Disable Driver Signature Enforcement in Windows 8 CP

14. March 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Android, Beta Testing, Google, Microsoft, Software, Support, Troubleshooting, Windows · Tags: , ,

So, one of the big issues I’ve had with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview is that Microsoft now not only forces you to use Digitally Signed Drivers (this isn’t new, as Windows 7 requires them as well), but also checks to see if the driver has been modified and will fail to install if it has.

This is a problem for anyone who needs to modify a driver .INF to support their device (*cough*Android ADB Drivers*cough*). Fortunately, there is a (slightly complicated) workaround.

To get started:

  1. From the Metro Start Screen, open Settings (move your mouse to the bottom-right-corner of the screen and wait for the pop-out bar to appear, then click the Gear icon).
  2. Click ‘More PC Settings’.
  3. Click ‘General’.
  4. Scroll down, and click ‘Restart now’ under ‘Advanced startup’.
  5. Wait a bit.
  6. Click ‘Troubleshoot’.
  7. Click ‘Advanced Options’
  8. Click ‘Windows Startup Settings’
  9. Click Restart.
  10. ???
  11. Profit!

When your computer restarts, select ‘Disable driver signature enforcement‘ from the list. You can now load your modified driver. Reboot again once the driver is installed and all will be well.

Short: Mopier HP Printers Make Me Sad

15. March 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: "It's a Feature", Short, Troubleshooting · Tags: , , ,

After setting up a few users on yet another HP Laserjet P4015dn, one person complained that when they told Microsoft Word to print 10 copies (or any number, really) only 1 copy would actually print. The printer wouldn’t report any errors, and neither would the computer – everything would just report normal.

A closer look revealed that the printer driver had Mopier Mode enabled. As per HP, this mode is used when the printer has an EIO hard disk installed. If the printer doesn’t have one, it will only print one copy. To disable Mopier Mode, do the following:

  1. Open the (Devices and) Printers Control Panel.
  2. Right-click on the printer, and choose (Printer) Properties.
  3. Click the Device Settings tab.
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the list, and change “Mopier Mode” to “Disabled”, then click OK.

Easy, right?

TL;DR Version: If your HP Printer is only printing one copy when told to do more, make sure Mopier Mode is disabled in the Printer Properties.

Solution: Mouse Cursor in Windows 7 Disappears

13. August 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: "It's a Feature", Troubleshooting, Windows · Tags: , , ,

I reinstalled Windows 7 on my MSI Wind U123 today because of a number of problems with sound input and PulseAudio on Fedora 13 that I couldn’t be buggered to fix. After the install, I ran Windows Update as normal, rebooted, and then noticed that my mouse cursor was gone. I could still click around and select things, so I knew the mouse was working, however I couldn’t see it.

Searching Google proved worse than useless. The two best solutions listed were to either enable pointer tails (annoying) or lower the hardware acceleration level on your video card. Although true that both of these options will work, they both suck.

The real fix? Install the correct video drivers. As it turns out, when I ran Windows Update I accidentally selected the Intel Graphics driver update, which caused the problem. After downloading and installing the correct driver direct from Intel the cursor suddenly reappeared. Magic!

TL;DR Version: If your mouse cursor disappears, go to your video card manufacturer’s website and get the drivers from them.