Internet Explorer 7 tips

With IE 7 it's possible to open more than one home page when you launch the program. Go Tools/Internet Options and in the General Tab go to Home Page add more than one URL. When you start up IE, you will get one tab for each home page.

Do you get annoyed whenever you click on a tab to start another page you get a blank page and in the URL it says about:blank? Go to Tools/Internet Options and in the General Tab click on the Settings button in the Tab section and put a check in the box Open home page for new tabs instead of a blank page. The next time you start a new page, it will default to the page marked as your home page.

Select CTRL-Q if you want to see all your pages on the screen at the same time. Doing CTRL-Q again will get you back.

Impromptu connecting to SAS via ODBC

If you're going to use Impromptu to connect to SAS datasets via ODBC, then you will need to do a couple of things.

1. Install sasodbc.exe.
2. Edit the TCP/IP Services file which in most cases is located in C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc.

Insert towards the end of Services file the following:

LOCALSAS 4500/tcp # Connection port for SAS and save the file.

If you don't do this part you will probably get the error message --->SAS Server 178 - TCP method failed rc = -1005 unable to locate service.

SAP tables via Informatica

For UofT Informatic Users

When you're running an Informatica that connects to tables in SAP, a speciall connection is required.

First, you need to create a shortcut to the R3 verify program (R3vfy32.exe) with appropriate parameters. Once you have the shortcut created, right-click to get the Properties tab. In the Target line add in "C:\Program Files\UofT\R3Verify\R3vfy32.exe" poort.utcc.utoronto.ca * (ROUTER) <>. This assumes that your R3Verify is in the same directory, otherwise make the necessary entry.

Second you will need to make a Registry adjustment. In Notepad, cut and paste the following:

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\UofT\ROUTER]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\UofT\ROUTER\config]"sqlmode"=dword:00000001"remoteport"=dword:000033f3

Save the file as Router98.reg.

Double click on the file Router98.reg and it will insert the appropriate information into your Registry.

Just before you decide to run the Informatica program, double-click on the shortcut and put in the required security information. Once connected, run your program.

Indexing for DB2

Indexing is a way of making searches on a database faster and it's usually done by creating an index file focusing on a particular field.

In here, I'm going to be giving an example of how I managed to improve the performance of running an Impromptu report by tweaking a DB2 database file so that it has an appropriate index.

The first thing I did was to grab a copy of the SQL that the Impromptu report was using. I pasted this SQL into the IBM DB2 Connect software that allows me to run SQL code. Sometimes you have to edit the code to strip some unnecessary calculations or fields. After running the code, I click on Access Plan. This provides a graphical view of the tables and joins that have taken place. Where possible it would show the existing index tables. By click on a DB2 table, it would provide information on which index it ran against.

The important thing to note is that I mananged to locate a critical join where there were no indexes. Using the DB2 Connect software, I was able to drop in an index where I thought it was needed by going to the appropriate window, doing a right-click and add an index file on a certain key field.

With some tweaking I did manage to improve the Impromptu report so that it ran quicker.

Although the example used here was an Impromptu report, the important lesson is to consider index files when running any type of code in any language to improve performance. If things are running slow, keep indexing in mind.

Remote Desktop

To connect from your home computer to your office computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, locate MyComputer and right-click on it.
2. Select Properties.
3. Choose the Remote tab.
4. Check off the box in the Remote Desktop box that says Allow users to connect remotely to this computer.
5. At the bottom of the box there will be a Windows Firewall that it says will be configured. Personally, I like to see for myself that it's turned on. For this I go to Control Panel/Windows Firewall. If it's not already turned on, I suggest you do it.
6. Go to the Exceptions tab and select Remote Desktop. This allows the firewall to accept connections coming in for this particular purpose.
7. You will need to know the IP number of your office computer if you want to connect to it. I suggest going to Start/Run and type in command. This will launch a DOS-like window. Type in ipconfig and it will pop up with a list showing the ip number. When you're at home, this is the number you would use when you run Remote Desktop.

Known Problem
I have seen in one situation where the user was not able to connect to their office computer remotely because a new computer that was installed had a video driver that did not allow the connection to occur. If a connection is not possible, check out the video or graphics driver to make sure it's the right one for your computer. In this particular case, it might have had something to do with the Novell client.

Windows Shortcuts and Tips

I tend to be lazy sometimes and I don't want to use the mouse to look stuff up. If there are shortcuts, I'll take them. So, here are a few that can save you a few clicks here and there. Practice them and you'll be an expert in no time.

(When I write 'Windows', I'm referring to the key which is two to the left of the space bar on our key board.)

Windows M - Select both the Windows key and M at the same time and it will minimize all your windows.

Windows D - Similar to Windows M and will give you your desktop.

Windows E - Calls up your Explorer so that you can see your drives.

Control Alt . . .
Ever want to call up an application really fast instead of looking for it in Start/All Programs or even creating a whole bunch of desktop shortcuts? Try this. Suppose you want use Excel. Look for Excel by going to Start/All Programs/and right-click on Excel. Then select Properties. Where it says Shortcut Key, hold down Control Alt E, then hit OK. The next time you want to launch Excel, hold down Control Alt E. You'll need to use this command sparingly in case there are some keyboard shortcuts already reserved.

Food around UofT

Food has nothing to do with I.T.directly but we do need to refuel and we do like to eat. Sometimes we like to step out of the office for a bite and every once in a while we get stuck trying to figure out where to go and what to have. I decided to compile a list of some places nearby where we like to nosh for those times when we just know what to have.

Massimo's - Pizza, calzone, pasta, veal sandwiches. One of my faves for 25 years. On College, north side about a block west of Spadina.
Peter's Chung King - CLOSED! Another favourite. By far the best-selling dish is one of their lunch specials: Spicy Chicken with Peanuts and rice . .you get your choice of soup included. I like the Hot and Sour. College and Spadina, south-west side.
Thai Angels - Just a couple of doors west from Peter's. Relatively new to the area.
SaiGon Palace - West side of Spadina a few doors south of College. Great Vietnamese food. I like the Curry Chicken Soup (#22 on the menu I think).
Burger King - South east corner of College and Spadina.
Mr. Sub - On College and Spadina, south-east side.
Simon's Sushi - Spadina, east side, few doors south of Spadina. Always busy.
Kam Jugs - Cheap and cheerful Chinese . .well cheap at least. Walk south along Spadina on east side.
Back Alley - Kensington area on Augusta, west side. Woodfire BBQ and Grill.
Swiss Chalet - There are two of them that I know of. One is in the Hydro building on the south-west corner of College and University. It's downstairs just past the food court. The other one is on Bloor just west of Spadina on the north side.
Like Tapas? - Take the Tapas Tour. Check out this article in the Toronto Star from July 2009.

Check out the Foodmap here at UofT for stuff on campus http://www.foodmap.utoronto.ca/.

Got any suggestions? Comments? Share them with us.


To be continued . . .

Google Search Features

We use Google every day to look for information on the Internet. Little do we know that the Search box has other neat features that can be real time savers. Here are a few worth checking out:

Time
To find the time for any city, let's say Sydney Australia, type in time sydney in the search box.

Weather
Type in weather montreal and Google will return the current temperature, wind conditions, humidity and the projected temperature for the next 3 days.

Calculator
Need to do some quick calculations but can't be bothered to use a calculator, open Excel or even use the Windows calculator? Type in your calculation in the search box . . eg 3*4 + 75 .. then hit Search.

Unit Conversion
You can convert from metric to imperial by typing in something like 12.4 cm in inches and it will return 12.4 centimeters = 4.88188976 inches.

Currency Conversion
Type in 100 cad in usd and you will get 100 Canadian dollars = 82.3384 U.S. dollars.

These are the ones I tend to use mosts often and if you want to see more then check out Google Search Features on the Google site.

Useful Software and Websites to Help Protect Your System

Disclaimer: If you're not comfortable cleaning viruses yourself or aren't sure what to do, ask for help. The responsibility is yours.

HijackThis
What HijackThis does is create a list of activities/files running on your computer. It then produces a log file of what it has found. The contents of the log file can be pasted onto a Web forum where people experienced in reading the contents of the file can advise you on what steps to take. The one I've used is Spyware Hammer (a big shoutout and thank you to bamajim, Hoov and Maurice Naggar for their help in the past).

Symantec Anti-virus
Very reputable and well-known. Consider buying the software for your system and keep up with the updates!

Malware Bytes
This software will scan your system for free but if you want full protection, you'll have to pay for it yourself.

Spybot
Spybot checks and removes Spyware (software that ends up on your system without your consent for the purposes of collecting information about you and your browsing habits). It works in tandem with other anti-virus software especially if they don't already come with anti-spyware.

Ccleaner
This isn't really anti-virus software but is really useful in cleaning up old unused files that are just sitting around. It should help improve performance because it

Helpful Web Sites
Spyware Hammer
Great forums for seeking help on a number of topics related to Spyware. Drop off your HijackThis log in one of the forums and wait for someone to help you.
Bleeping Computer
Similar to Spyware Hammer but covers a lot of other topics.
Spyware Warrior - Rogue Software
Thinking of downloading some software that could clean up your system? Check here first. Some software are fakes and will cause problems. Some may not be fakes but just ineffective. Don't get caught. Check first.
Spyware Warrior - Anti-Spyware list
Same as above but geared more towards Spyware.
Malware Bytes
Another helpful site for removing Malware.

Read more on viruses and protecting your self here.

Virus Protection and Prevention

The best way to deal with viruses is to avoid getting them in the first place. Here are some suggestions that would help minimize and possibly avoid unwanted software on your computer.

• Have anti-virus software installed and make sure it's up-to-date. No sense installing software in August and not bother updating the definition files in November. Do an update once a week. If you think having more than one product installed is going to protect you even further, think again. Sometimes they can conflict. You can read more about Anti-virus Software.
• Don't click on any attachments or links from suspicious emails. Think about it. If you don't have an account with a particular bank then why would you reply to an email asking for account information from them? Emails that are allegedly from PayPal or Ebay asking for account information are hoaxes. No one asks you to verify your login and password.
• Avoid Peer-to-Peer downloading. As popular as it is, downloading MP3s or video files through software like Limewire has nailed countless people several times over. You think it's an MP3 file but it's really not. If you really want that MP3, go to iTunes and pay for it or rip from a CD.
  Never give your password to anyone. Period. Sounds simple but you'd be surprised how many people make this mistake.
• Make sure your data is backed up frequently . . or if possible store it on a different drive or even a memory stick (they're really cheap!).
• Surf safely. Be careful where you click.
• Securing your browser. US CERT has some great ideas on how to do this here.
• If you have a firewall, turn it on. If you don't have one, get one!

For more of my comments on viruses here.

UTBI Web Site

For staff at the University of Toronto who want to learn more about Business Intelligence and the services we offer, the UTBI Web site gives you all the information you need.

You can get a login account to our cubes as well as apply for access. For more information go to UTBI.

For access forms go to Access Forms, complete the form and fax it to the number provided.

To log into the cubes go to Login Screen.

Need documentation? Go to Training & Documentation.

Email me if you have any questions.

Got Virus?

Yeah, been there, done that. I've been nailed with viruses and spyware in the past too. And I've had to learn to clean them. As careful as I've been, I still managed to get infected.

I'm putting this at the top of my list to share with you because it's an important item in keeping your system in good working order. Even if you have anti-virus software, you can still get nailed with some little nasties like spyware you may not be aware of until you see funny things happening on your computer. I should point out that I'm talking about your computer at home. The one in your office is being taken care of by your I.T. people so it's not your problem.

When I talk about viruses, I included things like Spyware. Spyware is software that ends up on your computer (without your knowledge or consent) for the purposes of collecting information about you and your browsing habits. They don't necessarily cause damage to your computers but you don't want anyone gathering passwords or personal information. Malware (malicious software) will cause damage to your computer.

Viruses these days aren't transmitted just by email anymore. Very few of them are in fact through email. Going to the wrong kind of Web site or downloading a file that you thought was an MP3 from a site that's not reputable could be problematic. Even some Flash drives these days have been known to be infected and simply plugging them into your USB port will get your machine infected.

So, what can you do to protect yourself or more importantly where do you go for help?

There are a couple of things you can do to help keep your machine clean of viruses.

Prevention/Protection
The best way to take care of viruses is to avoid them in the first place. Sort of the same attitude you employ to avoid getting a cold (hand sanitizer, frequent hand-washing). If you shake hands with someone who has a cold, chances are you'll get one. Here are some suggestions.

Eradication
If you do find your home computer is infected despite all the precautions you are taking, there are some things you can do to get rid of the infection so don't give up quite yet.

There is software you can download for free that can scan your computer to detect and possibly clean any infections even if you already have software to do that. They're not all the same.
There are people out there who can help you and I've listed a couple of sites below where you can go.

Above all, you must be patient. These things don't get corrected in an hour. It once took me 10 days of messages back and forth with experts on getting my problem resolved. I work during the day so it took a while. Get help from a reputable on-line forum or someone you know.

Useful Software and Web sites
There’s lots of software and utilities out there, some for free(although a donation is more than welcome), that will help protect and clean your computer. Like everything else though, be careful what you download. Check out some of my suggestions for what might be helpful.

Summary and Recommendations

• Install anti-virus and/or anti-spyware software and don’t be cheap about it. Buy it if you have to. I run both Norton Anti-virus and Spybot.
• Do your updates about once a week. Schedule a quick scan every day and a full scan once a week.
• Avoid suspicious email and DO NOT OPEN attachments unless you are expecting them from someone you know.
• Surf safely.
• Scan everything and anything you download.
• Avoid downloading music and video files from peer-to-peer sites. At least scan them before you open them.
• Backup your data.
• Don’t give out your passwords.