I’m trying to do some work on a legacy VB6 application at the moment, and need to install the application first so that I can see how it works.

Trying to install it keeps throwing up the message:

Setup cannot continue because some system files are out of date on your system.  Click OK if you would like setup to update these files for you now.  You will need to restart Windows before you can run setup again.  Click cancel to exit setup without updating system files.

Even after several reboots and Microsoft’s suggestions, this message kept coming up.  Some digging around revealed that the files which are to be updated are:

1. C:\WINDOWS\system32\stdole2.tlb
2. C:\WINDOWS\system32\asycfilt.dll
3. C:\WINDOWS\system32\olepro32.dll
4. C:\WINDOWS\system32\oleaut32.dll

Extracted these from the CAB, and copied these to the hard disk.  Edited autoexec.bat to copy the files, but a couple of reboots later, and the files still weren’t updated.  Probably because the NTFS filesystem can’t be accessed from autoxec.bat – D’oh!

Tried booting into safe mode command prompt, and doing it from there.  All of them copied across, except the blasted oleaut32.dll, which appears to be in use by nearly every application on my system, as well as a couple of system processes.  Just look at how many applications are using it [in normal mode]…

I’m truly at a loss as to how I’ll get this application working.  The joys of VB6 and DLL hell.

Tags: oleaut32.dll, vb6

There’s a new blog by Om Malik called Web Worker Daily, for people who’s office happens to be wherever their laptop is.

Niall Kennedy talks about coffee, wifi and inspiration.  I’ve tried working from Starbucks once, and it’s nice. Orlando really needs a place like Expresso Vivace Roasteria though.

Expresso Vivace Alley 24 in Seattle combines famous espresso with over 2000 square feet of work space. The staff is friendly and the manager Brian is very friendly to the beduin office crowd by providing both sweet and savory food items. Espresso Vivace even has a small glass-enclosed room in the back for extra quiet while surrounded by available power outlets. Parking is ample, and I-5 is just a few blocks away to take you to your next meeting.

It sounds so much better than Starbucks.  My search for the perfect cafe to work from continues…

Tags: coffee, wifi, starbucks, orlando, remote working

With my new t809, I got a free Motorola HS815 bluetooth headset thrown in for free. I’ve never been too keen on using these devices when driving, or walking around with them stuck to my ear (which I think looks strange).

My Dell Lattitude D820 has Bluetooth, and I figured I’d pair it up and see what I can do. Pairing it up took seconds, and is very straightforward using the Bluetooth Manager application.

Once paired, Windows recognises the headset as a bluetooth audio device and uses this as the speaker and microphone. Perfect for use with Skype!

Now that I’ve got Vonage and am married, I don’t use Skype much anymore, but wish I got a Bluetooth headset last year, when I used to use Skype nearly every day to call my fiancee here in the US. It would’ve been a lot more convenient to use than the Cyberphone-K.

It’s cheap too. A Motorola HS815 is at the lower end of the range, and only costs $30 on Amazon with free delivery (though you’ll also need a Bluetooth dongle if you don’t have this already).

By Comparison, a Cyberphone-K is about $60, the LinkSys Skype USB Phone is around $70, and the Netgear Skype WiFi phone is a massive $250.

Tags: motorola, hs815, bluetooth, headset, skype, voip, phone

Google have launched Google Image Labeler.

You’ll be randomly paired with a partner who’s online and using the feature. Over a 90-second period, you and your partner will be shown the same set of images and asked to provide as many labels as possible to describe each image you see. When your label matches your partner’s label, you’ll earn some points and move on to the next image until time runs out. After time expires, you can explore the images you’ve seen and the websites where those images were found. And we’ll show you the points you’ve earned throughout the session.

Once you get started, you won’t want to stop.  It’s addictive! Make sure you log into your Google account first though, or your score won’t be saved.

It would be nice to have a chat feature too… Nice way to network, though it could potentially harm the purpose of the game if a person tries to influence their partner’s choice of tags.

Overall, I think it’s a good idea, and should improve Google’s image search feature.

Tags: google, image, labeler