New PC – Novatech AMD Radeon 6770 HD Graphics Card – Settings

28-Aug-1111 Leave a comment

After setting up new PC was initially having problems with the graphics card. (Novatech) AMD Radeon 6770.
Key: Catalyst Control Center = CCC

Did uninstall the driver and CCC at one point and re-install everything, from Downloads\Graphics folder. Seemed to work well for half an hour – now seems a little less than perfect. Will see.  So turned off PC rest then turn back on and graphics good again. However with HDMI to Iiyama I now have a buzz. Have used the monitor setting to mute the sound and it has gone away. May need to use DVI on Iiyama as well.
The configurations which temporarily worked are:

  • Main Monitor is IIyama ProLite E2607WS – Use HDMI
    • CCC > Desktop Management > 1920 x 1200 + 60 Hz  (recommended)
    • CCC > My Digital Flat-Panels > Properties >
      •  Image Scaling > Enable GPU Scaling = True
      • Enable ITC processing = True
  • LHS Acer AL2021 use DVI
  • RHS Dell 2005FPW Portrait 1050 x 1680 (recommended) may be a desk saver that way around
    • Using Sapphire Active Display Port to Single-Link DVI Adapter

Update 1-Sep-2011
Still having problems. So after talking with Technical Support at Novatech I have took the graphics card out – and put back in – reseat in the computer. This seems to have increased the proportion of time that the machine is OK. Still not 100% though

Filed under Computers Tagged with

How do I … join a network domain using windows

24-Aug-1111 Leave a comment

To login to a work network

  1. Start > Computer > Right-click > Properties
  2. Change Settings > First tab is Computer Name > Bottom button is Change >
  3. Member of – select toggle button on Domain > Enter Name of Domain > Need to login to that domain > may need to restart

Once you have joined the domain you can use explorer address bar to type \\ <domain name> \ shared directory path

To login back in to home

  1. Start > Computer > Right-click > Properties
  2. Change Settings > First tab is Computer Name > Bottom button is Change >
  3. Member of – select Workgroup > normal name is “WORKGROUP”

Filed under Computers, Windows Tagged with , ,

Dataset Designer: Unable to find connection MyConn (MySettings)1 for object ‘MySettings’

24-Aug-1111 Leave a comment

 

Solved:
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winformsdatacontrols/thread/08a48cad-619d-4421-b584-f2b5550ba6c5

Solution from Don,
“I had the same problem with one of my projects. If you open up the Dataset using the XML editor you should see a line near the top that looks like this:

<DataSourceDefaultConnectionIndex=“1“FunctionsComponentName=“QueriesTableAdapter“Modifier=“AutoLayout, AnsiClass, Class, Public“SchemaSerializationMode=“IncludeSchema“xmlns=“urn:schemas-microsoft-com:xml-msdatasource“>

I changed the DefaultConnection Index from a 1 to a 0 and the problem went away. I suspect at one time I had two connections and one went away but the index was not updated.

<DataSourceDefaultConnectionIndex=“0“FunctionsComponentName=“QueriesTableAdapter“Modifier=“AutoLayout, AnsiClass, Class, Public“SchemaSerializationMode=“IncludeSchema“xmlns=“urn:schemas-microsoft-com:xml-msdatasource“>”

Also other posts here may be useful:
In my particular case had too many connection strings and deleted one of them.

 

Filed under ADO.Net, Errors, Visual Studio Tagged with ,

SQL Server backup notes

16-Aug-1111 Leave a comment

Back Up Database Task

Several points of issue with this routine. It is not as obvious as it may seem:

  • Backup set will expire After n days or On a date – when using a backup device
    • Although the backup expires it does automatically get overriden and space released. It stays there so the backup device will continue to grow and potentially fill-up the disk. Disappointing.
  • If backup file exist: Append or Overwrite.
    • Append is clear. Overwrite is not so clear. As far as I can tell it will clear out any-all existing backups in the device. As opposed to clearing out expired backups.

For a long time I had not used the backup set expire. I have been using the expire for about 3 months with 100 days. I was expecting it to start clearing out the old backups, so keeping the backup device file size roughly static. However this did not happen and the disk started to fill up.

So in conclusion I will revert to my previous method of renaming the backup device with a date on the end yyyy-mm-dd which means the backup task then recreates it. Then after a period of time move the old backup devices off to a separate NSA drive.

Grandfather – Father – Son
Now do backups several times a day, but now also do a monthly backup with the intention of eventually deleting daily backups.

Filed under SQL Server

Database Naming Convention

16-Aug-1111 Leave a comment

 

For table identity column generally use ID not <TableName>ID unless it is clear what an identity column should be e.g. WO for Work Order
My preference is ID not <TableName>ID because:

  1. Less verbose. If table name itself is long then using <TableName>ID will be wordy and is likely to extend the number of lines in any Transact SQL
  2. ID works
  3. In code you know that the ID column should exist

Filed under Design, SQL Server Tagged with

New PC

14-Aug-1111 Leave a comment

Why?
Previous XP desktop had a grinding hard disk and was becoming quite slow. As I do a lot of work on these and do this as self-employed earnings it did not make business sense. For a time I have been using laptop linked to desktop keyboard, mouse, monitor for speed. However have lost multi-monitor. Also concerned that old PC may just fail at some time. Wanted to get a new pc while the old one had some life in it. That way the old one may with less use have years of back-up, or other use. I may at some point change the hard-drive on the old PC, moving all files may be hard work especially as I would want to filter out all the rubbish that is possibly part of the problem with the old PC.

Specifications.
Did upgrade a few times. Novatech IRush Pro. Because:

  • Comes with a graphics card which supports upto 5 monitors. May/likely to want to try 3 monitors as 2 monitors has had a good improvement, but with Visual Studio, SSMS, email, office need more monitors. Also VS has some many docked tools that these may be put on another screen.
  • Fast 3.3 Ghs quad core processor
  • Windows 7 Pro very useful
  • Like service from Novatech
  • Much better value for money c.f. PC world or even Smart Computers
  • They will deliver without windows or junk on the PC. E.g. unwanted McAffee and other services which inevitably slow down a computer. I can add these later if I choose
  • I was told that the more expensive upgrade was quieter. Not convinced.

Verdict

Seems fast. Slightly noisey fan.
Could I possibly have got away with changing the disks on my old PC and leaving it at that. Possibly, but sooner or later other parts would have gone. Like a car it would have been like how much do you spend. The old PC has paid it’s way. Maybe it can still have a life as backup – test agent or some hardware to test things on. Room for storing it is a little issue. Here’s a weird idea. Could I keep it upstairs in my cupboard with plug downstairs, and run it from there.

For setup of disks see
 https://steveshakespeare.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/windows-7-partition-using-windows-disk-management/

 

 

Filed under Computers

Crystal Reports specified DSN contains an architecture mismatch between the Driver and Application

09-Aug-1111 Leave a comment

Database error: MicrosoftODBC Driver Manager The specified DSN contains an architecture mismatch between the Driver and Application. (IES 10901) (WIS 10901)

On Windows 7 there are two ODBC. Probably want the first of these:
C:\Windows\SysWOW64 use against 32 bit data
C:\Windows\System32

However this could be mis-leading, as was the case this morning. It could be that a DSN is missing. Or perhaps missing from the correct ODBC.

Filed under Crystal Reports, Errors

SOLID Principles

05-Aug-1111 Leave a comment

 

http://www.blackwasp.co.uk/SOLIDPrinciples.aspx

My current design has /architecture is putting DAL in same layer/project/assembly as domain model, by which I mean classes

Filed under Design

How to use windows api in VB.Net

03-Aug-1111 Leave a comment


'Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices

'Public Class aClass
' Private Shared Function FindWindow(ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As IntPtr
' End Function
' Private Shared Function SetForegroundWindow(ByVal hWnd As IntPtr) As Boolean
' End Function
'End Class

Filed under VB.Net Tagged with

How to Open a Process and Send Keys to that Process ( e.g. MS Word )

03-Aug-1111 Leave a comment

Following works fine opens document, ctrl + g = go to in word, book mark “StockControl”

Dim process1 As New Process
process1.StartInfo.FileName = String.Concat(My.Settings.DocumentationDirectory, My.Settings.HelpWordFile)
process1.Start()
process1.WaitForInputIdle()
'Dim hwnd = process.MainWindowHandle
Threading.Thread.Sleep(1000)
SendKeys.Send("^g")
SendKeys.Send("+{TAB}")
SendKeys.Send("b")
SendKeys.Send("{TAB}")
SendKeys.Send("StockControl")
SendKeys.Send("{ENTER}")
SendKeys.Send("{ESC}")

Filed under MS Office, VB.Net