You can tell roughly how old I am, as I was around when DOS was still the main Operation System (OS) and when Windows first hit these shores.  DOS did not have the nice GUI (Graphical User Interface) that we have all got used to with Windows.  As such, most of how I worked on the computer was with a keyboard.  Because of this I still use a lot of keyboard shortcuts, that have made their way from DOS into Windows and been added to since.

I was sitting with someone today whilst they were 'driving' their computer, and it was driving me a little mad.  What was doing it was that they were going the long way around to do some basic windows tasks, such as opening Windows Explorer, minimising every application one by one to get to the desktop, and more.  It wasn't their fault, it's just that like a lot of people out there, they are just 'expected' by businesses to know how to use a computer.  This therefore leads me to the keyboard shortcuts.

Below is a list of keyboard shortcuts that I frequently use (coloured Navy), along with others that exist.  It's probably not fully comprehensive, but pretty good.  They are also very, very handy to know if for some reason your mouse is not working, as you can do everything with the keyboard that you can do with the mouse.

Windows system key combinations

• F1: Help
• CTRL+ESC: Open Start menu
• ALT+TAB: Switch between open programs
• ALT+F4: Quit program
• SHIFT+DELETE: Delete item permanently

Windows program key combinations

• CTRL+C: Copy
• CTRL+X: Cut
• CTRL+V: Paste
• CTRL+INS: Paste
• CTRL+Z: Undo
• CTRL+B: Bold
• CTRL+U: Underline
• CTRL+I: Italic

'Windows Key' keyboard combinations (XP)

• WIN+PAUSE/BREAK: System Properties
• WIN+R: Run dialogue box
• WIN+L: Lock your computer
• WIN+F: Search
• WIN+CTRL+F: Search for computers
• WIN+D: Minimise to the desktop, press again to restore from the desktop
• WIN+U: Utility manager
• WIN+E: Windows Explorer (*My favourite shortcut*)

General keyboard-only commands

• F1: Starts Windows Help
• F10: Activates menu bar options
• SHIFT+F10 Opens a shortcut menu for the selected item (this is the same as right-clicking an object
• CTRL+ESC: Opens the Start menu (use the ARROW keys to select an item)
• CTRL+ESC or ESC: Selects the Start button (press TAB to select the taskbar, or press SHIFT+F10 for a context menu)
• ALT+DOWN ARROW: Opens a drop-down list box
• ALT+TAB: Switch to another running program (hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB key to view the task-switching window - While in the task-switching window hold SHIFT to go right instead of left)
• SHIFT: Press and hold down the SHIFT key while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the automatic-run feature
• ALT+SPACE: Displays the main window's System menu (from the System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimise, maximise, or close the window)
• ALT+- (ALT+hyphen): Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu (from the MDI child window's System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimise, maximise, or close the child window)
• CTRL+TAB: Switch to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program
• ALT+underlined letter in menu: Opens the menu
• ALT+F4: Closes the current window
• CTRL+F4: Closes the current Multiple Document Interface (MDI) window
• ALT+F6: Switch between multiple windows in the same program (for example, when the Notepad Find dialogue box is displayed, ALT+F6 switches between the Find dialogue box and the main Notepad window)

Printing Commands

• PRNT SCRN: Snapshot the current Desktop view to the clip board
• ALT+PRNT SCRN: Snapshot copy the current active Window to the clip board

Mouse click/keyboard modifier combinations for shell objects

• SHIFT+right click: Displays a shortcut menu containing alternative commands
• SHIFT+double click: Runs the alternate default command (the second item on the menu)
• ALT+double click: Displays properties
• SHIFT+DELETE: Deletes an item immediately without placing it in the Recycle Bin

Shell objects and general folder/Windows Explorer shortcuts For a selected object:

• F2: Rename object
• F3: Find all files
• CTRL+X: Cut
• CTRL+C: Copy
• CTRL+V: Paste
• CTRL+INS: Paste
• SHIFT+DELETE: Delete selection immediately, without moving the item to the Recycle Bin
• ALT+ENTER: Open the properties for the selected object

To copy a file

• Press and hold down the CTRL key while you drag the file to another folder.

To create a shortcut

• Press and hold down CTRL+SHIFT while you drag a file to the desktop or a folder.

General folder/shortcut control

• F4: Selects the Go To A Different Folder box and moves down the entries in the box (if the toolbar is active in Windows Explorer)
• F5: Refreshes the current window.
• F6: Moves among panes in Windows Explorer
• CTRL+G: Opens the Go To Folder tool (in Windows 95 Windows Explorer only)
• CTRL+Z: Undo the last command
• CTRL+A: Select all the items in the current window
• BACKSPACE: Switch to the parent folder
• SHIFT+click+Close button: For folders, close the current folder plus all parent folders

Windows Explorer tree control

• Numeric Keypad *: Expands everything under the current selection
• Numeric Keypad +: Expands the current selection
• Numeric Keypad -: Collapses the current selection.
• RIGHT ARROW: Expands the current selection if it is not expanded, otherwise goes to the first child
• LEFT ARROW: Collapses the current selection if it is expanded, otherwise goes to the parent

Properties control

• CTRL+TAB/CTRL+SHIFT+TAB: Move through the property tabs

Dialogue box keyboard commands

• TAB: Move to the next control in the dialogue box
• SHIFT+TAB: Move to the previous control in the dialogue box
• SPACEBAR: If the current control is a button, this clicks the button. If the current control is a check box, this toggles the check box. If the current control is an option, this selects the option.
• ENTER: Equivalent to clicking the selected button (the button with the outline)
• ESC: Equivalent to clicking the Cancel button
• ALT+underlined letter in dialogue box item: Move to the corresponding item

Now, I did not know that these commands existed, but I found them and thought that I would add them to the list.  You can tell I got the specific keyboard keys from a Microsoft friendly site.

Accessibility shortcuts

• Press SHIFT five times: Toggles StickyKeys on and off
• Press down and hold the right SHIFT key for eight seconds: Toggles FilterKeys on and off
• Press down and hold the NUM LOCK key for five seconds: Toggles ToggleKeys on and off
• Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK: Toggles MouseKeys on and off
• Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN: Toggles high contrast on and off

Microsoft Natural Keyboard keys

• Windows Logo: Start menu
• Windows Logo+R: Run dialogue box
• Windows Logo+M: Minimise all
• SHIFT+Windows Logo+M: Undo minimise all
• Windows Logo+F1: Help
• Windows Logo+E: Windows Explorer
• Windows Logo+F: Find files or folders
• Windows Logo+D: Minimises all open windows and displays the desktop
• CTRL+Windows Logo+F: Find computer
• CTRL+Windows Logo+TAB: Moves focus from Start, to the Quick Launch toolbar, to the system tray (use RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW to move focus to items on the Quick Launch toolbar and the system tray)
• Windows Logo+TAB: Cycle through taskbar buttons
• Windows Logo+Break: System Properties dialogue box
• Application key: Displays a shortcut menu for the selected item

Microsoft Natural Keyboard with IntelliType software installed

• Windows Logo+L: Log off Windows
• Windows Logo+P: Starts Print Manager
• Windows Logo+C: Opens Control Panel
• Windows Logo+V: Starts Clipboard
• Windows Logo+K: Opens Keyboard Properties dialogue box
• Windows Logo+I: Opens Mouse Properties dialogue box
• Windows Logo+A: Starts Accessibility Options (if installed)
• Windows Logo+SPACEBAR: Displays the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys
• Windows Logo+S: Toggles CAPS LOCK on and off

I've been working on a Web project for some time now, and I have since starting work on it had trouble with IE accessing the Web site.

The Web site is hosted locally on my IIS server (5.1 I believe).  For the project it was necessary to access the Web site using a custom host header name (accessing with something like http://mywebsite/).  For some details on this see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosts_file.

However when I tried to use IE 7 (beta3), I kept on getting a prompt for authentication.  I entered my details, which failed and then got the classic error:

HTTP 401.1 - Unauthorized: Logon Failed

However, it worked OK for FireFox?!? This stumped me!

So I tried adding the site to my Local Intranet and Trusted sites.  No joy.
So I tried changing the settings for User Authentication to set it to "Prompt for User name and password" and all the other settings.  No joy.
I tried doing network packet tracing.  Was all OK.
I looked at the IIS Log files.  Was all as expected (obviously it showed a 401 error!)

I gave up for a while.  After all it was working with FireFox and I could continue development work.

Then I had to write some JavaScript code for the Web site.  As all Web developers out there know (or should know), IE and other 'mozilla' browsers implement JavaScript in different ways (just to make the developers life difficult!).  This was therefore a problem, as I couldn't dilligence test my JavaScript on the IE browser platform.  So, innevitably my code failed on IE and passed on FireFox.!

It was therefore time to try and sort this problem out.  After some more Web surfing, I managed to find this article by Microsoft that put me on the right track.

Apparently in one of Microsofts Service Packs (SP) they implemented a loopback check feature that was designed to help prevent reflection attacks.  Therefore, authentication fails if the domain name or the custom host header (in this instance "mywebsite") used does not match the local computer name (which I wont give away here!).

After following their resolution, I was now able to use IE to gain access to the custom host name!

I feel like a bit of a rant today, especially as I was sent a link to an IE bashing Web site this morning. 

I'm no IE zelout, as I personally think that M$FT and IE has caused a lot of problems for the Internet (what with implementing their own standards and compatiblities), but I do wish that people would give the real picture and let the end user make an informed choice, and not just say "IE will make your computer unsafe" then tell them to use FireFox.

I, like a lot of other people, are sick and tired of ALL of these browser bashing Web sites that actually do nothing but promote their favourite browser!  They highlight the number of secuity attacks and the features of the browser they reccomend.  This in it's self is fair enough, until you consider...

A LOT of the major anti-virus companies have stated latley that FireFox/Opera/etc have just as many security vilrnabilities as Internet Explorer (IE).  IE is only considered 'less secure' because of it's percentage market share (over 80%).  So, when/if FireFox get's the largest market chare, it too will become the most targeted browser and this be regarded as the most insecure!  It's a catch-22.

I personally think that browsers such as FireForx will be targeted more and more.  Why?  Well, it's all about the motives of the hacker.  The hacker wants to gain something from the user, be that thei bank details, or to hijack their computer to send spam.  The home user, where the main majority of FireFox users are based, are the easiest targets.  They are often the least security aware, are least likley to have anti-virus, anti-spyware or have Firewalls installed, never mind keeping all of these up-to-date.  Where as the corporate market, where the majority of the IE users reside, have the corporate anti-virus, spyware, and firewalls, all maintained and kept up-to-date.  So, the hacker community simple need to ask them selves the question.  Go for the highly secured and protected environments, or go for the easy targest.  Hmm.  I'll pick the easy targets, and therefore I'd go for FireFox

I am part of a team working on a very exciting MCMS (Microsoft Content Management Server) 2003 SP2 project.  We are using Visual Studio (VS) 2005 and the .NET Framework 2.0.

The solution has been created and we are all using source control and sharing the project among many developers.  This works fine, except when I try to go to the MCMS template explorer.  I get the following error, but no others do, despite having the same build/setup:

No CMS-Enabled Projects are open

After some reading of some news groups and looking up information posted by the MCMS Gurus (Stefan Goßner, Lim Mei Ying, Joel Ward, Angus Logan), I came across the following:

To enable a MCMS project, from the menu "Website" select "Enable as MCMS Project". - This was disabled for me, so...

In the vwb.WebInfo file, make sure that you have the following:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<VisualWebDeveloper>
<Globals>
<UserProperties CmsEnabled="1"/>
</Globals>
</VisualWebDeveloper>

Again, my project had this!

Another suggestion was to open the project using HTTP rather than the file system.  I tried this also, but to no avail.

I then closed Visual Studio in lost hope...

Then instead of opening the project via double clicking on the solution/project, I simply opened Visual Studio up and from the "Start Page" tab, I selected the project.

Weird... it worked!

Whilst not the best solution at least it allows me to get to the MCMS Template Explorer.  In order to maintain code and source control, I still have to open the original project the original way.  Perhaps later I can find a proper solution.

I was using MCMS (Microsoft Content Management Server) 2003's Site manager and trying to get a dependent report.  For me it wasn't working, and I couldn't figure out why.  Then it dawned on me...Popup blocker!

Site Manager is actually written using the IE (Internet Explorer) browser control.  As such, when you select to open a Dependent report it is in actual fact opening up a child window.  Therefore, if in IE you have a popup blocker enabled the dependent report will be blocked.

So, to get around this problem, simply disable the popup blocker temporarily!

When IE7 first came out in Beta, there was a facilty where that when you closed the browser, all of the tabs still opened were saved, and when you re-opened IE7 you could restore all of the tabs.  Then in a later update to the beta, this feature dissapeared.  I must admit that I was well dissapointed, as I thought it was a brilliant feature.

Well, I was muching around with my setting's just earlier and noticed that the home page option in Internet Options was a multi line input. Hmm. I thought.  So, I gave it a bit of a try and found that you could enter multi lines of addresses.  Then when you start a new browser, all of these Web sites open up into new tabs.  Perfect!  If like me, you have a list of Web sites that you always want to view, and veiw regularly this is ideal.

There is a limit of 8 URL's that you can have, but I am sure that this is more than enough for people.

What are my list of favourite URL's? In order they are:

1. http://www.internetwideworld.com/Website/ (I get to my blog from here!)
2. http://footage.mcl-dev.com/TeamSheet.asp?tid=2
3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/
4. http://www.newsnow.co.uk/newsfeed/?name=Information+Technology
5. http://www.modaco.com/index.php?act=portal
6. http://www.google.com/reader/view/
7. http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk/
8. http://www.giantgroup.com/

I have been performing a number of defect fixes for a new Web site that we are launching soon.  The Web site uses a common set of components, which is compiled into it's own DLL and deployed into the GAC.  Some of the defect's I need to fix are within this set of common components.  Normally, all you need to do is compile a new version of the DLL and register it within the GAC.  However, I have been rexperiencing the following error, when I try to replace the existing DLL.

Assembly '<assembly name>' could not be uninstalled because it is required by other applications.

I tried all kinds to try and resolve this but to no avail.  Stopping 'IIS' and the 'World Wide Web Publishing Service' service, and also trying to clear out the ASP.NET 'Temporary ASP.NET Files'.  Again here, I couldn't as there was another process using the files.

Well, I found a way to solve this problem.  Open a command prompt and enter the following:

1. cd %systemroot%\assembly\
• From here you may have more that one "gac" directory, so you will have to search within each to find your component.  For me, it is within the "gac_MSIL" directory.
2. cd gac_msil
3. cd <assembly DLL name>
4. cd <assembly version number>__<public key token>
• For example: 1.0.23.456__10dbd0fba6984148
5. erase *.*
6. Say "y" to are you sure.
7. cd ..
8. rd <assembly version number>__<public key token>
9. cd ..
10. rd <assembly DLL name>
    

You should now be free to register your new assembly into the GAC.

I managed to get some half price tickets on-line and myself, Jason and Lyndy went to Alton towers today.  We got there nice and early, and headed straight(ish) to a ride called Rita.  After a few breakdowns of the ride we eventually go on.  After that we went directly to the Corkscrew.  There were no lines for this ride at all, which was great.  We got onto the ride straight away.  Now that is how a theme park should be.

As what now seams traditional, we went onto the swings.  Which is quite tame, but still good fun.  Won't bother blogging the rest, but here are a couple 'arty' videos.

VIDEO_001.mp4 (682 KB)

VIDEO_002.mp4 (576 KB)

VIDEO_003.mp4 (353 KB)

VIDEO_004.mp4 (436 KB)

VIDEO_005.mp4 (451 KB)

VIDEO_006.mp4 (895 KB)

VIDEO_007.mp4 (477 KB)