Messages

826

Living Room / Re: $7.5 to optimize XP NTFS Drive access : rip-off or not ?

« on: September 02, 2007, 01:21 PM »

Thanks for this pointer, it's comforting to see others are also wondering...

Thanks to Darwin also !

Have you seen this msfn thread yet?

-PhilB66 (September 02, 2007, 11:25 AM)

827

Living Room / $7.5 to optimize XP NTFS Drive access : rip-off or not ?

« on: September 02, 2007, 09:45 AM »

Hi,
I recently came across a recent announcement from www.disktrix.com (the publisher of a powerful HDD defragmenter, UltimateDefrag).  They propose for $7.5 to "reveal" a tip to optimize NTFS access.  You can download a "teaser" pdf at http://www.disktrix....indows_Secrets_1.htm and here : http://www.disktrix....ets_1_NTFS_Intro.pdf

Apart from the fact that it's discutable to ask for money for this, I strongly suspect it's related to the NTFS lastfileaccess flag, one can modify easily with the "fsutil behavior" command from the shell prompt.

Any opinion on this ?

Thanks.

828

General Software Discussion / Re: Need some help in recovery data from a damaged external HDD

« on: July 10, 2007, 04:00 PM »

where can I get getdataback for NTFS license key? thanks.

-llley (July 10, 2007, 02:28 PM)

I finally found that ActiveFileRecovery Pro was much more useful in the situation I described.  I would advise you to benchmark it before selecting Getdataback.

829

ProcessTamer / Re: Tray Balloon messages auto-extinction ?

« on: May 27, 2007, 02:14 PM »

Actually I have done that on a PC I have set up for someone else, I didn't want the user to be disturbed by this info, he has already enough trouble with standard windows operation (he is over 85 and not very computer oriented).

Thanks.

830

ProcessTamer / Re: Tray Balloon messages auto-extinction ?

« on: May 27, 2007, 12:34 PM »

Thanks for the link !

831

Living Room / Re: Calling for help - again !

« on: May 24, 2007, 10:39 AM »

Now I still have one annoying problem : I have a"phantom drive" letter,  Z:, which is assigned to nothing, but appears in some applications like Total Commander.  Also there is a recovery partition, which keeps appearing also under the F: letter.  When I go into disk management (diskmngt.msc), the recovery partition is not associated to any letter.  Sometimes, after reboot, everything is OK, but the problem returns always.

Any hint on how to solve this ?  Thanks. 

832

Living Room / Re: Calling for help - again !

« on: May 23, 2007, 08:38 AM »

Thanks for the quick reply.  Actually having a French XP, a German XP, or a US XP is quite different, you cannot simply change the default language.

Regarding the keyboard problem : the hardware is working fine : in BIOS, with BartCD as boot all is well, it's just with this pre-Windows environment.

There is no PS2 socket either, it's really a low-end PC.

For now the problem is solved thanks to the manual move of the XP files, but really would have avoided that.

XP is now installed, French version, the recovery partition has been created, all seem almost OK, I just have a bunch of files which are no longer useful (related to the pre-boot phase), I wish I could remove them...

If you can boot into a French XP, can you change the default language within Windows to US English?

In Control Panel it would be Regional and Language Options (at least that is what it is in English.)

I think the problem might be with the keyboard drivers not being loaded yet when you see that selection window. This happens sometimes with usb keyboards and mice...the drivers not being loaded till Windows loads. I don't recall it happening with laptop keyboards, at least not with my daughter's HP laptop.

Do the directional arrow keys work in the bios setup at all? Can you even access the bios setup? (I am thinking there could be a problem with that, if the keyboard won't work till you are in Windows.)

If there is a problem, is there any way to plug a ps/2 keyboard in? That might be a possible work around.

-app103 (May 23, 2007, 07:26 AM)

833

Living Room / Calling for help - again !

« on: May 23, 2007, 06:46 AM »

Hi all,

After the hibernation problem I had a few weeks ago, successfully solved thanks to you, I have now another problem, a more serious one, yet I have the feeling the solution is close :

I just bought an entry level HP notebook for my Dad, a HP510, and I have the following problem : at first boot, a windows (low-res) appears asking me to chose between French or US Windows XP, French being selected by default.  I am supposed to be able to change the choice with up and down arrow keys, and validate with enter.  Alas none of these keys seem to be operative.

I have tried using an externel USB keyboard, same problem (enabling and disabling USB legacy support).  I finally booted with BartPE CD and observed that the keyboard was OK. 

I moved the content of the root folder to a backup dir, I moved the content of what seemed the French XP install files (including NTLDR, and similar critical files) and guess what : it started OK with a French XP and installation of Hp specific software seem to work.  But I may have missed something.  Anyone already encountered such a problem ?

834

General Software Discussion / Re: U3 Portable Smart Drives pros and cons

« on: May 22, 2007, 07:21 AM »

Actually, how do you uninstall U3 ?  I have a Verbatim 4GB U3 key and don't see how I could manage this, expecially how to remove the second "un-useful" drive letter) ?  Thanks.

835

Official Announcements / Re: Winners of May 2007 Giveaway Drawing

« on: May 17, 2007, 09:09 AM »

Yeah
  thanks again to Carl for all the organising etc 

EDIT- PS Get well soon MerleOne !!

-tomos (May 17, 2007, 01:52 AM)

Thanks, I feel the magic of SFFS already working...

.merle1.

836

Official Announcements / Re: Winners of May 2007 Giveaway Drawing

« on: May 17, 2007, 01:49 AM »

  Wow, I just read mail about the winned SFFS license.  I am so thankful to all who made this possible, in particular the DonationCoder team and also SFFS developer.    You couldn't find anything more appropriate to lift up my spirit, after a difficult week (hospital, minor surgery, everything fixed now!).  It will help for a quicker recovery, no doubt...

Thanks again !
 

837

Living Room / Re: Solving an hibernation-related problem on a XP Home PC

« on: May 11, 2007, 06:39 AM »

Just for clarification : are we talking about desktop or portable ?  Mine is a desktop.

838

Living Room / Re: Solving an hibernation-related problem on a XP Home PC

« on: May 10, 2007, 12:32 PM »

Not yet, and good idea !  Will try, except if I observe the same behaviour on another XP machine, which would tend to confirm what AndyM was saying, that is : it is an XP "feature".

Thanks for the suggestion !

Have you tired disabling hibernation completely, restart and then re-enable it to see if some of the internal registry settings are screwed up?

-Carol Haynes (May 10, 2007, 05:03 AM)

839

Found Deals and Discounts / New Raxco Product : Defragmenter - Optimizer ; $9.99 until 2007-05-13

« on: May 08, 2007, 12:18 PM »

I just received this a few mlinutes ago.  Raxco publishes PerfectDisk, an excellent defragmenter.

"After years of leading the systems utility market with an award-winning defragmentation tool, Raxco has just completed the rest of the puzzle by creating the PerfectDisk Rx Suite. In addition to defragmentation and optimization, this industry first also includes a safe registry cleaner, a tool to remove duplicate files and reclaim free space, a tool that securely erases tracks to protect privacy, and a tweaking tool that will personalize your entire Windows experience. This unique combination of utilities makes the PerfectDisk Rx Suite the only vitamin your PC will ever need.

And because you're already a valued PerfectDisk customer, you can add the PerfectDisk Rx Suite for only $9.99. That's 66% off the single license special introductory price of $29.99 but you must purchase online by Sunday May 13th and use coupon code RXCLEANPC . http://www.raxco.com...s.cfm?ItemTitleID=75

How does the new PerfectDisk Rx Suite compare to PerfectDisk 8 Professional :
http://www.raxco.com...ons_whichisright.cfm

What exactly will the PerfectDisk Rx Suite do for you: http://www.raxco.com.../perfectdiskrxsuite/

Optimize Drive: This feature improves performance by defragmenting the drive using our award-winning PerfectDisk engine. Run it manually, in screensaver mode, schedule it with AutoPilot Scheduling, or use our exclusive new StealthPatrol technology to automatically defrag only when your system is idle. With StealthPatrol, just set it to "automatic" and never think about defragging again because it does the thinking for you. No other defragger offers this many options.

Clean Registry: This feature brings a new level of ease, simplicity, and safety to the tricky problem of registries cluttered with abandoned, incorrect, and broken entries. Different than other registry cleaners, this feature only deletes the keys it knows it can safely remove without harming Windows. These are the same keys that cause the majority of system slowdowns. The key phrase and difference here is "safely remove".

Reclaim Freespace: Do you know how many unwanted duplicate files are wasting space and slowing your system right now? You might be surprised. This feature not only finds and removes any redundant documents, mp3, photos and videos that are wasting space on your hard drive, but it also easily removes unwanted files that are just sitting in your recycle bin and temp file folder. It's like spring cleaning for your PC with 1 click of the mouse.

Erase All Traces: Did you know that your computer is tracking every move you make and is storing the evidence on your hard drive? Did you also know that clearing your history and emptying your cache doesn’t make them go away? Whether on purpose or by accident, every website, image and movie that you have ever viewed is there for anyone to see – that is until it’s been "completely" removed. This feature digs deep into your system and scrubs the index.dat file so any traces of where you’ve ever been is no longer there. Every time you use this feature, you can be assured that your privacy is intact and sanitized in compliance with US Department of Defense standards (DoD 5220.22-M) for safeguarding classified information. You never know who's using your computer when you're not around.

Tweak: This feature will customize and change hidden Windows settings so that your computer behaves according to your personal preferences. By using the Tweak feature, there's no need to risk editing the registry on your own - which is never a good thing. You can change the way Windows acts in the areas of performance, security and appearance just by clicking a few buttons. 

Take the PerfectDisk Rx Suite out for a free test drive! You can download the 15-day free trial here: Make My PC Healthy

To take advantage of the special $9.99 offer, purchase the PerfectDisk Rx Suite Single License directly from the RX Download Store by Sunday (5/13) and make sure you apply code RXCLEANPC in your cart. This code can only be applied towards purchases of the PerfectDisk Rx Suite Single User License.

If you should have any questions for Raxco technical support, please contact them here. If there is anything I can do to assist you, please let me know and if you have a chance, I would love to hear what you think of the PerfectDisk Rx Suite. It's another big day for Raxco Software!     

Best Regards,

Wendy Clontz     
Raxco Software, Inc.
Toll Free (800) 546-9728
Direct: (301) 519-7806
[email protected]
Web: www.raxco.com

840

Living Room / Re: Solving an hibernation-related problem on a XP Home PC

« on: May 08, 2007, 09:52 AM »

Just a short summary of what I have tried since the various suggestion were posted here :

cthorpe : thanks for the scripts.  You were right, they don't work "as is" on my system, because it's localized.  I suppose I could get it to work by converting them, but I still have trouble using AutoHotKey.  It looks very promising though !

AndyM : I suppose you are referring to LowtoSleep.  It seems to do the trick for now, that is if I keep it running or if I launch it just after wake-up.

So far, Skrommel's "LowtoSleep" compiled AHK script seems the best solution. 

Thanks !

841

Living Room / Re: Solving an hibernation-related problem on a XP Home PC

« on: May 08, 2007, 02:18 AM »

Thanks, I thought it was only my machine doing this !!!

This is how it's always worked for me (XP Pro SP2) and I figured it was normal behavior.

Skrommel has a utility that keeps a machine from entering sleep mode, should work for your problem if you have it run when the computer wakes up.

-AndyM (May 07, 2007, 08:39 PM)

842

Living Room / Re: Solving an hibernation-related problem on a XP Home PC

« on: May 08, 2007, 02:18 AM »

Thanks, will try it !

I posted this in another thread about turning hibernation on and off with task scheduler.  Don't know if it would help you at all, but here it is:

These are a couple of AutoHotkey scripts that should disable and reenable hiberation.
These should work for Windows XP.  You may have to modify them for other flavors of windows.

-cthorpe (May 07, 2007, 05:56 PM)

843

Living Room / Re: Solving an hibernation-related problem on a XP Home PC

« on: May 08, 2007, 02:17 AM »

Wordzilla  : yes, I have, but nothing suspicious there :

844

Living Room / Solving an hibernation-related problem on a XP Home PC

« on: May 07, 2007, 05:03 PM »

Hi,

I am posting here in the hope that someone could help me find the right direction to solve the following problem with my Dell Dimension (model 4700, runs XP Home).  It used to be a minor problem but is becoming much more annoying as I want to use this PC in unattented mode.

The problem is the following : I am using a lot the XP hibernation feature, only rebooting when necessary.  Putting the PC in hibernation works fine, waking it also, except the wake up part is behaving strangely :
After wake up (using the on/off switch), XP resumes normally, but goes into hibernation again after 2 minutes or so if I don't do anything with it.  On the contrary, if I perform some minimal activities after the waking up like launching an application then the PC won't automatically go into hibernation again.

I have managed to far to live with this, until recently when I wanted to have my PC start during the day and record something from the attached DVB-T tuner (Terratec).  The Terratec software is perfectly capable of waking the PC from hibernation, but when in unattented mode, the hibernation kicks in after a few minutes...  The only way to perform unattented recordings is to leave my PC on all the time.  Not very energy saving friendly...

I have looked so far in the Microsoft KB, tried to find something in Dell's one (much more difficult), to no avail.  I have tried different settings for the internal ethernet card, which is sometimes responsible for problems with the hibernation process.  No result so far.

Has someone encountered the same behaviour or know a solution for this ? 

Many thanx !

845

Living Room / Re: The Citicorp Building Repairs: A Tale of Engineering and Ethics

« on: May 07, 2007, 04:19 PM »

Funnily enough, this story has apparently been used for the scenario of a TV show episode, namely "Numb3rs".  It's on http://www.tv.com/nu.../385365/summary.html.

Thanks for mentioning the real stor(e)y 

846

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Super Flexible File Synchronizer Mini-Review

« on: May 06, 2007, 03:40 AM »

Hi,

Any update on when the discount is coming for DC members ?

847

General Software Discussion / Re: Super Flexible File Synchronizer Pro says Zaine

« on: May 02, 2007, 03:39 AM »

Hi all,

I have several questions/remarks related to SFFS, like for instance "is it possible to change the temp dir when using zipping" or "how can I easily remove a given file or a folder or some files from sync" or "what means obsolete dir in a file selection context menu".  It is ok to ask them here ?

I have also used Goodsync and find the later much easier to do simple tasks and also quicker to scan dirs for differences.  If I can manage, I'll do a mini-review of Goodsync.

848

General Software Discussion / Re: Cheeky

« on: April 30, 2007, 02:56 PM »

http://www.f2ko.de/English/a2e/a2e.html : you'll find a there a freeware converter, quite basic but simple to use and working fine : AudioVideo_To_Exe.

Not ideally named but should be OK to do what you want.

.Merle1.

849

General Software Discussion / Re: Need Virtual Desktop software recommendations

« on: March 30, 2007, 04:01 PM »

Thanks to GiveAwayOfTheDay, I am using AltDesk from www.astonshell.com.  Works quite fine, no major bug encountered so far.

850

General Software Discussion / Re: Can anyone recommend a good DVD to AVI program?

« on: March 26, 2007, 04:27 PM »

I would recommend the following opensource : DrDivx : it's a bit tricky to setup, used to be buggy, but much more configurable than AutoGK.

Sometimes, it also requires to install a (free) AC3 handler (AC3 = Dolby Digital).