Trim WinXP Pro OS in the 4 GB SSD (Rev: 1.0)

Asus Eee PC 4G (white, 900 Mhz, 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM) comes with 4.0 GB Solid State Drive (SSD). After installing a full version of Windows XP Professional Operating System (OS), set a virtual memory of 512 MB, installed Asus Eee PC 4G software and drivers, anti-virus software, a strip down version of Microsoft Office 2003 Professional Edition with only Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0, Microsoft Windows Media Player 11.0, WinRaR v3.90, Samsung GT-S5603 handphone software, and also updating all the Windows XP Professional OS patches, the SSD has left with less than 300 MB of hardisk space.

Due to the low hardisk space, I decided to install the FoxIT Reader v3.1 (about 9.13 MB of installation size) to read .pdf (Portable Document Format) file and not the Adobe Reader v9.2 software (about 142 MB of installation size). I also performed the below to trim down the Windows XP Professional OS in order to save hardisk space:

1. Remove unwanted software in the Start -> Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs. At the Add or Remove Programs window, kindly click the "Add/Remove Windows Components". At the "Windows Components Wizard" window, select the "Accessories and Utilities" and click the "Details" button. Uncheck the "Games" subcomponent, select the "Accessories" subcomponent and click the "Details" button. I have only checked the "Calculator" subcomponent of Accessories, the rest are all uncheck (uninstalled).
   
   At the "Windows Components Wizard" window, only "Accessories and Utilities" with the "Calculator" subcomponent, "Internet Explorer", "Networking Services", "Update Root Certificates" and "Windows Media Player" are checked (installed). The rest are unchecked (uninstalled).
   
   
   
2. Remove unwanted fonts in the Start -> Control Panel -> Regional and Language Options. Click the "Advanced" tab and at the "Code page conversion tables", I have only checked those English and Chinese fonts. The rest of the foreign fonts are unchecked (uninstalled). Kindly also check the "Default user account settings" and click the "Apply" button to apply all settings to the current user account and to the default user profile.
   
   
   
3. Deleted unneeded or seldom used files by performing a search [for example, key in "*.hlp *.chm" at the search input box] at the whole C drive for the below extension files:
   
   • .hlp (Windows Help File)
   • .chm (Compiled HTML Help File)
     
   Kindly deleted these files from the displayed search result window.
   
   
   
4. Deleted unneeded or seldom used folders at the below directories:
   At the "C:\Windows" folder,
   backup the below Service Pack or patches uninstall folders to another hardisk and deleted them:
   
   • $MSI31Uninstall_KB893803v2$
   • $NtServicePackUninstall$
   • $NtServicePackUninstallxxx$ (where xxx stands for numbers or letters or both)
     
   • $NtUninstallxxx$
   
   At the "C:\Windows\Help" folder,
   backup the whole Help folder to another hardisk and deleted those help files inside it. Please note that the "C:\WINDOWS\Help\Tours\mmTour\tour.exe" file cannot be deleted by Windows. If you delete it manually, Windows will automatically put a copy of it back to the "C:\WINDOWS\Help\Tours\mmTour" folder.
   
   
   
5. Compress seldom used files or program folders
   Please perform a search at the whole C drive (where Windows XP Professional OS is installed) for seldom used files as shown below:
   
   • .txt (Plain Text File)
   • .rtf (Rich Text Format File)
   • .log (Log File)
   Compressed these files (assume your file system is NTFS) from the displayed search result window.
   
   For example, after the search result for "*.txt *.rtf *.log" files have finished, select all the .txt, .rtf and .log files, right-click and click "Properties". Click the "Advanced..." button. Kindly check the "Compress contents to save space" and click "OK".
   
   Try not to delete the .log files as it might be needed when uninstalling a software. If you wish, you can delete those End-User License Agreement Files such as eula.txt, eula.rtf or eula.xxxx.rtf where xxxx stands for numbers.
   
   
   Compress the below seldom used folders:
   
   • "C:\Program Files" folder
     (compress those programs folder that you think you have rare usage of it)
     
   • "C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download" folder
   • Under "C:\Documents and Settings' folder, compress the below sub folders:
     
     • All Users
     • Default User
     • LocalService
     • NetworkService
       
   
   
   
6. Recycle Bin
   Right-click the "Recycle Bin" and select "Properties". Under "Use one setting for all drives",drag the pointer to 0% to set the maximum size of "Recycle Bin" to 0 MB. Click "Apply" and click "OK".
   
   
   
7. System Restore
   Disable the "System Restore" function at the Start -> Control Panel -> System. At the "System Properties" window, click the "System Restore" tab, and check the "Turn off System Restore on all drives". Click "Apply" and click "OK".
   
   
   
8. Disk Cleanup
   Click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup. Select C drive as the drive that you want to cleanup and click "OK". Check the below to delete the files:
   
   • Downloaded Program Files
   • Temporary Internet Files
   • Offline Webpages
   • Recycle Bin
   • Temporary files
   • WebClient/Publisher Temporary Files
   • Catalog files for the Content Indexer
     
   
   For "Office Setup Files", it is not recommended to delete it unless you have ready access to your original installation media.
   
   For "Compress old files", it is not recommended to delete it because we don't know what are the compressed files and it might be needed by the Windows.
   
   Click "OK" to start deleting those files that you have checked.
   

101 ways to be a better manager (Rev: 1.11)

1. Getting immediate results

• To achieve more sales to existing clients
  Build an information base on every client. Know your clients well so that you can find new ways to sell other products to them. Know what do your clients expect, need and want from you.
  
  Constantly reviewing and improving your servicing to your customer, for examples, provide useful and update information to customers, help customers through ideas or advice, improve your response to request (information on a product, deliveries, technical questions, etc) from customer, etc. Respond quickly to complaints by customers and follow these up so that you can improve your servicing to have a satisfied customer.
  
  
• Gaining more clients
  Best advertising is word of mouth from your satisfied customer. Have plenty of written references and success stories from your satisfied customer.
  
  After knowing the types of customer who might uses your product, coordinate your sales team to descend on an industrial block or cold-calls on every business in that area. Another tactic is to have 1 salesperson, 1 day a week, cold-call on the telephone for the whole sales team. This job would be rotated within the sale team on a weekly basis.
  
  
• Managing debtors
  Have a definite credit policy. For example, all payment must be made within 30 days once the goods and invoice are received. A commercial interest rates will be charged for overdue payment. Make your terms of trade very clear to awkward customers and potential customers. Have specific criteria for extending credit and ensure that it is adhered to by your staff.
  
  
• Negotiate harder on purchases
  Your staff should know the key operational person in the supplier's firm so that direct contact can be made when problems occur.
  
  As there are always new products, new suppliers and technological changes, review the price on a regular basis. Always compare the prices offered by different suppliers and ask for better price, credit terms, service and technical support. Before negotiations with suppliers, know precisely what you want, the minimum terms you will accept, etc. Have a backup plan so that if these negotiations fail, you can still obtain an alternative supply.
  
  
• Controlling inventory
  Effective sales forecasting leads to effective inventory control. To establish future stocking levels and stock profile, we can use historical analyses and modify it according to forward predictions of economic circumstances, competitor activity, additional sale plan from your own organisation, etc. Take account of the lead time from suppliers for the stock, and the necessary safety margin to ensure that sales are not lost through lack of stock. Review your inventory profile at least quarterly. When there is excess or non-moving items of stock, aim to quit the stock early.
  
  
• Improving production margins
  
  
  • Negotiating better material costs.
    
    
  • Reducing direct labour costs, waste, downtime, rework, lost time through plant breakdowns, cost of components, etc.
    
    
  • Involving staff. Management should discuss problems and issues with supervisors and staff involved so that ideas for improvement are raised, considered and implemented.
    
    
  • Reassessing market and customer requirements, and reducing materials costs whenever possible. However, make sure your products still meet customer requirement in term of price and product performance.
    
    For example, a roller bearing manufacturer, after conducting such a survey, ceased manufacturing one range of bearings in stainless steel and began producing them in mild steel. This greatly reduced the cost, but also the quality of the product. However, the mild steel bearings were more than adequate for their application, and the customer was pleased with the reduction in price.
    

2. Managing Ourselves

• We must manage our thought to stop negative, self-defeating thinking overpowering us. We control what we think. Our thoughts influence how we feel. Therefore, we have the opportunity to determine our own enjoyment and satisfaction.
  
  
• We cannot continue to do things the same way simply because they have always been done that way. By altering our thinking habits, we can alter our behaviour and improve our performance.
  
  
• Self-statements such as "I am a shy person, I am a failure, etc" influence our behaviour and lead us to bury ourselves deeper in old habits of thinking and acting. We must build better self-statements:
  
  • I am a shy person, but am becoming less so.
  • I am not the most outgoing person I know, but I am becoming better.
  • I will initiate contact with people and will not become upset when they do not initiate contact with me.
  • I am a sensitive person, but as a leader, I know I will have to do things I will not enjoy doing.
    
  
  Our existing self-statements are merely the ways we have come to think about ourself, and we can change that. Whenever we feel ourself slipping into self-defeat, we can imagine ourself on the ceiling looking down at ourself, and ask: "Are these negative thoughts helpful ? Do they help to deal with the problems ?"
  
  
• Your performance as a manager is never as good as you think at your best moments, and never as bad as you think at your worst moments. A good writer usually put the work away for a while and come back to it with a fresh eye. Inevitably, it is not as good as he first thought.
  

3. Leadership and creating the climate

• 
  

Reference:

[1] 101 ways to be a better manager by Graham Little

Convert .ivr files to .wma or .mp3 format using RealPlayer and a USB thumbdrive (Rev: 1.2)

The .ivr (Internet Video Recording) is a video file format used by the RealPlayer software from RealNetworks. The procedures to convert .ivr files to .wma (Windows Media Audio) or .mp3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) format using the free RealPlayer are different depending on your RealPlayer version. Assume that you are using Windows XP Professional SP3 Operating System (OS).

---

Procedures for RealPlayer v15 only (latest RealPlayer v15 as of 12 Oct 2012)


The procedures below show how to convert your .ivr files to .mp3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) format using the free RealPlayer Converter that comes with the RealPlayer v15.

1. Please download and install RealPlayer version 15.0.6.14 (win32) or higher version from RealNetworks. In Windows XP OS, please click Start -> All Programs -> RealNetworks -> RealPlayer Converter.
   
   
2. In RealPlayer Converter, kindly click "Add..." to add your .ivr files. In "Convert to:", please choose "MP3 Audio Only". The default MP3 quality is "128 kbps Stereo" and the default "Save in:" "Same directory as original" are fine with me. Click the "Start" button to start the .ivr to .mp3 conversion.

---

Procedures for RealPlayer v11 only (old)


The procedures below show how to convert your .ivr files to .wma (Windows Media Audio) or .mp3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) format using the free RealPlayer v11 and a USB thumbdrive or flash drive.

1. Please download RealPlayer version 11.1 (win32) from RealNetworks or from here RealPlayer11GOLD.rar (12,893,466 bytes) MD5 checksum:
   395e96d4944fbd232408afb58490014a
   
   You can use WinRaR to unzip the RealPlayer11GOLD.rar.
   Kindly install RealPlayer v11.1 (basic version will do, no need to get Premium version) to your computer.
   
   
2. Please plug in your USB thumbdrive or flash drive.
   
   
3. In RealPlayer v11, click "My Library" -> "Playlists" -> "New Playlist". Give your Playlist a name. Then, click the "Add Clips" to add your .ivr files to this Playlist.
   
   Notes:
   
   a) If all the clip names are all the same after adding your .ivr files, it is advisable to change every clip names to a different name so that when RealPlayer converts your .ivr clips to .wma or .mp3 format, it will not stop at the first clip.
   
   b) If your .ivr files are stored in a folder name in Chinese characters, it is advisable to rename the Chinese characters folder name to English characters to avoid error in adding the .ivr clips into the Playlist.
   
   
4. In RealPlayer v11, click "Burn/Transfer". If you have not install the VideoBurn plugin (11430 KB), RealPlayer v11 will automatically download and install it for you.
   
   In RealPlayer v11, at the "Current Burner/Device", click to select your USB thumbdrive. Then, at "My Library" on the Left Hand Side (LHS) of the RealPlayer, double-click "Playlist" -> "playlistThatYouHaveJustCreated".
   
   Click "Change Options..." locates at the bottom LHS of RealPlayer.
   Click the "Transfer" tab. You can choose to convert your .ivr clips to "MP3", "MP3 VBR" or "Windows Media Audio (.wma)" format. You can also choose the quality of the convert clips. As I want to convert the .ivr files to .mp3 format, I select "MP3" and set the quality as "192 Kbps Stereo".
   
   
5. In RealPlayer v11, after setting your "Change Options...", click to select one of the clip names. Then, right-click and choose "select all" to select all the clips. Click the "Add Selected to Device" button to let RealPlayer convert your .ivr files to .wma or .mp3 format, and store the convert .ivr files to your selected USB thumbdrive.

PostScript (PS) and Printer Command Language (PCL) printer drivers (Rev: 1.1)

In most laserjet printer, there are 2 types of printer drivers provided, namely PostScript (PS) and Printer Command Language (PCL). The PS printer driver is normally use to print Portable Document Format (pdf) document. For other document types (.doc, .txt, etc), please use the PCL printer driver.

---

HP 4500 colour laser printer

If you are printing a .pdf document to a HP 4500 colour laser printer using the HP Universal Print Driver for Windows PCL6 (v5.0) for Windows XP Operating System (OS), you will encounter the below printout error:

PCL XL error
subsystem: KERNEL
Error: UnsupportedProtocol
Operator: 0x0
Position: 0


The above error occurred because you are printing a .pdf document but you have use the PCL6 printer driver to print your document. Please change your printer driver to PS driver, eg: HP Universal Print Driver for Windows PostScript (v5.0) before printing.

---

If you are printing a .doc document to a HP 4500 colour laser printer using the HP Universal Print Driver for Windows PCL6 (v5.0) for Windows XP OS and you encountered the below printout error:

PCL XL error
subsystem: KERNEL
Error: UnsupportedProtocol
Operator: 0x0
Position: 0


The problem is caused by the HP Universal Print Driver for Windows PCL6 (v5.0) printer driver. You should delete the HP laserjet 4500 printer that uses the HP Universal Print Driver for Windows PCL6 (v5.0) printer driver. Then, install the HP LaserJet 4500 PCL6 Printer Driver and use it to print the .doc document to a HP 4500 colour laser printer.

Add 32 bits Samsung ML-4550 printer drivers on Windows 2008 x64 Enterprise OS server (Rev: 1.0)

Situation

We have a remote server running Windows 2008 x64 Enterprise Operating System (OS). A Samsung ML-4550DN printer is installed and shared at this remote server. When we tried to install “Additional Drivers...” of the Samsung printer for the 32 bits Windows 2000 or XP OS under the “x86 processor (Type 3 – User Mode)”, an error message of “Please provide path to Windows Media (x86 processor)” pop up and is asking for the ntprint.inf file from the i386 folder of the Windows media (x86 processor). As the server is installed with Windows 2008 x64 Enterprise OS, it does not has an i386 folder on the media.


Solutions:

1. Please login to a 32 bits Windows XP/Vista/2008 computer (example: localx86PC) with administrator right.
   
   Please download the 32 bits Samsung ML-4551ND PS printer drivers for Win98/ME/2K/XP/2003/X64 OS version 1.61 or higher version into the localx86PC (assume Win XP OS). Extract the printer drivers to a folder, example: d:\SamsungPostScriptDriver.
   
   
   
2. At the localx86PC, kindly click Start -> Run.
   Type \\remoteServerName (replace remoteServerName with your remote server name). Then, double-click on the remote share printer (example: Samsung ML-4550 Series PS) at the remote server to install the remote share printer to your localx86PC.
   
   
   
3. A window prompt entitle "Connect to Printer" with the below content appears:
   "You are about to connect to a printer on remoteServerName, which will automatically install a printer driver on your machine. Printer drivers may contain viruses or scripts that can be harmful to your computer. It is important to be certain that the computer sharing this printer is trustworthy. Would you like to continue ?"
   -> Click "Yes" to continue.
   
   Another window prompt entitle "Connect to Printer" with the below content appears:
   "The server for the 'Samsung ML-4550 Series PS' printer does not have the correct printer driver installed. If you want to search for the proper driver, click OK. Otherwise, click Cancel and contact your network administrator or original equipment manufacturer for the correct printer driver."
   -> Click "OK" to search for the printer driver.
   
   
   
4. After that, a window prompt entitle "File needed: Printer driver INF for Samsung ML-4550 Series PS" appears:
   "The file '*.INF' on (unknown) is needed."
   -> Kindly click the "Browse" button to copy the printer drivers files from the folder where you have extracted the downloaded printer drivers, example:
   d:\SamsungPostScriptDriver\Printer\PS\English\WinXP2K\.
   
   
   
5. At the localx86PC, kindly click Start -> Printers and Faxes. Select the Samsung ML-4550 Series PS printer that we have just installed, right click on it and choose Properties. Click the Sharing tab. Then, kindly click the “Additional Drivers...” button.
   
   At the “Additional Drivers...” prompt, kindly click the Intel Environment (Windows 2000 or XP) selection box (default Installed is "No"). Click OK and the Samsung x86 printer drivers for Windows 2000 or XP will be uploaded to the remote server running Windows 2008 x64 Enterprise OS.
   

Reference:

[1] Unable to add 32bit HP drivers to a Windows 2008 64bit print server with “Please provide path to Windows Media (x86 processor)” error

Solved unknown devices in WinXP SP3 OS on Lenovo T400 2768-HJ8 notebook (Rev: 1.0)

After installing Windows XP Professional SP3 OS on the Lenovo ThinkPad T400 2768-HJ8 (Type: 2768, Model: HJ8) notebook, there are various unknown devices in the Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager as shown below:

1. Base System Device
   (PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0592&SUBSYS_20CA17AA&REV_11\4&8365E1C&0&04F0)
   Base System Device
   (PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0843&SUBSYS_20C917AA&REV_11\4&8365E1C&0&03F0)
   Base System Device
   (PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0852&SUBSYS_20CB17AA&REV_11\4&8365E1C&0&05F0)
   -> All the above 3 Base System Device drivers are Ricoh Multi Card Reader Driver v3.54.02 or higher version.
   
   
2. Ethernet Controller
   -> Using Intel PRO 1000 LAN adapter v9.52.10.1003 or higher version.
   
   
3. Fingerprint Sensor
   -> Using Lenovo Fingerprint Software v3.2.0.341 or higher version.
   
   
4. Network Controller
   -> Using Intel PRO Wireless WifiLink 5100 v12.04.0000 or higher version.
   
   
5. PCI Device
   -> Using Intel Matrix Storage Manager v8.8.0.1009 or higher version.
   
   
6. PCI Serial Port
   (PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2A47&SUBSYS_20EC17AA&REV_07\3&B1BFB68&0&1B)
   -> Using Local Manageability Service and Serial Over LAN (Intel AMT 4.0) v5.4.0.1074 or higher version. You need to install Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 or higher version first before installing this driver.
   
   
7. PCI Simple Communications Controller
   (PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2A44&SUBSYS_20E617AA&REV_07\3&B1BFB68&0&18)
   -> Using Intel Management Engine Interface (Intel AMT 4.0) driver v4.0.1.1074 or higher version. You need to install Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 or higher version first before installing this driver.
   
   After that, you can also download the Intel Management Engine (ME) Firmware (Intel AMT 4.1) to upgrade the Intel Management Engine Interface to 4.1.11.1051 or higher version. However, if your Lenovo ThinkPad T400 BIOS ID is 7VETxxWW, you cannot use this Intel AMT Management Engine Firmware.
   
   
8. SM Bus Controller
   -> Using Intel Chipset v8.7.0.1007 or higher version.
   
   
9. Unknown device
   -> Using Power Manager v1.60 or higher version.
   
   
10. Unknown device
    -> Using Intel Integrated TPM (Trusted Platform Module) v4.0.1.1074 or higher version.
    
    
11. Video Controller
    -> Using ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3400 Series, 3650 and FireGL V5700 v8.563.2.1-090401a-079920C or higher version.
    
    
12. Modem Device on High Definition Audio Bus
    -> Using Modem driver v7.73.00.00 or higher version.
    
    
13. Audio Device on High Definition Audio Bus
    -> Using Conexant Audio Driver v4.92.5.0/3.64.6.0 or higher version.

Integrated Camera Software v5.8.49004.0 or higher version and Bluetooth with Enhanced Data Rate Software v5.5.0.6400 or higher version are also installed as the Lenovo ThinkPad T400 2768-HJ8 notebook comes with an integrated camera and supports Bluetooth technology.

The below ThinkVantage Technologies software are also installed:

• Presentation Director v4.30a or higher version. It is a display configuration utility for your Lenovo ThinkPad T400 2768-HJ8 notebook that enables you to create, manage, and use presentation and display schemes.
  
  
• ThinkVantage Active Protection System v1.63 or higher version. It provides airbag-like protection for your hard drive.

There are other ThinkVantage Technologies software available but I have not installed to test it.


References:

[1] Drivers and software - ThinkPad T400 and T400s

[2] Unknown Devices after installing Windows XP with SP2 - ThinkPad W500, W700, W700ds T400, T500, R400, R500, X301, X200, X200s, X200 Tablet, SL300, SL400 and SL500

Add 3rd party mass storage drivers to Recovery Console (Rev: 1.0)

After installing Windows XP Professional Operating System (OS) on the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server that had a spoilt SCSI CDROM drive, I have also installed the Recovery Console in the Windows XP OS. When the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server runs the Recovery Console that is installed at the hardisk, the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server LSI Logic drivers PERC 4/Di is still needed to prevent the Blue Screen 0x0000007B error from appearing.

As the SCSI diskette drive might become faulty one day, I need to add in the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server LSI Logic drivers PERC 4/Di drivers information to the installed Recovery Console so that I do not have to press [F6] and load them from the SCSI diskette drive. The steps are as shown below:


1) Added the mraid2k.sys [Downloaded from Dell PowerEdge 2600 server support website -> Windows 2000 OS drop down menu -> "SCSI RAID controllers" -> "LSI Logic - Driver" -> "PERC 4/Di" (Please choose according to your types of RAID Controller. You can check it from the monitor screen when the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server is booting up] into the Recovery Console I386 directory.


2) Added the below content on top of the existing content of txtsetup.sif in the Recovery Console I386 directory:

; ======= txtsetup.sif_Start =============================

; Additional txtsetup.sif content of the Recovery Console at I386 directory
; in order to add Dell PowerEdge 2600 server,
; LSI Logic drivers PERC 4/Di driver info

[SourceDisksFiles]
; JackNg, For Dell PowerEdge 2600 server
mraid2k.sys = 1,,,,,,4_,4,1,,,1,4
; ---------------------------------


[HardwareIdsDatabase]
; JackNg, For Dell PowerEdge 2600 server_Start --------
PCI\VEN_101E&DEV_1960&SUBSYS_04711028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_101E&DEV_1960&SUBSYS_04931028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_101E&DEV_1960&SUBSYS_04751028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1028&DEV_000E&SUBSYS_01231028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1028&DEV_000F&SUBSYS_013B1028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1028&DEV_000F&SUBSYS_014A1028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1028&DEV_000F&SUBSYS_014C1028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1028&DEV_000F&SUBSYS_014D1028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_101E&DEV_1960&SUBSYS_05111028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_1960&SUBSYS_05181028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_1960&SUBSYS_05201028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1028&DEV_0013&SUBSYS_016C1028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1028&DEV_0013&SUBSYS_016D1028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1028&DEV_0013&SUBSYS_016E1028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1028&DEV_0013&SUBSYS_016F1028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1028&DEV_0013&SUBSYS_01701028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0408&SUBSYS_00011028 = "mraid2k"
PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0408&SUBSYS_00021028 = "mraid2k"
; For Dell PowerEdge 2600 server_End ----------------


[SCSI.Load]
; JackNg, For Dell PowerEdge 2600 server
mraid2k = mraid2k.sys,4
; --------------------------------


[SCSI]
; JackNg, For Dell PowerEdge 2600 server
mraid2k = "LSI Logic/Dell PERC 2/3/4/CERC ATA100 (W2K)"
; ---------------------------------

; ======= txtsetup.sif_End ============================


References:

[1] How can I add 3rd party mass storage drivers to my installed Recovery Console so I don't have to press F6 and load them

[2] How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

Install Windows XP Pro SP3 OS using diskette drive at Dell PowerEdge 2600 server (Rev: 1.1)

Introduction

The Dell PowerEdge 2600 server (2.4 Ghz * 2, 2 GB RAM, 6 * 73 GB 10K rpm hardisks) had a spoilt SCSI CDROM drive and the latest BIOS version A14 does not support booting from USB ports. A new SCSI DVD drive from Dell cost S$101.65 including 7% GST and delivery charge. The Dell server was bought on 25/2/2003 and was considered an obsolete model in today. Hence, it does not seems worth to buy the SCSI DVD drive that can only be used on the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server.

Dell officially support Windows 2000, server 2003 or 2008 x86/x64 Operating System (OS) for the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server, but it does not officially support Windows XP OS. As I can only use the diskette drive to boot up the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server in the DOS environment, I cannot install Windows 2008 OS as the setup.exe cannot run in the DOS environment.

My Windows XP OS installation method works only in a networking environment because I need to access the Windows XP CDROM content in another computer that is in the same domain as the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server.


Preparation

1) BIOS

I have placed only 1 SCSI hardisk in slot 0 of the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server. In the BIOS setup, make sure you have set the "Integrate Devices" as "RAID enabled". If the "Integrate Devices" selection is "SCSI", you will see the Blue Screen 0x0000007B error during installation of the Windows XP OS. If you change from "SCSI" to "RAID enabled", you will see the below message:

Warning: Detected mode change from SCSI to RAID on channel A of the embedded RAID subsystem. Data loss will occur ! Press [Y] to confirm the change, press any other key to cancel.

Hence, make sure you have backup your files before you change the "Integrate Devices" from "SCSI" to "RAID enabled". Please also make sure the BIOS "Boot Sequence" is set to boot from diskette first.


2) PERC/CERC BIOS configuration utility

During boot up, I pressed [Control] m to go into the "PERC/CERC BIOS configuration utility". I deleted the old existing configuration settings that used up all the 6 SCSI hardisks. Then, in the "Configuration" -> "Easy Configuration", I set the SCSI hardisk ID 0 online (A00-00) [Jack, July 2010: The SCSI hardisk must set as ONLIN (online) so that Windows XP or Windows 2008 Standard x86 OS can detect the SCSI hardisk. If the SCSI hardisk is in READY stage, Windows XP or Windows 2008 Standard x86 OS will not be able to detect the SCSI hardisk] as Span 1, RAID 0 and save the configuration. After that, I use the "Initialize" menu to initialize the logical drive 0 before exiting from the "PERC/CERC BIOS configuration utility". Please note that initializing the hardisk will destroy any data inside the hardisk.

During boot up, it will show "1 logical drive found on host adapter" and "1 logical drive handled by BIOS" messages. If you see the boot up messages "0 logical drive found on host adapter" and "0 logical drive handled by BIOS", the SCSI hardisk is not detected by the SCSI adapter. As a result, DOS will also not detect any hardisk.


3) Computer that share the Windows XP CDROM content

I use another Windows XP Professional computer that is in the same domain as the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server to act as a file server. I copy the Windows XP Professional CDROM \i386 folder content to d:\winxpsp3\i386 folder and then share the winxpsp3 folder using my user ID.


4) Bart's Network Boot diskette

Download Bart's Network Boot Disk, "BFD full package v1.0.7" and unzip it. Then, copy SmartDrv.exe (available from Windows 98 CDROM) to \disk1\bin directory of that extracted Bart's Network Boot disk directory. SmartDrv.exe is a disk caching utility that can speed up the copying process of files and is needed when installing Windows XP OS in DOS environment.

The Dell PowerEdge 2600 server has a built-in Intel Pro/1000 XT network connection interface. Hence, you will also need to download the "Intel PRO/1000 Network Driver v3.46 080803", e1000.cab v1.6 network adapter plug-in file and copy it to the \cabs\drivers\ndis directory of that extracted Bart's Network Boot disk directory. Delete any one of the existing network adapter plug-in .cab files in the \cabs\drivers\ndis directory because during booting, the pop up menu can only display 11 network adapters on the monitor screen.

Kindly open a command prompt. Go to the extracted Bart's Network Boot disk root directory, run "bfd msnet" and follow the instructions on the screen to create a network boot diskette.


5) Dell LSI Logic Drivers diskette

Surf Dell Support website to download the LSI Logic drivers for PowerEdge 2600 server. This is needed to prevent the Blue Screen 0x0000007B error during installation of the Windows XP OS.

In the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server support website, kindly select "Windows 2000" OS in the drop down menu. Then, go to "SCSI RAID controllers" -> "LSI Logic - Driver" -> "PERC 4/Di" (Please choose according to your types of RAID Controller. You can check it from the monitor screen when the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server is booting up). I download the perc-cerc-w2k3-6.46.2.32-A05.exe from the "Hard-Drive" category and extract it using WinZip or WinRaR software. Then, I copy all the extracted files to a floppy diskette.


6) gdisk.exe diskette

I copy the gdisk.exe file from Norton Ghost 2003 software into a diskette so that I can use it to partition and format the hardisk. I did not use the DOS fdisk.exe to partition the hardisk because it can only detects 4466 MB of total disk space and not the 73 GB hardisk size. Moreover, fdisk.exe is very slow as it always need to verify drive integrity.


Windows XP Professional SP3 installation using diskette drive in a networking environment

1. Please make sure that the BIOS "Boot Sequence" is set to boot from diskette first. Kindly insert the Bart's Network Boot diskette into the server diskette drive and power on the server to boot from the Bart's Network Boot diskette.
   
   In the pop up menu options, I first choose the "Clean Boot" menu option because I don't need the networking environment as I just want to partition and format the hardisk. Partition and format the hardisk is needed to prevent the below error message during Windows XP installation:
   
   Windows XP requires a hard drive volume with at least 538 megabytes (564658176 bytes) of free disk space. Setup will use part of this space for storing temporary files during installation...
   
   At the DOS command prompt, eject out the Bart's Network Boot diskette and insert the gdisk.exe diskette into the diskette drive. I use the below gdisk.exe commands:
   
   # gdisk 1 /cre /pri /sz:40000 /for /q
   To create a DOS primary partition of size 40000 MB ( default FAt32 file system) on hardisk 1 and quickly format it. Don't use NTFS file system because DOS does not recognized it.
   
   # gdisk 1 /act /p:1
   To activate partition 1 on hardisk 1.
   
   After that, a reboot of the server is needed so that the new 40000 MB partition is recognized by DOS as c drive and SmartDrv.exe is able to read and write cache to the c drive. Hence, eject out the gdisk.exe diskette, insert the Bart's Network Boot diskette and reboot the server using [CTRL][ALT][DEL].
   
   After rebooting, I choose the "Boot with EMM386 (most compatible)" menu option in order to boot into the networking environment in DOS. Bart's Network Boot diskette cannot automatically detect the Intel PRO/1000 network adapter. I have to choose "MANUAL" -> "E1000 Intel PRO/1000 network driver v3.46 080803". In the TCP/IP pop up menu, I use the default "Enable DHCP" & "Load Packet Drive Interface". After that, I enter the "Logon as:" using my userid and enter the "Domain:" as my network side domain accordingly. After typing my password, the DOS command prompt appeared.
   
   # msnet
   To use msnet to map a share network drive as shown below:
   Drive: w
   Path: \\remoteComputerName\winxpsp3
   
   After typing my password, I have sucessfully mapped the content of the remote computer share directory winxpsp3 under the mapped drive w.
   
   # w:
   To go to w drive
   
   # cd i386
   To change to w:\i386 directory
   
   # winnt
   To start the Windows XP installation in DOS environment.
   
   
   
2. During the initial startup of the Windows XP installation, quickly press [F6] (Immediately when you see the Press [F6] message that is shown at the bottom of the monitor screen) to install third party SCSI or RAID drivers. The below message will appear:
   
   Setup could not determine the type of one or more mass storage devices installed in your system...
   
   Press s to specify additional device. When prompt, insert the Dell LSI Logic Driver diskette and select "DELL PERC RAID Products for Windows 2000". Do not select "DELL PERC RAID Products for Windows 2003 (x86)" as it will caused the Blue Screen 0x0000007B error during Windows XP installation.
   
   After Windows XP Professional OS had copied the needed files to the 40000 MB partition (FAT32 file system), please remember to take out the Bart's Network Boot diskette before rebooting the server so that it can boot from the hardisk. After rebooting from the hardisk, please continue the Windows XP Professional OS installation as per normal.
   
   

Update device drivers in Windows XP Professional enviroment

In Windows XP Professional OS environment, we need to update 2 of the below device drivers:

• Intel Pro/1000XT Network Connection (refers to the network adapter)
• PE/PV 1x6 SCSI BP SCSI Processor Device (refers to the backplane)

Intel Pro/1000XT Network Connection

The Dell Windows 2000 Intel PRO Gigabit Adapters drivers does not work because it does not has the require e1000325.sys file. Please surf the Intel website to download the Intel PRO 1000/XT Server Adapters (PRO2KXP_v14_0.exe) for Windows XP. Kindly extract the PRO2KXP_v14_0.exe using WinZip or WinRaR software. Then, in Windows XP Device Manager, select the "Intel Pro/1000XT Network Connection", right-click and click the "Update Driver...". Point to the extracted PRO2KXP_v14_0.exe directory, \Pro1000\Win32 and Windows XP will copy the required driver files.

PE/PV 1x6 SCSI BP SCSI Processor Device

In the Dell PowerEdge 2600 server support website, kindly select "Windows 2000" OS in the drop down menu. Then, go to "SCSI nonRAID controller" -> "Dell - Driver" -> "Backplane". Download and extract the Backplane driver (DellBPA04.exe) using WinZip or WinRaR software. Then, in Windows XP Device Manager, select the "PE/PV 1x6 SCSI BP SCSI Processor Device", right-click and click the "Update Driver...". Point to the extracted DellBPA04.exe directory and Windows XP will copy the required driver files.


References:

[1] Bart's Network Boot Disk

[2] Dell Support, Dell Storage Controllers User Guide

[3] Intel PRO/1000 XT Server Adapter

[4] Norton: Introduction to gdisk

[5] Microsoft Windows XP Professional Product Documentation on Winnt, SMARTDRV Cache Status

"Fan error" in IBM T42 notebook (Rev: 1.2)

JackNg updates on 7 January 2010:

I have changed to a known good fan from another IBM T42 notebook. The "fan error" is solved as I can heard the fan rotating sound, but the IBM T42 notebook hang problem after using it for more than 1 minutes still occurred.

I have swapped the hardisk (same Hitachi model and 60 GB capacity) that came with existing old Windows XP Professional OS previously used by another person. The IBM T42 notebook still has the hang problem. I booted the IBM T42 notebook to Safe Mode, and it did not hang. I suspected that the hang problem might be caused by a software or OS fault. Hence, I restored the C partition from a clean Windows XP Professional OS backup. The hang problem is solved as the IBM T42 notebook works normally now.

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JackNg updates on 14 November 2009:

The IBM T42 notebook boots normally on November 2009. After I have login to Windows XP Professional environment, the whole screen always hang: mouse not moving, keyboard has no response, etc. It took me half a day to realize that it was due to hardware fault: the CPU fan was not working and the CPU overheat problem might has caused the hang problem.

I have referenced to the "IBM Hardware Maintenance Manual - ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p" on steps to take out the fan assembly, clean it and put it back. However, the hang problem still existed. Seem like it is time to buy another notebook.

---

When power on the IBM ThinkPad T42 notebook, "fan error" boot up error message was briefly shown and the IBM thinkPad T42 notebook automatically power off. I took out the notebook keyboard in order to see the CPU fan. During power on, the CPU fan was running normally. However, the "fan error" boot up error message still appeared and the notebook still automatically power off.

It took me a while to realize that the "fan error" was due to the uneven surface of the table. I place the notebook on top of a table where the pop up table "skin" has tilted the notebook slightly upward. If I placed the notebook on a flat and even table, the notebook boot up normally.

Report loss of cards or hand phones (Rev: 1.42)

		Contact numbers		Remark
Banks		In Singapore	Oversea
Bank of China (Singapore)	Card Centre 24hr Customer Care	1800 338 5335	(65) 6338 5335	Phone number provided did not has options to choose to report loss card ?
CitiBank		6225 5225, 3 (Report loss card)	(65) 6225 5225	24 hours
DBS or POSB	Loss of ATM Cards	1800 339 6963	(65) 6339 6963
MayBank		1800 629 2265, 2 (Report loss card)	(65) 6533 5229
OCBC		1800 363 3333, 1 (English), 2 (Report loss card)
Standard Chartered	Report lost or stolen card	1800 789 7000		Phone number provided did not has options to choose to report loss card ?
UOB	Loss of UOB ATM Card or Credit Card	1800 222 2121, 1 (English), 3 (Report loss card)		24 hours
Mobile services
M1		1627, 1 (English), 1 (mobile service), your-mobile-no	(65) 9680 1627
Singtel	Mobile Services	1626, 1 (English), your-mobile-no#	(65) 6738 0123	24 hours (daily) automated service
StarHub	Mobile Services	1633, 1 (English), 1 (mobile service), 5 (Report loss mobile phone)	(65) 6820 1633
Miscellaneous
NTUC card		6213 8008 (For NTUC members)
PLUS		6223 5225
SAFRA		1800 375 3750 (24 hrs automated) 1800 377 9800 (Membership enquiries) 6438 6040 (Game Haven @ Carpenter Street) 6686 4333 (Jurong), 0 (Customer Service Officer) 6278 6011 (Mount Faber) 6785 8800 (Tampines) 6259 4000 (Toa Payoh) 6852 8200 (Yishun Country Club)
Toyota (Singapore)		6631 1188		Mon to Sat: 8:00 am to 19:30 pm, Sun & PH: 10:00 am to 18:00 pm, 33 Leng Kee Road, S(159102) [near Queentown MRT]
Translink (Ezlink card)		1800 225 5663		From 8 am to 6 pm daily only. Close on public holidays.

Gift scam or credit card fraud (Rev: 1.0)

Although I do not have credit card at the moment, I felt that all credit card holders should be bewared of the below gift scam or credit card fraud (content was trimmed to tell only the main points of the fraud):

---

... I had a phone call late morning from Express Couriers to ask if I was going to be home as he had a delivery for me. He said he would there in roughly an hour. He turned up with a beautiful basket of flowers and wine. I expressed my surprise as I wasn't expecting anything like this and said I was intrigued to know who was sending me such a lovely gift. He said he was only delivering the gift and the card was being sent separately (the card has never arrived).

There was a consignment note with the gift. He went on to explain that because the gift contained alcohol, he has to charge the recipient $3.50 as proof that he has actually delivered to an adult, and not left it on a door step if the recipient is out, to be stolen or taken by children. This seemed logical and I offered to get the cash. He then said that the company required the payment to be by Eftpos, so he is not handling cash and everything is properly accounted for. My husband was there and got his credit card and 'John' swiped the card on this small mobile machine that also had a small screen upon which my husband entered in his pin number. A receipt was printed out and given to us.

...About $4,000 was withdrawn from our credit account at ATM machines in the north shore area. It appeared that a dummy credit card was made using the details in the machine and of course, they had my husband's pin number. The bank has stopped our cards and I've been to the Police where they confirmed that it was definitely a scam...

Japanese dictionaries (Rev: 1.33)

Online dictionaries and eDictionary (edict) for Japanese language

I have bought a few dictionaries (The Kenkyusha Japanese-English learner's dictionary, A new dictionary of Kanji usage, Practical Japanese-English-Chinese dictionary, etc) but sometimes it cannot find the meaning of certain Japanese words. I find the below online websites dictionaries useful:

• Google Translate
• Jim Breen's WWWJDIC Japanese Dictionary Server
• Yahoo!翻訳 - テキスト翻訳
• テキスト翻訳

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Apple iPad/iPhone Free Japanese Dictionary

If you have bought an Apple iPad/iPhone, you can download the free Japanese Dictionary, imiwa? (Japanese dictionary) (v3.1.1 or higher version for iPhone/iPad, 187 MB, By Pierre-Phi di Costanzo). More info at my blog, Apple iPad.

---

NJStar Japanese Word Processor

You can also try the NJStar Japanese Word Processor because it has a powerful Japanese-English dictionary function and its Japanese-English edict can be updated. There are other free Windows software that use the edict but I have not try it yet.

Japanese language discussion group (Rev: 1.0)

Japanese language discussion group

There is a discussion group calls " Let's speak in Japanese and English/日本語でも英語で話しましょう" which I think will help those who wants to learn both Japanese and English languages.

You might need to join FaceBook as you need to login to FaceBook first. Then, search and join the group calls "All the JAPANESE-Speaking People on FaceBook!!". Once you are in the "All the JAPANESE-Speaking People on FaceBook!!" group, click "View Discussion Board" and looks for the "Let's speak in Japanese and English/日本語でも英語で話しましょう" discussion group.

学日语的坏处与优点 (Rev: 1.0)

学日语的两大坏处 (Reference from 闲聊日语)

我因为家庭方面的原因，从小就能说日语。由于有这样一个特殊条件，我爱人一直想让我教我儿子学日语，我就是不教，我爱人问我为什么，我说原因复杂，三言两语也说不清楚。 后来，仔细想了想，觉得原因也能说清楚。与学习其他外语相比，我个人觉得，学日语有两大坏处，或者换句话说，日语有两大缺点。

第一个缺点是：日语的学习强度太大。
国外学者做过这样一个统计，英国孩子只要记住1000个单词，即可看懂日常英文文章的80%，法国孩子是1000个单词84%，西班牙孩子是1000个单词81%，而日本孩子1000个单词只能看懂46%。日本孩子要看懂80%以上，至少需要记住约4000个单词。你说这个学习强度是不是太大。

第二个缺点是：日语的语言效率太低。
由于日语本身的一些特点，比如动词放在句子的最后面，名词放在定语的最后面，等等，日语在国际交往中，被公认为是效率最低的语言之一。上面这几句话，专业性有点强，我举一个通俗的例子。 比如火车站上的广播（翻译成中文）：各位旅客，前往新泻的列车就要进站了，本次列车，中途在大宫、熊谷、高崎、、、、、、（后面还有一长串地名），听到这里，旅客一般都会认为，这些地名，肯定都是火车中途的停车站，所以并不注意去听，没想到播音员说着说着，最后竟然是“止まりません（不停车）”。有个旅客是去涩川，听到这里，大吃一惊，由于刚才没注意听，不知道那一长串地名中，是否有涩川，于是赶快跑到站长室去询问。这就是语言效率低的突出表现。

所以我的结论是：除非您有特殊的理由，比如哈日，爱看日剧，想去日本留学等，你可以学习日语，如果没有特殊理由，我建议您优先学英语。

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学日语的三个小优点 (Reference from 闲聊日语)
　　
我曾写过一个帖子，叫做《学日语的两大坏处》。发表后，收到一位南京网友的邮件，他说，任何事物，都应当一分为二去看，有缺点的同时，必然也有优点，所以他希望我能写一写日语的优点。这位网友的观点，毫无疑问是正确的，但我当时确实想不出日语有什么优点。不过后来，我还是认真琢磨了一下，最后想出了三个小优点（请注意，不是大优点，仅仅是小优点）

第一个优点是：日语是公认的发音优美的语言。
在语言学上，评价一种语言的发音是否优美，有一个公认的标准，那就是辅音数量和元音数量的比例，比较合适，最好是一比一，比如“さくら”，它的发音是 [s]a[k]u[r]a（我故意把辅音放在方括号中），您看，一个辅音带一个元音，正好是一比一，很规范，这样的语言，发音就好听。相反，您看这个英语单词script，它的发音是[skr]i[pt]，五个辅音带一个元音，这样的语言，发音就难听。所以，在国际语言学界，日语、意大利语和西班牙语，是三个公认的发音优美的语言，并且日语排在第一位。

第二个优点只对我们中国人有用，对外国人无用，那就是，由于日语中的许多汉字，来源于古汉语，因此学习日语，有助于我们学习古文和成语。这样说有点抽象，我举一个具体例子。假设今天上午第一节课是日语课，日语老师教同学们一个单词“蹴る”，中文意思就是“踢”。第二节课是语文课，语文老师在黑板上写了一个成语“一蹴而就”，老师问同学们，你们知道“蹴”的意思吗？我敢保证，所有同学都会回答：知道！因为他们刚刚在日语课上学过这个汉字。

第三个优点，其实很有用，只不过我们中国人里知道这个优点的人不多。比如我们上数学课，老师说，课后同学们把圆周率背下来，要背小数点后50位（仅仅是假设，实际上背3.14就够了）。中国学生遇到这种情况，可就傻眼啦，只能一位一位地死记硬背，而且由于位数太多，很可能中间某处记错了。而日本学生可就幸运多了，因为他可以用日语，编写一句话，正好把这50位数字的发音包括进去，比如： ?医??国に向う、?後厄なく、??御社に、（后面省略） 这句话的中文大意是：产科医生去外乡接生，产妇产后平安，产妇后来去神社烧香，（后面省略）。如果你懂日语，那么这句话从头开始，一个假名一个假名地念，就是3141592653589793238462......（后面省略）。照这样记忆，别说是50位了，就是500位，日本人也能记下来。所以在记忆数字方面，我们中国人最好低姿态，不要跟他们日本人叫板。另外，如果您在学习、工作中，需要记忆大量数字，我建议您不妨找一个日本人，请他给您编写这样一句话，那您以后就不用发愁啦！

Reference:

[1] 闲聊日语

Solved Chinese (PRC) keyboard layout error (Rev: 1.2)

Situation

When I tried to add the "Chinese (PRC) - Chinese (Simplified) - Micosoft Pinyin IME 3.0" keyboard layout to the Language Bar in the Windows XP Professional Operating System (OS) notebook, I encountered an error message of "Windows could not properly load the Chinese (PRC) - Chinese (Simplified) - Micosoft Pinyin IME 3.0 keyboard layout".

I removed the "Chinese (PRC) - Chinese (Simplified) - Micosoft Pinyin IME 3.0" keyboard layout in the "Text Services and Input Languages" Installed Services, and then re-added it again. However, the error message of "Windows could not properly load the Chinese (PRC) - Chinese (Simplified) - Micosoft Pinyin IME 3.0 keyboard layout" still appeared. As a result, I cannot input Chinese characters in the notebook.


Solution

Please login as the local administrator in order to repair any broken files or settings in the Chinese Input Method Editor (IME):

1. Copy the i386 folder from the Windows XP CDROM to your hardisk, eg: d:\i386. Kindly remove your Windows XP CDROM from the notebook after the copying completed.

2. Kindly click "Start" -> "Control Panel" -> "Regional and Language Options". Click the "Languages" tab.

3. If you do not need to use Arabic, Armenian, Georgian, Hebrew, Indic, Thai or Vietnamese languages files (require 10 MB or more of hardisk space), you can skip step 3 and 4, and jump directly to step 5.

Check the "Install files for complex script and right-to-left language (including Thai)". Click "OK" after the pop-up prompt on "Install Supplemental Language Support" message. Click the "Apply" button. The system will prompt you to insert the Windows XP CDROM. Please direct it to to the i386 folder (d:\i386) that you previously have copied to the hardisk. After the copying finished, please do not restart your notebook when prompt.



4. Then, uncheck the "Install files for complex script and right-to-left language (including Thai)". Click "OK" after the pop-up prompt on "Remove Supplemental Language Support" message.

5. Please uncheck the "Install files for East Asian languages". Click "OK" after the pop-up prompt on "Remove Supplemental Language Support" message. Click the "Apply" button. After that, please do not restart your notebook when prompt.

[If you cannot uncheck the "Install files for East Asian languages", please click the "Advanced" tab in the "Regional and Language Options" and change the "Language for non-Unicode programs" from "Chinese (PRC)" (for example) back to "English (United States)". Please restart your notebook when prompt and try step 5 again]



6. Kindly check the "Install files for East Asian languages". Click "OK" after the pop-up prompt on "Install Supplemental Language Support" message. Click the "Apply" button. You will be prompted to insert the Windows XP CDROM again. Please direct it to to the i386 folder (d:\i386\lang) in the hardisk. After that, please restart your notebook when prompt.

7. After restarting your notebook and added the "Chinese (PRC) - Chinese (Simplified) - Micosoft Pinyin IME 3.0" keyboard layout in the "Text Services and Input Languages" Installed Services, your IME should work because the error message of "Windows could not properly load the Chinese (PRC) - Chinese (Simplified) - Micosoft Pinyin IME 3.0 keyboard layout" stop to appear.

Reference:

[1] MS PinYin IME problem

Short jokes (Rev: 1.1)

---

1. Ah Beng to a long-distance telephone operator: "Could you please tell me the time difference between Taipei and Las Vegas ?"
   Operator: "Just a minute..."
   Ah Beng: "Thank you" and put down the phone.
   
   
   
2. At a bar in New York, the man on Ah Beng's left tells the bartender: "Johnnie Walker, single". His companion says: "Jack Daniels, single".
   The bartender approaches Ah Beng and asks, "and you, Sir ?".
   Ah Beng replies: "Tan Ah Beng, married."
   
   
   
3. After completing a jigsaw puzzle that he has been working on for quite sometime, Ah Beng proudly shows off the finished puzzle to a friend. "It took me only 5 months to do it", Ah Beng brags (吹牛).
   "Five months ? That is too long", his friend exclaims, "You are a fool".
   Ah Beng replies: "See this box. It wrote for 4-7 years...".
   
   
   
4. Ah Beng had just bought a new computer and was using it when he encountered some problems. He decides to use the 'Help' command after some tries. Soon after, he become very irritated and called the computer retailer for support.
   Ah Beng: "I pressed the 'F1' key for help... but it has been over an hour and still nobody has comes to help me...".
   
   
   
5. Ah Beng with two red ears went to see his doctor. The doctor asked him what had happened to his ears.
   He answered: "I was ironing a shirt and the phone ring lor... but instead of picking up the phone, I accidentally picked up the iron and stuck it to my ear. So Kena lor !"
   "Oh dear !" the doctor exclaimed in disbelief. "But.. what happened to the other ear ?"
   "That stupid idiot called back !"
   
   
   
6. Why did Ah Beng goes to a movie with his 18 friends ?
   Because below 18 was not allowed.
   
   
   
7. Ah Beng goes to an interview. When asked to come up a story with 5 colours: green, pink, yellow, blue and purple, he thinks for a while and says:
   One day, the phone 'green' 'green' and I 'pink' up the phone and say: "'Yellow', 'Yellow'". I hear no answer. So, I asked again: "'Blue' is it, huh ?"
   Still no answer and I become angry. I say: "You don't 'purplely' call and keep quiet, OK ?".
   
   
   
8. Ah Beng was asked to make a sentence using 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and10. This is what he came up with:
   
   1 fine day, I go 2 climb up a 3 beside an apartment to peep. After being saw by the couple in the room, I got panic and had a great 4. The man rushed out and had a 5 with me. I run away to 6 for help and end up running into 7-eleven. I grab some 8 and throw at him and pull out a 9 to stab him. And 10 hor .. 10 hor ...10 he die lor.
   
   Then, the continuation of the story ... and 10 hor, 10 hor ... I put the 9 back on the shelf and pay the cashier for the 8 and left 7-eleven. Next day, I call my boss and say I am 6. He says 5, tomorrow also don't need to come back 4 work. He also say go climb a 3 and hang yourself. I don't understand. I nice 2 him but I don know why he like that 1.
   

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1. The teacher noticed that Jack had been daydreaming for a long time. She decided to get his attention.
   "Jack," she said, "if the world is 25,000 miles around and eggs are sixty cents a dozen, how old am I ?"
   "Thirty-four," Jack answered unhesitatingly.
   The teacher replied, "Well, that's not far from my actual age. Tell me, how did you guess ?"
   "Oh, there is nothing to it," Jack said, "My big sister is seventeen and she is only half crazy."
   
   
   
2. A teacher asked her class for sentences using the word "beans".
   "My father grows beans," said one student.
   "My father cooks beans," said another.
   Then Jack said: "We are all human beans."
   
   
   
3. Teacher: Use 'income' in a sentence.
   Jack: I opened the door and in come the cat.
   Teacher: Wrong ! Try 'ransom'.
   Jack: I saw a skunk (臭鼬) and ran some distance away.
   Teacher: No. Try 'handsome'.
   Jack: Hand some candy to me.
   Teacher: (exasperated) Your last chance is 'gruesome'.
   Jack: Since last year I grew some.
   
   
   
4. Teacher: Let's take the example of the busy ant. He is busy all the time, works all day and every day. Then what happens ?
   Jack: He gets stepped on.
   
   
   
5. Teacher: What is usually used as a conductor of electricity ?
   Jack: Why.... er...
   Teacher: Wire is right. Very good. Now tell me, what is the unit of electrical power ?
   Jack: The what ?
   Teacher: That is absolutely correct, the watt. Now class, you should all study diligently like Jack here.
   

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1. The Lokes had just hired a new maid and decided to lay some house rules firmly at the beginning so she doesn't messes up.
   
   "Now, look here," began Mrs Loke in a high tone, "I want you to remember that this family has its breakfast at 7:30am exactly, understand ?"
   
   "Oh, don't worry," said the easy going maid. "If I over-slept, just go ahead without me. I don't usually have much breakfast anyway."
   
   
   
2. A couple got married. The bride, being religious, hung a sign on the wall above her bed. The sign said : "I need thee everyday. "
   
   A week later, the groom got a sign made and hung it over his bed. The sign said : "God give me strength."
   
   
   
3. A couple had three children. Two of them were bright, smart and handsome. However, the third child was dull, stupid and ugly. One day, the husband got suspicious and asked, "Tell me the truth, dear. Is this third child really mine ?"
   
   "Yes, dear", replied the wife, "but the other two are not".
   
   
   
4. A man inserted an 'ad' in the classified: "Wife wanted."
   
   The next day, he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine".
   
   
   
5. Trains stop at a Train Station.
   Buses stop at a Bus Station.
   So, what the heck is a Workstation ?
   
   
   
6. A bald man took a seat in a beauty shop.
   
   "How can I help you ?", asked the stylist.
   
   "I went for a hair transplant", the guy explained, "but I couldn't stand the pain. If you can make my hair look like yours without causing me any discomfort, I will pay you $5000."
   
   "No problem", said the stylist, and she quickly shaved her head.
   
   
   
7. "Mommy has no idea how to raise children", said the child to his father.
   
   "How can you say such a thing ?", replied the father.
   
   "Well, Mommy always sends me to bed at night when I am not sleepy, and wakes me up in the morning when I am."
   
   
   
8. A door-to-door vacuum saleman goes to the first house in his new territory. He knocks and a lady opens the door. Before the lady has a chance to say anything, he runs inside and dumps horseshit all over the carpet.
   
   He says, "Lady, if this vacuum cleaner don't do wonders cleaning up that horseshit, I will eat every chunk of it".
   
   The lady says, "You want tomato sauce on that ? We have just moved in and we haven't got the electricity turned on yet".
   
   
   
9. As an airplane is about to crash, a female passenger jumps up frantically and announces, "If I am going to die, I want to die feeling like a woman". She removes all her clothing and asks, "Is there someone on this plane who is man enough to make me feels like a woman ?"
   
   A man stands up, removes his shirt and says, "Here, iron this".

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1. A man read an advertisement under sale: "Second hand car for only $100. Ideal for three." He bought the car and sure enough it was ideal for three people; one drives and two push.
   
   
   
2. A beggar stood in a crowded area, with a hat in each hand. A passerby stopped and dropped a coin in one hat, then asked: "What is the other hat for ?"
   "Business has been so good lately, that I decided to open a branch office."
   
   
   
3. An Arab was being interviewed at a US checkpoint.
   "Your name please ?"
   "Abdul Aziz"
   "Sex ?"
   "Six times a week !"
   "No, no, I mean male or female !"
   "Doesn't matter, sometimes even camel !"
   
   
   
4. Teacher: "What do you want to become when you grown up?"
   Little Johnny: "Doctor !"
   Teacher: "Why ?"
   Little Johnny: "Because it is the only profession where you can tell a woman to take off her clothes and ask her husband to pay for it."
   
   
   
5. An old lady of 85 years old was still a virgin and was about to die. She wanted her tombstone to read: "Born a virgin, lived a virgin, died a virgin."
   To cut cost, the engraver shortened it to: "Returned unopened."
   
   
   
6. A kid asked the priest: "Father, what is your pastime ?"
   The priest tapped the kid's shoulder an replied: "Nun, my child, nun."
   
   
   
7. A 75 years old man got married to a 15 years old girl. On their first night, both were crying. Why ?
   Because she didn't know anything, and he had forgotten everything.
   

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1. Man: "You remind me of the sea."
   Woman: "Because I am wild, romantic and exciting ?"
   Man: "No, because you make me sick."
   
   
   
2. Wife: "You tell a man something: it goes in one ear and comes out of the other."
   Husband: "You tell a woman something: It goes in both ears and comes out of the mouth."
   
   
   
3. Mary: "John says I am pretty. Andy says I am ugly. What do you think, Peter ?"
   Peter: "Oh, they are both wrong. I think you are 'pretty' ugly."
   
   
   
4. Sam: "I hate to see a girl standing in a bus when I have a comfortable seat."
   Lily: "So, what do you do ?"
   Sam: "I close my eyes."
   
   
   
5. Teacher: "Have you given the goldfish fresh water ?"
   Pupil: "No, Sir. They haven't finished the water I gave them last month."
   
   
   
6. Man: "I am new around here. Will you please direct me to the bank ?"
   Little boy: "I will, but only if you pay me fifty dollars."
   Man: "Why should I pay you so much ?"
   Little boy: "Because bank directors are always highly paid."
   
   
   
7. An applicant was filling out a job application.
   When he came to the question, "Have you ever been arrested ?"
   He answered, "No."
   The next question, intended for people who had answered in the affirmative to the last one, was "Why ?"
   The applicant answered it anyway: "Never got caught."
   
   
   
8. Employer to applicant: "In this job, we need someone who is responsible."
   Applicant: "I am the one you want. On my last job, every time anything went wrong, they said I was responsible."
   
   
   
9. "Young man, do you think you can handle a variety of work ?"
   "I ought to be able to. I had six different jobs within four months."
   
   
   
10. Judge to defendant: "Aren't you ashamed, coming here for the third time ?"
    Defendant: "Well, you come every day."
    
    
    
11. A teacher was testing the young student's intelligence.
    "When is your birthday, dear ?" asked the teacher to a six years old boy.
    "22nd February", said the child.
    "What year, my dear?" Asked the teacher.
    "Every year", said the child with a smile.
    
    
    
12. A husband and his wife had a bitter quarrel on the day of their wedding anniversary. The husband gave his wife a gift - a tombstone, with the inscription: "Here lies my wife - cold as ever."
    
    Later, the furious wife bought a return present - also a tombstone - on which the inscription read: "Here lies my husband - stiff at last."
    

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1. Concise essay
   
   A university creative writing class was asked to write a concise essay containing these four elements:
   - religion
   - royalty
   - sex
   - mystery
   
   The prize winning essay read:
   "My God !", said the Queen. "I'm pregnant. I wonder who did it ?"
   
   

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1. During a heated argument between a husband & a wife,
   the husband shouted: "You talk like an idiot".
   The wife replied: "I have to, so that you can understand me".
   
   
   
2. A husband visited a marriage counsellor and said: "When we were married, whenever I would come home from work, my wife would bring my slippers and our cute dog would run around barking. Now after 10 years, it's all different. Whenever I would come home from work, the dog would brings my slippers and my wife would run around barking".
   The counsellor said, "Why complaint ? You are still getting the same service".
   
   
   
3. A runner was complimented by a journalist. "You are always first in the race. What is the secret of your success ?"
   He replied: "Whenever I run a race, I imagine that I am being chased by my wife".
   
   
   
4. A school teacher asked a little boy: "Johnny, where is god ?"
   "In the bathroom of my house", replied Johnny.
   "Why do you say that", the shock teacher inquired.
   "Because every morning, my daddy pounds on the door and says: "My god, are you still there ?""
   
   
   
5. Married life is quite interesting. In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens. In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens. In the third year, they both speak and the neighbours listen.
   
   
   
6. A judge roared in the court, "Order ! Order !"
   The accused said: "Okay. I want a sandwich and a cup of tea."