I spent some time last weekend migrating the Work Avoidance site away from Gradwell and onto a dedicated virtual server from MEMSET. Since this involved a move to a Windows box away from UNIX hosting, I had to configure in IIS7 some of the settings I had in the .htaccess under the UNIX host. Continue Reading »
IIS7 web.config fun
Mar 8th, 2010 by Howard
Hyper-V: Increase network throughput to guest VMs
Feb 3rd, 2010 by Howard
The Windows Server Performance team show how to increase network throughput to guest VMs on Hyper-V. Linking here for Future-Howard, who will certainly need it again.
Enable VT on Sony Vaio Z11
Jul 30th, 2009 by Howard
Some time ago I posted at length about Sony’s decision to disable the Virtualization Technology features of the Intel chips in their high-end laptops, namely my Vaio Z11.
Well thanks to the sterling efforts of one man and his EFI hacking skills, we now have a solution as this image demonstrates. The image on the left shows the result of the VMWare Virtualization Technology test CD confirming that VT is now enabled on my Vaio Z11.
I’ve mirrored his code and instructions here in case his site disappears, read more after the jump…
Java Update 13 breaks Cisco SDM 2.5
Apr 22nd, 2009 by Howard
Another post in a series designed to help Future-Howard work out why things have broken.
If you install Java 6 Update 13 and then try and log into Cisco SDM 2.5 it will fail. The SDM console will not load.
I found I had to go back to Java 6 Update 6 (available at the Java archive page, or direct download.).
With that the Cisco SDM started working again. I’ve not found anything about this on the Cisco site.
Calendar for TV
Mar 11th, 2009 by Howard
Because it is outstanding, and because they asked for people to link to them, it’s time to mention the Calendar for TV. Your one stop shop for knowing what is airing and when – even taking into account time zones. As someone who watches a lot of American TV, this is excellent for keeping track of their sometimes erratic airing schedule. I’ve created an account which allows me to select only the TV shows I’m interested in.
Bad Bell Wire!
Mar 10th, 2009 by Howard
It’s one of those “why didn’t I think of that before?!” moments. BT are selling a device called the iPlate at the moment claiming that for 7 out of 10 people it will increase their DSL speed by filtering out the noise from the bell wire in your master socket. By all accounts it does exactly what they describe. I only bothered looking this up today after hearing about it a few weeks ago, and it occurred to me: if the bell wire is the offender here, why not just disconnect it from my wiring altogether? It’s not as if I have any clunky analogue phones that will suddenly cease ringing. In fact, I use my BT line purely for DSL anyway, who cares if the phones don’t ring! Continue Reading »
Remote Desktop Connection won’t connect.
Sep 22nd, 2008 by Howard
I rebuilt my main desktop a few days ago and ever since I’ve not been able to connect to it with Remote Desktop. I click connect from the other machine and the buttons grey out for a moment before they reset. No error message is displayed. Checking the event log shows a number of Application Popup errors relating to RDPDD.DLL.
It turns out that this is caused by the latest NVidia drivers – which of course I downloaded and installed on rebuilding the machine, the only fix at the moment is to add this to the registry:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management]
"SessionImageSize"=dword:00000020Hopefully NVidia will fix this in a future driver.
Bug in Intel Graphics under XP on Sony Vaio Z
Sep 12th, 2008 by Howard
If you close the new Sony Vaio Z series laptop while it is running in Stamina Mode (using an Intel GMA 4500MHD chip) it WILL NOT wake the screen up when you resume from standby.
This video shows my new Sony Vaio Z (VGN-Z11VN) running the XP downgrade drivers version 6.14.10.4953 dated 21/05/2008 from Sony. The same happens when using the latest drivers (version 6.14.10.4980 dated 25/08/2008).
Note the “beep” noise when I press the volume function buttons; the machine is on and working (it’s visibl e on the network) except the LED screen isn’t on. The only way out is to reboot it – I’m getting very good at Windows-U-L-Down-Enter to Shutdown without being able to see the screen.
I’ve posted about this in the forums, but no one has an answer – and Intel don’t offer email support for this chipset. Does anyone know how to fix this? Using the Nvidia card is fine, it’s just the Intel chip that causes grief.
Sony Vaio Z disabled (VT) Virtualization Technology
Sep 3rd, 2008 by Howard
Update 30th July 2009: See this post for details of a confirmed VT fix for the Z11. I’m using it now!
I love my Sony Vaio Z. It’s a wonderful bit of kit – exactly the power/portability ratio I wanted. It has enough grunt to play the odd game in “Speed” mode while giving 6 hours of battery life on wireless in stamina mode. Not to mention to gorgeous 1600×900 LED screen and the built in 3G wireless.
I have one problem with it and it’s a failing of Sony’s decision making rather than any particular problem with the kit. Sony disable the Intel Virtualization Technology in the Core 2 Duo on all their Vaio machines. I’ve seen no valid rationale for this other than “We don’t support VT on the Vaio range.“ This is absurd since all the Core 2 Duo chips feature Intel Virtualization Technology and I can’t imagine how having it switched on would adversely affect Vista or XP (the two Operating Systems Sony officially supports).
If this were a consumer laptop I could understand – but it’s specifically targeted at business users. In my business I make extensive use of both Microsoft and VMWare’s virtualisation systems – both of which run much faster on hardware that has the VT functionality enabled. There are a good number of people on various forums spitting blood about this issue so I’m not the only one complaining.
There is light, of sorts, at the end of this tunnel. Since Sony have done this before on other machiens in the Vaio series, people have managed to re-enable VT by using BIOS editing tools to flip the right register. Unfortunately it requires intimate knowledge of the BIOS – knowledge that we won’t have until Sony release a BIOS update that can be reverse engineered. If we’re very lucky Sony will make amends by releasing a BIOS update that allows us to enable VT in the BIOS interface proper.
The worst part of this is that we (Vaio Z owners) didn’t know that VT was disabled until after we bought the machines. I know a number of people have returned their units and bought Toshiba or Dell machines that haven’t been crippled by the vendors. Sony advertised a Core 2 Duo Mobile processor, they didn’t mention in any literature that they’d be disabling bits of the processor for no reason.
Sony, if you’re reading this – please give us control over the entire processor and let us enable VT.
Disable Notification Area Balloon Tips in Windows XP
Aug 29th, 2008 by Howard
I’m rebuilding my new Sony Vaio Z with Windows XP, and as usual there are a load of tweaks I need to make to the OS before I feel “at home” again. Since the fingerprint reader software on the new build has an annoying habit of popping up info balloons on every boot – regardless of how often I click them – I felt the need to Disable Notification Area Balloon Tips in Windows XP.
Much better.
And sorry Vista, I tried, I really did. I liked how your hot-swap driver support meant I could switch between stamina and speed modes without a reboot, but I hated your poor network performance against my NAS (even with SP1). Maybe I’ll try again on the next new laptop. Oh, and Sony? Thank you for my XP downgrade CD and drivers. Lovely.