Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Dialog Screens or Windows Appear Off-Screen

Sometimes (mostly after resolution or display changes) dialog boxes or windows will appear off screen. The solution to this is relatively simple.

First hit Alt and the Space bar at the same time (Alt+Space).

Then hit the M key (M).

Then tap any of your directional keys a few times.

After this, move your mouse cursor to the center of your screen. Your missing window should follow it. If this does not work, continue using the directional keys to "blindly" move it back to visibility.

Good luck.

Removing K9 Web Protection

If you've found yourself on a machine running K9 Web Protection that no one has a password to, there is a way to remove it.

Create a text file and copy the below batch script into it.

Script to Copy/Paste Below:

@echo off

set keys=^
 "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Blue Coat Systems"^
 "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\k9filter.exe"^
 "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Blue Coat K9 Web Protection"^
 "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\bckd"^
 "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\bckwfs"

REM remove registry keys
for %%G in (%keys%) do reg delete "%%~G" /f >nul

set folders=^
 "%programfiles%\Blue Coat K9 Web Protection"^
 "%programdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Blue Coat K9 Web Protection"

REM remove folders
for %%G in (%folders%) do rd /s /q "%%~G"

set files=^
 "%windir%\System32\drivers\bckd.sys"

REM remove files
for %%G in (%files%) do del "%%~G"

pause
exit /b

Make sure, after saving the text file, that you rename it so it has a ".cmd" extension.

Reboot and run Windows in Safe Mode.

Find your .cmd file, right-click it, and run it as an administrator. 

Upon .cmd completion, start RegEdit - Start/regedit.exe - and navigate to the below key:
     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentContrlSet\Enum\Root\LEGACY_BCKD

Right-click the LEGACY_BCKD and select Permissions. Then click Advanced and select the Owner tab. Then select Adminsitrators from the owner list, check the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects checkbox, and then click OK. Then, select Everyone and check the Allow checkbox for the Full Control permission. Click OK, right-click the key and finally chose Delete.

Reboot.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Cisco AnyConnect - Untrusted VPN Server Blocked

If you are recieving the below error, you're using the (default) self-signed certificate. The below instructions will solve you problem.



From the Warning Screen (Red 'Untrusted' Window) select "Change Settings...". Here you should untick the "Block connections to untrusted servers" option. After completing this task and attempting to reconnect, you should receive a white "Untrusted VPN" window. On this one, tick the "Always trust this VPN server". This should fix your problem.

Emailing Phone Numbers as SMS

I've compiled a list of all the ways to message people's phones from your email client. Bellow is a list of ways to contact 414.555.1212:

To send an email to 414.867.5309:

4148675309@mms.att.net - AT&T MMS
4148675309@txt.att.net - AT&T SMS
4148675309@myboostmobile.com - Boost Mobile
4148675309@mms.mycricket.com - Cricket Picture
4148675309@sms.mycricket.com - Cricket SMS
4148675309@pm.sprint.com - Sprint MMS
4148675309@messaging.sprintpcs.com - Sprint SMS
4148675309@tmomail.net - T-Mobile SMS
4148675309@email.uscc.net - US Cellular
4148675309@vzwpix.com - Verizon MMS
4148675309@vtext.com - Verizon SMS
4148675309@vmobl.com - Virgin Mobile SMS

Deleting Google Blogger Blog


If you're looking to delete a Blogger blog from Google, start with the blog in question's settings page.

Then, go to Settings/Other.



Then click "Delete



You'll be confronted by a "Are You Sure?" window.


After you do this, you have about 30 days before it's gone forever. I'd recommend donwloading the blog into text format before you do anything.

Disappearing Shortcuts from Desktop - Windows 7

If you have more than four network shortcuts located on your desktop, you may notice that they disappear without any warning. This is because shortcuts that are not always available are considered "broken links".

Broken links are removed from the Windows 7 desktop when the System Maintenance troubleshooter encounters five or more of them on the desktop.

The Number One workaround for this issue is remove all but 4 of these shortcuts from your desktop.

The second workaround, though not recommended, is to disable the System Maintenance troubleshooter. This will stop it from removing desktop shortcuts. Disabling this also stops System Maintenance from cleaning up volume errors, error reports, and auto-correcting time (which isn't good, especially in an enterprise setting), so think twice before utilizing this option.