Author Topic: NANY 2015 Pledge: OEMer (Read 18310 times)

lugosi84 · « **on:** November 06, 2014, 12:09 PM »

I have been writing and improving upon a program that I wrote for the company I work for to enter OEM branding information on a computer. We build desktop computers to spec for customers and I wanted a way for us to put our company and model information/logo image on each computer that we sell.

Right now, I have information specific to our company in the program, so I am going to create a more generic version for NANY and release it very soon.

Right now, the program allows you to:

- enter OEM Information (Manufacturer, Model #, OEM Phone #, OEM Hours, OEM URL, OEM logo) in an easy to use interface
- select a new OEM logo (BMP file) by clicking on the interface and selecting a new file
- copy any new logo used to your Logo directory for future use
- create a drop-down menu on the interface that contains all models of computer that you normally build. This list can easily be added to and deleted from.

For a future version, I hope to be able to let the user scroll through logos in the LOGO directory, via a pair of front and back buttons, to select a logo.

This is my first utility that I have programmed, and I feel that it has turned out rather well so far. It is written in AutoIT, but I hope to port it to C# some day.

Jim

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #1 on:** November 06, 2014, 12:30 PM »

I have been writing and improving upon a program that I wrote for the company I work for to enter OEM branding information on a computer. We build desktop computers to spec for customers and I wanted a way for us to put our company and model information/logo image on each computer that we sell.
Jim
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 12:09 PM)

Where "on the computer" does it show up? On the initial desktop in the corner somewhere (until the user removes it)? In the default wallpaper-screen? I'd have to say that desktop branding like that annoys me. When I got my Dell machines at my old job, the first week when I had a few minutes, I'd go fishing and swap it to a straight color backdrop.

tomos · « **Reply #2 on:** November 06, 2014, 01:00 PM »

^ my Dell OEM (that I installed myself) just has this:

NANY 2015 Pledge: OEMer

lugosi84 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 06, 2014, 02:08 PM »

Tomos, that is the exact page that the OEM info appears on (right-click My Computer, go to Properties).

No, it does not appear on the desktop, where it definitely might be annoying as all hell

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #4 on:** November 06, 2014, 02:20 PM »

Tomos, that is the exact page that the OEM info appears on (right-click My Computer, go to Properties).

No, it does not appear on the desktop, where it definitely might be annoying as all hell
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 02:08 PM)

Sure, I'm just fine with right-click My Computer, go to Properties.
The computers from my old work came with a variant of a wallpaper like this:

NANY 2015 Pledge: OEMer

I do in fact like those shades of blue ... I might have gone with something abstract in those colors, if it didn't have "DELL" all over it!

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #5 on:** November 06, 2014, 02:23 PM »

Tomos, that is the exact page that the OEM info appears on (right-click My Computer, go to Properties).

No, it does not appear on the desktop, where it definitely might be annoying as all hell
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 02:08 PM)

I don't think anybody in the world would care if an OEM installer put their own wallpaper on the computers in question...seeing as that can be changed really easily...

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #6 on:** November 06, 2014, 02:27 PM »

Tomos, that is the exact page that the OEM info appears on (right-click My Computer, go to Properties).
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 02:08 PM)

But just to get your creative juices flowing, take a look at Mark Russinovich's BgInfo.
http://technet.micro...ysinternals/bb897557

It's probably too rare of a tool to waste time on, but theoretically your program could auto-populate this.

bb897557.BgInfo(en-us,MSDN.10).jpg

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #7 on:** November 06, 2014, 02:31 PM »

Tomos, that is the exact page that the OEM info appears on (right-click My Computer, go to Properties).

No, it does not appear on the desktop, where it definitely might be annoying as all hell
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 02:08 PM)

I don't think anybody in the world would care if an OEM installer put their own wallpaper on the computers in question...seeing as that can be changed really easily...
-Stephen66515 (November 06, 2014, 02:23 PM)

Heh ... okay ... one person in the world?

It's just that it feels just a bit blatant to me ... you know where your comp came from, do you really need the subliminal messaging of the wallpaper?! (And you'd be surprised how many people "sorta don't like it but don't want to ask for help changing it"! (As evidenced by the years the oem wallpaper stayed on some of my colleagues comps!
Either that or some awesome Dell KoolAid!

lugosi84 · « **Reply #8 on:** November 06, 2014, 02:36 PM »

Actually, we put our own wallpaper on our builds, and I am creating a program to facilitate that process as well. That one will come later on, and will probably be another program that I would add to DonationCoder.

DC is one of the BEST sites out there in internet-land

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #9 on:** November 06, 2014, 02:51 PM »

Actually, we put our own wallpaper on our builds, and I am creating a program to facilitate that process as well. That one will come later on, and will probably be another program that I would add to DonationCoder.

DC is one of the BEST sites out there in internet-land
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 02:36 PM)

(B-Movie Outrage)
This means war! Don't make me commission a coding snack that changes wallpaper to a blank-color screen in three clicks just to get rid of your advertising! (/B-Movie Outrage)

(Pick OS, Pick color, though I only ever use black or deep blue.)

tomos · « **Reply #10 on:** November 06, 2014, 02:58 PM »

DC is one of the BEST sites out there in internet-land
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 02:36 PM)

we agree

(hush hush there Tao

)

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #11 on:** November 06, 2014, 03:00 PM »

Actually, we put our own wallpaper on our builds, and I am creating a program to facilitate that process as well. That one will come later on, and will probably be another program that I would add to DonationCoder.

DC is one of the BEST sites out there in internet-land
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 02:36 PM)

(B-Movie Outrage)
This means war! Don't make me commission a coding snack that changes wallpaper to a blank-color screen in three clicks just to get rid of your advertising! (/B-Movie Outrage)

(Pick OS, Pick color, though I only ever use black or deep blue.)
-TaoPhoenix (November 06, 2014, 02:51 PM)

3 Clicks seems a bit excessive for such a simple task....why not just open the EXE and it would do it all for you?

lugosi84 · « **Reply #12 on:** November 06, 2014, 03:10 PM »

Actually, we put our own wallpaper on our builds, and I am creating a program to facilitate that process as well. That one will come later on, and will probably be another program that I would add to DonationCoder.

DC is one of the BEST sites out there in internet-land
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 02:36 PM)

(B-Movie Outrage)
This means war! Don't make me commission a coding snack that changes wallpaper to a blank-color screen in three clicks just to get rid of your advertising! (/B-Movie Outrage)

(Pick OS, Pick color, though I only ever use black or deep blue.)
-TaoPhoenix (November 06, 2014, 02:51 PM)

3 Clicks seems a bit excessive for such a simple task....why not just open the EXE and it would do it all for you?
-Stephen66515 (November 06, 2014, 03:00 PM)

Yeah, I like that 'open the EXE idea'......get rid of that nasty nasty wallpaper

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #13 on:** November 06, 2014, 03:14 PM »

Actually, we put our own wallpaper on our builds, and I am creating a program to facilitate that process as well. That one will come later on, and will probably be another program that I would add to DonationCoder.

DC is one of the BEST sites out there in internet-land
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 02:36 PM)

(B-Movie Outrage)
This means war! Don't make me commission a coding snack that changes wallpaper to a blank-color screen in three clicks just to get rid of your advertising! (/B-Movie Outrage)

(Pick OS, Pick color, though I only ever use black or deep blue.)
-TaoPhoenix (November 06, 2014, 02:51 PM)

3 Clicks seems a bit excessive for such a simple task....why not just open the EXE and it would do it all for you?
-Stephen66515 (November 06, 2014, 03:00 PM)

Snark answer #1:
How do you open an EXE? Then you click a color which has a built in "go" effect. 1-2 and then 3!

But I was also playing on how we all are proud of our snacks (or other programs!) and like to add awesome and/or obscure features.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #14 on:** November 06, 2014, 03:16 PM »

Yeah, I like that 'open the EXE idea'......get rid of that nasty nasty wallpaper
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 03:10 PM)

But ... But ... what if it's released on April Fools' Day and the default replacement is My Little Pony?

(Trivia - The day Slashdot jumped the shark - it was their best April Fools joke ever!)

lugosi84 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 06, 2014, 03:30 PM »

Yeah, I like that 'open the EXE idea'......get rid of that nasty nasty wallpaper
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 03:10 PM)

But ... But ... what if it's released on April Fools' Day and the default replacement is My Little Pony?

(Trivia - The day Slashdot jumped the shark - it was their best April Fools joke ever!) (see attachment in previous post)
-TaoPhoenix (November 06, 2014, 03:16 PM)

Sorry, I am not a Broney......that pink hurts my eyes

lugosi84 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 06, 2014, 03:42 PM »

I have a question about this whole NANY process. I dont really have anywhere to host my entry, so how would I allow people to download it?

tomos · « **Reply #17 on:** November 06, 2014, 03:42 PM »

But I was also playing on how we all are proud of our snacks (or other programs!) and like to add awesome and/or obscure features.
-TaoPhoenix (November 06, 2014, 03:14 PM)

didnt really mean to supress - good response

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #18 on:** November 06, 2014, 03:47 PM »

Sorry, I am not a Broney......that pink hurts my eyes
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 03:30 PM)

Neither am I, or most of them. And that's why it was the epic April Fools joke ever! (Later ones just made characters backwards, or whatever.)

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #19 on:** November 06, 2014, 03:48 PM »

I have a question about this whole NANY process. I dont really have anywhere to host my entry, so how would I allow people to download it?
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 03:42 PM)

DC has (I think a couple) of ways to host people's NANY programs. Sometimes you can create your own page if you want to go all "brand-ey", or sometimes they can stick them in more general "Here are the NANY entries this year" type of page.

lugosi84 · « **Reply #20 on:** November 06, 2014, 03:56 PM »

Thanks, Tao. That sounds like a good question to put in the appropriate forum.

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #21 on:** November 06, 2014, 04:17 PM »

Thanks, Tao. That sounds like a good question to put in the appropriate forum.
-lugosi84 (November 06, 2014, 03:56 PM)

I have replied to the question you asked in the "Help" forum.

lugosi84 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 07, 2014, 05:50 AM »

Thanks Stephen

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #23 on:** November 07, 2014, 10:55 AM »

Thanks Stephen
-lugosi84 (November 07, 2014, 05:50 AM)

No problem.