Apps I'm Thankful For

1. Everything (Search)
2. Firefox
3. AutoHotkey
4. MWSnap
5. Taskbar Shuffle
6. Norton Antivirus 2009
7. Digsby
8. Audacity
9. MP3Tag
10. SpywareBlaster
11. TrueCrypt
12. Windows Vista
13. Nirsoft
14. Console Calculator
15. GOM Player
16. MP3 to Ipod Audiobook Converter
    

Parallel Port Driver Service Failed to Start

If you don't have a parallel port on your computer, this is easily fixed from the command line:

sc config parport start= disabled

Disable Wireless LED with Gigabyte GN-WI06

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0008

In the registry key above, changing the value for LinkLedFunc to 00 from 03 effectively disabled the WLAN indicator LED. Simply deleting the LED keys did not do the trick.

Error 1310 Can't Write to Config.msi Directory During Repair or Uninstall

Error 1310. Error writing to file: C:\Config.Msi\59cb9b6.rbf. System error 5. Verify that you have access to that directory.

This problem seems to especially crop up under Windows Vista with UAC turned off. There is a lot of advice online about adjusting the permissions of the Config.msi folder, but I don't think they work.

The following workaround seems to do the trick, however:

1. First, try resetting Windows Installer by running the following (this might be all you need to do):
msiexec /unreg
msiexec /regserver

2. When installing a program, like from Adobe or Microsoft Office 2007, that demonstrates this problem, run the installer EXE in XP Compatibility mode.

3. Make sure the setup programs that are copied to your Program Files directory are set to run in XP Compatibility mode. Here are a couple examples:
Adobe Acrobat Pro 9: "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 9.0\Setup Files\{AC76BA86-1033-0000-7760-000000000004}\Setup.exe"

Microsoft Office 2007: "C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\OFFICE12\Office Setup Controller\SETUP.EXE"

4. Make sure that no files are in use when doing a change/repair operation. For example, Copernic Desktop Search keeps Outlook files in use unless it is shut down, and changing the Office installation will fail. Other search programs or backup software might make for the same problem.

Command Line: Enable/Disable Require Password on Wake from Sleep or Hibernate

I couldn't find this anywhere online:

powercfg -setdcvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_NONE CONSOLELOCK 1
powercfg -setacvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_NONE CONSOLELOCK 1

The last digit enables or disables the setting: 0 = password not required; 1= password required

New Antivirus Recommendations

• Avast! Home: Web Shield, Network Shield, Email/Outlook (Attachments Only), Standard Shield (Check only on copying/modifying files and not on application launch) -- Very fast and Web Shield does not slow down browsing.
  
• SpywareBlaster
  

Please see previous security/malware posts for more information, especially why I prefer a "light" antivirus strategy.

Some Favorite Time Savers with AutoHotkey

AutoHotkey is awesome.

NB: I use KeyTweak to remap the [Right Alt key to Right Ctrl] and [Right Ctrl to another Left Ctrl]. Although AHK can use RAlt as a command key (when written ">!"), Windows has a hard time with it.

AutoExecute Section:

#NoEnv
#SingleInstance force
#UseHook On
#WinActivateForce
SetBatchLines -1
SendMode Input
SetKeyDelay, 1, 1
Process, priority, , High
GroupAdd, AllWindows, , , , ahk_class Shell_TrayWnd

Right Alt + Right Ctrl for Back/Fwd buttons

>^LCtrl::Send {Browser_Forward}
<^RCtrl::Send {Browser_Back}

Tilde ` key to close active window

>^`::Send {asc 096} ; ` since ` is remapped to WinClose
`::
PostMessage, 0x112, 0xF060,,, A
Sleep 50
IfWinActive, ahk_class Shell_TrayWnd
GroupActivate, AllWindows
return

Capslock key minimizes active window

Capslock::
WinMinimize, A
Sleep 50
IfWinActive, ahk_class Shell_TrayWnd
GroupActivate, AllWindows
return

Left Shift + Right Shift for Capslock

<+RShift:: SetStoreCapslockMode, Off Sendevent {capslock} return

Shift-Capslock toggle restore/maximize active window

+Capslock::
WinGet MX, MinMax, A
If MX
WinRestore A
Else WinMaximize A
return

Ctrl-Click becomes a Middle Click for the taskbar and Firefox tab bar (recommend Taskbar Shuffle for closing windows from Taskbar with middle click)

^LButton:: ; Make ctrl-click a middle click in certain circumstances
MouseGetPos, , , , currentcontrol
If currentcontrol in ToolbarWindow324,MozillaWindowClass6
Click M
else
Send ^{click}
return

Various Clipboard extensions

>^end::Send {Shift Down}{End}{Shift Up}{Backspace} ; Delete to end of line

>^v:: ; paste without extra spaces, line breaks
gosub getplain
gosub pasteplain
return

+>^v:: ; additionally remove formatting
gosub getplain
clipboard := %clipboard%
gosub pasteplain
return
getplain:
ClipSaved := ClipboardAll
StringReplace, clipboard, clipboard, `r`n, %A_Space%, All
clipboard := RegExReplace(clipboard, "` {2,}", "` ")
StringLeft, 1st, clipboard, 1
IfInString, 1st, %A_Space%
StringTrimLeft, clipboard, clipboard, 1
StringRIght, last, clipboard, 1
IfInString, last, %A_Space%
StringTrimRight, clipboard, clipboard, 1
return

pasteplain: ; pastes and then clears clipboard and restores clipboard from clipsaved
Send ^v
gosub restoreclip
return

backupclip: ; backups clipboardall to ClipSaved and then copies (follow with restoreclip)
ClipSaved := ClipboardAll ; Save the entire clipboard to a variable of your choice.
clipboard := ; empty clipboard
Send ^c
ClipWait, 2, 1
IfEqual, ErrorLevel, 0
return
else
{
gosub restoreclip
exit
}

restoreclip: ; restores clipboard to clipsaved
Clipboard := ClipSaved ; Restore the original clipboard. Note the use of Clipboard (not ClipboardAll).
ClipSaved = ; Free the memory in case the clipboard was very large.
return

Edit AHK script

>^h::Edit

Reload AHK script upon save (I use HiEditor)

#IfWinActive, HiEditor - D:\Documents\AutoHotkey.ahk
~^s::
Sleep 500
reload
return
#IfWinActive

To prevent accidental firing using Capslock or tilde, see this solution.

Add Gmail-like "Archive" and "Move to Inbox" Buttons to Outlook

The blog Techdem has instructions for adding a "Done" button to Microsoft Outlook. I've modified the macro code from those instructions and made similar buttons for the toolbars of message windows:

Sub ArchiveSelected()
Set ArchiveFolder = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI"). _
GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox).Parent.Folders("Archive")
For Each Msg In ActiveExplorer.Selection
Msg.UnRead = False
Msg.ClearTaskFlag
Msg.Move ArchiveFolder
Next Msg
End Sub

Sub ArchiveActive()
Set ArchiveFolder = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI"). _
GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox).Parent.Folders("Archive")
Dim myItem As Object
Set myItem = Application.ActiveInspector.CurrentItem
myItem.UnRead = False
myItem.ClearTaskFlag
myItem.Move ArchiveFolder
End Sub

Sub MoveActiveToInbox()
Dim myItem As Object
Set myInbox = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI"). _
GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox)
Set myItem = Application.ActiveInspector.CurrentItem
myItem.Move myInbox
End Sub

Sub MoveSelectedToInbox()
Set myInbox = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI"). _
GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox)
For Each Msg In ActiveExplorer.Selection
Msg.Move myInbox
Next Msg
End Sub


Updates: Please see QuickArchive in Outlook for more.

Antivirus Strategy Update: Recommended Download Manager

As I've written earlier, I believe real-time antivirus carries too high a performance cost for the protection it provides. Windows has a deserved reputation for security holes, but antivirus is not the most relevant part of a wise security setup for a PC. In fact, traditional antivirus has some troubling disadvantages:

1. Slow read/write disk access up to 15-fold
2. Definitions may not be available until after a virus has reached your computer
3. Deleting or quarantining false positives can be hazardous
4. Background scanning can interfere with software installation and updating, leading to malfunction that is difficult to correct
   
5. Popular free software like AVG updates only daily, so even if proper definitions are available, your software might not have them
6. Marketing preys on fears of the Internet that aren't proportional to the actual risk involved
7. The same files may be scanned many times even though they hadn't changed at all since the last scan
   
8. Hazardous files may still go undetected by scanner incompetence or bad virus definitions

I still use antivirus, but only for downloads and for periodic on-demand scans. To assist with this, I use a download manager that scans downloaded files. I've recently tried many options: Free Download Manager 2.5/2.6, Fresh Download 8.06, Download Accelerator Manager, Download Statusbar, BitComet, LeechGet 2007, Orbit Downloader, and FlashGet. Of these, my current favorite choice is Orbit Downloader, which needs the FlashGot extension for Firefox 3 to work properly with that browser. For scanning, I use ClamWin but with a compiled AutoHotkey script so that it scans downloaded files in a minimized window unobtrusively. You're welcome to download the small .EXE I use for this purpose for yourself (specify that .EXE as your virus scanner in the options of the download manager).

Beyond this, it's wise to use an active firewall such as the one the comes with Windows XP SP2 or Vista, preventative steps such as subscriptions against malware sites as is provided with SpywareBlaster and AdBlock Plus, and to keep unnecessary networking functions disabled.

UPDATE: Avast is free, has frequent updates, and can be set to only scan when files are being copied/modified. I now prefer this approach over Orbit Downloader + ClamWin.

How to Disable the Annoying Blinking LED for an Atheros Wireless Adapter

In Regedit, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} and look the key for your wireless adapter.
Back it up then delete the following keys:

gpioPinFunc1
gpioLedCustom
gpioFunc1ActHi

After, restart.

If you want to have a visual cue of network activity, you can right-click the network icon in the notification area of the taskbar and select Turn On Activity Animation, and this is more subtle and less distracting than the amber LED. By the way, the button to turn the wireless adapter on and off still works after deleting the above keys.

Crossposted here