windows task scheduler tips

To view the hidden scheduler log, use DOS to list the files in c:\windows\tasks folder. Or use notepad++ on c:\WINDOWS\Tasks\SchedLgU.Txt

To increase the log size limit, follow http://support.microsoft.com/kb/169443

--- forever running tasks
This will block subsequent reruns.

Fix: try the max run time (default 72 hours)
Fix: To kill forever-running tasks, restart the task scheduler "service" itself

Some reasons for a forever-running task
* vbs may need to use wscript.quit

win service ^ once-a-minute scheduled task

If an operation is likely to hit various failures, then a service is troublesome as it would need restarts.

Under a service, the operation should take a few seconds only.

Service can have higher frequency than once a minute.

Service can run under LocalSystem without any password.

sc vs net commands

The net command waits patiently for the request service to start (or stop), and therefore can report the success/failure (see http://superuser.com/questions/315166/net-start-service-and-sc-start-what-is-the-difference)

 

The sc command can easily query the state of a service.

__Tan Bin (+65)6530 1386 OC Centre #17__

 

non-intrusive test - if current process has admin privilege

Just run qq(openfiles) command.

See https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.msdos.batch.nt/1dnlamNqZ7U
==============================
Information in this message is confidential. It is intended solely for the person or the entity to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are not to disseminate, distribute or copy this communication. Please notify the sender and delete the message and any other record of it from your system immediately.
==============================

windbg msi download site - working

http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/6/A/A6AC035D-DA3F-4F0C-ADA4-37C8E5D34E3D/setup/WinSDKDebuggingTools/dbg_x86.msi

Most other download sites didn't work for me

[[inside windows debugging]]

P38 has a half-pager comparison of the 2 main debuggers
^ MSVS – dev environment, with source code available
^ windbg – production environment. For post-coding, without source code.
** script/SQL debugging – only MSVS

P38 points out the free MSVS-express lacks certain debugging features. WinDBG is Completely free.

Q: does "windows debugger" mean windbg + minor tools?

--symbol files, symbol servers, *.pdb files
P53

P54 - "public symbols" and the microsoft online public symbol server.

C std lib on win32 matches linux

c std lib is almost the same on win vs *nix, according to P127[[headfirstC]]

A window app marked "not responding"

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms644927(v=vs.85).aspx describes (one of) the reason that a particular window app is marked "not responding".

allow a domain user to logon to a win2003 server

Control panel -> Local sec policy -> grant AllowLogonThroughTerminalService to that user

MyComputer -> Property -> Remote -> add to RemoteUsers

consistent F1/F2/F5...assignemnts

For text editors, it's good to standardize the assignments like.

F1 - save and close
F2 - saveAll. NOT "rename" -- rarely used and better done in explorer
F5 - refresh; reload

COM interop, learning ntoes

Dotnet interop (2-way) -- allows COM-based applications to use .NET components, and .NET applications to use COM components

Dotnet wrapers -- Microsoft now focuses much of its marketing efforts on .NET, with .NET providing wrappers to the most commonly used COM controls. However, your own custom COM classes don't have wrappers yet. You can consider COM interop in order to use them in dotnet.

regasm - is needed when your new COM needs an existing dotnet assembly

windows app, windows program, windows exe...

In these contexts, "windows" doesn't mean "running in MS-windows and not web-based or phone-based". Rather, it means "running in
MS-windows with a windows GUI".

The other MSWindows-based app mode is "console" i.e. command-line based, when there's no GUI.

So I would say "windows app" means "non-console app"

outlook 2010 search tool

Go into any folder. Click into the search bar on top of the message list. You will see a new "search" ribbon added.

desktop.ini - basics

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/manually-creating-junction-points-in-windows-xp/5388706 --

The Desktop.ini file is a standard text file used to customize the appearance and behavior of the enclosing folder.

win32api, briefly

Consits of hundreds of C functions, just like the syscalls + standard libraries (libc)

Invented before C++. Uses structs, not classes

Hungarian notations

In visual studio, the project template "win32 project" is for a C project using the basic win32api, not using MFC, dotnet etc.

both wireless and wired connections are "limited"?

I have 3 laptops. All were fine in wireless or wired mode -- 6 IP addresses all working. Then one day System A stopped working. Both wireless and wired connections became "limited".

I turned OFF windows firewall - no help. (Later ON also no effect.)

I rebooted the wireless router. Then one of the "good" computers showed ip address conflict, and the broken System A connected in both wireless and wired mode.

gigabytes of hidden disk hog under winxp

--restore points.
By winxp default, system restore points use up to 12% of C: drive. For a 100G disk, about 12G space can go missing -- select all top-level C:* objects and Alt-Enter to see total size (A) and compare with C: drive usage (C) by Alt-Enter.

If you are like me you don't need that much restore data. Don't bother to delete "all restore points except the most recent". Just reduce 12% to the minimum 200M. You should see (A - C) going down to about 200MB. See http://www.techrepublic.com/article/10-things-you-should-know-about-windows-xps-system-restore-tool/6048545.

You are even allowed to turn off system restore completely, though not recommended by anyone.

Note the C:* alt-enter counts recycler and page files -- not as hidden as the restore points.

--recycler. I put recycler on D: drive
--"temporary internet files" folder is virtualized. You can move the target folder. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/301057

--------now the visible disk hogs
--i386? http://ask-leo.com/can_i_move_or_delete_my_i386_directory_to_free_up_some_space.html
--C:\MSOCACH can be deleted. This folder is the temp directory for the MS Office installation files. If you have selected to run all from my computer option next to all the components of MS Office then you already have everything installed in the Program Files and will never need this folder....EVER
--Windows.edb, produced by the WindowsSearch indexer.
Can be relocated via control panel -} indexing -} advanced
--page files
--hibernate
--temp files....

------- compress old files?
Compressing ProgramFiles, I saved about 1 GB.
Compressing C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET, I saved about 0.5 GB
http://serverfault.com/questions/1788/on-disk-cleanup-do-you-compress-old-files-to-save-disk-space says Uncompress won't hurt performance too much.

requirements to debug into c++ from another language

The driver app (java, c#, MS-excel ...) had better use dynamic linked library to access C++ code. (Not sure if a static library can suffice.) Before the app terminates, we attach our debugger (gdb, MSVC etc) to that process.

http://forums.codeblocks.org/index.php/topic,6419.0.html has a popular write-up about MSVC debugger. i guess if you use g++ to compile, then you may need gdb; if you used MSVC to compile, then you may need MSVC debugger.

Obviously We need source code used to compile the library. Of course, the library must be compiled with -G.

make windows always open *.py files with python.exe

in DOS,

Associate the correct file group with .py scripts:

assoc .py=Python.File

Redirect all Python files to the new executable:

ftype Python.File=C:\Path\to\pythonw.exe "%1" %*

win32 batch - nested script choices

Know the differences among these, if you have time

-- directly calling another script

-- CALL nestedScript.bat

-- START nestedScript.bat
give birth to another Command Prompt window, then die. A bit like unix exec.

-- cmd -k /nestedScript.bat

-- cmd -c /nestedScript.bat

-- cmd nestedScript.bat
instantiate command interpreter. This seems to be most versatile and popular

------
Just a small story - I invoked mvn.bat directly and also tried cmd. In the end, i had to use CALL

see http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/ntcmds.mspx?mfr=true