This copy of iTunes has expired.

Without prior indication, when starting iTunes on OSX 10.6 .4 I suddenly received the error dialog stating “This copy of iTunes has expired.” And Software Update states that all of the software is up to date.

The simple resolution is that a beta version of iTunes 9.2 that I installed did expire (so much for reading the fine print) and a re-installation of iTunes is required. iTunes can be downloaded on the apple site as a dmg file. When opened and the volume is mounted, run the iTunes.mpkg installer to restore the computer to a happy equilibrium. Fortunately, the beta version of iTunes does not need to be removed prior to installation.

Outlook 2010 Refuses to Deliver E-Mail stating “the e-mail address is no longer valid”

I have front-ended my Exchange Server 2010 with sendmail, preferring to use Linux utilities such as SpamAssassin and Clam AV to filter out the bad stuff before sending it to my email server. I also create generic email addresses that I use to give out. Recently, I was having a difficult time sending an email to a newly created email address with a domain that is served by my Exchange Server. In Outlook 2010, after inputting an email address such as special-email@epicminds.com, Outlook would display “this e-mail message cannot be delivered to special-email@epicminds.com because the e-mail address is no longer valid”.

The resolution for this issue cannot be found in Google – no hits are found for the exact error message. It occurred to me that since the Exchange server was responsible for the domain, it was determining the email address was invalid, and this is indeed the case. The solution is simple: change the Type for the Accepted Domain in the Hub Transport from Authoritative to Internal Relay.

To recap:

1. Start Exchange Management Console
2. In the console tree under the Exchange Server select Hub Transport under Organization Configuration
3. Select the Accepted Domains tab
4. Right-click on the accepted domain and select Properties
5. Change the Type to Internal Relay Domain
6. Click Apply

This will enable the Outlook client to accept an email address using that accepted domain that does not have a mailbox tied to the address.

Updating to the Release Version of Outlook 2010 from the Beta Removes RSS Feeds

Looks like there is a problem during the installation of the release version of Outlook 2010 in that the RSS feeds are not preserved (it appears it keeps the last added feed). Prior to uninstalling the beta version of Outlook 2010, make sure to export the RSS feeds as an OPML file. Then, after the installation is complete, import the OPML file to restore the RSS feeds.

To export the RSS Feeds, click on the File tab in the Ribbon and click on Open on the left pane. Select “Import” to start the Import and Export Wizard. From there, select Export RSS Feeds to an OPML file and continue as directed. Use the same process to Import the RSS Feeds from an OPML file.

If you are in the same boat as I, try restoring a previous version of the RSS Feeds file. On my Windows 7 box, it exists in:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

My file ends with .sharing.xml.obi and it was about 3k.

First, close all running instances of Outlook.

Navigating to that directory, right click on the file and select Restore previous versions. Select the most recent version prior to the date of the installation.

Next, make sure to copy that file as it will be rewritten by Outlook when it is run again.

I am unable to determine how to get Outlook to recognize this file so the .obi file needs to be converted to an OPML file that can be imported into Outlook. This is simply achieved through an XSL transformation. By applying the following XSL on the .sharing.xml.obi file, an OPML file is created that can be used to import the RSS feeds into Outlook.

Prior to importing the RSS feeds, delete the folders, otherwise duplicate folders will appear under RSS Feeds.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="2.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
  <xsl:output method="xml" version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" indent="yes"/>
  <xsl:template match="/">
    <opml version="1.0">
      <head>
        <title>OPML exported from Outlook</title>
        <dateCreated>Wed, 12 May 2010 16:00:00 -0400</dateCreated>
        <dateModified>Wed, 12 May 2010 16:00:00 -0400</dateModified>
      </head>
      <body>
        <xsl:for-each select="sharing/bindings/binding">
          <xsl:element name="outline">
            <xsl:attribute name="text"><xsl:value-of select="local/@name"/></xsl:attribute>
            <xsl:attribute name="type">rss</xsl:attribute>
            <xsl:attribute name="xmlUrl"><xsl:value-of select="remote/@path"/></xsl:attribute>
          </xsl:element>
        </xsl:for-each>
      </body>
    </opml>
  </xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

Virtual CloneDrive Error: Can’t Open VCD

I have not used Virtual CloneDrive for since January 2010 on my Windows Server 2008 R2 machine. Today, when trying to mount an ISO file on a drive letter i received a dialog stating it “Can’t Open VCD.” I tried everything to fix it but to no avail. Out of desperation I uninstalled and reinstalled the same version (5.4.4.0) and it now works again!

Fixing a Broken Keurig B70 Coffee Drip

I love my Keurig coffee maker, but have had continual problems with it. I must admit their customer service has been exceptional in resolving these issues. The latest issue had to do with not being able to close the lid, and when I did get it closed, coffee would pour out over the k-cup in addition to the normal route through the k-cup.

I really didn’t want to call Keurig customer support again, so I decided to take a closer look. It turns out there is a safety mechanism employed such that if the lid is opened too far or with too much force, there are plastic tabs on both sides of the k-cup holder that connect to the lid, and the become disengaged. The fix is simple, just push the tabs back into their slots and problem solved.