by admin·Comments Off on USB Device Not Recognized by Windows!
For the last several weeks, I thought that Windows 10 had a problem with detecting mobile devices when connected via a USB cable. First I thought it had something to do with Windows 10 not having the latest driver for mobile devices. But when I connected the same mobile devices on my Windows 7 machines, the same error message popped up.
I’ve never seen this problem before, but one thing for sure…the common denominator between the Windows 10 and Windows 7 computers is the USB cable. Fortunately, I had another USB cable to try out. Low and behold, all my mobile devices started to connect with all my computer!
As it turns out, the issue wasn’t driver related, but was the USB cable.
I was starting to lose hope until today, trying different things to somehow get the driver working.
The moral of the story…don’t miscount anything, even when it doesn’t look broken.
If you found this article useful and helpful, please share it and make sure to let us know by commenting below.
by admin·Comments Off on Windows 10 and PC version of Minecraft
On July 29, 2015, Microsoft released the long awaited Windows 10. Anyone who has Windows 7 or higher gets the upgrade for free. This is a great move for Microsoft in order to quickly get the masses to move over to their supposedly last main Windows version. From here on, Windows 10 users will get updates much like apps get updates.
Anyway, overall the update from Windows 7 to 10 on my computer went pretty smooth. The main hiccup during the update was mainly to the process of switching to an online Microsoft account as the computer login. I followed the steps as prompted, yet the process would just take me around in circles, always coming back to asking me for the my Microsoft account, my password and looking like it was going to work.
I got tired of trying to make it work, so I just cancelled out of it and restarted my computer. Then it happened. It prompted me to login using my online Microsoft account. I typed my password and was able to get into my desktop.
S0 far all the programs I use on it are working except for the PC version of Minecraft. After the upgrade launching Minecraft causes the error “The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000018).”
At first I thought that I needed to update my version of JAVA. I did that but the error continued. Then I did a search on the web for that error message and I found my answer at http://goo.gl/0iUKo2. I asked that you delete the Windows registry entry APPINIT_DLLS located at:
After I deleted that entry and restarted Windows, I was again able to run the PC version of Minecraft on my computer. Note that I’m not 100% sure if this issue was caused by the update to Windows 10 because I installed the BETA version of Minecraft for Windows 10 before trying to run the PC version. Regardless, if you happen to run into this issue, the solution requires the deletion of the APPINIT_DLLS parameter located at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Windows.
Thanks for reading. Let me know by commenting below when you started experiencing this issue when launching the PC version of Minecraft.
by admin·Comments Off on Online Account Management
Managing Online Accounts
Before 1996, people kept a log of their acquaintances’ or friends’ home addresses and phone numbers using an address book. Soon after 1996, people began to create many accounts. As the use of the web became more accessible to everyone, businesses such as banks and online stores began to make their services available through the web as well. After 2004, a whole slew of other online services came one line: Facebook, Google, MySpace, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and many others.
Today, everything we do on the web requires one form of an account or another. Even the games people play on the Internet require some form of login. So it isn’t too farfetched to say that anyone who is connected to the Web has at least 20 accounts!
That said, unless you make all your accounts exactly the same or you have a super photographic memory, you’ll need someplace to log or record all your account information.
The solution is a log book. One such solution is available online at createspace.com.
by admin·Comments Off on Video/Screen Capture from HDCP Protected Devices
ViewHD 2 Port 1×2 Powered HDMI Mini Splitter
Recently I encountered a problem with trying to do a video capture of a game I was playing on an Android device. The device in question happens to be a RCA tablet, and I was using an Elgato Game Capture HD device.
On the Elgato game capture program I noticed that although the signal was being detected, it wasn’t showing the screen. It stated something about disabling HDCP in order for it to work. Upon doing some Internet research, I discovered that HDCP–which stands for high-bandwidth digital content protection–was a content protection scheme implemented on connection like the one I was working on.
I thought that I just wasted about $7 buying this HDMI A type (standard size) to C type (mini size) cable (a BlueRigger high speed mini HDMI to HDMI cable, 6 ft — http://amzn.to/1dDQ4Y8) because the connection is blocked by this HDCP protection scheme.
Upon doing a bit of checking around on the web, I found that purchasing a certain HDMI splitter can get around the issue. I found the ViewHD 2 Port 1×2 Powered HDMI Mini Splitter (http://amzn.to/1KDlloV) for about $24. I received and tried it, and low and behold, I can do video screen capture! Problem solved.
by admin·Comments Off on My Acer Iconia A500 Doesn’t Charge Anymore
Acer Iconia A500
This is a a true story about how my Acer Iconia Tab A500 stopped charging, and how I chalked it up to battery life, when it actually turned out to be a charger issue. If you wish to delved deeper into my experience with the issue, read on, but below is the quick synopsis of the problem, symptoms, and solution so you can down to fixing your Acer Iconia A500 tablet battery charging problem.
Problem: My Acer Iconia Tab A500 is no loner charging
Symptoms: power light indicator flashes white and tablet doesn’t charge
About two years ago, I purchased an Acer Iconia T500 tablet–my very first tablet. About 6 months ago, I found that it wasn’t charging any more. The symptoms began when I plugged in the charger and noticed that the charging indicator on the power button was lit and was flashing. Normally, when it is charging, the color would be amber, and it would just be lit; but this time it was white and flashing on and off. I thought maybe it is still charging, so I left it plugged in over night. The following morning, I checked to see if I could turn the tablet on, but much to my dismay I would turn it on then quickly shutdown.
In Search for a Solution
Computer batteries typically have a life of about two years. So I thought since I’ve had the tablet for over two years now, it was overdue. I chalked it up to battery failure, and never really thought much about it until I had the urge to do further investigation just several weeks ago.
Since my first gut feel told me that it was the battery, why not buy a battery? Amazon.com has everything, so I checked there and found this: Geniune Acer Iconia A500 Tablet Battery ($14.99). I have prime membership on Amazon.com, so I received this battery within a couple of days. I didn’t know how to open the tablet and get the battery replaced, so I browsed through YouTube and found a good video which shows how it’s done:
Anyway, I was able to change the battery with the help of this video. Upon replacing the battery, I was able to turn on the tablet. The new battery had about 24% charge on it. It continued to discharge upon use, and unfortunately, even when plugged into the charger, the battery still didn’t charge. The power indicator continued to flash white. It wasn’t the battery!
I searched for other possible solutions on the web, but no luck. There was nothing out there that really matched the symptoms my tablet was experiencing. I finally thought that there is only one possible answer to this, why not just try replacing the charger. It may be just inexpensive enough to try this.
Again, I went back to my trustee source–Amazon.com. I found this adapter: Pwr+ 6.5 ft Rapid 2amp charger. It only costs $13.90. Not bad.
Pwr+ 2amp charger
Again, I received the order within two days. Upon receiving it, I plugged in my Acer Iconia A500 tablet and low and behold it began charging.
Finally, problem solve!
Conclusion
Although the solution to my Acer Iconia A500 tablet charging problem was solved by replacing the charger, I still show the process I went through and the other solutions I tried just in case the problem you are experiencing is battery related. Hopefully this has been helpful to you. If so, please let me know. If not, and you found another solution, just let me know by commenting below.
by admin·Comments Off on How to Setup a Samsung USB Floppy Drive on Windows 7
Samsung USB Floppy Disk Drive (FDD)
I was doing some clean up in my computer room and low and behold I find several 1.44MB 3.5 in floppy disks with various labels indicating they have pictures and document files I may still need.
Unfortunately all my computers do not have a floppy drive.
Luckily I found a Samsung USB Floppy Disk Drive (FDD). Specifically it has the model number SFD-321U/HP. I plugged it into a USB port on my Windows 7 computer and it would not recognize the device. After a few days of searching the web, I found the right driver at usb-drivers.org–SamsungSFD-321UUSB4Floppy.zip [http://goo.gl/1HYH3L]. I unzipped and updated my device driver.
Anyway, to use it, simply unzip it and remember where you unzipped it.
Next, open the device manager in Windows 7 (at Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\System) and find the device entry that has the exclamation mark on it and right click it. Select “Update Driver Software” from the menu that pops up. Then click “Browse my computer for driver software.” When you do, make sure to select the folder where you unzipped the driver you downloaded. It should have the name “SamsungSFD-321UUSB4Floppy” if you didn’t change the unzip destination folder. From there, click the Next button and follow the prompts from there until the driver is installed.
Once the driver is installed, Windows 7 will begin to recognize the floppy drive as Floppy drive A:.
I now have a floppy disk drive A. I feel like I’m back in the late 80’s.
by admin·Comments Off on Removing Vongo Crapware from a Computer
Vongo acts just like malware
What’s crapware? They are junk programs that manufacturers include in your computer as a value add for purchasing their product. Value add my arse! These crapware are generally trial ware and are typically products you don’t prefer anyway.
Once such crapware is Vongo. Vongo has long since closed business since 2008; it was an on-demand video service, and it keeps installing itself on one of our old Compaq Presario V6000 laptop, which is still running Windows XP by the way.
First I did what most users would do, just uninstall it from the Add/Remove programs section of the Windows Control Panel. That didn’t work because after I reboot and login as one of the users, the Vongo install process begins again.
Next, I checked all places where programs put themselves in at startup:
The Windows startup folder (c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup)
In the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run (or RunOnce, RunOnceEx, Setup)
In the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
I actually just ran MSCONFIG.exe (System Configuration Utility) from Windows RUN prompt and looked for anything that seemed associated with Vongo.
I could not find anything that looked like they were associated with Vongo (i.e. I looked for any program that had the term Vongo in it).
So I did a search from the root of drive C for anything with the term “Vongo” on it. I found and deleted all files, shortcuts and folders with Vongo name on it. After deleting all these files, I restarted the machine and Vongo would continue to install itself. It was worse than malware. No wonder the service didn’t last long!
On startup I did notice this file ISUSPM.exe. This file didn’t look like anything related to Vongo, but as soon as I used task manager to terminate it, the installation of Vongo stopped.
After this, I rebooted the computer and went into Safe Mode (you can do this by pressing the F8 key just before Windows starts. I then ran MSCONFIG.exe and checked if this file is invoked in MSCONFIG; I found it in the Startup tab, and I disabled it (i.e. I unchecked it). Next, I searched for all file instances of ISUSPM.exe and anything that remotely looks like it in drive C. I found and deleted them.
After doing another reboot and logging into one of the accounts, Vongo no longer tries to install itself. It’s gone!
by admin·Comments Off on Need a Free Email Marketing Tool?
If you only have less than 2000 subscribers, you can get a free email marketing tool through mailchimp.com. It is easy to set up, and did I say it’s free if you have less than 2000 subscribers?
Note that the free version even allows for 12,000 emails per month. It’s free forever!
by admin·Comments Off on How to Virtualize and Access Your CD Library
With the price of USB disk drives at an all time low, it makes more and more sense to convert your library of CDs into ISO images and access them digitally.
Note all this is applicable to Windows based computers.
ImgBurn: Create ISO Images
Virtual CloneDrive (source: www.virtual.cd)
To virtualize your library of CDs, you’ll need a program like ImgBurn (the official ImgBurn site is at http://www.imgburn.com/ if you wish to learn additional details about it) to convert your CDs into ISO images.
After you convert your library of CDs into ISO images, you’ll need a program to virtually load or mount them. For this a program like Virtual CloneDrive will do the job.
by admin·Comments Off on YUMI: A USB Multiboot Creator
YUMI: USB Multiboot Creator (source: pendrivelinux.com)
I don’t know what YUMI stands for, but one thing for sure this tool is the greatest tool created for us mere computer mortals. Note that YUMI is a from Pendrivelinux.com, and it is FREE.
With YUMI you can take a simple USB flash drive and turn it into your portable boot-able operating system of your choice.
Personally, I find this tool perfect for recovering a forgotten local administrative password on a computer, or for recovering data from a boot drive where the operating system is no longer boot-able.
To use it, you need a Windows XP/Vista/7 computer to download and run the YUMI utility. You then need to build a multiboot USB flash drive using it by specifying the drive letter where the flash drive is.
In building the multiboot USB flash drive, you will need at least one ISO image of whatever it is you want to boot to. Say for example you have a Trinity Rescue Kit ISO image, and you want to use that to help you recover data from a non-boot-able computer (maybe because OS is corrupted). When you run YUMI, you will need to specify an ISO image, like below:
Selecting a distribution ISO Image in YUMI
If you don’t yet have the ISO image, you can check the option “Opted to Download the iso.” After the ISO image is downloaded, you can go to the CREATE phase. Also, before creating, make sure you have the correct USB device selected.
