STFU && RTFM

Resolving “Insufficient System Resources Exist to Complete the API” errors

razumny — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:00:08 +0000

This error message has had me running around for a while now. Some of my users are part of the salesforce, running SAP Mobile Sales on Windows XP computers with Microsoft SQL Server. It’s a big and complicated setup, but it has been running stably for years now. The problem only occurred with users running recently set up computers, and only on a specific model.

Naturally, this had me thinking the problem was hardware. I even went so far as to upgrade a user from a lower spec model computer to a higher spec model. That actually solved the problem, though it wasn’t the solution. Seeing more users report the same error, I concluded that the problem was unlikely to be a problem with a specific model, as most of them had different model computers.

Using most support tech’s best friend, Google, I browsed for the error message (easier said than done, as the computers are set up with a Norwegian edition of Windows XP), and finally found the solution I was after. It was contained in an official Windows XP knowledgebase article; number 909095.

Like most enigma, once a solution has been found, the story rather fizzles out. So, luckily, too with this one. The knowledge base article referred me to a specific update, and having installed that update, the problem disappeared.

How to survive on-site support

razumny — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:00:25 +0000

Having worked on-site support for most of my career, I’ve seen a lot of things that can bug you. There are a few things we can do to make it a little more survivable, such as:

Bring your tools
- Whether they are hardware or software tools, bringing them shows the client you’re prepared, and puts them at their ease while you work
Take notes, and lots of them
- I have more than once needed to explain what I have done, and usually try to document new solutions whenever necessary (more than a few of my blog posts have come about that way). Taking copious amounts of notes allows me to work with off-site techs even if I’m no longer onsite, as the notes show me what diagnostics I have performed, and what results they have returned.
Take a deep breath
- When the storm blows around you at its worst, take a few moments to stop and breathe. No one will die from it, and you will be better off for it, working more efficiently, and delivering better results. By doing so, you also allow yourself time to stop and think, instead of biting off the head of the poor guy who has just lost his work, or even worse, your boss.
Take a break
- From time to time, put whatever you are working on down, go outside and look at the world. Sit down and read a few pages of a book, magazine or newspaper. Even changing from one task to a radically different one (say going from user administration to swapping hard drives in a computer) helps. Whatever you do, make sure to take time to get those shoulders down from ear-level to the base of your neck.
Listen to some music
- If listening to music is your thing; do so. Bring an Mp3-player, a radio or play music off your computer. Music can help take your mind off the stress of the job, and help you focus.
Leave work at work
- The most important thing to remember about on-site support, is that, however challenging, difficult or aggravating your client might be, don’t take the stress home with you. That’s not always as easy as saying you’re going to do it, but make an effort. You, your loved ones and your client will all benefit from it.

There can be no doubt that on-site support is one of the most challenging jobs for a support tech. You can’t hang up or ignore that email, your client is in the same building (and sometimes even in the same room). Do your best, and keep the above advice in mind. That’s all anyone can expect.

Toolkit essentials – Software tools part two – Executables

razumny — Mon, 24 May 2010 06:00:34 +0000

Like their physical counterparts, software tools are absolutely necessary for successful IT support. I usually divide them up into two categories; CD images and executables. In my last post, I covered CD images, now to the executables I bring with me:

Autoruns
- Autoruns is a nifty little app from SysInternals that lets you quickly and simply see what executables are launched at startup
KeyFinder
- The Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder Does exaclty what it says; finds the registration keys for the software you’ve got installed, which is practical if you need to reinstall them
KillNotes
- When Lotus Notes starts misbehaving, stopping it dead in its tracks is at times the only solution. KillNotes does just that
MBAM
- Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware (MBAM for short) is a great tool for finding and eradicationg malware and spyware
Process Explorer
- Process Explorer Is another nifty app from SysInternals, letting you do so much more than the task manager does
SpaceMonger
- SpaceMonger is a little app that shows you, graphically, what files are taking up all your hard drive real estate
TeamViewer
- TemaViewer is a free and simple remote control and assistance app that I’ve been using for some time, with great success

I usually carry these files with me on a memory stick, as well as having them stored at my Dropbox.

Toolkit essentials – Software tools part one – ISO files

razumny — Mon, 17 May 2010 06:00:40 +0000

Like their physical counterparts, software tools are absolutely necessary for successful IT support. I usually divide them up into two categories; CD images and executables. The first are usually distributed in the form of iso-files. I usually carry the following with me, along with blank CDs, so that I can make the tools I need to:

ERD Commander
- ERD Commander is a tool made by SysInternals. It has been distributed to enterprise clients, and I have not seen it online as a download.
OphCrack
- OphCrack is a Windows Password Cracker that has been nice to have around a few times. It does exactly what you’d think it does; it cracks Windows user account passwords.
Super Grub Disk
- Super Grub Disc is a neat tool to repair MBR and GRUB.
Ubuntu
- Ubuntu is one of the most prolific Linux distributions available. I use it for disc diagnostics and data retrieval.
Ultimate Boot CD
- UBCD is a toolkit unto itself, and has diagnostic tools to last you a lifetime. It has saved me a few times, and allowed me to diagnose errors correctly at others.
Windows Memory Diagnostic
- The Windows Memory Diagnostic does exactly that; helps you run diagnostics of Memory modules.

I usually carry these iso-files with me on a memory stick. That way, I don’t need to worry about losing CD’s, and I’m always able to make more tools should I need them.

Toolkit essentials – Physical tools

razumny — Mon, 10 May 2010 06:00:13 +0000

Any and all jobs have a few tools of the trade that are essential to the successful completion of your tasks. So, too, with IT support. Whether in the office or out working with a client, I usually have a few tools with me, such as:

Screw drivers
- This set from DealExtreme has served me very well, and covers all my basic needs
Kelly clamps
- I’ve picked up a couple of kelly clamps, one straight, and one rounded. They are practical for picking up small stuff, as well as getting some leverage to remove parts from computers.
Loopback jack
- A loopback jack is handy for when you need to troubleshoot network.
Voltage tester
- This handy voltage tester is simple to use, and lets you find out whether there’s any power present before starting work
Network tester
- This simple network tester lets you quickly and simply ascertain whether a network cable is broken
USB to SATA/IDE adapter
- This USB to SATA/IDE adapter has saved data for my clients more than once, when their computers have been on the fritz, I’ve hooked the harddrive up to my own laptop, and extracted data
A computer
- Bringing a laptop computer has allowed me in the past to reference documentation, as well as helping me extract data from hard drives to back up for a user
External harddrive
- I usually bring a 250 GB harddrive so that I can extract data using the USB to SATA/IDE adapter and a computer.
- Pen and paper
  - I always carry a journalist pad and a pen. I make sure to note most steps I take on the way while taking them, so that I can retrace what I have done. It’s also good to be able to document what you have done when asked.
In the end, we’re only ever able to be as good at our jobs as our preparation and experience allows us to be. By assembling a small kit like the one I’ve outlined above, you’re that much more prepared to do a good job, whenever you need to.

Resolving “File in use” when moving or deleting a file

razumny — Mon, 03 May 2010 06:00:35 +0000

A while back, I opened a file to see what it was, then decided to move it, at which point I got a “File in use”-error, preventing me from moving, deleting or renaming the file. Luckily, there is a fairly simple solution to this problem:

I’ve written about Process Explorer before, and I still love it. It does the job, simply and effectively. The solution, then, is as follows:

Download and run Process Explorer.
Go to Find > Find Handle or DLL
Enter part of the file name in the “Handle or DLL substring” search field, then click Search
You will get a list of results like so:
In the above picture, we see that there are three processes that are accessing the file I searched for. Finding (and ending) the corresponding processes in Process Explorer should free up the file, so that we can now move the file.

Turn any website into a desktop widget

razumny — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:00:31 +0000

AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) looks like one of the contenders for the way things are going in terms of simple programming interfaces. One example of this is Adobe Digital Editions, which runs on AIR, and I have recently discovered a second, called Snippage. Simply put, Snippage allows you to track a specific portion of a website as a desktop widget.

It’s all as simple as installing the program, and then selecting what you want to follow. The possibilities for this are varied, such as following an auction, a poll or just about anything else you might want to follow off the web. In addition to selecting a specific selection, you can also set the update interval, or leave the widget static.

To me, this looks like what I wanted to get from Active Desktop in Windows, taken to the next logical level.

Caveat lector: Snippage is currently in Beta stage, and the developer specifically says that it might behave “oddly”

The Asus Eee 1101H reviewed

razumny — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:00:06 +0000

I recently decided to get a new laptop. My old laptop was looking like it was going to kick the bucket soon, and I wanted to exchange it sooner, rather than later. I was originally planning to get a high-end Dell, but looking closer at the contents of my wallet, I decided to forego the high-end one for now, and rather go for a cheaper netbook-style computer. In the end, I decided on the Asus Eee 1101H, opting for a large screen and decent specs.

Specs:

Operating System	Windows 7 Home Premium
CPU	Intel Atom Z520 (1.33 GHz)
RAM	2GB DDr SO-DIMM
Display	11.6″ LED Backlit WXGA (1366×768)
Wireless capabilities	WLAN (802.11 b/g/n)
HDD	250 GB (5400rpm)
Webcam	1.3 MPix
Input/output ports	1xVGA port 3xUSB 2.0 1xLAN RJ-45 2xAudio jack (Head phone/Mic) Card reader (MMC/SD/SDHC)

Design:

The Eee 1101H is the largest EeePC yet, with its 11.6″ monitor. This means that the keyboard is full size. Unlike most laptops, the touchpad is not recessed in the handrest. Instead, it’s covered in raised dots, meaning you know exactly where the mousepad is. Other than the keyboard and touchpad, the 1101H has an on-button and a button that turns the touchpad on and off.

The casing is done in a glossy black finish, which Asus claims to have made scratch resistant. How much so remains to be seen. There can be no doubt, however, that it looks good, and has the features you’d expect from a machine like this. For amateur photographers like myself, the SDHC slot comes in particularly handy when on the go, taking photos, as copying them off my cards is as easy as pie.

Performance:

The Atom processor is not especially powerful, so I wasn’t expecting too much from it. For most tasks though, it is enough. My first recommendation would be to turn off Aero and other “shiny” features. While they certainly look good, and add to the feel of the computer, they also mean you get much less processing power for everything else, never mind battery time.

While on the subject of battery time, I think it’s pretty impressive. While the 9 hour mark boasted by Asus is not reached, the battery still lasts an impressive five to eight hours, depending on what sort of use you put it to. This seems to be mostly due to the CPU, which not only does not use a lot of power, but is also impressively cool, meaning the fan doesn’t run all the time. Even at full load, I’ve yet to see this computer uncomfortably warm, which seems to be the consensus among reviewers.

With its 2 GB of RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium runs smoothly without a hitch. All of the programs I’ve tested have run smoothly, both alone, and with other software (including, but not limited to, Firefox, Paint.NET and FileZilla).

BIOS:

The BIOS is accessed by pressing F2 during startup, and is very clean and neat. I wouldn’t even mention it if it weren’t for one thing; it allows you to overclock the processor. Let me say that again; The BIOS let’s you overclock the CPU. Why do I repeat it? I have never before seen that option on a netbook, and while I’m sure it’d play havoc on battery time and heating, it does give you the option of an extra 30% performance from the CPU. While not the most elegant way of doing it, it still is nice to know that I have the option.

Overall impression:

Like its forerunners, the Eee 1101H is lightweight and cheap to buy. Still, the overall build quality is far better than the price tag would indicate. The keyboard gives a clear, tactile response, and everything is in its proper place. Unlike the nine- and ten-inch EeePCs, the layout does not suffer from the same sense of crampedness that so often plague netbooks.

Protection

Having bought an EeePC earlier, I was somehow expecting, or at least hoping, that this, too, would come with a protective sleeve. In this department, however, I was sadly disappointed. Not one to be discouraged, I went around town trying to find a sleeve that would fit it. Being an 11.6″ computer, I looked in the 11-12″ range, and everything was either too small or too large. That is, until I tried on the Gimp 10″ form Crumpler. Yup, that’s right, a sleeve designed for a 10″ laptop, fit perfectly around my shiny new ‘puter. Make sure you try it out before you buy it though!

Conclusion:

While the Eee 1101H is certainly not the computer to get if you’re going to do some serious gaming, it is up to running most programs you would care to run on it. The video performance is impressive, as is the clarity of the screen, which does suffer somewhat for being glossy.

If you’re looking to get a machine for effective word processing, web browsing and general tasks, and if you want a small machine, and don’t mind it not being the fastest machine on the block, the 1101H just might be for you. It certainly has been, and will continue to be, for me.

Manually Removing Personal Security

razumny — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:00:52 +0000

In a post a while back, I wrote about how to remove Personal Security, a rather nasty piece of spyware. I recently had a computer in that was badly infected.

I tried removing it with MBAM, but it kept on returning. Annoyed, and not wanting to do a reinstall, I found a list of files, folders and registry entries to remove, after which the problem was solved.

Files:
c:\Program Files\PSecurity\ c:\Program Files\PSecurity\psecurity.exe C:\Program Files\PersonalSec\ C:\Program Files\PersonalSec\psecurity.exe C:\program files\PersSecurity\ C:\program files\PersSecurity\psecurity.exe C:\program files\PersSecurity\system.dat C:\Program Files\PersonSecurity\ C:\Program Files\PersonSecurity\psecurity.exe c:\Program Files\Common Files\PSecurityUninstall\ c:\Program Files\Common Files\PSecurityUninstall\Uninstall.lnk c:\WINDOWS\system32\win32extension.dll c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\PSecurity c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\PSecurity\Computer Scan.lnk c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\PSecurity\Help.lnk c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\PSecurity\Personal Security.lnk c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\PSecurity\Registration.lnk c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\PSecurity\Security Center.lnk c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\PSecurity\Settings.lnk c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\PSecurity\Update.lnk %UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\PSecurity.lnk %UserProfile%\Desktop\Personal Security.lnk

Registry entries
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{35A5B43B-CB8A-49CA-A9F4-D3B308D2E3CC} HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\5FFB10D58FFCF482208906E6A889FD56 HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "PSecurity" HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "PersonalSec" HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "PersSecurity" HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "PersonSecurity" HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent\post platform "WinTSI 01.12.2009"

Keep in mind that not all of the entries show up, and even after removing them, you might still see Personal Security on the computer. At any rate, I’d recommend running a scan with MBAM after removing these entries.

Three free tools to restore and recover files

razumny — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 07:00:24 +0000

I’ve been there, and I’m sure you have too. You’ve spent hours on a document, you go to bed, and the next morning, it’s gone! Oh crud! Now what? Here are three free Windows utilities that have worked charms for me:

The first thing I’d try is an utility called Free File Recovery by AVN Media Technologies. This does basic file recovery, and does not scan sector by sector. Still, it has on occasion done the trick for me.

The second tool I’d recommend is called simply Restoration, and does not require installation. It goes deeper than Free File Recovery, and actually scans sectors separately. While less intuitive than Free File Recovery, this, too, has saved me on occasion.

The third and last tool I’m going to recommend is called PC Inspector File Recovery, and comes from a German company called Convar.

The most important tip I can give you when it comes to recovering lost files is to use the storage media in question as little as possible until you can actually try to restore the lost data, as any use will increase the likelyhood that the file will be lost forever.