- Blind-sysadmins - lists.hodgsonfamily.org

off topic, sorry need advice?
by Ibraam Wahib 20 May '08

20 May '08

hello group: sorry for these topics but I need your opinion. how's ICDL accessibility and support for the blinds and jaws? in Egypt companies need this certification like my ID card, so I should make it but how? it not accessible is it the same in your country? or have solve? thanks very much. ibraam.

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off topic need help please?
by Ibraam Wahib 13 May '08

13 May '08

hello my friends: sorry I knew that this topic may be not discussing in this group but I've a question and need your suggestions as possible? one of my friends has a center contains of 5 floors, he wants to put a computer and make a screen and sound in every floor! so how we can connect 5 screen or more on the same PC? and the same for sound speakers? thanks very much. ibraam.

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Vmware
by Toner, Barry (LIT) 10 May '08

10 May '08

Hi all, Has anyone been using this within Windows with either Window Eyes or JAWS? Anyone got or willing to write-up a tutorial or record a podcast for the complete newbie? I've just started CBT Nuggets vmware series, but don't want to get too far a-head to find that it will not work under Windows XP with the above screenreaders. Feel free to share your experiences both as a home-user and business-user. Barry. "Tell me and I will hear, show me and I will see, involve me and I will understand. Chinese Proverb" Barry Toner Placement Systems Engineer Liberty Information Technology Direct Line: 02890 167000 Adelaide Exchange Fax: 02890 445511 24-26 Adelaide Street Switchboard: 02890 445500 Belfast BT2 8GD Email: b.toner(a)liberty-it.co.uk

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FW: Six downloadable boot discs that could save your PC
by Andrew Hodgson 09 May '08

09 May '08

Hi, Received this from a list subscriber. These tools look quite good, but most will probably not be accessible directly. I know there was talk a while ago about one of the Linux rescue kits including Emacspeak or Speakup in the distribution, but not sure whether anything came of that. Andrew. From: christophermcmillan(a)hotmail.comTo: christophermcmillan(a)hotmail.comDate: Thu, 8 May 2008 06:22:11 -0600Subject: FW: Six downloadable boot discs that could save your PCMessage from NewsGator subscriber Christopher McMillan: Look at these great Boot CD ToolsPost from NewsGator.com:Six downloadable boot discs that could save your PC Way back in the 20th century, Windows prepared you for the day your PC wouldn't boot. It came with a program that formatted a bootable floppy disk, complete with diagnostic and repair utilities. If you had the forethought to create that floppy while Windows was still working, you were ready when it eventually failed. Alas, the Windows Boot Floppy went the way of DOS (the operating system it actually booted). Modern versions can't make that floppy (they can format a bootable DOS floppy -- if you have the drive -- but without utilities), and DOS can't handle NTFS hard-drive partitions. Since Microsoft doesn't supply you with the ability to create an emergency boot disk, others have stepped in to fill the vacuum. Here are six worthwhile emergency boot CDs, all downloadable, and most of them free. Yes, I know you can't download a CD. Most of these packages come as .iso files -- easily burnable disc images. If you double-click an .iso file, there's a good chance that a program you already own -- perhaps Nero Burning or Easy Media Creator -- will come up and burn it to CD. If that doesn't happen, download and install ISO Recorder. Know Your Rescue OSes Since DOS doesn't handle XP or Vista repairs well, each of these discs boots into one of the following three operating systems. It's good to know a little about them. Windows PE: The official, CD-bootable version of Windows (the PE stands for Preinstallation Environment) makes the obvious choice for this sort of thing. Unfortunately, Microsoft maintains strict control, and few utility authors have received permission to use it. BartPE: Since Microsoft won't share its preinstallation environment, Bart Lagerweij created his own, and he gives it away for free. But to avoid copyright infringement, he can't give you everything you need to create a BartPE disc. The missing elements consist of Windows XP installation files you may or may not already have. Linux Live CD: The name refers to any version of Linux you can download as an .iso file and boot off a CD. But Linux can be an intimidating environment for the uninitiated, it doesn't always handle NTFS well (many versions can read NTFS but not write to it), and it is seldom geared to help with Windows problems. The Six Great Rescue Discs So let's get on with it. I'll start with discs that simply give you access to the files on your hard drive, and work my way up to the powerhouses that can diagnose and repair most boot problems. Puppy LinuxIf Windows won't boot, nothing gets you into your hard drive faster or more easily than Puppy Linux. Puppy isn't the most powerful version of Linux by a long shot, but it's great for accessing NTFS-formatted hard drives -- especially if you're not comfortable with Linux's whole mount concept. Just open the Drives window and select a drive, and Puppy will mount it for you -- in read/write mode, if possible. If Puppy succeeds in mounting the drive with read/write permissions, you not only can copy your files elsewhere, but you can also edit them. Puppy Linux comes with AbiWord, which supports .doc files, and Gnumeric, which supports .xls. And even if it mounts read-only, you can still copy the files to an external drive, most of which are formatted in the universally accessible FAT32 file system. But be careful how you click. Actions that take double-clicks in Windows, such as opening a file, take only one in Puppy. Price: FreeDownload Puppy Linux . BartPEThe BartPE operating system makes a pretty good boot disc on its own, getting you into Windows and letting you access your drive. It doesn't have much in the way of repair utilities, but it has chkdsk, which should probably be the first one you try. And it can run any portable Windows utility (that doesn't require an installation) you care to give it. Creating a BartPE disc isn't as easy as double-clicking an .iso file. You have to download, install, and run Bart's PE Builder. To create a CD, the program needs the Windows 2000 or XP installation files. One place you're sure to find them is an actual Windows installation CD-ROM. But the recovery disc that came with your PC probably doesn't have them. Luckily, if your PC came with XP installed (and thus, not with a true XP CD), the necessary files are probably in a folder called C:\Windows\i386. But I do mean probably, not definitely. However, since the PE Builder is free, you're not losing much if it can't create a disc. Although BartPE's program selection is slim, the PE Builder lets you add other programs to the disc before you burn it. Price: FreeDownload BartPE. Vista Recovery DiscIt looked like Microsoft was finally going to do the right thing. Beta versions of Vista SP1 came with a modern equivalent of the old Windows Boot Floppy--a Start menu option called "Create a Recovery Disc" that burned a Windows PE-based emergency CD. Alas, Microsoft removed that feature before SP1 shipped--but not, fortunately, before NeoSmart turned the disc into an .iso file and made it available on their site. Running on the Vista version of Windows PE, the Recovery Disc is basically a Vista installation disc minus the install files. It even has an "Install now" button that asks for a Product Key before failing. You're better off clicking the Repair your computer button. Among its Vista-only options are a tool for diagnosing and fixing startup problems, a version of System Restore that uses restore points on the hard drive, the restore portions of Vista's backup program, and a memory diagnostic tool. Price: FreeDownload Vista Recovery Disc. Ultimate Boot CD for WindowsThis BartPE-based boot disc comes with a huge selection of tools to access your data and get your PC booting properly again. Some of them are even useful. UBCD takes a long time to load and asks you some odd questions before it's finally up. But once it's there, you can edit the Windows Registry (yes, the one on the hard drive) in RegEdit, recover deleted files, and even run benchmarks. There are several malware scanners, four defraggers, and eight diagnostic programs (including HD Tune and Windows' own chkdsk). This boot CD also includes backup utilities to help you salvage your files. There's a driver backup and a system profile backup whose Web-based documentation no longer comes up. And four separate image backup programs. One of those programs, DriveImage XML, I considered recommending in past articles but didn't because restoring from it requires a second Windows installation--something the program gets with UBCD. The experience of setting up UBCD is identical to creating a BartPE disc -- with the same possibility of failure. But when it works, you get a lot more. Price: FreeDownload Ultimate Boot CD for Windows. Trinity Rescue KitThis is the only Linux Live CD variant I've ever encountered that is intended specifically for rescuing Windows computers. As such, it's no surprise that it's a powerful and versatile repair environment. But it's really not designed for Windows users. TRK's command line interface could humble anyone but the most devoted Linux geek. If you take the time to read the 46-page documentation and learn the program, you'll be rewarded next time disaster strikes. Among the tools that will be at your disposal are a script that runs 4 different malware scanners, a tool for resetting passwords, a Registry editor, a program that clones an NTFS partition to another PC over a network, a mass undeleter that tries to recover every deleted file on the drive, several tools for recovering data off a formatted or dying disk, two tools for fixing master boot record repair programs, and hardware diagnostics. Price: FreeDownload Trinity Rescue Kit. Active@ Boot DiskFinally, we come to a boot disc that offers useful tools, is easy to use, and can be created from virtually any XP or Vista computer. The catch? At US$80, it costs $80 more than the other five options put together. Based on Windows PE, LSoft Technologies' Active@ Boot Disk offers a well-chosen collection of utilities, including image backup and recovery, a CD/DVD-based data backup program (Windows PE and Active@ load entirely into RAM, making the disc drive available for other uses), and a tool for recovering deleted partitions and files. You can change Windows passwords, wipe your hard drive, and choose between three partition managers. A Windows Explorer clone lets you copy files off of the hard drive. You can even bring up Windows' Task Manager, although I'm not sure why you'd want to. And if you're feeling really geeky, there's even a HEX editor. Price: $80 (ten-day free trial period)Download Active@ Boot Disk. PC World is an InfoWorld affiliate. _________________________________________________________________ With Windows Live for mobile, your contacts travel with you. http://www.windowslive.com/mobile/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_m…

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Biometric Thumb Print Scanners
by Toner, Barry (LIT) 08 May '08

08 May '08

Folks, Can anyone recommend any of these for Winblows who's software is fairly standard? IE. You can set up without any sight? Thinking USB for notebooks and/Desktop Server. Thanks, Barry. "Tell me and I will hear, show me and I will see, involve me and I will understand. Chinese Proverb" Barry Toner Placement Systems Engineer Liberty Information Technology Direct Line: 02890 167000 Adelaide Exchange Fax: 02890 445511 24-26 Adelaide Street Switchboard: 02890 445500 Belfast BT2 8GD Email: b.toner(a)liberty-it.co.uk

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Ot: jfw and outllook question
by Mario Percinic 24 Apr '08

24 Apr '08

Hey Guys. Sorry for asking this question over here, but really I don't want to subscribe on jfw mailing list just to get one weird answer :) so I hope that someone will have quick answer for me since outlook is used in business environment and under exchange server. I'm looking for he option in outlook 2003 how to add the sender to my adressbook. When I'm on the message in inbox or some other folder, when I right click on the message, there is no option of adding the sender to address book, though I enabled full menus in the outlook options, but still I can't find the option. Please help. Thanks. Mario Percinic Software developer and Accessibility consultant Geneza d.o.o. Metalceva 5 10000 Zagreb Croatia mail: mario.percinic(a)geneza.com.hr mail2: mario.percinic(a)gmail.com msn: mario.percinic(a)gmail.com skype: acousticman ICQ: 124488586

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Re: [Blind-sysadmins] HP Servers
by Angelo Sonnesso 15 Apr '08

15 Apr '08

How did you turn off the ports in the BIOS? Angelo Sonnesso M.A. M.S. Social Worker for the Blind -----Original Message----- From: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of George Bell Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 7:07 AM To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] HP Servers Hi, I thought some of you might be interested in my following up this problem, which is now to some extent resolved. The solution may just prove of value to you one of these days. The problem was with an HP DL380 G3 server which was coming up with an "NMI Parity Check / Memory Parity error" when trying to install Windows Server 2000 or 2003. Andrew suggested upgrading the firmware, which I did. All manner of diagnostics provided by HP appeared to pass with flying colours. It seemed my next option was to try replacing the motherboard. Expensive, and not guaranteed to resolve the problem. But then a Linux enthusiast suggested trying to install Linux Debian on it, so last weekend, and to my great surprise, it installed. Gnome and KDE GUIs went on as well, and all appeared fine, except.... While the Debian system could see the Windows Enterprise 2003 Server Domain controller and workstations (even the Vista one!), nothing could see Debian. Cutting a long day's story short, it turned out that the two on-board gigabit network ports were at the root of the problem. (Remember, they too had passed HP's diagnostic tests). Examining the installation logs, Debian had actually seen the NMI error, and by-passed it. Having disabled the two ports in BIOS, we installed a PCI network card, and in minutes Debian was having two way conversations with the Domain. It is now working nicely as a file server. At least we now know for certain what the problem is or was, and finally I've decided to take the plunge into Linux, which in turn gives me a test bed for some Linux versions of Windows applications we already deal with. I am however a shade disappointed that HP's own diagnostics failed so miserably. And of course no thanks either to Microsoft's installer, which simply gave up with a blue screen of death. George Bell Managing Director Techno-Vision Systems Ltd 76 Bunting Road Ind. Est. NORTHAMPTON, NN2 6EE, UK. Tel: (01604) 792777 Fax: (01604) 792726 mailto:george@techno-vision.co.uk web: http://www.techno-vision.co.uk -----Original Message----- From: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Hodgson Sent: 11 March 2008 11:57 To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] HP Servers Hi, I would say do the following: Remove all arrays from the non working server. Go to the following site: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareInd ex.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=3288130&prodTypeId=15351&pro dSeriesId=316529&swLang=8&taskId=135&swEnvOID=1110#7813 (sorry if cut and paste fails here). Download the latest firmware pack CD ISO and boot from it. It should upgrade several firmware components. You may need to do this from the Start Smart CD, read the instructions. Don't worry if the fans start spinning like crazy - they did on our single HP machine we have here in the office. >From the same link download the latest StartSmart CD, this will have the latest drivers on it. We have had no end of crashes/issues if technicians use later OS installation disks if the box is running old firmware, because these disks install drivers which depend on newer firmware. Sorry if you already did this. Thanks. Andrew. -----Original Message----- From: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org on behalf of George Bell Sent: Mon 10/03/2008 22:46 To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] HP Servers Hi Andrew, Yes. One server is working. They are supposedly identical. We are also using the latest HP Smartstart CD. And to be honest, I have a feeling the local HP authorised guys here in Northampton are a sandwich short of a picnic. E.G. I gave them two 32 GB drives - a 10k rpm and a 15k rpm. They told me that due to the different rpms, I'd need matching drives, the 32 GB drives were no longer available, and indeed I'd have to spend £400+ on a single new drive. Drive speeds sounds logical, but...... "B-ll-cks!" I said, and pointed then to the SCSI Shop where one of the 32 GD drives cost me £95 ex VAT. Then after the NMI: error, they say the motherboard is probably gone and that's and arm and a leg. So I get my a-s into Google, and get a UK source where refurbished M/B will cost me less than £100. But I also Google to find that the error I am getting is not unusual, but as yet have not been able to get a final conclusion as to what it actually means. At the price I paid, I'd junk the bad server, but I'd plans to use it as a training unit for guys like you. Plus I'm p--sed off at the local HP service. George. -----Original Message----- From: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Hodgson Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 10:20 PM To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] HP Servers Hi, So are you saying that one of the servers is working? Did you check that all the firmware has been updated? Dell do master update disks, and I have found these crucial, especially if downloading later versions of their version of the StartSmart CD, called OpenManage. Not sure whether HP do similar. Otherwise it will be a call to your reseller, especially if it is just one machine that is going wrong - they can usually get you to run very low level diagnostics, which gives specific error codes to show which component is acting up. Andrew. -----Original Message----- From: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of George Bell Sent: 10 March 2008 22:16 To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] HP Servers Yes I did, Andrew. There are 2 x 512MB sticks in each. They were swapped with the working server. The message comes up in two places - and using the Smartstart CD. 1) With Windows Server 2000 - it blue screens when "Installing Hardware". 2) With Windows Server 2003 - it blue screens after the final re-boot. George. -----Original Message----- From: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Hodgson Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 9:52 PM To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] HP Servers Hi, Did you check that the memory was the same size - i.e, you didn't install a 1GB stick then install a 512MB stick? Is this error appearing in the operating system, or before the OS starts? Did you install using the HP SmartStart CD, which installs a whole array of drivers which don't get installed for the backplane, array controller, etc? Thanks. Andrew. -----Original Message----- From: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of George Bell Sent: 10 March 2008 21:10 To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] HP Servers Has anyone any experience of HP Servers in terms of when anything goes wrong, such as follows: NMI Parity Check / Memory Parity error. Two identical servers. Memory swapped between the two, so that (hopefully) eliminates "Memory Parity error" These are two HP DL380 G3 Servers. George. _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadm ins _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadm ins _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadm ins _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadm ins _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadm ins _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadmins No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.13/1377 - Release Date: 4/14/2008 9:26 AM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.22.13/1378 - Release Date: 4/15/2008 9:12 AM

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The accesibility of oracle under windows
by Mario Percinic 15 Apr '08

15 Apr '08

Hey folks. the subject says it all. How accessible is oracle under windows and does it work with jaws? any special tips of using it? Can a blind person make data base and modify it/get querys etc. Thanks Mario

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Remote monitoring of systems/on call work
by Andrew Hodgson 15 Apr '08

15 Apr '08

Hi, Very quiet here at the moment, and there are plenty of members. Just kicking off a topic which I have had to deal with recently. Has anyone used any remote monitoring/diagnostic software, that if a specific problem (possibly using an API to communicate with a bespoke application to trigger events) occurs, that it will email or send an alert? How successful have these been? The other issue, have any of you worked any on call system, and if so, how did you arrange transport to work if required? I am trying to avoid it now, but we may have to go down this road, using remote VPN where possible. Thanks. Andrew.

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novell
by Vincent van Itallie 14 Apr '08

14 Apr '08

Hi all, It has been quiet in here. Could someone please explain how accessible working in a novell environment is from a blind administrators point of view? My employer is considering putting me in a project where novel and zenworks administration needed to be done. Hope someone can shed a bit of light on this. Vincent. -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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