Windows VPN Keep Alive

miqrogroove
2011-10-10T13:16:24+00:00
Batch file properties window.

Batch Shortcut

I enjoy the one-click facility for connecting to my VPN in Windows XP.  It gets the job done, but I sometimes struggle with the famous dead connection bug.  This is a very common problem in Windows that causes the VPN to become unresponsive after two to five minutes of inactivity, even though the status still says “Connected.”

I created a one-click solution for both connecting and maintaining a VPN.  Setting it up is simple.  It involves just these steps, which I will explain below:

  1. Set the VPN “idle time before hanging up” period to “5 minutes” instead of “never.”  This forces Windows to properly reflect any disconnection.
  2. Create a new batch file, which I have provided below.
  3. Edit the batch file to match the name and address of your connection.
  4. Create a desktop shortcut to the batch file.
  5. Edit the shortcut properties so that the batch automatically runs minimized with a nice icon.

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1 Nov 2011

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Visio Shapes and Dashed Lines

miqrogroove
2012-11-20T19:32:14+00:00
Navigating the options: More Shapes > Visio Extras > Callouts

Shapes Menus

My Flight Operations professor would like his students to create procedural flow diagrams in Visio 2010 using comment boxes with both solid lines and dashed connectors.  This turns out to be easier said than done because the latest version of Visio has line style “effects” that globally override any dashed connectors.  We can create the comment boxes easily, but how do we get them to automatically show up with specific connector formats?

The answer is to create a custom shape using a connector that is not styled.

My step-by-step instructions will guide you through a procedure to achieve that outcome.  I am providing screen shots as a visual aid, though a corresponding flow chart can be provided as needed.

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6 Oct 2011

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Systems Engineering

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Windows VPN Requires NTLMv1

miqrogroove
2015-08-28T20:36:06+00:00
LAN Manager authentication level set to Send NTLMv2 response onlyrefuse LM

Solution Screenshot

I’ve stumbled upon a seemingly undocumented authentication error in the Windows VPN system.

Error 691: Access was denied because the username and/or password was invalid on the domain.

This can be caused simply by elevating the VPN server’s LM authentication level to 5, which refuses the NTLM protocol.  According to KB823659 requiring NTLMv2 should not break Windows XP connections unless older systems are involved.  However, this configuration does cause client and server authentication errors.

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3 Sep 2011

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Microsoft Update Incompatibility Pinpointed

miqrogroove
2011-08-01T17:08:56+00:00
Microsoft Update screen excerpt

Microsoft Update, Unclogged

Years ago, Microsoft changed the Windows Update website in a way that made it incompatible with my laptop. It would show me the Express and Custom install buttons, followed after some delay by a meaningless error message.

The website has encountered a problem and cannot display the page you are trying to view. [Error number: 0x800A0007]

I’ve finally found the underlying problem: Microsoft Update now requires at least 700 MB of virtual memory, just to check for updates.  It also fails to check for this resource before it crashes.

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1 Aug 2011

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Installing APCUPSD for Windows

miqrogroove
2016-09-08T16:24:43+00:00
Apcupsd Setup wizard, Choose Components dialog

The Setup Wizard

What’s big and slow and rarely ever useful?  For one thing, the software that comes with every desktop-grade Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) made by APC.  This isn’t news.  I know APC would like nothing more than to have me buy a more expensive piece of hardware that I don’t need, just to get the useful software that I do need.

Enter APCUPSD with USB support for Windows.  It’s free.  It’s open source.  It’s probably not supported by APC, but if you’ve ever tried to get tech support for a desktop-grade APC unit that was connected to a server, you already know APC isn’t going to help you with computer problems.  This free piece of software makes my UPS more useful than just a battery with a power switch.  Now I can have my server send a text message to my mobile phone whenever a blackout strikes my area.  I can see live power management statistics from any web browser in the world, including the one on my phone.  I have fewer things to monitor with regard to uptime, and I love it.

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1 Jul 2011

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Service Pack 1 Breaks DSL Internet?

miqrogroove
2011-06-09T22:43:19+00:00
Windows 7 Logo and Frowny Face

When Good Windows Goes Bad

I had a bizarre experience installing Windows 7 Service Pack 1 for the first time.  I was helping a relative with their routine computer maintenance, which evolved into a three-part service call.  During my first visit, I made sure all of the Windows Updates were installed, including Service Pack 1.  That part went according to plan.

On my second visit, I learned that the computer was no longer able to connect to the Internet for about 10 to 30 minutes after it was turned on.  The primary symptom was that the computer was receiving a new DHCP lease from its DSL modem but was unable to ping any address or resolve any name.  In roughly the time it took me to figure that out, make a futile attempt to reset the modem, try to release and renew the DHCP lease, find the ISP’s phone number, and work my way through the ISP’s annoying automated telephone menu, the Internet connection suddenly started working.  I later rebooted the computer and encountered the same problem, worked through the same steps, and saw the computer’s connection suddenly start working again after a delay of many minutes.

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1 Jun 2011

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Wind Damage

miqrogroove
2012-11-03T17:04:28+00:00

Albion Water Tower

A strong tornado hit Michigan today, tracking from Battle Creek to the north-east. I was close enough that I needed to take shelter from this storm.

Several trees were snapped in half by the force of a strong gust front in Albion, Michigan. Here are the photos I took of a few broken trees for my report to the weather service.

I didn’t have any damage myself, but on the radar it looked like a strong tornado tracked from Battle Creek up to Mason, and the south end of that hook echo packed some wind, I’d say 50 mph!

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29 May 2011

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Weather Spotting

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Do-It-Yourself Work Bench

miqrogroove
2011-05-14T20:40:52+00:00
Work Bench Side Diagram

Side View Diagram

For the novice carpenter, grabbing supplies from a helpful home improvement store is one thing.  Attempting to build a functional piece of furniture, from scratch, using just spare parts and the most basic tools, is another story altogether.  There is no manual for this, no instruction sheet, no alphabetized parts list.  The how-to articles I was able to find on the Internet helped about as much as one of those cooking shows on TV where the chef uses ingredients I’ve never even heard of.

My recent experience tackling one such tutorial, while successful, might have looked like I was performing a slapstick parody of This Old House to an impartial observer.  I learned a few tricks along the way, including some techniques that really should be considered by tutorial makers everywhere.

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14 May 2011

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Things To Do

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TortoiseSVN Interferes With Windows Logoff

miqrogroove
2011-04-03T17:04:58+00:00
Context menu selections showing where to find the TortoiseSVN settings.

TortoiseSVN Context Menu

Three years ago, around the time that I became actively involved in open source development, my primary Windows XP workstation started behaving strangely whenever I told it to shut down or log off my user account.  The most annoying symptom was that the “Saving your settings” step would take over 60 seconds to complete.  The CPU was pegged during that time, causing slow movement of the log off screen and mouse pointer.  During each consecutive log off, the problem seemed to get slightly worse and take slightly more time.  The Windows Event Log was filling up with warning messages labeled Event ID 1517, “Windows saved user (DOMAIN\Username) registry while an application or service was still using the registry during log off. The memory used by the user’s registry has not been freed. The registry will be unloaded when it is no longer in use.”

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3 Apr 2011

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Speaking of Genealogy

miqrogroove
2011-03-06T16:39:32+00:00
Finding Your Ancestors in Michigan, by Robert Chapin, March 2011

My Title Slide

I made a fun little PowerPoint show about the tricks and shortcuts that genealogists can use to find historical records.

Finding Your Ancestors in Michigan

This is for a class where I will demonstrate how to start a family tree and begin researching the names of ancestors and relatives.  My main points include how to use free, general-purpose genealogy databases, and how to balance the focus and relevance of different resources.

6 Mar 2011

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Website Updates

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