Eko Wahyudiharto's Blog

Just receiving the latest gadget last month from Sony, a Windows 8 based tablet PC called as Sony's VAIO Duo 11. It’s my first Win based tablet PC review anyway before having hands-in-hands next with Samsung ATIV family. Actually, this also becomes my experiment with VirtualBox since my last attempt about 6 years ago. However, there’s only co-incident why I wrote about both different things (the VAIO and VirtualBox). So, here’s below the tales, the why and how…

Sony Tablet PC
Why was that Sony engineers had created this touchy things with “huge” 11.6in LCD with so high-res screen? Even with Windows 8, everything wasn’t too awesome – except the Metro icons in the first interface. I thought that it wouldn’t be suitable for hi-mobility person however, since this thing is too heavy to carry.


The backside frame architecture similar to Nokia E7 – slide the screen to use physical keyboard. That’s why this tablet looks heavy - it has built-in keyboard inside it screen. Feel so futuristic for anyone who ever sees it for the first time, but not for me :)


With 11.6in screen, the keyboard very comfort to use. Even it had a black spot touch-pad similar to Blackberry handheld that also fun enough. This might be the answer, why the engineers made “bulky” tablet just to provide a smooth keyboard inside the LCD screen.

Windows 8
This was my first experience with Windows 8 and it just great at all. From System properties window, we’ll know that this machine has i5 core and 4GB RAM with x64 architecture.


All that major enhanced from this OS I liked was the boot time and GUI – including the window status when copying files while in progress. Like that live graphical up and down very much! Described the transfer file speed and it seems more than intuitive and so futuristic!


However, a problem raised when we need to run 16bit DOS application, since this machine and OS didn’t support it as well. Meanwhile 16bit DOS application is a rarely to have in recent days, but if you still use it for your daily works, so you’ll need 3rd party DOS virtualization tools.

DosBox
I don’t recommend this tool for sure, because garbled things will show up after invoking a large data. Let say, a clipper or pascal application that querying text file records (or an old-fashion DBF files). After all, DosBox have a configuration files that annoying common users to use or modify. Besides, there’s no way you want to full-screened the DOS window filled to your LCD. It can make your eyes creepy because seeing mini fonts on a small DOS window.

VirtualBox
This is another alternative virtualization tool to run 16bit application from guest OS that support it natively. I still recommend using Windows XP as guest OS to run it over Windows 8. However, with i5 core processor and 4GB RAM, running a virtual Windows XP is not a problem at all. If you’d like to try, go download for the latest VirtualBox version from Oracle website.


All you need is the VirtualBox setup files and the extension pack. Also, you must provide Windows XP installation CD. Let assume you had already installed both VirtualBox package above and continued to create a guest OS environment, so I can skipped to the installation screen.


Installing Windows XP guest OS takes about 15 – 20 minutes on this machine. When it finished, the screen may show the first boot screen.


If you need to run guest OS not from VirtualBox main window, there’s a quick shortcut maker that create an icons to your desktop.


Just right click from OS selector, and choose Create Shortcut on Desktop menu. From this shortcut, you can modify the behavior of the launcher parameter. For example, if you need to start Windows XP guest OS in full screen mode, you can add –fullscreen to the last Target parameter.


Or, add –seamless if you intend to use it in seamless mode. Try the shortcut icon and here we go. Also try to run cmd DOS window, continued to ALT+ENTER to display in full screen mode and what you need is what you get.


A full screen DOS window helps people eyes being relaxed. And also, it runs natively in Windows XP.

VirtualBox File Sharing Sessions
There’s no major enhancement in VirtualBox for file sharing features. Working with files in both OS can be done with native feature of Shared Folders or pure networking link.


As it simply by click and select, you can access files where you defined as shared before. The steps are described below:

• Right click from selected OS on main VirtualBox window
• From Settings window, create Shared Folders
• Add a folder path from toolbar on the right of the window
• Browse  for a folder from Add Share window, also defined it as read only or not or re-mount on boot or not

Anyway I found buggy things here after I shared a folder contains 16bit application that need to run from guest OS. Couple times it successfully loaded, but at last it permanently shows a failed message that says “Can not execute [application exe name]”.  There’s no clue about this, so I picked a pure networking link for the same purpose.

To create this, you must specify IP for both OS’es. First, give IP for guest OS (Windows XP) with 192.168.10.2. To generate host IP, below are step-by-step:

• First, set VirtualBox network setting to VirtualBox Host Only Ethernet Adapter
• From Windows 8 Network and Internet Setting Control Panel, open properties for VirtualBox Ethernet adapter
• Set the IP with 192.168.10.1 (Windows 8 become server)

Try to give it a test by pinging from guest to host. Beware with firewall since it may give you troubled. If your ping succeeded, then your both OS are ready to use. Create a sharing folders from Windows 8 and try to access it from Windows XP.

PS: If you found your networking failed, run diagnose wizard from VirtualBox Ethernet Adapter in Windows 8. This might occurs after you resume Windows 8 from hibernate. I don’t have a clue about this, so I noted it as a VirtualBox bugs for my self. Have a good try...

Labels: Review, VirtualBox, VirtualPC

Nokia has a built-in integrated application for users to communicate with their social media account. It called Nokia Social App. By using this, you can upload picture taken directly from camera and share it into some social media services that you registered on it before. Couple months ago, I'd experiencing a weird problem when I tried to uploading picture to my facebook account using my Nokia E7. The Social app become useless since it only show loading screen for some seconds and then it suddenly quitting without any reasons.



No clue given about what's wrong with this. So, here below was my experiment on how to solve the problem (and it's a real evidence shows that Nokia Suite App is suck :)

1. Reinstall Social App
I tried connecting my E7 to Nokia Suite via USB cable.



And would like to get download and install Social Networking Client app from Nokia Store.



After reinstall process finished, opening Social app but it still stuck after loading window.

2. Fresh Install of Social App
Tried to delete Social app from the phone and looking for changes on Software updates from Nokia Suite. And voila, it said that there's apps available to update.



The good news was New Social app were ready to install.



Just need for couple minutes to download the New Social.



The installation had finished and the greeting messages gives a promising word that this cure will solve the problem.



Tried to open Social app but it still the same stuck after loading window.

3. Reinstall Phone Software
Still connected to Nokia Suite and choose Software update from menu bar. Since my E7 contains latest version, so there's no option to update except reinstall.



Reinstalling phone software require 398 MB packet size to download. The best things you can do from now is just...waiting.



After a quite phone reboot, it will show status saying that the phone is in "refreshed" mode.



Tried to look Social app, still hung after loading window.

4. Factory Mode
Last attempt, like all phone technician will do by using reset factory mode! Backup your phone first before doing this. Accessing factory mode from Menu :: Settings :: Phone :: Phone Management :: Factory Settings



Vice versa and it works!



Conclusion
So far, this problem wasn't in Social App package. The bad news: Nokia Suite couldn't resolve that. Something "mysteriously" linked between core phone software with the Social app. The factory reset will fixed it, but I suggest to Nokia engineer to fix Nokia Suite first before user like me can get mad because of this.

Labels: Nokia, OVI

Do you know the difference between Nokia Ovi Suite vs Nokia PC Suite? Well, there's really no big difference between the two apart from the UI. Some said that Ovi Suite is actually PC Suite with a revised GUI and substantially reduced functionality and it crashes under Vista a lot more frequently as well. Some others also said that PC Suite was quite a crude and clumsy application that was counter intuitive and had a poor user interface, while Ovi Suite is different; it's much much worse and crashes so often until it's no longer become a useful application :)

Well, here's the time to proof that they thinks is right and it's absolutely right! A problem raised when I try to install Ovi Suite downloaded from official Nokia website (89.6MB) on WIndows XP computer. It's  said "Your computer needs a Windows certificate"



Nokia seems to have used a certificate to sign the code for the Ovi Suite that is too new to have matching authority certificates in XP (especially found on - at least - at SP2). Installing the matching certificates will fixes that. So it's a Nokia (Ovi Suite) problem - they should have used certificates that supported XP. But it is easily fixed.

There's a clue that you have to add certificate manually from given URL (https://knowledge.verisign.com/support/code-signing-support/index?page=content&id=AR1739). Anyway that Symantec/VeriSign page is also bad - it should have given the proper installation instructions, and preferably an explanation also.

Hereby, I'd like to explain step-by-step how to fix this problem until Ovi Suite installed as well. First, prepare an internet connection to make the certificate files. Point to URL that given by the Nokia Ovi Suite alert from the browser.



As it can see, that there's 2 certificates code that you need to paste into separate files. Give it both different name with extension ".cer" and save it to anywhere inside your computer.



Next, right click the first certificate and choose Install Certificate.



A Certificate Import Wizard will show. Click Next.



Continue to automatically select the certificate store based on the type of certificate. Click Next.



Click Finish.



There's a window message tell you that the import operation is successfully. Repeat the same way on last certificate file. As well, the Nokia Ovi Suite installer should have given you an option to proceed with the install without checking the signing :)



Anyway, now Nokia Ovi Suite is ready to use. There's no need to worried about the functionality it self since I believe that Nokia developer have a great decision why they made this application instead of Nokia PC Suite. Hope that this article help you to fix about certificate error during Nokia Ovi Suite installation. See ya around!

Labels: Handphone, Nokia, OVI