- Blind-sysadmins - lists.hodgsonfamily.org

Open University Microsoft Server 2008 R2 Course
by Barry Toner 27 Jul '12

27 Jul '12

Hi folks, I have a DSA assessor coming out next week for my OU Server 2008 course. I am looking for suggestions what I might need & can justify? For non-UK folks this is Disability Services assessing any hardware/software/support I need to complete my course. I have the latest Window Eyes and NVDA but want the latest JFW so I can make sure I can access every aspect of Server 2008 R2. Should I try for a new Desktop computer? We will be doing the work on pre-built virtual machines. I am conscious about not wanting to take the mickey but equally I tend to leave myself short on these assessments and end up having to purchase things myself. If I had a greedy head on I'd go for a Macbook because I've no intention in my next portable being an IBM based machine, but I'm not sure I could ask for that with a straight face on a Microsoft course! I have a Victor Reader Stream and an iPhone so that's electronic and audio book reading covered. Again I could bluff and ask for a portable player but I'd rather get what I need rather than go on a Christmas shopping list, like so many do. FYI here's the link to the course I'm taking. http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/tm128.htm Any thoughts? Regards, Barry.

1 0

Open University Microsoft Server 2008 R2 Course
by Barry Toner 27 Jul '12

27 Jul '12

Hi folks, I have a DSA assessor coming out next week for my OU Server 2008 course. I am looking for suggestions what I might need & can justify? For non-UK folks this is Disability Services assessing any hardware/software/support I need to complete my course. I have the latest Window Eyes and NVDA but want the latest JFW so I can make sure I can access every aspect of Server 2008 R2. Should I try for a new Desktop computer? We will be doing the work on pre-built virtual machines. I am conscious about not wanting to take the mickey but equally I tend to leave myself short on these assessments and end up having to purchase things myself. If I had a greedy head on I'd go for a Macbook because I've no intention in my next portable being an IBM based machine, but I'm not sure I could ask for that with a straight face on a Microsoft course! I have a Victor Reader Stream and an iPhone so that's electronic and audio book reading covered. Again I could bluff and ask for a portable player but I'd rather get what I need rather than go on a Christmas shopping list, like so many do. FYI here's the link to the course I'm taking. http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/tm128.htm Any thoughts? Regards, Barry.

1 0

ms group chat
by Brian Moore 23 Jul '12

23 Jul '12

Hi. Anyone have any experience with this thing? A friend of mine asked as they are using it at work. There is a downloadable demo of ms communications server 2007 which includes this group chat thing but I don't have a server 2003 or 2008 box handy to play with it. anyone ever tried this thing and gotten any success with jaws prefered but any access at all. I might try and throw together a box later this week if no one else has experience but figured I would ask here. thanks. Brian. -- Contact me on skype: brian.moore follow me on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bmoore123

2 2

weird server connectivity problem
by Jackie McBride 19 Jul '12

19 Jul '12

Hay, all--man, I've got a weird thing going on here. I needed to buy some additional web hosting space. I currently have a server w/a provider & can access CPanel & all my other services w/o difficulty. Lately, though, I needed to buy more space, & because I'd been so happy w/NameCheap in terms of buying domains, I decided to lease server space from them. When attempting to log into my CPanel, I get a message that says authenticating, & then it asks for my username & password again. I click the login button, & get: Login successful. Redirecting … After some time I get: Problem loading page The connection has timed out The server at 1bizhosting.com is taking too long to respond. list of 3 items ▪ The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments. ▪ If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection. ▪ If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web. list end I've been battling this for about a week. I've disabled my OpenDNS, reset my hosts file, even disabled my firewall & antivirus briefly w/no success. I've used 2 proxies, 1 of which said it wouldn't let me view anything else until I paid 'em $40, the other I couldn't get past the logon screen. I've also tried logging on from different networks, w/similar results. A tracert command yields: Tracing route to host11.registrar-servers.com [199.188.200.56] over a maximum of 30 hops: 1 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms 192.168.0.1 2 54 ms 54 ms 54 ms phnx-dsl-gw16-208.phnx.qwest.net [67.40.227.208] 3 54 ms 54 ms 54 ms phnx-agw1.inet.qwest.net [216.160.199.121] 4 66 ms 66 ms 66 ms lap-brdr-04.inet.qwest.net [67.14.22.158] 5 204 ms 220 ms 219 ms te1-1.ccr02.lax05.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.11.125] 6 66 ms 67 ms 66 ms te0-2-0-6.ccr22.lax01.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.82.153] 7 96 ms 96 ms 96 ms te0-1-0-6.ccr22.iah01.atlas.cogentco.com [66.28.4.237] 8 113 ms 114 ms 113 ms te0-0-0-7.ccr22.atl01.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.24.21] 9 114 ms 113 ms 113 ms te0-0-0-0.ccr21.atl01.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.45.29] 10 139 ms 239 ms 212 ms te2-1.ccr01.atl07.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.26.49] 11 112 ms 113 ms 113 ms 38.122.130.10 12 113 ms 113 ms 112 ms 6509-sc1.abstractdns.com [64.22.117.234] 13 * * * Request timed out. 14 113 ms 113 ms 112 ms host11.registrar-servers.com [199.188.200.56] Trace complete. Again, I have no difficulty connecting w/my other provider. I'm also experiencing timeout issues w/Namecheap's ftp as well. The support people cannot replicate the problem, i.e., entering my user credentials logs them on just fine, evidently. I can actually access www.1bizhosting.com w/o difficulty. So--any1 got any bright ideas? I've been doing this stuff a pretty long time now & I've never seen anything quite like this b4. -- Blame the computer--why not? It can't defend itself & occasionally might even be the culprit Jackie McBride Ask Me Computer Questions at: www.pcinquirer.com Jaws Scripting training materials: www.screenreaderscripting.com homePage: www.abletec.serverheaven.net

4 7

weird server connectivity problem
by Jackie McBride 18 Jul '12

18 Jul '12

Hay, all--man, I've got a weird thing going on here. I needed to buy some additional web hosting space. I currently have a server w/a provider & can access CPanel & all my other services w/o difficulty. Lately, though, I needed to buy more space, & because I'd been so happy w/NameCheap in terms of buying domains, I decided to lease server space from them. When attempting to log into my CPanel, I get a message that says authenticating, & then it asks for my username & password again. I click the login button, & get: Login successful. Redirecting … After some time I get: Problem loading page The connection has timed out The server at 1bizhosting.com is taking too long to respond. list of 3 items ▪ The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments. ▪ If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection. ▪ If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web. list end I've been battling this for about a week. I've disabled my OpenDNS, reset my hosts file, even disabled my firewall & antivirus briefly w/no success. I've used 2 proxies, 1 of which said it wouldn't let me view anything else until I paid 'em $40, the other I couldn't get past the logon screen. I've also tried logging on from different networks, w/similar results. A tracert command yields: Tracing route to host11.registrar-servers.com [199.188.200.56] over a maximum of 30 hops: 1 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms 192.168.0.1 2 54 ms 54 ms 54 ms phnx-dsl-gw16-208.phnx.qwest.net [67.40.227.208] 3 54 ms 54 ms 54 ms phnx-agw1.inet.qwest.net [216.160.199.121] 4 66 ms 66 ms 66 ms lap-brdr-04.inet.qwest.net [67.14.22.158] 5 204 ms 220 ms 219 ms te1-1.ccr02.lax05.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.11.125] 6 66 ms 67 ms 66 ms te0-2-0-6.ccr22.lax01.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.82.153] 7 96 ms 96 ms 96 ms te0-1-0-6.ccr22.iah01.atlas.cogentco.com [66.28.4.237] 8 113 ms 114 ms 113 ms te0-0-0-7.ccr22.atl01.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.24.21] 9 114 ms 113 ms 113 ms te0-0-0-0.ccr21.atl01.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.45.29] 10 139 ms 239 ms 212 ms te2-1.ccr01.atl07.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.26.49] 11 112 ms 113 ms 113 ms 38.122.130.10 12 113 ms 113 ms 112 ms 6509-sc1.abstractdns.com [64.22.117.234] 13 * * * Request timed out. 14 113 ms 113 ms 112 ms host11.registrar-servers.com [199.188.200.56] Trace complete. Again, I have no difficulty connecting w/my other provider. I'm also experiencing timeout issues w/Namecheap's ftp as well. The support people cannot replicate the problem, i.e., entering my user credentials logs them on just fine, evidently. I can actually access www.1bizhosting.com w/o difficulty. So--any1 got any bright ideas? I've been doing this stuff a pretty long time now & I've never seen anything quite like this b4. -- Blame the computer--why not? It can't defend itself & occasionally might even be the culprit Jackie McBride Ask Me Computer Questions at: www.pcinquirer.com Jaws Scripting training materials: www.screenreaderscripting.com homePage: www.abletec.serverheaven.net

1 0

Office 365?
by Ryan Shugart 11 Jul '12

11 Jul '12

Hi: A quick question, has anyone on this list played with Office 365? I’ve been asked a few times if its accessible and I have no idea. I know it offers more than my current Exchange hosting provider does, but I really don’t need anymore than I have so haven’t ever looked at switching. As I said though I’ve been asked by other people several times, so thought I’d send the question out here as I’m sure someone’s played with it. Thanks. Ryan

5 10

Office 365?
by Ryan Shugart 09 Jul '12

09 Jul '12

Hi: A quick question, has anyone on this list played with Office 365? I’ve been asked a few times if its accessible and I have no idea. I know it offers more than my current Exchange hosting provider does, but I really don’t need anymore than I have so haven’t ever looked at switching. As I said though I’ve been asked by other people several times, so thought I’d send the question out here as I’m sure someone’s played with it. Thanks. Ryan

1 0

What's Wrong With This Answer File?
by Don Urquhart 02 Jul '12

02 Jul '12

Good evening all, I have a weekend job, first crack at it fresh out of the college exam, with a sick laptop. After an assessment and discovering that the owner's avg Internet security trial has expired, I decided to do a wipe and clean Windows 7 32 bit install. I chose a 32 bit Windows, because that is what he originally had on it, and,though technically the processor is 64 bit capable, it only runs at 2.3 ghz, and my understanding is that 3 ghz is recommended for win 7 64. The hard disk is partitioned three ways. The installer stops at the selection screen where you choose Starter, Basic, Premium, etc. When we choose Premium, it then balks at a screen asking which partition to install to. I added two "modify partition" elements, with action remove, thinking that would remove the secondary and tertiary partitions and allow the install to proceed in partition 1, same result. Is it possible the answer file is not being read at all? I think the first partition was named "rv bios"; are there cases where you can't repartition except via special non-microsoft tools? I am using the Windows Automated Installation Kit, with the autounattend.xml being placed on a flash drive. I insert the flash drive about two seconds after hearing the cd being read. One possibly important fact about the cd: it did not come with the laptop. I downloaded an iso of Windows 7 32 bit, as I wasn't sure if my store-bought Windows 7 64 bit cd would work, and with the understanding that such a download is legal, provided you have a licence key. Fortunately I have the owner's key noted down in a text file. Below is the content of the answer file. Would much appreciate any suggestions what could be wrong with it, or what I might have to do specially re the partitioning skeme. Thank you in advance. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend"> <settings pass="oobeSystem"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <Reseal> <Mode>Audit</Mode> </Reseal> </component> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <OOBE> <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage> <ProtectYourPC>3</ProtectYourPC> </OOBE> </component> </settings> <settings pass="windowsPE"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <SetupUILanguage> <UILanguage>en-us</UILanguage> </SetupUILanguage> <InputLocale>en-us</InputLocale> <SystemLocale>en-us</SystemLocale> <UILanguage>en-us</UILanguage> <UILanguageFallback>en-us</UILanguageFallback> <UserLocale>en-us</UserLocale> </component> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <DiskConfiguration> <Disk wcm:action="add"> <CreatePartitions> <CreatePartition wcm:action="add"> <Order>1</Order> <Type>Primary</Type> <Extend>true</Extend> </CreatePartition> </CreatePartitions> <ModifyPartitions> <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add"> <Active>true</Active> <Format>NTFS</Format> <Label>system</Label> <Letter>C</Letter> <Order>1</Order> <PartitionID>1</PartitionID> <Extend>true</Extend> </ModifyPartition> <ModifyPartition wcm:action="remove"> <Order>2</Order> </ModifyPartition> <ModifyPartition wcm:action="remove"> <Order>3</Order> </ModifyPartition> </ModifyPartitions> <DiskID>0</DiskID> <WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk> </Disk> <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI> </DiskConfiguration> <ImageInstall> <OSImage> <InstallTo> <DiskID>0</DiskID> <PartitionID>1</PartitionID> </InstallTo> <InstallToAvailablePartition>false</InstallToAvailablePartition> <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI> </OSImage> </ImageInstall> <UserData> <AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula> <FullName>Trevor & Family</FullName> </UserData> </component> </settings> <settings pass="specialize"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-IE-InternetExplorer" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <BlockPopups>no</BlockPopups> <Home_Page>www.google.com</Home_Page> </component> </settings> <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:c:/win732_files/sources/install.wim#Windows 7 HOMEPREMIUM" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" /> </unattend>

2 2

OCR From Screen
by Don Urquhart 28 Jun '12

28 Jun '12

Hi all, I am testing the concept of using camera-based ocr to scan a computer screen, which could be a good backup in cases where something weird happens and a process, such as boot or unattended install, gets stuck in an unexpected spot where no reading software is available. I have had some promising results with screens of basic text scanned with ZoomReader on my iPhone 4. I am thinking I may get more reliable and faster processing using my laptop in combination with a higher resolution camera, as the iPhone cam is only 5 MP. Have any of you had reliably usable results with either a phone or laptop-based setup to ocr an otherwise unreadable screen? I know there are a few very specialized devices that may serve this purpose, but I have only around $600.00 to spend, not a couple thousand, and with practicum starting in two weeks, waiting for agency funding is not a very satisfactory option. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I'm running a MacBook Pro with Lion, and it runs Windows 7 in its bootcamp partition.

5 18

godaddy cloud (potential job)
by David Mehler 26 Jun '12

26 Jun '12

Hello, Does anyone have any experience with godaddy cloud servers pro or conn? My last experience with godaddy was not good, but I might have a referal who might want to use their cloud server services. I have also never set up a cloud server and am not sure how accessible it is. I'm hoping they want to use LInux as they want a cpanel install, mail, wordpress and a custom app of some kind. Any suggestions or advice appreciated. Thanks. Dave.

2 3