My original pain began when I upgraded to Adobe CS3 Master Collection. As soon as I upgraded to CS3, Flash Player stopped working in Internet Explorer while it worked perfectly in Firefox…..aaaahhhhh Firefox….how I love thee. So my search began for a fix. I uninstalled, reinstalled, clean uninstalled, removed the ActiveX control, etc etc. I scoured forums, blogs, technotes, etc only to end up with the same result…Flash player working perfectly in Firefox but not Internet Explorer 7.

I FINALLY got everything working perfectly after a few simple steps, which I outline below, but I will say that I uninstalled IE7 and did the steps with IE6 and then reinstalled IE7 after everything was working. I don’t know if this helped to fix the situation, but I wanted to mention that before we get started. If the following steps don’t work, then try uninstalling IE7 (by going to Add/Remove Programs and removing Internet Explorer 7 from there).

Alright…here we go!

*DISCLAIMER*
Proceed at your own risk…I accept no responsibility for any outcome (good or bad) from the following steps as these are directions and files straight from Adobe and Microsoft. If you still feel froggy, let’s roll.

First off…go ahead and download the following files and save them in a folder so that you don’t have to open your browser until all steps are completed: (All links are to Adobe, Macromedia, or Microsoft for your ease of mind in knowing they’re legit)

1. Flash Player Uninstaller
2. SubInACL tool
3. reset_minimal.zip file
4. Install Flash Player 9 ActiveX.exe file from Adobe

Next, completely uninstall the Flash Player Plugin. This will remove the pesky Active X Control that seems to get in the way of getting Flash Player to work properly in Internet Explorer. The following instructions for completely removing the Flash Player Plugin is from technote kb402435 on Adobe’s site.

(You should have already downloaded this file from above….just place it in your root Local Disk folder…most likely C:\ ) Download the uninstaller for Flash Player from “How to uninstall the Adobe Flash Player plug-in and ActiveX control” (TechNote tn_14157). Note: The uninstall_flash_player.exe file must be saved to the same directory that the command window is in, for example C:\.

1. Select Start.
2. Select Run.
3. Type cmd
4. In the command window, type the following:
   uninstall_flash_player.exe /clean
5. This will remove all entries in the system registry.

The next step was what seemed to do the trick for me. This is somewhat hidden on Adobe’s site as technote fb1634cb

Using the SubInAcL tool from Microsoft to fix permission issues in the registry has solved installation errors for several products including Flash Player.

Warning! The following solution involves the Windows System Registry. Editing or manipulating the registry incorrectly can result in serious system damage which may require reinstallation of the operating system. If you are not comfortable editing the registry, then take your system to a professional. If you choose to proceed, then it is essential that you create a complete system backup and a Windows System Restore Point before proceeding. Adobe Systems cannot be held responsible for damage resulting from this information.

You must have administrator privileges to successfully complete these instructions.

1. (If you downloaded the files above, you can skip this step) Follow the instructions to download the SubInACL tool from the Microsoft Download Center.
2. Install SubInACL.
3. (If you downloaded the files above, you can skip this step) Download the reset_minimal.zip file .
4. Extract the reset_minimal.cmd file to C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools\.
5. *Important: Be sure that both the subinacl.exe and reset_minimal.cmd files are in the same location here: C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools\.
6. Double-click reset_minimal.cmd.
7. This will open a command window and execute the SubInACL tool.
8. Do not use the machine while SubInACL is running.
9. When it is finished you will see “Press any key to continue”.
10. *NOTE* This 10^th step is mine…I downloaded the Install Flash Player 9 ActiveX.exe file from Adobe (which you downloaded from above as 1 of the 4 files I mentioned) and ran that and went to the next step.
11. Install the Flash Player from www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer.

Once I did that, everything worked great in Internet Explorer 6!!! I then downloaded IE7 and installed it and everything continued to work perfectly. If these steps worked for you also, please share your success in the comment sections below. If you have another solution that works, please share that as well!

What am I talking about? Your digital resume. “What is a digital resume?” you might ask. Well, think of it as everything you do online that can be viewed by others. This includes MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, forums, websites where you leave comments, etc. ANYthing of yours online that can be seen by others is your digital resume. It is you and how your employers, clients, and customers will perceive you whether it’s the “real” you or not…to them it’s the real you. Period.

I’ve unfortunately worked on projects in the past where people were either fired or not hired based on certain activities they were involved in online. How were they discovered? Simple…just searched for their name on various sites. You might think you can be sneaky and use a nickname, but you’re going to slip up somewhere and that nickname is going to be linked to your real name…then the trail starts. It’s up to you how that trail looks. I can’t stress it enough to be conscious of what you do online. You may not give a hoot what people think about you and you may make a living going through life with that attitude, but just be aware that you’re not “hiding behind a computer screen” lobbing out an “online lifestyle” that is “different” that your real life. To people that come in your life down the road…the two are the same.

On the other hand…use your “digital resume” as a tool to build a foundation for where you want to be down the road. Participate on sites, forums, groups, etc that parallel your plans. Leave a trail that shows how you got to where you are today. The people you communicate with and that see your activity may end up being the people who pay for that roof over your head and the food on your table. Don’t lose site of that.

Remember this…perception is reality…especially in the online world. What you do will be seen by someone important to you down the road. It’s up to you as to how they will react.

I have closed the forum off to new registrations, but I’ve left it open to view as it has a lot of great info about The Art Institute Online and the various fields of study. I don’t know what type of forum the Art Institute offers the students outside of class these days, but hopefully there’s something. I started the forums here simply because AiO didn’t offer anything like it at the time. They have since started Talk-On (the official school forums) and I hope it’s still up…because I’m retiring these forums. This was the first forum up and I like to think it sparked AiO’s desire to put together an official one…if not…oh well, let me think that anyway.

What I do have planned for this site, though, is something I hope many people will benefit from. I’ve been in the multimedia industry since around 1996 and have learned quite a bit that I want to share…specifically about interactive media. I’m going to share a ton of information moving forward that will definitely help anyone interested in interactive media and internet marketing.

If you’re thinking of attending The Art Institute Online…scan these articles and browse the forums to get the full scoop.

If you’re already attending…well…get your degree there and I’ll help you get an education.

If you’re an alumni…CONGRATS! Now the real fun begins.

Buckle up with me and hang on…this will be a fun ride.

Apple also has a page for the battery program so check that as well at https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/index.html.

So if you’re needing a quick, easy and free way to put some charts or diagrams together, check out Gliffy.com!

Some of the features that Google mentions are:

• One-click web upload using Picasa’s new “Web Albumâ€? button
• Free storage space to post and share approximately 1000 photos, with the option to upgrade to more space
• High-quality photos, automatically resized and optimized to fill available screen space
• Pre-loaded images enable quick scrolling using arrow keys, and mimic a desktop experience of “flippingâ€? through photos, even on the web
• End-to-end photo management that makes it easy to download uploaded photos back to your computer

Google even has a sample web album available to see what it looks like.

I noticed the ability to add comments to photos, show camera data, view as slideshow, download images, and even subscribe to RSS feeds of albums. I have always loved Picasa and I think this will be a great addition to Google’s apps. I’m not sure how many people will abandon flickr, but this is a great starting point for Google to test the waters.

If you don’t have Picasa, I highly recommend it. You can download it by clicking the “Get Google’s Photo Software” button on the right of this page.

If any of you have an account with Picasa Web and have given it a try please share your thoughts!

There are two ways to consolidate through Sallie Mae.

Option 1: If you will graduate or drop below half-time enrollment by June 29

Option 2: If you will still be enrolled at least half-time through June 2006.

I can’t stress enough how important this is. The money saved if you consolidate your loans can easily amount to thousands of dollars. The 30 minutes you spend doing this could easily earn you a week’s vacation! Sallie Mae is the only student loan company that I go through, but I am sure others will do the same for you. Just check with your student loan officers and ask how to consolidate student loans…just make sure you do it before June 30!