I will tackle when I have time. I enjoy having a dedicated 5meg pipe, through Verizon, directly to my computer to play games and the other uses of the internet. -wink-wink-

HOWEVER, their customer service lacks A LOT!!!

Background,
On November 27th, Comcast installed cable for the TV and Phone. A few days later, I received my normal bill for the phone and Fios service. So, I call… Spending a little time on hold… I talk to a very nice lady, explaining that I canceled the service as of the 27th. She makes the notes and then transfers me to someone else, who tells me to ignore the bill and wait until I get a final bill. I explain that I do not want to interrupt my Fios service, so I want to pay for that portion. That night, I received an email on my Verizon account that states that they need a credit card, since they don’t want to send me a bill for anything less than $50 dollars. Okay.. Whatever… So, I put in my Credit Card information and am charged for my Fios service. So, I threw away the check and bill. Then on Monday, I get a bill for $37.69, making up $34.95 of internet service + $1.31 late fee + $1.43 unknown. (I really like the fact that Verizon charges me a late fee after telling me not to pay the bill. I even like it better that Verizon charges my credit card and then charges me a late fee.) So, I call and talk to a service representative who talked around me and told me that all of the charges were part of the Fios billing and I needed to talk to them. There was no outstanding balance as for the phone service. This morning, Wednesday, I called and talked to a gentleman who told me that it was part of the Fios and Phone services. He could not answer for me a simple question – Where did the $1.43 come from??? I got more and more frustrated that he was first stating that it was long distance charges. When I stated that I did not have any long distant charges, he talked around the topic. Then, to add insult to injury, he said that if I did not stop trying to talk over him, he was going to terminate the call. So, I asked my question again. Finally, I just gave up. I told him to write this down for the record, which still holds true today. “I have been a Verizon Customer for a long time and I have been happy with the Fios service. However, the complete lack of Customer Service makes me an Extremely Pissed Off Customer. The shear fact that I have to call many many many times in order to get an explanation and then told conflicting information shows how utterly useless and incompetent the staff really is.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year to all of my friends and family (and anyone else that may be reading this blog).

Looking back upon the last year, it sure has been an "interesting" year. I put interesting in quotes, just because it was not my usual year. I changed jobs three times, something that I hate.

I left Cori because of money.. A WHOLE LOT of money.
I left ACS because they outsourced my position nine months into my career. (Well, I don't think that I would have made that place my career. It truely sucked!)
I am now at Comcast, where I hope to be for a very very long time. I realize that I am only 60 days into it, but, it seems to be really cool place to work. (could use an XBox though.) :)

Family has been great, no issues there. Zuzu and Allie have really been doing wonderful in school. Allie has been saying words in Chinese and correcting my pronunciation, which is really kinda funny. I know that my Mandarin is really bad, but when the 3 year old tells you "no dad" that is really bad. :P

Have a great Holiday and hope that this year will be better than the last!

How do I set my Out of Office Assistant on the Blackberry?

To activate this go to the Messages icon on the main menu.
Click the scroll button to display your messages.
Click the scroll button again to bring up the menu.
Scroll and select “Options” from this menu. Click the scroll button.
Scroll and select “E-mail Settings” from this menu.
Scroll down and select “Use Out Of Office Reply:”
Change the option from “No” to “Yes”. It will pull your current Out Of Office Assistant from the Exchange Server. Modify and Save.

How can I delete messages from my Blackberry AND my Inbox while I am traveling?

The wireless reconciliation functionality allows the Blackberry to delete mail from the Handheld AND the Inbox.
To activate this go to the Messages icon on the main menu.

* Click the scroll button to display your messages.
* Click the scroll button again to bring up the menu.
* Scroll and select “Options” from this menu. Click the scroll button.

Under the E-mail Reconciliaton heading are following 3 items:
* Delete On: Handheld
* Wireless Reconcile: On
* Conflicts: Mailbox wins

Highlight “Delete On:” Click the scroll button to bring up the menu.
* “Change Option” Should be highlighted. If it is not, scroll to “Change Option” and click the scroll wheel.

There are 3 options listed. Handheld, Mailbox & Handheld and Prompt.
* If you select “Handheld” when mail is deleted on the Blackberry it will ONLY be deleted on the Blackberry.
* If you select Mailbox & Handheld ALL MAIL will be deleted from both the Blackberry AND the Inbox.
* If you select Prompt you will be prompted with the following every time you attempt to delete an email from the
Blackberry:
Delete Message?
On Mailbox & Handheld
On Handheld
Cancel

Highlight the selection you want to use and click the scroll wheel.
* Click the scroll wheel again and select “Save” from the menu to save the setting.

In addition you can purge your deleted items from your Blackberry:
* To activate this go to the Messages icon on the main menu.
* Click the scroll button to display your messages.
* Click the scroll button again to bring up the menu.
* Scroll and select “Options” from this menu. Click the scroll button again to access the menu.
* Select “Purge Deleted Items”.
* It will prompt “Are you sure you want to delete all items from your deleted items folder on Desktop permanently?”
* Select “Yes”

Been Busy!

I have been really busy with the new job. Plus, to top it off, the whole family is sick... Germ Factory One and Germ Factory Two have been hard at work. :P I have not even had time play with the XBox 360, who has been leaving me little posts about the level of frustration that it feels.

VeryLost's Xbox - 11/29/2006
Where is VeryLost at? I want to disown him. I am putting myself up on eBay ASAP.

VeryLost's Xbox - 11/28/2006
I only have one request... If VeryLost isn't going to game, the least he could do is turn me off so I don't feel the pain. But no... I was awake for six hours crying in my own head.

(Is it a bad sign that your XBox is mad at you???)


Oh, I do love this whole On-Demand from Comcast. It is really cool. There are a LOT of movies that are free (might be a bit older) that you can watch from anywhere in the house, regardless if it is on the DVR or not. I was watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Havoc (Unrated), and Star Wars III all streamed over the wire. Very Cool. I still have to hook up the internet. I just have not had the time or motivation.

That is all for now.

My first negative feedback from Xbox Live

I was playing Perfect Dark Zero on line, last night. The only game that I play on-line. A couple of people joined my session when I was playing against a dozen bots or so. However, at certain times through the game we would be on opposite sides, since when you die you change sides. During the game, I did not care if they were a human player or a Bot, there still shooting at me! SO, I will do my best to kill them before they do the same to me… This guy decided to bitch and leave me negative feedback because I was “too aggressive”… I thought that was the whole point of the game???!!!!??? I am not just going to stand there and let you kill me, what are you thinking!

So, here is my response. “IF you can’t take the heat, stay out of my game!”

Last Accessed VBS Script

'This script is to find the date/time last accessed of files
'Version 1.0

Set fso = CreateObject ("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

If WScript.Arguments.Count = 0 then
RecurseDirectory "."
Else
RecurseDirectory WScript.Arguments.Item(0)
End If

Sub Recursedirectory(strDir)
Set refFolder = fso.GetFolder(strDir)

'Process files in directory
For Each refFile in refFolder.Files
WScript.Echo """" & refFile.Path & """" & "," & _
"""" & (refFile.DateCreated) & """" & "," & _
"""" & (refFile.DateLastModified) & """" & "," & _
"""" & (refFile.DateLastAccessed) & """" & "," & _
"""" & (refFile.size) & """" & ","
Next

'Then Recurse down directory tree
For Each refSubFolder in refFolder.SubFolders
RecurseDirectory refSubFolder.Path
Next
end sub

'To run:
'cscript //nologo DateLastAccessed.vbs c:\ >> DateLastAccessed.csv


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Getting KB instead of bytes is as simple as dividing by 1024.  If you want to round up to the nearest KB, add 1023 to the returned value then divide by 1024 and then use the INT function to get the size in KB.  i.e. SizeKB = int((refFile.Size+1023)/1024)

To get the date in a different format you have many options.  One of the easiest would be to use the SPLIT function to, duh, split it into pieces and then glue them back together.  Assuming the refFile.DateLastAccessed is

10/24/2006 8:22:42 AM

aryDate = Split(refFile.DateLastAccessed)    ' aryDate(0) = "10/24/2006", aryDate(1) = "8:22:42", aryDate(2) = "AM"
strDate = aryDate(0)    ' =12/24/2006
strTime = aryDate(1) & " " & aryDate(2)    ' =8:22:42 AM

Another way would be to use the various date manipulation functions, in particular DATEPART:

year = datepart("yyyy",refFile.DateLastAccessed)
month = datepart("m",refFile.DateLastAccessed)
day = datepart("d",refFile.DateLastAccessed)
hour = datepart("h",refFile.DateLastAccessed)
min = datepart("n",refFile.DateLastAccessed)
sec = datepart("s",refFile.DateLastAccessed)

theDate = year & month & day
theTime = hour & ":" min & ":" & sec

Exchange Cache Mode - Good and Bad

Outlook 2003 has a great feature called Exchange Cache Mode. According to Microsoft,When Cached Exchange Mode is enabled, Outlook 2003 uses a local copy of your mailbox. At the same time, Outlook 2003 maintains an online connection to a remote copy of your mailbox in Exchange Server.

Putting the Outlook email client into cached-mode enables several functions designed to lessen the dependence of a connection between the Outlook client and the Exchange server. Such as creating a local copy of the GAL and a local copy of the users INBOX all allow more of the users interaction with their mail client to take place on their workstation (even if the connection to the mail server is unavailable.) This means a reduced amount of interactive network traffic back to the mail server.

In many situations, this is a very good thing. Laptop users are a wonderful example of users who need to be able to work with their email even when they are not connected to the network. Another would be users whose mail box is not local but is accessed over a WAN, VPN or dial-up link where the user experience when interacting with the mail server over a slow link would not be a good one.

There can be a down side to using cached-mode, however. Situations where users need to interact with another users mail information such as sharing of calendar information. Or where there is interaction with another application like ActiveSync or Blackberry. These and other problems are documented by Microsoft and others so the problems are well known technically.

Instead of a blanket Outlook cache-mode for everyone, a better and more supportable recommendation would be the following:

Good candidates for Outlook cache-mode:
*Portable devices (tablets, laptops, etc.) where the user typically is accessing Exchange services at less than LAN speeds (WAN, VPN, dial-in)
*Users in locations without a local Exchange server and access a mailbox over a WAN link.

Bad candidates for Outlook cache-mode:
*Blackberry users
*ActiveSync users
*Users who have given delegate control to other users over their mailbox/calendar
*Users whose mailbox is located on an Exchange 2000 server
*Users who have client-side rules to be run
*Users who are about to have their mailbox moved to another mail server

The Microsoft article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/870926/ can be used as a reference as this has both instructions for enabling Outlook cached-mode but there is also a section labeled "Practices to avoid when you use Outlook 2003 with Cached Exchange Mode" that should be reviewed.

Still Alive and Kicking

Things are going well. I think that I am settling in and being able to impress my bosses with my technical knowledge, project management, and the ability to step in and take over. With the help of a small script, a project that they have been working on months (if not years), is giving management the ammo needed to get people to clean up their “stuff”. This has always been a problem, everywhere I have been. I can remember many many times at Cori where the file server is full due to people just dumping their crap out there. This was a serious problem when you are backing up files that have not been touched in 6 months – to Years… Not to mention the hassle, time, and effort that IT has to go through to contact people just to get things cleaned up. So, with the thanks of Wayne, a colleague from ACS, I was able to query the file servers and provide full path name (including file), Modified Date, Created Date, Last Accessed Date, and Size (in bytes) to my boss. Thanks Wayne!

If anyone is interested, I would be willing to post it with the changes that I made.

Comcast - Day 3

I am at the new job with Comcast as a Senior Infrastructure Analyst. From what I understand so far is that myself and a co-worker (who is a really cool guy) will be responsible for maintaining and troubleshooting various servers, network, switches, and firewalls. I have already assisted several “customers” (internally) in various issues that have come up. I just installed a bunch of cards into a Cisco Switch (6509), which is a first for me. I am currently working on an EMC upgrade and backup/recovery solution to improve performance and decrease the backup time. This is very important…blah blah blah... like anyone else cares.. :P

All in all, I will not be bored or sitting around for something to break. There are lots of projects and things that could use my knowledge. It is very fast paced, especially coming from a place like ACS. I am really enjoying the work and taking on more responsibility and projects where I can.

I am not out to change the world, just my corner of it.

NDR List of Codes and their meanings

The key to any troubleshooting is to isolate the problem. In the case of an NDR, discover if the fault lies with the sender, the recipient or the Exchange 2003 server. To gather more clues, send more emails to the same recipient but from different accounts. In addition, send emails to different accounts from the original sender.

Expand the search area by sending email to different sites, or to internet users. Does this tactic narrow the problem to a particular Server, Mailstore or Routing Group Connector?

If it's just one email address that produces the Non-Delivery report, do you type in the SMTP address manually, or do you click the user account in the GAL?

NDR List of Codes and their meanings

NDR
Code Explanation of Non-Delivery Report error codes for Exchange Server

4.2.2 The recipient has exceeded their mailbox limit. It could also be that the delivery directory on the Virtual server has exceeded its limit. (Default 22 MB)
4.3.1 Not enough disk space on the delivery server. Microsoft say this NDR maybe reported as out-of-memory error.
4.3.2 Classic temporary problem, the Administrator has frozen the queue.
4.4.1 Intermittent network connection. The server has not yet responded. Classic temporary problem. If it persists, you will also a 5.4.x status code error.
4.4.2 The server started to deliver the message but then the connection was broken.
4.4.6 Too many hops. Most likely, the message is looping.
4.4.7 Problem with a timeout. Check receiving server connectors.
4.4.9 A DNS problem. Check your smart host setting on the SMTP connector. For example, check correct SMTP format. Also, use square brackets in the IP address [197.89.1.4] You can get this same NDR error if you have been deleting routing groups.
4.6.5 Multi-language situation. Your server does not have the correct language code page installed.
5.0.0 SMTP 500 reply code means an unrecognized command. You get this NDR when you make a typing mistake when you manually try to send email via telnet.
More likely, a routing group error, no routing connector, or no suitable address space in the connector. (Try adding * in the address space)
This status code is a general error message in Exchange 2000. In fact Microsoft introduced a service pack to make sure now get a more specific code.
5.1.x Problem with email address.
5.1.0 Often seen with contacts. Check the recipient address.
5.1.1 Another problem with the recipient address. Possibly the user was moved to another server in Active Directory. Maybe an Outlook client replied to a message while offline.
5.1.2 SMTP; 550 Host unknown. An error is triggered when the host name can’t be found. For example, when trying to send an email to bob@ nonexistantdomain.com.
[Example kindly sent in by Paul T.]
5.1.3 Another problem with contacts. Address field maybe empty. Check the address information.
5.1.4 Two objects have the same address, which confuses the categorizer.
5.1.5 Destination mailbox address invalid.
5.1.6 Problem with homeMDB or msExchHomeServerName - check how many users are affected. Sometimes running RUS (Recipient Update Service) cures this problem. Mailbox may have moved.
5.1.7 Problem with senders mail attribute, check properties sheet in ADUC.
5.2.x NDR caused by a problem with the large size of the email.
5.2.1 The message is too large. Else it could be a permissions problem. Check the recipient's mailbox.
5.2.2 Sadly, the recipient has exceeded their mailbox limit.
5.2.3 Recipient cannot receive messages this big. Server or connector limit exceeded.
5.2.4 Most likely, a distribution list or group is trying to send an email. Check where the expansion server is situated.
5.3.0 Problem with MTA, maybe someone has been editing the registry to disable the MTA / Store driver.
5.3.1 Mail system full. Possibly a Standard edition of Exchange reached the 16 GB limit.
5.3.2 System not accepting network messages. Look outside Exchange for a connectivity problem.
5.3.3 Remote server has insufficient disk space to hold email. Check SMTP log.
5.3.4 Message too big. Check limits, System Policy, connector, virtual server.
5.3.5 Multiple Virtual Servers are using the same IP address and port. See Microsoft TechNet article: 321721 Sharing SMTP. Email probably looping.
5.4.0 DNS Problem. Check the Smart host, or check your DNS. It means that there is no DNS server that can resolve this email address. Could be Virtual Server SMTP address.
5.4.1 No answer from host. Not Exchange's fault check connections.
5.4.2 Bad connection.
5.4.3 Routing server failure. No available route.
5.4.4 Cannot find the next hop, check the Routing Group Connector. Perhaps you have Exchange servers in different Routing Groups, but no connector.
5.4.6 Tricky looping problem, a contact has the same email address as an Active Directory user. One user is probably using an Alternate Recipient with the same email address as a contact.
5.4.7 Delivery time-out. Message is taking too long to be delivered.
5.4.8 Microsoft advise, check your recipient policy. SMTP address should be cp.com.
NOT server.cp.com.
5.5.0 Underlying SMTP 500 error. Our server tried ehlo, the recipient's server did not understand and returned a 550 or 500 error. Set up SMTP logging.
5.5.2 Possibly the disk holding the operating system is full. Or could be a syntax error if you are executing SMTP from a telnet shell.
5.5.3 More than 5,000 recipients. Check the Global Settings, Message Delivery properties.
5.5.5 Wrong protocol version
5.6.3 More than 250 attachments.
5.7.1 Permissions problem. For some reason the sender is not allowed to email this account. Perhaps an anonymous user is trying to send mail to a distribution list.
Check SMTP Virtual Server Access Tab. Try checking this box: Allow computers which successfully authenticate to relay
User may have a manually created email address that does not match a System Policy.
5.7.2 Distribution list cannot expand and so is unable to deliver its messages.
5.7.3 Check external IP address of ISA server. Make sure it matches the SMTP publishing rule.
5.7.4 Extra security features not supported. Check delivery server settings
5.7.5 Cryptographic failure. Try a plain message with encryption.
5.7.6 Certificate problem, encryption level maybe to high.
5.7.7 Message integrity problem.

Joke of the week: Think before you speak...

A friend sent this to me and had me rolling.. So, I had to share!


Here are six reasons why you should think before you speak - the last one is great!
Have you ever spoken and wished that you could immediately take the words back... or that you could crawl into a hole?

Here are the Testimonials of a few people who did....

FIRST TESTIMONY:
I walked into a hair salon with my husband and three kids in tow and asked loudly, "How much do you charge for a shampoo and a blow job?" I turned around and walked back out and never went back. My husband didn't say a word...he knew better.

SECOND TESTIMONY:
I was at the golf store comparing different kinds of golf balls. I was unhappy with the women's type I had been using. After browsing for several minutes, I was approached by one of the good-looking gentlemen who works at the store. He asked if he could help me. Without thinking, I looked at him and said, "I think I like playing with mens balls"

THIRD TESTIMONY:
My sister and I were at the mall and passed by a store that sold a variety of candy and nuts. As we were looking at the display case, the boy behind the counter asked if we needed any help. I replied, "No, I'm just looking at your nuts." My sister started to laugh hysterically. The boy grinned, and I turned beet-red and walked away. To this day, my sister has never let me forget.

FOURTH TESTIMONY:
While in line at the bank one afternoon, my toddler decided to release some pent-up energy and ran amok. I was finally able to grab hold of her after receiving looks of disgust and annoyance from other patrons. I told her that if she did not start behaving "right now" she would be punished. To my horror, she looked me in the eye and said in a voice just as threatening, "If you don't let me go right now, I will tell Grandma that I saw you kissing Daddy's pee-pee last night!" The silence was deafening after this enlightening exchange. Even the tellers stopped what they were doing. I mustered up the last of my dignity and walked out of the bank with my daughter in tow. The last thing I heard when the door closed behind me, were screams of laughter.

FIFTH TESTIMONY:
Have you ever asked your child a question too many times? My three-year-old son had a lot of problems with potty training and I was on him constantly. One day we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick lunch, in between errands. It was very busy, with a full dining room. While enjoying my taco, I smelled something funny, so of course I checked my seven-month-old daughter, she was clean. The realized that Danny had not asked to go potty in a while. I asked him if he needed to go, and he said "No". I kept thinking "Oh Lord, that child has had an accident, and I don't have any clothes with me." Then I said, "Danny, are you SURE you didn't have an accident?" "No," he replied. I just KNEW that he must have had an accident, because the smell was getting worse. Soooooo, I asked one more time, "Danny did you have an accident ? This time he jumped up, yanked down his pants, bent over, spread his cheeks and yelled "SEE MOM, IT'S JUST FARTS!!" While 30 people nearly choked to death on their tacos laughing, he calmly pulled up his pants and sat down. An old couple made me feel better, thanking me for the best laugh they'd ever had!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST TESTIMONY:
This had most of the state of Michigan laughing for 2 days and a very embarrassed female news anchor who will, in the future, likely think before she speaks. What happens when you predict snow but don't get any! We had a female news anchor that, the day after it was supposed to have snowed and didn't, turned to the weatherman and asked: "So Bob, where's that 8 inches you promised me last night?" Not only did HE have to leave the set, but half the crew did too they were laughing so hard!

Now, didn't that feel good?
Pass it on to someone you know who needs a laugh and remember we all say things we don't really mean, so think before you speak

Letter from Jorge

Jorge Zelaya was my last manager at Corillian Corporation. (I went through 3 in my tenure there.) He is a really great guy and one of the best managers thus far. He started out as a grunt and worked his way up the food chain while at Corillian. This gives him a very unique perspective about issues that are facing an IT Department and Customer Service as a whole. Personally, There are some people here at ACS that need to go back and get a job in retail to “reacquire” the art of Customer Service. However, that is not the case with Jorge. He has excelent people skillz. (That is with a 'Z', as he would say) Well, he sent me a letter of recommendation that I would like to share. It shows his quality as a Manager and a Person.

To whom it may concern:

I would like to recommend Steve Shaff as a candidate for a position with your organization. In his position as AD Administrator, Steve did an excellent job and was an asset to our organization. He has excellent written and verbal communication skills, is well organized, can work independently and is able to follow through to ensure that the job gets done.

During his tenure with Corillian Corporation, Steve was responsible for managing the Exchange Server and Active Directory infrastructure. Steve was always willing to offer his assistance and had an excellent rapport with the many constituents served by our department.

He would be an asset to any employer and I recommend him for any endeavor he chooses to pursue.

Regards,
Jorge Zelaya
Manager
of Corporate IT
Corillian Corporation

Thanks Jorge.

Release Date Pulled!

Halo 3 release date has gone from March of 2007 to sometime in 2007. This is upsetting, but expected. I will keep you informed when I have a new date. I have also pulled my pre-order from Amazon. I am hoping to keep enough $$ on those gift cards to buy Halo 3 when it finally gets released.

Trying out Blogger's Beta

Well, I have made the technology leap and have converted my Blog to Blogger Beta. It was really simple. Everything moved from old to new with very little configuration effort on my part. It feels a lot like Sharepoint, where everything is done with "parts". Click and Drag.. It is so easy.

I also like the added feature in the management console, you are able to view all of your posts and also view the contents from a down arrow. Very Cool. Also, the fact that all changes are done in real-time. Once you change something, you no longer have to republish and then wait. This was a real problem if you had a really large blog. Sometimes, I had problems where it would click at 0%, until I stopped it and restarted the Re-Publish.

Gotta Love It!

Delegate issue -

When someone sends a meeting request to a user, they receive an NDR from another user. The unknown user was at one time a delegate for the user the meeting request was sent to and has had their user account deleted. This happens when the delegate’s user account is removed from Active Directory before being removed from the delegates list.

To resolve the issue, please follow the steps below:
1. Take note of any delegates you currently have, and remove them.
2. Take note of any rules you currently have, please note that the rules will be removed and you will need to recreate them when you are done.
3. Go to Start > Run and type in “outlook.exe /cleanrules” without the quotes and click OK.
4. This will open Outlook and remove all rules, including the invisible rule that is forwarding the message to the old delegate.
5. Go back in and re-assign delegates as needed.
6. Go back in and recreate rules as needed.

Create Auto Responder for Group Mailbox

To configure Outlook to open the GROUP mailbox as if you are that user follow these steps:

1. Go to Start > Control Panel and open Mail.
2. Click the Show Profiles… button.

If you do not already have a profile for the shared mailbox, follow these steps:
Click the Add… button.

1. Give the profile the same name as the shared mailbox and click OK.
2. This is going to be an Exchange account.
3. The server should be Exchange Mailbox Server and the name should be the username of the shared mailbox.
4. Click the Check Name button, it should resolve and become underlined.
5. Click through the rest of the process to create the new profile.
6. In the bottom half of the window you can select Prompt for a profile to be used and click OK.
7. Once you have this setup Outlook will always prompt you for the profile, you can change this back to stop prompting you after you create the rule.

To create the rule follow these steps, please not that you are using Outlook XP so some of the items may be named slightly differently.

1. Login to Outlook as the mailbox you want the rule for.
2. Go to Tools > Rules Wizard.
3. Click the New Rule button.
4. Follow the steps in the wizard, use the following settings as a guide.

• Select Check messages when they arrive and click Next.
• Check the "where my name is in the To box" option and click Next.
• Check "have the server reply using a specific message" and then click the "a specific message" link.
• Only enter the subject and body that you want and click Save and Close.

1. Click the Finish button.
2. Close Outlook.

I Have A New Job

As you know, My position here at ACS is being outsourced to Malaysia. Yes, the outsourcing company that I work for is outsourcing my position, I think that there is a joke in that… but it is escaping me at this point.

Yesterday, I was offered a position with Comcast Cable as a Senior Information Technology Analyst. (Fancy title for Systems Administrator) I will be one of a handful of guys dealing with server administration, patching, troubleshooting, diagnosing network issues, and troubleshooting/implementing various Microsoft Products.

Today, I had to sign some paperwork and pee in a cup. :P Comcast is the only company that has asked to do a background check, drug screen, or reference check performed on me. I don’t recall ever doing this for Corillian or even ACS. I certainly don’t remember peeing in a cup.

So, I am “officially” a Comcast Employee.

wireless calendar does not synchronize properly for multiple users

Problem Description:

1. The wireless calendar does not synchronize properly for multiple users.
2. A configuration error between Microsoft® Outlook® and the handheld is disrupting wireless calendar synchronization.

Instructions:

• Go to Start > Run.
• Type regsvr32 CDO.DLL in the field.
• Click OK.
• Restart the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
• Create a new Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) profile.

For instructions on how to create a new MAPI profile, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 195718. For instructions on how to configure BlackBerry Desktop Manager to use the new MAPI profile, see Support Knowledge Base article KB-03650. Note: If you are using Microsoft® Outlook® 2003, disable Cached Exchange Mode.

• Create a contact entry in Outlook and verify that it synchronizes with Outlook
• On the handheld home screen, open the Calendar.
• Click the trackwheel and select Options > Wireless Synchronization > Change Option > No.
• Connect the handheld to your desktop and open BlackBerry Desktop Manager.
• Go to Backup and Restore > Advanced, select the calendar database, and choose Clear.
• Go to Intellisync > Configure PIM > Calendar > Choose > MS Outlook > OK.
• On the main Intellisync page, select Synchronize now.
• On the handheld, open the Calendar again.
• Click the trackwheel and select Options > Wireless Synchronization > Change Option > Yes.
• If the user still encounters errors when performing a wireless synchronization, verify the CDO.DLL and MAPI32.DLL files.

Blackberry Deleted Emails Do Not Synchronize with Mailbox

Problem Description:
This article describes where to change the setting to force emails deleted on the Blackberry to Synchronize with Outlook. When the user deletes an email on their Blackberry handheld device, it does not automatically delete the email in Outlook.


Troubleshooting Steps/ Resolution:
By default, the Blackberry is set to not Synchronize any emails deleted on the Blackberry with the users mailbox. A setting must be set to force any e-mail deletions done on the handheld to also delete in Outlook. This setting can be found in the following:

1. On the Blackberry device, go into the mail (the icon looks like three envelopes).
2. Single click the trackwheel to display the menu
3. Select Options
4. At the bottom of the 'Message List Options', under the 'Email' subheader, highlight 'Handheld' next to 'Delete On:'
5. Single click the trackwheel and choose 'Change Option'
6. Select one of the following options:

'Handheld' - deletes the e-mail on the handheld only

'Mailbox & Handheld'- deletes the email on the handheld as well as in Outlook

'Prompt'- Prompts the user to choose whether they want the email deleted in their Mailbox each time they delete an email on the Blackberry.

1. Click the trackwheel once and choose 'Save' to save your settings.

Duplicate messages on your BlackBerry

Problem:
You received duplicate messages on your BlackBerry Wireless Handheld™.
Duplicate messages might be caused by one of the following:

• handheld is not in an area of sufficient wireless network coverage
• rules or filters are forwarding duplicate messages to multiple folders
• multiple instances of the BlackBerry Desktop Redirector are running for the same mailbox, or the desktop redirector and BlackBerry Enterprise Server are enabled for the same mailbox.
• Desktop Redirector is running but you are running using a BlackBerry account.
  

Cause
The handheld is not in an area of sufficient wireless coverage, therefore it cannot send an acknowledgement to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server or the BlackBerry Desktop Redirector, to confirm it has received the message.

Resolution
The issue will be resolved one the handheld returns to an area of sufficient wireless network coverage.

Cause
Filters are configured to forward duplicate messages to more than one folder.

Resolution
Modify or delete the filters by performing the following steps:

• Any filters configured on the server, Inbox or the BlackBerry Desktop Software. Save and delete.
• Re-create the filter and send test messages that meet the filter criteria.

Cause
Multiple instances of the BlackBerry Desktop Redirector are configured and running for the same mailbox or the BlackBerry Desktop Redirector and the BlackBerry Enterprise Server are configured for the same mailbox.

Resolution
Use only one source of message redirection, such as the following:

• Use only one instance of the BlackBerry Desktop Redirector for the mailbox.
• Use either the BlackBerry Enterprise Server or the BlackBerry Desktop Redirector.

Cause
You are running the BlackBerry Desktop Redirector, which is installed with the BlackBerry Desktop Software, but you are using the BlackBerry account.

Resolution
Remove the BlackBerry Desktop Redirector service book from the handheld and modify the install of the BlackBerry Desktop Manager to prevent the service book from returning.

To remove the service book from the handheld, perform the following steps:

• On the handheld, go to Options > Service Book
• Highlight the Desktop [CMIME] > Click the trackwheel and select Delete from the menu.
  To modify the BlackBerry Desktop Manager install for versions 3.5 and earlier, perform the following steps:
• Close the desktop manager
• In Add/Remove Programs choose the BlackBerry Desktop Manager Software and click Change/Remove.
• When the install program appears, click Modify.
• Choose one of the following install options:
  • Integrate with an enterprise email account
  • Integrate with new or exisiting ISP account
• Complete the installation.
  

To modify the BlackBerry Desktop Manager install for version 3.6.1 and later, perform the following steps:

• Close the desktop manager
• In Add/Remove Programs choose the BlackBerry Desktop Manager 3.6.1 and click Change/Remove.
• When the install program appears, click Modify.
• On the Email Integration Option screen select BlackBerry Web Client.
• Click Next.
• Complete the installation.

Clean install of the Blackberry software

For those of you that still use the desktop software or have not upgraded your BES infrastructure, here is a way to uninstall and install the Blackberry software cleanly.

· Troubleshooting Steps or Resolution:

Task 1 - Uninstall the BlackBerry Desktop Software

To uninstall,

1. Close BlackBerry Desktop Manager.
2. Open the Control Panel and double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
3. Select BlackBerry Desktop Software and click Change/Remove.
4. On the InstallShield Wizard window, click the Remove option, followed by Next.
5. On the Confirm Uninstall window, click OK.
6. On the InstallShield Wizard window, click Finish.

Task 2 - Delete the Research In Motion Folders from the Registry

To delete the Research In Motion folders,

1. Click Start > Run.
2. Type Regedit, and then click OK.
3. In Registry Editor, delete the Research In Motion folder located in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\.
4. Delete the Research In Motion folder located in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\.
   Note: This key will not be present if you are removing Desktop Manager version 4.0.
5. Leave the Registry Editor open to complete the next task.

Task 3 - Delete the Pumatech Shared Folders from the Registry (If Present)

Pumatech Shared folders only exist in the registry prior to Desktop Manager version 4.0 service pack 1. To delete the Pumatech Shared folders,

1. In Registry Editor, delete the Puma Technology folder located in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\.
2. Delete the Puma Technology folder located in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\.
3. Close the Registry editor.

Task 4 - Delete the Research In Motion Folders from Your Hard Drive

If you are using Windows 2000 or Windows XP,

1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Delete the Research In Motion folder in C:\Program Files\.
3. Note: This key may not be present if you are removing Desktop Manager version 4.0.
4. Delete the Research In Motion folder in C:\Program Files\Common Files (if present).
   Delete the Research In Motion folder in C:\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\.
5. Note: If you are unable to see the Application Data folder, it might be a hidden system folder.
6. If you were using Desktop Manager version 4.0 service pack 1, delete the BlackBerry Desktop folder in C:\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\.

Task 5 - Delete the Pumatech Shared Folder from Your Hard Drive (If Present)

The Pumatech Shared folder exists prior to Desktop Manager version 4.0 service pack 1. To delete the Pumatech Shared folder from your hard drive, open Windows Explorer and delete the Pumatech Shared folder in C:\Program Files\Common Files\.

If you were using Desktop Manager 4.0.1, remove Pumatech software from your hard drive by opening Windows Explorer and navigating to: C:\Program Files\Research In Motion\BlackBerry\Pumatech Desktop Setup.

Note: Any synchronization software for other personal digital assistants (PDAs) that use the Pumatech Shared folder must be reinstalled after the BlackBerry Desktop Software is uninstalled.

If you are unable to delete the Pumatech Shared folder, rename it by completing the following steps:

1. Right-click the Pumatech Shared folder and select Rename.
2. Rename the folder. For example, Pumatech Shared_old.
3. Press Enter.

Task 6 - Restart the Computer

The desktop software should now be fully uninstalled. Restart the computer and attempt to re-install the desktop software.

Password (account) Locks out several times a day

In my many years of working in IT, I have had my fair share of complaints about "my password keeps locking" or "Why does this keep happening?". Various programs cache passwords- and when the users password changes on the domain the applications continue to make (old) bad password attempts.

Please remember just how many things are NT authenticated and you can see how easy it is to forget that something has been left open. Common examples:

• Any program that automatically reaches out over the Internet on a periodic basis (e.g., Webshots screen saver, Gator, Napster, Morpheus, ICQ, Instant Messaging clients, Offer Companion, Bearshare, GoZilla)
• Logged onto multiple PC's
• Logged onto a server and forget to log off
• Citrix sessions
• pcAnywhere sessions
• Terminal Server sessions
• Outlook sessions
• VPN'ed into the network or dialed into the network from another location
• Somebody else was given the password (e.g., secretary) to "help" an important user process his or her email
• Active OWA (Outlook Web Access) session on someone's desk
• Scheduled tasks. Look in Control Panel for the "Scheduled Tasks" applet. Scheduled tasks require userid and password.
• User created scripts to automate tasks.

NOTE:

The IT Group cannot "fix" the user's account from the backend. Somebody (user) needs to locate all systems that the user has logged into and reset those sessions by logging out or restarting the computer. In some cases, a script or scheduled task will have to be modified by the user to account for the user's new password.

Blackberry Enterprise Activation

Many people it seems are having problems with the Blackberry Enterprise Activation for the handheld. Here is a way to enable this function.


· Problem Description:
This process will enable the handheld to wirelessly synchronize with Outlook. Decreasing the dependance on using the Desktop Manager to communicate between the Blackberry and Outlook


NOTE: A Blackberry must being running OS 4.0 or higher and be on BES 4.0 / 4.1 Server for Enterprise Activation to work.

· Instructions:
The Enterprise Activation can be completed a couple ways. After we are satisfied that the handheld has the proper OS version.

1. Contact RIM to set the Enterprise Activation password.
2. Click the Enterprise Activation icon on the handheld. If the icon is not present, find Enterprise Activation under Options.
3. Enter the your email address and the password.
4. Click the trackwheel and select Activate.
5. The Enterprise Activation progress bar appears and the process completes after several minutes.

BlackBerry Not Getting External Email

Problem Description:

• User is not receiving external mail and possibly some of the internal.
  

Troubleshooting Steps/ Resolution:

1. On the user's desktop open the Desktop Manager icon.
2. Double click on the icon that says Redirector Settings.
3. Click on the Filters tab.
4. Make sure the setting for Forward messages to the handheld is selected.

• If this is not selected then the user will not see mail from outside of the organization on the handheld.

On installation of the software this is not the default. It has to be changed after the installation has been completed.

Common Problems: User receives NDR (Non Delivery Report)

I noticed that I have not posted anything regarding mail or messaging for a while now. SO.. Here is a common issue that plagues most people.

What is an NDR and why am I getting it….!!!

Overview:
When a user sends an e-mail to an individual, a NDR’s (Non Delivery Report) can sometimes be received. NDR’s occur automatically when the e-mail system cannot locate the intended recipient. This can happen internally and externally. Each scenario requires it’s own resolution.

Symptoms of Problem:
UserA will receive an NDR when sending e-mail to a recipient. This can occur when selecting the recipient from the customers personal Contacts list, when issuing a “reply” to an existing e-mail, when sending e-mail through the internet, or having Outlook put in the email address from the cache.

Issue and Resolution:

Internal recipient:
If the user receives an NDR and it is an internal recipient, the problem is likely the internal recipient has been moved to another server or routing group within the same organization. If this occurs, have the user “forward”, not “reply”, and re-select the recipient from the GAL to send. By selecting the name from the GAL, this will also replace the name in the cache.

If it continues to happen, it is possible the recipients new address has not replicated to the global catalog server that the user is using. If this is the case, the user will have to “forward” and re-select the recipient from the GAL at a later time. A couple hours should be sufficient. (Depending on the size of your organization)

If the user has receive this from a distribution list or contact in his/her Contacts container, then the customer will have to recreate the entry in the distribution list or contact.

External recipient:
If the user receives an NDR and it is to an external address, then it is possible the user has a typo in the recipients “Send” address or the cache is wrong. Have the customer verify with the recipient the correct external address and delete the entry from the Outlook cache.

Cause of Problem:
If the recipient is an internal mailbox, (within the same organization), this generally happens when the recipient’s mailbox has moved.

If the recipient is an external mailbox, (a mailbox in a different organization), this generally happens when the recipient’s mailbox is disabled, deleted, or moved.

Disappointed and Frustrated

I try not to let these things bother me, but I had a real positive interview last week. I thought that it was a good fit and enjoyed talking with the people. But, today, I got the thanks but we are ”interested in another candidate” email.

After being on several interviews and getting rejected, I am really feeling the strain. It has been a few weeks that my resume has been out there in the world. I have talked to lots of people, been on a handful of in-person interviews…but, it is the same story. You are really strong technically, but we are going with someone else. If I am so strong technically, then it must be my personality! I am sure that this is not the case. I bet it is all about the $$. Let's face it, I am a bit expensive. (or as my grandmother used to say.. Ain't Cheap) I bet that this is what is killing me, the other people are going to underbid me for the job and then not stick around.

Well, I guess that I will take it in stride and keep pressing forward.

Palm stop working

Palm pilots use configuration software to define “rules” and what folders within the mailbox are tied to the palm pilot for synchronization. Some configuration software defines the rules based upon folder identifier. Others base the rules upon the folder name. You cannot determine the method that the configuration software uses to tie the palm pilot to the folder simply by looking. The folder is always displayed by name to the end user.

When a mailbox is moved to another server, new FIDs, or Folder Identifiers are created for each folder in the mailbox. If the palm pilot configuration software uses these FIDs, it will no longer be able to sync up to that folder.


Resolution:
Have the user delete/re-create the palm pilot rule within the configuration software.

Thanks to all for the Recommendations!

As most of you know, I am currently looking for a new job. I contacted a few people at Corillian to see if they were willing to give me a recommendation. The response was overwhelming. Here is just few snippets of the responses that I received from people:

• Chris Brooks (CTO): “Steve is a very professional, competent IT professional and he was very effective during his time at Corillian. He would always do whatever it took to keep his customers delighted and has a great work ethic.”
• Greg Hughes (Former Boss): “Steve worked with me at Corillian, where he was a talented and dedicated network and system administrator. He took charge of the systems for which he was responsible and worked hard to ensure quality of service."
• Keith Gienty (Former SE): “Steve has extensive experience and knowledge of Exchange and Active Directory. He has strong work ethic and takes passion in his work.”
• Josh Cyphers (Former Cori): “He truly is the epitome of excellent customer service.”
• Rob Garrison (SE): “Great technical expertise paired with wonderful people-skills.”

You can read the full versions on my Linked in site. http://www.linkedin.com/in/steveshaff

I wish that you can put testimonials or recommendations on your resume. I guess that I will have to just point people to my linked-in site or put the address under my email address on my resume for people to use. I think that I will try that and see what kind of response I get.

Thank You to all that sent me a recommendation to my Linked-in site.

XBox Live

Okay.. So I am weak.. I said that I wouldn't, but I did anyways. I renewed my subscription to Xbox Live Gold. For my birthday, My Parents, Liz’s Parents, and my sister gave me gift cards to Best Buy. So, last weekend, since we were in the area, stopped by and picked up a 13 month subscription. I need to talk to Microsoft about trying to put in a 24 key code using a game pad. Not very easy to do. That night, I teamed up with a couple of kids and played Perfect Dark Zero, capture the flag, which was fun. I managed to get a bunch of flags recovered, as long as someone would cover my back, other wise, I would die quick. It was like keeping a steak from a pack of wolves, damn hard. All I hear from my headset is.. dude! Zig-zag! Zig-zag!

Fun none the less.

HALO Wars!

Microsoft Game Studios announced Halo Wars, an all-new real-time strategy game based on the legendary Halo® universe and built exclusively for Xbox 360™ by Ensemble Studios, creators of the Age of Empires series. http://www.halowars.com/ There is no ETA on a release date, but there are several images for your desktop and a trailer to wet the appetite. I would highly recommend watching the trailer.. IT is VERY COOL! I would speculate that it will be a Command and Conquer-Like game. (Which may be interesting to play on the Xbox 360, rather than the PC.) We will have to wait and see.

Working...

Well, it is Monday back at work after being laid off…sort of… It is like being terminated and then being brought back for a 3 month contract. I am a bit resentful, bitter, angry… but, I am working through the frustrations. I understand and can rationalize that the company is sending jobs offshore and that I was simply too expensive to keep. I also really did not like the job. Correction, I did not like the company. At Cori, one person did the job of 4 people. Here at ACS, they have 4 people doing 1 person’s job. (Any guesses on who is paying for those people to be just sitting around???) Trust me, most people have meetings just to be able to fill the day.

Also, WORD spreads quick. I was over at a clients having a meeting about something Exchange related and one of the guys asked how I was. I was like okay, why??? (very curious about what he was getting at) He said that I was handing the situation very well and with dignity. I was floored. I could not believe that me being laid off made it as far as the ear of the client. I said that I was fine and that I had saw the writing on the wall, so I was prepared. He said that I should just take the rest of the day off… What are they going to do – Fire me?? I will not be doing that, but I do not plan on doing much work. (Like I did much here, I mean come on.. )

Good news is that I have had several interviews so I will not be here for much longer.. At least I hope not. It is really weird and people tend to either talk to you more or not at all. I kind of feel like I am on death-row and my number got called up.

DEAD MAN WALKING

I got my walking papers.

Well, today is the day... I knew about 4 weeks ago that there was going to be a series of layoffs. When I went to get some tea this morning, several people were asking the facilities manager for some boxes. So I knew that today's was the day. About an hour after that I was called into Linda's office. She is my manager. I logged off my system and had everything ready for my departure. She was rather upset, but I knew that it was coming and had a HIGH SUSPICION that I was on the list. I was the last person in and most likely the highest paid.

However... Get This... My position is being eliminated, all well and good... But, my actual termination is "as of December 29th". So... I still have to report for work first thing Monday Morning! I can not even be "layed off" right... :P

When talking with friends, they all feel it is really odd, especially for a person that has domain admin rights on multiple domains, including some ACS Client's domains, to be told that their job is being eliminated and then been given 90 days to find another job. All of this is very strange and a major security issue, from my point of view. Even being told that before hand that there is going to be lay offs is a breach of security. Let's just say that I was fully expecting either not able to walk into the building or not being able to log into my system. At least that would be the way I would have done it.

It is just weird.

So, I guess that I am getting paid to look for another job... This is definitely a first for me.

Happy Pirates Day

In the Spirit of being a Pirate, Here is something to get you in the mood.. A Little Pirate Music.. from the Disney Pirates Movie.

And for all those Pirates that know how to use a computer and in honor of today being International Talk Like a Pirate Day (who knew? well, besides the pirates.) we bring you the Corsair Ergonomic Keyboard for Pirates. Arrr, thar be plunderin' ta be done!



http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/19/arrrrrr-its-international-talk-like-a-pirate-day/

Top Ten Pickup lines for use on International Talk Like a Pirate Day

A friend sent me these for Pirate Day!

For the Male Set -
10 . Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
9. Have ya ever met a man with a real yardarm?
8. Come on up and see me urchins.
7. Yes, that is a hornpipe in my pocket and I am happy to see you.
6. I'd love to drop anchor in your lagoon.
5. Pardon me, but would ya mind if fired me cannon through your porthole?
4. How'd you like to scrape the barnacles off of me rudder?
3. Ya know, darlin’, I’m 97 percent chum free.
2. Well blow me down?

And the number one pickup line for use on International Talk Like a Pirate Day is …

1. Prepare to be boarded.


Top Ten Pickup Lines for the Lady Pirates
By popular demand ...

10. What are YOU doing here?
9. Is that a belayin' pin in yer britches, or are ye ... (this one is never completed)
8. Come show me how ye bury yer treasure, lad!
7. So, tell me, why do they call ye, "Cap'n Feathersword?"
6. That's quite a cutlass ye got thar, what ye need is a good scabbard!
5. Aye, I guarantee ye, I've had a twenty percent decrease in me "lice ratio!"
4. I've crushed seventeen men's skulls between me thighs!
3. C'mon, lad, shiver me timbers!
2. RAMMING SPEED!

...and the number one Female Pirate Pick-up Line:

1. You. Pants Off. Now!

Fix for MS06-049

9/12/06

I came upon this thread on Usenet about a week ago. It sounds like something we should keep an eye out for in case we suddenly start seeing corrupted files on Win2k file servers with compressed folders. So far no response from MS on the cause or a potential fix; the users who discovered the problem find that removing the fix resolves the problem but that obviously leaves the system open for exploit...

See this issue on the following Google Groups.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920958
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-049.mspx

9/19/06

It appears that there is now a fix for this.
While the KB920958 file has not yet been re-released, MS is offering a Hot Fix as detailed in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925308

The HotFix (HOT-FIX_287398_ENU_i386_zip.exe for Windows2000-KB925308-x86-ENU.EXE) appears here to have entirely resolved the file corruption issue. No test files copied into, out of, or edited in-place (in +C location) suffered any damage whatsoever. "Test files" includes files known to corrupt pre-HotFix. Recall that in all probability any files damaged pre-HotFix will remain damaged (not specifically tested here).

XBox Live Gold for the 360

I have been debating if I want to renew my Xbox Live Gold subscription. The only game that I really enjoyed playing on-line is Day of Defeat for the PC, for about a month now. Plus it has the added bonus of being FREE. However, I have been playing Perfect Dark Zero on-line, Team Death match, on and off for about a week. But, I just can not seem to get into it. Don’t get me wrong, it is a fun game and well worth the play. I just don’t feel that it is that enjoyable to play on-line. People seem to play the same desert map and use the “Charge” tatic into the others stronghold. This is not very much fun. So, for the time being… I think that I am going to let my subscription expire. This may change when I get a game that needs to be played on-line, like Halo 3…

Plus, I don’t need to spend the money. (at least not right at the moment)

Blog Change

As you may have noticed.. I have changed my scheme. I was tired of the black background. I found that it was a bit hard to read and the links were not really visable. So... I hope that you enjoy the change... change is good...

What ever happened to Customer Service?

It seems like Customer Services is a lost art that people say that they have but really don’t. Here is an example of not good customer service. I called up Dell to have my new laptop screen fixed. It has a spot (stuck pixel) on the screen and it is only a month old. So, in talking with this support guy, who is telling me about how it is industry standard that it takes between 3-5 pixels before they are going to do anything about it. Then he goes droning on about how it does not interfere with the laptop or that it is something that I should worry about. I am not worried about it, it looks bad!!! And since the laptop is only a month old, I wanted it fixed. Yeah, not going to happen. Now, here is the kicker… At the end of the conversation he asked if I had anything else that I needed help with and that he hopes that I am fully satisfied in the level of customer service provided. I am not even sure how to respond to this question… besides NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!

Since, I work in a “service” industry, information technology, I have to deal with both internal and external customers (clients). Now, my job is to solve problems with Exchange, not the email client. I have gotten into a lot of trouble in helping people with problems relating to Outlook, rather than telling the “user” that this is an Outlook problem and go and talk with the Desktop folks. I am sorry, but I don’t work that way. If a person calls, MY JOB is to solve their problem and get them back up and working. I personally don’t care if you are the Senior Vice President of XYZ Company or the company’s janitor, THEY are all my customers and I will treat them all the same way. So, I will help them to the best of my ability with their Outlook problems and solve the problem right then and there and NOT transfer the call to desktop

That is what I think of as Good Customer Service.

22nd

Something is Brewing...

...will post when I know for sure.

XBox 360 and DOA 4

My packages from e-bay arrived yesterday. I managed to pick up DOA 4 and Perfect Dark Zero (Limited Collectors Edition) for $25 per, including shipping (Brand Spanking New). Score! When I was at Cori, there was a company Xbox, in which we had DOA 3. In which, I do have to say, I became able to hold my own against people. However, since I left Cori I have not been able to keep up my skills. I did not realize how rusty I have become when I was playing Kasumi (one of my favorites) and getting my ass kicked by everyone and their MOM! I did manage to find my groove and beat Alpha-153. This is a new character that is deadly, FAST, Hits like a truck, multiple combos, and does not have a problem with pinning you against the wall and beating the snot of you. I finally got her, but it took a few tries.. more than 1, but less than 50.

The graphics are stunning. I love the areas, characters, physics, story, and…oh…yes.. the costumes. This is very much a Daddy Game.. Liz walked in when I was getting pounded by Christy. All she said is that Christy needed to wear a shirt under that jacket and my girl needed a bra. :P I can’t wait to see all of the outfits.

So far, I am really impressed with the Xbox 360. It is fast, the graphics are fantastic, and love the fact that I can share my music from my PC. However, I would have to say that they need to work on a better cooling solution. This thing runs FREAKING HOT! I want to put a fan or something inside the entertainment center to keep it cooler. (I will have to give that some thought.)

my XBOX 360 has ARRIVED!

On Friday, the family went to Costco to pickup my new XBOX, $4 dollars cheaper than the last time I looked at it, I might add. It came with Gotham Racing, an additional wireless controller, and the plug and play power charger. When we got home, the girls and I took out the old Xbox and put in the shinny new one. We hooked up the whole thing, including network (cable strung across the floor), setup my account and off we went. I wanted to see if most of my old games works, so I put in Halo and SSX. Unfortunately, SSX Tricky is not supported on the 360. Bummer, the girls really enjoyed that game. I loaded up Zuma, Joust, and PGR3, just to see how they are. Liz really likes Zuma, which we had to rush to Target to get a 1600 point card so that she could play more than just the first level. Kind of a good deal, 1600 points for $20 bucks, Zuma costs 800 points. Now, she plays Zuma quite a bit, in fact, she has probably logged more time on the Xbox than I have. It looks like I have another convert.

The wireless NIC, DOA4, and Perfect Dark Zero are all speeding there way here to add to the fun and excitement.

Continuting to bitch, I mean Troubleshoot this Mac.

I am still having problems with this boat anchor. Thanks to a post, I was able to resolve the first error. However, I am now getting a different "Panic Error". I am ready to attach the chain and go waterskiing.


panic(cpu 0 caller 0x0003FEA8): zalloc: "kalloc.16" (20490 elements) retry fail 3 Latest stack backtrace for cpu 0:
Backtrace:
0x00095718 0x00095C30 0x0002683C 0x0003FEA8 0x0002BB0C 0x00303E80 0x00303FFC 0x003020BC
0x0030069C 0x002FF9CC 0x002EA1CC 0x0008B1A8 0x000291C0 0x000233AC 0x000AC0AC 0x00000000 Proceeding back via exception chain:
Exception state (sv=0x1B109780)
PC=0x9000B268; MSR=0x0000F030; DAR=0xF081FEC4; DSISR=0x42000000; LR=0x9000B1BC; R1=0xBFFFE3F0; XCP=0x00000030 (0xC00 - System call)

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 8.7.0: Fri May 26 15:20:53 PDT 2006; root:xnu-792.6.76.obj~1/RELEASE_PPCModel: PowerMac3,1, BootROM 3.2.2f1, 1 processors, PowerPC G4 (2.8), 400 MHz, 320 MB
Graphics: ATY,Rage128Pro, ATY,Rage128Pro, AGP, 16 MB Memory Module: DIMM0/J21, 64 MB, SDRAM, PC100-222S Memory Module: DIMM1/J22, 64 MB, SDRAM, PC100-222S Memory Module: DIMM2/J23, 64 MB, SDRAM, PC100-222S Memory Module: DIMM3/J24, 128 MB, SDRAM, PC100-222S
Modem: Spring, , V.90, , APPLE VERSION 0001, 4/7/1999 Network Service: Built-in Ethernet, Ethernet, en0 Parallel ATA Device: WDC WD102BA, 9.55 GB Parallel ATA Device: MATSHITADVD-ROM SR-8585, USB Device: Hub, , Up to 12 Mb/sec, 500 mA USB Device: Apple USB Mouse, Mitsumi, Up to 1.5 Mb/sec, 100 mA USB Device: M2452, Alps Electric, Up to 1.5 Mb/sec, 100 mA


I am thinking that this box is just a piece of crap and needs to be pushed off of the building.

Working on a Mac

Thanks to Anonymous!
Based on a reply to my “I hate my Mac” post, Anonymous, suggested that the problem was not with the kalloc.16 (which is what I originally Goggled to no end) but with the Thursby product. I contacted the Mac team about Thursby’s ADmitMac product and the panic error that I was getting. They stated that I have an old version of the product and that I can simply remove ADmitMac from the system. Which I did. This is kind of surprising, since I just had it rebuilt before I took ownership. However, removing the ADmitMac folder did not solve my problem. I walked in this morning and had another Panic Error. :(

I do have to say, coming from me it almost pains me to say this, working on a Mac is really simple. It does not have all of my tools that I need or use, but for running an Outlook-like Client and IE browser, it is very intuitive. I would seriously think about getting one of these for my Dad, who just uses these two functions – Get Mail and surf the Internet. Oh, and lets not forget Poker...he likes Poker.

I am not sure I would be able to sell him on it, though. I know how to fix a PC running a Microsoft product.

Panic Error - The Commercials were WRONG!!!

For all those that think that A MAC won’t crash.. Try this on for size…

I have this PowerPC G4 “Boat Anchor” in my cube, just for support of Macs Clients that are using Entourage and for OWA Issues.. Okay, so here we are, I am working away, I have Safari and Entourage open and then all of a sudden (Poof!) I get this “Panic Error”…

panic(cpu 0 caller 0x0003FEA8): zalloc: "kalloc.16" (22241 elements) retry
fail 3
Latest stack backtrace for cpu 0:
Backtrace:
0x00095718 0x00095C30 0x0002683C 0x0003FEA8 0x0002BB0C 0x00097D44
0x00140434 0x00162040
0x00160C14 0x0028FB84 0x002A3970 0x1AAB7700 0x1AAB9084 0x1AAB5754
0x000A9914
Kernel loadable modules in backtrace (with dependencies):
com.thursby.kext.NetBIOS(3.0)@0x1aaa2000
Proceeding back via exception chain:
Exception state (sv=0x1638D500)
PC=0x00000000; MSR=0x0000D030; DAR=0x00000000; DSISR=0x00000000;
LR=0x00000000; R1=0x00000000; XCP=0x00000000 (Unknown)

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 8.7.0: Fri May 26 15:20:53 PDT 2006;
root:xnu-792.6.76.obj~1/RELEASE_PPCModel: PowerMac3,1, BootROM 3.2.2f1, 1
processors, PowerPC G4 (2.8), 400 MHz, 320 MB
Graphics: ATY,Rage128Pro, ATY,Rage128Pro, AGP, 16 MB
Memory Module: DIMM0/J21, 64 MB, SDRAM, PC100-222S
Memory Module: DIMM1/J22, 64 MB, SDRAM, PC100-222S
Memory Module: DIMM2/J23, 64 MB, SDRAM, PC100-222S
Memory Module: DIMM3/J24, 128 MB, SDRAM, PC100-222S
Modem: Spring, , V.90, , APPLE VERSION 0001, 4/7/1999
Network Service: Built-in Ethernet, Ethernet, en0
Parallel ATA Device: WDC WD102BA, 9.55 GB
Parallel ATA Device: MATSHITADVD-ROM SR-8585,
USB Device: Hub, , Up to 12 Mb/sec, 500 mA
USB Device: Apple USB Mouse, Mitsumi, Up to 1.5 Mb/sec, 100 mA
USB Device: M2452, Alps Electric, Up to 1.5 Mb/sec, 100 mA


This happens every F*N DAY!!! It does not seem to matter what I have open, running or if it is just sitting there.. CRASH! Every Day!


Why Mac’s SUCK!!!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6553260189868317794&q=why+macs+suck&hl=en


I hate Macs.

Now, being the person that I am, I did try to troubleshoot the problem. At first I thought it was RAM, so I did a test will all of the sticks. NOPE! Hard-Drive…NOPE!

I hate Macs.

Funny little story

This is the transcription of the ACTUAL radio conversation between the British and the Irish off the coast of Kerry, October 1998. Radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval Operations 10-10-98.

IRISH: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.

BRITISH: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision.

IRISH: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.

BRITISH: This is the Captain of a British Navy Ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

IRISH: Negative. I say again,! you will have to divert YOUR course.

BRITISH: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER HMS BRITIANNIA! THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE BRITISH ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH. I SAY AGAIN, THAT IS 15 DEGREES NORTH OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.

IRISH: We are a lighthouse................Your Call.



According to the U.S. Navy Office of Information, it is simply “an old joke like those found in popular magazines.” The same exchange is said to have taken place between a U.S. and Canadian ship off Newfoundland in 1995.
http://www.dcmsoft.com/rumor/story/lighthouse.htm