Developer

PCCW WiFi laptop quest

Hong Kong's PCCW wireless services for computers is a pleasure to use; after you got it all set up. Supporting and automatically switching between WiFi, HSPA and 3G, a speedy connection is assured at almost any spot, from country to beach sites thanks to their "Auto Network Selector" USB stick.

The stick's features are impressive and make it ready to take on travels assuming one can get an appropriate SIM card for data transfers at the destination. Besides MicroSD (up to 8 GB) memory card slot, it is compatible with networks HSUPA/HSDPA/UMTS 900/2100 MHz, EDGE/GPRS/GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Mhz. That should cover about all network covered places.

The messages below are Twitter messages I tweeted during setup.

Picked up Netvigator WiFi/HSPA/3G USB stick today. I thought it has 8GB memory *included*, not just the slot for such memory card. Pfff.. :(
Connecting PCCW's "Auto Network Selector" to PC for 1st time, it detects a Huawei Mobile, some Sierra WiFi device and more. Takes forever :(
After more than 10mins, I finally have to reboot. Let's see what happens after that and if I manage to get online. I have some bad feelings.
After reboot, Netvigator Everywhere stick installed devices again at least twice (by counting the popups). 3G works faster than my Lux DSL..
It's scary to see the 3G data counter. Thinking about 3's 100MB offer, I'm overwhelmed with disbelief. Although they have an unlimited plan.
However, the Netvigator USB stick does interfere with laptop's internal WiFi which smartly disables itself for duration of stick's activity.
Conclusion: use hassle-free internal WiFi when stationary at a PCCW WiFi hotspot, force 3G (disable auto-mode) for on-the-go or weak signal.
PCCW WiFi is something for people with lots of time & patience. Sitting right above access point, it took 3 connection attempts: low speed..
To conclude my PCCW WiFi quest: I'll only use it on mobile if right next to a booth. The same applies to laptop use. Otherwise it's 2G & 3G.

PCCW WiFi mobile quest

Hong Kong's PCCW WiFi proves to be more pain than gain despite being a great service when it works. Below is my quest to get the service back to functioning on my HP iPAQ HW6965 mobile, running Windows Mobile 5 (WM5).

The messages below are Twitter messages I tweeted during setup.

@dda Re "PCCW WiFi login": they must have changed more to it (invisible) as recently WM5 IE fails it too and Opera most of the time as well.
@dda No problem using a Windows computer either. But I've failed with all apps on both WM5 & WM6 (I usually do *not* carry around a laptop).
@dda I will try that on a mobile this noon: RT @waishinglee: New PCCW Wi-Fi login page! Now there's an actual portal. And timer (...)
Applied for 110HKD (98+12) unlimited 2G & WiFi plan at People (China Mobile). It's only monthly based, great as no 3G so can switch anytime.
I tried the PCCW WiFi login from my WM5 mobile: it's still the same. No optical nor functional change & still giving cryptic error messages.
@waishinglee Re "PCCW WiFi Connection Manager": I'll try tonight. Last time WM5 was not available so just used browser login until fail now.
PCCW WiFi's connection manager for WM5 works fine.. except for it deleted all my previously saved network connections (about a dozen). Sigh.
PCCW WiFi is something for people with lots of time & patience. Sitting right above access point, it took 3 connection attempts: low speed..
To conclude my PCCW WiFi quest: I'll only use it on mobile if right next to a booth. The same applies to laptop use. Otherwise it's 2G & 3G.

Twitter on WM5

There are many Twitter applications available for smartphones and PDAs. Given I still run Windows Mobile 5 (WM5) with my HP iPAQ HW6965 mobile, it's a bit tricker to find a good solution as most new releases focus on iPhone, BlackBerry and WM6.

TinyTwitter: fast, simple, complete but one account only. No URL shortening, only TwitPic support. Shows timeline cache without reload need.
Twikini: Multi-account & URL shortening. Fast loading. Timeline requires update upon program start. Accounts switch forces timeline loading.
PockeTwit: Best looking with "slide effects". Multi-account, build-in cam. Think "TweetDeck for WM". No own timeline per account, all mixed.

Twitter on WM5 conclusion (for now): I will keep TinyTwitter for my own account (single) and for multiple other accounts to manage: Twikini.

OTRS and MediaTemple (mt)

I had my fair share of troubles with OTRS (Open source Ticket Request System) in the past, in particular on an old Fedora/Ensim powered dedicated server. Issues caused by OTRS like bugged package updates continue once in a while, but it looks like the move to MediaTemple (mt) has solved about every other problem - if not taking into account the still somewhat complicated installation/migration/upgrade procedure which won't follow the official OTRS manuals in every step.

The major difference in both systems (dedicated server vs. MediaTemple) is that "root folder" refers to the main folder on the dedicated server's drive versus referring to the main folder within a virtual account at (mt). On a dedicated server, OTRS had a number of confusions as to where this "root" would apply: while one configuration would start a path in the domain account's hosting root, another configuration would go all the way to the drive's root; despite having the domain account "jailed" (supposed to be unable to access outside-of-own-account destinations).

OTRS does not provide a simple upgrade procedure from within its admin control panel. The upgrade procedure is almost identical to setting up a new installation - minus the database part. I therefore can "merge" both procedures into a single document. Migrating is a rather simple procedure as it only requires the usual modifications like database connection settings and a couple of folder permissions (.htaccess settings...).

A note about the official OTRS documentation: I've written about this before, I've sent a document to OTRS upon their request, and I keep saying it as no change whatsoever until now: it's not a good one. It gives you the general idea and for some systems it might work but it lacks crucial details and explanations which could save a lot of time figuring out on my own why something might not even be necessary or totally different.

The instructions below refer to a (mt) Grid-Service (gs) account and assume you know your way around the control panel, setting up (sub-)domains and email accounts, have shell (ssh) access and now how to use text editor nano. If you don't feel comfortable with these or have no idea at all what this is all about, you might want to consider someone's help.
(As usual, no warranties, liabilities etc by the author; you know the drill.)

New Installation

Create the new domain in the control panel, or
Login to shell and create a sub-domain folder in domains/
mkdir -p domains/name_of_(sub-)domain/html
Having logged into the shell, prepare the installation destination, download the latest release and put all files in place with the right permissions:
cd domains/name_of_(sub-)domain/html
mkdir ../otrs-share
mkdir opt
cd opt
wget (latest_release*)
* copy link of latest "Source Archive" with extension "tar.gz" at download page
tar -zxvf *.gz
rm *.gz
mv (otrs_folder_name) otrs
chmod -R 755 otrs
Setting up the database:
In your (mt) control panel, create a new MySQL database (and user if you like).
You might want to change the database from "latin1" to "utf-8" encoding.
Import file "otrs-schema.mysql.sql" from opt/otrs/scripts/database/ folder.
Import file "otrs-initial_insert.mysql.sql" from same folder.
Import file "otrs-schema-post.mysql.sql" from same folder.
Setting up the configuration file:
cp otrs/Kernel/Config.pm.dist otrs/Kernel/Config.pm
nano -w otrs/Kernel/Config.pm
In the editor, update these lines:
$Self->{DatabaseHost} = 'internal-db.s#####.gridserver.com';
$Self->{Database} = 'db#####_name';
$Self->{DatabaseUser} = 'db#####_name';
$Self->{DatabasePw} = 'yourpassword';
a few lines down the config file:
$Self->{Home} = '/home/#####/domains/(sub-)domain/html/opt/otrs';
Save and quit.
You might want to take a look at otrs/Kernel/Config/GenericAgent.pm.examples for this:
cp otrs/Kernel/Config/GenericAgent.pm.dist otrs/Kernel/Config/GenericAgent.pm
Save and quit.
OTRS requires a couple of rewrites which are not permitted by (mt) the way they're given by the OTRS manual. An easy solution to this is to create symbolic links (symlinks) which won't be affected by future upgrades either.
cd .. (as we are currently still in the html/opt folder)
ln -s opt/otrs/var/httpd/htdocs otrs-web
ln -s opt/otrs/bin/cgi-bin otrs
(mt) executes Perl scripts in the cgi-bin folder but that is not where we run OTRS. We have to create a .htaccess file in 2 locations to allow the execution of .pl files in there as well as to take care of some permission settings.
nano -w otrs/.htaccess
Insert the 4 lines below:
AddHandler cgi-script .pl
Options +ExecCGI -Includes
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
Save and quit.
nano -w otrs-web/.htaccess
Insert the 2 lines below:
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
Save and quit.
Check if all Perl modules required by OTRS are working.
opt/otrs/bin/otrs.checkModules
It could be that LDAP and PDF is missing but those are not required unless you want to use those functions.
perl -cw otrs/index.pl
perl -cw opt/otrs/bin/PostMaster.pl
Both should output "syntax OK".
You should now be able to do your first login:
http://your_(sub-)domain/otrs/index.pl
Default admin username: root@localhost
Default admin password: root
After login, switch to "Admin" section (control panel).
Change username/password in "Users & Groups & Roles" > "Users":
Search for "root@localhost", click name and do modifications.
Install additional packages (FAQ, FileManager...) in Misc > Package Manager.
Customize (text, emails and other settings) system parameters in Misc > SysConfig:
- FrameWork > Core, Frontend:Agent, Frontend:Customer...
- FAQ (if package installed) > Core...
- FileManager (if package installed) > Core:
change FileManager::Root: path to /home/#####/domains/(sub-)domain/otrs-share/
(mt) runs its servers on the PST time zone which could cause confusion for your installation. OTRS takes the time from the database server and assumes it is the UTC. While the UTC is the "central time" of which you add or subtract up to 12 hours based on what location you are, this won't work in this case. OTRS time adjustments allow only adjustments in the range of +12 to -12 (thus 24 hours total) but because OTRS believes it runs on UTC which in fact is PST, we have to manually overwrite the time zone setting in the configuration file. Example Hong Kong as a location to run OTRS: Hong Kong time zone is UTC+8 whereas PST is UTC-8. That would be an adjustment of +16 hours which is beyond the default format.
OTRS stores all custom settings (all the changes you made above in the admin control panel) in this file:
opt/otrs/Kernel/Config/Files/ZZZAuto.pm
Do not confuse this file with ZZZAAuto.pm (double-A), which is the template for the single-A.
Updating the timezone setting if it is beyond +12:
nano -w opt/otrs/Kernel/Config/Files/ZZZAuto.pm
If you did not change the time setting in the admin control panel, add the line below. If you already changed the time setting, search for the line and update it. This is an example of the Hong Kong adjustment of +16 hours:
$Self->{'TimeZone'} = '+16';
Please note that after making this adjustment you might be kicked out of OTRS if you are still logged in as the session expired (increase of that many hours goes beyond the session time limit).
Setup of email accounts: Misc > Postmaster Mail Account
Take a look at the official OTRS Admin Manual, sections "first steps in OTRS" and "the admin area of OTRS". Things to setup are agents, queues, groups, users... All to be found under "Users & Groups & Roles".
When you're done configuring your system and perhaps testing if it works, it's time for some scheduled tasks (cronjobs).
Still being in the html folder in shell, test if the tasks work fine before scheduling them.
opt/otrs/bin/DeleteSessionIDs.pl --expired
opt/otrs/bin/PendingJobs.pl
opt/otrs/bin/PostMasterMailbox.pl
opt/otrs/bin/RebuildTicketIndex.pl
opt/otrs/bin/UnlockTickets.pl --timeout
There are a number of other tasks but these are the most important. Refer to the admin manual for further information about these and other tasks.
If all goes well, create a script file which includes the tasks above and which will be scheduled for automatic execution.
nano -w ../../../data/script_name.sh
Enter the lines below
#!/bin/sh
/home/#####/domains/(sub-)domain/html/opt/otrs/bin/DeleteSessionIDs.pl -- expired >> /dev/null
... Repeat the same with all tasks you want to execute, add " >> /dev/null" for no output display.
chmod 755 ../../../data/script_name.sh
In (mt) control panel, go to the cronjob page and create an entry, calling the script above.
Templates / Customization:
You can easily customize the look of the public and user pages here:
cp -r opt/otrs/Kernel/Output/HTML/Standard opt/otrs/Kernel/Output/HTML/new_name
Change files like "CustomerFooter.dtl", "CustomerHeader.dtl"... in that folder.
In the OTRS admin control panel, go to Misc > SysConfig, change Framework > Core:
Change the name of the Template. If you don't want that hassle, backup "Standard" folder and make your changes in the Standard folder itself.

Upgrade

This applies to upgrading the OTRS framework on a (mt) (gs) account.

Package upgrades (FAQ, FileManager...) are done from within OTRS' admin control panel.

Framework upgrades (OTRS itself) cannot be done from a simple browser-based interface. Below the steps to upgrade a (mt) hosted OTRS installation.

Backup the database!
You can do this from within the (mt) admin control panel or from shell.
Backup the existing otrs folder!
Login to the shell and enter these commands:
cd domains/(sub-)domain/html/opt
mv otrs otr_BACKUP
Get the new release:
wget (latest_release*)
* copy link of latest "Source Archive" with extension "tar.gz" at download page
tar -zxvf *.gz
rm *.gz
mv (otrs_folder_name) otrs
chmod -R 755 otrs
Setting up the database:
If you do a major OTRS upgrade such as 2.2 > 2.3:
check in folder opt/otrs/scripts/ if any file "DBUpdate-to-X.Y.mysql.sql" where "X.Y" stands for the OTRS version you are upgrading to. If so, go to your (mt) control panel, select the OTRS database and import that file to upgrade the database.
Setting up the configuration file:
cp otrs/Kernel/Config.pm.dist otrs/Kernel/Config.pm
nano -w otrs/Kernel/Config.pm
In the editor, update these lines:
$Self->{DatabaseHost} = 'internal-db.s#####.gridserver.com';
$Self->{Database} = 'db#####_name';
$Self->{DatabaseUser} = 'db#####_name';
$Self->{DatabasePw} = 'yourpassword';
a few lines down the config file:
$Self->{Home} = '/home/#####/domains/(sub-)domain/html/opt/otrs';
Save and quit.
You might want to take a look at otrs/Kernel/Config/GenericAgent.pm.examples for this:
cp otrs/Kernel/Config/GenericAgent.pm.dist otrs/Kernel/Config/GenericAgent.pm
Save and quit.
Step 5 of the installation procedure is not necessary, so we skip to step 6.
cp otrs_BACKUP/bin/cgi-bin/.htaccess otrs/bin/cgi-bin/
cp otrs_BACKUP/var/httpd/htdocs/.htaccess otrs/var/httpd/htdocs/
Check if all Perl modules required by OTRS are working.
opt/otrs/bin/otrs.checkModules
It could be that LDAP and PDF is missing but those are not required unless you want to use those functions.
perl -cw otrs/bin/cgi-bin/index.pl
perl -cw otrs/bin/PostMaster.pl
Both should output "syntax OK".
If you want to keep FileManager's Trash, restore this folder with all content:
cp -r otrs_BACKUP/bin/cgi-bin/*Trash otrs/bin/cgi-bin/
Restore the configuration modifications you did in the previous version:
cp otrs_BACKUP/Kernel/Config/Files/ZZZAuto.pm otrs/Kernel/Config/Files/
In your web browser, login to the OTRS admin control panel.
Go to Misc > Package Manager: reinstall (do NOT remove) incorrectly deployed packages.
Removing would delete all their database data.
Script testing from shell:
otrs/bin/DeleteSessionIDs.pl --expired
otrs/bin/PendingJobs.pl
otrs/bin/PostMasterMailbox.pl
If already running: otrs/bin/PostMasterMailbox.pl -f 1
otrs/bin/RebuildTicketIndex.pl
otrs/bin/UnlockTickets.pl --timeout
Check if every package (FAQ, FileManager...) looks good for all users by opening these pages in your web browser and navigate around:
http://(sub-)domain/public.pl (FAQ only)
http://(sub-)domain/customer.pl
http://(sub-)domain/index.pl

Be VERY CAREFUL with package upgrading (not related to framework upgrading)! It happened several times to me that - in particular the FAQ package - some upgrades of packages broke OTRS either partially (no admin login or no package for all accounts) or totally (no login for anyone).

Therefore, if you want to upgrade a package (not related to their reinstallation after a framework upgrade), it is most highly recommended you first backup the database AND the /opt/otrs folder. If anything goes wrong, simply restore the database backup and delete the botched opt/otrs folder with its backup, then wait for the next package upgrade (or try your luck at http://www.otrs.org).

Migrate

How to move OTRS to (mt). This assumes you have a working OTRS installation at another host or at least not on a (gs) account.

Moving OTRS is mostly the same as upgrading.

Backup the existing
- database (mysqldump, export...),
- opt folder (tar -czvf backup.tar.gz opt),
- otrs-share folder (might be outside your html folder).
You can either follow step 3 from the "Upgrade" procedure above or restore your existing opt folder.
Make sure you restore your existing otrs-share folder.
Import the database (or create a new one and import the tables).
Maybe you want to create a separate user account for it.
Update your Config.pm file as detailed in step 5 of the "Upgrade" procedure.
If you did not restore your old opt folder, don't forget GenericAgent.pm.
Follow steps 5, 6, 7 of "New Installation".
If you did not restore your old opt folder, do steps 8 and 9 of "Upgrade".
In your web browser, login to the OTRS admin control panel.
Do step 11 op "Upgrade".
Check if all Misc > SysConfig settings are in order.
Update FileManager > FileManager::Root: path.
Update your email accounts: "PostMaster Mail Accounts" and agents' preferences.
If you move from another timezone, check step 12 in "New Installation".
Do steps 12 and 13 of "Upgrade".
The cronjobs from step 15 in "New Installation".
Template customization from step 16 in "New Installation":
You might have to restore it from your old setup and/or check if all in order.

Keep it clean

I was asked to examine a computer which would not start anymore, the only thing still noticable being the power light on the pc box and "no signal" on the screen. A mainboard related cause was the primary suspect and thus I opened the box to see if anything visible; I couldn't use the acoustic error beeps for reference as there were none.

I had seen similar cases in the past, from burned/exploded electronics to dead memory. This time, a quick glance into the box was all I needed: it was so dusty I could hardly make out any mainboard features other than the CPU cooling block at all. And that was the problem.

The CPU's cooling block was so dusty with all kind of things accumulated and compressed by the fan and then baked by the CPU's heat, that eventually the fan could not start anymore. The mainboard reads the fan's revolutions per minute (rpm) and given they were now 0, the whole system would not start at all.

After cleaning the box as good as I could - among other things with a cold-air hairdryer in a bathtub - the system was back to normal operation. There was enough dust in the box to take it out with my bare hands, think of a hair saloon's floor.

The lesson of the day:
Always keep the computer's environment clean and check the box once in a while.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome, the new web browser in town. It grabbed anywhere from 1 - 7% of the browser market share within its first 3 weeks of public existance, according to various sources. Not much reliability about that though as they are mostly based on individual sites. It's also the software the easiest forgotten / ignored as still being a public Beta.

Taking into consideration Google's brand - something equal to the "Apple of the Internet" - expectations have been high for the browser and users seen to be easy on the forgiving. I've had my healthy share of problems with the browser in particular when it comes to compatibility with other software / drivers, yet I don't see the public reporting and shouting about such issues for even a fraction they would do with anything, say, Microsoft.

It remains to be seen if it can match up to Firefox and beat Internet Explorer on the way. A tough challenge but Google is in no hurry. With their ever-growing Internet dominance, it's only a matter of time until they gain traction in the browser field, no matter what the response of the public. Furthermore, with Google linking all services gradually together, it becomes a natural choice to/at some point. By default, Microsoft is in the same lucky position given they also step up their online presence and service list. However, if they remain as cumbersome as ever, people might switch over to Google, not just for its browser but also for the growing list of applications matching those of Microsoft and others.

A smart and to some extend fun move by Google's marketing department has been the creation of a comic presenting the browser and detailing how it works and what it does. Though not exactly for a layperson, it does convey the idea quite good and should convince quite some people to switch to, or at least try, Chrome.

Asok's realisation

Asok realises that doing - and in particular telling about - too much work backfires.

Dilbert.com

setup.exe fails to install

setup.exe is a file used to install programs. It's frequently found on driver CDs and such alike, so when it fails to launch, it usually hurts double. The Web is full of reasons and solution attemps why this file won't work and there is no general remedy. One has to check his or her system and compare to the solutions offered, with some luck one might fit.

A typical failure of setup.exe is noticable due to the lack of any activity whatsoever. A launch of the file results in nothing other than a dead process (0% CPU usage). If it hangs in there for a while like that, it's safe to kill it and proceed to the steps below.

The most popular reasons of failure include, in random order,

Virus/firewall software
Bad registry
Microsoft Outlook
Old folder structure
Missing temp folder
16bit

In my particular case, it seemed to relate to the recent installation of Norton 360 v2 on Windows XP. That means my reason of setup.exe failure was the "virus/firewall software" option. I wanted to install a network print server (hooking up my parallel laser printer to the local network) and neither the provided setup file on the CD nor any other downloaded would work.

The solution to this particular case:
(Please note that disabling the virus/firewall program from its own menu likely won't solve the problem, therefore the more drastic method below)

Start > Run > msconfig
In first tab, click "Selective Startup"
1. Disable "Load Startup Items"
Click "Services" tab
1. Disable all processes related to the virus/firewall software/company.
Apply and close the program, follow it's instruction to reboot.
Try if setup works now. Finish it and restart if necessary.
Redo step 1.
1. Actibate "Normal Startup.
Redo step 4.

Even though setup.exe may work during the procedure above, certain other functions might now until after a normal restart. In this case, installing the network print monitor as well as a new network port went well but the new network port could only be accessed by the network print monitor and its install wizard until after a normal restart.

Below some solutions to other possible causes:

Bad registry entries
1. Start > Run > regedit
2. HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/App Paths/setup.exe
2a. Make sure that the default entry is blank and no "path" data entry.
If either of those two entries contain data, then under some circumstances Windows will try to run the setup.exe pointed to by the registry instead of the setup.exe you are actually trying to run.
Microsoft Outlook
1. Close all Microsoft Outlook (Outlook Express) applications and processes.
Old folder structure
Some old install files might look for "DOS-like" file names and folder structures: they might not be able to recognize folder name "Documents and Settings" but instead would require it to be named "Docume~1".
1. Create a folder such as c:\temp and start setup.exe from there.
Missing temp folder
Also part of the old install files is the problem of a missing c:\temp folder. Create it for the sake of installation and remove it at will if no longer necessary thereafter.
16bit
Those installation files won't run in Windows XP.
Other
The Web is full of setup.exe related problems and solution attempts. Best suggestion would be to search for specific error messages / descriptions matching the individual problem.

Extracting MSI files

Microsoft Installer (MSI) files often contain files you might want to use individually without actually installing everything by executing the main MSI setup file.

Users of Windows Mobile (WM) frequently run into this problem when they want to install an application only on their mobile device and not first on their computer.

If you have Windows Installer installed:

Open Command Prompt: Start > Run > "cmd"
Either go to the folder where the MSI file is located or use full path:
msiexec /a path_to_MSI_file /qb targetdir=path_to_target_folder

For more information about msiexec execution:
Command-Line Switches for the Microsoft Windows Installer Tool

Norton 360, NIS

I've been a longtime user of Symantec's Norton Internet Security (NIS) products, installing it on all of my computers with purchases annual licenses and doing regular updates and maintenances. Previous to the 2007 edition, many complained about speed problems and suggested I try other software - which I did and disliked for various reasons - but I was very happy with all of the NIS versions; probably because I installed it on systems that could handle it and tweaked it to match my personal requirements.

NIS 2007 and 2008 required free add-on packages to include such crucial functions as spam and ad blocking. Given the all-in-one product range of Norton 360 (360), I decided to switch over to 360. I currently maintain 3 main computers so 360 (version 2) came in handy with its 3 seats license. On both Microsoft Windows Vista Business computers (one workstation and one tablet notebook) it runs smoothly and unnoticeable in the background. On the third computer however, also a tablet notebook but running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, 360 ran into troubles with all non-admin (restricted) user accounts.

By default, one would remove (if any) old Norton security programs to be replaced by 360 version 2 and installing the new program using the administrator user account because of its permission settings. In my case, removing the old NIS2008 went smoothly; I restarted, logged in as admin again and installed 360. It all went well, I rebooted, ran LiveUpdate to apply a lot of updates (took a long time) and rebooted again. All good.. I thought until I logged in with a different account having "only" power-user permissions.

Symantec states that Norton 360 2.0 is not supported on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition but that seems rather strange. I gave it a try anyways and the only thing not working is its Intrusion Prevention. A 3 hours chat session with Symantec's support service, including remote-control access to the affected computer, did not bring much new insight other than installing the program from within a non-admin user account. This is possible with the "switch to admin user for installation from within a non-admin account" function.

So after removing the botched 360 installation and installing again from within the restricted account, followed by a restart, it seemed to work. Then I did the big LiveUpdate and restarted again, after which the Intrusion Prevention failed again. By then, the support chat was over given that the problem seemed to have been solved (prior to the LiveUpdate). Rather out of frustration, I ran LiveUpdate once more and indeed id did apply a small update which however didn't require any reboot. I did so anyways and - almost like a miracle - 360 was back to normal.

Now I am scared to try running LiveUpdate from the admin account or even logging in as admin.

Update June 02, 2008 - 2pm

As feared, the above "solution" only worked for as long as I did not re-login as administrator. Now the questions would be:

Waste another day on this?
Never login as admin again? (impossible)
Or, re-install each time 360 in restricted user account after logging in as admin?
Give restricted user admin rights?