Kurt Shintaku's Blog

UPDATE 4/4/12
I got this from a reader and thought it might be important for some of you to see:

“It worked!  I ordered that part and it was for sure Rev 02. It worked on everything I threw at it. Big auditorium, messy, spaghetti, set up and boom. It was up without a hitch. Now I get whey they stopped production of the old one!  Places like Zones as it listed by it’s US part number AA-AH1NAMB/US (but not ever in stock). Which is not the Samsung KOREAN number, which is the one that you took a pic of, BA39-01122A. So by pure accident I happen to find an identically described part of very similar cost on the samsungparts.com (US company but official Samsung parts supplier) that happen to match the label on your dongle.”

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UPDATE 10/28/11:
I posted this earlier and thought everyone should see what the new VGA dongle looks like in case some of you coming in from Quora didn’t know that this new improved dongle is available.
https://kurtsh.com/2011/10/28/info-new-improved-vga-dongle-for-samsung-series-9-is-available/

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UPDATE 7/27/11:
Well, I tested the Plugable USB-VGA-165 USB to VGA Adapter and lo-and-behold, it WORKS consistently on all projectors and all VGA cable lengths so that’s the good news.  The bad news is that its performance isn’t fantastic.  Its rendering is done using your system’s actual CPU so you’ll notice that highly-intensive graphics like PowerPoint 2010’s new ‘flashy’ transitions do in fact work, but they’re not QUITE as smooth as your Samsung’s native display adapter.  I bet you get 24fps instead of 30fps.

But it does work and for $45, it’s worth the investment to be able to always connect to a projector.  Think of it as insurance.

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ORIGINAL POST:
The Samsung Series 9 has a “micro HDMI” port on its left side instead of a VGA port which is what most folks are used to for external displays or projectors.  The question comes up, how do you connect to a projector if it doesn’t have an HDMI port of some sort?

The answer is basically that Samsung sells a dongle that converts the micro-HDMI-to-VGA for around $30-$40.  This answer is well known if you do a number of searches on the Internet.  Here’s where you can purchase the dongle from Zones: http://www.zones.com/site/product/index.html?id=003830626

SIGNAL LEVELS
An issue sometimes arises when you attempt use the dongle with a projector.  It turns out that there are a couple revisions of this dongle and early versions may not work with your situation:

1. REV01 – This dongle works for short VGA cables like those used with portable projectors.  The dongle might have difficulty successfully transmitting a signal across longer cables however like those in pre-cabled conference rooms with projectors mounted to the ceiling.
2. REV02 – This dongle is brand new as of July 2011 and may not be readily available.  I’ve read that it works for most lengths of VGA cabling. (I don’t’ own one yet, so I can’t say for certain but this comes to me on very good authority)

HOW TO TELL WHAT DONGLE REVISION YOU HAVE
This is the tricky part.  The dongle’s revision is on the bar code label of the plastic material that initially wraps the dongle when it’s shipped to you.  There are no other indications as to what revision you have so if you lost the packing material, there’s doesn’t appear to be any way to visually tell near as I know other than to test the dongle itself and see if it works over long VGA cables.

To be honest, the REV02 dongle is very new so if you didn’t receive the dongle in July 2011, you most likely have REV01.

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS
In the meantime, I’ve been working on finding an alternative solution for this being that I have REV01 in my laptop bag.  A coworker suggested this VGA signal booster which I purchased:

• QVS VGA Distribution System ($35)
  http://www.amazon.com/Qvs-VGA-1X2-Dist-System/dp/B002FYIFZ6/
  (VGA signal is boosted by simultaneously connecting the unit to both VGA input & USB port)

I also picked up a portable KVM from IOGear that provides VGA signal boosting since I thought this might be more useful in the long run when working with two laptops.

• IOGEAR 2-Port USB KVM Switch ($20)
  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001D1UTC4

I also have an EXTERNAL USB 2.0-based VGA display adapter on order to see if that will work well.

• Plugable USB-VGA-165 USB to VGA Adapter ($45)
  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004D0QC0A
  (I selected the “Plugable” (sic) brand because of the consistently good reviews I’ve seen about their products.  You can also install multiple Plugable adapters on a single computer to get up to 6 additional displays)

Honestly… I haven’t been able to prove that any of the USB signal booster solutions work consistently because I haven’t had enough time.  When I do find something that works with everything (and I receive the Plugable device and test it), I’ll be sure to post my permanent solution.

Samsung announced on July 1st a series of new models in the Samsung Series 9 line of ultrathin laptops.

NEW 2nd Gen 11-inch configurations:

• NP900X1B-A01US ($1,249, available in August) Intel Core i3-2357M CPU, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD
• NP900X1B-A02US ($1,049, available in August) Intel Core i3-2357M CPU, 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD

NEW 2nd Gen 13-inch configurations:

• NP900X3A-A05US ($2,049, available now) Intel Core i7-2617M CPU, 6GB RAM, 256GB SSD
• NP900X3A-B02US ($1,649, available now) Intel Core i5-2467M CPU, 4GB RAM, 256GB SSD
• NP900X3A-B01US ($1,349, available now) Intel Core i5-2467M CPU, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD

Some differences should stick out:

1. CORE I7 AVAILABILITY
   The A05US model has an Intel Core i7 processor in it.  For those unaware – that’s a QUAD CORE chip.
2. 6GB STOCK MEMORY
   The same A05US model has 6GB RAM stock.  All Samsung Series 9 machines are upgradable to 8GB of RAM however so this doesn’t really matter much to folks with a little tinkering skills.
3. 256GB SOLID STATE DRIVES (SSD)
   The A05US and the B02US ship with 256GB SSD drives.  These drives are actually “mini-PCI-Express Full Slot” cards and… to be honest, I haven’t found them sold anywhere so upgrading to this “DIY” is not an option right now.  Besides, buying an SSD only to replace it with a larger one isn’t a really good way to spend cash.
4. CORE I5 2467M USE
   This is an odd thing.  The processor used in the first generation of Samsung Series 9 laptops used the Intel Core i5 2537M 1.40GHz, 3MB L3 cache w/SpeedBoost to 2.3Ghz.  The second gen used the Intel Core i5 2467M 1.60GHz, 3MB L3 cache w/SpeedBoost to 2.3GHz… meaning that the stock speed without managed overclocking is about 15% faster but the top speed is the same.

This incidentally is the reason for the drop of the in-store non-advertised price of the Samsung Series 9 at the Microsoft Store:  They’re getting rid of the previous generation.  There’s nothing really distinguishing the next gen much though other than the shipping 256GB drive and the availability of the i7 CPU.

So if I were you and was interested in a Ultrathin Laptop… I’d get down to the Microsoft Store and pick one up while you still can.

SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1(SP1) is now available for download. SQL Server 2008 R2 service packs are cumulative updates and upgrade all service levels of SQL Server 2008 R2 to SP1. This service pack contains the cumulative updates of SQL Server 2008 R2 cumulative update packages 1 thru 6. You can use these packages to upgrade any of the following SQL Server 2008 R2 editions:

(1) SQL Server 2008 R2 Datacenter Edition
(2) SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition and Developer Edition
(3) SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition
(4) SQL Server 2008 R2 Web Edition
(5) SQL Server 2008 R2 Workgroup Edition
(6) SQL Server 2008 R2 Express Edition

Note : To upgrade SQL Server 2008 R2 Express Edition, obtain the SP1 version of Express Edition or Express Edition with Advanced Services.

What’s New in SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 ?

• Dynamic Management Views for increased supportability: sys.dm_exec_query_stats DMV is extended with additional columns to improve supportabilities over troubleshooting long-running queries. New DMVs and XEvents on select performance counters are introduced to monitor OS configurations and resource conditions related to the SQL Server instance.
• ForceSeek for improved querying performance
  Syntax for FORCESEEK index hint has been modified to take optional parameters allowing it to control the access method on the index even further. Using old style syntax for FORCESEEK remains unmodified and works as before. In addition to that, a new query hint, FORCESCAN has been added. It complements the FORCESEEK hint allowing specifying ‘scan’ as the access method to the index. No changes to applications are necessary if you do not plan to use this new functionality.
• Data-tier Application Component Framework (DAC Fx) for improved database upgrades:
  The new Data-tier Application (DAC) Framework v1.1 and DAC upgrade wizard enable the new in-place upgrade service for database schema management. The new in-place upgrade service will upgrade the schema for an existing database in SQL Azure and the versions of SQL Server supported by DAC. A DAC is an entity that contains all of the database objects and instance objects used by an application. A DAC provides a single unit for authoring, deploying, and managing the data-tier objects. For more information, see Designing and Implementing Data-tier Applications.
• Disk space control for PowerPivot
  This update introduces two new configuration settings that let you determine how long cached data stays in the system. In the new Disk Cache section on the PowerPivot configuration page, you can specify how long an inactive database remains in memory before it is unloaded. You can also limit how long a cached file is kept on disk before it is deleted.
• Fixed various issues:
  This update fixes many knowledge base issues that are listed in this Master KB article .
  For a detailed list of new features and improvements that are included in SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1, review the What’s New Section in Release Notes.

• DOWNLOAD: SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
  http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=26727

Windows Thin PC is now generally available to our Software Assurance customers for download from the Microsoft Volume Licensing site.

Taken from the Windows Team Blog announcement:

As VDI deployments continue to grow, customers told us they needed an easy way to repurpose their existing PCs as thin clients, leading to the evolution of Windows Thin PC. Windows Thin PC helps reduce the cost of VDI at the endpoint, enabling IT with an enterprise ready platform to provide end users with an excellent thin client experience through the many unique features offered on their repurposed PCs. Some of these features include:

• RemoteFX support, which ensures that users have a local-like virtual desktop experience.
• Write Filters that improve security by preventing any writes to the deck.
• BitLocker and AppLocker features that help strengthen the device for enterprises.
• FEP support, which makes it possible to use a common set of malware protection tools for your desktops and thin clients.

[taken from http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/business/archive/2011/07/01/here-s-the-skinny-windows-thin-pc-available-for-download-today.aspx]

For more detail on what is in Windows Thin PC’s RTM release, visit:
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/business/archive/2011/06/07/windows-thin-pc-rtms.aspx

• PRODUCT SITE: Windows Thin PC
  http://www.microsoft.com/wintpc
• DOWNLOAD: Windows Thin PC for SA Customers (Required Volume Licensing Site access)
  https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/servicecenter/

Yeah, I’m late on this.  But I’ve been busy and major service packs demand a careful examination.

The major fixes can be read about here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2460049

Some things that caught my eye;

• EXCEL: Improves the overall stability, performance and backward compatibility with earlier versions by addressing bugs that affect lots of users.
• OUTLOOK: Outlook 2010 SP1 includes Office 365 support.
• WORD: When you copy some Excel data that includes cells and a chart, and then paste them as a linked Excel Worksheet Object (OLE) object in a Word document, the size of the chart may not be correct. Or, the chart may be corrupt
• POWERPOINT: Fixes an issue in which an incorrect animation state occurs after you browse through all the slides.

DOWNLOAD:
Download the Service Pack for your edition of Office.

• Download the Microsoft Office 2010 Service Pack 1 64-bit package now.
• Download the Microsoft Office 2010 Service Pack 1 32-bit package now.

CHANGE WORKBOOK:
A workbook is available that lists the issues that are fixed by this service pack.

• Download the Microsoft Office 2010 Service Pack 1 Changes.xlsx package now.

Service Pack 1 is now available for the 2010 family of products, including Office, SharePoint, Project Server, FAST, Search Server, and Groove Server.

For more on deployment, see these articles:

• Apply Office 2010 Service Pack 1
• Deploy Service Pack 1 for Project Server 2010
• Download the Service Pack 1 for SharePoint Foundation 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010 White Paper

SQL Server Code Name “Denali” Community Technology Preview (CTP3) provides the foundation to the cloud-ready information platform and will help customers unlock breakthrough insights across the organization and quickly build solutions that extend data across on-premises and public cloud backed by capabilities for mission critical confidence.

• Deliver required uptime and data protection with AlwaysOn
• Gain breakthrough & predictable performance with Project Apollo
• Help enable security and compliance with new User-defined Roles and Default Schema for Groups
• Rapid data discovery with Project Crescent
• Deliver credible, consistent data with SSIS improvements, a Master Data Services add-in for Excel, and new Data Quality Services
• Optimize IT and developer productivity across server and cloud with Data-tier Application Component (DAC) parity with SQL Azure and SQL Server Developer Tools code name “Juneau” for a unified dev experience across database, BI, and cloud functions

Download SQL Server Code Name "Denali" CTP3
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/hh225126.aspx?wt.mc_id=nlc-f-us-Mba-TEC_93_1_7

This guy Jeff Loucks wrote a blog post that I really think deserves some recognition… because, cripes, if I couldn’t figure out how to do this.  And I work for the damned company.  [insert cranial smoke here]

[taken from Jeff’s post]
Have you ever wondered how to change the default address book in Outlook when you are using Exchange. If you have ever sent an email and tried to find your contacts using the To: button you know that by default the Exchange Global Address Book is the first source of contacts. What a pain.

I always find it difficult to locate where to change the default so I thought I would post it in case you are looking. I know I will come back to this post because even after having found it, I still can’t remember how to do it. It is just one of those things that has never been intuitive.

Additionally:

• Have you ever found that Outlook 2010’s “Suggested Contacts” got referenced before your actual Contacts list?  “Suggested Contacts” as you likely know, often has basically empty contact entries in it.
• Have you ever discovered that your “Contacts” list was for some reason not being referenced when resolving names?

SOLUTION:
The secret lies in this dialog box:

The question is:  How the heck do you get there?

Check out Jeff’s post for the answer to that question:

• Outlook 2010: How to change your default Contacts Address Book
  http://msmvps.com/blogs/jeffloucks/archive/2009/12/21/outlook-2010-how-to-change-your-default-contacts-address-book.aspx 

I wanted to use WiDi on my Samsung Series 9.  WiDi is an Intel specific technology that enables one to wirelessly transmit both the video & audio of their display to a HD television at 1080p.  The TV needs to be either equipped with a WiDi receiver built in or it needs to have a WiDi receiver attached to it.

Here’s the instructions for using the Intel WiDi functionality.
http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/wtech/iwd/sb/CS-031109.htm

NEEDS A NEW WIFI+BT+WIDI ADAPTER
This is the weird part about the Samsung Series 9:  They list WiDi as a feature however the wireless network adapter I got in my unit was a Broadcom BCM943225HMB Wifi N Bluetooth mini PCI-e Card.  This does not work with WiDi even though the rest of the hardware does.

To use WiDi, it’s not enough to just have an Intel processor/chipset with WiDi support on it.  You have to also have an Intel Wireless Adapter with WiDi support. WiDi in our case, requires an Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 (~$30) or similar Intel Wireless Networking adapter with WiDi support.  I believe that most people would specifically need to get the 6230 model because it’s the PCI-E mini card from Intel that supports WiDi and both Wireless 802.11b/g/n AND Bluetooth.  The 6200 and prior models lack Bluetooth, which I assume is a requirement for people that want to use Bluetooth UC headsets, mice, tethering, etc.

Like I said, my Samsung Series 9 shipped with a Broadcom 802.11b/g/n WLAN+BT PCI-E Mini Card so to get this to work, I would need to open the case and swap out the socketed Broadcom PCI-E mini card with the newly acquired Intel 6230. 

And while I was in there, I might also add 4GB more of RAM into the extra DIMM slot.

The Samsung Series 9 has a large, revolutionary new multitouch ClickPad that supports gestures, multi-touch actions, etc.  However it’s configuration for many people needs to be adjusted.

These are the changes I made to improve the ClickPad experience for myself.

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Q: Have you ever had to drag-and-drop a file, email or a folder using the ClickPad & found the cursor to be incredibly imprecise?

The following instructions will stabilize your control over the mouse using the ClickPad.

1. Click Start-Control Panel-Mouse
2. Click “Device Settings” tab
3. Click the “Settings” button
4. Click “SmartSense” & click the ‘gears’ icon
5. Slide “SmartSense” all the way to the right
6. Slide “Filter Activation Time” all the way to the left
7. [OPTIONAL] Check “Restrict Tapping to zone”
   [OPTIONAL] Shrink the zone in the Advanced Filters window to something smaller
   (Note these optional settings don’t matter if you disable tapping/follow the instructions below for PROBLEM #2)

EXPLANATION:
Because there’s no discrete left-click button, the pad will often recognize a “left click” (a click of the bottom left part of the ClickPad) as mouse movement on the screen.  It’s difficult to get any kind of precision when both your thumb clicks and the fingers are detected as “moving the mouse”.   I was once dragging and dropping a large folder within Outlook to another location and accidentally dropped it in the wrong location because the mouse had moved when I “clicked”.  Took me a while to figure out where it had gone.

WHY?
The issue is that Samsung Series 9’s ClickPad is configured by default to be a bit too sensitive for me.  Any light brush movement on my part would cause the cursor to wiggle, making it inaccurate for many purposes and it doesn’t detect accidental touches very well through it’s default configuration.  Turning up this functionality to max solves a lot of problems.

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Q: Have you ever been typing and seen the cursor just suddenly jump somewhere else?

The following instructions will disable the ‘tap to click’ functionality eliminating any possibility that an accidental touch will move the cursor elsewhere.  Very useful when you find that the cursor seems to randomly move to other locations in your emails or written documents based on accidentally touching the ClickPad.

1. Click Start-Control Panel-Mouse
2. Click “Device Settings” tab
3. Click the “Settings” button
4. Uncheck “Tapping” completely.
5. Click OK