tips
Recently I started having a strange problem with Windows 7 Remote Desktop (RDP). It always worked flawlessly before. The past couple weeks it would sometimes work, sometimes not. When it didn't work, it didn't throw out any kind of error message. It wouldn't even get to the authentication screen. The remote desktop client window would just silently close a moment after it appeared. The app on my phone would say "session terminated".
Did a little experimenting trying to narrow down what conditions corresponded to this so as to get at the cause of the problem, but it seemed almost random. So I decided to peruse the related registry entries with an eye for anything promising. Found it pretty quickly.
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\ConnectionHandler
Within this were a few numerically named sub-keys, each of which contained a DWord named "fAcceptConnection". All but one had a value of 1. I changed the one that was 0 to 1, and I believe my problem is fixed, except for figuring out how it got set to 0 in the first place and whether it's going to get reset again (and how often)...
UPDATE: Unfortunately I have to report that the above fix did not continue to work, nor have I found a successful fix. It seems to be a security/certificate related problem...
48 2011-12-10 22:30 Fixing a Kenmore front-loader that won't spin
tips
Had a problem with a Kenmore 417-44252500 front-loading washing machine (made by Frigidaire apparently). During spin cycle the drain pump was working, but there was no high speed spin.
Google easily found lots of people with the same problem, but ascertaining the solution was a little harder, finding manufacturer's documentation harder still. I spent enough time online over this to be inspired to type it up into the page I wish I could have found. Maybe it will be of use to someone else.
I managed to track down JPEGs of the Tech Data Sheet, which I've put in PDF here:
Kenmore 417-44252500 Tech Data Sheet
That should have been all I needed to track down the solution, but the plot thickens...
Ran diagnostics as directed in the data sheet. Everything worked including fast spin. (Fast spin only worked in diagnostics.) Checked the error code, got E47 which is "Board thinks the door PTC circuit is open during spin, refer to Test (9)." Performed the test, which consists of measuring the resistance of the PTC in the door latch. It was ~1500 Ohms, indicating a defective control board according to the data sheet (an open or shorted circuit would have indicated the door latch switch was defective).
However, after some Googling, I couldn't find anyone online for whom replacing the control board fixed the problem! I found that with these symptoms (high spin working only in diagnostic mode) it's "almost always" the door latch but supposedly still could be the (motor) control board (part # 134409900). Yet I found not a single actual report of it's having been the control board.
So with the Tech Data Sheet clearly saying one thing but no evidence to be found online in support, I remained hesitant until I found this post (thanks!) where even after passing the 1500 Ohm test, the fix still involved replacing the door lock assembly.
I got a door latch switch (part # 131763202) that was in stock nearby, and it worked.
By the way, more useful info (found on youtube) in case "you may know someone in a similar situation, or you may be in a similar situation and if you're in a situation like that..."
To remove the door latch, you don't even have to move the washer. Use a pair of needle-nose plyers to remove the spring/wire band that holds the door gasket in place, pull a bit of the gasket out of the way near the latch, remove the two screws (save them, they're not included with the replacement part), and unplug the three wiring connectors. Put it back together in reverse order (except no need for the pliers).
And, paraphrased from the tech data sheet:
To check last error code without entering diagnostic mode, turn on the machine by pushing any button, wait 5 seconds, press and hold simultaneously both Start and Pause/Cancel. After a few seconds, last error code will be signalled until buttons are released. Note that signalling of the first digit (by the Lock, Wash, Rinse, and Final Spin LEDs and audible beep) may overlap the signalling of the second digit (by the Start LED).
To enter Diagnostic mode, turn knob to Drain/Spin, then press Pause/Cancel to turn off the LEDs, then within 5 seconds press and hold simultaneously both the Option and Pause/Cancel buttons until the LEDs begin sequentially chasing.
In diagnostic mode, when knob is set to:
...Drain/Spin, LEDs chase sequentially, and pressing a button will light all LEDs in that cluster
…Rinse/Spin, hot water should enter through detergent compartment
…Soak, cold water should enter the bleach compartment
…Wool, cold water should enter the softner compartment
…Sport, door should lock
…Heavy, door should unlock
…Normal, washer should fill and tumble
…PermPress, washer should fill and spin (leak test)
…Quick, door lock, drain pump and high speed spin (DANGER, door only remains locked in this mode of diagnostics, and may be opened while drum is still spinning after performing this diagnostic!)
…Delicate, last error code will be signalled
46 2011-12-02 12:34 Wake-on-LAN Dell Dimension 8300 PCI Card
tips
I've long been using WOL (Wake-on-LAN) with my Dimension 8300's integrated fast ethernet (100 Mb/s) adapter. I was using BIOS version A01, and WOL worked fine with no special BIOS settings.
Aside: I used to have a gigabit PCI card, but needed the PCI slot for something else and, besides, hadn't upgraded the rest of my network to gigabit and thus had not much use for it (other than when I'd used two NICs at the same time occasionally, for ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) or for configuring network hardware).
Anyway, I've upgraded to gigabit and WOL didn't work with my WOL-capable PCI NIC. It seemed the motherboard was capable, as my switch still showed the NIC connected at 100 Mbps with the computer shut down (though no LEDs lit on the NIC).
Upgrading BIOS to the final version A07 (10/1/2004) didn't fix WOL (although, by the way, it did seem to fix the problem of USB keyboard working in GRUB only from reboot and not from cold startup).
The following, however, worked like a charm. First my notes:
- The DCCU didn't work in Chrome or Firefox. It worked in IE 8 (in compatibility mode, though I think that wasn't necessary).
- I used DCCU_3.1_MR1.exe, Dell Client Configuration Utility, version A003.1.1230, released 4/1/2010, http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/DriverFileFormats?DriverId=R264520 or search Dell for "Dell Client Configuration Utility A00".
- Apparently the author had to use the DCCU to get his on-board NIC to WOL. I didn't need to do this for the on-board NIC WOL, just for PCI WOL. But again, I had been using BIOS A01. It's possible that upgraging to BIOS A07 made me lose on-board NIC's WOL function until I (re-)enabled it using DCCU, but I did not test it.
- I disabled the on-board NIC in BIOS (possible without DCCU). I doubt that this is necessary for PCI WOL, but I have not tested this yet.
from http://telement.wordpress.com/2010/06/14/dell-dimension-8300-wake-on-lan/
Dell Dimension 8300 wake on LAN
2010 JUNE 14, 15:27 +8
How to allow the Dell 8300 to power up from hibernate and power off mode when receiving a Magic Packet via the network card, in Windows XP Pro SP3.
System
Dell Dimension 8300, BIOS A07 (circa 2003/2004)
on board Intel PRO/100 VE Network Card
*Disclaimer: The following instructions are provided without any warranty. Please do it at your own risk. The writer is merely sharing what worked for him, and your milage may vary.
To allow the 8300 to wake up from a hibernate (S4) or power off (S5) state, check the following:
ENABLE WakeOnLAN IN BIOS SETTING:
- Search for DCCU (Dell Client Configuration Utility) at Dell - http://support.dell.com/ (The DCCU version tested here was 3.1)
- Install and run it in Windows XP, set the following:
WakeupOnLAN 6 = Enabled for all NICs
*Recommended to change this item alone only. Leave the other settings untouched to prevent accidentally messing up your BIOS. This item is DISABLED by default, and it is NOT visible in the 8300 BIOS.
- If you do an Inventory reading (using the DCCU) of your 8300 BIOS, theWakeupOnLANMethod should be 3 (Magic Packet), and is unchangable (Just have a look to confirm).
- After setting the above WakeupOnLAN value 6, create the SETTING executable with the DCCU. Then run it. It will update your BIOS on-the-fly in XP.
- Perform a reboot after this. Go into BIOS.
- Check to ensure in BIOS > Power Management > Low Power Mode is DISABLED. (The BIOS help for this item says if left enabled, it will not power up from hibernate or off). Save BIOS settings and exit.
- Boot into Windows XP.
- In your Network Card Properties, Power Management tab, check Allow this device to bring the computer out of standby. Click OK to close the windows.
- You’re done. Put it into hibernate or shutdown, and the LAN lights should be still on (so will your network router’s indicator lights for the PC).
- Test it using another PC, with Magic Packet tools from http://www.depicus.com (Great Site!)
Extra Titbits
The 8300 have a soft power function. Meaning when in a power off mode (S5), it can be started by software.
Try this little fun exercise:
- Open up Start > Program > Accesories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks, set it to run theCalculator program, five minutes from your current time.
- In the SETTINGS tab, tick the box marked Wake the computer to run this task.
- Click OK and shutdown your PC.
- Sit back and enjoy seeing your 8300 come alive in 5 minutes, all by itself. Pure magic!
43 2011-09-12 03:30 Tonight's commute
stories
i've been biking to work even more often. it's not a bad commute: only four miles one way (though there are some hills that are a lot more significant than flat miles). usually i take either the most direct way (all on roads, including busy 5 lane road) or a route that makes use of fayetteville's bike trails (then i just have to cross the busy road).
probably the main reason (psychologically) i like to bike is that it's more interesting/adventurous. (there are logical reasons too: exercise is healthy, saving a bit of gasoline, being a bit green. by the way i work for a green bio-energy company, so saving gas feels in the right spirit.) it feels more like i've accomplished something by getting to my destination. these are basically the same reasons i used to ride an 80cc honda before it broke and i took it apart without fixing it...)
i got a mountain bike last winter, and it's what i've been commuting on. it's not particularly well suited to paved roads, so i've been shopping for a dedicated commuting bike. but this reminded me that i haven't actually been mountain biking a lot lately. i think it's fair to blame this mostly on the super hot summer we had. i biked early in the morning a couple times during the summer, pulling my 3-year-old with her bike attached to mine. the last time went off-road was july 9.
anyway, the nice weather is here now, so i thought it was time for some mountain biking. so when i left work at 12:30am, i headed in a different direction. after one large hill i stopped at a walmart neighborhood market for some AAA batteries, as my helmet headlight was getting a bit dim. (it was my first ever time in this store, as i've boycotted it on principle ever since it was put in right across the street from another fairly new grocery store.) i walked right in with my bike, since i don't take a lock to work, and i seemed to be the only customer. one checkout was open but i had to find the cashier nearby.
then it was on to lake fayetteville under a full moon. i encountered maybe three dozen very surprised deer while on the paved part of the trail, followed by varied other fauna. then i turned on my headlight and veered into the woods. at the bottom of the first hill i stopped short twenty feet from a skunk. he did begin to retreat, but he was staying on the trail, and of course going much slower than i wanted to. after a minute or so of shining my light at him and ringing my pedestrian-alerting bell, he finally moved off the trail. in fact, he was out of sight, and i couldn't tell exactly where he was, though i was pretty sure he was still within eight feet of the trail. i took my chance and zipped past before he could do anything about it. it worked out ok.
after this, and maybe worst of all, were a series of big spider webs (and occupants) that i could see a fraction of a second in advance, just enough time to mostly duck under most of most of them. i say worst because ducking your head that fast (keep in mind i'm wearing a bike helmet with an LED headlamp strapped to it) is rough on the neck. actually, the downward motion is fine; it's the stopping of the downward motion that's rough. i may feel that tomorrow.
(i'm sure this little jaunt was nothing compared to k-ro's many muddy cambodian nightime rides.)
anyway, then it was on to another walmart for some groceries. again, no lock, and by now it's 1:30am, so i again propped my bike just inside the door (which is by the produce, which was what i wanted), but this is not just a neighborhood market, there are actually some customers and quite a few employees in sight one of whom informs me that i can't leave my bike there. i say, ok, i won't, and wheel it on into the store with me. they didn't have a single piece of organic fruit. but i grab a few things, and since my bike is safely with me i feel ok going all the way to the peanut butter aisle near the back. i check out and still get home at the same time that i did after having to stay late at work yesterday.
reminds me of a midnight ride or two (and numerous runs) that phil swope and i went on in college. on one, i hit an unseen hole in the road at high speed, had to bail off the seat, and, still holding the handlebars, skated down the road on the metal cleats attached to my bike shoes, no harm done. maybe i was little lucky there. but a couple more miles out, near the city limits, my free wheel broke, and i had too push the bike back to the dorm like a scooter.
also reminiscent of when i road to west fork at night on the not-yet-paved I-540. with no light that time. and a light-less, moon-less hike a couple miles through the woods as part of a "bachelor party". and a lightless cave exit (best way to avoid both falling and head-bumping is to crawl backwards). interestingly memorable, this category of activities.
42 2011-08-17 12:36 Ron Paul rant
improvements
http://www.hulu.com/watch/268553/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-indecision-2012-ron-paul-and-the-top-tier
thank you, jon stewart. and wtf, "mainstream news media".
seriously.
any time somebody in washington is willing to talk some sense (and back it with their votes in congress, and btw ron paul is not the first, though he is one of the best in my lifetime), they get discounted because they're out of the mainstream. hello?! the mainstream sucks! freaking party line republicans and democrats digging the hole not just deeper but faster. is ANYBODY still satisfied with the status quo our federal government?
when i voted for ron paul last time around (in the primary, which he didn't win) i had people telling me it's a wasted vote because "he can't win" because he's not mainstream. folks, A.) mainstream sucks, B.) "he can't win" doesn't have to be true; it's a (collectively) self-fulfilling prophecy. all we have to do for it to stop being true is stop saying it.
seriously, people.
just look at what's going on! it's been clear for a long time that real change is needed, and it's become exponentially more clear lately.
WHAT THE HELL IS IT GOING TO TAKE for people to stop the self-fulfilling self-destruction and start voting on principle? voting for principled candidates, not crafty politicians!
PLEASE, folks, please don't be duped into voting for more of the same. Ron Paul may be a "republican" but he is not a party-liner. you can certainly vote for him on principle. heck, at this point, i'd say you can even vote for him pragmatically as the best chance we have of saving this grand experiment.
please, plan to vote, and vote for the best. please look into ron paul.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_paul
41 2010-12-21 23:09 Caroling Party
minutiae
We had a nice group for our annual caroling party, with folks from Sumatra, Java, sort of from Ghana, recently from "Kurdistan", Turkey, Texas, and Arkansas, including three kids in the group. Weather was perfect, and we got invited in for cookies at one house and for peanut brittle at Floy's. Then we hung out at our home for a while with hot chocolate and Laura's chocolate chip and gingerbread chocolate chip cookies. Sweet! This concludes my annual blog entry.
35 2009-12-14 02:26 Christmas Carol Booklet
gifts
I finally finalized this booklet of Christmas Carols that was almost done a year ago. It prints on 11 sheets of paper and has 27 songs, most with sheet music (four-part vocal harmonies), some with chords. On the front is a table of contents that lists the key (the one I prefer, not necessarily the one the sheet music is in) and time signature of each song. Slower songs are first, more upbeat songs toward the back.
To print it you either need a duplexing printer (one that prints on both sides of the paper) or you can just check the "Manual duplex" box when printing with a regular printer. Either way, make sure you flip along the short edge, not the long edge, or else half the pages will be up-side-down. It's pretty straightforward, but here are some more specific instructions. When it's printed, fold it in half and you have a Christmas Caroling booklet. You can staple it along the fold if you have a stapler that can handle it.
Note: it may take a while to print as the file contains several images (of sheet music) and is rather large.
The songs I put into the booklet are some of my favorite Christmas carols and hymns from the collection I put together a couple years ago. You can still download that collection, which includes chord charts, sheet music and lyrics for both print and Powerpoint.
I should mention that this project was inspired largely by the great caroling booklet my sister Lydia made a few years ago. she photocopied sheet music out of a hymnal, with each facing page containing just the lyrics for the same song. it was so good i though it was a shame you couldn't just print more. so i made a digital one.
for the sheet music in mine, i didn't scan anything. it's all from images i found here and there on the internet. so the image quality has its own issues, not to mention the questionable quality of some of the vocal arrangements. but i think it's pretty good for a caroling party.
34 2009-11-20 17:05 Seven Hills Homeless Center info
tips
In the interest of making some useful information available to an internet search, here are three facts about the Seven Hills Homeless Center in Fayetteville:
• The Day Center office phone number is (479) 251-7776.
• The Day Center's hours are Monday to Thursday 8:00am-4:30pm, and Friday 8:00am-2:00pm. (The weekday times currently listed on www.sevenhillscenter.org are incorrect.) Also the first and third Saturday of each month 8:00am-1:00pm.
• The Day Center—although its address is on 6th Street (a.k.a. MLK Jr. Blvd)—is not actually located on 6th Street but rather is behind the Suds car wash (which is next to the church building that used to house Seven Hills).
33 2008-11-03 00:00 A word about the upcomin'
improvements
The other day I was talking to my mom about the presidential election. I asked if she thought a person ought to vote for the candidate they believed to be best or for the lesser candidate who stood more chance of winning. Her stance--or at least her reasoning for it--was the pragmatic one: that a vote for anyone other than the two major party nominees was a vote wasted.
I have been leaning the other way. There is a lot I like about both MPNs (major party nominees). Obama is very inspirational and has some good goals. (Of course, his strategy for reaching those goals is debatable.) McCain is an American hero and seems very principled, not one to go along with the crowd. (A McCain-Lieberman ticket, or Lieberman-McCain would have been totally awesome to think of, a bipartisan pair of rebels.) But I really can't back either one of them wholeheartedly.
I've never affiliated myself with a party, so I had never participated in a primary until this year, when I decided on principle I needed to go vote for Ron Paul. I thought it was "my one chance" to vote for him, assuming at the time that I'd take the pragmatic route and pick one of the two MPNs later.
But now I think I will write in Ron Paul. The line of reasoning that it's a waste to vote for other than the MPNs assumes too much. Basically, it assumes that we know from the polls who's going to win. But if we already know that, then my vote is wasted anyway, as far as actually deciding the winner of the election. Even from the pragmatic standpoint, I might as well use my vote for something else, say, helping legitimize a third party. Or making a statement. Or just taking a stand. (Or, heck, electing the right candidate.)
I say down with the defeatist attitude of picking the lesser of two evils. Everyone should vote for someone they can really get behind. Actually, everyone should vote for Ron Paul.
The reason our government is a mess is that we have two dumb political parties that are too alike and don't do what they say they stand for. If you are voting for just another Democrat or Republican, you're part of the problem. It is your fault. So don't do it anymore.
Now, it would be disingenuous of me to deny the partial validity of my Mom's point of view. I guess if you live in a state where the race is close, it's easier to see my stand on principles as a wasted vote. The winner of my state's electoral votes is supposedly a foregone conclusion, so I don't have to worry as much about "making my vote count".
But I say again, it doesn't have to be this way. The only reason it has been this way is that everybody says, "well, everybody is going to do this, so I might as well do it too." Maybe tomorrow everyone will vote their conscience. It could happen.
Anyway, specifically about Ron Paul:
Faithful, consistent, principled.
He was a flight surgeon in the Air Force.
He is an obstetrician who has delivered more than 4000 babies.
Still married to his wife; they have five kids.
He has served in Congress since the 1970s. (Between 1984 and 1997 he returned to his medical practice.)
In all that time, his record is consistent (these points from ronpaul.org):
- He was an unwavering advocate of pro-life and pro-family values.
- He has never voted to raise taxes.
- He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
- He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
- He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
- He has never taken a government-paid junket.
- He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
- He voted against the Patriot Act.
- He voted against regulating the Internet.
- He voted against the Iraq war.
- He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
- He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
The man practices what he preaches, and I think he has it right. Ron Paul.
So, update: I'm told that I, the uninformed citizen, actually do not have the option to write-in my vote in this state. I have also learned that Ron Paul has endorsed Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party. That's good enough for me.
32 2008-10-23 21:30 "Your cruelty reveals everything!"
quotes
"Admit it!"
"It's possible, pig... It's conceivable, you miserable vomitous mass."
So awesomely funny that I had to comment, but since Nathan's blog (because that is what it is, admit it, Nathan) doesn't allow comments, I must post the tech support hilarity here.