Solution for: "Cannot open TWAIN source" (Canon)

Error message:

• "Cannot open TWAIN source"

Affected products:

• Canon scanners like the "CanoScan LiDE 60"

What does not hep:

• Updating/reinstalling CanoScan toolbox or drivers
• Trying other USB ports

Workaround/Solution:

• Shorten your "PATH" environment variable. If the resulting variable is "too long", the TWAIN error will occur. After shortening the path, scanning will immediatly work (no restart required.)

(Thanks to “Graf_d” from this thread for providing the solution)

CustomValidator for Checkboxes in ASP.NET

Situation:

The RequiredFieldVadlidator cannot be used to validate ASP.NET Checkboxes.

Workaround:

Use a CustomValidator. All you need is implement the ServerValidate event of the Custom Validator to validate that the check-box is checked/unchecked. Read more: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa479013.aspx

A computer stops responding during shutdown if BitLocker is enabled on the system drive

Symptoms

When shutting down the screen turns black and nothing happens whilst the computer fan and other devices are still running.

Assumption

You have BitLocker enabled for the system drive.

Solution

Hotfix available by Microsoft: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975496/en-us

(Thanks to Kay Giza for this tip.)

Two and a half reasons *not* to use BitLocker

I had to disable BitLocker for two (and a half) reasons:

1. It’s not that easy anymore to create a backup image of BitLocker-protected drives.
   You can still do sectory-by-sector copies which require more space and time to create and restore.
   http://kb.acronis.com/content/1734
2. You cannot boot natively from a VHD if this VHD is placed on a BitLocker-protected drive.
   My laptop has only a single hard drive and you can can’t boot to VHD on network or removable drives.
3. If your laptop is not equipped with a TPM you need to insert a USB stick every time before you can boot your laptop.

10 free online Tutorials on Silverlight using Blend

(via techpreacher)

These tutorials are for everyone wanting to get to know Silverlight and Expression Blend quickly.  The tutorials have been created to learn about the features of Silverlight by simply drawing, resizing, dragging and dropping elements on the design surface of Blend. No code or prior Silverlight knowledge needed.

The content is provided at a high-level to cover a wide array of topics in a short time. Links to more detailed information are provided at the end of each tutorial.

	1. Drawing an emoticon in Expression Blend First steps in getting to know the tools and workspace in Blend
	2. Element Transformations Learn to use Scale, Rotate, Skew and 2.5D Transformations
	3. Get Started with Animation A Quick Overview on Creating Time-Based Animations
	4. Playing Video with the MediaElement Using the flexible MediaElement control as a reusable Surface
	5. Arranging Pictures to Learn Layout Use the Grid, StackPanel, ScrollableViewer and Border to position Images
	6. A Look at Text in Silverlight Learn about Displaying Text, Font Properties and Embedding Fonts
	7. Import an Adobe Photoshop File into Blend Convert the assets from a Photoshop file into Interactive Controls
	8. Styling and Skinning Controls Customize the Look by Setting Properties and Building Templates
	9. Styling and working with Design-Time Data Explore how Templates and Bindings are used to display dynamic data
	10. Giving Behaviors a Test Drive A brief overview and walkthrough of the Behaviors included with Blend

Enable BitLocker without a TPM on Windows 7

Problem

You receive an error that BitLocker will not work if no compatible TPM hardware is present.

Workaround

Use an USB stick (that always have to be inserted before booting your machine).

Steps

1. Open group policy editor: Start » gpedit.msc
2. Navigate to:
   • Computer Configuration
   • » Administrative Templates
   • » Windows Components
   • » BitLocker Drive Encryption
   • » Operating System Drives
3. Double-click Require Additional Authentication at Startup.
4. Click Enable.
5. Done!

More information:

• BitLocker Drive Encryption - Windows 7 Drive - Turn On or Off with no TPM

How to Backup and Restore your Windows Live Messenger emoticons?

There are several apps out there that promise you to work with the most recent version of Windows Live Messenger (Version 2009, 14.0.8089.726).

My recommendation:

ConCon Messenger Content Retriever

 

Download: http://concon.110mb.com/

It saves all emoticons into one .mco (= .cab) file, which makes restoring them very easy.

Workaround: Windows SDK Configuration Tool complains about missing Visual Studio

When trying change the default SDK…

Symptoms

Error Message:

"Your system does not have Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008 installed"

Workaround

• Option 1: Use the command-line version of Windows SDK Configuration Tool: e.g. “WindowsSdkVer.exe -version:v7.0” (no quotes)
• Option 2: Change the OS Display Format to English (United States).

You can read the full story here.

How to set Windows Live Mail store folder

It’s a bit hidden, but Heinz Tschabitscher from About.com knows how:

1. Select Tools | Options... from the menu.
2. Go to the Advanced tab.
3. Click Maintenance....
4. Click on the Store Folder... button.

Control multiple computers with a single keyboard and mouse

What the author says:

“Input Director is a Windows application that lets you control multiple Windows systems using the keyboard/mouse attached to one computer.”

Link: http://www.inputdirector.com/

Gemplus PC Twin Smart Card Reader driver for Windows 7

can be found here: http://support.gemalto.com/?id=46

Getting started with Developing for Windows 7

Getting Ready for Windows 7

• Part 1: Why Be Ready for Windows 7?
• Part 2: Microsoft Programs to Help Get Apps Compatible
• Part 3: Three Must Do Features For Your Users
• Part 4: Getting Ready for Windows 7

Windows 7 Training Kit For Developers
(includes presentations, hands-on labs, and demos on: the Windows 7 Taskbar, Libraries, Multi Touch, Sensors and Location, Ribbon, Trigger Start Services, Instrumentation and ETW, and Application Compatability - including Version Checking, UAC Data Redirection, Session 0 Isolation, Installer Detection, User Interface Privilege Isolation, High DPI)

Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1
(provides documentation, samples, header files, libraries, and tools)

Windows® API Code Pack for Microsoft® .NET Framework
(Managed Wrapper for accessing Windows 7 features from .NET)

How to backup your Windows Live Writer configuration (e.g. to another computer)

If you want to save your Windows Live Writer configuration, including Blog settings, Draft blogs, Recent blogs, Plugins, for example while moving from one machine to another, the free Windows Live Writer Backup is your friend.

Download: Windows Live Writer Backup

Screenshot:

What is the C:\Windows\Panther directory?

Windows Vista and 7 setup log files are located in different locations on the hard disk. The Panther directory is one of them, as you can read here.

Can I delete it safely?

If you performed an upgrade installation of Windows the Panther folder can easily fill up multiple gigabytes. Deleting (or renaming it at first) showed no negative effects.

Understanding Windows 7 upgrade paths

ZDNet created a way easier upgrade matrix than Microsoft's original one.