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Circle Dock / 64-bit Version: Fix to Help Browser
« on: May 18, 2010, 09:40 PM »
There was an unfortunate problem with the 64-bit version of the Help Browser which caused it to display an error message when it was loaded. This was due to a module not being linked correctly and has now been fixed.

I have uploaded a refresh release for this (64-bit) platform and you should download and install this over your existing installation - you will not lose any settings by so doing.

Incidentally, the refresh does contain a slightly later (and enhanced) version of the Wallpaper Changer which contains a number of fixes.

Please refer to the download page for the correct link.


Mark

7
Circle Dock / Version 1.55 - a Significant Release: Please Read Carefully
« on: March 03, 2010, 03:25 AM »
I have today released both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Circle Dock. The major purpose of this update is to address the UAC issues those of you running Windows 7 particularly have noted; there are other fixes and enhancements included and I will cover those later in this message.

We strongly recommend you install and run the 64-bit version if your version of Windows is 64-bit.


Installing Circle Dock v1.55
To overcome the ACL problems which result in UAC errors, you absolutely must uninstall any previous version of Circle Dock before attempting to install this new release. However, you may have already configured the Circle Dock the way you want it and don't want to lose those settings, so here's what you should do:

1. Locate the two files "DockSettings.xml" and "DockItemData.xml" and copy them to a temporary folder. If you have installed Circle Dock to a "Program Files" folder, then these two files will be located in "C:\YourUserName\AppData\Local\" (replace "YourUserName" with your Windows User Name). If, on the other hand, Circle Dock is installed elsewhere on your PC, the two files will be located in Circle Dock's "System\Settings\" folder. If you have included any Stack Folders on your Dock, you will also need to save a copy of "StandaloneStack.ini" which will be in CircleDock's "System\Miscellaneous\" folder.

2. Having copied these two files, uninstall Circle Dock.

3. Now install the new version. Run the new version and as soon as you see the blank dock, exit Circle Dock.

4. Replace the "DockSettings.xml", "DockItemData.xml" and "StandaloneStack.ini" with the copies you made in Step 1.

5. Now run Circle Dock as normal.


If you're installing Circle Dock into a folder other than "Program Files", (or creating a Portable Version), then you must set the ACL Permissions for certain folders and files yourself. For further information and instructions, consult this page of the help system.


Windows 7 and Mice
We have identified an issue concerning Global Mouse Handlers and Windows 7 installations that include mouse drivers installed after Windows was originally installed (ie OEMs such as Logitech). There's a tendency for Circle Dock to lose the ability to trap Global Mouse events including its mouse button that toggles the Dock's visibility. There are two work-arounds which seem to overcome this issue:

1. Include a "mouse modifier" key (any of "Ctrl", "Alt", "Shift", "Win").
2. Uninstall your OEM-provided mouse software and force Windows to use its generic driver for your type of mouse.

It should be stressed that this issue only affects Windows 7 and only where third-party mouse drivers are installed.


Other Changes, Fixes and Enhancements
The Help System contains full details of these however they include increased support for StandaloneStacks (all configurable items are now settable) and changed its folder "Root" to "Desktop" to allow a wider range of targets to be selected from.

Also, Circle Dock consists of two executable files now and no DLLs - these are now statically-linked as part of the build post-processing. This reduces both the disk and memory footprints with Circle Dock now typically requiring between 700KiB and 900KiB when hidden.

The download is available, as always, from this topic.



Mark

8
Circle Dock / UAC Issues - Vista/Windows 7, 32 & 64-bit
« on: February 23, 2010, 04:41 AM »
It seems that a number of users are experiencing problems with Circle Dock which we have identified as being allied to the use of User-Access Control ("UAC") protection in these two operating systems. As you probably know, Microsoft reacted to pressure to make its operating systems more secure, particularly from malware, by introducing us to the joys of UAC with the launch of Windows Vista.

UAC comes into play whenever you install a program into "C:\Program Files" or "C:\Program Files (x86)" and that program (attempts to) modify its own configuration files which, say Microsoft, should ideally be placed in the %APPDATA% folder which Circle Dock does. If Circle Dock is not run by a user with full administrator privileges, it will either crash or a UAC warning dialog will appear - depending on the operating system and UAC level you've selected.

There are several ways we can overcome this:
  • We could simply tell users to modify Circle Dock's properties so that it is run as if the user is an administrator; however inexperienced PC users may not be too comfortable with having to do that.
  • We could instruct users not to install Circle Dock in either "C:\Program Files" or "C:\Program Files (x86)". Whilst that undoubtedly works, it does cause problems for the Installer and (fact of life) users rarely read documentation!
  • We could do what Microsoft themselves do when they need elevated privileges which is to test the current privilege level and if the user is not an administrator, restart the program using a particular keyword in the start-up information block; TaskManager is an example of such a program which works in this way. The problem with that is that it will likely interfere with the multiple-instance and command-line handling.
  • The fourth way is, in effect, an automated version of the first which is achieved by "marking" the executable with a special manifest that tells Windows that it is a trusted application and is to be run as administrator.


In future releases we will be using the fourth option (trusted application manifest) and this should ensure that Circle Dock runs unhindered and can update its configuration files without triggering a UAC exception.



Mark


9
Circle Dock / 64-bit Version now available
« on: February 20, 2010, 03:36 AM »
I have now released a version of Circle Dock that is specific to 64-bit Intel/AMD platforms.


Read this carefully before downloading and installing

This version is very much a test version and should be treated with caution. The code-base used to create this release is identical to that for the (32-bit) v1.54 which I released the other day so should work the same. However, those of you who have experienced problems with the Mouse Toggling when running under 64-bit Windows 7 should notice an improvement; I have had a 64-bit version running here almost all day, with varying lengths of "hidden" time, and mouse toggling is certainly working for me.

Certain things may NOT work, for example, there may be a problem with Folder Stacks - so, be warned!

After installing Circle Dock, you should right-click on its entry in the Start Menu and select "Properties" and from the "Compatibility" Tab, check "Run as Administrator", then click on "Apply" and then "OK". This will prevent any UAC issues.

Please report any issues with this release as replies to this topic.

The download link is contained within this topic.


Mark

10
Circle Dock / Version 1.54 released
« on: February 19, 2010, 01:23 AM »
I've just released version 1.54 which clears a couple of issues with v1.53 and adds some new options to control when the Dock Items Properties dialog is shown for items just added to the Dock. By default, that dialog will always be shown when adding Files, Folders etc., but now you can select its showing for Dock Folders and items that are dragged to and dropped on the dock.

NB: The Sarge is away until the end of the weekend so the web site will continue to show the current version as 1.53 pending his return. The download, however, will be v1.54.



Mark

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