Excel Formula Field Only Shows Last Two Characters

Okay, this is a dumb one. When highlighting any cell it only shows the last two characters in the formula field.

Can't seem to find a permanent fix yet, but it seems to happen only when using two monitors. The workaround is to view Excel in the primary monitor and the formula field then shows all the cell's contents.

And from my searches, this seems to have been happening since Excel 97...good stuff.

Removing the U3 Partition from a Flash Drive

I find most extra software bundled with hardware unnecessary and usually annoying; U3 luckily is both.

After attempts to format, fdisk /mbr, diskpart clean, etc. all failed. I did some poking around and found the uninstaller is bundled with the startup app, clever...

1. Insert your U3 flash drive  and Launch the U3 application.


2. Click on the U3 Launchpad Settings


3. Click the Uninstall tab on the Settings menu (all windows and files accessed from the flash drive must be closed).


4. Finally, click Uninstall U3 Launchpad

That's it, no more pop-ups and annoying software.

Resetting a Verizon MiFi 2200

A recently returned Verizon MiFi 2200 was found to have been reset by the user, with now-forgotten settings. Luckily the reset is easy...

1. Power on the MiFi (if it isn't already).


2. Take off the back cover and depress the reset button with a paperclip or similar (look for a hole labelled RESET in one of the corners).


3. Hold the button in until the status LED turns green, then blinks once (this can take up to ten seconds).


4. Let it go and then you'll find the SSID listed on the back in your available wireless networks (typically Verizon MIFI4510L XXXX).

Dell Latitude Unknown Data Interface Driver

Installing a system from scratch can be a bear when it comes to finding device drivers, especially when the device in question doesn't have a manufacturer, model or even name associated with it. The latest install in which I had to deal with this was a Dell Latitude D430, but this device seems common to other D-Series Latitudes like the D620.

It's listed in the Device Manager simply as Data Interface with the typical unknown icon, and there were two of them. Digging further into the details of the device yielded the Hardware ID values below.

USB\VID_413C&PID_8114&MI_00\7&24B185B&0&0000
USB\VID_413C&PID_8114&MI_01\7&24B185B&0&0001

Turns out these are for the Verizon cellular modem card and drivers are readily available from Dell, under Technical Support, with your trusty Service Tag. I found the Verizon WWAN Card driver under the Communications heading (as VZW Mobile Broadband).

E-mail to Text Message

This has already been posted many places, but I'm tired of looking it up and dealing with glaring ads and pop-ups.

As you can guess, to send an e-mail to someone's phone as a text message, just replace the phonenumber with whomever you're trying to message, i.e. 4085551212@vtext.com.

• Alltel - phonenumber@message.alltel.com


• AT&T - phonenumber@txt.att.net


• Boost Mobile - phonenumber@myboostmobile.com


• Sprint Nextel - phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com


• T-Mobile - phonenumber@tmomail.net


• US Cellular - phonenumber@email.uscc.net


• Verizon - phonenumber@vtext.com


• Virgin Mobile USA - phonenumber@vmobl.com

Etiquette is 140 characters or less and just be aware some may not have unlimited texting, so be careful on the quantity and size of messages.

Removing Remote Desktop Login Wallpaper

This annoyance has popped up off and on for years. You initiate a Remote Desktop connection to a system over VPN and the login screen has a large bitmap image causing it to draw and redraw while you wait.

This is typical for Windows Storage Server 2003 on Dell hardware. Unfortunately there isn't a GUI setting for this, so it 's just better to search for the file and delete or rename it. In this case it's: C:\Windows\System32\dellwall.bmp which is 3MB, no wonder it takes time to draw over a slower connection.

Locked Out of Track-It! Admin Console

Great! The only one in with admin privileges on Track-It! is no longer with the company. If you have access to the server and the Track-It! MS SQL database you're in luck.

• Log into the Track-It! server and fire up the MS SQL Management Studio


• Drill down under "Server" > Databases > TRACKITX > Tables


• Find dbo.STAF, right-click and choose Open Table


• Choose a username you wish to give administrative access to, scroll to the right to the SECPOLICYID column and change the entry to the number 2.


• Close the table and Management Studio.


• Log out of Track-It! and back in, now you have access to the Administration Console.