creative christmas

In the spirit of the season I would like to bring to your attention to an
activity that builds on the success of Design IT in 2006. How could you help
a charity if microsoft offered £15,000? The DesignIT competition is about
you using your expertise in technology to help a charity. You apply the
clever thinking and for one UK charity, Microsoft will make it happen.

IT geniuses, from the famous to the unsung, have consistently demonstrated
how different types of creativity are the basis of true innovative thinking.
Now it's your turn. Everyone knows you're a genius. Or at least, you do. But
how does your creative spark show itself? Are you a Tim Berners-Lee, a
Seymour Cray or a Steve Wozniak?

Just use our Creative Calculator
(http://www.microsoft.com/uk/technet/designit/quiz.mspx) to find out. Answer
five questions to discover your Creative Index.

I am an;

IMPLEMENTER [Mostly C's]
'Action is eloquence.' - William Shakespeare

Some people talk a good game - meanwhile, you're out there getting things
done. You're the Swiss Army Knife of IT - practical, efficient, sharp. You
know the nitty gritty like no one else, you're happiest when you're getting
stuck in … and the by the time you're done, the job's a goodun.

Most suited to: Global Action Plan - 'Carbon Calculator'. The planet
literally needs you to make it easier for people to understand how to
improve their carbon footprints, as well as actually take steps to reduce
them.

Merry christmas

SQL server transaction log

I have been having a problem with an old SQL 2000 database, the transaction log was about 7Gb and the data file around 36mb.
Obviously this is a rather large file to be moving around on a flash drive.

Normally I would back up both transaction log and main data file individually, and run a shrink database command on each file.
Unfortunately this would only remove a few mb at a time.

After hunting around and debating whether to import all of the tables into a new database I found this

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/arslist/browse_thread/thread/96feb54beae5845c/486e12a4f3f97323?lnk=st&q=sql+server+2000+not+transaction+log+space&rnum=9&hl=en#486e12a4f3f97323

And its really simple, it will not work on a 'live' running database as there can be no connections (so a website scenario wont work well) before you take the database offline and delete (yes thats delete) the transaction log file.

When you re-attach the database it creates a new (clean) transaction log.

DO NOT try this if you are unsure of how a SQL server runs and always remember to back up your database and all log files before undertaking any tasks that could cause problem.

I know from experience that SQL server can be very unforgiving, what 'No CTRL-Z' for undo I hear you say....

termainl server - remember

I just installed my new terminal services licenses (5 device CAL’s, direct from Microsoft) .

When installing them  on the server there is only one option with the correct key format (5 lots of 5 digits), this installs the CALs as per user licenses….

It took me a day to realize why I could not connect, I had set the configuration for per devices (as was printed on the license) however as the where installed by default as per user….

 

Oh well, best quote I found from someone who had the same ‘error’ as I did;

 

 

Well, problem was somewhere else - between chair and keybord: licensing was
"per device" and "per user" licenses are installed.