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7126

Developer's Corner / Re: How to Share Your Programs with the World (PAD Files, installers, etc.)

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 17, 2009, 12:41 PM »

And of course submit them to my PAD Database:
http://www.paddatabase.com/

This will help get it some exposure.

-Veign (January 01, 2007, 12:10 PM)

Seems to be giving off a CGI error at the moment.

7127

General Software Discussion / Re: What Windows needs: fully streamlined application installation at setup

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 17, 2009, 12:35 PM »

WPI sounds right.  I kind of gave up on VistaPE when it didn't work on 64 bit.  But if you are running 32 bit I'm pretty sure they have a W7 PE type project for a bootable rescue environment, rather than a full blown installer(on the Bootland site I mean.)  That Bootland has some interesting stuff.  One of the things I liked about Linux was creating a floppy that booted the Linux installed on the HD(say for example the boot loader got hosed.) On Bootland they gave me pointers to do the same thing with a USB key and Windows. I can "boot" from the USB key and get my boot menu, then select W7 or XP and it loads it from the HD.  Pretty neat.  Not difficult to set up at all. Just like the Linux mechanism, it's particular to that machine.  Still it's an easy way to get into your system if the boot loader gets munged.

7128

General Software Discussion / TopmostToggle 2.0.1.0

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 16, 2009, 11:35 PM »

TopmostToggle 2.0.1.0

http://www.milesaheadsoftware.org

7129

General Software Discussion / Re: What Windows needs: fully streamlined application installation at setup

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 16, 2009, 11:26 PM »

The application installer I mentioned is just that.  An application installer.  If you go to vLite forum I believe they have some scripts for it.  I don't recall the name of it but it shouldn't be that big a hunt.

7130

General Software Discussion / Re: What Windows needs: fully streamlined application installation at setup

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 16, 2009, 07:47 PM »

This may be a good starting point:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/

I got a bare bones VistaPE boot disc going in the past, but I'm not heavy into it.  From what I gather there is a scripting engine for automated installs.  Once set up you would have an install DVD with the OS(be it Vista W7 XP whatever) and a bunch of applications. I don't know if there's an easy way to make this into a Techie Tool DVD as I don't know how the licenses work.  But somebody at BootLand can probably point you in the right direction.

But afa an individual setting up a disc to install the OS and a bunch of apps, if he has the install DVD, the whole slipstream disc is based on WinPE and this application install scripting engine(I forget what it's called.)

From what I understand, some people take this approach and just back up data, as opposed to making backup images of the entire partition.  Also it's seen as a method to periodically clean out the crap that accumulates in a running Windows system partition.

7131

Living Room / Re: Companies paying people to say good things about their products on forums

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 13, 2009, 11:24 PM »

With that kind of money, I can see why it would be tempting

But even though I don't view myself as having super extremely high moral standards¹, I don't think I could make myself post positively about something I didn't personally like or use.

...

-f0dder (October 13, 2008, 08:06 PM)

I feel the same way.  Now if I could find companies to pay me to criticize crummy software I didn't like anyway... best of both worlds?   

7132

Living Room / Re: What's the best registry cleaner? Ask Leo says: none

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 11, 2009, 08:25 PM »

The other quandry is when uninstalling if you get that "do you want to delete shared library x.dll? ... nothing is using it" query.. then you delete it and stuff is hosed mucho.

You'd think with all this database technology they could tell you what used to use it and when, and what will happen if you delete it.. instead of just the ref count = 0.

7133

General Software Discussion / Re: Announcement: TreePadGen - generate skeleton TreePad file from folder

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 11, 2009, 08:22 PM »

TreePadGen 1.3  Fixed bug that caused TreePad file basename to be blank if the root of a drive was the selected folder.  Also added .ini options to remember last folder selected.

edit: added note to Readme file.  UNC paths are not supported by the BrowseForFolder function used in AutoIt3.  (e.g. \\NAME\folder1\folder2)  To use with a networked drive, map the drive to a drive letter. Also be certain the user of TreePadGen has file create/modify permissions for the shared folder.

7134

Living Room / Re: What's the best registry cleaner? Ask Leo says: none

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 11, 2009, 04:45 PM »

I think what we need is an automated gizmo to clone a mini-OS from the system partition, to a blank partition in like 10 minutes.  Then try your stuff out.  If it gets hosed, wipe and recreate it.  No messing with settings.  The program(which I have no intention of writing I must say) should do all that by analyzing what you've got on the "real" OS partition.

Reboot, install a bunch of junk, if it goes sour, reboot the "real" OS and rerun the mini-OS creation tool.

7135

General Software Discussion / Re: Announcement: TreePadGen - generate skeleton TreePad file from folder

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 10, 2009, 08:24 PM »

TreePadGen 1.2  I included the TreePadAdd functionality as a function.  Only one executable and smaller download now.  If the TreePad file for the folder doesn't exist, TreePadGen creates it.  If it already exists, a FileOpen dlg comes up to append entries.  This way you don't have to remember if a TreePad file was already created for the current folder.

As usual, please let me know if you find any bugs.

edit: this version is now up on Softpedia for download:

http://www.softpedia...ols/TreePadGen.shtml

7136

General Software Discussion / Re: Announcement: TreePadGen - generate skeleton TreePad file from folder

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 10, 2009, 02:28 PM »

TreePadGen 1.1 is now available on my site. I've added TreePadAdd.exe to append new entries to the TreePad file generated with TreePadGen.  Also the dummy comment for each node is optional via .ini file setting.

Example usage of TreePadAdd would be several new downloads in your download folder.  Run TreePadAdd and manipulate the FileOpen Dlg so that newest files are at the top. Select the new files.  They will be appended to the TreePad file for that folder.

edit: Important note.. TreePadAdd just assumes the target .hjt file has been created with TreePadGen.  Run TreePadGen to create the initial .hjt file for the folder so that the folder name will be the root node.  As I update I'll probably end up merging the programs or adding some code to check for this condition and provide an option to generate the TreePad file etc..  Most likely I'll just call TreePadGen from TreePadAdd if the target .hjt file doesn't exist.  I'll work on it.

Note: I haven't seen any easy method for merging TreePad files with comments onto an existing TreePad file so that you could import a tree and have the comments overwrite the dummy comments.  This method at least makes it a bit simpler to add new files as your download folder grows.  Maybe some multiple clipboard utility would make it a bit easier to add the file comments.. but for the time being this approach would seem to work on any Windows XP or later independent of 32 or 64 "bitness."

(The modification has been submitted to Softpedia. Typically it will update in one or two days.)

7137

General Software Discussion / Re: Announcement: TreePadGen - generate skeleton TreePad file from folder

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 08, 2009, 10:54 PM »

For those who prefer downloading from well known sites, here's the link to TreePadGen on Softpedia:

http://www.softpedia...ols/TreePadGen.shtml

To tell the truth I think it just downloads from my page but still, at least you know they tried it before putting it up.

7138

General Software Discussion / Re: Application Settings Backup and Restore tools?

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 08, 2009, 05:15 PM »

Other than just saving the registry with ERUNT I don't know what you could do 'cept maybe slipstream an install disc with program install scripts.  One of those specialized WinPE based thingies.

7139

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 7 evaluation

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 08, 2009, 05:14 PM »

I saw that too.  But I thought I remembered another answer. You might look on Annoyances.org.  Sounds like something that would pop up there.

7140

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 7 evaluation

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 08, 2009, 02:05 PM »

I don't remember the fix but I seem to remember a post on this subject on Windows7 forum.  Take a look and see if you have any luck:

http://www.sevenforums.com/

7141

General Software Discussion / Re: Announcement: TreePadGen - generate skeleton TreePad file from folder

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 07, 2009, 05:56 PM »

Note: the TreePadGen.exe in the download now has a minor fix so that if you hit the Cancel or Close button on the Browse For Folder dialog, you don't get an error dialog. The application just quits.

7142

Living Room / Re: What's the best registry cleaner? Ask Leo says: none

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 06, 2009, 08:18 PM »

@steeladept I played around with VirtualBox.  Also the MS incarnation of the same strategy.  I think if I was going to do virtual I'd want something that just uses the Shadow Copy service and is nearly automatic. Unfortunately, like Sandboxie, I haven't found one for 64 bit that didn't appear to be dead(a la Disk Write Copy with a forum that hasn't had a post in 6 months or a program update in 8.)

Besides, I'm always installing small utilities, and tweaking my system.  So now I have to invest in some software that allows me to "save the changes" etc.  Why do all that when I can do a system image save in 15 minutes? If I was doing software testing for a living that's another story.  But for me the Sandboxie modus operandi seems most convenient.

Everyone has their own preferences. If it works for you more power to you.

7143

Living Room / Re: What's the best registry cleaner? Ask Leo says: none

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 06, 2009, 04:20 PM »

Trouble with loading up old images, is then I'd lose all the improvements I've installed on my system.  Likewise for me, virtual OS stuff seems more pain than it's worth.  Sandboxie I like.  When I'm done running the program in the prophylactic, I can just kill the sandbox and stop the Sandboxie service.  If only it ran in Vista64!

I run my system pretty lean anyway. I don't really feel the need to wipe my system partition. I do an image backup every few days to guard against disaster.  About the only thing I use to optimize the registry is NTREGOPT, and then only every few months.  Just seems to boot smoother for awhile after running it.

7144

Living Room / Re: What's the best registry cleaner? Ask Leo says: none

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 06, 2009, 03:03 PM »

@cyberdiva I know some people who create slipstream install DVDs just so every 6 months or so they can format the HD and reinstall to get rid of the accumulated garbage.  Only thing is, I'm like you in that I'm always trying out a new utility, some of my own programs, or some install script or whatever.  I don't have a PC dedicated to doing one job.  Sometimes I envy those guys.  They don't have to keep snapshotting their system with image backup programs.  If it gets hosed they do the slipstream install and copy back a few data files they saved. 

7145

General Software Discussion / Re: how can I convert swf files to avi?

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 06, 2009, 02:56 PM »

Also I think the free version of TMPGEnc has an export feature under the File menu that lets you save the video as .avi.  I don't have it installed at the moment to look, But if my memory is correct, it can input .swf and I'm pretty sure it can export video as .avi. In fact I remember when .wmv first starting showing up there weren't many converters for it and I used the trick of changing the file extension to .swf. Sometimes that allowed me to load it in TMPGEnc, sometimes not.

7146

Developer's Corner / Re: Help with autohotkey coding =(

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 06, 2009, 11:26 AM »

You can use Play to play a .wav file.  afa detecting the power I don't have a notebook or laptop to try it.  For the popup look up ToolTip in the help.

7147

BrowserTraySwitch / Re: No longer switching default browser..

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 05, 2009, 07:49 PM »

I understand, but if doing it through the browsers, back and forth, doesn't even work, then there's likely another problem.  Just wanted to see if the basic bug work-around worked to see where he's at.

7148

Developer's Corner / Re: Help with autohotkey coding =(

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 05, 2009, 07:20 PM »

yea you are right. but i must do it in ahk ;(   

-maria- (July 05, 2009, 05:51 PM)

I know the feeling.  I think if I could just get them to always double quote strings that would eliminate half the helpfile browsing.  It does have better mouse "hotkey" support than AutoIt.  But a major thing I like about AutoIt3 is it's more "modular" or at least it's easier to create encapsulated function libraries.

So to break the problem down, you mention the power being unplugged, sound, and a Tooltip(or something similar.)  Are all 3 in need of implementation or just the alerts to the user?

7149

General Software Discussion / Re: Outlook/firefox url problem

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 05, 2009, 05:48 PM »

Yeah, there was another Mozillazine article that had that script. I googled and couldn't find it, but got the link I posted instead. I've made a subfolder of my download folder just for those little registry fixes.  Got some for when explorer "forgets" folder settings in Vista, that type of stuff.  If you're on Vista or W7 there's a lot of good reg scripts in the Tutorials section on these sites:

http://www.vistax64.com/

http://www.sevenforums.com/

Also it's good to use ERUNT or make a restore point in case the registry gets a glitch.  I've yet to find a really cool registry editor that's free.

7150

BrowserTraySwitch / Re: No longer switching default browser..

« Last post by MilesAhead on July 05, 2009, 05:41 PM »

Have you tried opening a browser that is not the default, clicking the option to make it default, then going back to FF?  Always worked for me.