Fixing WSL2 "Access Denied" Error on Windows After Reboot

If your WSL2 suddenly throws an error like:

Failed to attach disk 'F:\ext4.vhdx' to WSL2: Access is denied.
Error code: Wsl/Service/CreateInstance/MountDisk/HCS/E_ACCESSDENIED

This usually happens because Windows lost permissions to access your WSL2 disk image (ext4.vhdx). Here's a quick fix:

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
2. Run these commands (replace F:\ext4.vhdx with your actual VHDX file location):

   $VhdPath = "F:\ext4.vhdx"
   wsl --shutdown
   icacls $VhdPath /grant:r 'SYSTEM:(F)' 'Administrators:(F)' /inheritance:e
   icacls $VhdPath /grant '*S-1-5-83-0:(M)'
   attrib +R $VhdPath

• This sets permissions properly for SYSTEM, Administrators, and WSL2 Virtual Machines.
• The attrib +R command makes the file read-only, preventing antivirus or backup software from interfering with permissions.

3. Restart WSL2 by simply running:

   wsl

Confirm the Fix

To double-check permissions:

icacls $VhdPath

You should see entries for SYSTEM, Administrators, and a group SID starting with S-1-5-83-0.

That's it! Your WSL2 environment should now work smoothly after reboots or updates.

Update: Newly Sold Unit Indicators in Teduh Unit Counter

Back in May, I introduced a Chrome extension called Teduh Unit Counter, built to help users track property unit availability more efficiently while browsing the Teduh housing platform.

After receiving helpful feedback from users monitoring multiple projects, I've added a new enhancement that makes it easier to identify recently sold units, without needing to manually compare listings each time.

What's New: Highlighting Newly Sold Units

The latest update introduces the Newly Sold Unit Indicators feature. It flags units that have recently been marked as "Telah Dijual" (sold) since your last visit. This makes it faster to identify changes, especially for users keeping an eye on specific buildings or units.

Newly sold unit indicator

How It Works

1. Automatic Comparison

When you load a property page, the extension checks for any units that have changed from "available" to "sold" by comparing the current page data with previously stored unit status.

2. Data Storage

The newly sold unit data is saved in Chrome's localStorage under the newlySoldUnits key (in short, what it means is that the data persists even after the browser is closed, and no data is being sent to external servers, no privacy concerns). Each entry contains:

• unitNumber: The unique identifier of the unit
• dateMarkedSold: The timestamp when the unit was marked as sold (stored in ISO format)

3. Visual Highlight

To make changes easier to spot, units newly marked as sold are styled with:

• A light yellow background
• Red text and a yellow border

4. UI Panel Updates

The extension popup now includes a dedicated section showing:

• The total number of newly sold units
• A list of unit numbers
• The most recent sold timestamp, e.g., "July 2, 2025, 14:30"
• A "Mark as Read" button to clear these highlights after reviewing

5. Persistent Across Sessions

All data remains intact across browser sessions. When you revisit the same project, you'll still see what was previously marked as sold, until you manually clear it.

Why This Matters

Tracking changes in property listings can be tedious, especially when revisiting projects to check what's been taken. With this new feature, users can:

• Save time by focusing only on new changes
• Improve clarity with color-coded visual indicators
• Make informed decisions with real-time updates

What's Next

This update is part of a larger plan to make the extension more intelligent and intuitive. Some upcoming ideas:

• Optional desktop notifications for sold updates
• A unit history tracker
• Multi-project summaries

If you're using the extension and have ideas to improve it, feel free to reach out, feedback is always welcome.

Recap: Key Features in This Update

• New Newly Sold Unit Indicators feature
• Tracks changes in unit status between visits
• Stores sold data in localStorage with timestamps
• Visual highlight with yellow background and red text
• Extension UI shows sold unit summary with clear date/time
• Data remains available until manually cleared

You can install or update the extension from your Chrome browser as usual. Stay tuned for more updates in the future. If you have already installed the extension, it should automatically update to the latest version.

Chrome Extension: Teduh Unit Counter

I recently built a Chrome extension called Teduh Unit Counter to assist Malaysian property buyers in tracking unit availability on the teduh.kpkt.gov.my platform.

Why build it?

As a developer, I often prefer using vanilla JavaScript for small projects to keep things lightweight and maintainable. This extension was born out of my own experience searching for properties in Malaysia. I wanted a tool that could provide real-time insights into property unit statuses without relying solely on information from property agents.

Purpose?

Teduh Unit Counter enhances your browsing experience on the Teduh platform by:

• Counting Units: Automatically tallying the total number of units, as well as distinguishing between sold and available units on a project’s page.
• Tracking History: Saving the links of visited project pages locally, allowing you to revisit them easily.
• Generating Direct Links: Creating direct URLs to specific projects using their APDL codes.

All data is stored locally in your browser, ensuring privacy and security. However, please note that uninstalling your browser or clearing its data will remove this stored information.

The Magic Behind GPT: How Does It Work?

Have you ever wondered how ChatGPT, or any large language model (LLM), understands your input and crafts a coherent response? 

From the moment you type your query to the instant you receive a detailed reply, there's a complex journey happening behind the scenes. 

While I’ve included a flowchart link to break down this cycle visually, let’s briefly explore the main steps that drive this incredible technology. 

Understanding the cycle can demystify how these LLM operates and highlight just how powerful they truly are. 

Overview of sequence of LLM

User Input > Tokenization > Context Management > Self-Attention > Contextual Analysis > Token Prediction > Response Generation > Return Output to User

 

Staying Ahead in the AI Game as a Web Dev

Major AI Trends in 2024: Staying Ahead in the AI Game

Hey there! So, AI has been on a wild ride lately, right? If you're keen on keeping up and making the most out of what's new, let's chat about the biggest AI trends of 2024 and how you can dive in.

1. Generative AI is Booming

Generative AI is seriously shaking things up.

• In Web Development: Tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT Code Interpreter have become total game-changers. They're super helpful for cranking out boilerplate code, automating tests, and even debugging.

• For Media Creation: Ever tried OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 or RunwayML? They're making text-to-image, audio, and video generation a breeze. If you're into tech, it's worth looking into how you can weave these into your web projects.

Takeaway: Get cozy with these tools, they're becoming essential for boosting productivity and sparking creativity.

2. AI Agents are on the Rise

Autonomous AI agents like AutoGPT and BabyAGI are gaining traction. They're designed to tackle entire tasks without you having to babysit them constantly.

Action Step: Play around with these agents to automate chunks of your workflow. Especially handy for side hustles that involve research or repetitive tasks. Imagine freeing up time from routine stuff!

3. AI Meets the Cloud

AI is digging deeper roots into cloud services like AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, and Google Vertex AI. They're offering pre-trained models you can plug right into your apps for things like sentiment analysis or recommendation engines.

Action Step: Learn how to tap into these cloud APIs. It could give your web apps a smart edge without you having to reinvent the wheel.

4. AI is Shaping UX

User experience is getting a makeover thanks to AI.

• Smarter UX Tools: Tools like DebugBear are using AI to boost web performance. It's all about optimizing design based on how users actually behave and predicting what they'll do next.

Action Step: If you're building apps, check out AI tools that can analyze user interactions and tweak the experience on the fly. Personalized and efficient interfaces? Yes, please!

5. Ethical AI is a Big Deal

With AI everywhere, people care more about how it's used. There's a push for explainable AI and making sure it's fair and transparent.

Action Step: Get familiar with ethical frameworks like LIME and SHAP for explaining AI models, and Fairlearn to keep things fair. It'll help you build trust and stay on the right side of regulations.

Tips for Your AI Journey

1. Keep it Technical

You're rocking web development with Angular and Ionic, so why not amp it up with AI? Tools like OpenAI’s APIs or Hugging Face can add some serious firepower to your projects.

Next Step: Start playing with models, fine-tune them for what you need or use them to spice up content in your projects.

2. Side Hustles + AI = Win

AI can take your side gigs to the next level. Whether it's micro-SaaS, freelancing, or data dashboards, adding AI can make your offerings stand out.

Action Step: Think about offering AI-powered services like chatbots or data analysis to small businesses. It's a great value-add that clients will love.

3. Level Up Your AI Knowledge

Dive deeper into Machine Learning frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and AutoML. Even if you're not building models from scratch, knowing how they work can help you implement and tweak them better.

Action Step: Check out TensorFlow.js, it's all about running ML models right in the browser. Could be a cool addition to your web dev toolkit.

Cool Tools & Platforms to Watch

1. Meta’s LLaMA 3: An open-source language model that's super flexible.

2. Anthropic’s Claude: Focused on making AI outputs safe and reliable.

3. DeepMind’s Gemini: Google's next big thing, aiming to handle text, images, and more all at once.

Why This Matters

• Generative AI: It's becoming a staple for getting things done faster and more creatively.

• AI Agents: They can handle the boring stuff, freeing you up for bigger ideas.

• Cloud Integration: As AI becomes more cloud-friendly, it's easier to scale your projects without heavy lifting.

• Ethical AI: Building trustworthy AI isn't just good karma, it's what users and regulators are starting to expect.

Next Steps to Kickstart Your AI Adventure

1. Choose Your Path: Figure out if you want to dive deeper into AI in web dev, cloud services, or automation for projects.

2. Get Hands-On: Apply AI to something you're already working on. Maybe automate content creation or jazz up the UX with some predictive magic.

3. Learn More:

   • Coursera: They have awesome courses on generative AI and cloud-based AI.

   • Hugging Face: Great for getting practical with AI models.

   • AI Ethics Guides: Google and Microsoft have resources that'll get you up to speed on building responsible AI.

Wrapping Up

AI is moving fast, and 2024 is shaping up to be a big year. Whether you're integrating AI into your current projects or starting something totally new, there's no better time to jump in. Stay curious, keep experimenting, and have fun with it!