Justin Cooney

Web Development Tips and Examples

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about

I am a Senior Applications Programmer / Analyst with years of experience developing enterprise solutions using the Microsoft technology stack including C#, VB.NET, ASP.NET, AJAX, IIS and SQL Server. I specialize in Web application development with a focus on building secure systems, integrating applications, and designing robust database structures.

  • PC Security Basics – Is Current Antivirus Software Accurate?

    To get straight to the point: I’ll start this post by saying that in the past I have found both paid for and free Anti-Virus (AV) software to be ineffective in identifying and containing malware infections. I’m sure this will meet a lot of resistance since using the popular Anti-Virus software is easy and gives the average user a feeling of being in control of their system.

    I’ve had my share of chasing malware and trying to track down sources of infection. When it comes to tracking down malware I am still constantly learning, so I do not intend this article to be any kind of definitive answer to whether one should buy or use AntiVirus software.  As you read this article, keep in mind that I am still learning the basics of malware detection, and would appreciate your feedback and experiences doing the same.

    Also, I’m definitely not suggesting that anyone should go out and uninstall whatever Anti-Virus program that one is using; I’m just saying that one should never consider an AntiVirus scan to be an accurate summary of a PC being clean of viruses. I think there is some benefit to using Anti-Virus software, but I am definitely concerned how often people seem to be confident that their systems are safe or clean just because their Anti-Virus software didn’t detect anything.

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  • Search Through SQL Server Stored Procedures in all Databases for a Line of Text

    In an earlier article I explained how to search a SQL server database for Stored Procedures containing some text. This is certainly useful to be able to do, but how about searching all databases on your database server?

    Being able to create a catalogue of Stored Procedures in all databases on your database server containing a line of text is definitely a useful way to get information globally. For example you could search for all stored procedures that read or write from a particular table. If you are just getting familiar with a new project or system then the ability to get data quickly and completely will save you a lot of time searching. And believe me when I say that just scripting all stored procedures and then doing a text-based search for the line of text is not a viable alternative.

    So how is it done? How does one search all databases on a server for all stored procedures containing a key text value?

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  • PowerShell Basics – Check and Escalate your ExecutionPolicy

    PowerShell ExecutionPolicy
    PowerShell ExecutionPolicy

    Windows PowerShell gives you a powerful interface when working with your computer. A basic task when working with PowerShell is escalating your permissions so that scripts you run have enough access to do the tasks you want them to do. By default your permission level in PowerShell is quite restricted and you will need to escalate this in order to be able to run any meaningful scripts.

    First things first: you will need to start PowerShell with Administrator level access. PowerShell is included with modern versions of MS Windows (such as Windows 7 and Windows 8). If you are running Windows XP then you will need to download and install PowerShell from the Microsoft support site.

    To start PowerShell on Windows 7, browse to:

    Start Menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Windows PowerShell -> Windows PowerShell

    To start PowerShell on Windows 8:

    1. Move your mouse to the top right corner of the screen
    2. In the options bar that appears click the Search option
    3. Type powershell
    4. Click the Windows PowerShell option that appears in the results.

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