Invisible Windows, can't restore the window.

There is a great post on missing windows in Vista, windows not showing up at:
http://sursumcorda.salemsattic.com/archives/2006/08/15/invisible_firefox

My problem was that Mozilla Firefox chose to open and seemed to only display on the taskbar.  When I maximized the window or put it in full screen it showed up.  But when I tried to put it in windowed mode or restore it to my working size it disappeared.  It seemed to be going down below my taskbar.

When I came across the above post I was able to find that the I could try the Move Window function to get it back on my screen.  I right-clicked on the tab in the taskbar and then selected Move.  I then used the arrow keys to get it back on to my display.

Windows Indexing Service Using Too Much Space

     I was investigating some issues on my Windows 2003 server box. It seems to be running slow. I don't know exactly what is causing the issue. But I noticed that the server was continually running low on space. The bulk of it comes from the backups that we run. But we seem to get quite a bit of creeping consumption on the servers main drive. We are losing space continually.


     I came across a some files in the "System Volume Information" folder when I analyzed the hard drive on a defragment run. It showed I had a file of about 12GB that was in the C:\System Volume Information\catalog.wci folder. I investigated this further to find that my entire drive was being indexed by the Windows Indexing Agent.


     Inside of the Computer Manager, I opened the Services and Applications then Indexing Service and found that the whole drive was marked for indexing. On the server we don't need to find files so why would this be indexed. So I removed the C drive and then told the system to clear out the files that were already indexed. It deleted the 12GB .ci file, along with several other files.


     I am still looking into why my server is running so slow. If you have any comments on why it is going slow please let me know.

MS SQL Server 2005 Class Not Registered error when trying to save/create a Maintenance Plan

     I have had this problem before with other services in SQL Server. I don't understand how Microsoft can miss such things. But currently I could not create or save a maintenance plan on SQL Server. I tried using the wizard and tried making it from scratch. Neither method worked but only by trying to build a plan from scratch was I able to get some usable information. SQL Server responded with Class Not Registered. You know those messages contain so much information. What class was it talking about. I installed everything when installing SQL Server what else could there be? I searched for some time on the web and came across a posting from a Randy Wen:

Registering these 2 DLLs should fix your problem.

regsvr32 msxml6.dll
regsvr32 msxml3.dll

Randy

Thank you Randy.

Deep Catacombs

I was looking into creating an bottomless pit. So I purchased the reflective material so I could improvise a 2-way mirror. I then found a pair of 2'x3' Plexiglas panels and applied the material. A large box from the basement was discovered and I hauled it up and inserted the 2 mirrors, one with its back to the bottom of the box and the other laying on the open end. My son brought out a light used for reading, we placed it inside and we turned it on. The effect was somewhat less than stellar. I was hoping the 2-way would work better, allowing more light through. I didn't expect it to have such a dimming effect. I did allow for this though. I am going to put planks across the opening to imply that it has been boarded up against intruders. As there will be only a little area to peek through the effect should wrok out pretty good especially when I add smoke.

SQL Server Replication and Alias

When trying to create a replication it is necessary to have an Alias in order to correctly name the server and open the connection. You can create the alias in SQL Server Configuration Manager.

These should be the steps:
Aliases created with SQL Server Configuration Manager can be used with any client application. The connection strings described in SQL Server Configuration Manager Help can be useful for programmers who create their own connection strings.
To access alias information in SQL Server Configuration Manager Help
1. In SQL Server Configuration Manager, expand SQL Native Client Configuration, right-click Aliases, and then click New Alias.
2. Press F1, or click Help.
3. The New Alias (Alias Tab) topic describes the New Alias dialog box, and contains links to valid connection strings for each type of protocol.
Then you should be able to use the Server’s name in the Replication creation process.

SQL Server

On occasion we have had trouble with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 causing us an issue with Replication.

It returns an error message like the following:

Error messages:
The process could not execute 'sp_repldone/sp_replcounters' on 'SQL-09'. (Source: MSSQL_REPL, Error number: MSSQL_REPL20011)
Get help: http://help/MSSQL_REPL20011
An error occurred while processing the log for database 'TursSearchEngine'. If possible, restore from backup. If a backup is not available, it might be necessary to rebuild the log. (Source: MSSQLServer, Error number: 9004)
Get help: http://help/9004
The process could not set the last distributed transaction. (Source: MSSQL_REPL, Error number: MSSQL_REPL22017)
Get help: http://help/MSSQL_REPL22017
The process could not execute 'sp_repldone/sp_replcounters' on 'SQL-09'. (Source: MSSQL_REPL, Error number: MSSQL_REPL22037)
Get help: http://help/MSSQL_REPL22037

It is still unknown as how it happens or when.

The work around solution is to:
1. Run a query on the screener Database server with the following:
a. Set [DatabaseName]
b. exec sp_replrestart
c. GO
2. Then you will have to reinitialize the subscription.

This should allow the service to restart and fix the problem. If anyone has any further pointers as to why this occurs or How to fix it better, please post a comment.

Creative Strategy

We have been working on our team to improve its function through training. It will take time to learn all that Don has to offer. But we keep moving forward. This post is dedicated to the effort that one of our team members has put into one of our trainings.

We needed to develop some new marketing and the requirements were not quite known. The first impression was to jump right in to start writing the text, but we have learned this only leads to marginally acceptable content. So this team member was requested to return with a Strategy.

Why do we need this information, and what will it be used for? These questions must be answered. He was given an outline to build this Creative Brief. I will try to develop the ideas posed by this outline.

Who will be using the content? The first section is to define the Client. This section was a little light in my eyes but it doesn't always have to be explicit. This may even include the name of the one who will receive the Deliverables.

Next, the Background or Overview for the proposed content. Give a quick description of Why this content is needed. Share the reasons this content will be important.

The Objective of the content should portray the message that must be presented by the content or advertising. It should be very succinct so as to not cause any deviation from the desired outcome.

The Values that will be presented as part of the marketing follow the Objective so the group that will be building the content can tie the Objective to why the buyer should pursue the Call to Action. The values can be a list of items that gives the product worth.

What is the actual Target Audience? Try to describe the Audience in detail: what appeals to them, how they might differ from other groups, their locale, how they will use the product. There are many questions and ways to approach this section but this is where the content will be built specific to the audience. If this is not filled out correctly the content will fall short of meeting your overall objective.

The outline suggests you add the Single Most Important Thing to Say. The main point must come across in the content. So write what you think should be said.

The last section that relates to the actual content is reasons to buy, both logical and emotional. Expand the value of the product in this section. Again a list will help you organize your thoughts on this subject.

An outline of Deliverables with dates will provide the necessary schedule for the development of the content. The time line will allow those building the content to properly plan their time and set meetings that may be necessary to approve resources.

Further Requirements may be included to ensure that anything not included above can be supplied to the development group. Items may include specific quotes from the client that must be included. Names and information about logos, images and text size.

After all this you only need to review the document to ensure you have sold the strategy and the product. You have to enough info that will make it possible for marketing to make it work and described the content well enough for management to sign off to provide resources.

Spencer's Game

I don't know if you have heard of Corona, from Anscamobile. They have created an easy to use physics engine with the ability to add graphics quickly for mobile devices. We first heard about this game development engine on the news. As a kid of 14 built a game that quickly surpassed the free download record holder on the iphone and android market places. He lives not far from where we live and that makes a big splash in local news. So I downloaded it and installed it. My son went to work on it and found that it was quite easy to create something new in just a matter of a few minutes and then even better after a couple of hours on it. He was able to quickly grasp the ideas and concepts that were presented in the online example and then started tweaking it so that he could make his own game. We have been working on it and making good progress. Not as fast as I wished but it is going well. We hope to release his game soon.