Avoid using switch-case statements
Recently I’ve been asked why switch-case statements should be avoided, it turns out to be a pretty common question, and although I’m pretty happy with the re...
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Development
How I stopped worrying about servers and learned to love serverless
I first heard of the term “serverless” in about 2015, probably around the time that the “Serverless Framework” launched, October 2015.
Microservices - Managing the flow of data
There’s a number of companies that have been pioneering the microservices architectural style, including Amazon, Netflix, The Guardian, the UK Government Dig...
Agile, what’s it all about?
Why does the agile software development exist? What’s it all about? Why do people use it? Who uses it? How do you use it?
50+ Useful JavaScript Tips, Tricks and Best Practices
Here it is, the long awaited 50+ useful JavaScript tips, tricks and best practices.
Keep it Simple, Stupid!
“RTBQ! RTBQ!”. This is the phrase that my high school friends shouted at me when I asked them to remind me of the phrase they remember from school. Mr Fletch...
Using Jenkinsfiles for Continuous Deployment Pipelines
If the idea of deploying code to production makes you nervous, then this one’s for you.
Story Points Baseline
Given a new team or a team restructure, should you baseline? Do all teams point differently? Do the team need to baseline?
Getting started with Behat
Behat is a test framework for behavior-driven development (BDD) written in the PHP programming language.
The journey to Microservices
We’ve come along way, even in the past few years. We’ve seen huge advances in web technology.
Testing as code
In a time where DevOps culture demands “everything as code”, from infrastructure to monitoring, its about time we took “testing as code” seriously.
Delivering Value
By now you’ve probably seen this image, with waterfall on the left, and continuous operations on the right, it’s an evolution.
Devops Best Practices
DevOps started out as “Agile Systems Administration”. In 2008, at the Agile Conference in Toronto, Andrew Shafer posted an offer to moderate an ad hoc “Birds...
Have a compromise strategy
Back in February 2016, I went to PHP UK Conference. One of the points resonated with me, so I wrote down the following:
What “People over Process” actually means
The agile manifesto talks about “people over process”. As someone who is often very process-driven, I know that the right process will produce the right resu...
What’s involved in a code review?
We now live in a time of version control, git and github. If you work in software development you should be familiar with “pull requests”.
The Journey to DevOps - Notes from The Project Phoenix
If you’ve ever looked into DevOps, you’ve no doubt come across this “evolution” type image, with an ape type figure on the left, labelled “Waterfall” and on ...
PHP CI with Jenkins and Docker (Part 1)
I’ve been developing in PHP now for longer than I haven’t.
How can I improve my search engine ranking?
We know that backlinks are still important to get ranked in Google, but what else can be done to improve our ranking?
Have backlinks become irrelevant in 2017?
In 2017, are links still relevant and important?
Is naming things really that hard?
There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things. – Phil Karlton
That Testing Pyramid
Today I want to talk about that “Testing Pyramid”, you know the one, that one, Martin Fowler calls it a “Test Pyramid”.
Will the last person to leave turn the LAMP off
We all love LAMP (that’s Linux, Apache httpd, MySQL, PHP), but the love affair may be coming to an end.
UX Tips: Carousels
So what’s the deal with carousels? Why does everyone keep asking for them on their website?
Getting started with Docker and Wordpress
I’ve been meaning to get started with Docker since hearing about it in 2014.
UX: Is hamburger menu a lazy solution?
A question raised at a recent Staffs Web Meetup was:
Why error suppression in PHP is bad
I appreciate that to most people, this is not a new topic and it almost goes without saying, however I can understand that not everybody knows this, espec...
How To Install MongoDB on CentOS 6 with cPanel
First of all, what is MongoDB? Well if you're already here, you probably know, but if this is the first time you've heard of it, then you may want to know...
Setting up a PHP development environment
The best thing about PHP is it's low level of entry. There's very few hurdles these days to get started.
How We Build: Randles Responsive Website
Before Randles was bought out by the Stoneacre Motor Group I was tasked with the development of a new website.
An introduction to Fuel CMS
FuelCMS is described as, simply, a CodeIgniter Content Management System.
to.je – The Failed TinyURL.com Clone
Ever since my IRC (Internet Relay Chat) days I'd always wanted to write a TinyURL.com clone, especially since it gained traction on twitter and Facebook. ...
New for 2014: The DeadUseful Project
Introducing a new home for my projects.
Upgrade: Randles Used Cars
I’ve now finished rolling out “Phase 2” for the Randles website.
How We Built: Loggerheads Community Information Shop
What seems like an age ago now started out with me meeting up with Eric Pemberton to give a few pointers with the online presence for the community run in...
Update: Randles Website Homepage
I’ve been quiet for a little while settling into the new job role and tackling some quick fixes as well as dealing with some larger infrastructure challen...
Concept: Randles Website 2012
The current Randles website is due an overhaul.
The history of the pagerank.php script
Introduction
Makeover: Suzuki4u logo and forum
I’ve been running the Suzuki4u website since 2004. It’s now the biggest UK Suzuki forum.
Is Google PageRank dead?
PageRank is dead, long live PageRank.
How We Built: 3 Shires Property Network
Back in 2006, Mandi approached me to create her a website for her real estate and property rental business: 3 Shires Property Network.
Integrate a newsletter into your website
Over the years I've been asked how to integrate a newsletter into a website quite a few times.
Enhanced: Randles Website Layout
A couple of days ago we launched the new look Randles website. To the untrained eye the site may not look that different. The main purpose for introducing...
Google’s Official Profanity API
Recently a list of “bad words” were made available through Google's new website which asks: “What do you love?” (wdyl.com).
The rise and fall of WhoisX
WhoisX is a domain name lookup service, similar to the whois service provided by “domain tools”, but ours was primarily for UK domain names.
What is my IP?
An IP address is a unique number which identifies a machine on a network.
PageRank Viewer Launch
Back in 2007, we were developing code for our domain lookup service.
The eggtcl project
The eggtcl project is a repository of approved TCL scripts for eggdrop that allow you to easily update them as new versions are released.
Makeover: G. S. Unwin Bodycentre Ltd.
G. S. Unwin Bodycentre Ltd. website gets a facelift.
Launch: New DevotedIT website
I’ve quietly been working on devotedit.com in the background and now it’s ready!
Process: Creating a business logo
I enjoy branding, especially designing logos. It’s a process that requires various skills and some creativity.
Converting your logo to ASCII art
If you're a geek like me or you've just seen Iron Man 2 you'll probably like the idea of having a custom motd display something cool when you login to yo...
Enhanced: Randles Navigation
After discussing website improvements with the Randles Motor Group marketing manager we decided that the website needed a new navigation menu with simple ...
Over sixteen ways to obfuscate e-mail addresses
Back in 2007 I wrote about email addresses on your website and how to avoid putting your email address in plain text.
Replace strings MySQL
If you ever need to make big changes to your site, such as moving directory or changing the domain name you'll know that you'll have to make changes to th...
get_favicon() php function
I was after a php function that would get the favicon for a supplied domain, I did attempt to write my own but it proved more complex than I had first ant...
Premature optimization is the root of all evil
There's loads of ways you can optimize your PHP code, however they are probably NOT the answer to your performance issues.
rglob.php
Today I was having a look on PHP.net and noticed a PHP contest so I decided to submit one of my functions.
Getting started with Quercus in Google App Engine
Last year an article was written on a blog about how to run PHP on Google App Engine (GAE).
Universal Currency Converter TCL for Eggdrop
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
How to convert an image to greyscale using PHP
I was trying to find a neat way to grey out some “powered by” logos for a website I'm developing.
PHP OpenSRS Client
This is only a quick message to say that I am now developing the PHP OpenSRS Client project.
worldtime.tcl
Sometimes you need to know the time somewhere else in the world. I find it useful to get my eggdrop to return the time of another timezone…
Gmail needs an API
Yesterday I spent some time investigating Google Wave. A very interesting new product from Google. Not only that but an interesting protocol.
Ident Spoofing
Today I wrote about Oidentd on Wikipedia. Ident as per RFC 1413 is used for a few different services, in particular IRC. A feature of oidentd that my user...
W32Dasm
W32Dasm (or Win32DASM) doesn't seem to exist on the map any more, but it's still a very useful programmers tool, especially if you like reverse engineerin...
cssbase
Yesterday marks the day that I took over the “cssbase” project.
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
Lame Botnet
Yes, my botnet is pretty lame, but it's also kinda cool. I'm not talking about anything bad though.
The Google Translate recursion bug
Recently I found a bug in Google Translate. It's not damaging, but it is interesting.
Adding fonts into photoshop without adding them to windows
If you use Photoshop for any kind of graphic or web design, you'll understand the importance of having an array of fonts to choose from.
Inspiration for Navigation menus in web design
Sometimes when you're designing a site you can find yourself wondering how is best to do a certain aspect.
Using Your Own URL as Your OpenID with WordPress
Today I decided to join stackoverflow.com, which requires you to login using OpenID.
Choosing a PHP Framework
Recently I've been writing a lot more PHP based websites and web applications. I've found myself building and rebuilding my own framework, but to no real ...
OpenCart v0.7.9 released
OpenCart is an open source PHP-based e-commerce online shop website solution. Ideal for new or existing stores to start selling online.
Free icon sets for your website
If you don't have the time to make your own icons for your latest product or website, then you need to find some for free.
Creating a dating site (PHP)
During the summer of 2007 I decided to purchase a new domain name with a dating theme.
What’s wrong with low version numbers?
In a presentation entitled “Why I hate Django”, Cal Henderson (head of engineering for Flickr) said, that low version numbers makes him suspic...
Setting up a FreeBSD socks proxy server for use with mIRC
Update: Looking for the sss.pl? Try the Simple Sockets Server project page.
Tracking an IP address
In my job I have to manage lots of machines all over the place. Many of them are on windows.
How to extract photos from an exe
I wasn't going to write about this, but I liked the solution (application) so much I had to shout about it.
longip perl script
I wanted to create a script that would convert a normal IP address to a long IP, just like mIRC Script's $longip alias.
What is a valid email address?
With the on-going abuse to email based systems, we are in need of ways to validate the email addresses we're handling.
50+ PHP optimisation tips revisited
After reading an article some time ago entitled “40 Tips for optimizing your php Code” (and some others that are suspiciously similar), I deci...
10 wordpress performance optimisation tips
I wanted to prepare my wordpress powered blog for an influx of traffic from social media sites such as reddit.com or digg.com, in case one of my articles ...
Text editors revisited
As a web developer my main tool is my text editor, which I use for pretty much EVERYTHING from coding HTML, to PHP to perl. A text editor is an essential ...
Adding table controls and support to TinyMCE in WordPress
One thing wordpress has always lacked is the ability to handle tabular data. This is not because it can't handle it, after all it's only HTML, but the pro...
eCommerce shopping cart software
So you've got a shop, or perhaps a new product range and you want to build a website so you can sell online.
Word separators in URLs
In the world of web development and search engine optimisation you find this topic is frequently discussed, yet often without any reasoning or conclusion....
Transfering domains from Godaddy.com to TuCows OpenSRS
I need to transfer a bunch of domains from Godaddy (aka Godamnannoying) to TuCows (aka OpenSRS), surly it can't be that difficult? Right?
PHPbase web framework
What is the PHPbase web framework?
Developing a Facebook Application on PHP4
I want to create a facebook application, however currently all my production servers run PHP4.
PHP coding standards and best practices
I have been using PHP for a long time now, it's a very flexible language, and is a good platform.
How to setup Tucows OpenSRS
OpensSRS is a domain reseller system offered by Tucows to internet service providers.
Creating a Digg clone for your niche market
First of all you need to choose your weapon:
How to correctly make a PHP contact form
I use contact forms on many websites, and over the years I have discovered many problems with using them, including hijacking, mail injection, server hack...
Social Bookmarking
Today I looked into social bookmarking.
Finding a Portal Script
I spent a long time today searching for a PHP based portal script either for a small community website or an ISP.
eTicket
For the past few weeks I have been mostly working on eTicket.
Does using CSS affect SEO?
I get asked this question time and time again. People seem to believe that the use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) will help with their Search Engine Opti...
Internet
Have backlinks become irrelevant in 2017?
In 2017, are links still relevant and important?
Protect our Children’s freedom: Give Them Privacy
We need to protect our Children’s future by protecting their freedoms. Your privacy is a human right that is about to be compromised.
Setting up a PHP development environment
The best thing about PHP is it's low level of entry. There's very few hurdles these days to get started.
New for 2014: The DeadUseful Project
Introducing a new home for my projects.
Upgrade: Randles Used Cars
I’ve now finished rolling out “Phase 2” for the Randles website.
Choosing a broadband provider
The advise for any services these days is to change provider every 12 months to get the best deal. Your broadband subscription is no different.
Unable to update nameservers: Nameserver doesn`t exist at the registry
If you have domains with TuCows OpenSRS you may be faced with this error when you try and set custom name servers on your domain through the OpenSRS manag...
Anti Email Spam in the UK
Many years back I began investigating anti email spam in the UK as a way to defend against the amount amount of email spam we were receiving to certain em...
How to check if that website is dodgy before you buy
Earlier this year someone close and dear to me got in touch about a website they were tempted to purchase from:
Paperless office
The “paperless office“: a concept that dates back to the 1970s (before I was even born) with promises of the “office of the future” where record-handling wou...
Is Google PageRank dead?
PageRank is dead, long live PageRank.
Google’s Official Profanity API
Recently a list of “bad words” were made available through Google's new website which asks: “What do you love?” (wdyl.com).
The rise and fall of WhoisX
WhoisX is a domain name lookup service, similar to the whois service provided by “domain tools”, but ours was primarily for UK domain names.
What is my IP?
An IP address is a unique number which identifies a machine on a network.
PageRank Viewer Launch
Back in 2007, we were developing code for our domain lookup service.
Domain Slamming
Ever received one of those domain renewal notices from companies such as “Domain Registry of America” or “Domain Renewal Group” cl...
Is my password secure?
In light of the recent security breaches of huge websites such as Gawker, Sony and Nintendo I am concerned about an issue that affects us all: Is my password...
Converting your logo to ASCII art
If you're a geek like me or you've just seen Iron Man 2 you'll probably like the idea of having a custom motd display something cool when you login to yo...
Over sixteen ways to obfuscate e-mail addresses
Back in 2007 I wrote about email addresses on your website and how to avoid putting your email address in plain text.
XSS: Get linked from Dmoz instantly
Recently, like many of you, I've had some trouble getting websites listed on the AOL owned “Open Directory Project” known as Dmoz.
get_favicon() php function
I was after a php function that would get the favicon for a supplied domain, I did attempt to write my own but it proved more complex than I had first ant...
Trac TCL for eggdrop
I've recently had some fun installing Trac project management software on CentOS5.
Find the ip address of a seized website
So your favorite site is now displaying the following message:
How to send emails to multiple addresses
It may seem obvious how to send your email to multiple email addresses.
WhoisX relaunch
We’re ready now…
Don`t forward virus warnings, delete them
If you’ve ever received a virus warning from your friends, family or co-workers, you’ll know what I’m talking about. These virus warnings are hoaxes and are ...
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
Alternative name servers
If you’ve ever had a problem with your ISPs DNS name servers then you’ll probably find this very useful.
Gmail needs an API
Yesterday I spent some time investigating Google Wave. A very interesting new product from Google. Not only that but an interesting protocol.
weather.tcl
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
mydigitallife.info stole my code
I wrote a little script for an article entitled “Remove OGA Notifier”.
Ident Spoofing
Today I wrote about Oidentd on Wikipedia. Ident as per RFC 1413 is used for a few different services, in particular IRC. A feature of oidentd that my user...
Pingotron
I've been meaning to publish a post about Pingotron for some time now, but now I fear it's already too late.
EFnet UK
On Sunday July 19 2009 Hardy announced on the EFnet website that Demon Internet will be delinking efnet.demon.co.uk and hub.uk from the EFnet IRC network ...
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
Customising the Netgear DG834G
I started writing this article a long time ago, however after researching the DG834G I soon found many more articles and sites dedicated to hacking or cus...
The Google Translate recursion bug
Recently I found a bug in Google Translate. It's not damaging, but it is interesting.
Tricked by fake .uk sites?
Trading standards say that consumers are being tricked into buying fake goods online by companies based in China pretending to be based in the UK by using...
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
Using Your Own URL as Your OpenID with WordPress
Today I decided to join stackoverflow.com, which requires you to login using OpenID.
Friendly URLs (revisited)
Turn dynamic URLs into friendly URLs
Recording an IRC channel on Windows
Recently Matt Cutts posted an article on his blog about Recording an IRC channel on Linux/Ubuntu.
Google AdSense won’t let me in!
Back in 2004, I signed up my old site “hm2k.org” to Google AdSense as an attempt to raise funds for my work.
Twitter for mIRC
I signed up for Twitter quite some months ago, but have yet really found myself using it.
Inveis.com .cn domain scam
Today I received the following email from [email protected]…
Rip and decode mp3s via myspace music player
I'm always looking for new ways to get my hands on mp3s, this is yet another way, thanks to myspace.
Word separators in URLs
In the world of web development and search engine optimisation you find this topic is frequently discussed, yet often without any reasoning or conclusion....
How I hacked my schools website – a look into the past
When I was about 16 I hacked my schools website, why? how? Let's find out…
Why AOL sucks
I have a client that is currently on AOL, and has been getting messages every 2nd or 3rd time they logon to AOL that basically claims the following:
How to Copyright your website
People often ask me how to go about getting their website copyrighted, this is my advise…
Why I registered mIRC
For those that don't know… mIRC is communication software, otherwise known as an IRC client. IRC (or Internet Relay Chat) to me is a place where peo...
Configuring a FreeBSD IRC Shell Server
This is a brief guide created to help configure a secure FreeBSD as an IRC shell server.
email address on your website
This is something that people don't seem to realise, and although I tell them over and over it seems to go ignored.
Start your own free email service
I have been interested in starting my own free email service for some time now.
Free Stuff
I love free stuff, it's probably why I like open source so much…
Fax to email
Fax to email is perhaps one of the most interesting, oldest and most overlooked technology.
MSN via IRC
Quite some time ago I decided that I wanted to offer support via MSN for a business. This is all very well until you want multiple staff to cover the R...
Legally listen to music online for free
One of the things I enjoy doing while I work is listening to music.
Sysadmin
Will the last person to leave turn the LAMP off
We all love LAMP (that’s Linux, Apache httpd, MySQL, PHP), but the love affair may be coming to an end.
How To Install MongoDB on CentOS 6 with cPanel
First of all, what is MongoDB? Well if you're already here, you probably know, but if this is the first time you've heard of it, then you may want to know...
Setting up a PHP development environment
The best thing about PHP is it's low level of entry. There's very few hurdles these days to get started.
Unable to update nameservers: Nameserver doesn`t exist at the registry
If you have domains with TuCows OpenSRS you may be faced with this error when you try and set custom name servers on your domain through the OpenSRS manag...
Migrating IMAP mailboxes to a cPanel server
A customer got in touch with us and explained their situation.
How to find the fastest CVSUP mirror server
Some time ago I wrote about using fastest_cvsup, to find the fastest cvsup mirror server for use with csup on FreeBSD.
Installing Subversion on a cPanel Server
It should be easy right? Just “yum install subversion”.
error: no dbpath has been set
I've recently been having trouble with a OpenVZ VPS upgraded from CentOS4 to CentOS5, here's what I'm seeing when trying to rum a yum install of mod_pytho...
OpenVZ: Container already locked
f you received this message when you try and stop the VE…
exim on another port for smtp
When a business I know had trouble with their broadband I was fortunately able to get them back online by using the redundant mobile broadband on the rout...
The specified network name is no longer available samba
I keep getting this error:
Ident Spoofing
Today I wrote about Oidentd on Wikipedia. Ident as per RFC 1413 is used for a few different services, in particular IRC. A feature of oidentd that my user...
Customising the Netgear DG834G
I started writing this article a long time ago, however after researching the DG834G I soon found many more articles and sites dedicated to hacking or cus...
How not to use PHPMailer
I came across PHPMailer usage the other day on a Chinese gadget wholesale site “SourcingMap.com”.
Missing Mediaid.bin file
Recently I got asked to backup a Vista machine. I'm not a big Vista fan, so this was the first time.
Setting up a FreeBSD socks proxy server for use with mIRC
Update: Looking for the sss.pl? Try the Simple Sockets Server project page.
Tracking an IP address
In my job I have to manage lots of machines all over the place. Many of them are on windows.
suPHP and .phps PHP code highlighting support
Today a user on one of my web servers asked me why .phps files would only download and not show the highlighted PHP code as expected.
What is a hacker?
Not so long ago I was asked to answer some questions for a friend of a friend who was writing a dissertation about the “hacking and warez scene̶...
Storing mySQL database settings for php and perl in one file
I have a situation where there's two scripts.
Transfering domains from Godaddy.com to TuCows OpenSRS
I need to transfer a bunch of domains from Godaddy (aka Godamnannoying) to TuCows (aka OpenSRS), surly it can't be that difficult? Right?
How I hacked my schools website – a look into the past
When I was about 16 I hacked my schools website, why? how? Let's find out…
So how did I get infected in the first place?
People often ask me how their system got infected in the first place, this article attempts to make you aware of where infections come from, in an attempt...
FreeBSD 6.2 “/usr/ports: No such file or directory”
I recently setup a new FreeBSD 6.2 server, only to find the following:
Next time i’m buying a mac
Recently I decided to get away for a break, so I left the country with all intention of not doing anything work related for a week.
HP Software Update
Today, I am trying to install a “HP Scanjet 7650n”, everything seems okay, until I come to install the software.
Installing IonCube Loader with cPanel on CentOS
There seems to be limited details of how this is done. It's fairly simple to be honest, but I felt it could save somebody some time if it was documented.
The requested URL /cpanel was not found on this server
If you run cPanel servers, then you may at some point experience this issue.
What is the best antivirus software?
This is a question that I get asked very often.
How to Minimize Microsoft Office Outlook to the System Tray
Open your registry and find or create the key below.
Compression Utilities
For years now, for whatever reason I have used WinZip. I don't really know why I continued to use it for so long as from WinZip 8 onwards, I was under the...
Mounting an ISO image
An ISO image usually refers to an archived copy of an optical disc such as a CD or DVD.
Windows Genuine Advantage Removal
First of all for those that don't know, Windows Genuine Advantage or WGA is a peice of software released by Microsoft to validate your copy of windows whe...
DVD decoders and other codecs
Possibly one of the most annoying and confusing issues on windows is dealing with and understanding which codecs you need to do what.
I forgot my Windows logon password!
What should I do? Reinstall? NO!
No more Nero
After many years of using Nero, I'm finally fed up with it.
Cannot delete Folder
No doubt at some point you will have experienced this error at one point or another:
A good text editor
I have been looking for a good open source or free cross platform (windows/linux) editor that has php and html syntax highlighting.
FTP server for windows
I have been on the lookout for a decent FTP Deamon/Server that runs on windows. Its not very often that I do require one, but every so often having one do...
An FTP client
I have been looking for a decent FTP client for years, and now I think I have finally found it!
Tracking eBay auctions
These days I find myself buying all sorts of things off of ebay.
Software
Why error suppression in PHP is bad
I appreciate that to most people, this is not a new topic and it almost goes without saying, however I can understand that not everybody knows this, espec...
How To Install MongoDB on CentOS 6 with cPanel
First of all, what is MongoDB? Well if you're already here, you probably know, but if this is the first time you've heard of it, then you may want to know...
Setting up a PHP development environment
The best thing about PHP is it's low level of entry. There's very few hurdles these days to get started.
File in use: The action can`t be completed because the file is open in another program
This is a problem that I come across from time to time.
Remote Desktop Connection Logon to Black Screen
This is a problem that has plagued me for a while now, and only two things seem to fix it.
Microsoft Security Essentials Old Version Download for Windows XP
As you’re probably aware, Microsoft have reached end of life for Windows XP and have discontinued support for the operating system.
DVD Playback on Windows
One of the biggest annoyances I’ve heard about Windows 8 so far is that there’s no DVD support included.
Office
Gone of the days of getting a copy of Microsoft Office from dodgy Dave down the pub.
Startup problems are a thing of the past
Not so long ago, I had an arsenal of tools for managing windows startup applications.
How to edit a PDF file
PDF files are by nature not really designed to be edited by the end user, instead you’re expected to go back to the original source and change that before “p...
Paperless office
The “paperless office“: a concept that dates back to the 1970s (before I was even born) with promises of the “office of the future” where record-handling wou...
Change or remove programs is blank
Windows 2000 is a pain, especially these days when something goes wrong because none of the information or tools that we used to use are around any more.
Microsoft Office 2007 Downloads
One of my customers has specialist database software built on the FileMaker Pro database engine. The unfortunate downside to this is that certain legacy plug...
There is a problem with Adobe Acrobat/Reader. If it is running, please exit and try again. (103:103)
Today a client reported a problem when they tried to open a PDF document in Internet Explorer.
Ways to speed up your PC
I get lots of people asking me how to speed up their computer, more often than not, they don’t need to buy a new computer, there are things they can do to sp...
Replacing Outlook Express
Recently Microsoft have been running a campaign to get rid of their 10-year-old web browser, Internet Explorer 6. This got me thinking…
How to find the fastest CVSUP mirror server
Some time ago I wrote about using fastest_cvsup, to find the fastest cvsup mirror server for use with csup on FreeBSD.
Find the right software
Software is expensive, sometimes you don’t need to buy it or download it illegally as there’s sometimes an alternative you can get for free!
10 reasons to use Google Chrome
Here’s 10 reasons why I am using the Google Chrome web browser and why should should too…
10 essential tools to install using ninite
Ninite is a very useful tool for making it easy to install software on a computer.
How do you store your passwords?
People store their passwords in all sorts of ways from plain text files to Outlook contacts.
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
Microsoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name
Microsoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name and instead will display the following error:
Report a virus
I’m always coming across new viruses that haven’t even been added to the latest anti-virus software.
RemoveWGA
Back in 2007 I briefly wrote about Windows Genuine Advantage Removal.
Scan to Excel
This week I've mostly been trying to figure out a way to digitalise some of my bank statements to make accountancy and archiving easier.
ERROR 5 (0x00000005) Copying NTFS Security to Destination Directory
Got this error today using ROBOCOPY to copy files to a SAMBA share.
W32Dasm
W32Dasm (or Win32DASM) doesn't seem to exist on the map any more, but it's still a very useful programmers tool, especially if you like reverse engineerin...
Remove OGA Notifier
I had a call today about Microsoft OGA (Office Genuine Advantage) Notifier becoming an annoyance for a client.
Pingotron
I've been meaning to publish a post about Pingotron for some time now, but now I fear it's already too late.
Ways to prevent malware infection for free
There’s lots of ways to prevent a malware (virus or spyware) infection for free, here’s a list:
Error 1747 : The Authentication Service is Unknown
Today I had a newish Windows Vista machine that had the following error:
Fix Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Photoshop (.psd) Thumbnail Icons for Windows Explorer
If like me you don’t like using Adobe Bridge and instead like to see thumbnail icon previews of your Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop (.ai, .eps and .ps...
How do I make Yahoo Mail default mail provider in Vista?
Many users, particularly users of BT Yahoo! Broadband (btinternet.com) are having trouble understanding how to get to their BT Yahoo Mail on Windows Vista.
Blocked links in Microsoft Outlook
When you click a link on an email in Microsoft Outlook, you are blocked from visiting the URL and you see the following error message:
Troubleshooting routing issues
Recently I’ve received reports from clients on a particular ISP are having trouble reaching services on a particular server in a data centre.
C:\Windows\Installer overload!
If like me you’ve recently come across a computer where the “C:\Windows\Installer” directory is overloaded then you’ve probably used something like TreeSize ...
No More Adobe Acrobat Reader
If like me you have ever received a PDF files as an attachment in an email, you will no doubt have heard of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Hardware
Choosing a wifi security camera
I’ve recently been on the lookout for a security camera.
Paperless office
The “paperless office“: a concept that dates back to the 1970s (before I was even born) with promises of the “office of the future” where record-handling wou...
(Not so) Sharp printer stuck offline
A client called explaining to me that they were unable to print to their Sharp MX-1800N network printer. Upon inspection it said that the printer was “Offlin...
Ways to speed up your PC
I get lots of people asking me how to speed up their computer, more often than not, they don’t need to buy a new computer, there are things they can do to sp...
Networking problems solved using mains
We’ve all been there. You want to network your computers and devices together around your house.
Customising the Netgear DG834G
I started writing this article a long time ago, however after researching the DG834G I soon found many more articles and sites dedicated to hacking or cus...
Why I should probably buy a Mac
For a long time now, I have most of my allies have remained very much in the Windows and Linux camps, almost to the point of me being anti-Mac. I’m certainly...
Belkin 802.11g Wireless G+ USB Adapter Driver Problems
I was fixing a machine with the Belkin 802.11g – 125 HSM Wireless G+ USB Adapter.
Wireless adaptor for the BT Home Hub 2.0
Those that have one will be very familiar with the BT Home Hub.
HP Software Update
Today, I am trying to install a “HP Scanjet 7650n”, everything seems okay, until I come to install the software.
How can I recycle my computer hardware?
NEVER THROW AWAY YOUR COMPUTER EQUIPMENT
PSP firmware and homebrew
I decided to go all out, and purchase possibly the best media device out there. The Sony Playstation Portable.
Fixing a faulty laptop DC jack connector
I was recently informed that my old laptop, a HP Pavilion ze4111s, (now being used by my girlfriend) that “it doesn't charge”, which then chan...
IHTOOM pmp
Despite my problems with purchasing mp4 players in the past I decided to purchase a new one.
Siemens CX65 Review
I bought this on the 20/08/04 for £179.99, which actually seems quite a lot for such a phone, but it was not bad at the time for a brand new unlocked phon...
Parts inside your printer are at the end of their service life
Today I had the joy of fixing an Epson Stylus C46 UX printer.
4GB Mp4 Player ebay Scam
Just before Christmas, I decided I was going to get an MP3 player for my girlfriend as she wanted a new mp3-player, as her 40gb one was too much and now o...
General
Makeover: The IT Exchange Ltd.
The IT Exchange Ltd. website gets a facelift!
Welcome
So, It's begun!
UK Business License
We recently had an issue with a US based company who asked us for the following:
TinySong TCL script for Eggdrop
If you've not heard of TinySong, you're missing out!
PlusFM Track Feed
Recently an online radio station I listen to called PlusFM stopped displaying track titles on their stream. This was a pain for quickly displaying the cur...
Tech support blog
I've recently launched a tech support job, which combines aspects of my day job with aspects of this blog to form “fixr”.
Xen on CentOS Host running FreeBSD Guest
Recently i've been investigating Xen. In short, Xen is open source virtualisation software that provides you with the ability to split a physical hardware...
Creating subdomains from directories using mod_rewrite in Apache .htaccess
The idea was to have the ability to create unlimited subdomains simply by creating an appropreate directory for it in your html root directory.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Analysis of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Getting your mobile unlocked
I get asked quite often if I know how to get a mobile phone unlocked, so this is my experience…
Telemarketing
The thing that has been bothering me recently most of all, even more than online spam and junk mail, are telemarketing calls. I recently had an increase o...
Hello world!
Welcome to the website,
Business
Is it time to stop bringing your own device to work?
Bring your own device (BYOD) refers to the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned devices, like your mobile phone to their workplace and us...
Wavemaker - An open letter
After the last Wavemaker board meeting I started writing a letter to the board members. This is the contents of that letter.
Domain Slamming
Ever received one of those domain renewal notices from companies such as “Domain Registry of America” or “Domain Renewal Group” cl...
Process: Creating a business logo
I enjoy branding, especially designing logos. It’s a process that requires various skills and some creativity.
British fuel cost per mile
I was trying to work out how to estimate how much fuel was costing me per mile at the moment based upon my car's average mpg.
upgrade.co.uk sucks
I've been trying to get a quote for a part for a Dell laptop, when I contacted Dell UK, they told me to contact “Upgrade Options”. They offere...
Inveis.com .cn domain scam
Today I received the following email from [email protected]…
Create a unique company name
When trying to create a unique company name for your business, I found that there was a three step approach to creating a unique name.
How to Copyright your website
People often ask me how to go about getting their website copyrighted, this is my advise…
Advice
Meet the ransomware trojan that has IT professionals worried
This week, for the first time I came into contact with the CryptoLocker trojan. A virus that encrypts all of your documents and holds you to ransom to recove...
Should I upgrade to an SSD hard disk?
It’s always been my opinion that the hard disk is really the crux of your computer because it’s the only mechanical part that affects the speed.
The paradigm shift
The next “computer” you buy will be a paradigm shift, a change in the way of thinking.
Using Remote Assistance via e-mail on Windows 7
This section explains initiating Remote Assistance via e-mail to a Helpdesk. Home users can also follow this procedure to send a Remote Assistance request vi...
Paperless office
The “paperless office“: a concept that dates back to the 1970s (before I was even born) with promises of the “office of the future” where record-handling wou...
Computer support phone call scam
Just recently I’ve read about “computer fault scams” and phone calls from someone claiming to be from Microsoft.
Security
Has friendster been hacked?
I noticed an unusual email when I checked my Gmail account today.
XSS: Get linked from Dmoz instantly
Recently, like many of you, I've had some trouble getting websites listed on the AOL owned “Open Directory Project” known as Dmoz.
Inveis.com .cn domain scam
Today I received the following email from [email protected]…
Announcements
Introducing the Dead Useful Domain Search
Today, the Dead Useful Project launches “Domain Search”.
Welcome to the DeadUseful Project
Well, it's finally here.
Calling all hackers
Are you a technology enthusiast? An engineer? Perhaps you’re a creative mind or just like making things?
Future
Are electric cars the future?
Are electric cars the future?
Why I should probably buy a Mac
For a long time now, I have most of my allies have remained very much in the Windows and Linux camps, almost to the point of me being anti-Mac. I’m certainly...
Technology
Are we on the verge of 3D printers at home?
In 1977, Ken Olson, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation said “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home”.
Predicting the Future for 2017
Every year I have a little punt at predicting the future, just for fun.