Users are reporting that after a Windows Update upgrade to Internet Explorer 10, iNotes and Webmail functionality is not working and presents a blank page. Users are still able to use iNotes in Chrome and Firefox and other browsers. It is likely that the IE10 update has disabled a number of Java settings due to recent security issues.
In order to get iNotes working in IE10 you will need to run the website in Compatibility mode. Do this as follows:
1. Open IE 10
2. Press Alt + T
3. Select Compatibility View Settings
4. Add your internet/intranet web site url
5. Check the first two options available
6. Click Close

Since Groupon went public in a much ballyhooed IPO their stock has dropped 42% from the IPO price.   Why this should surprise anyone is beyond me.  This is a business model that relies on selling half price massages and yoga lessons to impulsive web surfers in the hope that they will never get around to using the services they purchased.  Sooner or later, even the most compulsive of shoppers has to realize that 50% off something you would never have bought in the first place is just a really, really bad deal.  Add to that some questionable accounting practices and throw in a bunch of employees chomping at the bit to cash out and you have a recipe for yet another dot-com debacle.  Sure, the marketplace has been waiting years for the next Goomazon.com, but the Groupon phenomenon is looking more and more like a pump and dump on the part of the big institutions that controlled the IPO shares.  One more reason to occupy Wall Street.

This article applies only to Lenovo Thinkpad systems with Windows 7.

A number of Lenovo/Windows 7 users have recently reported extremely long boot times along with other delays in Windows Explorer.    This appears to be a recent phenomenon likely caused by a driver conflict in the IBM Access Connections software and a recent update to either Windows and/or Skype.  ThinkVantage Access Connections is a built-in utility to help manage wireless and wired connections.  It is not needed since the Windows 7 connections management software does the same thing in a much simpler manner.

In 3 of 3 reported cases, disabling or removing the IBM Access Connections program fixed the problem and boot times returned to normal.

If you are experiencing this problem, follow the instructions below to disable or remove the software.  You might want to disable the software before removing it entirely so you can confirm that the Access Connections software is the problem.

To Disable the ThinkVantage Access Connections program:

1. The program must be disabled in the system startup.  To do this, go to the Start button and type in msconfig.
2. You will see a tabbed dialogue box.  Click on the Startup Tab and find the IBM Access Connections program.
   
3. Uncheck the checkbox to the left of the program.  Click Apply and then OK to save your changes.
4. Restart your computer.  On startup you will receive a small dialogue box warning that startup parameters have changed. You can dismiss permanently by checking the “Do not remind me again” box at the bottom the window.

To completely remove the program from your computer:

Once you have determined that the Access Connections program is responsible for the long boot time, you can remove it permanently from your system as follows:

1. Click the Start button and type in  Add or Remove Programs
2. Find the IBM Access Connections program in the programs list.
3. Right-click on it and select “Uninstall/Change”.
4. Instruct the uninstaller to completely remove the program from your system including all user profiles and other associated data.

Once the program is disabled or uninstalled, Windows 7 will take over the wireless management completely.

First of all, use a supported browser…either Firefox or Internet Explorer.  We have found that both Safari and Chrome have difficulty formatting html and popups.

You may also need to check some security settings as follows:

TROUBLESHOOTINGIf your browser is not displaying the Spam Soap console properly, please implement the following.

1. Enable JavaScript or Active Scripting on your Web browser

(a) If your preferred Web browser is Internet Explorer, enable Active Scripting at Tools > Internet Options > Security tab > “Custom Level…” button > scroll down to Scripting > Active Scripting > Enable.

(b) If your preferred Web browser is Mozilla Firefox, enable JavaScript at Tools > Options > Content > select Enable JavaScript.

2. Configure your browser security settings to Medium. You will be unable to access or use Message Continuity if your security setting is set to High.

(a) Internet Explorer > Tools > Internet Options > Security tab > click the “Default Level” button

3. Configure the pop-up blocker in your Web browser.

(a) Internet Explorer > Tools > Internet Options > Privacy tab > click the “Settings…” button > Filter Level: (choose “Medium…” from the drop-down list).

(b) Mozilla Firefox > Tools > Options > Content tab. If “Block pop-up windows” is selected, click the Exceptions button and enter http://console.spamsoap.com into the website address field.

Original Instructions Here

If you are looking for updates on power outages across the National Grid service area go to the National Grid Website at https://www.nationalgridus.com/index.asp and click on “View Power Outage Maps” in the “Outage Central” image in the upper left corner.  Then enter the affected address to see the outage maps for the area.  You can right-click on any of the affected areas to see the projected repair time, or in many cases a note that indicates “Assessing Conditions”….yikes!

Widespread power outages have knocked out email and server services for multiple customers.  For those customers who have purchased Spam Soap Email Message Continuity, follow the instructions below to access and reply to any email that is being held on SpamSoap servers.  The mail will be held until normal service is returned at which time it will be gradually released to your mail servers.

1.  Log onto the SpamSoap Console at:  http://console.spamsoap.com

2.  Your username is your company email address.  Your password is the same password you use to check your spam quarantine.  If you don’t know your password, send a text or email (from your personal account) to me at 781-315-6155 or mike@netgaintech.com  and I will update your account with a new password.

3.  Once you have logged in, select the Message Continuity tab.  You will see your held messages and can reply to or forward them as usual.  Remember to always use full internet addresses even for company colleagues, since this mail is being routed over the internet.  Separate email addresses with a comma, with no space after the comma.

4.  Also indicate if you would like me to save your personal email address for future communication in emergency circumstances.

After you turn on User Account Control in Windows Vista or in Windows 7, programs may be unable to access some network locations. This problem may also occur when you use the command prompt to access a network location.  This primarily affects users of applications that require drive mappings to network locations on the LAN.  If the drive mapping is accomplished by way of a Logon script running on the server, Windows refuses to the let the application access the mapped drive.

This has been observed in Made2Manage 6.0 and Visual CRM 6.2 and up, neither of which is officially supported on Windows 7.  (Upgrade to a newer version needed).

Why does this happen?

This problem occurs because User Account Control treats members of the Administrators group as standard users.

When a member of the Administrators group logs on to a Windows Vista-based computer or to a Windows 7-based computer that has User Account Control enabled, the user runs as a standard user. Standard users are members of the Users group. If you are a member of the Administrators group and if you want to perform a task that requires a full administrator access token, User Account Control prompts you for approval. For example, you are prompted if you try to edit security policies on the computer. If you click Allow in the User Account Control dialog box, you can then complete the administrative task by using the full administrator access token.

When an administrator logs on to Windows Vista or to Windows 7, the Local Security Authority (LSA) creates two access tokens. If LSA is notified that the user is a member of the Administrators group, LSA creates the second logon that has the administrator rights removed (filtered). This filtered access token is used to start the user’s desktop. Applications can use the full administrator access token if the administrator user clicks Allowin a User Account Control dialog box.

If a user is logged on to Windows Vista or to Windows 7, and if User Account Control is enabled, a program that uses the user’s filtered access token and a program that uses the user’s full administrator access token can run at the same time. Because LSA created the access tokens during two separate logon sessions, the access tokens contain separate logon IDs.

Got all that?  Didn’t think so.  Here’s how you fix it:

Registry Fix

To work around this problem, configure the EnableLinkedConnections registry value. This value enables Windows Vista or Windows 7 to share network connections between the filtered access token and the full administrator access token for a member of the Administrators group. After you configure this registry value, LSA checks whether there is another access token that is associated with the current user session if a network resource is mapped to an access token. If LSA determines that there is a linked access token, it adds the network share to the linked location.

To configure the EnableLinkedConnections registry value, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
2. Locate and then right-click the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
3. Point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4. Type EnableLinkedConnections, and then press Enter.
5. Right-click EnableLinkedConnections, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
7. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

Box.Net has launched a new offer wherein they are providing 50GB free online storage to all iOS users. This means, you can simply create a new account or login with your existing account using an iOS device, iPad or iPhone and get your accounts upgraded to 50GB for free.  (If you’re wondering why, it’s likely that Box.net feels a bit threatened by Apple’s new iCloud service.)

Box.Net has a dedicated app for iPhone and iPad users. If you have not installed the app, you can download it from the app store. Then log into Box.Net using the app and you will see a message that your account had been upgraded to 50GB free storage.

Offer is valid through Early December for existing and new Box.net users.  Questions about the promotion?  Click here