Hijinks Inc.

Category: Tips

  • Scratch magic

    It’s probably happened to all of us LCD owners at one point or another… somethings scratches that beautiful real-estate you’re so proud of, and it makes you cry a little on the inside every time you see the glaring blemish. Good news! I’ve found a way to remove scratches… even fairly deep ones!

    Disclaimer: I’ve tried this trick on one screen, a Samsung LCD TV (LN40A550). I can’t be sure it works on all LCDs, and I’m pretty sure it won’t work on the glossy type, only the anti-glare screens.

    Ready for it? A white pencil eraser! Not the white ink pen erasers, which are rough, but a soft, white pencil eraser.

    When we received our screen at work it had several deep scratches in one corner. It looked as if something sharp like a screwdriver scratched it. After reading somewhere online that white erasers worked, I gave it a shot. I was able to completely remove them by rubbing them with a white pencil eraser for a couple of seconds, then cleaning the residue with Windex and a soft cotton cloth.

    Don’t believe me? Check out the pictures after the break. I can’t even tell where they were before, by sight OR feel. If your screen is scratched, consider giving this trick a try, then post a comment and let everyone know if it worked for you or not.

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  • RPC Server Unavailable

    Recently my Uncle tried to update his new(ish) computer from Windows XP SP2 to Windows XP SP3, but he kept receiving the following error:

    RPC Server Unavailable
    Service Pack 3 installation did not complete

    If you happen to run into this error, the most likely cause is that you don’t have the EnableRSS subkey in your registry. Naturally the first step is verifying this.

    Click Start, click Run, type regedit, press Enter.

    Locate and then click the following registry key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters

    If the EnableRSS registry entry does not exist, create it.
    – Click the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
    In the New Value #1 box, type EnableRSS, and then press ENTER.
    Right-click EnableRSS, and then click Modify.
    In the Value data box, type 0 (zero), and then click OK.

    Exit Registry Editor.

    Now retry the Service Pack 3 installtation.

  • Fixing Portal Crashes

    For those of you who are getting the following error when trying to launch Portal, there is hope! Unless you’re running it under Boot Camp on a MacBook, if that’s the case you’re screwed.

    Hanging application hl2.exe, version 0.0.0.0, hang module hungapp, version 0.0.0.0, hang address 0x00000000.

    Just add the following to the end of the Target path of the Portal shortcut:
    -dxlevel 81 +mat_forcehardwaresync 0

    You can do so by right clicking on the Portal icon and selecting Properties.

    After you’re finished, it should look something like this:
    Steam.exe -applaunch 400 -dxlevel 81 +mat_forcehardwaresync 0

    Now click Ok.

    Please note this fix is only relevant for launching Portal using the desktop shortcut, this will not fix launch problems with launching Portal from within Steam.

  • Terminal Tips: Part 6

    Continuing the series of posts I started last week, here are a few more Terminal tips.

    [16] uptime
    Shows the current time, how long your computer has been running, as well as the average load.

    [17] top
    Much like Activity Monitor, the top command displays a list of all running processes on your system.

    [18] emacs
    Allows you to run the old unix program emacs.

  • Terminal Tips: Part 5

    [13] defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool YES Terminal.app
    This command lets you see the current path of the Finder window you are in. Quite handy if you’re working with a ton of finder windows.

    [14] defaults write com.apple.finder QuitMenuItem -bool YES
    Enables Quit in Finder. killall Finder command is required to take effect.

    [15] telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl
    Using a simple telnet address your Terminal will connect and play Star Wars Episode IV in its ASCII glory.