Tag Archives: microsoft

Windows 8 activation error 0x8007007B

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When I tried to activate Windows 8 I got the following error message: “Error 0x8007007B The File name, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.”. I was unable to change the Windows key in the Windows Activation GUI. The key was grayed out with no option to edit.

The Fix that worked for me

1. Open a command prompt in administrator mode “Press and hold the Windows button+R”
2. Type slmgr.vbs /ipk (Windows Key) minus the ( ). *** This forces the Windows key to update.
3. Type slmgr.vbs /ato *** This starts the activation
4. If all went well you should be activated at this point.

Microsoft’s Hotmail a Hot Topic (RANT)

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If you have ever dealt with MS you have probably sighed in disbelief at the conclusion of you interaction with them. Frustrating? Yes! It makes you wonder how they got to be as big as they are…
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Parsing the ridiculously large DNC file – .NET Edition

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So previously I posted about a problem one of our customers had parsing the DNC. The solution was done in perl and you can read about it in the Perl Edition of this. And it worked rather well and very quickly. However it presented a support issue: They didn’t have a linux box nor the inclination to install perl on a windows box just for that meaning each month we needed to parse it for them.

So I rewrote it in Window using .NET…
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Remote computing with Logmein

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There are many ways to connect to your home computer and do some sort of remote control operation. I’ve discussed in the past RDP and Powershell options, but today I’m going to focus on another tool that I find myself using quite a bit. That tool / service is Logmein http://www.logmein.com . Continue reading →

Powershell and Mysql featuring the null byte (x00)

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For those of you who follow our blog, Brett does a lot of articles about PowerShell and how great it is. So the other day when I need to do a mysql dump of some data on a Windows 2008 server, I fired it up. The deep blue background touched my inner California beach bum, and the verbose bright red error messages made my inner programmer smile.

“This is pretty neat,” I thought. “Maybe Windows has finally made something to compete with Unix’s shell in a real and meaningful way.”

The dump finished and immediately my Common Sense began tingling…
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Internet Explorer 8 Compatibility Issues.

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brett March 19th 2009, Microsoft released IE8 to the general public and made it available for Windows updates. The good news with this version of IE is it includes improved standards support.  However for many of you who’s websites were designed with frontpage, word,  or powerpoint, you may find that your website no longer displays correctly. Some websites will be viewable by using the compatibility mode, but even that will not solve all the problems.

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Windows Server 2008 Live Migration.

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brett Coming in 2010, with the release of R2 for Windows Server 2008, is the new to Windows service called Live Migration. Live Migration is Microsofts version of VMware’s VMotion service which allows you to move Virtual Machines across servers without having to shut them down.

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6 – 7 versions of Windows 7 WTF?!

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windows_7_graphicI wasn’t a fan of Microsoft’s decision to put out umpteen versions of Vista and I’m still not a fan of this marketing tactic in regards to Windows 7. Microsoft released details today that they will be releasing 6 versions of Windows 7 plus a an N version for the EU that will ship without Media Player installed.

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