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Nubert Required to be Run Under Administrator Account

I installed NuBert version 2011.07.06.2 from Nucor Building Systems from an administrator account on a user's PC running Windows 7 Professional and entered the product key for the software. I was able to start the software from the domain administrator or local administrator account, but not the user's account, not even when I temporarily put the user's account in the domain users group. Putting the product code in when prompted to do so when the software was run under the user's account did not lead to the software running. It would simply terminate after the code was entered and the next time it was run I would be prompted for the code again.

In the registry, I found the following key associated with the software:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Nucor

When I right-clicked on the subkeys and checked their permissions, I saw that user accounts had read permissions for them.

I used Microsoft's free Process Monitor utiltity to check the file access and registry access of the NBS.NuBert.Bootstrapper.Loader.exe process when it was run from the domain administrator account and from the user's account. I noticed that when it was run from the administrator's account, it was accessing the directory C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Nucor_Building_Systems. I copied that directory to C:\Users\useracct\AppData\Local\Nucor_Building_Systems where useracct was the user's account name.

For the administrator account the following files were in the directory:

DefaultPerisssions
NuBertTreelistLayout PermissionMetadata

There was also a directory with a name that began with NBS.BERT.HostEnvironment._Url_ followed by a very long string of digits and letters. There was a directory named 2011.7.7.1 within it and a file named user.config within that directory.

For the users account, the following files were the only ones initially in the Nucor_Building_Systems directory:

DefaultPerisssions
PermissionMetadata

I copied the directory and all of the files from the Nucor_Building_Systems folder under the administrators account into the same one under the user's account, replacing the files already there.

I logged off the administrator's account and tested again from the user's account. Again, I was prompted for the product key, however.

I then logged into the administrator's account again. I right-clicked on the NuBert shortcut on the desktop, chose Properties then clicked on the Advanced button under the Shortcut tab. Run as administrator was grayed out, so I could not select it.

So, from the administrator account, I created a new shortcut on the desktop that pointed to "C:\Program Files (x86)\NBS\BERT\NBS.NuBert.Bootstrapper.Loader.exe" . I right-clicked on the NuBert shortcut on the desktop, chose Properties then clicked on the Advanced button under the Shortcut tab. I then checked Run as administrator and clicked on OK.

I then clicked on the Security tab, clicked on the Edit button and added Domain Users, since the user logs into a domain account. I then clicked on OK to close the Properties window for the shortcut. I then copied the shortcut from the domain administrator's desktop to the user's desktop at C:\Users\useracct\Desktop, where useracct is the username for the user's account.

Then when the user clicked on the shortcut, he would be prompted for a user name and password. I had him put in pcname\administrator, where pcname was the name of his computer, as the user name to use the local administrator account for his PC and the password for that account. I also created a .cmd file with just the following command in it and put a shortcut to it on his desktop as well:

runas /user:administrator "C:\Program Files (x86)\NBS\BERT\NBS.NuBert.Bootstrapper.Loader.exe

That would allow him to just put in the password for the local administrator account to save him a small amount of typing, if he preferred using it to the other shortcut.

Of course, running the software under the local administrator account is a poor solution, due to the security implications, but the only one I could get to work. Why do some software developers seemingly assume that their software will be run from an account with administrator privileges or that a system won't even employ the very minimum of security measures?

[/os/windows/software/misc] permanent link

Switching from 1 line for entries to 2 lines in Quicken 2011

If you prefer a 2-line display for entries in your checking and savings accounts in Quicken 2011 rather than the default 1-line display, you can switch for each account by viewing that account in Quicken and then clicking on the Account Actions dropdown menu and selecting Two-line Display, which appears beneath Register Views and Preferences. You can also use Ctrl-2 as a shortcut to toggle between the one-line and two-line displays. If you are in 1-line display mode, Ctrl-2 will switch you to 2-line display mode for entries and if you are in 2-line display mode, Ctrl-2 will switch you to 1-line display mode for entries in your accounts.

References:

1. register: how to change from 1 line view to 2 line view
   Date: June 2, 2011
   BeanSmart.com - accounting ideas exchange

[/os/windows/software/financial] permanent link

PRTG Network Monitor

If you would like to use a Microsoft Windows system for Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) or Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) monitoring of systems, Paessler AG provides a free edition of their PRTG Network Monitor software, that provides a lot of capabilities, though there is a limit of 10-20 sensors with the free version (you can increase the default limit from 10 to 20 by putting a small banner for the program on your website). But for small businesses or personal use, that may provide all of the monitoring capability you need.

The company also provides other free SNMP and network tools at Free network tools for system administrators

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows/software/network/snmp] permanent link

Accessing a Windows 7 System via Remote Desktop

I needed to access a Windows 7 Professional system from a Windows Server 2003 Small Business Server (SBS) using Remote Desktop. First I needed to enable Remote Desktop access on the Windows 7 system. I then added the account that I needed to use for remote access to the Remote Desktop Users group.

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows/software/remote-control] permanent link

eBay Gallery Plus Option Automatically Checked in Turbo Lister 2

My wife noticed while she was posting items for sell on eBay with Turbo Lister 2 today that the checkbox for adding a Gallery Plus picture was being checked automatically. She didn't want an additional fee for this feature and was annoyed that the box was being checked. She pointed out to me that many other people were complaining of the same problem at Turbo Lister adding Gallery Plus to my Listings! When I checked that webpage, though, I found some people stating that the Gallery Plus images were free when sellers posted items for sale in some categories, e.g., collectibles. Someone posted the following from an eBay announcement in 2009:

We are excited to announce that we are making eBay individual pictures, Picture Pack and Gallery Plus free for items listed in the following categories — Collectibles, Art, Pottery & Glass, and Antiques. We are committed to the success of our sellers and to continually improving the overall experience for all of our customers — both buyers and sellers

When I checked an eBay "help" page on Gallery Plus, I found no mention of the above statement, but I did find that information on the link from that page to an eBay fees information page.

When I checked the auction items in Turbo Lister 2 for which she was seeing the box being checked even when she had unchecked it, I found she had designated the category for them items as "collectibles", so I told her she shouldn't see any Gallery Plus fee for those items.

[/os/windows/software/auction] permanent link

Turbo Lister Postage Warning

When she tried to upload an item she intended to sell on eBay with Tubo Lister version 8.7.101.2, my wife received the error message below:

Warning - The postage cost will be calculated based on dimensional weight, not the actual weight of your package. Please check the weight and dimensions of your package.

She had specified the dimensions and weight of the item and both domestic and international shipping options, so it wasn't apparent to either of us why she received the message. Apparently, the warning can be ignored, though. I found someone else, exdwh posting the following at Re: error code: 21916962 on July 9, 2010.

That's only an informational warning.

The only way to 'get rid of this error' would be to substitute the dimensional weight as calculated by the shipping carrier.

A better solution is to filter out the warnings you don't care about.

When she ignored the message and uploaded the item for sale with Turbo Lister, the item looked fine on eBay.

[/os/windows/software/auction] permanent link

Creating a Shortcut When Installing With WPKG

When installing software with WPKG, you can create a shortcut under Start/All Programs that will allow a user to start the program by using the %WPKG_ROOT%\tools\CreateShortCut.js script.

For instance on a particular Windows 7 system, there is an Audio & Video item within All Programs. I want to add a shortcut for the GSpot Codec Information Appliance, which has an executable program named gspot.exe, which I am installing in C:\Program Files\Audio and Video\GSpot. To add the shortcut when I install the program, I can put the following in the gspot.xml package file I use for its installation. The value for name is the name I want to use for the menu item. The target value is the location where the executable file, in this case, gspot.exe, is located.

<!-- Create the shortcut pointing to gspot.exe. By default, this will get created in %PUBLIC%\Desktop, which is usually C:\Users\Public\Desktop, so it will need to be moved under the start menu. -->
<install cmd='cmd /c %WPKG_ROOT%\tools\CreateShortcut.js /target:"%ProgramFiles%\Audio and Video\GSpot\gspot.exe" /name:"GSpot"' />
<install cmd='cmd /c move "%Public%\Desktop\GSpot.lnk" "%PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Audio &amp; Video\."' />

Note: I have to use & in place of the & in "Audio & Video", because otherwise WPKG will complain about white space not being allowed whenever I try to install the package, since the ampersand has a special meaning in HTML/XML code.

I also have to use the move command to move the shortcut to the appropriate location for a Start Menu item, since it will be placed at %PUBLIC%\Desktop by default. You can determine the value of %PUBLIC% on a particular system by getting a command prompt and issuing the command echo %PUBLIC%. It usually equates to C:\Users\Public.

The complete gspot.xml file.

References:

1. Create Desktop Icon
   WPKG | Open Source Software Deployment and Distribution
2. Using GSpot to Identify Missing Codecs
   Date: August 23, 2008
   MoonPoint Support

[/os/windows/software/wpkg] permanent link

Winamp Crashing When Adding Smart View

Whenever my wife tried choosing a preset, such as "Audio by Genre" to organize her music in Winamp, Winamp 5.572 would crash. She would right-click on Local Media, select Add Smart View and then select a preset for "choose a preset", which would cause Winamp to immediately crash. I found a solution at Media Library problems and crash. The solution was to clear the media library even though she didn't have anything in the library.

The solution posted by ScottVickery there is listed below:

One more clue lending credence to this being a problem with a corrupt library. I cleared the Media Library (Winamp Preferences / Media Library / Local Media - Clear Media Library button), then rescanned (Winamp Preferences / Media Library / Local Media / Watch Folders tab - Rescan now button), and, I can again view my Local Media Audio node in the tree.

Clearing the media library doesn't delete the music files from the PC, it just removes them from Winampls media library. In my wife's case, she didn't have any watch folders.

[/os/windows/software/audio/winamp] permanent link

Detecting Altered Images

If you see an image posted somewhere on the Internet or have one sent to you by email that you suspect has been " photoshopped", i.e. digitally altered, are there any methods that will assist you in making that determination? There are indeed methods and tools to assist you. If the image is a jpeg image, you can upload the image or submit the URL for its location on the web to the Image Error Level Analyzer. Additional information on how to detect "shopped" images can be found at Body By Victoria and Photoshopping and Digital Forensics.

[/os/windows/software/graphics/adobe/photoshop] permanent link

Streaming Video to a Wii Using TVersity

I installed TVersity 1.8 Beta software to stream video stored on a Windows 7 PC to a Wii today. TVersity is free software that allows one to stream video and music from a Windows PC to console systems, such as the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3.

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows/software] permanent link