Recent Posts

1451

Living Room / Re: Weird problem with Windows 7 explorer's right-click menu

« Last post by Innuendo on November 01, 2009, 11:05 AM »

Hopefully, you have dropped by the Notepad++ web site and filed a bug report with the author. I'm sure he'd be very interested in getting this fixed for the next version.

1452

General Software Discussion / Re: Surprised by Win7

« Last post by Innuendo on October 31, 2009, 03:34 PM »

There's also another negative thing I experienced about Win7 firsthand: it's significantly slower than XP. When I first switched over, I was surprised at how 'light' Win 7 felt. But going back to an XP machine after a solid week of working exclusively under Win7 was enough to remind me just how much faster XP is across the board.

-40hz (October 30, 2009, 12:19 PM)

Win7 is only as fast or faster than XP when you have a decent (read that as fast) video card installed in your machine. Win7 will offload a lot of the graphics workload onto the GPU freeing up the CPU for more important tasks. Since you say you have a sub-optimal video card then that's what's slowing you down. Video RAM plays a role as well. I think some MS dude said once during the beta cycle that to get the full benefits of the video acceleration in Win7 you need a video card with at least 512MB of RAM.

1453

General Software Discussion / Re: Top 10 Windows 7 Booster Apps

« Last post by Innuendo on October 30, 2009, 10:43 AM »

I find CCleaner to be invaluable in regards to cleaning out all the temp files and directories in one click. Now having said that, that's all I use CCleaner for. I don't use its uninstaller, registry cleaner, or any of the other stuff.

1454

General Software Discussion / Re: wanted: simple, stable bittorrent client for windows

« Last post by Innuendo on October 29, 2009, 12:51 PM »

[quote author=Kamel link=topic=20392.msg182700#msg182700 date=1256790801
This is exactly why this needs to be a configuration option, and it needs to be easily accessable (atleast make it inside an advanced menu if afraid of scaring newbs).[/quote]

It's not as bad as it used to be. A lot of P2P programs are setting more sane defaults in recent versions, but the only way to get those when you've been using a program for a lot of months (or years) is to wipe your config & re-configure for scratch letting the set-up wizard inject those new safe settings into your new configuration. Otherwise you have to take your fate into your own hands & tweak by hand.

1455

General Software Discussion / Re: How to remove this file - KeyHH.its?

« Last post by Innuendo on October 28, 2009, 09:26 AM »

Looks like KeyHH.its is a file associated with having installed KeyHH from KeyWorks. This is definitely not a file that comes with the OS standard. Look for a way to uninstall KeyHH. If there is no way I'd look to see if it's running in the task manager. If it's running, stop its process and then delete KeyHH.exe and KeyHH.its from your hard drive.

If the files are locked by Windows then you may need something like Unlocker to break it free so you can delete it.

1456

General Software Discussion / Re: wanted: simple, stable bittorrent client for windows

« Last post by Innuendo on October 27, 2009, 11:15 PM »

(Especially considering Tomato   is probably the best of breed when it comes to replacement firmware for consumer routers.)

-40hz (October 27, 2009, 06:05 PM)

Tomato is very good, but it cannot match the number of routers that DD-WRT supports. I'd love to try Tomato (or OpenWRT or some of the others), but my router is only supported by DD-WRT.

That's okay, I guess...DD-WRT gives me access to more features than I'll ever use & is much more responsive than the stock firmware.

1457

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows vs. Mac: I'm starting to change.

« Last post by Innuendo on October 27, 2009, 05:22 PM »

Wow! I'm surprised how sensitive and defensive some Windows users have become as other OSes attract new users.

-zridling (October 27, 2009, 03:37 PM)

Zaine, I'm sorry you see the discussion that way. I cannot speak for anyone else, but my remarks have only been made to make the point that the grass may seem greener on the other side of the fence, but seldom is. Every OS has its problems & if you are jumping ship from your chosen OS (whatever it may be) to something else, you may indeed be surprised when you are trading one set of problems for another.

I thought everyone else who was pointing out the deficiencies of OS X were making comments in the same spirit, but maybe I missed something. The lesson to carry away from this thread is that if one wants to run OS X as it is a better fit for them then that's fine, but don't believe that "It just works." malarkey the Apple marketing department is churning out as OS X isn't 100% trouble-free, either.

1458

Living Room / For the person who has everything - an € 800 Mouse

« Last post by Innuendo on October 27, 2009, 05:16 PM »

Yes, that's right. A computer mouse made out of titanium that costs a mere 800 Euros.

http://www.intelligent-design.nl/


I thought it was awfully nice of them to include the batteries.

1459

General Software Discussion / Re: Minefield(Firefox) 3.7Pre seems to work

« Last post by Innuendo on October 27, 2009, 12:42 PM »

Now if i could find one that does it to Thunderbird too...

-dantheman (October 27, 2009, 12:19 PM)

Ask and ye shall receive...and all that jazz.

https://addons.mozil...underbird/addon/6543

1460

General Software Discussion / Re: wanted: simple, stable bittorrent client for windows

« Last post by Innuendo on October 27, 2009, 12:38 PM »

Running Tomato and not being tech-savvy? I sense a bit of contradiction in that sentence

-f0dder (October 27, 2009, 12:31 PM)

Laugh...you beat me to it, f0dder!

TucknDar, running any third-party firmware will relieve you of 99% of any limitations your router may have had. If you had stuck with the stock firmware you most likely would not be having such great luck with torrents.

1461

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows vs. Mac: I'm starting to change.

« Last post by Innuendo on October 27, 2009, 12:36 PM »

Thank you both for the kind words and credits....and now here I sit trying to figure out a way to inform my grade school teachers that being a smart alec can indeed be profitable. As you can probably imagine at the time I was unable to to get them to come around to my point of view.

1462

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows vs. Mac: I'm starting to change.

« Last post by Innuendo on October 27, 2009, 11:56 AM »

Related article. (Sorry haven't been keeping up with the posts)

http://thinksimpleno...ate-limited-beliefs/

-Paul Keith (October 26, 2009, 08:36 PM)

Wow...one more guy on the internet discovers that a brand new computer looks better, works better and has fewer problems than one that's five years old.

Hope Obama wasn't hoping on winning a Nobel two years in a row...this guy looks like he's got the inside track on next year's award.

1463

General Software Discussion / Re: wanted: simple, stable bittorrent client for windows

« Last post by Innuendo on October 27, 2009, 11:50 AM »

I see, I was unaware of these settings. That was the problem, the amount of half open connections utorrent used. I still prefer deluge though, for many other reasons. One of them being the half open connection limit is very easily settable from the interface.

-Kamel (October 26, 2009, 02:52 PM)

µTorrent and other P2P programs make most routers cry. In the last year or so it's been getting better, but anyone who plans on using P2P programs extensively needs to do a lot of research on routers or they will be sorry. A lot of routers are programmed to keep track of 512-1,024 connections and this includes half-open connections. Unfortunately, some P2P programs come with default settings that expect to use 2,000 connections and sometimes 3,000 connections or more. This behavior, of course, makes those routers crash. Hard.

1464

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 7 Commercials

« Last post by Innuendo on October 27, 2009, 11:43 AM »

However cheesy and/or ridiculous Microsoft commercials could possibly get, they couldn't begin to match the inane GEICO insurance commercials which include the GEICO gecko, the cavemen, and "the money you could be saving" bits.

-sajman99 (October 26, 2009, 05:59 PM)

Oooooo!!! Commercial idea....

:: fade in ::
:: show Mac Pro laptop and price ::
:: fade out ::
:: fade in ::
:: show cheap Dell laptop and price ::
:: fade out ::
:: fade in::
:: show Mac price subtracting Dell price ::
:: fade in below price difference the message "This is the money you could be saving by using Windows."
:: fade out::

It practically writes itself. 

1465

General Software Discussion / Re: wanted: simple, stable bittorrent client for windows

« Last post by Innuendo on October 26, 2009, 11:03 AM »

Sure is; calling other clients bad names and throwing accusation around for no good reason isn't.

-f0dder (October 26, 2009, 09:09 AM)

Agreed...a lot of people have thrown around disparaging comments regarding µTorrent & usually these comments can almost always be traced back to people who are publishing a competing client. µTorrent's competitors are jealous of what it can do in such a small footprint & sour grapes is usually the order of the day. Even Bram Whatshishead, inventor of the BitTorrent protocol, was critical of µTorrent....until he bought the rights to it and now Bram Whatshishead proclaims from the highest rooftops how good µTorrent is.

A lot of people are critical of µTorrent as it performs just as well as any other client in a much smaller footprint than most of them. Lots of implied behavior, guesses, and wild-assed guesses as to what might be happening always come up in discussions about this client, but proof is always in short supply.

Running a BitTorrent client on your computer is handy if you are going to be torrenting stuff only once in a great while, but if you plan on torrenting for any major lengths of time you should look into running it on a low-power device like a NAS or a router allowing you to free up your computer for other things, including the ability to turn it off when you leave your desk without interrupting your torrents.

(Disclaimer: What follows is editorial content and does not in any way, shape, or form reflect on my opinion of the OP and for what purposes innocent or nefarious s/he may or may not being using a BitTorrent client.)

I always find it amusing when the subject of BitTorrent clients comes up how quickly it is mentioned that the person is using said program to download Linux ISOs. How many Linux ISOs does one need? Evidently a crap-load of 'em as the client requirements are always for something small, efficient, and fast so the most throughput can be gained with the least amount of system resources used implying this client will be used quite a bit....to download as many Linux ISOs as possible, I guess. 

1466

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: xplorer², a powerful windows file manager and explorer replacement / alternative

« Last post by Innuendo on October 26, 2009, 10:46 AM »

nikos released a first public beta of xplorer² 1.8. Seems to have a bunch of useful improvements. 

-Tuxman (October 25, 2009, 10:38 AM)

Looks like some nifty features being added & there's probably a surprise feature or two still yet unrevealed.

And I agree with Lashiec...there's going to be a for-pay upgrade coming soon for all who are not lifetime license holders. If someone's been on the fence about whether to get a regular or a lifetime license this should push them over the edge towards the lifetime option.

1467

General Software Discussion / Re: Graphics corruption -- Why?

« Last post by Innuendo on October 26, 2009, 10:25 AM »

So... Report : Still experiencing graphics corruption + seemingly related VSS malfunctioning.
Will I have to change laptop or reinstall everything from scratch to finally be relieved ?!?
 

-Armando (October 26, 2009, 12:26 AM)

Sometimes graphics corruption happens due to a badly behaving program. Is there a program that's always open when the corruption happens?

Rarely it happens due to a driver for something non-graphics related on your system. Make sure all your drivers are up to date by visiting manufacturer web sites.

1468

General Software Discussion / Re: mapping media keys on old keyboard

« Last post by Innuendo on October 25, 2009, 11:04 AM »

edit2: Autohotkey rocks! I just found out how to use the keyboard hook to figure out what the keys are. I have successfully mapped the key all teh way to the left to make a message box pop up. I just have to use SC### for the keys. EX. the left most key is SC123.

-nite_monkey (October 24, 2009, 02:08 PM)

I'm glad you found a solution because most of those old OEM keyboards with media keys don't follow any sort of standards like modern keyboards do so you were either reliant on the proprietary OEM keyboard drivers or you just did without. Glad you thought outside the box enough to outsmart the problem.

1469

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Re-establish connection on connected windows network shares/mapped drives

« Last post by Innuendo on October 25, 2009, 11:01 AM »

Sometimes the mapped drives get to a disconnected/unavilable state (when running "net use" from command line) and can't be accessed from certain application or the command line.

-GSz (October 24, 2009, 02:47 PM)

If this is what I am thinking of then this has always been a very irritating bug. If you have plans to upgrade to Windows 7 you'll be pleased to know that this irritation has finally been fixed.

The cause and work-around for anything before Windows 7 is that when Windows tries to connect to a mapped drive the first thing it usually tries to do is connect using the credentials of the user logged on to Windows at the time. If the credentials don't match then you get the disconnected behavior you have experienced. The work-around is to have the log-ons for your mapped devices match your Windows logon. It's a pain, but it works.

1470

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows Security Essentials

« Last post by Innuendo on October 25, 2009, 10:54 AM »

I think it shows that MSE seems to be doing its job quite well.

-IainB (October 25, 2009, 02:22 AM)

Microsoft has already started beta-testing the next version & already has a new version out to testers. It appears they are very serious about improving MSE. I can't wait to see how the next release performs.

EDIT: Oh! And thanks for digging out those files for us, Iain. I know that had to be a pain to do.

1471

General Software Discussion / Re: Best free firewall for Windows?

« Last post by Innuendo on October 25, 2009, 10:50 AM »

In an effort to get things back on topic....

If you really want it locked down, you're going to combine border gateway firewall (with SPI) with per-machine PFWs.

-f0dder

A layered defense is always the best defense. Having a gateway firewall (whether it be an appliance or a computer) is the single most important thing you can do to protect your network. Any software one installs on the PCs behind that firewall (firewall software, anti-malware, etc.) is mostly to address the human element of computing which includes, but is not limited to, human error clicking on something one is not supposed to, someone bringing software in contact with the network via a source that does not go through your gateway firewall (DVDs, flash drives, that cool game or app a friend gave them that phones home data you'd rather it didn't, etc.).

If you are a smart cookie & are the only one who uses the computers at your location then a lot of security measures are optional. In my situation, however, I have numerous computers in my home & when out-of-town relatives visit they use the PCs and aren't always as safe when surfing as I am. Compound this by the fact that some of those visitors are under 18. Who knows what all they click on....but so far my chosen security measures have kept the PCs on my network safe.

None of this is directed towards you, f0dder. I know you know this stuff, but your post was a perfect point to springboard this thread back in the proper direction.

1472

General Software Discussion / Re: Best free firewall for Windows?

« Last post by Innuendo on October 24, 2009, 01:32 PM »

Windows' firewall is very good at blocking incoming connections, but outgoing is a different story. It all depends on what the user needs.

I don't know if you need something completely free or if you are willing to pay something. What I do know is that if you need something to control outgoing connections if I were you I wouldn't consider anything other than Online Armor or Agnitum because last I heard those were the only two that could pass all leak tests.

Both companies have free versions of their firewalls and I think Agnitum is running a special right now selling lifetime licenses for their pay version of their firewall for a one-time price. I've never used Online Armor, but I can tell you that Agnitum's offering can let you be as paranoid and/or as granular with your permissions as you could ever want.

I hope this thread has helped you with your question.

EDIT: I missed in your original post where you say this is for home office use. Most freeware offerings don't allow use in commercial environments so be sure to check the EULAs if legal use is a concern for you.

1473

General Software Discussion / Re: Worst Win7 reviews (ongoing)

« Last post by Innuendo on October 24, 2009, 09:39 AM »

While I distinctly hate Microsoft in myriad ways, I'm happy that those who do choose to use Windows will be getting back to a decent experience for a change.

-zridling (October 24, 2009, 05:58 AM)

And that's what it's all about...people being happy on their chosen platform. Also, when one platform gains a really useful feature it provides a little competition. Then the others can copy, refine, and enhance that feature making it even better.

As much as some Mac and Linux users hate to admit it there *are* some really nice features in Windows 7 & I can't wait to see how these other two platforms react and improve their OSes in response.

1474

General Software Discussion / Re: Wanted: Freeware (commercial use allowed) Anti-Virus Tool For Small LAN

« Last post by Innuendo on October 24, 2009, 09:29 AM »

And thanks for reminding me about Microsoft's new AV product. I had forgotten about it.

-tinjaw (October 24, 2009, 06:03 AM)

Just check the EULA very carefully. I wouldn't be surprised if MS would insist that in your situation their corporate product be used.

1475

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Outpost 2009 – A lifetime license for 3 PCs for the price of a 1-year!

« Last post by Innuendo on October 23, 2009, 09:18 PM »

...and for your sake I was  w a i t i n g  and hoping for the Security Suite. The Suite is actually also on offer, but it is not a fantastic offer.

-Curt (October 23, 2009, 05:17 PM)

I keep waiting for the suite to go back on a lifetime offer as well, but it seems that Agnitum is holding back. The firewall has been on offer for a long time, though, so it's no wonder it is getting ready to expire.

I did get a lifetime license to the suite back when it was offered. I debated whether or not to buy it all the way down to the wire, but I've been very pleased with it. Even better, now it's ten months later & I don't have to worry about my subscription lapsing in sixty days.

Rumor has it things are going to get even better with version 7.0 (Outpost Security Suite Pro 2010) as Agnitum is supposedly re-writing and re-optimizing everything.