Getting Rid of the ‘Ask Toolbar’
KB ID 0000754 Problem The ‘Ask Toolbar’ is a swear word in my office this morning, I noticed it in my “Add Remove Programs” today, and it refused to be removed. All Chrome browser windows should be closed in order to complete the uninstallation. Please close all Chrome bowser windows. Click OK if you are ready to proceed with the uninstallation. Solution Well there were no Chrome windows open, (so I thought)....
How to Convert FLAC files to MP3 (For Free)
KB ID 0000780 Problem Some audiophile types love FLAC files, but I can’t really tell the difference between a flac file and an mp3. All my digital music collection is in mp3 format (I convert all the iTunes stuff I buy from m4a to mp3 as soon as i get it). You can convert flac to mp3 using WinAmp Pro (but that’s not free). This method is completely free and preserves any tags (artist name, track name album name etc)...
Stop EditPlus Creating .bak files
KB ID 0000825 Problem I use EditPlus 3 a lot for editing firewall configs, and just taking notes. But freshly installed it has the annoying habit of creating .bak (backup) files for every file you work on. I tend to keep the notes I’m working on on my desktop, so this can clutter it up with annoying icons. Solution 1. Launch EditPlus > Tools > Preferences > Files. 2. Untick ‘Create backup file when saving’...
SEM – SPAMfighter Exchange Module – Installation and Configuration with Exchange 2013
KB ID 0000824 Problem “I seem to get a lot of spam”, and “I get a lot more spam than I used to” are right up there with “My computer is running slow”. It’s a problem that, eats up users time and fills your mail stores with junk, and time/disk space costs money. SEM is tiny! In a world where a graphics driver is now over 100MB the entire install suite is less than 11MB. This is going into my...
How to Convert .M4a Tracks to .Mp3
KB ID 0000908 Problem I know M4a is essentially Mp4 anyway, but I have all my music in Mp3 format, and I can’t play an M4a file in my car! Solution Here I’m just converting one M4a file, but if you have a lot, the procedure is exactly the same. 1. Place your M4a file(s) in a folder > Open iTunes > File > Add Folder to Library > Navigate to your folder and select it. 2. File > Preferences > Import...
Reinstalling Windows XP
KB ID 0000291 Problem Reinstalling Windows XP from scratch can cure a multitude of slowness problems, I rebuild all my machines at least once a year. Wiping and reinstalling XP might seem like a scary task, but as long as you backup your data first, and are methodical you will find its not hard at all. And a fresh XP install will run as good as the day you got it out of the box. In fact if I know it’s going to take me more than...
Windows XP Service Pack 3 Hangs on “Performing cleanup”
KB ID 0000364 Problem Saw this a while ago, and just thought it was a “One Off”. Then on a visit to a client yesterday I saw it on both machines I was working on. Solution This might scare you, but you need to kill the update, don’t panic at this stage SP3 is already on. Update 05/04/11: Before continuing please read the feedback below. Ive never personally seen any adverse effects from doing this and I’ve...
Windows XP (Safe Mode) Cannot access USB Drive(Access Denied)
KB ID 0000368 Dtd 31/12/10 Problem A few weeks back I was working on a Windows XP machine that had been infected with some rogue AV spyware, I was having no luck installing my usual cleaning tools so I booted to safe mode, I have a USB thumb drive that I keep a set of up to date AV/Spyware tools on for this very purpose, but the machine did not want to let me open it. Solution 1. OK, I admit this is not really a...
Windows XP – Sysprep (for imaging)
KB ID 0000599 Problem A client who we recently did a WDS (Windows 7) install for, needed to image a couple of Windows XP machines, (They had some software that either would not run, or was not supported on Windows 7). They asked me for some documentation on how to do this, it’s been such a long time since I imaged any XP machine, so I took the opportunity to document it properly. Solution Before you begin, be aware you need to...
Windows Longhorn (First Look)
KB ID 0000102 Problem A couple of months ago a brown jiffy bag landed on my doormat, this is not an unusual occurrence in my house, with Technet updates, and corporate freebies I’m guessing my postman is not my biggest fan 🙂 So with a brief scan of the label and seeing the word “Microsoft” I tossed it on the table and went to work. Later that evening I got out my Technet Folder and started the monthly chore of...