Posted by jpluimers on 2016/10/10
Checking for Updates until the first of never…
I already re-installed a few of the VMs from scratch (re-licensing and such) but to no avail.
So I’m wondering: does Microsoft hate Windows 7 users this much?
Microsoft keeps refreshing KB3172605 (July 2016 update rollup for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1).
I’ve seen at least 3 different versions that I needed in the same number of occasions of updating Windows 7 x64 VMs that usually are off-line (I use them every few weeks to do some testing).
Each and every time the situation is the same:
- Windows Update will be stuck in “Checking for Updates” for hours (even overnight)
- When stuck, Windows Update still uses 1 CPU core at 100%
- Warm reboot won’t help
- Shutdown and cold boot won’t help
The only thing that consistently solves this is reliably:
- Reboot and logon
- Stop Windows Update service (
wuauserv in Task Manager)
- Wait until CPU usage drops
- Install the latest Windows Update client
- currently this is KB3172605 which – though named July 2016 – has been refreshed quite a few times as late as September 2016
- older versions (including KB3102810, KB3138612 and KB3161647) are described at Windows 7 SP1 Windows Update stuck checking for updates – Super User
- the installation of the .MSU file with the Windows Update client usually seems to “hang” on
"checking for installed updates" for like 30 minutes, but if you forget to stop the Windows Update service, the .MSU install will be stuck on "checking for installed updates" forever
- Reboot
- Try Windows Update again and wait for at least 30 minutes
You need to re-apply to a more recent Windows Update client each and every time this happens taking a few hours of your time.
Windows 8
After a fresh boot, I tried https://download.microsoft.com/download/A/A/8/AA842D3A-D5B0-4307-89F1-3485D88A1853/Windows8-RT-KB2937636-x64.msu via How to update the Windows Update Agent to the latest version but it shows [WayBack] “The update is not applicable to your computer”
–jeroen
via: Windows 7 SP1 Windows Update stuck checking for updates – Super User [WayBack]
See also:
Posted in Power User, Windows, Windows 7 | 1 Comment »
Posted by jpluimers on 2016/10/10
Really interesting stuff: ttystudio. It allows to record an apng or gif of a terminal session (so it should work on headless systems).
Anyone knowing alternatives for OpenSuSE and Mac OS X?
(Cockos Incorporated | LICEcap might cut it on Mac OS X, but not on headless systems so GNOME/byzanz doesn’t cut it either)
Sources:
Handy as well:
–jeroen
Posted in *nix, *nix-tools, Apple, Linux, Mac, Mac OS X / OS X / MacOS, MacBook, MacBook Retina, MacBook-Air, MacBook-Pro, MacMini, openSuSE, Power User, SuSE Linux, Tumbleweed | Leave a Comment »
Posted by jpluimers on 2016/10/10
Sometimes you don’t recognize how easy it is until you see it:
Add a column that is of type date with value =FLOOR(A2,1) .Then Insert -> Pivot Table. Then drag the date column on the right into the Rows box, and also drag it into values box. Done.
Thanks David d C e Freitas!
via How to group by date in excel? – Super User.
Posted in Excel, Office, Power User | Leave a Comment »
Posted by jpluimers on 2016/10/07
I’m a fan of sdelete, but the most recent v2.0 update seems – released alongside SysInternals support for nano server – to be a lot slower than the v1.61 version:
I have the same problem with Sdelete on my SSD.The resource monitor showed v.2 writing the disk at approx 40Mb p/swhile v.1.61 at 1,300 Mb p/s SDelete v.2.0 is faulty (shows 100% all the time) and dead slow, don’t use it.Google v.1.61 , it works just fine.
Source: SDelete hangs at 100% – Sysinternals Forums [WayBack]
–jeroen
Posted in Power User, sdelete, SysInternals, Windows | Leave a Comment »
Posted by jpluimers on 2016/10/07
“Looks like the victim was brutally sliced in to multiple pieces”; “It’s over here, Sarge” Humorous cartoon by award winning Australian artist Tim Whyatt.
Source: Traces of Nuts – Brutally sliced in to multiple pieces | Comedy Card Company
Much better image quality than the one I saw floating around on G+ a while ago.
Even larger high quality images are at 1 and 2.
–jeroen
Posted in Fun | Leave a Comment »
Posted by jpluimers on 2016/10/07
The most recent versions of Joe don’t even build from stock in OS X any more and there are no direct installers for them.
But there are two most recent older versions that have installers, and a formula recent brew based HomeBrew installation:
- joe-3.7-0.pkg – rudix-snowleopard – JOE – Rudix: The hassle-free way to get Unix programs on Mac OS X – Google Project Hosting.
- PROJECT DETAIL for Joe’s Own Editor.
- Homebrew Formulas – Joe.
After experimenting for a while without brew preferring the first over second, I’ve installed the the third as:
- The first actually installs version 3.6, but has the syntax highlighting files installed in the correct place, so you get syntax highlighting.
- The second does install version 3.7, but since the syntax highlighting files are in the wrong place: you get no syntax highlighting.
- The brew formula has an up to date joe version 4.0 and installs the syntax highlighting in the right place: you get syntax highlighting.
Before making a choice, you might want to consider reading about joe versions in JOE – Joe’s own editor / … /NEWS.md.
Having a background partially in the Linux world, I tried building joe from source on my Mac following the steps at JOE – Joe’s own editor / Discussion / joe-editor-general:Mac binary for 3.3 does not run on OS/X 10.8. It failed because the Mercurial 3.8 branch required automake and autoconf which are not available on just a Mac + Xcode. So I’m happy that others have bit the bullet and make a good HomeBrew build.
What makes HomeBrew so great is that it is based on a fully versioned git/ruby combination, allows for multiple Python versions, allows for binaries through bintray served bottles and has zillions (well, thousands) of installable formulae, all versioned.
–jeroen
Posted in *nix, *nix-tools, Apple, joe, Mac OS X / OS X / MacOS, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, MacBook, MacBook Retina, MacBook-Air, MacBook-Pro, MacMini, OS X 10.10 Yosemite, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, Power User | Leave a Comment »
Posted by jpluimers on 2016/10/06
Allen Bauer (ex Delphi R&D team) wrote the brilliant piece about a year and a half ago. We can still dream, right?
Allen Bauer, May 25, 2015
Current working theory of Nullable<T>.
Nullable<T> = record
…
property Value: T read FValue; default;
…
end;
Using the default directive to “hoist” the operators of “T“. Currently the default directive only works for array properties by “hoisting” the ‘[]‘ operator. Marking a non-array property with default will make the containing type behave as that type.
This, coupled with some intrinsic compiler knowledge of the Nullable<T> type will make Nullable<T> work without any addition of keywords or other standard functions or procedures.
Using the “default” directive on a non-array property will work for any type, except for having the null-propagation semantics.
When considering language features, I try and not only make it work for the intended purpose, but also broaden reach of any supporting feature. In the above scenario, even user-defined operators on “T” will be properly hoisted and used.
This was part of a very interesting G+discussion at Delphi’s New Feature Desired: Nullable Types and Null Propagation….
It covered topics like these:
–jeroen
Posted in Delphi, Development, Software Development | 5 Comments »
Posted by jpluimers on 2016/10/05
Oh nice System.SysUtils.TCardinalHelper.Parse:
class function TCardinalHelper.Parse(const S: string): Cardinal;
begin
Result := StrToInt(S);
end;
Which means you get this nice EConvertError with message ''4294967295' is not a valid integer value'. with this simple test (which doesn’t even reach the Assert):
uses
System.SysUtils;
procedure Cardinal_Parse_High_Cardinal_Succeeds();
var
Expected: Cardinal;
Value: string;
Actual: Cardinal;
begin
Expected := High(Cardinal);
Value := Expected.ToString();
Actual := Cardinal.Parse(Value);
Assert(Expected = Actual);
end;
So I write some unit tests (see below) of which helpers for these types fail in one way or the other:
- Cardinal
- NativeUInt
- Single
- Double
- Extended
These work for the boundary cases:
- SmallInt
- ShortInt
- Integer
- Int64
- NativeInt
- Byte
- Word
- UInt64
- Boolean
- ByteBool
- WordBool
- LongBool
–jeroen
via: Oh nice, in System.SysUtils: “` class function TCardinalHelper.Parse(const…
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Delphi, Delphi 10 Seattle, Delphi 10.1 Berlin (BigBen), Delphi XE4, Delphi XE5, Delphi XE6, Delphi XE7, Delphi XE8, Development, Software Development | 5 Comments »
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 