TIPS: How to Install Microsoft Apploc in Windows 7

Sometimes, you may want to run some older software on your Windows 7, which requires the use of Microsoft Application Locale tool (apploc). You will notice a normal installation seems hopelessly failed. Here's how you may install it.

STEPS:

1. Download apploc.msi from Microsoft's website
2. Press Windows Start, in "Search Programs and Files", type "cmd"
3. The command prompt tool "cmd.exe" shows on list, right click on it "Run as administrator"
4. Using this command prompt window, go to the folder where you've stored your apploc.msi.
5. Type "apploc.msi" to start the installation
6. You should be able to finish the installation wizard

SOLVED! Windows Live Mail or Outlook Cannot Connect to Hotmail Account, Keep Asking for a Password

If you're using HOTMAIL or OUTLOOK.COM, and recently you have started the 2-STEP Verification (i.e., you've asked Microsoft to send you a verification code to verify your mobile device or computer), the chance is that YOU NEED TO ENTER THE App Password generated by Microsoft instead of the password you set for yourself.

SOLUTION:

1. From your web browser, logon HOTMAIL / OUTLOOK.COM mail. You can successfully logon, because your password is correct.
2. Go to your Account, Overview, then Security Settings
3. Scroll down the page to find the section "App Passwords"
4. Click on the click "Create a new App Password"
5. Copy the App Password and paste it on your Email Client (like Windows Live Mail or Outlook) when it prompts for a password. IT SHOULD BE THE APPS PASSWORD, NOT THE PASSWORD YOU YOURSELF MADE.

Sorry, life is getting complicated!!

SOLVED! Thunderbird Portable Takes Extremely Long to Load or Cannot Load

A friend has a copy of Thunderbird Portable installed on his computer for checking emails. After a month's using, it's getting unstable and suddenly one day it stops loading. He called me for help and here're some findings, then a possible FIX for you..., besides an overview of my troubleshooting steps.

The first thing I check, Task Manager, I see one instance of "thunderbirdportable.exe", but two instances of "thunderbird.exe". Obviously, these are from previous freeze, and he double clicked on the Thunderbird icon again. Stopping all these tasks won't help.

Then, I used PROCMON.exe (from Microsoft) to monitor what the thunderbird.exe is actually doing, and it seems that it's doing nothing...or maybe waiting, or even it's hanged...

I copied the whole Thunderbird folder (because it's a portable version) to my PC and started it. It started perfectly fine! Well, this is something related to the "SYSTEM" of his computer, not just with the Thunderbird...

I started to suspect the way Thunderbird is working, TEMP FILES!!! I checked and found out that there're 4,000+ temporary files in the temporary folder "C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp", which is also the folder that Thunderbird is storing some temporary files*. Most of the temporary files in this folder reported 0KB in file size.

SOLUTION: Delete temporary files from the folder "C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp". Then, restart Thunderbird again. Or, reboot and start Thunderbird. (if you do not know how to End Task of all Thunderbird processes)

*Notes: When Thunderbird starts, a temporary folder is being created in the user's TEMP folder, you may identify this folder by looking for a file with name "splash.jpg" inside the folder.

SOLVED! Zipping Multiple Folders Into Separate Zip Files

A friend has a special need to compress many folders into separate zip files. Normally, in Windows Explorer, the output will be ONLY ONE zip file. However, the question is whether a simple solution is around.

Solutions:
There are software tools like WinRAR, which can do it. Even so, the default setting does not allow it and you need to check an option for that. Also, WinRAR is not really free.

After research for a while, here's a simple solution, which is FREE!

What you need is...

(1) Download and install a free copy of 7-zip - http://www.7-zip.org/

• I love it as an open source, free yet powerful zip tool

(2) Make a batch file with this command line:

for /d %%X in (*) do "c:\Program Files\7-Zip\7z.exe" a "%%X" "%%X\" -mx=5 –tzip

• it will do a Normal compress (-mx5) in TZIP format (-tzip), default file extension in .ZIP

(3) Put the batch file in the same folder with the folders you want to zip, execute it

For those who may be interested to know more, of course 7-zip's official website has excellent materials. Also, you may check these websites as well.

Reference:

http://www.dotnetperls.com/7-zip-examples

http://jamesit.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/7-zipping-multiple-folders-to-individual-ziparchive-files/

SOLVED! Microsoft Live Group Invitation Not Received

I've created a group in Microsoft SkyDrive, with a Group Calendar to share with my friends. In the past, I was able to send an email invitation to others. So users can check their mail, click on a button to join. Just the receivers will receive these invitation to join group in their Junk mail (this is unbelievable enough, Microsoft treated its own mails as "junk"!).

Recently, strange things happens, even in Junk box there's nothing found. The invitation to My Group is really sent, and if I try to send again, it told me that I'm still waiting for the user to reply...

After searching through so many settings at the user side, what I found is that Microsoft HAS CHANGED its way of handling invitations!

Solution: Ask the user to log in their Hotmail/Outlook account, go to People, Manage, View Invitations. There you go! REALLY, MICROSOFT IS UNBELIEVABLE!

Updated Solution:
Ask the user to log in their Hotmail/Outlook account, go to SkyDrive, Groups, View Group Invitation.

SOLVED! - Why Windows Search for Words Only in Filename, not Content of the File

Many Windows 7 users are very confused of the built-in search function on Windows Explorer. At the top right corner of your Windows Explorer is the Windows Search, but why typing a keyword shows only filenames with the keyword!??

For example, when you want to search a keyword like "Mary" in a Microsoft Word document, instead of just typing "Mary", you should type as "content:Mary".

Other filters follow this syntax, such as kind:, type:, datemodified:, size:, etc. Also when available, drop-down list will be shown for your convenience.

However, the found "keyword" is not highlighted as in the case of Google Desktop, which has officially stopped by Google...too bad.

SOLVED - Missing Snipping Tool in Windows 7

Snipping Tool is an easy yet very practical screen capture tool. However, many users of Windows 7 do not even realize its existence.

To access the Snipping Tool, press your Windows button (bottom left corner), type "Snipping" in the "Search programs and files" box. The Snipping Tool shows on list, click on it to run.

Sometimes, though rare, users were not able to search the program. If this happens, you may create a desktop icon link to your C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\SnippingTool.exe

Note that Snipping Tool is only available to Windows 7 Home Premium or higher versions.

SOLVED! - Cannot Connect to Local Drive on Terminal Server Session

Copying a remote desktop profile file (.RDP) from one PC to another, may not have the local drives available. The reason is strange enough - Microsoft's .RDP file will even recognize your drive "label". By default, if you haven't set a drive label for your local drive, the display name is "Local Disk". However, problem arises if for example you've set your D: labeled as "Data".

Now, you create a .RDP file and copy this file to another PC, with its local D: having no drive label. A user using your given .RDF to connect terminal will lost his local D:, even though both are connecting to the same terminal server using the same .RDP file with the local resource D: checked.

Solution? Standardize your local drive labels, either leave it blank, or set to the same name. Then, when you want to deploy your .RDP file to all your users, the drive label will always match.

For your interest, a .RDP file is JUST A TEXT FILE!! Open it with your notepad and have a look what's actually happening when you save your remote desktop settings to a .RDP file.

Your start to understand what I want to say... Microsoft...

SOVLED! - Missing "Search Programs and Files" in Windows 7

A very convenient way to start a program and search for files in Windows 7 is by using the "Search programs and files", by clicking on the Windows button (bottom left corner).

In some installations, this valuable feature is gone. To bring it back, do this:

1. Go to Control Panel, Programs and Features
2. Left hand side, click on Turn Windows features on or off
3. From the Windows Feature list, check "Windows Search", press OK.
4. Reboot your computer and the feature is back.

Notes & Tips - Search programs and files
By typing the program or key word, you can quickly access to many important programs, features and tools of Windows. Common programs key word like "command", "management", "manager", "information", "log", etc. are command keywords that many network administrators will use.

Another great use is that when the program is shown on list, you can HOLD Shift + right click on the item to run the program as a different user.

Some programs are not so easy to access without the help of the "Search programs and files", such as the Snipping Tool and Credential Manager. If you type "environment" as the search word, Windows will give you choice of accessing two sets of environment variables.

SOLVED! Outlook Sent Emails Go To Wrong Sent Items Tray

It's very common that an Outlook user will have several email accounts, some of these accounts are shared with work colleagues. When the user sending an email in behalf of a group, team, or department, he will want to have the Sent copy falls into the Sent Items tray under the related account, but not his personal Sent Items tray.

However, for some "unknown" reasons, sometimes users find mails like these will drop into their own Sent Items. That means, your work colleagues sharing the email account will not be able to keep track of these "Sent Out" emails.

To resolve the problem, try this:

• Set the DWORD value of the following registry key to 1:

Outlook 2007   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\Preferences\DelegateSentItemsStyle

Outlook 2010   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Preferences\DelegateSentItemsStyle

Close your Outlook and start again. It suppose to be a known issue of Outlook 2007, but sadly carries on unresolved to Outlook 2010.

Reference: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972148/en-us