TechTips and More

A few weeks ago I put together a cheap RAID fileserver using an old Dell Optiplex 745 and a bunch of spare hard drives. My goal: power efficiency, RAID, and low cost.

The 745 on the left has a 160 GB hard drive inside the case for the OS. I’m running 64-bit Windows Server 2008 R2. The small dual-core CPU is power efficient and fast enough to serve up home network storage needs. It also has an onboard gigabit network port—almost a requirement for a NAS. On the right is an old Dell 340 that runs my personal webserver and ebook library. I had to add on a gigabit Ethernet card to the 340. My routers and switches are all gigabit so home network file transfers are fairly fast. The fileserver also doubles as a domain controller for my home domain.

The most expensive component is an 8-port Highpoint RocketRaid 2320 RAID controller. This isn’t a true hardware controller but it has its own bios and “software” onboard, making it independent of the OS.

I put together a quick wood case with slots for eight hard drives. I put two fans on the back to keep the drives cool. The drives have almost an inch of free space between so they stay fairly cool even without the fans running.

The hard drives are powered by the 340 power supply. I then daisy-chained a few splitters to get eight sata power plugs. It’s simple to run a sata cable between each drive and the controller. Since both servers are always on, this works okay.  Both servers are connected to a uninterruptible power supply and have auto restart and wake-on-LAN configured in the BIOS in case they ever shut down and I need to start them remotely. The servers live in a walk-in closet and require very little maintenance.

The NAS works great. I installed the Highpoint monitoring software on the 745 so it would warn me when a drive went bad. Without LED indicators on the hard drives, it’s not easy to tell when a drive goes bad but the software works good. I have four 500 GB drives in RAID 5 plus a hot spare. Highpoint has an expand feature that allows online expansion of the RAID by plugging in another hard drive..no restart or reformat required. There is also a 2 TB drive in the rack that’s plugged directly into the 745 motherboard. The 745 case stays cooler with all the drives outside.

My next NAS will probably have an Atom processor, more efficient power supply, and a backplane setup so drives are easier to change and monitor with lower power consumption.

With a few steps it is possible to get pictures from a Tracfone LG 600g mobile phone using Bluetooth. These phones do not have USB compatibility, so Bluetooth is your only option to exchange photos.

Step 1: Turn on Bluetooth on the phone by pressing Menu>Settings>Bluetooth>Bluetooth On/Off>On

Step 2: Make sure computer has Bluetooth enabled; for Windows computers there should be a Bluetooth icon in the lower-right corner taskbar, like this.

Step 3: On the computer, right-click on the Bluetooth icon and select Add a Bluetooth Device.

Step 4: On the phone, go to Menu>Settings>Bluetooth>Paired Devices>New

Step 5: Go back to the computer and the phone should be showing in the Add Devices window you opened earlier.

Double-click the phone and a code should pop up.

Step 6: On the phone, select the computer and click Add. Enter the code into the phone that is displayed on the computer screen. Press OK. You should now have an active connection between phone and computer.

Step 7: To transfer pictures from phone: On the computer, right-click the Bluetooth icon again and select Receive a File.

Step 8: On the phone, in the photo gallery, select the photo you want to send to the computer and press Options>Send Via>Bluetooth. The file should show up on the computer’s screen.

Step 9: Click next on the computer, and choose where to store the file, then click Finish. Repeat Steps 7-9 for each photo.

To send a photo from the computer to the phone select Send a File on the computer and follow similar steps.

DarkRoom is a minimalist approach to solving writer's block. The thought is that distractions are bad -the dual core, hyper threading monsters of computers everybody owns are turning out to be the hypothetical "Jack of all trades, master of none," and the end of functional society as we know it.

Distractions are killing us all. How many times have you been trying to write something and been distracted by email, a photo, or work in another application? The formatting options alone in Word would starve the person who vows to try every combination before he or she eats. How can any sincere writer entertain any hope of success or completion with such a veritable force working against them? It's only a matter of time until we all curl up and die.

Enter DarkRoom. DarkRoom's mission is to save the world by eliminating distracting ideas, movements, and gadgetry that every computer has. It eliminates stuff like zoom, font selection -even scroll bars are turned into undistracting arrows. It blacks the entire screen so you won't be tempted to glance at the time or temperature or inbox.

Copy and paste text into Word when you're done typing to format and print. Darkroom files are simple .txt files and open quickly because they are simple and tiny.

Free and Fast to Download

The entire download is super-tiny at only 47kb. Download it here. http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/07/03/dark-room-writeroom-for-windows/

Renumbering COM Ports On Windows Vista

When using a USB Bluetooth dongle, the COM port numbers kept getting higher for me every time I plugged it in. Soon the port numbers were higher than my Bluetooth device was compatible with. I'll explain how to reset those numbers -but first a brief description of how Vista assigns these numbers.

How Vista Assigns COM Port Numbers

COM ports are used by Bluetooth and other hardware for communication. Most of the time these ports are virtual because few computers come with hard-wired COM ports these days. To enable a plug and play environment, Vista saves previously used ports as hidden or inactive ports. When the device is plugged in after being previously installed, Vista matches the device to the existing COM port.

If the Bluetooth or other virtual COM port is unplugged from the USB port, Vista saves the association. However, if another USB device such as a flash drive is plugged into that port it resets the USB port. When the COM port device is plugged back into the USB port -or into a different USB port, Vista will make a new COM port to USB association. The previous associations are not overwritten, causing Vista to assign a higher COM port number. Over time the COM ports are numbering in the 30's or even higher, which is higher than most hardware supports.

How To Renumber COM Ports

1. Open the command prompt in Admin mode.

   1. In Vista search type CMD

   2. Right-click on the CMD.exe search result and select Run as Administrator (If the Administrator option is missing, click here for instructions on how to run CMD in Admin mode).

2. Click Continue through the UAC screen.

3. Type set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1 after the prompt and press Enter.

4. Type start devmgmt.msc and press Enter to open the Device Manager.

1. In Device Manager, Click View and make sure Show hidden devices is checked.
2. Now expand the Ports (COM & LPT) row.
3. All saved COM ports are displayed.
4. Uninstall all the unused COM ports by selecting them and pressing Delete, then click OK.
5. Here's a screenshot of the Device Manager with my hidden ports displayed -it's a mess.

And here's the same screen after uninstalling all the no-longer-needed ports.

Try to keep a dedicated USB port for your Bluetooth dongle. Keep an eye on the COM port numbers and clean up again if they get too high.

Sources:

http://www.psy.uq.edu.au/sections/it/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=4

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=315539

Vista Command Prompt Administrator Mode

To open the Command Prompt in Administrator Mode type CMD into Vista search window. Right-click on CMD.exe and select Run as administrator. If the Run as administrator option is not there -as mine has mysteriously disappeared, you will need to make a shortcut for it.

How To Make an Administrator Mode Command Prompt Shortcut

1. Activate the desktop by pressing Windows+D
2. Press Shift+F10
3. Click New>Shortcut
4. Type cmd in the select location box
5. Type Command Prompt in the shortcut name window.
6. Click Finish
7. Right-click the new Command Prompt shortcut icon.
8. Click Properties
9. Under the Shortcut Tab click Advanced
10. Check the box by Run as Administrator

    

11. Click Apply and OK
12. To run the Command Prompt in Admin Mode, click the new shortcut.

Palm Z22 Review

The Palm Z22 Handheld is a small PDA designed to be simple and dependable. It measures 2.75” x 4” x .6” and it’s small and rounded enough to keep in my pocket all day. Buy the Palm Z22 Handheld if you value a device that does a few things well over having a machine that will do everything sometimes. I use mine to sync with Outlook 2007 calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes.  It has the contact, calendar, and note functions of a smartphone, without the monthly bill.

 

Features

The Palm Z22 Handheld performs its few functions with speed and dependability.

• Calendar –Appointments are easy to browse, reminders carry over from Outlook 2007 (and previous versions), and appointments are easy to create or manipulate by using the Palm.
• Contacts –Store names, phone numbers, email addresses, websites, and more.
• Tasks –Keep a list of To-Do Items and check them off when they’re done.
• Memos –Miscellaneous text files; a good place to jot down a shopping list or an idea that comes during the day.
• Notes –An electronic version of a sticky note, simply write on the screen to save an image of your handwriting.
• eReader –eReader displays e-books you can download from the Internet. Non-copyrighted classics are available free. Fictionwise.com, ereader.com, memoware.com
• Calculator, games, and other downloadable software.
• Battery life is at least 8 hours on mine, I haven't drained it yet.
• Memory is non-volatile, which means if the battery goes dead you won't lose your data.
• 25 MB of memory is more than enough for a few games, photos, e-books, and Outlook info (all of my Outlook calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes consume only 150k).
• Palm Z22 handheld DOES NOT have Wi-fi, expansion card, music, or email capabilities.

Syncing Palm Z22

Charging and syncing is done via simple USB mini cable. Palm has excellent synchronization software that automatically saves a complete backup of your Palm on every sync. All the necessary software is free and downloadable at Palm.com.

Outlook 2007 & Palm Z22

Microsoft Outlook 2007 syncs the following with Palm Z22 Handheld :

Outlook 2007	Palm Z22
Calendar	Calendar
Contacts	Contacts
Tasks	Tasks
Notes	Memo
-----	Notes

How to Start Your Own Blog

Thinking about starting a blog? It might be easier than you think. It’s free, and publishing is as easy as sending an email.

5 Steps to Starting a Blog

Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to www.blogger.com and click Create A Blog

• Note: If you already have a Google account, sign in before clicking Create A Blog

2. Fill out form and click Continue

3. Enter your Blog Title and Blog Address (URL).

• The Title is what will show up in the header of each page of the blog
• The URL is what people will type in to go to the blog. It will be easier for readers to remember your blog address if the title and address are the same; however, sometimes the URL you want will not be available

4. Choose a Template

• Pick any one of several templates –some of the templates have different color choices, and click the Preview Template link below it to see a full-size preview

5. Congratulations! That’s all it takes to start blogging.

Adding Content

There are 3 ways to add content to a blog:

1. Go to www.blogger.com, login, and click New Post

2. Send an email to Blogger

• Go to Blogger>Settings>Email to set up your blog for email
• Enter an easy-for-you-to-remember word to complete the email address
• Decide whether you want to publish your emails immediately, or save emails as draft posts -which you can later post by logging into www.blogger.com
• Click Save Settings
• Send an email to that address to post on your new blog.

3. Post from Microsoft Word 2007

4. Post using Windows Live Writer

How to Set Up Word AutoRecover

Want to make sure you won’t lose a document in a Word crash? Check your settings and familiarize yourself with Word’s recovery process.

Microsoft Word 2007 has an automatic recovery feature that utilizes a temporary recovery copy of the document that’s open. This recovery file is updated by default every 10 minutes. It is a good idea to look into the Word settings behind this and verify that the settings are set the way you want them. Microsoft Word 2007 seems highly prone to crashes; having these settings correct will minimize grief in the event of failure.

Simple Steps to Check:

1. With Word 2007 open, click the Office button, then click the Word Settings button on the bottom of the pane.

2. Click Save on the left sidebar to open the Save settings.

3. Make sure the checkbox for Save AutoRecover Information is checked.

4. Specify the time interval you want Word to update the recovery file. I set mine to 1 minute to minimize data loss in the event of a crash.

5. Note where Word is storing your Recovery files. By default it’s a hidden folder such as C:\Users\Username\AppData\Microsoft\Word.

How to Recover a Lost Word Document

The next time Word opens after a crash it will open a Recovery pane with your file displayed. Click the file link to open it.

If the recovery pane is not open –and your last saved version of the file is not current, navigate to the folder Word stores recovery files (the same location you specified in Word Options>Save>AutoRecover option) and open it from there. This folder may be a hidden folder; set your folder options to display hidden folders to make it visible.

After the recovery file is open, save it often in case it crashes again. Remember, frequent saves are still the best way to ward off data loss.