Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by mayhammer

Alternative to Teamviewer

mayhammer — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 14:41:45 +0800

Hi Fellow LYN members,

I have been using Teamviewer for quite some time and it's now popping messages stating I am using it for commercial purposes(which I am not).
It is irritating enough that I am trying to look for an alternative.

I connect from my phone hotspot/office wifi back to my home devices.
I am using streamyx 1 Mbps with 512k upload speed.
I connect to my computers via unattended setup.

Alternatives that I tested
1) VNCs - tested multiple flavours, I like TightVNC the best with mirror driver. However, nature of VNC security is allegedly weak. 8 char password...
2) Ammyy admin - Small file, AES security and file transfer. decent performance if using direct IP. can use http proxy. Problem is that it cannot host on a Linux box.
3) LiteManager - slow performance.
4) AeroAdmin - cannot use HTTP proxy. Buggy with direct IP + unattended setup.
5) Ultraviewer - cannot change/disable the default generated password.
6) NX, such as freeNX/Nomachine NX - Performance not as good
7) Google remote desktop - does not support windows xp. too much information given to google.
8) anydesk - I found my winner. Small approx 1.5 MB, can use ID code or direct connection. has linux platform(not tried yet) and encrypted communication. Android and IOS is in dev. Free for personal use.

Anyone has any other alternatives? It has to be good performance, similar to TV.
Pref, can use HTTP proxy and can be hosted on linux

For now, I am still using Teamviewer and if possible, I would like to walk away from it.
I dont mind paying for licensing if it's actually good, but Teamviewer is just wayyyyyy to expensive to justify < 10 hours a month of access.

-------------------------------------------------------------

My conclusion, I cannot truly walk away from Teamviewer, but there are some really good alternatives
My personal vote is for anydesk, followed by Ammyy admin
My last choice is to setup a ssh server + tightvnc

Hope my journey/investigation will also help follow forummers if they ever decide to leave Teamviewer.

Wake on Lan from Internet

mayhammer — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 15:51:42 +0800

There are 3 parts to enabling Wake on Lan(WOL) from the internet

1) configuration of BIOS to support WOL
2) configuration of Windows to support WOL
3) configuration of router/port forwarding to support WOL

BIOS configuration
WOL configuration is different for BIOS manufacturer. I cannot give you a definitive guide, but you should look out for words like WOL, Wake on Lan and PME(power management event). You need to enable this capability. Googling may help you with some screen shots

Windows Configuration
open network connections or start-run-ncpa.cpl
locate your NIC card you wish to enable WOL. Please note, this guide is for WOL for physical NICs, not wireless.
Right click, properties on your NIC card. Click configure.
Go to power management, tick allow this device to wake the computer and tick only allow a magic packet to wake the computer
Please take note of the MAC address of the NIC card. You will need it later.

Router/Port forwarding
Like BIOS configuration, I cant give you a definitive guide here.
But there are few important things
1) figure out the port number you want to use, most guides on the internet use port 9. You may use any port that you like. In my example, I will stick with 9
2) perform port forwarding for UDP of port 9 from the internet to 192.168.1.255. I assume you are using subnet mask for your LAN 255.255.255.0. Change to broadcast IP appropriately for your LAN.

Alternatively
2) create a static ARP entry in your router. Assign an IP address that wont be used and tag it with the MAC ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff. example static arp entry for 192.168.1.254 is tied to ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
3) perform port forwarding for UDP of port 9 from the internet to 192.168.1.254.

That is all that is needed for your PC.
To wake up your PC remotely, you need to know
1) the MAC address of your NIC card
2) the public IP address of home connection. You can check via canyouseeme.org or www.whatismyip.com. You can also use duckdns or other free dynamic dns hosting service. This will not be covered.
3) Some websites will ask for subnetmask, just enter 255.255.255.255

Once all of the above is done, you can use the websites below to wake up your PC. Some offer command line tools to perform it as well
http://www.wakeonlan.me/
http://www.depicus.com/wake-on-lan/woli.aspx

And there you go, you can power on your PC remotely from anywhere.
Couple this with teamviewer/VNC, you can remote back to your PC for whatever reason.
Please test your configurations thoroughly before relying on this capability!

fix IE 11 installation problem

mayhammer — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 01:25:44 +0800

Description

You run windows update, and you select IE 11 (or 10) and install.
Windows update throws an error 9C59.
You check eventvwr/systems log, found -> Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update with error 0x80070643: Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems.
Check C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log and find
--Failed to resolve item[0] in Package: Microsoft-Windows-InternetExplorer-Optional-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~8.0.7601.17514, Update: Internet-Explorer-Optional-amd64 [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]
--Failed to resolve execution update. [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]

** no guarantees it will work for you, but it sure worked for me.

Fix
- make sure you install all the softwares from Windows 11 pre-requisites. -> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2847882
- reboot your computer once done
- (preferable)install System Update Readiness Tool -> https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/9478...okmark-checksur
- reboot
- initiate IE 11 install
- Open CBS log and determine which package is giving problems.
- Go to registry -> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\PackageDetect
- DISCLAIMER - ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY BEFORE ACTION - I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU SCREW UP YOUR OWN PC
- search for the problematic packages that is giving the ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING. You want to look for the older version, not something like this Microsoft-Windows-InternetExplorer-Package-TopLevel~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~11.2.9600.1642
- Once found, make sure you backup the registry key, then proceed to delete, and continue to search and delete. You should only delete items from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\PackageDetect or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\PackageIndex ONLY
- You may have to take ownership of those registry key that you need to delete.
- Once all items deleted, rerun IE 11 installation.
- Check CBS log for other ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING. In my experience, I saw Microsoft-Windows-InternetExplorer-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~8.0.7600.16385 and Microsoft-Windows-InternetExplorer-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~8.0.7601.17514
- Repeat until IE 11 installation is successful.

credit:Inspiration/Idea from --> http://www.sysnative.com/forums/windows-up...e-to-fix-2.html

Bind application to NIC

mayhammer — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:32:33 +0800

These days, people have multiple internet enabled devices.

Here to address the capability to dedicate a certain application to go through a particular NIC.

Eg setup

PC has 2 internet gateways
1) via LAN cable connected to streamyx 1 MBPS
2) via wifi hotspot from mobile phone

Say you are torrenting and you want it to be on your streamyx line.
At the same time, you want to have high speed browsing/youtube on your desktop.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are 2 ways to bind application to a specific NIC
1) forcebindip.exe - look for it online. there are a number of tutorials. I personally dont find it working for Windows 7 64 bit. Cant say for other OS.
2) Redirection via proxy server - Wingate from Qbik - I will explain this. Alternatively you can use FreeProxy internet suite from HandcraftedSoftware

- Get Wingate - it has free license. www.wingate.com
- Install Wingate and activate it's free license.
- Run your Wingate management console.
- Under Welcome Page - click Install / Configure services
- Double click on www Proxy server
- Go to Bindings tab
- Bind to the IP of the NIC that you want to go out. Eg. 10.0.0.4
- Click gateway tab - add gateway
- select the gateway that you want to go through. It has to be the gateway for the IP address selected . Eg. 10.0.0.1. Because 10.0.0.4's gateway is 10.0.0.1 based on ipconfig /all
- click OK
- go to the application of your choice - eg. Firefox
- go to tools-option-network tab-settings
- click on manual configuration - enter http proxy = 10.0.0.4 port 80
- click ok and test browse.

You can also "combine" bandwidth if you so wish. Under www proxy server, gateway, add all your gateway with "use all specified connections in rotation" scheme.
You can try it out for yourself.

For applications that dont have the ability to add proxy settings, you can still manipulate it through - IP Routing table or Default NIC binding(run - ncpa.cpl - Advance - advance settings - Adapaters and Bindings)

Lastly, this setup is unlikely to work if you are trying to "seperate" your VPN connection, but you can certainly try.
Eg. you are connected to your office VPN, and you want to use your mobile wifi to youtube

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you dont have a wifi card on your desktop, you can use your Android phone as wifi card.
Just start USB tethering and make sure your Android phone is connected to your Access Point via wifi. Voila!

How to boot BartPE from USB

mayhammer — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 01:28:11 +0800

BartPE is a useful tool to assist in recovery of a dead PC, virus infected PC and etc.
Below are simple steps that I summarized after reading forum posts on the net
I hope they work for you

Requirements

1) USB drive. Minimum capacity is 256
2) A motherboard that supports USB boot up
3) BartPE builder 3110a or higher. Please download from Bart's website -> http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/#download
4) PeToUSB 3.0.0.7 -> http://gocoding.com/page.php?al=petousb
5) Windows XP SP1 or higher

Setup Bios

1) Go to your BIOS.
2) Ensure that your BIOS is able to boot your USB as a hard disk. Go under your BIOS boot sequence. Select USB-HDD
3) Another way is to plug your USB in, then power on. Hit F11(dependent on your MB) and select Hard Disk. You must be able to see your USB drive listed.

Building BartPE

1) Put your XP CD in your drive, or copy the entire contents to a folder
2) Run BartPE builder, PEBuilder.exe. Point your source to your XP CD/Folder.
3) Select any additional plugins your require. I will not go thru the details here.
4) Select media output to None. Click build

Transfer to USB

1) Run PeToUSB
2) Ensure it is able to locate your desired USB Drive. I wont be liable if you mess up this part
3) Tick Enable Format. Tick Quick Format and Force Volume Dismount
4) Select your source path for BartPE by clicking the "..."
5) Tick file copy options and select Overwrite always
6) Click start. It will take time to copy.

Boot Up

1) Plug in your USB BEFORE powering on your PC
2) It will automatically boot up if you set the BIOS accordingly
3) Mine booted in approx 1 minute.

Issues - Diskpart

1) Diskpart will not work if you use WinXP SP2 CD. go download the inf file here
http://lordoftheping.blogspot.com/2007/04/...-nightmare.html
2) Create a folder called diskpart in plugin folder of BartPE. Launch BartPE, click Plugin and you will see "MMC add-on for Windows XP SP2"
3) Then please enable "RpcSS needs to launch DComLaunch Service first - SP2 only"
4) Build your BartPE files

Alternative

1) There is an alternative which is to utilize a RAMDISK as mention by Bart. I've tried this, it takes ages to boot, longer than a CD! It takes about 3-5 minutes.
2) If your MB uses USB 1.1 speed, forum reports up to 20-40 minutes depending on the size
3) I wont be covering this, search google/yahoo and there are plenty guides out there

Hope this help you guys out there. This guide was written with thoughts for IT admins. An extra tool is never a burden!

Split/Chop MKV files

mayhammer — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:29:37 +0800

Ever need to chop/split that MKV file to fit in that CD/DVD?

There are 2 ways to do this.

1) MKVtoolnix

http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolni...ds.html#windows

2) AVIDemux

http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html

===================================================

1) MKVtoolnix

a) run MKVMergeGUI
b) click add
c) select your MKV file
d) go to the Global tab
e) tick select spitting, select the your required size. If you need some help on the details for splitting, please go to Start -> Programs -> MKVtoolnix -> Documentation -> MKVmerge GUI Guide
f) Set your output file directory
g) Click start muxing or Add to job queue. You are done.

2) AVIDemux

a) run AVIDemux
b) Ensure that Video and Audio is on Copy. Format is on MKV
c) Open your MKV file. If it is a h264, you are likely to get a message to use safe mode. I will opt NOT TO, so I click cancel.
d) It will also say that Index is not up to date. I click NO
e) Determine which parts you want to chop off, set your marker A and B.
f) Marker A and B is available from Edit -> Set Marker A/B or it is near the centre bottom of the GUI.
g) Once you’ve placed your marker, hit the delete button. You will see the timeline will reposition itself, and your time will be shortened.
h) Hit the save button, it will prompt you for the directory you want to save. Hit OK and you are done.

Always remember!!! It is important to check the results of your new files for any possible synchronization problem.

Good Luck

Quick and Dirty Way to Boot from USB

mayhammer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:04:59 +0800

Hi all,

Objective of this is to boot your PC with a USB thumbdrive

You need the following

1) ADRC_Data_Recovery_Tools_1.1. It can be found here

http://www.adrc.com/software/data_recovery_tools/index.html

If you dont like the software, I think any of the raw sector read/write software will work just as fine, such as loaddskf and etc

2) A bootable floppy of your choice(I used a WinXP bootdisk)
3) A USB thumbdrive
4) A mobo capable of booting from USB (most modern ones are compliant)
5) To have NTFS support in DOS, you will need to download avira ntfs4dos
http://www.free-av.com/en/tools/11/avira_n...s_personal.html
6) Best to start fresh, so format your thumbdrive

Steps

Part 1

Run ARDC Data Recovery Tools 1.1.exe
Click on Tools -> Raw Copy
Select your source disk -> a:
Select your destination -> your USB thumdrive drive
click transfer

Part 2

Go to your PC bios
Change the boot sequence to boot from USB
In some bios, there are multiple selection, if you unsure which, just set your sequence to utilize all the boot options for USB

eg.

1st boot : USB Floppy
2nd Boot : USB HDD
and etc

Save your entries and reboot.
If all goes well, you will boot up thru your thumbdrive

For NTFS Support
1) Run NTFS4DOS Floppy Wizard
2) Select A:
3) Follow the selections and finish the setup
4) Continue with Part 1 above

or

1) Run NTFS4DOS Floppy Wizard
2) Select X: (assuming X drive is your thumbdrive)
3) Follow the selections and finish the setup
4) Continue with Part 2 above

Reasons for doing this
1) faster boot time
2) no floppy drive and etc

Hope this guide helps

The only drawback is the USB size is limited to 1.44 MB. But like I said, this is a quick and dirty guide.

A better method is bart's mkbt. A guide exists on bootdisk.com. look for method 1

http://www.bootdisk.com/pendrive.htm