ATT LG Optimus G ("Geeb" E970) data partition

For when an encrypted phone just won't recognize the PIN even though it's correct.

cat fstab.e970
# Android fstab file.
#                                            nd options>  
# The filesystem that contains the filesystem checker binary (typically /system)
 cannot
# specify MF_CHECK, and must come before any filesystems that do specify MF_CHEC
K

/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/boot         /boot           emmc    defa
ults                                                        defaults
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/recovery     /recovery       emmc    defa
ults                                                        defaults
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system       /system         ext4    ro,b
arrier=1                                                    wait
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/cache        /cache          ext4    noat
ime,nosuid,nodev,barrier=1,data=ordered                     wait,check
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata     /data           ext4    noat
ime,nosuid,nodev,barrier=1,data=ordered,noauto_da_alloc     wait,check,encryptab
le=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/metadata
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/persist      /persist        ext4    nosu
id,nodev,barrier=1,data=ordered,nodelalloc                  wait
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/modem        /firmware       vfat    ro,u
id=1000,gid=1000,dmask=227,fmask=337                        wait
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/sns          /sns            ext4    nosu
id,nodev,barrier=1,data=ordered                             wait,check

# vold-managed volumes
/devices/platform/msm_sdcc.3/mmc_host/mmc1/         /storage/sdcard1 auto   defa
ult voldmanaged=sdcard1:auto
~ # mke2fs -t ext4 /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata
mke2fs -t ext4 /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata
mke2fs 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
Filesystem label=
OS type: Linux
Block size=4096 (log=2)
Fragment size=4096 (log=2)
Stride=0 blocks, Stripe width=0 blocks
752192 inodes, 3008512 blocks
150425 blocks (5.00%) reserved for the super user
First data block=0
Maximum filesystem blocks=3082813440
92 block groups
32768 blocks per group, 32768 fragments per group
8176 inodes per group
Superblock backups stored on blocks:
        32768, 98304, 163840, 229376, 294912, 819200, 884736, 1605632, 2654208

Writing inode tables: done
Creating journal (32768 blocks): done
Writing superblocks and filesystem accounting information: done

This filesystem will be automatically checked every 36 mounts or
180 days, whichever comes first.  Use tune2fs -c or -i to override.
~ # exit
exit

Make windows recognize Android USB driver (For sideloading in Recovery)

Can't get ADB to talk to your android? Get the sad "not recognized" sound when you plug in USB in recovery mode? The trick is to check device manager and get the hardware ID, then add that to the .inf. (Using the USB driver included w/ the ADK.)

path-to-extracted-adk\sdk\extras\google\usb_driver\android_winusb.inf

Latest driver is here: http://developer.android.com/sdk/win-usb.html


I just added %CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_D001
to the "[Google.NTamd64]" section.

Info found in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2535960

Items in Google Drive folder not showing up in search results (Windows 7)

http://superuser.com/questions/485719/windows-7-index-search-does-not-work-in-google-drive-folder

(Add local SYSTEM account rights to GDrive folder.)

Windows Take Ownership right-click menu script.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/add-take-ownership-to-explorer-right-click-menu-in-vista/

"the trust relationship between this workstation and the primary domain failed" better fixes

From http://www.implbits.com/about/blog/tabid/78/post/don-t-rejoin-to-fix-the-trust-relationship-between-this-workstation-and-the-primary-domain-failed/default.aspx

This problem can be caused by various circumstances, but I most commonly run into it when I reset a virtual machine to a system snapshot that I made months or even years before.  When the machine is reset, it is missing all of the automatic password changes that it executed against the domain controller during the intervening months.  The password changes are required to maintain the security integrity of the domain.

The trick is to reset computer account password, use netdom.exe or powershell.

netdom.exe resetpwd /s:/ud: /pd:*

Reset-ComputerMachinePassword [-Credential ] [-Server ] 

Even better (For VM's), avoid the problem altogether by keeping the machine password static. (When appropriate for security, of course.)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netlogon\Parameters
Modify the DisablePasswordChange entry from 0 to 1.

(From http://9to5it.com/trust-relationship-between-workstation-and-domain-failed/)

Nice windows GUI git/mecurial client: SourceTree (By those fine Atlassian folks)

Seems to co-exist nicely w/ TortoiseGIT as well.

WPKG - Open Source Windows software deployment option

Here's a deployment option/ Partial-Group Policy replacement that doesn't get enough love:

http://wpkg.org/

From the site: WPKG is an automated software deployment, upgrade and removal program for Windows.

It can be used to push/pull software packages, such as Service Packs, hotfixes, or program installations from a central server (for example, Samba or Active Directory) to a number of workstations.

It can run as a service to install software in the background (silent install), without user interaction.

It can install MSI, InstallShield, PackagefortheWeb, Inno Setup, Nullsoft, other software installers or .exe packages, .bat and .cmd scripts and similar: no more repackaging to perform software installation.

WPKG is open source software.

Google Update error 0x8004070 - Solved!

Error 0x8004070 when installing the Music Manager, which actually kicks off a GoogleUpdate.exe process.

Lot's of people have seen this error with various google products, I tracked it down to C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Google\Update\ - had to kill active GoogleUpdate.exe process, then deleted whole folder. Success!

Local Update Publisher (Software deployment via WSUS)

This is a quickstart tutorial/demonstration of Local Update Publisher

"Local Update Publisher allows system administrators to publish their own updates to Windows Server Update Services using local publishing."


Pros:
Consolidates management and storage (one console, minimal Group Policy fiddling, no separate fileshare.)
Users can install updates on their schedule and/or admins can force schedule.

Cons:
Relies on a (small?) 3rd party project. (Though open-source, and using an official Microsoft API.)
Can't assign or offer to users, only per machine.


This tutorial assumes you have a working install of WSUS, and a basic knowledge of .MSI packages.

Remember everything is stored on your WSUS server, LUP is "just" a gui that talks to it, similar to the WSUS admin console. So download and install the EXE,  run it (you will need to "Run as Administrator"), point it at the WSUS server ("Localhost" if you're on the server, in our case "guard.ourdomain.com", port 80, no SSL for now), and go!

To publish:

First, acquire your MSI. In this example, we'll use the Frontmotion - supplied package of Firefox.

Select Tools -> Create Update. Point it at your .MSI. Confusingly, you *DON'T* provide the "MSI Path". (This is only if it is contained in an .EXE).

LUP (WSUS?) requires a Vendor and Product to be defined. Fill in any other details you think are relevant.(I like to include the version number in the name.)

You can then click through the next few screens, accepting the defaults for now. (These let you write more complex rules, to only target x64, for instance.) Click "finish". You'll get a progress window as it re-packages it for WSUS and uploads it the server.

Notice in this example there are now two versions of the package. Be sure to retire/remove the old version, or else clients will do weird things, i.e. continually install one then the other in the case of Firefox updates.)

Now, we just approve this update (in this case, only for the METRO-TEST group:

Now to see the results of our labor, first we have to assign our testing machine to the METRO-TEST WSUS group.Open up the WSUS admin console, find your target machine(s), right-click and give them membership the appropriate group.

From the LUP wiki:

"The WSUS clients have a locally stored cookie that stores the groups that the client is associated to. Until that cookie expires the client will not create a new one. This means that if you add clients to a group and then immediately try to force a client in that group to detect updates it will likely not find updates you have approved for your new group. You can either wait an hour or force the cookie to expire by running wuauclt with the /resetauthorization flag."

Once I did this, then re-ran "Check for updates" (CLI version: "wuauclt /detectnow"). Looks promising...

Success!!

Now, go forth and publish!

Older XP system, most any (un)install failed:
"this installation is forbidden by system policy"



Event Type: Information
Event Source: MsiInstaller
Event Category: None
Event ID: 11729
Date: 3/9/2012
Time: 12:25:26 PM
User: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer: VH229A
Description:
Product: Sophos Anti-Virus -- Configuration failed.


For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 7b 30 33 34 37 35 39 44   {034759D
0008: 41 2d 45 32 31 41 2d 34   A-E21A-4
0010: 37 39 35 2d 42 46 42 33   795-BFB3
0018: 2d 43 36 36 44 31 37 46   -C66D17F
0020: 41 44 31 38 33 7d         AD183}  

Event Type: Information

Event Source: MsiInstaller
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1035
Date: 3/9/2012
Time: 12:25:18 PM
User: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer: VH229A
Description:
Windows Installer reconfigured the product. Product Name: Sophos Remote Management System. Product Version: 3.0.14. Product Language: 1033. Reconfiguration success or error status: 1625.


For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 7b 46 46 31 31 30 30 35   {FF11005
0008: 44 2d 43 42 43 38 2d 34   D-CBC8-4
0010: 35 44 35 2d 41 32 38 38   5D5-A288
0018: 2d 32 35 43 37 42 42 33   -25C7BB3
0020: 30 34 31 32 31 7d         04121}  

Event Type: Information

Event Source: MsiInstaller

Event Category: None

Event ID: 11729

Date: 3/9/2012

Time: 12:07:50 PM

User: DEPT-LAWR\0mparsons

Computer: VH229A

Description:

Product: Spelling Dictionaries Support For Adobe Reader 8 -- Configuration failed.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Data:

0000: 7b 41 43 37 36 42 41 38   {AC76BA8

0008: 36 2d 37 41 44 37 2d 35   6-7AD7-5

0010: 34 36 34 2d 33 34 32 38   464-3428

0018: 2d 38 30 30 30 30 30 30   -8000000

0020: 30 30 30 30 33 7d         00003}  

Event Type: Information

Event Source: MsiInstaller

Event Category: None

Event ID: 1035

Date: 3/9/2012

Time: 12:07:50 PM

User: DEPT-LAWR\0mparsons

Computer: VH229A

Description:

Windows Installer reconfigured the product. Product Name: Spelling Dictionaries Support For Adobe Reader 8. Product Version: 8.0.0. Product Language: 1033. Reconfiguration success or error status: 1625.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Data:

0000: 7b 41 43 37 36 42 41 38   {AC76BA8

0008: 36 2d 37 41 44 37 2d 35   6-7AD7-5

0010: 34 36 34 2d 33 34 32 38   464-3428

0018: 2d 38 30 30 30 30 30 30   -8000000

0020: 30 30 30 30 33 7d         00003}  

Most troubleshooting posts I found reference "Prohibit non-administrators from applying vendor signed updates" or Software Restriction Policy "All users except local administrators." Sorta close, same area in local policy editor: Local Computer -> Computer Config -> Admin Templates ->Windows Components -> Windows Installer. However "Disable Windows Installer" was enabled! Unconfigured, instant success.

Win 7 Updates fail with error 0x80071a90 0x800705b4

(And the error causes everything installed to be rolled backed.)

The fix is at
http://www.davewolf.net/2011/05/windows-7-x64-updates-failing-april-2011

Manually installing at least one of them worked around the issue for me. Thanks Dave!

Addendum: On another system, (7x64), I narrowed it down to KB2515325. Manually download/install that one, then run Windows Update and install the rest.