How to fix a sticky door lock

It’s amazingly simple to fix a sticky door handle, where the key is difficult to turn in the lock.

You will need (as pictured):

1. A piece of paper (A4 in this example)
2. scalpel / sharp knife
3. graphite pencil (solid artist style graphite is preferable)
4. straw (with a bend if possible)

Directions:

1. Scratch a small pile of graphite onto the paper using the scalpel
2. Bend the straw at the kink, and push the files into the short end, using the bend to ensure they don’t drop out the other end
3. Place the end of the straw with the filings directly onto the door keyhole and gently blow them into the keyhole
4. Grab the key and insert it in and out of the lock several times, turning the lock mechanism a few times

That’s it! Try opening the lock – it should now be much easier to turn. If the improvement is less than desired simply repeat the process.

No DVD Sound in Windows Media Player?

Had a nice little surprise today after getting a brand new computer, I had no audio available in Windows Media Player. This is basically a result of the machine not having the correct codecs – you’d think Microsoft would be smart enough to include this stuff by default, but alas no. Even after upgrading to WMP11 I still had no luck.

After a bit of research, I discovered if you have this problem, you likely need the AC3 codec. Its dead easy to install – just go here, get the installer and install and restart Windows Media Player.