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Activation/License/Language Help / Re: WHAT LICENSE KEY ? LOAD OF CRAP

« Last post by michaelkenward on May 19, 2017, 11:53 AM »

Haven't enjoyed a thread so much for a while - Mouser you are a saint
-Carol Haynes (May 19, 2017, 08:50 AM)

Yup.

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows Explorer now has banner ads

« Last post by michaelkenward on March 12, 2017, 05:56 AM »

So we started to use a portable version of Notepad++ on those machines (a lot of scripting is going on).
-Shades (March 11, 2017, 07:11 PM)

Really paranoid organisation (the UK government) disabled USB ports on PCs. Maybe it still does.

General Software Discussion / Re: X1 on Windows 10?

« Last post by michaelkenward on February 12, 2017, 04:56 AM »

X1 version is 6.0 build 3565. I have tried running in "compatibility for XP-SP2" where it used to run very well.
-Dickel (February 11, 2017, 07:12 PM)

That is a very old version of X1. (Talk of XP is a giveaway.) You may not have much luck in Windows 10.

It is now at 8.5. (Updated last month.)

But new versions don't handle Thunderbird – a constant complaint on the X1 Forum – so you may be stuffed.

General Software Discussion / Re: Data Disk recovery software

« Last post by michaelkenward on October 11, 2016, 06:40 AM »

Nothing flashy, it just works:

EaseUS Data Recovery Software to Recover Lost Files Back

Never pay list price. Sign up for the email and get the (every) weekend discounts.

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: [free] Paste As File giveaway

« Last post by michaelkenward on September 30, 2016, 12:11 PM »

For years I have been accustomed to what (for me) seems to be an ergonomic no-brainer - being able to paste from the Clipboard directly into a folder, and a file is automatically created to hold the contents, either as a .txt (text) file and extension or as a .png (image) file and extension - depending on the contents of the Clipboard being pasted at the time.
I only very occasionally have need to use this functionality.
-IainB (September 30, 2016, 10:20 AM)

This feature is one of the many reasons for using Directory Opus.

Add that to a decent clipboard utility and life becomes so much easier.

As you say, amazing that Windows Explorer lacks this. But how many improvements have we seen there over the years? Maybe I missed them but Windows Explorer does much the same thing as we were used to in Vista and before.

General Software Discussion / Re: Directory Opus 12 Released

« Last post by michaelkenward on September 10, 2016, 05:32 AM »

Remember, Windows has also been on an upgrade treadmill.

The changes between versions of Windows may not be as big as they once were, but DOpus does need to keep up, if only in the 'visuals'. (Hang on, does DOpus 'do' visuals?)

Changes in Windows are often in areas where DOpus is most active and useful, menus and folders and stuff. It has to keep up there or it dies.

For a real guide to the churn factor, I'd map DOpus versions on to Windows versions.

General Software Discussion / Re: Directory Opus 11 Released!

« Last post by michaelkenward on September 06, 2016, 03:47 AM »

Still too pricey for the features.
-Tuxman (September 06, 2016, 02:08 AM)

A bargain if you own the earlier version.

And constantly updated with new features added and changes to accommodate whatever Microsoft gets up to.

Saves the cost of any number of standalone utilities. Not, though, for those who believe everything should be free, except for their own labour, of course.

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by michaelkenward on August 18, 2016, 04:07 AM »

The latest build is less then a month old. Not all software has to ride the never ending upgrade cycle.

Most "updates" are really just cosmetic changes to keep it in line with what Windows looks like.

Coding Snack Guidelines / Re: Check site www.nirsoft.net for new versions of tools and download if new

« Last post by michaelkenward on August 13, 2016, 12:54 PM »

Thank you for that! Unfortunately, it is not something that I could use for work purposes. It is free for personal use, but not in a business setting
-lugosi84 (August 13, 2016, 06:44 AM)

The WSCC about page says:

Free for personal and commercial use.

The Software is being licensed to you free of charge for private and commercial use. It may be freely used, copied and distributed as long as it is not sold, and all original files are included, including this license.

But the $19.95 listed on the website should not break the bank.

WSCC is invaluable. Without it Nirsoft and Sysinternals are impossible to manage.

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by michaelkenward on August 13, 2016, 12:46 PM »

wow so many. what is that all about ?
-utomo88 (August 13, 2016, 07:09 AM)

I am a writer who has many research papers, articles and newspaper cuttings. I need to index them so that I can find relevant material.

X1 handles the load with minimal difficulty.

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by michaelkenward on August 12, 2016, 03:37 AM »

Free for 25.000 files http://www.searchblox.com/pricing-2/
-utomo88 (August 11, 2016, 03:55 AM)

$5,000!

Only 100 times the cost of X1.
-michaelkenward (August 11, 2016, 09:31 AM)

if you have more than 25.000 files you need to pay that.
but if it is less than 25.000 Files it is FREE.
-utomo88 (August 11, 2016, 09:06 PM)

I have 186,561 PDF files according to X1. Many many more email messages.

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by michaelkenward on August 11, 2016, 09:31 AM »

Free for 25.000 files http://www.searchblox.com/pricing-2/
-utomo88 (August 11, 2016, 03:55 AM)

$5,000!

Only 100 times the cost of X1.

Living Room / Re: recommendations for a free web host

« Last post by michaelkenward on July 18, 2016, 04:53 AM »

What would the website hold?

Does it need to be a full-blown site or a blog that you can tweak to say what you want?

You can do quite a bit with something like WordPress:

https://wordpress.com/

And that costs nothing.

If you want to go paid, some will let you get started with a minimal site that costs nothing and then let you upgrade as you grow into it.

General Software Discussion / Re: Help! WINDOWS 10 ----> WINDOWS 7

« Last post by michaelkenward on June 24, 2016, 04:48 AM »

You missed the entire point. I can't do the rollback because the ISO has to be downloaded on the same machine that you are going to roll back and that machine can't connect to the Internet!!!
-dMbTiger (June 24, 2016, 04:29 AM)

It must be possible because I recently managed to install Windows 10 on a new build PC that had never seen Windows and that had no "fingerprint" that Microsoft could have detected. I have also used the same ISO to install Windows 10 on several machines. (I had one of those multi-pack Windows 7 deals a few years ago.)

Unfortunately, I didn't keep notes on what I did. I'm just recommending that you persevere in your pursuit of an ISO that works.

I have just found these in my filing system:

How to do a Clean Install of Windows 10, the Easy Way

How to Download Windows 10, 7, 8, and 8.1 Install Media — Legally

I have a vague memory of having to feed the serial number for an earlier version of Windows to get my ISO.

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: GP Software (Directory Opus) 2015 Holiday Sale

« Last post by michaelkenward on December 17, 2015, 10:06 AM »

On my old PC I found 11 much slower than Dopus 10, so downgraded back, but now I have a new machine, so maybe it's time to reconsider...
-dr_andus (December 17, 2015, 04:43 AM)

Hard to tell why that should be without know the specs of that old PC. I have the latest version of Dopus running on some seriously old hardware. It runs just fine in Windows 10.

Remember, they never stand still with Dopus. There have been umpteen updates since the first release. It currently runs here at version 11.16.1.

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Clean Install Instructions

« Last post by michaelkenward on August 12, 2015, 04:02 AM »

Here's a post on Reddit that seems to indicate that the free Win10 upgrade keys are generic, and I can verify that the one for Pro is indeed the same as reported by ATM on my netbook.
-4wd (August 11, 2015, 11:28 PM)

Yup. All talk of Produkey etc is a red herring. Life has moved on. Microsoft has abandoned churning out those complicated Product Keys. It is your PC's "fingerprint" that matters. YOu can find the list of Windows 10 Product Keys all over the place.

Unless you are installing the "wrong" version of Windows 10 you can skip past all requests for a Product Key.

General Software Discussion / Re: PSA: Woe to Thee Who Performs a Windows 10 Clean Install

« Last post by michaelkenward on August 02, 2015, 04:32 PM »

No sign of carnage in Dopus here.
-michaelkenward (August 02, 2015, 11:40 AM)

Make sure you have Hidden Files and System Files set as viewable in Opus. You should see at least one directory named $BT_Windows or similar and other directories like Windows.old and Users.old, etc. scattered hither and yon. If you are on Windows 10 and you don't see them, either your file manager is hiding them or you aren't looking in the right places.
-Innuendo (August 02, 2015, 12:46 PM)

I see them, but they are not carnage. They are what is there on your PC. Three old directories is hardly the end of the world.

The way to get rid of them is to work out how to tell Windows to clean up after itself. (Did you gpo and research that?) Variants of those folders have been there whenever anyone does an in-place upgrade, rather than a clean install. to Windows.

What you probably saw were $Windows.$BT and $Windows.$BS as well as Windows.old. Not enough to send me off in a mad frenzy.

General Software Discussion / Re: PSA: Woe to Thee Who Performs a Windows 10 Clean Install

« Last post by michaelkenward on August 02, 2015, 11:40 AM »

Well, I was pleased until the next time I fired up Directory Opus. ....

What I witnessed, friends, was pure unadulterated carnage.

No sign of carnage in Dopus here.

Living Room / Re: anyone using outlook to help me?

« Last post by michaelkenward on March 05, 2015, 05:29 AM »

Slipstick is a fine resource. As is the associated mailing list.

http://www.slipstick.com/

and

https://groups.yahoo...s/outlook-users/info

General Software Discussion / Re: Dopus file names are cut

« Last post by michaelkenward on December 09, 2014, 04:46 AM »

...you find a lot of posts with the same question
-Ennovy (December 08, 2014, 06:16 AM)

"Lots" is a slight exaggeration these days. Such posts crop up a few times a year on the Opus forum.

There is another, perhaps more common, sign of "illicit" use. Someone turns up on the forum and asks for help. The people over there ask the questioner to "link their account" to the licence number for their installation. (Without that link, your call for help is likely to go unanswered.) The questioner often vanishes, never to be heard from again.

Living Room / Re: No iPhones 4u

« Last post by michaelkenward on September 16, 2014, 03:51 PM »

I've always thought of EE as cowardly rather than courageous.

Shops exist to remove as much money as possible from your wallet, especially for insurance. So they push up prices until you scream.

On-line and call-centre folks are there to retain customers, so they push down prices as much as it takes to keep you on. That's how I got my phone bill down by two thirds in a couple of years, and for much more traffic.

General Software Discussion / Re: Anyone can recommend a good macro recorder for windows please?

« Last post by michaelkenward on March 27, 2014, 05:42 AM »

Another user of Macro Express (Pro). Have done for years. Powerful if a little complicated for amateurs like me.

It can create "Playable Macros" albeit is .mxe rather than .exe.

General Software Discussion / Re: Directory Opus 11 Released!

« Last post by michaelkenward on March 06, 2014, 04:49 AM »

Just in case anyone is wondering, AUS$74 is about £40, US$67 or €49.

General Software Discussion / Re: Directory Opus 11 Released!

« Last post by michaelkenward on March 06, 2014, 04:31 AM »

No. If you read the post above, you see that for my two licenses, I get three machines. So not quite.
-wraith808 (March 05, 2014, 04:37 PM)

That's the two PCs and a laptop deal. (The single licence is one PC and a laptop.) The upgrade price for "ordinary" customers on that deal is AUS$74. I paid AUS$71 for the previous version on 30th April 2011. So it works out at about AUS$8 per PC per year. My how extortionate!

PS I bought the upgrade but haven't installed it. Grappling with Opus always makes my head hurt. Powerful, yes, but that very power can make it hard for some of us to get our heads round all the options.

General Software Discussion / Re: Directory Opus 11 Released!

« Last post by michaelkenward on March 06, 2014, 04:11 AM »

That said, the typical period of upgrades between major revisions in the software industry is within the last year.
-Josh (March 04, 2014, 10:48 AM)

You need to compare like with like. The one year of updates you refer to usually applies to software that comes with an update every year or so, often minor "utilities", so you end up paying for a new version after about a year. In effect, this is subscriptionware.

In the case of Opus, you can wait three or four years for an update. So if you buy today at the upgrade price you will end up paying less per year than you will for those annually updated packages.

And in the three or so years of an Opus version you will also receive substantial incremental updates for nothing. One of the programs I buy operates on an annual cycle with upgrades every 15 months or so, long enough to push you out of the free upgrade period, with new "major versions" offering tiny changes of the sort that come along all the time with Opus.

Other software is moving firmly towards being rentware. For example, it was only when users screamed loudly that Mailwasher relented on its annual fee regime and sold a "lifetime" licence. (A lot of customers thought they already had that in the previous version.)

If you look at other software that releases on the same sort of cycle as Opus, Microsoft Office for example, or anything from Nuance you won't even get a discount for the upgrade.

I am open to persuasion, though. Just as I have given examples of software that does not fit into your criterion, I can add more, perhaps you can point us to software that does offer free updates to "major revisions", not just cosmetic tweaks, within one year.

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