Bugs Archive
These posts are all in this one category.
Hey - do you use Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or Outlook? Then do yourself a huge favor: Go visit OfficeUpdate now.
OfficeUpdate will make sure you have all of the latest patches for whatever version of Office you are using. I know it supports Office XP and Office 2003. I'm not sure if it supports Office 97, 98, or 2000, but you should still visit to get the patches you need. WindowsUpdate, which you should also be using to make sure you have the latest patches for Windows, unfortunately does not have the updates you need for Office.
In addition to helping protect you from the latest email trojens and viruses, the Office Updates also fixes problems that could cause Office programs to crash. Office Update is free and easy to use. It doesn't even make you restart Windows when it's done.
So instead of swearing at Microsoft next time your Office crashes or you get another email virus, do something about it now, because chances are Microsoft released a patch for the problem months ago and you just haven't installed it yet.
Office Update: http://www.OfficeUpdate.com (Click Check for Updates)
My dad might have found a bug in Internet Explorer when he tried to copy some photos from our New York trip. What do you think?
Here's two versions of the same photo (my girlfriend, Moby, and me):
Cropped - 211 KB: Cropped JPG - 1781x1103
When viewing the Cropped Photo, I can save it (as a jpg), drag it to my desktop to copy it there, and right-click and choose properties to find out the file size.
Original - 1,631 KB: Original JPG - 2048x1360
When viewing the Original Photo, I cannot do any of those things. I can only save it as a BMP file.
- The original has EXIF data, the cropped one does not.
- The original has not been modified by any program.
- My dad has this problem using IE 6 in Windows 98.
- I have the same problem using IE 6 in Windows XP.
- I deleted the browse cache. Didn't help.
- These were taken using the Canon Digital Rebel 300D in Medium mode.
- Original photos from my Canon Digital Elph 230 work fine.
- Works fine in Mozilla.
- Saving as JPG works when right-clicking on the link.
What's going on here? Is the JPG too large for IE to handle?
Normally it's not cool when Office crashes, but this time was different. When the "Do you want to send to Microsoft what happened so we can make our products better?" dialog came up, I clicked Yes. And then magic happened.
A new IE window opened...
"Hmm..." I thought, "That's never happened before."
And then I saw this:
"This is why you had the problem..." "...There is now a fix for it..." "...Click here to install the fix..."
This is near-nirvana for a usability freak like me.
That little "Submit your black box crash data to Microsoft?" dialog that most people curse at "I ain't helping Microsoft, they broke it, they fix it!" acted as my own personal IT servant, finding out exactly what went wrong and how to prevent the problem in the future. Awesome.
However, that wasn't the exact text. The exact text was more technical, talking about Knowledge Base article numbers, service packs, visiting Office Update, download times, etc. And I had to click through an Office Update web page or two, wait as it scanned for updates, and then install the fix. Not as intenerated as I would have liked.
Hopefully eventually Microsoft will tear away all that unnecessary techno-fluf for us mere humans and simplify it to a single dialog something like this:
"Sh*t, I crashed! No worries, I saved what you were working on, and I've already downloaded the free fix for this problem. How about I go ahead and install it now so we won't run into that problem again?"
Two buttons: [Fix it right now] [Fix it later, when nobody's using the computer.]
KISS in action. (Keep it simple, stupid.)
A new version of MSN Messenger 6.1 was released (6.1.0203), and some people are no longer able to log in. Here's how to fix this silly little problem: Go to File, Choose "Sign In..." (the one without your email address). Put your passport email address and password in. Sign in. That's it.
I think with this new version they changed how passwords are stored when you use "Allow automatic sign in when connected to the Internet" and this changes the saved password.
I can't read this site [2cpu.co.kr], but if you go about half-way down there's a link to my blog entry about fixing Windows Update Error 0X800A138F.
This is one of many message boards where Windows users are frustrated beyond belief because when they try to use Windows Update they get error "0x800A138F" without any explanation or suggestions for how to fix it. My blog entry on how to fix it was written in August, about four months ago. Today it has been viewed over 1000 times. There's been over 8000 page views across my entire site in the last 24 hours, so that means 1 out of every 8 visitors has come to see how to fix that Windows Update error.
You'd think Microsoft would realize how many people are getting this error and put some help for fixing it on Windows Update (or fix Windows so it won't happen), but I'm guessing the Windows Update team doesn't even realize how popular this error is because when you use Windows Update no information is sent to Microsoft - for privacy reasons. I think that "privacy reasons" are going to far here, when there's a problem such as Windows Update not working at all (which is the case with this error), there should be an option to let Microsoft know whatever they need to know to learn about the issue and help you fix it.
There's many reasons for this error, and all are easily fixable if you know what's wrong. Popular reasons for why Windows Update won't work include IE's default language not set and the date being wrong, but how would any user know this?
If you are suffering from Windows Update not working, learn how to fix it here.
Microsoft has begun beta testing a Windows Update CD - meaning all your updates on one CD. This will be great for those without high-speed connections and businesses that want to conserve bandwidth. I can't comment more on this project because I'm a Windows Update beta tester.
Windows Update via CD was one of my requests in my "Windows Update is like going to the Dentist" post.
No word on fixing the 0x800A138F error. I posted how to fix this problem back in August and it still gets about 1000 visitors every day.
At work I'm using a Dell XPS. It came preinstalled with Windows XP Home Edition. I promptly installed over that Windows XP Professional Edition so I could have features like remote desktop access to my machine from home. What I did not know is that Dell's drivers don't automatically re-install the USB drivers correctly, so USB was not working.
After many reboots, bios tweaks, and chipset upgrades, I finally found the solution. (Dell's solution was to format the hard drive and reinstall Windows. Yeah right!)
- Press Windows Button & Pause/Break to go to the System Properties (or right click on My Computer and choose Properties, but the other way is more fun.)
- Choose Device Manager.
- Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section
- Right click and choose Properties of one that says something about PCI bridge (I forget the exact name and after you fix the problem, this item goes away. If you aren't sure, you try step 5 and 6 on all of the USB items in that list.)
- Click on the Driver Tab (it's kinda slow loading).
- If the driver information on top says "Not found" or "Not installed" then click Update Driver... and let it look for the driver itself (I didn't need the XP CD but that might be because I keep a copy of it on my hard drive just incase. You might need it, I don't know.)
- After it finds the driver, click Okay and USB should start working immediately - no reboots needed!
I've been stuck on this bug for way too long:
I have a stored procedure that is just a simple query. When I try to write out certain ntext values more than once, nothing happens after the first time.
response.write g_rs(blogText)
Foo (correct output)
response.write g_rs(blogText)
(nothing is returned, inncorrect output)
In addition, if I write out certain other values before blogText, blogText is empty the first time I look at it.
response.write g_rs(commentCount)
14 (correct output)
response.write g_rs(blogText)
(nothing is returned, inncorrect output)
Why is this happening? If I don't use a stored procedure it works fine.
Windows Update is like going to the Dentist: It's tedious and sometimes painful, but those that avoid going today because they feel fine end up going through a more painful and expensive process down the road.
Keeping our computers up to date should not be as tedious and painful as a dentist visit. Being up to date should be as simple and automatic as the fluoride in our drinking water.
What I think needs to be fixed:
- Never require reboots. If I'm updating a mission critical server, I don't want suffer downtime. If I'm updating my personal machine, I don't want to have to wait for my machine to reboot. The Windows sub-system is probably componentized to the point that individual systems should be able to restart if needed. I don't mind Windows pausing for 10 seconds while it does an "internal restart", but all of my apps better be where I left them and how I left them.
- Never require multiple WindowsUpdate.com visits in one sitting. I can't stand when I choose a bunch of items to update, and then it says "This update must be installed separatly from other updates." Why not? Install one, then install the next one. Duh.
- Never require a visit to WindowsUpdate.com after a fresh Windows installation. After installing Windows XP on a fresh machine, I had to spend about an hour making about eight visits to WindowsUpdate.com just to get all of the updates. During the install it even asked if it should look online for newer files, which I said yes. Users expect their install to be the latest and greatest. Don't give them a stale install that requires hours of patching right out of the box.
- Never make the user read. Users don't read, we're too busy with other things on our minds, like our real jobs. Windows Update should be graphical. Show me three things when I visit WindowsUpdate.com: What updates I'm missing, a image of my computer, and a Go button. I press go and then I see updates moving into my computer as they are downloaded and installed. Users don't know what a KB# is. They don't know what RPC is. They don't know what DirectX is. Just give it to them.
- Never require IT admins to use Windows Update. IT admins are picky. They don't want you to install the latest Service Packs the day they come out because their weird phone dialier they force you to use to dial in from home doesn't work with it. Give admins their own tool. After searching around I found Microsoft System Update Services, which lets IT admins choose what updates go to which machines and automatically deploy them. Microsoft: Why don't you advertise this tool on WindowsUpdate.com? There are so many irrate IT admins that are ready to move their entire enterprise to Linux just to spite you, and all you do is hide these great tools in your deeply nested web site.
- Never require a random visit to WindowsUpdate.com. Did you know that the .NET Framework 1.1 is available? DirectX 9? Maybe you do because you visit Windows Update regulary and I know what they are. But what about the typical user? They don't know what those are. If they need them, just give it to them. The only cost is the time it takes to download.
- Never release software that can't be updated via Windows Update. Everything Microsoft sells should be easily updated via Windows Update. There is a hard to find, hardly known about, strangly hidden Office Update (there's a link from WindowsUpdate but it's not obvious. This should not be a separate web site. This should be one tool. And it should update everything I've ever purchased from Microsoft from Office 2003 to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004.
- Never require an install to use Windows Update. For some reason, the Windows Update ActiveX control used on WindowsUpdate is not included with Windows. Why not? Not only should this be included, but this should be self-updated via Windows Update. A user should never have to see the confusing and abused ActiveX "Are you sure you trust us?" certificate screen. What if a user doesn't trust Microsoft, but they still want to update their computer?
- Never give the user a choice for critical updates. This might sound scary, but I constantly see people hitting "remind me later" to the Windows Critical Update dialog that pops up. They are afraid of doing, or don't want to be bothered about something that doesn't relate to their job. Just install it.
- Never install anything that can't be undone. Okay, so sometimes you might not want to install a patch. Maybe you are testing your software and want to see if it runs on a machine with older settings. (Well ideally, that shouldn't be possible, see the note before this one.) That's why there is undo. Today this feature is in the Control Panel in the Add/Remove programs program. This is the wrong place for it. Windows Updates are not programs. They are updates. If I use Windows Update to update my machine, I should be able to use Windows Update to undo updates. There should also be a similar tool on my own machine.
- Finally, Help users who aren't able to use Windows Update. A blog entry I posted on how to fix error 0X800A138F has had over 10,000 visitors since I posted it a month ago, which is about 9,500 more than a typical blog entry for me. Windows Update simply gave users Error 0X800A138F if it wasn't able to download the update list. The site does not say what to do if you get this error, or even link to a page that could be of help, or even link to a way to contact Microsoft incase the problem is on their side. In thise case, it ends up that the update list was moved to an Akamai servers that have been known to be ad servers, a server which many people block to prevent getting as many ads and pop-up ads. Some people got the same error because their IE wasn't set to any particular language, so Windows Update didn't know what language updates to give. Instead of automatically using an alternate server or asking the user for their language, Windows Update just gave error 0X800A138F.
Fix these problems and Windows Update will no longer be like going to the dentist. Perhaps people won't even care when a new security hole is found because their computers will be updated before the press even has time to report about it.
It's been a while since I've posted here so I figured I'd start with a tip.
I like to keep my machines updated by using Windows Update, Microsoft's free update tool that makes sure you always have the latest patches installed without letting Microsoft know what you have installed. With the recent virus outbreaks, you'd think that people (especially IT Admins) must be avoiding Windows Update at all cost because Microsoft has had fixes for these issues on there well before any virus was even written. In the case of this ramped email virus that flooded everybody's inbox, a fix for Outlook has been available on Office Update for about two years.
Anyway, at work I got a new machine, and imagine my surprise when Windows Update suddenly stopped working and reported Error 0x800A138F. Searching Google I found that people were quick to blame Windows 2000 Service Pack 3. It has nothing to do with Service Pack 3 guys!
I looked at the Windows Update logs on my machine, and what do you know? Microsoft switched from hosting the updates locally to using bandwidth company Akamai to host their updates. Akamai has hundreds if not thousands of servers, many of which I block because they are known to be used to host ads, and I've taken the stand that since I've rarely seen a helpful ad that I want to click on, I might as well prevent them from even loading, making web pages load faster and be less cluttered with junk. Well, what do you know... Microsoft's Windows Update has been moved to an Akamai server that was once (and maybe still is) known to host ads.
So basically, by blocking that server, I was blocking Windows Update access to the catalog of updates, and the tool could not run.
If you are having this problem the akamai.net address to remove from your HOSTS file is a248.e.akamai.net.
If you want to block ads by simply updating a text file in Windows, check out How to make the Internet not suck as much. It's updated regularly.
UPDATE WITH MORE HELP: (Sept 2, 2003)
Try visiting https://a248.e.akamai.net/v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp right now.
You should see something like:
<catalog>
<provider />
catalog>
If you do not see this, then you are being blocked from a248.e.akamai.net, the server that Windows Update uses to store the update list.
If this is the case, then you should look at your HOSTS file. This file is located here:
C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc (Your Windows directory might be called WinNT or something else, and it might not be on your C drive).
Open the HOSTS file in notepad. It might be a large file and take some time. Search for a248.e.akamai.net. Remove the whole line, including the ip address. Save the file. You shouldn't need to reboot but you should close all IE windows. Now try https://a248.e.akamai.net/v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp again.
If it works, then go to http://WindowsUpdate.Microsoft.com and get your Updates. If it still does not work then your company or your ISP may be blocking this hostname.
If you are using Internet Connection Sharing then all computers use the HOSTS file from the main computer. If you are using some shareware program for blocking ads then you should check to see what servers it is blocking. If you are using a illegal Windows XP key that you got from a friend or off the Internet, then Microsoft may have blocked you from accessing Windows Update.
If none of these things fix it, post here. Windows Update is something that should always work, but if it doesn't there might be something bigger wrong with your machine, such as spyware, a virus, a bad install, incorrect security settings, or lack of sufficient harddrive space.
Let me know if this helps, and be sure to check out the rest of my site.