The biggest stumbling block in upgrading to newer operating systems like Windows 7 or Windows 8 are is the support for running Oracle ERP Applications. A lot of people are experiencing issues in working with Jinitiator. Some were having problems with jinitiator 1.3.1.26 on Windows 7. Installing Jinitiator was without problems but every time applications are opened with browser (IE or Firefox) it hangs and close with error. Using compatibility mode (XP with SP3) is a hit and miss on some occasion with various browsers.

Oracle JInitiator last version 1.3 was desupported for EBS customer’s way back in July 2009. It was recommended to use the standard Sun JRE as per Oracle page below:

https://blogs.oracle.com/stevenChan/entry/replacing_oracle_jinitiator_wi

There’s clearly no coming support for Jinitiator for Windows 7 or Windows 8. It would be a major change for those facing the issue of using legacy Oracle EBS applications and newer Microsoft Windows operating system.

There’s a lot of text editor software choice available. A cool open source software for editing text is Notepad++. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation. What I and others “missing” is the word count.

When typing on the editor the length and lines are shown in the status bar, but nowhere could you find the word count. There’s no configuration available for word count be in status bar as the contents of the status bar are not configurable. The reason that text editor word count feature is not included in real time might be the performance implications.

Anyway, that makes having word count in status bar next to impossible. But there’s an alternative though for having word count in Notepad++ text editor software which I think acceptable. Actually, word count is available by double clicking on the “length” or “lines” items on the status bar which pops-up a summary window with word count in it. Word count in status bar might not be the real deal as summary window with word count is sufficient for most case.

Sad story is after 9 months with very few or without shutting it down, it start to behave abnormally. The Windows 7 operating system hangs up and informs me to backup my laptop. It’s one of those system messages which is nagging to backup my data, which I haven’t done from the start. I am too lazy to use the system backup utility to do backup of my laptop. I convince my self that nothing will go wrong for a relatively new device.

HDDScan for Windows

Everything is seems too late when one fine day the laptop froze and no key works. I have to shut it down using the power on/off button. It is really a big head ache with all important files and data going with it. My friend suggested to use SpinWrite disk revival software which could revive hard disk that are “dying” in which case is the predicament that I have. Since, it’s a commercial software I went to retrieve the data using TestDisk which is an open source software.

I am glad the partition was read by TestDisk disk recovery software, even if Windows could not recognize it and says it should be formatted. Even Partition Magic recognizes it as a bad disk. Anyway, I got all the data back. But I’ve learned the lesson that timely hard disk checking should be included in regular maintenance of laptop computer. I found HDD Scan software to be a perfect tool to do the job.

HDDScan for Windows Scan Graph

The hard disk S.M.A.R.T information is provided and the surface test to verify it’s reliability is a feature I like. Have I known HDDScan software earlier, the trouble of going through data recovery to retrieve valuable information could have been prevented.

The Synaptics touchpad in general works, but the tap-to-click functionality does not work as before. I need to use the touchpad left button to select via click or double click to select some items. There are some settings which might have been affected. I checked on Windows XP’s Start -> Control Panel -> Mouse -> Properties and all seem to be okay.

Windows XP Mouse Properties

Finally, I found that the item to check is on the Synaptics Pointing Device icon on the system tray. The “Tap to Click” feature needs to be checked to make it work. After setting it properly, I enjoyed once more the tap-to-click feature of the laptop’s touchpad.

Synaptics Touchpad Settings

All the features are fine, but important VoIP software suddenly did not work after upgrade of firmware. Currently the software version is 091.003 and custom version 091.003.C00.01. Both software version and custom version were updated on 3 April 2012. The particular Nokia E52 model I have is E52-1 with type RM-469.

In dire need of the VoIP software to run on my phone has led me to search and try for a method to do a hard reset of the phone. I need the phone to be set back to the very initial state from the factory.

A way I discovered to format Nokia E52 phone was to use the following key combination:

*#7370#

I backed up first the phone contacts, messages, photos, music, videos and other data with OVI sync. Next, I’ve removed the phones micro SD card. After which, I used the above key combination to format the phone.

It sure did format the phones memory card, but the problem I have with downgrading or resetting the Nokia E52 software firmware still remain. The above key combination to hard reset or phone format did not downgrade the software firmware.

Thus, for an organization or business it is a must to include them in the over-all IT security land scape. Having an enterprise solution for mobile device security problem would be best. One might ask about the key benefits for implementing such enterprise security software solution.

Key benefits of mobile device security enterprise solution:

• reduced security risk
• limit data loss
• better visibility
• reduced operational costs

Security is a primary objective and mobile security software will ensure proper configuration. It protects devices from malware by limiting the security risk from compromised devices. Policies for data access are enforced via data encryption and passwords. Lost devices or stolen can be remotely locked or data erased.

Administrators can do mobile device management and have critical visibility of device accessing corporate data such as number, type, and more information. The centralized visibility coupled with device management control and security could bring about savings in time and money which considerably reduce operational cost.

Is it really worth to investing on mobile device security software? The answer could depend all in the size of mobile device user base of an organization or business. But it’s pretty much an important aspect to consider than suffering data loss or security breach in corporate world.

McKinsey Global Survey shows that about 25% of executives both IT and non-IT agree on IT based solution to bring about good results. What are the particular ideas or project would bring some business growth in the face of economic downturn.

Business Improvement Ideas in IT Technology

• increase offshoring or outsourcing
• increase virtualization or infrastructure consolidation
• renegotiating vendor contracts
• improve efficiency in application developments and maintenance
• reducing service subscriptions
• deferring projects and new initiatives

The most popular approach is for server consolidation or use of virtualization technology. This brings about reduction in space, reduction of electricity consumption, simpler server management, and lots of other benefits. Then the cloud technology coupled with IT outsourcing or offshoring which could help business focus on core competency. These three are on the top of the list of business improvement ideas with IT technology.

Internet Crime Complaint Center Mobile Device Threat Warning

A new trend I’ve observed at work is “Bring Your Own Device”. You name it. Apple’s iPhone, iPad, different flavor of tablets and smartphones running Google’s Android OS. Let’s admit it. It’s really convenient to use a mobile device between home and work. Peoples personal and professional lives become more mixed and inseparable. This kind of scenario poses significant challenges to the corporate IT department.

In our case, it’s difficult to give support for several portable devices which our IT technicians don’t own. Moreover, how can we secure our internal networks and data from usage of a private mobile gadget? It becomes difficult to define which data are individual or corporate on personal devices. The adoption of own devices at the workplace is making mobile security threat as top priority.

FBI’s division on Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has even issued a warning to users of smartphones running on specifically Android operating system. A wide range of the mobile device, such as iPhones, iPads, Blackberry and tons of other are not exempted of these threats. It’s only a matter of time when these problems surface on every internet ready device.

Gone are the days where malicious software, security or hacking threats are confined to computers or laptops only. Now, mobile device is increasingly attacked by cyber criminals as these devices have superseded laptop or desktop computer popularity. Furthermore, there are more and more valuable data are stored on smartphones and tablets, which make it a lucrative target. High-end mobile device security threats are for real, and everyone should be ready.

HP ENVY 4t-1100 TouchSmart Ultrabook

Looking for a combination of an ultrabook and a touch based device has come to an end. HP ENVY 4t-1100 TouchSmart Ultrabook touts the power of the touch interface from Windows 8 the flagship operating system of Microsoft. The HP TouchSmart Ultrabook is a fresh genre in its class. It’s leading a new form of ultrabook with a mix of the tablet interface in it.

By regular standards, the HP ENVY 4t-1100 TouchSmart Ultrabook is an ultra-slim gadget that is about 2 cms thick. It is powered by 3rd generation Intel Core i3-3217U processor or Intel Core i5-3317U processor with Intel HD Graphics 4000. The Beats Audio feature is a great treat for music and video media lovers due to best sound quality. Moreover, the ultra book laptop has dual speakers with subwoofer to deliver the richest audio.

Base HP ENVY 4t-1100 TouchSmart Ultrabook Specification:
Operating system: Windows 8 64
Processor: 3rd generation Intel Core i3-3217U Processor (1.8 GHz) (17W) + Intel HD Graphics 4000
Memory: 2GB 1600MHz DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
Maximum memory: Upgradeable to 16 GB
Memory Slots: 2 DIMM
Hard drive: 320GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
Optical drive: External Tray Super Multi 8X DVD+/-RW w/Double Layer
Network interface: Integrated 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet LAN
Wireless: Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth + WIDI
Power supply: 65W AC power adapter
Battery: 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Battery Life: Up to 5 hours
Ports: 1 SuperSpeed USB 3.0; 1 HDMI; 1 headphone-out; 1 microphone-in
Expansion Slots: Multi-format digital media card reader
Energy Efficiency Compliance: ENERGY STAR® qualified
Display: 14.0″ diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1366 x 768)
Keyboard: Standard Keyboard or Backlit Keyboard
Dimensions: 13.38 x 9.28 x 0.78 in
Weight: 3.98 lbs
Webcam: HP TrueVision HD Webcam with integrated microphone
Audio: Beats Audio; 4 speakers
Warranty: 1-year limited hardware warranty support
Software included: Norton Internet Security 2012 (60-day trial), CyberLink DVD Suite; HP Games; HP MyRoom

The HP ENVY 4t-1100 TouchSmart Ultrabook laptop would be suitable for general number of home users or students who would like to experience the power of Windows 8 operating system for light work and entertainment use. The entry cost of TouchSmart Ultrabook is at $799.99, but higher end upgrade and options will slightly cost a little more.

Apple iPad Mini Release Price

Apple’s iPad Mini is now out in the market. Apple marketing guru Phil Schiller announced that the iPad Mini would begin at $329 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi model. Since the first launch of iPad in 2012, Apple is under pressure to defend its dominant position in the tablet market. Its target is to fight competition from Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s Nexus tablets. The iPad Mini is somehow poised in the middle of iPhone and iPad, which is slightly larger than the seven-inch display offered by its main competitors. However, with the high price tag of iPad Mini, some think that the mini-tablet price war is off.

Everyone knows that Apple does not come cheap as usual. Maybe more important than the features of iPad Mini is perhaps the brand which influenced its higher price than competition. Kindle Fire, Nook and Nexus 7 might deliver similar or better features than Apple iPad mini at much affordable price. You now know the iPad price, the Kindle Fire/Nook/Nexus7 price and finally the iPad mini price. Still iPad Mini is way too expensive, but market analysts project the smaller tablet demand would be able to cut competition. Everything remains to be seen, if iPad Mini’s price is right.