Bring Reporting Services back to life

Few weeks ago our test reporting services installation was broken after extensive "DROP" statements usage over and over again :). This is a test server after all.
So, reporting services site started returning the following error:
An unexpected error occurred in Report Processing. (rsInternalError) Get Online Help Database 'ReportServerTempDB'
cannot be opened because it is offline.

Fortunately,there were good news: I still had our reports intact. However, I couldn't use them. After an hour or so the decision came to my mind:

I've performed the following steps:
1. First I created an empty ReportServerTempDB database by using MSSQL Enterprise Manager.
2. I created a role named: RSExecRole in ReportServerTempDB database and added RS user in this role. Hopefully, this was my current user also.
3. I opened ReportServices installation folder (C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\Reporting Services\ReportServer)...
4. and executed CatalogTempDB.sql over ReportServerTempDB

and our reporting services installation is still online :)

Compact Framework Presentation

I had another presentation during the monthly meeting of Sofia .NET User Group on 13.Oct.2005.
The presentation was actually presented by me and Tihomir Ignatov, iFD Engineering GmbH.
Once again I presented too mach theory and less real coding action - I think this approach bored our audience.
I hope to have the opportunity to change this next time...

Reading news with Outlook Express..

I found a strange behavior (it may be even a feature!) of MS Outlook Express, while trying to read some newsgroups. Actually, I have been observing this strange effect for the last few weeks. The effect was reproduced on each of the machines, that I usually work. This was true even after Windows re-installation.

When I click over the newsgroup, that I want to read(it is usually displayed in the treeview on the left)
the right pane displays the list of the postings. OE starts retrieving new posts and then suddenly the posts list disappears and the list of the subscribed newsgroups appears.
This actually prevent me from reading news.Going to offline mode resolves this issue partially.

What a relief I felt, when I found the cause.
Actually a few weeks ago I start using a new way to launch OE:
   1.Start Menu/Run
   2.type "news://"
and ops we have a problem!

If I start OE by using a shortcut, (or by pointing "msimn.exe" from Start/Run/Browse), this effect is not oberved.

Compact Framework 2.0 goodies

Following a list of the new features in Compact Framework 2.0:

COM Interoperability (RCW)

Anonymous methods

Generics

Partial classes

Xml ( Performance improvements,XmlSerialzier,Xpath,Schema)

NTLM, Negotiate and Kerberos authentication protocols

IPv6 support

SOAP 1.2 support

System.Messaging namespace

RegistryKey class

Serial port support

Improved cryptographic support

Imrpoved threading

System.Drawing improvements

Addditional WinForms Features and Controls

Design time form inheritance

Design time custom controls

Direct3D and DirectDraw Mobile

Pocket Outlook Managed Library

Telephony Managed Library

Location Services support

Runtime hosting

Enhanced Type Marshaling

Notification Broker

Simplified Asynchronous Web Services programming model

How compact is CF.NET

See this interesting figures

Palm and Microsoft announced a partnership

Palm and Microsoft announced a partnersip, so we are waiting to see the first Palm mobile device powered by Windows Mobile 5.
More details...

Why Can't I Upgrade

Windows Mobile 5 is out there. A lot of people want to upgrade, but they can't. Why?
Here comes the answer

Compact Framework Service Packs and Fixes

Look here for some details about CF Services and Fixes