Windows Explorer Crashing in Windows 11

Recently one of my computers had an issue with the Windows Explorer. It was crashing constantly when I try to click, right click or hover on a Zip file. When the Windows Explorer crashes, it will log an event as below.

After bit of checking, found this was due to BIB.DLL which is located by default in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Adobe Drive CS4. The way to stop this from occurring is by removing all CS4 Drive Context Menu entries from Registry.

If you do not want Adobe CS4 you can uninstall that, otherwise you need to remove some CS4 related entries from registry.

I searched for the GUID "C95FFEAE-A32E-4122-A5C4-49B5BFB69795" of Adobe Drive ADFS Menu using RegEdit and deleting the below 3 context menu entries fixed the issue for me.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{C95FFEAE-A32E-4122-A5C4-49B5BFB69795}

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{C95FFEAE-A32E-4122-A5C4-49B5BFB69795}

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{C95FFEAE-A32E-4122-A5C4-49B5BFB69795}

Your Information Leaked?

Below is a good site which you can use to check whether your data was compromised in any data breach happened. This is free for personal use but for enterprises they can pay and use the service.

Have I Been Pwned: Check if your email has been compromised in a data breach

The site is the work of an Australian security researcher who is a Microsoft regional director named Troy Hunt. He is also a MVP and an internationally active speaker in web security space. 

Error Installing Windows 11 on VMWare Player

Recently I encountered an error while trying to install a fresh copy of Windows 11 64 bit on a virtual machine running on a Windows 11 host machine. 

Even though the Virtual Machine (VM) is meeting all the requirements Windows setup was complaining that PC is not meeting the minimum requirements as below.

This is happening because TPM (Trusted Platform Module) is not enabled when you created VMs in VMWare Player. I managed to make it work by changing the VMX file which stores the VMs configuration information.

Follow below steps,

1. Turn off the Virtual PC (VPC).
2. Browse to the location where the VPC files are stored.

    You can find the location by opening the VPC settings as seen below.

3. In that location you will see a file named "VM Name.vmx", in mine it was "Windows 10.vmx". Open this file using NotePad.

4. Add the below line to the file.

    managedVM.autoAddVTPM = "software"

5. Save the file and start the VPC. Now you should be able to continue with the installation.

Visit Microsoft to find full Windows 11 requirements.

Toyota RAV4 2011 AWD and 2WD Maintenance Schedule

 Engine and Electrical System

Fuel System, Chassis and Body

Body and Chassis Continued

Maintenance Service Times

Toyota RAV4 2011 AWD and 2WD Maintenance Information

Below are the service details of a Toyota RAV4 2011, this is applicable for a two wheel drive ot four wheel drive version.

MAINTENANCE OF YOUR TOYOTA

MAINTENANCE OF YOUR TOYOTA IMPORTANT NOTICE

Things You Can Do When You Refuel.

The best way to ensure years of trouble-free motoring is to develop a habit of regularly checking under the bonnet and around your Toyota. It only takes a few minutes when you're getting petrol, and early detection could save you a lot of money. If you're unsure how to carry out these checks, see your Owner's Manual or ask a Service Advisor at your Toyota Service Centre for a demonstration at your next service.

• Check engine oil, (ensure engine is hot, wait 5 minutes for an accurate reading)
• Check engine coolant, brake, clutch and windscreen washer fluid levels
• Check tyre pressure including spare (when cold)
• You should walk around your vehicle checking that all the lights, indicators and horn are operating correctly.
• Operate the air conditioner for at least 5 minutes per week to keep the system in optimum condition.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

To maintain the protection and efficiency of the cooling system, the Toyota Super long Life Coolant must not be mixed with any other coolant or additive.

Use premixed genuine Toyota Super Long Life Coolant to fill the cooling system. Do not use alcohol type antifreeze or plain water alone.

Regular Toyota Service Centre Checks

In addition to the maintenance items listed for each service, your Toyota Service Centre will regularly check the operation of key systems. To ensure the continued efficiency and reliability of your, vehicle to suit your particular driving conditions, your Toyota Service Centre may recommend additional maintenance such as:

• Replacement of worn wiper blades
• Brake system inspections
• Headlight realignments
• Balance and rotation of wheels for even tyre wear
• Valve clearance adjustments
• Testing and re-gassing air conditioning.

MAINTENANCE OF YOUR TOYOTA

How to Calculate the correct Service Intervals

You'll notice this handbook lists both time and kilometres travelled as recommended service intervals. This is because the service intervals of your vehicle are dependent on your driving habits. Regular vehicle maintenance is vital to maintain optimal performance, safety, longevity and resale value. If you drive average distances (approximately 20,000 km or more per year) you should be servicing your Toyota in accordance with the kilometres travelled recommendations. However, if you consistently travel low kilometres, then servicing must be based on the recommended time intervals.

Talk to your Toyota Service Advisor for further information about the type of service schedule best suited to your day to day driving, and you'll know you’re keeping your Toyota operating at peak performance.

Additional Service Requirements

How and where you drive your Toyota determines the service requirements as much as the time or distance travelled. For example, if you are regularly towing heavy loads or driving in rough conditions, then more frequent maintenance is necessary, refer to Additional Service Requirements in this Section. The Service Advisor at your Toyota Service Centre can best advise you on the maintenance requirements, to suit your driving conditions.

Wheel Alignment

Abnormal or uneven tyre wear may be noted by your Toyota Service Centre during your regular maintenance service. This may be caused by your operating environment. Your Toyota Service Centre will suggest a wheel alignment check (and correction if necessary) to prevent further deterioration to your vehicle's tyres. This will be a chargeable service.

Break-in Period Oil Change

Your new Toyota is manufactured to precision tolerances and rigorously checked and filled with high quality lubricants at the factory, as such the oil and filter does not need to be changed until the first scheduled service.

Oil Thickening

Oil thickening is a phenomenon which occurs when particles of unburnt fuel and combustion by-products cause a build-up of carbon (soot) in the engine oil forming a jelly type substance. It can cause serious engine damage through oil starvation. It is essential that the engine oil is changed according to the Maintenance Schedule in this Section, at either the time or distance specified.

UNDERSTANDING THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE

Here is a guide to the codes defining what type of maintenance needs to be performed at each scheduled service. You'll find these marked on Maintenance Schedule pages.

C = Clean

D = Inspect and drain

I = Inspect and correct or replace as necessary

R = Replace

T = Tighten

IMPORTANT NOTICES

Driving Through Deep Water, Mud or Sand

Items such as those following require daily service when you drive through deep water, mud or sand:

• Brake lines and hoses
• Brake linings/drums and brake pads and discs
• Engine air cleaner filter 
• Front and rear differential oil 
• Steering linkage 
• Transfer oil 
• Transmission fluid or oil 
• Wheel bearings 
• Propeller shafts and drive shafts.

Driving Through Water

Avoid driving through water that may enter the engine compartment. Water entering the engine compartment may enter the engine air intake and other components causing serious damage and or the engine to stop and not restart.

Should you need to drive through deep water, first ascertain thar the depth of the water is not above the bottom of the front bumper bar and that the surface of the ground under the water is firm and even with no deep holes, then you can proceed slowly in low gear.

If the water level is deeper than above, it is advisable to wait until the water level has dropped or to find another crossing.

Water Flood

If your Toyota is caught in a flood and is submerged over the engine do not start it or have it towed in a manner that may cause damage or unsafe operation. Water may have entered the engine, transmission. differential and other assemblies. Before your Toyota can be started and driven again, each assembly must be checked and serviced, otherwise, serious damage may occur. For additional information on driving and towing your Toyota, see the vehicle's "Owner's Manual".

QANTAS Founders Museum - Longreach - Queensland - Australia

 

While travelling in Queensland few years ago, I visited the QANTAS Founders Museum in Longreach. If you are driving here, it will take about 12 hours and 50 minutes to travel the 1177 kilometers from Brisbane.

101 years ago QANTAS or else Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services limited was actually started here in Longreach when it was registered on 16^th of November 1920. This museum was started on June 1996.

Site offers plenty of free parking, there is a gift shop and a café available and all the facilities are wheelchair accessible.

There are several tours you can do to explore the different aircrafts available like Boeing 707, 747, DC3, etc. Some of the tours will give you access to areas of the plane where you normally would not see in an airport. This is the Boeing 747-238B with the registration number VH-EBQ City of Bunbury. This used to fly for Qantas and Air Pacific from 10^th December 1979 to 2002.

Do you know what is the longest non stop airborne commercial passenger flight is, is it the Singapore Airlines flight 23 from New York to Singapore using Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft which takes 18 hours and 50 minutes?

No, it is something you will not believe, the longest flight airborne time is 32 hours and 9 minutes and was the Double Sunrise Service operated by Qantas which got the name because the passengers saw sunrise twice while airborne. It was the only regular air service to Australia across the Indian ocean. These flew between Koggala lake in Ceylon now Sri Lanka and Swan River in Perth Australia and used a plane called Catalina flying boats. The record holder longest flight took place on 30^th of August in 1943, I feel this flight which flew from Sri Lanka to Australia will hold the record for many years to come until we start inter planet commercial passenger flights. I am proud that this record is between my motherland and my homeland. Let this video be a tribute to Qantas for their 101 years of service.

			Score out of 5
1	Parking Availability	Adequate	4
2	Wheelchair Access	Easy	4
3	Accessibility	Sealed roads and easy walks.	5
4	Facilities	Toilets – Yes Barbecue – No Restaurant - Yes	4
5	Scenery	NA	-

For more details and pricing visit the Museum Web Site.

Hope you enjoy the video.

Map

v

Lobethal Lights 2020 - Lobethal - South Australia - Australia

Wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2021. 

With the interruptions from bush fires in 2019 and cancellation of many events due to the Covid 19 pandemic, I needed to see how the Lobethal Christmas decorations are done.

Lobethal is a city famous for its Christmas lighting for over sixty years and is located 35 KiloMeters from Adelaide city and will take about 45 mins to drive there. Lobethal is up in the Adelaide hills so you should expect to drive in winding roads and to encounter wildlife on road so take care when driving and better drive little bit slower than the allowed maximum speed.

In the true spirit of Christmas this lighting festival has become a tradition and now it has evolved into becoming the largest community Christmas lighting display in the Southern Hemisphere.

Lights will be displayed from 20^th December to 31^st each year, I encourage all of you to visit Lobethal and support this community event.

			Score out of 5
1	Parking Availability	When all events are happening it will bit hard to find parking.	3
2	Wheelchair Access	Easy	5
3	Accessibility	Most of the decorations can be enjoyed being inside the car.	4
4	Facilities	Lobethal city facilities will be available. Toilets – Yes Barbecue – Yes	4
5	Scenery	Nothing much when dark.	2

Below is a video I made from the visit.

Map

Bogoda Falls - Bogoda - Sri Lanka

This is Bogoda falls in Bogoda, Ketawala in Uva province Sri Lanka. When you drive for about 3 kilometres in the Bogoda bridge road from Ketawala town, you will see this waterfall on the road itself, with its water flowing across the road. Since it is a road used by vehicles be mindful when you are enjoying the waterfall. Even though this is not a famous waterfall, you will see plenty of water in the wet season, also since this is on the way to the famous Bogoda Wooden bridge, you will see both of these in the same trip.

			Score out of 5
1	Parking Availability	By the side of road	2
2	Wheelchair Access	Main Viewpoint – No Secondary Viewpoint – No Picnic Areas – No	0
3	Accessibility	Can see from the road	5
4	Facilities	Covered Sitting Areas – No Toilets – No Barbecue – No Garbage Bins – No	0
5	Scenery	Waterfall Stream	2

Map

Sister - Supahan Sitha (සහෝදරී - සුපහන් සිත)

This is the Sinhala short teledrama "Sister" in the "Supahan Sitha" teledrama series by Ajith Kumarathanthri.
Actors and Actresses
- Hashinika Karaliyadda
- Manjula Moragaha
- Rebecca Godawatte
- Rihanna Kandabadagae
- Herman Jerald Perera

Sihala Kala Ranga 2019 (සිහල කළා රංග 2019)

These are some performances done in the 2019 concert by students of Sihala Kala Rangayathanaya in Adelaide Australia.

Swarna Swara 2019 Adelaide Australia (ස්චර්ණ ස්චර 2019 ඇඩිලේඩ් ඔස්ටේලියාව)

These are some of the performances in Swarna Swara 2019 concert held in Adelaide Australia on 2019-10-06.

Famous Sri Lankan artists Kasun Kalhara, Amarasiri Peris and Nirosha Virajini performed for the music of Suresh Maliyadde.

Denuwara Manike Train - Sri Lanka (දෙනුවර මැණිකේ දුම්රිය - ශ්‍රී ලංකාව)

This video is about Denuwara Manike train, which is the newest addition to Sri Lanka railways on late 2019 and was put to service on 1st of November 2019. Currently it is the fastest way to go to Badulla by train. This intercity express train known by train number 1001 will depart Colombo Fort railway station every other day at 6:45 AM and reach Badulla station at 3:30 PM after stopping at 11 stations on the main line. On the next day it will be train number 1002 and will return at 7:20 AM from Badulla station and reach Colombo Fort station at 4:30 PM, after stopping at 12 stations, making a journey of 294.3 kilometres in about 9 hours. Train will stop at Polgahawela, Peradeneya Junction, Gampola, Nawalapitiya, Hatton, Thalawakaelae, Nanuoya, Haputalae, Diyathalawa, Bandarawela, Ella. On the way back it will stop at Maradhana additionally.

Train consists of 2 Air Conditioned first class compartments with adjustable seats, adjustable arm rests, individual tables, television screens, audio jack ports, foot rests, cup holders, seat back pockets, 240 volts power outlets for some seats. 2 second class compartments with adjustable seats, adjustable arm rests, individual tables, foot rests, cup holders, seat back pockets, openable windows, 3 third class compartments, a restaurant car with disabled toilet facilities and 2 identical engines in the front and back with fully air conditioned driver and guard rooms. All compartments are having train information display screens, music, fans, luggage holders and toilets with sinks.
Denuwara Manike has a spacious disabled toilet in the restaurant compartment. Normally the door of this is locked and the restaurant staff got a key for this. It is having automatic door and hand rails for easy access. Good size sink and a mirror is also available. There is a small cubicle with a mirror and a sink near the disabled toilet for public use.

These types of trains are called DMUs which stands for Diesel Multiple Units. This S14 type powerset was manufactured by China Railway Rollingstock Corporation and was purchased for 1845 million rupees. Each of the two 11-cylinder engines can supply 1500 kilowatts to the train through AC – DC power transmission system and they are connected using the train’s electricity system. They are numbered as engine 971 and engine 972 by Sri Lanka railways department. In an engine failure, the train can reach its destination with one operating engine.

For the first time in Sri Lanka this train has a camera system and a Blackbox similar to aircraft Blackbox and records and stores all the operational data with the front camera view. The train information display screen, on this train is made out of LED panel which will display train running information in all 3 languages Sinhala, Tamil and English. It will display information such as train name, number, start and end station names, speed, next stopping station. Engines also got fuel tanks capable of storing 3500 litres of Diesel. Maximum possible speed of the train is 120 kilometres per hour. In the daily run between Colombo and Badulla it reaches 90 kilometres per hour in some sections of the route. To make the ride extra smooth, these carriages are fitted with air suspension system rather than the conventional suspension systems.

Train’s braking system is made by a German company named Knorr-Bremse, who are renowned for manufacturing reliable braking systems especially suited for hill country trains.

Since the train got 2 engines in the front and back, it doesn’t have an observation compartment.

Full route fair for first class is 1700 Sri Lankan rupees, second class is 1000 rupees and 700 rupees for third class. This train will only accept passengers who have booked tickets prior, so you cannot just buy a ticket from a railway station and get in. Tickets can be booked from most of the major railway stations like Colombo Fort, Maradhana, Badulla, Ella, Kandy, Hatton, Mathara, Galle, Anuradhapura, Jaffna. For more information visit Sri Lanka Railways website www.railway.gov.lk.

In the video you can see,

• Denuwara Manike train passing Uduwara reservoir.
• Train parked at Badulla station.
• Denuwara Manike going to Badulla yard to rest for the night.
• Train passing the famous nine arches bridge.
• Denuwara Manike passing the highest point in Sri Lanka railway line. This place is about 1898 metres or 6227 feet above mean sea level.
• Train passing iron bridges and tunnels.