Recent Posts

2501

General Software Discussion / Re: Data recovery software suggestions?

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2007, 10:09 AM »

For undeletion, I don't think Recuva has been mentioned yet - see Appaholic's blog post.  Freeware - well, donationware    by the CCleaner people.

For getting stuff off damaged drives, there's Roadkil's Unstoppable Copier, mentioned on TinyApps, though I didn't have much luck the only time I tried it.

2502

General Software Discussion / Re: browse text files

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2007, 03:40 AM »

You could try TextView (freeware) by Florian Balmer.

Also Lister, Total Commander's "F3 viewer," has been split out and offered as a freeware.

2503

General Software Discussion / Re: Check&Get support blows chunks

« Last post by rjbull on August 29, 2007, 06:14 AM »

If I could select a hotkey to mark a link unread before I migrate away from it this wouldn't be a problem.

-Darwin (August 28, 2007, 06:31 PM)

I realise that you've looked at WebSite-Watcher (WSW), so the following may not be news...

In WSW, to toggle a link read/unread, press Ctrl-M.

Another useful feature would be a context menu item or a toolbar button instructs Check&Get to check just my hot sites. This way, I don't have check them all (I have 216 sites that I track) and I don't have to manually select the hot sites from amongst my 20 or so folders.

WSW has a HotSites folder, where you can copy URLs.  Just press F9 on the folder and it will check the entire list (though I don't think it does nested subfolders).

Another request is to add the ability to monitor changes to FTP sites. This would be a big time saver, though I realise that it would require that Check@Get have some sort of facility to use my credentials to log-in.

WSW has a login system.  Hasty disclaimer, I have not tried it.

Is it possible to have Check&Get ignore parts of web pages for the purposes of reporting sites as changed but still have those changes highlighted, so that when the part of the page that I AM monitoring changes and I am alerted to it, I can see what else has changed as well?

From WSW's Help file;

With a filter you can ignore specific parts of a page to prevent false update notifications.
If a filter is defined, WebSite-Watcher will compare the filtered content of the new version with the filtered content of the old version of a page to detect updates.

Another thing I'd like to be able to modify is when the time cycle begins, so I might set it to check a particular site at 6 am, rather than just specifying how often it is checked. Quite a few of the sites that I monitor return errors and I have to manually reselect them and check for changes. Is it already possbile to set a delay and then have Check&Get automatically recheck them? If not, could this be added? It would be very useful.

Not sure if WSW can do that natively, but it has its own scripting language with constructs like getting the current time and date, and waiting until some time, with flow control statements, so it should be possible with a script.

I'd like Check&Get to automatically display the first highlighted change in a page when it opens the snapshot up in the browser tab and then, at the press of a hotkey, move to the second change, and so on. Website Watcher has this feature and it is extremely handy.

Need I say more? 

2504

General Software Discussion / Re: Dumb question re Website Watcher

« Last post by rjbull on August 24, 2007, 10:32 AM »

I have the UpdatePatrol, but was not able to configure it to my liking - it kept telling me about increase in number of members and such.

Did anyone compare WebsiteWatcher and UpdatePatrol, and have a say?

-Curt (August 24, 2007, 10:16 AM)

Curt,

I've never heard of UpdatePatrol before.  But, WebSite-Watcher has a feature that might help you.  Many web pages show dates, which means that normally those pages would show up as "changed" each time you run WSW.  The fix is to invoke WSW's wizard that picks up such items, and automatically converts them into regexs which make WSW ignore them on future runs.  I think you have to run it at least twice so there is a change to be seen for it to run automatically 

Paging Martin Aignesberger?  Martin?  I'm close to getting out of my depth! 

2505

General Software Discussion / Re: Dumb question re Website Watcher

« Last post by rjbull on August 24, 2007, 10:18 AM »

I've been using WebSite-Watcher for quite a while now, registering through one of the DC Discounts     (Thanks Martin!)

I like it and use it a  great deal.  Like Mouser, I have quite a few web pages set up.  Many of them are checked daily.  If, for example, you wanted to watch the online inventories of camera shops for particular items, you can be alerted when anything new appears.  You can set particular keywords, just as in some RSS readers, so you could check if a new version of a program is available by checking for the version number on its web page.

I've only scratched the surface of WSW.  One day I might aspire to something advanced, like using WSW to log in to my account at the county library and finding out if any of my reservations are ready to pick up.  The account is password-protected, and WSW can do the login automatically.  Or, you could use WSW to check low-traffic newsgroups .

At work I use it for competitors and customers web sites.  It checks the first time and says "OK;" a week later, or whenever, I run it again, it shows which sites have changed, and what the changes are.  They're highlighted to make them obvious.  That's a good way to spot new press releases and new products as soon as possible.  It keeps the before and after pages, too, so you have them on file until the next time you check.

Perhaps the key point for you is to realise that it works on pages that don't have RSS feeds, and in fact that seems to be most of the web.  I've only just started to look into RSS (with GreatNews) and so far, compared with WSW (which you can also use as an RSS aggregator, though I haven't) I'm not sure I know what the fuss is about     However, RSS is probably better suited to fast-changing and public things like blogs.

2506

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: ZTreeWin File Manager August Sale - 50% Off

« Last post by rjbull on August 24, 2007, 05:56 AM »

for the case I need to navigate command prompt to any folder it's very convenient and fast to start ZTW, navigate there using the incremental search or history, press Alt-Q and I'm there.

-yksyks (August 23, 2007, 12:40 PM)

If you mean what I think, why not check out the myriad of Norton Change Directory NCD clones?  The one I'm using now is WCD.  Or, Charles Dye's excellent file-finder Locate:

LOCATE.COM   v1.31   2003-12-09   C. Dye   [email protected]
Freeware.  Copyright 1995-2003, Charles Dye.  No warranty!

Syntax:  LOCATE [filespec] [switches]
  /H   Hidden or system        /D-  find files, not Directories
  /X   .COM, .EXE, .BAT        /D+  find Directories only
  /Fn  only First n items      /D   find both (default)
  /A   check Attributes        /T   path search
  /0   0-byte files            /R   local hard drives only
  /G   Go to directory         /K   Kill (delete) items
  /N   bare Naked display      /W   Wide display
  /S   Summary info only       /P   Peter-style display
  /L   Win95 Long filenames    /NP  No Paging

  /B:"command" Batch output    /D:[start][,end]  Date range
  /O:"string"  macro Output    /T:[start][,end]  Time range
  /C:"string"  run Commands    /S:[small][,big]  Size range

Space between the filespec and any switches.  Output will be paged
unless it is redirected or /NP used.  Specify default switches in a
LOCATE= variable.  Try /D? /T? /S? /A? /B? or /O? for more help.

using the /G switch.

Just an alternative approach...

2507

General Software Discussion / Re: Best Auto-complete Intelli-sense type utility ?

« Last post by rjbull on August 21, 2007, 09:22 AM »

PS Andrea - I'm going to try out the AHK script that Zaine linked to earlier in the thread.

-Darwin (August 21, 2007, 09:02 AM)

Darwin,

Your URL quotedabove points to the As-U-Type site?

2508

Living Room / Re: LV here I come!

« Last post by rjbull on August 14, 2007, 08:12 AM »

Don't miss the outside shows put on by some of the casinos on the Strip, like the Mirage's volcano.

@zridling: I thought that if you "stripped LV of the Strip," as it were, you got a dusty desert town 

2509

General Software Discussion / Re: RSS Reader?

« Last post by rjbull on August 14, 2007, 04:20 AM »

I use FeedReader at work and the proxy server and port that I specify in it work just fine.

Tick 'Use proxy server' and try manually entering the Address and Port.

-sri (August 13, 2007, 10:07 AM)

sri,

The corporate system doesn't list an Address and Port as such, but uses a proxy.pac file.  Firefox has an "Automatic proxy configuration URL" radio button which, when ticked, picked up that file correctly.  WebSite-Watcher and GreatNews both have a configuration setting to use IE's proxy setting, and they both work fine.  I was expecting FeedReader to do the same, but it didn't seem to.  However, maybe I'll try again.  I did save a copy of the proxy.pac file, but I don't understand how to interpret it.  It looks like it's designed to offer a variety of hosts and domains as necessary.

 

2510

General Software Discussion / Re: RSS Reader?

« Last post by rjbull on August 13, 2007, 09:47 AM »

WSW has a very simplistic RSS reader, and at least for me it always skips things like inline images etc. Main difference is probably things like default stylesheets used, and how comfortable the UI is.

I personally use WSW for my RSS feeds, but that's only because I haven't found any feed reader I like

-f0dder (August 13, 2007, 03:42 AM)

Thanks...  I just tried RSSMate and FeedReader, but couldn't get either to do anything at work because they couldn't or wouldn't use IE's proxy settings, despite FeedReader having a configuration option for that.  GreatNews does work, though, so I'm trying it for a while.

Edit:  it appears to be portable. Don't think it can star feeds, but I could be wrong.

2511

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: ZTreeWin File Manager August Sale - 50% Off

« Last post by rjbull on August 12, 2007, 04:09 PM »

For me using a single pane browser is not "going back", I seldom need it--ZTree usage differs from all those mouse extensive browsers. But if you want it, just press F8 (or configure ZTree to use it all the time).

-yksyks (August 12, 2007, 11:57 AM)

Twin-pane browsers probably started, and certainly became popular, with Norton Commander - for DOS   Total Commander is an outstanding version for WinGUI, and is excellent for keyboard-centred people.  I really like the two panes because the idea of "source" and "target," visible at the same time, seems intuitive to me.

I still have a soft spot for XTree, though.

2512

General Software Discussion / Re: RSS Reader?

« Last post by rjbull on August 12, 2007, 11:57 AM »

Um...  please can anyone tell me what the difference between using Website Watcher and an RSS reader is?     I mean, aren't blog posts and news sites Web pages anyway, so you can see the differences with Website Watcher?  What extra does an RSS reader give you?

2513

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: ZTreeWin File Manager August Sale - 50% Off

« Last post by rjbull on August 12, 2007, 11:34 AM »

I liked XTree Pro a lot, back when I first started using a computer in the DOS days of 1988...  But do people really want to go back to a single-pane file manager, when you could have any number of twin-pane Norton Commander clones?

BTW, here's the XTree Fan Page, which contains history, timeline, tips & tricks, add-ons, and details of numerous clones/workalikes (including ZTree) on different platforms.

2514

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: File-Saver (file undeletion utility) $40 off TODAY

« Last post by rjbull on August 09, 2007, 05:50 AM »

this program is ALWAYS at LEAST $40 off

-Darwin (August 08, 2007, 11:27 AM)

I did somehow wonder, and now I see the deadline has been incremented by a day    I don't know where they're based.  But if they are in the UK, I think it's illegal to have a "permanent sale."  You can only have a lower sale price if the item has been offered at the full price for some continuous period of time.

I use RecoverMyFiles and Restorer2000 v.3 for my harddrive undelete needs. isobuster and CDRoller complete the quartet and provide me with CD/DVD recovery

Darwin, you are either

•   DC's most all-round knowledgeable widest-ranging software guru   
•   DC's most promiscuous software adulterer   

Delete as applicable   

I genuinely find that when it comes to recovering lost data more than one approach is better

Can't argue with that.

2515

Found Deals and Discounts / File-Saver (file undeletion utility) $40 off TODAY

« Last post by rjbull on August 08, 2007, 08:32 AM »

Following the Anyone any idea how to fix file assocations? thread, I came across Doug Knox's site, and following his link for undeletion utilities, to File-Saver:

Buy BEFORE midnight, WEDNESDAY  ... and SAVE $40!



World's Most Powerful Undelete Tool GUARANTEED!
Undelete All Your Deleted Files With File Saver   
Undelete deleted files from any media!   Quickly scan and recover all of your deleted files
Recover A Lost or Deleted File!   Current user satisfaction rating of 99.8%
Undelete A Deleted File With One Click!   Already 400,000 undelete users worldwide
Restore Lost or Deleted Files!   No royalties or monthly fees unlike rival software products
Find Deleted Files And Restore Them!   Full support and online walk-through
Undelete Lost files from any media!   Usual selling price of $59.95


QUICKLY Recover Hundreds of Deleted Files from ANY drive on your computer - including camera cards!

INTUITIVE Windows Explorer mode enables you to view your deleted files as though they were still available on your computer!

INSTANT Image Preview - Is that the right photo? Check instantly without recovering, with image preview

ENHANCED Recovery Algorithms - New, exclusive data recovery algorithms mean File-Saver now recovers more files than any other undelete tool

PREDICTIVE Recovery - File-Saver provides you with full details on the files, including likelihood of recovery

RESTORE with folder structure feature enables you to restore entire folders, intact!

FULL SUPPORT for any drive - including all FAT and NTFS drives, floppy disks, and digital camera cards!

Normal price $59.95, today's price $19.95.

2516

General Software Discussion / Re: Best search and replace software discussion

« Last post by rjbull on August 01, 2007, 09:30 AM »

Take a look at Eric Pement's Web site.  Click on the SED link, then keep paging down until you come to the "Console/command line apps" and "Windows apps" sections on search and replace utilities.  His link for the old freeware version of HFFR is broken, but you can find it around the Web if you look.  Otherwise, the address for the current payware versions is http://www.silveragesoftware.com/ 

[Edit]
Silver Age Software offer this freeware:

Regular Expression Laboratory is an assistant simple to use tool to help you learn and prepare regular expressions.

If you are a developer or just concerned with text processing tasks, the Regular Expression Laboratory is a tool that you need. In fact, you felt that you need a program like this but could not formalize your needs. We have done this job for you. Now you can construct your regular expressions with much ease and test them by applying to an arbitrary text.

[/Edit]

2517

General Software Discussion / Re: General brainstorming for Note-taking software

« Last post by rjbull on July 31, 2007, 10:52 AM »

I think Evernote's big strength, at least in my usage, is in saving webpages. I like it for saving things like purchase receipts.

-Darwin (July 31, 2007, 10:06 AM)

I use Local Website Archive for that, but the usual "problem" is that it's treated as a new session and has to be logged in again, annoying if you already have the page you want in your main browser.  I sometimes work around that by saving the page to disk complete, adding that  copy to LWA, then deleting the temp files.  Does EverNote avoid the need to log in a second time?

Not that I can use the full version of EverNote at work anyway, because it needs administrative rights to install, which company policy doesn't give me.  But I've wondered about the portable (USB) version.

2518

General Software Discussion / Re: General brainstorming for Note-taking software

« Last post by rjbull on July 30, 2007, 04:13 AM »

Interesting thread here:  Storing Nuggets of Information
both paper and computer methods

2519

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Quality Comparison: 8 x freeware PDF Readers / Viewers

« Last post by rjbull on July 22, 2007, 11:26 AM »

My main needs are: to extract /cut pages from multipage pdfs/ amend text in same or similar fonts

-SKA (July 18, 2007, 10:28 PM)

pdftk (free) can extract pages from multi-page PDFs, but can't amend text as far as I know.

SYNOPSIS
       pdftk <input PDF files | - | PROMPT>
            [input_pw <input PDF owner passwords | PROMPT>]
            [<operation> <operation arguments>]
            [output <output filename | - | PROMPT>]
            [encrypt_40bit | encrypt_128bit]
            [allow <permissions>]
            [owner_pw <owner password | PROMPT>]
            [user_pw <user password | PROMPT>]
            [flatten] [compress | uncompress]
            [verbose] [dont_ask | do_ask]
       Where:
            <operation> may be empty, or:
            [cat | attach_files | unpack_files | burst |
             fill_form | background |
             dump_data | dump_data_fields | update_info]

       For Complete Help: pdftk --help

2520

General Software Discussion / Re: 2007 Shareware Industry Award Winners

« Last post by rjbull on July 20, 2007, 05:48 AM »

I was looking over the lists of winners, past & present, and spotted some that were definitely freeware.

Things like IrfanView,

-app103 (July 19, 2007, 10:46 AM)

I think IrfanView is shareware - dirt-cheap, but you are supposed to pay - if you use it in a commercial situation.  At least, I paid up (some time ago) for just that reason.  Don't know if that applies to the other programs listed, though.

2521

General Software Discussion / Re: PawSense: catproof your computer

« Last post by rjbull on July 17, 2007, 03:50 AM »

I wondered if Skrommel's ToddlerTrap would be a good enough free equivalent, but I'm not sure it allows combinations of keys that are sufficiently obscure.  Doesn't seem to support the Win key, or Ctrl-Alt combinations, for example.  Doesn't even seem to recognise the Alt key on my keyboard, but that's not the only kb oddity I have here.

2522

What's the Best? / Re: What's the best Journal (Diary) software?

« Last post by rjbull on July 15, 2007, 04:33 PM »

For a free, fast, portable, encryptable, minimalist diary, look at the latest beta of Horst Schaeffer's MemPad.

2523

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Snailware: Newer Software for Older Slower PC's

« Last post by rjbull on July 15, 2007, 03:52 PM »

rjbull: my first 2 software articles were related to antivirus solutions that will work for 9x.

-app103 (July 11, 2007, 06:18 PM)

Yes; apologies, I let my concerns overrule my rationality   

Of course, what I really want is my current things to continue operating.  My home-computing time is limited, and I resent having to waste it on maintenance, anti-malware and anti-spam tasks.

Both background scanning and layering it with on demand/per file scanning, using 2 different scanners that are still supporting 9x...and are free

I just hope the companies concerned will keep a compatible AV definition file format.

Then topping that off with a more secure browser (one that will offer you security patches if they are needed, even if you are running 9x).

Now trying K-Meleon    So far, so good.  If you want a really small browser, try OffByOne, but it's more limited.

A real firewall doesn't need to download definitions from the company to do its job. That stuff is unrelated to the actual firewall, itself.

True, but when I bought a license for ZA Pro, anti-spyware came with it.  I didn't go for the bigger version with the other features they offer like anti-phishing and AV.  At the time I got my license I was using an ADSL modem, so I really did need a firewall.  Now I have a router, I suppose it's not so vital, but I don't understand enough of this stuff (especially not about routers) to be comfortable about what I can drop.

2524

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Snailware: Newer Software for Older Slower PC's

« Last post by rjbull on July 11, 2007, 08:41 AM »

App103,

How feasible is this project?

Zone Alarm Pro no longer supports the Win98SE that's on my home laptop.  Its anti-spyware updates still come through OK, but I can't change to the newer version of the program.   Now put that together with the fact that my virus scanner, F-Prot, is going the same way.  Again, the current version no longer supports Win98.  They say they will drop support for Win98 some time in 2008.  I don't know if that means they will change the format of the definition files, which would be very bad news, but I've already had to download a patch to make the updater work.

My home computer use is pretty much e-mail, a bit of surfing, and occasional letter-writing, and not much else.  But it sounds like it will be increasingly unsafe to put it on the Internet, simply because defense tools are not going to be maintained.

Any thoughts, anyone?

2525

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Activity logger (with screenshots)

« Last post by rjbull on July 11, 2007, 03:10 AM »

Timesnapper Professional will be discounted on Bits du Jour on Tuesday 17th July 2007: see their What's on Deck listing.