Microsoft

As you may all know I have Windows Vista Ultimate x64 and last post I talked about upgrading to SQL Server 2005 SP2. However while starting my first Database Project I encountered the following error. Microsoft Visual Studio An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified) OK It has basically taken me around 24 hours to finally find a solution. The solution was so simple, but yet totally undocumented on if you encounter this error do this. So I am hoping to at least correct that with this post for all the future Googler’s out there. ...

Microsoft with out much fan far released service pack 2 for SQL Server 2005. There is a whole laundry list of new features and bug fixes listed on MSDN. However one of the biggest features at least for early adopters is the support for Windows Vista both x86 and x64 versions of the operating system. This release brings with it a great new tools for Windows Vista that are not available for previous operating systems. ...

This question comes up a lot when my friends and co-workers are arguing over the merits of Windows Vista. They say, “My {insert some Linux distro here} only uses {insert another useless amount of RAM here} RAM, why is Vista such a hog?” I usually go on to explain to them about SuperFetch and ReadyBoost, and all the advances and better memory management that went in to these two technologies. All information that is freely available from Part 1 and Part 2 of the Inside the Windows Vista Kernel articles. ...

When Windows Vista first came out nearly 3 months ago, I had a difficult time getting my XV-6700 PDA Phone from Verizon to connect to my laptop as a CDMA Modem. After much searching and reading of Microsoft KB articles I realized this driver had been floating around the Smartphone world since 2002. However Microsoft had changed the way they wanted winmodem drivers written around the time of Windows XP SP1, however Windows XP was still backwards compatible. However when Windows Vista was released they made the new driver format the rule, and thus the reason the 7 year old driver will not work. ...

Microsoft has made the full version of Virtual PC 2007 available for download from their web site. The program is supported on the following servers: Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86); Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition; Windows Vista Business; Windows Vista Business 64-bit edition; Windows Vista Enterprise; Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit edition; Windows Vista Ultimate; Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit edition; Windows XP Professional Edition ; Windows XP Professional x64 Edition ; Windows XP Tablet PC Edition That leaves out the Home and Media Center editions of Windows Vista and Windows XP, as well as the Web and Enterprise versions of Windows Server 2003. ...

It seems like the multi-billion dollar children are at it again. The bitter rivalry between these two companies ceases to amaze me. Apparently none of Apples products are ready for Windows Vista according to a Yahoo News article. According to a document that Apple has posted on its Web site, none of the software that it’s made available for the Windows environment has been updated for Vista compatibility. That includes not only iTunes but QuickTime, Airport For Windows, Bonjour For Windows, iDisk utility, and AppleWorks for Windows. All of those applications or utilities are listed by Apple as compatible with Windows XP and earlier versions of Windows, but not Vista. ...

Many of my co-workers and friends have been having trouble setting up iTunes on Windows Vista 64-bit. So I thought I would put together a quick reference sheet that will make it easier, since Apple hasn’t quite got their act together yet. Background on Windows 64-bit In the 64-bit versions of Windows there are two locations for programs to be stored by default. Program Files - All the 64-bit applications that can run with out any assistance from the 32-bit emulator. Program Files (x86) - All the 32-bit applications that need the 32-bit emulator to help then run under the 64-bit versions Windows. Problem When installing the latest version of iTunes (7.0.2) on Windows Vista 64-bit the install of the QuickTime software completes successfully, however when the iTunes software tries to install the application it produces an error message saying that it cannot find the QuickTime installation. ...

I woke up this morning and found the following error on my Windows Vista 64-bit box. I am guessing the Blue Screen happened from some chipset drivers I installed last night. It is a testament to the great work the Microsoft development team has done with Windows Vista, that Windows is now able to recover, without a reboot, from the shoddy programming of 3rd party hardware driver developers. I am happy to see that Windows Vista isn’t all glamor upgrades and I suspect this has to do with running most of the drivers in user land now. ...