Topics

26

General Software Discussion / YATAD (Yet Another Thread About Defragmentation)

« on: October 07, 2010, 10:39 AM »

Hi,
I recently upgraded my iolo System Mechanic license from v9.5 to V10.  Amoung the feature there is one called "realignate" files.  It seems to be similar to defragmenters that sort files alphabetically.  Anyone could confirm that ?  Thanks.

27

General Software Discussion / www.exendo.se, the makers of history explorer

« on: September 15, 2010, 09:26 AM »

Hi,

I recently purchased a license of History Explorer (through bitsdujour), a software that manages nicely document revisions, by saving all versions (not very HDD space friendly I admit).

First, I got the license for V2.2, but the available download was 2.1 only.  I realized that when trial expired and when I tried to enter my license in the software.  Not a very good start.

Then, with 2.2 version, I came across a nasty & well hidden bug, which seems to occur when files having quotes (') in their names are monitored.  In that case , purging the database or removing old backups won't work.  They never acknowledged the issue and didn't even respond to my mails where I explained how I found this (took me some time).  I find this rather rude from them.

Too bad since it is quite easy to use and efficient.

28

General Software Discussion / HFS+ partitions Imaging (Mac OS X)

« on: June 10, 2010, 07:12 AM »

Hi,
Is there a PC imaging tool you know of that can also image HFS+ partitions (Mac OS X) ?  Thanks.  I found so far Clonezilla, but I'd also like to know about commercial products.  Thanks.

29

Found Deals and Discounts / Ad Aware Plus (1Yr) free for 24h

« on: March 26, 2010, 09:51 AM »

See http://store.v3.co.u...=details&id=4636 (you must create a V3 account, that's all).

30

General Software Discussion / A new approach to reduce NTFS fragmentation

« on: March 25, 2010, 10:15 AM »

Hi all,

I very recently stumbled upon this website, http://www.disklace.com.  I got their 3 tools, could make work 2 of them (LaceDefrag & LaceLevel 2).  They say they are at an early stage of their (entreprise-oriented) products.  Does anyone know these products already.  It seems that their purpose is to reduce fragmentation by using as little defragmentation as possible, quite the opposite of current commercial tools.

Any opinion on this ?

31

Living Room / Using XP System Restore Offline

« on: March 12, 2010, 06:24 AM »

Hi,

I am trying to repair the XP machine of a friend : it boots OK but hangs at the moment where the user selection is supposed to appear.  Same thing in safe mode or when trying to restore the last working config.  I have checked with UBCD4Win that the filesystem is OK and the H/W seems functional.

Looking around, I found there is a Microsoft tool, formerly developed by Sysinternals, called ERD, that makes it possible, using a WIN PE boot CD, to restore previous configs saved with "XP System Restore".  I have an eval copy of version 5.0.  It boots OK, but refuses to go further since it detects XP Pro SP3, which is not supported in this version.  My friend is certain his PC is running XP Home SP3 and not Pro.

I have thus 2 questions :
- Is there a way to "trick" ERD 5.0 to make him see XP Home instead of XP Pro (since it is most probably a XP Home - my friend has the reinstallation CD provided with his Fujitsu Siemens tower, they are indeed XP Home)
- Do you know an equivalent tool, not Microsoft made, which would not have such limitations ?

Thanks !

32

Living Room / Impressive juggler

« on: February 08, 2010, 06:53 AM »

Hi,
I usually don't pay much attention to juggler performances, but this one catched my attention (seen in a Best of Youtube Selection) :
http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=RQimgPVXE1o

This guy is really talented (unless he has a friend who is a CGI wizard).

33

Found Deals and Discounts / Macrium Household license pack (4 PC)

« on: February 07, 2010, 12:42 PM »

It's on https://www.regnow.c...ell.cgi?item=17447-5 (50% discount)

About Macrium licensing policy, I found on their support forum that one get free updates for all minor versions (4.x), and that the next major version will be free if the purchase of the current version occurs three months before or less.

Version 5 was supposed to be released by the end of 2009.

34

Found Deals and Discounts / PuranDefrag V7 now free for home use

« on: January 29, 2010, 07:28 AM »

It's on http://www.puransoft...Defrag-Download.html (seen first on Raymond.cc). I highly recommend it.

35

Found Deals and Discounts / DeadDiskDoctor : pay what you want

« on: January 27, 2010, 08:35 AM »

It's on http://www.deaddiskdoctor.com/

DDD is a file recovery software that aims at recovering data from damaged media (HDD, CD, DVD).  There is a trial version available AFAIK.  Also, note that the software locks itself onto the hardware for which you have ordered the license (you generate your H/W ID with the software, send it to the developer and get your license key).

36

Found Deals and Discounts / WinPatrol Plus @ $0.99 on January 29th

« on: January 25, 2010, 06:07 AM »

Goto http://billpstudios....e-experiment-of.html ((Seen on Raymond.cc forum)

37

Site/Forum Features / Updated threads in bold rather than with 'new' label

« on: December 10, 2009, 03:48 PM »

Would this be possible ?  I find this much more readable.  Thanks.

38

Living Room / Looking for two movies

« on: December 10, 2009, 09:30 AM »

Hi,

I just read the thread below regarding a SF moving one DC member was looking for.  Likewise, I have been looking for quite some time for two different movies I saw while being very young (a long time ago    ).  Both were in B/W I think.

1/ the first one is a spy/thriller movie where a character is abducted or forced into a questioning chamber at the bottom of a big starway.  When he returns with friends / or the police/ the stairs are missing one level so he cannot prove the abduction.  I know it looks like a bit like Hitchcock's North by NW but it's something else !

2/ The second one is, AFAIR, a movie made in an eastern country (Tchekoslovakia ?) in the 60s or earlier.  It takes place in a school for young children that are particularly violent between themselves.  One of them is even killed at the end of the movie, and the little monsters are just waiting for the new schoolboys that will arrive the year after, that will become their next victims.  Quite a difficult movie !

I'd be very happy if someone recognizes them.

39

Living Room / Tricky memory size tuning question

« on: November 18, 2009, 03:13 AM »

Hi,

I am about to get a new PC at work.  I currently have a rather old machine running XP Pro with 512KB.  I have asked to get a 2GB machine (running also XP Pro) but the IT team insists on saying that 1GB is enough.

I would like to provide them some usage data showing that 2GB will be better, but using only my current config.  I am not sure what I could send them, something such as



I intend to load all apps I use at the same time (office 2003 + some specific apps + utilities such as ... FARR)

Could someone recommend and tool and the parameters that would demonstrate my point (is it's the case).

Thanks.

40

Living Room / Looking to "mirror" some videos

« on: November 16, 2009, 09:04 AM »

Hi,

I have recently received a DVD from a relative.  It holds some video clips showing my grandparents back in 1926 ! The person who did the conversion has done this without "unmirroring" them, so that license plates on car are inverted, and cars seem to drive on the left side as in UK.  Is there a free video tool or web service that would allow me to mirror them, if possible without re-encoding them, since the quality is already low.

If you have already used such a tool, and were satisfied with it, could you recommend one.

In total, I have 7 clips, totalling around 200MB in DVD compliant MPEG2.

Thanks !

41

Found Deals and Discounts / Metaproducts Inquiry Standard is today (2009-10-30) on GAOTD

« on: October 30, 2009, 02:19 AM »

Must not be missed !

42

Found Deals and Discounts / Chameleon Startup Manager Pro on GAOTD Friday 23rd, October

« on: October 23, 2009, 03:22 AM »

Title says it all.  I think this software was discussed here on DC a while ago...

43

General Software Discussion / Quickest way to copy files from a surface-damaged HDD

« on: October 20, 2009, 04:20 AM »

Hi,
A friend a mine has a very damaged 2"1/2 HDD.  The FAT32 fat system is reasonably OK, but several files have read error.  I just want to copy the files that are OK to a new safe location.  I have tried so far :

> Unstoppable copier
> Durable Copier
> Active File Recovery Pro
> DeadDiskDoctor

They all exhibit the same issue : when a damaged file is encountered, there is some kind of long timeout (several minutes) until the OS returns control and the file is declared as unreadable.  

Does someone know of a software, possibly free, that can skip damaged files without spending 5 minutes on each damaged one ?

I have also tried to perform a drive snapshot image, but when I mount the image, the important folder I want to backup appears to be empty.

Thanks !

44

Found Deals and Discounts / UltraRecall discounted on BitsDuJour.com today (2009-10-07)

« on: October 07, 2009, 06:44 AM »

Ultra Recall is today (Wednesday) on BdJ, at 62% discount.  Question is : go for pro or standard ? There is usually a $50 upgrade fee, but today std is at $19 and Pro at $39.  Any recommendation ?  Thanks.

45

Mouser's Zone / Strange behavior (or not) with Minicap

« on: July 09, 2009, 03:54 AM »

Hi,

I'd like to know if this is normal :

1/ I open a window on my XP Pro Desktop (any window), I make it active, press Alt+PrintScreen, create a new Outlook message is rich text mode, press Ctrl-V, and I get a perfect copy 1:1 within my e-mail message. All is OK, apart from the size of the message that can be huge since it's apparently BMP uncompressed format.

2/ I open the same windows as before, launch Minicap, lasso the windows with minicap, press Ctrl+Click, and I get a perfect 1:1 copy of the window within Minicap.  I press on the copy icon at the bottom right, open a new Outlook message, in rich text format, press Ctrl-V and this time I get some kind of unreadable (because too compressed) thumbnail in my message. I would expect to get a 1:1 copy ?

It seems this started with recent releases of Minicap, but I am not 100% sure.

Thanks for any help !

46

Find And Run Robot / Faster startup by disabling plugins ?

« on: June 29, 2009, 08:23 AM »

Hi,

I never use plugins with FARR, and with recent versions, whenever I type pause or ctrl+space, the history window opens but spends quite some time reading the plugins.  I would just like to have the history right away.  I have seen nowhere how to disable plugins ?  Is is possible, and if yes, would this speed up the first history display ?  Thanks.

47

Found Deals and Discounts / I like Backup Platinum !

« on: June 17, 2009, 07:45 AM »

Hi all,

I have been trying for quite some time to find a software that did the following :
- burn a set of files onto DVD while handling media spanning and not cutting some files (when each file is less than the media capacity), optionally zipping and encrypting them
- burn only changed files since last burn, by adding them at the end of last media, not by starting a new blank media
- verifying the burnt files  on the media
- have a straightforward GUI
- is pretty stable (no BSOD, no application crash, even when a defective media is fed)

Believe it or but it has been quite hard to find something.  I tried archiving utilities like PowerArchiver 2010, Backup4all 3 and 4, Genie Backup Pro 8, GFI Backup Home 2009, Syncback Pro, etc... None of them met these rather simple specs, some lacked some features, for instance SyncBack Pro wouldn't write on a non blank DVD, most were buggy when the spanning feature was activated.  GBPRo 8 took as a reference the remaining space on a media , so when only 100MB were available and 500MB to be burn, it wanted to burn 5x 100Mb separate archives, whereas it should have been 1x100MB and 1x400MB on a new media.  B4all was pretty close to what I wanted, alas the media ejection/insertion is terrible and fails often, and I crashed the new version within only 30 minutes.

I just tried Backup Platinum this week, and it meets all my specs, is light and efficient. The only drawbacks are :
- rather expensive : $67 (DC had a 40% discount for registered members last year, I have asked them if they could renew this - Mktg should answer soon...)
- machine-locked though on line or e-mail activation

I tend to be rather enthusiastic when I come across a software that does exactly what I want, so I'd be happy to hear about your experience with BP, especially if you took opportunity of DC last year discount.

To have a direct look : http://www.backup-platinum.com/

I found a 20% rebate at : http://www.downloadp...tinum-buy104296.html

48

Found Deals and Discounts / PowerArchiver 2009 at 50% discount on BdJ (2009-06-10) : worth it ?

« on: June 10, 2009, 03:45 AM »

Hi,

This offer seems interesting at first, especially for the lifetime upgrades that is proposed.  But is this software worth it ?  I did try a few things related to DVD burning and backup, but these features still are quite basic and showed some problems : for instance, I tried to burn a 7GB folder on a single layer DVD, PA started without complaining and of course at the end of the first DVD it froze.  After reboot, I saw that the DVD "FAT" contained all files, which of course wasn't the case.

Do you have any recommendation ?  Thanks.

49

General Software Discussion / Help solving an error message when opening a HTML link

« on: June 06, 2009, 11:10 AM »

Hi,

Since a few weeks, I get a strange windows system error message when I open any link and when my default browser is not loaded (Opera). I have a XP Pro system.

For instance, when I click on Start/Execute, then type www.google.com then Return :
- if Opera is not running, I get an error message saying www.google.com cannot be found by Windows.  At the same time, Opera opens and restores last session.  See error message below (in original version...)



<The error message translates into : "Windows cannot find 'www.google.com'. Verify that you have entered the name correctly and try again. To search for a file, click on Start button, then on Search">

- if Opera is already loaded, the www.google.com opens fine

When I revert to IE 7 as default browser, it works fine again.  On other XP machines, I have no such problem.

I was using Opera 9.64 when this problem happened.  I fully removed Opera, cleaned the Program Files dir, reinstalled Opera 10 beta, but the problem remains.  I tried to upgrade to IE8, but the problem is still there.

Thanks for any help !

50

Coding Snacks / Desktop dynamic icon management based on the Noguchi Filing system

« on: May 27, 2009, 03:25 AM »

Hi,

I have an idea I'd like to experiment on my XP Desktop, after the Nogichi filing system (see http://communication...i-filing-system.html) : I would like that when I dbl-click on a desktop icon, the icon is moved to the bottom right of the desktop, by a circular permutation with other icons.  After a while, most used icons would reside in the same area.

Do you know a software that does that already ?  Thanks.