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Hyperlinks in Outlook not working

So your best friend sent you the newest cat video on YouTube. You eagerly click on the link to it in Outlook, only to be greeted by the message “This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer”

Wonder why it happened and how to fix it? Well, thanks to a little research, some regshot and some windiff, I have gotten to the root cause.

The most common way to trigger this error is when Google Chrome is uninstalled.

Google Chrome changes a number of registry keys when installed so that links open in Google Chrome. When uninstalled, it REMOVES the keys entirely instead of changing them back. Without these keys, Windows does not know how to open a link.

To fix this, run the attached file. Here is some note:
1. This program was made by me. It simply re-inserts 6 registry keys back into the PC.
2. This program will need admin rights
3. This program is not OS specific and has been tested on XP and Windows 7.
4. There is no feedback from this program. It silently adds the keys back in. It will send a few messages before and after.
5. You need to close Outlook and Internet Explorer or it may not work correctly.
6. You do not need to restart the PC normally, but try it in case this doesn’t work.

If the first fix does not work, you have a few options.
1) Run the Microsoft FixIT from here:
2) Install Google Chrome, set Internet Explorer as the default browser, and then remove Google Chrome.


License: Freeware


1992 Camry Electrical Problems

Something new for my blog…

So I have a car, a 1992 Toyota Camry (I4, American Edition for those that care) that runs fine. We start it every morning, drive it, and park it at night. Rinse and repeat.
As with all good things, this too came to a end. We started it, drove to the gas station, filled it with gas, hopped back into the car, and could not get it to start again. Ended up pushing it from the gas station.

Here is what we observed:

  1. The check engine light (which works fine on this car) would not light up when turning the key to the on position.
  2. The engine would crank over when in the start position, the indicates there is enough power in the battery for the starter to engage.
  3. The engine did not sound like it had no compressions – the sound was not a flat whine, but rather the normal chug sound as the pistons go up and down and the valves open normally.
  4. Headlights and hazards worked correctly.

The next morning we were able to get it on a lift and test a few other things. Some more notes:

  1. There was 1 blown fuse. The fuse was labeled AM and would blow as soon as a new fuse was plugged in (note to self: use a relay so you don’t waste fuses).
  2. AM per labeling was a headlight fuse. But the headlights worked even with no fuse installed.
  3. The check engine light did work correctly when we powered the ignition switch manually.

{side note: There are 3 main things a car will need to run: a) spark b) fuel c) compression /side note}

We decided it most likely was not due to fuel or compression, but rather due to spark, or lack thereof. Because the check engine light was not lighting up, we could assume the ECU was not being powered, thereby not providing spark (among other things).

Armed with that information (The fuse blowing and the fact there appears to be no power to the car from the ECU), we started looking for the short. We started unplugging various items from the wire harness and seeing if the fuse would blow. With everything unplugged, the fuse would not blow, so we knew the short was not in the wire harness. We started plugging in items one at a time, and what do you know, when the distributor was plugged back in the fuse blew again.

{side note: the distributor has 2 connections to the wire harness. Make sure you get them both /side note}

A new distributor costs $14x.xx dollars, which is a lot. However, through some Google research we found that a common fail point was the condenser inside the distributor. That costs around $5 from the dealer by the way. So, with nothing to lose, we opened the distributor up, and low and behold, we found a melted condenser. Replaced that, put the whole thing back together, and we are on our way.

Hopefully this posting will save you a lot of the time we spent on this and get you back in your car with a lower cost.


Updated: LiveZilla – How to download V3.3.2.2/3

Maybe you heard of this amazing piece of software before. Maybe you have even used it. It was a leader in the freeware market for live chat until recently.

The software I am talking about is called LiveZilla.

LiveZilla, like many other groups with the zilla name, was focusing on making a amazing piece of software for free. Just like Mozilla (Firefox) and FileZilla (FTP software), LiveZilla had some issues, but it was free and people were happy to help in way I could. Yes, they offered premium options that some people bought, but apparently that was not enough.

Not all too long ago, LiveZilla took V3.40 and re-named it as v4. that itself isn’t a issue, but then they also removed the “Freeware” license model and replaced it with a “Commercial” License. They claimed that they could not develop anymore for free due to no money and they were forced to moved to a pay solution.

This too could have been overlooked, if not for one key factor. They also removed any and all links to old free versions as fast as they could.

Their reason of “we cannot develop anymore due to lack of funds” is no longer valid. After all, the old versions were completed already, there was nothing more to develop. Rather I suspect they did this so you would be forced to buy their new version and pay them 69 GBP per operator.
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