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  • Upload File to Windows Azure Blob in Chunks through ASP.NET MVC, JavaScript and HTML5

    - by Shaun
    Originally posted on: http://geekswithblogs.net/shaunxu/archive/2013/07/01/upload-file-to-windows-azure-blob-in-chunks-through-asp.net.aspxMany people are using Windows Azure Blob Storage to store their data in the cloud. Blob storage provides 99.9% availability with easy-to-use API through .NET SDK and HTTP REST. For example, we can store JavaScript files, images, documents in blob storage when we are building an ASP.NET web application on a Web Role in Windows Azure. Or we can store our VHD files in blob and mount it as a hard drive in our cloud service. If you are familiar with Windows Azure, you should know that there are two kinds of blob: page blob and block blob. The page blob is optimized for random read and write, which is very useful when you need to store VHD files. The block blob is optimized for sequential/chunk read and write, which has more common usage. Since we can upload block blob in blocks through BlockBlob.PutBlock, and them commit them as a whole blob with invoking the BlockBlob.PutBlockList, it is very powerful to upload large files, as we can upload blocks in parallel, and provide pause-resume feature. There are many documents, articles and blog posts described on how to upload a block blob. Most of them are focus on the server side, which means when you had received a big file, stream or binaries, how to upload them into blob storage in blocks through .NET SDK.  But the problem is, how can we upload these large files from client side, for example, a browser. This questioned to me when I was working with a Chinese customer to help them build a network disk production on top of azure. The end users upload their files from the web portal, and then the files will be stored in blob storage from the Web Role. My goal is to find the best way to transform the file from client (end user’s machine) to the server (Web Role) through browser. In this post I will demonstrate and describe what I had done, to upload large file in chunks with high speed, and save them as blocks into Windows Azure Blob Storage.   Traditional Upload, Works with Limitation The simplest way to implement this requirement is to create a web page with a form that contains a file input element and a submit button. 1: @using (Html.BeginForm("About", "Index", FormMethod.Post, new { enctype = "multipart/form-data" })) 2: { 3: <input type="file" name="file" /> 4: <input type="submit" value="upload" /> 5: } And then in the backend controller, we retrieve the whole content of this file and upload it in to the blob storage through .NET SDK. We can split the file in blocks and upload them in parallel and commit. The code had been well blogged in the community. 1: [HttpPost] 2: public ActionResult About(HttpPostedFileBase file) 3: { 4: var container = _client.GetContainerReference("test"); 5: container.CreateIfNotExists(); 6: var blob = container.GetBlockBlobReference(file.FileName); 7: var blockDataList = new Dictionary<string, byte[]>(); 8: using (var stream = file.InputStream) 9: { 10: var blockSizeInKB = 1024; 11: var offset = 0; 12: var index = 0; 13: while (offset < stream.Length) 14: { 15: var readLength = Math.Min(1024 * blockSizeInKB, (int)stream.Length - offset); 16: var blockData = new byte[readLength]; 17: offset += stream.Read(blockData, 0, readLength); 18: blockDataList.Add(Convert.ToBase64String(BitConverter.GetBytes(index)), blockData); 19:  20: index++; 21: } 22: } 23:  24: Parallel.ForEach(blockDataList, (bi) => 25: { 26: blob.PutBlock(bi.Key, new MemoryStream(bi.Value), null); 27: }); 28: blob.PutBlockList(blockDataList.Select(b => b.Key).ToArray()); 29:  30: return RedirectToAction("About"); 31: } This works perfect if we selected an image, a music or a small video to upload. But if I selected a large file, let’s say a 6GB HD-movie, after upload for about few minutes the page will be shown as below and the upload will be terminated. In ASP.NET there is a limitation of request length and the maximized request length is defined in the web.config file. It’s a number which less than about 4GB. So if we want to upload a really big file, we cannot simply implement in this way. Also, in Windows Azure, a cloud service network load balancer will terminate the connection if exceed the timeout period. From my test the timeout looks like 2 - 3 minutes. Hence, when we need to upload a large file we cannot just use the basic HTML elements. Besides the limitation mentioned above, the simple HTML file upload cannot provide rich upload experience such as chunk upload, pause and pause-resume. So we need to find a better way to upload large file from the client to the server.   Upload in Chunks through HTML5 and JavaScript In order to break those limitation mentioned above we will try to upload the large file in chunks. This takes some benefit to us such as - No request size limitation: Since we upload in chunks, we can define the request size for each chunks regardless how big the entire file is. - No timeout problem: The size of chunks are controlled by us, which means we should be able to make sure request for each chunk upload will not exceed the timeout period of both ASP.NET and Windows Azure load balancer. It was a big challenge to upload big file in chunks until we have HTML5. There are some new features and improvements introduced in HTML5 and we will use them to implement our solution.   In HTML5, the File interface had been improved with a new method called “slice”. It can be used to read part of the file by specifying the start byte index and the end byte index. For example if the entire file was 1024 bytes, file.slice(512, 768) will read the part of this file from the 512nd byte to 768th byte, and return a new object of interface called "Blob”, which you can treat as an array of bytes. In fact,  a Blob object represents a file-like object of immutable, raw data. The File interface is based on Blob, inheriting blob functionality and expanding it to support files on the user's system. For more information about the Blob please refer here. File and Blob is very useful to implement the chunk upload. We will use File interface to represent the file the user selected from the browser and then use File.slice to read the file in chunks in the size we wanted. For example, if we wanted to upload a 10MB file with 512KB chunks, then we can read it in 512KB blobs by using File.slice in a loop.   Assuming we have a web page as below. User can select a file, an input box to specify the block size in KB and a button to start upload. 1: <div> 2: <input type="file" id="upload_files" name="files[]" /><br /> 3: Block Size: <input type="number" id="block_size" value="512" name="block_size" />KB<br /> 4: <input type="button" id="upload_button_blob" name="upload" value="upload (blob)" /> 5: </div> Then we can have the JavaScript function to upload the file in chunks when user clicked the button. 1: <script type="text/javascript"> 1: 2: $(function () { 3: $("#upload_button_blob").click(function () { 4: }); 5: });</script> Firstly we need to ensure the client browser supports the interfaces we are going to use. Just try to invoke the File, Blob and FormData from the “window” object. If any of them is “undefined” the condition result will be “false” which means your browser doesn’t support these premium feature and it’s time for you to get your browser updated. FormData is another new feature we are going to use in the future. It could generate a temporary form for us. We will use this interface to create a form with chunk and associated metadata when invoked the service through ajax. 1: $("#upload_button_blob").click(function () { 2: // assert the browser support html5 3: if (window.File && window.Blob && window.FormData) { 4: alert("Your brwoser is awesome, let's rock!"); 5: } 6: else { 7: alert("Oh man plz update to a modern browser before try is cool stuff out."); 8: return; 9: } 10: }); Each browser supports these interfaces by their own implementation and currently the Blob, File and File.slice are supported by Chrome 21, FireFox 13, IE 10, Opera 12 and Safari 5.1 or higher. After that we worked on the files the user selected one by one since in HTML5, user can select multiple files in one file input box. 1: var files = $("#upload_files")[0].files; 2: for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) { 3: var file = files[i]; 4: var fileSize = file.size; 5: var fileName = file.name; 6: } Next, we calculated the start index and end index for each chunks based on the size the user specified from the browser. We put them into an array with the file name and the index, which will be used when we upload chunks into Windows Azure Blob Storage as blocks since we need to specify the target blob name and the block index. At the same time we will store the list of all indexes into another variant which will be used to commit blocks into blob in Azure Storage once all chunks had been uploaded successfully. 1: $("#upload_button_blob").click(function () { 2: // assert the browser support html5 3: ... ... 4: // start to upload each files in chunks 5: var files = $("#upload_files")[0].files; 6: for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) { 7: var file = files[i]; 8: var fileSize = file.size; 9: var fileName = file.name; 10:  11: // calculate the start and end byte index for each blocks(chunks) 12: // with the index, file name and index list for future using 13: var blockSizeInKB = $("#block_size").val(); 14: var blockSize = blockSizeInKB * 1024; 15: var blocks = []; 16: var offset = 0; 17: var index = 0; 18: var list = ""; 19: while (offset < fileSize) { 20: var start = offset; 21: var end = Math.min(offset + blockSize, fileSize); 22:  23: blocks.push({ 24: name: fileName, 25: index: index, 26: start: start, 27: end: end 28: }); 29: list += index + ","; 30:  31: offset = end; 32: index++; 33: } 34: } 35: }); Now we have all chunks’ information ready. The next step should be upload them one by one to the server side, and at the server side when received a chunk it will upload as a block into Blob Storage, and finally commit them with the index list through BlockBlobClient.PutBlockList. But since all these invokes are ajax calling, which means not synchronized call. So we need to introduce a new JavaScript library to help us coordinate the asynchronize operation, which named “async.js”. You can download this JavaScript library here, and you can find the document here. I will not explain this library too much in this post. We will put all procedures we want to execute as a function array, and pass into the proper function defined in async.js to let it help us to control the execution sequence, in series or in parallel. Hence we will define an array and put the function for chunk upload into this array. 1: $("#upload_button_blob").click(function () { 2: // assert the browser support html5 3: ... ... 4:  5: // start to upload each files in chunks 6: var files = $("#upload_files")[0].files; 7: for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) { 8: var file = files[i]; 9: var fileSize = file.size; 10: var fileName = file.name; 11: // calculate the start and end byte index for each blocks(chunks) 12: // with the index, file name and index list for future using 13: ... ... 14:  15: // define the function array and push all chunk upload operation into this array 16: blocks.forEach(function (block) { 17: putBlocks.push(function (callback) { 18: }); 19: }); 20: } 21: }); 22: }); As you can see, I used File.slice method to read each chunks based on the start and end byte index we calculated previously, and constructed a temporary HTML form with the file name, chunk index and chunk data through another new feature in HTML5 named FormData. Then post this form to the backend server through jQuery.ajax. This is the key part of our solution. 1: $("#upload_button_blob").click(function () { 2: // assert the browser support html5 3: ... ... 4: // start to upload each files in chunks 5: var files = $("#upload_files")[0].files; 6: for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) { 7: var file = files[i]; 8: var fileSize = file.size; 9: var fileName = file.name; 10: // calculate the start and end byte index for each blocks(chunks) 11: // with the index, file name and index list for future using 12: ... ... 13: // define the function array and push all chunk upload operation into this array 14: blocks.forEach(function (block) { 15: putBlocks.push(function (callback) { 16: // load blob based on the start and end index for each chunks 17: var blob = file.slice(block.start, block.end); 18: // put the file name, index and blob into a temporary from 19: var fd = new FormData(); 20: fd.append("name", block.name); 21: fd.append("index", block.index); 22: fd.append("file", blob); 23: // post the form to backend service (asp.net mvc controller action) 24: $.ajax({ 25: url: "/Home/UploadInFormData", 26: data: fd, 27: processData: false, 28: contentType: "multipart/form-data", 29: type: "POST", 30: success: function (result) { 31: if (!result.success) { 32: alert(result.error); 33: } 34: callback(null, block.index); 35: } 36: }); 37: }); 38: }); 39: } 40: }); Then we will invoke these functions one by one by using the async.js. And once all functions had been executed successfully I invoked another ajax call to the backend service to commit all these chunks (blocks) as the blob in Windows Azure Storage. 1: $("#upload_button_blob").click(function () { 2: // assert the browser support html5 3: ... ... 4: // start to upload each files in chunks 5: var files = $("#upload_files")[0].files; 6: for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) { 7: var file = files[i]; 8: var fileSize = file.size; 9: var fileName = file.name; 10: // calculate the start and end byte index for each blocks(chunks) 11: // with the index, file name and index list for future using 12: ... ... 13: // define the function array and push all chunk upload operation into this array 14: ... ... 15: // invoke the functions one by one 16: // then invoke the commit ajax call to put blocks into blob in azure storage 17: async.series(putBlocks, function (error, result) { 18: var data = { 19: name: fileName, 20: list: list 21: }; 22: $.post("/Home/Commit", data, function (result) { 23: if (!result.success) { 24: alert(result.error); 25: } 26: else { 27: alert("done!"); 28: } 29: }); 30: }); 31: } 32: }); That’s all in the client side. The outline of our logic would be - Calculate the start and end byte index for each chunks based on the block size. - Defined the functions of reading the chunk form file and upload the content to the backend service through ajax. - Execute the functions defined in previous step with “async.js”. - Commit the chunks by invoking the backend service in Windows Azure Storage finally.   Save Chunks as Blocks into Blob Storage In above we finished the client size JavaScript code. It uploaded the file in chunks to the backend service which we are going to implement in this step. We will use ASP.NET MVC as our backend service, and it will receive the chunks, upload into Windows Azure Bob Storage in blocks, then finally commit as one blob. As in the client side we uploaded chunks by invoking the ajax call to the URL "/Home/UploadInFormData", I created a new action under the Index controller and it only accepts HTTP POST request. 1: [HttpPost] 2: public JsonResult UploadInFormData() 3: { 4: var error = string.Empty; 5: try 6: { 7: } 8: catch (Exception e) 9: { 10: error = e.ToString(); 11: } 12:  13: return new JsonResult() 14: { 15: Data = new 16: { 17: success = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(error), 18: error = error 19: } 20: }; 21: } Then I retrieved the file name, index and the chunk content from the Request.Form object, which was passed from our client side. And then, used the Windows Azure SDK to create a blob container (in this case we will use the container named “test”.) and create a blob reference with the blob name (same as the file name). Then uploaded the chunk as a block of this blob with the index, since in Blob Storage each block must have an index (ID) associated with so that finally we can put all blocks as one blob by specifying their block ID list. 1: [HttpPost] 2: public JsonResult UploadInFormData() 3: { 4: var error = string.Empty; 5: try 6: { 7: var name = Request.Form["name"]; 8: var index = int.Parse(Request.Form["index"]); 9: var file = Request.Files[0]; 10: var id = Convert.ToBase64String(BitConverter.GetBytes(index)); 11:  12: var container = _client.GetContainerReference("test"); 13: container.CreateIfNotExists(); 14: var blob = container.GetBlockBlobReference(name); 15: blob.PutBlock(id, file.InputStream, null); 16: } 17: catch (Exception e) 18: { 19: error = e.ToString(); 20: } 21:  22: return new JsonResult() 23: { 24: Data = new 25: { 26: success = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(error), 27: error = error 28: } 29: }; 30: } Next, I created another action to commit the blocks into blob once all chunks had been uploaded. Similarly, I retrieved the blob name from the Request.Form. I also retrieved the chunks ID list, which is the block ID list from the Request.Form in a string format, split them as a list, then invoked the BlockBlob.PutBlockList method. After that our blob will be shown in the container and ready to be download. 1: [HttpPost] 2: public JsonResult Commit() 3: { 4: var error = string.Empty; 5: try 6: { 7: var name = Request.Form["name"]; 8: var list = Request.Form["list"]; 9: var ids = list 10: .Split(',') 11: .Where(id => !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(id)) 12: .Select(id => Convert.ToBase64String(BitConverter.GetBytes(int.Parse(id)))) 13: .ToArray(); 14:  15: var container = _client.GetContainerReference("test"); 16: container.CreateIfNotExists(); 17: var blob = container.GetBlockBlobReference(name); 18: blob.PutBlockList(ids); 19: } 20: catch (Exception e) 21: { 22: error = e.ToString(); 23: } 24:  25: return new JsonResult() 26: { 27: Data = new 28: { 29: success = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(error), 30: error = error 31: } 32: }; 33: } Now we finished all code we need. The whole process of uploading would be like this below. Below is the full client side JavaScript code. 1: <script type="text/javascript" src="~/Scripts/async.js"></script> 2: <script type="text/javascript"> 3: $(function () { 4: $("#upload_button_blob").click(function () { 5: // assert the browser support html5 6: if (window.File && window.Blob && window.FormData) { 7: alert("Your brwoser is awesome, let's rock!"); 8: } 9: else { 10: alert("Oh man plz update to a modern browser before try is cool stuff out."); 11: return; 12: } 13:  14: // start to upload each files in chunks 15: var files = $("#upload_files")[0].files; 16: for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) { 17: var file = files[i]; 18: var fileSize = file.size; 19: var fileName = file.name; 20:  21: // calculate the start and end byte index for each blocks(chunks) 22: // with the index, file name and index list for future using 23: var blockSizeInKB = $("#block_size").val(); 24: var blockSize = blockSizeInKB * 1024; 25: var blocks = []; 26: var offset = 0; 27: var index = 0; 28: var list = ""; 29: while (offset < fileSize) { 30: var start = offset; 31: var end = Math.min(offset + blockSize, fileSize); 32:  33: blocks.push({ 34: name: fileName, 35: index: index, 36: start: start, 37: end: end 38: }); 39: list += index + ","; 40:  41: offset = end; 42: index++; 43: } 44:  45: // define the function array and push all chunk upload operation into this array 46: var putBlocks = []; 47: blocks.forEach(function (block) { 48: putBlocks.push(function (callback) { 49: // load blob based on the start and end index for each chunks 50: var blob = file.slice(block.start, block.end); 51: // put the file name, index and blob into a temporary from 52: var fd = new FormData(); 53: fd.append("name", block.name); 54: fd.append("index", block.index); 55: fd.append("file", blob); 56: // post the form to backend service (asp.net mvc controller action) 57: $.ajax({ 58: url: "/Home/UploadInFormData", 59: data: fd, 60: processData: false, 61: contentType: "multipart/form-data", 62: type: "POST", 63: success: function (result) { 64: if (!result.success) { 65: alert(result.error); 66: } 67: callback(null, block.index); 68: } 69: }); 70: }); 71: }); 72:  73: // invoke the functions one by one 74: // then invoke the commit ajax call to put blocks into blob in azure storage 75: async.series(putBlocks, function (error, result) { 76: var data = { 77: name: fileName, 78: list: list 79: }; 80: $.post("/Home/Commit", data, function (result) { 81: if (!result.success) { 82: alert(result.error); 83: } 84: else { 85: alert("done!"); 86: } 87: }); 88: }); 89: } 90: }); 91: }); 92: </script> And below is the full ASP.NET MVC controller code. 1: public class HomeController : Controller 2: { 3: private CloudStorageAccount _account; 4: private CloudBlobClient _client; 5:  6: public HomeController() 7: : base() 8: { 9: _account = CloudStorageAccount.Parse(CloudConfigurationManager.GetSetting("DataConnectionString")); 10: _client = _account.CreateCloudBlobClient(); 11: } 12:  13: public ActionResult Index() 14: { 15: ViewBag.Message = "Modify this template to jump-start your ASP.NET MVC application."; 16:  17: return View(); 18: } 19:  20: [HttpPost] 21: public JsonResult UploadInFormData() 22: { 23: var error = string.Empty; 24: try 25: { 26: var name = Request.Form["name"]; 27: var index = int.Parse(Request.Form["index"]); 28: var file = Request.Files[0]; 29: var id = Convert.ToBase64String(BitConverter.GetBytes(index)); 30:  31: var container = _client.GetContainerReference("test"); 32: container.CreateIfNotExists(); 33: var blob = container.GetBlockBlobReference(name); 34: blob.PutBlock(id, file.InputStream, null); 35: } 36: catch (Exception e) 37: { 38: error = e.ToString(); 39: } 40:  41: return new JsonResult() 42: { 43: Data = new 44: { 45: success = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(error), 46: error = error 47: } 48: }; 49: } 50:  51: [HttpPost] 52: public JsonResult Commit() 53: { 54: var error = string.Empty; 55: try 56: { 57: var name = Request.Form["name"]; 58: var list = Request.Form["list"]; 59: var ids = list 60: .Split(',') 61: .Where(id => !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(id)) 62: .Select(id => Convert.ToBase64String(BitConverter.GetBytes(int.Parse(id)))) 63: .ToArray(); 64:  65: var container = _client.GetContainerReference("test"); 66: container.CreateIfNotExists(); 67: var blob = container.GetBlockBlobReference(name); 68: blob.PutBlockList(ids); 69: } 70: catch (Exception e) 71: { 72: error = e.ToString(); 73: } 74:  75: return new JsonResult() 76: { 77: Data = new 78: { 79: success = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(error), 80: error = error 81: } 82: }; 83: } 84: } And if we selected a file from the browser we will see our application will upload chunks in the size we specified to the server through ajax call in background, and then commit all chunks in one blob. Then we can find the blob in our Windows Azure Blob Storage.   Optimized by Parallel Upload In previous example we just uploaded our file in chunks. This solved the problem that ASP.NET MVC request content size limitation as well as the Windows Azure load balancer timeout. But it might introduce the performance problem since we uploaded chunks in sequence. In order to improve the upload performance we could modify our client side code a bit to make the upload operation invoked in parallel. The good news is that, “async.js” library provides the parallel execution function. If you remembered the code we invoke the service to upload chunks, it utilized “async.series” which means all functions will be executed in sequence. Now we will change this code to “async.parallel”. This will invoke all functions in parallel. 1: $("#upload_button_blob").click(function () { 2: // assert the browser support html5 3: ... ... 4: // start to upload each files in chunks 5: var files = $("#upload_files")[0].files; 6: for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) { 7: var file = files[i]; 8: var fileSize = file.size; 9: var fileName = file.name; 10: // calculate the start and end byte index for each blocks(chunks) 11: // with the index, file name and index list for future using 12: ... ... 13: // define the function array and push all chunk upload operation into this array 14: ... ... 15: // invoke the functions one by one 16: // then invoke the commit ajax call to put blocks into blob in azure storage 17: async.parallel(putBlocks, function (error, result) { 18: var data = { 19: name: fileName, 20: list: list 21: }; 22: $.post("/Home/Commit", data, function (result) { 23: if (!result.success) { 24: alert(result.error); 25: } 26: else { 27: alert("done!"); 28: } 29: }); 30: }); 31: } 32: }); In this way all chunks will be uploaded to the server side at the same time to maximize the bandwidth usage. This should work if the file was not very large and the chunk size was not very small. But for large file this might introduce another problem that too many ajax calls are sent to the server at the same time. So the best solution should be, upload the chunks in parallel with maximum concurrency limitation. The code below specified the concurrency limitation to 4, which means at the most only 4 ajax calls could be invoked at the same time. 1: $("#upload_button_blob").click(function () { 2: // assert the browser support html5 3: ... ... 4: // start to upload each files in chunks 5: var files = $("#upload_files")[0].files; 6: for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) { 7: var file = files[i]; 8: var fileSize = file.size; 9: var fileName = file.name; 10: // calculate the start and end byte index for each blocks(chunks) 11: // with the index, file name and index list for future using 12: ... ... 13: // define the function array and push all chunk upload operation into this array 14: ... ... 15: // invoke the functions one by one 16: // then invoke the commit ajax call to put blocks into blob in azure storage 17: async.parallelLimit(putBlocks, 4, function (error, result) { 18: var data = { 19: name: fileName, 20: list: list 21: }; 22: $.post("/Home/Commit", data, function (result) { 23: if (!result.success) { 24: alert(result.error); 25: } 26: else { 27: alert("done!"); 28: } 29: }); 30: }); 31: } 32: });   Summary In this post we discussed how to upload files in chunks to the backend service and then upload them into Windows Azure Blob Storage in blocks. We focused on the frontend side and leverage three new feature introduced in HTML 5 which are - File.slice: Read part of the file by specifying the start and end byte index. - Blob: File-like interface which contains the part of the file content. - FormData: Temporary form element that we can pass the chunk alone with some metadata to the backend service. Then we discussed the performance consideration of chunk uploading. Sequence upload cannot provide maximized upload speed, but the unlimited parallel upload might crash the browser and server if too many chunks. So we finally came up with the solution to upload chunks in parallel with the concurrency limitation. We also demonstrated how to utilize “async.js” JavaScript library to help us control the asynchronize call and the parallel limitation.   Regarding the chunk size and the parallel limitation value there is no “best” value. You need to test vary composition and find out the best one for your particular scenario. It depends on the local bandwidth, client machine cores and the server side (Windows Azure Cloud Service Virtual Machine) cores, memory and bandwidth. Below is one of my performance test result. The client machine was Windows 8 IE 10 with 4 cores. I was using Microsoft Cooperation Network. The web site was hosted on Windows Azure China North data center (in Beijing) with one small web role (1.7GB 1 core CPU, 1.75GB memory with 100Mbps bandwidth). The test cases were - Chunk size: 512KB, 1MB, 2MB, 4MB. - Upload Mode: Sequence, parallel (unlimited), parallel with limit (4 threads, 8 threads). - Chunk Format: base64 string, binaries. - Target file: 100MB. - Each case was tested 3 times. Below is the test result chart. Some thoughts, but not guidance or best practice: - Parallel gets better performance than series. - No significant performance improvement between parallel 4 threads and 8 threads. - Transform with binaries provides better performance than base64. - In all cases, chunk size in 1MB - 2MB gets better performance.   Hope this helps, Shaun All documents and related graphics, codes are provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind. Copyright © Shaun Ziyan Xu. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons License.

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  • Enable Media Streaming in Windows Home Server to Windows Media Player

    - by Mysticgeek
    One of the cool features of Windows Home Server is the ability to stream photos, music, and video to other computers on your network. Today we take a look at how to enable streaming in WHS to Windows Media Player in Vista and Windows 7. Turn on Media Streaming on WHS To enable Media Streaming from Windows Home Server, open the Windows Home Server Console and click on Settings. Now in the Setting screen select Media Sharing, then in the right column under Media Library Sharing turn on Library Sharing for the folders you want to stream.   If you have a Windows 7 machine on your network make sure media streaming is enabled. You should then see the server under Other Libraries and can start streaming your media collection.   Stream Video to Media Player 11 Now let’s say you want to stream videos to another member of your household who’s using a Vista machine in another room through Windows Media Player 11. Open WMP and click on Library then Media Sharing. Now click the box next to Find media that others are sharing then click Ok. Now you should see the server listed under Library…where in this example it’s geekserver. Since we only enabled Video streaming for this example, we need to click on the category icon and select Video. Now you can scroll through the available videos… And start enjoying your favorite videos streamed from the server through WMP 11 on Vista. Of course you can use this method to stream photos and music as well, you just need to enable what you want to stream from the Home Server Console. You can also stream your media to Windows Media Center and Xbox which we will be covering soon. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Share Digital Media With Other Computers on a Home Network with Windows 7Fixing When Windows Media Player Library Won’t Let You Add FilesGMedia Blog: Setting Up a Windows Home ServerShare and Stream Digital Media Between Windows 7 Machines On Your Home NetworkInstalling Windows Media Player Plugin for Firefox 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 Need to Come Up with a Good Name? Try Wordoid StockFox puts a Lightweight Stock Ticker in your Statusbar Explore Google Public Data Visually The Ultimate Excel Cheatsheet Convert the Quick Launch Bar into a Super Application Launcher Automate Tasks in Linux with Crontab

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  • Windows 8.1 fresh install with Windows 8 licence

    - by typ1232
    I purchased Windows 8 online from Microsoft a while ago. Today Windows 8.1 was released as a free update to Windows 8 users over the Windows Store. I was planning to do a fresh install of Windows 8.1 to have a clean system again and UEFI support because I got new hardware since the Windows 8 installation. So my questions are: Where do I get the ISO installation medium for Windows 8.1 64-bit? I tried this microsoft site where I initially got my Windows 8 ISO from, but when entering my Windows 8 key in the Windows 8.1 installer, it says the key is wrong. Even if I get the ISO, will my old key work? I'm concerned because it didn't work in their installer (see previous point) Do they seriously want me to reinstall Windows 8 and after that upgrade to Windows 8.1 through their Store?!

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  • Microsoft Management Console stops working when I add snap-in to it

    - by JayaprakashReddy
    I have Windows 7 Ultimate OS. I'm opening mmc.exe as administrator and trying add Certificates or any other snap-in, then while loading that snap-in MMC breaks and displays following message and after that it closes automatically once I click on close button on that message. What could be the problem? I did following to fix the problem but couldn't succeed any of these: I tried to repair the OS I repaired files using this method Even repaired the installation using this link Update: *@oldskool: Here is the debug process output:* Sorry its a long output text. 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\mmc.exe', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ntdll.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\kernel32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\KernelBase.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\gdi32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\user32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\lpk.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\usp10.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\msvcrt.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\mfc42u.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ole32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\rpcrt4.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\oleaut32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\odbc32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\advapi32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\sechost.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\mmcbase.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\shlwapi.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\uxtheme.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\duser.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\imm32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\msctf.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\odbcint.dll', Binary was not built with debug information. 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dui70.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.7600.16661_none_420fe3fa2b8113bd\comctl32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\shell32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\cryptbase.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\urlmon.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wininet.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\iertutil.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\crypt32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\msasn1.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\clbcatq.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\mmcndmgr.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dwmapi.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\oleacc.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\cryptsp.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\rsaenh.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\RpcRtRemote.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\mlang.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\xmllite.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\version.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\apphelp.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\msi.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\SDK\v2.0\Bin\mscormmc.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\mscoree.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft.vc80.crt_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.4927_none_d08a205e442db5b5\msvcr80.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\azroleui.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\atl.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\secur32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\netutils.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dsrole.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\logoncli.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dsuiext.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ntdsapi.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ws2_32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\nsi.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\activeds.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\adsldpc.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\Wldap32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\mpr.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\netapi32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\srvcli.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wkscli.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\certmgr.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\certcli.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\CertEnroll.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\cryptui.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ncrypt.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\bcrypt.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wintrust.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\imagehlp.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\sspicli.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\aclui.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\IPHLPAPI.DLL', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\winnsi.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\slc.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\comsnap.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\mfc42.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\mycomput.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\devmgr.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\setupapi.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\cfgmgr32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\devobj.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\devrtl.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\newdev.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dmdskmgr.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dmutil.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dmdskres.dll', Binary was not built with debug information. 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dmdskres2.dll', Binary was not built with debug information. 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\gpedit.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dssec.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\authz.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dfscli.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\samcli.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\gpapi.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\framedynos.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wtsapi32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ipsmsnap.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\winipsec.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\userenv.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\profapi.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ipsecsnp.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\polstore.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\localsec.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wdc.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\pdh.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\pdhui.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\comdlg32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\credui.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wevtapi.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\pla.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\tdh.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\winsta.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\utildll.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\browcli.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\vdmdbg.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\pmcsnap.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\winspool.drv', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\puiapi.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wsecedit.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\scecli.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\filemgmt.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\SqlManager.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft.vc80.mfc_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.4053_none_cbf21254470d8752\mfc80u.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft.vc80.crt_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.4927_none_d08a205e442db5b5\msvcp80.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft.vc80.atl_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.4053_none_d1c738ec43578ea1\ATL80.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_5.82.7600.16661_none_ebfb56996c72aefc\comctl32.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft.vc80.mfcloc_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.4053_none_03ca5532205cb096\mfc80ENU.dll', Binary was not built with debug information. 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\Resources\1033\SqlManager.rll', Binary was not built with debug information. 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\msxml6.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\Binn\SqlManager.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file 'mmc.exe': Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wbem\wbemcntl.dll', Cannot find or open the PDB file The thread 'Win32 Thread' (0xf74) has exited with code 0 (0x0). Unhandled exception at 0x774d35e3 in mmc.exe: 0xC0000374: A heap has been corrupted.

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  • Windows 8 Live Accounts and the actual Windows Account

    - by Rick Strahl
    As if Windows Security wasn't confusing enough, in Windows 8 we get thrown yet another curve ball with Windows Live accounts to logon. When I set up my Windows 8 machine I originally set it up with a 'real', non-live account that I always use on my Windows machines. I did this mainly so I have a matching account for resources around my home and intranet network so I could log on to network resources properly. At some point later I decided to set up Windows Live security just to see how changes things. Windows wants you to use Windows Live Windows 8 logins are required in order for the Windows RT account info to work. Not that I care - since installing Windows 8 I've maybe spent 10 minutes with Windows RT because - well it's pretty freaking sucky on the desktop. From shitty apps to mis-managed screen real estate I can't say that there's anything compelling there to date, but then I haven't looked that hard either. Anyway… I set up the Windows Live account to see if that changes things. It does - I do get all my live logins to work from Live Account so that Twitter and Facebook posts and pictures and calendars all show up on live tiles on the start screen and in the actual apps. That's nice-ish, but hardly that exciting given that all of the apps tied to those live tiles are average at best. And it would have been nice if all of this could be done without being forced into running with a Windows Live User Account - this all feels like strong-arming you into moving into Microsofts walled garden… and that's probably what it's meant to do. Who am I? The real problem to me though is that these Windows Live and raw Windows User accounts are a bit unpredictable especially when it comes to developer information about the account and which credentials to use. So for example Windows reports folder security like this: Notice it's showing my Windows Live account. Now if I go to Edit and try to add my Windows user account (rstrahl) it'll just automatically show up as the live account. On the other hand though the underlying system sees everything as my real Windows account. After I switched to a Windows Live login account and I have to login to Windows with my Live account, what do you suppose this returns?Console.WriteLine(Environment.UserName); It returns my raw Windows user account (rstrahl). All my permissions, all my actual settings and the desktop console altogether run under that account. If I look in TaskManager (or Process Explorer for me) I see: Everything running on the desktop shell with my login running under my Windows user account. I suppose it makes sense, but where is that association happening? When I switched to a Windows Live account, nowhere did I associate my real account with the Live account - it just happened. And looking through the account configuration dialogs I can't find any reference to the raw Windows account. Other than switching back I see no mention anywhere of the raw Windows account - everything refers to the Live account. Right then, clear as potato soup! So this is who you really are! The problem is that in some situations this schizophrenic account behavior gets a bit weird. Today I was running a local Web application in IIS that uses Windows Authentication - I tried to log-in with my real Windows account login because that's what I'm used to using with WINDOWS freaking Authentication through IIS. But… it failed. I checked my IIS settings, my apps login settings and I just could not for the life of me get into the site with my Windows username. That is until I finally realized that I should try using my Windows Live credentials instead. And that worked. So now in this Windows Authentication dialog I had to type in my Live ID and password, which is - just weird. Then in IIS if I look at a Trace page (or in my case my app's Status page) I see that the logged on account is - my Windows user account. What's really annoying about this is that in some places it uses the live account in other places it uses my Windows account. If I remote desktop into my Web server online - I have to use the local authentication dialog but I have to put in my real Windows credentials not the Live account. Oh yes, it's all so terribly intuitive and logical… So in summary, when you log on with a Live account you are actually mapped to an underlying Windows user. In any application if you check the user name it'll be the underlying user account (not sure what happens in a Windows RT app or even what mechanism is used there to get the user name info).  When logging on to local machine resource with user name and password you have to use your Live IDs even if the permissions on the resources are mapped to your underlying Windows account. Easy enough I suppose, but still not exactly intuitive behavior…© Rick Strahl, West Wind Technologies, 2005-2012Posted in Windows   Tweet !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })();

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  • Windows Ce 6.0 loses Windows credentials when viewing a web site that's running on Windows 2008 server

    - by gnomixa
    When a user views a web page (with integrated Windows authentication) on WindowsCE 6.0 device, the authentication is lost sporadically. The page being viewed is running on Windows 2008 server. We never had the same issue with Windows 2003 server. The credentials were being asked once and cached for a certain time. My question is: has anything changed in Windows 2008 that doesn't pass the credentials the same way to WindowsCE? The only variable in this scenario is the web server OS - Windows 2003 vs WIndows 2008. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

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  • SQL SERVER – 2008 – Unused Index Script – Download

    - by pinaldave
    Download Missing Index Script with Unused Index Script Performance Tuning is quite interesting and Index plays a vital role in it. A proper index can improve the performance and a bad index can hamper the performance. Here is the script from my script bank which I use to identify unused indexes on any database. Please note, if you should not drop all the unused indexes this script suggest. This is just for guidance. You should not create more than 5-10 indexes per table. Additionally, this script sometime does not give accurate information so use your common sense. Any way, the scripts is good starting point. You should pay attention to User Scan, User Lookup and User Update when you are going to drop index. The generic understanding is if this values are all high and User Seek is low, the index needs tuning. The index drop script is also provided in the last column. Download Missing Index Script with Unused Index Script -- Unused Index Script -- Original Author: Pinal Dave (C) 2011 SELECT TOP 25 o.name AS ObjectName , i.name AS IndexName , i.index_id AS IndexID , dm_ius.user_seeks AS UserSeek , dm_ius.user_scans AS UserScans , dm_ius.user_lookups AS UserLookups , dm_ius.user_updates AS UserUpdates , p.TableRows , 'DROP INDEX ' + QUOTENAME(i.name) + ' ON ' + QUOTENAME(s.name) + '.' + QUOTENAME(OBJECT_NAME(dm_ius.OBJECT_ID)) AS 'drop statement' FROM sys.dm_db_index_usage_stats dm_ius INNER JOIN sys.indexes i ON i.index_id = dm_ius.index_id AND dm_ius.OBJECT_ID = i.OBJECT_ID INNER JOIN sys.objects o ON dm_ius.OBJECT_ID = o.OBJECT_ID INNER JOIN sys.schemas s ON o.schema_id = s.schema_id INNER JOIN (SELECT SUM(p.rows) TableRows, p.index_id, p.OBJECT_ID FROM sys.partitions p GROUP BY p.index_id, p.OBJECT_ID) p ON p.index_id = dm_ius.index_id AND dm_ius.OBJECT_ID = p.OBJECT_ID WHERE OBJECTPROPERTY(dm_ius.OBJECT_ID,'IsUserTable') = 1 AND dm_ius.database_id = DB_ID() AND i.type_desc = 'nonclustered' AND i.is_primary_key = 0 AND i.is_unique_constraint = 0 ORDER BY (dm_ius.user_seeks + dm_ius.user_scans + dm_ius.user_lookups) ASC GO Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Pinal Dave, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Download, SQL Index, SQL Performance, SQL Query, SQL Scripts, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology

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  • Download, Install, and Update Metro-Style Apps from the Windows Store in Windows 8

    - by Lori Kaufman
    The Windows Store is similar to the app stores for Apple iOS and Android devices and Windows phones. It allows you to buy and download both free and paid Metro-style apps for Windows 8. When you purchase an app from the Windows Store, it can be installed on up to five Windows PCs or tablets. A Microsoft email account is also required to download and install apps from the Windows store. NOTE: How-To Geek has released a Geek Trivia app for Windows 8. For more information about the app and for a link to download it, see our article. This article shows you how to download, install, and update Metro-style apps from the Windows Store. We also show you how to uninstall an app from the Metro Start screen. Why Enabling “Do Not Track” Doesn’t Stop You From Being Tracked HTG Explains: What is the Windows Page File and Should You Disable It? How To Get a Better Wireless Signal and Reduce Wireless Network Interference

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  • Perform Unit Conversions with the Windows 7 Calculator

    - by Matthew Guay
    Want to easily convert area, volume, temperature, and many other units?  With the Calculator in Windows 7, it’s easy to convert most any unit into another. The New Calculator in Windows 7 Calculator received a visual overhaul in Windows 7, but at first glance it doesn’t seem to have any new functionality.  Here’s Windows 7’s Calculator on the left, with Vista’s calculator on the right.   But, looks can be deceiving.  Window’s 7’s calculator has lots of new exciting features.  Let’s try them out.  Simply type Calculator in the start menu search. To uncover the new features, click the View menu.  Here you can select many different modes, including Unit Conversion mode which we will look at. When you select the Unit Conversion mode, the Calculator will expand with a form on the left side. This conversions pane has 3 drop-down menus.  From the top one, select the type of unit you want to convert. In the next two menus, select which values you wish to convert to and from.  For instance, here we selected Temperature in the first menu, Degrees Fahrenheit in the second menu, and Degrees Celsius in the third menu. Enter the value you wish to convert in the From box, and the conversion will automatically appear in the bottom box. The Calculator contains dozens of conversion values, including more uncommon ones.  So if you’ve ever wanted to know how many US gallons are in a UK gallon, or how many knots a supersonic jet travels in an hour, this is a great tool for you!   Conclusion Windows 7 is filled with little changes that give you an all-around better experience in Windows to help you work more efficiently and productively.  With the new features in the Calculator, you just might feel a little smarter, too! Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Add Windows Calculator to the Excel 2007 Quick Launch ToolbarEnjoy Quick & Easy Unit Conversion with Convert for WindowsCalculate with Qalculate on LinuxDisable the Annoying “This device can perform faster” Balloon Message in Windows 7Get stats on your Ruby on Rails code 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 Install, Remove and HIDE Fonts in Windows 7 Need Help with Your Home Network? Awesome Lyrics Finder for Winamp & Windows Media Player Download Videos from Hulu Pixels invade Manhattan Convert PDF files to ePub to read on your iPad

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  • Can I do a "one-time" file content search in Windows Server 2008 without adding the folder to the index?

    - by G-.
    Can I search for files which contain a specific string in a folder if that folder is not in the search index? So, lets say folder 'textFiles' is not in the index. I navigate to this folder in windows explorer. I type '.ini' in the search box I want to see a result list containing only 'b.txt' FOLDER C:\textFiles\ FILE a.php CONTENT once twice thrice mice moose monkey FILE b.txt CONTENT mingle muddle middle.ini banana beer FILE c.spo CONTENT sellotape stapler phone book I do not have permission to add folders to the windows index and I do not have permission to install or run any executables that did not ship with the server or approved applications. I'd be happy with a windows native command line solution if necessary? Thanks G

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  • Search Files (Preferably with index) on Windows 2000 Server

    - by ThinkBohemian
    I have many files on a windows server 2000 machine that is setup to act as a networked disk drive, is there anyway I can index the files and make that index available as a search to more people than just me? Bonus if the index can look inside of documents such as readme.txt? If there is no easy way to do this globaly (for all users) Is there a way I could generate and store an index locally on my computer? If this is the wrong place to ask this question, any advice on community more suited?

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  • Real User Experience Insight: Oracle’s Approach to User Experience

    - by JuergenKress
    This self-study course is the first in a series about Oracle Real User Experience Insight. Intended for a broad, general audience, this course begins with a discussion on why user experience is important, followed by Oracle’s approach to user experience. Next, several use cases for Real User Experience Insight is presented. The course ends by showing how Real User Experience Insight is integrated with Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c. This course is a suggested prerequisite for the other two self-studies in this series, one that focuses on basic navigation, data structures and workflows, and the other that focuses on best practices in deployment. SOA & BPM Partner Community For regular information on Oracle SOA Suite become a member in the SOA & BPM Partner Community for registration please visit  www.oracle.com/goto/emea/soa (OPN account required) If you need support with your account please contact the Oracle Partner Business Center. Blog Twitter LinkedIn Mix Forum Technorati Tags: real user experience,education,training,SOA Community,Oracle SOA,Oracle BPM,Community,OPN,Jürgen Kress

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  • Quickly Preview Songs in Windows Media Center 12 in Windows 7

    - by DigitalGeekery
    Do you ever wish you could quickly preview a song without having to play it? Today we look at a quick and easy way to do that in Windows Media Player 12. Open Windows Media Player in Library Mode and select your Music library. Hover your cursor over the Title of the song and a Preview pop-up window will appear after a few seconds.    Click on the Preview in the pop-up window and the song will begin to play. As the preview begins to play, you will see the Skip link and a song timer. Click on Skip to jump ahead 15 seconds in the song. When you are finished previewing the song, simply move your mouse away from the preview window to stop playback. Automatically Preview Songs You can adjust settings in Windows Media Player to automatically preview songs when you hover your cursor over the title. Select Tools  from the menu and click Options. On the Options window, select the Library tab and click on Automatically preview songs on title hover. Click OK.   Now when you simply hover your cursor over the song title the preview window will appear and playback will begin automatically. This feature works just as well in Details view as it does in Expanded Tile view. Would you like to stream your music to other computers on your network? Check out our article on how to stream media to other Windows 7 computers. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Using Netflix Watchnow in Windows Vista Media Center (Gmedia)Add Color Coding to Windows 7 Media Center Program GuideSchedule Updates for Windows Media CenterIntegrate Hulu Desktop and Windows Media Center in Windows 7Integrate Boxee with Media Center in Windows 7 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 Follow Finder Finds You Twitter Users To Follow Combine MP3 Files Easily QuicklyCode Provides Cheatsheets & Other Programming Stuff Download Free MP3s from Amazon Awe inspiring, inter-galactic theme (Win 7) Case Study – How to Optimize Popular Wordpress Sites

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  • SQL SERVER – 2008 – Missing Index Script – Download

    - by pinaldave
    Download Missing Index Script with Unused Index Script Performance Tuning is quite interesting and Index plays a vital role in it. A proper index can improve the performance and a bad index can hamper the performance. Here is the script from my script bank which I use to identify missing indexes on any database. Please note, if you should not create all the missing indexes this script suggest. This is just for guidance. You should not create more than 5-10 indexes per table. Additionally, this script sometime does not give accurate information so use your common sense. Any way, the scripts is good starting point. You should pay attention to Avg_Estimated_Impact when you are going to create index. The index creation script is also provided in the last column. Download Missing Index Script with Unused Index Script -- Missing Index Script -- Original Author: Pinal Dave (C) 2011 SELECT TOP 25 dm_mid.database_id AS DatabaseID, dm_migs.avg_user_impact*(dm_migs.user_seeks+dm_migs.user_scans) Avg_Estimated_Impact, dm_migs.last_user_seek AS Last_User_Seek, OBJECT_NAME(dm_mid.OBJECT_ID,dm_mid.database_id) AS [TableName], 'CREATE INDEX [IX_' + OBJECT_NAME(dm_mid.OBJECT_ID,dm_mid.database_id) + '_' + REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(ISNULL(dm_mid.equality_columns,''),', ','_'),'[',''),']','') + CASE WHEN dm_mid.equality_columns IS NOT NULL AND dm_mid.inequality_columns IS NOT NULL THEN '_' ELSE '' END + REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(ISNULL(dm_mid.inequality_columns,''),', ','_'),'[',''),']','') + ']' + ' ON ' + dm_mid.statement + ' (' + ISNULL (dm_mid.equality_columns,'') + CASE WHEN dm_mid.equality_columns IS NOT NULL AND dm_mid.inequality_columns IS NOT NULL THEN ',' ELSE '' END + ISNULL (dm_mid.inequality_columns, '') + ')' + ISNULL (' INCLUDE (' + dm_mid.included_columns + ')', '') AS Create_Statement FROM sys.dm_db_missing_index_groups dm_mig INNER JOIN sys.dm_db_missing_index_group_stats dm_migs ON dm_migs.group_handle = dm_mig.index_group_handle INNER JOIN sys.dm_db_missing_index_details dm_mid ON dm_mig.index_handle = dm_mid.index_handle WHERE dm_mid.database_ID = DB_ID() ORDER BY Avg_Estimated_Impact DESC GO Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Pinal Dave, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Download, SQL Index, SQL Query, SQL Scripts, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology

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  • Macbook Pro Triple Boot OS X Lion, Windows 7 and Windows 8

    - by Lloyd Sparkes
    MacBook Pro (Summer 2010 Model, Basic Model) I currently have OS X Lion and Windows 7 running side by side on my MacBook Pro. However I have a need to get Windows 8 running as well in this mix (a Virtual Machine is not good enough, I need the performance). I have created a suitably sized parition (80GB) that is recognizable in Boot Camp. However every time I try to boot from the USB stick (that worked to install Windows 8 on my PC) using the latest version of rEFIt, it just boots Windows 7 and not the Windows 8 installer. I cannot start the installation within Windows 7 as it will just install over Windows 7. I'm guessing the Boot Camp emulation is doing something werid to stop the "Press any key to install Windows..." message from appearing (which should happen if the installer detects Windows is already installed (e.g. if you left your install disk in). Is there a way to get around this / force the installer to start? (Note I cannot start the Windows 7 installer either if I wanted to install a second copy of Windows 7 to upgrade to Windows 8)

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  • Using ClearType Tuner in Windows 7

    - by Mysticgeek
    Back in Windows XP there was an important Power toy created to enable ClearType for users of LCD screens. Now it’s standard in Windows 7, but you may not know about it. So let’s take a look. Access Clear Type in Windows 7 Click on the Start Menu and type cleartype into the search box and hit Enter. It should be enabled by default, but if not just check the box to enable it. Now, in the next step, you can enable it for two or more monitors if you have them. Or you could select an individual one if it works best for one but not another. Some people might want it turned off if they have a CRT and a LCD monitor for example. Now you can go through the wizard and pick out what resolution works best for the monitor(s) you choose.   Just select the text in each step that looks best for you. Then finish it out… This is a cool trick you may not have known about that already exists in Windows 7, and it can definitely help you get the best look of the text on each screen if you’re using different monitors! You may have to experiment with some different settings to get what works best for you. If you’re using Vista or XP check out our article on tuning clear type font settings in Vista/XP. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Tune Your ClearType Font Settings in Windows VistaGeek Tip: Be Sure to Enable ClearType in Your XP Virtual MachineListen to Local FM Radio in Windows 7 Media CenterWhy Do My Windows Vista Fonts Look Horrible?Roundup: 16 Tweaks to Windows Vista Look & Feel 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 Need Help with Your Home Network? Awesome Lyrics Finder for Winamp & Windows Media Player Download Videos from Hulu Pixels invade Manhattan Convert PDF files to ePub to read on your iPad Hide Your Confidential Files Inside Images

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  • How to Play FLAC Files in Windows 7 Media Center & Player

    - by Mysticgeek
    An annoyance for music lovers who enjoy FLAC format, is there’s no native support for WMP or WMC. If you’re a music enthusiast who prefers FLAC format, we’ll look at adding support to Windows 7 Media Center and Player. For the following article we are using Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit edition. Download and Install madFLAC v1.8 The first thing we need to do is download and install the madFLAC v1.8 decoder (link below). Just unzip the file and run install.bat… You’ll get a message that it has been successfully registered, click Ok. To verify everything is working, open up one of your FLAC files with WMP, and you’ll get the following message. Check the box Don’t ask me again for this extension and click Yes. Now Media Player should play the track you’ve chosen.   Delete Current Music Library But what if you want to add your entire collection of FLAC files to the Library? If you already have it set up as your default music player, unfortunately we need to remove the current library and delete the database. The best way to manage the music library in Windows 7 is via WMP 12. Since we don’t want to delete songs from the computer we need to Open WMP, press “Alt+T” and navigate to Tools \ Options \ Library.   Now uncheck the box Delete files from computer when deleted from library and click Ok. Now in your Library click “Ctrl + A” to highlight all of the songs in the Library, then hit the “Delete” key. If you have a lot of songs in your library (like on our system) you’ll see the following dialog box while it collects all of the information.   After all of the data is collected, make sure the radio button next to Delete from library only is marked and click Ok. Again you’ll see the Working progress window while the songs are deleted. Deleting Current Database Now we need to make sure we’re starting out fresh. Close out of Media Player, then we’ll basically follow the same directions The Geek pointed out for fixing the WMP Library. Click on Start and type in services.msc into the search box and hit Enter. Now scroll down and stop the service named Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service. Now, navigate to the following directory and the main file to delete CurrentDatabase_372.wmdb %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Media Player\ Again, the main file to delete is CurrentDatabase_372.wmdb, though if you want, you can delete them all. If you’re uneasy about deleting these files, make sure to back them up first. Now after you restart WMP you can begin adding your FLAC files. For those of us with large collections, it’s extremely annoying to see WMP try to pick up all of your media by default. To delete the other directories go to Organize \ Manage Libraries then open the directories you want to remove. For example here we’re removing the default libraries it tries to check for music. Remove the directories you don’t want it to gather contents from in each of the categories. We removed all of the other collections and only added the FLAC music directory from our home server. SoftPointer Tag Support Plugin Even though we were able to get FLAC files to play in WMP and WMC at this point, there’s another utility from SoftPointer to add. It enables FLAC (and other file formats) to be picked up in the library much easier. It has a long name but is effective –M4a/FLAC/Ogg/Ape/Mpc Tag Support Plugin for Media Player and Media Center (link below). Just install it by accepting the defaults, and you’ll be glad you did. After installing it, and re-launching Media Player, give it some time to collect all of the data from your FLAC directory…it can take a while. In fact, if your collection is huge, just walk away and let it do its thing. If you try to use it right away, WMP slows down considerably while updating the library.   Once the library is setup you’ll be able to play your FLAC tunes in Windows 7 Media Center as well and Windows Media Player 12.   Album Art One caveat is that some of our albums didn’t show any cover art. But we were usually able to get it by right-clicking the album and selecting Find album info.   Then confirming the album information is correct…   Conclusion Although this seems like several steps to go through to play FLAC files in Windows 7 Media Center and Player, it seems to work really well after it’s set up. We haven’t tried this with a 64-bit machine, but the process should be similar, but you might want to make sure the codecs you use are 64-bit. We’re sure there are other methods out there that some of you use, and if so leave us a comment and tell us about it. Download madFlac V1.8  M4a/FLAC/Ogg/Ape/Mpc Tag Support Plugin for Media Player and Media Center from SoftPointer Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips How to Play .OGM Video Files in Windows VistaFixing When Windows Media Player Library Won’t Let You Add FilesUsing Netflix Watchnow in Windows Vista Media Center (Gmedia)Kantaris is a Unique Media Player Based on VLCEasily Change Audio File Formats with XRECODE 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 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 Geek Parents – Did you try Parental Controls in Windows 7?

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  • Installing Windows 8 over Windows 7 with Ubuntu installed using wubi (both on `C:\`)

    - by peat-ar
    Current state I'm using both - Ubuntu (installed via Wubi on the same drive as Windows) and Windows 7 - quite frequently. I just bought the upgrade to Windows 8 and was curious to try it out, however I'm quite insecure whether Windows 8's "secure boot" will exclude my current Ubuntu installation and if it's even possible to keep it. So... is there any way to upgrade to Windows 8 without overwriting Ubuntu? (I really don't want to reinstall it, as a lot of customization has been done here and taking backups and all would get pretty wearing (same case for Windows 7 - if possible, I'd like to keep my files)) This is not a dublicate of Installing Windows 8 over Windows 7 with Ubuntu installed using wubi? because this question only deals with the case when Ubuntu has been installed on (e.g.) D:\ (while Windows is being installed on C:\)

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  • 8 Reasons Why Even Microsoft Agrees the Windows Desktop is a Nightmare

    - by Chris Hoffman
    Let’s be honest: The Windows desktop is a mess. Sure, it’s extremely powerful and has a huge software library, but it’s not a good experience for average people. It’s not even a good experience for geeks, although we tolerate it. Even Microsoft agrees about this. Microsoft’s Surface tablets with Windows RT don’t support any third-party desktop apps. They consider this a feature — users can’t install malware and other desktop junk, so the system will always be speedy and secure. Malware is Still Common Malware may not affect geeks, but it certainly continues to affect average people. Securing Windows, keeping it secure, and avoiding unsafe programs is a complex process. There are over 50 different file extensions that can contain harmful code to keep track of. It’s easy to have theoretical discussions about how malware could infect Mac computers, Android devices, and other systems. But Mac malware is extremely rare, and has  generally been caused by problem with the terrible Java plug-in. Macs are configured to only run executables from identified developers by default, whereas Windows will run everything. Android malware is talked about a lot, but Android malware is rare in the real world and is generally confined to users who disable security protections and install pirated apps. Google has also taken action, rolling out built-in antivirus-like app checking to all Android devices, even old ones running Android 2.3, via Play Services. Whatever the reason, Windows malware is still common while malware for other systems isn’t. We all know it — anyone who does tech support for average users has dealt with infected Windows computers. Even users who can avoid malware are stuck dealing with complex and nagging antivirus programs, especially since it’s now so difficult to trust Microsoft’s antivirus products. Manufacturer-Installed Bloatware is Terrible Sit down with a new Mac, Chromebook, iPad, Android tablet, Linux laptop, or even a Surface running Windows RT and you can enjoy using your new device. The system is a clean slate for you to start exploring and installing your new software. Sit down with a new Windows PC and the system is a mess. Rather than be delighted, you’re stuck reinstalling Windows and then installing the necessary drivers or you’re forced to start uninstalling useless bloatware programs one-by-one, trying to figure out which ones are actually useful. After uninstalling the useless programs, you may end up with a system tray full of icons for ten different hardware utilities anyway. The first experience of using a new Windows PC is frustration, not delight. Yes, bloatware is still a problem on Windows 8 PCs. Manufacturers can customize the Refresh image, preventing bloatware rom easily being removed. Finding a Desktop Program is Dangerous Want to install a Windows desktop program? Well, you’ll have to head to your web browser and start searching. It’s up to you, the user, to know which programs are safe and which are dangerous. Even if you find a website for a reputable program, the advertisements on that page will often try to trick you into downloading fake installers full of adware. While it’s great to have the ability to leave the app store and get software that the platform’s owner hasn’t approved — as on Android — this is no excuse for not providing a good, secure software installation experience for typical users installing typical programs. Even Reputable Desktop Programs Try to Install Junk Even if you do find an entirely reputable program, you’ll have to keep your eyes open while installing it. It will likely try to install adware, add browse toolbars, change your default search engine, or change your web browser’s home page. Even Microsoft’s own programs do this — when you install Skype for Windows desktop, it will attempt to modify your browser settings t ouse Bing, even if you’re specially chosen another search engine and home page. With Microsoft setting such an example, it’s no surprise so many other software developers have followed suit. Geeks know how to avoid this stuff, but there’s a reason program installers continue to do this. It works and tricks many users, who end up with junk installed and settings changed. The Update Process is Confusing On iOS, Android, and Windows RT, software updates come from a single place — the app store. On Linux, software updates come from the package manager. On Mac OS X, typical users’ software updates likely come from the Mac App Store. On the Windows desktop, software updates come from… well, every program has to create its own update mechanism. Users have to keep track of all these updaters and make sure their software is up-to-date. Most programs now have their act together and automatically update by default, but users who have old versions of Flash and Adobe Reader installed are vulnerable until they realize their software isn’t automatically updating. Even if every program updates properly, the sheer mess of updaters is clunky, slow, and confusing in comparison to a centralized update process. Browser Plugins Open Security Holes It’s no surprise that other modern platforms like iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows RT, and Windows Phone don’t allow traditional browser plugins, or only allow Flash and build it into the system. Browser plugins provide a wealth of different ways for malicious web pages to exploit the browser and open the system to attack. Browser plugins are one of the most popular attack vectors because of how many users have out-of-date plugins and how many plugins, especially Java, seem to be designed without taking security seriously. Oracle’s Java plugin even tries to install the terrible Ask toolbar when installing security updates. That’s right — the security update process is also used to cram additional adware into users’ machines so unscrupulous companies like Oracle can make a quick buck. It’s no wonder that most Windows PCs have an out-of-date, vulnerable version of Java installed. Battery Life is Terrible Windows PCs have bad battery life compared to Macs, IOS devices, and Android tablets, all of which Windows now competes with. Even Microsoft’s own Surface Pro 2 has bad battery life. Apple’s 11-inch MacBook Air, which has very similar hardware to the Surface Pro 2, offers double its battery life when web browsing. Microsoft has been fond of blaming third-party hardware manufacturers for their poorly optimized drivers in the past, but there’s no longer any room to hide. The problem is clearly Windows. Why is this? No one really knows for sure. Perhaps Microsoft has kept on piling Windows component on top of Windows component and many older Windows components were never properly optimized. Windows Users Become Stuck on Old Windows Versions Apple’s new OS X 10.9 Mavericks upgrade is completely free to all Mac users and supports Macs going back to 2007. Apple has also announced their intention that all new releases of Mac OS X will be free. In 2007, Microsoft had just shipped Windows Vista. Macs from the Windows Vista era are being upgraded to the latest version of the Mac operating system for free, while Windows PCs from the same era are probably still using Windows Vista. There’s no easy upgrade path for these people. They’re stuck using Windows Vista and maybe even the outdated Internet Explorer 9 if they haven’t installed a third-party web browser. Microsoft’s upgrade path is for these people to pay $120 for a full copy of Windows 8.1 and go through a complicated process that’s actaully a clean install. Even users of Windows 8 devices will probably have to pay money to upgrade to Windows 9, while updates for other operating systems are completely free. If you’re a PC geek, a PC gamer, or someone who just requires specialized software that only runs on Windows, you probably use the Windows desktop and don’t want to switch. That’s fine, but it doesn’t mean the Windows desktop is actually a good experience. Much of the burden falls on average users, who have to struggle with malware, bloatware, adware bundled in installers, complex software installation processes, and out-of-date software. In return, all they get is the ability to use a web browser and some basic Office apps that they could use on almost any other platform without all the hassle. Microsoft would agree with this, touting Windows RT and their new “Windows 8-style” app platform as the solution. Why else would Microsoft, a “devices and services” company, position the Surface — a device without traditional Windows desktop programs — as their mass-market device recommended for average people? This isn’t necessarily an endorsement of Windows RT. If you’re tech support for your family members and it comes time for them to upgrade, you may want to get them off the Windows desktop and tell them to get a Mac or something else that’s simple. Better yet, if they get a Mac, you can tell them to visit the Apple Store for help instead of calling you. That’s another thing Windows PCs don’t offer — good manufacturer support. Image Credit: Blanca Stella Mejia on Flickr, Collin Andserson on Flickr, Luca Conti on Flickr     

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  • Windows 7 upgrade on XP and Vista

    - by icc97
    I am upgrading a Windows XP (32-bit) machine and a Windows Vista (32-bit) machine to Windows 7 (32-bit). The most important files and accounts are on the Windows XP machine. What I would like to do is the following: backup the XP machine using Windows Easy Transfer upgrade the Windows Vista machine to a fresh install of Windows 7 install the XP backup on the Vista machine and see if everything is working Is this possible? I would have thought its possible as once the Vista machine is upgraded to Windows 7 it should be the same as if I had upgraded the XP machine, but I don't want to waste my time if its not. Thanks

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  • Windows 7 upgrade on XP and Vista

    - by icc97
    I am upgrading a Windows XP (32-bit) machine and a Windows Vista (32-bit) machine to Windows 7 (32-bit). The most important files and accounts are on the Windows XP machine. What I would like to do is the following: backup the XP machine using Windows Easy Transfer upgrade the Windows Vista machine to a fresh install of Windows 7 install the XP backup on the Vista machine and see if everything is working Is this possible? I would have thought its possible as once the Vista machine is upgraded to Windows 7 it should be the same as if I had upgraded the XP machine, but I don't want to waste my time if its not. Thanks

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  • SQL SERVER – Generate Report for Index Physical Statistics – SSMS

    - by pinaldave
    Few days ago, I wrote about SQL SERVER – Out of the Box – Activity and Performance Reports from SSSMS (Link). A user asked me a question regarding if we can use similar reports to get the detail about Indexes. Yes, it is possible to do the same. There are similar type of reports are available at Database level, just like those available at the Server Instance level. You can right click on Database name and click Reports. Under Standard Reports, you will find following reports. Disk Usage Disk Usage by Top Tables Disk Usage by Table Disk Usage by Partition Backup and Restore Events All Transactions All Blocking Transactions Top Transactions by Age Top Transactions by Blocked Transactions Count Top Transactions by Locks Count Resource Locking Statistics by Objects Object Execute Statistics Database Consistency history Index Usage Statistics Index Physical Statistics Schema Change history User Statistics Select the Reports with name Index Physical Statistics. Once click, a report containing all the index names along with other information related to index will be visible, e.g. Index Type and number of partitions. One column that caught my interest was Operation Recommended. In some place, it suggested that index needs to be rebuilt. It is also possible to click and expand the column of partitions and see additional details about index as well. DBA and Developers who just want to have idea about how your index is and its physical statistics can use this tool. Click to Enlarge Note: Please note that I will rebuild my indexes just because this report is recommending it. There are many other parameters you need to consider before rebuilding indexes. However, this tool gives you the accurate stats of your index and it can be right away exported to Excel or PDF writing by clicking on the report. Reference : Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Pinal Dave, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Index, SQL Optimization, SQL Performance, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Server Management Studio, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQL Utility, T SQL, Technology

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  • Oracle WebCenter: Common User Experience Architecture

    - by kellsey.ruppel(at)oracle.com
    You may remember that the key goals of the new release of WebCenter are providing a Modern User Experience, unparalleled Application Integration, converging all the best of the existing portal platforms into WebCenter and delivering a Common User Experience Architecture.  In previous weeks we've provided an overview of Oracle WebCenter and discussed some of the other key goals and this week, we'll focus on how the new release of Oracle WebCenter delivers a Common User Experience Architecture.When Oracle talks about a Common User Experience Architecture, it really focuses on a core set of areas.  First, the way that information is accessed needs to be consistent and extensible so that as requirements change, the applications don't need to be rewritten for every change. Second, this information access layer needs to be securely accessible to any application, site, or any other channel that needs to leverage this information.  Third, there needs to be a consistent presentation layout, Oracle calls it a UI shell, so that all resources can fit together in a useable, productive way.  Fourth, there needs to be a common set of design patterns for how different menus, features, and services fit into this UI Shell for broad and productive usability.  Fifth, there needs to be a set of design patterns for the individual services that plug into this UI shell so that end users can move from one module of the application to another without new learning.  Finally, all of these layers need to be customizable in an easy way that insulates IT from patching and upgrading problems and allows the business owners the agility to quickly change with the market conditions.As Oracle has already announced, we will release our next generation of enterprise applications called Oracle Fusion Applications.  We have thousands of developers building these applications that all had different programming tool experience and UI design experience.  We've educated over 6,000 developers building Oracle Fusion Applications to leverage these Common User Experience Architecture patterns to speed their learning curve of the new Java standards as well as SOA principles to deliver a revolutionary new set of applications.  You could imagine the big challenge with getting all these developers with different backgrounds and different UI design skills to deliver a completely integrated application user experience.  This is why Oracle invested heavily in designing this Common User Experience Architecture, based on Oracle WebCenter and the Oracle Application Development Framework (ADF).  It pulls together the best practices and design patterns that Oracle development required in order to bring Fusion Applications to market and Oracle WebCenter is the user experience layer that all of this is surfaced through.  In this way, customers can quickly brand a deployment for new partnerships without having to redevelop a new site.  Or they can quickly add new options to the UI Shell to enable their line of business managers to quickly adapt to a new competitive product.  And with the core integration of the activities to produce a Business Activity Stream, customers are able to stay on top of all their key business actions when they happen as they happen and more importantly, the system can recommend actions or resources to help act on these activities.And we've authored this whole set of design patterns for Oracle development to take advantage of in delivering Fusion Applications.  We're also applying these design patterns to our existing eBusiness Suite, Peoplesoft, Siebel, and JD Edwards applications so that they can tie in the exact same way that Fusion Applications has been brought together.  This will provide customers with a complete Common User Experience Architecture for their entire ecosystem of applications within their enterprise whether they are from Oracle, another vender, or custom built applications. And this is all provided in the new release of Oracle WebCenter.  These design patterns cover elements around delivering a complete, aggregated menu of all the capabilities that their role allows independent of which application they are trying to access.   It means that as they move from one application to another, they will have a consistent user experience.  And if they are using an Oracle application, any customizations that are made to the application are preserved and managed through upgrades and patches.Be sure to check back this week as we share more information and resources on Oracle's Common User Experience Architecture.

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  • Installing windows 8 on windows 7

    - by ZainShah120
    I had windows 7 installed on my Laptop,I installed windows 8 on it, without formatting the System Drive,Therefore now I can see two folders windows.old and Windows,The windows folder contain my new Windows 8, IS there any way that I can go back to Window 7? without formatting, This question is not programming related but I hope I can find some good answers here, If someone think that it is not fruitful, please comment on it, and I will delete that instead of down vote.. Looking forward to hear from you Thanks

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  • Windows 7 Easy Transfer does not start (Windows XP)

    - by Gerhard Weiss
    Windows 7 Easy Transfer does not start on my Windows XP system. I installed Windows 7 Easy Transfer and when I click to start it nothing happens. Not even an error message. I uninstalled and reinstalled a few times with the same results. I even tried starting it from C:\Program Files\Windows Easy Transfer 7\migwiz.exe with the same results. Nothing happens! Any one else run into this issue? Any suggestions on how to start it up differently? This is my work system so I do not know if they have it locked down. This is a Windows XP, Dell OptiPlex755 built about 3 years ago. I downloaded the 32-bit from this website: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/windows-easy-transfer and yes my system is 32-bit ;)

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