Tag: Windows

[Win10] Long Path / Filenames

Having the need to discuss this topic in 2022 is something I would not have dreamed of - but still, we're here to address the elephant in the room: Yes, Windows 10 does support long path names - no, it does not support it by default.

You need to enable it using the AD config or the registry.

* launch regedit with admin rights
* navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
* Add a new DWORD (32-bit) named LongPathsEnabled with value 1
* reboot

Alternatively, you can also have the same result by enabling this value in the Group Policy (Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Filesystem > Enable NTFS long path).

However, this will only help with your explorer and "new" applications, some old apps can still suffer from issues (and we're not going to talk about potential WSL/WSLv2/Docker issues here by mounting paths...)

Another interesting thing is to find files / paths which are "a little abundant". There is a nice tool called TLPD for this, HOWEVER (warning), I need to highlight that only the version 4.6 is considered ok ( https://sourceforge.net/projects/tlpd/files/v4.6/ ). The latest version 4.6.0.1 is infected by some kind of Trojan - and about half of all scanners on Virus Total are also confirming this issue. So if you want to use this tool - please only download the 4.6 version - and for good measure scan it before use. Just to be sure that in the future not someone plays around with the files...

Windows 10 Update Error 0x80070001

I had two Windows 10 machines which had stopped pulling upgrades from Microsoft for quite long (1703, anyone?) and I could not get it back working.
Windows Update just showed me the error 0x80070001 and did refuse to do anything.

Tried:
- Clearing Windows Update Cache
- WSUS Offline Patching (installed the updates, but the normal Windows Update did not start working after that...)
- Windows Update Repair Tool from Microsoft

Nothing did really work, until I stumbled upon a post by OksiQuatzel:
Culprit was the installed ImDisk, a virtual Floppy Drive. With this installed and an A Drive mounted - this error arose.
As soon as I unmounted the drive and removed the driver - everything started working again.
Kind of nuts that something like this could occur.

Actually I tried it with ImDisk, Virtual Floppy Drive 2.1 and other Virtual Floppy Drives and RAMdisk drives - there is a high chance that - if you use such a program, the Windows 10 Update does cease function...

Source in german

SSH and Git on Windows (with Public\Private Key Authentication)

This Blog Post consists in huge parts of Daniel Hüskens awesome work, but I still had to rewrite it a bit as I tended to add some stuff on :).

1.) Download latest Git for Windows: https://git-for-windows.github.io/

2.) Install (Entires with * can be changed to your own liking, ** can be changed, but this setting is recommended)

  • "Without Windows Explorer Integration" *
  • "Run Git and included Unix tools from Windows Command Prompt"
  • "Use OpenSSH"
  • "Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style endings" **
  • "Use Windows default console window" **

3.) Configure

  • set set HOME=%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH% in your Windows User Path Variables: Press WIN+X Key, choose System, Advanced Systemsettings, Advanced, Path Variables - or just press WIN+R and enter "C:\Windows\system32\rundll32.exe" sysdm.cpl,EditEnvironmentVariables- you will need to click on New, then create a new Variable HOME  with the Value %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%, click ok and close everything.
  • create the Folder .ssh in your User Folder (C:\Users\YourName\)
  • if you want to store your ssh Config and Credentials somewhere else, you need to use a symlink. Start your CMD in Administrator Mode (Press Windows Key, type cmd, rightclick on the found program, start as Administrator) and create the link with mklink /D "C:\Users\YourName\.ssh" "D:\mySecretFolder\.ssh" The path D:\mySecretFolder\.ssh does have to exist before this action, .ssh in the YourName folder not :).

4.) Create a key and test access to Github

  • Go to your .ssh folder and open a CMD there
  • ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "a good comment on what this key is for" -b 4096
  • Your key has been created, it should be named id_rsa and id_rsa.pub. The content of id_rsa.pub can be added as new ssh key to your Github profile on: https://github.com/settings/keys
  • After that you can test your setup with ssh -T git@github.com
  • If anything goes wrong, add verbosity to your SSH command, i.e. with -vvv (more v's equals more debug messages)

5.) Word of advice:

SSH can be a bit tricky, as it tends to only look for id_rsa named keys in your .ssh folder. So if you have multiple keys with different names chances are high that this won't work. However, you can get around that with entries in the user defined ssh config file (called "config" and placed in the .ssh folder of the user) to tell ssh which key to use with which ssh connection. I will add a post on that topic later and link it here.
EDIT: Here is the link

MacType - A better font rasterizer for Windows

If you're tired of the ClearType Fonts in Windows and long for a more Unix/Mac Style Font Rasterizer, you most probably have heard GDI++ and GDIPP. And as both projects are somehow dead (for 6+ years), someone started a new one, called MacType.

How to install the latest version?

1.) Download and Install MacType (chose English!): http://www.mactype.net/

2.) Download the latest patch: http://silight.hatenablog.jp/entry/MacTypePatch currently the latest version is MacTypePatch_1.19.zip (2016/11/17).

3.) Unpack the patch and copy EasyHK32.dll, EasyHK64.dll and UserParams.ini (from win8.1_or_later folder) to the C:\Program Files\MacType folder

4.) Copy EasyHK32.dll, EasyHK64.dll to C:\Windows\System32

5.) Start MacType as Tray Version and chose an default settings, i.e. FT Opt

Here you can see an example - left without, right with MacType:

Gitkraken - your next Git Client

If you're in the NetOps/DevOps Teams, chances are high you need to develop code and use git. Well, on Windows Clients, I tended to use Atlassians Source Tree - however, that client became more and more buggy and unstable - unusable to say. Especially if I had to do an really big merge of my main to my deploy tag - it tended to crash most of the time.

So, without further ado: Enter Gitkraken. A nice, free, good looking and fast git client. Without dependencies.

Only downsides: It uses Electron - so it is basically a packaged Node JS server. It is - quite fast, however - and it does not need to install any other dependencies. The other "downside" is, if you want to use more than one GitHub Account, you need to pay for these kind of features.

However, as long as there is no "real" alternative to this product, I will remain using it :).

Removing Windows 10 Diagnostics from Windows 7/8/8.1

Windows 10 "Security?": We got opt-out-only-all-included-private-Wifi-Password-Sharing with all your Facebook Friends, access to all data, addressbooks, emails, voice and video as well as the possiblity to shutdown hardware you attached to your PC - if MS does not like it. Quite some people from the Facebook and Computerbild Front already upgraded to the new Windows 10 - "don't get left behind and get your upgrade" - well... it sounds more like a really evil episode of Dr. Who and the Cyberman to me. Ugh.

To get to the point: Microsoft did backport some of his Windows 10 telemetry magic to Windows 7/8/8.1 and installed it unasked as updates. So your data can enjoy its "freedom" even without you upgrading to Windows 10.

Sweet.

TL;DR - Microsoft did backport Windows 10 telemetry to Windows 7/8/8.1. Xvitaly on Github made a nice cmd file, just download it and execute it to remove all the bad updates and Windows 10 Ads. Restart. After that, check the Windows Update Section and disable the Updates in Question. Otherwise, you will install these again on your next Update.
Link: https://gist.github.com/xvitaly/eafa75ed2cb79b3bd4e9

[Win8.1] EEE PC 1015PN and Windows 8.1

Very funny coincidence: Exactly one year after my devastating test of Windows 8 on the EEE PC 1015PN ( here) I tried Windows 8 again - 8.1 to be frankly.

After booting from the DVD, I entered my Key and choose to keep my data and such - an Upgrade Installation. Sadly, installer told me that I needed to choose that after booting into Windows 7 and starting the installation process there. Well, I did. But I only could choose to keep my data - not my programs(!). Sad, but - well. So - if you want to install and keep your stuff: Try to install Windows 8 first and then upgrade to Windows 8.1! I made an backup (just in any case - last time showed me the importance again...) and started with the installation. I took quite a while, but in the end it succeded. This time (and maybe because I changed my Wifi/Bluetooth Card from Azure for an Intel ABGN/WiMax Card?!) - I got none problems with Wifi. Working excellent from the first moment on.

I even got Optimus working by following my own tutorial here, by using the mentioned Versions.

Concerning other drivers and tools: I installed successfully the Optimus Tool, Capshook Driver - all by using the Windows 7 Compability Mode. ( I needed to use that as well on the Optimus Driver installation!)
Regarding - especially - the AHCI Drivers (Hotkey Service) and the SuperHybridEngine Tool - well: First of them gives REAL problems. It won't work and always remind to install an working AHCI Driver. Luckily, some guys found out an way to change that: Just install these tools from an newer ASUS EEE PC - the Asus 1225B. And that does work! Link: Source, Drivers - Good thing: Without the blocking AHCI Drivers Optimus does work correctly. But fixing ACPI is not enough. You need to setup the right Touchpad Driver!

About the Touchpad? Well - you need another Hack for Windows 8: Go with these. I chose the Elantech Touchpad driver Version v.10.6.6.0.

What I really changed? Well I did some normal stuff like disabeling the User Rights Control Thingy - as well as I changed the Resolution of the Display with this little hack. That got the Metro Apps working and my display from 1024x600 to 1152x864. Ok, it is not very crispy - but really gives more usability. ( Just watch for the "Display1_DownScalingSupported" setting in the registry and enable it )

To get back your classic Start Menu Button - use: http://www.classicshell.net/

Ok, that was a lot of stuff and I am curious to see how Windows 8.1 will perform in "real life". Well, I am off to installing some more tools and such.

[Win7] Upgrade Error in Android SDK for Windows

Recently I got an error on trying to upgrade my Android SDK, claming that I would not be able to access an URL. I was looking around the Internet and got the information that I should first upgrade the Eclipse Plugin. OK!

Upgrading AVT:
1. In Eclipse go to Help
2. Install New Software ---> Add
3. inside Add Repository write the Name: ADT and Location: https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/
4. after loading you should get Developer Tools and NDK Plugins
5. check both if you want to use the Native Developer Kit (NDK) in the future or check Developer Tool only
6. click Next
7. Finish and Restart Eclipse

Source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14869929/update-android-sdk-tool-to-22-0-4latest-version-from-22-0-1

Ok, that got my Plugin to the latest version. But I still could not upgrade to the latest SDK. And thats when I found out that you need to start the SDK Manager as Administrator (right click, run as Administator) - and voilá: Upgrade successfully.

Source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4771895/android-sdk-manager-not-installing-components