Jul 12 2012

How to Fix Error 1001 in DFS 3.4 When DFS Apps are Run

I was getting an “Error 1001: The specified service already exists" when running DFS applications from the Windows Start menu. The first alert to a problem on the server was an e-mail that indicated that the three McGraw-Hill services (McGraw-Hill Construction Company Transfer Queue Processor Version 3.4, McGraw-Hill Construction Project File Transfer Queue Processor Version 3.4, and McGraw-Hill Construction Project Transfer Queue Processor Version 3.4) were not running.

In order to restart these services and fix the Error 1001, you need to open the PDM Server folder which is usually located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Adenium Systems\PDM Server and unregister all services with UnRegisterService.bat. After this is complete, services need to be registered with Windows using RegisterService.bat.

The next step is to start all of the services associated with DFS:

  • DFS Order PreProcessor Version 3.4
  • McGraw-Hill Construction Company Transfer Queue Processor Version 3.4
  • McGraw-Hill Construction Project File Transfer Queue Processor Version 3.4
  • McGraw-Hill Construction Project Transfer Queue Processor Version 3.4
  • PDM Notification Processor Version 3.4

The PDM Notification Processor needs Log On in its properties to be set to an account that can access the vault. The administrator account can be used here.

There is a bug with the shortcuts in the Start menu which breaks services when an app from the PDM folder is run. You should not run apps through the Start menu and either run them directly from the DFS Server folder or pin them to the Taskbar in Windows Server 2008.

By Johan • How To • 0 • Tags: , ,

May 28 2012

How To Turn Off Thumbnail Caching In Windows 7

Thumbnail caching can occasionally cause problems in applications in Windows, so you may need to turn this feature off. In Windows XP, its very easy to do through Windows Explorer. You go to Tools –> Folder Options –> View and deselect Do not cache thumbnails. In Windows 7, you don’t have this option in Windows Explorer.

In Windows 7, you need to make changes in the Group Policy Editor to turn off thumbnail caching.

  1. Press Windows-R to get a run dialog box.
  2. Enter gpedit.msc and press the OK button.
  3. This will open the Local Group Policy Editor. Go to User Configuration –> Administrative Templates –> Windows Components –> Windows Explorer. Double click the “Turn off the caching of thumbnails …” option.

    image

  4. In the next dialog box, select Disabled and press the OK button to turn off thumbnail caching.

    image

The same procedure is necessary for Windows Vista to modify thumbnail caching.

By Johan • How To • 1 • Tags: , ,

May 26 2012

Android SDK Market Share for May 2012

The following table is the current market share of the various Android SDK’s in use. Developing apps for API 7+ will encompass 99% of Android devices. The largest numbers of devices are running the Gingerbread SDK (64.4%), but a significant number (26.4%) is running API’s 7-8. So, the minimum API for Android development should be 7.


SDK API Market Share
4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich 14-15 4.9%
3.x.x Honeycomb 11-13 3.3%
2.3.x Gingerbread 9-10 64.4%
2.2 Froyo 8 20.9%
2.0, 2.1 Eclair 7 5.5%
1.6 Donut 4 0.7%
1.5 Cupcake 3 0.3%

By Johan • Technology • 0 • Tags: , ,

May 3 2012

The World’s First Product Support Service Call

Rare footage from the world’s first IT service call in Norway. There are subtitles in English for those who don’t understand the native language.

By Johan • Humour, Videos • 0 • Tags: , ,

Apr 27 2012

The Ultimate Error Message

I recently spoke with a user who was having problems with one of my web sites. He claimed to be getting an error message that said, “it doesn’t work”. Of course, Apache and IIS do not return messages like that and there is no custom message on my sites that say this, but it got me thinking.

This would actually be an interesting universal error message for web sites and apps. It doesn’t help the developer narrow down the problem, but its straight to the point that a feature failed. Fortunately, no developer would use an error message like this since it makes our lives more difficult in identifying a problem and replicating it.

An important thing to keep in mind here is that when a user claims to get an error that’s impossible, we need to remain polite when speaking to them. Keep customers happy by solving their problems and don’t make them feel like fools when they make mistakes, don’t use features correctly, or find bugs. Our customers pay our bills, so be nice to them. :)

By Johan • Humour • 0

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