The first technical preview and beta had already stole my heart. How fast Office 2010 was working. Still I wanted to inform you briefly about some problems I experienced, which all early adopters have.

You can install fffice 2010 as 64-bit version. Nice idea, I thought. Works really fast. It didn’t take long for me to discover that a lot of applications weren’t working with the 64-bit version of Office 2010 because… they still are 32 bit. It should be supported via WOW64 but it sometimes doesn’t work at all. Microsoft also states this when you are installing the 64-bit version, you can also read this in 32 or 64 bits version office 2010 .

Windows Mobile Device Center for example, the new version of ActiveSync, is behaving strange. Several people already reported that their Windows Mobile phone lost all their contacts while syncing with Office 2010 64 bit. Microsoft Phone is the utility to have for having a backup. Always nice… to have a backup nearby.

I installed the 32 bit version when I read also the Sharepoint lists are not available in 64 bit.

The final conclusion is that 2010 is a really good version. Like I started, the betas impressed me, they work really good.

Since a while I use a Sony Ericsson X1 Xperia smartphone. This mobile runs Windows Mobile. There are custommade ROMs available and one of the best, made by a Dutchman, is the Christian Rom.

What can you do with a phone with this ROM? I want to summarize what I use, it’s a long list but not everything what is possible.

Above you see the list of programs. From left to right:

• Adobe Reader LE - Windows Mobile version to be able to view PDF
• Afbeeldingen en video’s – dutch for Pictures and videos
• Audio-booster – this program will give a deeper sound if a headphone is connected
• FBTV – I don’t use it, it’s a TV guide
• Midomi – a program you can sing a song which the program tries to recognize and if so it will give you the name of the song and singer/group (internet necessary)
• NOS Mobiel – mobile app for dutch NOS (internet necessary)
• Nos Teletekst – mobile app so you can see the dutch teletext services of NOS (internet necessary)
• SPB Screenshot – can be used to make screenshots, I made all these you see with this program
• Streaming Media -for Windows Media streaming
• Uitzending gemist – mobile app to see missed programs from public broadcasting (internet necessary)
• Windows Media - mediaplayer ofMicrosoft
• Youtube – nice Youtube application
• You see the folders Internet, Multimedia, Office Mobile 2010, spelletjes, tools en utilities which contain a lot of programs and some games
• ActiveSync is used for synchronize your data with an Exchange server or computer
• Alarmen is Dutch for Alarms
• Bing makes it possible you can search via the Bing searchengine
• Comm manager you can enable or disable connections
• Contacten, dutch for Contacts
• E-mail
• Extern bureaublad is the Remote Desktop client for Windows Mobile, dutch version
• Facebook is, you’ll never guess it, to see and change facebook activities (extra installed)
• Google maps, now included Street view!

• Hyves, Dutch social network (extra installed)

• Internet explorer
• Marathon (extra installed)
• Marketplace
• Messenger
• Microsoft MyPhone – synchronize all your data with je gegevens with Microsoft server, very usefull when upgrading a lot

• Microsoft Tag reader
• MSN geldzaken, dutch for MSN Money
• MSN Weer, MSN Weather in Dutch
• MusicID, like Midomi but you can’t sing yourself, detection of songs works really good (from radio, TV, etc…)

• Opera Mobile 10 – nice browser for Windows Mobile
• Panels - Xperia panels, I don’t use it
• PockeTwit – Twitter client for Windows Mobile. Really good Twitter application

• PockeTwit QuickPost – You can post quickly a tweet on Twitter
• QuickGPS, data download for calibratie GPS
• Rekenmachine, calc in Dutch
• Skype
• SMS bericht, Text messagging
• SPB Home, shell I often use, extra installed the newest version

• SPB TV, program which you can use for looking TV streams(internet necessary)
• SPB Weather, weather program, extra installed

• Telefoon, Dutch for phone
• Total Commander
• Verkenner, Dutch for Explorer
• Vodafone
• Windows Live

And last but not least : TomTom Navigator with Complete Western European Map

You can find Christian’s ROM here : http://www.christian-web.nl/index.php

(UPDATE: I see now a version is availabe : 5.120)

I have an Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 mobile phone with Windows Mobile 6.5. I like it a lot.

But since a while I got the errormessage ’The system cannot find the path specified.’ when I tried to play a playlist in Windows Media player. I have a lot of special playlists created for different styles of music, what is my mood and  for playing Audiobook CD’s of  Jim Rohn or Tony Robbins…

I was annoyed with the errormessage and wanted to find quickly a solution via Google. I was puzzeld I found only 1 relevant link (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=362841) but it wasn’t the solution for my problem.

What was the case?

First I had an English firmware ROM on my phone but since a while I have used a Dutch ROM. I discovered that playlists have a logical referrer of the location which is not translated bu the OS. I saw that all files on the external memorycard in the .asx file were stored in their path as \Storage card\. I saw when I created a new playlist that the system didn’t use \Storage card\ in the path but it used \Opslagkaart\ (note, this is dutch for storage card). Little odd as you ask for my opinion, but ok, it’s like that. I changed the path in my ASX files from \Storage card\ to  \Opslagkaart\ and… it WORKS! It’s that easy… I expect this solution is for all foreign languages of Windows Mobile and not only affects the Dutch ROM.

It’s really easy. Create a folder with the name ‘GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}’.

If you open this folder you will see nice options

It’s just easy to have all these options in 1 folder.

I’m going to give some key combinations which should make working with the PC easier. Eventually you will also work more relax with the computer. Which is a nice part of these tips.

The following combinations work in all Windows screens and applications :

CTRL-A : Select all
CTRL-C : Copy
CTRL-V : Paste
CTRL-F : Find
CTRL-Z : Undo (undo your mistake)
CTRL-P : Printmenu
CTRL-S : Save (Very useful tip!) (Now and than clicking CTRL-S saves your day because you have a saved copy of your document even if something went wrong)

Alt-F4 : Close screen/windows or close your program, if no program is working close Windows
SHIFT-INS : Paste

PrtSc : Make a screendump
Alt-PrtSc : Make a screendump of the currently active window/application

CTRL-ESC : Windows Start Menu

Last but not least : CTRL-SHIFT-ESC, you will start the Windows taskmanager and can you regain the controle of your system if a program have strange behaviour.

If you want to make choices from a menu in programs most of the time you can choose it by pressing ALT-x (x= character which you will see underlined when pressing ALT). As example I give you Word; pressing ALT-f will open you file. This works in most Windows programs.

You will are looking puzzled why the automatic save option in Word or Excel this time didn’t do a thing or your document is even lost and you cannot find it anymore.

You can save yourself for this kind of situations by learning yourself a good habit. Every now and than (after some minutes) you use the following keyboard combination : CTRL + S.

In most Windows programs CTRL + S (hold at same time) means that you save the current document.

If you learn yourself this habit you are experiencing less surprises if you by accident close a program. You only can loose some minutes of work. I use it often. Make it a habit. You can react more relax when experiencing a spontaneous reboot (if this happen often please search an expert and not your nephew or neighboor) or a program that does not respond anymore.

CTRL + S !

First you have to stop the service : Office Software Protection

Then run x:\Windows\System32\OSPPRUN.exe (x can be your C: or other driveletter you have installed windows on)

You will have a prompt.

Enter these command followed by an enter like shown below, go to next step

>Initialize (enter)

>Open (enter)

>GetInstalledSkuIds (enter)

   0. 128a057a-7e95-4063-b296-c54c5f3d3f3a (deze is het ID van Office 2010)

   1. 26adec89-edf3-4adc-a3fc-c865f1a9f71f

OK.

> GetInstalledAppIds 128a057a-7e95-4063-b296-c54c5f3d3f3a (enter)

   0. 59a52881-a989-479d-af46-f275c6370663

OK.

(You will get something that looks like this)

> GetLicensingStatus 59a52881-a989-479d-af46-f275c6370663 128a057a-7e95-4063-b296-c54c5f3d3f3a (enter)

SkuId            = 128a057a-7e95-4063-b296-c54c5f3d3f3a

eStatus          = SL_LICENSING_STATUS_IN_GRACE_PERIOD

dwGraceTime      = 1D 23:37

dwTotalGraceDays = 30 days

hrReason         = 4004F00C

qwExpiration     = 2010/10/31

OK.

(What you are now going to do is set AppID and SkuID for Office 2010 to enable again 30 days before activation. That gives you another 30 days to test. Mostly the IDs are the same, if not please copy and use yours

> Rearm 59a52881-a989-479d-af46-f275c6370663 128a057a-7e95-4063-b296-c54c5f3d3f3a 1 (enter)

OK.

>close (enter)

>Initialize (enter)

>open (enter)

You can enter the command below to check out how many days you have left (See dwGraceTime): 

> GetLicensingStatus 59a52881-a989-479d-af46-f275c6370663 128a057a-7e95-4063-b296-c54c5f3d3f3a (enter)

SkuId            = 128a057a-7e95-4063-b296-c54c5f3d3f3a

eStatus          = SL_LICENSING_STATUS_IN_GRACE_PERIOD

dwGraceTime      = 29D 23:37

dwTotalGraceDays = 30 days

hrReason         = 4004F00C

qwExpiration     = 2010/10/31

>quit (enter)

You are able to use it again for 30 days. Have a lot of fun with testing Microsoft Office 2010…

Imagine you have to do research on an specific subject. To collect the information and have this well organised is a big challenge.

Quotepad solves this problem easy and effective.

You copy all information by using a shortcut key (default CTRL-SHIFT-Q, you can change this) and Quotepad will keep track of when and from which URL you have copied the content. Very handy.

It’s is freeware. You can download it from their own site : Quotepad.

I tested it on Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 32-bit.

The honor to be the first tip is an easy and simple program what exactly does what it promises. Most of the time these are the most fun tools.

The program is called ‘Timed Shutdown’. I was searching for a programma which could shutdown my PC at a certain moment.

Timed Shutdown gives you 4 options in the way you want to shutdown your PC :

1. Countdown (For e.g., 15 seconds, 10 minutes, 2 hours or a specific time)
2. Time
3. CPU usage for a certain time
4. If you are disconnected from internet during a specified time

I only use option 1 and 2. If you set the program your PC has to shutdown in 10 minutes, the program wilt countdown from 10 minutes till 0 and will shutdown your PC. I use this program on Windows Vista Ultimate (32bit). You can also use this program in batchfile as it supports command-line options.

You can download Timed Shutdown by clicking on the link.