How time flies ….

It’s been 7 years since my last post – a lot has changed in the world:- 

• Blackberry is no longer making phones (I miss my BB)
• I’m now using an iPhone and a Macbook (something I thought I would never do)
• I still enjoy fixing PCs – I fixed a few and gave it to the less fortunate, as a lot of families with kids cope with the lockdown
• Face masks has become a requirement now to go anywhere
• I’ve been working from home for more than a year – can’t wait to get back to the office
• Being at home, I’ve learn some new skills – cutting my own hair being one of them
• The park and the hiking trails are a luxury now – since access has been limited
• My car has probably been only used 10% of the time in the past 1 year
• Enjoying home cooked meals

What will this new year bring? 

How time flies – be grateful for all the things that we are blessed with.

OrgPublisher Not Working On IE11

My company uses OrgPublisher software to display our organisation chart within the intranet.

Recently, after upgrading my browser to IE11, the chart did not display; instead it brought me to Aquire.com – the owners of OrgPublisher – to say that I am not using IE.

The company has released a new version to address this issues – OrgPublisher 11.3.

But a faster solution is to just select the ‘Display intranet sites in Compatibility View’ (look under ‘Tools’ > ‘Compatibility View settings’). Or add the website address to ‘Add this website’.

After restarting the browser, that the chart appeared as per usual.

Aztech Wall-Plugged Wireless-N Access Point (WL576E)

The office of the church I attend, was facing Wifi connectivity issues – some areas in the office had poor Wifi signal. I thought of adding another wireless access point (AP) there to boost the signal and lucky for me, there was a free LAN port available in that area.

Found this Aztech Wall-Plugged Wireless N-Access Point at a PC fair. It was suitable for the purpose and pretty cheap too – cost only RM75 (about USD23).

To get started, I plugged it into the power source and connected my notebook to the default Wifi connection from the device. I logged into the device settings from my internet browser.

IP: 192.168.1.1; Username: admin; Password: admin

Next, I created a separate IP address (under Network > Local) for this device so that it doesn’t conflict with the existing router’s IP.
(Once you do this, the AP needs to restart and you would need to use the new IP to log in).

Third, I created a unique SSID name (the name that will appear when you looking to connect to a Wifi network) and selected a channel (both under Wireless > Settings).

Using the Wifi Analyzer app on my Blackberry Q10, I checked to see which channels were less crowded in that area and choose that. (Note: If you are using the same SSID and password as your first AP, ensure that the channels are different.)

Sample screenshot of the Wifi Analyzer app

Lastly, I set a password for the SSID (under Wireless > Security) and changed the device admin password (under System > Password) to avoid anyone from logging into the device settings.

It worked really well and was very easy to set-up. I particularly like the compact size and the fact that it doesn’t require any power cables.

The signal range was pretty good for a small device without external antennas. To give you a rough idea, I could get 3 bars from about 55 feet away from the device (I was standing outside the office).

Like any other office, it had cubicles, doors and partitions in the way; the range might be different for you depending on where you place the device, and its surroundings.

WL576E on the job

Installing Windows 7 From USB Drive

Last weekend’s project was to replace a Dell’s (Inspiron 1440) hard drive and reinstall the Windows 7. Unfortunately the DVD drive was not working.

I bought a new WD 500GB hdd for RM165 (about USD50).

Since the DVD drive was not working, I had to install Windows 7  from a USB drive. To do that, Microsoft provides a neat tool called Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool.

1. First, convert the Windows 7 installer DVD which came with the notebook, into an .iso file. I used Corel Burn.Now utility from my Lenovo to do so (other DVD programs should be able to do the same).

 

2. Once the .iso is created, install the software from Microsoft – http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

 

3. Run the application and select the .iso created in step 1.

 

4. Insert an empty USB drive and click on ‘USB device’.

 

5. You would need a USB drive with at least 4GB of free space.

 

6. The USB contents will be erased – so ensure you copy all your data out before proceeding.

 

7. ‘All contents of this device will be lost’ – don’t regret later.

 

8. It will proceed to create a bootable USB device with the Windows 7 installer.

 

I fixed the new hdd and booted from the USB drive created above (for this Dell machine, to boot from USB, I pressed F12 at the Dell boot screen and choose USB drive).

Just follow the Windows 7 installation steps as you would when installing from a DVD.

Old notebook with a new heart 

ZTE USB Modem (MF100) Not Working After Windows 8.1 Update

Sometimes tech fixes are quite straightforward. Like this issue my friend had with her Asus notebook. She updated her Window 8 to 8.1 and her ZTE USB modem just stopped working.

I started by looking for an updated driver for the modem. Searched the official website – couldn’t find. Found one from a third party website – but it didn’t work. Searched the forums but didn’t find anyone facing the same problem. I was about to try the SIM with another device.

But thought I’d try uninstalling and reinstalling the built in application – Join Air. Guess what – after that it worked just fine.

Uninstall ‘Join Air’

Insert the USB Modem and reinstall

Internet back on

So next time, I must remind myself to try simple steps first :). 

Updated To 10.2.1

 When 10.2 was officially released for my Blackberry Q10, I was super excited. It came with a host of updates and the following features was pretty cool to me:-

• Message preview from the lock screen
• View and reply incoming messages directly from any app, and
• The Android Jelly Bean runtime 4.2.2 allowed me to sideload more apps (though I was still not successful in loading OneNote).

But all that was forgotten when I heard about the next update – 10.2.1. In this version, you can install Android apps directly to your phone! (Previously you had to convert the apk files to bar files and then sideload it to BB10.)

10.2.1 has not been officially released yet but I couldn’t wait. I updated my Q10 with the leaked version from here and it was awesome!

I just had to sideload the Amazon Appstore and 1Mobile Market apk files for the first time. (Guide to sideloading can be found here.)

After that, it was almost as if I was installing apps on my Kindle Fire – super easy. I’ve just started playing around with the stores – some apps work, some don’t. But it does help close the gap on the limitations of Blackberry Appworld.

So if you willing to take the risk, go ahead and give it a try. (But do so at your own risk).

1Mobile Market running on my Q10

 

Amazon Appstore

 

Some of the working apps that I download from the stores – the new LinkedIn Pulse, Waze, and official Youtube app

 

Another cool feature – customise your Dropdown menu

Make Your Own CMOS/RTC Battery

The HP Mini is back in the sick bay – the date/time keeps restarting back to year 2002 whenever the mini restarts. This must be due to the CMOS/RTC battery – after a while it becomes weak and is unable to save the date/time.

I went looking for a replacement unit but couldn’t find it at the usual IT shops I frequent. I gave up and thought I’d look for it online.

On my way back that day, I stopped by a stationary shop to buy some stationary. At the counter, I casually showed the old battery to the guy and surprisingly, the shop had it!

It was the same model (CR2016 – 3 volts) but without the connectors. I thought to myself – shouldn’t be that difficult to make my own using the connectors from the old battery.

Got the battery together with a PVC tape for electrical insulation.

PVC tape, old and new Battery

CR2016 – 3 volts

1. First I disconnected the power and removed the battery. Then I removed the 3 screws (marked in blue in the picture below) holding the keyboard.

The picture below shows the mini on its back. Turn in to the front and with the monitor opened (as if you were typing on it); gently push the keyboard screw extensions (marked in red) upwards to pop-up the keyboard.

HP Mini on its back

 2. Once I removed the battery connector from its socket, I carefully cut opened the yellow tape from the old battery. Be gentle – don’t cut the wires and your hands!

Remove the soldered connector the same way.

Remove battery connector from the socket

Carefully cut open the tape from the existing battery

Slowly remove the connector soldered to the battery

2. Next I cut a small piece of the PVC tap into half and wrapped it around the new battery. I stretched the tape while going around the battery to make it stick better.

I believe the tape around the edges is to avoid the connectors from touching the wrong battery terminals.

PVC tape wrapped around the new battery

3. After that, fix the connectors to the new battery. Instead of soldering as per the old battery, I used the tape to fix the connectors.

Before I wrapped it, I bent the connectors slightly to make sure it touches the battery when taped.

Bend the connectors slightly

Put the bent connectors to the battery – red wire to ‘+’ terminal and black to ‘-‘ terminal and wrap the tape around the battery

  4. Finally fixed it back to the computer and screw the keyboard back.

It worked perfectly – no more date/time restarts. It was easy to do and it only cost me less than USD3 for both the battery and the tape.

Finding The Right Memory For Your Computer

My cousin’s Dell Dimension 3100 had a few issues; speed was one of it. That probably is due to the fact that it’s running on 512MB of RAM.

Dell Dimension 3100

Upgrading the RAM was one solution. But how much RAM can it take? and what type of RAM? are there any free slots available? To answer all this, I always go to my trusted source – Crucial.com.

I think they have the RAM specs for every computer out there :). Seriously, I have never not found the info I’m looking for.

I usually use the ‘Memory Advisor’ to get the info – just select ‘Manufacturer’, then ‘Product Line’ followed by ‘Model’. You can also use the ‘System Scanner’ function – it will scan you computer and check how much of RAM you have and the slots available.

It will recommend the type of RAM and the different combinations suitable for your computer. Saves you the time having to open up the machine.

With that, you can either purchase it from Crucial.com or look elsewhere with the info provided.

The Dimension 3100 could only take max 2GB RAM (1GB x 2).  So I went to a local online store  (www.ebiz2u.com.my) and bought 2 pcs of Winova 1GB DDR2 667Mhz PC5300.

RAM Delivered

One issue solved.

Fix Windows By Creating A New User Account

Usually, the best way to fix a corrupted desktop/notebook is to format it and do a clean re-install. But there’s another way you can try to revive your machine – by creating a new user account and deleting the old one/s.

Over the weekend, my friend came to me with her HP Mini 110-1006 TU – it was running XP. It took ages to load, the internet was slow and her Office 2007 icons were missing. My guess was it was infected with spywares.

To repair it, I tried creating a new user account instead of reformatting.

1. I logged into Safe Mode via the Administrator account and created a new user account.

Steps: Press F8 before the Windows XP screen to get into Safe Mode; select ‘Administrator’; then go to ‘Control Panel’ > ‘User Accounts’ > ‘Create a new account’ > give the account a name > for account type, choose ‘Computer Administrator’ > then click ‘Create Account’.

2. Deleted the other user accounts available – my friend had already backup’d her files.

3. Logged into the new user account and removed all the unnecessary programs using Revo Uninstaller.

4. Ran Spybot Search & Destroy (used the older version – v.1.6) to remove and spyware – found Babylon Search toolbar installed – it was removed.

5. Installed Microsoft Security Essentials and checked for viruses.

6. Ran Windows Update to make sure all the necessary updates are installed.

6. Ran the Free Windows Registry Repair to remove unwanted registries.

7. Cleaned unwanted files using Wise Disk Cleaner.

8. Ran Smart Defrag 2 to defrag the hard drive.

After all that, it was running like new :).

This method could be useful to those who don’t have the installation CD/product key available and don’t want to go through the trouble looking for it.

All this said, as you know, Microsoft will be ending the support for XP on 8th April 2014; you can read details here. I believe some of you might continue to use it for a while more after the expiry. You’ll be doing so at your own risk but at the least, make sure you have all the necessary updates installed and avoid risky internet behaviour like downloading illegal contents, etc.

6 USB Port Charger (Model No. TC02-iG)

I’m not sure why I bought this 6 in 1 charger. It’s not like I have to charge 6 devices at the same time. I was caught up in the hype with my friends looking at this online deal – if you bought 2, you get a discount.

Well I have it now.

But what I really want to share is the indications on the device. If you look closely, you can see some marking on the right side of the devices – 4 is marked ‘i’ and 2 of it is marked ‘G’ .

After some searching I found the same product on Amazon UK. Under the product description, it states the following:-

Instructions:
1. If you want to charge iPad, please connect it to the USB port of 1, 2, 3, or 4.
2. If you want to charge sumgalaxy Ipad (I think there a typo error in the ad), please connect it to the USB port of 5 or 6.

So ‘i’ is for charging iPad and ‘G’ is for charging Galaxy Tab.

The output requirements for my iPad 2 is 5.1V 2.1A. I don’t have a Galaxy Tab but from the net, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 requires 5V 2A. So there’s a slight difference there.

I found this article useful on how different devices work on different USB ports – gives you an idea of what type of charger to buy for your device.

My BlackBerry Q10

 I had my Lumia 610 for a while now (in smartphones years) and it’s time for an upgrade.

Nokia E72 was pre-Lumia phone. It had a physical qwerty keyboard which surprisingly was comfortable to use. After getting the hang of it, typing was a breeze and I got hooked to it. No more pressing 2 or 3 times to get to a character.

Though most smartphone users have moved on to the virtual keyboard, I missed the physical qwerty. For all the texting, emailing and Whatsapp’ing I do, the virtual keyboard was no match for the physical qwerty.

I decided to go back to a qwerty phone. Maybe I’m just old school.

It was hard looking for one – Nokia had no plans to release one anytime soon; Android had 1 or 2, but I wasn’t really an Android fan; the only latest phone out there was the newly launched Q10. But Blackberry was struggling to stay alive; Windows Phone took over Blackberry for the number 3 spot.

It was a hard decision but after thinking it through and going against everybody’s advise – I mean everyone – I got the Q10.

Shot of my Q10 taken from my Lumia 610

Why I did I go ahead, you may ask?

Simply said, I bought this phone because of the physical qwerty keyboard. If Lumia had a qwerty phone, I would have gotten that instead. But due to the choice limitation, I went with the Q10.

Likes

1. Keyboard – BlackBerry’s keyboard is superb; the design is excellent – the curves and dips are placed perfectly making it easy to type accurately.

Q10 Qwerty Keyboard

2. Hub – This is a cool feature where you are able to see all your emails, messages, Whatsapp, BBM messages, etc. all in one location. You can also exclude accounts from the main view of the Hub.

3. LTE – this phone is fitted with 4G capabilities – browsing is super-fast. I enjoy browsing the net and watching YouTube videos, albeit the small screen,

4. TimeShift – When you take a picture on a Q10, it takes a few seconds before and after. This allows you to go back/forward to choose the best moment.

5. Android ports – The BB10 is a new OS and not all the main stream apps are available. But with the built in Android player, you can port of some of the Android apps to run on BB10. Though it’s not as smooth as the native apps, it does the job.

Tips: Installing an Android app is relatively simple – you download the required apps (it comes as *.bar files; bb10bars.net is a good source), allow the ‘Development Mode’ on your phone (Settings > Security and Privacy > Development Mode) and use the DDPB Installer (see http://crackberry.com/ddpb-installer-utility-blackberry-playbook-updated-v109) to install the app.

Typing this blog entry on my Q10

Tips: By pressing the volume up and down button simultaneously, you can capture the current screen on your phone – i.e. print screen.

“Not So Much” 

1. Apps – Native apps are still lacking. Despite the Android port capability, some apps still don’t work e.g. Microsoft Onenote (the workaround for this is to use Evernote).

2. Battery life – I think this is a universal problem for all smartphones; my Q10 roughly last about 10 to 12 hours. So you would need to get extra chargers – for the car, office, etc. or get a power bank.

3. Future of Blackberry – Blackberry announced that it is keeping its options open on the future of the company. We could possibly see it being bought by another company or broken up into smaller pieces for sale. Catch 22 situation – due to the uncertain future, consumers are holding back on buying BB10 series phones. Sales are poor turning away app developers from creating BB10 apps. With the lack of apps, the consumer is further dissuaded. It’s a downward spiral. Blackberry promised to finalized the plan by November – I hope they are on track as this uncertainty is certainly not helping.

4. BB10 QS – BB10 is somewhat like Windows Phone 7 – considered a version 1 of the QS. Being new, not everything works as expected. E.g. in the Hub, although there was an option to set Microsoft Exchange emails to be pushed manually, it did not work at the beginning. It was really frustrating for me as I did not want to receive work emails after office hours. The issue was fixed, though, in the next update (10.1.0.4181). So be mindful of this – if you are looking for specific functions that you must have, check out the forums (CrackBerry.com is my favourite) to see if it’s working. Though, I believe all issues will be sorted in the updates being rolled – it’s just a matter of time.

5. No Casing – When my friend bought her Bold 9780, it came with a nice phone casing with the Blackberry logo. For Q10, there was no such casing; a bit disappointing because the phone isn’t cheap.

Had to buy my own casing

All being said, I’m really enjoying my Q10. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a phone for doing activities which require a lot of typing. I’m waiting for the 10.2 update; from what I read, it contains some nice features (I tried to upload the leaked 10.2 OS but it had some issues; so I reverted stock to the stock version). If you want a full screen Blackberry, checkout the Z10 or the newly launched Z30.