Archive for the 'Solutions to Problems' Category

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Strange text errors after MYSQL database transfer

Published
by
Smoother
on March 7, 2008
in Solutions to Problems
. 0 Comments

I recently moved a database from one mysql server to another and ended up with some weird text. It seems that some characters were changed into some crazy text. Here’s what I found and here’s what I think they were originally. I did a massive find and replace using phpmyadmin to fix them.

One error appeared as this
’
I think the original one was a single quotation so I replaced it with this
‘

One error appeared as this
—
I think the original one was a dash so I replaced it with this
-

One error appeared as this
“
I think the original one was a double quotation so I replaced it with this
”

One error appeared as this
â€
I think the original one was a double quotation so I replaced it with this
”

It’s kind of crazy but now the text seems normal on the site. It looks like it could be some messed up language.
Guy #1 ” Soooooo…. ’ — “ â€?”
Guy #2 “HAHAH! ’ — “ â€â€™ — “ — “ †’ — “ â€!? You crazy…”

1,944 views

Microsoft Outlook 2003 Categories - You cannot sort by this field

Published
by
Smoother
on April 22, 2006
in Observations and Solutions to Problems
. 8 Comments

So I’ve been getting this error in my Contacts manager in Microsoft Outlook 2003. I can arrange or sort by any field except Categories which is annoying!

It seems to be a bug. I’ve searched for a solution but found none. So here’s the work around that I’ve discovered.

Right Click on the Categories Field. Click Arrage By. Choose ‘Categories’ however this will sort by category but it won’t sort it alphabetical. I’ll be looking for a better solution.

2,856 views

My iTunes Skipping Problem

Published
by
Smoother
on February 27, 2006
in Observations and Solutions to Problems
. 3 Comments

I install iTunes and it’s some good software however I’ve been having an issue. iTunes skips, it’s not skipping songs, but it’s skipping through the song as if the sync was off. A skipping MP3 is pretty wierd. So I’ve been researching solutions and trying new things. Defragging didn’t help, actually nothing really helped until I found this solution. I’m glad I found a solution becuase it’s driving me nuts and I’m pretty hung over today. I don’t need my songs skipping while working and trying to ignore my headache.

I have Quicktime 7.0.4 installed right now. So the solution is based on that version.

iTunes Skipping on Windows XP Solution:
1) Close iTunes and Quicktime
2) Click the start button
Continue reading ‘My iTunes Skipping Problem’

4,520 views

Microsoft Outlook Error: Interface not registered

Published
by
Smoother
on January 24, 2006
in Not so Scientific..., Observations and Solutions to Problems
. 7 Comments

So I installed some video editing software, did some updates, and then BAM!! I can no longer send email. Whenever I hit send I get an error from Microsoft Word saying “Interface not registered” but then there was the internet… and I found the solution…

Solution is here at the MS site

“You receive the “Interface not registered” error message when you try to send or to save an e-mail message to the Drafts folder in Outlook 2002

View products that this article applies to.
Article ID : 870707
Last Review : August 10, 2004
Revision : 1.0

SYMPTOMS
If you use Microsoft Word as your e-mail editor in Microsoft Office Outlook 2002, and you try to send e-mail messages or to save e-mail messages to the Drafts folder, you may receive the following error message:
Interface not registered
Or, you may experience the following symptoms:
“¢ You receive an error message.
“¢ The e-mail message is not sent.
“¢ The e-mail message is not saved to the Drafts folder.

CAUSE
This behavior occurs if the Ole32.dll file that is located in the %Windir%\System32 folder is not registered correctly in the registry.

RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, register the Ole32.dll file. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type the following command in the Open box, and then click OK:
Regsvr32.exe %Windir%\System32\Ole32.dll
 Continue reading ‘Microsoft Outlook Error: Interface not registered’

1,026 views

10 Ways to get Drunk for Five Dollars or Less

Published
by
Smoother
on January 16, 2006
in Scientific Studies and Solutions to Problems
. 2 Comments

Top 10 Ways to get Drunk for Five Dollars or Less

Number 10. Be a frosh (freshman).

It’s not true that every frosh can be knocked into unconsciousness by waving a tom Collins under their nose, but as those of us who go hunting for frosh on “New Kids night” at the local dance holes know, the phenomena is not rare. Frosh are usually young, inexperienced, and sometimes even illegal to entice into your boudoir. If anyone can get drunk on five bucks, it’s them.

Number 9. Be female.

Chivalry is not dead! While you ladies can’t expect guys to risk their life, or miss an episode of star trek for you, you may still be able to get some alcohol out of them. Try standing around the bar, sipping water with a grimace on your face. Dress smutty. Smile at guys as they walk by, the drunker geekier the better. If you want to get more than one drink out of a guy start talking about how hot it is. Act intoxicated. Become even more friendly. At an appropriate time have a friend come by and “save you”, then move on to the next guy.

Number 8. Try Medication.

Sleeping pills. Allergy pills. If it says “do not take alcohol with this drug” or “do not operate a motorized vehicle while under the influence of this drug”, it must be good! Intelligent students such as ourselves, while not having a shred of pharmaceutical knowledge, can see that these statements are a plot by alcohol producers to keep us buying large quantities of booze.

Number 7. If it ends in ‘ol, drink it!

Alcohol isn’t the only intoxicant ending in ‘ol’. Methanol, Butanol and Propanol are all fine safe intoxicants, often available at bargain prices. Stay away from aerosol, cholesterol, and drool.

Everclear Alcohol

Number 6. Sleep Deprivation and Sickness.

For some reason, your body doesn’t want you to have any fun, and actively fights alcohol -enhancement. When you’re sick, and tired, your body’s defenses are at their lowest. This means its often one of the most cost effective times to get plastered! Best of all, if you puke, you can blame it on the flu.

Number 5. Try Antifreeze

Hey, ten thousand deranged alcoholic street people can’t be wrong!

Drink Antifreeze

Continue reading ‘10 Ways to get Drunk for Five Dollars or Less’

8,932 views

BCMLogon.dll Issue with Logon Screen - A recently installed program has disabled the Welcome screen and Fast User Switching

Published
by
Smoother
on January 2, 2006
in Not so Scientific..., Observations and Solutions to Problems
. 17 Comments

Computers are just supposed to work, grrrr! Today I got this error:
A recently installed program has disabled the Welcome screen and Fast User Switching. To restore these features, you must uninstall the program. The following file name might help you identify the program that made the change: C:\WINDOWS\system32\BCMLogon.dll

I couldn’t switch the logon screen, and I couldn’t access the internet. I ran to another PC and found the solution to this problem.

To resolve the problem and restore the Welcome Screen and Fast User Switching, you need to reset the GinaDLL entry using these steps:

[UPDATE: There have been some useful comments made below, you might want to check them out before proceeding.]

* Click Start, Run and type REGEDIT
* Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon
* Backup the key by exporting to a file.
* In the right pane, right-click GinaDLL, and then click Delete. (You need to remove the whole value, not just its Value Data)
* Close Registry Editor

You can read about this here
BCMLogon.dll Problem Resolved
or at the Microsoft Knowledge Base
How To Use the Fast User Switching Feature in Windows XP

Thanks for giving me a pain in my rear bcmlogon.dll

203,439 views

How To Tie A Tie

Published
by
Smoother
on December 29, 2005
in Observations and Solutions to Problems
. 25 Comments

New Years Eve is coming up! That means dinner, parties, shows, and parties. How sharp will you be this New Years? For those that need some assistance I want to help you learn how to tie a tie so you can dress to impress.

What type of tie will you be wearing? You can find some instructions at ScountDB.org for the following neckties:
The Windsor Knot
The Half-Windsor Knot
The Four-In-Hand Knot
The Bow Tie

The following was taken from eHow.com

1. Lift up the collar of your shirt and put the tie around the back of your neck. The wide end should hang down about twice as low as the thin end; it can hang closer to your right or left hand, depending on what’s most comfortable for you.

2. Wrap the wide end around the thin end twice, a few inches below your neck. The wide end should go over the thin end at first. (Images 1 to 3)

3. After wrapping the wide end around the second time, push it through the back of the V-shape made by the partially formed knot. (Image 4)

4. Tuck the wide end through the front loop of the knot.

5. Gently pull down on both the thin and wide ends below the knot until the knot is tight.

6. Hold the thin end and slide the knot up to your neck. (Image 5)

7. If the thin end hangs below the wide end, untie the tie and begin again, with the wide end hanging lower than it did the first time.

8. If the wide end hangs too low, untie the tie and begin again, with the wide end hanging higher than it did the first time.

9. Flip your collar back down once you and your tie look dapper. (Image 6)

how to tie a tie

So there you have it. That’s how to tie a tie. Now you can conquer the world!

2,087 views

Command Prompt Disappears Solution

Published
by
Smoother
on September 28, 2005
in Not so Scientific..., Observations and Solutions to Problems
. 1 Comment

I had a problem. My Windows XP Command Line (aka CMD aka Command Prompt aka MS Dos Prompt) disappears when I try to do things. I try to ping and it dissappears. I try to run reg edit, it disappears. It wouldn’t do anything. And then I got an error.

NTVDM CPU has encountered an illegal instruction
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
NTVDM CPU has encountered an illegal instruction

I did some searching and came up with this very very helpful thread titled, well you know it, NTVDM CPU has encountered an illegal instruction

Here’s the solution that was posted:

Continue reading ‘Command Prompt Disappears Solution’

2,345 views

How to lose 5 pounds in 5 days

Published
by
Smoother
on September 23, 2005
in Observations and Solutions to Problems
. 0 Comments

lose weight nowsmoother: Our 10 year class reunion was a blast, wasn’t it Steel?
steel: Sure was.
smoother: And we know that some people are worried about seeing people for the first time again and what their impressions will be of you.
steel: Sure are.
smoother: Some people have their reunions all the way in November
steel: Sure do.
smoother: So here’s something we found to give you an edge. It’s simple, easy, and effective
steel: Sure is.

1. Restrict calories moderately, starting with 200 calories a day. Gradually increase the calorie restriction to 500 per day over a one week period.

2. Eat a balanced diet. Include 1 lean source of protein, 1 serving of complex carbohydrate, and 2-3 servings of vegetables and fruit at each meal. The total daily percentage of protein is 40%, carbohydrates 40%, and fat 20%.

Continue reading ‘How to lose 5 pounds in 5 days’