Messages

251

General Software Discussion / Re: image backups after OS reinstall with clean system

« on: March 23, 2013, 10:05 AM »

An essential part of imaging is verifying the image, which should be done when you make it. I have never understood the idea of verification before recovery, by then it is a bit late.
Another thing worth doing is backing up to an external drive, on both my PC's I have more than one internal drive and use the second on both for regularly backups, I also back up both to different external drives once a month and although my Netbook only has one internal drive I back that up externally once a month as well.

If you are using XP it's worth thinking about the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, in the event of ultimate disaster and you had to do a clean install you can at least get your OS settings back very quickly and the file size is very small compared to an image so it is worth making one and keeping it somewhere.

I used to feel the same way about XP versus 7 and in some respects still do, there are a lot of little things in XP that never carried over.
When I started I felt like I was having to disable half the OS, two of the first things were Aero and UAC. Then I had to 'Take Ownership' of half the registry to make any changes.
I have now got a Classic Start Menu and Quick Launch back and last week I finally managed to get a Start Button that does not protrude above the Taskbar.
Having said that I find 7 a far more stable OS and after 9 months of using/modifying it I have got it about as close as I can get to the way I want it.

The EaseUS and Paragon websites can be a bit overwhelming, I usually suggest using somewhere like SnapFiles if you need a download, they get any newer versions soon after they come out.

If you just want basic imaging don't discount the Seagate or Western Digital programs, (apart from the name they are probably largely the same program) although you are supposed to have one or other of their hard drives installed they will work with any drives.

252

General Software Discussion / Re: image backups after OS reinstall with clean system

« on: March 23, 2013, 06:40 AM »

(any other favs?)

I have only ever used three imaging programs.

When I bought my first PC (knowing no better) I bought a copy of Norton Ghost 10 and as far as using it went I never had any problems.
Unfortunately a couple of years later I reinstalled the program but it proved impossible to reactivate it so I could only use it from the CD.
(To jump to the end of that story, three months later I got a letter from Symantec in Ireland, apologising and saying that my license number had been put back in their system, by that time I had moved on.) (I still have the CD somewhere but have never used it or reinstalled since.)(I also learned how invasive Symantec software is and what a pain it can be to get rid of.)

I then bought a copy of Acronis True Image 11 as an upgrade offer to Seagate DiscWizard (free and based on ATI).
Once again I had no problems using it and it is still in use on my old PC and my Netbook (both XP) today.

When I built a new PC last year I installed Windows 7 Pro x64 which neither of my programs would work on, after looking around I settled on the free version of EaseUS ToDo Backup v4.
The only negatives I have found compared to the other two programs is how long it takes to recover an image (NG and ATI take roughly twice as long to recover an image as they do to make a backup, EaseUS will do a full backup in under 2 minutes and takes between 2 hours and 2 hours 20 minutes for a recovery depending on whether I am recovering one or both partitions on my SSD) and the fact that the only way you can recover specific files from a Disk/Partition image is to mount the image and copy them which is simple enough unless they are system files which require a reboot, that gets more complicated and there are no instructions for it.
A couple of months after I started using EaseUS I got a copy of Workstation v4 in a giveaway but apart from a couple of extras everything else is the same as the free version in terms of use.

For a paid program if recovery time is not an issue I would recommend EaseUS every time, if it is an issue the other two programs are probably still among the best around although in both cases their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.
I have never had to contact EaseUS about a problem but I have done a couple of times to ask questions, both times their response was polite and helpful.

For free programs, once again EaseUS would be my first choice subject to same proviso as above, if I was asked for alternatives the only ones that I have tried are the free ATI based programs from either Seagate or Western Digital, both are very good but also very basic.

253

General Software Discussion / Re: 'Connect to Internet' shortcut needed.

« on: March 22, 2013, 10:14 AM »

After several more hours I have decided that I have severe RAM degradation and the CPU is not as fast as it used to be.
And that's just me!

I have thrown everything at this that I can think of and I still cannot get the NIC to start from the same source as the programs.

I have the original BAT file with its two shortcuts, enable/disable.
I have created two other BAT files to separate the enable/disable options.
All of them work independently using 'PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1503'.
I even tried converting them into EXE files which did not work at all.
Try to include them in any launcher program and they will not work.

I also had problems getting all three of the programs to either start or stop using a batch file.
Although they do all start using a launcher.
From what I read start commands should begin with 'start /d' on each line and stop instructions with 'taskkill /im'.
In each case it worked for D4 but not for the other two programs no matter what order they were in?

I have a shortcut in Quick Launch to the connection and if I click on properties the target shows as: {BA126ADB-2166-11D1-B1D0-00805FC1270E}, the 'Start in' box is empty.

-pilgrim-online (March 21, 2013, 06:16 AM)

If you can click that shortcut to connect and it works, use the path to that shortcut file in Lacuna Launcher's list. Don't use the target info shown in the properties box, use the path to that actual shortcut file itself.

-app103 (March 21, 2013, 12:30 PM)

I tried your suggestion but all that happened was that the connection's status window appeared for a second and then disappeared there was no indication of it actually trying to connect.
It was definitely disconnected when I tried it as the Network Activity Indicator icon was grey and it never even flickered.
I considered a 'permissions' problem but everything that can be is set to 'Run as Administrator'.


I shall continue to look into this but at the moment I am right out of fresh ideas.


UPDATE:

After much tinkering with Hotkeyz (the help file (online) is the worst part of the program) I now have a single hotkey to turn the programs on and another to turn them off.
Still no success with including the NIC.

254

General Software Discussion / Re: 'Connect to Internet' shortcut needed.

« on: March 21, 2013, 12:17 PM »

After two hours I have got part of the way there.

NICToggle provided me with an ID for the NIC which I then used to create a batch file with two shortcuts, enable and disable.
I removed the program but put a copy of Devcon.exe into the System 32 folder and the shortcuts work.

What I have not been able to do is create a batch file to first start the programs and then the NIC.

The items I am trying to run in order are as follows:

C:\Program Files (x86)\D4\D4.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Sandboxie\SbieCtrl.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\PeerBlock\peerblock.exe
C:\Toggle Router\ToggleNIC_ON.bat.lnk

It would also be nice to create a batch file to stop them in reverse order.

I already had Hotkeyz installed and my thinking is to create the batch files and use that to activate them, tomorrow!(?)

app103,

I just caught your post as I was typing and it made me take a look, the shortcuts to the batch file for the NIC were showing as .bat the same as the file itself but when I copied the path it showed up as above.

I downloaded Lacuna Launcher a long time ago and put it with my 'might be useful one day downloads', when I couldn't get Hotkeyz to work with this I gave it a try, unfortunately I could not get it to work with that either.

I'll try again tomorrow.

255

General Software Discussion / Re: 'Connect to Internet' shortcut needed.

« on: March 21, 2013, 08:22 AM »

Thanks for that.

I just downloaded NICToggle, I cannot try it at the moment as I do not want the connexion to drop.

One thing I did notice was that it puts an icon in the system tray which would be a problem on my Netbook.
Another thing is that it uses Devcon.exe which has two versions, x64 & x86.
On my computers Windows 7 is x64, XP is x86.

When I have the time I'll check through the other links on that thread as well, at least I have more ideas than I had when I posted earlier.

256

General Software Discussion / 'Connect to Internet' shortcut needed.

« on: March 21, 2013, 06:16 AM »

When I am not using the internet, several programs that I only need online and the connection itself are disabled.
I have been trying to find a way to create a single keyboard shortcut that will allow me to enable both programs and connection with a single click, most recently I have tried Lacuna Launcher.

Starting the programs is not a problem but I have so far failed to find a way to start the connection from the same shortcut.

I have a shortcut in Quick Launch to the connection and if I click on properties the target shows as: {BA126ADB-2166-11D1-B1D0-00805FC1270E}, the 'Start in' box is empty.
I have not found any way to trigger either this shortcut of the connection itself from any program.

I have wondered whether it would be possible to create a batch file to do what I want but I suspect that if I could find the correct command it would work from a launcher as well.

I have the same situation on both Windows 7 and XP computers, any ideas?

257

Finished Programs / Re: Another small clipboard monitor

« on: March 20, 2013, 08:20 AM »

small update. pinned window

-flamerz (March 19, 2013, 02:10 PM)

Useful addition, many thanks.

258

Living Room / Re: Show us your desktop

« on: March 18, 2013, 10:14 AM »

After 9 months with Windows 7 I finally got my Start Button sorted out.

259

Living Room / Re: Show us your desktop

« on: March 18, 2013, 10:11 AM »

Defunct!

260

Living Room / Re: Left-handed help needed !

« on: March 14, 2013, 07:47 AM »

I have never looked on this board before and this thread caught my attention.

After a lifetime of being right-handed I lost most of the use of my right arm and hand (permanently) 7 years ago.

I have looked into lots of different advice and information about how to do things left-handed and in my case came to two conclusions:
1. I will never be as dextrous with my left hand as I was with my right.
2. Like everything else, what works for some does not work for others.

I manage to do most of what I need to do albeit in a much longer time than before, I even managed to build a new computer last year although it took me 2 hours just to fit the CPU cooler.
If I have an annoyance where computers are concerned it is a Netbook with the FN key over to the left and most of the keys that work with it over to the right.

joiwind,

Hopefully by the time you have worked out your own tips and tricks you will no longer need them.

Best wishes.

Pilgrim.

261

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Debenu PDF Maximus Free

« on: March 08, 2013, 09:48 AM »

@ BitsDuJour http://www.bitsdujou...ree-giveawayoftheday

You must 'Like' BitsDuJour on your Facebook account.

Today only, so far, the email says you have 3 days to install it with the given code.

-cmpm (March 08, 2013, 06:43 AM)

There is a short anonymous questionnaire if you do not use FB, click on 'Get it for free'.

The version offered is 1.2.0.7 the same as on the Debenu website.

The download from BDJ is not the full installer, several MB smaller and I suspect the installation time limit is connected to this file.

262

Finished Programs / Re: Another small clipboard monitor

« on: February 26, 2013, 09:33 AM »

Works perfectly on XP, I'll try it on 7 later, many thanks.

263

Finished Programs / Re: Another small clipboard monitor

« on: February 25, 2013, 08:37 AM »

i'll add some settings to keep the position.

-flamerz (February 25, 2013, 08:12 AM)

Much appreciated, the only other thought was if there is a way to start it minimised?

264

Finished Programs / Re: Another small clipboard monitor

« on: February 25, 2013, 07:56 AM »

This is something that I will find very useful.
Just one small request, would it be possible to change the default opening location?
My preference would be in a central position just above the taskbar, second choice would be bottom left, but anywhere at the edge of the screen would be good.
Thanks flamerz.

265

T-Clock / Re: T-Clock 2010 (download)

« on: January 24, 2013, 04:31 AM »

I've just being doing some reading on this and in XP in particular it appears to be down to the regional settings in some countries, as applied by MS.
(http://zijlema.basic...ru.eu/wrongweek.html)

What I didn't find was a solution!

266

T-Clock / Re: T-Clock 2010 (download)

« on: January 24, 2013, 04:02 AM »

Although I do not use the built-in calendar have a look at T-Clock 2010\Properties\Miscellaneous - Calendar: First Week of Year (Change to 1.)
Unless I'm missing something that should put it right.

267

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Improve precision of Drag & Drop

« on: December 31, 2012, 05:54 AM »

Thanks for the replies.

Hi skwire,

I have not considered a trackball because I do not think it would improve things.
One of my XP computers is a Samsung NC10, it has a trackpad and a mouse I use for it, I have the same problem with both, a lack of precision.
I might be able to improve things by moving the settings to a slower speed but that would also effect the 'normal' use of either.

rjbull,

I had a look at the two programs in that link and when I get the time I will give NeatMouse a try, as it has a portable version there will be no problem uninstalling if it does not work.
One thing I noticed about both those programs is that neither have a built in 'lock' option, whether NeatMouse will work with Click Lock remains to be seen.

I ran the search you suggested but at first glance most of the things it was turning up were either things that are already built-in to Windows or things that are too elaborate for my needs.


I can use a mouse most of the time to do most things, as I said in my first post the biggest issue is lack of precision, and as I said in my last post thanks to Stoic Joker's suggestion I now have a usable solution with only one minor issue, releasing the lock when I've finished. If there was a way to discover the command to disengage the lock from a left click and create a shortcut for it that would resolve the issue.

I'll let you know how I get on with NeatMouse.

Update: I have just tried NeatMouse and while it will work with Click Lock the latter still needs to be engaged/disengaged with the mouse so it adds nothing to Click Lock itself.
I have dropped a line to the developer of NeatMouse to explain what I am trying to do and asked him if it would be possible to incorporate a keyboard controlled lock into their program. I await a reply.

268

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Improve precision of Drag & Drop

« on: December 30, 2012, 10:37 AM »

After experimenting again on Windows 7 I have learned the following:

1. Getting a lock on something does not always work at the first or even the second attempt. (Worse on Windows 7.)
2. Pressing Esc does work on both OS' but if the object/window has been moved while the lock was 'on' pressing Esc returns it to its original position.

The only solution I have come up with so far is after engaging the lock to push the mouse up against something so that when I click on it after I have finished it does not move.
Not very elegant but unless I can come up with an alternative it will have to do.

269

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Improve precision of Drag & Drop

« on: December 30, 2012, 04:50 AM »

Untested: Have you tried pressing the <Esc> key?

-Ath (December 29, 2012, 01:47 PM)

I tried it yesterday on Windows 7 and it never worked, I just tried it on XP and it did.

270

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Improve precision of Drag & Drop

« on: December 29, 2012, 06:57 AM »

While Click Lock has answered the problem I originally posted about it has thrown up a secondary one.
When I put pressure on the mouse to click it I tend to involuntarily move it at the same time, which means that anything it is locked to also moves, thereby undoing whatever I have just done.
Is there a way to disengage Click Lock with the keyboard? I ran a search but could not find one.

I found an alternative way into the Access Centre and set up Mouse Keys but could find no way to use them to activate/deactivate Click Lock.

271

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Improve precision of Drag & Drop

« on: December 29, 2012, 05:33 AM »

Have you tried using either the ClickLock or Mouse Keys features that are built into Windows? The combination should handle much of what your asking for.

The shortcut to the Windows Ease of Access Center is Win + U. Mouse Keys can be accessed directly from there and ClickLock is on the Activities tabe of the Mouse Properties dialog (which is accessable from the Ease of Access Center).

IIRC XP has both of these options available as well.

-Stoic Joker (December 28, 2012, 09:16 AM)

Thanks for that, I just gave it a try on Windows 7 and the movement is 10 pixels which is not accurate enough for what I am looking for and I could see no way of changing it.
I'll have to look and see if it can be changed in the registry, if I can find a key for it. (I just ran a registry search for 'Mouse' and turned up 790 keys but nothing for Click Lock.)

Update: Cancel the above I just discovered that if I use Ctrl + Arrow Key the movement is 1 pixel so you have given me a solution.
(I have just been experimenting and discovered that it does not work on everything. I have two desktop clocks, one digital, one analogue, it works on the first but while Click Lock works on the second the Arrow Keys do not, however I am sure that I will be able to do what I wanted to, so thanks again.)
After 7 years I am still finding things in XP I never knew about, I only started on Windows 7 six months ago so I have a way to go.

Incidently, Win + U has no effect on my computer, I tried it yesterday. I also tried clicking on the shortcut in All Programs\Accessories\Ease of Access for the Access Centre and that had no effect either although the rest of the shortcuts in that folder are all working. It might be because I removed it from the Control Panel, along with a lot of other things, as I have never had any use for it?

272

Post New Requests Here / IDEA: Improve precision of Drag & Drop

« on: December 28, 2012, 04:35 AM »

I am finding it increasingly difficult to use a mouse, one of the main difficulties is trying to use Drag & Drop with any precision.

I wondered if it was possible to create a small app that would allow locking the curser to the object/window that required moving and then make minor adjustments using the arrow keys.
The ideal would be to have options for how much the keys moved the object/window, i.e. Option 1: 1 pixel, Option 2: 10 pixels, although a 1 pixel movement would be sufficient.

I use both XP SP3(x86) and Windows 7 Pro(x64).

273

T-Clock / Re: T-Clock 2010 (download)

« on: December 12, 2012, 09:19 AM »

That is a windows setting.
The default windows clock - calendar displays a bit above the taskbar and away from the edge as well.

-cmpm (December 12, 2012, 08:45 AM)

Thanks for that I'll stick with the one I'm using, by default it opens in the corner and you have options to put it where you want.

274

T-Clock / Re: T-Clock 2010 (download)

« on: December 12, 2012, 06:42 AM »

I stopped following this thread several months ago after installing the program. Having looked at it again I have just learned how to get the calendar working, I was under the impression it was not available, and that there is a build 98, which I have just updated to without problems.

My reason for posting is to ask if anyone can help me solve a minor problem:-
When I open the calendar it appears 20 pixels above the taskbar and 20 pixels in from the right of the screen, I have tried moving it into the corner but it always reverts to its original position. Is there any way of getting it to stay in the corner permanently?

Being unaware that the built-in calendar was working I recently discovered QuickMonth Calendar which is very similar but has a slightly different appearance depending on the theme in use.



This does open in the corner.

275

Finished Programs / Re: DONE: Scan computer for foreign language files

« on: November 25, 2012, 07:26 AM »

I do not know if later versions are any different but I still use FF 3.6.28 as I will not get involved in Mozilla's pissing contest with Google Chrome.

I just ran your 'readme' utility on my Netbook (XP) and I'm sure I heard a sigh of relief from the speakers.

To go back to the language files, the only ones I have left, apart from the few the program excludes, are Windows files in Windows 7.
I tried taking ownership of them but the first attempt made no difference. There are only a couple of dozen of them and one batch is under C:\BOOT.
I ran an online search and found this: http://www.makeuseof...ers-cboot-windows-7/ which might be of interest to some.