iCloud Photo Stream stops working on Windows 8.1

Here's a fix for when iCloud Photo Stream stops working on Windows 8.1:

1) Kill these processes if any of them are running:

ApplePhotoStreams.exe
ApplePhotoStreamDownloader.exe
APSDaemon.exe
iCloudServices.exe
iCloud.exe

2) Delete this folder:

%AppData%\Apple Computer\MediaStream

3) Launch iCloud Control Panel. Select the Photos checkbox, and click Apply.

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How to prevent tables from breaking across pages on Microsoft Word

This is a very frustrating thing. By default Microsoft Word will break tables between pages, even if you deselect the "Allow row to break across pages" checkbox under Table Properties > Row.

The solution is to select the entire table, go to the Paragraph section of the Home tab, click the little icon on the bottom right to launch the Paragraph dialog box, go to the Line and Page Breaks tab, then select the "Keep with next" option, then click OK

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How to see the server name on the logon screen of a Windows Server 2008 or higher computer

In order to see the hostname of a Window Server 2008 or higher computer at the logon screen, just type .\ in the User name field.

Anything you type after ".\" is considered a local account.

How to insert a data validation dropdown list menu from another worksheet on Excel

1) On the worksheet that contains the list, create a range name.
2) On the worksheet where you want to use the list, click Insert > Name > Define.
3) Make sure you can see the range name specified on the other worksheet. Click OK.
4) Select the cells or the entire column or row where you want to insert the dropdown menu, then click Data > Validation.
5) In the Allow box, select List.
6) In the Source box, type =ListName (range name). Click OK.

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How to change or delete range names on Excel

1) On the Insert menu, point to Name, and then click Define.
2) In the Names in workbook list, select the name you want and you are free to delete or change it.

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How to change values on drop down menus on Excel

• Click a cell that has data validation settings that you want to change.
• On the Data menu, click Validation.
• On each tab, select and change the options that you want.

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How to run an offline chkdsk scan on Windows 8

Problem: If you issue the "chkdsk c: /f" command in order to run an offline chkdsk scan on Windows 8, it will accept the command, but when you reboot the computer, chkdsk will not run.

Because of ReFS, you should not need to run an offline chkdsk scan anyway. However, there are times we simply just need to run it to rule out file and file system corruption.

Solution: Disable Fast Startup: Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do > Change settings that are currently unavailable > Disable Turn on fast startup (recommended) > Save changes.

Issue the "chkdsk ,drive_letter>: /f" command and reboot. You should be able to see the offline chkdsk scan progress messages below the Windows (or computer manufacturer) logo while the computer is booting up.

Fast Startup does allow for a faster bootup, so you really should turn it back on when finished with the chkdsk scans :)

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How to enable telnet (client or server) on Windows 8

• Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off
• Select Telnet Client and/or Telnet Server
• Click OK, finish Wizard, reboot computer

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How to fix error 0x800F0818 when installing Windows Server SP1

This fix should work on all Microsoft Windows versions that are experiencing error 0x800F0818 when installing SP1.

1. Find CheckSUR.log in C:\Windows\Logs or in a subfolder.
2. Open the log file and find which files under c:\Windows\servicing\packages are corrupted.
3. Download the KB hotfixes that relate to each corrupted package.
4. Take ownership of the packages folder with the following command: "takeown /F c:\Windows\Servicing\Packages /D y /R"
5. Make sure your user has Full Control to c:\Windows\servicing\packages.
6. Delete the .mum and .cat files for each corrupted package from c:\Windows\servicing\packages.
7. Extract the files from each KB hotfix and copy the .mum and .cat files for each package to c:\Windows\servicing\packages.
8. Try installing SP again.

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How to extract files from hotfix packages using the command line

Microsoft Hotfix Installer (.exe)
setup.exe /t:C:<target_dir> /c

Microsoft Update Standalone Package (.msu)
expand -F:* update.msu C:<target_dir>
cd <target_dir>
expand -F:* update.cab C:<target_dir>

Microsoft Patch File (.msp)
msix patch.msp /out C:<target_dir>
msix.zip

Windows Installer Package (.msi)
msiexec /a setup.msi /qb TARGETDIR=C:<target_dir>

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How to launch other programs from the Command Prompt

On Windows, if you need to launch another application while using the Command Prompt all you have to do is use the start command:

start /?
Starts a separate window to run a specified program or command.

START ["title"] [/D path] [/I] [/MIN] [/MAX] [/SEPARATE | /SHARED]
      [/LOW | /NORMAL | /HIGH | /REALTIME | /ABOVENORMAL | /BELOWNORMAL]
      [/AFFINITY <hex affinity>] [/WAIT] [/B] [command/program]
      [parameters]

This is a great way of running scripts that close the prompt that started them, and also starting tasks that need to be monitored separately.

How to fix yellow exclamation mark on iCloud system tray icon

When I installed the Apple iCloud software on my Windows 8 system, the installer gave an error then quit. The iCloud Control Panel was successfully installed, but its system tray icon had a yellow exclamation mark (or exclamation point?) on it.

The fix was easy. Just repair the installation using the Programs Control Panel. Select iCloud, click on the Modify button, then use the Repair option.

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