Google Chrome To Phone would not send links.

I came across a pretty neat tool that will allow me to transfer links from my computer to my Android phone called Chrome to Phone.

https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/oadboiipflhobonjjffjbfekfjcgkhco

The problem is that every time I tried to send a link it would say "Please Sign In" and appeared to go nowhere.

In Chrome, I have all cookies automatically blocked and had to manually add the following site:
chrometophone.appspot.com

Now it works like a charm!

Motorola Bluetooth Battery Replacement

Jesus Christ confirms that Motorola Headset batteries cannot be replaced.  You must buy a new unit.  Read on:

So my Motorola H681 Bluetooth Headset is dying.  The other day it lasted for 15 minutes of talk time.  Today it has made a miraculous comeback for almost 2 hrs of talk time.  Needless to say, after 2.5 years of service this gadget needs a new battery.

I started searching the Internet for batteries, but blogs seem to suggest it isn't a user-replaceable part.  I confirmed this with a conversation with Motorola Tech Support.

 Jucris: Hi, my name is Jucris. How may I help you?

 Andrew: hi, my headset battery isn't holding a charge very long.  maybe 30 mins talk time

 Jucris: Hello Andrew. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

 Jucris: What is the model of your bluetooth headset?

 Andrew: H681

 Jucris: Have you charged the headset fully before using it?

 Andrew: Yes, fully charged.  I've had it for about 3 years, so the battery probably needs replacement

 Jucris: I am very sorry, we could only replace battery for phones.

 Jucris: You need to purchase another headset. We could provide you discount for that.

 Andrew: OK.  How do we do that?

 Jucris: Just call E-Commerce Department at 866-289-6686 during Mon-Fri 8am-7pm CST. Here's the list of available bluetooth headsets:

 http://www.store.motorola.com/s?ie=UTF8&field_availability=-1&field_launch-date=-1y&field_browse=2258779011&searchSize=12&searchPage=2&searchNodeID=2258779011&searchKeywords=bluetooth%20headset&field_keywords=bluetooth%20headset&refinementHistory=brandtextbin%2Csubjectbin%2Ccolor_map%2Cprice%2Csize_name&searchRank=salesrank

 Jucris: Would there be anything else?

 Andrew: Thank you.  No, nothing else

 Jucris: You are welcome.

 Jucris: If you need any more information get in touch. Thanks from Motorola, bye!

 Jucris has disconnected.

Jucris confirmed it.  I mean, his name is just letters away from being Jesus Christ, so his word is gospel.

The only way to replace the battery on a Motorola Bluetooth Headset is to buy a new Headset.  This is a huge bummer since the gadget works perfectly fine.  I wonder how much longer companies will be allowed to make electronics that are designed to be thrown away?

Is Trim Support Enabled on my SSD?

I recently installed a SSD (Solid State Hard Drive) in my Dell Laptop.  I'm absolutely amazed at the speed of the drive....but that is for a different post.

One of the things to note when running a SSD is that you no longer need to defragment your hard drive.  Make sure you disable this task in the Windows Scheduler.

Another thing you should do is enable TRIM support, which keeps the drive running fast for the long haul.  If you are not running Windows 7, you'll have to get a utility from your hard drive manufacturer.  Windows 7 makes it very easy.
To verify, go to a command prompt

Start->All Programs->Accessories->Command Prompt.  

****Make sure to right click on the Command Prompt and select "Run as Administrator"!*****

Type "fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify" and hit ENTER

TRIM is turned on if it returns "DisableDeleteNotify = 0"

If it doesn't, then type "fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify = 0" and hit ENTER.

Now you know if TRIM is turned on!

Solved: La Crosse Technology Clock Outdoor Sensor

I am addicted to checking the temperature on our clock.  Every time I go downstairs I take a look at the temperature.  Is the indoor temperature acceptable?  Should I be opening the windows, or using the A/C?  It gives me control of my environment.

If you aren't familiar with the clock, it is a simple wall-mounted atomic clock that displays the indoor & outdoor temperatures, as well as the time that is synchronized with the atomic clock.  There is a battery operated sensor that mounts outside to transmit the outdoor temperature to the main clock.

Recently our La Crosse Technology clock stopped registering outdoor temperatures!

Initially I assumed the battery in the outdoor sensor died so I changed the battery.  The Outdoor temperature still wouldn't register so I left it for a few days....still no luck.  I was getting ready to contact the manufacturer to see what I could do when I found the solution.

On the back of the main unit, there are instructions for synchronizing the unit:

1) insert batteries in remote transmitter

2) insert batteries in receiver

3) wait until outdoor temp is rec'd before setting time.

Copy Files from multiple subdirectories to 1 folder

Say What?

I have no idea how to condense the title either.  Let me try again...and again...

-Consolidate Files using a batch script
-Copy x number of files at a time into a single folder
-DOS Batch Script to consolidate files from multiple subdirectories
-Cut & paste files from subdirectories into a single directory

Background:
A document server archives 900,000 documents over 6 years, broken down into a subdirectory for each business day.  In order to upgrade the software, I need to copy the files in groups of 5000 files at a time into a single directory for re-processing.  I then have to time it so the previous job finishes processing before the next batch of 5000 records starts.  Sounds simple, right?  WRONG!  I searched the Internet and failed at finding a solution so I had to create my own.

And now, for your processing pleasure....the script.  Remember that all you have to do is create a text file and rename it so it ends with .bat.  This script only copies files ending in .txt.

@echo off & setLocal EnableDELAYedeXpansion

set N=0

FOR /R C:\AndrewTemp\Data %%a in (*.txt) do (

set /a N+=1

if !N! lss 5000 move/y "%%a" c:\AndrewTemp\temp )

Example Walkthrough:
Folder c:\AndrewTemp\Data\1 has 4000 files
Folder c:\AndrewTemp\Data\2 has 4000 files

When the script is run, the files are consolidated into c:\AndrewTemp\temp

After the first pass, c:\AndrewTemp\Data\1 is empty, c:\AndrewTemp\Data\2 has 3000 files, and c:\AndrewTemp\temp has 5000 files.

After the 2nd pass, all 8000 files are in c:\AndrewTemp\temp.

I finished the process by adding the task to Windows Scheduler to run every 70 minutes.


**Note**
The only odd thing about this script is that it still seems to loop through all the files, but stops cut/pasting after 5000 records.  The black DOS window remained on the screen for a good 5 minutes after the files were copied.  I'm sure there is a way to solve, but it wasn't necessary for my application.

HTC Tilt Extended Battery

This is the first post regarding my HTC Tilt.  Yes, it is a few years old now.  Yes, I think it is actually possessed by the Devil.  However, it works and I'm not quite ready to upgrade.

The battery life with the standard battery is so bad that it will not last a full day without recharging.  This has forced me to carry around 2 batteries and swap them partway through the day.  All was good until I broke some of the tabs off the rear cover so it hangs open.

As I researched new doors, I noticed I could buy a new rear cover for $15, or get an extended battery + cover for $17.  The problem is that this adds about 5mm to the size of the phone.  I decided to take the plunge.

Welcome to 1985 with the mega sized phones.

I've had the new battery for about 3 days now and it is awesome!  The battery lasts about 1.5 days and the bulk isn't *that* bad.  Now, if only it came with some holy water & a wooden cross then it could have exercised the demons in the phone too.

The only thing I wish it had was a plastic cover over the camera lens like the original had.  However, the camera isn't that great to begin with so I don't use it for serious pictures anyway.

If you have an AT&T Tilt / HTC TYTN II 8925 and are in the market for a new battery, check them out here:

Outlook Stuck Outgoing E-mail

Outlook is displaying this message: Can't Open this Item.  Outlook has already begun transmitting.

It happens to the best of us.  We decide to send an e-mail with an attachment and accidentally send a 41 megabyte monster attachment.  Suddenly the system is on it's knees with the processor at 100% and nothing seems to work.

So what on earth are you supposed to do???  Relax.  We can help.

I started with a web search and the first results didn't help much.  This link does a pretty good job of going through the steps to unclog the outbox.  For me, the solution was Method 3, create a new .pst file.

http://www.howto-outlook.com/faq/messagestuckinoutbox.htm

Outlook 2003 was the version I was using, however I'm pretty sure the solutions will work for other versions.