Tag: Windows

[Win8] EEE PC 1015PN and Windows 8

I have been using my EEE PC 1015PN for nearly 2 years now, and I am quite satisfied with it. But after the release of Windows 8, I wanted to try it, too. So I decided to upgrade install from my Windows 7 Professional to Windows 8 Professional. Before this test, I made an Acronis Image, which turned out to be an really good idea. Installation itself needed about 1 1/2 hour, as I decided to upgrade and not start from scratch.

The first problem started to come up after going to the desktop and trying to change the brightness \ wifi connectivity by using the FN Keyboard Shortcuts: "Asus ACPI Driver missing", was the error. So I tried to reinstall the needed keyboard drivers, and Optimus Tool (1015PN uses an Intel as well as an NVIDIA Graphicscard).

After rebooting, I was able to choose the Optimus setting within the tool, and I could also change screen brightness with the FN Keyboard Shortcuts - but nothing else.

So I decided to shutdown the PC, enable WIFI in the BIOS and reboot - to check WIFI Connectivity, as well as to see the Intel Graphics active in Windows 8. So I pressed the "Save and Reboot" shortcut in the bios -  and that was the last thing I saw.

After that, the EEE PC tried to boot once, and then stopped working, rebooting again - boot loop. But not after 20 seconds of boot, no, it already fried seconds after starting the boot process. Even disabling WIFI in BIOS again or pressing F8 manically - nothing could help. The system was killed.

After trying for a good amount of time, I restored the Windows 7 backup. And thats it. My first Windows 8 impression turned out to be even worse than Windows Vista. And well, that was something.

[Samba] Windows Client can't access Unix Samba Share KB2536276

On 16.06.2011 Microsoft fixed an Security Issue with Samba which ended in Windows Users beeing unable to access Unix Samba Shares by using Plain Text Authentication.
By removing Security Update KB2536276 and rebooting you can enable your client again - or you patch your samba server, which is the real source of error - Microsoft did just fix an flaw.

https://bugzilla.samba.org/show_bug.cgi?id=8238

https://bugzilla.samba.org/attachment.cgi?id=6593

Infos taken from:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-windows_update/kb2536276-windows-xp-pc-get-system-error-58-when/d9dbdde5-2666-4423-b47c-fbdb80b995d9

[WinXP] Windows 7 Taskbar Tool

Some of us still work on Windows XP.
I myself still prefer to have my P4 3 GhZ Single Core at work to run with the "old" Windows, because of Ressources and the good feeling to have an proven system installed. The only thing that I find really annoying is the taskbar: I really love the feature of Windows 7 to reorder taskbar entries without restarting applications.
And thats something Windows XP can do as well with Taskbar++
( http://www.chip.de/downloads/Taskbar_19900036.html )

Just install and run it, move your mouse cursor over the taskbar and press and hold ALT.
The mouse cursor will change to a finger, then you can click and hold an entry and move it on the taskbar.
Let go of the icon and ALT and everythings set again.

Windows 2000 / XP Password Special

So, you logged out of Windows and need to get your password back? Thats for what this little collection is for.

Lets say you need to "crack" an Windows 2000 / XP Password. For i.e. login data. Then you should go for Ophcrack: http://ophcrack.sourceforge.net/

If you just want to login into Windows 2000 / XP / Linux etc. without using or cracking the password with admin rights, go for konboot: http://www.piotrbania.com/all/kon-boot/

And should you stumble across the problem of having forgotten your network drive passwords and login but still have access to Windows and got these pw saved, use Nir Soft Network Password Recovery: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/network_password_recovery.html

Be advised ONLY to use these programs if they come from the orginal website as other websites do add keyloggers and other nice stuff to them. And only use these tools if you own the pc or have the rights to - check your local law!

Remove Files on Windows that "just doesn't want to be removed"

If you can't remove a file on Windows, its mostly because of the usage of a too long filename, invalid characters and such.
To solve that there are many tools like unlockers and such which doesn't solve the problem because they doesn't solve the sympthoms:
The filenames.

So if you step into that kind of problem, open up and commandline and cd to the folder with the "bad" file or file.

And then, do an quick dir /X

That will show up the normal Filename as well as the old "Dos-Style" 8 character name.
By using that short name, you can delete a file with a simple del filename or an folder with an rmdir foldername

Easy, ain't it?

PXE Install of Windows (without Floppy, without CDRom)

Files needed:
- smartdrv.exe
- TFTPD Server
- pxelinux.0
- memdisk
- menu.c32

- Download and unzip TFTD Server, create Folder "root".
- Start TFTP Server

Settings:
- Server Interface: Choose the right NIC
- DHCP Server:
Start Pool: 192.168.2.40
Size of pool: 4
Boot File: pxelinux.0
WINS/DNS Server: 192.168.2.1
Default Router: 192.168.2.1
Mask: 255.255.255.0
->> Press Save
- Under "Seetings"
Base Directory to the created "root" Folder
TFTP Security "None"
PXE Compatibility
->> Press OK

- Copy memdisk, menu.c32, pxelinux.0, bartdisk.IMA to the root Folder
- create pxelinux.cfg Folder within root
- create File with Name "default" (no .txt or such!) with following stuff inside:

DEFAULT menu.c32
TIMEOUT 300
ALLOWOPTIONS 0
PROMPT 0
MENU TITLE PXE Boot System
LABEL BartBoot
MENU LABEL ^Bart Network Disk
kernel memdisk
append initrd=bartdisk.IMA
LABEL BootNormal
MENU LABEL ^Boot Normal
LOCALBOOT 0

- Create an SMB Share in an Folder of your Choice. I took the Folder D:\PXE and did share that as pxe
- Create Subfolder for every Windows Version you want to share. I created the subfolder tabxpsp3
- Copy the i386 Folder from the Windows CD to that Folder
- Do also copy the smartdrv.exe into the i386 in your pxe/subfolder/i386
- Start tftpd
- Connect the Laptop to the Network, choose PXE / NIC as Bootmedia in the BIOS.
- Let that thing boot to PXE and go through everything with just default settings.
- Fidsk: Delete All, than Create Primary Partition with all Space (minus 1000 MB), create extended Partition with the space left - and logical Partition in that
- Reboot
- This time, only accept normal default settings until an "Idetification Settings" comes up. Fill out and enable lmhosts option
- In the empty pad enter IP Adress of your SMB Server TAB Name of the Server. For example: 192.168.2.39 ATOM, and press ALT+X to save and leave
- Format: format c: and format d:
- net use x: \\atom\pxe
- cd tabxpsp3\i386
- smartdrv
- winnt (/T D:)

Orginal taken from: http://www.lockstockmods.net/2008/04/26/easy-way-to-pxe-boot-windows/

Problem solutions if you can't connect to the SMB Share via net use:
- Do install Netbios Protocol on your SMB Server NIC and restart
- Make sure your Servers Name ain't longer than 8 characters
- As well as the Name of your share