Posts Tagged ‘download’
Restore missing d3dx9_26.dll file on Windows systems
Errors concerning a missing d3dx9_26.dll usually come up in connection with games and have to do with DirectX. If you are facing such an error, there are two steps you can try out to fix the issue. Before we get to these however, be warned:
Do not download any dll files separately from websites offering dll downloads. It is not safe to do this! Here are the steps you can try out to make things work:
1. Install the version of DirectX that comes with the game you try to play. In most cases, some version of DirectX is included on the game disk. Usually these are versions that have been tested for compatibility with the game they come with and contain everything you need.
2. If there is no DirectX installer included on the game disk or the error comes up in a different context, you can just try to update DirectX from Microsoft’s website. This way you can be sure you are downloading safe content that usually gives you a complete package of the dlls you need.
Add language packs on Windows 8
Before Windows 8, language packs other than the one your Windows shipped with were reserved for users of the more expensive versions. This however will change in future as one can read on the msdn blog and see on the Windows 8 consumer preview.
Up to now the number of language packs is limited to a few languages but according to the large number of listed languages in the menu, there are much more to follow in the final release.
To add a language pack, open the Charms menu by pointing to the top or bottom right corner of the screen and click on Settings. Afterwards open the Control Panel from the menu and select Add a language from the Clock, Language, and Region menu. There, click on Add a language in the menu bar:
From the next screen, choose one of the many language tiles listed alphabetically and click on add (as mentioned before, not all of them are already installable). If the language pack for the language you chose is available you can double click the new entry in the menu to open its Options window. Click on Download and install language pack to get started.
After the installation, log out and in again to use the installed language. You can always switch between languages in the same menu.
Create a Self-signed SSL Certificate on Windows
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is used for encryption and decryption, processing of S/MIME signed or encrypted mails, generation of certificates and more. To use it on Windows (32 and 64 bit versions), download the OpenSSL tools from code.google.com/p/openssl-for-windows/downloads/list.
Uncompress it anywhere you like and start it by double-clicking the openssl.exe executable in the \bin folder.
If you create files with OpenSSL, they will appear in the \bin directory by default.
To create a self-signed SSL certificate, you first need a key. Create it like this:
genrsa -des3 -out server.key 4096
Type in your desired key (password) and confirm it. Next, you need a certificate request. Create it as follows and give the path to the config file in the -config option (it should be in the directory where you unpacked the files to):
req -config C:\path\to\openssl.cnf -new -key server.key -out server.csr
Next, sign the certificate request:
x509 -req -days 365 -in server.csr -signkey server.key -out server.crt
The -days option specifies how long the certificate will be valid – mine will be for one year. Now you have a signed certificate.
However if you want to use it with programs as Thunderbird or similar, you will need the certificate to be in the .p12 format. To accomplish this, enter following:
pkcs12 -export -in server.crt -inkey server.key -name “Your Full Name” -out server.p12
How to Install New Icons and Cursors (Linux Mint)
The way to add new icons and cursors is simple yet not really obvious in Linux Mint. To add new cursors, download any from a webside that provides these (as this), and drag and drop the package file onto the theme preferences of your Control Center:
To add new icons, just download and extract them into /usr/share/icons as root. Afterwards they are available in the Appearance section of the Control Center.