Steve the IT Tech Guy

Virtualbox 3 3D problems for XP Guest

I have started to move to Virtualbox as my preference VM software. I like VMware but lately under my Vista 64-bit host I have had problems with the network driver. Mostly it won’t see the network properly in any guest (Mainly Ubuntu and XP). I decided to try Virtualbox. I use to use it in Ubuntu Host and it worked well. Not perfect but better than VMware server. Virtualbox (Sun) came out with version 3 with 3D support for Linux AND Windows. 2.2 had support for Ubuntu 3D so I figured the 3 that added Windows would make the few older 3D games that my son plays would work. The problem is I can’t get the Windows directX 3D to work!! It works fine for Ubuntu as long as you install the 3.0 Guest drivers (after a few tries I got going) but what I ever do for Windows will not work. Its a fresh install of XP -32bit guest with the 3D support setup in install and settings. When I install the guest drivers I select the 3D support beta. Everything installs fine but it will not show anything for 3D support when I run dxdiag. I have searched the Internet with no one else having the same issue. Seems strange. Maybe its the 64-bit host I really don’t know but its strange when the Ubuntu 32-bit guest works fine.

AMENDMENT:

I found that installing the guest software in safe mode made it worked.

Firefox 3.5 Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

With the announcement that Firefox 3.5 is released today I had to post this very funny small video I saw years ago when Firefox was starting to take shape.

[flashvideo filename=jokes/wheee.flv /]

Use Sysprep To Replace Newsid For Vista

I have used ghost and newsid many times at the College I maintain for years with Windows 2000 and XP but when they switched to Vista I had a problem. The newsid did not work. Microsoft solution is sysprep. It takes longer for the cloned PC to boot but the alternative would be much longer. Here is the instructions on sysprep:

Open a command prompt and enter the following command to prepare the
machine for imaging.

CODE

c:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /quiet /generalize /shutdown /oobe

Note At this point SYSPREP.EXE will now prepare the machine for imaging
and then shut it down when it has completed the process.

The /generalize switch is used to remove the unique information from the machine.
The /oobe switch is used to launch the mini-setup wizard the next time the machine reboots.

http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=195

Copy Auto-Complete Address Cache In Outlook

The names in the Auto-Complete list are saved in the nickname cache. The nickname cache is a new feature of Outlook 2003, and the
file name extension is .NK2. Normally, each Outlook profile has a *.nk2 file. The name of the *.nk2 file is the Outlook profile name.

Follow the steps below to replace the *.nk2 file to see if it works.

(You will need to display HIDDEN Folders in order to find the directories)
=================
1. On the old system, find the file Outlook.nk2 (if the original Outlook profile name is “Outlook”).
IN XP Its normally located in:
C:\Documents and Settings\{user}\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook.
IN Vista/Windows 7 in:
C:\Users\{user}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook
2. Copy the file to the new system. Don’t start Outlook in the new system.
3. Go to the folder C:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook (OR C:\Users\{user}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook in Vista/Windows 7)
4. Copy/paste the file Outlook.nk2 to the above folder. If there is an existing file named outlook.nk2, replace it.
5. Open Outlook and test the issue. Is the original auto-complete list working?

Also found a neat utility called NK2View (WEBSITE) That allows you to edit the .NK2 file. (Also can backup and restore so if you run it before upgrade and backup and then restore on new Install).

Installing Office 2003 and Office 2007 on same PC

You can install Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007 on the same PC. Just a few things that need to know. Outlook will not work on both so either use Outlook 2003 or 2007. You should install Office 2003 first and then 2007. Make sure you run a custom install for 2007 and specify to not remove previous versions. Best would to select remove only Outlook. I also installed them in separate folders.

One thing that will probable arrise is when you open Word in 2003 and then 2007 you will get an installation box to come up. I found this on the Internet to fix the installation box. The main gist of the fix is run the following from a start-run command prompt:

reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Options /v NoReReg /t REG_DWORD /d 1

reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word\Options /v NoReReg /t REG_DWORD /d 1

Google Wave

This looks really cool.

Mac Vs PC

Mapped Drive Opens Notepad

Had a client that when they opened a mapped drive on a network on a pc that it would start a notepad. I found this on the Internet to solve this problem.

Search the registry for a key called MountPoints2. When you find the key for the drive that has been mapped expand and you will see shell key. Delete the shell key and this will resolve the issue.

Conficker Removal

If you have been living under a rock for the last month then you don’t know what Conficker is. Its a virus that will activate April 1 (No its not an April Fools Joke). There are at least 3 forms of it and there could be more undetectable ones. You might want to check your computer and/or network if any are infected. One good tool is from BitDefender. They call it Downadup. Anyhow try it. If you can’t get to this site or others (even microsoft.com) then you are probable infected and should download it from an uninfected PC and run it.

Vista Won’t Sleep

My Vista was working fine on going to sleep. Then after installing a bunch of programs and changing a few things I found that the sleep would not work anymore. I thought it was a program. It turned out it was the Media Center I activated to with linking to my Xbox 360. I found the following on the internet:

I had the same problem: After choosing sleep, Vista would reanimate on its own 1 to 10 seconds later. Annoying!

For me the trick was to realize that perhaps something was waking the computer up – and then to tell Vista to ignore it. It was both my (1) mouse and (2) Vista’s dumb multimedia sharing option.

Mouse: Easy solution (often posted elsewhere). Shut it up. Do this:
Control Panel -> Device Manager -> Mice -> Right-click your specific mouse -> Properties -> Power Management tab -> uncheck “Allow this device to wake the computer”

Vista’s dumb multimedia sharing option: More complex (and I don’t think anyone else has posted it). Do this:
Control Panel -> Power Options -> If “High Performance” is selected, choose something else, like “Balanced” (I don’t know why this works) -> Change plan settings (for the chosen power plan) -> Change advanced power settings -> Scroll down to Multimedia settings -> Choose “Allow the computer to sleep”

My, won’t your computer feel much more rested, and your power bill will go down to boot.

Steve the IT Tech Guy

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