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• Problems with Update Manager

  - by user65965

  Whenever I try to update with update manager I get the following errors: W:Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release Unable to find expected entry 'commercial/source/Sources' in Release file (Wrong sources.list entry or malformed file) W:Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/precise-updates/Release Unable to find expected entry 'commercial/source/Sources' in Release file (Wrong sources.list entry or malformed file) W:Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/precise-backports/Release Unable to find expected entry 'commercial/source/Sources' in Release file (Wrong sources.list entry or malformed file) W:Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/precise-security/Release Unable to find expected entry 'commercial/source/Sources' in Release file (Wrong sources.list entry or malformed file) W:Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/iefremov/ppa/ubuntu/dists/precise/main/source/Sources 404 Not Found W:Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/iefremov/ppa/ubuntu/dists/precise/main/binary-amd64/Packages 404 Not Found W:Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/iefremov/ppa/ubuntu/dists/precise/main/binary-i386/Packages 404 Not Found E:Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead. Any help would be much appreciated, thank you. Thank you very much Eliah. I'm still pretty new to Ubuntu. Here's the output I got from the terminal: No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID: Ubuntu Description: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Release: 12.04 Codename: precise # See http://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes for how to upgrade to # newer versions of the distribution. deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise main restricted commercial deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise restricted main commercial multiverse universe #Added by software-properties ## Major bug fix updates produced after the final release of the ## distribution. deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise-updates main restricted commercial deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise-updates restricted main commercial multiverse universe #Added by software-properties ## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu ## team. Also, please note that software in universe WILL NOT receive any ## review or updates from the Ubuntu security team. deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise universe deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise-updates universe ## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu ## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to ## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in ## multiverse WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu ## security team. deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise multiverse deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise-updates multiverse ## N.B. software from this repository may not have been tested as ## extensively as that contained in the main release, although it includes ## newer versions of some applications which may provide useful features. ## Also, please note that software in backports WILL NOT receive any review ## or updates from the Ubuntu security team. deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise-backports main restricted universe multiverse commercial deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise-backports main restricted universe multiverse commercial #Added by software-properties deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise-security main restricted commercial deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise-security restricted main commercial multiverse universe #Added by software-properties deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise-security universe deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise-security multiverse ## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from Canonical's ## 'partner' repository. ## This software is not part of Ubuntu, but is offered by Canonical and the ## respective vendors as a service to Ubuntu users. deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu oneiric partner deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu precise partner ## This software is not part of Ubuntu, but is offered by third-party ## developers who want to ship their latest software. deb http://extras.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise main deb-src http://extras.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise main ## This is a 3rd party script to install and update Oracle Java deb http://www.duinsoft.nl/pkg debs all ## Sun-Java6-JRE deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy-security main multiverse ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/askubuntu-tools-ppa-precise.list: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/askubuntu-tools/ppa/ubuntu precise main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/askubuntu-tools/ppa/ubuntu precise main ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/askubuntu-tools-ppa-precise.list.save: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/askubuntu-tools/ppa/ubuntu precise main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/askubuntu-tools/ppa/ubuntu precise main ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/effie-jayx-turpial-oneiric.list: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/effie-jayx/turpial/ubuntu precise main # disabled on upgrade to precise deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/effie-jayx/turpial/ubuntu precise main # disabled on upgrade to precise ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/effie-jayx-turpial-oneiric.list.distUpgrade: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/effie-jayx/turpial/ubuntu oneiric main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/effie-jayx/turpial/ubuntu oneiric main ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/effie-jayx-turpial-oneiric.list.save: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/effie-jayx/turpial/ubuntu precise main # disabled on upgrade to precise deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/effie-jayx/turpial/ubuntu precise main # disabled on upgrade to precise ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/getdeb.list: # deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu oneiric-getdeb apps # disabled on upgrade to precise ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/getdeb.list.distUpgrade: deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu oneiric-getdeb apps ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/getdeb.list.save: # deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu oneiric-getdeb apps # disabled on upgrade to precise ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/hotot-team-ppa-oneiric.list: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/hotot-team/ppa/ubuntu precise main # disabled on upgrade to precise deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/hotot-team/ppa/ubuntu precise main # disabled on upgrade to precise ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/hotot-team-ppa-oneiric.list.distUpgrade: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/hotot-team/ppa/ubuntu oneiric main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/hotot-team/ppa/ubuntu oneiric main ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/hotot-team-ppa-oneiric.list.save: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/hotot-team/ppa/ubuntu precise main # disabled on upgrade to precise deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/hotot-team/ppa/ubuntu precise main # disabled on upgrade to precise ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/iefremov-ppa-precise.list: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/iefremov/ppa/ubuntu precise main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/iefremov/ppa/ubuntu precise main ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/iefremov-ppa-precise.list.save: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/iefremov/ppa/ubuntu precise main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/iefremov/ppa/ubuntu precise main ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jockey.list: deb http://www.openprinting.org/download/printdriver/debian/ lsb3.2 main-nonfree # disabled on upgrade to precise ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jockey.list.distUpgrade: deb http://www.openprinting.org/download/printdriver/debian/ lsb3.2 main-nonfree ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jockey.list.save: deb http://www.openprinting.org/download/printdriver/debian/ lsb3.2 main-nonfree # disabled on upgrade to precise ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plexydesk-plexydesk-dailybuild-precise.list: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/plexydesk/plexydesk-dailybuild/ubuntu precise main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/plexydesk/plexydesk-dailybuild/ubuntu precise main ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plexydesk-plexydesk-dailybuild-precise.list.save: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/plexydesk/plexydesk-dailybuild/ubuntu precise main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/plexydesk/plexydesk-dailybuild/ubuntu precise main ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/precise-partner.list: deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu precise partner #Added by software-center ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/precise-partner.list.save: deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu precise partner #Added by software-center ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/private-ppa.launchpad.net_commercial-ppa-uploaders_crossover-pro_ubuntu.list: # deb https://justin-dormandy:[email protected]/commercial-ppa-uploaders/crossover-pro/ubuntu precise main #Added by software-center disabled on upgrade to precise ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/private-ppa.launchpad.net_commercial-ppa-uploaders_crossover-pro_ubuntu.list.distUpgrade: cat: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/private-ppa.launchpad.net_commercial-ppa-uploaders_crossover-pro_ubuntu.list.distUpgrade: Permission denied ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/private-ppa.launchpad.net_commercial-ppa-uploaders_crossover-pro_ubuntu.list.save: cat: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/private-ppa.launchpad.net_commercial-ppa-uploaders_crossover-pro_ubuntu.list.save: Permission denied ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/screenlets-ppa-precise.list: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/screenlets/ppa/ubuntu precise main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/screenlets/ppa/ubuntu precise main ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/screenlets-ppa-precise.list.save: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/screenlets/ppa/ubuntu precise main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/screenlets/ppa/ubuntu precise main ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/webupd8team-java-precise.list: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/webupd8team/java/ubuntu precise main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/webupd8team/java/ubuntu precise main ** /etc/apt/sources.list.d/webupd8team-java-precise.list.save: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/webupd8team/java/ubuntu precise main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/webupd8team/java/ubuntu precise main

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• Error Ubuntu 11.10 despues de instalar [Error after installing Ubuntu 11.10]

  - by manue

  instale ubuntu 11.10, termino de instalar y no tiene nada, ni aplicaciones, ni esa barrita lateral de unity, no tiene nada, ni si quiera la barra donde aparece la hora; porque? y me aparece un cuadro diciendo que hay un error en el disco y que el fallo es inminente , que es? SMART no entiendo, ayuda Y en otro disco duro con windows xp sp3 se bloquea cuando lo instalo desde el live cd, y desde wubi aparece esto enter link description here que hacer? English translation (via Google Translate, edited) I have installed ubuntu 11.10, after finishing the installing there is nothing, no applications, no the sidebar called unity, there is nothing, not even the bar where time appears, why?. I get a box saying there is an error on the disk and that failure is imminent. What is SMART, I do not understand, help In my other hard drive, with windows xp sp3, it crashes when I try install from the live cd using wubi, this appears, what to do?

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• How To Run Chrome OS in VirtualBox and Try Out Chrome OS Before Buying a Chromebook

  - by Chris Hoffman

  With Google’s new Chromebooks out at just $249, many people who once wrote them off as too expensive for their limited functionality are giving them a second look. But will you really find Chrome OS useful? You can easily run Chrome OS in a VirtualBox virtual machine, although you’ll need to tweak a few settings before it will run properly. Once you have, you can run Chrome OS in a window on your computer. How To Play DVDs on Windows 8 6 Start Menu Replacements for Windows 8 What Is the Purpose of the “Do Not Cover This Hole” Hole on Hard Drives?

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• Upgrade Kubuntu 11.10 to 12.10 I get error code that 11.10 is outdated

  - by Bobby Dedman

  I installed Kubuntu 11.10 on top of Windows 7. Everything works fine. I tried to update 11.10 to 12.10 and I get error Code that 11.10 is outdated and not supported. Update stops. I downloaded 12.10 iso but there is no upgrade option, just install. How can I remove the 11.10 installation and install 12.10. (Without breaking my Windows 7 install.) I need dual boot option. Thanks for the support. Bobby D.

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• From the Tips Box: Comics on the iPad, Android’s Power Bar, and Limiting Spotlight Search on the iPad

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Once a week we dump out our tips box and share some of the great reader submitted tips with you. This week we’re looking at reading comic strips on the iPad, quick access via the Android Power Bar, and limiting the spotlight search on the iPad. Amazon’s New Kindle Fire Tablet: the How-To Geek Review HTG Explains: How Hackers Take Over Web Sites with SQL Injection / DDoS Use Your Android Phone to Comparison Shop: 4 Scanner Apps Reviewed

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• Bash history handling with multiple terminals

  - by zetah

  I use mainly Terminator, and it's usually opened with 3 split terminal windows. I also use Gnome terminal for various reasons. I'm wondering how is bash history handled in this case as I sometimes miss previously issued commands when I run history For example, my prompt shows current bash history line (\!) and if I launch Terminator with 3 split terminal windows I get same history line (let's say 100) on all terminals. Which history will be saved? Also launching Gnome Terminal after using Terminator I get line 100 at startup regardless all commands issued before in Terminator

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• Skip “Next Links” with the PageZipper Bookmarklet

  - by Asian Angel

  No matter what browser you use sooner or later you will run across a website with an endless number of “next links” used for the sole purpose of generating page views. Now you can simply scroll through those articles without the “next links” using the PageZipper Bookmarklet. The Problem Here is a perfect example of a page view generating article. As you can see our browser is in a non-maximized state and the first part of the article takes up very little room in the browser window. Absolutely horrible… The PageZipper Bookmarklet in Action The bookmarklet is very easy to set up in your browser…simply drag it to your “Bookmarks Toolbar” and you are ready to go. Switching tabs back to the article we never even needed to refresh the page. One nice little click on our new bookmarklet and… It immediately went to work. When you use PageZipper you will see a page count in the upper right corner of the browser window area as shown here. You can see the transition between pages here…nice and smooth. When using the bookmarklet just keep scrolling down as needed to read the entire article. Six pages of reading condensed into one without having to click a single link. Now that is nice! Conclusion If you despise those irritating “next links” then the PageZipper Bookmarklet will be a perfect addition to your favorite browser. Links Add the PageZipper Bookmarklet to Your Favorite Browser Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Merge a Series of Web Pages into One with PageZipperSee Where Shortened URLs “Link To” in Your Favorite BrowserBookmarklet Fun: Check Google Analytics for Today [update]Add a Google Translation Bar to Your Favorite BrowserShare Your Favorite Webpages with the AddThis Bookmarklet TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 PCmover Professional Beware Hover Kitties Test Drive Mobile Phones Online With TryPhone Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day, 3/23/10 New Stinger from McAfee Helps Remove ‘FakeAlert’ Threats Google Apps Marketplace: Tools & Services For Google Apps Users Get News Quick and Precise With Newser

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• Get Your PhD in Googling [Slideshow]

  - by Asian Angel

  Think you know how to search Google with the best of them? Then put your knowledge to the test with this awesome slideshow where you can verify what you know and perhaps learn something new along the way. Note: The slideshow contains a total of 22 slides. Go Directly to the Slideshow Your PhD in Googling – Blog Post [via Geeks are Sexy] HTG Explains: What Is Two-Factor Authentication and Should I Be Using It? HTG Explains: What Is Windows RT and What Does It Mean To Me? HTG Explains: How Windows 8′s Secure Boot Feature Works & What It Means for Linux

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• Ubuntu 10.10 Mouse and Keyboard Freeze

  - by Kev

  I installed Ubuntu 10.10 today and have had mouse problem since. Symptoms: At some arbitrary point in time (frequency: 2-3 times per hour), the mouse and keyboard stops working for ever(may be). I start System monitor, I found out network was shutdown just before mouse freeze. Some time my keyboard keep typing one key. For example:77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777.....(it keep typing for 20 sec) I found out a script just solve the freeze problem:(I hit Powerbutton) -----------------/etc/acpi/powerbtn.sh------------------------ event=button[ /]power action=/usr/sbin/fix_mouse.sh -----------------/usr/sbin/fix_mouse.sh------------------------ rmmod psmouse modprobe psmouse Yesterday I install Ubuntu 10.04 FAILED also have mouse problem. When I switch back to Windows XP. The network card is down. It kept connecting and disconnecting 1 time per sec. CPU: i5 Motherboard: ASUS P7P55D OS: Windows XP + Ubuntu 10.10 Video Card: ATI 5770 Mouse,Keyboard: PS/2

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• Dell Latitude E6520 overheating

  - by Wu Yi Han

  I'm a newcomer to Ubuntu 11.10. My laptop is a Dell Latitude E6520, Sandy Bridge platform. The system cooling fan is crazy all the time. I don't do any intensive tasks. I really hope my laptop doesn't become a mushroom cloud. I suppose there's no perfect way to solve this... Can I lower the CPU frequency? Jupiter 0.0.51 was installed (power save mode). Cooling worked in my Windows 7 system until I deleted it. (I won't go back to Windows 7.)

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• SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services - The Word is But a Stage (T-SQL Tuesday #006)

  - by smisner

  Host Michael Coles (blog|twitter) has selected LOB data as the topic for this month's T-SQL Tuesday, so I'll take this opportunity to post an overview of reporting with spatial data types. As part of my work with SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services, I've been exploring the use of spatial data types in the new map data region. You can create a map using any of the following data sources: Map Gallery - a set of Shapefiles for the United States only that ships with Reporting Services ESRI Shapefile - a .shp file conforming to the Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) shapefile spatial data format SQL Server spatial data - a query that includes SQLGeography or SQLGeometry data types Rob Farley (blog|twitter) points out today in his T-SQL Tuesday post that using the SQL geography field is a preferable alternative to ESRI shapefiles for storing spatial data in SQL Server. So how do you get spatial data? If you don't already have a GIS application in-house, you can find a variety of sources. Here are a few to get you started: US Census Bureau Website, http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/ Global Administrative Areas Spatial Database, http://biogeo.berkeley.edu/gadm/ Digital Chart of the World Data Server, http://www.maproom.psu.edu/dcw/ In a recent post by Pinal Dave (blog|twitter), you can find a link to free shapefiles for download and a tutorial for using Shape2SQL, a free tool to convert shapefiles into SQL Server data. In my post today, I'll show you how to use combine spatial data that describes boundaries with spatial data in AdventureWorks2008R2 that identifies stores locations to embed a map in a report. Preparing the spatial data First, I downloaded Shapefile data for the administrative boundaries in France and unzipped the data to a local folder. Then I used Shape2SQL to upload the data into a SQL Server database called Spatial. I'm not sure of the reason why, but I had to uncheck the option to create a spatial index to upload the data. Otherwise, the upload appeared to run successfully, but no table appeared in my database. The zip file that I downloaded contained three files, but I didn't know what was in them until I used Shape2SQL to upload the data into tables. Then I found that FRA_adm0 contains spatial data for the country of France, FRA_adm1 contains spatial data for each region, and FRA_adm2 contains spatial data for each department (a subdivision of region). Next I prepared my SQL query containing sales data for fictional stores selling Adventure Works products in France. The Person.Address table in the AdventureWorks2008R2 database (which you can download from Codeplex) contains a SpatialLocation column which I joined - along with several other tables - to the Sales.Customer and Sales.Store tables. I'll be able to superimpose this data on a map to see where these stores are located. I included the SQL script for this query (as well as the spatial data for France) in the downloadable project that I created for this post. Step 1: Using the Map Wizard to Create a Map of France You can build a map without using the wizard, but I find it's rather useful in this case. Whether you use Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) or Report Builder 3.0, the map wizard is the same. I used BIDS so that I could create a project that includes all the files related to this post. To get started, I added an empty report template to the project and named it France Stores. Then I opened the Toolbox window and dragged the Map item to the report body which starts the wizard. Here are the steps to perform to create a map of France: On the Choose a source of spatial data page of the wizard, select SQL Server spatial query, and click Next. On the Choose a dataset with SQL Server spatial data page, select Add a new dataset with SQL Server spatial data. On the Choose a connection to a SQL Server spatial data source page, select New. In the Data Source Properties dialog box, on the General page, add a connecton string like this (changing your server name if necessary): Data Source=(local);Initial Catalog=Spatial Click OK and then click Next. On the Design a query page, add a query for the country shape, like this: select * from fra_adm1 Click Next. The map wizard reads the spatial data and renders it for you on the Choose spatial data and map view options page, as shown below. You have the option to add a Bing Maps layer which shows surrounding countries. Depending on the type of Bing Maps layer that you choose to add (from Road, Aerial, or Hybrid) and the zoom percentage you select, you can view city names and roads and various boundaries. To keep from cluttering my map, I'm going to omit the Bing Maps layer in this example, but I do recommend that you experiment with this feature. It's a nice integration feature. Use the + or - button to rexize the map as needed. (I used the + button to increase the size of the map until its edges were just inside the boundaries of the visible map area (which is called the viewport). You can eliminate the color scale and distance scale boxes that appear in the map area later. Select the Embed map data in this report for faster rendering. The spatial data won't be changing, so there's no need to leave it in the database. However, it does increase the size of the RDL. Click Next. On the Choose map visualization page, select Basic Map. We'll add data for visualization later. For now, we have just the outline of France to serve as the foundation layer for our map. Click Next, and then click Finish. Now click the color scale box in the lower left corner of the map, and press the Delete key to remove it. Then repeat to remove the distance scale box in the lower right corner of the map. Step 2: Add a Map Layer to an Existing Map The map data region allows you to add multiple layers. Each layer is associated with a different data set. Thus far, we have the spatial data that defines the regional boundaries in the first map layer. Now I'll add in another layer for the store locations by following these steps: If the Map Layers windows is not visible, click the report body, and then click twice anywhere on the map data region to display it. Click on the New Layer Wizard button in the Map layers window. And then we start over again with the process by choosing a spatial data source. Select SQL Server spatial query, and click Next. Select Add a new dataset with SQL Server spatial data, and click Next. Click New, add a connection string to the AdventureWorks2008R2 database, and click Next. Add a query with spatial data (like the one I included in the downloadable project), and click Next. The location data now appears as another layer on top of the regional map created earlier. Use the + button to resize the map again to fill as much of the viewport as possible without cutting off edges of the map. You might need to drag the map within the viewport to center it properly. Select Embed map data in this report, and click Next. On the Choose map visualization page, select Basic Marker Map, and click Next. On the Choose color theme and data visualization page, in the Marker drop-down list, change the marker to diamond. There's no particular reason for a diamond; I think it stands out a little better than a circle on this map. Clear the Single color map checkbox as another way to distinguish the markers from the map. You can of course create an analytical map instead, which would change the size and/or color of the markers according to criteria that you specify, such as sales volume of each store, but I'll save that exploration for another post on another day. Click Finish and then click Preview to see the rendered report. Et voilà...c'est fini. Yes, it's a very simple map at this point, but there are many other things you can do to enhance the map. I'll create a series of posts to explore the possibilities. Share this post: email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit! | kick it! | live it!

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• Save Web Articles to Read Later with Instapaper

  - by Mysticgeek

  Have you ever come across a bunch of great articles that you want to read online, but just don’t have the time? Today we take a look at an online service that allows you to read your articles later, either online, or on an iPhone, or eReader. Instapaper Instapaper is an awesome tool that allows you to save web pages so you can read them at a later time. Not only does it save an online article to read later, but also gives you several choices for where you want to read it. Sign up for a free account, and drag the “Read Later” bookmarklet to the bookmarks bar in your browser. To save a page you’ll need to be logged into your account. When you’re at a page that you can’t read right away, just click on the Read Later button in the bookmarks bar. After clicking the Read Later button, a small message is displayed indicating that the page has been saved to the Instapaper site. Save as many pages as you want, and when you’re ready to read them, go to the Instapaper site and you’ll see a list of the articles you saved. You can click on the link to go directly to the saved oage, read it as text (leaving out a bunch of images), or archive the article for later. One of the really appealing beta features is you can save the article in .mobi format for a Kindle, or ePub format for other eReaders such a the Sony Reader. Another neat feature is the “Instapaper Text” bookmarklet that lets you view an article on a graphics heavy page with only text, but doesn’t save it to your account. Before After There are also other cool features such as iPhone Apps, Kindle automatic wireless delivery, send items to Google Reader, and more. If you wish you could collect all of the neat articles you run across each day for reading later via multiple formats, Instapaper is a great tool for the job. Check Out Instapaper Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Save Pages for Later With Reading List Extension for FirefoxGreat Geek SitesAbout the GeekHow-To Geek Changes in ProgressMake Outlook 2007 Mark Items as Read When Viewed in Reading Pane TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Classic Cinema Online offers 100’s of OnDemand Movies OutSync will Sync Photos of your Friends on Facebook and Outlook Windows 7 Easter Theme YoWindoW, a real time weather screensaver Optimize your computer the Microsoft way Stormpulse provides slick, real time weather data

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• DirectX11 Swap Chain RGBA vs BGRA Format

  - by Nathan

  I was wondering if anyone could elaborate any further on something that's been bugging me. In DirectX9 the main supported back buffer formats were D3DFMT_X8R8B8G8 and D3DFMT_A8R8G8B8 (Both being BGRA in layout). http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb174314(v=vs.85).aspx With the initial version of DirectX10 their was no support for BGRA and all the textbooks and online tutorials recommend DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8B8A8_UNORM (being RGBA in layout). Now with DirectX11 BGRA is supported again and it seems as if microsoft recommends using a BGRA format as the back buffer format. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh465096.aspx Are there any suggestions or are there performance implications of using one or the other? (I assume not as obviously by specifying the format of the underlying resource the runtime will handle what bits your passing through and than infer how to utilise them based on the format.)

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• Translator by Moth v2

  - by Daniel Moth

  If you are looking for the full manual for this Windows Phone app you can find it here: "Translator by Moth". While the manual has no images (just text), in this post I will share images and if you like them, go get "Translator by Moth" from the Windows Phone marketplace. open the app from the app list or through a pinned tile (including secondary tiles for specific translations)    language picker (~40 languages)     "current" page     "saved" page    "about" page Like? Go get Translator by Moth! Comments about this post by Daniel Moth welcome at the original blog.

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• Friday Fun: Play 3D Rally Racing in Google Chrome

  - by Asian Angel

  Are you a racing fan in need of a short (or long) break from work? Then get ready to enjoy a mid-day speed boost with the 3D Rally Racing extension for Google Chrome. 3D Rally Racing in Action This is the opening screen for 3D Rally Racing. You can start game play, view current best times, and read through the instructions from here. The first thing that you should do is have a quick look at the instructions to help you get set up and started. Click on “Play” to start the process. Before you can go further you will need to choose a “User Name”. Once you have done that click “Select Track”… Note: The extension will retain your name for later use even if you close your browser. When you first start out you will only have access to two tracks…the others require reaching a certain score/level to unlock them. Once you select a track you will be taken to the next screen. After you have selected a track you will need to choose your car and car color. All that is left to do afterwards is click on “Go Race”. Note: You will be competing against three other vehicles in the race. Here is a look at the “Desert Race Track”… And a look at the “Snow Race Track”. This game moves quickly and it is easy to fall behind if you are not careful! You can have a lot of fun playing this game while you are waiting for the day to end. Conclusion If you love racing games and want a fun way to waste the rest of afternoon at work, then you should definitely give 3D Rally Racing a try. Links Download the 3d Rally Racing extension (Google Chrome Extensions) Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Friday Fun: Uphill RushFriday Fun: Racing Fun with SuperTuxKart RacerHow to Make Google Chrome Your Default BrowserEnable Vista Black Style Theme for Google Chrome in XPIncrease Google Chrome’s Omnibox Popup Suggestion Count With an Undocumented Switch TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 PCmover Professional Enable Check Box Selection in Windows 7 OnlineOCR – Free OCR Service Betting on the Blind Side, a Vanity Fair article 30 Minimal Logo Designs that Say More with Less LEGO Digital Designer – Free Create a Personal Website Quickly using Flavors.me

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• Friday Fun: Play 3D Rally Racing in Google Chrome

  - by Asian Angel

  Are you a racing fan in need of a short (or long) break from work? Then get ready to enjoy a mid-day speed boost with the 3D Rally Racing extension for Google Chrome. 3D Rally Racing in Action This is the opening screen for 3D Rally Racing. You can start game play, view current best times, and read through the instructions from here. The first thing that you should do is have a quick look at the instructions to help you get set up and started. Click on “Play” to start the process. Before you can go further you will need to choose a “User Name”. Once you have done that click “Select Track”… Note: The extension will retain your name for later use even if you close your browser. When you first start out you will only have access to two tracks…the others require reaching a certain score/level to unlock them. Once you select a track you will be taken to the next screen. After you have selected a track you will need to choose your car and car color. All that is left to do afterwards is click on “Go Race”. Note: You will be competing against three other vehicles in the race. Here is a look at the “Desert Race Track”… And a look at the “Snow Race Track”. This game moves quickly and it is easy to fall behind if you are not careful! You can have a lot of fun playing this game while you are waiting for the day to end. Conclusion If you love racing games and want a fun way to waste the rest of afternoon at work, then you should definitely give 3D Rally Racing a try. Links Download the 3d Rally Racing extension (Google Chrome Extensions) Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Friday Fun: Uphill RushFriday Fun: Racing Fun with SuperTuxKart RacerHow to Make Google Chrome Your Default BrowserEnable Vista Black Style Theme for Google Chrome in XPIncrease Google Chrome’s Omnibox Popup Suggestion Count With an Undocumented Switch TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 PCmover Professional Enable Check Box Selection in Windows 7 OnlineOCR – Free OCR Service Betting on the Blind Side, a Vanity Fair article 30 Minimal Logo Designs that Say More with Less LEGO Digital Designer – Free Create a Personal Website Quickly using Flavors.me

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• How To Make NVIDIA’s Optimus Work on Linux

  - by Chris Hoffman

  Many new laptops come with NVIDIA’s Optimus technology – the laptop includes both a discrete NVIDIA GPU for gaming power and an onboard Intel GPU for power savings. The notebook switches between the two when necessary. However, this isn’t yet well-supported on Linux. Linus Torvalds had some choice words for NVIDIA regarding Optimus not working on Linux, and NVIDIA is now currently working on official support. However, if you have a laptop with Optimus support, you don’t have to wait for NVIDIA — you can use the Bumblebee project’s solution to enable Optimus on Linux today. Image Credit: Jemimus on Flickr How To Create a Customized Windows 7 Installation Disc With Integrated Updates How to Get Pro Features in Windows Home Versions with Third Party Tools HTG Explains: Is ReadyBoost Worth Using?

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• How to Collect Debug Info for Oracle SQL Developer

  - by thatjeffsmith

  In a perfect world, there would be no software bugs. Developers would always test their code. QA would find any scenarios and bugs the developers hadn’t already thought of. Regression tests would be complete and flawless. But alas, we can only afford to pay mere humans here, so we will have bugs from time to time. Or sometimes you are trying to do something the software wasn’t designed for, or perhaps your machine has exhausted it’s resources trying to build the un-buildable. When you run into problems, you will need help. Developers need your help so they can help you. Surprisingly enough, feedback like this isn’t very helpful: Your program isn’t working. How can I make it work? When you are ready to work with us on the SQL Developer OTN forum, you will most likely be asked to run SQL Developer and capture the output from the command console. In case you need help with this, ere’s a step-by-step process you can follow in Windows 7 (should work in XP too.) Open a windows command window Start – Run – CMD Once it’s open, click on the window icon and select ‘Defaults.’ Change the default buffer size to be something bigger, much bigger. Set the CMD window default buffer size HIGHER Note: you only need to do this once. Navigate to your SQL Developer Installation Folder Instead of running the ‘sqldeveloper.exe’ file in the root directory, we are going to go several sub-directories down. Find the ‘bin’ sub-directory and run the ‘sqldeveloper.exe’ there. When you do this, a CMD window will open, and then you’ll see the SQL Developer application load. The SQL Developer bin directory - run the tool from here and get a logging window Use SQL Developer as normal, until it ‘breaks’ or ‘hangs’ Now, you are ready to grab the nitty-gritty information that MIGHT tell the developer what is going wrong or happening in your scenario. Click back into the CMD window Send a Ctrl+Break or a Ctrl+Pause. If you on a newer laptop that doesn’t have this key, be sure to check the ‘Fn’ subset of keys. If you need to map the BREAK or PAUSE buttons, this article might help. You can also try the on-screen keyboard in windows – just type ‘OSK’ in your START – RUN prompt. Copy the logging information from the command window – all of it We need this information, help us get it! Open a case with Oracle Support or Start a Thread on the Forums Or email me. If you’re on my blog reading this, it’s the least I can do to help Now, before you hit ‘Send’ or ‘Post’ or ‘Submit’ – be sure to add a brief description of what you were doing in the application when you ran into the problem. Even if you were doing ‘nothing,’ let us know how many connections you had open, what windows were active, etc. The more you can tell us, the higher your odds go up to getting a quick fix or at least an answer as to what is happening. Also include the following information: The version of SQL Developer you are running The version of the JDK you are using The OS you are using The version of Oracle you are connected to Now, don’t be surprised if you get asked to upgrade to a supported configuration, say ‘version 3.1 and the 1.6 JDK.’ Supporting older versions of software is fun, and while we enjoy a challenge, it may be easier for you to upgrade your way out of the problem at hand.

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• Mario Goes Insane, Engages in Reign of Terror Throughout Mario Land [Video]

  - by Asian Angel

  Mario finally loses it and begins a reign of unholy terror throughout Mario Land. Will anyone be able to stop much less escape this new nightmare version of everyone’s favorite plumber? Note: Video contains some language that may be considered inappropriate. Mario Goes Berserk [via Geeks are Sexy] How to Stress Test the Hard Drives in Your PC or Server How To Customize Your Android Lock Screen with WidgetLocker The Best Free Portable Apps for Your Flash Drive Toolkit

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• Create a Lucky Desktop with our Saint Patrick’s Day Icons Three Pack

  - by Asian Angel

  Saint Patrick’s Day is almost here, so if you are wanting to add a nice touch of luck (and green) to your desktop then take a look at these three fun icon packs we have for you. Note: Available in .ico and .png format. Irish Icons [Icon Stick] Note: Available for Windows and Mac. St. Patty’s Kidcons [Iconfactory] Note: Available for Windows and Mac. St. Patrick’s Day Icons [Bry-Back Manor] These icons will make a nice addition to our Saint Patrick’s Day Wallpaper Five Pack, so browse on over and go for the green! Internet Explorer 9 Released: Here’s What You Need To KnowHTG Explains: How Does Email Work?How To Make a Youtube Video Into an Animated GIF

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• Deciding which technology to use is a big decision when no technology is an obvious choice

  Deciding which technology to use in a new venture or project is a big decision for any company when no technology is an obvious choice. It is always best to analyze the current requirements of the project, and also evaluate the existing technology climate so that the correct technology based on the situation at the time is selected. When evaluation the requirements of a new project it is best to be open to as many technologies as possible initially so a company can be sure that the right decision gets made. Another important aspect of the technology decision is what can the current network and  hardware environment handle, and what would be needed to be adjusted if a specific technology was selected. For example if the current network operating system is Linux then VB6 would force  a huge change in the current computing environment. However if the current network operation system was windows based then very little change would be needed to allow for VB6 if any change had to be done at all. Finally and most importantly an analysis should be done regarding the current technical employees pertaining to their skills and aspirations. For example if you have a team of Java programmers then forcing them to build something in C# might not be an ideal situation. However having a team of VB.net developers who want to develop something in C# would be a better situation based on this example because they are already failure with the .Net Framework and have a desire to use the new technology. In addition to this analysis the cost associated with building and maintaining the project is also a key factor. If two languages are ideal for a project but one technology will increase the budget or timeline by 50% then it might not be the best choice in that situation. An ideal situation for developing in C# applications would be a project that is built on existing Microsoft technologies. An example of this would be a company who uses Windows 2008 Server as their network operating system, Windows XP Pro as their main operation system, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 as their primary database, and has a team of developers experience in the .net framework. In the above situation Java would be a poor technology decision based on their current computing environment and potential lack of Java development by the company’s developers. It would take the developers longer to develop the application due the fact that they would have to first learn the language and then become comfortable with the language. Although these barriers do exist, it does not mean that it is not due able if the company and developers were committed to the project.

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• iPad client for SharePoint

  - by gabouy

  I´m pleased to announce that at SouthLabs we´ve released a native iPad client for SharePoint , called SharePlus Office Mobile Client , already available in the app store . It consumes SharePoint's web services API, and supports offline browsing. The following is a brief presentation on it, with some screenshots. SharePlus iPad client for SharePoint View more presentations from SouthLabs ....(read more)

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• Mark Messages As Read in the Outlook 2010 Reading Pane

  - by Matthew Guay

  Do you ever feel annoyed that Outlook 2010 doesn’t mark messages as Read as soon as you click and view them in the Reading Pane?  Here we show you how to make Outlook mark them as read as soon as they’re opened. Mark as Read By default, Outlook will not mark a message as read until you select another message.  This can be annoying, because if you read a message and immediately click Delete, it will show up as an unread message in our Deleted Items folder. Let’s change this to make Outlook mark messages as read as soon as we view them in the Reading Pane.  Open Outlook and click File to open Backstage View, and select Options. In Options select Mail on the left menu, and under Outlook panes click on the Reading Pane button. Check the box Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane to make Outlook mark your messages as read when you view them in the Reading Pane.  By default, Outlook will only mark a message read after you’ve been reading it for 5 seconds, though you can change this.  We set it to 0 seconds so our messages would be marked as read as soon as we select them. Click OK in both dialogs, and now your messages will be marked as read as soon as you select them in the reading pane, or soon after, depending on your settings. Conclusion Outlook 2010 is a great email client, but like most programs it has its quirks.  This quick tip can help you get rid of one of Outlook’s annoying features, and make it work like you want it to. And, if you’re still using Outlook 2007, check out our article on how to Mark Messages as Read When Viewed in Outlook 2007. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Make Outlook 2007 Mark Items as Read When Viewed in Reading PaneMake Mail.app’s Reading Pane More Like OutlookIntegrate Twitter With Microsoft OutlookSort Your Emails by Conversation in Outlook 2010Find Emails With Attachments with Outlook 2007’s Instant Search TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips All My Movies 5.9 CloudBerry Online Backup 1.5 for Windows Home Server Snagit 10 VMware Workstation 7 OpenDNS Guide Google TV The iPod Revolution Ultimate Boot CD can help when disaster strikes Windows Firewall with Advanced Security – How To Guides Sculptris 1.0, 3D Drawing app

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• HTG Explains: Why Linux Doesn’t Need Defragmenting

  - by Chris Hoffman

  If you’re a Linux user, you’ve probably heard that you don’t need to defragment your Linux file systems. You’ll also notice that Linux distributions don’t come with disk-defragmenting utilities. But why is that? To understand why Linux file systems don’t need defragmenting in normal use – and Windows ones do – you’ll need to understand why fragmentation occurs and how Linux and Windows file systems work differently from each other. HTG Explains: Why Linux Doesn’t Need Defragmenting How to Convert News Feeds to Ebooks with Calibre How To Customize Your Wallpaper with Google Image Searches, RSS Feeds, and More

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• What Every Developer Should Know About MSI Components

  - by Alois Kraus

  Hopefully nothing. But if you have to do more than simple XCopy deployment and you need to support updates, upgrades and perhaps side by side scenarios there is no way around MSI. You can create Msi files with a Visual Studio Setup project which is severely limited or you can use the Windows Installer Toolset. I cannot talk about WIX with my German colleagues because WIX has a very special meaning. It is funny to always use the long name when I talk about deployment possibilities. Alternatively you can buy commercial tools which help you to author Msi files but I am not sure how good they are. Given enough pain with existing solutions you can also learn the MSI Apis and create your own packaging solution. If I were you I would use either a commercial visual tool when you do easy deployments or use the free Windows Installer Toolset. Once you know the WIX schema you can create well formed wix xml files easily with any editor. Then you can “compile” from the wxs files your Msi package. Recently I had the “pleasure” to get my hands dirty with C++ (again) and the MSI technology. Installation is a complex topic but after several month of digging into arcane MSI issues I can safely say that there should exist an easier way to install and update files as today. I am not alone with this statement as John Robbins (creator of the cool tool Paraffin) states: “.. It's a brittle and scary API in Windows …”. To help other people struggling with installation issues I present you the advice I (and others) found useful and what will happen if you ignore this advice. What is a MSI file? A MSI file is basically a database with tables which reference each other to control how your un/installation should work. The basic idea is that you declare via these tables what you want to install and MSI controls the how to get your stuff onto or off your machine. Your “stuff” consists usually of files, registry keys, shortcuts and environment variables. Therefore the most important tables are File, Registry, Environment and Shortcut table which define what will be un/installed. The key to master MSI is that every resource (file, registry key ,…) is associated with a MSI component. The actual payload consists of compressed files in the CAB format which can either be embedded into the MSI file or reside beside the MSI file or in a subdirectory below it. To examine MSI files you need Orca a free MSI editor provided by MS. There is also another free editor called Super Orca which does support diffs between MSI and it does not lock the MSI files. But since Orca comes with a shell extension I tend to use only Orca because it is so easy to right click on a MSI file and open it with this tool. How Do I Install It? Double click it. This does work for fresh installations as well as major upgrades. Updates need to be installed via the command line via msiexec /i <msi> REINSTALL=ALL REINSTALLMODE=vomus   This tells the installer to reinstall all already installed features (new features will NOT be installed). The reinstallmode letters do force an overwrite of the old cached package in the %WINDIR%\Installer folder. All files, shortcuts and registry keys are redeployed if they are missing or need to be replaced with a newer version. When things did go really wrong and you want to overwrite everything unconditionally use REINSTALLMODE=vamus. How To Enable MSI Logs? You can download a MSI from Microsoft which installs some registry keys to enable full MSI logging. The log files can be found in your %TEMP% folder and are called MSIxxxx.log. Alternatively you can add to your msiexec command line the option msiexec …. /l*vx <LogFileName> Personally I find it rather strange that * does not mean full logging. To really get all logs I need to add v and x which is documented in the msiexec help but I still find this behavior unintuitive. What are MSI components? The whole MSI logic is bound to the concept of MSI components. Nearly every msi table has a Component column which binds an installable resource to a component. Below are the screenshots of the FeatureComponents and Component table of an example MSI. The Feature table defines basically the feature hierarchy.  To find out what belongs to a feature you need to look at the FeatureComponents table where for each feature the components are listed which will be installed when a feature is installed. The MSI components are defined in the  Component table. This table has as first column the component name and as second column the component id which is a GUID. All resources you want to install belong to a MSI component. Therefore nearly all MSI tables have a Component_ column which contains the component name. If you look e.g. a the File table you see that every file belongs to a component which is true for all other tables which install resources. The component table is the glue between all other tables which contain the resources you want to install. So far so easy. Why is MSI then so complex? Most MSI problems arise from the fact that you did violate a MSI component rule in one or the other way. When you install a feature the reference count for all components belonging to this feature will increase by one. If your component is installed by more than one feature it will get a higher refcount. When you uninstall a feature its refcount will drop by one. Interesting things happen if the component reference count reaches zero: Then all associated resources will be deleted. That looks like a reasonable thing and it is. What it makes complex are the strange component rules you have to follow. Below are some important component rules from the Tao of the Windows Installer … Rule 16: Follow Component Rules Components are a very important part of the Installer technology. They are the means whereby the Installer manages the resources that make up your application. The SDK provides the following guidelines for creating components in your package: Never create two components that install a resource under the same name and target location. If a resource must be duplicated in multiple components, change its name or target location in each component. This rule should be applied across applications, products, product versions, and companies. Two components must not have the same key path file. This is a consequence of the previous rule. The key path value points to a particular file or folder belonging to the component that the installer uses to detect the component. If two components had the same key path file, the installer would be unable to distinguish which component is installed. Two components however may share a key path folder. Do not create a version of a component that is incompatible with all previous versions of the component. This rule should be applied across applications, products, product versions, and companies. Do not create components containing resources that will need to be installed into more than one directory on the user’s system. The installer installs all of the resources in a component into the same directory. It is not possible to install some resources into subdirectories. Do not include more than one COM server per component. If a component contains a COM server, this must be the key path for the component. Do not specify more than one file per component as a target for the Start menu or a Desktop shortcut. … And these rules do not even talk about component ids, update packages and upgrades which you need to understand as well. Lets suppose you install two MSIs (MSI1 and MSI2) which have the same ComponentId but different component names. Both do install the same file. What will happen when you uninstall MSI2?   Hm the file should stay there. But the component names are different. Yes and yes. But MSI uses not use the component name as key for the refcount. Instead the ComponentId column of the Component table which contains a GUID is used as identifier under which the refcount is stored. The components Comp1 and Comp2 are identical from the MSI perspective. After the installation of both MSIs the Component with the Id {100000….} has a refcount of two. After uninstallation of one MSI there is still a refcount of one which drops to zero just as expected when we uninstall the last msi. Then the file which was the same for both MSIs is deleted. You should remember that MSI keeps a refcount across MSIs for components with the same component id. MSI does manage components not the resources you did install. The resources associated with a component are then and only then deleted when the refcount of the component reaches zero.   The dependencies between features, components and resources can be described as relations. m,k are numbers >= 1, n can be 0. Inside a MSI the following relations are valid Feature    1  –> n Components Component    1 –> m Features Component      1  –>  k Resources These relations express that one feature can install several components and features can share components between them. Every (meaningful) component will install at least one resource which means that its name (primary key to stay in database speak) does occur in some other table in the Component column as value which installs some resource. Lets make it clear with an example. We want to install with the feature MainFeature some files a registry key and a shortcut. We can then create components Comp1..3 which are referenced by the resources defined in the corresponding tables.   Feature Component Registry File Shortcuts MainFeature Comp1 RegistryKey1     MainFeature Comp2   File.txt   MainFeature Comp3   File2.txt Shortcut to File2.txt   It is illegal that the same resource is part of more than one component since this would break the refcount mechanism. Lets illustrate this:            Feature ComponentId Resource Reference Count Feature1 {1000-…} File1.txt 1 Feature2 {2000-….} File1.txt 1 The installation part works well but what happens when you uninstall Feature2? Component {20000…} gets a refcount of zero where MSI deletes all resources belonging to this component. In this case File1.txt will be deleted. But Feature1 still has another component {10000…} with a refcount of one which means that the file was deleted too early. You just have ruined your installation. To fix it you then need to click on the Repair button under Add/Remove Programs to let MSI reinstall any missing registry keys, files or shortcuts. The vigilant reader might has noticed that there is more in the Component table. Beside its name and GUID it has also an installation directory, attributes and a KeyPath. The KeyPath is a reference to a file or registry key which is used to detect if the component is already installed. This becomes important when you repair or uninstall a component. To find out if the component is already installed MSI checks if the registry key or file referenced by the KeyPath property does exist. When it does not exist it assumes that it was either already uninstalled (can lead to problems during uninstall) or that it is already installed and all is fine. Why is this detail so important? Lets put all files into one component. The KeyPath should be then one of the files of your component to check if it was installed or not. When your installation becomes corrupt because a file was deleted you cannot repair it with the Repair button under Add/Remove Programs because MSI checks the component integrity via the Resource referenced by its KeyPath. As long as you did not delete the KeyPath file MSI thinks all resources with your component are installed and never executes any repair action. You get even more trouble when you try to remove files during an upgrade (you cannot remove files during an update) from your super component which contains all files. The only way out and therefore best practice is to assign for every resource you want to install an extra component. This ensures painless updatability and repairs and you have much less effort to remove specific files during an upgrade. In effect you get this best practice relation Feature 1  –> n Components Component   1  –>  1 Resources MSI Component Rules Rule 1 – One component per resource Every resource you want to install (file, registry key, value, environment value, shortcut, directory, …) must get its own component which does never change between versions as long as the install location is the same. Penalty If you add more than one resources to a component you will break the repair capability of MSI because the KeyPath is used to check if the component needs repair. MSI ComponentId Files MSI 1.0 {1000} File1-5 MSI 2.0 {2000} File2-5 You want to remove File1 in version 2.0 of your MSI. Since you want to keep the other files you create a new component and add them there. MSI will delete all files if the component refcount of {1000} drops to zero. The files you want to keep are added to the new component {2000}. Ok that does work if your upgrade does uninstall the old MSI first. This will cause the refcount of all previously installed components to reach zero which means that all files present in version 1.0 are deleted. But there is a faster way to perform your upgrade by first installing your new MSI and then remove the old one.  If you choose this upgrade path then you will loose File1-5 after your upgrade and not only File1 as intended by your new component design.   Rule 2 – Only add, never remove resources from a component If you did follow rule 1 you will not need Rule 2. You can add in a patch more resources to one component. That is ok. But you can never remove anything from it. There are tricky ways around that but I do not want to encourage bad component design. Penalty Lets assume you have 2 MSI files which install under the same component one file   MSI1 MSI2 {1000} - ComponentId {1000} – ComponentId File1.txt File2.txt   When you install and uninstall both MSIs you will end up with an installation where either File1 or File2 will be left. Why? It seems that MSI does not store the resources associated with each component in its internal database. Instead Windows will simply query the MSI that is currently uninstalled for all resources belonging to this component. Since it will find only one file and not two it will only uninstall one file. That is the main reason why you never can remove resources from a component!   Rule 3 Never Remove A Component From an Update MSI. This is the same as if you change the GUID of a component by accident for your new update package. The resulting update package will not contain all components from the previously installed package. Penalty When you remove a component from a feature MSI will set the feature state during update to Advertised and log a warning message into its log file when you did enable MSI logging. SELMGR: ComponentId '{2DCEA1BA-3E27-E222-484C-D0D66AEA4F62}' is registered to feature 'xxxxxxx, but is not present in the Component table.  Removal of components from a feature is not supported! MSI (c) (24:44) [07:53:13:436]: SELMGR: Removal of a component from a feature is not supported Advertised means that MSI treats all components of this feature as not installed. As a consequence during uninstall nothing will be removed since it is not installed! This is not only bad because uninstall does no longer work but this feature will also not get the required patches. All other features which have followed component versioning rules for update packages will be updated but the one faulty feature will not. This results in very hard to find bugs why an update was only partially successful. Things got better with Windows Installer 4.5 but you cannot rely on that nobody will use an older installer. It is a good idea to add to your update msiexec call MSIENFORCEUPGRADECOMPONENTRULES=1 which will abort the installation if you did violate this rule.

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