No one is disputing that smoking constitutes a health risk. But a society that gets into more of a strop over fictional characters puffing on pipes, cigars and cigarette holders than people blasting each other to kingdom come, is surely one which has lost all sense of perspective.

Amen.

I recently install Windows XP Service Pack 3 on my system and, while tinkering decided to have a go at using Remote Desktop. Upon trying to connect the RDP connection dialog simply tried to connect and then dropped out with no error message at all.

I investigated on the target RDP server and found the following error:

Event Type: Information
Event Source: Application Popup
Event Category: None
Event ID: 26
Date: 21/05/2008
Time: 10:10:53
User: N/A
Computer: LEWIS

Description:
Application popup: : \SystemRoot\System32\RDPDD.dll failed to load

After a quick Google search I discovered a few other people with similar problems and all related to the nVidia 175.16 drivers which I had installed. I’ve uninstalled the 175.16 drivers now and rolled back to the older 169.x drivers. All seems to be well now.

.. and you receive the following error:

Windows cannot create registry key <registry key>. (The parameter is incorrect. )

Usually preceded by an error indicating the offending registry.pol file

I’ve found, through a bit of digging, that the above error occurs when you use custom ADM templates imported in to the Group Policy which you subsequently remove. There’s a good chance that the ADM template contains an error and this will have created a dodgy registry.pol file.

This error prevents the remaining settings in the registry.pol file from being applied.

How to fix a corrupt registry.pol file:

1. Create a backup or take note of ALL changes made under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates. Do not take just the settings changed by your own custom ADM templates as there are more settings stored in the registry.pol file from elsewhere in the Administrative Templates section.
2. Create a backup or take note of ALL changes made under User Configuration > Administrative Templates. Do not take just the settings changed by your custom ADM templates as there are more settings stored in the registry.pol file from elsewhere in the Administrative Templates section.
3. Find the offending registry.pol file as indicated by the error message received on client workstations.
   This is usually located in:

    \\\\your.domain\\SysVol\\your.domain\\Policies\\[GUID of offending registry.pol]\\Machine\\

4. Rename the registry.pol file to registry.pol.old
5. Open up the policy with GPMC or your Group Policy Editor and re-enable all values previously enabled under Administrative Templates

I know it’s a nightmare but it’s the only proper fix that I have come across to date. It’s important that when using and or testing your custom ADM templates you should ensure that all settings that tattoo the registry are set back to “Not configured” prior to removing the custom ADM template and importing the new one. As long as you follow this procedure, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Microsoft Windows XP SP3 Download

Seems that Microsoft have ironed out the issues with XP SP3 and their Dynamics CRM package that caused a release delay a couple of weeks back.

I’m just downloading now. I’ll let you know how I get on.

I’ve decided to move my website off my own home system and actually put it on some proper (linux based) hosting. This will perhaps give me an incentive to actually post a bit more than I have been doing!

The lucky host is… me actually. I’ve purchased a reseller account at a well known ISP along with my cousin (whom you can see in the turkey post previous to this one) where we’ll be putting some of our own websites and building up a portfolio. We’ll no doubt be selling hosting too so if you’re looking for a UK based host for your business, we can help!

Pop along to Springnet and we can go from there. I’ll be adding more information about the services we can provide very soon!

Daniel keeping us all entertained while he attempts to set up the auto time feature on his camera.

The final evening before heading back to blighty. Our smiles show the good time we had.

In protest at the Copyright Royalty Board’s decision to increase royalties payable by Internet Radio broadcasters by a massive amount and retroactively impose them back to June 2006, a very large proportion of the Internet’s radio stations have gone quiet. Live365, Pandora, DI.fm and ultimately, Shoutcast.com.

Although the quietness only lasted for 24 hours, it won’t be long before that quietness becomes permanent on or shortly after 15th July 2007.

The CRB and SoundExchange (the people responsible for collection of royalties) have effectively throttled the life out of independent internet broadcasters. The only conclusion I can reach is that the RIAA members have realised there is a growing interest in Internet Radio stations and if it continues to grow, their margins and control of the music industry will begin to falter. What better way to put paid to that than to increase royalties by so much that small internet broadcasters simply can’t afford to exist thereby leaving only the big boys, already owned and controlled by the RIAA, to continue playing the music only they want us to hear?

What annoys me most about this whole thing is that yet again the RIAA have manipulated the US Government and law courts to achieve control and the US Government let them do it. What can I do about it? Nothing because I don’t live in the US. If you’re a US resident reading this then please do something!