New Tool to Recover from Seven-Eighter Language Errors

If you used Seven-Eighter to update your windows phone device and messed up when choosing the language packs, there is hope for you. I have made a program which will allow you to restore language packs that you forgot to choose when you ran Seven-Eighter (either my version or the original version) to update your windows phone device.

All you need to do is download the program and run it with your phone connected while Zune is not running. If Zune pops up when you connect your phone to your computer, simply exit out of Zune.

download link: http://bit.ly/102usaK

If you are wondering where the download is once you click the download link, look for the "skip ads" button in the top right-hand corner of your screen and click it (to get the file download prompt).

If you have any problems with using the program, please let me know as soon as possible so I can correct them. If you have any trouble with the links and downloading, please let me know as well. The program is free for your use, but if you want to throw something my way to support me, my paypal e-mail is "toa649@myway.com".

While you're waiting for your problems with phone updates to be over, why not try some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, I am working on updates to both the free and paid versions of Mobile Media Manager. The update for BSA Eagle Tracker is also in the works. I admit that school is sucking much of my free time out of me, but I will continue to work on the updates in my spare time. If you want to get my apps now (while waiting), please use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

New Build of Seven-Eighter with support for Easy Future Updates

Update(3-21-2013 11:04 EDT): If you messed up and didn't choose the right language packs, I have a program out that can help you recover.   http://bit.ly/16Lv2iq

Update(3-19-2013 22:49 EDT): I have released a new version which fixed the problem in the last release which caused the update to fail (it was a logic error on my end). As of now, you should not have that problem. I also added some more user-friendly features designed to provide more useful information to you, the user. The link to download the new version is below.

Update(3-17-2013  11:16 EDT): I finally fixed the link that was giving the WebException and preventing the program from downloading the update list. There is no new download needed (just run the program again).

Update(3-17-2013  14:50 EDT): I have an updated build of my version of Seven-Eighter that fixes some bugs.

If you have a windows Phone 7.x device, you have most likely heard of the Windows Phone 7.8 update that Microsoft released. Unfortunately for all of us, the rollout of this update has not been pretty for the customers. Microsoft released the update on January 31, 2013. The intent was that the update would be available for all existing Windows Phone 7.x devices. However, there has been some disconnect in getting this update. T-Mobile has said that none of the devices running Windows Phone 7.x on its network will get the update. Sprint has given no official word on updates for devices running Windows Phone 7.x on its network (if this is incorrect, please tell me so I can correct this). Verizon has seen some of the devices running Windows Phone 7.x on its network get the upgrade (again, if this is incorrect, please tell me so I can correct this). AT&T has said that all devices stated in this support document are getting the update, but so far, only Nokia Lumina 900 devices on its network have gotten the update notification. Word has it that AT&T will be sending out the update notification for all other mentioned devices near the end of this month (March).

For those who would rather not wait for the notification or whose device is confirmed to not get the update notification, there are unofficial methods that exist which will allow you to still get the update. The first one is changing the value of the MobileOperator string in the registry.

If that doesn't allow you to get the update, you should try my special modified version of Seven-Eigher. Thanks to Jaxbot providing the source code, I changed some things around so that you don't have to download a new version of Seven-Eighter if Microsoft ever puts out (yet) another update for Windows Phone 7.x (it downloads the list of updates from the internet, so all I need to do is to change the update configuration list if a new update comes out) and its a little more descriptive so you have less of a chance of messing up the update process. You need .NET Framework version 4.0 or greater to run it. As far as downgrades go, (for now) you can only use Zune to downgrade 1 os update, meaning if you had 2 os updates installed in the process, you can only go back 1 level. And yes, it does support the latest update (8862).

To download my modified version of Seven-Eighter, here's the link: http://bit.ly/13a6aBW

If you have any problems and/or comments, just use the comment box below and I take care of it as soon as I can. If you have any input on how I can improve it as well, I am willing to take any (and all) suggestions. I am also curious as to how my version is compared to the original. The program is free for your use, but if you want to throw something my way to support me, my paypal e-mail is "toa649@myway.com".

While you're waiting for the new phone updates to come your way, why not drink some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, I am working on updates to both the free and paid versions of Mobile Media Manager. The update for BSA Eagle Tracker is also in the works. I admit that school is sucking much of my free time out of me, but I will continue to work on the updates in my spare time. If you want to get my apps now (while waiting), please use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

Habemus Papam

Yes, you read the title correctly. We do, indeed, have a new successor to the chair of Peter. The new pope is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (from Argentina).

Update (17:50 EDT): corrected the name of the new pope

This conclave's time length to choose a new pope was 3 days. While this is a big difference from the record for longest time taken to choose a new pope (3 years), I am sure we are all glad that the new pope was chosen before Easter. There is no word yet on which name the new pope has chosen.

Update (16:30 EDT): The (new) Pope has chosen the name "Francis"

I wish the new pope well as he takes his place as the new successor of Peter. Let us pray for him, so that he will do his job well. The new pope happens to be a Jesuit, so today is a big day for the Society of Jesus and all of the high schools and universities they run, including the one I attend (Wheeling Jesuit University).

On a side note, it has not been made known whether the new pope enjoys Mystic Monk Coffee or not. To celebrate the choosing of the new Holy Father, do it with some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

The Current State of Windows Phone 7.8 Updates

Well, if you Windows Phone users haven't gotten the news yet, Microsoft has released the Windows Phone 7.8 update for all Windows Phone 7.x phones. As of now, all unlocked phones can get the update. If you have a carrier-locked phone, you are basically at the mercy of the cell carrier for updates.

I am not sure about the state of updates for phones on the Verizon and Sprint networks (maybe someone on those networks can fill me in on the current situation). I have AT&T as my cell carrier. AT&T has a colorful past as far as Windows Phone updates go. For all updates through Mango, things went smoothly. Once build 7720 came out, AT&T only released updates for phones that came with Windows Phone 7.5, leaving all phones that came with Windows Phone 7.0 out in the cold. However, I have good news. AT&T IS going to release the Windows Phone 7.8 update to ALL AT&T phones running Windows Phone. The current status of the update is: "Testing". Once AT&T is done with "testing", it will be released to everyone (via the usual Zune method). According to people in AT&T's support department, the update should be out before February is over. For now, all we can do is to be patient.

T-Mobile is a different story. T-Mobile has said outright that it will not release the Windows Phone 7.8 update to its phones running any version of Windows Phone. Personally, I think this is a slap in the face to ALL T-Mobile customers with WP7.x phones. Customers bought WP7.x phones with the expectations of support and updates. Now, I do realize that there comes a time when support for a device stops, but this is too soon for that.

If you have been scouring the internet looking for update help for carrier-locked phones, you might have heard about a utility called Seven-Eighter that downloads the updates and forces them onto the phone. I say use it at your own risk. I have seen threads in various forums all over the internet with people asking for help because they used Seven-Eighter to update their phone and now something doesn't work. If you are not technically minded (or like stability), I recommended that you wait until the carrier releases the updates. I will also add that this has the possibility of voiding your phone's warranty as well, so please be cautious.

My main phone is an LG Quantum. For quantum users (on AT&T), some people on the internet have proposed using the registry editor in the MFG app to change the MobileOperator string from "ATT-US" to "BEL-CA" (stands for Bell Mobile, a Canadian carrier). I say that this is not a good idea. When you do that, you don't have an AT&T LG Quantum..you have a Bell Mobile LG Quantum instead. This can cause complications for any normal usage (and maybe updates as well). Your warranty can be voided this way as well.

Right now, the only safe way to update is to wait for the carrier to release the updates. If you are very impatient, you can try alternate methods to force the update(s), but be forewarned that things might not work as they should. I invite you to share your thoughts and/or update experiences via the comment box below.

While you're waiting for the new updates to come your way, why not drink some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, the update for both the paid version and the free version of Mobile Media Manger is out. The update for BSA Eagle Tracker is now in the works. If you want to get my apps now (while waiting), please use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

Highlights From the March for Life

If you missed it, yesterday was the Right to Life March in our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. I, myself, went with some other students and faculty from Wheeling Jesuit University. The day started off with Mass at St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Washington, D.C., joining students from other Jesuit universities. After that, it was off to the rally before the march. The weather wasn't the best (a high of 30 degrees Farenheit with snow), but that didn't matter much.

It's important to fight for everyone's God-given right to life. If a person cannot support the right to life for the unborn, then what makes you think the same person will respect the right to life of those already born?

Abortion threatens that right to life with is guaranteed for every person, born or unborn. I would define Abortion as the act of inducing premature labor in the woman, murdering the child (who was just forced out of the uterus) using a variety of methods, all which are intended to cause death, and then vacuuming out the remains because "it's just a fetus; it's not really alive and its existence threatens my own (selfish) goals".

It is important to remember that being pro-life includes more than just being pro-birth. Pro-life means support for all stages of a person's life, from the moment of conception to the natural stages of death. Yesterday's march was a testimony to this idea. Many different types of people from all realms of life came together to march for justice for the unborn that have been (unjustly) murdered as a result of the 1973 Supreme Court decision of Roe vs Wade. Contrary to popular belief, it's not just the Christians which are there at the march in support of life. At the rally before the march, I saw a group there called Secularists for Life. My friends from Wheeling Jesuit University there at the march with me also saw groups of atheists and agnostics as well, although these groups (probably) have their own reasons for life which may or may not include religion.

I, myself, (and I am sure others also) think think that abortion is unpatriotic and very anti-American. In our own Declaration of Independence, it says that everyone is entitled to three basic rights: the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to the pursuit of happiness. Abortion violates all three of these basic rights. By going through with an abortion, you first deny to the right to life to the unborn. Abortion also denies the liberty of the unborn to, one day, make their own decisions which could change the world, but because of the abortion, this change will never come. The right to the pursuit of happiness is denied to the unborn as a consequence of denying the unborn the right to life. The aborted child will never get his or her chance to have the human experiences that you and I have (every day) and the chance to be happy in life.

If the pro-life movement wants another solution to help end (the availablility of) abortion. I say let abortion clinics be held to the same (federal) inspection standards as other medical facilities. I bet many abortion clinics would be forced to close because od this.

For everyone that went to the march, I hope you had (or will have) a safe trip back to wherever you came from. If you want to share your thought on the March for Life, or pro-life information in general, I invite you to share it via the comment box below.

It was certainly cold outside yesterday, a perfect situation for drinking coffee. If you're going to drink coffee, why not drink it like a mystic monk? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

How to Utilize the Windows 8 Start Menu screen to its Fullest Potential

In the comment section of the Ars Technica article I referenced yesterday and elsewhere on the internet, I notice a lot of complaining about Microsoft's decision to get rid of the start menu button and to turn it into the Start Menu screen found in Windows 8. However, through my using of Windows 8, I've found that the new Start Menu screen is, indeed, an improvement over the traditional start menu found in Windows 7 (and older), even for traditional laptops and desktops. For those of you mourning the start menu button's death, you can simply go back to the Start Menu by pressing the Win key, or by pressing the Start Menu button on the charms bar (brought up by either moving the mouse to either the bottom-right or top-right corner or by swiping from the right if you have a touchscreen).

The first item is the usage of live tiles. Under Windows 7, you could pin programs you use the most to the start menu, but it was limited by the size of the start menu "frame". In Windows 8, you have the whole screen to work with. The idea here is that you can pin the tiles of the programs you use most often to the start menu, and it's the first thing you see when the start menu is opened. Believe it or not, you can remove a pinned live tile from the start menu, but still have the program installed. If you unpin a tile, you can still find an entry for that program in the list of All Programs (found on the bottom of the screen by either right-clicking on the start menu somewhere, but not on a tile, or swiping up from the bottom of the screen, if you have a touchscreen). This way, you can keep your start menu clear of tiles of programs you don't use often, which can create clutter. You can also move the order of tiles around and group tiles however you like. Have the tiles for your most important programs on the left of the screen and going right in order of diminishing importance. Every program that is installed pins a live tile to the Start Menu screen by default, so you can always change the tile's position or remove the tile from the Start Menu screen.

Some people say they just (in Windows 7) open the start menu and type the first few letters of the program they want to open in the search textbox and results appear. Well, this is also possible with Windows 8. All you have to do is be on the start screen, and just start typing. The results of the search will pop up just as they did under Windows 7. Granted, on a tablet, you can't just start typing unless you have a hardware keyboard (if you don't have one, just open up the Charms bar and choose "Find"), but it's still possible. This is also where the grouped live tiles can help. If you know you have a program in a certain group and know where that group is on the Start Menu screen, it's faster than trying to find it via search.

Contrary to popular myth, Win32 programs, as well as Metro-UI programs, can be pinned to the Start Menu screen. The only difference is that the tiles for Win32 programs aren't exactly "live". The new start menu also lets you uninstall programs faster than on Windows 7. In Windows 7, you had to go into the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel, choose your program, and uninstall it. This is still possible in Windows 8 (for Win32 programs), but there is a faster way. If you bring up the right-click menu for a tile on the start menu (or if you don't have a pinned tile for the given program, the right-click menu for its entry in the All Programs list), there is an option to uninstall it right then and there.

Since the Start Menu is fullscreen, this means that Microsoft had to move the taskbar (it's to the right side of the screen). While this move is debatable, this means that you have more room for (live) tiles.

I hope that, along with my article on keyboard shortcuts in Windows 8, this helps you to be more productive with the latest version of Windows, Windows 8.  If you have any thoughts on the new Start Menu or anything else in Windows 8, please share them in the comment box below.

While you're learning about how to best use the new start menu in Windows 8, why not drink some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, the update for the free version of Mobile Media Manger is out. However, I found an embarrassing bug in that update (the button to move items up in the playlist manager is not working, but the one to move items down in the playlist manager is working and everything else works). I will be submitting a fix for this in the next day or two, along with an update for the paid version of Mobile Media Manger. The update for BSA Eagle Tracker will soon follow. If you want to get my apps now while waiting for the update, use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

Handy-Dandy Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 8

Last night, I found a post on Ars Technica about start menu replacements in Windows 8. After reading many of the comments there, I realized that some of the problems people are complaining about are easily solved with keyboard shortcuts available in Windows 8.

With this in mind, here are some keyboard shortcuts for Windows 8 that you should memorize (shortcuts newly available in Windows 8 will have "New" after them) with some explanations about what they do:

• Win : This one is the most obvious. Pressing the Windows (logo) key on the keyboard will take you back to the Start Menu screen.
• Ctrl + Alt + Delete : This one has been around since the early days of Windows and is still available for your use in Windows 8. If you don't already know what this keyboard shortcut does, it brings up a little menu which allows you to lock your session, switch the current user, logout, or open the Task Manager.
• Alt + Tab : This allows you to cycle through the list of all open programs (both Metro-UI programs and Win32 programs). Furthermore, after pressing Alt + Tab, you can also use the mouse to click on the (open) program you want to switch to.
• Ctrl + X : Cut (or Move, if dealing with files)
• Ctrl + C : Copy
• Ctrl + V : Paste
• Win + Tab (New) : This allows you to cycle through the list of all Metro-UI programs. Please note that all Win32 programs fall under one big program here, "Desktop". Like Alt + Tab, , after pressing Alt + Tab, you can also use the mouse to click on the (open) program you want to switch to.
• Win + C (New) (Important) : This keyboard shortcut is very important. It opens up the "taskbar" on the right side of the screen. This keyboard shortcuts saves you the effort of moving the mouse to the bottom-right corner of the screen to make it show up.
• Win + E : opens up a new file explorer window
• Win + X (New) : This keyboard shortcut is a system administrator's best friend. Pressing it will bring up a little menu where the start menu button used to be. This menu contains links to all essential administrative parts of Windows.
• Win + F (New) : This keyboard shortcut brings up the search menu, where you can search for items in all available categories.

This is just a short list of (essential) keyboard shortcuts. For a fuller list, please see Microsoft's list of keyboard shortcuts in Windows 8. In my next post, I will share my thoughts on how to fully utilize the potential of Microsoft's new Start Screen in Windows 8.

So, hopefully, this helps you to be more productive with the latest version of Windows, Windows 8. Is there a keyboard shortcut I should add this list that isn't there already? If there is, or if you have any other thoughts about this in Windows 8, please share them in the comment box below.

While you're learning about these new shortcuts in Windows 8, why not drink some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, the update for the free version of Mobile Media Manger is out. However, I found an embarrassing bug in that update (the button to move items up in the playlist manager is not working, but the one to move items down in the playlist manager is working and everything else works). I will be submitting a fix for this in the next day or two, along with an update for the paid version of Mobile Media Manger. The update for BSA Eagle Tracker will soon follow. If you want to get my apps now while waiting for the update, use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE