fix and repair

After updates to the Exchange contacts, client reported not being able to see the updated version.  All contacts are shown correctly when accessing webmail but not from within Outlook.

Outlook 2003 was in this instance configured to use the Exchange mailbox in cached mode, the OAB had not replicated to the local machine after 24 hours, so I followed the instructions in the Microsoft KnowledgeBase Article: Administering the offline address book in Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007

To Force Outlook to update it's OAB (Global Address List)

• On the Tools menu, point to Send/Receive, and then click Download Address Book.
• Exit Outlook and then restart it. After Outlook starts, the offline address book download will start one to five minutes later.

(If you are looking for first-class IT support in London, please feel free to contact us)

We carry around a lot of software on our USB keys these days in order to assist in doing our job. Here is the main selection of the software we keep on it.

Installations for New PC's

Standard to all

• PDF Viewer - Adobe Reader - Standard PDF Reader (or the faster Foxit PDF Reader)
• PDF Writer - PDFCreator - easily creates PDFs from any Windows program. Use it like a printer.
• Zip - built in since XP (or 7-Zip - Supports ZIP,RAR and many others and it's own 7z format is hard to beat.)
• Antivirus -NOD32 - The only antivirus we recommend. (there is also the FOSS ClamWin Antivirus - doesn't provide on access realtime scanning)
• Internet search - Google Desktop - easy access to information on your computer and from the web.
• Diagnosis/Support  - RunPCRun Total Support - Handy to have our support package!
• In place for repair work
  
• Malware - HijackThis and Ad-aware
• Drive imager - DriveImage XML or Acronis True Image
• Background
• .NET Framework  - allows end-users to run .NET applications.
• Java Runtime Environment - allows end-users to run Java applications.
• De-crap "Home" PC's - PC Decrapifier
  

Sometime in the last two weeks my father had overnight been unable to access MSN, Hotmail and Windows Updates. The problem also extended to him not being able to connect to me using the NTR remote connection software that we use, however he did still have VNC installed.

Once he connected to me via reverse VNC and I'd confirmed that he had made no changes to system, been hijjacked or infected. We left it overnight to see if it was a transient problem.

It wasn't.  He is with AOL broadband and apparently they have have made some changes. 

Quick Fix time...

Well this "Print preview is blank and you cannot print pages from Internet Explorer" problem was evident on a clients machine, however I couldn't actually open the Page Setup page either to resolve it.

The solution I found was this very handy IEFix - General purpose fix for Internet Explorer utility and seems to do what it says on the tin. So nice one Ramesh Srinivasan and thank you!

Two very interesting things brought to my attention of late.