Is your Windows 10 Mobile Insider stucked at "Loading" home screen?

I just use Windows 10 Mobile from Microsoft insider program, which is just beta software of next major mobile operating system from Microsoft. After a few days, my phone starts to get stucked before loading home screen, which just shows "Loading". 

If you experience same issue, you can follow below:

1. Remove any sim card in your phone.

2. Press power button and volume down till it shows Feedback screen. Just press Home, and it will show home screen. Try this for a few times. 

3. You can now try to go to Settings > Devices > About > Reset your phone. This will delete everything in your phone, which I assume it should be OK as you already run beta software.

There is also other instruction on internet, which I have not tried:

1. Power the device off
2. Press the power key once, device will vibrate
3. Immediately press and hold the Volume Down key
4. Exclamation point will appear, release Volume Down key
5. Press these buttons one at a time in this order: Volume Up, Volume Down, Power, Volume Down
6. Device should vibrate, reboot, show the Nokia flash screen, and then go to the spinning gears install screen.

How to reserve your Windows 10 for FREE?

Microsoft has just posted excited announcement that Windows 10 is coming in less than 2 months time, 29 July 2015. Earlier Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will be given for free to upgrade existing Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 machine.

It is simple to reserve a free upgrade copy:

1. If you use existing Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 with latest March update, below Windows icon will appear on system tray.

2. Just click on that icon, enter your email address, and your Windows will be upgraded to latest Windows 10 when it's available at 29 July 2015.

Hopefully, Microsoft will make Windows 10 available for MSDN Subscriber earlier when Windows 10 goes RTM. And, Microsoft, please release Surface 4 PRO and Lumia 940XL at soonest, that will be most exciting..

Lumia 640: Disable Vibration at Navigation Bar

Just got a Lumia 640 to try out, nice bright orange color with good quality expected from Lumia phone, with exceptional price, definitely value for money.

However, as the phone does not have any soft button, the navigation bar (Start, back and search) is directly inside the screen. It is quite irritating that the phone always vibrate upon pressing any button in navigation bar. I did a bit of research, and it's actually quite easy to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings, search Touch.
2. Switch off the Navigation Bar. Initially, I thought this was meant to switch off the whole Navigation Bar, but there is text below "Vibrate when using Navigation Key".

Is your Lumia 1520 slower after upgrading to Windows Phone 8.1?

I have just managed to get my phone to be upgraded to official Windows Phone 8.1 + Lumia Cyan.. Yay..!! :)

It took more than 30 minutes for the whole process to complete. First, there was update to Windows Phone 8 itself and then it would allow you to upgrade to Windows Phone 8. Overall, the process is very smooth.

However, just after upgrade, I can feel the phone is somewhat slower than before. After ensuring there is no more apps updating, I check on the battery saver that actually all the apps that have option to :"run on background" are now allowed to. I have to go through one by one to turn it off. After that, I can feel the phone back to normal with all the glory of WP 8.1. :)

To go to Battery Saver, just go to Settings > Battery Saver. Swipe to the right to usage, and you can see which apps that are allowed to run on the background. Some apps that are popular to suck all battery juice like Here Drive should be turned off to run on background, and only turn it on when you need to use it.

After choosing background to start screen, transparent live tile on 6" screen really look stunning.

Windows Phone 8.1 Keyboard: Where is my comma?

For one that has already used Windows Phone 8.1 will have a shock when they start to type and the comma is nowhere to be found. Instead, you either need to type "&123" or press long on ".". This is too troublesome to type even normal sentence.

Apparently, this can be changed easily. Just go to settings > keyboard > advanced, and check "Show a comma key when available".

I think it's better to display comma as default, and give option for user that needs bigger "space". If I don't really search into this, I will not know this can be displayed back and only can curse somebody at Microsoft for hiding the comma.

One changes that I like in addition to "swype" feature is the cursor key. Previously, you need to press and hold for few seconds then the flying cursor appear. Now, there is one small circle below the cursor, just press the circle and drag. Nice..

Windows Phone 8.1 + Lumia Cyan should land anytime from now

With all the greatness of Windows Phone 8.1 and Lumia Cyan, I have been waiting for the arrival to my Lumia 1520. Now Nokia has published the availability and status of the update on their own website at this link. Well, my Lumia 1520 under starhub status is "under testing". Hopefully it will not take forever.

Well, I have also been lucky selected by Starhub to test out the Lumia 930. Overall so far it is a great device, however, with a few complaints here and there, which I will post later. :)

Other "coming soon" stuff is BBM for Windows Phone. Currently this is under closed beta. It means only registered beta users can use the software now. I have tried to register, but there is no news until now. The app itself is available here, although I hit permission error when trying to install it on the phone.

SQL Server Login Error: The login is from an untrusted domain and cannot be used with Windows authentication

One of SharePoint Farm that I have configured for one client has recently failed with all error shows something like below:
The login is from an untrusted domain and cannot be used with Windows authentication.

After many hours investigating, we found out that this SQL Server had 2 DNS name. This system has been used for many months without issue under this 2 DNS. After AD was upgraded, this error started to appear. Many article pointed to Kerberos issue, but we did not use Kerberos authentication. After removing one of the DNS address, the issue seems to be fixed.

I suspect when the AD was upgraded, somehow the priority of the DNS name might be changed which caused all login to fail.

Free Gift Card for Lumia Users (SGD 45)

Wow, Nokia just published new apps to allow Lumia users to redeem gift card with value of SGD 45 to get any paid apps in Windows Phone store. Quick grab yours here:

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-sg/store/app/gift-voucher/18bca550-bf7a-42e4-a2e1-1501b4863f74

Follow the instruction shown in the apps, and wow, $45 just credited to my Microsoft Account wallet.

* Update: Just realize it is mentioned selected Lumia model only, so you can try yours. I use Lumia 1520 and redeem mine succesfully.

How to update to your Windows Phone 8 to Windows Phone 8.1

Windows Phone 8.1 brings tons of new interesting features. I believe there are lot of news out there where you can find what new features there are. Some features I like so far:

1. Background picture to Tile.
   With this new feature, start screen will be even more interesting, alive and more personal than ever before compare to any other mobile OS out there.
2. Action Centre
   Well, in a glance, this looks exactly like Android. Pull down from the top, and you will be able to see all notifications plus few buttons for quick settings. This link summarizes comparison to Android notification centre: http://www.zdnet.com/windows-phone-8-1-action-center-provides-a-balanced-alert-system-7000028553/
3. Battery Sense
   Well, this feature is already available in Android since long time ago, and I missed it so much in WP. And now they have made it official. My gripe with phone like Lumia 920 is the battery life. Sometimes it is so poor and you do not know who drinks the juice so fast. Now, I can see which apps that I can uninstall because it is not efficient in handling power.
4. Cortana
   Well, I have to set the settings to US to enable this feature. It is basically Siri or Google Now. It is nice to have this new addition to Windows Phone. Hopefully, it will come to Singapore soon.

If you want to try out Windows Phone, below are the steps. But, please be aware that you will not be able to roll back (officially, although some said Nokia Restore Software will be able to roll back), and breaks your warranty. So, just install it on your own risk or spare Windows Phone.

• Sign up to be a Windows Phone developer at appstudio.windowsphone.com for free using the Microsoft account associated with your phone.

• Get the Preview for Developers app from the Windows Phone Store .

• Run the app and sign in with your Microsoft account.

• Check for updates (Settings > Phone update > Check for updates) and download/install any that are available. You’ll have an update to download and install before Windows Phone 8.1 shows up if you’re downloading the Preview for Developers program for the first time.

SharePoint Apps

I have not really explored the apps for SharePoint 2013, and to my surprise there are quite many apps available now in the market. If you would like to explore, you can follow this link.

If you wonder what apps in SharePoint 2013 means. Official explanation is below:
Apps are mini applications that extend what you can do with the new version of Office and SharePoint 2013. For example, with apps you can use Wikipedia without leaving Word or get directions and maps right in Outlook. Apps are available for Word, Excel, Outlook, Project, PowerPoint, and SharePoint 2013.

So it is something like an add-on to your existing SharePoint that let you download the app from the cloud and directly install to SharePoint environment, which users can then enable them in their site.

Resources to Start SharePoint 2013

Well, you might already know that SharePoint 2013 beta has been released for quite some time. And, to kick start knowledge on this SharePoint 2013, below are few links for you to start:

Download SharePoint 2013 beta software: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/hh973397.aspx
Download SharePoint 2013 VM: http://gauravmahajan.net/2012/07/22/sharepoint-2013-virtual-machine/

If you like to setup the VM by yourself: http://nikspatel.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/creating-the-sharepoint-2013-preview-virtual-machine-on-windows-2008-r2-sp1-step-by-step-installation-guide/

Video Demo: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/sharepoint/fp123606
To download all presentations: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=37a2688e-822c-4e08-8a31-73ac507ac16d

SharePoint 2013 on MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj162979(v=office.15).aspx

Stsadm -o migrateuser Generates Error "Object reference not set to an instance of an object"

I have been involved in some migration tasks for SharePoint, that includes changing of the domain name. SharePoint has quite easy ways of doing migration, as long as you don't meet some strange error messages (hey, I think this applies to any migration!). I will discuss about the data migration in more detailed, hope by next post (however, if you need some information for data migration in SharePoint, please feel free to drop comment).

So, once you meet strange error message, the data migration is not that easy anymore. One error message that keeps me busy doing research is running stsadm -o migrateuser -oldlogin [oldloginname] -newlogin [newloginname] -ignoresidhistory, that return error "Object reference not to set to an instance of object". I just found out recently that it's actually caused by one SSP with status "Unprovisioning". What I need to do is just to delete this SSP, and, voila, the stsadm migrate user command runs succesfully. =

However, it's not a smooth journey to delete this "Unprovisioning" SSP either. The command that save me is stsadm -o deletessp -title [sspname] -force. The first time I executed this, the command hang for very long time. I try to restart the server, and first thing after restart is to execute this command, and it succeeds.

SharePoint doesn't work well with IPv6

I have just setup a new server farm for SharePoint. After finish installation for all server farm, I start configuring the Shared Service Provider, include activating SharePoint Search. Once the Search turned on, the whole SharePoint site is inaccessible from the server that hosts the Central Administration, all other Web Front End is ok. The page just displayed 503 - Service unavailable. IIS showed that Application Pool has been stopped, so I start it again, but everytime there is a request to the site, the Application Pool stop again.

After checking through the forum and all blogs, it turns out the evil here is the IPv6 is enabled. After turn IPv6 off, all the site work properly again. Damn.. wasted almost 1 hour close to midnight..

SharePoint: How to Move Default Virtual Directory/Site Path Location (Site and Central Administration)

I have encountered requirement to move all the virtual directories to non-system drive. By just removing the default location from C:\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\virtualdirectories\xx to another drive and set the path in IIS will not solve the problem, somehow SharePoint keeps their own path to the original location, and displays some critical error instead.

So the solution is to update the WebApplication to point to the new Virtual Directory location. Luckily, I found this blog that teaches how exactly to do this. So I just create a simple console application that can be executed (using Farm Administrator) from command prompt, e.g. ChangeDefaultDirectory.exe "http://site:80" "Default" "D:\inetpub\WSS\VirtualDirectories\80". And after IISReset, woolahh.. my site are back in action again. This can be used for Central Administration and SSP too. Just be careful with SharePoint Shared Service Provider, you need to use "http://site:xxxx/ssp/admin". For one that needs this simple console, please comment this post with your email, and I will send it to you.

The other things to take note is the default directory of the new Web Application created in SharePoint Central Admin. It might be easily overlooked when you create new Web Application. This blog provides what exactly you need. For IIS7, I found that you only need to change the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\InetStp key and modify the PathWWWRoot Value data to D:\Inetpub\vroots. Don't forget to backup your registry before any modification.

SharePoint 2007: Shared Services "Provision in Progress"

I have one development environment that I use to test webpart or any customizations before deploy to the production server. However, I always failed to setup Shared Services for this particular server, which causes all the search, my site, profile, etc are not working. When the Shared Services are in provisioning stage, it's stopped with timeout error, and in the SharedServices list itself, it's written "Provision in Progress".

At last, we manage to find the cause of the problem, it's caused by SharePoint Services Timer in Windows Services, which is stopped before, because it consumes a lot of resources when some heavy testings are needed. When the Windows SharePoint Services Timer has been started, the Shared Services can be created smoothly.

Gmail and IE7: Operation Aborted

Well, I believe many of you have experienced this annoying issue. You try to load Gmail in IE7 and IE7 will popup "Operation Aborted". I usually try about 4-5 times, and at the end the Gmail can be loaded. I am not really sure what's wrong with this, and I hope it's not done purposely by either Microsoft or Google. Some said that this is Google way of responding to Microsoft and Yahoo saga, and others argue that this is Microsoft's fault that its application doesn't meet quality standard.

Well, here is Google advice at this page: http://mail.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=known_issues.cs&knownissue=gmail_issue_ie7operationaborted&topic=12778#

Some Internet Explorer 7 users are reporting the error message "Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site http://mail.gmail.com/mail/. Operation aborted." If you're experiencing this problem, please use Mozilla Firefox or the older version of Gmail.

And so far, no more useful explanation rather than switch to Firefox and "leave da microsoft's crap for your live". And, if you read on the other solutions there, Google can only advice remove whatever toolbars or addins in IE7 that cause the error. I am not really sure if they're good advices. So, are we allowed to use Google Toolbar only in order to use Gmail smoothly? Come on Google, you can give better explanation, or just fix the issue (for god sake). You're big enough to come out with the complex algorithm for search and unable to solve this small little issue for months? I use a lot of internet/intranet application on IE7, and no single issue happens with the same scale of this error.

SharePoint 2007: Default.aspx displayed "HTTP 500 Internal Error"

I have experienced wierd behaviour in SharePoint, which if I type http://server-name/sitename/, it will show "HTTP 500 Internal Error", but when I type http://server-name/sitename/default.aspx, it shows the page correctly. The action I have done to the site is to edit the permission for this site (break the inheritance). I fixed the problem by inheriting the permission back from the parent site, and then edit the permission again. If you face same problem, the symptom I have went through is:

1. You try to edit permission in Advanced Permission, but SharePoint throws some error message, so you decide to go to "_layouts/role.aspx", and break the relationship from there.

2. It seems that everything is fine, until you go to the site without typing "default.aspx" (http://server/site/subsite), it will show HTTP 500 Internal Server Error, but if you include "default.aspx" (http://server/site/subsite/default.aspx) in the URL, it is fine.

3. You cannot export/import the site using stsadm.

4. You cannot see the subsite in the SharePoint Designer parent site (however you can open the site in SharePoint Designer by directly typing the full URL), backup/restore site through SharePoint designer will fail too.

5. You cannot create new Document Library, which SharePoint prompt the list name exists, although you're sure that the document library name does not exist.

6. Solution: Go back to Advanced Permission, Inherit the permission back, and try to edit permission again. Now it shouldn't throw any error.anymore.

Feature '75a0fea7-c54f-46b9-86b1-2e103a8fedba' is not installed in this farm, and can not be added to this scope

Well, if you come to this page from Google, I believe you are working on demo environment of your SharePoint and try to install Application Templates from Microsoft, and you're kind of puzzled and stress, why the Application Templates cannot be installed, as you have done it smoothly in your own VPC.

Well, one of the possible reason is ApplicationTemplateCore is not installed yet on your server farm. It's one of the initial step before you use any Application Templates. Having played and installed so many application templates, people might miss the initial step in the other SharePoint environment. If this is not the case, there's other suggestion that might work is to append "-force" when you deploy the solution.

SharePoint Designer: Show Line Break for Multi Text (Plain Text)

If you have Multiline type column and set it with "Plain Text", you might have difficulty to show it using Data View (that is added using SharePoint Designer) for the content that has a line break. It will show as a single line. If you view the HTML Source of the page, the line-break character is actually printed there. It's just that HTML will not interpret such white-space character as line break.

There're 2 ways to overcome this issue:

1. Wrap your <xsl:value-of select="@Column_Name" escaping="yes"></xsl:value-of>using <pre>. However, you will lose the text-wrap functionality, since most browser will render <pre> as it is, no line break means no line break. This maybe a no-go to this solution.

2. Using xslt functionality to change all line break to.For example your original text is:
<xsl:value-of select="@Column_Name" escaping="yes"></xsl:value-of>

Replace it to:
<xsl:call-template name="breakitemdesc"></xsl:call-template>

Add below to the beginning of the other <xslt:template> or after </xslt:template> of the section:

<xsl:template name="breakitemdesc">
<xsl:param name="text" select="@item_x0020_Description"/>
<xsl:choose>
<xsl:when test="contains($text, ' ')">
<xsl:value-of select="substring-before($text, ' ')"/>
<br/>
<xsl:call-template name="breakitemdesc">
<xsl:with-param name="text" select="substring-after($text,' ')"/>
</xsl:call-template>
</xsl:when>
<xsl:otherwise>
<xsl:value-of select="$text"/>
</xsl:otherwise>
</xsl:choose>
</xsl:template>

Access Denied when Accessing User Profiles and Properties

If you try to access User Profiles and Properties using account that is not part of Administrators group or account that is used to setup SharePoint, you might have problem accessing "User Profiles and Properties" (Access Denied) although you have been added to Farm's Administrator or Shared Services' Site Collection Administrator.

What you need to do:
Click on "Personalization Services Permission" in the Shared Services page, and then grant the permission from there. It seems that this permission is totally separated from other permission setting in SharePoint.