If you get this error message from the ever-delightful Microsoft Windows:

The system DLL user32.dll was relocated in memory. The application will not run properly. The relocation occurred because the DLL C:\Windows\System32\Hhctrl.ocx occupied an address range reserved for Windows system DLLs. The vendor supplying the DLL should be contacted for a new DLL

…try this page for a solution. It seems to be caused by two security updates that have “conflicting base addresses” for User32.dll. (Does this imply that XP loads DLL’s into hardcoded memory addresses, rather than dynamically loading them into the available memory? I would have thought that modern computers can handle dynamic addressing, or whatever it’s called, but I’m just a humanities major.) It seems from the download page that the conflict may also cause the Realtek HD Audio Control Panel not to work.

Yeah, yeah. Get a Mac. At this point, I’d rather get a Linux. In fact, I installed Ubuntu on a spare drive for my Thinkpad, and it all works great — I’ve got my wife and mother-in-law, both newbies, using Ubuntu — except I can’t find a presentation package that does what I need :( [Tags: windows xp dlls errors get_a_mac hhctrl.ocx]

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Elliot Noss of Tucows has blogged a list of questions to ask of Internet domain name registrars before registering a domain name with them. This is in light of ICANN’s revoking of RegisterFly as an accredited registrar.

Since some points on Elliot’s list are difficult to ascertain, what we really need is a wiki spreadsheet — paging Dan Bricklin! — with those questions (and more to come, undoubtedly) so that knowledgeable customers can fill in the blanks.

(Disclosure: Elliot’s company, Tucows, is a registrar. But Elliot, who is a friend, relentlessly works for the best interests of the Net and us users.) [Tags: icann registry domain_names registerfly tucows elliot_noss wikicalc dan_bricklin]

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I’ve googled until I’m gaga, but I can’t find the javascript code that will refresh an iframe from the server without refreshing the rest of the page. For this app I am using — forgive me — IE 7.0. Yes, I know iframes are not In, but I don’t know of another way to do picture-in-picture, so to speak, where the page being displayed is scrollable.

The iframe itself looks like this:

<iframe id=”browse” src=”http://www.JohoTheBlog.com” width=’100%’ height=’600px’ style=”display:block;”></iframe>

To refresh it, I’ve tried the following (and many variations of each):

var fr=document.getElementById(‘browse’);

fr.src=fr.src;

document.frames[“browse”].location.href=fr.src;
window.frames[‘browse’].reload(true);
window.fr.location.reload(true);

top.frames[‘browse’].location.reload(true);

top.frames[‘browse’].location.href=fr.src;
window.location.reload(true);
fr.reload(true);
fr.refresh.dammit.you.bastard(true);
fr.i.will.hurt.you.i.mean.it(true);

Some of these do nothing. Some refresh the entire page, including the iframe. None refreshes only the iframe, forcing a reload from the server. Although nothing hangs on the project, I’ve now spent several hours trying to solve this little problem. Ack.

What is the vector of my particular dumbness this time? I’m sure it’s something embarrassing. But it’ll be worth displaying my ignorance yet again if someone knows the magic incantation that will end my misery… [Tags: programming javascript iframes refresh]

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Slashdot announces and discusses the new release of Ubuntu, called “Feisty Fawn.” Sounds terrific.

I’ve been using Kubuntu — well, to be precise, I’ve installed it and maintain it for my wife, who is a compute newbie — and am actively enjoying how little maintenance it’s taken. XP is definitely easier to get up and running, but way harder to maintain, at least for a casual user who doesn’t go beyond email, browsing and Open Office. [Tags: ubuntu linux windows kubuntu]

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I’ve spent the day doing video interviews with speakers and attendees at the Fast Search user conference. We did about 15, so I’m too tired to get the urls of all of them, but you can page through the blog and find ’em, if you want. Some great people talking about search, social software, knowledge management, Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, Two Dot Oh 2.0 …Some names you’ll recognize some companies you’ll recognize, and some really interesting people you may not know. (Disclosure: Fast is paying me to do this. But the interviews are not about Fast.) [Tags: video search km social_software ]

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I’ve been using Kaspersky Anti-Hacker as my firewall primarily because it stays out of my way just enough.

But I just did some semi-controlled experiments trying to figure out why I’m getting less than a quarter the bandwidth I’m paying for (using my ISP’s bandwidth speed test, which is consistent with DSLReports‘s). I’ve tried lots of variables, but the biggest one so far is Kaspersky. If I have it set to Medium strictness, I get a third of my rated speed. If I set it to allow all (i.e., sort of off), the volume of bits almost doubles. If I go to Settings and turn the Intrusion Detection System to off, it goes up another third, getting me close to half the bandwidth I’m paying for.

In Safe Mode — yes, it’s XP — I get 66-75% of my rated bandwidth. So I’m continue to cycle through lots of the other programs that get loaded when I start up—putting them back in one by one and restarting. But, it’s in an inexact process since my ISP doesn’t deliver a steady stream of bits to me under the best of circumstances.

By the way, you know what’s a pain in the ass? Cycling through lots of the other programs that get loaded when I start up—putting them back in one by one and restarting.

Do other firewalls reduce bandwidth less? [Tags: firewalls bandwidth kaspersky]

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I’m ashamed to acknowledge how high-end my computing system is, but I’m throwing myself on your wisdom and your mercy…

I had two LCDs hooked up to my nvidia 8800gtx (from Asus), each at 1280×1024, DVI, set in “span” mode so they functioned as one large desktop. It worked fine. Then yesterday I replaced one of the monitors with an Acer AL2223W wide screen. If I connect the Acer via digital, the Windows Display Property box and the Nvidia prop box both say I’ve set it to 1680×1050, the standard widescreen res. But:

1. The display is fuzzy beyond acceptability.

2, The internal sw of the monitor says it’s in fact set to 1600×1200

3. If I set it to 1600×1200 via the Windows Display Property box, it actually sharpens up quite a bit. Not totally, but a lot. Most other resolutions make it fuzzy again.

4. If I attach the Acer via its analog plug, it’s crisp as overdone toast (in the good sense). Analog works.

I returned the first Acer (after talking with their “support” folks – Asus was far more knowledgeable) but I get exactly the same results. I’ve tested the digital cable and it’s fine.

I’m stumped. Any suggestions about what’s going on? [Tags: nvidia widescreen dual_display 8800gtx acer al2223w spoiled_computer_user]

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Lately, Thunderbird (1.5.0.9) has been hanging when I try to open particular folders. Eventually, it crashes. I think I know why, and I seem to have fixed it, but please note that I am an incompetent Thunderbird repairperson. I don’t know what I’m doing. Following in my footsteps is likely to bring you to wrack, if not to actual ruin.

Are we clear on the disclosure? Good.

So, I noticed that the hanging folders had .msf files that were zero-length. I believe the msf folders contain the metadata about the display of the contents of the folders. I believe they do not contain the actual messages. So, I deleted them and restarted Thunderbird, forcing Thunderbird to rebuild the metadata.

If you’re an XP user, you’ll find your msf files, and the rest of the contents associated with your Thunderbird profile, at C:\Documents and Settings\User_Name\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\Jibber_Jabber\Mail\ (where User_Name=your user name and Jibber_Jabber=a random string Thunderbird generates).

It seems to have worked. And if you try it, it’s likely to cause your computer to fuse its solenoids or display only unsolvable Sudoku puzzles. [Tags: thunderbird msf ]

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If you want to understand what Second Life’s open source announcement means, go directly to Ethanz’s blog… [Tags: second_life open_source ethan_zuckerman ]

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I know my blogroll is suffering from link rot, so during this holiday interstice, I decided I’d finally get around to fixing it up. But first, to make it super-easy, I decided to put it into an iframe, an html widget that pulls in content from another file. That way I could simply edit a simple file and do so simply, without having to go into the Movable Type template editor. (Yes, I looked at one of the MT plugins, but it requires MT v3.3, and upgrading to v3.2 is a lot like installing 3.3, which I am certain I will screw up.)

So, today I’ve spent several simple hours trying to figure out how to get an iframe to size to its contents. It’s more complex than I can handle. PartMost of the problem is my own vagueness about how the object model works. For example, in the many solutions I found via Google, I’m never quite sure whether the code goes in the container document or the contents document. So, I try both. Every possible freaking variation. Some of the problem is that the object model is so rich with possibilities. Some of the problem is that there are differences among the browsers, so you first have to ask politely (and programmatically) which browser is in use and then provide the appropriate function. And part of it is that it’s too damn hard.

So, I’m giving up for now. And, believe it or not, I’m consoling myself by going back to the chief object of frustration in my life: MythTV.

I just love the holidays, don’t you? [Tags: iframe holidays html javascript I_am_an_idiot reasons_to_drink]

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