MDRSESCO - Software for the Masses
The software described
herein, except where otherwise noted, was designed and
implemented by MARK DANA ROCKMAN Email:? usermark
at mdrsesco dot biz.? Developed using C# and
C++ with .Net Framework and INTEROP aka P/Invoke. Some applications run as a
Windows Service.? Items are for sale.? Just send money.? Microsoft?s EULA applies to these items
except where it says Microsoft substitute MARK DANA ROCKMAN.? Software development project proposals are
entertained here.? Drop us a line.
Bootstrap a UEFI PC with OS on USB Boot Drive
For security reasons, there exist all kinds of
undocumented procedures and machine behaviors.?
In the present case an operating system resides on a bootable USB
drive.? Take care that the USB drive
contains a GUID Partition Table.? The
hard disk drives most often contain a bootable operating system, toward which
the firmware has a bias for loading.? The
firmware (UEFI) prefers to examine the hard disk drives and, if should it find something
to load into memory, it will ?restart? Windows.?
Present research has shown that the firmware will offer the option to
boot from the USB drive if and only if the USB drive is electronically
detectable by the firmware (i.e., it is in the jack) and the operating system
on the bootable USB drive will run on a UEFI computer. Rufus is an application
that will convert the ISO image of an operating system to a bootable USB
drive.? Be sure use the latest version of
Rufus because it is familiar with the BIOS-to-UEFI industry transition.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is a subscription-form of Microsoft Office.? It appears to be an attempt to get users of
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the rest, to pay continuously for the product
instead of just once.? This makes sense
from a corporate revenue picture point of view.?
Subscription purchasers benefit from the latest innovations which may,
or may not, be well-documented.? There is
typically no Product Key furnished to subscribers.? Rather, the purchase is associated with the
end user?s Microsoft Account.? A purchased
subscription may, or may not, appear in the list of product subscriptions that
is displayed in the various account-related web pages that are published by
Microsoft.? The end user must sign in to the proper Microsoft account before he/she views subscriptions.? Only account-related subscriptions are
shown.? This reporter is subscribed to
Microsoft 365, yet the list of paid subscriptions is empty.? On the other end of the contract is Microsoft
whose representative found the purchase with his/her database tools.
Converting A Microsoft 365 Word Document to a Web Page
You can save your docx file as if it were a single web page.? The HTML and its related directory, the one
that contains exhibits (photographs), may or may not accurately reflect the
original Microsoft 365 Word file (the one with the docx filename
extension).? There are extraneous marks
displayed in the browser.? Certain
punctuation (see, for example, an enumeration with dots to the left of each
item) is corrupted.? The dots shown by
Word are question marks in the browser.?
The extra revenues of the subscription plan should fund work that will
make the HTML appear more like the Word document.
There follows the ?should be? screen shot and the
?corruption? screen shot. ??Conversion
from a Word document to a web page is the process that needs work.
And now from the web page:
Upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11
Assuming the PC is capable of running modern under
UEFI, instead of legacy under BIOS, and the PC sports TPM 2.0 (Trusted
Computing Platform or Trusted Platform Module) it should then be possible to
upgrade to Windows 11 without losing any files.?
The native operating system of any PC is the
Basic I/O System (BIOS), now known as the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
(UEFI).? The native operating system is
the software (actually: firmware) that knows how to boot the computer.? UEFI contains many security features.?
If you are running Windows 10, it is possible that the computer is running
BIOS.? You must run UEFI and TPM 2.0 to
run Windows 11.? You must convert the
Master Boot Record (MBR) format of the hard disk drive (HDD) to GUID Partition
Table (GPT) format.? This conversion is
made possible with Microsoft?s utility named mbr2gpt.
???? mbr2gpt /allowFullOS
/convert
Just run the utility.? Then reboot
into the BIOS/UEFI pages.? Dell computers
allow you to see those pages by restarting the PC and pressing the F2 key
during bootstrap.? You then want to turn
off legacy everything and turn on UEFI.? The
PC should boot into Windows 10 under UEFI.?
Secure Boot is a UEFI-associated feature.? It should be turned on as soon as this
complex procedure allows.
With ample prayer, at this point the PC is running Windows 10 under UEFI
with TPM 2.0 and the HDD is in GPT format.? The PC is ready to upgrade to Windows
11.? You can run setup.exe from Windows
11 installation media.? Microsoft has
tried to provide an upgrade path to Windows 11 that will cause little to no
file loss.? Good luck.
?
GPT
?
TPM 2.0
?
UEFI
?
Secure Boot
Suppose You Have A Static Web Page
A static web page may not show updates should browsers, worldwide, have
the page cached.? You can add HTML to the
web page that asks the browsers to forget about caching the pages. The
following is supposed to do the trick.?
<meta http-equiv="Cache-Control" content="no-cache,
no-store, must-revalidate"/>
<meta http-equiv="Pragma" content="no-cache"/>
<meta http-equiv="Expires" content="0"/>
It turns
out that these HTML elements work on some browsers and not on others.? It is further noticed that the elements
interfere with each other in unpredictable ways.? It is recommended that only one of the above
elements be employed, preferably the one that operates effectively with the
browser that end users will use.? If you
can predict that then you should be able to make a fortune in the stock market.
Choose Your Mode
Windows 11 features additional appearance options for the desktop and for
any windows that open.? There is the
legacy ?light? mode and the new ?dark? mode.?
Naturally, dark mode is the default.?
If you want light mode, you can ?personalize? your display
settings.? Just right-click a blank space
on the desktop and click Personalize.?
Then click Colors.? Then click the
dropdown list next to Choose Your Mode.?
You can choose between Light, Dark, and Custom.
Virtual Machine Windows 11
To install Windows 11 under Hyper-V you must use Generation 2, set the
number of processors to 6, set memory size to 6000, turn on Secure Boot and
turn on Trusted Computing Platform.?
Bootstrap and Initialization may fail if not all these conditions are
met.? It is Microsoft policy to announce
that Bootstrap and Initialization failed without telling you why.? For the answer to why: you can run the PC
Health Check application.? https://aka.ms/GetPCHealthCheckApp is the Universal
Resource Locator (or is it Uniform Resource Locator?)
to download and install the PC Health Check application.? Of course, if you cannot install Windows 11
under Hyper-V then you cannot run any application under Windows 11 under
Hyper-V.? Catch-22.?
Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE)
Microsoft Windows offers a very, very complicated bootstrap and
initialization design.? A single phase of
initialization is termed the ?Out of Box Experience."? This refers to initial installation of
Windows from installation media. You can buy installation media from Microsoft.
?You can alter the installation media for
your own environment if the documentation suits your needs.
Hyper-V is an optional Microsoft Windows software feature.?? It is software that emulates the hardware on
which Windows runs.? You can install
Windows so that it runs under Hyper-V.? A
persistent problem arises wherein the Windows operating system (running under
Hyper-V) gets stuck in a loop.? It will
not proceed beyond a certain point.? The
obscure error codes that appear on the screen contain this sequence of
letters:? O-O-B-E.? This indicates the problem lies within the
OOBE phase of initialization.? Over the
years commentary has indicated the root cause is a deadly embrace (or deadlock)
between two or more initialization processes.?
Process A and Process B both need to acquire exclusive use of a certain
lock.? If A takes control of lock #1 and
then lock #2, and B takes control of lock #2 and then lock #1, it follows that
neither A nor B can proceed.? This is a
deadlock.?
Resolution of the deadlock can be had as follows.? When you see the error code that implicates
that OOBE has reached an impasse, you press the SHIFT key and the F10
simultaneously.? This launches a command
prompt where you can enter the following commands:
??????? net user administrator /active:yes
??????? cd oobe
??????? msoobe
Alternatively, the following commands may be used:
????????? cd %windir%
????????? cd System32
????????? cd Sysprep
????????? sysprep.exe /oobe /reboot
Research has shown that the first method works better than the second.
Nullable Reference Types
Microsoft printed material is cited in this section.
A reference type is a variable that ?references? an object.? C language and ?improved? object-oriented C++
language have pointers.? C# has reference
types.? Reference type variables are
pointers without the bad things that can happen with pointers.
Formerly, a reference type was always nullable.? The lack of runtime checks for NULL in
advance of dereferencing can produce runtime application program aborts.? These are annoying and embarrassing.? So, now the C# compiler has an elaborate new
feature that, more or less, detects when such checks
are not present and complains about it.
?Prior to C# 8.0, all reference types were nullable. Nullable reference
types refers to a group of features introduced in C# 8.0 that you can use to
minimize the likelihood that your code causes the runtime to throw System.NullReferenceException. Nullable reference types
includes three features that help you avoid these exceptions, including the
ability to explicitly mark a reference type as nullable:?
?
Improved static flow analysis that determines if a variable may be null
before dereferencing it.
?
Attributes that annotate APIs so that the flow analysis determines null-state.
?
Variable annotations that developers use to explicitly declare the
intended null-state for a variable.
?Starting in .NET 6, they're enabled by default for new projects. For
information about enabling these features by declaring a nullable annotation
context, see Nullable contexts.?
?The new features that protect
against throwing a System.NullReferenceException can be disruptive when turned on in an
existing codebase.?
Old code running in the new environment will probably produce many warning
messages.? Guidance is sparse on how to
cope with the situation.? There could be,
but there is not, a switch to throw that would disable every possible complaint.
??There is a way for coders to mark
reference variables that are guaranteed, more or less, not
to be NULL during dereferencing.? The
null state analysis needs hints from developers to understand the semantics of
APIs.? An explicit test for NULL before
dereferencing should suppress a warning message.? A nullable reference type is
noted using the same syntax as nullable
value types: a ? is appended to the type of the variable. For
example:? string? name;? The question mark indicates name is nullable.? Visual Studio won?t punish you for setting name to
NULL.
Sometimes you
must override a warning when you know a variable isn't null, but the compiler
determines its null-state is maybe-null. You use
the null-forgiving operator !
following
a variable name to force the null-state to be not-null.
For example, if you know the name
variable isn't null
but the compiler issues a warning, you can write the following
code to override the compiler's analysis:??
name!.Length;
I found it convenient to add the following lines to each C# code
file.? Quick and easy.
#pragma warning disable CS8604
#pragma warning disable CS8618
#pragma warning disable CS8625
#pragma warning disable CS8600
#pragma warning disable CS8602
#pragma warning disable CS8601
#pragma warning disable CS8603
#pragma warning disable CS8629
#pragma warning disable CS0266
Discretionary Access Control Lists (DACLs) and Ownership
Windows has a complex mechanism that is intended to restrict access to
various operating system objects; especially files and directories.? These objects have owners and DACLs.? An end user who desires access to an object
must be granted permission to have access.?
Some combination of ownership and DACL act to grant or deny access.? Sometimes access is denied for specious
reasons.? There is a mechanism by which
the end user can prod the system to determine whether an object possesses all
necessary permission for the act that the end user intends.? A file (or folder) can be read by users A and
B and written by user C and deleted by user D.?
The users are termed ?principals? in the vernacular.?
Whenever something happens in a system, a principal (which could be a
process or thread acting on behalf of a user or service) acts upon objects.? Users who are not owners may be denied the
ability to view the DACLs.? An end user
with elevated privileges (i.e., is running under the Administrator account) has
permission to take ownership of practically any file.? A complicating factor is inheritance.? The files/directories are organized in a tree
structure.? The files/directories are
termed ?nodes.?? The topmost node is the
<drive-letter>.? It is the root
because the tree is upside down with respect to natural trees in a forest.? Nodes below the root can inherit permissions
from the root or establish themselves as the inheritance granting authority for
nodes below themselves.? The original
design permitted multiple inheritance.?
But that was discovered to present intractable problems.? So, there is no multiple inheritance.? Windows sometimes issues silly denial
messages.? My favorite is:? ?You must have
permission from Everyone??? How all of
this really works remains an undocumented mystery.? Well, there exist documents.? Neutrino chirality is easier to understand
than this.? Refer to this document:? https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/msdn-magazine/2008/november/access-control-understanding-windows-file-and-registry-permissions?
Syntax:? takeown
/F <name-of-object>
For Security Reasons You Want to Know What Files Have Been
Accessed and When
Now available is a Windows Service that records file accesses.
If You Are Backing Up Files
If your application?s purpose is to backup files, then you probably want
to ask Windows to permit you to have access to various files that you
ordinarily wouldn?t have access to. This is all part of the extremely complex
and not very well documented security features of Windows.? Here is how to set or clear the privilege:
The ChangeBackupPrivilege takes an
argument of 0 or 1.? When the argument is
0 then the backup privilege is turned off.?
When the argument is 1 then the backup privilege is turned on.? Here is the Win32 C++ method that is called:
Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)
Microsoft defines a ?shadow copy? to be the frozen image of a mass storage
device in whole or in part.? The Volume
Shadow Copy Service is a software component of Windows that provides an
application programmer interface (API) that is of interest to programmers who
are creating software that is capable of creating disk
images.? The API conforms to the
Component Object Model (COM).? As such,
the ?disk image creating software? also conforms to COM.? The software shall be written in C++ or,
perhaps, Visual Basic.? Development of
Microsoft VSS more or less ended long ago.
HRESULT
= 0x80d05011
One of millions of desktop computers running Windows 10 is suffering a
Windows Update malfunction.? The end user
is notified that updates are available.?
The end user requests the updates.?
One of several updates downloads 5% and announces a malfunction.? This is quite reliable.
There are several documented steps an end user can pursue to resolve such
issues.? There is even a Windows Update
Troubleshooter that, one assumes, would sort out all kinds of
malfunctions.? They?ve all been tried and
have failed.? Microsoft?s Feedback Hub
has been informed.? We await a
satisfactory response.
?
So
You Want To Choose the Command Prompt?s Current Working Directory
I searched for hours using Microsoft?s documentation platform (the
point-and-click desktop, outdated textbooks for paid classes, AND Google).? (I found tons of people who want to delete
C:\Windows\System32, since that appears in front of the common user as the
default current working directory (CWD) of the legacy Windows shell.)? But I could not remember how I did it a while
back.? And I could not find how to do
it.? The solution:? Create a shortcut on the desktop that
launches the legacy shell.? Then, access
the Properties of the shortcut and put your chosen CWD in the Start In box.? It is allegedly possible to make a Registry
change to accomplish what you want.? But
design of the Registry is subject to change without notice.
?
How
to Configure Windows to Bypass the Logon Screen
Microsoft offers, as part of Windows, a utility application called
NETPLWIZ.? The purpose of NETPLWIZ, as
far as I can tell, is to allow you to configure Windows so that you do not have
to enter a password when you turn on the computer.? The utility formerly worked properly.? That is to say, there
was a checkbox that you could tick to configure one of the user accounts as the
account that you automatically get logged into when you turn on the
computer.? Microsoft improved NETPLWIZ so
the checkbox no longer appears.?
Presumably this design decision was made for the ever-popular ?security
reasons.?? Actually,
there is a way to configure Windows so that NETPLWIZ presents the
checkbox.? Just go into the Registry
editor and set the following item to zero.?
By default, it is set to 2.?
Reboot the computer, launch NETPLWIZ, and, voil?, there is the
checkbox.? The advent of ?Windows Hello?
allows you to configure a PIN in place of a password.? You can also, with the right hardware, have
the computer recognize your face or some device you plug in.? As of 2022 NETPLWIZ and Windows do not play
nice unless you stay away from the advanced features.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device\DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device]
"DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion"=dword:00000000
Making
and Recovering a Disk Image
In the event of a catastrophic computer failure, a disk image is the best
aid to remediation.? A disk image
contains all the data on a disk without regard to the file system.? It includes data that is not in the file
system such as the Master Boot Record and/or its equivalent.? If you have software installed, for which you
do not possess installation media, a disk image will restore that software.? If you have laboriously configured your
operating system, and you do not want to spend more hours recreating that
environment, a disk image will save you time and effort.?
In practice, the available options for creating a disk image have solved
the creation part adequately.? When
restoration is attempted, the solutions often present obstructions.? For example, one commercial solution has a
habit of blocking access to a disk image, during restoration, that happens to
be in a shared directory, or maybe on the Internet.? The solution does not distinguish between the
two. For security reasons, they assume it must be the Internet.? More to its liking is that you plug in a USB
drive, preferably a capacious one.? The commercial
solution, for restoration, requires ancillary software that comes in two
flavors:? one for Windows 10 and one for
Windows 7.? Attempting recovery with the
wrong ancillary software will appear to complete successfully, but the contents
of the hard drive will be improperly formatted.?
The end user interface is confusing and the
learning curve is steep.? The vendor has
added malware protection to help sales.? Malware
protection is turned on by default.? It
can be turned off, but only partially.? There
is plenty of opportunity for the malware detector to falsely decide the
software that you run is malware.? This
causes end users to panic and may disrupt production.? During backup, if you are running the latest Microsoft
operating system, then the commercial solution behaves flawlessly.? The open-source solution, but not the
commercial solution, requires that the end user takes the production
application out of service during the period in which the image is created. The
open-source solution runs under Linux whereas the commercial solution runs
under Windows (applications in production) during backup and under Windows
Pre-boot Environment (proper version) during restoration.? The open-source solution has a horrible
end-user interface with many pages and hard-to-understand wording.? During recovery, figuring out which device
you want to backup to or restore from is difficult, because Linux has no
concept of drive letters.? You should
format the output media with a label that appears in the interface.? The label acts as your clue as to which
device is the backup device.? Open-source
is no-cost and there is no recourse if it fails. ?(Not that there is recourse should any
commercial solution fail.)? It is operating
system agnostic.? It properly restores a
Windows 7 hard disk. It probably works with any operating system.? Even Linux.
How Create a
Disk Image with CloneZilla
WARNING:? You must be very careful when choosing
a device to read from and to write to with CloneZilla.? The software has no way of knowing which hard
disk drive has which drive letter.
1. Gather these USB
drives:
a. CloneZilla boot drive.
b. Formatted, empty
USB drive to receive the image.? Label
this drive CreatedByLinux.
2. Unplug all USB
devices from the PC.
3. Insert the CloneZilla boot drive.
4. Reboot the PC
whose image is to be created.
5. Communicate with
BIOS or UEFI as required to boot from CloneZilla boot
drive.
6. Press ENTER on
each screen until you arrive at the Start CloneZilla
screen.
7. Choose Start CloneZilla mode.? Do
not choose Enter Shell mode.
8. See CloneZilla Open Source Clone
System screen.
The
CreatedByLinux label is created by you when
you format the output drive.? The label
will appear, truncated, within a message issued by CloneZilla
during a save or restore operation.
*CloneZilla is free (GPL) software, and
comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY*
///Hint!? From now on, if
multiple choices are available, you have to press space
key to mark your selection.? An asterisk
(*) will be shown when the selection is done///
Two modes are available, you can
1. clone/restore
a disk or partition using an image
2. disk
to disk or partition to partition clone/restore
Select mode:
1. device-image
work with disks or partitions using images
2. device-device
work directly from a disk or partition to a disk or partition
OK or Cancel
You
want device-image mode.? Press OK.
Mount CloneZilla image directory
Before cloning, you have to assign where
the CloneZilla image will be saved to or read from.
We will mount that device or remote resources as /home/partimag.?
The CloneZilla image will be saved to or
read from /home/partimag.
Select mode:
You
want local_dev Use local device (E.g.: hard drive,
USB drive)
(This
is more than a little confusing.? The
software indicates it wants you to specify the output device.)
OK or Cancel
You
want local_dev.?
Press OK.
Below
the CloneZilla image directory screen appears several
lines, as follows:
ocsroot
device is local_dev
Preparing the mount point /home/partimag?
If you want to use USB device as a CloneZilla
image repository, please
?
Insert USB device into this machine *now*
?
Wait for about 5 secs
?
Press Enter key
?
So that the OS can detect the USB device and later we can mount it
as /home/partimag.
Press Enter to continue.
The
software wants you plug in the USB drive that you previous formatted.? Linux will detect that you have done so if
you wait about five seconds.? Then press
Enter.? Notice that you have provided a
place for the image to go.
After
you press Enter several lines will appear that enumerate various partitions on
the various hard disk drives.? In Linux
these are named /dev/sda<n> where <n>
varies and are named /dev/sdc<n> where
<n> varies.
CloneZilla -
Opensource Clone System (OCS) | Mode:
Now we need to mount a device as /home/partimag
(CloneZilla image(s) repository) so that we can read
or save the image in /home/partimag.? ///NOTE/// You should NOT mount the partition
you want to backup as /home/partimag
The partition name is the device name in GNU/Linux.? The first partition in the first disk is? hda1? or? sda1?, the 2nd partition in the
first disk is? hda2? or? sda2?, the first partition in the second disk
is <hdb1> or <sdb1>.?? If the
system you want to save is MS windows, normally C: is
hda1 (for PATA) or sda1 (for PATA, SATA, or SCSI), and D: could be hda2 (or
sda2), hda5 (or sda5).
This is perfectly clear in an alternative universe.? You are specifying the output device.? Look at the various choices and select the
one that contains the name of the manufacturer of the output device.? For example:?
Sandisk.?
To help things along, you may see CreatedByLinux,
truncated, in one of the choices.? Pick
that one.
Press
OK.
CloneZilla -
Opensource Clone System (OCS)
Which directory is for the CloneZilla
image (only the first level of directories are shown,
and the CloneZilla image (i.e. directory) itself will
be excluded.? If there is a space in the
directory name, it will _NOT_ be shown.
Various
top-level directory names are shown.? I
recommend that you choose the root directory (i.e. the
slash).? It is shown as Top_directory_in_the_local_device.
Many
lines will appear followed by Press <Enter> to continue.
CloneZilla - Opensource
Clone System (OCS)
Choose the mode to run the following wizard about advanced
parameters:
I
recommend that you choose Beginner mode.?
Do not choose Expert mode.? Press
OK.
CloneZilla -
Opensource Clone System (OCS):? Select mode
This software will overwrite the data on your hard drive when
restoring!? It is recommended to backup
important files before restoring!***
///Hint! From now on, if multiple choices are available, you have to press space key to mark your selection.? An asterisk (*) will be shown when the
selection is done///
Choose
savedisk?
Save_local_disk_as_an_image.
Do
not choose saveparts
Save_local_partitions_as_an_image.
Press
OK.
CloneZilla -
Opensource Clone System (OCS):? savedisk
Input a name for the saved image to use
2022-02-23-05- img
Press OK.
This
is the output file.
CloneZilla -
Opensource Clone System (OCS):? savedisk
Choose local disk as source.
This disk name is the device name in GNU/Linux.
The first disk in the system is <had> or <sda>, the 2nd disk is <hdb>
or <sdb>? ?Press space key to mark your
selection.? An asterisk will be shown
when the selection is one.
[*] sda
250GB_ST250LT03-9YG14-ST250LT003-9YG14C_W0456VGT
This
is the input device.
Press
OK.
Choose if you want to check and repair the file system before saving
it.?
This option is only for certain file systems which are well
supported by fsck on GNU/Linux, like ext/3/4, reiserfs, xfs, jfs, vfat.? Not for NTFS, HFS*.
Choose
Skip checking/repairing source file system.
This
is because NTFS is the most popular file system for Windows 7.?
Press
OK.
CloneZilla
advanced extra parameters | Mode: savedisk
After the image is saved, do you want to check if the image is
restorable?? ///NOTE/// This action will
only check the image is restorable, and it will not write any data to the harddrive.
Choose
Yes, check the saved image
Press
OK.
CloneZilla
advanced extra parameters | Mode: savedisk
Do you want to encrypt the image?
If yes, eCryptfs program will be used to
encrypt the image.? It uses
industry-standard cryptographic ciphers, key generation, and passphrase
protection mechanisms.? Without your
salt/passphrase or private key, nobody will be able to retrieve your data.? //NOTE// You have to
remember the passphrase, otherwise the image will _NOT_ be usable in the
future.
Choose
Not to encrypt the image
Be
sure to put the output USB drive in the vault for safekeeping.? Press OK.
Are you sure you want to continue (y/n)
Press
y.? Press Enter.
If
your computer has multiple hard disk drives, it will probably be necessary to
repeat the entire process more than once.
This
was a long, long trip.? But finally, the
disk image starts being written to the output drive.
At
the end it becomes obvious that the work is done. You should reboot the
computer after removing both USB drives.
How to Use
MWE-PC-BACKUP-SERVICE
1.
The
purpose of the MWE-PC-BACKUP-SERVICE is to maintain current backups of files on
various computers.? It is configurable on
a computer-by-computer basis.? Some or all of the directories on each computer can be backed up to
a central computer.? The central computer
communicates with the client computers via the SMB protocol.? Design and implementation of this project
commenced in 2020 and ended in 2023.?
Copyright Mark Dana Rockman 2023.
2.
The Server
Message Block (SMB) Protocol is a network file sharing protocol, and as
implemented in Microsoft Windows is known as Microsoft SMB Protocol. The set of
message packets that defines a particular version of the protocol is called a
dialect. The Common Internet File System (CIFS) Protocol is a dialect of SMB.
3.
The central
computer (also known as The Server) exposes a single shared directory that is
visible to all client computers.? It is
expected that the single shared directory shall be located on a dedicated
RAID-1 hard disk drive pair of sufficient capacity to backup several computers
over a period time.? Someone will be
required to monitor unallocated space and remove redundant backups as required.
4.
Each month a
FULL backup is performed one time.? After
the FULL backup is performed INCREMENTAL backups are performed.? A FULL backup contains copies of most of the
files on the computer.? An INCREMENTAL
backup contains only those files that have been added or changed since the most
recent FULL backup (to include succeeding INCREMENTAL backups).? A file needing to be backed up is indicated
by the ARCHIVE bit being set in the file?s metadata. A successful backup clears
the ARCHIVE bit.
5.
A Windows service
runs in the background.? It is normally
invisible to the computer?s end user.? All
types of backup run during the period 0000-0600.? Outside that period, backups do not run to
ensure that end user activity can proceed without interference from the backup
service.? This is a matter of resource
utilization:? CPU time, I/O channel time,
application responsiveness.
6.
Installation of
MWE-PC-BACKUP-SERVICE is simple.? An
installation directory is provided to the system administrator. On the server,
on the capacious drive that hosts the backups, the system administrator shall
create a shared directory named
<driveletter>:\HHHHHH\MyBackups
The system
administrator launches an elevated command prompt.? Then the INSTALL.CMD script is run in the
shell.? A graphical user interface
appears as shown below.
7.
Under
Drive Letter to be backed up the system administrator selects a drive
letter from A to Z.? Usually drive letter
C is selected.? If additional drives are
to be backed up, they are listed under Additional Drive Letters without
commas, spaces, or other punctuation.? For
example, if drives C and F and H are to be backed up, the system administrator
highlights C under Drive Letter to be backed up and puts the string FH
in the text box under Additional Drive Letters.
8.
In
IP Address of Computer Hosting Backup Files, the system administrator
provides the IP address of the server.? Under
User Name the system administrator puts the account that has sufficient
privileges to support SMB.? Under Password
the system administrator puts the password that protects the account.? Under Backup Type the system
administrator selects the type of backup to be performed immediately.? Usually, a FULL backup is chosen after
MWE-PC-BACKUP-SERVICE is first installed.
9.
Once
a month a FULL backup is automatically performed.? At other times an INCREMENTAL backup is
performed.
10.
The
software depends on the computer being powered up between 0000-0600 as that is
when the backups are performed.? The end
user may tick the box labeled 24/7 Operation to override the 0000-0600
convention.? The computer user may experience difficulty getting work done when this option is
selected.
11.
Should
a backup be in progress, and the computer is restarted or powered off, then a
recovery process must be performed before additional backups can be created.? There is a maximum of one backup per calendar
day.? The recovery process locates the
point in the backup file where backing up ceased.? Then it eliminates any partial file and
stages extension at the point of interruption.?
12.
The
system administrator can monitor progress by inspecting the BACKUP-SERVICE
application log.? Go to Computer
Management/Windows Log/Event Viewer/Application.? Click on Filter Current Log.? Find BACKUP-SERVICE in the Event Sources
dropdown list.? Highlight it. Click OK.? The configuration directory is named C:\CONFIGFILE-U4syKL3SZaGc25gxe8n9.? A copy of the application log can be found in
the file MESSAGES.TXT in the aforementioned directory.
13.
The
system administrator can remove the service from any computer, on which it is
installed, by following the procedure outlined above for installation.? Run the UNINSTALL.CMD script rather than the
INSTALL.CMD script.? It may be desirable
to remove backup files from the backup directory after the UNINSTALL.CMD script
is successfully completed.
14.
Periodic
maintenance of the backup directory should be done to ensure there is backup capacity at all times.
15.
Restoration
of files from the backup directory requires the system administrator to execute
the GROWLER-X.EXE utility program.? The
system administrator provides the name of the backup directory and the name of
a directory to receive the recovered files.?
Also required is the Computer Name.?
The aforementioned utility program must merge
INCREMENTAL with FULL backups to recover the latest revision of every file.? It is important that any computer that is
running the service maintains an accurate clock.? The KEEPCLOCKUPDATED service is available to
ensure the computer remains synchronized with Coordinated Universal Time.? Windows enforces a limit of about 250
characters in filenames.? Restoration of
a file can be disrupted when this limit is exceeded.
16.
There
is no backup provided for any files in these directories:? %windir%, Program
Files, Program Files(x86).? Also, System
and Hidden files are neither backed up nor restored.? Access Control Lists and metadata (except for
timestamps) are not saved nor are they restored.
Automated
Backup Service
Installation
Instructions
Find <drive-letter>:\Release
Plug a USB drive into
<source-PC>.
Copy the directory
<drive-letter>:\Release (and its contents) to a
USB drive directory <drive-letter>:\Release
Plug the USB drive into
the <destination-PC>.
Copy the <drive-letter>:\Release directory to some out-of-way place on the PC.
Remove the USB device.
Then run the following
script in an elevated command prompt:
<drive-letter>:
cd \Release
call .\INSTALL.CMD
You tell your computer operators to back up their computers on a
regular basis.? They have higher
priorities.? So, it doesn?t get
done.? You even provide a capacious file
server where their important files can be saved.? It goes unused.? PC-BACKUP-SERVICE is the solution.? Each computer that
requires backing up runs this service.?
The first time it runs, every file, except system and hidden files (and
those files that are inaccessible), is saved to the file server.? On subsequent days, new files and changed
files are saved to the file server.? If,
as was the case in my work environment, a hard disk drive takes a powder and
cannot be recovered, you can recover the files to a brand-new disk drive using
Growler-X.? Each time the month changes
(e.g., from January to February) a FULL backup is automatically done.
The service is simple to install.?
Launch a command line prompt as Administrator.? Make the current working directory the
Release directory of the Visual Studio solution.? Launch the Install.cmd script. The first task
is to configure the service.? The
PC-CONFIGURATOR is an application that allows you to specify which drives on
this computer to back up.? The first time
you run the configurator, you want to tick the FULL radio button.? You specify logon credentials for the
server.? Press CREATE.? A configuration file appears in C:\ CONFIGFILE-U4syKL3SZaGc25gxe8n9.
Further on in the Install script the service is installed and started.? Backing up usually commences
immediately.? Remember to keep your PC
powered on after installation and during the period in which the FULL backup is
completed.? You can monitor progress by
examining the file C:\ CONFIGFILE-U4syKL3SZaGc25gxe8n9\Configfile.txt.? When the second line changes from FULL to
INCREMENTAL, or vice versa, you are free to turn your PC off. If you turn it
off during the FULL backup, when the PC is turned back on, any defect in the
backup will be removed.? Then FULL backup
resumes from the beginning once the date changes.
A defect refers to damage done to the backup file when either the
client or the server reboots during a backup.?
There will usually be a partial file backup at the tail end of the
backup file.? Also, there is a hard EOF
at the end of the file.? A completed
backup file has a soft end-of-file marker.?
The remedy for a defective backup is to find the partial backup and
remove it. This is time consuming but necessary to avoid a corruption event
during file restoration.? Defect removal
is automatic for backup files created today, yesterday, and a few days
before.? There is a list of files for
which it has been determined that there is no defect.
For reasons that would become apparent to users of an early version
of this software, the hard work of creating backups occurs between the hours of
midnight to 0600.? It is assumed that the
user leaves the PC powered on at all times and that
the user is not trying to do productive work in the interval 0000-0600.? Backing up and defect removal occurs at other
times of the day but in such a way that productive use of the PC is not
impacted.
A cyclic redundancy check is applied to each backed up file.? The CRC more or less
guarantees that restored files differ not a single bit from what was
backed up.? The file length is also
checked. The three metadata dates (creation time, modify time, access time) are
restored by GROWLER-X. Odd attributes such as READONLY are not restored.? Occasionally Windows will obstruct such
restoration.? But file text is not
impacted.? Applications in C:\Program
Files and its brother are not saved or restored.? The operating system in C:\Windows is not
saved or restored.? Nor the paging file.
Once the FULL backup has been created, except for monthly FULL
backups, only INCREMENTAL backups are created.?
Here is a File Explorer display that shows the result of backing up:
The System Administrator is required to provide ample storage
capacity on the file server.? She will
have to create a shared directory called HHHHHH that contains a directory
called MyBackups.?
That?s where the backup files go.
You can recover files from the MyBackup directory by using the
Growler-X tool.? Just launch Growler-X,
answer the questions, and wait.? Since
storage capacity is not infinite, it is recommended that a system administrator
periodically consolidates the backup files to remove redundant and superseded
data.? Growler-X is meticulous about
preserving timestamp metadata.? File
attributes are not preserved.? These
include attributes such as READONLY and access control lists.
Development of this tool took eight months.? When in the midst of
backing up, it may occur that the file server goes offline.? Recovery is complicated.? There is the expected task of reconnecting to
the file server.? This entails the use of
a pair of Win32 methods that don?t appear in the .NET Framework.? The first method tries to delete the useless
drive letter that (formerly) mapped to the shared directory on the file server
where the backups are stored.? The method
often reports a spurious and meaningless error.?
The second method creates the? network drive? which maps a drive
letter to the aforementioned shared directory.?
That call is successful once the file server is back online, which
generally follows a reboot.? And then
there is the remnant and incomplete backup file.? The backup file contains images of many files
from the PC being backed up.? Each image
has a prefix and a postfix.? The prefix
names the file and contains these metadata:?
creation timestamp, access timestamp, modify timestamp, and byte
length.? The postfix contains a cyclic
redundancy check (CRC).? The CRC is used
to guarantee the validity of the image.?
To avoid two passes of each backed up file, the postfix follows the
coded file image.? An incomplete image
does not contain a postfix.? Backups are
created all the time but especially in the period 0000-0600. Once a backup is
completed, the service enters the idle loop awaiting a date change.? Every backup filename contains a date.? To prevent overwriting today?s backup during
recovery from a file server outage, the incomplete backup defect is removed and further work is delayed until midnight. At
midnight the date changes and, thus, the filename changes.
Windows does not do timesharing.?
One application can easily monopolize the PC to the detriment of other
processes.? An I/O bound process is
especially prone to getting all the CPU time that it wants.? Thus, an I/O completion is followed by a tiny
bit of CPU time to get the next read or write started immediately. The service
inserts timed waits at appropriate points to give other processes a chance to
progress.? This is especially done
outside the period 0000-0600.?
?
MWE-PC-BACKUP-SERVICE
Operating Instructions
1. Assuming the
software has been previously installed, the first step is to halt it.? The Release directory, which has been
provided to you, contains a script XSTOP.CMD.?
You should create the directory C:\MWE-PC-BACKUP-SERVICE and populate
it.? You should launch a Command Line
Prompt in privileged mode.? Now you can
make sure MWE-PC-BACKUP-SERVICE is not running by entering CD
C:\MWE-PC-BACKUP-SERVICE and then typing XSTOP.CMD.
2. The next step is
to remove a prior release of MWE-PC-BACKUP-SERVICE. Launch the Command Line
Prompt in privileged mode.? Make the
current working directory C:\MWE-PC-BACKUP-SERVICE.? Then type UNINSTALL.CMD. There may be some
pauses in the script.? When they occur
simply press Enter to continue the script.
3. For insurance
that every accessible file is backed up, you should set the Archive bit in the
metadata of every file that is not System or Hidden.? You do this by launching the Command Line
Prompt in privileged mode.? Then type
Attributes C:\ SET.? You must do this for
every drive that you intend to backup through automation.
4. A previous
configuration file may exist.? You may
(your option) delete the file
C:\CONFIGFILE-U4syKL3SZaGc25gxe8n9\CONFIGFILE.TXT.
5. Next, install
the software.? Launch the Command Line
Prompt in privileged mode and set the current working directory as before.? Then launch the script INSTALL.CMD.? The configuration tool appears.? Fill it out and press CREATE.? The SAMPLE button will help you fill it
out.? Your task is to enter the correct password.? If a previous configuration file exists (you
did not delete it, for example) the form will be populated using data therein
contained.
6. There will be
several pauses in the script.? Just press
Enter as necessary.?
The
software is now installed and started.?
It shall run continuously.? Its
first task is the massive creation of a complete backup copy of every file on
the drive that you specified.? (Some
files are never backed up because they are installed by Microsoft or by 3rd
party software developers when software is installed.) On subsequent days only
those files that are brand new or changed will be backed up.? Backing up consumes significant PC
resources.? To avoid you having to get
work done while competing with the backup service, the backup service runs full
tilt between midnight and six a.m.?
(0000-0600). At other times it waits for midnight to roll around or runs
really slow.? Because an incomplete
backup cannot be properly reconstructed by GROWLER-X, the service detects an
incomplete backup when it starts and removes it.? GROWLER-X also removes an incomplete backup
when it finds one.? The backup service requires
your PC to be turned on and the file server to be turned on between midnight
and six a.m.
Format of the
Configuration File
<drive>[<drive>,<drive>, ]|<IP Address of File
Server>|<username>|<password>
FULL
How
to Set the Current Working Directory
In
the command line prompt enter these commands:
<drive>:
CD
\<name-of-directory>
How
to Create A Command Line Prompt Icon and Launch A
Command Line Prompt in Privileged Mode
If
there is not already an icon on the desktop that launches the Command Line
Prompt, you should create one. Right click a blank spot on the Desktop.? Click New.?
Click Shortcut.? In the box that
is labeled? Type
the location of the item. -- enter this:?
CMD.? Click Next.? Click Finish.?
To launch the Command Line Prompt in privileged mode, follow these
steps:? Right-click the new icon.? Click Run as Administrator.? Click Yes.?
How
to Delete A File
erase
<name-of-file>
What
To Do When The Service?
Gets Stuck?
Enter
the following command in a privileged command prompt:
taskkill /f /pid? <Process-Identifier>
Example:
taskkill /f /pid 54068
You
are able to obtain the <Process-Identifier> from
the task manager under the services tab.
Growler-X
Growler-X is the application that recovers backups that have
been created by the PC-BACKUP-SERVICE.?
Here is an exhibit that depicts how you start Growler-X.
?
A list of unrecovered files can be created if you want one.? See below for an explanation.
?Name of directory to receive recovered files? is entered by the end
user.? We call this directory ?J:\RecoveredFiles?.
When you have previously run Growler-X the answers to the questions will
have been stored to save you from having to reenter them.? When one or more of the parameters for the
present execution is different from the parameters of the previous execution
then you should answer D to ignore the persisted parameters.? Otherwise, answer P.
There will be zero or more backup files on the server organized into
sets.? There is a set of backup files for
each computer that has backups.? Within
that set is a set of backup files for each drive letter.? A backup file is named according to the
corresponding backed up computer and according to the relevant drive letter on
that computer.?
All backup files for all drive letters for all computers are stored on a
file server.? A shared directory named
\HHHHHH\MyBackups contains all the backup files.? The end user is free to copy the contents of
\HHHHHH\MyBackups elsewhere.? Perhaps it would be convenient to place the
backups on an external hard disk drive.?
Suppose you place the backup files in this directory:? K:\OurBackups.? That will be referenced below.
Suppose you want to restore files from a Windows computer whose name is
MARVIN.? Answer MARVIN when you are asked
to ?Enter name of computer being recovered from backup files.?
A ?clean file list? is kept for every computer that enjoys being backed
up.? PC-BACKUP-SERVICE enters
into the clean file list the name of every complete backup file.? An incomplete backup file is one that is
improperly closed.? For example, a backup
file that is being created may be incomplete because of a network failure,
because the computer being backed up was rebooted, or because the server was
rebooted.? You can choose to recover from
an incomplete backup by answering the appropriate question.? Normally you want to recover only from
complete backup files.? Otherwise, you
risk restoring corrupt data or there will be files missing.
Several files from a computer being backed up will be recoverable from
each backup file on the server.? (The
actual number of such files may be in the thousands.)? Each recovered file is checked for correct
length and for a correct cyclic-redundancy-check (CRC).? The CRC guarantees that recovered files are
not corrupt.
Suppose you are restoring drives C and D from MARVIN.? In J:\RecoveredFiles there shall be a C
directory and a D directory.? Subordinate
to C and D shall be the recovered directories and their corresponding files.? There are several standard Windows
directories that are never backed up by PC-BACKUP-SERVICE.? These include ?\Windows? ?\Program Files? and
?\Program Files (x86)?.
Growler-X reads through each backup file in K:\OurBackups in no particular order.?
Each backed up file is marked with metadata that includes the date and
time of the most recent modification.?
The intent is for Growler-X to provide the end user with the most recent
modification of every restored file.
During normal operations you can create a text file that names every file
on a computer.? Use the ?getfiles? EditTechnology command.? When Growler-X completes, and you specified
that you want an unrecovered file list, then such a file will exist.? The name of the file is "C:\Users\Public\UnRecoveredFileList.txt".? This feature gives you some idea of which of
your favorite files are not recoverable from K:\OurBackups.
Windows
11
In October 2021 I adopted Windows 11 on my main production workstation.? There are two workstations and two domain
controllers on my LAN.? Both workstations
are joined to the domain.? How to join a
Windows 11 workstation to a domain It isn?t easy.? The secret is to navigate to the About
section of Settings (formerly Control Panel).?
On the About page is Domain or Workgroup which you can tap or click to
join a domain.
Next on our hit parade is a communications failure between the domain controllers and the workstations.? There may be a problem with a Norton security
product which I uninstalled to debug this issue.? A ping produced an error message no matter
what.? I found the Microsoft Windows
Defender Firewall, Domain Section, was on full blast.? I turned it off, thereby exposing my LAN to
all manner of criminal attempts to steal software and/or install ransomware.? But that configuration change caused pings to
start answering. The more the market offers features and products that do things
for security reasons, the more ordinary program behavior get falsely labeled as
probable malware. The Internet was invented by the War Department to route
electronic messages around nuked population centers.? It does not feature useful diagnostic
messages when routing fails.
When you right-click the taskbar you are NOT given the option to close all
the windows on the desktop in order to view the
desktop.? You do see an extensive menu.? You now move the cursor to the extreme bottom
right whereupon Show Desktop appears.? Also,
where is the link to task manager?? It?s
gone.? But you can put its icon on the
taskbar.
Simplest
Send Email from Web Form
I have not found documentation on this technique, although it probably
exists somewhere.? The idea is to let the
browser call itself with a specially-crafted URL that contains all of the form
contents.? The browser then invokes a
convenient email client with most of the text boxes filled in and all of the
body filled in with form contents.
<form
action="MAILTO:genericuser@gmail.com" method="post" enctype="text/plain">
<INPUT
TYPE="submit" VALUE="--OK--">
Convert
from MBR to GPT
This is an essay on putting a PC on a path to The Future.? Windows 11 is the ultra-secure, next generation
release of Windows 10.? Microsoft has
decided to mandate TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to thwart various exploits that
allow malware to wreak havoc on PCs.? Hard
disk drives (HDD) are configured with partitions.? Partitions are individual areas of writable
space.? Partitions are described in a
partition table that resides inside a certain area of an HDD that also contains
a bootstrap loader for an operating system.?
IBM invented the Master Boot Record (MBR).? Industry found the need to redesign the MBR
because disk capacity increased as technology advanced.? And there were certain other inconvenient
limitations of the MBR.? The Globally
Unique Identifier Partition Table (GUID Partition Table or GPT) is the
redesigned Master Boot Record.? One must
jump through flaming hoops to change a PC from what is called the legacy format
to the new format.? A PC that sports a
GPT must also use the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) which is the
redesignated redesigned Basic Input/Output System (BIOS).? Without UEFI one cannot have Secure Boot and
Trusted Computing Platform 2.0.?
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/mbr-to-gpt
I found this document (see link above).?
The end user can convert the system hard disk drive from MBR to GPT
format by using a utility program calling MBR2GPT that is shipped with Windows
10 (later releases).? No file loss.? Some limitations which MBR2GPT checks for.? An example:?
More than 3 partitions? That stops conversion cold A special option (allowFullOS) must be used when MBR2GPT is run on a
production Windows 10 system.? If this
step is successful then it becomes necessary to reboot
to the PC?s native operating system.? In
the Dell environment, one presses the F2 key at the Dell logo to enter the BOOT
configuration screen. The PC firmware is then instructed to use Unified
Extensible Firmware Interface which is happy to deal with GPT format hard disk
drives. Any options that sport the word Legacy must be disabled. Once Windows
10 boots into UEFI it is possible to enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot.? It appears that Secure Boot can be enabled or
disabled at your pleasure.? TPM 2.0 comes
along for the ride.? You can check to see
if TPM 2.0 is provided in the hardware.? Go
to Device Manager and find Security Hardware.
mbr2gpt /allowFullOS /convert
Using
PowerShell to Download (Not Play) an Audio File
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = "tls12, tls11, tls"
$source = 'https://www.virginiavoice.org/audio/1501.mp3'
$destination = 'C:\MWE\1501.mp3'
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $source -Outfile $destination
$source = 'https://www.virginiavoice.org/audio/1502.mp3'
$destination = 'C:\MWE\1502.mp3'
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $source -Outfile $destination
$source = 'https://www.virginiavoice.org/audio/1503.mp3'
$destination = 'C:\MWE\1503.mp3'
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $source -Outfile $destination
$source = 'https://www.virginiavoice.org/audio/1504.mp3'
$destination = 'C:\MWE\1504.mp3'
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $source -Outfile $destination
$source = 'https://www.virginiavoice.org/audio/1505.mp3'
$destination = 'C:\MWE\1505.mp3'
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $source -Outfile $destination
The first line informs PowerShell which protocol variant to use.? We know PowerShell is playing the role of a
web browser, such as Microsoft Edge.? The
problem is that we are using port 443 instead of port 80.? So, the hypertext transfer protocol is secure.
There are old versions of the secure variant and new versions.? PowerShell will pick the one that doesn?t
work and then report failure.? It does
not suggest a solution.? The first line
informs PowerShell to try several variants.?
Apparently, this problem has been fixed in Windows releases that include
an updated PowerShell.
Microsoft Store advertises the availability for download of PowerShell.? It does not provide installation media.? It installs PowerShell at its option.? It may or may not do so.
Publish
Software For The Masses Document
The PublishSoftwareForTheMassesDocument
application moves this document from a directory on a workstation to the
network server where you can bring it up on your browser.? The URL is www.mdrsesco.biz/.? Writing the computer program (the app or
application) was challenging but worth the effort.? It complies with technical document RFC959
which is available for viewing at https://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc959/.
There exists an application that transfers a Word document of the
type htm and the accompanying image files such as the
ones shown below.? Research has shown, as
has experience, that the class system.Net.FtpWebRequest contains all the functions necessary to
transfer a binary file from the local computer to a remote server.? This avoids all the complexity and odd
behavior entailed in writing novel code that implements the FTP RFC from
scratch.
Disappointly, Microsoft realized that the class does
not work properly.? Worse, Microsoft
management decided to deprecate it while leaving the documentation in place.
They added the following paragraph:
We
don't recommend that you use the FtpWebRequest
class for new
development. For more information and alternatives to FtpWebRequest
, see WebRequest shouldn't be
used
on GitHub.
Attributes
The format of the command is:
Attributes <name-of-directory>? [SET | CLEAR]
The command sets or clears the Archive bit in all
of the files contained within the stated directory.? A comprehensive report is produced.? When you do not specify SET or CLEAR, no
change of attribute occurs, but a comprehensive report is produced.
CAMO
CAMO is a tool that reports, in sorted order, the names of files in a
directory (datasets in a folder).? You
can sort by size and by date.? There are
three kinds of dates:? date the file was
created, date the file was most recently accessed, and date the file was most
recently written to.
Downdater
for Windows PC
The longest common subsequence (LCS) problem is the problem of
finding the longest subsequence common to all sequences in a set of sequences
(often just two sequences). It differs from problems of
finding common substrings: unlike substrings, subsequences are not required to
occupy consecutive positions within the original sequences. The longest common
subsequence problem is a classic computer science problem, the basis of data
comparison programs such as the diff utility, and has
applications in bioinformatics. It is also widely used by revision control
systems such as Git for reconciling multiple changes made to a
revision-controlled collection of files. [DOWN]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest_common_subsequence_problem
A downdater is a text file comparison
program.? It produces from similar inputs
(2 files) a differences file (1 file) that can be applied to the A file to
produce the? B file.? Differences are denoted
???? -N
???? -N,M
The lines that follow N are inserted after line N in file A.? The lines that follow N,M
are inserted in place of lines N through M in file? A.
You can compare two files with DOWN by using the following syntax:
???? DOWN
<name-of-file-A> <name-of-file-B> <differences-file>
You can compare files in corresponding directories with the following
syntax:
???? DOWN
<name-of-directory-A> <name-of-directory-B>
<differences-file>
When comparing directories, the various difference files are
separated with a record of the form:
???? *<name-of-file>
Note that only certain source code and symbolic files are eligible
for comparison. A complete list is available if you send a stamped,
self-addressed envelope to the author.
A better way to compare an old folder containing symbolic files with
an updated version of the same folder involves a special call to DOWN, followed
by execution of a skeleton, followed by execution of a BAT script that calls
DOWN repeatedly to create several differences files rather than the single such
file that otherwise is produced.? The
syntax of the special call is
DOWN
*<name-of-older-folder> <name-of-newer-folder>
<name-of-new-differences-folder>
Notice the asterisk that comes before <name-of-older-folder.? This signifies that DOWN is to produce an SSG
skeleton in the new-differences-file together with an SGS file to be used with
the skeleton.? The skeleton, in
conjunction with the stream generation statements, produces a CMD script that
builds a DifferencesFolder inside the new-differences
folder.? Only those folder pairs that
exist and exhibit differences end up in the DifferencesFolder.?
Example:? Run DOWN
*first-directory second-directory directory-to-place-skeleton.? Then CD to directory-to-place-skeleton and
type RUN.BAT.? This launches a lengthy
DOS script that repeatedly calls DOWN to construct a DifferencesFolder,
which see.? As part of this mechanism,
the tree structures of the first-named directories are compared and differences
reported, if any.? This operation
requires that you have installed the Symbolic Stream Generator (SSG).
A fourth argument on the command line is optional and may be N or R.? You can suppress the Directory Structure
Examiner with the N option.? You can
reverse the order of the first two arguments with the R option.
The option -LongRunning may appear anywhere
on the command line to enable comparisons that exceed 15,000 lines.? Run times can be exceedingly long when the
number of lines is exceedingly great.? Run
times are O(n2) where n is the number of lines in the longest file.
SIRASM2 takes the output of DOWN and applies it to what is called a
base text file to produce an updated text file.?
For example, suppose the base file is
A
B
C
And the updated file is
A
4
C
Then DOWN will produce the following differences file
-2,2
4
The command
SIRASM2 base diff updated
reproduces the updated file given only the base file and the
differences file.? [SIRASM2]
Here is a sample of real-world output.? The asterisk record signifies the following
difference records apply to the named file.
Suppose you have a directory (call it Sam) that is populated with
project directories.? Each project
directory represents a Visual Studio solution to a different problem.? You maintain current and backup copies of Sam.? You work on improving a solution and wonder
what changes you ended up making.? Knowing
what changes you made can be helpful when you get
around to altering the documentation to reflect the changes.? It can be helpful in detecting mistakes.? It can be helpful when you need to create two
similar solutions that contain exactly the differences you want.? Here is a command file for doing a massive
comparison of Sam with one of its backups:
1. C:
2.
CD \Users\Public
3. DELTREE .\LSA
4. MKDIR LSA
5. CD LSA
6. DOWN *U:\ C:\CSOFTWARE F60
7. CD \Users\Public\LSA\F60
8. .\RUN.CMD
9. CD \Users\Public\LSA\F60\DifferencesFolder
10.
ERASE
.\DifferencesFolder.TXT
The command file RUN.CMD is generated by DOWN.EXE.? It invokes the Symbolic Stream Generator that
sequentially calls DOWN.EXE for corresponding files in Sam and its backup.? In the end you get a directory named DifferencesFolder that contains one directory for each
solution that has undergone non-trivial changes.? Crystal_DOWN is an
application that produces a report from a single entry in DifferencesFolder.
Such an entry corresponds to a Visual Studio solution as previously mentioned.? The OUT.CMD file produced by RUN.CMD contains
one commented-out command line for each folder produced by OUT.CMD.? You can uncomment one of the lines and launch
it to obtain a report that shows the source lines that the correction file
deletes.? These lines are prefixed with
six asterisks.? If application A contains
source files B, C, and D then the correction file will contain a subset of
corrections separated with star cards for B, C, and D.
KSIRASM is the updated release of SIRASM2.? The directory that is generated by DOWN, when
the first command line argument is prefixed with an asterisk, can become input
to KSIRASM.?
KSIRASM?s command line format is:?
KSIRASM <base-directory> <PCF-directory>
<updated-base-directory>
Each directory one level below the <base-directory> is a Visual
Studio project.? In the subordinate tree
is source code that KSIRASM will locate and apply the corrections that exist in
corresponding entries in <PCF-directory> to produce the <updated-base-directory).?
Projects 1.0 and 2.0:
The BAG project contains one file (FLOWER.TXT).? The revision 1.0 resides in the directory
A0.? The revision 2.0 resides in
directory A1.? The DOWN application is
commanded to compare all the symbolic files in A0 with those in A1.? DOWN generates a script in the file
RUN.CMD.? Input to SSG is the skeleton
(an SSG application) which resides in SKEL.TXT; the data that the skeleton
analyzes resides in SGSSES.TXT.
The RUN.CMD script is shown below.?
Notice that it launches the Symbolic Stream Generator application.? ASCIIFY is an application that converts the
symbolic output of SSG from Unicode to ASCII. The legacy shell does not handle
Unicode.
It produces the directory DifferencesFolder,
with one subordinate directory per project.?
In this example, there is one project (BAG).? In BAG.TXT are the lines that, when applied,
change the 1.0 source code to 2.0 source code.
The source code in FLOWER.TXT is ABCDEF in revision 1.0 and 123456 in
revision 2.0.? The correction image
*FLOWER.TXT directs that FLOWER.TXT is to be revised.? The correction image -1,6 directs that lines
1 through 6 in revision 1.0 shall be replaced by the images that follow.? Thus, ABCDEF becomes 123456.
Next, KSIRASM is launched to apply the correction lines that were
produced by DOWN to upgrade 1.0 to 2.0.?
KSIRASM takes the following arguments on the command line:
1.
The directory where the 1.0 base code resides.
2.
The directory where the correction lines created by DOWN were placed.
3.
The directory where the 2.0 base code is placed.
Notice that there may be several projects.? In this example there is only one project:
BAG.
A script is created (C:\Users\Public\KSIRASM.CMD) that revises the
source code files in the 1.0 project directory thereby upgrading 1.0 to
2.0.? Running the script is
optional.? And you would have to
recompile.
SSG (Symbolic Stream Generator) is an app that
compiles a program called a?
skeleton? and simultaneously compiles a text file that is
populated with Stream Generation Statements (SGSes).? The skeleton contains the logic.? The SGSes contain
the data.? The program creates a text
file in accordance with directives in the SGSes.? SSG is a handy tool when you want to
generate, for example, a lengthy program structure (e.g.
a case statement for incorporation within a C++ or C# app) based on a list of
things.? I have used it many times for
that purpose.? But SSG is
capable of doing more complex things.?
For example, a commercial software publisher uses it to generate MXML,
the language of Adobe Flex, to produce web apps that allow end users to enjoy a
Rich Internet Experience.? The SGSes describe what the page or pages are supposed to look like and the skeleton transforms the description into
exactly the right MXML for the purpose.? You
can RTFM at http://www.mdrsesco.biz/SSGManual.htm.
There is a tiny feature added in 2020 that allows you generate an
integer with leading zeroes.? The notation
[*<variable>] generates the variable length substring representation of
the integer stored in <variable>.? The
new feature allows you specify a fixed field width.? There will be leading zeroes to make the
field the same width for all integers.? The
additional syntax is [*<variable>:<field-width>]. Example: [*Z]
becomes [*Z:2] which specifies that the edited field is two characters in
length with a possible leading zero. [SSG]
????????????????????????????????????????
ExFTP
FTP is File Transfer Protocol. ExFTP is an
application that allows you to send a file to or receive a file from an FTP
server.
Remote site address is the IP address of FTP
server.? Local filename is the fully-qualified filename on the PC that is running ExFTP that shall send from or receive to the contents of
the file.? Remote filename is the short
filename on the FTP server that is the source of data or the destination for
data depending on whether Receive is checked or Send
is checked, respectively.? The S button
is to be pressed to transfer the short filename (no drive letter, no
backslashes) to Remote filename.? FSERV
sets the Remote site address to the MDRSESCO local FTP server.? ADC sets the Remote site address to the
MDRSESCO other local FTP server.? DiscountASP sets the Remote site address to MDRSESCO
subscription service ISP file server.? Tech
Road sets the Remote site address to the MDRSESCO client?s file server.? Remote site username is part of the
credentials required to login to the selected FTP server.? Remote site password is part of the
credentials required to login to the selected FTP server.? The GO button is pressed when all of the text boxes have been properly filled in.
LAUNCH
The Windows Registry is a junk drawer (a database divided into hives)
of parameters that govern the behavior of the Windows operating system and
various applications.? One of the
parameters allows you to specify an application, script, or other thing that
can be launched after an end user has entered valid credentials.? NETPLWIZ is a Microsoft application that
ships with Windows that allows the end user to specify the logon credentials
such that logon occurs automatically following a reboot.? Once the desktop becomes visible, after a
reboot, the LAUNCH application will instruct Windows to start an application or
a script.? This is done via the Registry.? LAUNCH should be executed from a non-elevated
command line.? In other words, LAUNCH
should be run under a user account other than Administrator.?
Syntax:? LAUNCH <label> <file-to-launch>
The label should be a unique alphanumeric string.? The file-to-launch should identify an EXE
file or a CMD or BAT file.? LAUNCH
verifies the existence of the file.?
Example:? LAUNCH? PRIME95? C:\$001\PRIME95.EXE
Successful completion is obvious.?
At the next logon, the PRIME95.EXE application will be Windows?s
responsibility to launch.? You can remove
a previously entered Registry entry by providing only the label.
Example:? LAUNCH? PRIME95
From
AUTOMATION to DARTH
From AUTOMATION to DARTH is a practical end user interface which is
used at a radio reading service for the blind.?
The service broadcasts constantly.?
There is a daily live broadcast of the local newspaper.? There are many broadcasts pre-recorded for
later broadcast.? There are broadcasts
that originate in a similar service in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Twin Cities
emissions are relayed from a satellite and broadcast, as usual, on a local
PBS-affiliated FM radio station.? Special
radio receivers are needed for blind subscribers to receive the service, which
is on a sub-channel of the aforementioned FM radio
station.? Sometimes a recorded radio
broadcast is to be made available to clients of the DIAL-IN Service.? Blind subscribers can browse newspapers using
DTMF telephones.? To move a recorded
radio broadcast to the DIAL-IN service all one has to
do is copy a WAV file from the SCA radio station AUTOMATION computer to the
DIAL-IN Service computer.? To make this
so easy that a child can do it, Mark Rockman designed and implemented this
end-user interface.? Policy dictates that
lengthy programs be divided into two parts.?
There is a checkbox for that.
Directory
Sizes (dirx)
From the command line, enter dirx
<name-of-directory>.? Each
directory in the named directory is inspected for the files that it contains
and for the files in the directories that it contains, recursively.? Reported is the total size in bytes of all
the files in the named directory.
Grid
Binding for the Web and for the PC
For the Web:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
public partial class _Default : System.Web.UI.Page
{
? protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
? {
? System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionStringBuilder
builder = new System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionStringBuilder();
? builder["Data Source"] =
"(local)";
? builder["User ID"] = "sa";
? builder["Password"] = "123456";
?? ?system.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection sqlConnection1 =
new System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection(builder.ConnectionString);
? System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand
cmd = new System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand();
? cmd.CommandType
= System.Data.CommandType.Text;
? cmd.Connection =
sqlConnection1;
? cmd.Connection.Open();
? cmd.CommandText
= "USE MWEDatabase;";
? int nonqueryResult = cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();
? SqlConnection sqlConnection
= sqlConnection1;
? SqlCommand sqlCommand
= new SqlCommand( "SELECT * FROM Customers", sqlConnection);
? SqlDataReader reader = sqlCommand.ExecuteReader();
? GridView1.DataSource = reader;
? GridView1.DataBind();
? }
}
For the PC:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
namespace BindQueryToGridWinForms
{
? public partial class Form1 : Form
? {
? public Form1()
? {
? InitializeComponent();
? System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionStringBuilder
builder = new System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionStringBuilder();
? builder["Data Source"] =
"(local)";
? builder["User ID"] = "sa";
? builder["Password"] = "123456";
? System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection
sqlConnection1 = new System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection(builder.ConnectionString);
? System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand
cmd = new System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand();
? cmd.CommandType
= System.Data.CommandType.Text;
? cmd.Connection =
sqlConnection1;
? cmd.Connection.Open();
? cmd.CommandText
= "USE MWEDatabase;";
? int nonqueryResult = cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();
? cmd.CommandText
= "SELECT * FROM Customers";
? SqlDataAdapter dataAdapter
= new SqlDataAdapter(cmd.CommandText, cmd.Connection);
? SqlCommandBuilder commandBuilder
= new SqlCommandBuilder(dataAdapter);
? // Populate a new data table and bind it to the BindingSource.
? DataTable table = new DataTable();
?? ?table.Locale = System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture;
? dataAdapter.Fill(table);
? BindingSource dbBindSource
= new BindingSource();
? dbBindSource.DataSource = table;
? DataGridView dbGridView
= dataGridView1;
? // Resize the DataGridView columns to fit
the newly loaded content.
? dbGridView.AutoResizeColumns(DataGridViewAutoSizeColumnsMode.AllCellsExceptHeader);
? // you can make it grid readonly.
? dbGridView.ReadOnly = true;
? // finally bind the data to the grid
? dbGridView.DataSource = dbBindSource;
? }
? }
}
Creating
a Word List Using the Text Editor
Here?s the result of combining three applications to build
and maintain a list of words gleaned from newspaper articles.? The text editor tokenizes lines of text
(isolates words) producing a text file. An existing text file of alphabetized
words (no repeats) is combined (using cat) with the newly gleaned words.? Text editor alphabetizes the combination.? The File Comparator (DOWN) shows you the
location and value of each added word.? Finally the combined list is saved.
The shell script:
C:
cd \Words-EN
ed text.txt task1.txt
C:
cd \Words-EN
cat Words.txt unique-tokens.txt merged-tokens.txt
C:
cd \Words-EN
ed merged-tokens.txt task2.txt
down Words.txt merged-tokens.txt diff.txt
type diff.txt
The word extractor:
tokenize
sort
unique
w unique-tokens.txt
The list combiner:
sort
unique
exit
Here?s a list of newly added words:
-220
alphabetized
alphabetizes
-1264
combination
-1266
combining
-1302
comparator
-2944
gleaned
-3624
isolates
-3995
location
-4079
maintain
-4483
newly
-4486
newspaper
-5859
saved
-6912
Tokenizes
Text
Editor (ED)
There follows a description of what is nominally a text editor.? It is that and more.? [EditTechnology]
A Partial
List of Rockman's Text Editor Commands
v
ace
v
add
v
annuity
v
append
v
asga
v
asgax
v
attrib
v
begin
v
bmi
v
breakup
v
bt
v
camo
v
cd
v
change
v
climit
v
close
v
columnblank
v
combine
v
commands
v
copy
v
copychg
v
cpumask
v
crp
v
cwd
v
datefix
v
dcopy
v
delete
v
deleteafter
v
dhold
v
dirsize
v
dnext
v
dse
v
dup
v
easter
v
egl
v
ej
v
eject
v
elname
v
erl
v
excelhelper
v
exist
v
extract
v
f1
v
filecompare
v
find
v
flist
v
free
v
gather
v
getfilenames
v
getfiles
v
getshort
v
ghp
v
gl
v
goadmin
v
goto
v
head
v
hlbl
v
hold
v
ibefore
v
ident
v
insert
v
inuse
v
isadmin
v
isprivil
v
kill
v
last
v
lgoff
v
lizard
v
locate
v
ls
v
mdl
v
merge
v
missing
v
next
v
o
v
omit
v
opc
v
open
v
opennew
v
own
v
permutation
v
ping
v
play
v
pmask
v
print
v
ps
v
ps1
v
pswdoff
v
putquotesaround
v
pwoff
v
q
v
randgen
v
rb
v
rc
v
rdp
v
replicating
v
retype
v
reverse
v
ro
v
runsql
v
scale
v
select
v
sizes
v
sort
v
split
v
sql
v
sunrise
v
superficial
v
sz
v
tab
v
td
v
tld
v
toc
v
tokenize
v
top
v
touch
v
twilight
v
undo
v
unique
v
unsplit
v
up
v
uro
v
vw
v
wav
v
winplaces
v
wpt
v
write
v
wulog
Aliases
General
Principles
The
Rockman Text Editor accepts commands from the keyboard or from a file.
The syntax of the shell command is
ed
[name-of-file-to-be-edited [name-of-command-stream]]
You
can omit both command line arguments, in which case commands can establish what
is to be edited, and commands shall originate at the keyboard. You must provide
name-of-file-to-be-edited when you want to provide name-of-command-stream.
Commands
comprise three parts: 1) the name of the command, 2) option, 3) arguments.
Example:
r,11 PAIJ
contains
the r command, the option 11, and the argument PAIJ. Only the name of the
command is mandatory.
The
editor maintains the file that is being edited in area called the memory
file. The content of the memory file can be created from scratch or it may originate in a file in a file system on a
device. The primarily purpose of the Text Editor is to support your
efforts to make changes to the memory file. Eventually, once you
are done making changes, the memory file is copied to a file in a file system
on a device for long-term storage.
The
editor is either in EDIT mode or in INPUT mode. You can switch between modes by
entering a blank line. In EDIT mode, you can instruct the editor with commands.
In INPUT mode, non-blank lines are successively added to the memory file.
The
editor pulls all of the file's text into memory. In
memory is where all the editing occurs. At the end of your editing session, it
is your choice whether to save any changes that you have made or to discard the
changes. Type EXIT to save the changes. Type OMIT to discard them.
While
you are editing, keep in mind that there is always a current line, which you
can see by typing PRINT. Navigation throughout the memory file is by line
number, which may be absolute (e.g. go to line 5) or relative (e.g. go 5 lines
down from here).
The
text editor is one of several Rockman's Tools that you may find useful.
The Symbolic Stream Generator allows you to write programs that generate
text files based on simple, structured data. The Downdater
allows you to see the differences between text files presented in -n and
-n,m notation. SIRASM2 allows you
to apply changes in -n and -n,m
notation to a text file in order to obtain a new text file.
Ordering
Write
to mrockman@acm.org.
Command
Documentation
ace
The
ace command displays Access Control Entries (ACEs) that are component parts of
Access Control Lists (ACLs).? ACLs are
instrumental in granting or denying permissions to access system resources; in this case files and directories.? Directories are also known as Folders.? The syntax of the command:? ace <name-of-file-or-name-of-directory>.? When you name a file, the command reports all
associated ACEs.? When you name a
directory, the command reports the ACLs associated with the directory, all the
directories therein contained and all the files
therein contained.
add
The
add command brings in at the current location additional lines from either of
two sources. If you name a text file then the full
file is added at the current point in the file being edited. If you don't name
a file then lines from the most recent COPY or DCOPY
command are added at the same place.
annuity
The
annuity command creates an amortization table following an interactive query
session that requests all necessary data.?
You must provide the amount borrowed, the duration of the repayment
period in months, the annual percentage rate, the starting year
and month.
append
The
append command relocates the current edit point to after the last line in the
file being edited. The editor then goes into INSERT mode.
asga
The
asga command opens, when possible, the named file in
such a manner that another process can also open the file.? The free command closes the file.? Only one file at a time can be open during an
edit session.
asgax
The
asgax command opens, when possible, the named file in
such a manner that another process cannot also open the file.? The free command closes the file.? Only one file at a time can be open during an
edit session.
attrib
The
attrib command reports the attributes of a file.? It does not report the attributes of a
directory.? The syntax:? attrib
<name-of-file>.? What follows shows
all the possible attributes.
begin
The
begin command works with the COPY and DCOPY commands to mark the starting line
of a copy operation.
bmi
The
bmi command calculates Body Mass Index for an
individual?s height and weight.? It
accepts English and metric units values.
?
Format 1: bmi
English,5,9,150
?
Format 2: bmi
metric,175,68
The
first form syntax is bmi English,<height-in-feet>,<height-in-inches>,<weight-in-pounds>
The
second form syntax is bmi metric,<height-in-centimeters>,<weight-in-kilograms>
? If your BMI is below 20:
? This indicates
a lean BMI, which means you have a low amount of body fat.?
? If you
are an athlete, this can be desirable.
? If you
are not an athlete, a lean BMI can indicate that your weight may be too low
which may lower your immunity.
? If
your BMI and body weight are low, you should consider gaining weight through
good diet and exercise habits, to increase your muscle mass.
? If
your BMI is between 20 and 22:
? This
indicates the ideal, healthy amount of body fat, which is associated with
living longest, and the lowest incidence of serious illness.
?
Coincidentally, it seems this ratio is what many individuals perceive to be the
most aesthetically attractive.
? If
your BMI is between 22 and 25:
? This
is still considered an acceptable range, and is associated
with good health.
? If
your BMI is between 25 and 30:
? You
are considered "Hefty" and should find ways to lower your weight,
through diet and exercise.?
? You
are at increased risk for a variety of illnesses at your present weight.
? You should
lose weight by changing your diet and exercising more.
?? ?If your BMI is over
30:
? This
indicates an unhealthy condition, your excess "Prosperity" is putting
you at risk for heart disease,
?
diabetes, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease and some cancers.
? You
should lose weight by changing your diet and exercising more.
breakup
The
breakup command partitions all the lines being edited into multiple files,
20,000 lines in each file.? The new files
appear in a new directory C:\Users\Public\Breakup and the files are numbered
sequentially as 1.txt, 2.txt, and so forth.
bt
The
bt command displays the operating system version, the
logon server name, whether the computer is joined to a domain, the logged in user name, the operating system build number, the marketing
name of the operating system version, the computer name, the time of last
system reboot (also called system restart), the duration of current system
uptime, and the register width in bits according to the operating system build
type. The bt command also displays the various IP
addresses that point to the local computer. Additional information about
the computing environment is provided in the edit file. For example, OSArchitecture 64-bit is an environmental
factoid that may interest you.
camo
The
camo command erases whatever lines of text exist, if any, in main memory.? Then it produces a report enumerating all the
files in the named directory sorted by size, largest first.? You can save the report to a text file, if you like.
cd
The
cd command changes the current working directory to the named directory.
change
The
change command replaces one occurrence or several occurrences of a string with
something else. The argument contains the pattern /old-string/new-string/ where
the slash is some convenient delimiting character, old-string is a substring to
be replaced, and new-string is what the replacement shall be. What follows is a
more complete description of the syntax.
Syntax
of change command:
change[,<option>]
<delimiter><first-string><delimiter><second-string><delimiter><second-option>
Typically,
<delimiter> is the slash character, like this:? /
When
<first-string> or <second-string> or both contain / then some other
character that doesn't appear is used.
The
change command changes occurrences of <first-string> substituting
<second-string>.? However, the
meaning of the arguments can be reversed.
When
<option> appears, it is an integer and denotes the number of lines
including the current line to be inspected for changes.
For
example, if we are on line 4 and <option> is 3 then lines 4, 5, and 6
will be inspected.? When <option>
is * the integer is 999999.
Ordinarily
only the leftmost occurrence of <first-string> is changed.
However,
when <second-option> is A or G then all
occurrences on a line are changed.
When
<second-option> is A then the scope of the
change is the current line and all following lines.
When
<second-option> is G then the scope of the
change is the current line and those lines within the scope specified by
<option> or 1 line when <option> is not present.
When
<second-option> is R then the meaning of
<first-string> and <second-string> are reversed.
UNDO is
a separate command that allows you to reverse changes you made in error since
the last time the top of the file was traversed.
The
change command, once entered, can be repeated by simply entering the command by
itself.? You omit everything beginning
with the leftmost <delimiter>.? You
may, if you choose, modify the command to include <option>.? The repeated command is possible because
everything except <option> is saved by the text editor.
The
command C,S displays the saved change command status.? There must be some text in the file for you
to see the status.
Task to Be Performed |
The Necessary Command |
Characterization |
Change the first occurrence of ABC
on the current line and the next two lines |
C,3 /ABC/XYZ/ |
ChangeFirstOccurrenceNextSeveralLines |
Change the first occurrence of ABC
on the current line |
C /XYZ/ABC/R |
ChangeFirstOccurrenceCurrentLineOnly |
Change all occurrences of ABC on
the current line and the next two lines |
C,3 /ABC/XYZ/G |
ChangeAllOccurrencesNextSeveralLines |
Change all occurrences of ABC on
the current line and on all following lines |
C,*
/ABC/XYZ/G or C /ABC/XYZ/A? |
ChangeAllOccurrencesCurrentLineAndThereAfter |
Change the first occurrence of ABC
on the current line and on all following lines |
C,*
/ABC/XYZ/ |
ChangeFirstOccurrenceCurrentLineAndThereAfter |
Determine whether a change command
has been saved. |
C,S |
|
climit
The climit command limits the
range of columns affected by any of the forms of the change command. Specify
the left and right column numbers separated by a SPACE. Example: cli 42 49
close
The
close command causes the editor to write the lines in the memory file to disk
and then causes the editor to terminate.
columnblank
The
columnblank command operates on all the lines of the
in-memory text file.? You specify which
columns you want blanked and the command performs that function.? The syntax allows you specify several
space-separated ranges and/or individual column numbers.? For example, the command? columnblank
42 39,80? puts a blank space in column 42 and blank spaces in columns 39
through 80, inclusive.? This is for
tabular data wherein your desire is to eliminate certain columns. Your column
numbers must be integers.
commands
The
commands command lists the canonical names of all the editor's commands in
sorted order.
copy
The
copy command creates a store that contains the lines between the begin marker and
the current line.
copychg
The
copychg command duplicates a directory tree,
including leaf nodes.? The filename
extension of the leaf nodes is altered according to specification.? You name the input directory, the output
directory, and the new filename extension.
cpumask
The
cpumask command reports the configuration of central
processors in the local computer.?
crp
The crp
command must be run with the text editor elevated.? It creates a restore point. The System
Restore button of the System Protection tab of the Advanced System Settings of
the Properties page of This PC in Windows Explorer allows you to restore the
settings saved in the restore point.
cwd
The cwd
command displays the current working directory.
deleteafter
The
deleteafter command finds a match on the current
line, erases the match, and everything to the right of the match.
dcopy
The
dcopy command is identical to the copy command except
that the lines that are sent to the store are deleted.
delete
The
delete command removes one or more lines from the file being edited starting
with the current line. You can specify the number of lines to delete (e.g. DELETE 5). The default number is 1.
dhold
The
dhold command saves the current line to a special
store (named the "hold" buffer) and deletes the line from the file
being edited. You can resurrect the line with the dup command.
dirsize
Suppose
you have a folder.? In that folder are
several other folders.? These are top
level folders.? You want to know how much
space the files in those folders occupy.?
The dirsize command reports that information.
The dirsize command has been superseded by the sizes
command.
dnext
The
dnext command deletes the current line and sets the
current line to the line that follows it.
dse
The
dse command performs a Directory Structure
Examination. You can detect structural differences between similar
directories. A structural difference occurs when a directory or a file appears
in one root directory but not in the corresponding place in the other.
dup
The
dup command inserts one or more lines at the current position. The lines
inserted originate in the hold buffer. You can specify the number of lines to
duplicate (e.g. DUPLICATE 5). The default number is 1.
easter
The
easter command displays the date upon which Easter next falls.? Based upon an algorithm published as follows:? Copyright (c) Simon Kershaw 1996. All rights
reserved.
eject
The
eject command causes the operating system to flush the buffers of a removable
device and, perhaps, to physically eject the device. The format is ej drive-letter.
elname
The
elname command displays the name of the file that is
being edited.
erl
The erl
command does a patterned extract of records from a comma-separated values file.? The idea is to get rid of the column heading
records and various interstitial records that clutter up the file.? You specify, in order, the name of the input
file, the name of the output file, the number of records to discard at the
start of the file, and the number of records to skip following those records
that are retained. The command assumes that retained records boast of a date in
MM-DD-YY format in the leftmost column.? Since
Excel handles that format inconsistently, the command reformats the date to
Month Day, Year format.? For example,
01-02-03 is transformed to?
January 2, 2003?.? If you
have a text file open when you type in the erl command then the extracted lines end up in the file.? If not, not.?
The command to extract retained lines could be:? erl
C:\Users\Public\TESTBED.TXT "C:\Users\Public\Outlet.txt"
"2" 1
excelhelper
The
excelhelper command modifies a comma-separated value
file such that those comma-separated fields that (apparently) contain a date
are revised to a form that Excel finds unambiguous.? The Excel in Microsoft?s Office Suite 2007 is
inconsistent in handling dates of the form MM/DD/YYYY, YYYY/MM/DD, MM-DD-YYYY,
and YYYY-MM-DD.? So
these are changed to <month-name> <day-of-month>, <year>
within double quotes. The month always precedes the day-of-month unless you put
an asterisk on the command.? Then the
day-of-month always precedes the month as is usual is Europe.? Use? excelhelper
*? when the date is 15/4/2015, for example.
exist
The
exist command probes the named directory or filename for existence.? The several outcomes are: 1) the name is
reported to be a directory, 2) the name is reported to be a file, 3) the system
threw an exception when probing the name, 4) the name does not exist in the
file system.? These outcomes are
according to the .NET Framework which produces different existence results
depending on Platform Target, a compilation parameter.? With Platform Target set to x86 you get one
answer.? With Platform Target set to x64
you get a different answer.
exit
The
exit command causes the editor to write the lines in the memory file to disk
and then causes the editor to terminate.
extract
The
extract command removes all those lines in the edit file that do not contain
the argument pattern.? For example, the
command extract InstallUtil.exe
leaves the edit file with only those lines that contain InstallUtil.exe.? Matches are case-insensitive.
f1
The
f1 command changes routes.rb in a Ruby on Rails
application file so that the application uses named routes.
filecompare
The
filecompare commands performs a byte-for-byte
comparison of the two files that you name.?
The answer is YES or NO.? YES: the
two files are identical.? NO: the two
files are different.? Suppose some
program you?ve been using
for years suddenly halts with an addressing exception.? Suppose you have a backup copy of the .EXE
file.? Suppose you compare the backup
with the production copy.? Then you can
assure yourself that the problem is not due to file corruption.
find
The
find command searches the lines following the current line for a matching
pattern. In the pattern, space characters match any character at the same
relative position on a targeted line. You can use find to locate based on
columnar position. When a tab character is defined (see tab command), you can
use it as part of the pattern. For example, suppose LMJ appears in columns 11,
12, and 13 respectively. With the tab character set to semi-colon and tab
positions set to 11, 21, and 39, the command
find ;LMJ
matches
on the first line following the current line that contains LMJ in columns 11,
12, and 13. The command option specifies the desired number of match
occurrences. The default is 1.
flist
The
flist command creates in the current file a complete
listing (with headings) of the symbolic files of the named directory.
free
The
free command closes the file that was previously opened with the asga or asgax command.? Just because you open a file with one of
these commands doesn?t mean you are allowed to touch the file?s contents.? These commands exist solely to demonstrate
how the Win32 file system file open function operates.? The number of links to the file is reported.? This relates to the concept of? hard link, ?in which multiple file system name entries
point to the same physical file.? It?s a
kind of aliasing mechanism.? You cannot
open a hard link (an alias) via asga/asgax.? You can open
the file that the hard link designates.
gather
The
gather command, from a specified directory tree, aggregates all the files that
have the same filename extension.? Syntax:? gather <input-directory-name>,<output-directory-name>,<filename-extension>
The
output directory at <output-directory-name> and all its content is
removed before the command commences to locate and copy files to it.? Many files may have the same filename but
only one such file (by each distinct name) ends up in the output directory.? This command was motivated by the iPhone
which stores many photographs in several randomly named directories.? The desire is to aggregate all the JPG files
in a single Windows directory.? Suppose
there is a directory C:\A that contains directories C:\A\B and C:\A\C.? Suppose further that 1.jpg resides in C:\A\B
and 2.jpg resides in C:\A\C.? The gather
command will put copies of 1.jpg and 2.jpg in the output directory.? The output directory will contain no
directories of its own. A special case of RASTER as <filename-extension>
matches any of the following filename extensions: png
bmp dib jpg jpeg jpe jfif
gif tif tiff pic pict mov avi.
getfiles
The
getfiles command enumerates the files in a specified
directory.? If you don?t specify a
directory, the default directory C:\ is used.?
Enumeration depends on the .NET Framework method System.IO.Directory.GetFiles() and its GetDirectories() counterpart.? Certain files for unknown reasons cannot be
enumerated this way.? Each file is listed
on a separate line prefixed with its time-of-last-write.? The format of the timestamp is YYYY-MM-DD
HHMMSS.? You can sort the files by
timestamp.? Use the SORT command.
getshort
The
getshort command uses INTEROP to access the Win32
method that converts a normal NTFS filename to its 8.3-format equivalent.? The 8.3 format originated in the FAT file
system. It is retained for compatibility reasons.? The long filename is printed.? Then the short filename is printed.? The text currently being edited is erased.? A one-line file replaces it.? That line contains the short filename.? This all works splendidly unless the named
file does not exist, in which case Windows returns a zero-length string to
represent what it believes properly to be a? representation of the short
filename.? Unless the long filename is
syntactically incorrect, it would have been possible for Windows to present a
valid short name version even when the file itself does not exist.? The documentation at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa364989%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
neglects to mention that GetShortPathName (the
exposed method of interest) needs the path to exist. For example, getshort C:\Documents
and Settings works, yet getshort Ugly
does not.
ghp
The
ghp command has two forms:? ghp true and ghp false.? The
command tries to obtain granted privileges with true. The command tries to
revoke privileges with false.? All the
privileges known at editor build time are entered into the edit file (assuming you?ve provided the name of one)
along with YES when granted and NO when revoked.? Windows does not permit just anyone to obtain
a granted privilege.? Some privileges are
granted to mere mortals.? Some are
granted only to deities.? Group Policy
governs those privileges that are granted.
goadmin
The
goadmin command terminates the current instance of
the text editor application and restarts the application under the
Administrator account.? This gives the
application extraordinary privileges.? You
should save any text editor work that you may have accomplished before calling goadmin.? Once the
application restarts, use the old command to reload your work.? To check that you have, in fact, been granted
privileges, enter the isadmin command.
goto
The
goto command relocates the current position to the
line whose number is given. A synonym for goto is
simply the line number.
head
The
head command is identical in function to goto 1.
hlbl
The
hlbl command is HTML Line by Line.? It reformats the content of the file that is
currently open, which should be an HTML stream, such as one might find in a
file with filename extension htm or html.? The idea is to put each tag or tag-delimited
content on a separate line, for ease of analysis by a human observer.? The output is intended to be semantically
identical to the input.
hold
The
hold command saves the content of the current line to a special place inside
the editor called the "hold" buffer. You can resurrect the line
with the DUP command.
hw
The unimplemented hw command sets
a horizontal window on the file being edited. The window applies to a specified
range of columns. For display purposes only, columns outside the window do not
appear. Suppose you want to see columns 11 through 21. You enter hw 11 21.
ibefore
The
ibefore command is identical to the insert command
except that the line is inserted before the current line.
insert
The
insert command inserts a new line after the current line.
inuse
The
inuse command probes the file you name to see if it
is in use by another process.
isadmin
The
isadmin command displays YES when the editor is
running with elevated (i.e. Administrator) privileges
and NO otherwise.
kill
The
kill command terminates the process whose name you specify.? To obtain a list of extant processes, use the
ps command.
last
The
last command relocates the current position to the last line in the file.
lgoff
The
lgoff command causes the editor to exit without
saving the current file and causes the Windows logon session to terminate.
lizard
The
lizard command programmatically invokes the following command:? cmd /C
"dir /B <directory-name>".? The resulting lines are internally
collected and separated.? Each line names
a directory or a file that appears superficially in the named directory.? System.IO.File.Exists()
is called for each file (directories having been filtered out) so as to seek
those files that dir
enumerates but that System.IO.File.Exists()
claims doesn?t exist.? You must name a
directory as the first and only argument to the lizard command.
locate
The
locate command is similar to the find command except
that there is no columnar bias in the pattern. Searching begins with the first
line after the current line and is not case sensitive.
ls
The
ls command lists the directories and file in the current working directory.
mdl
The mdl command maps a drive letter to a share (i.e. a shared directory (also known as a shared
folder)). The argument is of the form <drive-letter>
<share>. Example: mdl B \\fserv\wpdocsb
next
The
next command relocates the current position to the next line in the file.
o
The
o command is similar to the print command except that
printing starts with the line following the current line.
omit
The
omit command causes the editor to exit without saving the memory file to disk.
open
The
open command begin a new editing session by loading
the named file's lines into memory. The named file must pre-exist.
opennew
The
opennew command is similar to
the open command except that the file need not pre-exist and, if it does, the
content of the file is truncated.
own
The
own command reports the owner of the specified directory or file.
permutation
The
permutation command replaces the contents of the in-memory text file with all
permutations of the string provided as an argument to the command.? Thanks to Alexander Bogomolyn
or Alexander Bogomolny for the permutation algorithm.
ping
The
ping command is like the command line ping command.? The syntax is:
?
ping <IPv4 address>
?
ping <symbolic-reference>
The
idea is to get a rise out of the target computer.? The command indicates any of the following:? 1) response received, 2) response not
received, 3) unable to resolve symbolic name.?
When you give a symbolic name and the name is resolvable, then the
corresponding IP address is shown.
play
The
play command uses your sound card to play an audio file that you name.? This employs Windows?s PlaySound
Win32 interface via INTEROP.
pmask
The
pmask command displays the processor (CPU) mask for
up to 32 CPUs.
print
The
print command prints the current line and the next n minus one lines that follow it, where n is the number stated in the
command. Example:
PRINT
5
means
print the current line and the 4 lines that follow it.
ps
The
ps command reports the names of existing processes.? Any of these could be terminated using the
kill command.
putquotesaround
The
putquotesaround command revises the lines of the
current file so that each line is quoted (surrounded by double-quotes) and
preceded by the characters TAG followed by a space. Should a line contain
a double-quote character, putting quotes around a quote character would be
ambiguous. You can provide a substitute for such characters as in
PQA `. In this example, the ` character replaces all occurrences of
". The default substitution is \".
pwoff
The
pwoff command causes the editor to exit without
saving the current file and causes Windows to power off the computer.
randgen
The
randgen command replaces the in-memory text file with
a number of random text lines.? For example, the command? randgen 999?
clears the text file and enters 999 lines of random text.
rb
The
rb command causes the editor to exit without saving
the current file and causes Windows to reboot (also known as
"restart") the computer.
replicating
The
replicating command is to be used only on Domain Controllers.? It reports the last time various roles were
successfully transferred among domain controllers in a domain.? When replication is not happening, there
exists a task for the System Administrator to attend to.
retype
The
retype command is similar to the insert command except
that the line affected is the current line. The option of the retype
command, when present, specifies the column at which the first character of the
argument is to be placed. For example,
r,11
LMJ
leaves alone the content of columns 1 through 10 and puts
the argument into the line starting at column 11.
reverse
The
reverse command reverses the order of the lines in the file. For example, the
file 1 2 3 becomes 3 2 1. Apply the command twice and 3 2 1 becomes 1 2
3.
ro
The
ro command takes a directory argument and marks as
read-only all the files in the directory (and its directories and their
directories). The opposite operation is handled by the uro
command.
runsql
The
runsql command demonstrates how Microsoft SQL Server
can be used as a method sink engine from the text editor.? This is only a demonstration.
Data Source=(local);User ID=sa;Password=123456
DROP DATABASE MWEDatabase;
NON-QUERY result is -1
CREATE DATABASE MWEDatabase;
NON-QUERY result is -1
USE MWEDatabase;
NON-QUERY result is -1
CREATE TABLE Radios(ID_NO CHAR(12) PRIMARY KEY, BRAND CHAR(12),);
NON-QUERY result is -1
INSERT INTO Radios (ID_NO, BRAND) VALUES ('WHT1521','LG');
NON-QUERY result is 1
SELECT * FROM Radios;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 2
(WHT1521? ?) (LG? )
INSERT INTO Radios VALUES ('WHT1522','RCA');
NON-QUERY result is 1
SELECT * FROM Radios;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 2
(WHT1521? ?) (LG? )
Number of columns is 2
(WHT1522? ?) (RCA )
UPDATE Radios SET BRAND='GE' WHERE ID_NO='WHT1521';
NON-QUERY result is 1
SELECT * FROM Radios;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 2
(WHT1521? ?) (GE? )
Number of columns is 2
(WHT1522? ?) (RCA )
ALTER TABLE Radios DROP COLUMN BRAND;
NON-QUERY result is -1
SELECT * FROM Radios;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 1
(WHT1521? ?)
Number of columns is 1
(WHT1522? ?)
ALTER TABLE Radios ADD? MAKER CHAR(12);
NON-QUERY result is -1
UPDATE Radios SET MAKER='GE' WHERE ID_NO='WHT1521';
NON-QUERY result is 1
UPDATE Radios SET MAKER='RCA' WHERE ID_NO='WHT1522';
NON-QUERY result is 1
SELECT * FROM Radios;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 2
(WHT1521? ?) (GE? )
Number of columns is 2
(WHT1522? ?) (RCA )
SELECT ID_NO FROM Radios;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 1
(WHT1521? ?)
Number of columns is 1
(WHT1522? ?)
SELECT MAKER FROM Radios;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 1
(GE?? ?)
Number of columns is 1
(RCA? ?)
CREATE TABLE Orders(OrderID INT PRIMARY KEY, CustomerID INT, QtyPurchased INT, ItemPrice SMALLMONEY);
NON-QUERY result is -1
INSERT INTO Orders VALUES ('1','1','4','2.5000');
NON-QUERY result is 1
INSERT INTO Orders VALUES ('2','2','10','1.2500');
NON-QUERY result is 1
INSERT INTO Orders VALUES ('3','3','12','1.5000');
NON-QUERY result is 1
INSERT INTO Orders VALUES ('4','4','5','4.0000');
NON-QUERY result is 1
SELECT * FROM Orders;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 4
(1) (1) (4) (2.5000)
Number of columns is 4
(2) (2) (10) (1.2500)
Number of columns is 4
(3) (3) (12) (1.5000)
Number of columns is 4
(4) (4) (5) (4.0000)
CREATE TABLE Customers (CustomerID INT PRIMARY KEY, FirstName CHAR(12), LastName CHAR(12));
NON-QUERY result is -1
INSERT INTO Customers VALUES ('1','William','Smith');
NON-QUERY result is 1
INSERT INTO Customers VALUES ('2','Natalie','Lopez');
NON-QUERY result is 1
INSERT INTO Customers VALUES ('3','Brenda','Harper');
NON-QUERY result is 1
INSERT INTO Customers VALUES ('4','Adam','Petrie');
NON-QUERY result is 1
SELECT * FROM Customers;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 3
(1) (William? ?) (Smith )
Number of columns is 3
(2) (Natalie? ?) (Lopez )
Number of columns is 3
(3) (Brenda?? ?) (Harper? )
Number of columns is 3
(4) (Adam?? ?) (Petrie? )
SELECT * FROM Customers INNER JOIN Orders ON Customers.CustomerID = Orders.CustomerID;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 7
(1) (William? ?) (Smith ) (1) (1) (4) (2.5000)
Number of columns is 7
(2) (Natalie? ?) (Lopez ) (2) (2) (10) (1.2500)
Number of columns is 7
(3) (Brenda?? ?) (Harper? ) (3) (3) (12) (1.5000)
Number of columns is 7
(4) (Adam?? ?) (Petrie? ) (4) (4) (5) (4.0000)
SELECT * FROM Orders INNER JOIN Customers ON Customers.CustomerID = Orders.CustomerID;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 7
(1) (1) (4) (2.5000) (1) (William? ?) (Smith )
Number of columns is 7
(2) (2) (10) (1.2500) (2) (Natalie? ?) (Lopez )
Number of columns is 7
(3) (3) (12) (1.5000) (3) (Brenda?? ?) (Harper? )
Number of columns is 7
(4) (4) (5) (4.0000) (4) (Adam?? ?) (Petrie? )
SELECT *, Orders.QtyPurchased * Orders.ItemPrice AS Line_Item FROM Customers INNER JOIN Orders ON Customers.CustomerID = Orders.CustomerID;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 8
(1) (William? ?) (Smith ) (1) (1) (4) (2.5000) (10.0000)
Number of columns is 8
(2) (Natalie? ?) (Lopez ) (2) (2) (10) (1.2500) (12.5000)
Number of columns is 8
(3) (Brenda?? ?) (Harper? ) (3) (3) (12) (1.5000) (18.0000)
Number of columns is 8
(4) (Adam?? ?) (Petrie? ) (4) (4) (5) (4.0000) (20.0000)
SELECT * FROM Customers LEFT JOIN Orders ON Customers.CustomerID = Orders.CustomerID;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 7
(1) (William? ?) (Smith ) (1) (1) (4) (2.5000)
Number of columns is 7
(2) (Natalie? ?) (Lopez ) (2) (2) (10) (1.2500)
Number of columns is 7
(3) (Brenda?? ?) (Harper? ) (3) (3) (12) (1.5000)
Number of columns is 7
(4) (Adam?? ?) (Petrie? ) (4) (4) (5) (4.0000)
SELECT * FROM Customers RIGHT JOIN Orders ON Customers.CustomerID = Orders.CustomerID;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 7
(1) (William? ?) (Smith ) (1) (1) (4) (2.5000)
Number of columns is 7
(2) (Natalie? ?) (Lopez ) (2) (2) (10) (1.2500)
Number of columns is 7
(3) (Brenda?? ?) (Harper? ) (3) (3) (12) (1.5000)
Number of columns is 7
(4) (Adam?? ?) (Petrie? ) (4) (4) (5) (4.0000)
SELECT * FROM Customers FULL JOIN Orders ON Customers.CustomerID = Orders.CustomerID;
The number of records affected is -1.
Number of columns is 7
(1) (William? ?) (Smith ) (1) (1) (4) (2.5000)
Number of columns is 7
(2) (Natalie? ?) (Lopez ) (2) (2) (10) (1.2500)
Number of columns is 7
(3) (Brenda?? ?) (Harper? ) (3) (3) (12) (1.5000)
Number of columns is 7
(4) (Adam?? ?) (Petrie? ) (4) (4) (5) (4.0000)
scale
The
scale command prints a column scale extending from column 1 through column 80.
select
The select command performs a case-insensitive search of all
the lines in the main memory file and removes all the lines that do not match
the target value.
sizes
The sizes command takes a single argument specification of a
directory (also known as a folder).? The
command reports the number of bytes occupied by the specified directory and all of its subordinate directories. The editor initially
erases the text file and then reports the byte sizes of the directly
subordinate directories, if any.? Similar
information is written to a comma-separated value file named
C:\Users\Public\SIZES.CSV.? The size of
any directory comprises the sum of the sizes of all the files in the directory
and all the files in all the subordinate directories direct and indirect.
sort
The sort command reorders the lines
in the memory file so that they appear alphabetically.
superficial
The superficial command works with a directory that contains
several directories that individually contain files (and perhaps no
directories).? Each superficial directory
is listed together with the count of ordinary files that it contains.? The report replaces the in-memory text file.
tab
The
tab command allows you to establish a tab character and several column stops. This is handy when entering columnar data. For
example, if you enter the command
tab ; 11 21 39
then
enter the command
i ;LMJ;X11,EDIT$;. Open the EDIT$ packet
you
will create a new line with the various segments left-aligned at the indicated
column stops.
td
The
td command displays the date and time last written of the file being edited.
tld
The
tld command creates a shell script for archiving top
level directories.? It takes one argument
that names the directory to receive a series of ZIP files produced by PKZIPC.? The data source is the top
level directories of the C:\ drive. Each directory immediately under
root is represented by a ZIP file.? You
can individually reconstitute any of the top level
directories.? It is recommended that
there be no overlap between the receiving directory and the set of directories
to be archived. By default the top level directories
of the C:\ drive are obtained.? You can
specify a different drive letter in the command?s option field.? Syntax:?
tld[,<drive-letter>]
[<directory-to-receive-ZIP-files>]? When you do not specify a receiving
directory, the default is C:\Users\Public\Receptacle.
toc
The
toc command erases the current file in memory and creates a new file in memory
that enumerates the directories and files in the named directory.
tokenize
The
tokenize command enters words into the in-memory text
file, one word per line.? The in-memory
text file is the source of the words.? Breaks
between words are signified by characters that are not letters of the alphabet.? Diacritical marks on letters cause breaks in
the initial release of this feature. The one word per line list replaces the
text being edited. You can preserve the input by writing the list.? Use the W command.
top
The
top command sets the current line to zero.
touch
The
touch command updates the time-of-last-write of the argument file to match the
current time. Should the file not exist, it is created with zero content. When
the file has content, it remains unchanged after touch does what it does.
undo
The
undo command, when possible, reverses the effects of the most recent change
command(s) and/or the most recent retype command(s), as is applicable.? For example, you might mistakenly make a
global change that you want to reverse.? Generally,
you can undo everything since the last time you visited the top of the file.? Use the C,S command
to see whether undo is possible.
unique
The
unique command removes duplicate lines.? The
first line in a duplicated set of lines remains in the file.? The rest of the lines are deleted.? Only unique lines remain.
up
The
up command sets the current line to the line immediately above (numbered one
less than) the current line.
uro
The uro command removes the
read-only attribute from all the files in the argument directory (and the
directories it contains and the directories they contain).
vw
The
vw command sets a vertical window in which appears a
subset of lines of the file being edited. If an n-line subset of the file is in
the vertical window then the lines are numbered 1 to n
and changes that you may apply affect only the lines in the window. You set the
vertical window by stating the starting and ending line numbers as in vw 2 4 which saves the entire file to a hidden location and
commences editing of the subset. You merge the subset back into the main file
by entering vw without arguments.
winplaces
The winplaces command displays the folderpaths of all the system special folders. When a text
file is open it is replaced with a report similar to
this:
wpt
The wpt command waits for a process to terminate.? Just give the name of the process and wpt loops until the named process disappears from the
system. This is handy when you are replacing one version of a Windows NT
Service with another.? You can uninstall
the service and the system reports the service has been stopped and uninstalled.? But that?s no guarantee that the process has actually halted.? Enter
the wpt command that happily delays execution of the
installation step until the process is gone.?
When you don?t force a delay, it is quite probable the installer will
complain that the uninstalled/stopped process is still hanging around and
therefore your attempt to install will have terminated in error.
write
The
write command transfers the lines in memory to the named disk file and
terminates the editor.
BigDigitClock displays the
current time-of-day.? This seems trivial,
but at a radio station, with three analog clocks, that are supposed to be
synchronized with a GPS time-source, but aren?t, this app fills a void.? Together with the KeepClockUpdated
daemon, BigDigitClock let?s announcers know when to
begin speaking at the start of a live broadcast. [BigDigitClock-BASIC]
File Integrity Check (FIT)
File Integrity Check compares corresponding files in two different
directories (aka Folders).? The dates,
lengths, and contents are compared.? A
report is made.? You can detect hardware
faults with FIT.? You can detect security
intrusions with FIT.
Cross-Platform File Compressor (CPFC)
CPFC is designed to compress files on a Unisys (Sperry) ClearPath mainframe and decompress the files on a PC.? Travel in the opposite direction is also
supported.? The sliding dictionary
algorithm exploits redundancies, typical in symbolic data (e.g.
ordinary text files), to minimize the number of bytes that need to be
transmitted.? A buffer of a certain size
is maintained.? Bytes are entered
cyclically in order from the source file(s) and, initially, there is no
compression.? Eventually a redundancy
appears. Instead of literally transmitting uncompressed bytes, a reference to
the repeated pattern (a redundancy) is sent.?
Typical reduction in file size hovers around 50%.? The mainframe?s 36-bit word, when compared to
the PC?s 32-bit word, means special consideration must be given to guarantee
all bits are sent.
Infinite Precision Arithmetic
Sometimes a computer language?s data types are not up to the task.? Suppose you want to compute a very large
integer exactly.? For example, what is 2
to the 1000th power Enter MPA4 (Multiple-Precision Arithmetic
Version 4).? MPA4 carries out integer
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, correct to the very last
decimal place.? It computes integer
powers of integers.? It factors integers.? It performs Diffie-Hellman and Mersenne prime
computations.? [MPA4]
By the way, ?is 10715086071862673209484250490600018105614048117055336074437503883703510511249361224931983788156958581275946729175531468251871452856923140435984577574698574803934567774824230985421074605062371141877954182153046474983581941267398767559165543946077062914571196477686542167660429831652624386837205668069376
Suppose your insurance company will dispense a 90-day supply of
medication.? It takes time for a pharmacy
to accept a prescription and deliver the tablets.? If you wait 90 days between doctor visits,
you may have to live without your meds for a few days.? In the case of serious medical conditions,
that could prove to be inconvenient.? Enter
Days Between, a utility program in which you enter two dates, to reveal the
number of days it will take to get you from the first date to the last date.
When your doctor wants you to come back, make it fewer than 90 days from now.? In this example:? 84 days from now.? You get your script and time to have it
filled.? No running out of meds. [DaysBetween]
File Logger
Windows exposes a method whereby an application is notified in
real-time when files are created, deleted, modified, and renamed.? File Logger displays these notifications in
real-time.? Applications can respond
appropriately beyond simply displaying the notifications.? Refer to FileSystemWatcher
in Microsoft? Windows? documentation.
Sometimes you need to upload a large file.? There may be a limit on the number bytes per
transmission.? Enter Split/Combine, a
utility program that breaks a large file into several contiguous pieces, and
later recombines them. [SpilitCombine]
MERGE finds corresponding files in two directory trees and merges
them into a third directory.
Some files may appear in one directory but not the other.? These are sent to the output directory.? Those files that appear in both directories
are compared to learn which one of the two is the more recent.? The more recent one is sent to the output
directory. When files have identical timestamps, the longer file is copied.?
MERGE is handy when you maintain several separate but related
collections of files, organized into directories and sub-directories.? It sometimes becomes convenient to combine
collections through de-duplication.? For
example, two people can be working on the same application.? Each has his own folder of source code.? When work is done the two efforts can be
merged with Merge.
The Differences Only checkbox causes the (C) file to receive only
those files that are different across the (A) and (B) files.? A file is different if 1) it appears in one
directory but not in the other, or 2) it appears in both directories, but the
timestamps are unequal, or when the timestamps are equal, but the file lengths
are unequal.? When the file lengths are unequal and the timestamps are equal then the longer file
appears in the output.? When the
timestamps are unequal then the more recently modified file appears in the
output.? The directory structure that is
common between (A) and (B) is maintained in (C). [Merge]
CopyMaster
CopyMaster is an app that
allows you to duplicate the latest directory structures and files
so they appear on two different computers at the same time.? This redundancy has two advantages.? First, there is a current backup copy of your
important files.? Second, there is
convenience in being able to find all your favorite stuff on at least two
different computers. [CopyMaster]
How You Work It
Map the A: drive to \\ComputerOne\C$ and the B: drive
to \\ComputerTwo\C$.? Then launch CopyMaster.? When CopyMaster
finishes doing what it does, you?ll
have two computers that sport nearly identical contents (ignoring the operating
system and extra software files).?
You can create a $.txt file in the C:\Users\Public\$$$DeleteMe
directory that instructs CopyMaster to get rid of
unwanted directories on both computers.
Deltree
Suppose you have a directory that contains a florid tree of
sub-directories along with files at many levels and you want to be rid of the
whole mess.
Windows has a rule that says you may not delete a read-only file.? This prevents you from deleting a directory
that contains a read-only file.
Deltree: to the rescue.? Just point Deltree
at the root of the mess and It?s gone in three shakes of a lamb?s tail.
Now try doing that with the del or erase command in the ordinary
Windows shell.? Oh.? It will do something. But it won?t do what
you want. [deltree]
Copydir
Sometimes you want to copy a directory tree, complete with contents
from directory A to directory B.? This
is, by Microsoft edict, a task for? File Explorer, ?formerly called? Windows Explorer. ?But what if you want to invoke the function
from the command line? Enter Copydir.? The syntax is:
copydir A:\A B:\B
Everything subordinate to the A directory is copied subordinate to
the B directory.? Identically-named
files are copied when the file from directory A is newer than or absent from
directory B.? Be aware that the files and
directories inside directory A are created (when necessary) and copied as files
and directories inside directory B.? The
B directory will be created when it does not yet exist.? In other news, proof of function can be had
by using the Ident command.? The
structure of A must be identical to B or else an error message is issued.? The content of files (data NOT metadata) is
physically compared.? [Copydir]
IDENT
Suppose, for example, you have a USB device (an external hard drive,
thumb drive) that you copied to a directory on your computer?s internal hard
drive.? You want to verify that
everything that you copied is present and unmodified.? IDENT is a utility program to perform the
function.? Just launch the application
from the command prompt and name the directory on the USB device and the
corresponding directory on the PC?s hard drive. The contents of each file in
every directory in the directory tree shall be compared and any irregularity
reported.? The two directories must be absolutely identical.?
No check on various dates and times in the metadata is performed.
Usage:? ident
<directory1> <directory2>
? The two directories must contain only those directories and files
to be compared.
? The contents of corresponding files are checked to determine that
they match.
WavConcatX
WAVConcatX, takes a
collection of WAV files and concatenates them.?
It optionally inserts an audio separator between the files.? The output is a single WAV (audio) file made
from the contents of the WAV files in the aforementioned
collection.
The individual WAV files can exhibit varying attributes.? For example, there is the sampling rate, one
channel or two channels, and sample size (8-bit, 16-bit).? You choose the sampling rate and the number
of channels in the output file.? WCX
takes care of the necessary conversions?.? Sixteen-bit samples are standard in the WCX
output file.? Insertion of transitional
separators is possible only when the output sampling rate is 44,100 samples per
second, and there are two channels. [WCX]
?The sample rate conversions are naively
done without filtering.? Properly done, a
low-pass digital filter is applied to remove frequencies above half the
sampling rate to eliminate aliasing, which is audible in sampling rate
conversions that are produced by WCX.? If
you really want to change the sample rate, try SoX
(Sound Exchange), open-source software on SourceForge.? For example, to change from 44100 samples per
second (or whatever the metadata says it is) to 6000 samples per second, follow
this example:
?
sox? r6000 input.wav
output.wav
TFC_File_Inspector came about after
a store employee destroyed a file system on an Apple Macintosh computer.? The remnants of the file system comprised
mainly file content without names or dates.?
So the task for the human is to give names to
files that now sport generic names.? Generic
names are sequential numbers.? These
names have zero mnemonic value. The aforementioned application allows the end
user to cycle through a set of generically-named
files, view their contents, and give them meaningful names.? One avoids the laborious process of launching
each file and renaming in the conventional manner.? Ancillary programs named
FILE_MATCHING_PROGRAM, FMP2, AND FMP3 assist in the effort to characterize the
situation that TFC_File_Inspector is meant to correct.? First, hashcodes
are developed from the content of each file on the recovery device.? Then, hashcodes are
developed from the content of each file on an Apple MacIntosh that contains an
old backup of many of the lost files.? We
discover that the recovery device contains many duplicated files.? Since our task is to give names to the files
on the recovery device, we can remove the duplicated files and reduce our
effort.? Then the hashcodes
for files on the recovery device are compared with hashcodes
for files on the Mac.? With this step we
identify further files that already have names and that are situated in a
reasonable directory.? These need not be
renamed.? Our effort is thus further
reduced.
1.? fmp
takes a directory and generates a flat file of hashcodes
(full tree).
2.? fmp2 takes two flat files
from fmp called P and G, searches P for identical
files in G, and reports them as CORRESPONDING.
3.? fmp3 takes
CORRESPONDING.TXT and deletes G files that exist in P.
It was discovered that certain older versions of Microsoft Office
products (e.g. Word and Excel) produce what are called
Compound Documents.? These objects
(files, actually) were implemented as part of the Component Object Model (COM)
effort.? A Compound Document is what is
called a Storage Object.? A Storage Object
may contain metadata that includes such juicy tidbits as Title, Author, and
Last Save Date. The TFC_File_Inspector effort
includes implementation of a program that extracts these metadata and changes
generic names to proper names using tidbits.?
This is great when all you got is file content after your file system
gets corrupted.? The Compound Document
was abandoned some years ago in favor of coding the same document data in very,
very complex XML.? The XML does not offer
the same rich lode of metadata.
IBMCHECK implements the Luhn Algorithm.? It allows you to enter a credit card number
and be informed whether it is valid.? You
can enter the number as it appears on your credit card, with spaces every four
digits, press a button, and the spaces disappear.? The number is copied to the Windows Clipboard
for pasting into a text box on some retailer?s website.? Retailer websites typically get upset when
you leave the spaces in place. [IBMCHECKCS]
Corrector
of Directory Dates
CORR is the Directory Date Corrector.?
Ideally, Windows would ensure the timestamp applied to every directory
would reflect the contents of each directory.?
The file inside a directory with the latest
last-date/time-of-modification would be honored to have its timestamp applied
to its enclosing directory or directories.?
So that is what CORR does.? Which
directories (now called Folders by marketing) get what timestamps is decided by
tournament rules.? CORR makes it possible
to inspect the folder contents of a folder and decide which folders need
further inspection because of recent updates to the files inside.? Notice that, in the latest release, you can
watch counters advance whilst files and then directories are processed.? [CORR]
As of October, 2020, there is a New!
Improved! command line version of the same application called CORR2.? It has a better algorithm that makes sure no
directory is omitted from processing.? Here
is the syntax:
???? corr2
<name-of-directory>
You can run the application against any directory, not just the root
directory of a drive letter.
Keep
Clock Updated
KeepClockUpdated is a service that
ensures the system clock stays accurate, with checks done for accuracy every 5 minutes.? This entails a time source query every 5
minutes.? In one commercial deployment,
at a radio station, KeepClockUpdated is responsible
for setting the clock on 24 different computers by comparing each computer's
clock with a local time source; one that obtains its very accurate reading from
GPS satellites. [This has changed because the GPS time source permanently
malfunctioned.? In place of the GPS time
source the service queries an Internet time source that obtains its responses
based on several other Internet time sources.] (The native Windows time setting
mechanism only checks the computer maybe once per day.? Its time source is a computer on the
Internet.)? All the magic depends on an understanding of the Network Time
Protocol (NTP) that communicates via UDP on port 123.? You can set the calendar and time-of-day to
an inaccurate value and wait until some multiple of five minutes past the hour
arrives on the clock.? From the time
source, KeepClockUpdated obtains the date and time
and compares them with the computer's own notion of date and time.? When the two are at variance, KeepClockUpdated changes the computer's clock and calendar
to match.? [KeepClockUpdated]
Pip is an application that plays a chime on the hour and a tick on the
half-hour to connote the passage of time.?
In conjunction with KeepClockUpdated, one can
be certain the auditory signals occur at precisely the right moment.? [PIP]
WINSVCFILCPY is service
app that runs 24/7.? Once a day, at 0300,
it copies key files from their usual staging area to a backup staging area.
This is done in order to mitigate the risk that the
usual staging area, a Microsoft software-based mirrored pair of HDDs, may
become useless as a Microsoft software-based RAID-5 cluster did in September
2013. You can change the appointed time at which file copy commences by means
of a named pipes client. [WINSVCFILCPY]
FileLogger monitors file changes.? It displays them as they occur in real-time.? It keeps a running log of changes and can
copy the log to a file if you choose to do so. [FileLogger]
Password Generator generates random passwords.? They are, by default, a mixture of numerals,
upper- and lower-case letters.? You
specify the length you want up to 40 characters.? You can choose to have only upper-case or
only lower-case letters.? A
non-alphanumeric character can be randomly inserted if you choose to do so.? The generated password is put on the Windows
Clipboard for ease of placement in a textbox on a web page.? These passwords are hard for hackers to guess
and that makes them extraordinarily secure.?
The PRODKEY button causes Password Generator to create a Microsoft-style
Product Key.? [CSPASSGEN]
?
File Mover Service (FMS)
FMS is responsible for
copying TRV files in folders P1 through P9 from the production computer to the
backup computer.? This is in progress all
the time, with throttling imposed to limit impact on an Interactive Voice
Response application, except during the graveyard shift.? However, see note, below, regarding
limitations imposed by an Interactive Voice Response application.? A given file is copied under the condition
that the source file is newer than the destination file or when there is no
destination file.? For example, suppose \\DIALIN1\P1\1547.TRV is to be copied to \\DIALIN2\P1\1547.TRV .? It
follows that copying will occur only when \\DIALIN2\P1\1547.TRV does not already exist and when \\DIALIN2\P1\1547.TRV? time-of-last-write indicates that it is older
than \\DIALIN1\P1\1547.TRV .
You can change the
direction of copying with the application NamedPipesClient.? Simply connect, then type from-1-to-2 or
from-2-to-1 in the Send Message area of the dialog box and press the Send
button.? When you switch the phone lines
from DIALIN1 to DIALIN2 (or the reverse), you should remember to change the
direction of copying.? NamedPipesClient must be run with elevated privileges.
[MWE_FMS]
Individual Computer Housekeeping Service (ICHS)
ICHS is responsible for
performing three functions:
1.
Midnight
Movers
2.
Sunday Movers
3.
Richmond
Download
Midnight Movers happens
at 29 minutes past midnight every night.?
It prepares for the upcoming business day by clearing today?s stories
out of their today?s slots and moving them to yesterday?s slots.
Sunday Movers happens at
28 minutes past one o?clock
on Sunday morning.? It prepares for the
upcoming business week by clearing files from their daily slots and putting
them into a weekly backup location.
Richmond Download
implements the File Transfer Protocol so as to acquire
copies of files 1501.TRV through 1505.TRV, which are voice files from the
Richmond Times-Dispatch.? This download
occurs daily at five minutes past noon. [MWE_ICHS]
MIDNIGHT MOVERS
WASHINGTON
POST
Original P1??????????????? Daily Copy To?? New P5
1000.TRV-1099.TRV????????????????????????? 1000.TRV-1099.TRV
1100.TRV-1199.TRV????????????????????????? 1100.TRV-1199.TRV
1300.TRV-1399.TRV????????????????????????? 1300.TRV-1399.TRV
1500.TRV-1599.TRV????????????????????????? 1500.TRV-1599.TRV
1700.TRV-1799.TRV????????????????????????? 1700.TRV-1799.TRV
1800.TRV-1899.TRV????????????????????????? ?1800.TRV-1899.TRV
2000.TRV-2099.TRV????????? ??????????????? 2000.TRV-2099.TRV
2100.TRV-2110.TRV????????????????????????? 2100.TRV-2110.TRV
3600.TRV-3620.TRV????????????????????????? 3600.TRV-3620.TRV
3700.TRV-3720.TRV????????????????????????? 3700.TRV-3720.TRV
3900.TRV-3999.TRV????????????????????????? 3900.TRV-3999.TRV
4000.TRV-4099.TRV????????????????????????? 4000.TRV-4099.TRV
4100.TRV-4199.TRV????????????????????????? 4100.TRV-4199.TRV
4500.TRV-4599.TRV????????????????????????? 4500.TRV-4599.TRV
4700.TRV-4799.TRV????????????????????????? 4700.TRV-4799.TRV????
USA
TODAY
Original P6??????????????? Daily
Copy To?? New
P6
1000.TRV-1099.TRV????????????????????????? 8400.TRV-8499.TRV
1100.TRV-1199.TRV????????????????????????? 8500.TRV-8599.TRV
3900.TRV-3999.TRV????????????????????????? 8600.TRV-8699.TRV
4000.TRV-4099.TRV????????????????????????? 8700.TRV-8799.TRV
4100.TRV-4199.TRV????????????????????????? 8800.TRV-8899.TRV
1300.TRV-1399.TRV????????????????????????? 8900.TRV-8999.TRV
1600.TRV-1699.TRV????????????????????????? 9000.TRV-9099.TRV
1900.TRV-1999.TRV????????????????????????? 9100.TRV-9199.TRV
1800.TRV-1899.TRV????????????????????????? 9200.TRV-9299.TRV
4500.TRV-4520.TRV????????????????????????? ?9300.TRV-9320.TRV
4600.TRV-4620.TRV????????????????????????? 9400.TRV-9420.TRV
4700.TRV-4720.TRV????????????????????????? 9500.TRV-9520.TRV
5100.TRV-5120.TRV????????????????????????? 9600.TRV-9620.TRV
5200.TRV-5220.TRV????????????????????????? 9700.TRV-9720.TRV
5300.TRV-5320.TRV????????????????????????? 9800.TRV-9820.TRV
SUNDAY MOVERS
Per the script that formerly
was launched on Sundays:
del from P1
4801-4899",
del from P1
9601-9699",
del from P1
9701-9799",
copy p1 2901-2999 to
p1 4801-4899",sb
copy p1 2501-2599 to
p1 9601-9699",sb
copy p1 2401-2499 to
p1 9701-9799",sb
move p1 2901-2999 to
p1 4801-4899",
move p1 2501-2599 to
p1 9601-9699",
move p1 2401-2499 to
p1 9701-9799",
The indicated files
are deleted from the P1 directory, copied from the P1 directory, or relocated
away from the P1 directory, in the indicated order.? The sb notation indicates that copying is
directed to the SundayBackup directory.
SNMP
This picture shows how it
is possible to query the Windows 2012 Operating System for its computer name
(cleverly labeled sysName) using the Simple Network
Management Protocol.? The bytes sent and received
under the protocol are anything but simple. But, never
mind.? This program untangles the bytes
into a series of nested subordinate messages and picks out the system name
which it displays.? The request for sysName is encoded by something called an OID.? That?s the 1.3.6.1.2.1.1.5.0. that you see in
the picture.? Object Identifier?? The following is referenced without
permission from http://kb.paessler.com/en/topic/653-how-do-snmp-mibs-and-oids-work.
MIB stands for Management
Information Base and is a collection of information organized hierarchically.
These are accessed using a protocol such as SNMP. There are two types of MIBs:
scalar and tabular. Scalar objects define a single object instance whereas
tabular objects define multiple related object instances grouped in MIB tables.
OIDs or Object
Identifiers uniquely identify managed objects in a MIB hierarchy. This can be
depicted as a tree, the levels of which are assigned by different
organizations. Top level MIB object IDs (OIDs) belong to different standard
organizations. Vendors define private branches including managed objects for
their own products.
SNMP version 1 was the initial
development of the SNMP protocol. A description can be found in Request for
Comments (RFC) 1157 and it functions within the specification of the Structure
of Management Information (SMI). It operates over User Datagram Protocol (UDP),
Internet Protocol (IP), OSI Connectionless Network Services (CLNS), AppleTalk
Datagram Delivery Protocol (DDP), and Novell Internet Packet Exchange (IPX).
SNMP v1 is considered the de facto network management protocol in the Internet
community.
SNMP works on the basis that
network management systems send out a request and the managed devices return a
response. This is implemented using one of four operations: Get, GetNext, Set, and Trap. SNMP messages consist of a header
and a PDU (protocol data units). The headers consist of the SNMP version number
and the community name. The community
name is used as a form of security in SNMP. The PDU depends on the type of
message that is being sent. The Get, GetNext, and
Set, as well as the response PDU, consist of PDU type, Request ID, Error
status, Error index and Object/variable fields. The Trap consists of
Enterprise, Agent, Agent address, Generic trap type, Specific trap code,
Timestamp and Object/Value fields.
MIBs are a collection of
definitions which define the properties of the managed object within the device
to be managed (such as a router, switch, etc.) Each managed device keeps a
database of values for each of the definitions written in the MIB. As such, it
is not actually database but implementation dependent. Each vendor of SNMP
equipment has an exclusive section of the MIB tree structure under their
control.
In
order for all of this to be
properly organized, all of the manageable features of all products (from each
vendor) are arranged in this tree. Each 'branch' of this tree has a number and
a name, and the complete path from the top of the tree down to the point of
interest forms the name of that point. This is the OID. Nodes near the top of
the tree are extremely general I nature. For example, to get to the Internet, one
has to reach to the fourth tier. As one moves further
down, the names get more and more specific, until one gets to the bottom, where
each node represents a particular feature on a specific device (or agent).
Simple
Backup/Restore
Simple Backup/Restore
makes a backup file from a collection of directories.? You choose which directories to backup by specifying a root directory.? The default root directory (when you do not
specify one) is the root of Drive Letter.?
The backup file sports the filename extension .SB.? Each backed up file is internally associated
with its name and its time of last modification, its length, and unless it is old-format, a CRC.? Data
integrity is assured by a Cyclic Redundancy Check, which is applied on a per
file basis.? Simple Backup/Restore was
developed in response an incident where a commercial file backup app failed
when the computer, which it was backing up, failed catastrophically. The
partially readable backup file had to be recovered through the purchase of
additional commercially available software that was capable of sifting through
a complex, partially corrupted database.?
The central concept of System Backup is simplicity.? A partially completed backup file remains
readable.? All the work completed up to
the point of failure, if any, is fully recoverable without resort to
extraordinary means.? You have the option
to encrypt the backup file.? Restoration
of an encrypted is automatic.? You do not
have to know whether the backup file is encrypted or not. [SystemBackup]
The Metropolitan Washington Ear, a radio reading service for the
blind, offers audio streaming via the Internet.?
They moved to their own, dedicated building and infrastructure in 2008.? Their website was not appropriately updated
to cater to different audio streaming software.?
MARK DANA ROCKMAN developed this page to allow listeners to hear the
audio stream.? That formerly was
impossible. [MWE_WEB_CLIENT_FOR_AUDIO]
Nutrients
to Foods (NTF)
Anybody
can look up the nutrients contained within foodstuffs.? But what if you know what nutrients you want
What foods should you eat to get those nutrients The answer is provided by NTF.
[NTF]
SHUTDOWN
There are two version of SHUTDOWN.?
Both of them work.? The second one fully exercises the Windows
API for logging off and for rebooting and powering off the computer.? [SHUTDOWNCS]
This app is much handier than pointing and clicking around Windows?
own user interface for doing what SHUTDOWN does.? In some contexts
there is no obvious way to cause Windows to reboot.? The 2022 revision includes a combobox.? With the combobox you can choose the hour at which you want the
application to perform the function.?
When you do not specify an hour then the operation happens immediately.
[SHUTDOWNCS]
FileDump
Sometimes you just want to see exactly what a file contains.? [FILEDUMP]
MWE-DIAL-IN-CRASH-MONITOR
?
A computer that runs 24/7 is responsible for an IVR application.? The application maintains a large set of
files inside a directory structure.? There
are two kinds of file:? audio and
database.? Both kinds are possessed by
the IVR application in that they are to be instantaneously available to the IVR
application.? Interference from
applications outside the IVR application is dealt with severely:? the IVR application reboots the computer.? It deals with every anomaly this way.? There is no log entry documenting the fact
that the IVR application has decided to reboot the computer.? We just watch, in horror, as the machine
restarts.? It would be convenient for the
manager in charge of the IVR application to become cognizant of the situation
immediately upon its occurrence.? Enter
MWE-DIAL-IN-CRASH-MONITOR, which pings the computer and plays a tune in the
event of no response.
Numerous reboots over the years have been described
as being due to interference from applications that are outside the
purview of the IVR application.? Somebody? locked? the
file.? That is to say,
some application has opened the file so it can be backed up for good and
proper administrative reasons. Other potential problems revolve around file
metadata such as who owns the file, whether the file is compressed, whether the
file is read-only, whether the file has other strange attributes like SYSTEM
and HIDDEN.? Folklore tells us the IVR
application is quite strict as to what attributes a file may be blessed with.? These, we learn, are N (the attribute a file
gets when it has no other attributes) and A (the attribute a file gets when it
is ripe for being backed up).? All others
are forbidden.? When the IVR application
finds a tainted file, it reboots the computer.
Folklore isn?t necessarily an accurate reflection of reality.? In actual fact, the
IVR application probably reboots the computer only in the event of a file
access conflict and for reasons that have nothing whatever to do with the file
system, its behavior and contents.? [MWE-DIAL-IN-CRASH-MONITOR]
TRT32 FILE REPAIR aims to change file metadata to conform to the IVR
application?s strict attributes rules.? [MWE_TRT32_FILE_REPAIR]
UPLOADY
This ASP.NET application allows a web client to upload a file to the
ISP that hosts www.mdrsesco.biz, the website.? The interesting thing about this application
is its inability to spend the time or bandwidth on uploading large files.? Supposedly the problem is mitigated with
adjustments to parameters contained within Web.config,
a text file Microsoft?s web server, IIS, uses to make decisions about how a
round trip is to be handled.? Yeah, those
adjustments don?t do the trick.? However,
for small files, this? app?
is quite satisfactory.? FTP is the
workaround for large files.
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<configuration>
??????? <appSettings/>
??????? <connectionStrings/>
??????? <system.web>
??????????????? <httpRuntime maxRequestLength="409600"
executionTimeout="86399"/>
??????????????? <sessionState timeout="500100"/>
??????????????? <!--
? Set compilation debug="true" to
insert debugging
? symbols into the compiled page. Because
this
? affects performance, set this value to true
only
? during development.
? -->
??????????????? <compilation
debug="false" targetFramework="4.0">
??????????????? </compilation>
??????????????? <!--
? The <authentication> section enables configuration
? of the security authentication mode used by
? ASP.NET to identify an incoming user.
? -->
??????????????? <authentication
mode="Windows"/>
??????????????? <!--
? The <customErrors>
section enables configuration
? of what to do if/when an unhandled error occurs
? during the execution of a request.
Specifically,
? it enables developers to configure html
error pages
? to be displayed in place of a error stack trace.
? <customErrors
mode="RemoteOnly" defaultRedirect="GenericErrorPage.htm">
? <error statusCode="403"
redirect="NoAccess.htm" />
? <error statusCode="404"
redirect="FileNotFound.htm" />
? </customErrors>
? -->
??????????????? <pages
controlRenderingCompatibilityVersion="3.5" clientIDMode="AutoID"/></system.web>
??????? <!--
? The system.webServer
section is required for running ASP.NET AJAX under Internet
? Information Services 7.0.? It is not necessary for previous version of
IIS.
? -->
</configuration>
DMP
In a previous life, MARK DANA ROCKMAN worked on mainframes.? He created DMP for the Unisys (Sperry)
mainframe, which is now known as Unisys ClearPath but
previously was known as the Univac 1100/2200 Series.? DMP persists and Les Leist, with whom the aforementioned Rockman once worked, has kindly decided to
maintain it and distribute it to those who want it.
http://cgibin.rcn.com/leistlc/cgi-bin/indexbld.pl
DMP 22R2F - Interactive, Multi-Functional Utility Processor .....[06 NOV 2013 (1405 KB) -- Downloads: 878]
DMP is a versatile program with numerous commands relating to system,
MCT, and directory information; and utility functions
for files and tapes. This version has been upgraded for the latest MCT, MFD,
and Audit Trail structures.
*** Although DMP has commands that work with @COPY,G
tapes, DMP does not support the newer @COPY,G format with more than one track
per block. There is also limited LPF and LEPF support. See DMP/README. ***
-- Written by Mark Rockman. Enhanced by Les Leist.
(DOC no longer posted; obtain from download.)
How
to Kill a Process
Your application craves to terminate another process.? Here is how to do it.
namespace EditTechnology
{
? public class kill
? {
? public static bool WasteHim(String whomToWaste) // true indicates
the process was found and kill was called on it
? {
? string whomWeGonnaWaste = whomToWaste;
? System.Diagnostics.Process[]
localAll = System.Diagnostics.Process.GetProcesses();
? foreach (System.Diagnostics.Process p in localAll)
? {
? if (p.ProcessName.Equals(whomWeGonnaWaste))
? {
? p.Kill();
?? ?return
true;
? }
? }
? return false;?
// process by the specified name was NOT found
? }
? }
}
Notice that what is going on here is enumeration of all the processes
in the system.? One of those may have a
name that matches the argument.? It is
the one, if such exists, that gets the axe.
How
to Launch a Process
class Launch
? {
? public bool Process(string nameOfFile)
? {
? System.Diagnostics.Process myProcess = new System.Diagnostics.Process();
? try
? {
? // Get the path that stores user documents.
? string myProgramFilesPath =
?
Environment.GetFolderPath(System.Environment.SpecialFolder.System);
? myProcess.StartInfo.FileName = myProgramFilesPath + "\\NOTEPAD.EXE";
? myProcess.StartInfo.Arguments = nameOfFile;
?? ?myProcess.StartInfo.Verb = "Open";
? myProcess.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow
= true;
? myProcess.Start();
? }
? catch
? {
? return false;
? }
? return true;
?? ?}
? }
How
to Launch a Process and Gather Its STDOUT
This shows how to launch a console program (a
program that can be found among the directories that are listed in the PATH
environment variable of the logged-in user?s profile) and have its output sent
to a string variable.? The lines of
output are separated by carriage returns and/or line feeds.
How
to Determine If a File is Already Open in Another Process
How
to Disable the Dismiss Button
You
Know.? The X in the Rectangle in the
Upper Right of a Window
In a Windows Forms application it is
possible to disable the dismiss button.? You
must override an event-handling method of the form class and set a flag that
tells the powers-that-be that you find it utterly inconvenient to terminate the
program at this time.? Probably it would
formally be better if you coded a base.OnClosing()
method invocation for the case where bWorkerRunning
is false.? But it seems that?s not really necessary.? Setting
Cancel in eventargs to true does the trick.
Interoperability:? Hooking Managed Code to Unmanaged Code
Managed code is produced by Visual Studio for consumption at runtime
by a Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler.? The
JIT Compiler transforms Intermediate Language (IL) to machine code and performs
runtime checks for type safeness and validity to ensure proper operation and
security.? IL is code written for a
machine that hasn?t been realized in hardware but is code that can readily be
transformed to machine code.? Code that
is written in languages such as C# and Visual Basic becomes IL before it
becomes machine code.
Interoperability (INTEROP) is the mechanism that enables the methods
in managed code to call the methods in unmanaged code.?
Unmanaged code is produced by Visual Studio for languages like C++.? This is direct-to-machine-code compiling.? The only validity checks are the ones that
are performed during compilation.? C++
programs are ready to load and execute.? There
is no JIT compiling.? There is a
variation of C++ that can be compiled to IL and which
uses the Common Language Runtime of the .Net Framework, the same as C#.? Why use unmanaged code It is because a C++
program is the place where you have access to the entirety of the Win32 API.? Many operating system features are virtually
inaccessible from managed code. There is no support in CLR, for example, that
lets a programmer instruct the operating system to reboot itself.? Named pipes There is nothing in CLR for those.? But Win32 and INTEROP provide the solution.? In the case of named pipes, there is no need
for a DLL.? INTEROP takes care of the
whole problem.
Consider the case where a Win32 method must be invoked in order to complete the requirements of a C# application
program.? The Windows API, informally WinAPI, is
Microsoft's core set of application programming interfaces (APIs) available in
the Microsoft Windows operating systems. The name Windows API collectively
refers to a number of different platform
implementations that are often referred to by their own names (for example,
Win32 API).
INTEROP entails marshaling of arguments and of a return value.? A programmer writes the Win32 method in C++,
compiles it into a Dynamic Link Library with a specific release of Visual
Studio, and chooses whether the DLL is targeted for a 32-bit or a 64-bit
environment.? Another programmer writes
C# code that calls the Win32 method.? In
C# the programmer must declare the external method and decorate the declaration
which names the containing DLL and its location in the file system.? When deploying the solution, the end user
must be provided with the C# executable (the .EXE file), the C++ dynamic link
library (the .DLL file), and instructions on which Visual C++ Redistributable
Library must be installed to make a home convivial to INTEROP and Win32
executable code.?
The made-up term bitness refers to machine
and operating system architecture: 32-bit or 64-bit.? The Intel 80386 and follow-on products are
32-bit platforms.? Advanced Micro Devices
invented what became the industry standard 64-bit architecture, well after
Intel?s introduction of its proprietary 64-bit Intel Itanium Architecture.? See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IA-64. Intel
now also manufactures in accord with the Advanced Micro Devices? design.? When 64-bit is referenced, the architecture
that springs to mind is the AMD one, not the Intel one; although they persist
and co-exist.? Windows operating system
SKUs come in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors.? Either
of these can be installed on 64-bit hardware platforms.? On 32-bit hardware platforms only 32-bit
Windows can be installed.? Visual C++
Redistributable Library comes in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors.? (The 64-bit flavor can be used only on
computers that are running a 64-bit version of Windows.)? There are several
versions of Visual C++ Redistributable Library that are individually associated
with specific Visual Studio releases.? The
Visual Studio release is the one that is used to compile the unmanaged code.? Some combination of Visual Studio release,
Visual C++ Redistributable Library, 32-bit/64-bit compilation choice, hardware
platform bitness, and operating system bitness can be found that will support successful INTEROP
calls.
? catch (Exception emode)?
//? An attempt
was made to load a program with an incorrect format. (Exception from HRESULT:
0x8007000b)
?//? On January 20, 2015, it was discovered that the
ONLY problem was that the default 32-bit DLL was the "incorrect
format."? The system demands a 64-bit DLL.?
For the latest revisions to Windows Server (starting with Windows
Server 2012), the required runtime libraries are termed? features? of the operating system.? You should install runtime libraries via Server
Manager?s Install Feature function.
Here is how C# is used to declare an external C++ method for calling
via INTEROP.
Notice this declaration not only declares the name, arguments, and
return type of the method, but it also declares the file system location of the
containing Dynamic Link Library.
Here is how C# calls the unmanaged method.? The declaration makes this syntactically and
semantically legal.
Finally, here is the unmanaged C++ code that could, if it wanted to,
call any of the various Win32 methods.
Here is a real-world C++ method that allows a C# application to
reboot the computer.
Factors
1.
The bitness of the hardware.
2.
The bitness of the operating system.
3.
The bitness of the compiled DLL.
4.
The version of Visual Studio that is used to compile the DLL.
5.
The version of the Visual C++ runtime redistributable library.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms235636(v=vs.100).aspx
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms973190.aspx
MS973190 is a document
that claims Visual Studio C#, which generates managed code, can be told to
target 32-bit systems or 64-bit systems.?
On a 64-bit system the Just-In-Time compiler will produce 64-bit code if
that is targeted or 32-bit code if that is targeted.? Windows-on-Windows (WoW64) takes care of
non-native cases.? So sometimes your
managed code wants a 64-bit DLL for its unmanaged code.? Sometimes it wants the 32-bit DLL.? It?s may be (no
guarantee) just a matter of the highly obscure configuration settings in your
Visual Studio build.
How
to Create a Dynamic Link Library in Visual Studio 2010
To
create a new dynamic link library (DLL) project
1. On the menu bar, choose File,
New, Project.
2. In the left pane of the New
Project dialog box, expand Installed Templates, Visual C++, and then select
Win32.
3. In the center pane, select Win32
Console Application.
4. Specify a name for the project?for example, MathFuncsDll?in the Name box. Specify a name for the solution?for example, DynamicLibrary?in the Solution Name box. Choose the OK
button.
5. On the Overview page of the Win32
Application Wizard dialog box, choose the Next button.
6. On the Application Settings page,
under Application type, select DLL.
7. Choose the Finish button to
create the project.
The
Care and Feeding of Named Pipes in Services
In
computing, a named pipe (also known as a FIFO for its behavior) is an extension
to the traditional pipe concept on Unix and Unix-like systems,
and is one of the methods of inter-process communication (IPC). The
concept is also found in OS/2 and Microsoft Windows, although the semantics
differ substantially. A traditional pipe is "unnamed" because it
exists anonymously and persists only for as long as the process is running. A
named pipe is system-persistent and exists beyond the life of the process and
can be deleted once it is no longer being used. Processes generally attach to
the named pipes (usually appearing as a file) to perform inter-process
communication.? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Named_pipe
A
named pipe is a message conduit.? It
bi-directionally conducts messages between processes.? Program A and Program B can connect to a
named pipe and send messages to each other without involving rotating magnetic
memory devices.? All the magic happens in
software and in main memory.
Named
pipes are especially handy when it becomes necessary to communicate with
daemons, also-known-as Windows NT Services.?
The term daemon is popular in Unix and is almost unknown in Windows, but
the concept is the same.? A daemon is a
program that generally starts automatically after a reboot and runs constantly.? It runs independently of a shell or graphical
user interface, which makes it hard to communicate with them.? Enter named pipes.? With named pipes, an application that
possesses a user interface is able to send and receive
messages to and from a daemon.
The
daemon implements a named pipes Server that is constantly watchful for Clients
that wish to connect to the Server.? Independent
Client sessions are thereby established and lines of
communication opened.
/*
?* The Server
?*
?* The purpose of The
Server is to maintain and service a collection of clients who connect via a
mechanism known as Named Pipes.
?* There is no .NET API
for Named Pipes.? So The Server uses System.Runtime.InteropServices to
call the necessary Win32 APIs.
?* Fortunately, the
APIs are not too complicated nor demanding.?
The Named Pipes methods are CreateNamedPipe
and ConnectNamedPipe.
?* These are defined by
the Windows Dynamic Link Library file kernel32.dll.? The trick is in parameterizing the calls
correctly.
?* Named Pipes is the
perfect mechanism for communicating with a Windows Service.? A Windows Service is a process that Windows
?* starts at boot time.? There is no conventional user interface.? For example, a Windows Service has no shell
and no GUI.
?*
?* The Server maintains
a non-generic List (a collection) of Client objects.? The Client object is a non-behaving structure
that
?* represents an
individual connected client by Named Pipes handle and Filestream,
if any.
?*
?* The Server sends
messages to users via an event mechanism.?
Users register a method that is called when
?* The Server sends a
message that it has received from a client.?
?*
?* Users of The Server
are able to send messages.? When this
happens, each of the connected clients is destined to receive the message.
?* Said users send
messages to The Server via the SendMessage() method
of The Server.
?*
?* The Start() method
of The Server gets things going by forking a thread to field messages that
clients send to The Server.
?* The aforementioned
thread is called The Listener because it "listens" for clients to
"speak."? The Listener is a
?* perpetual loop that
exits only when a Named Pipes error occurs or because somebody calls the Stop()
method of The Server.
?* On each pass of the
loop The Server calls CreateNamedPipe to obtain what
is called a Client Handle.? This call blocks
?* until a client
connects or until Named Pipes (the complex of software) decides that blocking
forever would be futile.
?* For example, the
process may be exiting.? In that case, CreateNamedPipe returns an invalid handle, which is
detected and
?* handled by The
Server by terminating The Listener thread.?
Normally, CreateNamedPipe returns a valid
handle and this
?* represents a
connecting client that usually may be found running in a separate process.? The method ConnectNamedPipe
is
?* called to complete
the connection between client and server.?
Should this error, The Server terminates The Listener.
?* In the usual case of
"no error," The Server creates a new Client object and puts the
handle in it.? Then The Server
?* locks the client
list and adds the Client object to it in one atomic action.? Finally, The Server forks a thread to handle
?* the arrival of
messages from the client.? The Reader (as
represented by the Read() method of The Server) is
passed a
?* reference to the
aforementioned Client object.
?*
?* The Read() method of
The Server creates a FileStream object based on the
handle in the Client object that The Listener passes.
?* Then The Reader
enters a perpetual loop that terminates upon the occurrence of an error
condition or the Stop() method is called.
?* A reference to the FileStream is put in the Client object next to the handle
and the FileStream Read() method is called.
?* This call blocks
until a message arrives or an error condition arises.? A zero length
message is an error condition that may
?* occur after the
client disconnects. In the normal case, bytes arrive and must be dispatched via
an event to the user of
?* The Server. The
bytes are first converted to a string.? In
the error case, the handle is closed, the stream is closed,
?* and the client
object is removed under lock from the client list.? The Reader thread is then terminated.
?*
?* The user of The
Server is responsible to provide the name for a Named Pipe that matches the
name that clients will use.
?* For example, if X is
a reference to The Server object then X.PipeName can
appear to the left of the assignment operator to
?* receive a string of
the form \\.\pipe\<name-of-pipe>.? The
user then must register a method to handle message arrival events.
?* As before, X is a
reference to The Server object.? So X.MessageReceived can appear to
the left of the delegate add operator.
?* The assignment is of
a delegate instance that points to a method that shall be invoked by The Server
when a message arrives.
?* The method receives
two arguments in the following order:? 1)
a reference to the client object, and 2) the message as a string.
?*
?* The user of The
Server is in full control of the life of The Server.? Life begins with initialization and Start() and ends
?* with Stop().
?*
*/
The following exhibit shows the user interface to a generic Named Pipes
Client.? The dropdown list shows all the
available servers.? The user first gets
the app to enter privileged mode via a button that is labeled? Award Privil?
and that has vanished because it has already been applied.? This causes the Client run as Administrator.? Administrator is a privileged mode in which
it is permitted to open a named pipe as a stream, send and receive messages via
named pipes.? The user enters a command
in the Send Message area and presses the Send button.? The command is transmitted to the server
indicated by the dropdown box.? The
response is shown in the Rich Textbox under Received Messages.? In this example, the WINSVCFILCPY service
responds with its status.? The user,
having read the command response, can clear the Received Messages box and send another command.
Solving
Mysterious System Crashes
Suppose your
computer performs some vital function and it reboots during peak usage periods
for unknown reasons.? You?d like to know why, wouldn?t you Enter the system
dump and dump analyzer.? To enable
Windows to take a dump you must configure Windows to do so.? Ideally you will collect as much data
possible in order to allow the dump analyzer the
greatest opportunity to spell it out for you.?
Microsoft provides some guidance on how to size the page file since that
file receives the memory dump during the crash.?
See https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2860880
According to that
document you should configure the page file by following to the formula A+B,
where A is the amount of main memory in the computer?s hardware and B is
257,000,000 bytes.? B is space required
to accommodate symbol tables and headers for the various portions of the dump.? Ideally your computer will take a full system
dump when a crash occurs.? The other
options are? no
dump at all, ?and? a minidump.
If your system is
crashing and you cannot find a dump file (filename extension .dmp) then likely your page file is too small.? On a Windows XP machine with 2GB of main
memory 4GB (the maximum allowed) of page file should be plenty.
Usually that
which causes system crashes is third-party device drivers that contain faults
and issues.? Imagine a linked list that
contains an invalid address in one of its pointers.
Microsoft
provides WinDbg, a dump analyzer.? There is a commercial product known as WhoCrashed that also provides dump analysis, perhaps in a
manner accessible to mere mortals.? Visit
their website at http://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed
Latest version:
5.03
WhoCrashed reveals the
drivers responsible for crashing your computer
Whenever a
computer running Windows suddenly reboots without displaying any notice or blue
screen of death, the first thing that is often thought about is a hardware
failure. In reality, most crashes are caused by
malfunctioning device drivers and kernel modules. In case of a kernel error,
most computers running Windows do not show a blue screen unless they are
configured to do so. Instead these systems suddenly
reboot without any notice.
WhoCrashed shows the
drivers that have been crashing your computer with a single click. In most
cases it can pinpoint the offending drivers that have been causing misery on
your computer system in the past. It does post-mortem crashdump
analysis and presents all gathered information in a comprehensible way.
Normally,
debugging skills and a set of debugging tools are required to do post-mortem
crash dump analysis. By using this utility you do not
need any debugging skills to be able to find out what drivers are causing
trouble to your computer.
MARK DANA ROCKMAN
offers no endorsement of this product and is in no way liable for problems you
may have using it, if any.
If you want to
cause a Blue Screen of Death in order to obtain a dump, launch the following
text file that I?ve named
bsod.reg.? Apply this registry change.? Then reboot the computer.? Then logon.?
Then hold down the rightmost CTRL key and simultaneously hold down the
SCROLL LOCK key.? You can uncheck the
automatic reboot box in Advanced settings under My Computer Properties to
prevent a reboot following a Windows fault (i.e. BSOD).? The reboot will still happen when a program
you are running decides to solve the world?s problems with a reboot.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\kbdhid\Parameters]
"WorkNicely"=dword:00000000
"CrashOnCtrlScroll"=dword:00000001
Core Dump in Windows?
Back in the day, a
failing computer program would leave behind pages and pages of numbers called a
core dump.? It was just a memory picture
which, along with register contents, could be used, occasionally, to discern
why a program failed.? Such a thing is
rarely used these days what with Integrated Debugging Environments (IDEs) that
allow you to step through problematic code and fix it all in one go.? However, it is nice to know that Windows
admits the possibility that you want to take a core dump.? Here?s how you do it.? Assuming the failed program is still in
memory (it may be displaying an error message), find it in Task Manager, right
click the item, click Create Dump File.? Et,
voil?.? You?ve
got yourself a minidump in the %TEMP% directory.? You can then launch Visual Studio and drag
the minidump?s icon to Visual Studio?s window in order to
visualize the dump.
WinDbg
WinDbg is good for many things.? Among those things is using it as a dump
analyzer for when you are able to cajole Windows into
producing a dump file such as MEMORY.DMP.?
You get a switch to throw that picks the kind of dump to be produced.? You get a number to specify that establishes
the size of the Windows Page File.? To
produce a full memory dump after an unfortunate computing event (i.e. a crash), the page file will have to be larger than the
number of bytes that physical memory will hold.?
Naturally, a memory dump has metadata alongside a clump of bytes.? If you have 2GB of physical main memory then 4GB of page file should be more than adequate.? You can leave page size management up to
Windows to perform, but the question remains whether Windows is up to the task,
especially when the object of the game to is to guarantee that a panic dump is
available in the event of a crash.
In order for dump analysis to work correctly, WinDbg requires the symbol table that is created by Microsoft
when it does the RTM build of Windows.? You
require a specific symbol table for the specific Windows build that produced
the dump.
Naturally,
this issue progresses to questions such as 1) Where do I get WinDbg and 2) Where do I get the symbol table Also, if I
get the symbol table, where does the symbol table get put by the symbol table
installer The installer makes a Federal case out of copying a file, a set of
files, and/or database and neglects to mention where it is located.? _NT_SYMBOL_PATH is an environment variable (you may want to
create it) that translates to a string that names the location of the symbol
table if you knew where that might be.
It can be reliably
reported that WinDbg comes with the Windows Driver
Kit, which you can download at no cost to you.?
And symbols are readily available at
?http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg463028.aspx#_System_Requirements
Download Windows Symbol
Packages
C:\Symbols
According to PROCMON, a
delightful tattletale, the place where the symbols installer puts all those PDB
files is C:\Symbols.? So
you should go to Advanced Settings and equate _NT_SYMBOL_PATH to C:\Symbols.
You might also try
setting _NT_SYMBOL_PATH to the following
srv*DownstreamStore*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
This last one
takes the prize cake.? It turns out that
symbol tables for the exact build you are running are almost impossible to find.? To fix that little conundrum there exists a
way for your favorite debugger (I love WinDbg) to
satiate its craving for symbol tables by drinking from the online fountain in
The Cloud.? That? DownStreamStore,
?above That?s The Cloud.? So my recommendation
is that you set _NT_SYMBOL_PATH to the aforementioned value.? You get far less complaint from WinDbg about undefined symbols.
Process
Monitor and WireShark
Process Monitor,
by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell.? http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx
This splendid? app?
displays and preserves a comprehensive record of actions internal to Windows.? For example, you can watch various processes
open and close files, attempt to communicate on the Ethernet, and play around
with The Registry. When the system is complaining about odd things, Process
Monitor steps in to explain.? If you don?t
find Process Monitor does enough to satisfy your need for Ethernet monitoring,
I suggest you use WireShark: https://www.wireshark.org/download.html
Process Monitor
is an advanced monitoring tool for Windows that shows real-time file system, Registry and process/thread activity. It combines the
features of two legacy Sysinternals utilities,
Filemon and Regmon, and adds an extensive list of
enhancements including rich and non-destructive filtering, comprehensive event
properties such session IDs and user names, reliable
process information, full thread stacks with integrated symbol support for each
operation, simultaneous logging to a file, and much more. Its uniquely powerful
features will make Process Monitor a core utility in your system
troubleshooting and malware hunting toolkit.
These tools are
free of any charge.? And very, very
useful.
Do
Not Block the Message Pump
The message pump
drives the? app.
Without messages flowing, the program stops behaving.? That is to say, there
is no behavior.? You, the end user, see a
Not Responding message.? That means the? app? is not
processing what may well be a lengthy queue of messages.? That?s because the? app? is busy doing things other than
processing messages.? Solution While you
think the purpose of your program is to solve a business problem, Windows knows
better.? The real purpose of your program
is to process messages.? So you must create a thread to handle the business problem.? The initial thread thus is dedicated to
handling messages.
Once you have a
thread dedicated to the business problem, the original thread takes care of
message handling.? The two threads must
coordinate to avoid strange occurrences such as happens when you click the X in
the upper right-hand corner of the Windows Form.? The window closes, yet the business problem
solving continues invisibly.? To avoid
this happening, you can override the Windows Form method that receives control in the event that the aforementioned X is clicked.? You can set a flag to tell program management
to ignore the close request for the time being.?
Once the business solver finishes its task, you can reverse the close
inhibit.? Here?s the code:
?protected override void OnClosing(CancelEventArgs eventargs)? //
the X icon in the upper right corner of the dialog box is made inoperable when
a worker is working
? {
? if (bWorkerRunning)? ?// if a worker
thread exists
? eventargs.Cancel
= true;? // then ignore the close request
?? ?else
? {
? eventargs.Cancel
= false;
? base.OnClosing(eventargs);
? }
?return;
? }
Configure
Domain Name Service (DNS)
From
time to time, one is required to create a Domain Controller.? Many Domain Controllers are Domain Name
Servers (DNS).? A DNS is responsible for
transforming a symbolic Internet or LAN reference to an IP address.? The necessary steps are few and simple and
yet the written material is long, complicated, and jargon-laden.? If you get it wrong, your DNS will be
resolving symbolic references via the wrong servers out on the Internet.? That?s slow, inefficient, and, in egregious
cases, illegal.
Modern
Windows Server operating systems offers DNS that is integrated with Active
Directory (AD).? That means when you have
multiple domain controllers (in the same domain), that DNS is replicated across
all of the Domain Controllers.? AD is a database that facilitates
coordination between Domain Controllers and allows workstations to become? members? of
the domains that Domain Controllers are responsible for protecting and serving.? A hugely important offering of Domain
Controllers (DC) is Group Policy.? Group
Policy, it need be pointed out, is not Policy that applies to Groups.? Rather, it is a grouping of policies.? The big deal about Group Policy is that is
implements the means to set policy for member workstations from a central
location.? The central location is the
Domain Controller.? You insist, for
example, that your workstation users employ complex passwords that expire every
month Bingo!? No
problem.? Just set a policy that says so.
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/172963/EN-US
is a document that explains how you configure a DNS.? It is very good, but incomplete.? It will get you going with name resolution on
your LAN.? That way, computers on your
LAN can find each other.? Symbolically.? If your domain does not extend beyond your
LAN, you establish an arbitrary domain name such as mdrsesco.com.? All of your member workstations will be? joined to the
domain? and named <name-of-computer>.<domain-name>.? For example, P30.mdrsesco.com.?
The
following instructions apply to Windows Server 2012 R2.? Previous incarnations of Windows Server
sported a DNS configuration utility that was not integrated within Server
Manager.? Nowadays one must start Server
Manager and navigate its user interface to perform any administrative function.? To get started, the DNS role must be
configured.? Launch Windows Server (it
usually launches by itself when you restart the server).Click
Manage > Add Roles and Features > Role-based or Feature-based
Installation > Select a server from the pool > Server roles > DNS
Server.? You just tick the checkbox next
to DNS Server and follow the instructions that start the installation of the
DNS role.? Once that is done, you are
ready to configure DNS.? To do that, go
back to Server Manger.? Click Tools >
DNS.? By clicking DNS
you cause to launch what is called DNS Manager.?
That is your window onto the world of the Domain Name Service.
Notice
the menu across the top of DNS Manager.? One
of the menu items is Action.? Click
Action > Configure a DNS Server.? This
launches a? wizard?
that guides you through the process of creating the DNS configuration. You
choose to configure a) a Forward Lookup Zone, b) both Forward and Reverse
Lookup Zones, c) Neither Forward Nor Reverse Lookup
Zone.? Item c) is a bad choice because
all name resolution is then done via top-level domain (TLD) name servers and
those servers are not designed to nor capable of being Mister Answerman for
every workstation in the Universe.? You
want at least a Forward Lookup Zone and preferably Forward and Reverse.? Press the radio button that applies in your
case. Do you want to create a Forward Lookup Zone now Answer yes.? Do you want a Primary Zone A
Secondary Zone A Stub Zone Pick Primary.?
Tick the Store the Zone in Active Directory checkbox.? Select how you want Zone Data replicated.? You want it replicated far and wide.? Throughout the domain or throughout the
forest of domains. I suggest To all DNS Servers
throughout the domain.? Now you get to
pick your Zone Name.? In my case the Zone
Name is mdrsesco.com.? Now you get to
choose whether Dynamic Updates are to occur.?
It?s a convenience feature.? When
a new workstation appears on the LAN and points to the DC/DNS, the DNS
recognizes the need to list the workstation so that other workstations on the
LAN can communicate with it.? Failing to
allow Dynamic Updates means you will be required to manually configure each
workstation.? I suggest that you chose to
have DNS perform Dynamic Updates. These can be Secure or Not Secure.? Since your DNS database is integrated within
AD, you want secure updates.? Now you
want to create a Reverse Lookup Zone.? Such
a Zone provides the capability to take an IP address and map it to a
corresponding symbolic name.? Given
192.168.1.4 you may get, for example, P30.mdrsesco.com.? Do you want a Primary Zone A
Secondary Zone A Stub Zone Pick Primary.?
Tick the Store the Zone in Active Directory checkbox.? To All DNS Servers throughout the domain.
Next, do you want to resolve IPv6 addresses Certainly not.? Not on a LAN.?
Choose IPv4.? Next, enter the
Network ID that applies to your domain.? Suppose
all of the computers on your LAN sport an IP address
of the form 192.168.1.x, where x varies according to which computer you are
considering and is unique to that computer out of all the computers on the? LAN.? The network portion of the IP address is
192.168.1.? So
enter that as your Network ID.? This
assumes your subnet mask is 255.255.255.0.?
Do you want Dynamic Updates Yes.? Should
this DNS Server forward queries Of course it should. Choose the radio button
next to that option and enter the IP addresses (or the equivalent symbolic
names) of the Domain Name Servers out on the Internet that your Internet
Service Provider has kindly documented for you.?
Congratulations!? You are done.
When
you need to alter the list of Forwarders, go to the Menu
and click Action > Properties.? See
the tab-laden dialog box.? Choose the
Forwarders tab, click Edit and enter the IP address or symbolic names of the
forwarders. Then click OK.? See
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754941.aspx.
I
find it comforting to know that DNS is successfully contacting the Forwarders,
so I use a packet sniffer as I enter a bogus URL in my favorite browser.? Yes, indeed.?
The DNS is contacting the Forwarders.?
Done and done.
rem
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754941.aspx
rem Run this as
Administrator (i.e. elevated privileges)
dnscmd /ResetForwarders
/help
dnscmd fserv.mdrsesco.com /ResetForwarders 199.45.32.43 199.45.32.38 /TimeOut 5
REM
REM
REM
REM
REM In future versions
of Windows, Microsoft might remove dnscmd.exe.
REM
REM If you currently
use dnscmd.exe to configure and manage the DNS server,
REM Microsoft
recommends that you transition to Windows PowerShell.
REM
REM To view a list of
commands for DNS server management, type
REM "Get-Command
-Module DnsServer" at the Windows PowerShell
prompt. Additional
REM information about
Windows PowerShell commands for DNS is available at
REM http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=217627.
REM
REM Usage: DnsCmd <ServerName>
<Command> [<Command Parameters>]
REM
REM <ServerName>:
REM IP address or host
name? -- remote
or local DNS server
REM? ?. ?-- DNS server
on local machine
REM <Command>:
REM /Info? -- Get
server information
REM /Config? -- Reset
server or zone configuration
REM /EnumZones -- Enumerate zones
REM /Statistics? --
Query/clear server statistics data
REM /ClearCache? -- Clear DNS server cache
REM /WriteBackFiles? -- Write back all zone or root-hint
datafile(s)
REM /StartScavenging -- Initiates server scavenging
REM /IpValidate? -- Validate remote DNS servers
REM /EnumKSPs? -- Enumerate available key storage providers
REM /ResetListenAddresses? -- Set server IP address(es) to serve
DNS requests
REM /ResetForwarders -- Set DNS servers to forward recursive
queries to
REM /ZoneInfo? -- View zone information
REM /ZoneAdd -- Create a new zone on the DNS server
REM /ZoneDelete? -- Delete a zone from DNS server or DS
REM /ZonePause -- Pause a zone
REM /ZoneResume? -- Resume a zone
REM /ZoneReload? -- Reload zone from its database (file or DS)
REM /ZoneWriteBack -- Write back zone to file
REM /ZoneRefresh -- Force refresh of secondary zone from master
REM /ZoneUpdateFromDs? -- Update a DS integrated zone by data
from DS
REM /ZonePrint -- Display all records in the zone
REM /ZoneResetType --
Change zone type
REM /ZoneResetSecondaries? -- Reset secondary\notify information
for a zone
REM /ZoneResetScavengeServers? -- Reset scavenging servers for a
zone
REM /ZoneResetMasters?? ?-- Reset secondary zone's master servers
REM /ZoneExport? -- Export a zone to file
REM /ZoneChangeDirectoryPartition -- Move a zone to another
directory partition
REM /ZoneSeizeKeymasterRole? -- Seize the key master role for a
zone
REM /ZoneTransferKeymasterRole -- Transfer the key master role
for a zone
REM /ZoneEnumSKDs? -- Enumerate the signing key descriptors for
a zone
REM /ZoneAddSKD? --
Create a new signing key descriptor for a zone
REM /ZoneDeleteSKD -- Delete a signing key descriptor for a zone
REM /ZoneModifySKD -- Modify a signing key descriptor for a zone
REM /ZoneValidateSigningParameters -- Validate DNSSEC online
signing parameters for a zone
REM /ZoneSetSKDState -- Set Active and/or Standby keys for a
signing key descriptor for a zone
REM /ZoneGetSKDState -- Retrieve dynamic state for a signing key
descriptor for a zone
REM /ZonePerformKeyRollover? -- Trigger a key rollover in a
signing key descriptor for a zone
REM /ZonePokeKeyRollover -- Trigger a key rollover in a signing
key descriptor for a zone
REM /ZoneSign? -- Signs the zone using DNSSEC online signing
parameters
REM /ZoneUnsign? -- Removes DNSSEC signatures from a signed zone
REM /ZoneResign? -- Regenerate DNSSEC signatures in a signed
zone
REM /EnumRecords -- Enumerate records at a name
REM /RecordAdd -- Create a record in zone or RootHints
REM /RecordDelete? -- Delete a record from zone, RootHints or cache
REM /NodeDelete? -- Delete all records at a name
REM /AgeAllRecords -- Force aging on node(s) in zone
REM /TrustAnchorAdd? -- Create a new trust anchor zone on the
DNS server
REM /TrustAnchorDelete
-- Delete a trust anchor zone from DNS server or DS
REM /EnumTrustAnchors? -- Display status information for trust anchors
REM /TrustAnchorsResetType -- Change zone type for a trust
anchor zone
REM /EnumDirectoryPartitions -- Enumerate directory partitions
REM /DirectoryPartitionInfo? -- Get info on a directory
partition
REM /CreateDirectoryPartition? -- Create a directory partition
REM /DeleteDirectoryPartition? -- Delete a directory partition
REM /EnlistDirectoryPartition? -- Add DNS server to partition
replication scope
REM /UnenlistDirectoryPartition -- Remove DNS server from
replication scope
REM /CreateBuiltinDirectoryPartitions -- Create built-in partitions
REM /ExportSettings? -- Output settings to DnsSettings.txt in
the DNS server database directory
REM /OfflineSign -- Offline signing zone files, including key
generation/deletion
REM /EnumTrustPoints
-- Display active refresh information for all trust points
REM /ActiveRefreshAllTrustPoints -- Perform an active refresh on
all trust points now
REM /RetrieveRootTrustAnchors? -- Retrieve root trust anchors
via HTTPS
REM
REM <Command
Parameters>:
REM DnsCmd <CommandName> /? --
For help info on specific Command
REM
REM In future versions
of Windows, Microsoft might remove dnscmd.exe.
REM
REM If you currently
use dnscmd.exe to configure and manage the DNS server,
REM Microsoft
recommends that you transition to Windows PowerShell.
REM
REM To view a list of
commands for DNS server management, type
REM "Get-Command
-Module DnsServer" at the Windows PowerShell
prompt. Additional
REM information about
Windows PowerShell commands for DNS is available at
REM
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=217627.
REM
How
to Get Your? App?
to
Assume
the Privileges of an Administrator
Some
computer programs need to run privileged in order to
perform their function.? The problem is
how to avoid requiring the end user to launch the program with the privileges
of the Administrator.? Enter received
standard wisdom.? Here?s what you do.? Simply notice that the program is not running
as Administrator.? Then, figure out what
program is being executed and relaunch it to run as Administrator.? The original, unprivileged instance then
quietly exits.
When
yours is a simple console application, you don?t have access to the System.Windows.Forms.Application.ExecutablePath()
method.? Said method returns the filename
of the application?s launchable image.? So
other means must be found.? Also, unlike
in a Windows forms application, you must cater to command line arguments.? These launch-time inputs are provided via a
GUI when you have a window.? The CodeBase()
method returns a URL-style reference to the launchable image.? So you must tear off
the Error! Hyperlink reference
not valid. prefix.?
For good measure, the Unix-style forward slashes in the URL are changed
to Microsoft?s patented backslashes.
It
is interesting to note that all your carefully arranged drive letter equations
to network folders vanish when you relaunch the application.? Apparently by design, drive letter equations
are tied to the user account probably in the profile.? Different account means different profile.? You can establish the same equations under
the privileged account as you originally established.? Or use the Universal Naming Convention (UNC)
which should work in most cases. I can?t say I recall being given advice about
this Windows behavior.? Have to figure it out on our own.
How
to Read and Write a Flat File
A
flat file is what database aficionados call a sequential series of similarly-sized records.?
In the old days, these records might be called? card images. That?s back when punch
cards of 80 columns were the common input medium. Practically a stone age
technique.? Anyway, flat files are still
handy and are the place you put your XML, XAML,C#
source code, and logs.? The way you write
a flat file is as follows.
using (System.IO.StreamWriter sw = new System.IO.StreamWriter(@?\Users\Public\NameOfFile.txt?))
{
sw.WriteLine(?Line 1. );
sw.WriteLine(?Line 2. );
sw.WriteLine(?Line 3. );
}
With
the using statement you define a set
of statements that enjoy the benefits of an open flat file stream.? These are those statements between the curly
braces that follow the using
statement.? The using statement itself declares a StreamWriter
object reference variable, sw, and initializes it
with a newly manufactured object of that class.?
The constructor takes the name of the flat file as its argument.? Inside the curly braces you write individual
records with the WriteLine method of the StreamWriter
object.? Upon exiting the curly braces,
the file that StreamWriter opened is automatically
closed.? To read those records back,
follow this pattern:
using (System.IO.StreamReader sr = new System.IO.StreamReader(@?\Users\Public\NameOfFile.txt?))
{
for(;;)
{
string line = sr.ReadLine();
if (line == null)
break;
lineProcessingMethod(line);
}
}
Inside
the curly braces you read individual records and process them.? You continue reading records with the ReadLine method of StreamReader
object until the method returns null.? That?s
your signal that every record has been returned and you are done reading.? Call break to exit the loop.? Upon exiting the curly braces, the file that StreamReader opened is automatically closed.
How
to Discover Whether a File is In Use by a Different Process
It
is highly convenient to know before you touch a file when the file is currently
being handled in a different process.? You
want to avoid file conflicts.? So, how do
you ask the question and get a reasonable answer:? is this file in use Solution:? Available to people who write unmanaged code.? Here we are using the OpenFile
method that is provided by Win32.? We
demand exclusive use of the file.? When
the request is rejected (signaled by a return code that is symbolically
represented by HFILE_ERROR), it becomes obvious that exclusive use is
not presently available.? Why might that
be Well, it could be that the file is open in a different process.? So, assume that.? There doesn?t seem to be an equivalent
mechanism that is provided in the .Net Framework.? So the next best
thing is interoperability in which managed code calls into unmanaged code.? See the section titled:? Interoperability:? Hooking Managed Code to Unmanaged Code.
Read
a File to Bits
Sometimes
it is beneficial to acquire the bits that are the content of a file rather than
rely on more advanced but obscurantist mechanisms that hide the true content
and structure of any file.? In this
example it is shown how to open a file for reading the bits in the order in
which they appear and, for fun, converting those bits to a text stream that
encodes the bits with characters taken from the set all uppercase letters, all
lowercase letters, the digits, and two special characters.? Each character stands for a specific pattern
of six bits.? There are 64 different
characters standing for the 64 different bit patterns that are physically
possible in six bits.
How
to Synchronize PC?s Clock with External Time Server
Where the red rectangle appears you put a symbolic reference to an Internet time
server (Network Time Protocol or NTP), e.g. time.windows.com.? This command must be called from an elevated
command prompt.? That
is to say, you must launch CMD so that it runs as Administrator.? It is advisable to stop and restart the
Windows Time service following the successful execution of this command, as
follows.? You should be sure to perform
this procedure on each Domain Controller.?
Workstations that are joined to the domain automatically take as their
time source the most convenient Domain Controller in their domain.? You should run this procedure (referencing an
Internet time server) only on Domain Controllers to save the ecology.? There is no need for every workstation to
query the Internet time server when the Domain Controller is perfectly capable
of acting as an accurate time source and go-between.? Workstations can run the command by placing
the fully-qualified name of the Domain Controller in
the red box. A good choice for Internet time server is pool.ntp.org.
NET STOP W32Time
NET START W32Time
PowerShell can be used to set
the time source on a Domain Controller, as follows with this script:
w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:pool.ntp.org /syncfromflags:MANUAL
Stop-Service w32time
Start-Service w32time
Change a File?s Time-of-Last-Reference To Now
To assure a
specific file is backed up during your next computer hygiene session you can
use the touch utility to mark it as having been changed.? Syntax:?
touch <filename>.? If the file exists
then the first byte is read and written.?
When the file length is zero then the file is opened truncated for
writing and nothing is written to it.? When
the file does not exist then it is created empty. [touch]
How to Install a Windows Service (aka Daemon)
1. Start an elevated
command prompt.? Suppose you have a
shortcut to CMD on your desktop.? Right
click it and choose Run as Administrator.
2.
Make your current working directory the place where you keep the
installation script.? I call mine Install.cmd.? I
put it in the Release folder of the VS solution.
3.
Launch the script.
4.
Microsoft provides a utility program whose name is InstallUtil.? You
first remove from the system any previous copy of the service.
5.
Step 4 stops the service process and deletes the service from the
Registry.
6.
Step 4 causes InstallUtil to report success
in removing the service.? However, the
process continues on and on.?
7.
Because of Step 6, we make special arrangements to delay further
processing until the process actually disappears.
8.
The touch command creates a temporary file that is necessary because
the text editor assumes one exists.
9.
The text editor is invoked to run a text editor script that waits for
the service to disappear.
10.
The erase command gets rid of the temporary file of Step 8.
11.
Now we create a folder (aka directory) in which to copy the service
executable file.
12.
The old executable, if any, is deleted.
13.
All associated dynamic link library files, if any, are deleted.
14.
The new executable is copied to the directory of Step 11.
15.
InstallUtil is invoked to
register the service with Windows.
16.
NET START is invoked to get the service going.
NET STOP
WINSVCFILCPY
InstallUtil -uninstall WINSVCFILCPY.exe
REM Give Windows
a chance to finish uninstalling
REM Windows
should not return from uninstalling until uninstalling the service has completed
touch G3u6aX
ed? G3u6aX
WAITFORTERM.TXT
erase G3u6aX
PAUSE
MKDIR
C:\TkKcV6QJm3dP2nU4ps85
ERASE
C:\TkKcV6QJm3dP2nU4ps85\WINSVCFILCPY.EXE
ERASE C:\TkKcV6QJm3dP2nU4ps85\*.DLL
COPY
WINSVCFILCPY.EXE C:\TkKcV6QJm3dP2nU4ps85
COPY *.DLL
C:\TkKcV6QJm3dP2nU4ps85
InstallUtil
C:\TkKcV6QJm3dP2nU4ps85\WINSVCFILCPY.exe
NET START
WINSVCFILCPY
Avoid the Clunky User Interface That
Activates Windows
slmgr.vbs -ipk "xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx"
The command
slmgr.vbs must be run at a command line prompt that is elevated with
Administrator privileges.? Put a shortcut
to CMD on your desktop.? Right-click the
icon and click Run as administrator.? Then
type in slmgr.vbs with the product key.? Eventually
you will see a window open stating whether Windows was activated.
Alternative means
to persuade Windows to activate itself:? slui 3 or slui 4.
slui 3
slui 4
Get the Build Date of a Managed Code? App?
In
C++ there is a compiler-generated pair of variables (__DATE__, __TIME__) that
contains the timestamp of the compilation. These variables are called predefined ANSI/ISO C99 and Microsoft C++
implementation preprocessor macros.? No
such mechanism appears in C#.? Instead,
one is obligated to read the text of the .exe file and find the build timestamp
there.? The .exe file is a COFF file.
The
Common Object File Format (COFF) is a specification of a format for executable,
object code, and shared library computer files used on Unix systems. It was
introduced in Unix System V, replaced the previously used a.out
format, and formed the basis for extended specifications such as XCOFF and
ECOFF, before being largely replaced by ELF, introduced with SVR4. COFF and its
variants continue to be used on some Unix-like systems, on Microsoft Windows,
in EFI environments and in some embedded development systems.
Depends
Any program that you may construct will have dependencies on various
runtime methods.? Exposing those
dependencies is the job of Depends: The Dependency Walker.? You can discover what?s missing in your
runtime environment that will cause your? app? to fail at the worst possible
time in the worst possible way.
You Need a Bigger Stack in Managed Code
Suppose your application contains a recursive function and that
recursion can occur to a very significant depth.? You run the risk of running out of stack
space.? Ordinarily a Stack Overflow
exception is a sign of infinite regression or some other logic mishap.? But it can happen that the code is perfect and it requires more stack than the default
provision.? What to do The
simplest thing to do is fork a new thread.?
At the fork you specify the size of the required stack.? The initial thread exits
and the forked thread continues on.? It
is possible to patch the EXE file.? A
byte or two in the Portable Executable (PE) or COFF file specifies the stack
size of the initial thread.? But making
that patch consistently from build to build is problematic.? Better to change the source code.
Unable to Live With
Default Settings in Windows?
Immediately after installing Windows you
begin trek that ends up reconfiguring many default settings.? Here are a few actions I frequently take.
01.
Use express settings.? Press the Use express settings button on the
Settings page.
02.
Enter an invalid e-mail address and a bogus
password.
03.
Click the continue without a Microsoft
account link.
04.
On the Your account page press the Create a
local account button.
05.
Enter Ugen (generic user) under User name.? Enter and
re-enter a password.? Enter a password
hint.? Click Finish.
06.
Hi
07.
Start > All Apps > Windows System >
Control Panel (right-click Control Panel and click Pin to taskbar)
08.
Click Control Panel on taskbar.
09.
Click Network and Internet.
10.
Click Network and Sharing Center.
11.
Click Change Adapter Settings.
12.
Right-click the adapter of choice.
13.
Click Properties.
14.
Scroll down to expose Internet Protocol
Version 6 and Internet Protocol Version 4.
15.
Uncheck IPv6.
16.
Highlight IPv4.
17.
Press the Properties button.
18.
Enter computer's IP address, subnet mask,
gateway router IP address, two DNS IP addresses.
19.
Click OK.
20.
Click Close.
21.
You can optionally rename the adaptor.
22.
Close Network Connections.
23.
Close Network and Sharing Center.
24.
Click Control Panel on taskbar.