Main Area and Open Discussion > General Software Discussion

Any app to auto-replace Notepad ??

(1/6) > >>

Curt:
For five years or so, I have been using Metapad, and think it is fine. Now my old PC with Windows 2000 is dead, and I am looking for a replacement for Notepad for my new PC with XP Home. When I read what I did many years ago, when installing Metapad, my stomack gets uneasy and my heart pumps extra hard: did I really do all this, just to replace Notepad, back then? And now, using XP, it has gotten even more difficult! :

[28] - Windows XP

Q:  How do I replace notepad under Windows XP?

A:  System File Protection is in full effect.

You can try the following to get around System File Protection. Be very quick or XP will replace the file and it won't work. Make sure you don't have the WinXP CD-ROM in your drive!

Copy metapad renamed as Notepad.exe to the clipboard.
Go to C:\WINDOWS\System32\dllcache (NB: in XP SP2 this has changed to C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386)
Paste the file there.
Go to C:\WINDOWS\System32 (using Backspace)
Paste the file there.
QUICKLY! Go back to C:\WINDOWS (another Backspace) and paste the file there.
If you have done this correctly, a message should pop up saying that a bad version of a Windows System file has been installed. Make sure you select 'Keep this file' or a similar option. If it doesn't work, keep trying, because it will. Just do the three pastes very fast.

A variation on the method above follows (submitted by Samutz):

I found another way to replace notepad with metapad that doesn't require you to work too fast. I made a copy of metapad.exe called notepad.exe, then made a batch file with the following commands:

    copy /-y notepad.exe C:\WINDOWS\System32\dllcache
    copy /-y notepad.exe C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386
    copy /-y notepad.exe C:\WINDOWS\System32
    copy /-y notepad.exe C:\WINDOWS
   
Then I saved it as copy.bat and ran it. It prompts for overwrite for each file, but all you have to hit is Y and Enter a few times. I find it much easier than trying to flip through folders as fast as I can to paste it before Windows replaces it.
--- End quote ---

- for now, this is too confusing to me!

I know there are many editors to replace Notepad, but someone must have written some kind of auto-replacement feature as well??? 

:tellme:  Speak up, please!

iphigenie:
ConText does it, if i recall.

Nighted:
You do know that you can just change the association of the text file to open in any other program, right? You don't have to actually replace notepad.exe. You must know that though. I also replace the default notepad with notepad2, but I permanently disable file protection before installing XP using nLite.

XPLite lets you turn off file protection although I've never used it. I think WinXP Manager lets you do it also.

Curt:
ConText does it, if i recall. -iphigenie (February 28, 2007, 03:58 PM)
--- End quote ---

Wow; that conTEXT sure is some fine editor!

But it may be a hole lot more than what I am seeking - and too advanced for me.

Three things I really liked about Metapad was the speed (the setup.zip is only 46 KB), the right-click option "Open with Metapad" - and the simplicity dispite many features. The only feaure I have been missing is the abillity to handle binary files (and that auto-replacement thing...). Other than that, it was perfect to me.

But that 'auto-replacement thing' has become important to me. And for some reason I also find it important that it will handle binary files (even though I wouldn't know what to do with such a file...), so I am looking for something alike Metapad that will auto-replace Notepad, handle binary files, is speedy and both simple and more advanced than Notepad, at the same time, and free and good looking as well.  8)

Curt:
You do know that you can just change the association of the text file to open in any other program, right? You don't have to actually replace notepad.exe. You must know that though. I also replace the default notepad with notepad2, but I permanently disable file protection before installing XP using nLite.

XPLite lets you turn off file protection although I've never used it. I think WinXP Manager lets you do it also.
-Nighted (February 28, 2007, 04:10 PM)
--- End quote ---

I have had this XP Home for 3 days - and knows next to zero about it   :-[

I'll have to study this file protection before I can even imagine I know what and how to do

But thanks a lot for the directions!

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page