Since we can assume the problem we are having is PHP related, we are going to want to open the PHP Manager. Next, in the middle section titled PHP Settings we want to click the “Configure error reporting” link. There you will see where you can select the type of server we are running. Even though this may be a production box at the moment, we will need to switch it to Development mode to get detailed error reporting and logging turned on. Therefore we want to check the Development machine radio button. As you can see the description reads as follows:

This is a development machine. A verbose error reporting will be used. All errors, warnings and informational notices will be output in a web browser and also will be written into a log file.

Perfect! Now click “Apply” on the right hand side under the Actions heading. Go hit refresh on your browser and where there used to be generic HTTP 500 Internal Server Error will now be an actual error message, filename, and line number! It’s a Festivus miracle! Now go fix that error but don’t forget to switch back to Production mode once your done. These server errors are hidden for a reason. They contain information that, in the wrong hands, could be used to compromise your website or possibly even your server.

Before we begin, always scan for viruses using TDSSKILLER and then Malwarebytes.

My client contacted me regarding an error that Microsoft Excel was generating. I started a remote session and set out to recreate the error. Upon opening an XLSX document, Excel would display two errors. The first one read “Not enough memory to run Microsoft excel, please close other applications and try try again“. This was followed by a second error message that read “The converter failed to open the file”.

The problem here is that the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack has become corrupted and therefore Excel will only open XLS files. Any file needing to be converted will generate the errors listed above. Therefore, the Compatibility Pack needs to be re-installed. First, the corrupted version needs to be uninstalled. Normally this can be accomplished by going to the Control Panel, entering the Add/Remove section, and choosing Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office System for an uninstall. However, because this installation was corrupted it would not uninstall and instead I was getting an error message that said “This patch package could not be opened. Verify that the patch package exists and that you can access it or contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer Patch package.”

This means that the Windows Install Clean Up tool will need to be downloaded and used. The problem is that this tool is no longer available on the Microsoft website which now says “Although the Windows Installer Cleanup utility resolved some installation problems, it sometimes damaged other components that were installed on the computer. Because of this, the tool was removed from the Microsoft Download Center.” Luckily there are a few reputable websites that archive such tools and they can be safely downloaded. In this instance MSICUU2.exe may be found using the following download link on Softpedia: http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Windows-Installer-CleanUp-Utility-Download-18442.html

After downloading and installing, the utility may be started by going to Start->All Programs->Windows Install Clean Up. A list of installations that may be removed will be displayed. Choose Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office System and remove it.

Now we want to download a clean version of the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack from Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=3

Once the Compatibility Pack has been downloaded and installed, Excel will be working again!

Make sure you are using the latest version of the VLC Media Player.  You can grab it from their website and install it:

1) Browse to C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC and create a new folder called visualizations

2) Download the latest version of ProjectM from here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/projectm/files/

3) Extract the .tar and find the folder called “presets_milkdrop_200″.  In order to do this you will need winrar as Windows can’t open .tar files natively.

4) Copy presets_milkdrop_200 to your new visualizations folder

5) In VLC go to advanced preferences > Audio > Visualizations > projectM and set the “projectM preset path” to C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\visualizations\presets_milkdrop_200

6) Save your preferences, then activate the visualizations by going to the audio menu > visualizations > and select projectM

VLC will now begin using random visualizations from the preset folder that you specified. Not all of these visualizations are worth hanging on to.  I would suggest going through them and throwing out the ones you do not like.  This can be done by removing all milk files from the preset folder then moving them back one at a time to test them by playing a song.  Delete it if you do not like it.  As tedious as this can be, you will eventually whittle them down to only the ones you like.