Workaround: Makeshift Controlly for Launchy 2.0

The version 1.0 of the Launchy software included a handy plugin called "Controlly" that indexed and made available all of the control panel icons. Thus, typing "add" would (for me) bring up "add or remove programs" and I could avoid the long wait of getting into the control panel.

In version 2.0, this plugin was sidelined due to a bug. As I was waiting for this to get fixed (and it may have by this time), I had a revelation:

All of items in the control panel can be linked to. If you load up the control panel, and right click on an icon, you will see an option to create a shortcut. Thus, the control panel items can be reduced to simple shortcuts:

1. Open a destination folder that will be indexed by Launchy. (such as C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu)
2. Add a subfolder (such as "ControlPanel") and open it
3. Open control panel in classic mode
4. Multiselect all icons in the control panel
5. Right-Click-Drag the selected items from the control panel to the subfolder in step 2.
6. When you release the right-mouse button, choose "create shortcuts"
7. Now, then next time you index that subfolder, nice new entries will be made for your control panel items.

Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Error on startup

I have been recently modifying our in-house SQL server. After a couple rounds of instance installs and what not, I opened up the new database instance in the SQL Server Management Studio. I got the following dialog:

TITLE: Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio
------------------------------

Unable to cast COM object of type 'System.__ComObject'
to interface type
'Microsoft.VisualStudio.OLE.Interop.IServiceProvider'.
This operation failed because the QueryInterface call
on the COM component for the interface with IID
'{6D5140C1-7436-11CE-8034-00AA006009FA}'
failed due to the following error: No such interface
supported (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80004002
(E_NOINTERFACE)). (Microsoft.VisualStudio.OLE.Interop)

------------------------------
BUTTONS:

OK
------------------------------

With a bit of intarweb searching, I found this post. The recommendation? Re-register a DLL:

"Start" -> "Run" -> "regsvr32 actxprxy.dll"

I love COM!

Howto: Skip the Google Reader/iGoogle choice for ATOM/RSS Feeds in Firefox

I love and regularly use Google Reader for all my feedreading needs. As soon as they provide feed filters, I will be at a loss as to what feature they yet need. However, there are a few hiccups/annoyances with the default implementation of feed subscriptions in Firefox.

When you first come across an RSS/ATOM link in Firefox, you are redirected to a page that allows you to choose a feed reader for it. If you choose Google, then from then on, you are presented a different page in which you choose whether to add the link to Google Reader or iGoogle.

I don't use iGoogle as I prefer a faster, local page as my start page. Thus, every time that I subscribe to a feed, I am slowed by choosing the same option every time. I want one click subscribe, confound it!

So today I went looking for alternatives. I started with Greasemonkey Scripts and found several, but more interesting to me was a user comment that pointed out how Firefox actually handles this all with an internal setting (accessible from the about:config page)

So if you too are irritated about repeatedly being questioned by your browser, simply browse to "about:config" in Firefox, and enter "contentHandlers" or some such in the filter box.

You should see two preferences of note in the list that comes up:

browser.contentHandlers.auto.application/vnd.mozilla.maybe.feed
browser.contentHandlers.types.2.uri

My values for these preferences were:

http://fusion.google.com/add?feedurl=%s

Obviously this is how the Google "Choice" page was being selected. All I did was change their values to:

http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed/%s

Once you restart Firefox, all subscriptions will be forwarded to the URL specified. Note that this loads the feed in Google Reader but does not automatically subscribe. However the subscribe link is clearly available at the top of the page. If you want it to automatically subscribe, you will just need to substitute an appropriate URL. Some of you more analytic readers will probably note that I still have to click twice to subscribe to a feed. However, the AJAX styling of Reader means that after loading the Reader scripts and views (something that has to happen regardless), the subscribe link is actually more lightweight. The difference is a subscription confirmation that loads in a single page and happens with an AJAX action. All in all, this is much smoother and more tolerable to me. And if I want to improve it further, I now know how. Note: Some information was gleaned from various places, including here.

Howto: Fix VS2005 Toolbox Icons when they are all the same

I have been living with the issue with the Visual Studio 2005 Form designer toolbox for some time now. Perhaps you have experienced it? It looks like this:

It's easy to work around, but yet annoying, the visual distinction of the icon helps you find things quickly. When its all the same icon, well...you get the picture.

On a whim I did some searching, and found the simple workaround solution:

Right click in the Toolbox and *gasp* click "Reset Toolbox..."

It's so easy its painful.

Thanks to the commenter (Aardvark) here.

OpenID "in plain English"

Obviously taking a cue from the CommonCraft Show, MyVidoop has released a video that explains OpenID technology: