DevTopics

When upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7, the compatibility report may generate the following error:

These devices might not work properly after the upgrade. Before upgrading, we recommend updating the drivers for these devices. Cancel the upgrade, open Control Panel and search for "update device drivers", or go to the device manufacturer’s website to search for updated drivers.

Network adapters: Microsoft Windows Mobile Remote Adapter

But if your mobile device isn’t currently connected to your computer, this network adapter may not appear in the list of devices.  Here’s how to find and remove this adapter from your system:

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If you are looking to embed a YouTube video on your website, there’s one important step you must take so it plays properly on the iPhone and iPad.

Quick Background:  Because Steve Jobs hates Flash, and most web videos were originally encoded in Flash, many web videos won’t play on Apple’s iOS devices, which means the iPhone and iPad.  Fortunately the YouTube player on these devices can detect a Flash video and play it automagically.  But only if you use the correct embed code.

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Follow these steps to unhide a Facebook Friend that you have hidden:

Step 1.  In Facebook, click the News Feed link, which is usually on the top-left corner of the window:

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It’s time for our annual ritual of creating a list of idealistic and ultimately unrealistic goals called “New Years Resolutions” that we pledge to adopt for the coming year but usually abandon by late January.  Wikipedia defines a New Years Resolution as a commitment that an individual makes to finishing a project, reforming a habit or making a positive lifestyle change.

Although computer programmers are an intelligent bunch, our higher technical capabilities often translate into lower social and people skills.  Plus we are constantly seeking to improve our technical knowledge by learning new tricks and tools.  Therefore, programmers can benefit from New Years Resolutions as much as anyone.

Following is a list of 15 suggested New Years Resolutions for Computer Programmers.  These are not my personal resolutions, which are specific to my current projects and therefore likely boring to you.  Rather, these are resolutions that may apply to any programmer.

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While developing software, you may encounter errors that are recorded in the application event log:

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This article was written by José M. Aguilar in Spanish on his excellent blog Variable Not Found, and was translated, edited and republished here by Timm Martin (and Google Translator) with permission from Mr. Aguilar.

Following are 13 tips on how to comment your source code so that it is easier to understand and maintain over time.

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Did you know?  You can type ASCII characters into any application.  Press and hold the Left-Alt key, then using the numeric keypad, type the four-digit decimal number for the ASCII character you want, then release the Left-Alt key.  For example, to type è, press and hold Left-Alt, then type 0232 on the numeric keypad.  When you release the Left-Alt key, è will be typed. 

Here is the world famous ASCII table:

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Tags: ASCII, ASCII-Table, Tips

The leading SEO (Search Engine Optimization) sites will tell you that placing an ad after the first post in your blog’s home page is particularly effective.  This is because the ad is essentially embedded in the blog content, hence your readers are less likely to develop “ad blindness” and skip over the ad as usual.

To place an ad after the first post in your WordPress blog main page:

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Tags: Ad-Blindness, AdSense, Blog, Blogging, Google, Tips, WordPress

Many applications store data in the “My Documents” folder.  Unfortunately, by default this folder is buried at “C:Documents and SettingsUserNameMy Documents”.

A smarter approach is to separate your programs and data.  For example, I store the operating system and programs on my C: drive and all data on my D: drive. 

But simply moving your data is not enough–you need to tell applications and the operating system where to find it.

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Tags: My-Documents, Tips, Windows

There is a bug in WordPress v2.1.3 and a few prior versions that may prevent you from adding categories to your WordPress blog. 

When you attempt to add a category, the error message “You do not have permission to do that” will appear in a pink box.

To solve this problem in Internet Explorer 7 (IE7):

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Tags: Blogging, categories, Tips, Web, WordPress