Highlighting software - any alternative to Hilitext?

[rjbull]

I run Fanix Software's Hilitext on Vista Home Premium with UAC On, but it doesn't fully work as it did on XP.  Quote from Fanix's Web site:

Hilitext - The super-powered text finder tool

Hilitext is a powerful OS-level text finder tool that works with all Windows programs to help you find what you are looking for easier and faster. Powered with an innovative text highlighting technology, Hilitext automatically scans your screen and highlights every instance of your keywords in all open desktop windows including web pages, e-mail messages and other documents to help you find information more quickly and easily. It continues to highlight all instances of your target terms automatically as you surf from web page to web page or e-mail to e-mail.

Well, it doesn't work properly any more, as can be seen on the screenshots.  The first is on Magic Mail Monitor and the second on the DC forum's Recent Topics page, viewed with Firefox.  Either Hilitext misses things completely, or it messes up the highlighting and/or the text underneath it.  It does seem rather better on text editors, but that's only a limited use.

I think I e-mailed Fanix a long time ago, with no reply.  Is there anything I need to check, or, please, is there an alternative software to do the same job?

[Eóin]

Does running it as admin make any difference. Otherwise it could be a DWM issue not UAC.

[rjbull]

Good thought, Eóin.  Just tried running as admin.  I had to put in my registration again, and got this message:

***** CRITICAL *****
The application cannot be launched because it failed in installing the
core services (error code: -2147483647).
Please check the application integrity and try again.

Exited, ran it again, loaded OK, and looking in About, it says it's registered.  But, no highlighting at all.    Firefox is running in user account, but surely Hilitext running as admin should still work.

What's DWM?

[Eóin]

DWM is the new desktop manager introduced in Vista, it's what gives you the fancy transparency. You can turn it off by selecting the Vista Basic theme. It's worth trying just out of interest.

More likely though I'd still say it could be a UAC issue.

Try a reinstall, and make sure the first time you run it is as an admin. As it stands it sounds strange that you had to put your reg code in twice, it probably got confused and that's why the service didn't work.

Alternatively you could turn UAC off completely and then install and test it, probably that's a simpler way to narrow down if it's a UAC issue.

[rjbull]

DWM is the new desktop manager introduced in Vista, it's what gives you the fancy transparency. You can turn it off by selecting the Vista Basic theme. It's worth trying just out of interest.

I'll have to look up how to tur it off, but it's worth a try, thanks.  Transparency doesn't add much, after all.

More likely though I'd still say it could be a UAC issue.

Try a reinstall, and make sure the first time you run it is as an admin. As it stands it sounds strange that you had to put your reg code in twice, it probably got confused and that's why the service didn't work.

I've had to put my reg code in twice in similar situations before.  I suppose it makes sense, if a program is registered to a user who isn't necessarily the admin.  It looks like the accounts are sealed boxes...