Messages

3026

Living Room / Re: My father's WinXP Home computer won't boot...

« on: January 29, 2007, 09:24 AM »

Actually, that computer shouldn't even be running XP.

Yep, I've told him that many times before.

with the specs of the computer you would be advised to consider buying a replacement.  you could probably get a replacement pc with better specs for a couple hudred dollars.

I've told him that before as well, lol.  Anyway, I've passed along this information to him.  I told him he's always buying junk on eBay, so why not save one month's eBay-purchase money and get a new computer?  We'll see what develops.

 

3027

Living Room / Re: My father's WinXP Home computer won't boot...

« on: January 28, 2007, 03:51 PM »

Not at all, nudone.  I appreciate you taking the time.  I'll let him know about the possible solution.

3028

Living Room / My father's WinXP Home computer won't boot...

« on: January 28, 2007, 03:22 PM »

I was over at my parents today visiting, and dad asked me to check out his computer. 

BACKSTORY...

It's been running terribly slow for many weeks now, and some time ago I helped him download, install, and run some tools for detecting/eliminating malware/virii/etc.  We also disabled a couple of startup programs (Logitech Webcam and a PDF utility) to speed up boot-time and lessen the load on his computer's resources. 

Also did Disk Cleanup, Disk Defragmenter, and EasyCleaner.  Seemed to run better briefly after that.  But he continued to complain about how slow it was (I attributed it, perhaps unfairly, to the Celeron processor and only 256 Mb of RAM).  I tried making him a video tutorial on how to burn a CD (yes, that's his level of computer-saavy: he also tends to use System Restore every couple days rather than learning how to change a setting he doesn't like.  And, when his computer "hangs", he sometimes just kills the power) using Wink 2.0, but his system couldn't handle it and Wink choked about 3/4 of the way through the process of rendering the live-capture session to flash. 

I went ahead and finished the CD burn at that time.  Was simply using XP's built in ability -- drag and drop files onto CD window, then tell XP to burn files.  Windows reported (finally, after 45 minutes!) that the burn had completed successfully (I didn't check the CD to be sure, because I was frustrated and didn't trust myself not to take a hammer to it at that point ;> )

BACK TO THE PRESENT...

Anyway, when I checked his PC today, he had it turned off and the surge-protector strip turned off.  Turned on computer and it almost immediately went to the Phoenix BIOS screen.  I exited it, rebooting, and it came up again.  To make a long story short, I was not able to get past the BIOS Setup, even after applying default settings, saving, and exiting.  Still came back to it.  Tried putting the 1st of a 2CD Recovery set (that came with his eMachine system) in the CD drive, after ensuring that boot order was CD, then HD.  No luck.  Couldn't boot into Safe Mode.  When I would exit the BIOS Setup and restart I could see, momentarily, startup info showing that the CD drive and HD had been recognized, but it still returned me to the BIOS Setup screen.

His computer specs:
40 GB HD
256 Mb PC100 SDRAM
1 Mb onboard video
Windows XP Home edition
LAN connection

Now, I don't have the expert knowledge some of you have, so I told my dad that my two guesses were virus/malware, or a hardware problem.  Or simply the fact that it's an eMachine ;>  I recommended he take it to our local ISP service shop (they will actually work on subscriber's computers!)  Any ideas about what is wrong?

3029

Living Room / Re: OK - lets get to know each other... who are you, what do you do, where from?

« on: January 28, 2007, 01:23 PM »

"I know that is what I typed, but that isn't what I meant. If computers are so smart it should have know that!!! Grrrrrrrrrr!!"

I know what you mean, tinjaw.  Computers can be frustrating, just like people can.  I think a lot of ppl don't realize that computers have feelings.  Just the other day, my computer finally broke down and admitted to me that she's been very jealous the past few weeks because I've been seeing another computer (at work).  I hadn't been careful enough (had unthinkingly sent an email from work computer to my ISP internet account), and what could I say?  I was caught with both hands on the keyboard!  I just swallowed my pride and apologized, and gave her a RAM upgrade and a nice long defrag.  We're getting along fine again, now ...

3030

Living Room / Re: OK - lets get to know each other... who are you, what do you do, where from?

« on: January 26, 2007, 10:01 PM »

I'm Bryan.  Age 35, Kentucky resident (but I have teeth and wear shoes).  I work as a licensed psychotherapist, but I wish I worked as a programmer.  Computers "listen" better ;>

3031

N.A.N.Y. Challenge 2007 / Re: Cody Mug for NANY Participants

« on: January 26, 2007, 09:55 PM »

Lol at the Atari escapees! 

Hey Mouser, did my mug ship?  I got some other stuff (magnet, membership card) a couple or three weeks ago, but no mug yet.  If that UPS guy has laid a finger on it....... :>

3032

Developer's Corner / Advanced C# Programmers?

« on: January 21, 2007, 06:22 PM »

Are there any advanced C# programmers here who could take a look at a small project for me and see if there are any problems? 

3033

N.A.N.Y. Challenge 2007 / Re: Crocus Contacts

« on: January 20, 2007, 12:59 PM »

I have an minor revision update of the program available now that uses the Inno Setup and provides windows shell integration.  I've also removed my picture (you're welcome :> ) and the silly default values in the fields.  Now, I'm going to code backup with compression, and extraction.  Next version will also support user-defined fields.

3034

Official Announcements / Re: What changes would you like to see on DonationCoder.com in 2007?

« on: January 19, 2007, 06:24 PM »

I'd like to see a section where coders in particular can post FAQs, tutorials or 'Tips-n-Tricks' dealing with subjects or language elements they are proficient in. These posts can be about programming in general or a specific language topic.

I second the motion.  I'd be willing to contribute some screencasts I'm making for a couple of C# sites.  They're going to be a series of C# tutorials for the ultra-noob, progressing into more advanced topics gradually.  And of course, I'd love to be able to benefit from tutorials put up by other users. 

3035

Developer's Corner / Re: Need Inno Setup Advice

« on: January 18, 2007, 10:53 PM »

Since you're noting it for possible later reference, Mouser, I'll make a correction to what I posted.  The registry section winds up looking like this:

[Registry]
Root: HKCR; SubKey: .crf; ValueType: string; ValueData: ccresfile; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; SubKey: ccresfile; ValueType: string; ValueData: Crocus Contacts Resource File; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; SubKey: ccresfile\Shell\Open\Command; ValueType: string; ValueData: """{app}\lovebook.exe"" ""%1"""; Flags: uninsdeletevalue

Apparently, if you omit the entry involving DefaultIcon for whatever particular file you are intending to associate with your app, then that filetype receives the app's icon.

3036

Developer's Corner / Re: Need Inno Setup Advice

« on: January 18, 2007, 09:26 PM »

Correction:

I was using ISTool by istool.org and this is what the final [Registry] section looked like:

[Registry]
Root: HKCR; Subkey: .crf; ValueType: string; ValueName: ; ValueData: crocuscontactsresfile; Flags: uninsdeletevalue
Root: HKCR; Subkey: Crocus Contacts Resource File; ValueType: string; ValueName: ; ValueData: Crocus Contacts Resource File; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; Subkey: Crocus Contacts\DefaultIcon; ValueType: string; ValueName: ; ValueData: {app}\lovebook.exe,0
Root: HKCR; Subkey: Crocus Contacts\shell\open\command; ValueType: string; ValueName: ; ValueData: """{app}\lovebook.exe"" ""%1"""


Root: HKCR; SubKey: .crf; ValueType: string; ValueData: ccresfile; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; SubKey: ccresfile; ValueType: string; ValueData: Crocus Contacts Resource File; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; SubKey: ccresfile\Shell\Open\Command; ValueType: string; ValueData: """{app}\lovebook.exe"" ""%1"""; Flags: uninsdeletevalue

Anyway, it works the way I want

3037

Developer's Corner / Re: Need Inno Setup Advice

« on: January 18, 2007, 09:24 PM »

I've been fiddling with it for half-an-hour.  Wound up just removing the 3rd of the 4 lines under the [Registry] section, and all is working as desired.  There is double-click functionality, and the "contact files" have the same icon as the main app :>  Thanks.

3038

Developer's Corner / Need Inno Setup Advice

« on: January 18, 2007, 08:18 PM »

I have a relatively short Inno Setup script that isn't quite working the way I want it to work.  For the most part, it works perfectly:  it installs the program where it's told to do so, it creates an uninstall that works well, creates a website URL shortcut that works correctly...

The only thing I'm apparently messing up on is in the [Registry] section.  I'm trying to create an association between the application's proprietary resource files (*.crf) and the application, so that double-clicking on a file created by the program in a previous session will launch the app and open the file.  Instead, what happens is that the file opens when you double-click, but in Notepad  

Oh, and I think I'm also doing something wrong when it comes to specifying the icon I want associated with these *.crf files.  Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.  I'm attaching the .zip of the entire project, including the setup script and the setup.exe that Inno Setup produced.

; Script generated by the Inno Setup Script Wizard.
; SEE THE DOCUMENTATION FOR DETAILS ON CREATING INNO SETUP SCRIPT FILES!

#define MyAppName "Crocus Contacts"
#define MyAppVerName "Crocus Contacts 1.1"
#define MyAppPublisher "Crocus Donationware"
#define MyAppURL "http://www1.webng.com/bowrsanryld/"
#define MyAppExeName "lovebook.exe"

[Setup]
AppName={#MyAppName}
AppVerName={#MyAppVerName}
AppPublisher={#MyAppPublisher}
AppPublisherURL={#MyAppURL}
ChangesAssociations=yes
DefaultDirName={pf}\{#MyAppName}
DefaultGroupName={#MyAppName}
AllowNoIcons=yes
LicenseFile=C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\Visual Studio Projects\lovebook\bin\Release\license.txt
InfoBeforeFile=C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\Visual Studio Projects\lovebook\bin\Release\before_install.txt
InfoAfterFile=C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\Visual Studio Projects\lovebook\bin\Release\after_install.txt
OutputDir=C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\Visual Studio Projects\lovebook\setup output
OutputBaseFilename=cc_setup
SetupIconFile=C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\Visual Studio Projects\lovebook\person.ico
Compression=lzma
SolidCompression=yes

[Languages]
Name: "english"; MessagesFile: "compiler:Default.isl"

[Tasks]
Name: "desktopicon"; Description: "{cm:CreateDesktopIcon}"; GroupDescription: "{cm:AdditionalIcons}"; Flags: unchecked

[Files]
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\Visual Studio Projects\lovebook\bin\Release\lovebook.exe"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion
; NOTE: Don't use "Flags: ignoreversion" on any shared system files

[Icons]
Name: "{group}\{#MyAppName}"; Filename: "{app}\{#MyAppExeName}"
Name: "{group}\{cm:ProgramOnTheWeb,{#MyAppName}}"; Filename: "{#MyAppURL}"
Name: "{group}\{cm:UninstallProgram,{#MyAppName}}"; Filename: "{uninstallexe}"
Name: "{commondesktop}\{#MyAppName}"; Filename: "{app}\{#MyAppExeName}"; Tasks: desktopicon

[Run]
Filename: "{app}\{#MyAppExeName}"; Description: "{cm:LaunchProgram,{#MyAppName}}"; Flags: nowait postinstall skipifsilent

[Registry]
Root: HKCR; Subkey: ".crf"; ValueType: string; ValueName: ""; ValueData: "crocuscontactsresfile"; Flags: uninsdeletevalue
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "Crocus Contacts Resource File"; ValueType: string; ValueName: ""; ValueData: "Crocus Contacts Resource File"; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "Crocus Contacts\DefaultIcon"; ValueType: string; ValueName: ""; ValueData: "{app}\lovebook.exe,0"
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "Crocus Contacts\shell\open\command"; ValueType: string; ValueName: ""; ValueData: """{app}\lovebook.exe"" ""%1"""

3039

N.A.N.Y. Challenge 2007 / Re: FreePcSecurity - v1.00.01 - December 14, 2006

« on: January 11, 2007, 01:15 PM »

Lots of other programs encourage users to advertise wherever they are, like http://www.spreadfirefox.com/ Company cant be responsible for users action/spam

Regarding my previous comment about Spyware Terminator:

I wasn't "plugging"/pushing it.  It's just an app I've used with some success at catching problems with.  I like the fact that there are regular updates to the ClamAV definitions.  And, near as I can tell, it's not a rogue application in any sense that I would use the word "rogue".

3040

N.A.N.Y. Challenge 2007 / Re: Crocus Contacts

« on: January 11, 2007, 10:11 AM »

Yes, I understand that frustration.  Really and truly, the only reason I used a proprietary format, instead of a more commonly used format, or a database, was that I was trying to teach myself a few things as I programmed.  I wanted to learn how to use serialization (writing a .NET object to a file on disk).

As for CVS, I'll try to do some researching on it.  I'm sure there are plenty of sites that describe the format.  I just need to bone up on it.  I also thought about a feature where your archived contacts could be uploaded, by the application, to your website via FTP, provided you supply the appropriate username, password, and directory.  I have some code that I've successfully used to upload files.

3041

Developer's Corner / Re: C# question about registering file extension with particular application

« on: January 11, 2007, 08:01 AM »

Thank you VERY much Eoin.  I have Inno Setup, but have never used it.  I'll have to dig it out and play around with it.  My thanks.

- kyrathaba

3042

N.A.N.Y. Challenge 2007 / Re: Crocus Contacts

« on: January 11, 2007, 07:45 AM »

Thanks, SKA.  Also, thanks to those who've awarded credits.

I appreciate the link.  I think I have the coding skill to add these features:

* export contact to HTML
* search through contacts
* archive all contact files for backup to website/CD

A lot of the features I'd like to add are currently outside my skill range, but I intend to gradually remedy that:

* import from CVS
* shell extension so that Windows automatically knows to open a double-clicked contact file with this app
* foreign language support
* minimize to system tray (can probably find an online C# tutorial on doing this)

I plan to re-do the application.  I feel like the interface is a bit amateurish-looking.  I also plan to add a help file.  I've just figured out how to zip/unzip using C#, so I can add an archiving feature as well.  Any suggestions are appreciated, as I am quite the amateur programmer.  The program is written in C# using .NET 2.0, but I'm not conversant yet with the deployment feature of the Visual C# Express Edition 2005 IDE, so I used a 3rd party freeware installer (which also looks amateurish). 

3043

N.A.N.Y. Challenge 2007 / Re: Crocus Contacts

« on: January 09, 2007, 02:26 PM »

Enjoyed participating   I plan on doing a remake of this app.  This was my first-ever Windows application .  It's done in C#.  I've never had any formal programming training, and got interested in programming after I got a computer in the late 90s.  I learned a little bit on QBASIC (anyone remember that, lol?)  But .NET was my first introduction ever to Windows and OO programming.  My programming skills are not advanced, but I'm going to try to add a feature to Crocus Contacts that will allow the user to archive contacts into one .zip archive, for backup on their website or a CD.

3044

Developer's Corner / Re: C# question about registering file extension with particular application

« on: January 05, 2007, 07:22 PM »

Since nobody replied, I conclude that C# isn't heavily used by members of this forum   I'll report on what I've discovered:  it appears that MS Visual C# Express 2005 does not offer support for creating shell support via the built-in C# installer.  I understand that the full Visual Studio version does, but that doesn't help me.  Does anyone know of any other, free, installers, that can get Windows to automatically associate an program with a particular file extension, once installation is finished?

3045

N.A.N.Y. Challenge 2007 / Re: Crocus Contacts

« on: December 31, 2006, 11:44 AM »

Screenshot stays the same, but I have a better, smaller installation here:

http://www1.webng.co...ables/cc_install.zip

I don't like the .NET installer   So this uses a freeware installer.  No the prettiest, but no bloat from bells and whistles, and works.

3046

Developer's Corner / C# question about registering file extension with particular application

« on: December 24, 2006, 11:04 PM »

For any of you C# coders, I'm not a professional coder.  I just like to write a few programs in my spare time.  In one of these applications, I have data files written to disk by the application using Csharp's serialization.  I give these binary files an unusual (and supposedly unique) extension, namely *.crf

Now, I'll tell you what I have been able to do, and what I'd like to be able to do...

I can, of course, open one of these files from within the program, using a file-open dialogue.  Also, I can drag and drop one of these data files onto either the executable itself, or a shortcut thereof, and the program launches and opens the file.  All well and good.  What I don't know how to do (and spent many hours trying to figure out some months ago) is this:  I want to be able to right click on the data file, then click on "Open" in the popup context menu, and have the operating system recognize that it needs to launch my application to open the file.

Now... I know how to do this by manually adding a file type in Windows.  But I need to know how to create this association programmatically.  Any pointers will be most appreciated.  I've been given sample code before, but was unable to get the sample project to work, or get the code snippet to work in my own app.

3047

N.A.N.Y. Challenge 2007 / Re: FreePcSecurity - v1.00.01 - December 14, 2006

« on: December 21, 2006, 11:32 PM »

Nice app, and you're right:  ppl are too lazy to read ;>  I second tinjaw's endorsement of Comodo firewall.  In my book it's the best totally free firewall.  I also recommend Spyware Terminator (which can be configured to run with Clam AV.

3048

N.A.N.Y. Challenge 2007 / Crocus Contacts

« on: December 20, 2006, 06:59 AM »

Crocus Contacts

v1.0.0

This program acts as a secure digital rolodex, storing the following information for individuals or businesses: name, phone number(s), email address(es), picture, miscellaneous notes, and more.  Passwording a particular contact is optional.  All contacts are stored in a proprietary format and, if passworded, are only accessible once the password is supplied.  Supports emailing any contact for which an email addy has been provided.

Download

3049

Official Announcements / Re: THE N.A.N.Y. CHALLENGE - New Apps For the New Year

« on: December 18, 2006, 10:51 AM »

Where is the link for submitting our N.A.N.Y Challenge software?

3050

Official Announcements / Re: THE N.A.N.Y. CHALLENGE - New Apps For the New Year

« on: December 09, 2006, 08:31 PM »

I'm in   I'll have my program done before Xmas Day.