Matrox DualHead2Go extend desktop configuration for dual screens

A new laptop arrived in the office and the user required a dual screen setup. Matrox DualHead2Go was selected as the appropriate bit of hardware to do the job so all that was left was to set it up.

In our office we all have desktops with two monitors. Most of these are implemented by having graphics cards with two video outputs. This allows us to extend the desktop over both screens using just the Windows OS (Operating System).

Programs can be moved between screens and has standard behaviour such as maximising a program within it’s current window.

Matrox DualHead2Go

The first thing to do is connect the two monitors to the Matrox adapter and then connect the USB cable to the laptop/PC. Once the software is installed you are now ready to apply the configuration.



When I got to this stage the image on the laptop was duplicating itself on both screens and there was no obvious way to extend the desktop and get the functionality I required.
After some trial and error I managed to stumble upon the correct setup. So with the lid of the laptop closed I applied the following.

WINDOWS DISPLAY SETTINGS



MATROX POWERDESK SETTINGS




**Please note *** If you are unable to find some of these options or you change the settings and they are not maintained, I have found this is just a glitch in the hardware/software. To resolve this just pull out the USB lead which powers the Matrox adapter and plug it back in and it will sort itself out.

Philips SpeechExec Pro USB Smart Key licensing dongle

The Philips SpeechExec Pro software requires the USB Smart Key (License Dongle) in order to be used.

Without a valid license the software interface will not open and a warning message is produced.

During the installation of the software an option is provided to download the license off the USB Smart Key to the computer. If this is not selected then you can just make sure the dongle is plugged in every time you wish to use the software.

However, if you wish to download the license to the pc so it is always present it can be done in the following way :

1. From the main window of the software, click Help > License Information.



2. From the License Information Window, click “Download License” to download the license from the USB Smart Key to the computer. This will allow use of the software without inserting the USB License Key.



*  To remove the license from the computer back to the USB Smart Key, insert the USB Smart Key and click “Upload License”. This will allow the software to be transferred to a different computer.

Task manager menu bar and tabs are not visible

You open up ‘Task Manager’ and you notice that File, Options, View, Shut down and all the tabs are missing. Fear not – This is a ‘feature’ and is a result of task manager running in ‘tiny footprint mode’.

To restore Task Manager back to it’s default settings i.e. with the menu and tabs do the following :

1. Double click the border of Task Manager i.e. where it is showing as red in the above image.

You will now see Task Manager in it’s full glory !

Why aren’t my icons showing on my Windows 7 desktop ?

So you have a nice new Windows 7 PC and you save an item to your desktop but it doesn’t show up!. A colleague of mine had this problem today and below is how I solved it (with an additional method I could have used had the first fix not worked.

This has to  be one of the easiest fixes going but only if you know what to look for.

Method 1 – Windows 7 show desktop icons setting

Right click on your desktop > View > Select ‘Show desktop icons’.



Method 2 – Configure local group policy (If the above doesn’t work)
1. Go to start menu type ‘gpedit.msc’ and press ‘Enter’.

2. Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop.



3. In the settings pane, open Properties of ‘Hide and disable all items on the desktop’.
Configure your choice there. 

4. If Enabled, this setting removes icons, shortcuts, and other default and user-defined items from the desktop, including Recycle Bin, Computer, and Network Locations.
To show desktop icons, ensure that the setting is ‘Not Configured’.

5. Hit Apply > OK.

6. Restart your computer.

Microsoft outlook : The form requested to view this message cannot be displayed

Recently one of my users tried to enter an appointment into her calendar only to receive the following message : “The form required to view this message cannot be displayed. Contact your administrator”.

A reboot or updates won’t solve this error because the forms cache has become corrupted. The following fix worked a treat in Outlook 2003 so hopefully it will work for you too.
From the ‘Tools’ menu, select ‘Options’ and click on the ‘Other tab’.

Click on ‘Advanced Options’, which is in the ‘General’ section of the dialog

Now click on ‘Custom Forms’

Click on ‘Manage Forms’.

Click on Clear Cache

Microsoft FaceID numbers for VBA programming

If you want to use Microsoft’s icons within your VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) code, you will probably have to refer to something called a ‘FaceId’. This FaceID requires a number which tells the office application which image to display. For example in the code you may see ‘.FaceId = 59’.

This FaceID would give you the ‘smiley face’ icon when the code was executed.

So how do you know which number to use for which icon ?.

Thankfully, the answer lies in the following graphics.

1-500	501-1000
1001-1500	1501-2000
2001-2500	2501-3000
3001-3500	3501-4000
4001-4500	5001-5500
5501-5685

How to find the codecs which are installed on your PC using Windows Media Player

I usually look for codecs which are installed on a PC by going to the system options but I have recently found  a nice way of viewing them through Windows Media Player. Below are the steps to follow :

1. Open Microsoft’s Windows Media Player.
2. With the application open, press the ALT key on your keyboard to access the drop down menu.
3. Go to “Help” –> “About windows Media Player”.
4. Click on the "Technical Support Information" link in the About Window.
You will now be presented with a web page listing all of your installed codecs!.