20
Jul

0

Useful Visual Studio 2010 Extensions

By mbentley | Filed in ASP.NET, C#, Microsoft Visual Studio

Scott Dorman posted a handy list of his Favorite Visual Studio 2010 Extensions.  It is definitely worth checking out and is a good place to start after installing VS 2010.  So far, I have downloaded several of them.

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20
Jul

0

Auto Indent Visual Studio 2010 Code With Ctrl-K-F

By mbentley | Filed in ASP.NET, C#, Microsoft Visual Studio

In Visual Studio 2010, hitting Ctrl-K, Ctrl-F will auto indent a highlighted section.  Ctrl-A, Ctrl-F Ctrl-F will do the whole file.

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28
Apr

1

Intel says their server diagnostics have limited support for servers with web pages

By admin | Filed in ASP.NET, WordPress, hardware

What the heck is he talking about you ask?  I was recently told by Intel Server support, that they do not support (or intend to support) using the Intel server diagnostics (Intel® Active System Console) on servers that provide a website using forms authentication (a really common type of login authentication).  I was told that their tools only work if you use ASP.NET authentication on the primary website on your server.

My understanding from them was that if  you authenticate against another database (which many pages do), then you can not check the status of the hardware on your Intel server.  WTF?

Over a year ago, we bought a couple of big Intel servers for a new website that our company was launching.  After several issues getting the hardware delivered, we were finally up and running.  Then, our hardware guy decided to check on the status of the RAID and things went downhill rapidly.

The tools that Intel provides to check the RAID, redundant power supply etc, just generated errors when we tried to start them up.  We spent a lot of time talking to support about this and getting stupid suggestions like “reload all the software” or “reinstall the OS”.  Finally, we had to actually take the machine apart in order to get ALL of the part numbers so that they would escilate the issue.  Apparently it had never occured to them that we might want to use this for a production server where we need it to reliably run 24/7 and not be taken down and taken apart to address unrelated software issues.  I begged and pleeded, but they would not escilate our software issue unless we did this!

After that, there were more delays.  Some days I would get told that they had replicated the issue and were working on it, other days they somehow could not replicate the issue.  This was pretty baffling since it is really simple to replicate and we had been told that they had gotten that far.  Then they returned to suggestions like “try reinstalling the OS and see what happens”.  Did I mention that this was the production server?

Eventually it came out that they assume that  you have a default website set up with the default ASP.NET authentication.  I was told that they do not support any other setup.  This is from what I thought was a serious sever!?

The last email that I got (7/31/2009, now I just get an automatic response when I email) said:

Hello Mark,

We have been informed by engineering that they have not been able to reproduce or fix the issue you are experiencing with your own form authentication. The only recommendation we have at this point is for you to uninstall the Intel® Active System Console completely, install its standard pre-requirements and use the software in the normal way it was intend to be used. If this is not suitable for you then you will not be able to use this software at this point.
Engineering at this point says that the only fact is that your authentication method will not work with the Intel® Active System Console 3.5.1, and the only other option would be for you to provide us with a copy of the software you use on this server and detailed information about the setup and the environment for us to try a more accurate reproduction.

Sincerely,

Jorge S
Intel Technical Support

Maybe I read it wrong, but it looks to me like it says “we can not reproduce the error, but we know that it will only work with authentication method that we intend you to use on your server”.  Seriously?  This is a server, but I can not use it to serve a website?

I have not heard from them since and since then, they don’t even bother to answer emails…

Needless to say, until Intel starts to support what they sell, we have stopped purchasing their equipment.

If anyone at Intel wants to explain this better, it is case number 8969057…

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12
Apr

0

How to get Session Parameters in an ASP.NET ASMX service.

By admin | Filed in ASP.NET, Delphi Prism 2010, Microsoft Visual Studio, Programming

Session parameters get used a lot in ASP.NET pages and they work pretty well, but when you try to use them in an ASMX web service, you get errors.  So, how do you get the session parameters?

It turns out that it is really simple.  Just add “EnableSession = true” to your WebMethod and it all works as expected.  For example:

[WebMethod (Description="Get a list of RMU GPS positions as JSON for the current custId.",
    EnableSession = true)]
public string GetSomeData()
{
    string  custId = "0";
    try
    {
        custId = Session["CustId"].ToString();
        return(GetSomeDataFromClientId( CustId );
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        handleException(ex, "GetGpsRmuCustListJSON");
        return(some failure message...);
    }
}

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11
Apr

0

Add media files from your computer Fails in WordPress 2.9.2

By admin | Filed in WordPress

I am having an interesting issue with my WordPress 2.9.2 blogs.  On one of our computers, when I go to upload a file to it from my computer, I select the file and it says it is uploaded and says “Crunching…”.  Then I just get a blank rectangle with no image. 

  • I tried “the Browser uploader instead” but it also failed.
  • If I click “Save All Changes” I just get a blank list.

After a while of trying to solve this, I was rather frustrated and decided to try something that has worked for some issues that I had with Google Maps recently.  I deleted all the temporary files (in IE8, go to “Tools”, “Internet Options”, “Browsing History” and click “Delete”.  I made sure that “Temporary Internet Files” was selected (you should be able to leave “Cookies” alone so that you keep your account info).

After a while, it was finished and the graphics loaded perfectly!

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9
Apr

2

Parser Error Message: Could not load file or assembly ‘VJSharpCodeProvider

By admin | Filed in ASP.NET, Programming

I have been working on an ASP.NET website for quite a while and recently went to flip it onto a different server for testing.  Like many before me, I was pretty baffled when I got a configuration error claiming that I needed the VJSharpCodeProvider.  I don’t even use Visual J Sharp.

Further research came up with the fact that if your project uses Java, then Microsoft will kindly add this in for you.  I just went into the web.config file and deleted the assembly reference to VJSharpCodeProvider and everything was happy.

The error page looked like:

Server Error in ‘/’ Application.

Configuration Error

Description: An error occurred during the processing of a configuration file required to service this request. Please review the specific error details below and modify your configuration file appropriately.

Parser Error Message: Could not load file or assembly ‘VJSharpCodeProvider, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a’ or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified.

Source Error:

Line 89: 		<compilation debug="true" strict="false" explicit="true">
Line 90: 			<assemblies>
Line 91: 				<add assembly="VJSharpCodeProvider, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=B03F5F7F11D50A3A"/>
Line 92: 				<add assembly="System.Core, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=B77A5C561934E089"/>
Line 93: 				<add assembly="System.Web.Extensions, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35"/>


Source File: C:\corView\WebSite\web.config Line: 91

Assembly Load Trace: The following information can be helpful to determine why the assembly ‘VJSharpCodeProvider, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a’ could not be loaded.

=== Pre-bind state information ===
LOG: User = NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE
LOG: DisplayName = VJSharpCodeProvider, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a
 (Fully-specified)
LOG: Appbase = file:///C:/corView/WebSite/
LOG: Initial PrivatePath = C:\corView\WebSite\bin
Calling assembly : (Unknown).
===
LOG: This bind starts in default load context.
LOG: Using application configuration file: C:\corView\WebSite\web.config
LOG: Using host configuration file: C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\Aspnet.config
LOG: Using machine configuration file from C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\config\machine.config.
LOG: Post-policy reference: VJSharpCodeProvider, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a
LOG: The same bind was seen before, and was failed with hr = 0x80070002.

Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:2.0.50727.3603; ASP.NET Version:2.0.50727.3601

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9
Apr

0

Garmin Expects Almost a One Year Delay Adding New Roads

By admin | Filed in Gadgets, hardware

Ever since using a relative’s GPS navigation system while visiting, I have been looking at getting a new Garmin navegation system.  We bought one for my Mother-In-Law for Christmas since she is pretty bad with directions.  It works great except for one HUGE flaw.  It is missing a huge divided provincial highway nearby (Stoney Trail in Calgary).  Now this thing took years to build and is super fast for us, but the navigator just chokes if you go onto it.

So, I reported it to Garmin and got a nice email back saying that they are aware that it is missing and it was delayed because they had to get NavTeq to add it in.  However, they go on to say that despite the fact that it is now in the NavTeq maps, it will not be in the next release and that hopefully (no promises though) it will be in one after that in July.  At that point it will be almost a year that the section near me has been open!  They are currently missing a section that opened Sept 2009 and more that opened Nov 2009.

So, right now, if I buy a Garmin, it will not be able to get me out of my subdivision for at least 4 more months.  Then it will likely work for about 6 months before they are closing a road nearby and I will have to wait another year for it to get updated.  And every time that I need an update, they are going to charge $60 to $100 for the update.

While Garmin certainly does not seem concerned about making sure that their products are close to up to date, they certainly know how to keep you paying.

For now, I think that I will pass on GPS navigation until I can at least get basic directions correctly.

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26
Mar

4

Google Maps Fail to Display on IE6

By mbentley | Filed in ASP.NET, Programming

I have a website that I work with that uses Google Maps to display some markers on a map for the user.  It works great in the office.  We tried Firefox, IE6, IE7, IE8…  All good.

Now I have a couple of users who all say that the maps do not display when they try to use them on the company networks.  To make it worse, these companies all require users to use IE6 “because it is proven.”  What a pain.

Has anyone else had issues showing Google Maps on corporate networks?

We have tried the suggestions in the Google article “Issues While Using Internet Explorer“, the Microsoft article “How to troubleshoot script errors in Internet Explorer on Windows-based computers” and a useful post on EasyPagez.

The biggest issue of course seems to be figuring out what the corporate settings for IE6 actually are…

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17
Mar

1

Asus P4c800 Motherboard starts with “system fail cpu test”

By admin | Filed in hardware

The other day, I went to start my old Asus P4C800 based motherboard and got the dreaded “System fail CPU test.”  After a lot of swearing and searching, I tried cycling power, replacing the CPU (luckily I had access to another), unpluging everything, and a variety of other things…  Nothing worked.  Several people suggested loosening the CPU fan, but that did nothing.

Finally, I eventually found a post (Re: ASUS P4C800 Deluxe…”system fail cpu test”) explaining how to reset the board.  I did this, and presto, everything is now working just fine.  What a pain.  Apparently, sometimes (especially after a power outage) the BIOS can just get munged.

For future reference, you can also find the Asus P4C800 Manual online.

Here is what worked for me:

  • Make sure the ATX 12V volt power supply is pluged in
  • Connect an external speaker to the green port on the MB to hear the system post
    message
  • Turn the system off and unplug the power cord from the power supply
  • Disconnect the Hard disk, CD-Rom and floppy disk drives from the motherboard
  • Take the cpu, memory, and video card out
  • take the CMOS battery out and move the CLRT!  jumper from pin 1&2 to pin 2&3 for about 20 seconds.  This didn’t seem to work the first time, so Iwent off to do something else for a few minutes and left the jumper on pins 2&3 while I was gone.  That did it.
  • Put the jumper back to pin 1&2, install the battery
  • Connect the power cord and turn on the system for about 15 seconds
  • Have a speaker connected on the green port on the back of the motherboard
  • Turn the system on, the system should speak “NO CPU INSTALLED”
  • Turn the system off and reinstall CPU, heat sink and CPU fan
  • Turn the system on, the system should speak “SYSTEM FAIL MEMORY TEST”
  • Turn it off and install memory
  • Turn the system on, the system should speak “SYSTEM FAIL VGA TEST”
  • Turn it off and install and video card
  • Connect the monitor and turn the system on. If every thing works you should see
    display on the monitor.

If this did not help, please contact ASUS tech support at 502-995-0883 and request tech assistance.

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