August 31, 2003Aug 31, 200308/31/03When you try to install a patch, you may get the error message “Setup could not verify integrity of file. Make sure the cryptographic service is running.”
This typically means that the signature catalog has been corrupted. There was a patch to fix this problem,
August 29, 2003Aug 29, 200308/29/03Sometimes you want to perform an activity, such as updating a status window, only
as long as the window is not covered by another window.
The easiest way to determine this is by not actually trying to determine it. For example,
August 28, 2003Aug 28, 200308/28/03Backwards compatibility applies not only to software. It also applies to hardware. And when hardware goes bad, the software usually takes the blame.
The HLT instruction tells the CPU to shut itself down until the next hardware interrupt. This is a big win on laptops since it reduces power consumption and thereby saves your lap from third-degree burns.
August 27, 2003Aug 27, 200308/27/03I get called on frequently to do troubleshooting, so I figure I’d share some entries
from my private bag of tricks. (And there are some remarks for programmers hidden
here too.)
Problem 1. A folder like C:\Program Files\LitWare opens each time you
log on.
August 27, 2003Aug 27, 200308/27/03This is where Windows keeps the files that you have marked for being available offline. (CSC was the working name for the feature now called Offline Files. It stands for Client-Side Caching.)
August 27, 2003Aug 27, 200308/27/03Windows XP ships with a number of icon overlays.
A small arrow. Everybody knows this one: It’s the shortcut overlay.
A hand, palm up. This is the “sharing” overlay. A folder with this overlay is the
root of a file share.
August 26, 2003Aug 26, 200308/26/03Sometimes you run into a conflict where you need the controls laid out in one Z-order
to get hit-testing to work, but need a different order to get keyboard TAB order working.
For example, consider this dialog template, which has been simplified for expository
purposes.
August 25, 2003Aug 25, 200308/25/03It seems that no matter what you do, somebody will get offended.
Every Windows 95 box has an anti-piracy hologram on the side. The photographer chose his infant son as his model, since the human face is very hard to copy accurately.
August 22, 2003Aug 22, 200308/22/03I’ve decided to change the color scheme to match my latest knitting project: A pumpkin hat. (Previous food-themed hats were raspberry and eggplant.) I just got a call from the yarn store that the yarn for my sweater has come in, and I can’t wait.
August 22, 2003Aug 22, 200308/22/03In the original release of Windows 95, you could change your time zone by clicking on the map, and the time zone you selected would highlight. Similarly, you could change your Region Settings by clicking on the world map. This was one of those little touches that made Windows 95 that much more fun to use.
