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Add a FILESTREAM feature to an existing SQL D/B

2017/12/07
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Modified: 2017/11/05
SQL 2008 SP2 FILESTREAM Problem

SQL Server 2008 allows to store binary data, if Database has a FILESTREAM feature

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Horizontal Line in Excel Header and Footer

2017/12/06
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Modified: 2017/11/05
Horizontal-Line-in-Excel

  We would like to add a horizontal line to the header of an Excel file to be repeated on every page. To add a horizontal-line we first need to create an image of a horizontal line in your favorite imaging software. Create a PNG image 660 by 3 pixels and color it in some shade of gray.  Save the image with an appropriate meaningful name.  You will be using this file each time you need to add a line to Excel header of footer. Now, insert this image into Excel header: Note that &[Picture] code should be bellow any other code that you have in the header. Now we have…

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Can’t convert Number into a string in Excel (not all space characters are the same)

2017/12/05
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Modified: 2017/11/05
All spaces appear the same

Problem started as a simple CAN’T CONVERT NUMBER INTO A STRING in Excel. But solving this problem revealed a deep difference between character Space and character No-Break Space. I was  coping some text from Internet and pasting it into Excel to extract QTY, Amount and Total.  The ultimate goal is to calculate the commissions, but that is not important here.  Below is an example of text that I would normally copy into Excel: JO - 10:14:53 Sold 200s @ $19.19 - Total: $3,837.90 JO - 10:10:53 Sold 300s @ $19.19 - Total: $5,749.90   Problem: I can extract quantity 200 into a separate cell, but I can’t do any arithmetic operation on a resulting number.  All the usual tricks as for example multiplying by 1, or…

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How to Export Yahoo! Group mebers into Excel – Painfull!

2017/12/02
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Modified: 2017/11/05
How to Export Yahoo! Group mebers into Excel – Painfull!

This is a poor’s man manual on how to export Yahoo! group members list into Excel. Yahoo! used to have this simple feature right on their page, but it is gone now. Instead you would have to do this painful semi-archaic way of getting the data.   To make it look easy we divived the whole procedure into 3 simple steps: Step1.  Display all your Yahoo! group members in “Display Name” order Step2. Copy into Word and fix data inconsistencies Step 3. Copy into Excel and create a link sheet with a proper list         Step1.  Display all your Yahoo! group members in “Display Name” order That is easy.  You need to…

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How to Compare SQL SmallDateTime Fields for Equality

2017/12/01
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Modified: 2017/11/05
MS SQL Server 2008 R2

It is meaningless to compare for equality (==) two fields of type SmallDateTime, because they contain time component and they are hardly ever the same. Here are some interesting ways around this problem to check, if two SmallDateTime fields have the same date component.

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IE10 is not saving passwords and user names

2017/11/28
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Modified: 2017/11/05
IE10 is not saving passwords and user names

I hope this post will help a lot of frustrated users out there. PROBLEM: IE10 was working fine, but at one point it stopped saving user names and passwords for web sites. This most securely-configured browser, so switching was not an option.   Here is my solution.  Please see, if it works for you. SOLUTION: For extra security I’ve checked Delete browsing history on exit (see image 1).  I did it without understanding, what it is I am requesting to delete.  To solve my problem, I had to uncheck Cookies and website data on the very next Delete screen (see image 2).  Now IE10 is preserving user names in passwords for visited…

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Stuck in MSCONFIG Diagnostic startup? – Steps to fix

2017/11/23
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Modified: 2017/11/05
MSCONFIG - Diagnostic Startup

XPS12 is back online. I experienced a mini-crisis of my own creation.  My 3-year old Dell XPS 12 laptop with latest Win 10 Pro build started to misbehave here and there, and I used MSCONFIG and set computer to Diagnostic startup – the option in the middle. That locked laptop from starting up properly.  Laptop will boot normally, but will never show the login boxes.  Only my default picture and some language, disability and power button in the lower right corner. To fix the problem I had to fight for a solution for a little bit.   I was very close to reinstalling the whole Windows 10, and lose my Oracle JDE…

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Windows 7 – How to Copy and Delete Massive System Directories

2017/11/17
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Modified: 2017/11/05
2007-07-07

Problem: You have an old discarded instances of failed Windows 7 installs.  You can rename the directories, but they still clutter your hard drive, and they are very hard to get rid of. I simply can’t take this painful and slow process of deleting huge system directories under Windows 7.  Remember this endless stream of errors, and warnings, and skips.  The same task in Win XP only takes a few seconds.  But under Windows 7, it  is a project of its own.  Pain! Finally, my patience ran out.  I decided to write a script.  And it it worked!   Delete Windows System Directories Here is a fantastic way to delete huge Windows 7…

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Moving Old ASP Sites to 2008 Server, IIS 7, and SQL 2008

2017/11/13
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Modified: 2017/11/12
IIS75-ASP-is-not-Installed

It was time to move many sites from W2K3 Server (Windows 2003 Server) and SQL 2000 Server to a new W2K8 Server (Windows 2008 Server) and SQL 2008 Server.  And if I ever have to do it again, I will check with these notes. The greatest secret in technical life (and may be wider) is to change before you have to.  Anticipate and change before circumstances force you.  For a long time I was planning this migration, but I didn’t expect to go through so many hurdles and error messages.  Luckily, I found solutions that seem logical and clean.  So, let’s go into step-by-step details. COPY DATABASE AND SITES – Backup…

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Macros to “Paste as Text” for Word and Excel

2017/11/07
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Modified: 2017/11/05
Macros to “Paste as Text” for Word and Excel

These two macros will save you a lot of time.  They used, when you need to copy something from Internet page into a Word or Excel document, but  you do not need all the colors and formatting.   You just need the text. Usually you would do this with Paste Special, but this is several awkward clicks and many seconds lost.  Over the course of the day this is a huge inefficiency. Let’s write a macro for Word first. As of 2012-01-11 WED, I adopted this little macro as final version: Sub PasteText() On Error GoTo Unicode Selection.PasteSpecial Link:=False, DataType:=wdPasteText, _ Placement:=wdInLine, DisplayAsIcon:=False GoTo Done Unicode: Selection.PasteAndFormat (wdFormatPlainText) Done: End Sub This macro…

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Allow to Pass Optional Parameters to a Stored Procedure

2017/11/03
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Modified: 2017/09/16
Mount Carrigain NH 1427m

This article shows how to use string parameters to make selection on Boolean fields. What is it you need to select "true", "false" of "ALL" records. How WHERE statement will look like in that case?

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