28th March 2008

Apple Programs

09:30

Message from Apple informing that following available

1. iTunes with Quick Time
2. Quicktime
3. Safari Browser

I had tried earlier to install just the last two but it failed in final stages. I recalled it had mentioned that item 1 included some certificate updates, so this time I installed all three.

iTunes failed to start. I tried again after restarting XP but no change.
qTime failed to start. I tried again after restarting XP but no change.

safari started but failed to retrieve any web pages. However this was due to Norton intercepting first call to Internet. All OK now. Google Docs worked OK.

I tried Quicktime again to see if any change now Safari working but no change.

17:40

Adobe Photoshop Elements PSE 6 will not start.

This happened before some weeks back (27/11/2007) and I think problem was Adobe Quick Time. I will uninstall both this and iTunes.

Quicktime uninstall finished with errors.
iTunes finished with no messages.

I googled to get other ideas and tried one that deleted cached data in Documents and Settings but no change so more googling and to my surprise found a reference to my own blog where I found how I had solved it before and it worked fine again, although I have no Quicktime but not sure I need it.

One if the reasons I started blogging my experiences was so I could refer back to pervious problems as I often have "I know I fixed this before but I cannot remember how" syndrome frequently.

Collapsing Icons Fixed

For a couple of years now I have irritating problem that when I start Windows XP that most times all my carefully desktop shortcut icons I had grouped by function around my screen edges all moved to the left of the screen in 3 columns in random order.

I used a free utility as a workaround see earlier post.

Now in fixing an unrelated Adobe PSE problems, see previous post, I had to disable all start-up programs and one was called Seticon.exe. I googled this and low and behold someone had reported it caused just the problem I had been experiencing, apparently it is installed for 6-in-1 (4 Media Card slots, a floppy drive and a USB connection) device. See this page.

So I disabled this and to date have not had the problem again. Incidentally my 6-in-1 Media reader still functions fine.

This fault returned after I had re-installed XP the first time I attached GigaOne Disk Drive. This is a 30GB USB drive in a case with various card readers around it, so that you can download contents of digital camera card and reuse card, great when away on long trips. So it is consistent with the Seticon being installed when "plug and play" found this machine for the first time after rebuild.

Photos Shop Elements will not load Fixed by removing QuickTime

PhotoShop Elements 5 Fails to Start
Now this is very strange and I will be glad if anyone can explain. I have used Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 and before that 4 for several years. Then suddenly on the 26th it would not load, although it did work last time I used it a couple of days before. The Organiser (Organizer) started to load and when it got to "Initializing threads" it just disappeared. Rest of the system was fine, Even PSE 5 Editor could be started by clicking on file in Program Files folder but would not go to Organizer from within Editor either.

I un-installed and re-installed TWICE, no change. Followed some very detailed tips from Adobe Support pages that involved changing PSA (Catalogue) files and Windows XP register, but no change.

Adobe web pages then suggested to stop all start up programs via RUN MSCONFIG although I found it easier to do this through Windows Defender Software Tools.

Fix found (or rather stumbled across)

Then I saw somewhere a reference that CODECS can cause this. Now I had installed some unrelated utility that had also installed latest QuickTime so I tried to un-install this, which threw up an error message during un-install. Anyway tried to start PSE again and it went a bit further with a different error message this time (sorry forgot to note down error).

So I made sure it was un-installed by renaming "QuickTime "Folder in "Program Files" and what do you know, PSE 5 loaded fine!!

However next day back to same old problem. I noticed that the QuickTime icon was on my desk top again, some how it had installed itself. So again I un-installed it but again PSE disappeared at "Initializing Threads" stage. I discovered there was a new QuickTime folder next to the one I had renamed, I had renamed it QuickTime-delete-26-11. So rename this new one and PSE 5 works fine again.

Used Defender to remove QuickTime from Startup as opposed to just disabling it, so time will tell if it manages to get in the way again.

One bonus however was that whilst I was disabling Startup Programs I managed to find solution to unrelated problem of collapsing icons on desk top, see next post for detail,

Firefox Add-Ons I Use

1. GMail Space
   great for backing up files typically spreadsheets and documents, these are then avaialble to you wherever you log on. A bit slow for large jpgs.
   
   
2. Split Browser
   enables you to window within Firefox and so have various parts of Tabs visible at the same time.
   
   
3. Scribefire
   
   hopefully quick way of adding to my blogs. I am testing it by writing this artice.
   
   


4. Google Notebook
   
   Does what is ays, lets you make notes and/or paste clips from html

Powered by ScribeFire.

Linux and I Back Together Again

Having said I was taking a break from Linux due to time taken to fix problems I could not resist downloading latest Fedora 8 and having a play which as an off shoot led me to fix most of my outstanding problems.

Bullet summary

1. Problems with updating and repositories was caused by GWART2-54125 DSL Router and DNS addressing.


2. This led to also fixing Firefox IPV6 issues so I do not have to disable.


3. Accessing Windows and Vista from Linux working fine, still need to access Linux from these.


4. Google works well as cross platform tool.

Router and DNS

With both SUSE and Ubuntu I had problems in getting the software updater and the add software package processes to work. Very occasionally this would work but normally could not find repository. I tried various ones. It had worked OK with SUSE 10.2 before I had upgraded to 10.3

Then I found the same problem with Fedora 8. So it had to be a problem common to all so I suspected the in-built firewall in router so I disabled it but no change, so I re-instated it.

Then I did some googling including router in search which led to solution.

Router was a GURU, which I think is a badged Safecom,

GWART2-54125, (GWART 54125) and the problem was reported at http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-328874.html

There are detailed instructions on how to do this at http://safecom.cn/code/product/adsl/SWART2-54125/FAQ/dns-setting.html

My ISP is Orange and they had the DNS information at this address

Once I had done all this upgrades and software additions worked fine.

Firefox and IPV6

Previously on all my Linux Systems I had to disable IPV6 on Firefox for it to work. To do this you enter about:config in the address bar and hit enter and ipv6 in the filter in the config page which results in my case to two lines and by clicking on the first one it disables ipv6 and all is well.

However when I tested out Fedora 8 on my new Core 2 Laptop by just running live CD I did not have to do this. I then found that I could enable it on my desktops, SUSE, Ubuntu and Fedora and it works. So I can only assume the above actions also fixed this issue.

Accessing Windows XP and Vista

In Ubuntu just by looking at Places -> Network it found the locally connected desktops.

But if problems then the way that seems to be most successful is to

1. Select Places->Connect to Server


2. Select "Windows share" in Service Type and correct IP address in Server.


3. Type something meaningful in "Name to use for connection"


4. Connect

This should place Folder on desktop which you can open and be connected to other PC, assuming you have correct Share and Network parameters on these Window's PCs.

iGoogle

I currently have two desktops, one XP and one with removable drives so that I can use XP and Linux (SUSE, Ubuntu or Fedira) plus two laptops, one Vista and one older HP with Linux.

Occasionally I use my daughter's XP laptop when visiting.

I find iGoogle the best way of sharing data amongst them all. For example I am using Blogger to write this on Test Desktop currently with Ubuntu, but I can get at the same file from any platform.

Similarly with Spreadsheets or Documents. Also I can access all my bookmarks.

Collapsing Icons and work around

One advantage of rebuilding my XP system, see previous post, was it cleared my collapsing icon problem, or so I thought. See end of post to how this happened.

I like a clean desktop and have my icons spread around the two side and top edge in related groups. However sometimes after start up these all shift over to a near alphabetic order on the left.

Having failed to fix I downloaded a free program from http://users.rcn.com/taylotr/icon_restore.html
which lets you SAVE and RESTORE icon layout from options listed when you right button click My Computer or My Documents.

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For about three weeks after rebuilding XP this did not happen, The for the first time after rebuild I connected GigaOne Drive (basically a 30GB drive with card readers around edge so you can download cards in the field and then connect to PC at base where it appears as a hard drive).

I was planning to use it as external drive, download 18GB of photos which I could then connect to lap top and sort out at leisure. However XP did not recognise drive, and hung. Strange as drive was OK on older XP machine and new Vista Notebook. Anyway I loaded SW from mini CD provided by GigaOne and seemed OK. Did not have to load SW on other aforementioned machines.

Started copying and almost immediately PC display went black and PC restarted itself. And when it came back up it started the collapsing icons again! Drat!

Linux Summer Experience and why I am taking a break

Well Linux almost there but once again I have realised that I am spending so much time on investigating and experimenting that it is stopping me progressing on other projects, so yet again I am putting it on the back boiler.

As an example when setting up SUSE 10.3 on my Production Machine that runs XP which has plenty of power and spare disk I felt safe with the knowledge that I can always rebuild MBR (Master Boot Record) if problems. Well it went in fine except it would not boot up after installation, Oh well just slip in the XP Distribution Disk and rebuild MBR, which I have done plenty of times before, only to be greeted with demands from MS XP for Admin Password. Would not take any!

A bit of googling on laptop led me to advise that I can just take install option and although it looks like it is building new system it will not. Well it did!

Finally fixed MBR with old DOS v7 installation diskette. See http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/483/xp_repair_fix_master_boot_record_recovery_console
for technique. It took all of 5 minutes.

Oh well it is generally believed that an XP rebuild does wonders for the performance, but I will spare you the details.

About three weeks ago I bought a new Lap Top Intel Core 2, 2GB, 15" display, Vista Home Premium, et al and against all my expectations I am enjoying the Vista experience. Everything is working first time with little effort from me. I have it talking to rebuilt Production machine, old HP laptop, old AMD Test machine with XP, SUSE 10.3 and Ubuntu 7.10.

Just taken old HP Laptop into sitting room, pushed in USB wireless stick and pointed Windows Media Player at large Music collection on desktop across wireless, plugged cable into headphone on laptop and other end into stereo kit and WOW, masses of music available, control of stereo all via old laptop.

Now I will clear space in room by ripping all remaining CDs, experiment with radio and see where I go. Oh and of course I still have Media Centre on new laptop with Vista to play with.

Now to connect old lap top and access data, upgrade Windows Media Player, update library, start playing the music took about 60 minutes. Now no doubt I can do all this with Ubuntu/SUSE but I know it will take me nearer 60 hours.

But I do believe linux will get there in the next couple of years, but I will leave it for now,