Write Protect Error Olympus Camera: Tough TG-2

I didn't encounter this error in my old Olympus Tough waterproof camera but Toughie, my Olympus Tough TG-2 camera frequently has this "write protect" error The first time it happened at home and I was able to to fix it without really knowing why and how i did it. The second one happened just recently while I was about to jump out of the boat to snorkel near Magalawa Island in Palauig, Zambales. The dreaded write protect error showed much to my dismay What causes the write protect error? Some sites point to locked/write-protected SD card (memory card) but when I inspected my memory it's not locked/write-protected. On the second occasion I though my SD card is already full but when I put it into my Nikon DLSR camera, it's not yet full and still useable the real solution is really to take the memory card out of the camera then format it in a PC or another camera. If you have precious pictures already stored, copy the pictures first before formatting. I found out that the camera saved a corrupted file in the memory card, the file I wasn't able to cut and paste to my hard drive that's causing the error. I found no issues with the SD card but it may be defective. Lesson: bring another SD card to replace the card causing the write protect error of Olympus cameras. You'll never know when it will hit you just like me, just when I needed it most :(

How to Fix Corrupted Inbox/Mailbox Mozilla Thunderbird

I've experienced it before and now an officemate of mine too when his mozilla thunderbird inbox was corrupted when inbox entries got all mixed up and suggested even changing his client to Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook (using MS Exchange)

I simply told him to shutdown thunderbird, go to the thunderbird profile folder, delete inbox.msf then restart thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird will then rebuild the inbox as if nothing happened



How to recover corrupt mailbox
How to recover corrupted inbox

How To Recover Stolen Items in Pawshops: Police, Anti-Fencing, Papel de Agencia

I know someone whose precious wedding rings and engagement ring were stolen by a brother deeply mired in gambling vice, then pawned the items at nearby pawnshops.

He did this years ago but my friend was able to recover the items from the pawnshop when an errand boy, who went to the pawnshop in behalf of the "prodigal" brother tipped her off of the caper and was able to get the pawn ticket (papel de agencia) and redeemed the stolen items.

Now the prodigal brother is again at it but this time no papel de agencia can be found nor an admission from the unrepentant brother.

The most logical thing is to look for them, again, at nearby pawshops. But having no experience at this, I have these questions.

1. Is it possible to ask the pawnshop for the items then have them sold to her without the papel de agencia?

2. Would asking the police for help really help? This is fearsome as many policemen only milk the complainants for "gas money and snacks" but produce no results.

3. Do you what Lhuiller does with unclaimed pawned jewellery? They melt it to create new jewelleries.

4. Can my friend ever recover her rings in case she finds it in pawnshops?

5. Can you invoke the anti-fencing law against the pawnshop accepting stolen items?

6. What's the best course of action to take?

To be updated once some of these steps are taken :(

Adobe Flash Cause of Firefox Crash/Hang-up Problem

I'm an active OpenStreetMap volunteer mapper using Potlatch 2 online editor. What I noticed beginning from Firefox 3.6 was that my browser will always go slow, hang or crash for a few weeks already.

What I did was update my Firefox to the latest version even all Firefox add-ons and extensions but still the Firefox crash persisted.

I disabled all add-ons and extensions and now it's ok but I can't use Adobe Flash Player that I need to edit OSM Potlatch 2

Using the latest version of Firefox 4 and yet the problem returned after a few days of stable operation.

Solution? Fire up Google Chrome browser and no crashes. Even Internet Explorer 9 can do but don't recommend it from Microsoft.

I use Firefox for Blogger, IE9 for OpenStreetmap and Blog Facebook and Google Chrome for this.

My other other add-ons for Firefox that are currently enabled: SearchStatus, NoScript, Adblock, and DownThemAll

Tips How to Win Lotto Jackpot PCSO Lottery 6/42, 6/45, 6/55

For people who'd like to know if they're lucky and take a shot at the balooning jackpot of PCSO GrandLotto 6/55...including the greedy senators who "wants to help the poor" but don't palce bets when the grand prize is low


Sure ways tips to win the lottery:
1. Take care of your numbers. Having a set of numbers each time has a
higher probability of winning.

2. Computer programs calculating winning lotto number combination don't
work

3. Winning number patterns can't predict the next winning combinations.
The balls are each weighed before each draw, right? If you want
predictable and cheated results, just bet on jueteng, the illegal numbers game patronized by the poor who has no money for food and education yet finds resources for alcohol, cigarettes and sometimes drugs, even if they know jueteng lords cheat their own game :(

4. More bets mean more probability of winning; and the higher risk of
losing :P

5. The only way to win the lotto jackpot is to be the luckiest guy who
placed a bet. (There's some sort of luckiest guy on earth who won the lottery jackpot, not once but twice. Jose Rizal also was lucky when he co-won the second prize while in exile in Dapitan)

6. Most lotto winners come from the Bureau of Customs, the Bureau of
Internal Revenue and other government agencies who can't explain their
wealth when questioned why their SALs always bloat even if they have not
so high paying jobs.

7. Sure way to win the lottery grand prize is to bet at all possible numbers i.e. about 29 million lotto tickets worth about PhP580M. This is only feasible, and if the PCSO will allow it, when the jackpot hits more than that prize...just keep your fingers crossed that you're the only one who placed a bet on the winning number combination :P

Samsung Corby GT-S3653 Bluetooth Problem on Windows Vista

I tried to download my pictures taken by my Samsung Corby to my Windows Vista laptop and I can't connect, getting errors. I can browse and get files from my PC (files on the Bluetooth share folder) but not the other way around.

Note that I can do this on my Nokia E63 aand other Nokia phones but not here on Samsung Corby. Tried uploading it from my phone but it also doesn't work. Tried various settings to no avail.

Tried to find solutions online but can't find one that really solved my problem. Once I tried to buy a USB cable for Samsung Corby on Raon, Quiapo, Manila and even CDR King but didn't find one. I'm currently installing Samsung New PC Studio, something like Nokia PC Suite to test bluetooth functionality. I wonder if I' encounter the same problems for Cherry Mobile, Torque or myPhone cellphones with scant information, hard-to-find service service centers and local support forums.

UPDATE: Problem solved by using Samsung New PC Studio. It can also pose problems for Windows XP and Windows 7as well as other Samsung phones.

AVG Miniport Driver Messed Up My Network Connections

I downloaded and installed AVG 9 on my Lenovo S10-2 netbook but my network connections instantly got messed up. I thought it was something else when I checked Hardware Manager of Windows XP and founf out AVG miniport drivers not working correctly

I uninstalled AVG but the problem didn't go away. I unistalled my network card (NIC) then re-installed it and fixed the problem for my LAN connection but my USB modem (Sun wireless broadband and Globe Tatoo) didn't work. Can't uninstall AVG IP Miniport driver for Windows XP said it's needed by the system to start Windows.

Using my bestfriend Google on another laptop, I was intructed to download avgremover.exe from AVG official website, run it and now my USB modem's now working.

Now I need a better free anti-virus for my home computer without messing up my PC.

The iPod cannot be Synced. An unknown Error occured (-53)

My iPod Video 30GB got ressurected recetly with the upgrading of my Toyota Vios 1.5G's head unit (car stereo) with iPod control

I got to update my Mp3 song collections and therefore my iPod by I keep on getting this error: "The iPod cannot be Synced. An unknown Error occured (-53)" everytime I try to sync the iPod even with latest version of Apple iTunes.

Fortunately, my iPod does sync even with the error whenever I update my iTunes library. The error is still there but it doesn't matter if i have the solution to the pesky error problem.

Windows Vista Explorer Hangs When Deleting/Renaming Files

I'm the only one in the this freakin' office using Windows Vista since I need to test and learn if our company needs to upgrade our mostly Windows XP to Windows Vista or maybe straight to Windows 7.

My Windows Vista Basic runs fine (but not my Lenovo Ideapad Y430 with a new LCD screen) until a couple of days ago when I noticed Windows Explorer hangs whenever I try to delete a file, rename or do some to other things. Task Manager won't show it's not responding.

Further tests prove only the current Windows Explorer window freezes and opening a new one will work but the window activity telling you the file is being sent to the Recycle Bin won't close and freeze on screen but you can minimize.

I will just use task Manager to re-start Windows Explorer but I need to find the solution to the problem. I checked if my system needs a patch but no software upgrade is available (my system's always updated as it should always be). This also affects Firefox browser (or Internet Explorer) whenever I need to save a downloaded file since it also uses Windows explorer in the background.

Asking google for solutions ended up with the question still unanswered "Windows Explorer has stopped working" problem.

SmartBro "USB Modem is Unavailable" Error Problem and Solution?

An officemate of mine bought a new SmartBro Broadban Internet plugit (a ZTE MF627) that doesn't work on her laptop, a Compaq Presario V3000. As the "resident evil" techie even with the IT Technical Support around, she asked for my help.

The SmartBro receives a 3G signal (HSDPA) but everytime I try to connect to the Internet, a pop up window with error message says: "USB Modem is unavailable"

At first I thought it's a conflict with the Sun Broadband also installed so I uninstalled the softare using the Programs in Control Panel, tried again but the error remained.

I then tried uninstalling the SmartBro also in Programs, then re-installed but again, to no avail, error remains.

Note that Device Manager reports no error, conflicts or driver problems.

For now I'm downloading the ZTE MF627 driver for Windows XP/2000 (there alre also available free ZTE MF627 driver downloads fro Linux, Macintosh (Mac), even Windows 7.

If the new driver fails, there must be something with the notebooks hardware or software installation that's incompatible with the ZTE USB modem or needed a patch/software upgrade.

Will continue to troubleshoot this problem as I can't find solutions online even on blogs and forums that even Smart customer support cant solve :(

How to Remove "This copy of Office is not genuine" Notification from Pirated Microsoft Office Hack

I have a friend with a nagging problem on his PC that everytime he opens a Microsoft Office, a nagbox will display "this copy of office is not genuine." Here are tried and tested solutions to his problem that made it go away

Solutions:

1. Buy genuine Windows Software, it may be expensive but it's their right to display those nagboxes

2. Google for bypass Genuine Windows Validation, used to work by a registry tweak but now inutile.

3. The best solution so far: Dump MS Office and install OpenOffice: It's free and it works. Just have a bit of a problem with Powerpoint animations so far

Note: the Philippines largest bank is using OpenOffice to forgo the large license fees of MS Office in thousands of PCs. Makes perfect business sense to me unlike the former largest bank who hates Open-Source software. Good for them :P

How to Dowload Videos CyCorder in iPhone 3G

For those wishing to know how to download videos recorded by Cycroder in
a jailbroken Iphone 3G/3Gs.

How to download Cycorder Videos in iPhone 3G procedure

1. Download and install iPhoneBrowser in your PC.

2. Connect your iPhone to the your PC using the supplied USB cable

3. Open iPhoneBrowser and navigate to the file location:
Raw File System\private\var\mobile\Media\videos\



4. Select the desired file, right click then choose "Save AS" or just copy/paste the Videos folder to your PC

Slot-Loading DVD Drive Won't Eject Disk Problem and Solution

I have a few months old Lenovo Ideapad Y430 notebook equipped with a slot-loading CD/DVD drive, the one with no tray that comes out for you to put the disk on and instead the disk is sucked inside the drive when you insert one.

Recently, I noticed certain compact disks wont' come out or eject out of the drive and instead get stuck inside and played again by my OS, either crappy Windows Vista or Ubuntu Linux.

At one time, I only held on to the drive opening and the disk ejected as if I cleared an obstacle for the optical disk to eject.

Today, I tried to play a DVD video disk in my laptop DVD player but it later won't come out and unendingly returned inside to play and the LED drive lights just kept of flashing.

Note that Slot-loading disk drives don't have the magic small hole on the drive where you insert an pin or wire to push a mechanism for the drive to eject the disk.

After many attempts and observing how the disk got stuck inside the drive, I got a piece of paper, inserted it inside the drive, over the stuck DVD disk and pressed the eject button-- the disk ejected successfully.

To make sure it's not a fluke, I reinserted the disk, made sure it's stuck again and repeated my "magic paper" solution and it again worked.

I found out that disks, whether CD or DVD, should not be thicker than standard thickness. My DVD has a sticker on it that made it slightly thicker than other disks that's why the extra thickness bumped inside the drive that resulted to the failed ejections.

The next time you face a problem like I did, don't panic and don't call support. Get a piece and paper wand your disk will be ejected in no time!

If you like this post, you can donate to my Paypal account. Remember I saved you a few dollars and time from calling your laptop Customer Support :P

Sun Cellular Broadband 3G Internet Settings with Mobile Phone as USB Modem

I had just bought a new LG KF311 3g-capable mobile phone from LG outlet in SM City North EDSA simply because I wanted to have a backup to my crappy Bayan DSL Internet connection

After testing the basic functions of my phone, I went to the Sun Cellular business center at the 4th floor of SM The Annex but I left after observing how slow their customer service counters were moving, much slower than Cory Aquino's cortege going to Manila Memorial Park (imagine i'm #37 and they're still serving #125 with more than 15 minutes per number...i didn't waste my time just to inquire how to setup my internet using mobile phone)

How to setup Sun Cellular Internet using Mobile Phone as Modem:

1. Connect your mobile phone to PC using USB cable supplied
2. Use the CD installed with the mobile phone to install the PC Suite and USB driver software.
3. to setup your Internet connection, use "minternet" as APN setting and *99# for Call number (this i copied from Smart's number since I can't find the info on the Internet and I can't get through to Sun Cellular Hotline 200)
4. I was able to finally connect and use my new Internet connection.

Initial Sun Broadband Internet Review is that it's fairly decent but lacking my speed expectations but I'm sure, in my area, it's faster than Globe Tatoo due to absence of 3G signal at home.

How to Play Facebook Farm Town on iPhone, Nokia and other Mobile Devices

I had a strange request from a friend who bought a new Nokia cellphone just to play a Facebook app called farm Town. Since I'm not into social networking due to very busy schedules, i checked it out on facebook usiger my friends account
It seems Farm Town is a very famous Facebook application with many users. I tried to access it on the iPhone 3G that I have but can't see the link. I checked the Internet version and got to access Farm Town game on my Iphone 3G by visitng http://apps.facebook.com/farmtown/ but you need to install Flash Player on iPhone (or whatever mobile device you have in order to play it, that is if your mobile device is supported by Adobe Flash Player)

Now that i've known it's not dependent on certain packages or programs that permit it for mobile access, I need to access Farm Town again on the Nokia mobile phone, even other mobile devices like Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG and others with wifi-fi or 3G Internet access features. (can you play Farm Town without an internet connection :P)

It seems facebook is also an addictive game, bbut I don't have time for virtual games. I'd rather visit my own farm in the future.

Gmail Error on Firefox, Unsupported Browser?

Just today I'm having a problem again accessing Gmail at home here on my home laptop, the error message below pops up whenever I try to access Gmail on Firefox 3.0.10

"We've detected a problem

We're sorry. It seems there is a problem. Please try using Gmail with a supported browser. If you're encountering this error while using a supported browser, we suggest alerting your Internet Service Provider (ISP) that a proxy is failing to accept cookies on HTTP redirects.

Click here to return to Gmail. You'll need to sign in to your account again."

Since I'm still using Windows XP Professional at home and not the buggy Windows Vista in the office, I will be upgrading to 3.10.11 soon (the version that solved my ealier problem on Firefox Crashes in Vista.

Note: I'm currently using Opera browser to access this blog since I'm using FF to check my main Google account. Remember there's no simultaneous login sessions on Google/Gmail unless you use a different browser.

Related Post:
Solution to Firefox Crashes in Windows Vista

Firefox Crashes in Windows Vista Problem, Is there a Solution?

My Firefox 3 always crash randomly while browsing on Windows Vista Home Premium. Again, forums have no clear and definite cause and solution, not even on mozilla.com so i'm investigating this myself.

one of my observations is that it crashes everytime I click a link to open an email in gmail. Will have to check if it's the culprit or probably a Google Seach link will crash or have it shut down.

I'm also thinking of disabling all of my add-ons and plugins and enabling them one by one to eliminate my hunch that it's one of the Firefox extensions that's causing the crash. At first I suspected it's due to an update in one extension that's causing the crash (where in Windows XP, the browser just slows down or hangs, but not crash without any errors for forensics purpose)

McAffee Siteadvisor
NoScript
Adblock Plus
IETab
SearchStatus
CustomizeGoogle
Firebug
Add N Edit Cookies
Microsoft.Net Framework Assistant

As of now, I'm using Internet explorer 8 for my Gmail and blogger account. will test Firefox 3 with google if it still crashes, I might disable CustomizeGoogle first.

I will also try to simulate using Windows Saafe Mode

This will be updated until I find the solution myself or the problem solved somewhere on the Internet

UPDATE:
Windows Vista Firefox crash really caused by Gmail, I stopped using Gmail on Firefox and that solved the problem. I will simulate uninstalling one of the add-ons later to see if it still crashes. Maybe I start with Customize Google

SOLUTION: This problem was fixed recently with the release of Firefox 3.0.11. SO it's really a Firefox problem with Vista and not of any plugin that's why I wasn't able to fix it.

Windows Movie Maker Import MP3 Error and Solution on Vista

Feeling bored with nothing much to do, I tinkered with some pictures and decided to create a movie out of them with a background music using Windows Movie maker that comes with Windows Vista Home Premium

After arranging the storybook, I imported an mp3 file as background, but later decided to change it into another mp3 file but encountered error that the file can't be imported without any indication of the error.

I searched around for any solution to the problem, with various forums discussing the problem but never really offered a solution.

At this juncture, I tried to find the out myself how to solve it. I compared the 2 mp3 files for any differences (but rate, encoder, file size et al), tried to erase MP3 file information using the built-in properties editor of Vista to no avail.

When I noticed that the thumbnail of the mp3 file that can be imported into Windows Movie Maker was generic while the one that can't be imported has an artwork, I opened the mp3 file in iTunes and deleted the artwork.

I then tried to import the now artwork-less file in Windows Movie Maker and it worked (if it did not i migght try doing it in Windows XP Professional like the error of QuickPWN) I was able to finish the movie with my song of choice.

I know but I really don't like Vista, too many broken things left unexplained!

How to Claim Winning Lotto Prize at PCSO

I noticed these past few days people looking for information on the process for claiming PCSO lotto prize:

PCSO Lotto prize claiming procedure if you really have a winning combination:

1. First of all, write your name and signature at the back of the winning ticket before claiming the prize at the lotto outlet, or PCSO office.

2. Prize amounts from PhP 20.00 to PhP 5,000.00 can be claimed at any authorized Lotto outlet or at the PCSO Provincial District Offices.

3. Prizes from PhP 5,000.00 up to PhP 200,000.00 can be claimed at any of the PCSO Provincial District Office or at the PCSO Main Office in Quezon City.

4. The Lotto Jackpot prize can only be claimed, after validation, at the
PCSO Main Office, with address at Q. I. Compound,
E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave, Quezon City.

5. If you're lucky enough to win the jackpot prize, just keep it to yourself and don't let the whole world know for your own safety and security (like the jackpot winner who was killed by his neighbors when they found out the truth about the stashed money). You can be next victim of thieves, robbers, kidnappers and can even lose your life that no amount of money can ever buy. Spend your money wisely for even a 100 million pesos can evaporate into thin air in a short time.

How to get to PCSO Main Office:

Commute to PCSO: from Quiapo, board jeepneys going to Cubao and alight on E. Rodriguez St (a few blocks from Welcome Rotonda) in front to the PCSO. Alternatively, from MRT Araneta-Cubao station, walk towards Aurora blvd and board jeepneys going to Quiapo, request the driver to drop you off at QI (Quezon Institute)

Driving Directions to PCSO Office: From Quiapo, head towards Espana, pass by Welcome Rotonda, turn right on E. Rodriguez. PCSO Office is inside the compound of Quezon Institute at the corner of Araneta Avenue and E. Rodriguez (where a Pregold stands as another landmark)

related posts:
How to Win the Lotto
How to Win the PowerLotto

Pay SSS Contributions Online for OFWs, Self-employed, Voluntary et al

Ever wanted to remit your monthly SSS contributions without going to an SSS branch or bank nearest you? You can now do this online via BancNet, if you happen to have an account with the following banks:

Allied Bank, Asie United Bank (AUB), Chinabank, Chinatrust, Citibank, Citystate Savings Bank, Eastwestbank, ExportBank, Metrobank, Postal Bank, PSBank, RCBC, RCBC Savings Bank, Security Bank, Standard Chartered, Sterling Bank of Asia

To pay your monthly SSS Remittance, just follow these steps:

1. Open your browser and go to Bancnet Online Website
2. Select your bank (a new window will pop up)
3. Click I Agree (If you've already read the terms and conditions)
4. Click Payment on the left navigation pane
5. On the Biller/Institution dropdown menu, select your category from the list:

SSS Farmers and Fishermen
SSS Contribution - OFW
SSS Contribution - Self-Employed
SSS Contribution - Voluntary
SSS Non-Working Spouse

6. Enter your SSS Number (follow this format: SSS Number + month and year of payment period e.g. XXXXXXXXXXmmyyyy), ATM Card Number and Amount to be paid on their respective fields, select your Account type (Savings or Checking Account)

7. Key in your ATM Pin (or mPIN, depending on your bank) using the onscreen keypad (note the use of scrambled numbers there)

8. Hit the Submit button.

9. You may print or capture a screenshot of the resulting transaction receipt for record-keeping and reference.

Note:

this is a free transaction. Not all banks have online banking facility simply because they need an eBanking license from the BSP. No transaction fees required, no hassles, waiting time and long queues at the bank. :P