Shareware Shopper

I have VISTA Ultimate running as a headless server. The RAID system takes 2 minutes to initialize, and the system finally boots in about 3-4 minutes. I want the computer speaker to BEEP when the user logon screen appears to signal when the shared resources are ready. I would think a simple BATCH file would work for this, but I don’t know where to put it (but there seems to be no "BEEP" command in VISTA anyway). Been searching the net for a while now, and can’t even find a utility that will do this. Don’t want to have to pay for any shareware to do this seemingly simple task.

Have you thought about writing the program and then editing the boot.ini file so it is set to run where you want it to in the lineup? Just an idea. may not work.

Ron

I’m encountering error code 2869 and inability to install a program (Orphalese Tarot, which I like to experiment with as a sort of creative thinking tool) and also to uninstall it.

Prepare for excessive use of the words install and uninstall. Best to avoid trying for synonyms when discussing something like this eh?

The process:

1) I had an old install of the program. I decided I wanted to upgrade it from shareware, but found that somehow I had broken the install, so I downloaded the installer again and tried uninstalling the old program. Windows uninstall repeatedly failed, encountering (in the words of a popup error box) error code 2869. It did this after seemingly finishing most of what it’s supposed to do — graphically, there was a cute little effect where the full installation progress bar empties, walking backwards to the beginning, if that makes sense.
2) I then tried using Final Uninstaller (this was probably a mistake from the get-go) but the program uses windows uninstall before performing its function of forcing a removal of the registry entries. It failed in the same way.
3) So I then decided to manually get rid of the files and just use Final Uninstaller to wipe the registry afterwards. No error codes at this point …
4) I then try to use the Orphalese Tarot installer, and it encounters … error code 2869 and the same graphic where the progress bar backtracks to the beginning.
5) I finally do the smarter thing of researching error code 2869. It is suggested confirming my suspicions that this is a sign of a corrupt old installation. I end up being directed by my reading to (some people got the same error code with different programs, and this worked for them) :

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

I download the installer for this Windows Installer Cleanup Utility, msicuu.exe , and after a little while get it to run successfully after "Run As Administrator". The utility is installed.

6) I boot up the utility and find that Orphalese Tarot is not listed on the list of programs I have, probably because I was retarded and I wiped the registry entries.

Of course, there’s still something somewhere, because the install doesn’t work.

My question is: now what? Am I just going to have to give up on getting this program on this computer without having to do a system restore or worse? (not worth it unfortunately)

Heh, hope someone can help, and thanks for reading my irritating way of describing this. If anyone needs more details I’m happy to try my best to provide them.

I don’t know if this will work but it might be worth giving it a try. Basically it scans your software looking for unpatched programs and remnants of old programs and directs you to the relevant fix from the manufacturer’s website. If no fix is available the file path is shown for manual removal.

I prefer the personal version which can be downloaded then used in advanced mode but there is also a free online scan. It’s not one of those dodgy sites which tries to sell you something or install harmful software.

http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/

What is the best utility program for WinXP (like System Mechanic Pro, Norton Utilites, etc.) Freeware, shareware. Cleans your registry, cache, optimization, tweaks, defrag, error fixing, uninstalls, boot defrag, etc.
Thanx!

All are necessary.
Antivirus( http://avg.com ) and registry error fixing ( http://www.fix-pc-errors.info )first

I’m currently unemployed so my budget is very tight at the moment. As a result of that, I am looking for a good backup utility for Windows 2000 which can burn to CD, and I need it to be freeware or shareware. I found a version of WinBackup that the software manufacturer had released as freeware. Upon running it, though, it became clear this was not a great tool as it requires the application to be running in order to restore a backup, and there was no way to make a bootable disk with the software, making the backup of a primary disk rather pointless. It appears that Microsoft Backup, the utility that comes with Windows 2000 and other versions of Windows, will only back up to a harddisk or floppy, neither of which is all that useful to me. Can anybody offer any recommendations? I’ve previously used Norton Ghost and really like the product, but the current version does not support Windows 2000 and also is not currently within my budget. Does anybody have some useful ideas for me?
CDBurnerXP looks like a great tool for burning CDs, but it doesn’t appear to be a backup utility. Anybody else?

SyncBak (http://www.2brightsparks.com/) is a good backup utility. I dont know if it can burn a CD.Just try and see yourself.

i am looking for a site that is free, not shareware, or free to try and then buy, free as in no dinero…i need a good system utility and adware utility/….i have CCCleaner ..

Filehippo

www.filehippo.com

A. Security management, directory services, intranets, and network maintenance
B. Applications that tabulate various numbers for accounting, payroll, online banking, taxes, inventory, financial forecasting, etc.
C. Application software that creates and edits documents and provides special features such as help index, spelling, and merge feature
D. Virus protection, system maintenance, and file compression programs
E. Software developed for specific professions such as medicine, law, and architecture
F. Records creation, editing, reporting, and maintenance
G. Used on the Internet to search for information
H. Produces high-quality documentation that contains both text and graphics

1. Specialized software (1 point)

2. Finance software (1 point)

3. Utility software (1 point)

4. Word Processing software (1 point)

5. Network software (1 point)

6. Desktop Publishing software (1 point)

7. Database Management software (1 point)

8. Browser software (1 point)

9. You are considering acquiring some software that will help you build your own website. You go online and find a downloadable program that offers a 30-day trial use period before you are required to make a purchase. Which type of software is this? (1 point)
public domain software
shareware
commercial software
free software
10. A public school employee is in charge of purchasing software to be used by thousands of students in computer classes throughout the district. Why would she consider purchasing public domain software rather than commercial software? (1 point)
Public domain software is typically of higher quality, even though it is more expensive than commercial software.
Public domain software is cheaper and can be duplicated as needed, since it is not copyrighted.
Public domain software is compatible with all computers, whereas commercial software often requires specific equipment.
Public domain software can be used before it is purchased, whereas commercial software can only be used after it has been purchased.

e
b
d
c
a
h
f
g

Complete the following questions.
1. Which of the following features of an operating system has been most effective in improving user productivity?
A. intrusion detection
B. multitasking
C. graphical user interface
D. copy and paste

2. One purpose of an OS is to manage how
A. information is stored and retrieved from disks.
B. often antivirus software is updated.
C. data is transferred between programs.
D. much electricity is used by external devices.

3. An important purpose of the OS is to
A. protect the computer from viruses.
B. install software.
C. provide a user interface.
D. back up important data.

4. An example of a command-line interface is ___________________.
A. Windows
B. OS/2
C. MS-DOS
D. Mac OS

5. Which of the following is a type of operating system used in machinery and industrial systems?
A. Single-user/single-tasking operating system
B. Single-user/multi-tasking operating system
C. Multi-user/multitasking operating system
D. Real-time operating system

6. A distributed program is a program that
A. is installed using an application server.
B. requires multiple disks for installation.
C. runs in parts on several computers.
D. is downloaded from a shareware Web site.

7. Computer programs use ______________ to request information from the OS or services to be performed by the OS.
A. data notifications
B. information service requests
C. system calls
D. programs notifications

8. The advantage of a ____________ operating system is that it can respond to certain inputs in thousandths or even millionths of a second.
A. multitasking
B. single-tasking
C. real-time
D. command-line

9. Which of the following is NOT a purpose for an operating system?
A. Loading programs into computer memory
B. Translating user instructions to computer code
C. Sending and receiving e-mail
D. Regulating the usage of computer memory

10. Handheld computers, such as the Palm Pilot, run a __________ operating system (OS).
A. real-time
B. single-tasking
C. multitasking
D. network

11. The main interface in MS-DOS and most versions of UNIX are a(n) __________ interface.
A. embedded
B. graphical
C. command-line
D. neural

12. A special-purpose window that appears when the OS needs to give the user information or request an instruction is called a(n) __________.
A. context menu
B. shortcut
C. dialog box
D. system call

13. The OS provides programs, called _________, for working with special devices such as printers.
A. drivers
B. system calls
C. terminal services
D. utilities

14. Which is NOT a function of the operating system?
A. Displaying on-screen elements
B. Loading programs into computer’s memory
C. Sending and receiving e-mail messages
D. Managing the way information is stored and retrieved from disks

15. What type of an OS is used in the electrical system of an automobile?
A. network
B. embedded
C. Linux
D. Windows

16. Microsoft® Active Directory is an example of a(n)
A. graphical user interface.
B. enterprise directory.
C. distributed application.
D. embedded operating system.

17. ___________ represent(s) links to resources located on the computer or on the network.
A. Windows
B. Shortcuts
C. Context menus
D. Title bars

18. The ____________ is a feature in most operating systems that is a temporary holding space for data that is going to be moved or copied.
A. desktop
B. prompt
C. Quick Launch bar
D. Clipboard

19. The process of ______________________ is called task switching.
A. opening multiple windows
B. copying and pasting data
C. moving from one open window to another
D. right-clicking on an object

20. The software that allows a user to open a user session on a terminal server is called the __________________.
A. shared network service
B. multi-user session service
C. multitasking client
D. terminal client

21. A(n) _______________ program is used to copy large amounts of data from a hard drive to another location such as a tape or CD-R.
A. antivirus
B. backup utility
C. defragmentation
D. firewall

22. A device drive is a program that allows the OS to
A. communicate with other computers on a network.
B. communicate with a printer, video card, or other external device.
C. control the power usage of all external devices.
D. send system calls to software.

23. The __________ examines the hard drive for hidden programs that may harm your computer.
A. screen saver
B. backup utility
C. antivirus utility
D. firewall

24. Which of the following is NOT a utility program?
A. antivirus utility
B. database
C. intrusion detection software
D. screen saver

25. The _______________ was originall

1. B
2. A
3. C
4. C
5. D
6. A
7. D
8. C
9. C
10. B
11. C
12. C
13. B
14. A
15. B
16. B
17. B
18. D
19. C
20. D
21. B
22. B
23. C
24. D
25 don’t understand

Hope I got at least a few right from some of my PC knowledge!!

I am a software developer. In my work we make secure devices for bank transactions. Some of these devices are USB.

The problem is with Windows. Each time a device is plugged into the PC, its serial number is recorded in the registry. Once about 500 devices have been plugged in and tested Windows will no longer see the devices.

Several shareware ‘registry cleaners’ exist. Some will remove these entries and some will not. Some will only remove the entries if the operator has administrator access.

Many of the utilities are not all that well written. If more than about 50 or so of said entries exist, the commercial apps tend to crash. Clearly some “buffer overrun” issue exists in their code. Perhaps the authors never planned on there being quite so many entries. Unfortunately I can not expect some operator in Malaysia, Brazil, or Mexico to run a commercial utility and walk through the menus every time they test 50 devices. Also due to security reasons the IT department will not allow the operators to use computers with administrator access.

We have had an ongoing problem with third world labor with regards to unauthorized devices and our PC’s. I can not help the fact that my employer insists on making this crap in the third world were the labor is cheap. They must be saving almost 50 dollars a year, but that is another story. Meanwhile I have to write code to make things ‘third-world’ proof as I can.

Most of my work is in Visual C++. I can delete the entries under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, but this fails dismally if the operator does not have administrator access. Any ideas?

If you have suggestions on how to stop them from plugging in unauthorised thumb drives and MP3 CD’s I would love to hear it. We have been fighting this for some time.
The problem is worse with Vista vs XP. Any IT or programmer knows that.

Is it possible to have a scripting program to run the registry cleaner nightly (that way you can set it up with admin privileges and I doubt more then 50 devices would be plugged in, in one day).

I’m not aware of any way to stop unauthorized USB devices from being plugged in, but you may be able to program one which the MAC address of the authorized devices needed to be entered (all other devices would not work). Besides that it would have to be a business policy to stop unauthorized devices on work computers (you would have the logs to show where and by who they were being used).

Since I don’t have powerpoint, I use OpenOffice Impress. However, my school only has powerpoint 2003 so I have to save my files in the powerpoint 1997 format. How can I compress the files OpenOffice produces because I put pictures (pretty modest resolution – not in MP range) that is causing the file size to skyrocket. I know there are utilities out there but all the ones I’ve found so far are shareware. Are there any free ones or is there anything I can do from OpenOffice Impress itself to reduce my .ppt file sizes? I notice that saving in the .odp format doesn’t seem to change file size much either.

Sun Presentation Minimizer

Microsoft Corporation has taken another step toward dominating
every aspect of American life with the introduction of
Contraceptive 98, a suite of applications designed for users who
engage in sex.

Microsoft has been a pioneer in peer-to-peer connectivity and
plug and play. It believes these technologies will give it
substantial leverage in penetrating the copulation enhancement
market.

The product addresses two important user concerns: the need for
virus protection and the need for a firewall to ensure the
non-propagation of human beings.

The Contraceptive98 suite consists of three products: Condom 98,
DeFetus 1.0 (from Sementec), and AIDScan 2.1 (from Norton
Utilities).

A free copy of Intercourse Explorer 4.0 is bundled in the
package. The suite also comes in two expanded versions.
Contraceptive 98 Professional is the Client/Server edition, for
professionals in the sexual services sector. Contraceptive98
Small Business Edition is a package for start-ups, aimed at the
housewife and gigolo niches.

While Contraceptive 98 does not address non-traditional
copulatory channels, future plug-ins are planned for next year.
They will be known as BackDoor, AuraLee, TitElation, and JerkOff.

OPERATION

Only one node in a peer-to-peer connection needs to install the
package. At installation, the Condom98 software checks for
minimum hardware. If the user meets the requirements, the product
installs and is sufficiently scaleable to meet most requirements.
After installation, operation commences. One caution is that the
user must have sufficient RAM to complete the session. When the
session is complete, a disconnect is initiated, and the user gets
the message, "It is now safe to turn off your partner."

DRAWBACKS

Usability testers report that frequent failures were a major
concern during beta testing. General Protection Fault was the
most serious error encountered. Early versions had numerous bugs,
but most of these have been eliminated. The product needs to be
installed each time its used.

CONCLUSION

Contraceptive 98 is a robust product. Despite its drawbacks, it
is a reasonably good value for its $49.95 price tag, and is far
superior to its shareware version. Hopefully, future releases (of
the software, that is) will add missing functionality, such as
Backout and Restore, Uninterruptible Power Supply, and Onboard
Camera.

Microsoft CEO Bill Gates is optimistic about Contraceptive 98s
potential. He recently said, "Our contraceptive products will
help users do to each other what we’ve been doing to our
customers for years."

lol im back again just got suspended