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Set Auditing on System Files and Folders with PowerShell

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It's easy to set auditing on files and folders using GUI. But imagine if you need to perform this operation on hundreds of servers. PowerShell is your friend in this case! This article discusses specifics of applying auditing changes on system files and folders (e.g.: C:\Windows, C:\windows\system32\winload.exe). Usually local admin has no write access for these files. Standard approach of using Set-Acl cmdlet is not working with system files or folders. You might get  UnauthorizedAccessException and you'll see an error: "Set-Acl : Attempted to perform an unauthorized operation." This bug has been reported to Microsoft, but still not fixed. In the meantime for such cases I created the following function: function Set-AuditFail # Enable Auditing on the file or folder, with the following specifications. Name: Everyone; Access: Failed for all listed accesses  {    param([String]$TargetFolder)    $ACL = Get-Acl -Path $TargetFolder -Audit    If (($ACL.AuditToString
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Unlocking your protected Powerpoint Slideshow file

If you forgot your Powerpoint slideshow password follow these simple steps: rename extension from .ppsx to .zip open PPT folder edit the presentation.xml file: at the bottom of the file delete the whole <p:modifyverifier ... /> tag. zip the modified file back and rename it to .ppsx done!
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APC Smart UPS 3000 RM not detecting new battery pack

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Problem : you replaced battery pack in your APC UPS with brand new batteries, but they are not detected by UPS unit. Failed battery LED is on, you hear alarm beeps and PowerChute console show no battery alarm. Solution : The UPS batteries have self-discharge rate around 3% of capacity per month at 20oC (average). If you or your supplier has stored batteries for a long time, batteries may come totally discharged and UPS will not detect them. What you'll need to do in this case is to disconnect battery pack from UPS, open the battery pack cover and install one new battery into the old battery pack, connect it to UPS, let it charge for a while, then add second new battery and so on, until you fully charge all 8 batteries in the battery pack.
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Red line through empty battery icon on Curve 8300

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Symptoms: Blackberry Curve 8300 or 8330 shows the white screen and battery symbol with red line across (see screenshot below). The phone will not boot up neither with new battery inside nor connected to a wall charger. BlackBerry Desktop Software can't connect to the phone either. Solution : remove the battery, gently remove the front plate, separate the back and center pieces and clean the contact pins marked on the picture below.
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How to uninstall a broken software

From time to time you may have problems uninstalling some software from your Windows computer. As a result you cannot uninstall them from "Windows Programs and Features (Add or Remove Programs)" control panel applet. There are many reasons for that - missing .dll file, corrupted installer or a problem with this Installer package. Resolution 1: Try native Microsoft solution for that: http://support.microsoft.com/mats/program_install_and_uninstall What it fixes: Removes bad registry key on 64 bit operating systems. Windows registry keys that control the upgrade (patching) data that become corrupted. Resolves problems that prevent new programs from being installed. Resolves problems that prevent programs from being completely uninstalled and blocking new installations and updates. Use this troubleshooter for an uninstall only if the program fails to uninstall using the windows add/remove programs feature. Resolution2: Try CCleaner http:/
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Wireless Network List empty

There may be hundreds of reasons why your wireless network list may be empty. Another symptom is blank ipconfig command output. And here I collected all available options to try to resolve the issue. Make sure it's not the hardware problem: Try switching WiFi off and on with the slider/button on laptop casing. If you have Windows or Linux LiveCD - it is good idea to boot from it and check if WiFi is working on the guest OS. If it's working when booted from LiveCD, but not from your installed Windows then try these options: Make sure you are using most recent WiFi card drivers and not using something you don't need. For example if you de-installed McAfee antivirus, its filter driver (McAfee NDIS Intermediate Filter) may still be available in the Network Connection Properties. Just disable it and you are all set. If you have system restore available, just restore the system to a couple of days before the problem. Make sure you have necessary services started: Go to Con
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Working with MS Excel files from Python

The xlwt Module ( https://pypi.python.org/pypi/xlwt ) - a Python package for generating Microsoft Excel™ spreadsheet files. I have found this module very useful for rapid development. The documentation is currently incomplete, but the package contains a comprehensive set of examples, so you'll most likely start using the module in just 5 minutes. xlwt is a library for generating spreadsheet files that are compatible with Excel 97/2000/XP/2003, OpenOffice.org Calc, and Gnumeric. xlwt has full support for Unicode. Excel spreadsheets can be generated on any platform without needing Excel or a COM server. The only requirement is Python 2.3 to 2.7. The installation is easy. Just unzip the .zip file into a suitable directory, chdir to that directory, then do "python setup.py install". Caveats : The only error I've got is UnicodeEncodeError: 'ascii' codec can't encode characters in position 0-3: ordinal not in range(128) when trying to write 'str
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