Thursday, September 10, 2015

Window Visors for 2016 Audi S6 - Window Vent Visors for Audi A6 2016

I wanted to get some window vent visors for my 2016 Audi S6 in Mythos Black. Unfortunately, the car gets hotter than Hades sitting in even a moderate amount of sun. Without cracking the windows on a dark black Audi S6, your car will reach triple digits on the inside thermometer in a very short amount of time. But, then you have to worry about an easier theft target, and unexpected rain. This sent me on a hunt for Window Vent Visors, also called Window Splash Guards for a 2016 Audi S6 or 2016 Audi A6.

Note, the windows are the same on the 2015/2016 Audi S6/A6 so the parts are interchangeable. I actually had a hard time at first finding the right Window ventvisors/window ventshades/windows wind deflectors, whatever you call it for an Audi S6, but eventually lucked out.

I found that the Weathertech 82703 Window Deflectors where what I was looking for that were compatible with a 2016 Audi S6. Oddly enough, Amazon lists the part as Weathertech 82703 Catalytic Converter, but as you can see in their picture, it is clearly a vent visor. These Weathertech deflectors fit perfectly on a 2016 S6.

Notes on Weathertech 82703:  No Tape, they use metal clips that slide under the weather stripping.   The seem sturdy, are low profile, and don't change the appearance of the car much.  Unfortunately, the back windows vents are sorta useless, because when you drop the window down a gap forms in the back rear side of the window as it opens (since they are inverted trapezoids).  In other words you can only open the rear windows a hair without exposing them to some rain.   These were simple to install, less than 10 minutes including unpackaging.

Here are pictures of the Weathertech 82703 Window Deflectors on a Mythos Black 2016 Audi S6:
 



Above: Pictures of a 2016 Audi S6 in Mythos Black with Weathertech Vent Visors in Dark Smoke and 35% window tint on a cloudy morning.

Friday, August 28, 2015

Photoshop CC 2015 Menus are Too Big: How to Fix Photoshop User Interface Scaling Issues

Updated in July 2017:  Apparently, this Photoshop sizing bug is still happening in Photoshop CC 2017 and Photoshop Creative Cloud 2017 edition.  So the post is still valid for the latest version of Photoshop that has screens that are too small.

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When Adobe Creative Cloud upgraded my Photoshop CC to the latest version (2015) I started having issues that the user interface of Photoshop was too big. Simply put, the menus and icons were so big that they were in the way of the Photoshop image canvas and it made it very difficult to work.
Even on a 1920x1080P 22" monitor, I was not able to work in photoshop because the side menus and UI took up the majority of the screeen. This article explains how you can fix the photoshop menus from being so big and in the way.

 Within Photoshop CC itself play around with a couple of settings including going to:
  1. Edit
  2. Preferences
  3. Interface
  4. Change "UI Scaling" to 100%
  5. Change "UI Font Size" to Medium.
  6. Hit Okay
  7. Close and restart Photoshop CC
  8. Your menus should now be smaller and higher resolution in Photoshop CC
If that did not make your Photoshop menus and icons fit the page properly, try changing the environment variables within your computer (not the photoshop software).  Note, this is particularly effective in Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.

Below are the steps to set his environment variable in Windows 8.1 or Windows 10:

  1. Right click on "my computer" icon 
  2. Click properties, 
  3. Select Advanced System Settings or Advanced Tab (Based on your OS)
  4. Click on the "Environment Variables..." button. 
  5. Click New... button on System Variables section, You can also set this in User Variables section, if you would like to keep the change limited to current logged in user. 
  6. In the "New system variable" dialog, enter UI_SCALE_FACTOR in variable name field 
  7. Enter 1 in the Variable value field 
  8. Click OK

Hopefully one of the above set of instructions helped make sure that your Photoshop CC 2015 menus are not too big.

Friday, August 14, 2015

Does Navision 5.0 Client on Windows 10?

Does the Microsoft Dynamics Nav 5.0 client work on Windows 10?  Yes, natively
Does Microsoft Navision 5.0 cside client work on Windows 10?  Yes, natively
Does MS Nav 5 work on Win 10? Yes, natively.

I am successfully running the CSIDE Microsoft Dynamics Nav 5.0 SP1 client attached to a version 3.70 A database on Windows 10.   It doesn't need virtualization or compatibility mode.


Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Does the Dell 1540 Wireless Card Support WiDi Miracast?


  • Does the dell 1540 wireless card support miracast? No
  • Does the dell 1540 wireless laptop card support intel WiDi (wireless display)? No 
  • Does a Dell latitude e6400, e6410, e6420 or e6430 with a Dell 1540 Wireless card support miracast or wireless display? No 

 In short, No the Dell 1540 Wireless Card doesn't support miracast or widi, no matter what drivers and software you try to add to it. But, there are some really cheap options to get miracast working on your old laptop:

Instead, buy the very inexpensive Intel Wireless AC 7260 that supports dual band, 2.4ghz, 5ghz, bluetooth and wireless AC all for under $30.   Or, get the Centrino 6205 or 6235, often found under $16.

It takes less than five minutes to replace it in your laptop, all you need is a small screwdriver.

Get the Intel AC 7260 wifi card with widi on Amazon.  With it, you'll be able to simulcast your laptop audio and video with a couple of quick clicks in Both Windows 8 and Windows 10.

Friday, July 31, 2015

Can't Sign In To Microsoft Account in Windows 10

Solved - Cannot login to Microsoft Account and Cortana on Windows 10
I recently upgraded Windows 8.1 Pro to Windows 10 and now have been unable to login to Cortana or my windows account properly.  My computer is logged into a domain (work computer).

Everytime I hit the search or Cortana logo, I would be prompted to login, I would, and it would seem to accept it, but nothing happens.  Every time I click search it says "Let's pick up where you left off" and then prompts me to login again. So basically, every single time I click the search box in windows 10 I am asked to login to my microsoft account.

 If I login to any other Microsoft apps (store, weather, etc) I am also presented the option to login to my Microsoft account.  It will accept the login, and ask if I want to make it my default account system wide, if I say yes, I get "We're sorry, but we weren't able to make this Microsoft account your default account for Windows.  Don't worry, we will sign you into this app.  If you want to use this account to sign in to Windows, you can set that up in the Accounts section of Settings."

 I tried everything under the sun, short of a wipe and restart.  Deleting and recreating accounts, restoring, etc.  Nothing would let me login properly to Cortana and My Microsoft Windows 10 account, until this:

  1. Delete any fragments of Microsoft account sign-ins, including ones that you see under account settings in control panel. (start, settings, accounts, "other accounts you use").  In my case, I had already deleted it previously.
  2. Delete any local accounts that are specific to Microsoft accounts.  Hit start, type user accounts, manage user accounts, delete the Microsoft account if applicable (the one listed with an email address).  Important!: be sure you add a LOCAL admin or domain admin account so you can still login, don't lock yourself out.
  3. Edit your registry (start, type 'regedit')  navigate to
    HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\IdentityCRL\StoredIdentities
    Here, you will see the account that is giving you trouble.  Delete (Right click the email address and click delete).
  4. Add the account back.  Start, settings, Accounts, - add your Microsoft Account.
    Done!

     


Monday, March 23, 2015

Verizon Fios Quantum not getting Syfy - Fixed

I'm an early adopter of technology.  So when Philadelphia Verizon offered their new Verizon Fios Quantum service, which allows for up to 6 simultaneous tunes/recordings, I jumped on board quickly.  But, we've had it about a year now, and have had nothing but problems.   I've had at least 6 calls into tech support, and have unplugged/rebooted the boxes at least 30 times.   We had 3, yes THREE separate visits from tech support, and not until the very last guy did any of them have any idea about the fios quantum system.  In fact, the second tech I had out flat out told me that he had 2 years until retirement and didn't want to learn any of this crap.  But I digress.  Let me tell you how everything ultimately got resolved.

We've had "digital choppyness" which looks like artifacting or sound loss on several channels since the day the system got installed.   Some days the channels were better than others, and sometimes they flat out did not work and we'd get a message similar to "This channel is not available".  The many calls to Verizon resulted in lots of unplugging and plugging back in.  A tech that installed a booster (even though the signal is not analog) and a swap of both equipment and routers.  Long story short, the splitters are MOST DEFINITELY the problem.

So, I've reran cable, put new ends on, and put a booster in place, yet I still was not able to get channels 680, 685, 780 and a few others.  Most recently Syfy, FXX and the DisneyHD channel flat out did not work.     So, ultimately, here is what I found out.  The new Verizon Fios Quantum (which is a VMS system) is NOT COMPATIBLE with the splitters that have been installed by Verizon and Comcast for the last 20 years.  Those splitters are only good up 1ghz.  The new system operates up to 1.2ghz (give or take).  Basically, what is happening is that channels that are broadcast over the 1ghz frequency over the cable can be blocked by the old splitters.  Therefore, your VMS (dvr) cannot get the channel properly and cannot send it out to your media clients.

Here is the kicker.   According to the tech that visited me last (the only one that knows what he is doing), Verizon knows about this.  They are hoping people don't complain about the lost channels.  The ones that do, well they are told that the wiring is bad and those customers are charged to replace the splitters.  

While I understand business and profits, I think this is dishonest.  Minimally, as part of the "upgrade" to Quantum, Verizon should make it clear to their customers that any coax splitter in their house will likely need to be replaced.  

So, if you are getting partially scrambled signal on channels 685, 780 on Fios, chances are it is the splitters in your house are not of the right frequency.   This splitter (or any that is greater than 1.5ghz) should work to fix your problem.   Keep in mind, you likely have MULTIPLE splitters between the ONT (the main white box they install) and your VMS (the largest quantum black box).   The splitters up to your router should not matter.