How to Reset the Synology System

http://forum.synology.com/wiki/index.php/How_to_Reset_the_Synology_System

Sometimes you have to "reinstall" the firmware for the Synology NAS. I did it for a Synology box because there were problems that I could not fix. This is akin to having to re-install Windows. The instructions on this wiki page says that this reinstallation does not delete the data, but I made sure that the data was backed up anyway as it should be regardless.

I then hit the reset button until I heard a beep sound. I let go the paper clip. Then I hit the reset button again until I heard three more beeps. This did reset the firmware to a blank slate, requiring me to reinstall it.

The reinstallation worked. The NAS was back to normal operation. The existing data was kept intact.

There is another setting in the DSM where you can actually erase all data on all drives. It is not clear to me if this action will purge the firmware as well.

Unifi Access Point Specifications

UniFi - What are the hardware specs for UAPs?

---

 Listed below is a table containing UniFi hardware specifications.

Model	Regular	Long Range	Outdoor	Pro (UniFi AP Enterprise)	AC
2.4GHz speed	300Mbps	300Mbps	300Mbps	450Mbps	450Mbps
5GHz speed	-	-	300Mbps	300Mbps	1300Mbps
Dual-band	-	-	-	Yes	Yes
802.11 standard	802.11b/g/n	802.11b/g/n	802.11a/b/g/n	802.11/a/b/g/n	802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Range	122m (400ft.)	183m (600ft.)	183m (600ft.) or more	122m (400ft.)	122m (400ft.)
PoE limit / compliance	24V	24V	24V	48V / 802.3af	48 V / 802.3at (PoE+)
External antenna	-	-	RP-SMA	-	-
Secondary Ethernet port	-	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
Antennas	2x2	2x2	2x2	3x3 (2.4GHz) 2x2 (5GHz)	3x3 (2.4GHz) 3x3 (5GHz)

If you are interested in using the Unifi wireless access points made by Ubiquiti, the above table of info is helpful in choosing the right access points.

How to Edit Microsoft Office Documents without Having Office Installed on the Computer

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/office-editing-for-docs-s/gbkeegbaiigmenfmjfclcdgdpimamgkj

This add-on made by Google for Chrome enables Chrome to work like Word and Excel. Once the add-on is installed, simply drag and drop an Office file into the browser and edit the document. When you save the changes, Chrome offers you to save the file locally on the computer in native Office file format.

Upgrading Your MacBook Pro with a Solid State Drive

I am a strong advocate of SSD drive because it has no moving parts as seen in the picture. Yes, these drives are relatively more expensive than the magnetic drives (the drive on the left with the circular disk). However, the price difference is not so much now that these SSD drives are beyond the average person's reach. You can get a decent SSD drive at 256GB for $120. If you want more space, a 512GB SSD is around $200. In other words, SSD drives now are at 50 cents a gig, a sweet spot for many people.

Upgrading an SSD drive on a PC is relatively easy than a Mac computer. The reason being Apple wants you to buy the drive from them. There is a particular aspect of SSD that can hinder its performance. This is known as garbage collection which you can read it here in its gory detail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Write_amplification#BG-GC

TRIM is one aspect of garbage collection that is OS dependent. Apple has its own way to implementing TRIM. Therefore you have to do some extra work if you use a SSD drive that is not "approved" by Apple including using a tool like Trim Enabler. Remember, enabling TRIM is not required to make the unapproved SSD drive work, but if you want to squeeze every bit of performance out of your SSD drive in your Mac, you have to do this.

 http://www.cindori.org

After all is done properly and your Mac has a SSD drive, you can see the dramatic difference in its performance. This is especially true with big programs like Photoshop and if you run Windows on VMWare or Parallel.

Here is the article that explains upgrading to SSD drive on your Mac.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4741

A Free, Browser-Based Vector Creator

Vector graphics are those what are commonly known as "cartoons". Their composition consists of sharp lines and curves. These strokes are based on mathematical equations like the ones you learn in geometry and trigonometry classes. In short, for every vector object such as a circle or a square, there is a math equation associate with it. Because of this, these objects can easily scale up or down. That is to say, re-sizing them is easy. Just change the numerical values to the math equation and you get a larger and small version of the object.

By contrast, bitmap graphics are based on the pixel. Once the pixel density is determined, scaling the graphic distorts it. A photograph of a person's face is a bitmap graphic. If you enlarge it, the picture will become fuzzy because you artificially add additional information into it when there was none. In short, you make the computer guess what parts of the face look like up close.

The best known vector-based creator and editor is Adobe Illustrator. However, for its power, it is difficult to use and like all things Adobe, expensive. Luckily, if your need for vector graphic creation is simple like creating a logo or a sign or a graphic for your newsletter, there are plenty of alternatives that are either free of charge or less expensive than Illustrator. One such alternative does not even require you to install anything locally on your computer. One such product is called Method Draw. It uses the power of HTML5 to render the objects. HTML5 is efficient so using Method Draw is a joy, making you forget that this is not a program that you have installed locally on your computer. However, HTML5 does require the latest version of the web browser like Chrome and Firefox.

http://editor.method.ac

It takes a few hours to "master" Method Draw's techniques. If you are experienced in vector creation, you will able to create graphics using it in a mater of minutes because Method Draw uses the same principles as Illustrator and other vector-based creator programs.

Two Ways to Tell if Windows 8.1 Update 1 is Installed

Windows 8.1 Update 1 makes Windows 8 even user friendly for those who either prefer to use the mouse instead of touch interface. For example, when a "Metro" app is opened, in previous versions of Windows 8, it was virtually impossible to exit the app. How with Windows 8.1 Update 1, you can simply touch the mouse cursor to the top edge of the screen and a black bar will drop down giving you to X out the app.

However, Microsoft decides not to include this info in the System page when you right click on the Start button and choose System. It would simply say Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.1 Pro.

Well, there is one simple way to find if you have Update 1 install in addition to the black bar trick already mentioned. On the Windows 8.1 Start screen, if you see the Power and Search icons immediately next to your own profile picture, then you have the Update 1 installed.

Download Windows 8.1 Setup ISO

http://www.vladan.fr/how-to-create-installation-media-for-windows-8-1-u1/

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

The creation tool does not specify if the download is the retail or OEM version. You are not supposed to be able to buy the OEM version, also known as System Builder Edition, but some stores including Amazon sell them. Basically, this OEM version means you are a IT professional so if there are problems with the installation, you may not call Microsoft for help including if the product key does not work. Therefore, the OEM version is slightly cheaper than the retail version as seen on Amazon. I have installed hundreds if not thousands of Windows that go way back to Windows 95. I have always used the OEM version without any problems.

I installed it as a test. It is Windows 8.1 Update 1.

If you choose to create the ISO instead of burning it into a USB flash drive, it will create an ISO file as intended. If you want to burn this ISO file afterwards, use this tool called Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

Even though it says Windows 7 in its name, it works fine with Windows 8 ISOs.

How to Sync Any Folder With SkyDrive on Windows 8.1

Even though Onedrive is integrated into Windows 8.1, it is still a folder that has no connection to the default folders of Documents, Desktops, Pictures, Videos, and so forth. As such, when you save a file from a particular program, it wants to save the file in the default Documents folder. As said, this folder is outside the Onedrive folder so any files in the Documents folder are not automatically synced to the cloud via Onedrive.

With symbolic links, you can make these folders act as if they were inside the Onedrive folder. Therefore, you do not have to explicitly save files in the Onedrive folder. Just save them to the default Documents folder and via symbolic links and the files are stored in the Onedrive folder.

How to Sync Any Folder With SkyDrive on Windows 8.1

Disconnect from an un-mapped "drive" in Windows

In Windows, you can connect to network shares in two ways. You can map a share with any authorized credentials so that this share will appear as a drive letter in Windows Explorer. This way, not only you have a convenient drive letter like Z to work with, but you have the option to have Windows reconnect to the same share after a restart of the computer. This method is recommended if you have a password protected Windows account.

Another way is to go to the share and authenticate every time. This will not create a drive letter for the share. When you log out or restart the computer, this authentication is flushed, necessitating the need to re-authenticate.

There are times when you want to disconnect all connections to all shares for both mapped and un-mapped shares. With mapped shares, it's easy. Simply right click on the share's drive and choose Disconnect. However, with un-mapped shares, there is no apparent icon to act upon. You have to go to the command line and issue the net use command. Of course, logging out and logging back in will also release this share. However, sometimes this is not an option.

By typing net use you will see what un-mapped shares Windows is connected to.

If you want to disconnect these shares, type in

 net use /delete \\server\sharename 

The "server" and "sharename" are different for each network.

The following website has all the info you need.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16196/how-to-disconnect-non-mapped-unc-path-drives-in-windows/

If you want to run a command to disconnect all unmapped drives:

net use * /delete /yes

If you do not want to type, then you can insert this into a batch file. Simply running the batch file will execute the command.

Picking the Right Lock

Computer security is one of my interests and rightly so given that so much of our valuable information is now in electronic form. Moreover, we store more and more of this information not on our personally owned computers but on cloud-accessed computers offered by the likes of Dropbox and its ilk.

With that said, all security measures start with the most fundamental: physical security. It is the security that prevents unauthorized physical access to your valuables. In addition to padlocks and chains, physical security includes doors and windows. When you leave your computer unattended in public or semi-public areas, you would and should lock it down with a security cable anchored to something immovable like a desk. This cable is shackled with a padlock. Unfortunately, the majority of the consumer padlocks out there can be picked by someone with minimal skills and simple handheld tools. These thieves do not even need a bolt cutter to cut the shackles of locks.

An informative Youtube channel called bosnianbill with over 600 videos about locks is worth checking out. I didn't know this is such a fertile field to have over 600 videos about it. You can easily kill a day's worth of time watching these videos, but if you are short on time, the one I recommend to watch is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsJZ_kKjXcE 

This Youtuber has a great dislike of Master locks and makes it clear every chance he gets. Over and over, he shows that he can pick these Master locks within seconds with two simple pieces of tools. Unfortunately, master locks are very popular out there in the US. If you want to secure your valuables and use Master locks, after watching a few of these anti-Master lock videos, I think you will replace them with something else mentioned in the recommended video.

Viewers from around the world would send bosnianbill, challenging him to pick them. Some of the locks are just amazing, attesting to the creativity of the human mind. The weirdest lock is the one seen in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ey2SFHbZV8&list=UUp1orOGJwZvjLAvckyxC4Nw

Dropbox Glitch Causes File Deletion

Generally, it is good practice to have more than one backup even if the backup itself is already a second copy of the data. In the case of Dropbox, people use it as the only means of backup found out the hard way recently why this is the case. Dropbox is often used as a means to backup data because it is so convenient due to its transparency. Basically, once it is setup, it creates a folder on your computer called Dropbox. Any files saved into this folder automatically get copied onto the Dropbox server on the Internet. This means there are two copies of the files at all times. If you delete a file, its copy on the server is deleted automatically. When your computer breaks, you can go to another computer and access the same data file on the Dropbox server. If you wish, you can sync these files onto the new computer.

The recent glitch on Dropbox causes data loss. Some files are deleted on both the Dropbox server and because of its sync nature, the mirrored copies are deleted as well. Dropbox normally keeps a copy of deleted files so the user in theory can recover these deleted files. However, the problem is you may not know what files were erroneously deleted so you would not know what to recover on a timely basis before the grace period for recovery expires.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/dropbox-selective-sync-glitch-cloud-storage-deletion,27872.html

Selective Sync is a Dropbox feature that allows users to select a specific file or folder to be mirrored on the user's local hard drive. For instance, perhaps users take photos on their smartphones, and those images are automatically uploaded to Dropbox. The user may choose not to mirror those images on a local hard drive with limited storage capacity. 

According to Dropbox, the file deletion occurred when the desktop application was shut down or restarted while the user was applying Active Sync settings. The company's email said that the team worked hard to restore those files, indicating that many may not have been rescued from the dark clutches of the trash can.

So what should you do to ensure there is no data loss if you use Dropbox as your only backup? Simple actually. Because you use Dropbox, you already know exactly where the Dropbox data is. It is the Dropbox folder itself. So once in a while, you would simply copy the entire Dropbox folder onto another physical drive. Append to the name of the folder the date of the copying. So the back up folder will have the name of DropboxXX-XX-XXXX where it can be for example, 10-13-14. This will create a folder called Dropbox10-13-14. This way, you will know exactly what is in this backup folder -- all the files stored on Dropbox up until Oct 13, 2014. When the drive that contains these Dropbox folders are full, you can delete the oldest folders based on their names. Easy.

Sabrent WF-RADU Wifi Audio Receiver

Updated on January 31, 2015

Let's say you have a good pair of speakers that uses the typical 3.5mm audio jack, the type that can plug into a computer to play sound from that computer. However, instead of playing from the computer, you want to play from your smartphone to these speakers. While you can do this with an audio cable connecting to the phone, it is cumbersome with the tethering. You want to lose the cable and send the audio to the speakers over the network via wifi. You can do this with a $30 tiny device called Sabrent WF-RADU Wifi Audio Receiver. It supports both the DLNA and Airplay protocol which should make it compatible with almost all smartphones and tablets out there.

The device is small enough to fit comfortably in your palm and lightweight. It has a 4-inch tethered USB cable that is meant to power it and not for data. This means if you plug this into a computer, the computer will not detect it as a device in need for a driver. The computer will only provide it power. There is no battery in the WF-RADU so it has to be tethered to a computer or any 5-volt USB power source during its operation. I used the USB charger that came with the iPhone 5S because the WF-RADU package does not include this adapter.

The WF-RADU also has a female type-A USB port that I am not sure what is used for. I assume it is there so you can use a longer detachable USB cable with both ends of type-A. Incidentally, this kind of USB cable is not part of the USB specification standard which means it is used for specific proprietary purposes. For all the gory details of USB technology and its myriad connectors, I highly recommend you visit this online resource.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB

The Sabrent comes with a useful sheet explaining its use. If you want additional information, here is its product page. http://www.sabrent.com/category/audio/WF-RADU/

Actually, its product page on Amazon.com has the best info on using this devicehttp://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Receiver-Supports-Portable-WF-RADU/dp/B00L26YDA4/

As you can see from the Amazon info page, you can use this WF-RADU in either ad-hoc or infrastructure mode. In ad-hoc mode, you do not need a wireless router acting as middleman so you can set this up in cars whose audio system has a 3.5mm audio in jack. This ad-hoc connection can be encrypted with WPA so that unauthorized people cannot easily latch onto this ad-hoc network. However, if you are at home, it's worth your while to set this up in infrastructure mode so that your portable devices can connect to the home network including the Internet while playing to the WF-RADU. If you have a computer such as a laptop that has both wired and wireless connection, you can connect to the WF-RADU with the wireless connection via ad-hoc and to the Internet with the wired connection. This way, you can stream to the WF-RADU and still access the Internet. Or, you can get a wifi adapter so that your computer has two wifi connections: one used for connecting to the WF-RADU while the other to the Internet using wifi.

Below is a screenshot of the product page on Amazon. It basically has all the setup information you need.

    

Physical vs Logical

In computer systems, particularly in networking, there is this concept of physical versus logical. Some people have difficulty understanding the difference. This is a picture I saw the other day at a subway station. It's a diagram of the various lines that run through the tracks. As you can see, there are several train lines that run on the same physical track between the Montgomery and Van Ness stations. Then after station Van Ness, the N line goes off into another direction running on its own dedicated physical track. Likewise, the J line does the same. The remaining lines continue to run on the same track all the way to the West Portal station.

If this were a computer network, the train track is the physical aspect of the network while the various lines are the logical aspect. You can have one physical network cable that carries multiple network signals using various protocols. If this were a computer, then you have one physical computer can can do many things like playing music, accessing the Internet, and so on.

Enable Playback On Other Devices Besides the Built-in Computer Speakers

I support Synology NASes. These are amazing little file servers that are a little more expensive than a typical NAS, but they can do so many things that I still discover new uses for them. I have such a Synology NAS that has a pair of Logitech USB speakers attached to the NAS's USB port. These are puny speakers, but they are on my desk so their sound output is adequate. They get all their power from a single USB2 connector connected to the NAS.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-S-0194B-Notebook-Speakers/dp/B005FXOEYK

Using a web-browser, I would log into the Audio Station at http://192.168.1.11:5000/audio/. (Your Synology may have a different IP address). I log in as a non-admin account that has Read permission to the Music share and use permission to the Audio Station service. While under this user, music files can play to the headphone or speakers attached to the computer, there is no option to play to the Logitec speakers attached to the Synology itself. This is annoying because I have to leave the computer on to play music. I only want is the music to be played from the Synology and the USB speakers. This way, I can turn off the computer and still can listen to the music.

It turns out by default, a non-admin user on the Synology cannot play to physically attached USB speakers or to another DLNA or Airplay playback device on the same network such as a network speaker. Incidentally, Synology supports both DLNA and Airplay.

The solution is to log into the Synology DSM as the admin. Click on the Main Menu at the top. Select Audio Station. Click on Settings. Click on Privileges. Check the box where it says USB/DLNA Render for the non admin user you want to use the USB speakers attached to the Disk Station.

Now when you log in as this non-admin user, you will see additional options for playback devices from the Audio Station. This includes when using the DS Audio app on the iPhone.

A search for DLNA and Airplay speakers on Amazon shows dozens of such speakers. In theory, any of these speakers can be used as the target for the Audio Station. If you have a favorite non-network speaker, you can buy this device to enable DLNA and Airplay for it.

Sabrent Wifi Audio Receiver
http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Receiver-Supports-Portable-WF-RADU/dp/B00L26YDA4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1412569527&sr=8-2&keywords=dlna+speakers

Download Online Videos for Offline Playback

While sites like Youtube and Vimeo offer the convenience of watch as you download videos, sometimes you need to save these videos for offline playback as in when you have a slow Internet connection or their use in offline presentations or save them on your handheld devices to watch them while you are on the road. Youtube has many videos that are hours long which means you may pause the videos and resume watching at a later time. Therefore, offline watching is more appropriate for such a video.

While there are many sites that offer this service with my favorite being the no frill http://peggo.co, sometimes you need more flexibility such as downloading videos at higher resolutions beyond 720p. The site below offers a lot of these extra features including downloading 4k videos.

https://www.4kdownload.com/

A word of caution about downloading and installing free programs that offer video downloading. These types of programs are often ripe with malware. I recommend that you use these free downloaders inside virtual machines or if you are a heavy downloader, have a dedicated machine for this purpose, one that is not used to store any important data.

Versions of Windows 8.1

After the confusion of having to deal with the multitudes of versions in Windows Vista and Seven, Microsoft wisely has reduced Windows 8 to just 3 versions with its latest incarnation. In fact, it's really just 2 versions because the Enterprise version is not on sale to the end-users, only to special groups such as companies and universities.

• Windows 8.1
• Windows 8.1 Pro
• Windows 8.1 Enterprise

There is also the infamous RT version that only runs on ARM-based hardware. Windows 8.1 cannot run on ARM-based hardware. Windows 8.1 requires x86 hardware such as systems that has Intel and AMD CPUs. I wish Microsoft would call Windows 8.1 version Windows 8.1 Standard to make it clear from the Windows 8.1 Pro. Also, Windows RT is confusing because it also has the Desktop mode that looks just like the Desktop mode of Windows 8.1. There are rumors that when Windows 9 comes out in a few months, the Desktop mode in RT will be eliminated altogether, making RT looks and behaves like a tablet completely. I hope that with Windows 9, Microsoft will just have 1 version for everything including the Enterprise. This is how Apple does it with its OSX operating system.

Below is taken from the Microsoft website comparing the major differences between the "Standard" and Pro versions.

	Windows 8.1	Windows 8.1 Pro
Great apps built-in such as Mail, Calendar, Messaging, Photos, and OneDrive, with many more available at Windows Store.
Includes Internet Explorer 11 for fast, intuitive, touch-friendly browsing.
Keeps you up-to-date and more secure with Windows Defender, Windows Firewall, and Windows Update.
Works with new and existing Windows desktop software, including the full Microsoft Office experience (Outlook, SharePoint Designer and more).*
Comes with Windows Media Player.
Provides enhanced data protection using BitLocker technology to help keep your information secure.**
Enables you to connect to your PC when you’re on the go with Remote Desktop Connection.
Connects to your corporate or school network with Domain Join.

Synology DSM 5.0 Reviewed

Updated on Feb 2015.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/nas/nas-reviews/32490-synology-dsm-50-reviewed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amkdWd153u0

Update: DSM 5.1 is now available. The latest version is DSM 5.1- Build 5022 Update 2. One major new feature is the inclusion of Microsoft Onedrive in Cloud Sync. This joins Dropbox, GoogleDrive, and Baidu. Moreover Microsoft will release a major update to its maligned OneDrive service to coincide with its Windows 10 release in the summer 2015. Currently, there is no official Onedrive client for Linux from Microsoft. Synology NAS operating system, Disk Station Manager, is Linux-based. As such, the Onedrive app for Synology is created by Synology itself using the APIs released by Microsoft.

There is another app on the DSM called Cloud Station. This is a completely different app than the Cloud Sync. Cloud Station syncs designated folders on computers including handheld devices under the mobile app DS Cloud. (I wish Synology would reduce the number of names for its apps to avoid confusion so instead of calling the iOS app DS Cloud, it should be Cloud Station for iOS). DS Cloud app enables you to sync a folder on your computer to your iPhone using the Disk Station as a middleman. It is sort of like Dropbox except the data is not stored in any cloud server like Dropbox.

Y Cable Merger and Spliter Cable

Many computers including smart phones these days have the audio and microphone 3.5 mm jacks merged into a single jack. If you have a headset that also has only one jack, then this connection is fine. however, some headphone and microphone combo headset have two separate cables that requires two jacks on the device. To use such a headset, you need to get a Y adapter that merges these 2 jacks into one connector. Notice there bands on the male end has 3 bands or rings. These 3 bands are needed to carry both the sound out and the sound in.

This particular adapter is color-coded and marked with icons for speaker and microphone which make its function explicitly clear. Sometimes these visual clues are not there, so the only clue is the 3 bands.

Do not confuse this adapter with one whose purpose is to split the audio output to two speakers. For

example you want the audio of your computer to output to a pair of speakers on your desk and your headphone at the same time. Then you need a Y spliter like this. Notice the characteristic 2 bands.

Create an AIO Windows Install

This video shows you how to create an all-in-one Windows installer. This works with any copy of Windows both 32bit and 64bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm8HbfBUtHk


On a related note, read about this.

http://lifehacker.com/5438005/eicfg-removal-utility-lets-you-use-any-product-key-with-your-windows-7-disc

Webinars for Ring Central

Ring Central is currently one of the best VoIP providers. Below is the link to its past live products demos.

http://tinyurl.com/k7tskrf

Doing Screencast

If you are an educator and do not want to spend a lot of money or your needs are basic, you can use a combination of a screen capturing program and video editing program to capture your computer screen as you do a live presentation with voice and then edit this video for distribution on video sharing sites like YouTube.

The combination that I recommend is SnagIt from http://www.techsmith.com and Windows Movie Maker (PC) and iMovie (Mac). The later two are free from Microsoft and Apple, respectively. SnagIt costs $50 while the others are free.

Below is a video showing you how to make a seamless transition from SnagIt to WMM.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S0KpzLUOF8

If you plan to anymore fancy video editing, then there is a free program called Lightworks. It is on par with the commercial program Premiere by Adobe. There is a free and paid version of Lightworks, but Premiere is not free, even with the lite version called Premiere Elements.

http://www.lwks.com/

MOCA Setup

The followings are links to instructions on setting up your MOCA devices to extend the Internet connection in the homes. MOCA is a technology that uses the coax cable grid that is already built into your home to carry the Ethernet signal. From my experience, it is much more reliable than HomePlug and wireless repeater technology.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=501722

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R58dh24Xgw0&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMhe9EoDp4Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7yknwV1YME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLYi7OYM0xU

How to Disable XPS Document Writer

XPS is Microsoft's attempt to dethrone Adobe's ubiquitous PDF format. It's an uphill battle because PDF format is so entrenched. So far, the XPS format is nowhere near the heel of PDF. It does not help that Microsoft installs the XPS printer by default in Windows. Remove it is easy if you are the only person using the computer, but for a public PC, whenever a new person logs in, his profile may get the XPS printer as the default printer. It's not the end of the world, but it is annoying.

So to disable the XPS printer, follow the link below. It's a pretty easy thing to do.

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/disable-xps-document-writer-49624.html

Now, my next project is to find an easy way to remove the Send to OneNote printer.

Online Learning: A Bachelor's Level Computer Science Program Curriculum

http://blog.agupieware.com/2014/05/online-learning-bachelors-level.html

It's a collection of IT courses that matches closely to a typical required curriculum to satisfy an undergraduate degree in Computer Science at a 4-year university.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/686-5-online-learning-apps-websites.html

Trouble-shooting Intel VT-x Issues

https://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-8978

I have a PC that has the Z87 chipset and an i5 CPU. Both support Intel VT-x.  However, whenever I try to run a 64bit version of Windows 8 as a guest OS, I would get this error message.

So far, I have not found a solution. I have updated the BIOS to the latest version. I have even re-installed Windows 8 Professional 64bit as the host OS. I have enabled VT-d in the BIOS. Curiously, in the BIOS of the Z87M-Plus motherboard, it says that VT-x is supported but there is no setting where I can toggle it on and off. The only ON/OFF switch is for VT-d. However, according to the KB article above, VT-d is irrelevant for VMware Workstation. It is only important for ESXi.

This is the first time that I have encountered this problem where I have a motherboard that supports 64bit CPUs and has a 64bit CPU and yet, it cannot run a 64bit guest OS. On this Z87M-Plus motherboard, it can run 32bit guests just fine.

Update: I updated to a Z97M-Plus motherboard with an i5-4690 CPU and VMWare Workstation now can run 64-bit Windows 7 and Windows 8 without fuss. I am still not sure why the Z87 chipset cannot run them. 

How to Run a Portable Version of Windows from a USB Drive

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-run-a-portable-version-of-windows-from-a-usb-dri-1565509124

Mac users have had this ability for ages when you can boot from an external drive connected via the Firewire port with latter support for USB- or Thunderbolt-connected drives. The reason being the Mac computers are homogeneous being made by one and only one company -- Apple itself. Therefore, the operating system has all the drivers it needs to run on all Mac computers within a reasonable linage. I assume that it works with Window 8 now because of tighter control of the driver ecosystem that Microsoft forces hardware manufacturers to comply. Therefore, all newer PCs will be Windows 8 compatible and the drivers for the motherboard are already included in Windows 8 itself. No need to hunt for drivers. In effect, Windows has adopted the homogeneous nature of Apple.

Clearly the advantage of running Windows (or Mac OSX) from an external drive is mobility and security. Once the external drive is disconnected from the computer, there is no trace of it on the computer. This way, you can carry your Windows 8 without without having to carry the bulky computer. If your friend has a machine that supports Windows 8 and can boot from the USB port, then you just simply plug in the external drive with Windows 8 in it , and boot from it.

Given that there will be a lot of write operations happening while Windows 8 is being used, it's best to use USB3 and an SSD drive.

Download Windows 8 from Microsoft

In the "old" days when the average person's Internet connection speed was slow or virtually non-existent, people could only download small programs from the Internet. With bulky packages like Office and Photoshop, they had to get them through CDs and DVDs that were purchased in stores or over snail mail. Now, with this average speed much higher, there is no need to do this anymore. Almost all programs these days are purchased online as a download.

The biggest software of all is the operating systems. It started with Linux when you can download the ISOs of various distributions. This was possible because some distros are actually pretty small. Some are as small as a few megabytes. Apple started selling its MacOSX 10.7 (Lion) as a download only. Now, Microsoft has gotten into the act and sells its ubiquitous OS via downloads starting with Windows 8.

Below is a link to the Microsoft website that offers such a download. Windows 8 ISO is a hefty 8GB download. With a speedy Internet connection of 25mbps, it would take about 2 hours to download. No biggie.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only

The initial download is not the OS itself but a small initiator file from which you can download the full OS after you have verified that you have a legit serial number.

http://www.nirmaltv.com/2013/05/09/download-windows-8-iso-from-microsoft/

For those who want to download the ISO for Windows 8.1 but only have a serial for Windows 8, do this.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only

Go to the above link and download the initiator file installer for Windows 8. Save this file on the desktop. Keep in mind where it is and its name.

Now download the initiator file installer for Windows 8.1. Save this file on the desktop. Keep in mind where it is and its name.

Run the installer for the Windows 8. As expected, after you have a valid Windows 8 key, it will start to download. Let it download for about 1%. Then quit by hitting the red X. This will put the in progress downloaded file in a limbo state.

Then run the initiator file installer for Windows 8.1. Strangely to get itself out of the limbo, the download will overwrite the partial download and resumes to download the ISO of Windows 8.1. Once the download is finished, it will offer a few choices of what you can do with this download including installing Windows 8.1. But instead of installing, you select to create the installation media which is the ISO file.

Here is the video that provides essentially the same info.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TEu2VzqK7U

Now you have the ISO of Windows 8.1 and have created a bootable media to install it on a empty drive. But you only have the serial for Windows 8. It's ok, you can use the generic Windows 8.1 key initially to allow you to pass the challenge screen asking you for the key. Once the installation is finished, you can change this generic key with your legal Windows 8 key.

The generic Windows 8.1 key is this:
Windows 8.1 Pro Place-Holder Key: XHQ8N-C3MCJ-RQXB6-WCHYG-C9WKB

In all honesty, why would Microsoft put in all these seemingly arbitrary roadblocks to obtain a legal copy of Windows 8.1 ISO? It already offers Windows 8.1 as a legal free upgrade to Windows 8 via its Windows Store. Why not simply offer people a free and easy download of the Windows 8.1 ISO up front? Instead, it forces its customers to go through these loops to do a clean install of Windows 8.1 instead of having basically to do the installation of Windows 8.1 twice. It took me an extra 2 hours for the installation of Windows 8 first, download its updates, then upgrade to Windows 8.1 via another massive download.

Keep in mind here folks, the steps described here take advantage of a bug in the download, mid download halt, and resumption of the "same" download created by Microsoft. Since the ISO comes from Microsoft and the keys used are legit, there is nothing illegal about this. There is no hacked Windows here, just some clever workaround to an arbitrary roadblock.

By the way, the ISO is of a 64bit Windows 8 Pro retail version. This is the version that you purchase from Microsoft or retail stores. It comes as a DVD in a paper box. Some stores actually sell the OEM version of Windows 8.1. If you can get a hand on these OEM DVD, then that negates having to do all this download trick. 

Sheesh!

Java Versions

When you access some websites that require Java to run, you may discover either your computer does not have Java installed or the installed version is too old or too new. Although websites should keep up with the latest technology by upgrading their contents to match up with the mainstream technology, there are circumstances when they cannot do so. Therefore, in order to use their content, you have to use an older version of Java for example. below is a link to download older versions of Java.

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/archive-139210.html

I personally find Java to be confusing to use because Oracle, the maker of Java, has so many variations of this technology.

Security for Synology NAS

In my previous post, I laid out the features of the latest firmware for the Synology NASes. A popular use of any NAS is to access the data on it from the Internet. This is a scary proposition because if you or any authorized persons can access this data from outside the local network in which the NAS resides, what prevents unauthorized people, especially those with malicious intent, from accessing the server?

The Synology website has a primer on how to enhance security of its NASes. This has the recommended configuration of the its system for this purpose.

http://www.synology.com/en-global/support/tutorials/478

The article however does not mention about VPN. If you use a Synology NAS at home, then it should already be part of a trusted local network. Therefore, most of these recommended configurations are not necessary. In fact, it is not necessary at all if the home network in question is behind an Internet gateway such as the router that is connected directly to the Internet modem, and this gateway/router has the latest firmware, its firewall activated, and blocks all incoming ports. If there is a need to access the NAS from the outside of the network, then I recommend a VPN solution that uses L2TP/IPSec or OpenVPN. I have written a few posts about this matter so please read them for more info. Remember, VPN is like a catch all method so that you do not have to worry about the more granular configurations for the NAS itself. It's like having a strong door and lock for your home's front door. With such a barrier, you do not really need to have additional doors behind this big door. With that said, if your NAS has confidential information in it, additional and more granular security setup is recommended for the NAS itself.

A few of the tips in the article actually should be the standard setup for the NAS regardless of the situation. An example is the password to the admin account for the NAS. No matter how much trusted is the local network, never leave the admin account on the NAS with either the default password or one that can be guessed easily. Logging into the NAS with the admin account is basically getting in with the key to the kingdom. Even if there is no confidential data stored on the NAS, the admin account should be locked down.

Security is all about layers. The more layers there are, the more difficult it is for any unauthorized people from accessing the information. However, there is a point of diminishing return where the additional complexity does not give you any additional benefits.

Synology NAS Cheat Sheet

I am a big fan of network attach storage boxes (NAS) made by Synology. I must have installed a dozen of them. It has so many features that it's hard to keep track of how many and how to use them. So I have decided to create a cheat sheet of the features touted by the company and check off this list the features that I have actually tested out.

Below is the list of features (in italics) listed on the Synology website. Their latest firmware is the newly released Disk Station Manager (DSM) 5.0 Build 4458. I use their flagship model DS214se as the base model. It can be had for $160 on Amazon. Of course, this is just the NAS without the harddrives. So given that the DS214se is a 2-bay model, you would naturally buy 2 harddrives for it. With a few exceptions, I always setup the drives in mirror mode using Synology's own SHR RAID.

Below are some of the pictures of the DS214se.

Brand New User Interface

Visual design has been totally revamped to provide a cleaner look and touch-friendly user experiences.

High-resolution images are displayed when launched with Ultra HD or retina-display supported devices.

Badges-style notification counters appear on application icons.

Login page displays local weather information.

This is basically eye candy so I don't pay too much attention to it. It has the new flat look that is the rage these days found in UIs for Windows 8 and iOS 7. The icons are bigger and brighter in colors.

QuickConnect
QuickConnect now supports DSM, Photo Station, Audio Station, Surveillance Station, Download Station, Video Station, File Station, providing simplified remote access, without the hassle of setting up port-forwarding on your router.

All mobile apps support QuickConnect.

Enabling QuickConnect requires registering a MyDS Center account.

Web Station and Mail Station does not support QuickConnect.

If you don't mind doing port forwarding and already use a DDNS service, then you do not need using QuickConnect. However, I will explore this option in dept when I have time. 

Backup and Replication
Multiple version backup is now available on local backup, backup to another DiskStation. Only the differential blocks of data are retained among each version, allowing file history to be maintained with better storage efficiency.

Overview page displays scheduled and completed backup tasks.

Credentials for creating backup destinations can be saved as a profile to make backup task creation easier.

Data and configuration backup created in DSM 5.0 can only be restored in DSM 5.0.

Data and configurations that were backed up in DSM 5.0 cannot be restored using DSM 4.3 or earlier.

Control Panel

Layout has been redesigned for better navigation and organization.

Service list displays related firewall and port-forwarding settings.

VPN client settings have been integrated into Network > Network Interface.

Shortcuts on DSM Desktop that were created previously will be cleared after upgrading to DSM 5.0.

Shared Folders with Windows ACL Permissions
The access permissions of shared folders are based on Windows ACL, allowing you to fine-tune permissions beyond just Read Only, Read/Write, No Access. Newly created shared folders implement the permission settings of Windows ACL.

For shared folders created in DSM 4.3 or earlier, you can either convert the existing permissions to Windows ACL, or leave the permission unchanged.

The shared folders - photo, surveillance, and shares on external storage or volume with ext3 file system cannot use Windows ACL permissions.

Storage Manager
New overview displays the overall health of all disks and volumes, as well as hard disk utilization, volume, and iSCSI LUN usage.

Disk health information includes the current and historical health of hard disks

SSD Cache
Read/Write cache is supported. Two identical SSDs can be combined to create a RAID 1 read-write cache and enhance the performance of a volume or block-level iSCSI LUN.

A high-availability cluster cannot be created when SSD read-write cache is enabled.

Package Center
Auto updating allows packages to be updated automatically.

Log Center
Syslog Server and System Logs have been integrated into a single, centralized application.

Support Center
Support tickets can now be sent directly from DSM.

Remote access and log generation allow Synology support engineers to remotely diagnose technical issues on your Synology NAS.

File Station
File sharing links can be created and shared with your Google+ and Facebook friends. Those who receive the link will be asked to enter their Google+ or Facebook login credentials before accessing the folder or file.

You can view Microsoft Office documents using Office Online when QuickConnect is enabled.

Text Editor
Plain text files can be edited directly in DSM.

Rich features are available, such as the ability to change character encoding, recognize file types, and see variable highlighting.

DSM Help
Online help files can be viewed in DSM Help, allowing you to read the latest versions of documentation regarding DSM and packages.

Font size can be changed to larger sizes.

Web Station
The “http” group (http) is the service account for Web Station, introducing better flexibility and security. \

Web applications will run as the same permission as “http” group. We suggest reviewing the permissions of the web folder and assign appropriate permissions to http group.

The PHP version has been updated to 5.5. Please check the compatibility of your PHP-based web apps with php 5.5. The details can be found at Migrating from PHP 5.3.x to PHP 5.4.x and Migrating from PHP 5.4.x to PHP 5.5.x.

Performance has been enhanced with Apache MPM worker.

Media Library
The default indexed folders - photo, video, audio - are removable from indexed folders.

The types of media to be indexed in each default folder can be changed.

Synology High Availability
When binding two or more ethernet connections to create an aggregated heartbeat connection, load balancing and failover are supported.

iSCSI Performance
For iSCSI LUN with Advanced LUN option enabled, iSCSI random read performance has been enhanced by over 6 times, as illustrated in the below comparison:

IOPS (4KB)DSM 4.3DSM 5.0Improvement
Read IOPS from DS1813+ 135 995 637 %

Configured with 4 HDDs composed in SHR-1, the LUN used for testing is a 100G LUN with advanced LUN features enabled. Tested by IOmeter by 100% random read with 4k block size.

File Service
AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) performance has been improved, as illustrated in the below comparison of transferring 5000 x 1MB files to Synology NAS:

Mac to Synology NASDSM 4.3DSM 5.0Improvement
DS213j 25.14 MB/s 31.42 MB/s 25.0%
DS1513+ 31.64 MB/s 41.61 MB/s 31.5%

SPDY
Support for SPDY v3.0 accelerates the overall responsiveness of the user interface when using HTTPS connections.

Memory Compression
Least recently used data in memory is compressed, improving system responsiveness when under heavy load.

Wi-Fi
Connecting up to two USB Wi-Fi adapters is supported, allowing your Synology NAS to share its Internet connection via both 2.4GHz and 5GHz ranges.

You can bridge your wired connection with Wi-Fi hotspot(s) to extend your wireless network range and unify your existing local network and the wireless network hosted on your DiskStation.

Snapshot Manager
Synology Snapshot Manager software plugin available on vSphere and Windows Server environments to create application-consistent snapshots in DSM.

For VMware environments, you can install Synology Snapshot Manager for VMware vCenter Server on Windows Server. After installation, when a snapshot is triggered on DSM, vCenter Server will be notified and flush all the data from memory to the LUN to guarantee data consistency. Once the snapshot is complete, vCenter Server will resume normal I/O operation of VMware datastore.

For Windows environment, you can install Synology Snapshot Manager for Windows Server. After installation, when a snapshot is triggered on DSM, Synology Snapshot Manager will use the Microsoft 

Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) technology to produce consistent point-in-time copies of data. 

Synology Snapshot Manager for Windows Server also supports performing snapshots when triggered by 3rd party software via VSS.

Synology Snapshot Manager for VMware vCenter Server supports vSphere 5.1 or later, and vSphere web client server plugin is required for application interface. Snapshot Manager for Windows supports Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012 and 2012 R2. VMWare applications support up to 3 maximum concurrent snapshot tasks.

Prepaid Credit Card for Roku Setup

I was setting up a Roku 3 and confronted by the setup routine that required a valid credit card number before it could proceed. I googled for a way to proceed without divulging a credit card number, but found no workarounds. This requirement is not listed on the box that the Roku comes with. This of course is not an oversight by the Roku company so I think this is a bit shady if you ask me, a quasi-bait and switch. The box is already opened so certain stores will not take it back for a refund.

So given that this Roku is not for my own use, I could not use my own credit card. I went to the local Walgreen and bought a disposable VISA credit card from a company called OneVanilla.

At the register, I told the sale clerk that I wanted $50 put into this card. He gave me a I-bet-he-use-it-to-pay-for-online-porn look, and rang up $50 plus the $4.95 surcharge. In addition to the regular receipt, I also got a separate receipt that says "Gift Card" that has the serial number of the OneVanilla card.

The credit card has the expiration date of Feb 2022. At home, I opened the package saw that the card inside looks exactly my regular VISA card. It can be used as a "regular" credit card or as a debit card. The sticker on the card directed me to the OneVanilla website to register the card. There, I put in the card's number, expiration date, and the 3-number code. The site also asked for an email address and a password. That was it. So now this particular card's number is associated with my email address and a password. There is an option to create a PIN number to be used as the PIN for the card to be used as a debit card, but I did not create it.

I went back to the Roku website and put in this credit card's number, expiration date, and the 3-number code, and billing address. Just like a regular online purchase with a credit card. It worked. The Roku site said that the credit card is on file with them, but no charges have been made to this credit card number. Fine, you son of a ...

So although the Roku 3 is setup fine, I am still miffed by Roku's non-disclosure that to use its services, you need a credit card. At least with AppleTV, you can setup without the need for a credit card (last time I did it was a few months ago). If your intention is to use the Roku to access free contents via its 1000s of channels, then either you have to give Roku your credit card or get one of these disposable ones.

I have already sent a nasty email to Roku complaining about this. This is not how you should treat your customers.

Simple VPN router

Let's say you want to remote into a network such as your office or home while you are physically outside this place. There are many solutions out there that can be used to do this. Each has its own complexity, cost, reliability, and security strength. If you just want a simple secure way to do such remote access then you can try to setup your own VPN solution.

I am talking about connecting to a remote network here, not necessarily to a specific computer inside a remote network. There are certain advantages of connecting to a remote network in general as opposed to a particular computer. If you are connected to a particular computer, then your usage of that computer is the limitation of the connection. In other words, whatever you can and cannot do on this remote computer is all that you can do. Let's say the remote computer does not have a database program that you want to run to access a database file stored on a server in the same remote network. Then you are still stuck with this problem if you remote into this computer.

By contrast, if you can remote into the network in general and the computer that you are using has this database program, then you can access this server and the database file. In its simplest terms, when you have connected to a remote network via VPN, the immediate machine in front of you thinks it is physically inside this remote network. In fact, through this VPN connection, you can then remote into a particular machine in the remote network and use that machine's installed software, having the best of both worlds.

Using the protocol PPTP is still the current go-to way to create a VPN tunnel if you want something that has the least amount of complexity and cost. PPTP has been around for decades so it has been time tested to work well with a lot of computing devices. The problem for this reliability and friendliness is its security. While it is better than nothing -- yes, you can have a VPN connection without any security at all if your intention is remote access, speed, but security is not a concern -- it can expose your remote session to unauthorized intruders that somehow get tapped into the tunnel.

Microsoft released 2 versions of the security mechanism used for PPTP. The security mechanism is called MPPE. As said, security via encryption of the data going back and forth is not a required criterion of VPN. MPPE is the protocol used for secured PPTP tunnels.

When PPTP was first created, Microsoft used an encryption method called MS-CHAP. This is now deprecated because it has serious security flaws. Microsoft updated it with MS-CHAP version 2. Even this version is considered dated by today's standards, but if your security need is simple, then MS-CHAPv2 is still good. I however recommend L2TP/IPsec is the way to go these days. There is no right or wrong way to security, it's just how paranoid you are. It's about your acceptable level to risk of how someone can intrude upon your remote connection.

For a good primer on MS-CHAP version 1 and 2, you should check out this article by Bruce Schneier. It's an old article (1999), but its information is still relevant.
Cryptanalysis of Microsoft's PPTP Authentication Extensions (MS-CHAPv2)

Also, there has been a discovered vulnerability for using MS-CHAPv2 by itself with additional encapsulation.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/advisory/2743314

With that said, if you want a simple inexpensive PPTP VPN to connect to a remote network with no fuss, then I recommend using this a VPN router model TL-R600VPN from TP-Link.

Setting up a PPTP VPN on this router is simple. I got it to work within 15 minutes. As expected, the remote connection is reliable and fast. Below is the user guide for this router.

http://www.tp-link.com/Resources/document/TL-R600VPN_V1_User_Guide.pdf

I cannot find any documentation of whether this router uses MS-CHAPv2 for its MPPE. I assume it does because there is no reason to still be using MS-CHAPv1. Moreover, when setting up the VPN connection on a Windows 7, machine, I unchecked the box where the the VPN client would be allow to use CHAP, and checked the box where it says MS-CHAPv2. The fact that the connection works, I would infer that the PPTP tunnel is operating under MS-CHAP2 MPPE.

The router also offers the much more secure IPSec protocol, but this would only work if you connect two of these routers with each on both sides of the tunnel. The PPTP can be used for client-to-LAN connection. This means you only need your computer on one end of the tunnel.

More info on how to use VPN on iPhones and iPads because many people access their networks on the road use these devices.
http://www.apple.com/iphone/business/it/deployment.html