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One of the nice noew “features” of Windows Server 2003 is how the new enhanced security has broken the ability to launch attachments from compiled help files, also known as CHM files.

I had the opportunity to learn about this problem when I needed to move an application that we internally create content in that shows workflows. The workflows are easy enough to create but you can actually launch attachments with more information, actually forms in pdf format.

Part of the moving of the app involved upgrading from Windows Server 2000 to Windows Server 2003 R2. Windows 2003 was no problem but the R2 release was a big security change for Microsoft. When I first moved all of the files over there was a problem in even viewing the CHM information but after an initial fix executing the CHM file with the workflows I was not able to execure the attachments.

So when an app does not work like this I go to Google and to Microsoft to see what they have to see but in this case I was able to fix only a part of the problem…I am going to give the knowledge base article that gives the full fix, It is info from the patch itself MS05-026 but there was an earlier fix that gave me the ability to view the CHM results, who cares right? We want the whole fix.

So there are two steps in the above knowledge base article that will help you to fix your CHM attachment evecution, both are registry fixes invloving ITSS Restrictions. First you need to point Windows 2003 R2 to the location of the CHM file and secondly you need to tell Windows what kind of security you want to give on a scale of 1 to 4, I think the knowledge base article is great for this so no need to explain exactly.

In my case there was one more change that I had to make and that was to have PDF file on the server to not execute within a browser. We use Adobe Reader 7 and the setting is in the preferences under Internet preferences.

I have just got back from a whirlwind trip to Florida for a conference for Trax, Trax is a piece of software used for maintaining aircraft and tracking the work that has been done and needs to be done on parts ofr the airplanes. The software is very cool in what it does and is also a bit tough to support from an IT perspective but that is not what I am writing about.

Instead I have been without internet, although fortunately I had email on my blackberry OK for the last few days. I got to the airport here in Calgary on Wednesday night and I would have paid $10 for wireless. In Toronto on the three hour layover I would have paid $9 at the Disneyworld resort that I stayed at I would have had to pay $10 per day, at Hamilton airport in Ontario another $9. And in all of these places it was not incredibly important to have my wireless and access to RSS feeds so I did not have it, but it would have been nice.

One place that did have free wireless is the Orlando airport. I was happy about that. The problem to me really is wondering why you would have to pay for something with so little cost associated to it. The airports should add 802.11 wireless to their automatic services but instead sell the service providing to companies like Telus so that they can soak the customers using the facility. I know the argument would be “well there is a reason, the airport gets extra profit to lower costs” but that is just a little more bullshit. All of these airports charge to fly out of and my room at the Disney World resort was not cheap either.

If I am sitting in a park or traveling on a bus I do not really expect to have free wireless but in a facility that either charges for entry or caters to people it is not at all fair to charge for this kind of simple service.

I laughed when I read this article as it is really true and I cringed as well because also it is very true

10 Reasons It Doesn’t Pay To Be “The Computer Guy” · LifeReboot.com

I love being the computer guy but it is true that everyone thinks that you can fix everything which is not at all satisfying. I used to have a vision of being a home tech support guy but that ended a couple of years ago when I realized that there was no satisfaction in it at all.

The Geek Squad can keep their job.

Great article from Lifehacker on recovery tools to bring a dead machine back to life.

LH Top 10: Free Computer System Recovery Tools - Lifehacker

I am a big fan of the Ultimate Boot CD for Dos and the Windows Ultimate boot CD for Windows. I have laso used Knoppix to fix a bad partition before so it is very nice to have more than one great tool in your arsenal.

Starting a computer support business is something that with some experience and training almost anyone can do. As a person owning an independent computer support business as well as a website to help others that support home users I thought it would be nice to point out the steps needed to get a business helping home computer users as well as some of the skills needed to get started.

There are four steps to getting the business started.

Business license
Every area is different but the legal aspect is always important and lends credibility to your business. Get your business license and also get insurance in case something goes terribly wrong, like lost business data that gets pinned on you.

Business cards
Of course you need some kind of a calling card. I know a small businessman who years back worked out that his business increased $1 per month for every business card he gave out. Go to Staples or Office depot as they have low prices for 500 or 1000 cards with some customization.

Flyers
The bulk of your business will come from flyers that you post up in various places. Put up flyers wherever possible. I have gone to supermarkets, bulletin boards at large businesses as well as small and Real Estate and mortgage offices. Your best success will come in offices where a lot of independent people work with their main computer being at home not supported at their work.

Computer software
There is no way around this. Over time you will find great software for diagnosing problems as well as for fixing problems. Two of my favorite CDs for support are the Ultimate Boot Disk as well as the Windows Ultimate Boot Disk. Both of these are free CDs to download and include a great many pieces of freeware that will help you out. These two Cds are self booting which is nice but you may also create a disk over time that has software you can run right out of Windows.

Website
A website is critical. You do not need something really slick but you do need a site for marketing as well as so that people can contact you or direct others to contact you. The basic info on the site should be your email, phone number, services you offer and maybe a menu of services that you offer. You will find that you do not have to prove how much better you are than everyone else because word of mouth can move very quickly.
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I ran into this great titled article about how IT works in business, Sometimes I think IT is an industry full of witch-doctors, and as much as I agree with the fact that IT has progressed to meetings I am of split minds about this.

One of the political truths of business is that nothing can be done without buyi in from various parts of the organization. That being said there are a lot of times that a good small idea can be crushed by the weight of organization, project planning, change control and meetings. And that is just the IT end of it, once we engage the business the little idea that could becomes even more complex.

One of the things that happens in the workings of IT is the small fix. Often if motivated, an IT person can put a small fix in place much like a small patch and the big machine never knows about this. How often does this happen? How often does this little fix cause a big problem? We wiill never know. As you push small changes and they gather speed there is no way to really track the effect.

What do you think? Is this a problem?

Wow, when I hit start to run I usually just bring up a command window but I just ran across this great list.

Windows Run Commands

There are a couple of advantages to using run commands. So as long as these options are avilable to us in Windows it is impeerative that we take advantage of them.

First of all it stops you from having to go to the mouse instead of using the keyboard, this will radically increase your productivity.

Using command line refrences within Windows will allow you to script those much needed batch jobs. As IT pros one of the strongest skills we have is to automate our processes and allow the operating system to work for us.

Starting a computer support business is something that with some experience and training almost anyone can do. As a person owning an independent computer support business as well as a website to help others that support home users I thought it would be nice to point out the steps needed to start a business helping home computer users as well as some of the skills needed to get started.

There are four steps to getting the business started.

Business license
Every area is different but the legal aspect is always important and lends credibility to your business. Get your business license and also get insurance in case something goes terribly wrong, like lost business data that gets pinned on you.

Business cards
Of course you need some kind of a calling card. I know a small businessman who years back worked out that his business increased $1 per month for every business card he gave out. Go to Staples or Office depot as they have low prices for 500 or 1000 cards with some customization.

Flyers
The bulk of your business will come from flyers that you post up in various places. Put up flyers wherever possible. I have gone to supermarkets, bulletin boards at large businesses as well as small and Real Estate and mortgage offices. Your best success will come in offices where a lot of independent people work with their main computer being at home not supported at their work.

Computer software
There is no way around this. Over time you will find great software for diagnosing problems as well as for fixing problems. Two of my favorite CDs for support are the Ultimate Boot Disk as well as the Windows Ultimate Boot Disk. Both of these are free CDs to download and include a great many pieces of freeware that will help you out. These two Cds are self booting which is nice but you may also create a disk over time that has software you can run right out of Windows.

Website
A website is critical. You do not need something really slick but you do need a site for marketing as well as so that people can contact you or direct others to contact you. The basic info on the site should be your email, phone number, services you offer and maybe a menu of services that you offer. You will find that you do not have to prove how much better you are than everyone else because word of mouth can move very quickly.
Read the rest of this entry »

If your skills are hot, your pay is pretty cool. More than half of IT professionals are earning premiums because of their certified and noncertified skills, according to a new report released this week.

Some 51% of IT workers are earning some form of additional compensation–often a bigger base salary–because they have skills that employers are hungry for or are afraid to lose.

“Retention is a problem, a bad problem,” says David Foote, president and chief research officer at Foote Partners LLC, which this week released a new survey report of pay and skills trends for 54,000 IT workers in the United States and Canada.

“When it comes to pay, you need to be as creative as possible–you need to find ways to compensate key technical, customer, process, and business skills,” says Foote. Yet most companies “don’t want to mess with job titles,” he says. So instead of paying all SAP developers the same salary, a company might increase the pay of the developer who’s an expert in a certain hot module, says Foote.

In fact, SAP developers with skills in modules like payroll and HR are among those getting the highest salary premiums right now–from 10% to 14% more stuffed into their base pay, he says.
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