Manually set FreePBX timezone

Check here for the correct timezone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones​

SSH into the server

Run the following, with the relevant TZ database timezone. In this example, Europe/London

​ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/London /etc/localtime
Then, edit /ect/sysconfig/clock
nano /etc/sysconfig/clock

Change the line to the correct TZ timezone:

ZONE="Europe/London"

Save the file

Run to check all is now correct:
date

Reboot the server

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Join a wireless network before login

Export the existing wifi setup

​netsh wlan export profile %SSIDName% folder=c:\temp
XML files of the existing connections will be exported to c:\temp. Find the one you want all users to access. You need to modify the to false and enter the wireless key.

You will end up with something like this:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<WLANProfile xmlns="http://www.microsoft.com/networking/WLAN/profile/v1">
<name>Best Network</name>
<SSIDConfig>
<SSID>
<hex>42657374204E6574776F726B</hex>
<name>Best Network</name>
</SSID>
</SSIDConfig>
<connectionType>ESS</connectionType>
<connectionMode>auto</connectionMode>
<MSM>
<security>
<authEncryption>
<authentication>WPA2PSK</authentication>

- See more...

Windows XP Recovery Console – KB310994 download

To manually install the Windows Recovery Console, you have to have the necessary updates. It seems Microsoft have removed the link to the recovery console that used to be linked to from here.

This makes running tools like ComboFix for example, quite difficult.

I’ve sourced the files (at least for SP2 and up) they are mirrored here:

windowsxp-kb310994-sp2-home-bootdisk-enu.exe – For Windows XP Home SP2 and newer.
windowsxp-kb310994-sp2-pro-bootdisk-enu.exe – For Windows XP Professional SP2 and newer.
To install for combofix use, you can download the file to your PC and drag and drop onto the combofix.exe file, as detailed here.

- See more...

Send test email via telnet

It’s often useful to test an email server manually – to ensure the port is open and redirected properly, and also that the server is delivering messages to the mailbox correctly.
Here is how to send an email manually with telnet:

Open a command prompt on the PC you will send the test email from telnet server.server.com 25​

HELO jaytag.co.uk (response will be 250 OK)

MAIL FROM:dmcmillan@jaytag.co.uk (response should be 250 OK – mail from dmcmillan@jaytag.co.uk)

RCPT TO:james@stephenrjames.com (response should be 250 OK – Recipient james@stephenrjames.com)

DATA (response should be 354 Send data. End with CRLF.CRLF) - See more...

Convert plain numbers to MAC addresses with Excel

We use the following formula if you need a – between the octets:
 =MID(c2,1,2)&"-"&MID(c2,3,2)&"-"&MID(c2,5,2)&"-"& MID(c2,7,2)&"-"&MID(c2,9,2)&"-"&MID(c2,11,2)

We use the following formula if you need a :
between the octets:
=MID(c2,1,2)&":"&MID(c2,3,2)&":"&MID(c2,5,2)&":"& MID(c2,7,2)&":"&MID(c2,9,2)&":"&MID(c2,11,2) - See more...

No DAHDI modules on the system. Not starting

You need to retrieve the correct kernel-devel for the kernel of linux you are running, and remake DAHDI from source
SSH onto the machine and run: uname -r
Note the kernel version. then, google for kernel-devel (kernel version) find a suitable download source (i.e. from rpm.pbone.net) then on the machine rpm -ivh ftp://ftp.is.co.za/mirror/centos/6.5/updates/x86_64/Packages/kernel-devel-2.6.32-431.1.2.0.1.el6.x86_64.rpm - See more...

GParted – “Bad sectors” Error Message

When using GParted to resize a partition on a hard drive you have cloned you may notice an exclamation mark on the drive.

When you attempt to apply the resize it will most likely fail, and you may receive an error message, similar to the one below, stating that there are “bad sectors” on the disk. - See more...

Office365 – Distribution list blank return path

When you are using Office365, you may find that external email addresses in a distrbution list do not recieve mails sent to the distribution list email address.

Many spam filters will block emails with a blank or empty return path, but Office365 sets this blank as default, to prevent email bounce loops.
This is normal behaviour – a large distribution list shouldn’t distribute a bounce/DSN report to the entire membership.
For a single membership list for use with Zendesk, Help Scout or other similar mailbox monitoring applications, it may be necessary. - See more...

Installing Ubuntu 8.04 on a Viglen MPC-L

 

The Viglen MPC-L (<– PDF link) is a low powered (both in terms of CPU speed and power consumption) compact computer. They are extremely similar to the Linutop machine (i.e. identical) and are actually an FIC ION 503 under the hood. It comes preinstalled with xubuntu, a version of ubuntu that substitutes the gnome window manager with XFCE. Better still, email Duncan Hargreaves at Viglen (tell them the ubuntu podcast sent you) and you can pick one up for a mere £79. If like us, you are a stickler for utilising similar OS environments for support reasons (including the window manager) then a full install of ubuntu is the way to go. - See more...  

Conficker Virus – Think you have it?

Conficker Virus – Think you have it?

The Conficker virus has to be one of the most difficult to get rid of. But how can you quickly diagnose if you have it? There are some well known signs: Windows Update and Automatic Updates are blocked System Restore has been turned off You cannot access anti-virus websites (such as Symantec, McAfee, AVG etc.) There is now also an even quicker way: Click Here Think you might be infected? - See more...

A simple MySQL Backup Tool

A simple MySQL Backup Tool 

 

If you administer a website (or indeed a number of websites) you may need a tool which will allow you to simply backup a MySQL database on a regular basis. Although there are a number of tools available online, none quite fit our needs. As a result, we’ve quickly written a simple MySQL backup tool in PHP. Features

• Tested compatible with PHP version 5.2.14 and MySQL 5.0 
•  Allows for SQL and ZIP export of a single MySQL database 
• Lists previous backups made This is version 0.1a – it is no doubt buggy. 

We would appreciate any feedback if you do decide to use the tool. The application is fairly self explanatory in its usage. 

Installation 

• Extract the Zip file 
• Copy the contents to a directory on your server 
• Browse to the directory you saved the files to with your browser 

Features to be added in v0.2a (Release date 4th February 2011) Improved documentation Backup multiple databases Additional security (password for created ZIP files, and password for the utility) - See more... 

Sage Accounts

Sage Accounts: Username in use 

This is a very common issue with Sage – if the program crashes for whatever reason, you are unable to log back into the program. Before you start! I’d always recommend taking a backup of the company files before making any changes to Sage program or data files – just in case! The Sage file database system is a little antiquated and can be temperamental. The fix itself is simple: Browse to the Sage company file directory on your computer (this will vary, although if you check the COMPANY file in your install directory, it will be listed) Open the ACCDATA directory Delete the queue.dta file - See more...

Enable Telnet Command in Windows 7

 

Telnet is a simple but extremely popular protocol for exchanging data between two computers. It is often used for testing computer programs. The Telnet utility is included with Windows Vista and Windows 7 computers although it is not enabled by default. Enable Telnet for Windows Vista/Windows 7 If you would like to enable Telnet, follow these steps: 1. Go to Control Panel. 2. Click into Programs and Features. 3. Click Turn Windows Features on or off. - See more...

Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)

 

This is a common problem with Windows Vista – most typically, the CD-ROM or DVD drive will fail to function correctly. Here are the steps we take to fix the issue (be cautious – you’ll have to edit the registry of the computer) Click the Start button, and then in the search box, type regedit. Press the Enter key. NOTE: If prompted for an administrator password or a User Account Control prompt is displayed, type the appropriate password or click Continue. In the Registry Editor window, in the left pane, double-click the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder. - See more...

Windows Virtual PC – IE User

Windows Virtual PC – IE User 

When you start Windows XP from the Windows Virtual PC software, you may be asked for the password to login for the first time.
See more...

Avast Free Anti-Virus

 

Avast Free Anti-Virus 

  We’ve talked about AVG Free Anti-Virus on the blog before. We haven’t talked about Avast however, which is another alternative to the expensive Anti-Virus products from Norton and McAfee. Avast is quickly becoming one of the most popular free anti-virus products on the market. The producers claim that Avast is: The most popular free antivirus with more than 80 000 000 registered users. Perfect for people who send e-mails and surf popular websites, but do not store any sensitive data on their computers. 

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Popular Open Source Applications for Small Businesses

From FastUpFront.com comes an extremely useful list of Open Source applications. As the recession drags on, more and more businesses are looking at Open Source software as a way to reduce the amount they are spending on software licensing.

From the article:

Open source applications and online services have been generating a lot of buzz over the past few years. Many of the open source alternatives are formidable contenders to the major liscensed software programs and services out on the market. Depending on the nature and circumstances of your business, bringing in open source apps may be a cheaper and more practical option to shelling out hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars in liscensing fees for the commercial versions.

The list is reproduced here:

Accounting Software

TurboCASH. – A powerful fully-featured, multi-user accounting system.
GnuCash. – A personal and small business accounting software

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

SugarCRM.- Probably the most well-known, and powerful, CRM open source options. It is better suited to bigger businesses, however.

Daffodil CRM.- Full-featured CRM application

ConcourseSuite. – Formally CentricCRM, it is a “front office application suite to integrate Customer Relationship Management (CRM), web content management and team collaboration capabilities into a single, easy to user web application.”

vtiger.- Easy to use CRM software. Good option for smaller businesses.

Office Suite/Word Processing

Open Office. – Full-featured office suite, compatible with all other major office suites including MS Office

The Fifth Element.- Full-featured office suite, compatible with all other major office suites including MS Office

AbiWord.- Word processing software, easy-to-use version of MS Word.

Email

Thunderbird. – Open source, cross-platform email and news client developed by Mozilla

Pegasus Mail. – Less well-known email system, but offers plenty of features and easy-to-use format

Graphics

Photofiltre.- A full-featured image and photo editing program; a good Photoshop alternative

Paint.NET. – A solid image and photo editing program; a good Photoshop alternative

The GIMP. – the GNU Project’s excellent image manipulation program.

Blender 3D.- Richly featured 3D content creation and animation program. Check out the features and gallery section.

Point of Sale Software

Openbravo POS. – Popular Point-of-Sale application designed for a wide range of retail businesses.

NolaPro POS. – A Web-based accounting, inventory, POS, and business management suite.

- See more 

Fixed Problem – Mozilla Thunderbird with Lightning

If like us, you try to keep the majority of the software you use open source, then Mozilla Thunderbird (with the Lightning add-on) might just be the perfect solution to your PIM (personal information manager) needs.

We use Thunderbird exclusively within our organisation for email, and with the Lightning add-on, for task and calendar management.

Recently, we have come across an issue with Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) whereby the New Event and New Task buttons were greyed out or disabled – making adding calendar entries impossible.

This was fixed by uninstalling the add-on, closing Thunderbird and running the following command in a terminal session:

sudo apt-get install libstdc++5

Reinstalling the add-on after libstdc++5 was installed fixed the issue – the calendar portion worked as it should. It appears that this prerequisite was not installed on the machine we were using.

- See more 

A simple MySQL Backup Tool

If you administer a website (or indeed a number of websites) you may need a tool which will allow you to simply backup a MySQL database on a regular basis.

Although there are a number of tools available online, none quite fit our needs. As a result, we’ve quickly written a simple MySQL backup tool in PHP.

Features

• Tested compatible with PHP version 5.2.14 and MySQL 5.0
• Allows for SQL and ZIP export of a single MySQL database
• Lists previous backups made

This is version 0.1a – it is no doubt buggy. We would appreciate any feedback if you do decide to use the tool.

- See more 

Using a BlackBerry with ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04

Barry, the software package he reccomends installing can also be installed by double-clicking on the RPM files that are available on the SourceForge.net site for the tool: -
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