- Download ClubSite.zip and unzip to a local folder
- if use SQL Server 2005 express version, then skip to step 4
- Copy ClubDB.MDF & ClubDB.ldf to what ever you like and attach this database in Sql Server 2005
- open web.config file and change ConnectionStrings setting
- In IIS, create application (instead of Virtual Directory), specify whatever alias you like, use the the local folder in step 1 as physical path here
- Completed.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Install Extended Club Site Starter Kit
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Install Job Site Starter Kit
- download JobSiteStarterKit.vsi and unzip to a local folder
- if use SQL Server 2005 express version, then skip to step 4
- Copy JsskDb.MDF & JsskDb_log.ldf to what ever you like and attach this database in Sql Server 2005
- open web.config file and change ConnectionStrings setting
- In IIS, create application (instead of Virtual Directory), specify whatever alias you like, use the the local folder in step 1 as physical path here
- Completed.
Install My Web Page starter kit
- download the zip file (1.1.4 at the time of writing) unzip it to a local drive
- In IIS, Create application using the folder created in step 1
- done.
Install Small Business web site from Microsoft
- download smallbusiness.vsi and install it to a local drive
- if using SQL Server 2005 express version, then skip to step 6
- create a empty database
- run SetupDatabase.sql in the new created database
- open web.config, change SQLConnectionString setting
- create application in IIS
- done.
install BlogEngine.NET Web Site
- Download BlogEngine.NET_1.3_(web).zip and unzip it to local folder
- In IIS, create application (instead of Virtual Directory), specify whatever alias you like, use the the local folder in step 1 as physical path here
- In the Windows command line, run the following command: %systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\APPCMD.EXE migrate config "Default Web Site/BlogEngine"
- Done, wonder why it's not using database, will confirm later
Install ASP.NET Codeplex Club Site Starter Kit
- unzip Club2Source.zip to a local folder
- if use SQL Server 2005 express version, then skip to step 4
- Copy ClubDB.MDF & ClubDB.ldf to what ever you like and attach this database in Sql Server 2005
- open web.config file and change ConnectionStrings setting
- In IIS, create application (instead of Virtual Directory), specify whatever alias you like, use the the local folder in step 1 as physical path here
- Completed.
Install the Beer House asp.net project
- Download and install Visual Studio's Web Deployment Projects
- if use SQL Server 2005 express version, then skip to step 5
- Copy ASPNETDB.MDF & ASPNETDB_log.ldf to what ever you like and attach this database in Sql Server 2005
- open web.config file and change ConnectionStrings setting
- In Visual Studio 2005, public the web site and remember the Target Location setting.
- In IIS, create application (instead of Virtual Directory), specify whatever alias you like, use the Target location in step 5 as physical path here
- Completed.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Remote assistance on Vista computers behind a NAT device
Remote assistance and NAT
Remote assistance is a handy feature, and I have used it on more than one occasion to help out other friends. However, this particular friend was using a Network Address Translation (NAT) firewall. Since your typical ISP only assigns you a single IP address, if you have more than one computer, then you will need multiple IP addresses. NAT allows you to create an entire network of bogus IP addresses. When someone needs to access the Internet, the request is sent to the NAT firewall, and it makes the request to the Web site on behalf of the user. In doing so, the request appears to have come from the network’s one legitimate IP address. When the Web site replies to the request, the reply is sent to the NAT firewall. The NAT firewall receives the request and then forwards it to the appropriate bogus IP address on the private network.
So why is using NAT such a big problem for someone who is trying to provide or receive remote assistance? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First, think about the name NAT Firewall. While a NAT Firewall box does provide NAT services, it is first and foremost a firewall. Firewalls are designed to block any unauthorized types of packets. This includes packets used for remote assistance.
Secondly, even if the person’s NAT firewall were configured to allow remote assistance related traffic, the entire concept of NAT causes some problems. For instance, let’s say that the computer that a home-based user needs help with has an IP address of 192.168.1.6. If the user were to send you a remote assistance invitation, it would attempt to connect your computer to 192.168.1.6. Unfortunately, this is a bogus IP address that exists only on the user’s private network. The address is not accessible from the Internet, which means that you can’t attach to the machine through a remote assistance session.
Tweaking NAT
Although Windows doesn’t natively support NAT traversal for remote assistance sessions, there is a way that you can provide remote assistance to someone who is behind a NAT firewall. However, doing so requires a little bit of tweaking by your user. If the user isn’t very knowledgeable about computers, the necessary tweaking might be over their heads and you might find yourself having to provide remote assistance in person after all.
The process begins in the usual way. The user who needs remote assistance would click the Start button, select the Help and Support Option, and would then click the Invite A Friend To Connect To Your Computer With Remote Assistance. The user who needs help would then follow the prompts and send you a request for remote assistance, either through e-mail or through an instant message.
Although the invitation usually arrives in the form of an e-Mail or instant message, the invitation itself consists of an XML file. Figure A shows what the file looks like. If you look closely at Figure A, you’ll notice that there is an IP address embedded in the XML file. In this particular case, the IP address is 147.100.100.27. This is a bogus address that exists only on my private network. If this invitation had been sent to me by a friend, the invitation would not work because it addresses a machine that is behind a NAT firewall.
If I want to help the user who sent the invitation, the first thing that I would have to do is to modify the invitation. I would need to change the bogus IP address to the user’s one legitimate IP address. If the user doesn’t know what his legitimate IP address is, he should be able to get it by looking at the configuration section of the NAT firewall. Unfortunately, I can’t give you exact instructions because every firewall’s user interface is a little bit different.
Adjust port forwarding
Changing the address found in the remote assistance invitation is only half of the tweak. Remember that using this address will only get you as far as the NAT box, as it won’t forward remote assistance traffic on to the user's computer. Furthermore, the NAT box is still set to block remote assistance traffic.
These problems can be addressed through port forwarding. If you look at Figure A, you will notice that the highlighted IP address is immediately followed by a colon and by the number 3389. This number is the port that remote assistance traffic is set to use. Therefore, to get remote assistance traffic to the PC that users need help with, they must enable port forwarding on the NAT firewall and must forward any traffic destined for port number 3389 to the bogus address on their private network.
Again, the configuration procedure will be a little bit different depending on what brand of NAT firewall is being used. However, you can see an example of remote assistance port forwarding in Figure B. The settings shown in Figure B tell the NAT firewall that if any traffic comes in on the legitimate IP address through port 3389, the traffic should be redirected to 147.100.100.27 on the private network.
One PC limit
The only problem with this configuration is that it only allows one PC on the entire private network to receive remote assistance. If another user were to require remote assistance with a different PC, the NAT firewall’s port forwarding option would need to be reconfigured. Nonetheless, you still won't have to drive to the user's location to help troubleshoot a PC when using port forwarding.
In short, here is how you need to do for remote assistance to be working from a computer originated from a computer inside a LAN
Remote assistance is a handy feature, and I have used it on more than one occasion to help out other friends. However, this particular friend was using a Network Address Translation (NAT) firewall. Since your typical ISP only assigns you a single IP address, if you have more than one computer, then you will need multiple IP addresses. NAT allows you to create an entire network of bogus IP addresses. When someone needs to access the Internet, the request is sent to the NAT firewall, and it makes the request to the Web site on behalf of the user. In doing so, the request appears to have come from the network’s one legitimate IP address. When the Web site replies to the request, the reply is sent to the NAT firewall. The NAT firewall receives the request and then forwards it to the appropriate bogus IP address on the private network.
So why is using NAT such a big problem for someone who is trying to provide or receive remote assistance? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First, think about the name NAT Firewall. While a NAT Firewall box does provide NAT services, it is first and foremost a firewall. Firewalls are designed to block any unauthorized types of packets. This includes packets used for remote assistance.
Secondly, even if the person’s NAT firewall were configured to allow remote assistance related traffic, the entire concept of NAT causes some problems. For instance, let’s say that the computer that a home-based user needs help with has an IP address of 192.168.1.6. If the user were to send you a remote assistance invitation, it would attempt to connect your computer to 192.168.1.6. Unfortunately, this is a bogus IP address that exists only on the user’s private network. The address is not accessible from the Internet, which means that you can’t attach to the machine through a remote assistance session.
Tweaking NAT
Although Windows doesn’t natively support NAT traversal for remote assistance sessions, there is a way that you can provide remote assistance to someone who is behind a NAT firewall. However, doing so requires a little bit of tweaking by your user. If the user isn’t very knowledgeable about computers, the necessary tweaking might be over their heads and you might find yourself having to provide remote assistance in person after all.
The process begins in the usual way. The user who needs remote assistance would click the Start button, select the Help and Support Option, and would then click the Invite A Friend To Connect To Your Computer With Remote Assistance. The user who needs help would then follow the prompts and send you a request for remote assistance, either through e-mail or through an instant message.
Although the invitation usually arrives in the form of an e-Mail or instant message, the invitation itself consists of an XML file. Figure A shows what the file looks like. If you look closely at Figure A, you’ll notice that there is an IP address embedded in the XML file. In this particular case, the IP address is 147.100.100.27. This is a bogus address that exists only on my private network. If this invitation had been sent to me by a friend, the invitation would not work because it addresses a machine that is behind a NAT firewall.
If I want to help the user who sent the invitation, the first thing that I would have to do is to modify the invitation. I would need to change the bogus IP address to the user’s one legitimate IP address. If the user doesn’t know what his legitimate IP address is, he should be able to get it by looking at the configuration section of the NAT firewall. Unfortunately, I can’t give you exact instructions because every firewall’s user interface is a little bit different.
Adjust port forwarding
Changing the address found in the remote assistance invitation is only half of the tweak. Remember that using this address will only get you as far as the NAT box, as it won’t forward remote assistance traffic on to the user's computer. Furthermore, the NAT box is still set to block remote assistance traffic.
These problems can be addressed through port forwarding. If you look at Figure A, you will notice that the highlighted IP address is immediately followed by a colon and by the number 3389. This number is the port that remote assistance traffic is set to use. Therefore, to get remote assistance traffic to the PC that users need help with, they must enable port forwarding on the NAT firewall and must forward any traffic destined for port number 3389 to the bogus address on their private network.
Again, the configuration procedure will be a little bit different depending on what brand of NAT firewall is being used. However, you can see an example of remote assistance port forwarding in Figure B. The settings shown in Figure B tell the NAT firewall that if any traffic comes in on the legitimate IP address through port 3389, the traffic should be redirected to 147.100.100.27 on the private network.
One PC limit
The only problem with this configuration is that it only allows one PC on the entire private network to receive remote assistance. If another user were to require remote assistance with a different PC, the NAT firewall’s port forwarding option would need to be reconfigured. Nonetheless, you still won't have to drive to the user's location to help troubleshoot a PC when using port forwarding.
In short, here is how you need to do for remote assistance to be working from a computer originated from a computer inside a LAN
- if it's a vista machine, configure port forward for port 51930 for both TCP & UPD
- for the xml attachment received by recipient, need to change the content of xml file, the RCTICKET attribute, change the internal IP of the orginate local IP address to it internet IP
note:
- remote assistance can only allow the other user to see the machine which originate the communicate and have no control of the machine, just wonder what good it is to use remote assistance
- for XP machine, the port which need to forward might be 3389, just check the attachment file received in the email and you will know.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Make Windows Vista Log On Automatically
If you are just running a home computer for gaming or something unimportant, you might not want to have to log in every single time you reboot your computer. There's an easy tweak that will let you autologin.
First, we'll need to get to the Advanced User Accounts Control Panel to get to this setting. I think there's a registry tweak as well, but that seems like too much work.
Type in netplwiz into the start menu search box, hit enter, and you'll see this screen:
First, we'll need to get to the Advanced User Accounts Control Panel to get to this setting. I think there's a registry tweak as well, but that seems like too much work.
Type in netplwiz into the start menu search box, hit enter, and you'll see this screen:
Uncheck the box that says "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer", and then hit Apply. You'll see a username and password box. Enter in the appropriate information here and hit OK.
Note: When the user has not (null) blank password, this technic doesn't work under Windows XP
Remote Desktop for Windows Vista
To allow other computer to remotely connect to Windows Vista, need to do the following:
- go to Control Panel/System/Remote setting, check on Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop
- click "Select Remote Users.." and select what user will be allowed to connect to this machine.
Microsoft claimed that the account used for remote desktop connection doesn't allow to use null (blank) password, this is wrong. but in order to allow null (blank) password, we need to:
- go to Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Local security Policy/Local Policies/Security Options
- in the right panel, find "Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only" and disable this setting
Connect from computer outside LAN
- follow the procedure of Port Forwarding for the 2 wire 2701HG-G, remote desktop vista from outside computer is now able to connect to the vista machine :-) (forward port 3389 for TCP/UDP)
reference:
Remote Desktop for Windows XP
Remote Desktop for Windows XP
To allow other computer to remotely connect to Windows XP, need to do the following:
- go to Control Panel/System/Remote tab/check on Allow users to connect remotely to this computer
- click "Select Remote Users.." and select what user will be allowed to connect to this machine.
Microsoft claimed that the account used for remote desktop connection doesn't allow to use null (blank) password, this is wrong. but in order to allow null (blank) password, we need to:
- go to Control Panel/Local security Policy/Local Policies/Security Options
- in the right panel, find "Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only" and disable this setting
Reference:
Remote Desktop for Windows VistaLogin Automatically on Windows XP
If your Windows XP installation forces you to login every time you reboot, you can automate the login process easily so that you won't have to login again.
Note that for security reasons, you would usually want to have a password, but for a home computer you may not care.
Go to the Start menu, click Run, and type in the following:
control userpasswords2
You will be presented with a window similar to this one:
Uncheck the box, and click the OK button. You will be presented with a password dialog for the currently logged in user.
Now when you reboot your system, you will automatically be logged in.
This can be very useful when you are installing a bunch of software or testing out configurations.
Note that for security reasons, you would usually want to have a password, but for a home computer you may not care.
Go to the Start menu, click Run, and type in the following:
control userpasswords2
You will be presented with a window similar to this one:
Uncheck the box, and click the OK button. You will be presented with a password dialog for the currently logged in user.
Now when you reboot your system, you will automatically be logged in.
This can be very useful when you are installing a bunch of software or testing out configurations.
Remove PartyPoker (Or Other Items) from the Internet Explorer Tools Menu
My friend made the huge mistake of downloading PartyPoker onto a laptop from work - even after he uninstalled it, the menu item still showed up. He was worried about getting caught by the IT people, so he asked me how to get rid of it.
It seems like every worthless application out there feels the need to infest the Tools menu in Internet Explorer with unwanted entries, and uninstalling the application almost never removes the menu item.
To get rid of this entry, and potentially any others in the list, we'll have to venture into the registry. Open up the registry editor by typing regedit into the run box.
Browse down to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Extensions
Under this key, you will see a lot of subkeys with really long names. Click on each one of them, and if you look in the right hand pane, you will see the menu text from the offending menu item.
For instance, you can see in this screenshot that I've selected the key that contains the PartyPoker menu item.
Just right-click and Delete the keys that you don't want to show up. Restart Internet Explorer, and the menu item should be gone.
This tip should work for either IE6 or IE7.
It seems like every worthless application out there feels the need to infest the Tools menu in Internet Explorer with unwanted entries, and uninstalling the application almost never removes the menu item.
To get rid of this entry, and potentially any others in the list, we'll have to venture into the registry. Open up the registry editor by typing regedit into the run box.
Browse down to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Extensions
Under this key, you will see a lot of subkeys with really long names. Click on each one of them, and if you look in the right hand pane, you will see the menu text from the offending menu item.
For instance, you can see in this screenshot that I've selected the key that contains the PartyPoker menu item.
Just right-click and Delete the keys that you don't want to show up. Restart Internet Explorer, and the menu item should be gone.
This tip should work for either IE6 or IE7.
Reset Open/Save Choice for Internet Explorer Downloads in Vista
If you've removed the checkbox from the "Always ask before opening this type of file" on the downloads window and now you no longer get the dialog that says "Do you want to open or save this file?" then you are in luck, because I've got the answer for you.
There is a registry setting that controls the list of which files you've chosen to automatically open, which means if you uncheck this box the default will be to always open the file, which is why you don't get the option to save the files anymore.
Manual Registry Hack
To manually make this change, we need to open up regedit.exe through the start menu search box, and then browse down to the following search key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\ AttachmentExecute\{0002DF01-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Once there, you'll notice keys in the right-hand pane for each file type. To reset the setting for each, just delete that particular one from the list. The changes will be immediate.
There is a registry setting that controls the list of which files you've chosen to automatically open, which means if you uncheck this box the default will be to always open the file, which is why you don't get the option to save the files anymore.
Manual Registry Hack
To manually make this change, we need to open up regedit.exe through the start menu search box, and then browse down to the following search key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\ AttachmentExecute\{0002DF01-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Once there, you'll notice keys in the right-hand pane for each file type. To reset the setting for each, just delete that particular one from the list. The changes will be immediate.
Stop the Annoying "Windows Has Blocked Some Startup Programs" Balloon
So you followed some tutorial that told you to use msconfig.exe to modify your startup items… and now you keep getting an annoying message that says "Windows has blocked some startup programs". How irritating is that?
It's not difficult to stop this message from ever appearing again, and here's the easiest possible way to stop it.
Right-click on the annoying (and ugly) icon in the system tray, select "Run blocked program" and then "System Configuration Utility"
After the UAC prompt, you'll see this dialog message. Check the box for "Don't show this message or annoy me again when Windows starts".
Now you shouldn't get those messages anymore.
It's not difficult to stop this message from ever appearing again, and here's the easiest possible way to stop it.
Right-click on the annoying (and ugly) icon in the system tray, select "Run blocked program" and then "System Configuration Utility"
After the UAC prompt, you'll see this dialog message. Check the box for "Don't show this message or annoy me again when Windows starts".
Now you shouldn't get those messages anymore.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Run a Command as Administrator from the Windows Vista Run box
If you are a command line junkie like me, and have been testing out Windows Vista… one of the first things you'll notice is that there is no way to run a command from the run box in "Administrator" mode. Until now.
To try this out, go to the run box and type in something (cmd, for example)
Now instead of hitting the Enter key, use Ctrl+Shift + Enter. You will be prompted with the obnoxious User Account Control dialog… but it will then open up a command prompt in Administrator mode.
Hint: You can use Alt + C to quickly close the User Account Control dialog.
P.S. to create SVN service, using the following command:
sc create SVNService binpath= "\"C:\Program files\subversion\bin\svnserve.exe\" --service -root C:\Data\SVN" displayname= "Subversion Repository" depend= Tcpip start= auto
To try this out, go to the run box and type in something (cmd, for example)
Now instead of hitting the Enter key, use Ctrl+Shift + Enter. You will be prompted with the obnoxious User Account Control dialog… but it will then open up a command prompt in Administrator mode.
Hint: You can use Alt + C to quickly close the User Account Control dialog.
P.S. to create SVN service, using the following command:
sc create SVNService binpath= "\"C:\Program files\subversion\bin\svnserve.exe\" --service -root C:\Data\SVN" displayname= "Subversion Repository" depend= Tcpip start= auto
Mount an ISO image in Windows Vista
The freeware utility from Microsoft to mount ISO Images doesn't work in Windows Vista. Thankfully there's another utility that does.
The utility that we will use is called Virtual Clone Drive. This utility will let you mount .ISO, .CCD, .DVD, .IMG, .UDF and .BIN files. Download the utility and start the setup process.
Select Yes or OK at the hardware prompt and continue. You might have to restart your computer. Now you should be able to mount any ISO image by just double-clicking on the file. Note: If you are going to reinstall this utility, make sure you uninstall it first, or you'll BSOD yourself repeatedly.
This utility does not work on Windows Vista 64 bit edition.
Alternatives
- Virtual CD-ROM (Microsoft) - This utility does not work in Windows Vista
- MagicDisk - This is a nice, free utility, but it isn't very easy to install in Vista64.
- Alcohol 52% - Free version of Alcohol 120, but it bundles a browser toolbar that they claim isn't spyware. It's unacceptable.
- Daemon Tools - Well known tool, but the latest version installs spyware on your computer, and the old version doesn't work in Vista.
At this point, Virtual CloneDrive is by far my favorite free utility.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Uninstall SQL Server 2005
- If Microsoft SQL Server Setup Support Files does not appear in the list, install this component before you continue.
To install this component, follow these steps:
1. Locate the original SQL Server 2005 installation media.
2. To install the support files, double-click the Servers\setup\sqlsupport.msi file- Uninstall Microsoft SQL Server VSS Writer
- Uninstall Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Backward Compatibility
- Uninstall anything else that is related to SQL Server 2005, except for the Microsoft SQL Server Native Client component and for the Microsoft SQL Server
- Uninstall the Microsoft SQL Server Native Client component
- Uninstall the Microsoft SQL Server Setup Support Files component
Sunday, March 9, 2008
How to: Upgrade from Visual Studio Trial Edition
Trial Editions can only be used for a limited amount of time, usually 90 to 180 days. After that time period has expired, you cannot use the product again without a valid product key.
To obtain a product key
—or—
Order a Visual Studio
To upgrade Visual Studio 2005 Trial Edition
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