SQL server dates in different formats

Here is the list of conversions that facilitates retrieving date time in different formats in T - SQL.

Replace Date in Convert with your field Name.

'YYYYMMDD'

CONVERT(CHAR(8), Date, 112)

'YYYY-MM-DD'

CONVERT(CHAR(10), Date, 23)

'YYMMDD'

CONVERT(VARCHAR(8), Date, 12)

'YY-MM-DD'

STUFF(STUFF(CONVERT(VARCHAR(8), Date, 12),
5, 0, '-'), 3, 0, '-')

'MMDDYY'

REPLACE(CONVERT(CHAR(8), Date, 10), '-', SPACE(0))

'MM-DD-YY'

CONVERT(CHAR(8), Date, 10)

'MM/DD/YY'

CONVERT(CHAR(8), Date, 1)

'MM/DD/YYYY'

CONVERT(CHAR(10), Date, 101)

'DDMMYY'

REPLACE(CONVERT(CHAR(8), Date, 3), '/', SPACE(0))

'DD-MM-YY'

REPLACE(CONVERT(CHAR(8), Date, 3), '/', '-')

'DD/MM/YY'

CONVERT(CHAR(8), Date, 3)

'DD/MM/YYYY'

CONVERT(CHAR(10), Date, 103)

'HH:MM:SS 24'

CONVERT(CHAR(8), Date, 8)

'HH:MM 24'

LEFT(CONVERT(VARCHAR(8), Date, 8), 5)

'HH:MM:SS 12'

LTRIM(RIGHT(CONVERT(VARCHAR(20), Date, 22), 11))

'HH:MM 12'

LTRIM(SUBSTRING(CONVERT(
VARCHAR(20), Date, 22), 10, 5)
+ RIGHT(CONVERT(VARCHAR(20), Date, 22), 3))

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How to enter free text in a ajax asp.net combo box ?

A day before I had requirement where the user wants a combox box that gives him access to enter free text also inside it. Thanks to Ajax Control Toolkit which is a open source that lets us modify the code according to our requirements . So How do we let the user enter free text in a ASP.NET AJAX combo box ?

1. Download the source code for AJAX control toolkit from here .
2. Once you open the solution, Under Ajax Control toolkit you will find a folder 'ComboBox'
3. In that try to open Combobox.debug.js . If you dont have it , open Comboxbox.js .
4. Now try to find the following piece of code in it and comment it.

if (this.get_selectedIndex() == -1 && this.get_dropDownStyle() == AjaxControlToolkit.ComboBoxStyle.DropDownList) {
this.get_textBoxControl().value = '';
e.preventDefault();
e.stopPropagation();
return false;
}

This code is basically responsible to prevent entering free text when you dont have any item in the list that matches with what you had typed.

5. Now build the solution, add a reference to the dll , add the combo box control to your web page and you should be able to enter free text in ComboBox.

If you encounter any errors, throw a comment.I will help you out.

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How to set date time as text to a excel in DD/MM/YYYY format using ASP.NET ?

Did you ever try to set a date as text to Excel cell using asp.net ? I had this interesting problem today. The date that I have been passing from my code is something like this '02/06/2009' (dd/mm/yyyy) .But When I check the Excel it appeared as '06/02/2009' (mm/dd/yyyy) . Dates with date > 12 will appear correctly in the excel . I tried by setting the format of cells to dd/mm/yyyy but no luck. So How will we achieve it ?

Solution :

To avoid this problem all you need to do is append a single quote (') before your date . i.e '02/06/2009 should be set as text to excel and you will see the date in correct format.

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Dear Users

Thanks for reading Technade. Lot of things keep my day busy these days. I dont find much time to write a article on technade (absolutely sorry about it). I will try to get atleast one article posted on the blog everyday in the coming month.Please bear with us in the mean time.

Note : I am looking for guest authors from my niche area ( Technology ).If you are interested, please let me know.

Prerequisite : Sound knowledge of Windows and PC's
Good English Knowledge.

Yours
Subhash V

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How to call a WCF service using web service task in SSIS ? WCF and SSIS 2005

A day back I had a requirement where I had to write a simple web service which generates a Excel Report and had to get it executed as a daily job . So I thought of writing a SSIS package which will call a web service . But I am much into learning WCF ( Windows Communication Foundation ) these days .So I thought why dont I create a WCF service instead of Web service !! So I ended up creating a WCF service.

Now the question is Can I call a WCF service using Web service task in SSIS 2005 ?

The answer is Yes you can . All you have to do is follow the steps below .

Before we create a package , we need to make few changes to the Windows Communication foundation host and client so that we can make things work .

Make the following changes to the web.config of WCF host :

There will be a entry called as Bindings in the System.servicemodel tag in web.config of WCF host . You have to change the type of bindings in it as follows .

<bindings>
<basicHttpBinding>
<binding name="BasicHttpBinding_ReportService"
closeTimeout="00:05:00"
openTimeout="00:05:00"
receiveTimeout="00:05:00"
sendTimeout="00:05:00"
maxBufferPoolSize="524288"
maxReceivedMessageSize="2147483647">
<readerQuotas
maxDepth="2147483647"
maxStringContentLength="2147483647"
maxArrayLength="2147483647"
maxBytesPerRead="2147483647"
maxNameTableCharCount="2147483647" />
<security mode="None" />
</binding>
</basicHttpBinding>
</bindings>

By default it will be wsHttpBindings in a WCF service . But in a web service it used to be basic Http Binding and web service task has been configured to work only with basic HTTP binding in SSIS 2005 . Since WCF service supports communication over different protocols , we can always set bindings and achieve the required functionality .

If your web service is also consumed by your web application or something , then you need to configure its web.config as below to enable it use the same binding (BasicHttp) which host exposes .

<bindings>
<basicHttpBinding >
<binding name="BasicHttpBinding_MPCService"
closeTimeout="00:01:00"
openTimeout="00:01:00"
receiveTimeout="00:10:00"
sendTimeout="00:01:00"
allowCookies="false"
bypassProxyOnLocal="false"
hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard"
maxBufferPoolSize="2147483647"
maxReceivedMessageSize="2147483647"
messageEncoding="Text"
textEncoding="utf-8"
useDefaultWebProxy="true">
<readerQuotas
maxDepth="2147483647"
maxStringContentLength="2147483647"
maxArrayLength="2147483647"
maxBytesPerRead="2147483647"
maxNameTableCharCount="2147483647" />
<security mode="None">
<transport clientCredentialType="None" proxyCredentialType="None" realm="" />
<message clientCredentialType="UserName" algorithmSuite="Default" />
</security>
</binding>
</basicHttpBinding>
</bindings>

If you observe the web.config entries , you can observe maxDepth ,maxContentstringLength and other attributes being set to 2147483647 . This has been set as my output of webservice (Excel file ) was very large . You can remove them if you want .

Now lets create a SSIS package using BIDS 2005 .

• The first thing you have to do is setup your HTTP connection using New Connection Wizard .
• Now save the WSDL of the service in a local path . You can get the WSDL by using the link you have used as server URL in the HTTP connection manager above . The link will be something like http://localhost/WCFservice/ReportService.svc?wsdl.Save it as [Filename].wsdl .
• Now add a web service task from the toolbox of your Business Intelligence development studio ( BIDS ) .
• Open the Properties of your webservice task and configure it as below.

• Web Service Task Configuration :In the HTTP connection , select the HTTP connection you added above .
  
• In the WSDL File field , give the local path to where you have stored your WSDL file .
  
• Set OverwriteWSDLFile to true and click on download WSDL .
• Now click on input in the left side pane .
  
• In the input screen you can select your service and the corresponding Web methods .
  
• Select the required one and go to output option .
• In the output screen, you can set output type to either some variable or file connection as per your requirement .
• Now click on OK and you are done with configuring your SSIS package to call a WCF service .

Now you execute your task and you can see it working . If you still have any problems feel free to contact me .

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A-Squared Emergency USB Stick - Portable USB Malware Protection

Cyber Security is a great warfare. There is always a race here between malware developers and security vendors. And by the very nature of the security software development process, malware developers are always ahead of the security software.

Present day malware have a characteristic that once they are able to enter your computer, they try to block you every mechanism, which can try to restrict their evil designs. They will try to disable your antivirus suites, they will change your browser homepages, they will try to modify your hosts file so that you are not able to access the security vendor websites and other forums, they will disable the update process of your security software and things like that.

There are fair chances that if your antivirus definitions are not updated, your antivirus installation will be crippled and handicapped beside the damage to your other applications.

In such a situation, you might need a security tool, which is ready to combat the malware, and is ready with the latest virus definitions.

A-Squared Emergency USB Stick is one such tool. It is a free tool, which from the reputed security software vendor EMSI. It is basically a combination of two security tools.

1. a-squared Free: With a-squared Free you have got the powerful a-squared Scanner including graphical user interface. Search the infected PC for Trojans, Spyware, Adware, Worms, Dialers, Keyloggers and other malign programs.
2. a-squared Command line Scanner: This scanner contains the same functionality as a-squared Free but without a graphical user interface. The commandline tool is made for professional users and can be used perfectly for batch jobs.

This tool is specially suited for the cases, when the GUI interface of your installed antivirus gets disabled and you cannot use it for any meaningful purpose. A command line tool is very useful in such a situation.

[Download A-Squared Emergency USB Stick]

[This is a Guest Post from Silki Garg, who enjoys writing about Internet and PC Security Issues. Check out her latest articles on ClamWin Portable Virus Remover and Windows Security Options Tool WinPatrol.]

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Microsoft announces pricing plans for Windows 7 : 50 % discount on Windows 7

Software giant Microsoft has announced the pricing plans for its new operating system Windows 7 .The prices for Windows 7 in United states are as follows :

1. Windows 7 Home Premium (Upgrade): $119.99
2. Windows 7 Professional (Upgrade): $199.99
3. Windows 7 Ultimate (Upgrade): $219.99

And the prices for the Windows 7 full package are:

1. Windows 7 Home Premium (Full): $199.99
2. Windows 7 Professional (Full): $299.99
3. Windows 7 Ultimate (Full): $319.99

The Redmond giant also says that customers who purchase new computers before Windows 7 goes on sale will get free upgrades once it is released . The home basic version of Vista wont be eligible for upgrade. The company also offers customerswho live in the United States and other select markets the opportunity to preorder Windows 7 starting yesterday at a discount of 50 %, which means that in the United States, you can preorder Windows 7 Home Premium for $50 or Windows 7 Professional for $100 till supplies last.

The offer ends July 11 in the United States and Canada, and July 5 in Japan. Customers in the United Kingdom, France and Germany can preorder theirs July 15 to Aug. 14. For all the fine print concerning the offer, click here or here.

The new Operating System , Microsoft Windows 7 will officially hit the stores on Oct. 22.

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How to reset user session in IIS when using AJAX updatepanel extensively on the page ?

I guess every ASP.net developer might be using Updatepanel control these days which lets us to do partial postbacks on the page .If you are using Updatepanel control once on your page , you wont come across any issues . But if you are using it extensively obviously you will run into many issues.

In a traditional ASP.net web application the users session timeout counter will be reset everytime a user requests a page from the server, thus by preventing the user’s session from getting timed out. However,In AJAX ASP.NET application which uses XMLHTTP request to update part of a page , the users session counter on IIS will not be reset . So How to prevent Timeout in AJAX Asp.net Application which uses updatepanels ? How can we reset user Session in IIS when so activity happens in updatepanel ? The solution is here . Read on .

• Create a new WebForm - KeepAlive.aspx in your application.
• Now go to the code behind of the webform by hitting F7.
• In the page_load method of the webform (KeepAlive.aspx) add the following lines of code
  

Response.ContentType = "text/html";
Response.Write("Technade");

• Now go to the page where you are using the updatepanel extensively and add the following javascript to the markup.

function sessionKeepAlive(sender, args) {
//Create a New web Request and make a call to KeepAlive
var SubRequest = new Sys.Net.WebRequest();
SubRequest.set_url("KeepAlive.aspx");
SubRequest.set_httpVerb("POST");
SubRequest.add_completed(sessionKeepAlive_Callback);
SubRequest.set_body();
SubRequest.get_headers()["Content-Length"] = 0;
SubRequest.invoke();
}

//This function processes the return values
function sessionKeepAlive_Callback(executor, eventArgs)
{
// If you want to check any returned value from server ,you can use this else skip it
//else leave as it is
}
//Raised after an asynchronous postback is finished and control has been returned to the
// browser.
Sys.WebForms.PageRequestManager.getInstance().add_endRequest(sessionKeepAlive)

• What we are doing above is that, whenever you make a asynchronous postback call to the server , we are requesting the KeepAlive.aspx from the server using a new web request which inturn will reset the user session in IIS.

This solution has been tested and it works. So you dont need to worry that your updatepanel activity is not resetting the session in IIS.I hope this one helps the developers.Please post your doubts and views as comments.This one also might help you

How to remove 'sys' is undefuned ?

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Banned by Adsense

Yes ,I am banned by adsense . On the day I received a mail from adsense that they had banned my account , I was stunned as usual . As we all know adsense never let people know the exact reason behind banning a website. I finally entered some form requesting google to reinstate my account . But nothing happened.

So Why am I banned by Google adsense ?

The only reason I can think of is I am not updating my blog . Yes guys , if you have a high revenue generating blog/website and you are not updating it regularly , Google will consider it as Made For Adsense website (MFA) and they will ban the respective account .

Apart from this , there are lot of reasons why Google might ban your adsense account .

Please check here to find the reasons why Google ban your adsense account .

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Meet me @ Tech.ed 2009 , Hyderabad

Join me @ Microsoft tech.ed 2009 , one of the most exciting events for Microsoft developers from 13-15th of May in Hyderabad . I will be posting updates on Technade.Stay tuned .

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Beware of Microsoft Powerpoint Flaw

Microsoft has warned that Hackers are targetting a unpatched flaw in Microsoft office Powerpoint to attack users PC 's .

Versions Vulnerable : Microsoft Office 2003 SP3,Office 2002 SP3 and 2000 SP3 .

Hackers will launch attack by making you open a powerpoint file which has been crafted already . When you open the file powerpoint will try to access a invalid object in the memory which in turn allows the hacker to execute code remotely on your system .

As per Security advisory , attacks are not spread yet heavily but they expect some limited number of expects targetted at some users .Right Now Microsoft did not come up with any patch for this flaw but they might do it in next patch.

So What should I do to protect myself against powerpoint vulnerability ?

Microsoft suggests us not to open files received from untrusted sources, use the Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment (MOICE) to open untrusted files, and use Microsoft Office File Block policy to restrict the opening of Office 2003 and earlier documents.

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Tata Nano Review - Shall I go for a Nano or Maruti 800 ?

Hmmm this is a million dollar question to be answered .After reading lot of reviews and listening to people i personally built a opinion on this people 's car .So will I buy a nano or not ? What opinion do i have on Nano ?

When I start thinking about Nano ,the first ever question in my mind is Why TATA built this car ?? His Indica is doing good so as his Ace which are priced above 2 lakhs .When I heard his reply to this question , I am so happy that now Indian business echelons are thinking of customers.For your information Indian business people are never conscious of customer satisfaction. Indian customers never question about the quality of the product . Seeing a family travelling on a scooter with a kid standing in the front , a dad driving it and a mom holding a baby in her lap and if possible one more kid between the dad and mom,Mr Tata wanted to build something that will revolutionize these peoples lives.When I started thinking what he can build in a lakh , My thinking can not go beyond a Auto Rickshaw .But I was surprised when 6 feet Ratan came out of our little peppy toy called Nano in Auto Expo last year .


Did you ever hear of something called a operational efficiency ?? Nano is a perfect example of operational efficiency . You can read How Mr Ratan and his team achieved this here !! The Nano team of 500 people did a very brilliant job in building this little car . They achieved price efficiency mainly in material and by taking advantage of low cost Indian labour . They used plastic instead of metal but with no compromise in safety norms . As per TATA motors Nano will satisfy all the safety norms .

As a Indian , I am proud of what Mr Tata as achieved . They showed the world a brutal example of engineering . They proved the world that we the Indians are capable of achieving things rather than jut using things someone else has invented. So what things I consider can be reasons for buying the Nano ?

Pro s of Nano :
* Every one knows the Nano .Having it will be a kind of status symbol in earlier days . People ask you lot of questions about it .
* Cool design . A one lakh car is not expected to be so cool in design but the Indian automaker made it. Its peppy look does force me to buy it .It beats Maurti 800 in this point
* Brand TATA : TATA s products are known for their quality. Tata Vehicles are very low on maintenance so as Will be Nano .
* Price Tag : Not to be mentioned , yes I will certainly buy the Nano for its price tag . Its the lowest priced car in the world .
* Mileage : Nano will offer you more mileage that most of the other cars .Tata Motors say it will give you 20 + .

How is Nano in comparision with other cars ? Read on here .

Con s of Nano :

* In start may be the car might be a status symbol but with its numbers increasing and every one having it , you may not feel so elited of having it .
*A rear mounted engine with roaring sound reminds me of a sports car but its Nano man .This rear mounted engine surely reminds me of a diesel Auto :).
* Speed matters . Its top speed is claimed to be a bit above 100 but I dont think a 600 + cc engine can do it with 4 people on board .
* Its nearest competitor Maruti 800 is among the most reliable vehicles from the Indian car stable . It has been tested through times and its a tough vehicle. I personally own it and there is not doubt about it . It offers me a mileage of around 18 - 20 most of the times .Most of the people are still in a kind of dilemma whether Nano first version may have some glitches like Indica initial release .
* If you think of price tag , The basic nano which is of 1 lakh which will be given only to first one lakh customers and thats also on the basis of a electronic lottery . If I am buying a car for my family , I will surely look for something that has a air conditioner .For a Nano having a air conditioner , I have to pay around 1.7 lakh and I can get a Maruti 800 if I can afford 30 k more .
* Not to forget this , The most annoying thing is the application form and the deposit price. They charge 300 rs for a application and the deposit price is arround 70 k .Tata might had put this one to avoid huge bookings from customers but as a customer its not that much comfortable.
*Its dashboard looks to me much like a auto dashboard . I am not at all impressed with it dashboard did not give me a rich feel of a good car .
When I summarize all the pros and cons I dont see many strong reasons for buying the Nano .But yes , its a new kid on the block . If you like trying new things, you can book one .If you care about each penny you spend , you can save 30 k by going for a nano instead of a Maruti 800 .

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Internet Explorer 8 Review - Why should I use IE 8 ?

Microsoft shipped in its final version of Internet Explorer yesterday . IE 8 is considered a stiff response by Microsoft to its rivals . With the market share of Internet Explorer decreasing and number of rivals increasing day by day , Microsoft had to work on building something that will wow the users and turn them back to Internet Explorer .So what we have in the box with Internet Explorer 8 ?

• AutoComplete Address bar : Just like the latest version of Firefox and chrome browser , now IE address bar is also not just for typing the URL .It provides autocomplete functionality which will get a list of results from your History and Favorites, organized by category based on what you type.The search will be done even in the content of the previously visited pages also .The address bar can also be used to display matching websites from RSS feeds as well. Choose Tools-->Internet Options-->Content, then click the Settings button next to AutoComplete. Check the box next to Feeds, and click OK and then OK again. Now when you use the Address Bar, information from RSS feeds will be displayed as well.

• Group Tabbing : This is something which you might notice first when you use IE8 . IE8 has improved the way it handles tabbing . For people who love to use new tabs instead of new windows , IE8 makes your life more easier now with group tabbing . When you open a new tab from a existing page, the new tab opens directly to the right of the originating one, and both tabs are given the same color. That way, all related tabs are automatically grouped and color-coded.In firefox , you have to use colour tabs extension to achieve this.If you open one more tab from the existing page, it won't appear on immediate right of originating one like earlier . It will appear in the far right of the group with same color as of the group .You can even move a tab from one group to other by just dragging it . You can control a entire group just by right clicking on one tab and choosing the right option as shown in the figure.

• Tab Handling : Each tab is isolated from the others, so if one tab crashes, the entire browser won't close down. You can restore the crashed tab, and when you do, it reloads with the information that it had when its crashed, such as a partially written e-mail or a video . If its a video ,it will start playing at the point the tab has crashed .IE8 even have a new feature to reopen the closed tabs. To reopen the last tab you've closed, you press Ctrl-Shift-T. To see a list of recently opened tabs and choose which to open, you right-click any tab, select Recently Closed Tabs, and pick the one you want to open .

• Accelerators and Web Slices :This is the most noticeable feature in the latest version of Internet Explorer. Accelerators are nothing but addons which will get more information on the text you have on a webpage like searching , translation , send a email ,digging the link , getting the Map of a address .... It is a kinda mashup which shows you the result of accelerator in the current page itself . Rightnow we have most of the accelerators from the microsoft such as Live Maps, Live Search and Windows Live Spaces. There are others as well, including ones from Amazon, eBay, Facebook and Yahoo. Its not tough writing a accelarator . You can do it easily with knowledge of basic XML .
  

Web Slices offer one more way of easily getting information. They deliver information that is changing on a particular website which you are not visiting directly . For e.g if you have a website that displays latest news , you can get the news without visiting the website .When you visit a Web page that csupports slicing, the Web Slice icon on the right side of Favorites bar turns green as shown in the figure. when you click it you can see a list of Web Slices available on that page. If you select one it gets added to favourite bar. When its content changes, the title turns bold. Click the Web Slice, and it displays the content just like a live bookmark in firefox.You can click on the content to go to the web page .

• Improved security and privacy : The latest concept introduced by Microsoft in IE8 is InPrivate Browsing . InPrivate Browsing destroys any traces of information about your surfing activity when your web browser is closed .It means that all the cookies, temporary Internet files, browsing history, form information, and user names and passwords all vanish.You can start InPrivate Browsing by opening a new tab and selecting Browse with InPrivate or selecting it from the Safety button on the top right corner of the browser window.
• There is one more smart feature in IE 8 called InPrivate Filtering .Users are often not aware that some content, images, ads and analytics are being provided and shared across websites . InPrivate Filtering provides users an added level of control and choice about the information that third party websites can potentially use to track browsing activity.InPrivate Filtering is off by default and must be enabled on a per-session basis. To use this feature, select InPrivate Filtering from the Safety menu. To access and manage different filtering options for Internet Explorer 8, select InPrivate Filtering Settings from the Safety menu. To end your InPrivate Browsing session, simply close the browser window.
• Microsoft has even added some other safety features to IE8. It blocks the most common type of cross-site scripting attacks, and offers better protection against malicious ActiveX controls. Microsoft also claims that IE8 protects against "clickjacking " , in which a hacker can place an invisible button underneath or on top of a legitimate button and fool you into activating malicious code or making private information public.

Compatibility with IE 7 websites : Sites that were built for IE 7 might now display prperly in IE 8 . To avoid compatibility issues, Microsoft designed IE 8 in such a way that the browser is set to automatically switch to Compatibility View. You'll be notified when it happens with a balloon tip which appears briefly on the tab, telling you that the browser is displaying in Compatibility View.

Conclusion : So what I finally say about Microsoft latest Internet Explorer ?I can say in one line : Switch to Internet Explorer 8 .

After using the browser , I did not see any big difference in speed compared to Firefox or IE7 but there is a difference in features . Most of the features are targetted at increasing the productivity of the users .I found it much better when working with AJAX applications which might be due to enhancements in forward and back navigation buttons .With a lot of features added , IE 8 is surely something to try on guys . Its fast , easy , safe and secure .

Download Internet Explorer 8 Today .

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Now you can turn off Internet Explorer in Windows

Yes , you are reading it correctly . You can turn off Internet Explorer in your windows now . Microsoft now lets us turn off some windows key features. Continue for further details.
with Windows 7, users will have the option of disabling a number of features of the operating system . Microsoft has been facing lot of regulatory and anti trust issues in the recent times .Microsoft lost a long-running battle with EU antitrust regulators in 2007 over the way it bundled media player software into the Windows operating system.In the media player dispute, European union heavily fined Microsoft and forced it to sell a version of Windows without the offending program installed. To avoid such kind of issues , I think Microsoft has came up with this solution .

• Windows Media Player
• Windows Media Center
• Windows DVD
  
• Windows Search
• Handwriting Recognition (through the Tablet PC Components option)
• Windows Gadget Platform
• Fax and Scan
• XPS Viewer and Services (including the Virtual Print Driver)

With windows 7 Microsoft has stripped most of the programs from the Operating system Which are still available for download on Windows Live .

I dont like the way how people actually look at Microsoft . They developed things which are better than others and before any one does something , MS does it .Thats why they are here . They have better marketing strategies in place . But people always cry on Microsoft . They want a operating system for free . :) .If a OS comes out without anything , then are these people happy ?

What do you feel about Microsoft ? Lets others know through your comments .

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How to open docx file without installing office 2007 ? Read docx file in Linux

Dont have Microsoft office ? But still want to read docx ( Office 2007 word format ) files ? Here is the solution

Required : Mozilla Firefox .

There is a Firefox extension called OpenXML viewer which helps you achieve this .It lets you read docx files inside the Firefox browser just like any other HTML web page with any change in format and layout .

Download OpenXML viewer .

Open XML viewer is available for Linux also .

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How to delete all the messages in your orkut inbox ?

I know some friends of mine who deletes their messages frequently . But if they have huge number of messages like me , How will they do it ?

There is something that might help you .

Required : Mozilla Firefox Browser .
GreaseMonkey Firefox Addon.

Greasemonkey script : Rapid orkut message deleter .

After installing this you can delete all your orkut messages very easily .

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TCS to layoff more people in the coming days

Sources has revealed that the TCS, India 's largest software giant is going to take few tough steps to sustain in the present environment . Since economists and experts don't see a economy recovery in the near time , most of the customers are feeling the pain of slowdown and are pressurising the outsourcers to maximise the efficiencies . To keep itself equipped against the global economic activity , the company has rolled out four measures which are going to be implemented with immediate effect .The four measures are as follows :

• There will be no recruitment of experienced professionals unless the company feels its extremely required . People will be given cross skill training to manage the internal needs .
• Since outsourcing means saving money by working from a low cost place , the company will concentrate more on offshore leverage . Non Critical positions on onsite will be moved to offshore .
• There will be no promotions until the situation improves .
  
• If you are in the underperforming section or in the under utilised section , the company might counsel you or might even ask you to leave .
  

Its not only TCS , all the companies are implementing different kind of measures to sustain in the present environment . It might not sound good to the employees , but if the companies has to sustain , they have to undertake this . The companies are trying to do everything so as to retain employees . As a employee of the organisation , its time for us to stand by them and help them sustain . Do remember that When your company does good , it will always do good to you .

Whats your view on the present economic situation ? Post a comment on Technade .

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How to remove " This page contains both secure and nonsecure items " ? ASP.NET https Menu workaround

Somedays back , I had to deploy a ASP.Net application in a secure environment for my client . But when I deployed my application in https environment , it started displaying a message " This page contains both secure and non-secure items. Do you want to continue ? " . Being a developer , this message is ok to me . But clients who are generic users might get scared of this . So I was asked to remove this error message . So How to remove " This page contains both secure and non secure items . " ?

• This message basically occurs when your application try to access a resource like image or some other file from a non secure server . So first you have to search for http in your code . Find all http links and replace them with https .
• Now check whether all your images and files are hosted on the same secure server where your application has been hosted . If not move them to secure environment .

These two are the common reasons why this error occurs . In ASP.NET if you are using Menu control , it will also this error . So what is workaround for Menu in https ? If you are using the master page , paste the following piece of code in your masterpage code-behind .

protected override void Render(HtmlTextWriter writer)
{
Page.ClientScript.RegisterStartupScript(typeof(Page), "MenuHttpsWorkaround", Menu1.ClientID + "_Data.iframeUrl='Blank.htm';", true);
base.Render(writer);

}

Add a new blank HTML page to your application folder and replace blank.htm in the above code with that page . Aslo replace Menu1 with your Menu Item Id . Once you make the changes , publish the code and check it in secure environment . The error message would not display again .

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Life of a IT engineer in 2009

"-----------------------------" .Yes its a question that can not be answered . Every doubt you get about the life of a IT employee in 2009 is a question mark forever . IT is dependent on other sectors heavily for its existence . In the era of recession where all sectors are going down , IT has obviously got affected . Especially Indian IT which is dependent on the outsourcing by companies in developed nations is badly hit . As people start saving money instead of spending them in US and Europe , Companies in those nations get hit first . As their profits start decreasing , these companies look at decreasing their costs .

Yes outsourcing does help them in doing it ( reason why NASSCOM is still confident on Outsourcing ) , but they will try to pressurize the IT co's to make the outsourcing overefficient and to offer them at cheaper prices .This will continue to happen until clients of our IT co's get profits like earlier . People seem to be very confident that Situation will be back to normal by mid of 2010. But I dont think so . This time it will take long to get back to normal . Once people go in saving mode , making them think of spending again needs lot of efforts. This is what has been happening in India for generations . Since some generations Indians were in savings mode . They thought that they dont have enough money . But once they started getting money , they slowly went into spending mode and India is presently in spending mode . But now if people feel that they need to save money as cash flow is going to decrease, it will take generations to make them spend it .Thats why recovery of recession will not be a rapid process . Going into recession happens rapidly but not the recovery will do .

Now as clients to pressurize your company to reduce costs , your company will investigate its operational costs first . Till now IT companies have been spending lavishly on travelling . So , they will try to decrease travelling as much as possible. They will ask you to use other modes of communication like phones and VOIP services . They will reduce people oscillating between onsite and Offshore . They will reduce power usage and try to decrease other perks which they give you normally like snacks and food .AC's will be switched on only in official office timings (9 AM-6PM) . Number of working hours will be increased as companies can get billing for extra hours thus by increasing revenue . Human resource department will be asked to postpone promotions of people .Forget about hikes completely( Wish that you atleast get the salary you are promised of earlier :) ) . These operational costs are for increasing the margin internally in the company . To client also , they need to show that they are trying to decrease his costs .So they will say they will get the entire work done from offshore as much as possible . They will ask all teams to decrease the number of people working in onsite under the Name Offshore Leverage . Companies are looking for a offshore leverage of 90% all over these days . The companies will make employees dance to their tune saying we are doing all this to keep you r jobs safe.

IT employees have to be in a condition where they can not demand anything from the company , if they want to have their job safe . Stay happy with what your company offers. Companies have good advantage of the present situation . Attrition rate will decrease very much as people are not finding jobs easily in market like earlier .But as the situation starts improving attrition will touch high rates as all frustrated employees keep moving between companies . But IT guys companies have developed enough workforce by training large number of freshers to deal with attrition problems . So if you say I am going to leave the company , they will just say " yes Please " .

So IT guys , for the next one or two years, you can not do what you want . Just do what your company wants [:P] .Thanks to recession .

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Ghajini review ( Aamir rocked )

Inspired by the hype given all over , Last weekend I went to see the latest flick of Aamir khan , Ghajini . I saw the original version of ghajini ( a Indian version of Momento ) in telugu and tamil before . Having a confidence on Aamir , I thought he will try to do something different in the new version . But what I felt when I saw the movie ? Keep on reading : ) ..

The movie has nothing except Aamir . Aamir has done every effort from his part to create a master piece , But it did not work this time . Let me say a few words to Aamir before I start writing about the movie .

Dear Aamir ,
You are fascinating actor .You have enough talent with you to stand as a superstar . Your dedication towards your job , your hardwork is always appreciable . I am confident that audience are not disappointing you much by watching your movies in pathetic theatres . But dude dont try to copy someone . Still now what ever movie I saw in which you played a role are just original versions and I always praised you for your work . You did extremely well when you did something yourself . You are good in creating things . But I think you are not good in analysing a role which is already done by someone else . You did somethings which are not in line with your fan thoughts . For knowing the mistakes you have done in the movie , you also have to read the rest of review .

Lets start with Aamir 's introduction part . The hero ( Surya) in the original version of Ghajini is of good height . So the director made him fight with bad guys whose height is in sync with him and he made them fall in one shot . It was good to see that . But Aamir is a short fellow . He is made to fight with guys who are quite taller than him . The fight is supposed to be like Aamir dominating them with his strength . But as the guy is longer , it looked like Aamir is struggling to fight with him. what I mean is if hero has to dominate the villains ( by making them fall in one or two shots ) , he should make sure that they are weaker than him in physique . Next comes the heroine . The introduction song of the heroine in Telugu version was very good . But in Hindi , its not upto the mark . The music would had been better for that song and even the picturisation too . The whole movie is a copy paste . The heroine part which played a great role in making the early versions hit , can not do this time . How can Aamir think of putting some south Indian heroine beside him in a bollywood movie ?

The first half is better compared to second in the movie . The second half is just filled with violence which follows a beautiful song Guzarish . I should say about Aamir this song . His body was shown as if he is some girl . I understand Aamir that you have developed this to show your competitors that you are better than them but the picturisation of movie can not add value to your body . You would had utilisted it better in the movie . The entire movie looks as if Aamir is acting in some south Indian movie . You would had gone for some bollywood director instead of Murugadoss who tried to show you just by replacing surya in the original version with out trying to adapt it to the tastes of bollywood . The heroine should also had been changed .

Oops , I should mention about the changed climax na . Some people said that the climax is highlight of this movie as it has been changed . But I did not find it so . There is just some logical act there and nothing much interesting apart from it .

In a whole , the movie deserves to be a one time watch that also only if you are a fan of Aamir .
It deserves a rating of 2.5 from me .

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