Friday, May 07, 2004

Dependency Walker (depends.exe) Home Page

Dependency Walker (depends.exe) Home Page

I love Dependency Walker. Just too darn useful in troubleshooting for words.

"Dependency Walker is a free utility that scans any 32-bit or 64-bit Windows module (exe, dll, ocx, sys, etc.) and builds a hierarchical tree diagram of all dependent modules. For each module found, it lists all the functions that are exported by that module, and which of those functions are actually being called by other modules. Another view displays the minimum set of required files, along with detailed information about each file including a full path to the file, base address, version numbers, machine type, debug information, and more.

Dependency Walker is also very useful for troubleshooting system errors related to loading and executing modules. Dependency Walker detects many common application problems such as missing modules, invalid modules, import/export mismatches, circular dependency errors, mismatched machine types of modules, and module initialization failures.

Dependency Walker runs on Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, and XP. It can process any 32-bit or 64-bit Windows module, including ones designed for Windows CE. It can be run as graphical application or as a console application. Dependency Walker handles all types of module dependencies, including implicit, explicit (dynamic / runtime), forwarded, delay-loaded, and injected. A detailed help is included.

Dependency Walker is completely free to use. However, you may not profit from the distribution of it, nor may you bundle it with another product."

Thursday, May 06, 2004

Download details: Developing Applications Using SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services

Download details: Developing Applications Using SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services

Sounds interesting...

Installing Longhorn 4074... (WinHEC version)

So I'm giving the latest Longhorn client that was released this week a Virtual PC install try...

Only at the "Starting Setup" phase, but at least I could mount the downloaded ISO in VPC :)

Can't tell for sure yet, but it looks like this version is better at detecting the VPC video card. [Update: Nope, wasn't]

Wait, now at the "Welcome to Windows Setup"

Grr. It didn't auto detect the mouse. Once it's done, I'll add the VPC Additions and hopefully that will do it.

Moving forward using the keyboard. (How very Windows 3.1)

Product Key? where did I put that? Oh yeah, I don't have one yet. (Going to MSDN... Got it.)

Installing now. 14 minutes left...

After 30 minutes, there's now 11 minutes left. :) (Of course I'm doing other work on the PC as it installs, and I have VPC setup to give Host OS priority when the Guest PC is in the background, so the speed is expected).

VPC Reboot. "Please wait while Windows prepares to start......"

Setup continues now... Cool. Looks like the install did find the mouse.

Detecting Hardware now.

An hour later... Still detecting hardware... GO, VPC, GO!!!

30 minutes later... Hardware detect done. VPC Reboot.

Looks like I'm in. Boy the default "leaf" desktop wallpaper looks like crap at 16 colors :|

When the HD light stops, I'll install the VPC Additions... Come on, come on... I want to play. Can't wait. Will try and install them now...

Cool. Installing... Took a while (15-20 minutes?) to get to the user interface part of the Virtual Machine Additions setup. Continuing to install. While that was starting up, also got a "Found new hardware" dialog for the soundblaster. The Search for Driver couldn't find a local copy of the SB16 driver, so now it's trying to find one on Windows Update. Couldn't find a SB16 driver. Will have to try again after the Additions are done.

Additions installed and rebooting. (for the last time?)

Looks much better now... Trying the SB16 install game again.

But besides that I think I done! yeah!

Time to play

Wednesday, May 05, 2004

Improving .NET Application Performance and Scalability

Improving .NET Application Performance and Scalability

Now available in a PDF...


Again the guide's about:
"This guide provides end-to-end guidance for managing performance and scalability throughout your application life cycle to reduce risk and lower total cost of ownership. It provides a framework that organizes performance into a handful of prioritized categories where your choices heavily impact performance and scalability success. The logical units of the framework help integrate performance throughout your application life cycle. Information is segmented by roles, including architects, developers, testers, and administrators, to make it more relevant and actionable. This guide provides processes and actionable steps for modeling performance, measuring, testing, and tuning your applications. Expert guidance is also provided for improving the performance of managed code, ASP.NET, Enterprise Services, Web services, remoting, ADO.NET, XML, and SQL Server."

(via Rico Mariani's WebLog)

GotDotNet User Sample: PINVOKE.NET Add-In for Visual Studio

GotDotNet User Sample: PINVOKE.NET Add-In for Visual Studio

"This add-in for Visual Studio (7.0 or later) communicates with www.pinvoke.net, making it easy to copy signatures and types from the PINVOKE.NET repository into your source code. It also highlights alternative managed APIs that help you avoid PInvoke altogether, and makes it easy for you to contribute your own signatures and types! Because the latest information in the repository is displayed, the number of signatures and languages supported should grow over time. This also means that an Internet connection is required to make use of the add-in (although it behaves gracefully when no connection is present). Defining PInvoke signatures (also known as Declare statements in VB) without any help is an error-prone process that can introduce extremely subtle bugs. It's time to stop writing PInvoke signatures from scratch! Instead, copy and paste your way to productivity! Think of this as the 21st century version of VB6's API Text Viewer. For more information, visit www.pinvoke.net. "

Cool... Installing now.

BTW. To use it, right click in your source code the pinvoke stuff will be in the popup menu.

Larry Osterman's WebLog - Mea Culpa (it's corrections time).

Mea Culpa (it's corrections time).

"...discussion with the MM guys was the maximum paging file size on a system:

On a regular x86 machine, you can have 16 paging files, each is 4G in size, for a total of 64G.
On an x86 running in PAE mode, you can have 16 paging files, but each can be 16tb in size, for a total of 256tb of paging file space."

I want of 256TB page file... :)

That said, this is a nice post about NT's Page File. Some good info in a short amount of space.

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

RE: Separating Date and Time in T-SQL

RE: Separating Date and Time in T-SQL

Nice group of SQL Server 2K Date and Time functions...

XPSMTP (SMTP Emails from SQL Server)

XPSMTP

Send SMTP Email from SQL Server 2K.
Simple install and usage.
Just one DLL. (Implemented as an external procedure)

Also it's free (pretty much)... :)

Would like to see the code though to make sure there's nothing "bad" in it... but what do you want for free? Your money back?

(via Stephane Frechette's blog )

Using Virtual PC for Application Testing (via Thom Robbins' .NET Weblog)

Using Virtual PC for Application Testing-Thom Robbins' .NET Weblog

"This online Webinar covers how to use Virtual PC 2004 in a test environment, specifically for use in testing a given application against multiple Operating System configurations. We will show how to use Virtual PC to pre-configure multiple test systems, each of which is ultimately used to test an application under development. In this webinar, we will demonstrate:

- How to build and configure multiple test systems
- How to re-set a test environment back to an original configuration (for when things go wrong)
- How to create multiple Virtual Systems from a standard configuration / known base install
- Configuration and management of a test environment"

VPC is just too cool. Glad I have something like this to help me fill my remaining HD free space :)

Start, Stop, Pause and get status of NT Services...

Start, Stop, Pause and get status of NT Services...

I was looking for VB6 samples to do this and found this... Perfect fit, just what I was looking for.

Example on how to use:
Declare Function CloseServiceHandle Lib "advapi32.dll" (ByVal hSCObject As Long) As Long
Declare Function ControlService Lib "advapi32.dll" (ByVal hService As Long, ByVal dwControl As Long, lpServiceStatus As SERVICE_STATUS) As Long
Declare Function OpenSCManager Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias "OpenSCManagerA" (ByVal lpMachineName As String, ByVal lpDatabaseName As String, ByVal dwDesiredAccess As Long) As Long
Declare Function OpenService Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias "OpenServiceA" (ByVal hSCManager As Long, ByVal lpServiceName As String, ByVal dwDesiredAccess As Long) As Long
Declare Function QueryServiceStatus Lib "advapi32.dll" (ByVal hService As Long, lpServiceStatus As SERVICE_STATUS) As Long
Declare Function StartService Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias "StartServiceA" (ByVal hService As Long, ByVal dwNumServiceArgs As Long, ByVal lpServiceArgVectors As Long) As Long


This is a nice site, with a number of samples, news, etc.

VB6 WinAPI Web Sites

Some VB6/WinAPI web sites.

Nothing like a good API call in the morning. :)

AllAPI.net - Your #1 source for using API-functions in Visual Basic!

The granddaddy VB WinAPI site. You see API samples all over the net that came from this site.

Windows Api programming in C# , VB.NET, and VB6. Examples of P/Invoke and DllImport with Source code

Nice VB6 and .Net WinAPI site that I don't think I've seen before.

Allows user submitted API samples.

Developer PowerToys

Developer PowerToys

Nice grouping of VS Stuff. VS Add-ins, Macros, other Developer things...

"The Developer PowerToys site is a "work in progress" directory of cool utilities and tools developed by Microsoft and the community that are meant to improve developer productivity. Currently, on this site, you will find the original list of Powertoys projects on the right, catagorized feeds from the Powertoys Blog, and a blog created for discussion about the future of this site. Ideally this site will transition into a place where people can post, rate, and share their cool extensions to the Visual Studio platform."

Monday, May 03, 2004

Reflector for .NET 4.0.0.0

Lutz Roeder's Programming.NET C# VB CLR WinFX

One great utility rev'ed to 4.0. Now supports .Net 2.0/VS2005...

(via Early Adopter)

Saturday, May 01, 2004

Visual Basic: Visual Basic At The Movies

Visual Basic: Visual Basic At The Movies

25 VB movies... with more soon, for a total 101...
Note the snip about getting a free VB Standard Edition.

From JRoxe's WebLog

"Check out VB @ The Movies - We've got 101 short videos of how to do everything from creating a checked list box, include data in your form, build a web app, or customize the IDE. While a lot of this content is targeted at the beginning developer, we've definitely got some material in there that will be cool for the advanced dev as well.

If you watch five of the movies and rate them, you can get a free copy of Visual Basic Standard Edition. If you've been wanting to kick the tires on .NET, this is a great way to get going with some training and some code."

UPDATE: Some of these video's are too bad. Short, sweat and to the point. Mostly meant for those new to VS/VB.NET, but still some good poop.

After to view and rate the 5 movies, it's pretty painless to get the free stuff... And you can either get VB.Net Standard or a Developer Welcome pack with CD and .Net Application Book (Which is what I picked...).
And really free, don't even have to pay for the shipping...

Pretty cool way for MS to get people interested and using VB.Net...

I hope they do it again for a copy of VB2005 :)

NetXP 3.0

Home

From FTP, to UI (Task/Action Panes), FTP, MAPI, WNet to WinAPI...

Free for personal use or use in freeware applications, $120 to purchase.

(via The Daily Grind