Ramblings of a CTO

Stop Displaying “Name ActiveX Control” on a SharePoint 2007 website

We use Sharepoint 2007 or MOSS 2007 as a content management system for several clients including ourselves. Sharepoint 2007 is a very power content management system. Much more than the other open source systems like Drupal and Joomla. But with great power sometimes come great pains.

Because Sharepoint 2007 is for both Intranet sites and outward facing sites. If you are running an outward facing site you need to make some configuration changes behind the scenes. This sometimes can be a pain.

An example of a pain is our CM3Solutions.com site kept displaying "The Web site wants to run the following add-on: 'Name ActiveX Control' from 'Microsoft Corporation'. If you trust the Web site and the add-on and want to allow it to run, click here..." The average user is just there to view the site and doesn't need to download this plugin.

Here is the fix from Microsoft

Here is another blog about this issue

UPDATE: The fix from Microsoft caused a JavaScript error on the page. Which prevented some of the MOSS 2007 editing capabilities.

This fix solved both problems.

Fixing the name.dll ActiveX Problem the Mossman Way

Microsoft Word 2007 crash. How can I fix it?

My Microsoft Word 2007 kept crashing for the past couple of days. Every time I closed a document, it crashes. I finally needed to fix it. After much searching I found the solution to my problem.

Troubleshooting Word - - Problems With Word's Registry Entry

I did the registry edit and that fixed everything.

Windows 7 Release Date Has Been Announced, What Should I Do?

The question of when will Windows 7 be released has finally been answered.  Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 7 will be released on October 22. A lot have clients have been asking questions about system requirements, drivers, features and more. But most of all, they ask what they should do.

Many of our clients, like most of the world, never made the jump from Windows XP to Windows Vista. Some have even bought new PCs last year with Windows XP installed. So, here is what we are telling them...

1. The buzz from the geek community is good for this OS compared to Vista. If they like it, then so will you.
2. If you are using XP, you will have to make the jump in 2010. You basically have no choice. Microsoft is not going to keep writing updates for an operating system that is 2 generations old. This will leave you vulnerable to hacks and other problems with little to no support.
3. Don't upgrade when it first launches in October. Let us geeks play around with it for a while to shake the rust off before you get your hands on it. Start thinking of migrating sometime in March of 2010.
4. Some people recommend waiting for the Windows 7 Service Pack 1 before an upgrade. That is an old approach. Generally speaking, a service pack is only previously released updates.
5. Even though Microsoft will say it runs fine on old hardware, you would probably want to upgrade your PC anyway, especially if it's more than 3 years old. If you need help on that end, please email us. We have a lot of vendor relationships that can get you a PC cheaper then buying them online. Give us a shot, you'll see.

Blockbuster plans to offer films, TV shows through TiVo

I saw this article float by the news wire. I think Blockbuster might be a little late to the game. But none the less, this is a smart move.

Their business model is some what different than Netflix.

"Blockbuster's fee-based TiVo offering will include new releases available two to four weeks after they hit video rental stores -- ahead of pay-per-view.

TiVo users will be able to rent 10,000 Blockbuster titles for $1.99 to $3.99, and buy movies for $14.99 to $19.99 each. The Blockbuster feature will be available for stand-alone users of the TiVo Series 2 and 3 units, TiVo HD and TiVo HD XL DVRs."

Click here to read the full article

SharePoint Gotcha - It may have been deleted or renamed by another user

I recently had an error on one of our SharePoint sites that is the worst kind of error a programmer could face. It only happens sometimes.

It was a typical SharePoint 2007 code error, very vague. "It may have been deleted or renamed by another user." This error message is completely imposable because I wrote the code and it was not deleted or renamed.

I re-checked the code. Double checked the store procedures. I even commented out lines of the code to see where the error "It may have been deleted or renamed by another user" might be originating from. Not matter what I did, I still got the error.

What made the error even more strange was the page in question uses a query string. If the ID was 1 - 13. The page loaded without problem. 14 or more, I got the error message.

After a Google search I found out what my problem was. It wasn't me, it was them!

"People may experience a problem with Query string Field named as ID when the application is custom coded for share point site.

Problem arises when you use ID as query string parameter.Ex: http:xyz:1000/Pages/EditItem.aspx?ID=1."

Full article

Now come on Microsoft, really? I can't use ID in any custom Sharepoint code. That is a first.

Green Tip: Make Your Own Microwave Popcorn

I love my pop corn. I must have it while watching Lost or Hero's. But as I continue my journey towards greening up my lifestyle. I noticed a lot of waste when it came to eating my beloved TV watching snack.

There was the plastic wrapper that each pop corn bag came in. The bag itself is also an issue. You use it once, then throw it way.

I needed to find a better solution. With a quick Google search, I found it on one of my favorite sites TreeHugger.com. How to Make your Own Microwave Pop corn. Google is such a wonderful tool. What would we do without it.

The solutions is simple, all you need are the kernels and a paper bag. The paper bag is great because you can use it over and over again. As long as you don't put any oil in it.

The only issue we've had so far was keeping the bag closed while it is popping. Our solutions was to put a microwaveable coffee mug over the opening. It's worked OK but we are still looking for a better solution. A clip with metal is not a good idea in a microwave.

Give it a try. Not only will you help the environment buy cutting down on your waste. You will also be saving $$$. A lot if you eat pop corn like us.

Update - The cost

1 pound of pop corn from the local Organic market is $1.29

To get the equivalent amount using regular packaged microwave pop corn would be over $7.00.

Zune 30's Hit by Y2K Like Bug

For those of you who have the older Zune's you might have run into this problem as I did. There is some type of bug that locks up your Zune player after Dec. 31 2008.

Microsoft has reported that the issue will be resolved when the Zune 30 battery completely drains then recharges. This will reset the clock and resolve the problem.

Here is a tutorial on how to fix a frozen Zune 30 by un-plugging the battery.

The Microsoft / DirecTV saga in detail

Chris Lainer has been blogging about the Microsoft and DirecTV deal for quite some time. He just wrote an excellent analysis on where it started. To what is the situation now.

Click Here to Read

I think we might need Santa's help to get these two sides back working together.

Microsoft and DirecTV Cancel HDPC-20 Development

From GearLog.com

"According to a company spokesperson, 'DIRECTV has suspended the development of the HDPC-20 tuner project that was designed to integrate DIRECTV service into Windows Media Center after assessing the impact of missing the August 2008 release of Windows Media Center update and considering timing of the next release'.

'Both DIRECTV and Microsoft understand the desirability of offering consumers an all encompassing DIRECTV programming solution via Windows-based PCs. We are continuing to explore ways to integrate DIRECTV service with Windows-based PCs in the future.'"

I am really pissed about this, but honestly not surprised. I just came back from a BNI IT get together where I was told that most people who are purchasing new PCs still request XP - even if they have to PAY EXTRA for it. I use Vista on all my PCs and it works fine for me, but other people are having major issues with Microsoft's latest OS.

I thought Windows 7 with DirecTv support would show that Microsoft learned from its mistakes. They would get everyone excited about their latest product. But it sounds like it is going to be the same old Microsoft.

I will now be looking into Boxee and Myth TV as replacements.

Is it better to turn off my computer or leave it on everyday

We get this question quite a bit, especially now that energy conservation is a big issue. This topic boils down to this question: is turning off my computer every day bad for it? The answer is no.

Several years ago, the answer to this question might have been yes. The issue comes down to your computer's hard drive, motherboard and CPU. When your computer is on, it generates a lot of heat. Turning it off then cools down the parts. This heating up and cooling down impacts your PC's parts, but now with the technology and design much bette, this is no longer a factor.

You also need to think about the economic impact of having your PC turned on 24 hours a day. This excerpt is from How stuff works:

"A typical PC consumes something like 300 watts. Let's assume that you use your PC for four hours every day, so the other 20 hours it is on would be wasted energy. If electricity costs 10 cents per kilowatt-hour in your area, then that 20 hours represents 60 cents a day. Sixty cents a day adds up to $219 per year."

This calculation also doesn't include printers, fax machines or monitors. Just think of the cost savings if everyone in your office turned off their computers at night before they left.

So to keep it green, it is best to turn your PC off when you are not using it. The only thing you are hurting by keeping it on is the environment, by wasting unused energy and your wallet.