The Ten Commandments of making a call to IT support

1. Write down the error message (if one is shown). Many errors are timed and will vanish before you have time to call through to the Helpdesk. It is important to know exactly what the error said because in most cases this will accurately pinpoint the cause of the problem. Calling it the "screen thingy that went out" is not very helpful...

2. Include the exact Software application Version number when you call. Many applications have sub-version numbers and those numbers matter to the help desk. This problem may have be resolved in version x.0.2

3. Try to document the problem by printing the image on the screen, and let the helpdesk agent know you have the screen print.
NB You should have a "PrtScn" button on your keyboard, press that, then paste into your "Paint" program, save and email.

4. Search for the error if you can. If you have an internet connection, search the error in a search engine such as Google. You might get the solution to your problem.

5. Shut down the computer. I personally do not like this method it degrades your battery over time. Leave it off for a minute or so, then reboot the computer. Restarting is a simple action that solves a lot of random problems, and may save you the trouble of calling the Helpdesk to begin with.

6. Find your relevant account number. It is on your bill. Most tech support operators have to maintain an average call length, so if they spend the first few minutes hunting for your customer records, the part of the call where you receive the actual help may be rushed.

6.1 Find the number. If you're not sure of the Helpdesk phone number, check the documentation the company gave you (you kept it, right?). Alternatively,you could contact the vendor you bought the hardware from to find the number.

8. Check that you have the time. Most Helpdesks have just enough staff to keep customers from going elsewhere, and not one person more. Always remember that it is not the operators' fault; they're working as hard as they can. If you can't be seated in front of your computer for ten or fifteen minutes of troubleshooting, it might be best to put off calling until you can. It's very rare for a helpdesk to solve a problem without your involvement.

9. Calm Down. The support staff is there to help you. It is very difficult to help when someone is irrational and angry. If you are upset, walk away and call once you have calmed down.

10. Make the call. The operator will ask you for the information gathered in the first few steps, and take you through the process of identifying the cause of the problem, and finding a solution.

NOW remember kids all these things must be done in consideration with your WAF domestic policy

Add new SMTP primary address in MS Exchange Server 2007

Do you need an easy way to add a new primary SMTP address to a group of mailboxes? The following command creates a new e-mail address policy that assigns the @contoso.com domain to the primary SMTP address of all mailboxes with Contoso in the company field:

New-EmailAddressPolicy -Name Contoso -RecipientFilter {Company -Eq "Contoso"} -EnabledPrimarySMTPAddressTemplate "@contoso

How to turn a default user profile into a network default user profile in Windows 7

1. Log on to the computer that has the customized default user profile by using an account that has administrative privileges.

2. Use the Run command to connect to the NETLOGON shared folder of a domain controller. For example, the path resembles the following:
\\\NETLOGON

3. Create a new folder in the NETLOGON shared folder, and name it Default User.v2.

4. Click Start from the Start menu, right-click Computer, click Properties, and then click Advanced system settings.

5. Under User Profiles, click Settings. The User Profiles dialog box shows a list of profiles that are stored on the computer.

6. Select Default Profile, and then click Copy To.

7. In the Copy profile to text box, type the network path of the Windows 7 default user profile folder that you created in step 3. For example, type the following path:
\\\NETLOGON\Default User.v2

8. Under Permitted to use, click Change, type the name Everyone, and then click OK.

9. Click OK to start to copy the profile.

10. Log off the computer when the copying process is completed.

Intern/Stagiar: Printer Configuration Settings for a USB printer in Win XP

Intern/Stagiar: Printer Configuration Settings for a USB printer in Win XP

Printer Configuration Settings for a USB printer in Win XP

Connecting a printer involves four steps:

1. Unpacking your printer, removing any packaging material and installing the ink or toner cartridge. Refer to your printer's instructions to guide you.

2. Connecting the printer cable to the printer and to the back of your computer.

3. Connecting the printer's power cord to a power outlet.
Installing the printer driver and any additional software. The printer driver is a piece of software that tells your computer how to interact with your printer.

4. If your printer comes as part of your system, you may find that its driver is already installed. In that case, all you'll need to do is unpack it, connect the printer cable and power cord and switch on your computer.

Way of the Wizard

If your printer's software has not been pre-installed, read any installation instructions that accompany your printer and follow those instructions. If no instructions are provided, follow this procedure:

(Note: This procedure applies to printers which use a parallel connection. If your printer uses a USB connection, you should connect it while Windows is running and it will be recognised.)

•Make sure you have your original Windows CD-ROM handy. You may need it.
•Switch the computer off.
•Connect the parallel printer cable to your computer.
•Connect the printer's power cord to a power outlet.
•Switch on the printer and the computer.
•In most cases, Windows will detect that you've attached a new hardware device and it will launch the Add Hardware Wizard and attempt to search for the appropriate software. If the wizard doesn't launch and Windows appears to ignore your printer, you can launch the Add Printer wizard yourself by clicking the Start button, selecting Control Panel, clicking Printers And Other Hardware, and then clicking Add Printer.
•If the printer is directly connected to your computer, select the Local Printer Attached To This Computer option. If you will be connecting to the printer via a network connection, select the Network Printer option, then click Next.
•The wizard will first try to search for any Plug and Play devices (these are components that should, by rights, automatically notify Windows when they're first connected). If the wizard discovers your printer, it will display further instructions to complete the installation. You may need to restart your system to finish.

Mr/Ms Independent

•If the wizard doesn't detect your printer successfully, you can install the printer yourself using the Add Printer Wizard.
•When the Wizard checks for Plug and Play printers and fails to find one (step 8 above) it will let you add a printer manually. Click Next to do so.
•You'll be asked for the printer's port. If you have a single parallel connector on your computer, the printer's port is LPT1 (it stands for line printer 1). Select that and click Next.
•You'll then be asked to select the printer's manufacturer and model from a list. Select your printer's Manufacturer then scroll through the list of Printers and select yours from the list. Click Next and follow the prompts.
•If your printer is not listed but it came supplied with an installation disk, insert the disk in the drive and click Have Disk. From the Copy Manufacturer's Files From list, click the location of the disk you inserted (if it's a floppy disk, it will be the A: drive; if it's on a CD it will most likely be the D: or E: drives) and click OK. Windows will search the disk for drivers and display a list of matches. Choose the one which most closely matches your printer and then follow the prompts to install the driver.
•In the final dialog, select Yes to have Windows print a test page to ensure your printer is working correctly, and then click Finish.

This should do the trick.

enjoy and happy computing the key to remember is we can all do it only if we apply ourselves

Warm Regards
ZK

Cursor/Pointer flickers in Office Documents

I recently observed a problem with a user in the Communication Dept, he uses a Win 7 x64 machine and since a week his mouse cursor was flickering uncontrollably.

It would be perfectly normal in other open windows but once you opened Microsoft Word or Outlook it started running all over the place.

Scouring Google as usual for answers saved me once again and this intermittent flickering had happened to other fellow users and their laptops had the same symptoms as my user

When you're reading docs in Word 2007 or responding to mail in Outlook 2007

• all is fine for the first several minutes. Then you notice the
• cursor flickering a bit, and very shortly thereafter it rapidly (very
• rapidly, maybe 10 times/second) alternates between a cursor and an
• hourglass
• CPU utilization climbs upward of 90% for Outlook/Word depending on which one feels unresponsive.

So the solution i applied reads below :-

1. Exit all Office programs.

2. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.

3. Locate the following registry subkey, as appropriate for the version of Word that you are running:
• Word 2002:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Addins
• Word 2003:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Addins
• Word 2007:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word\Addins

4. Click Addins, and then click Export on the File menu.

5. Name the file WdaddinHKCU.reg, and then save the file to the desktop.

6. Click Delete on the Edit menu, and then click Yes

7. Locate the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\Word\Addins

8. Click Addins, and then click Export on the File menu.

9. Name the file WdaddinHKLM.reg, and then save the file to the desktop.

10. On the Edit menu, click Delete, and then click Yes.

11. Exit Registry Editor.

12. Start Word.

Should be fine now tke cre and read more articles soon to come.

fixing a Windows universal audio architecture error

First Step is to make sure all instances Realtek Audio
and its associative softwares are
uninstalled from add remove programs and device manager.
This includes Intel High Definition audio.
On your PC change the CSDVersion registry key to Windows XP SP2:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows\CSDVersion value=200
This problem arises as the patch thinks that SP3 includes a
better version of the patch itself and hence doesn’t install itself.

3. Download the latest drivers from the Intel website,
navigate to the KB888111 patch.

4. But before installing the patch, goto your device manager and
disable the UAA.
Now uninstall the UAA.

5. Install your patch now.

6. Install the Realtek drivers now and things should work.

7. Change the SP version to 300 again.

If it didnt work, try once again. I can enjoy 7.1 channel
high definition sound
from my Intel Original motherboard now. Realtek HD Audio
now works fine.
Hopefully Error 0xE000027 is fixed now.