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Random Data File Creator #
We've covered how to create empty files in Windows with fsutil. Random Data File Creator (RDFC) allows you to create binary files of any size filled with random numbers.

/windows | Mar 07, 2010

An embarrassment of riches #
Claus recently mentioned ImDisk Virtual Disk Driver and its author Olof Lagerkvist in such glowing terms that I had to have a look. In short, I was floored. Olof has crafted dozens of open source tiny apps, virtually all of which run under Windows 95 through 7 (some even under Windows 3.x!). Even better, he is one of the few Microsoft Visual C++ developers who shuns msvcrt.dll:

These binaries are compiled with the free version of Microsoft Visual C++. They are not linked with the standard C or C++ libraries that comes with this compiler, instead they are linked with a dynamic library I call minwcrt (Minimal Windows C Run-Time Library) linking them to crtdll.dll instead of msvcrt.dll. This makes them run in all versions of Win32 without additional dll files. This is also the reason why the exe files are very small. Source for this library is available as part of the source archive mentioned in the top of this document.

Here is just a smattering of the many apps available:

joindomain [1.44K] Join a computer to a domain from the command line
popdump [5.09K] Retrieves all messages from a POP3 mailbox and dumps them as eml files
popman [5.34K] List/delete messages directly on POP server
strarc [23.2K] Backup/archive tool that uses the same backup methods as the ntbackup or robocopy programs and thus backs up all information and meta data on an NTFS volume.
synctime [2.8K] Synchronizes local computer time with nist.gov time servers
regrepl [6.79K] Batch replace text in local or remote registry

/windows | Mar 07, 2010

Tiny HDD activity monitors #
Especially useful for computers without HDD LEDs or for monitoring hard drive activity on remote machines:

hdactmon.exe
- 8k
- Includes ASM source code
- Also available with 5-step animated icon:
HDDMon.exe
- 16k
- Includes ASM source code
- Later version includes additional options and new icons:
DriveGLEAM
- 88k
- Written in C, but does not include source code
- Optionally send output to parallel port or Scroll Lock LED on keyboard. Includes CPU and memory monitors.

All five have been bundled and uploaded here for posterity's sake.

/windows | Feb 21, 2010

Connecting to Time Capsule from Windows 7 #
When connecting to a Time Capsule network share from Windows 7, you are prompted for a username and password. The username is "admin" and the password is (by default) whatever password you assigned your Time Capsule during setup. However, you will not be able to login without tweaking some security settings (just like this tip for Vista from 2007):

Start > Search box > secpol.msc > Local Policies > Security Options > "Network security: LAN Manager authentication level" > set to "Send LM & NTLM - use NTLMv2 session security if negotiated".

You may also need to uncheck both boxes under "Network security: Minimum session security for NTLM SSP based (including secure RPC) clients".

/windows | Feb 16, 2010

Using HFSExplorer under Windows 7 x64 #
HFSExplorer (a free alternative to MacDrive for reading Mac-formatted hard disks and disk images) would not detect HFS+ drives in Windows 7 x64 until changing the compatibility mode as follows: right click hfsexplorer.exe > Properties > Compatibility > check "Run this program in compatibility more for:" > select "Windows XP (Service Pack 2)" > click OK.

/windows | Feb 16, 2010

Back4Sure #
Ulrich Krebs, author of DbxConv (featured back in 2008), has crafted a simple backup program with one key feature missing from so many others: the ability to specify a target volume label instead of drive letter. Those who have struggled with trying to assign the same static drive letter to multiple devices in Windows will understand how helpful this is. My only suggestion for version 2 would be enabling backup of in-use files. Freeware for personal or business use, though there is an occasional donation nag screen.

Back4Sure v1 [694k] + Simple backup with optional filtering, compression, logging, desktop links for jobs, orphan file removal, and selection of destination based on volume label instead of drive letter.

/windows | Feb 15, 2010

Mojikyo Character Map #
The Mojikyo Character Map is a freeware application (bundled with the necessary TrueType fonts) that provides easy access to =~ 110,000 mainly Chinese characters:

=~ 20,000 Chinese characters defined by Unicode (ISO 10646)
=~ 50,000 Chinese characters from Morohashi Tetsuji's Dai Kan-Wa Jiten ("Comprehensive Chinese-Japanese Dictionary")
Oracle bone script
Siddham (North Indian script used for writing Sanskrit during the period ca 600 - 1200 CE)
Japanese kana
Chu Nom (an obsolete Vietnamese writing system that was used almost exclusively by the elites)
Sui script (a pictographic writing system of the Sui language)
Tangut script (a logographic writing system used for writing the extinct Tangut language of the Western Xia Dynasty)
Symbols and more

Mojikyo Character Map

I stumbled onto the Mojikyo Character Map in a blog post by Jonathon Delacour from 2003 that alluded to 34 files totaling 52MB. Since the Mojikyo website and Stanford mirror no longer offer the files, I started poking around the Internet Archive cache of the Stanford mirror, which has all of the necessary files but one (found elsewhere - see below):

Downloaded the compressed application, MOCM400.EXE, located in the CMAP subdirectory
Batch downloaded (via Orbit Downloader) the 33 compressed fonts found in WINTTF
MOJIKM5E.EXE was the only file not available, but I found a copy on the Chinese GNU/Linux Extensions website (which turns out to host all of the necessary files).
I now had 34 files totaling =~ 52MB:

     MOCM400.EXE   1,572,268  04/02/2002  09:46 AM  3180072780
     MOJIKM01.EXE  2,250,455  07/19/2002  01:49 PM  2318009370
     MOJIKM02.EXE  2,348,019  07/19/2002  01:49 PM  3277625571
     MOJIKM03.EXE  2,323,762  07/19/2002  01:49 PM  4265428117
     MOJIKM04.EXE  2,371,299  07/19/2002  01:49 PM  3923032980
     MOJIKM05.EXE  2,384,680  07/19/2002  01:49 PM  2234262401
     MOJIKM06.EXE  2,482,608  07/19/2002  01:49 PM  3820311365
     MOJIKM07.EXE  2,316,520  07/19/2002  01:49 PM  226176670
     MOJIKM08.EXE  2,531,450  07/19/2002  01:50 PM  2244807325
     MOJIKM09.EXE  2,775,561  07/19/2002  01:50 PM  2001805475
     MOJIKM0A.EXE  2,063,528  07/19/2002  01:50 PM  3828274974
     MOJIKM0B.EXE  2,074,818  07/19/2002  01:50 PM  178146578
     MOJIKM0C.EXE  1,770,878  07/19/2002  01:50 PM  2974162806
     MOJIKM0D.EXE  1,986,658  07/19/2002  01:50 PM  2084838314
     MOJIKM0E.EXE  2,153,982  07/19/2002  01:50 PM  3849468493
     MOJIKM0F.EXE  2,715,471  07/19/2002  01:50 PM  2125653168
     MOJIKM10.EXE  1,603,651  07/19/2002  01:50 PM  1683753854
     MOJIKM11.EXE    376,114  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  3419606807
     MOJIKM12.EXE  1,675,983  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  3778053224
     MOJIKM13.EXE    683,293  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  2249996894
     MOJIKM14.EXE    292,419  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  1234093088
     MOJIKM15.EXE    253,070  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  2318227551
     MOJIKM55.EXE    194,289  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  399366025
     MOJIKM56.EXE    810,418  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  1533657018
     MOJIKM57.EXE  1,706,312  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  2802977783
     MOJIKM58.EXE  1,686,681  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  255553839
     MOJIKM59.EXE  1,226,551  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  221434629
     MOJIKM5A.EXE    473,245  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  2926850122
     MOJIKM5B.EXE  1,603,179  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  3163789964
     MOJIKM5C.EXE  1,648,109  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  137386859
     MOJIKM5D.EXE    978,290  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  4273653570
     MOJIKM5E.EXE    358,966  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  1539610454
     MOJIKM66.EXE  2,197,871  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  4218732064
     MOJIKM67.EXE    591,716  04/02/2002  10:06 AM  251927137

Batch uncompressed with 7-Zip and removed unnecessary files, leaving 34 totaling =~ 94.4MB:

     MOCHRMAP.exe    532,480  02/08/2002  04:00 AM  458313828
     Mojikm01.TTF  3,815,992  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  2387683204
     Mojikm02.TTF  4,112,612  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  2117129841
     Mojikm03.TTF  4,127,344  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  1634353783
     Mojikm04.TTF  4,234,524  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  4286314746
     Mojikm05.TTF  4,426,808  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  845998767
     Mojikm06.TTF  4,430,780  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  4162377448
     Mojikm07.TTF  4,431,964  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  3159972071
     Mojikm08.TTF  4,999,792  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  4102742411
     Mojikm09.TTF  5,415,780  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  3747794663
     Mojikm0A.TTF  3,707,676  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  3723578800
     Mojikm0B.TTF  4,177,592  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  2228260563
     Mojikm0C.TTF  4,080,532  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  3033408358
     Mojikm0D.TTF  3,519,976  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  2079183546
     Mojikm0E.TTF  3,496,484  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  2932782927
     Mojikm0F.TTF  4,482,840  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  3892262837
     Mojikm10.TTF  2,551,176  06/20/2002  12:00 AM  875814641
     Mojikm11.TTF    694,136  10/24/2001  02:01 AM  931566581
     Mojikm12.TTF  2,482,876  10/24/2001  02:02 AM  1225778174
     Mojikm13.TTF  1,163,308  10/24/2001  02:02 AM  3841779345
     Mojikm14.TTF    591,264  10/24/2001  02:01 AM  2458869305
     Mojikm15.TTF    530,880  10/24/2001  02:02 AM  2522906767
     Mojikm55.TTF    410,636  02/14/2002  02:10 AM  3210542770
     Mojikm56.TTF  1,474,892  10/24/2001  02:01 AM  3142615718
     Mojikm57.TTF  3,426,016  10/24/2001  02:01 AM  2234440663
     Mojikm58.TTF  3,520,136  10/24/2001  02:01 AM  3854002523
     Mojikm59.TTF  2,361,240  10/24/2001  02:01 AM  3428091862
     Mojikm5A.TTF    981,012  10/24/2001  02:01 AM  1099258963
     Mojikm5B.TTF  3,301,032  10/24/2001  02:01 AM  3743177567
     Mojikm5C.TTF  3,705,536  10/24/2001  02:01 AM  3218894549
     Mojikm5D.TTF  1,940,452  10/24/2001  02:01 AM  4040218154
     Mojikm5E.TTF    752,000  10/24/2001  02:01 AM  1420675346
     Mojikm66.TTF  3,951,240  02/14/2002  02:11 AM  4149409031
     Mojikm67.TTF  1,141,180  02/14/2002  02:11 AM  2422714417

Copied the TTF files to %WinDir%\Fonts
Launched MOCHRMAP.exe

Two final notes: The University of Virginia website hosts what appears to be a slightly older version of the application and associated fonts. Also, OS X's Character Palette provides similar functionality as the Mojikyo Character Map, though it does not contain all of the same characters by default.

/windows | Feb 13, 2010

Using a local printer with Remote Desktop #
Setup remote printing over RDP:

1. Install printer driver on remote machine
Unless the remote machine already has a driver for the local printer, you will need to install it:
Windows XP: Printers and Faxes > File > Server Properties > Drivers > Add
Windows 7: Administrative Tools > Print Management > Print Servers > computer name (local) > right click Drivers > Add Driver...
Once the driver has been added, log off the remote machine

2. Enable printer access in client PC's Remote Desktop Connection
Remote Desktop Connection > Options > Local Resources > check "Printers" under Local Devices > Connect. The local printer becomes the default for programs running on the remote desktop.

3. Notes

Successfully tested the above instructions with the following setup: OpenVPN tunnel from home to remote office, Windows 7 32-bit running on remote office computer with RDP enabled, Windows Vista 32-bit running on home laptop connected via USB to a Dell 1235cn color laser printer.
Remote Desktop printing to network printer - RobWill breaks down the basics and also proposes a workaround for recalcitrant printers: connect the local printer to another computer at the local site, share it, and connect the Remote Desktop client machine to the shared printer.
Finding Printer Server Properties In Windows 7 - Where did "File > Server Properties" go?
Using Your Local Printers While Using A Remote Desktop Connection - Does not address the need to install necessary printer drivers on the remote machine.
How To Make a Local Printer Available During a Connection to a Remote Desktop in Windows XP Professional - This article also fails to address the printer driver issue.
Printers that use ports that do not begin with COM, LPT, or USB are not redirected in a remote desktop or a terminal services session - Fix for printer ports like DOT4, etc.

/windows | Feb 10, 2010

Restore tab autocompletion in cmd.exe #
Head to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor
and/or
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor
(if the HKCU value is set, it overrides the HKLM value) and set the CompletionChar value to 9 (which is horizontal tab in ASCII).

/windows | Feb 07, 2010

Determine Windows XP Service Pack level from registry #
C:\>reg query "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" /v CSDVersion

Besides System Properties (sysdm.cpl), here are two other standard GUI apps that return the Service Pack level: winver.exe and winmsd.exe. Just launch from the Run dialog or a command prompt.

/windows | Feb 06, 2010

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