Barsotti's Blog

Windows Explorer / SharePoint 2007

2010-07-08T10:21:00.003-06:00

It is a known issue that with Internet Explorer 7 or 8 and Windows Vista or Windows 7 that the Windows Explorer view within SharePoint will not work. I spent hours scouring the nets and found this solution below. Worked like a charm. Btw, I am running Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 on a Windows 2008 R2 Machine.

On the Client

Ensure your WebApplication is in the Local Intranet security Zone

When you use Internet Explorer to access the WebDAV site, Internet Explorer uses Windows HTTP Services (WinHTTP). WinHTTP sends user credentials only in response to requests that occur on a local intranet site during an authenticated logon process. However, WinHTTP does not check the security zone settings in Internet Explorer to determine whether a Web site is a local intranet site. Instead, WinHTTP depends on the proxy settings in Internet Explorer to determine whether a Web site is a local intranet site. If the Automatically detect settings option is not enabled, any auto-configuration script that is defined will not be processed. WinHTTP will not identify the WebDAV site as a local intranet site. Therefore, WinHTTP will send out a request without user credentials, and you will be prompted to type user credentials.

On the WFEs

Check if the WebServer > Role Service > WebDav Publishing is installed on the SharePoint WFEs . I have had this issue and the only way I found the resolution was with Fiddler, another farm to compare where I didn’t have the issue, and Google.

Disabling the component is not enough, it must be removed completely from IIS using the following steps:

1. Open Server Manager

2. On the left side of the pane click on Roles

3. Scroll down to the "Role Services" section, and click on "Remove Role Services"

4. Under "web server" uncheck the box next to "WebDav Publishing"

5. Choose Next, then choose Remove

6. A reboot will be required

Reference

Sudeep Gopalakrishnan
http://www.pubsub.com/Webdav-folders-–-no-full-functionality_Windows-MOSS-7tB9oLk7rqi,fVoMRAEGZf3E

Sean McDonough SharePoint, WebDAV, and a Case of the 405 Status Codes
http://sharepointinterface.com/2009/12/28/sharepoint-webdav-and-a-case-of-the-405-status-codes/

Todd Klindt, “Installing Remote Blob Store (RBS) on SharePoint 2010
http://www.toddklindt.com/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=174

Troubleshooting WebDav
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C523AC7A-5724-48BE-B973-641E805588F4&displaylang=en

KB Article for this with MOSS 2007 and explorer Reference
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2171959/en-us

Originally Found on TechNet:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sharepointgeneral/thread/99d923cd-50e2-4a32-a45d-5df4f8627f37?prof=required

Thanks Ivan!

God Mode Windows 7 / Vista

2010-01-06T11:15:00.003-07:00

Ok, want to see EVERYTHING your computer has to offer? Use GOD MODE!

It's quick and easy.

1) Create a new folder - Name it exactly as listed:

"GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}"

Note - Always works in the root of drive C: - sometimes has difficulty working on the desktop. Cheers!!

Rename the Cloud

2009-12-24T19:18:00.001-07:00

Ron Rivest, the MIT computer scientist who coinvented the RSA public-key cryptography algorithm widely used in e-commerce, said “if we stop using the phrase cloud computing and started using swamp computing instead, we might find ourselves being much more inquisitive about the services and security guarantees that 'swamp computing providers' give us.”

Technology Reviews take on Security in the Ether

How to alter everyone's desktop icons in Windows 7

2009-12-24T16:41:00.006-07:00

Ok - to add icons like those on the picture below, to EVERY USER on the computer you will need to edit the registry.

Open notepad.

Copy the text below and paste into notepad.

Save the text file as all files type but include a ".reg" at the end of the file name.

Double Click on your Saved file to import it into your registry.

Start Copy Below Dotted Line
-------------------------------------------------------

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\ClassicStartMenu]
"{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}"=dword:00000000
"{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}"=dword:00000000
"{F02C1A0D-BE21-4350-88B0-7367FC96EF3C}"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel]
"{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}"=dword:00000000
"{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}"=dword:00000000
"{F02C1A0D-BE21-4350-88B0-7367FC96EF3C}"=dword:00000000

--------------------------------------------------------
Stop Copy Above Dotted Line

How to Add the 'Computer' and 'Network' icons on the desktop in Windows 7

2009-12-24T16:13:00.013-07:00

This is a quick guide on how to add the 'Computer', 'Network' and User Files Icons onto the Desktop in Windows 7.

Note - this only works for the current user. Any other user will have to configure their desktop this way. If you would like to have EVERY desktop affected - read the next post here.

Step 1: User right click on "Desktop”

Step 2: User left click on "Personalize (menu item)"

Step 3: User left click on "Change desktop icons (link)" in "Personalization"

Step 4: User left click on "Computer (check box)", “User’s Files” and “Network” in "Desktop Icon Settings"

Step 5: User left click on "OK (push button)" in "Desktop Icon Settings"

All Done!

How to add registry keys using visual basic

2009-07-07T18:54:00.003-06:00

Ok, so just a little notice - this is for information purposes only - I am in no way responsible for any malicious or illegal uses.

This code works great for Visual Studio - It was written for Visual Basic language

'Before the "Public Class Form" one needs to type
Imports Microsoft.Win32

'imports the neccessary program within windows to add or edit the registry

' Then delcare the variables -

Dim KNAME, KVAL, VALNAME As String

' KNAME used as key name,
' KVAL used as key value
'VALNAME used as the name of the value within the registry

KNAME = "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\RUN"
' This is the location within Windows XP to get a program to run everytime your computer starts

KVAL = "C:\yourpath\yourprogram.exe"
'This is the location of the program you want to run

'this is the name of the program as it appears within MSCONFIG or the registry
VALNAME = "yourprogram.exe"

'This sets the value of that registry key, if it does not exist, it will be created
Registry.SetValue(KNAME, VALNAME, KVAL)

Lookout Universities....

2009-04-24T16:38:00.002-06:00

With technology spreading into every facet of our lives we must consider all the aspects that are changing. We can now take e-mail with us wherever we go, with the BlackBerry type of products. We now have music we can take everywhere thanks to the iPod line of products. We now can take 1500 books with us at all times with the portable Kindle, with allows downloading hundreds of thousands more. We are now able to connect to everyone in the world, at all times. We are entering the connectivism era.

Nicholas Carr, speaker and former editor of Harvard Business Review, proposes that we are simply exchanging the physical clutter of books for the mental clutter of the web. He also seems to imply that technology is making people increasingly stupid. However, this is open for debate, Nicholas Carr is currently in the process of writing a book addressing this issue. There are attempts to reach a systemic understanding of the impact of the technological changes on the educational system. George Siemens, Associate Director in the Learning Technologies Centre at the University of Manitoba, suggests that the ability to continue to learn and develop new knowledge replaces the importance of existing knowledge, or, what is known today is less important than the capacity to continue to know more. I agree with this idea, the ability to perpetually learn is a necessity in today's world. The technology in and of itself is not bad, nor does it make us stupid, but it is the main factor of why perpetual education has become so important.

After all, in 1940 the doubling rate of information was roughly 20 years, by 1970s it was roughly seven years, in 2007 doubling occurs every 1-2 years. By 2020, the amount of knowledge is expected to double every 72 hours according the American Society of Training and Documentation (ASTD). Some are becoming addicts to the perpetual flow of new information, myself included. If you are like this, one place you want to check out would be MIT. They have come up with another revolutionary idea, no surprise. They now offer MIT Open Course Ware which provides access to over 1800 courses enabling individuals access to lecture notes, exams, and videos. There is no accreditation, access to professors, or diplomas are provided. If it's knowledge you seek, this is a great resource!

One may ask, what good is learning something, if you can't prove that you know it? Well, Athabasca University*, a Canadian not-for-profit University is offering online classes for out of country residents for around $200 per credit. This price is competitive with in-state college tuition prices. Open University out of the UK is doing virtually the same thing, but currently are for only UK or Ireland residents.
As with the ever growing ubiquity of technology and information, it is very important for public institutions to take note of this, because there will be many more to follow, and the price isn't going up. After all, $0.00 is the future of business.

*Athabasca is accredited with the Government of Alberta and in 2006, AU became the first Canadian public university to receive accreditation in the United States, through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), one of six regional organizations in the U.S. that accredits universities.

Sifting through technology

2009-04-18T13:57:00.005-06:00

Wow, this, TED.com is a pretty cool website of 'Ideas Worth Spreading.' I was looking through some lectures on technology and this one struck my interest. It talks about how education might continue to drastically change with further utilization of computer technology. These block size computers have to potential to change education even for perhaps infants. I recommend watching it, it's only 7 minutes long.

I love the music demonstration at the end. Having computers that are aware of their motion, position, as well as nearby computers is a good step in the right direction. It's not a new technology. Nintendo Wii and other entertainment systems have been using technology such as this for a while now. However, using this type of computer sensory in a stand alone unit has many applications. Having cell phones that do not dial or answer unless tilted in specific direction would then prevent accidentally dialing someone because the key lock sequence didn't. Perhaps a dictionary from one language to another might be another application. The possibilities are nearly endless.

The next step is to get this stuff in use, let it become part of life, turn a profit and allow those profits to further develop the technology. If I had children, I would buy them these, instead of Lego's. I would love to have a hand held PDA that could display information, not just from other computers, but from anything around it. For instance, if I go out to my car and it will not turn over, having messages appear on the PDA on how to diagnose, repair or just start my car would be awesome.

Reading Today, For Tomorrow

2009-04-10T13:00:00.001-06:00

Information technology has brought about transformation almost every part of modern society. IT's true power is simple; it empowers everyone to share ideas by facilitating the development, research, recording, sharing and spreading of ideas. This is producing a society that is increasingly expanding knowledge at an exponential rate. According to research if you are studying a 4 year technical program, by your third year half of what you learned your first year is already outdated. This is problematic especially for college students. Since the information changes so fast, the books assigned are only used for a very short period because publishers put out new versions like every other year. Every new version that comes out eliminates almost any resale value of the previous version, leaving the book holder at a loss. Let's look at what is being done to help prevent and eliminate this loss.

Google is making books searchable. If the book is still being published, it limits how many pages you are shown, but provides you with links to buy it from a distributor. If the book is no longer being published you can read it for free! Besides Google there are websites such as ebooks.com that is also working to digitize books which are suitable for handheld PDAs, Palms or computers. However, the cost of ebooks is still pricey. In fact there is almost no cost savings over traditional printed books. Perhaps this is due to the amount of time, research and editing that goes into each book. Given time, I think the price of books will lower dramatically.

Amazon started something with books, but still required the physical manufacturing of the book and then shipping it. Amazon's model helped utilize technology to assist with the sale and distribution of new and used text books. This helped users find the books previously unattainable. Amazon currently has over 200,000 books available for iTouch, iPod or the electronic book, Kindle. The Kindle has a dictionary and allows you to read books, it also allows you to read blogs, newspapers, and magazines. It is a fantastic invention that allows users to store their own comments or notes on each item. Best of all, Amazon automatically backs it up for you as well, so if you break or lose your Kindle you will not lose your notes or books.

The only problem I see with the idea of Kindle books is simply the increased cost of reading. One must buy an electronic device for over $300, and then buy the electronic books at regular cost. It is however an easy way to organize data and carry 1500 books around with you wherever you go. If the cost of each publication reduced in price or Amazon decided to go with a monthly reading plan for one monthly payment, it could help reduce the cost of attending school. One problem I run into is that when I purchase books for college there is around a 25% chance that I will not be able to sell them back at the end of the semester because they are already outdated. This leads me to not purchase a good portion of required text books. If publishers set a monthly price they would take a significant hit on item profit margins, but would perhaps make up for it in their volume.

Who am I

2009-02-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

My name is Tim Barsotti. Originating from Texas, the Houston area, I then relocated to the Oklahoma / Arkansas border around the age of 14. My high school education was untraditional. I was home educated from kindergarten through 12th grade. This however allowed greater time to gain work experience and even take college classes concurrently at a local, private university, John Brown University. After high school, I took some time off from school, and did a bit of traveling. Thus far, I have traveled through all the states, except Alaska and Hawaii; I have briefly gone into Canada on occasion, but never further than 100 miles from the US border.

I spent a semester at College of the Ozarks, in Point Lookout, Missouri. After my adventures of spelunking and college in Missouri, I moved back to northwest Arkansas region, closer to friends and family. My family was thrilled to have me back in the area. In fact, they were so thrilled they took a vacation and had me house-sit their pets for them! Upon their return, they said, it was great to have me back, but they were moving to Montana. Apparently, while on their vacation my father had received a job offer from the Missoula airport. A few months after they moved up Montana, I wanted to know the place everyone was calling home. So, I lined up a job doing some construction for Bodell Construction, Co. in Missoula. The project I was hired for was a project for The University of Montana, building Lewis and Clark Villages, student housing for for the upper-classmen. The job was supposed to last for another six months, at which point I was planning on moving back down to Arkansas to go to school at The University of Arkansas. However, fate had another plan for me.

After only four weeks, someone accidentally dropped a door from the back of a semi-trailer onto my head. This caused two herniated discs and torn ligaments in my neck, along with some compression of the skull. Thankfully I was wearing a hard hat. The workers compensation insurance company wanted me to stay in Montana, since all of the doctors who were familiar with my case were all located in Missoula. It took almost two years to fully recover, but with full gratitude to Butler Chiropractic, Bitterroot Acupuncture Clinic, and Tim Cordial PT I did have a full recovery! So after two years in this wondrous state, I found no reason return to Arkansas. I decided I would go to school in Missoula and study business.

Technology is amazing! I love how it has transformed society, and how fast it develops. I remember when my family got our first computer, an Apple 2C. The idea that someone could program on floppies a game or program to write documents was fascinating. After that computer we got a laptop, it had a 386 processor with Microsoft Windows 3.1. We connected to bulletin board systems, but since it tied up the phone line and the server, we didn’t stay connected for session. Then we used Windows 95 coupled with Prodigy internet, followed by AOL, and finally Netscape navigator with our own ISP and a phone line we used only for the computer and a fax machine. My interest at that time was gaming, but while following my interests I learned much. For instance, I learned how to install programs, ‘surf’ the web and utilize communication systems like forums, chat rooms and e-mail. I learned how to use IPSX for some older direct connect games, like ‘Command and Conquer’ followed by TCP/IP for the ‘high tech’ games like ‘Warcraft 2.’ I finally gave up my long stint of gaming after a short, but very time consuming delve into massive multiplayer online role-playing games, or MMORPGs.

With years of being around computers, and a few brief classes, I learned how to operate various programs and how to diagnose hardware related problems. Most importantly, I learned how to find solutions to a computer problem if it arises. I attained a position working as a computer tech, at ReCompute Computers and worked my way to a management position there. After servicing many home users and several offices, I had become established in my trade. Diagnosing computers that wouldn’t turn on, saving data from computers riddled with viruses, networking printers and servers for offices, replacing hardware, making recommendations for the end-users, and even soldering on power boards onto laptop computers, became simply a routine. I knew how computers worked, and how to get them to cooperate to my desire, but I grew bored with the routine.

One day, I asked myself, ‘Is this it? Does the buck stop here?’ Then I tried to draw conclusions on my position, by looking at other industries. I tried to compare the computer / technology industry to the oil / automobile industry. Each industry has a hierarchy of companies and jobs, let’s say, Microsoft / Intel and Chevron / Honda are leading companies of their industry. I asked myself, ‘If I were in the oil industry instead of the computer industry, where would I be in the hierarchical scheme of things?’ I realized that I was very low position, somewhere around a lube or tire shop. I wanted to change this, so I analyzed business and technology. I came to the conclusion that there appeared to be an inevitable hierarchy. This hierarchy applies to almost every technology, I think. The hierarchy appears as follows:

The person who uses a technology works for the person who knows how the technology works.

Those who know how it works, work for those who know why it works.

Those who know why it works, work for those who invented it.

And finally, those who invented it work for those who financed it.

Upon this analysis, I decided to go back to school. With a background in business and my passion for technology, a degree in business with an emphasis in IS seemed ideal. Now I am attempting to climb the hierarchy of inevitability, pushing my understanding into the why, instead of simply being satisfied with knowing how. To further develop society, by informing businesses of the capacity of information systems, perhaps even implementing and designing, information systems to its, yet unknown, maximum capacity is my main objective. With my desire to continue learning, and understanding, I feel the sky is the limit.