David Vielmetter

Adventures in stupid technology

  • Delete a windows service

    The more applications you install, the more services are created on your Windows computer. Services in Windows are akin to daemons on a Mac or Linux system. They run in the background and perform various tasks. Sometimes when you uninstall an application from Windows, its service(s) are left behind by the uninstaller. These left behind…

  • Links in Outlook 2010 won’t work

    Some pictures part of HTML email messages do not render in the message preview pane in Microsoft Outlook 2010. Also, when clicking links in Outlook 2010, the following message is observed: This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator. The problem is most likely not…

  • Delegate settings not saved correctly

    In Microsoft Outlook, when working with Exchange server, you can permit another user to view your calendar, tasks and email items. You can even allow other users to schedule meetings, write emails and create contacts on your behalf.

  • Reset your Plantronics CS55 Headset

    The Plantronics CS55 headset has been saving my neck since 2008. It’s the workhorse of many a call center and generally functions as expected. Every once in a while though it can get into a funk where you hear people but they cannot hear you. Here’s what to do to reset your CS55 headset back…

  • Printkey 2000 – An Oldie but a Goodie

    Printkey 2000 is really just another screen printing tool. It’s a bit dated in its design and I’ve had it crash on me a couple of times over the years, but it has some great features that are hard to find in other screenshot apps. Here are some of the reasons people may still use PrintKey…

  • Turn your Linksys E1500 into a Wireless Repeater

    Unfortunately the wireless router that came with my new FIOS connection only covers half of my house. To get wifi coverage in the yard and the whole house, I decided to re-purpose my Linksys E1500. Here’s what I did: First I installed the DD-WRT firmware and with it turned my router into a Wireless Repeater…

  • Javascript errors during Adobe Flash Player update

    If you’re still running Windows XP and haven’t updated your Flash Player in a while, you might get some Internet Explorer script errors when you try to update the player. Here’s two ways to resolve the problem. [the problem] [the solution (in two acts)] The easy way: [step 1] Download the full Adobe Flash Player…

  • Location of the Outlook Temporary OLK folder

    The location of the temporary files location Outlook uses to store files when you double-click an attachment (also known as the OLK folder) is different on each windows system. Depending on your version of Office, a registry key will reveal the exact path of this folder. Here is a list of versions of Microsoft Office…

  • Crimping a proper Ethernet patch cable

    This article covers the steps necessary to properly terminate an Ethernet cable. There are several ways to do this and each has benefits for a given application. First we’ll cover the male adapter or RJ-45 plug: [requirements] Crimping/Crimp tool – available at most computer/electronics retailers CAT5e or CAT6 Ethernet cable RJ-45 plugs – also available…