Do You Know by GURUS: October 2010

Up-gradation from Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 to Microsoft Dynamics GP2010 / GP 11

First upgrade Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 to Version 10.00.1400 (Hotfix KB 975174 & KB 977783) and then Install Microsoft Dynamics GP2010/GP11 with SP1. After this run GP2010 Utilities, it will be updated without any error.

Mentor for Microsoft Dynamics GP

If you are an end user you probably already know that one of the most frustrating aspects of working with GP has to be navigating through the menu structure. Granted, improvements to the navigation bar introduced since version 9 have made things a lot easier. Nonetheless, remembering where to find an option that will take you to a specific window can be very challenging at times for both experienced and novice users. Also, what if the window you are trying to access is not a main window? What if you don’t even have security to the window you are trying to access? What if all you know of the window is a portion of the name?

I have to say, I rarely get into blogging about specific ISV solutions, but I had a chance to play around with Mentor by Rockton Software. Mentor answers the questions above and some more about any window, whether in the Dynamics dictionary or any integrating or third party product and is able to provide the exact menu path to follow to access said window.

The Installation Process

I began by downloading Mentor from Rockton Software’s website. After filling out a short registration the download process began. I extracted the downloaded zip file into my Microsoft Dynamics GP installation folder. After launching Dynamics GP, the standard dialog to acknowledge the new code was presented. Mentor is fully enabled for the Fabrikam company.

Upon accessing Fabrikam, the Mentor Setup window opened to begin the installation of the database objects. Clicking the Process button triggered the setup process.

After clicking the Yes button in the dialog window the installation process began. In addition to installing the database objects, Mentor collects information about the menu navigation for each window for all products installed on your system.

Using Mentor

Upon completing the installation you will see a new entry on your navigation menu.

By clicking on this entry you immediately gain access to the main Mentor window.

The window is pretty straight forward. I began by testing something pretty obvious. I typed Customer in the search bar. Mentor did exactly what I expected. It searched for all windows that had the word “Customer” in the title, finding 36 items in the process. In addition, Mentor presented all the navigation options for each window and provided visual cues for all windows that can only be opened from a main window.

Mentor is capable of presenting security information for each window displayed, but it also allows you to create shortcuts for these on the navigation bar and provides a quick way to establish the security tasks and roles associated to the window. Mentor is also able to establish whether you have access to a window or not.

Mentor also offers a sidekick called Inspector, which presents information about each individual field being navigated along with information on the tables associated to the form.

Mentor increases your productivity during the first weeks after going live with Dynamics GP and can even offer valuable information to experienced users. Hat tips to the folks at Rockton Software.

SEO Tips - How to Optimize Images, Videos and Audio for Your Website

If you’re an online publisher, then Google is king. Whatever content you’re pushing to the web, you’re going to want Google to index it properly, and serve it up in its search results. There are lots of guides on basic text and blogpost optimization out there, but what about other types of media like images, video, and audio? Here’s a simple guide to follow so you can make the most of your multimedia content.

First things first, the general rule of optimization is to ensure a descriptive file name and URL which match what people may be searching for. This is crucial when it comes to Google deciding if your content is relevant to search terms. If you want to refine it, you can try using the Google keywords tool to determine search volume.

Tip 1. How to Optimize SEO for images

Tagging of images is essential for Google’s understanding of what your image actually is. Pay close attention to your ALT and TITLE tags when you upload an image to the web.

ALT attribute is an important part of search engine optimization. It describes your image to search engine and when a user searches for a certain image this is a key determining factor for a match.
TITLE attribute plays a lesser role but is important for visitors as this text will automatically appear in the tooltip when mouse is over the image.

If you’re using WordPress, you can try SEO Friendly Images, which is a free optimization plugin that automatically updates all images on your website with proper ALT and TITLE attributes. What this plugin does is, it changes these tags based on your image file name and your post URL. This is a quick one click solution helps optimize all your images at once.

Tip 2. How to Optimize SEO for videos

Sitemaps are Google’s way of understanding and indexing your videos. Check out this video for a bit more detail on this.

To get more tips on submission of setting up an mRSS feed so you can automatically submit sitemaps of your videos in the correct format, you should visit Google’s Video sitemaps page.

Tip 3: How to Optimize SEO for Audio

Text Transcripts: There are several ways to optimize for audio, but the best way is to have actual transcripts of your audio on your web page. No matter how much you optimize, having plain text is always more Google friendly. Consider recording in conjunction with speech to text software if it’s more efficient.
Descriptive Metadata: Changing your ID3 tags to give really descriptive titles and comments which are embedded within the file. If you’re changing a few files you can simply right click the file in Windows, then go to properties, then summary. From there you can edit all the attributes of the file. If you’re handling this for multiple files you may want to use freeware like ID3 Tagit to help you along.

How to Make Transparent Background of SWF in Webpage

When you insert SWF file in your webpage it always show given background color and if you want transparent background color and want to use your webpage bg color then you have to need make transparent background of swf file. This is the very simple way but for this you will have to use only stage background color in flash not any rectangle on stage because this method only transparent stage bg color.

First Step:

Make flash file and use only bg color of stage. Don’t use any recangle there for background color.

Method 1: Using Flash

The HTML for a Flash movie can be created using the Publish Settings feature in Flash. The Publish Settings dialog box provides an option to affect the WMODE setting. The options selected in the Publish Settings will be added to the HTML source code automatically:

Step 1:

Choose File > Publish Settings. Select the HTML tab. or press Shift + F12.

Step 2:

Choose “Transparent” in the WMODE setting to make the Flash movie’s background disappear in browsers which support this feature.

Step 3:

Publish the document.
You will find this "wmode=transparent" code in html file which make swf file transparent.

Method 2: Editing HTML code manually for Wmode

To edit an existing HTML page, add the WMODE parameters to the HTML code.

Add the following parameter to the OBJECT tag:

<param name="wmode" value="transparent">

Add the following parameter to the EMBED tag:

wmode=transparent

Method 2: Using Dreamweaver

Follow the below steps, and Dreamweaver will insert the correct HTML code automatically.

Step 1:

In Dreamweaver, insert the Flash movie into an HTML page.

Step 2:

Select the Flash movie in the Design View.

Step 3:

In the Properties panel, choose Parameters.

Step 4:

For the Parameter, enter “wmode” (without quotes). For the Value, enter “transparent”.
or
In property panel choose wmode dropdown.

Step 5:

Save the document. The HTML page is complete.

What's New in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010

Foundation enhancements
E-mail functionality

Sending customized messages

Electronic Signatures workflow
Home Page

Viewing reminders as text or Cues
Viewing Reporting Services metrics
Viewing multiple metrics
Viewing additional information

Installation and deployment features
Rapid Migration Tool for Microsoft Dynamics GP
Lookups
Microsoft Dynamics Online Connect
Navigation pane
Reporting

Report lists
Report destinations

Right-click menu enabled
Security

Display security roles and tasks
Copy user security settings
Automatically logging on to Microsoft Dynamics GP and a company

Unified Communications
Word templates
Workflow
Integration Manager

Microsoft Dynamics GP eConnect adapter enhancement
Displaying error message details

Excel Report Builder

Excel report PivotTables
Excel report totals
Publish Excel Report Builder reports
Drill Down Builder

Financial enhancements
General Ledger

Exclude inactive accounts in Accounts lookup
Clear recurring batch amounts
Combine multiple General Ledger budgets into a single, master budget
Comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) requirements
Create budget transactions

Payables Management

Exclude inactive vendors in Vendors lookup
Exclude expired discounts from payments
Select multiple ranges for payables check runs
Vendor approval workflow added

Receivables Management

Enter negative cash receipts
Enter recurring cash receipts batches
Exclude inactive customers in Customers lookup
Exclude inactive salespeople from Salespeople lookup
Set up lockboxes at payment processing centers

Collections Management

View un-posted cash amounts
Receive collection reminders
Print collection letters by address ID

Analytical Accounting

Integrate with Payroll (United States)
Automatic security for transaction dimension codes

Electronic Banking
Encumbrance Management

Configure encumbrance behavior for approved purchase orders

Distribution enhancements
Inventory Control

Exclude discontinued items from Items lookup
Go To navigation added

Purchase Order Processing

Roll down promised date and promised ship date changes
Link invoicing to whether any received goods are returned
Define lot number masks
Receive in-transit transfer items

Sales Order Processing

Print back ordered items on picking tickets

Human Resources and Payroll enhancements
Human Resources

Assign employee secondary status codes
Easier setup of position control plans and funding

U.S. Payroll

Exclude inactive employees in Employees lookup
Map pay, deduction, and benefit codes to multiple W-2 boxes
More flexibility when deducting multiple garnishments
Process concurrent pay runs
Reprint paystubs and earnings statements
Track fiscal year values for pay, benefits, and deductions
Use workflow to manage employee on boarding
Use workflow to manage employee maintenance

Advanced Human Resources

Use security tasks and roles for the Human Resources and Payroll Suite
View and print Excel-based reports for Certification, License and Training Manager

Advanced Payroll

Use menu navigation for pay policy management “Use Add-On” functionality Benefit Self Service
Track the benefit enrollment process
View and print benefit self service confirmation statements

U.S. Payroll Extensions

Create differential pay transactions more easily
Use multiple overtime rate calculation methods per pay code
Specify payroll edit report preferences

PTO Manager

Assign paid time off (PTO) configurations to employees

Manufacturing enhancements
Right-click menu enabled

Production Functions enhancements
Manufacturing Core Functions enhancement

Changing standard costs

Field Service Series enhancements
Service Call Management

Automatically move billed service calls to history
Check links in the Field Service Series
Enter non-inventoried items
Escalate service calls to multiple manager levels
Generate payables vouchers for subcontractor charges
Post labor information to U.S. Payroll
Use kit items in the Field Service Series

Contract Administration

Assign multiple service hour ranges per day on contracts
Check links in the Field Service Series
Enhanced contract lookup windows
Bill contract activity for each site to a specific address
Consolidate billing for multiple contracts on one invoice
Define more flexible billing frequencies
Reconcile contract revenue with General Ledger
Use kit items in the Field Service Series

Depot Management

Use kit items in the Field Service Series Returns Management
Use kit items in the Field Service Series Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance event generation options
Use kit items in the Field Service Series

Project Accounting enhancements
Benefit allocation feature enhanced

Benefit Allocation window
Cost Category Class Setup window
Benefit Cost Category Accounts window
Budget Maintenance window
Benefit Allocation Error List

Reporting

Trial balance
Billing
Project status
Performance

Country/region-specific enhancements
VAT Daybook

Available worldwide
Canadian GST/HST return

Fixed Asset Enhancements
Export Financial Data
GDPDU (Grundsätze zum Datenzugriff und zur Prüfbarkeit digitaler Unterlagen)

Script for Delete Stranded User Activity in Microsoft SQL Server

In this article, we will going to use a script to delete the activity table records for a specific stranded user in Dynamics GP. This will enable us not to have all the users log out of GP in order to execute these scripts. This is typically handy when we have many users signed into the system from various regions and its a tough job to have all the users sign off the system for this maintenance to be done. Please make sure that you must take a back up of DYNAMICS database before you execute this script.

DECLARE @USERID CHAR(15)

DECLARE @CMPNYNAM CHAR(30)

SET @USERID = 'testuser'

SET @CMPNYNAM = 'Fabrikam, Inc.'

/*Deleting the user record from the DEX_LOCK table*/

DELETE FROM tempdb.dbo.DEX_LOCK

WHERE session_id = ( SELECT SQLSESID

FROM DYNAMICS.dbo.ACTIVITY

WHERE USERID = @USERID

AND CMPNYNAM = RTRIM(@CMPNYNAM)

)

/*Deleting the user record from the DEX_SESSION table*/

DELETE FROM tempdb.dbo.DEX_SESSION

WHERE session_id = ( SELECT SQLSESID

FROM DYNAMICS.dbo.ACTIVITY

WHERE USERID = @USERID

AND CMPNYNAM = RTRIM(@CMPNYNAM)

)

/*Deleting the user record from the SY00801 table*/

DELETE FROM DYNAMICS.dbo.SY00801

WHERE USERID = @USERID

AND CMPANYID = ( SELECT CMPANYID

FROM DYNAMICS.dbo.SY01500

WHERE CMPNYNAM = RTRIM(@CMPNYNAM)

)

/*Deleting the user record from the SY00800 table*/

DELETE FROM DYNAMICS.dbo.SY00800

WHERE USERID = @USERID

AND CMPNYNAM = RTRIM(@CMPNYNAM)

/*Deleting the user record from the ACTIVITY table*/

DELETE FROM DYNAMICS.dbo.ACTIVITY

WHERE USERID = @USERID

AND CMPNYNAM = RTRIM(@CMPNYNAM)

Important Notes for Microsoft Dynamics GP

All un posted transactions mostly goes to 10000 series table in every module
All un posted transactions mostly detail/line times goes to 10001 tables
All posted transactions mostly goes to 20000 series table in every module
All posted transactions mostly detail/line times goes to 20001 tables
All history transactions mostly goes to 30000 tables
40000 series tables are mostly related to setups
Two types of posting setups for every module as follows:

Post to General Ledger (Transactions posted from module reside in GL as un posted Batch)
Post Through General Ledger (Transactions posted from module also posted in GL)

If using transaction posting then every transaction goes to GL as un posted regardless of post TO and Through
Cash Receipts Updated AR Module and GL Module but not updated Bank/Checkbook
Bank Deposit then update checkbook/bank and have no effect on GL
One of the method to call Crystal report in GP is through Dexterity/VBA Code
Through Business Portal we can generate and process Purchase Requisition and then converted into GP as Purchase Order, But in GP 10 we can utilize Work Flows to directly create purchase order and to manage hierarchy and approvals without using Business Portal
VBA, Modifier, Dexterity and .Net are used for GP Customization
FRx is Reporting tool that can be utilized for financial reporting
Financial Reporting are namely (Balance Sheet, P&L, Income Statement, Cash Flow, etc)
From GP we can use, Smart List, Inquiry and Report for viewing data
Two types of posting mostly follows in GP:

Transaction Posting (User who enter transaction can immediately post it and it will reside in GL as un posted regardless of posting setup POST TO or POST THROUGH
Batch Posting (one users make X No. of transactions in one batch, another user review that batch and then post that batch and in batch posting system take care of POST TO and POST THROUGH

Debit memo will increase customer balance in Account receivable (mean we have to take more from customer)
Credit Memo will decrease customer balance in Accounts Receivable (mean we have to take less from customer)
Credit Memo will decrease supplier/vendor balance in Accounts Payable (Mean we have to pay less to Vendor)
No Debit memo available in Accounts Payable
National Accounts are utilized in sale/Accounts receivable as Distributor/Retailer or Parent/child relationship

Tips for Microsoft FRx

If you have added a new budget, but do not see it in the drop down for bookcodes, you may need to rebuild your index. Likewise if you have added a new account, but the account is not included on your report, again the solution is likely to be rebuilding the index. The index is a file that ends with the extension *.G32. To rebuild the index, go to the catalog screen, choose from the menu, Admin > Build Local Index.
If you get an error message that starts with “Check OFSI connection…”, check the information in the Company > Information screen. Be sure to check the System Specific Information tab.
KEEP REGULAR BACKUPS!! This is the most important step a company must follow for a software program that stores data, including FRx Financial Reporting. Backups should be run nightly if FRx Financial Reporting is used on a day-to-day basis; otherwise backups should be run at least once a week. If frequent backups are not kept, reports and other FRx Financial Reporting data may be lost due to any number of circumstances. While you can attempt to repair a corrupted file, there are no guarantees that repairs will be successful. A frequent backup of the entire Sysdata directory is recommended.
Compact the FRx System Database and FRx Specification Sets regularly. This should be done weekly or bi-weekly depending on the usage of FRx Financial Reporting. The FRx System Database contains Companies, Registration Information, FRx Security Information, Users, font styles and other information pertaining to the operation of FRx Financial Reporting. Specification Sets contain Row Formats, Column Layouts, Reporting Trees, and Catalogs, all of which make up the reports that are designed by FRx Financial Reporting users. When one of these databases is compacted, a new file is created with the same structure. User deleted records and other unnecessary information is removed and the remaining information is moved into the new file. When compacted regularly, these files will remain smaller in size and less likely to cause errors and/or lost data.

To compact these databases:
Have all other users exit out of FRx Financial Reporting – the user performing these steps must have exclusive access to the FRx Financial Reporting files.
Select from the menu File > Compact FRx Database > FRx System Database. If all other users are out of the program, this should compact successfully.
Select from the menu File > Compact FRx Database > Current Spec Set.
If more than one specification set is being used in FRx Financial Reporting, repeat the previous step for each company that uses a different spec set.

Windows Commands for Administrators

How many users are logged on/connected to a server?

Sometimes we may need to know how many users are logged on to a (file) server, like maybe when there is a performance degradation.

At the server's console itself, with native commands only:

NET SESSION | FIND /C "\\"

Remotely, with the help of SysInternals' PSTools:

PSEXEC \\servername NET SESSION | FIND /C "\\"

By replacing FIND /C "\\" by FIND "\\" (removing the /C switch) you'll get a list of logged on users instead of just the number of users.

Who is logged on to a computer?

We often need to know who is currently logged on to a remote computer.

With native Windows commands only:

NBTSTAT -a remotecomputer | FIND "<03>" | FIND /I /V "remotecomputer"

The first name in the list usually is the logged on user (try playing with the NET NAME command to learn more about the names displayed by NBTSTAT).

This is the fastest way to find the logged on user name, and the results that you do get are correct, but NBTSTAT won't always return a user name, even when a user is logged on.

Using WMIC (Windows XP Professional and later):

WMIC /Node:remotecomputer ComputerSystem Get UserName

This is arguably the most reliable (native) command to find out who is logged on.

With the help of SysInternals' PSTools:

PSLOGGEDON -L \\remotecomputer

or:

PSEXEC \\remotecomputer NET CONFIG WORKSTATION | FIND /I " name "

or:

PSEXEC \\remotecomputer NET NAME

or:

PSEXEC \\remotecomputer NETSH DIAG SHOW COMPUTER /V | FIND /i "username"

or:

FOR /F %%A IN ('REG Query \\remotecomputer\HKU ˆ| FINDSTR /R /B /C:"HKEY_USERS\\S-1-5-[0-9][0-9]-[0-9-]*$"') DO (FOR /F "tokens=3 delims=\" %%B IN ('REG Query "\\remotecomputer\%%A\Volatile Environment"') DO (
SET LoggedinUser=%%B))

NETSH and WMIC are for XP or later, and are the most reliable of all commands shown here.

WMIC requires WMI enabled remote computers and Windows XP on the administrator's computer; NETSH requires Windows XP on the remote computers.

PSLOGGEDON is a more accurate solution than NBTSTAT, but it will return the last logged on user if no one is currently logged on.

The NET and NBTSTAT commands show more or less identical results, but the NBTSTAT command is much faster.

The REG command is accurate, but may need to be modified depending on the version used. As displayed here, the code is written for REG.EXE 3.0 (XP).

If you want to search lots of computers for logged on users, I recommend you try NBTSTAT first (fast, but it won't always return the user name!), and only switch to NETSH, REG or WMIC (accurate) if NBTSTAT doesn't return a user name.

Credits: Jiří Janyška (WMIC command) and Matthew W. Helton (NETSH command).

What is this collegue's login name?

My collegues often forget to mention their logon account name when calling the helpdesk, and the helpdesk doesn't always ask either. I suppose they expect me to know all 1500+ accounts by heart.

With (native) Windows Server 2003 commands only:

DSQUERY USER -name *lastname* | DSGET USER -samid -display

Note:

Windows Server 2003's "DSTools" will work fine in Windows 2000 and XP too, when copied.
Keep in mind, however, that some Windows Server 2003 Active Directory functionality is not available in Windows 2000 Active Directories.

What is the full name for this login name?

With the native NET command:

NET USER loginname /DOMAIN | FIND /I " name "

With (native) Windows Server 2003 commands:

DSQUERY USER -samid *loginname* | DSGET USER -samid -display

Note:

The NET command may seem more universal, because it requires neither Active Directory nor Windows Server 2003 commands, but it is language dependent!
For non-English Windows you may need to modify FIND's search string.

What groups is this user a member of?

In Windows NT 4 and later, users usually are members of global groups. These global groups in turn are members of (domain) local groups. Access permissions are given to (domain) local groups.

To check if a user has access to a resource, we need to check group membership recursively.

With (native) Windows Server 2003 commands:

DSQUERY USER -samid loginname | DSGET USER -memberof -expand

What permissions does a user have on this directory?

One could use the previous command to check what permissions a user has on a certain directory.

However, sometimes SHOWACLS from the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools is a better alternative:

CD /D d:\directory2check
    SHOWACLS /U:domain\userid

When did someone last change his password?

With the native NET command:

NET USER loginname /DOMAIN | FIND /I "Password last set"

How do I reset someone's password?

With the native NET command:

NET USER loginname newpassword /DOMAIN

With (native) Windows Server 2003 commands:

DSQUERY USER -samid loginname | DSMOD USER -pwd newpassword

Note:

To prevent the new password from being displayed on screen replace it with an asterisk (*); you will then be prompted (twice) to type the new password "blindly".

Is someone's account locked?

With the native NET command:

NET USER loginname /DOMAIN | FIND /I "Account active"

The account is either locked ("Locked") or active ("Yes").

How to unlock a locked account

With the native NET command:

NET USER loginname /DOMAIN /ACTIVE:YES

or, if the password needs to be reset as well:

NET USER loginname newpassword /DOMAIN /ACTIVE:YES

List all domains and workgroups in the network

With the native NET command:

NET VIEW /DOMAIN

List all computers in the network

With the native NET command:

NET VIEW

or, to list the names only:

FOR /F "skip=3 delims=\  " %%A IN ('NET VIEW') DO ECHO.%%A

delims is a backslash, followed by a tab and a space.

List all domain controllers

With native Windows 2000 commands:

NETDOM QUERY /D:MyDomain DC

NETDOM is part of the support tools found in the \SUPPORT directory of the Windows 2000 installation CDROM.

With (native) Windows Server 2003 commands (Active Directory only):

DSQUERY Server

or, if you prefer host names only (tip by Jim Christian Flatin):

DSQUERY Server -o rdn

Find the primary domain controller

With native Windows 2000 commands:

NETDOM QUERY /D:MyDomain PDC

or, to find the FSMO with (native) Windows Server 2003 commands (Active Directory only):

NETDOM QUERY /D:mydomain.com FSMO

NETDOM is part of the support tools found in the \SUPPORT directory of the Windows 2000 installation CDROM.

List all member servers

With native Windows 2000 commands:

NETDOM QUERY /D:MyDomain SERVER

NETDOM is part of the support tools found in the \SUPPORT directory of the Windows 2000 installation CDROM.

List all workstations

With native Windows 2000 commands:

NETDOM QUERY /D:MyDomain WORKSTATION

NETDOM is part of the support tools found in the \SUPPORT directory of the Windows 2000 installation CDROM.

Delete a computer account

With native Windows 2000 commands:

NETDOM /DOMAIN:MyDomain MEMBER \\computer2Bdeleted /DELETE

NETDOM is part of the support tools found in the \SUPPORT directory of the Windows 2000 installation CDROM.

"I need an up-to-date list of disk space usage for all servers, on my desk in 5 minutes"

Sounds familiar?

With (native) Windows XP Professional or Windows Server 2003 commands:

FOR /F %%A IN (servers.txt) DO (
        WMIC /Node:%%A LogicalDisk Where DriveType="3" Get DeviceID,FileSystem,FreeSpace,Size /Format:csv | MORE /E +2 >> SRVSPACE.CSV
    )

The only prerequisites are:

SRVSPACE.CSV should not exist or be empty,
a list of server names in a file named SERVERS.TXT, one server name on each line,
and WMIC.EXE, which is native in Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003 and Vista.

The CSV file format is ServerName,DeviceID,FileSystem,FreeSpace,Size (one line for each harddisk partition on each server).

If you have a strict server naming convention, SERVERS.TXT itself can be generated with the NET command:

FOR /F "delims=\  " %%A IN ('NET VIEW ^| FINDSTR /R /B /C:"\\\\SRV\-"') DO (>>SERVERS.TXT ECHO.%%A)

Notes:	(1)	assuming server names start with "SRV-"; modify to match your own naming convention.
	(2)	delims is a backslash, followed by a tab and a space.

List all drivers on any PC

With (native) Windows XP Professional or Windows Server 2003 commands:

DRIVERQUERY /V /FO CSV > %ComputerName%.csv

Or, for remote computers:

DRIVERQUERY /S remote_PC /V /FO CSV > remote_PC.csv

List all printers on any PC

With (native) Windows XP+ commands:

WMIC /Node:remote_PC Path Win32_Printer Get DeviceID

List all local administrators

With (native) Windows NT 4+ commands:

NET LOCALGROUP Administrators

Or, to remove header and footer lines:

FOR /F "delims=[]" %%A IN ('NET LOCALGROUP Administrators ˆ| FIND /N "----"') DO SET HeaderLines=%%A
    FOR /F "tokens=*"  %%A IN ('NET LOCALGROUP Administrators') DO SET FooterLine=%%A
    NET LOCALGROUP Administrators | MORE /E +%HeaderLines% | FIND /V "%FooterLine%"

Locate rogue DHCP servers

Never had an "illegal" router wreaking havoc on your network yet...?

With a (native) Windows Server 2003 command:

DHCPLOC -p local_IP_address [ valid_DHCP_server1 [ valid_DHCP_server2 [ .. ] ] ]

DHCPLOC.EXE is native in Windows Server 2003, and will run in Windows XP if copied/installed.

I didn't test this in Windows Server 2003 yet, but in Windows XP you need to press "d" to start the discovery, or "q" to quit.

Disable Windows Firewall for domain only

Disable the firewall only when the computer (e.g. a laptop) is connected to the domain:

NETSH Firewall Set OpMode Mode = DISABLE Profile = DOMAIN

Completely disable Windows Firewall (not recommended)

Disable the firewall comletely (not recommended unless an alternative enterprise firewall is used that requires you to do so):

SC [ \\Remote_computer ] Stop SharedAccess
    SC [ \\Remote_computer ] Config SharedAccess start= disabled

RetrieveGlobals9.dll in Microsoft Dynamics GP

Microsoft has published a dll called RETRIEVEGLOBALS.DLL that can be used to access user data from inside of Dynamics GP.

Database Connections for Modifier with VBA or Integration Manager in Microsoft Dynamics GP

The RetrieveGlobals9.dll is an ActiveX dll that will return the current User ID, the current company logged in to, the current SQL data source as well as the current user date in Microsoft Dynamics GP. The RetrieveGlobals9.dll will also return an ADO connection object that will allow you to connect to Microsoft Dynamics GP Data. The RetrieveGlobals9.dll will work only with version 9.0 Microsoft Dynamics GP and will only work if one session of Microsoft Dynamics GP is running and logged into. The RetrieveGlobals9.dll is only for use in Modifier with VBA or Integration Manager that also require Microsoft Dynamics GP to be open and running.

Installation Instructions

Copy the RetrieveGlobals9.dll to a folder on your machine.

Register the RetrieveGlobals9.dll using regsvr32.exe. Go to Start-Run and enter the path to the regsvr32.exe, followed by the path and name of the DLL. For example:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\regsvr32.exe “c:\GP 90\RetrieveGlobals9.dll

Note: If the DLL registers successfully, you should get a message box indicating so.

Write your application code to call the RetrieveGlobals9.dll

Using the RetrieveGlobals9.dll

The retrieveuserinfo class of RetrieveGlobals9 contains the following properties and functions:

intercompany_id

The intercompany_id method retrieves the Company ID that is currently logged into Microsoft Dynamics GP. This will match with the database name in MSSQL.

Example: “TWO”.

Syntax: intercompany_id () as String

retrieve_user

The retrieve_user method retrieves the User ID that is currently logged into Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Syntax: retrieve_user() as String

sql_datasourcename

The sql_datasourcename method retrieves the current SQL Datasource name that is being utilized by Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Syntax: sql_datasourcename () as String

user_date

The user_date method retrieves the User Date from the Toolbar in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Syntax: user_date () as Date

status

The status property indicates whether or not a valid connection object can be obtained from the connection property.

Syntax: status As Long

The status property could contain the possible values:

Value Description

0 A Microsoft Dynamics session is not open

1 A connection can be created

2 A connection could not be created

3 The current Microsoft Dynamics session is not Version 9

131072 (&H20000) A COM exception occurred during the connection attempt

262144 (&H40000) The account is locked

65536 (&H10000) The user’s password has expired

connection

The connection property contains an ADODB.Connection to the Microsoft Dynamics GP SQL Server. This connection uses the SQL Datasource, User ID and Password credentials of the user currently logged into Microsoft Dynamics GP. This connection does not have a default database specified.

Syntax: connection As Object

* The connection property will only contain a valid connection object if a Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 session is open and running. It should be verified that the status property has a value of 1 prior to attempting to use the connection property.

Example

Dim cn

Dim cmd As ADODB.Command

Dim rst As adodb.Recordset

dim prm as adodb.parameter

Set userinfo = CreateObject("RetrieveGlobals9.retrieveuserinfo")

If userinfo.Status = 1 Then

Set cn = userinfo.connection

luserid = userinfo.retrieve_user()

lintercompanyid = userinfo.intercompany_id()

lsqldatasourcename = userinfo.sql_datasourcename()

ldate = userinfo.user_date()

'Use the connection property to get a connection object.

Set cn = userinfo.connection

'set the database to the currently logged in db.

cn.DefaultDatabase = lintercompanyid

cmd.CommandType = 4 'stored proc

cmd.ActiveConnection = cn

cmd.commantText = "myStoredProc"

'add params

cmd.parameters.add cmd.CreateParameter("@paramname",adVarchar,adInput,21,"steve")

Set rst = cmd.Execute

while not rst.eof

'do something

rst.movenext

wend

end if

cn.close

set cn = nothing

Track Ball Mouse Numeric Keypad Hub

You thought you’d seen it all didn’t you? Well behold the Track Ball Mouse Numeric Keypad Hub, chock full of computer interconnected goodness. The thumb-driven trackball works with the mouse buttons and scroll wheel. Stick it in your laptop bag if you can fit it and you’ll never need another peripheral. The only bit I don’t understand is whether you can slide the whole thing around as a mouse as well. Buy one and let us know will you? ¥5,290 (~US$58) from Geek Stuff.

Track Ball Mouse Numeric Keypad Hub is perfect All-in-One solution! Get a mouse with numeric Key pad, and an USB HUB in the same device. Ideal for Netbook, or notebook use!

Microsoft End Windows XP Sales

Finally Microsoft ready to halt the world’s most popular operating system Windows XP. This time Microsoft is not joking and very serious about the move. Microsoft has officially announced that, Windows XP OEM and retails sales will be ended on October 22, 2010.

Following are the final words about the Windows XP sales by Microsoft,

We know you love Windows XP, and you’re in good company. Millions of Windows XP users are fans of the operating system, and many depend on Windows XP to run earlier applications and hardware that is not compatible with Windows 7. Windows 7 is designed to be compatible with the most popular hardware and software products you use every day and even though we are ending the sale of Windows XP on October 22, 2010.

The future is here, and it’s better than ever with Windows 7, the latest Microsoft operating system. Windows 7 has proven benefits over earlier versions of Windows. It combines the latest in reliability, security, and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows XP, so you’ll feel right at home, right away.

Tech Tip => 7 reasons to use Windows 7

If you still want a retail or OEM version of Windows XP, you may have to get that Operating system rather soon, as Microsoft said that it will remove the operating system from retail on October 22. By then, no wonder that the operating system will have been on sale for a record 9 years and 2 months – or a total of 104 months (the software was launched in August 2001.)

If you are still running the Windows XP on your system, Microsoft says that it will provide support until April 8, 2014, provided you run the latest service pack SP3 or any future releases and keep the software up to date as far as those updates are available.

Windows XP was originally supposed to be removed in late 2007, but due to failure of Windows Vista in the market, Microsoft decided to continue XP sales. This time , Microsoft is serious that October 22 will be the final date.

Tech Tip: Final date for Windows Vista OEM sales is also April 2014.

Well we all know that, Windows 7 is now installed on more than 80% of netbooks, which means there is no need for XP anymore. Microsoft has already stopped supporting Windows XP with its new product Internet Explorer 9. But still Windows XP holds most popular operating system in world and has more than 55% market share(according to StatCounter).

Is this a smart move by Microsoft to promote Windows 7 and move users from XP to 7? What do you think? Raise your voice now!

HTML Color Code Chart

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Grey18	#250517
Grey21	#2B1B17
Grey23	#302217
Grey24	#302226
Grey25	#342826
Grey26	#34282C
Grey27	#382D2C
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Grey29	#3E3535
Grey30	#413839
Grey31	#41383C
Grey32	#463E3F
Grey34	#4A4344
Grey35	#4C4646
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Grey37	#504A4B
Grey38	#544E4F
Grey39	#565051
Grey40	#595454
Grey41	#5C5858
Grey42	#5F5A59
Grey43	#625D5D
Grey44	#646060
Grey45	#666362
Grey46	#696565
Grey47	#6D6968
Grey48	#6E6A6B
Grey49	#726E6D
Grey50	#747170
Grey	#736F6E
Slate Grey4	#616D7E
Slate Grey	#657383
Light Steel Blue4	#646D7E
Light Slate Grey	#6D7B8D
Cadet Blue4	#4C787E
Dark Slate Grey4	#4C7D7E
Thistle4	#806D7E
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Medium Purple4	#4E387E
Midnight Blue	#151B54
Dark Slate Blue	#2B3856
Dark Slate Grey	#25383C
Dim Grey	#463E41
Cornflower Blue	#151B8D
Royal Blue4	#15317E
Slate Blue4	#342D7E
Royal Blue	#2B60DE
Royal Blue1	#306EFF
Royal Blue2	#2B65EC
Royal Blue3	#2554C7
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Deep Sky Blue3	#3090C7
Deep Sky Blue4	#25587E
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Slate Blue2	#6960EC
Violet	#8D38C9
Medium Purple3	#7A5DC7
Medium Purple	#8467D7
Medium Purple2	#9172EC
Medium Purple1	#9E7BFF
Light Steel Blue	#728FCE
Steel Blue3	#488AC7
Steel Blue2	#56A5EC
Steel Blue1	#5CB3FF
Sky Blue3	#659EC7
Sky Blue4	#41627E
Slate Blue	#737CA1
Slate Grey3	#98AFC7
Violet Red	#F6358A
Violet Red2	#E4317F
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Deep Pink2	#E4287C
Deep Pink3	#C12267
Deep Pink4	#7D053F
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Violet Red3	#C12869
Firebrick	#800517
Violet Red4	#7D0541
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Maroon3	#C12283
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Maroon1	#F535AA
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Magenta2	#E238EC
Magenta3	#C031C7
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Medium Orchid3	#A74AC7
Medium Orchid4	#6A287E
Purple	#8E35EF
Purple1	#893BFF
Purple2	#7F38EC
Purple3	#6C2DC7
Purple4	#461B7E
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Dark Orchid	#7D1B7E
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Dark Orchid3	#8B31C7
Dark Orchid2	#A23BEC
Dark Orchid1	#B041FF
Plum4	#7E587E
Pale Violet Red	#D16587
Pale Violet Red1	#F778A1
Pale Violet Red2	#E56E94
Pale Violet Red3	#C25A7C
Pale Violet Red4	#7E354D
Plum	#B93B8F
Plum1	#F9B7FF
Plum2	#E6A9EC
Plum3	#C38EC7
Thistle	#D2B9D3
Thistle3	#C6AEC7
Lavendar Blush2	#EBDDE2
Lavendar Blush3	#C8BBBE
Thistle2	#E9CFEC
Thistle1	#FCDFFF
Lavendar	#E3E4FA
Lavendar Blush	#FDEEF4
Light Steel Blue1	#C6DEFF
Light Blue	#ADDFFF
Light Blue1	#BDEDFF
Light Cyan	#E0FFFF
Slate Grey1	#C2DFFF
Slate Grey2	#B4CFEC
Light Steel Blue2	#B7CEEC
Turquoise1	#52F3FF
Cyan	#00FFFF
Cyan1	#57FEFF
Cyan2	#50EBEC
Turquoise2	#4EE2EC
Medium Turquoise	#48CCCD
Turquoise	#43C6DB
Dark Slate Grey1	#9AFEFF
Dark Slate Grey2	#8EEBEC
Dark Slate Grey3	#78C7C7
Cyan3	#46C7C7
Turquoise3	#43BFC7
Cadet Blue3	#77BFC7
Pale Turquoise3	#92C7C7
Light Blue2	#AFDCEC
Dark Turquoise	#3B9C9C
Cyan4	#307D7E
Light Sea Green	#3EA99F
Light Sky Blue	#82CAFA
Light Sky Blue2	#A0CFEC
Light Sky Blue3	#87AFC7
Sky Blue	#82CAFF
Sky Blue2	#B0E2FF
Light Sky Blue4	#566D7E
Sky Blue	#6698FF
Light Slate Blue	#736AFF
Light Cyan2	#CFECEC
Light Cyan3	#AFC7C7
Light Cyan4	#717D7D
Light Blue3	#95B9C7
Light Blue4	#5E767E
Pale Turquoise4	#5E7D7E
Dark Sea Green4	#617C58
Medium Aquamarine	#348781
Medium Sea Green	#306754
Sea Green	#4E8975
Dark Green	#254117
Sea Green4	#387C44
Forest Green	#4E9258
Medium Forest Green	#347235
Spring Green4	#347C2C
Dark Olive Green4	#667C26
Chartreuse4	#437C17
Green4	#347C17
Medium Spring Green	#348017
Spring Green	#4AA02C
Lime Green	#41A317
Spring Green	#4AA02C
Dark Sea Green	#8BB381
Dark Sea Green3	#99C68E
Green3	#4CC417
Chartreuse3	#6CC417
Yellow Green	#52D017
Spring Green3	#4CC552
Sea Green3	#54C571
Spring Green2	#57E964
Spring Green1	#5EFB6E
Sea Green2	#64E986
Sea Green1	#6AFB92
Dark Sea Green2	#B5EAAA
Dark Sea Green1	#C3FDB8
Green	#00FF00
Lawn Green	#87F717
Green1	#5FFB17
Green2	#59E817
Chartreuse2	#7FE817
Chartreuse	#8AFB17
Green Yellow	#B1FB17
Dark Olive Green1	#CCFB5D
Dark Olive Green2	#BCE954
Dark Olive Green3	#A0C544
Yellow	#FFFF00
Yellow1	#FFFC17
Khaki1	#FFF380
Khaki2	#EDE275
Goldenrod	#EDDA74
Gold2	#EAC117
Gold1	#FDD017
Goldenrod1	#FBB917
Goldenrod2	#E9AB17
Gold	#D4A017
Gold3	#C7A317
Goldenrod3	#C68E17
Dark Goldenrod	#AF7817
Khaki	#ADA96E
Khaki3	#C9BE62
Khaki4	#827839
Dark Goldenrod1	#FBB117
Dark Goldenrod2	#E8A317
Dark Goldenrod3	#C58917
Sienna1	#F87431
Sienna2	#E66C2C
Dark Orange	#F88017
Dark Orange1	#F87217
Dark Orange2	#E56717
Dark Orange3	#C35617
Sienna3	#C35817
Sienna	#8A4117
Sienna4	#7E3517
Indian Red4	#7E2217
Dark Orange3	#7E3117
Salmon4	#7E3817
Dark Goldenrod4	#7F5217
Gold4	#806517
Goldenrod4	#805817
Light Salmon4	#7F462C
Chocolate	#C85A17
Coral3	#C34A2C
Coral2	#E55B3C
Coral	#F76541
Dark Salmon	#E18B6B
Salmon1	#F88158
Salmon2	#E67451
Salmon3	#C36241
Light Salmon3	#C47451
Light Salmon2	#E78A61
Light Salmon	#F9966B
Sandy Brown	#EE9A4D
Hot Pink	#F660AB
Hot Pink1	#F665AB
Hot Pink2	#E45E9D
Hot Pink3	#C25283
Hot Pink4	#7D2252
Light Coral	#E77471
Indian Red1	#F75D59
Indian Red2	#E55451
Indian Red3	#C24641
Red	#FF0000
Red1	#F62217
Red2	#E41B17
Firebrick1	#F62817
Firebrick2	#E42217
Firebrick3	#C11B17
Pink	#FAAFBE
Rosy Brown1	#FBBBB9
Rosy Brown2	#E8ADAA
Pink2	#E7A1B0
Light Pink	#FAAFBA
Light Pink1	#F9A7B0
Light Pink2	#E799A3
Pink3	#C48793
Rosy Brown3	#C5908E
Rosy Brown	#B38481
Light Pink3	#C48189
Rosy Brown4	#7F5A58
Light Pink4	#7F4E52
Pink4	#7F525D
Lavendar Blush4	#817679
Light Goldenrod4	#817339
Lemon Chiffon4	#827B60
Lemon Chiffon3	#C9C299
Light Goldenrod3	#C8B560
Ligh t Golden2	#ECD672
Light Goldenrod	#ECD872
Light Goldenrod1	#FFE87C
Lemon Chiffon2	#ECE5B6
Lemon Chiffon	#FFF8C6
Light Goldenrod Yellow	#FAF8CC