Night Walker

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

wenbin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:03:00 GMT

Enable forward/Inverse search with DVI in TexMakerX

wenbin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:21:00 GMT

TexMakerX is a fork of TexMaker with many enhanced features. However, following the user manual, you cannot enable the forward/Inverse search function. Ok, let's make it short, here is the workaround.

First, follow the instruction given at http://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/doc.html#SECTION37 or TexMakerX user manual.

Then change the latex command line to
latex --src -interaction=nonstopmode %.tex

Now, enjoy.

Install Windows 7 Professional 64 on Dell XPS M1530

wenbin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:03:00 GMT

This Saturday, I upgraded my Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional 64 version. I have done research on the upgradation and prepared some drivers in caes I needed. But it seems it's different from what people said. Here is what I did, and hopefully it can help people who need to install Windows 7 on Dell XPS M1530.

Backup all usefull data, such as favourites, documents and photos.
Use Windows 7 DVD to load the system.
In the window which partion will be used to install Windows 7, click advanced options, here we can format C partition. But DO NOT do anything to other partition. If we format C disk only, Direct Media funtion will remain after installation.
Wait for about 30 minutes, Windows 7 should be ready to use.
Go to control panel, update Windows 7. It will update some drivers as well. After that, there still is one device is unrecognised in the Device Manager. It is Ricoh R5C833 card reader, the driver can be download via http://ftp.us.dell.com/chipset/Ricoh_R5C833_A00_R240788.exe, which is a Windows 7 driver.
After this step, my Bluetooth device was detected and worked well. Some people have issues with this device.
Now, download the fingerprint reader driver and application from Dell XPS M1530 driver download page. Remember to select Vista 64 as the system. If you have the Protector Suite QL 5.8, no need to download the application from Dell. Install the driver, restart the system; install the software, restart the system.
For the webcam, download the driver and Dell webcam manager from the Dell XPS M1530 driver download page. DO NOT use the Dell webcam manager that comes with your computer, unless the version is the same with the latest one provided on the website.
Do the same, i.e. download vista 64 driver from XPS M1530 driver page, for the SIGMATEL STAC 92XX C-Major HD Audio, touchpad and Dell Quickset. After this, when you change volumn by multimedia button, the indication should be shown.
If you want to use Media Direct in Windows, install the software and apply the update from Dell website.
Now, your system should work well and it is time to install your own software ;).
If you have trouble with the audio, download the driver for Studio XPS 1645, the link is http://support.euro.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=ed&l=en&s=gen&releaseid=R226903&SystemID=STUDIOXPS1645&servicetag=&os=W764&osl=en&deviceid=16518&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=1&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=3&typeid=-1&dateid=-1&formatid=-1&fileid=325315

Install Windows 7 language pack on professional version

wenbin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:12:00 GMT

The following content is adapted from http://bauforum.wirklichewelt.de/forum_entry.php?nr=5844 and http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?/topic/25680-can-i-install-a-language-pack-in-windows-7-professional/page__p__245434&#entry245434.

We know Microsoft only allows ultimate Windows 7 users to enjoy multi-language user interface. Thanks to Martin Vogel, we can install the language pack on Windows 7 professional.

Prepare your language pack DVD, insert it in D driver, here D is your DVD drive. Locate your required language pack. For example, if we want to install German language pack, the lp.cab file will have a path of D:\langpacks\de-de\lp.cab.
Run command window with administrator privileges. To run it as an administrator, go to "all programs - accessories", right-click "command prompt" and choose "run as administrator".
In the command window, type the following line and press Enter (dism"space"/online"space"/add-package"space"/packagepath:d:\langpacks\de-de\lp.cab), note that the space in between:
```
dism /online /add-package /packagepath:d:\langpacks\de-de\lp.cab
```
When a message pops up and tells you the operation is completed successfully, press "Windows key + R" to call the run window, type in regedit to run the registry editor.
Navigate to \HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\MUI UILanguage\eu-us and delete the key eu-us.
Restart your system, now your Windows 7 Professional should be switched to the German language version.
To change the language of "Starting Windows", run the following command in the command window (still take the German as example):

bcdedit /set {current} locale de-de
bcdboot %WinDir% /l de-de

Because I have no Windows 7 installed, cannot test the method. If you successfully installed your language pack, please either leave comments here or on Martin Vogel's page at http://bauforum.wirklichewelt.de/forum_entry.php?nr=5844.

Chinese version:

在Windows 7 专业版上安装语言包

Scale a matrix into a specified range

wenbin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:49:00 GMT

function data_s= scale_matrix2(data, range)
% scale_matrix2 scales a matrix into [0 1] or a range specified by range
%
% Usage:
% data_s= scale_matrix2(data, range);
%data_s= scale_matrix2(data);
%
% Wenbin, 28-Jul-2009

if nargin ==1
range =[0 1];
end

data_c =data(:);

data_s =(data-min(data_c))./(max(data_c) -min(data_c)).*(range(2) -range(1)) +range(1);

Location is not available: C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\desktop refers to a location that is unavailable (2)

wenbin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:07:00 GMT

I have post one entry before about the problem, Location is not available: C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\desktop refers to a location that is unavailable. To make people easier solve this problem, I put the whole solution here.

This problem is usually caused by an anti-virus software, Norton first, followed by Kapersky. The ultimate solution is quite simple, uninstall these sofwares completely. If you have difficulty to uninstall them, use the official tool. The one for Norton is at http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039, and the one for Kapersky is at http://www.kaspersky.com/support/find?words=uninstall&faq_id=&search=search.

Of course, you need an anti-virus software in your system. Why not try other brands, like Trend, McAfee, Avira?

In addition, when there is a major release of anti-virus software, try to download and install the whole new installation file. DO NOT patch the old one using a patch installation package. Make sure you have uninstalled the old version from your computer and reboot first.

More details on this problem can be found at http://nw360.blogspot.com/2008/11/location-is-not-available.html.

MSXML 4.0 Service Pack 2 (KB954430) doesn't install

wenbin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:22:00 GMT

Today I encountered a strange problem. Windows automatic update required me to install a fix, MSXML 4.0 Service Pack 2 (KB954430). I agreed and it told me installation had finished.

However, after 2 minutes, windows update asked me, again, to install this KB954430. I clicked custom install once more, and then had to face endless KB954430 installation requirements from stupid windows automatic update afterwards.

The workaround for this issue is to download MSXML 4.0 Service Pack 2 (KB954430) from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=96a4413c-5261-4f69-83d0-932c430abd14&DisplayLang=en.

Double click on the downloaded file. Firstly, uninstall KB954430, then install again. Restart your computer when it asks to. And finally, your world becomes quiet again.

Brackets for structure arrays in MATLAB

wenbin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:44:00 GMT

Structure array is a common type of data used in MATLAB. To deal with it, brackets are used extensively. However, when to use the correct brackets- ( ) and [ ]? Sometimes this can be confusing. Here is a summary about them.

Suppose we have structure arrays
a.b =[1 2; 3 4]
and
c(1).b =[1 2], c(2).b =[3 4].

>> a.b= [1 2; 3 4]
a =
b: [2x2 double]
>> c(1).b =[1 2]
c =
b: [1 2]
>> c(2).b =[3 4]
c =
1x2 struct array with fields:
b

Now, let's try ( ) on both of them.

>> (a.b)
ans =
1 2
3 4
>> (c.b)
ans =
1 2
ans =
3 4

and [ ]

>> [a.b]
ans =
1 2
3 4
>> [c.b]
ans =
1 2 3 4

Through the example, it is easy to see the difference. If we also have d ='more', what will happen if we type c(1).(d) =1?

>> c(1).(d) =1
c =
1x2 struct array with fields:
b
more

Thus ( ) can be used to create dynamic field names. So far, { } haven't been mentioned because this pair of curly braces are mostly for cells.

Place the bibliography entry in the text

wenbin — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Sometimes we need to put the bibliography entry in the text, how can we do it in Latex?

The answer is to use package bibentry, which is included in natbib package.

After \beging{document}, put \nobibliography* (used with \bibliography{database}) or \nobibliography{database}. In the place where you want to show the bibliography entry, put \bibentry{label}.

In addition, \bibliographystyle{style} can be placed anywhere in the document.

Here are two examples.
1

\begin{document}
\nobibliography*
...
\bibliography{database}
\bibliographystyle{style}
\end{document}

\begin{document}
\nobibliography{database}
...
\bibliographystyle{style}
\end{document}

Run multiple Yahoo messengers

wenbin — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:27:00 GMT

Yahoo messenger has a hidden function that let you run multiple Yahoo messengers at the same time. Simply follow the steps given below to activate this function.

Go to Start->Run, type in ‘regedit’ and press Enter.
On the left panel, navigate to ‘HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Yahoo\Pager\Test’.
In the right pane, right click your mouse, choose New->DOWRD Value. Name it as ‘Plural’.
Double click the the Plural you created, in the pop-up window, set it to "1 (decimal)".

Now, you should be able to run multiple instances of Yahoo messengers using your different Yahoo accounts.

The procedure entry point clould not be located in the dynamic link library mcr.dll

wenbin — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:48:00 GMT

Recently I studied the MATLAB compiler following the "MATLAB C/C++ Book", a problem is encountered when did the testing of project setting.

The error message is

The procedure entry point could not be located in the dynamic link library mcr.dll.

The first idea came out in my mind was that I might use the wrong version of MATLAB. In the book, it is 2006b, but I have 2007b instead. However, I denied it later after checking the MATLAB website for compiler compatibility. The newer version 4.7 should be working well just as the version 4.5.

Thus I thought two versions of MATLAB installed would be the cause? I have both 2006a and 2007b. And it is the problem!

In the system variables configuration, 2006a path was in front of 2007b, that is, 2006a path had a higher priority. Move 2007b path in front and restart the computer, the problem is solved.

Find out Evernote web clipper for Evernote 2 and Firefox 3

wenbin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:05:00 GMT

I got a new desktop for my study two days ago. When I reinstalled Evernote 2, there was a problem. The web clipper comes with the installer doesn't support Firefox 3. I went to the Evernote official website, ended with nothing. No more support is provided for Evernote 2 users.

The website does have a web clipper, but that is for Evernote 3. At the moment, I would like to stick to the 2 version. I tried lots of keywords to search, but cannot get anything more than a vain attempt.

Fortunately, the IT guy hasn't taken my old computer away. So I turned it on and copied the version of the web clipper. After searching the Internet using the version, finally I got the file I wanted. The link is available at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/reviews/display/1926?user_id=1806457. I also uploaded this file to Box.net for future use. Now files are modified to be compatible with Firefox 3.5.

Amazing hand painting by Guido Daniele

wenbin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:43:00 GMT

You may have seen hand art- people transform their two hands into different creatures. This post shows you something more than just hand art. When hands meet up with painting, imagination could fly higher. The following pictures come from the website of Guido Daniele, http://www.guidodaniele.com/.

Location is not available: C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\desktop refers to a location that is unavailable.

wenbin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:25:00 GMT

If you have anti-virus softwares installed and are simply looking for a solution, go to http://nw360.blogspot.com/2009/08/location-is-not-available.html.

This desktop issue has happened twice.

When I turned on my laptop, Vista takes an extended period of time to show you it is "preparing your desktop".

After the desktop appears, a message window pops up with the title ""Location is not available". The content is

C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\desktop refers to a location that is unavailable. It could be on a hard drive on this computer.or on a network. Check to make sure that the disk is properly inserted, or that you are connected to the Internet or your network and then try again. If it still cannot be located the information might have been moved to a different location.
Moreover, the desktop theme is changed to windows classic.

The solution is quite simple, reboot the PC. If this doesn't work, go to Last Known Good Configuration (advanced) when you start Vista. This option enables you to start Windows Vista with the last registry and driver configuration that worked successfully. How to access this startup option, please visit Windows Vista Advanced Boot Options.

If both approaches provided above are not working, try to restore/ recover your vista system. If you have Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) installed, start it and do the system restore or system recovery. Alternatively, you can access the System Recovery Options menu via the Windows installation disc. Refer to http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/windows/en-US/help/2b3724d1-f4ad-5b26-16dc-3e9e66f4be5e1033.mspx for details.

As I pointed out, the cause may be the Norton anti-virus software. If all the approaches don't work, try to uninstall the software even under the circumstance that the desktop location is not available. Using Norton removal tool to make sure you have uninstalled Norton products completely. The Norton removal tool is available at http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039.

However, what caused this problem?

It may be a software conflict.
The software is associating with the system tightly.
It may be an anti-virus software.
The biggest suspect is Symantec/Norton security softwares.

OK, the cause of this issue still remains unknown, but I do think it is Symantec/Norton softwares. Suppose you have Symantec/Norton anti-virus softwares installed. Start your PC, when see the desktop, shut down the computer immediately. What will happen on next startup? Before using Norton anti-virus software, I didn't have this problem at all with McAfee total protection. Refer to the section above to get the information on how to uninstall Norton products.

Update: 25/08/2009

Some people left their comments here and it seemed their problems were not caused by Norton. However, the common point is that they are caused by the anti-virus softwares. Therefore, if you have this problem, uninstall your anti-virus software completely. Use the official uninstall tool if it is necessary. Then reboot your system. Now the problem should be solved. So far, I haven't met this problem using McAfee and Avira. If you would like to stick to your original anti-virus software, try to use different versions.

Where there is a major version of the anti-virus software released, especially Norton, I recommend uninstall the old version first then install the new one. DO NOT over install the new version on the old one.

Change NetBeans IDE interface language

wenbin — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:42:00 GMT

Several days ago, I downloaded and installed NetBeans 6.5 English version. It is quite a nice IDE. But don't know why the interface is Chinese and I prefer it is in English. Since it is a multilingual version, there should be a way to change it.

Unfortunately, I have checked the program options carefully, again and again, but didn't find how to change the user interface language. OK, have to go a bit search and reading.

In NetBeans FAQ, What are the NetBeans startup parameters (a.k.a command-line options), it tells

--locale language[:country[:variant]] : Use the specified locale.

and, no more. I am not sure about the language [:country[:variant]], so searched again. Finally I came across a blog to find out the approaches.

Open the properties window of NetBeans shortcut, add the following read part at the end of the target, for example:

"D:\Program Files\NetBeans 6.5 RC2\bin\netbeans.exe" --locale en:US.

This is for English. Replace the red part by --zh:CN for Chinese and --locale ja:JP for Japanese.

Moreover, I found some information on language [:country[:variant]], please go to http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/api/java/util/Locale.html.

Chinese version: 修改NetBeans 6.5的界面语言

No Clean Feed - Stop Internet Censorship in Australia

wenbin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:40:00 GMT

The Stop mandatory filtering by ISP's in Australia Petition to Senator Stephen Conroy: http://www.petitiononline.com/filtarud/petition.html

The following contents come from: http://www.nocleanfeed.com/learn.html

What is the Government's plan?

Although the final details of the filtering plans have been kept under wraps, the Minister is on record as being firmly committed to a mandatory clean-feed internet to Australian homes, schools and public computers. A trial of filtering software by the ACMA has already been performed, with a "live" field pilot to follow later this year. We must act fast before millions of dollars are squandered on this technically impractical and democratically unworkable solution in search of a problem.

What do we know so far?

Filtering will be mandatory in all homes and schools across the country.¹
The clean feed will censor material that is "harmful and inappropriate" for children.²
The filter will require a massive expansion of the ACMA's blacklist of prohibited content.³
The Government wants to use dynamic filters of questionable accuracy that slow the internet down by an average of 30%.⁴
The filtering will target legal as well as illegal material.⁵
$44m has been budgeted for the implementation of this scheme so far.⁶
The clean-feed for children will be opt-out, but a second filter will be mandatory for all Internet users.⁷
A live pilot deployment is going ahead in the near future.

What we don't know is just as important.

What age level is the country's Internet to be made appropriate for? 15? 10? 5 years old?
Who decides what material is "appropriate" for Australians to see?
How are lists of "illegal" material compiled?
Who will maintain the blacklist of prohibited sites?
How can sites mistakenly added to the list be removed?

All of us want to see children protected from content that could be disturbing or harmful. The clean-feed filter is not a good way to go about this, and could actually reduce the safety of children online.

There are technical issues.

The clean-feed, if attempted, will be a technical disaster. The Internet does not work in a manner that would let a filter be effective, and the World Wide Web contains far more content than could ever be effectively rated by a Government organisation. The host of technical hurdles include:

Like asking Australia Post to filter out objectionable letters, a filter would require ISPs to examine all web traffic, causing enormous expense and technical headaches.
A filter will slow Internet access down by up to 80% according to a Government report.⁴
Even the most accurate software the Government has tested would incorrectly block 10,000 sites in every million.⁴
The ACMA would be overwhelmed with the task of maintaining a blacklist. Millions of web sites, with the list changing on a daily basis, would need to be monitored by Australian bureaucrats - an impossible task.
Only illegal material published on web sites could be targeted, completely missing other methods of distribution such as BitTorrent.
Any determined user - including children - could bypass the filter quickly using an anonymizer service, open proxy, or VPN connection.
The clean feed would be less customisable and effective than a PC-based filter.

In short, as the best experts in the country unanimously agree, Conroy's plan does not make sense technically.⁸

There are free-speech concerns.

Although the initiative is intended and marketed as a tool to help protect children from the dangers of the Internet, this paternalistic scheme raises some troubling issues that affect all Australians. As a source of daily information, the Internet increases in importance every day. Do we really want the Government of the day deciding what Australian adults can and can't see? Do we want Australia to join a censorship club in which Burma, China and North Korea are the founding members?

The list of prohibited sites will probably be secret, so it will be hard to know what content the Government has effectively banned.
Filtering will be compulsory in all homes, even where there are no children.
It is unknown whether there will be any way to have content removed from the prohibited list.
How far will the list go, now and in future? Will it filter out material on sexual health, drug use, terrorism... even breastfeeding? Euthanasia and anorexia have been touted by Government MPs as topics worthy of filtering.⁹

The Clean Feed is bad policy.

In short, even if it worked the filter would be terrible policy. By censoring the entire country's Internet access down to the level of a child of indeterminate age, it robs Australian adults of ability to make their own decisions about what content they view.

Most Australians don't want the filter.Support for this overly broad policy is virtually non-existent, even from child-protection organisations. A recent survey shows that 51.5% of Australian net user strongly oppose the plan, while only 2.9% strongly support it.¹⁰
One size doesn't fit all. A single filter list can't deliver results that are appropriate for all parents, teens and children, with no way to customise the filter for your household.
The protection for children is minor at best, an illusion at worst. The clean-feed does nothing to protect children from real threats like cyber-bullying, online sexual predators, viruses, or the theft of personal information. It may provide a false sense of security to parents, reducing effective monitoring of their children's online activities.
The money is better spent elsewhere. The filter will cost tens of millions of dollars to attempt. Yet the Government's own studies admit education is more effective than filtering in protecting children, and that "content risks" are less dangerous than other risks.¹¹
No other democracy has a scheme comparable to the clean-feed. Comparable systems in Europe only filter a handful of illegal sites, and then only to prevent accidental access. ¹²

Chinese breakfast

wenbin — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 22:15:00 GMT

In a post where I complained Australia breakfast is boring, the.monuments.we.build asked to show him some examples of Chinese breakfast. Here they come. Only a part of Chinese breakfast are shown. Even I haven't tasted all of them. Oh, damn, they look so yummy!

Find back 'New Contact' shortcut in Vista

wenbin — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 06:31:00 GMT

In Windows Vista, the program Windows Contacts behaves differently from Windows XP. When you start Windows Contacts, it is implemented as a special folder in the user folder. A normal view of that folder is given.

However sometimes, especially after you do a system restore, the shortcut New Contact, New Contact Group, Import and Export may be missing. Microsoft hasn't given you any solution to this problem ;(.

To find the shortcuts back, follow these steps.

Go to the parent folder of Contacts directory, right click on the Contacts directory and select properties.
In the popup window, go to the tab 'Customize'.
On the top of Customize view, you will see Use this folder type as a template. Here choose Contacts.
Then click on OK.

Now, all the shortcuts should be back.

Double-column figure in two column papers of Latex

wenbin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:59:00 GMT

How to create a figure crossing columns in a two column paper using Latex? The solution is quite simple.

Use \begin{figure*} ... \end{figure*}. For tables, use \begin{table*} ... \end{table*}.

Free software 25: fast folder access

wenbin — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:59:00 GMT

If you regularly or frequently access some folders, a good way is to create the folder shortcuts on the desktop. But you know, relying on Microsoft is not a good idea - the desktop will mess you up if there are too many items. Except creating shortcuts, many launch softwares also provide fast folder access. The price is that the launcher takes some room on the screen. Today, I would like to introduce a freeware called Folder Guide.

Folder Guide is a lightweight tool. The version 1.2 has a size of only 769Kb. After installation, Folder Guide appears in the context menu of the Windows Explorer. By just clicking your right mouse button, you can access to your frequently used and favorite folders. This function is excellent especially in the Open/Save environments.

In the official website, the software is described as follows.

With Folder Guide, you no longer need dozens of mouse clicks to navigate to your desired folder. Now reach your favorite folders in just 2 mouse clicks. Select from right click menu "Folder Guide" then click on your desired folder. Folder Guide runs automatically as part of the Windows Explorer context menu, so you will never need to start the program otherwise you want to edit the list of folders. It also works from the desktop, the Start button.

Though Folder Guide is not perfect (for example, it doesn't work in My Computer), currently, as far as I know, Folder Guide is the only freeware that provides fast folder access in the form of Windows Explorer context menu. So if you need such handy software, why not give a go? The official website is http://www.freeware365.com/desktop/folderguide.htm where the figure in this post comes.

TeXnicCenter is back!

wenbin — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT

In my opinion, TeXnicCenter is the best Latex editor among a number of freewares and sharewares. However, lacking of developers, TeXnicCenter seemed to fade away after releasing the Beta 7.01 in June 2006. Last week, when I visited their website, found that a new maintainer for the software development joined. Moreover, a new version Beta 7.50 was released in June 2008.

Although TeXnicCenter versions always come with "Beta", it has been proven to be stable. The developer will release a stable version at the end of 2008, with Unicode support.

LED is another great software with so-called Unicode support. The newest version was released in May, 2008. An annoying bug with LED is that, you cannot type in Chinese. If you do so, the editor cannot display the characters correctly. This issue has been reported with the coming of 5.x version of LED last year. But it seems that it is not a problem to the software author at all.

Stack math symbols in Latex

wenbin — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:23:00 GMT

When typing in formulas in Latex, sometimes we need to stack math symbols, especially with arrows. Here are some examples that show how to achieve this goal.

Using \xleftarrow or \xrightarrow. Both of them have the same syntax.

a=b \xleftarrow[H]{\xi+a\timesc} f=g
Using \overset

a=b\overset{F}{\longleftarrow}c=d
Using \stackrel

a=b \stackrel{F}{\longleftrightarrow}c=d
Using \mathop

ab \mathop{\sum\sum\sum}_{a=\frac{1}{2}\times 100000}^{b=\frac{4}{5}}cd

Chinese version:Latex: 堆叠数学符号

Virtual PC has encountered an error on the host while copying files; An error in Virtual PC has occurred

wenbin — Sat, 31 May 2008 09:32:00 GMT

Finally I have got a large hard disk in my laptop. I can try all kinds of the software now, of course, in the virtual machine.

My operating system is Windows Vista Home Premium. When I was installing Virtual PC 2007 sp1, a window popped up telling me "this version of Windows is not supported by VPC 2007". Moreover, in the official website, it is said "Virtual PC 2007 runs on: Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Tablet PC, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, and Windows Vista Ultimate. " However, after I searched the Internet, found that you can run Virtual PC 2007 on Windows Vista Home Premium, but you cannot get official technical support.

After preparing everything, I started to play with the new toy. It's fun. The only issue I had was an error that appeared when I dragged files from the guest to the host machine.

Virtual PC has encountered an error on the host while copying files; An error in
Virtual PC has occurred.

Lucky me, thought I gave up yesterday, this is solved today. In the settings of a virtual machine, there is a branch called networking. If you choose Shared networking (NAT) as the adapter, the error aforementioned will occur. Simply choosing your real physical adapter will solve this issue.

Logging in Gmail: Operation aborted

wenbin — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:12:00 GMT

What is the most annoying thing when you try to read your email?

Yes, you cannot access your email box. Just several days ago, my housemate asked me did I have any trouble with Gmail logging in. He showed me the screen "Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site https://mail.google.com. Operation aborted."

'No, I don't have that problem at all.' I replied. Unfortunately, I had the same issue today. A temporary solution is deleting IE cache. However, you have to repeat this action again and again. That is, every time you re-log in, you have to delete the files.

Since there are lots of people around the world have the same problem, it's reasonable that this is Gmail's fault, and it really is. This is one of Gmail Known Issues.

Currently, what you can do is, running into Firefox's arm or use the old version of Gmail, whose link is https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1.

In fact, the new version of Gmail has the similar problem with Firefox 2. Though Firefox won't tell you operation aborted, it loads and reloads the loading bar page endlessly, and doesn't enter into Gmail.

In the Gmail help, it is said only some Internet Explorer 7 users are reporting the error message. However, I do think, most is more suitable here.

So far, according to my experience, Yahoo provides the most stable service.

Update: This issue may have been solved.

Chinese version: 登录Gmail：操作已中止.

Endnote: The specified Word library can not be unloaded because it is in use

wenbin — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:30:00 GMT

When my friend opened word, an error "The specified Word library can not be unloaded because it is in use" appeared. He told me it was working before.

This error occurs because the Endnote is disable in Word. The solution is given in http://www.endnote.com/support/faqs/CWYW/faq48.asp.

Word 2007:

1. Click on the Office icon and select Word "Options."
2. Click on "Add-ins."
3. Change the "Manage" options to "Disabled Items."
4. Click Go.
5. Highlight any EndNote item(s) and click "Enable."
6. Click OK.

Word 2000/2002/2003:

1. Click the "Help" menu and select "About Microsoft Office Word."
2. Click "Disabled Items".
3. Highlight any EndNote item(s) and click "Enable".
4. Click Close and OK.